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<p>George Weah's soccer talent took him from a slum surrounded by swamps in Liberia to superstardom in Paris, Milan and London, becoming the first and still only African to win FIFA's world player of the year award.</p>
<p>That's only half the story.</p>
<p>Raised in a poor neighborhood built on a mangrove swamp on the neglected outskirts of the Liberian port capital Monrovia, Weah was <a href="" type="internal">elected president</a> of his country last week. His victory over the country's incumbent vice president, a business graduate and former consultant to the World Bank, was a lesson in how sports fame can help propel figures with humble beginnings to positions of great importance.</p>
<p>Weah was not the first sportsman to test his popularity in the political arena. Boxer Manny Pacquiao is a senator in the Philippines, former Olympic champion runner and current IAAF president Sebastian Coe was a member of parliament in Britain, and ex-cricketer Imran Khan leads an opposition party in Pakistan. There have been others.</p>
<p>But Weah, easily Liberia's most famous sportsman, has reached the highest office in his land. His challenge is big, too.</p>
<p>The 51-year-old former striker, who made his name with Italian giant AC Milan in the 1990s, must lead a country that still sits in the shadow of civil war. Weah has the brutal warlord and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor as one of his recent predecessors as president of Liberia. Just as Liberia, a nation on the coast of West Africa founded by freed slaves from America, appeared to be emerging from violence, it was rocked by the Ebola crisis in 2014-15.</p>
<p>And there's the grinding poverty. Poverty that Weah knows firsthand from his early years in Monrovia's Clara Town slum.</p>
<p>Helped by his familiarity with those hardships, Weah won the second round of voting in the presidential election by a large margin as young Liberians, especially, put their trust in a former soccer player with little experience in politics, and who only achieved his high school diploma when he was in his 40s.</p>
<p>Some of them might even be too young to remember Weah during his footballing heyday, but very few of them aren't aware of his achievements. A league title with France's Paris Saint-Germain in 1994, the top scorer in the 1994-95 Champions League, two league titles with AC Milan and, his greatest moment, the world player of the year and Ballon d'Or winner in 1995.</p>
<p>Maybe more importantly for poor Liberians in the same situation as Weah was: Soccer made him rich and famous.</p>
<p>The name Weah of Liberia stands out on that list of players who have been voted the world's best, the only one from his continent alongside greats of the game from Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Argentina. Strong, fast and with skill to match his physical prowess, he scored wondrous goals.</p>
<p>One of his best was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDuZpma_Oxs" type="external">this dizzying display of pace and skill</a> for Milan against Verona. Two of Weah's sons also became professional footballers, with Timothy Weah starring for the United States at last year's under-17 World Cup. George Weah Jr., now 30, was also a youth international for the U.S.</p>
<p>An African in the big leagues in Europe is not a novelty now. But in the late 1980s, when Weah senior was playing his way out of the slum, it was rare. And even rarer that he should come from Liberia, a country that still struggles to put a national team together, and not Africa's more fertile football fields in Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal or Ivory Coast.</p>
<p>Weah played in France, Italy and for Chelsea and Manchester City in the English Premier League, and was Africa's first superstar. He was named African Player of the Century in 1996.</p>
<p>He never appeared at the World Cup — his Liberian teammates weren't good enough to help him get there — but Weah said in an interview in 2015 for FIFA that his own success was always dedicated to Liberians.</p>
<p>"They celebrated with me and it put Liberia on the map," Weah said.</p>
<p>Weah's decision to personally bankroll the Liberia national team through a number of World Cup qualifying campaigns further ingratiated him to his compatriots. Last week, those compatriots elected Weah president, pinning their dreams on an ex-soccer star whose rise from the slum appears to give them as much hope of better things as the Harvard-educated, Nobel Peace Prize-winning Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who Weah will succeed as leader of his country.</p>
<p>Signs of that sentiment were evident in Weah's early political career a few years ago when one of his young supporters proclaimed: "We want to put him in power because he cares for the youths and common people. And if he becomes president he will open a football academy for us."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Gerald Imray is on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP" type="external">https://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP</a></p>
<p>George Weah's soccer talent took him from a slum surrounded by swamps in Liberia to superstardom in Paris, Milan and London, becoming the first and still only African to win FIFA's world player of the year award.</p>
<p>That's only half the story.</p>
<p>Raised in a poor neighborhood built on a mangrove swamp on the neglected outskirts of the Liberian port capital Monrovia, Weah was <a href="" type="internal">elected president</a> of his country last week. His victory over the country's incumbent vice president, a business graduate and former consultant to the World Bank, was a lesson in how sports fame can help propel figures with humble beginnings to positions of great importance.</p>
<p>Weah was not the first sportsman to test his popularity in the political arena. Boxer Manny Pacquiao is a senator in the Philippines, former Olympic champion runner and current IAAF president Sebastian Coe was a member of parliament in Britain, and ex-cricketer Imran Khan leads an opposition party in Pakistan. There have been others.</p>
<p>But Weah, easily Liberia's most famous sportsman, has reached the highest office in his land. His challenge is big, too.</p>
<p>The 51-year-old former striker, who made his name with Italian giant AC Milan in the 1990s, must lead a country that still sits in the shadow of civil war. Weah has the brutal warlord and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor as one of his recent predecessors as president of Liberia. Just as Liberia, a nation on the coast of West Africa founded by freed slaves from America, appeared to be emerging from violence, it was rocked by the Ebola crisis in 2014-15.</p>
<p>And there's the grinding poverty. Poverty that Weah knows firsthand from his early years in Monrovia's Clara Town slum.</p>
<p>Helped by his familiarity with those hardships, Weah won the second round of voting in the presidential election by a large margin as young Liberians, especially, put their trust in a former soccer player with little experience in politics, and who only achieved his high school diploma when he was in his 40s.</p>
<p>Some of them might even be too young to remember Weah during his footballing heyday, but very few of them aren't aware of his achievements. A league title with France's Paris Saint-Germain in 1994, the top scorer in the 1994-95 Champions League, two league titles with AC Milan and, his greatest moment, the world player of the year and Ballon d'Or winner in 1995.</p>
<p>Maybe more importantly for poor Liberians in the same situation as Weah was: Soccer made him rich and famous.</p>
<p>The name Weah of Liberia stands out on that list of players who have been voted the world's best, the only one from his continent alongside greats of the game from Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Argentina. Strong, fast and with skill to match his physical prowess, he scored wondrous goals.</p>
<p>One of his best was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDuZpma_Oxs" type="external">this dizzying display of pace and skill</a> for Milan against Verona. Two of Weah's sons also became professional footballers, with Timothy Weah starring for the United States at last year's under-17 World Cup. George Weah Jr., now 30, was also a youth international for the U.S.</p>
<p>An African in the big leagues in Europe is not a novelty now. But in the late 1980s, when Weah senior was playing his way out of the slum, it was rare. And even rarer that he should come from Liberia, a country that still struggles to put a national team together, and not Africa's more fertile football fields in Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal or Ivory Coast.</p>
<p>Weah played in France, Italy and for Chelsea and Manchester City in the English Premier League, and was Africa's first superstar. He was named African Player of the Century in 1996.</p>
<p>He never appeared at the World Cup — his Liberian teammates weren't good enough to help him get there — but Weah said in an interview in 2015 for FIFA that his own success was always dedicated to Liberians.</p>
<p>"They celebrated with me and it put Liberia on the map," Weah said.</p>
<p>Weah's decision to personally bankroll the Liberia national team through a number of World Cup qualifying campaigns further ingratiated him to his compatriots. Last week, those compatriots elected Weah president, pinning their dreams on an ex-soccer star whose rise from the slum appears to give them as much hope of better things as the Harvard-educated, Nobel Peace Prize-winning Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who Weah will succeed as leader of his country.</p>
<p>Signs of that sentiment were evident in Weah's early political career a few years ago when one of his young supporters proclaimed: "We want to put him in power because he cares for the youths and common people. And if he becomes president he will open a football academy for us."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Gerald Imray is on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP" type="external">https://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP</a></p>
| false | 2 |
george weahs soccer talent took slum surrounded swamps liberia superstardom paris milan london becoming first still african win fifas world player year award thats half story raised poor neighborhood built mangrove swamp neglected outskirts liberian port capital monrovia weah elected president country last week victory countrys incumbent vice president business graduate former consultant world bank lesson sports fame help propel figures humble beginnings positions great importance weah first sportsman test popularity political arena boxer manny pacquiao senator philippines former olympic champion runner current iaaf president sebastian coe member parliament britain excricketer imran khan leads opposition party pakistan others weah easily liberias famous sportsman reached highest office land challenge big 51yearold former striker made name italian giant ac milan 1990s must lead country still sits shadow civil war weah brutal warlord convicted war criminal charles taylor one recent predecessors president liberia liberia nation coast west africa founded freed slaves america appeared emerging violence rocked ebola crisis 201415 theres grinding poverty poverty weah knows firsthand early years monrovias clara town slum helped familiarity hardships weah second round voting presidential election large margin young liberians especially put trust former soccer player little experience politics achieved high school diploma 40s might even young remember weah footballing heyday arent aware achievements league title frances paris saintgermain 1994 top scorer 199495 champions league two league titles ac milan greatest moment world player year ballon dor winner 1995 maybe importantly poor liberians situation weah soccer made rich famous name weah liberia stands list players voted worlds best one continent alongside greats game italy spain germany brazil argentina strong fast skill match physical prowess scored wondrous goals one best dizzying display pace skill milan verona two weahs sons also became professional footballers timothy weah starring united states last years under17 world cup george weah jr 30 also youth international us african big leagues europe novelty late 1980s weah senior playing way slum rare even rarer come liberia country still struggles put national team together africas fertile football fields nigeria cameroon senegal ivory coast weah played france italy chelsea manchester city english premier league africas first superstar named african player century 1996 never appeared world cup liberian teammates werent good enough help get weah said interview 2015 fifa success always dedicated liberians celebrated put liberia map weah said weahs decision personally bankroll liberia national team number world cup qualifying campaigns ingratiated compatriots last week compatriots elected weah president pinning dreams exsoccer star whose rise slum appears give much hope better things harvardeducated nobel peace prizewinning ellen johnson sirleaf weah succeed leader country signs sentiment evident weahs early political career years ago one young supporters proclaimed want put power cares youths common people becomes president open football academy us ___ gerald imray twitter httpstwittercomgeraldimrayap george weahs soccer talent took slum surrounded swamps liberia superstardom paris milan london becoming first still african win fifas world player year award thats half story raised poor neighborhood built mangrove swamp neglected outskirts liberian port capital monrovia weah elected president country last week victory countrys incumbent vice president business graduate former consultant world bank lesson sports fame help propel figures humble beginnings positions great importance weah first sportsman test popularity political arena boxer manny pacquiao senator philippines former olympic champion runner current iaaf president sebastian coe member parliament britain excricketer imran khan leads opposition party pakistan others weah easily liberias famous sportsman reached highest office land challenge big 51yearold former striker made name italian giant ac milan 1990s must lead country still sits shadow civil war weah brutal warlord convicted war criminal charles taylor one recent predecessors president liberia liberia nation coast west africa founded freed slaves america appeared emerging violence rocked ebola crisis 201415 theres grinding poverty poverty weah knows firsthand early years monrovias clara town slum helped familiarity hardships weah second round voting presidential election large margin young liberians especially put trust former soccer player little experience politics achieved high school diploma 40s might even young remember weah footballing heyday arent aware achievements league title frances paris saintgermain 1994 top scorer 199495 champions league two league titles ac milan greatest moment world player year ballon dor winner 1995 maybe importantly poor liberians situation weah soccer made rich famous name weah liberia stands list players voted worlds best one continent alongside greats game italy spain germany brazil argentina strong fast skill match physical prowess scored wondrous goals one best dizzying display pace skill milan verona two weahs sons also became professional footballers timothy weah starring united states last years under17 world cup george weah jr 30 also youth international us african big leagues europe novelty late 1980s weah senior playing way slum rare even rarer come liberia country still struggles put national team together africas fertile football fields nigeria cameroon senegal ivory coast weah played france italy chelsea manchester city english premier league africas first superstar named african player century 1996 never appeared world cup liberian teammates werent good enough help get weah said interview 2015 fifa success always dedicated liberians celebrated put liberia map weah said weahs decision personally bankroll liberia national team number world cup qualifying campaigns ingratiated compatriots last week compatriots elected weah president pinning dreams exsoccer star whose rise slum appears give much hope better things harvardeducated nobel peace prizewinning ellen johnson sirleaf weah succeed leader country signs sentiment evident weahs early political career years ago one young supporters proclaimed want put power cares youths common people becomes president open football academy us ___ gerald imray twitter httpstwittercomgeraldimrayap
| 908 |
<p>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said its October-December operating profit jumped 64 percent to a record high, capping off 2017 with the biggest annual operating income and sales in its history thanks to the blockbuster semiconductor business.</p>
<p>In its earnings preview Tuesday, the South Korean company put its operating profit at 15.1 trillion won ($ 14.1 billion) for the final three months of last year, compared with 9.2 trillion won a year earlier.</p>
<p>The result, however, missed expectations. Analysts polled by financial data firm FactSet expected 16.2 trillion won in operating profit. Analysts lowered their views on Samsung last month, citing the one-time bonuses to employees and the appreciation of the local currency against the U.S. dollar. Nomura estimates that Samsung spent 700 billion won ($655 million) as bonuses to employees.</p>
<p>Fourth-quarter sales rose 24 percent to 66 trillion won ($61.8 billion), also at a record high.</p>
<p>For the entire year, Samsung's operating income stood at 53.6 trillion won ($50.2 billion), a 83-percent surge from 2016, on sales of 239.6 trillion won ($224.2 billion), up 19 percent from the previous year.</p>
<p>Samsung did not give a quarterly net profit or breakdown figures for each businesses. The company is due to disclose more details of its financial performance later this month.</p>
<p>What drove Samsung's monstrous year was the company's semiconductor division, which has been cashing in on the skyrocketing demand and prices of memory chips. The world's demand for more storage for pictures, videos, files and other digital data in their gadgets and servers, as well as demand for more computing power to run many programs faster, pushed up demand for memory chips that are dominated by Samsung.</p>
<p>Samsung controls about half of the world's DRAM memory chips that temporarily hold data and help computers run many programs at the same time, and about one third of the world's NAND chips, which store files. It was the biggest beneficiary of the jump in prices of those memory chips in 2017.</p>
<p>Some analysts however worry the price of chips may fall this year and weigh on Samsung's earnings while others remain bullish on Samsung that a possible fall in chip prices would be outweighed by a big increase in sales.</p>
<p>The stellar financial achievement has coincided with Samsung's management crisis. Its de facto leader Lee Jae-yong, a grandson of Samsung's founder and the only son of the ailing Samsung chair, is fighting at an appeals court to overturn his five-year prison sentence for bribery and other charges. Lee has been in prison for nearly a year. Prosecutors who also appealed the lower court's ruling have demanded a 12-year prison term for Lee. The ruling is expected on Feb. 5.</p>
<p>The company made major management changes in November. After Samsung's longtime head of the semiconductor division offered to resign, the heads of the mobile business and TV divisions also stepped down. Those three divisions are now helmed by younger leaders.</p>
<p>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said its October-December operating profit jumped 64 percent to a record high, capping off 2017 with the biggest annual operating income and sales in its history thanks to the blockbuster semiconductor business.</p>
<p>In its earnings preview Tuesday, the South Korean company put its operating profit at 15.1 trillion won ($ 14.1 billion) for the final three months of last year, compared with 9.2 trillion won a year earlier.</p>
<p>The result, however, missed expectations. Analysts polled by financial data firm FactSet expected 16.2 trillion won in operating profit. Analysts lowered their views on Samsung last month, citing the one-time bonuses to employees and the appreciation of the local currency against the U.S. dollar. Nomura estimates that Samsung spent 700 billion won ($655 million) as bonuses to employees.</p>
<p>Fourth-quarter sales rose 24 percent to 66 trillion won ($61.8 billion), also at a record high.</p>
<p>For the entire year, Samsung's operating income stood at 53.6 trillion won ($50.2 billion), a 83-percent surge from 2016, on sales of 239.6 trillion won ($224.2 billion), up 19 percent from the previous year.</p>
<p>Samsung did not give a quarterly net profit or breakdown figures for each businesses. The company is due to disclose more details of its financial performance later this month.</p>
<p>What drove Samsung's monstrous year was the company's semiconductor division, which has been cashing in on the skyrocketing demand and prices of memory chips. The world's demand for more storage for pictures, videos, files and other digital data in their gadgets and servers, as well as demand for more computing power to run many programs faster, pushed up demand for memory chips that are dominated by Samsung.</p>
<p>Samsung controls about half of the world's DRAM memory chips that temporarily hold data and help computers run many programs at the same time, and about one third of the world's NAND chips, which store files. It was the biggest beneficiary of the jump in prices of those memory chips in 2017.</p>
<p>Some analysts however worry the price of chips may fall this year and weigh on Samsung's earnings while others remain bullish on Samsung that a possible fall in chip prices would be outweighed by a big increase in sales.</p>
<p>The stellar financial achievement has coincided with Samsung's management crisis. Its de facto leader Lee Jae-yong, a grandson of Samsung's founder and the only son of the ailing Samsung chair, is fighting at an appeals court to overturn his five-year prison sentence for bribery and other charges. Lee has been in prison for nearly a year. Prosecutors who also appealed the lower court's ruling have demanded a 12-year prison term for Lee. The ruling is expected on Feb. 5.</p>
<p>The company made major management changes in November. After Samsung's longtime head of the semiconductor division offered to resign, the heads of the mobile business and TV divisions also stepped down. Those three divisions are now helmed by younger leaders.</p>
| false | 2 |
seoul south korea ap samsung electronics said octoberdecember operating profit jumped 64 percent record high capping 2017 biggest annual operating income sales history thanks blockbuster semiconductor business earnings preview tuesday south korean company put operating profit 151 trillion 141 billion final three months last year compared 92 trillion year earlier result however missed expectations analysts polled financial data firm factset expected 162 trillion operating profit analysts lowered views samsung last month citing onetime bonuses employees appreciation local currency us dollar nomura estimates samsung spent 700 billion 655 million bonuses employees fourthquarter sales rose 24 percent 66 trillion 618 billion also record high entire year samsungs operating income stood 536 trillion 502 billion 83percent surge 2016 sales 2396 trillion 2242 billion 19 percent previous year samsung give quarterly net profit breakdown figures businesses company due disclose details financial performance later month drove samsungs monstrous year companys semiconductor division cashing skyrocketing demand prices memory chips worlds demand storage pictures videos files digital data gadgets servers well demand computing power run many programs faster pushed demand memory chips dominated samsung samsung controls half worlds dram memory chips temporarily hold data help computers run many programs time one third worlds nand chips store files biggest beneficiary jump prices memory chips 2017 analysts however worry price chips may fall year weigh samsungs earnings others remain bullish samsung possible fall chip prices would outweighed big increase sales stellar financial achievement coincided samsungs management crisis de facto leader lee jaeyong grandson samsungs founder son ailing samsung chair fighting appeals court overturn fiveyear prison sentence bribery charges lee prison nearly year prosecutors also appealed lower courts ruling demanded 12year prison term lee ruling expected feb 5 company made major management changes november samsungs longtime head semiconductor division offered resign heads mobile business tv divisions also stepped three divisions helmed younger leaders seoul south korea ap samsung electronics said octoberdecember operating profit jumped 64 percent record high capping 2017 biggest annual operating income sales history thanks blockbuster semiconductor business earnings preview tuesday south korean company put operating profit 151 trillion 141 billion final three months last year compared 92 trillion year earlier result however missed expectations analysts polled financial data firm factset expected 162 trillion operating profit analysts lowered views samsung last month citing onetime bonuses employees appreciation local currency us dollar nomura estimates samsung spent 700 billion 655 million bonuses employees fourthquarter sales rose 24 percent 66 trillion 618 billion also record high entire year samsungs operating income stood 536 trillion 502 billion 83percent surge 2016 sales 2396 trillion 2242 billion 19 percent previous year samsung give quarterly net profit breakdown figures businesses company due disclose details financial performance later month drove samsungs monstrous year companys semiconductor division cashing skyrocketing demand prices memory chips worlds demand storage pictures videos files digital data gadgets servers well demand computing power run many programs faster pushed demand memory chips dominated samsung samsung controls half worlds dram memory chips temporarily hold data help computers run many programs time one third worlds nand chips store files biggest beneficiary jump prices memory chips 2017 analysts however worry price chips may fall year weigh samsungs earnings others remain bullish samsung possible fall chip prices would outweighed big increase sales stellar financial achievement coincided samsungs management crisis de facto leader lee jaeyong grandson samsungs founder son ailing samsung chair fighting appeals court overturn fiveyear prison sentence bribery charges lee prison nearly year prosecutors also appealed lower courts ruling demanded 12year prison term lee ruling expected feb 5 company made major management changes november samsungs longtime head semiconductor division offered resign heads mobile business tv divisions also stepped three divisions helmed younger leaders
| 606 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is sounding an off-key note on his economic performance and perhaps overstating how much the public wants his tax package.</p>
<p>A look at some of his statements about the economy over the weekend and a rash of misstatements on a variety of topics over the past week:</p>
<p>TRUMP on economic growth: "In the last quarter we (hit) 3.2 (percent). As you know the previous administration didn't hit it for the year for 8 years. In eight years didn't hit it at all." — Fox Business interview, broadcast Sunday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: It's not true that President Barack Obama "didn't hit it at all." The economy expanded at 3 percent annual rate or better for eight quarters during Obama's right years in office. It's true the economy never grew by more than 3 percent for a full calendar year under Obama. That hasn't happened since 2005. It is unlikely to happen this year, either.</p>
<p>Trump also misstated his own record. The economy expanded 3.1 percent in the April-June quarter, rather than the 3.2 percent cited by Trump.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "So there's a great spirit for it, people want to see it, and I call it tax cuts.&#160; It is tax reform also ... And I think that there's tremendous appetite." — Fox Business interview.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: There may not be as much hunger for the tax package as he argues. Recent polls suggest it's a relatively low priority for the U.S. public.</p>
<p>According to a Gallup poll in September that asked respondents to name the nation's most important problem, just 2 percent cited taxes. The top problems were "dissatisfaction with government," mentioned by 18 percent, and "race relations/racism," named by 12 percent, followed by immigration at 11 percent.</p>
<p>An April survey by the Pew Research Center found that 54 percent Americans say they pay about the right amount in taxes, while 40 percent say they pay more than their fair share.</p>
<p>The president's plan calls for cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. But an April Gallup poll found that two-thirds of Americans think corporations pay too little in taxes.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "If Congress comes together to enact this commonsense plan, the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that it will raise the annual income of a typical, hardworking American household by an average of around $4,000." — from an opinion piece under Trump's byline in USA Today, Sunday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: That is what his White House Council of Economic Advisers predicts, but the conclusion is strongly disputed by many economists. It is based on the idea that overall incomes would rise $504 billion as a result of his proposed tax cuts. To put that in perspective, that's $200 billion more than the total revenue generated by the corporate income tax.</p>
<p>The prediction also assumes that most of the benefit from the cut would flow to employees, as businesses use the proceeds to invest in equipment that makes workers more productive. Those more-productive workers could then win higher pay.</p>
<p>Yet an analysis by Treasury Department economists in 2012 found that roughly three-quarters of the benefit of corporate tax cuts would go to investors in the form of dividend payments or share buybacks.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP on consoling families who have lost loved ones in military service: "I think I've called every family of someone who's died." — interview with Fox News radio, Tuesday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: He hasn't. The Associated Press contacted relatives of more than 20 of the 43 people who died in military service since Trump took office in January. Relatives of at least 10 of the fallen said they did not get a call. Some also didn't get a letter.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP, on how past presidents dealt with family members who lost loved ones in military service: "Most of them didn't make calls." Obama might have done so on occasion but "other presidents did not call." — news conference Oct. 1.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: The recent record is clear: Obama and President George W. Bush made painstaking efforts to contact bereaved military families, and they had many more to deal with than Trump so far in his presidency.</p>
<p>Bush, even at the height of two wars, "wrote all the families of the fallen," said Freddy Ford, spokesman for the ex-president. Ford said Bush also called or met "hundreds, if not thousands" of family members of the war dead.</p>
<p>Obama, too, paid plenty of attention to families of the fallen, visiting Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on some occasions when the remains of the dead were brought back to the U.S., inviting Gold Star families to the White House, and meeting, calling or writing to others.</p>
<p>Veterans groups said neither president shortchanged bereaved military families in offering condolences personally.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP tweet Friday: "Just out report: 'United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror.' Not good, we must keep America safe!"</p>
<p>THE FACTS: Trump misstates the statistics and the reason crime has gone up.</p>
<p>The 13 percent increase cited by Trump refers to crime in England and Wales, not the entire U.K., which also includes Scotland and Northern Ireland.</p>
<p>The biggest jump in crime reports came from car thefts and shoplifting. Homicides slightly dropped, even with deadly attacks by extremists in London and Manchester.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP on Hurricane Maria's effect on Puerto Rico: "They got hit dead center — if you look at those maps — by a Category 5. Nobody's ever heard of a 5 hitting land. Usually by that time it's dissipated. It hit right through — and kept to a 5 — it hit right through the middle of the island, right through the middle of Puerto Rico." — comments Thursday after a White House meeting with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: No, it made landfall as a strong Category 4 hurricane, not 5. Though devastating, Maria also did not rake across the island as a Category 5. It weakened, and left the island some seven hours later as barely a Category 3.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "We keep being given credit. You know, it's very nice that the gentleman who worked for Bill Clinton, when he was president, gave us an A-plus. And that included Puerto Rico. Gave us an A-plus. And I thought that was really very nice. And I think — I really believe he's correct. We have done a really great job." — comments after Rossello meeting.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: No, Trump did not get an A-plus for his Puerto Rico response from the Clinton-era administration emergency chief cited by Trump, James Lee Witt. But it's understandable that he thought so. Published reports suggested Witt had given the Trump administration top grades for its actions in all three monster storms — Harvey, Irma and Maria.</p>
<p>But Witt told AP he did not assign a grade to the Maria response because it's too soon. It could end up being an A, F or grade in between, he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!" — tweet Thursday</p>
<p>CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN KELLY: "It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred." — briefing Thursday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: The suggestion that Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson eavesdropped for nefarious purposes on Trump's call to a war widow is problematic, at best.</p>
<p>She's indeed been scathing about Trump's behavior on the phone with Myeshia Johnson, wife of Sgt. La David Johnson, killed early this month in an ambush in Niger. Three other U.S. soldiers also died.</p>
<p>What Trump said — and how he said it — is in dispute. But Wilson is a friend of the family and was with the widow and the aunt and uncle who raised the soldier as a boy when the call arrived. The family members and Wilson were in a car and the call was placed on speakerphone. Meantime, Kelly and several others at the White House listened from their end to what Trump said was a "very personal call."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>KELLY, on a 2015 building dedication ceremony at which he said Wilson stood and talked about herself: "And a congresswoman stood up, and in a long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million, to build the building, and she sat down. And we were stunned, stunned that she'd done it." — briefing Thursday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: That's not what happened. In video of the ceremony, the Democratic congresswoman never takes credit for getting the government to pay for the building. The project was approved before she came to Congress. She spent up to three minutes of her nine-minute remarks talking about her drive to have the building named after two slain FBI agents, and about the Republican lawmakers and others who rallied to that cause and made it happen quickly.</p>
<p>Kelly, who lost his Marine son Robert in Afghanistan in 2010, was furious about Wilson's criticisms of Trump's phone call.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP, on his judicial nominees: "The Democrats are holding them up beyond anything. Beyond comprehension, they're holding them up." — news conference Oct. 16.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: Not "beyond anything." He's had more judges confirmed than Barack Obama did in the same period as his presidency, and his numbers aren't far off those of other recent presidents.</p>
<p>He actually has a leg up in the process because in 2013, then-majority Democrats changed Senate rules so judicial nominations for trial and appeals courts can be approved with only 51 Senate votes, a simple majority. Republicans currently hold 52 seats.</p>
<p>Seven of Trump's judicial nominees have been confirmed by the Senate. According to federal statistics, Obama had three judicial nominees confirmed at the same point of his presidency, just shy of nine months. President George H.W. Bush had four confirmed. Other recent presidents had more confirmed: eight for George W. Bush, nine for Clinton, 13 for Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP calls his tax overhaul the "largest tax cut in the history of our nation." — news conference Oct. 16.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: His tax plan is, at most, fifth largest in its estimated cost, says Marc Goldwein of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. It could end up being even lower on the ladder historically.</p>
<p>The estimated cost of the tax plan has dropped by half or more since the spring, when only the contours were known. In an analysis in April, Goldwein's group found that the $5.5 trillion plan that was then expected would have been the third largest since 1940 as a share of gross domestic product, behind Reagan's package in 1981 and tax cuts enacted in 1945 to phase out revenue generated for World War II. But, citing estimated costs of $1.5 trillion to $2.5 trillion for Trump's plan now, Goldwein said several other historically significant tax cuts also would surpass Trump's: from 2013 and 1964.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Jessica Gresko and Seth Borenstein in Washington, Danica Kirka in London and Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is sounding an off-key note on his economic performance and perhaps overstating how much the public wants his tax package.</p>
<p>A look at some of his statements about the economy over the weekend and a rash of misstatements on a variety of topics over the past week:</p>
<p>TRUMP on economic growth: "In the last quarter we (hit) 3.2 (percent). As you know the previous administration didn't hit it for the year for 8 years. In eight years didn't hit it at all." — Fox Business interview, broadcast Sunday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: It's not true that President Barack Obama "didn't hit it at all." The economy expanded at 3 percent annual rate or better for eight quarters during Obama's right years in office. It's true the economy never grew by more than 3 percent for a full calendar year under Obama. That hasn't happened since 2005. It is unlikely to happen this year, either.</p>
<p>Trump also misstated his own record. The economy expanded 3.1 percent in the April-June quarter, rather than the 3.2 percent cited by Trump.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "So there's a great spirit for it, people want to see it, and I call it tax cuts.&#160; It is tax reform also ... And I think that there's tremendous appetite." — Fox Business interview.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: There may not be as much hunger for the tax package as he argues. Recent polls suggest it's a relatively low priority for the U.S. public.</p>
<p>According to a Gallup poll in September that asked respondents to name the nation's most important problem, just 2 percent cited taxes. The top problems were "dissatisfaction with government," mentioned by 18 percent, and "race relations/racism," named by 12 percent, followed by immigration at 11 percent.</p>
<p>An April survey by the Pew Research Center found that 54 percent Americans say they pay about the right amount in taxes, while 40 percent say they pay more than their fair share.</p>
<p>The president's plan calls for cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. But an April Gallup poll found that two-thirds of Americans think corporations pay too little in taxes.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "If Congress comes together to enact this commonsense plan, the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that it will raise the annual income of a typical, hardworking American household by an average of around $4,000." — from an opinion piece under Trump's byline in USA Today, Sunday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: That is what his White House Council of Economic Advisers predicts, but the conclusion is strongly disputed by many economists. It is based on the idea that overall incomes would rise $504 billion as a result of his proposed tax cuts. To put that in perspective, that's $200 billion more than the total revenue generated by the corporate income tax.</p>
<p>The prediction also assumes that most of the benefit from the cut would flow to employees, as businesses use the proceeds to invest in equipment that makes workers more productive. Those more-productive workers could then win higher pay.</p>
<p>Yet an analysis by Treasury Department economists in 2012 found that roughly three-quarters of the benefit of corporate tax cuts would go to investors in the form of dividend payments or share buybacks.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP on consoling families who have lost loved ones in military service: "I think I've called every family of someone who's died." — interview with Fox News radio, Tuesday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: He hasn't. The Associated Press contacted relatives of more than 20 of the 43 people who died in military service since Trump took office in January. Relatives of at least 10 of the fallen said they did not get a call. Some also didn't get a letter.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP, on how past presidents dealt with family members who lost loved ones in military service: "Most of them didn't make calls." Obama might have done so on occasion but "other presidents did not call." — news conference Oct. 1.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: The recent record is clear: Obama and President George W. Bush made painstaking efforts to contact bereaved military families, and they had many more to deal with than Trump so far in his presidency.</p>
<p>Bush, even at the height of two wars, "wrote all the families of the fallen," said Freddy Ford, spokesman for the ex-president. Ford said Bush also called or met "hundreds, if not thousands" of family members of the war dead.</p>
<p>Obama, too, paid plenty of attention to families of the fallen, visiting Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on some occasions when the remains of the dead were brought back to the U.S., inviting Gold Star families to the White House, and meeting, calling or writing to others.</p>
<p>Veterans groups said neither president shortchanged bereaved military families in offering condolences personally.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP tweet Friday: "Just out report: 'United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror.' Not good, we must keep America safe!"</p>
<p>THE FACTS: Trump misstates the statistics and the reason crime has gone up.</p>
<p>The 13 percent increase cited by Trump refers to crime in England and Wales, not the entire U.K., which also includes Scotland and Northern Ireland.</p>
<p>The biggest jump in crime reports came from car thefts and shoplifting. Homicides slightly dropped, even with deadly attacks by extremists in London and Manchester.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP on Hurricane Maria's effect on Puerto Rico: "They got hit dead center — if you look at those maps — by a Category 5. Nobody's ever heard of a 5 hitting land. Usually by that time it's dissipated. It hit right through — and kept to a 5 — it hit right through the middle of the island, right through the middle of Puerto Rico." — comments Thursday after a White House meeting with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: No, it made landfall as a strong Category 4 hurricane, not 5. Though devastating, Maria also did not rake across the island as a Category 5. It weakened, and left the island some seven hours later as barely a Category 3.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "We keep being given credit. You know, it's very nice that the gentleman who worked for Bill Clinton, when he was president, gave us an A-plus. And that included Puerto Rico. Gave us an A-plus. And I thought that was really very nice. And I think — I really believe he's correct. We have done a really great job." — comments after Rossello meeting.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: No, Trump did not get an A-plus for his Puerto Rico response from the Clinton-era administration emergency chief cited by Trump, James Lee Witt. But it's understandable that he thought so. Published reports suggested Witt had given the Trump administration top grades for its actions in all three monster storms — Harvey, Irma and Maria.</p>
<p>But Witt told AP he did not assign a grade to the Maria response because it's too soon. It could end up being an A, F or grade in between, he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP: "The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!" — tweet Thursday</p>
<p>CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN KELLY: "It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred." — briefing Thursday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: The suggestion that Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson eavesdropped for nefarious purposes on Trump's call to a war widow is problematic, at best.</p>
<p>She's indeed been scathing about Trump's behavior on the phone with Myeshia Johnson, wife of Sgt. La David Johnson, killed early this month in an ambush in Niger. Three other U.S. soldiers also died.</p>
<p>What Trump said — and how he said it — is in dispute. But Wilson is a friend of the family and was with the widow and the aunt and uncle who raised the soldier as a boy when the call arrived. The family members and Wilson were in a car and the call was placed on speakerphone. Meantime, Kelly and several others at the White House listened from their end to what Trump said was a "very personal call."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>KELLY, on a 2015 building dedication ceremony at which he said Wilson stood and talked about herself: "And a congresswoman stood up, and in a long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million, to build the building, and she sat down. And we were stunned, stunned that she'd done it." — briefing Thursday.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: That's not what happened. In video of the ceremony, the Democratic congresswoman never takes credit for getting the government to pay for the building. The project was approved before she came to Congress. She spent up to three minutes of her nine-minute remarks talking about her drive to have the building named after two slain FBI agents, and about the Republican lawmakers and others who rallied to that cause and made it happen quickly.</p>
<p>Kelly, who lost his Marine son Robert in Afghanistan in 2010, was furious about Wilson's criticisms of Trump's phone call.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP, on his judicial nominees: "The Democrats are holding them up beyond anything. Beyond comprehension, they're holding them up." — news conference Oct. 16.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: Not "beyond anything." He's had more judges confirmed than Barack Obama did in the same period as his presidency, and his numbers aren't far off those of other recent presidents.</p>
<p>He actually has a leg up in the process because in 2013, then-majority Democrats changed Senate rules so judicial nominations for trial and appeals courts can be approved with only 51 Senate votes, a simple majority. Republicans currently hold 52 seats.</p>
<p>Seven of Trump's judicial nominees have been confirmed by the Senate. According to federal statistics, Obama had three judicial nominees confirmed at the same point of his presidency, just shy of nine months. President George H.W. Bush had four confirmed. Other recent presidents had more confirmed: eight for George W. Bush, nine for Clinton, 13 for Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TRUMP calls his tax overhaul the "largest tax cut in the history of our nation." — news conference Oct. 16.</p>
<p>THE FACTS: His tax plan is, at most, fifth largest in its estimated cost, says Marc Goldwein of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. It could end up being even lower on the ladder historically.</p>
<p>The estimated cost of the tax plan has dropped by half or more since the spring, when only the contours were known. In an analysis in April, Goldwein's group found that the $5.5 trillion plan that was then expected would have been the third largest since 1940 as a share of gross domestic product, behind Reagan's package in 1981 and tax cuts enacted in 1945 to phase out revenue generated for World War II. But, citing estimated costs of $1.5 trillion to $2.5 trillion for Trump's plan now, Goldwein said several other historically significant tax cuts also would surpass Trump's: from 2013 and 1964.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Jessica Gresko and Seth Borenstein in Washington, Danica Kirka in London and Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd</p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap president donald trump sounding offkey note economic performance perhaps overstating much public wants tax package look statements economy weekend rash misstatements variety topics past week trump economic growth last quarter hit 32 percent know previous administration didnt hit year 8 years eight years didnt hit fox business interview broadcast sunday facts true president barack obama didnt hit economy expanded 3 percent annual rate better eight quarters obamas right years office true economy never grew 3 percent full calendar year obama hasnt happened since 2005 unlikely happen year either trump also misstated record economy expanded 31 percent apriljune quarter rather 32 percent cited trump ___ trump theres great spirit people want see call tax cuts160 tax reform also think theres tremendous appetite fox business interview facts may much hunger tax package argues recent polls suggest relatively low priority us public according gallup poll september asked respondents name nations important problem 2 percent cited taxes top problems dissatisfaction government mentioned 18 percent race relationsracism named 12 percent followed immigration 11 percent april survey pew research center found 54 percent americans say pay right amount taxes 40 percent say pay fair share presidents plan calls cutting corporate tax rate 35 percent 20 percent april gallup poll found twothirds americans think corporations pay little taxes ___ trump congress comes together enact commonsense plan council economic advisers estimates raise annual income typical hardworking american household average around 4000 opinion piece trumps byline usa today sunday facts white house council economic advisers predicts conclusion strongly disputed many economists based idea overall incomes would rise 504 billion result proposed tax cuts put perspective thats 200 billion total revenue generated corporate income tax prediction also assumes benefit cut would flow employees businesses use proceeds invest equipment makes workers productive moreproductive workers could win higher pay yet analysis treasury department economists 2012 found roughly threequarters benefit corporate tax cuts would go investors form dividend payments share buybacks ___ trump consoling families lost loved ones military service think ive called every family someone whos died interview fox news radio tuesday facts hasnt associated press contacted relatives 20 43 people died military service since trump took office january relatives least 10 fallen said get call also didnt get letter ___ trump past presidents dealt family members lost loved ones military service didnt make calls obama might done occasion presidents call news conference oct 1 facts recent record clear obama president george w bush made painstaking efforts contact bereaved military families many deal trump far presidency bush even height two wars wrote families fallen said freddy ford spokesman expresident ford said bush also called met hundreds thousands family members war dead obama paid plenty attention families fallen visiting dover air force base delaware occasions remains dead brought back us inviting gold star families white house meeting calling writing others veterans groups said neither president shortchanged bereaved military families offering condolences personally ___ trump tweet friday report united kingdom crime rises 13 annually amid spread radical islamic terror good must keep america safe facts trump misstates statistics reason crime gone 13 percent increase cited trump refers crime england wales entire uk also includes scotland northern ireland biggest jump crime reports came car thefts shoplifting homicides slightly dropped even deadly attacks extremists london manchester ___ trump hurricane marias effect puerto rico got hit dead center look maps category 5 nobodys ever heard 5 hitting land usually time dissipated hit right kept 5 hit right middle island right middle puerto rico comments thursday white house meeting puerto rico gov ricardo rossello facts made landfall strong category 4 hurricane 5 though devastating maria also rake across island category 5 weakened left island seven hours later barely category 3 ___ trump keep given credit know nice gentleman worked bill clinton president gave us aplus included puerto rico gave us aplus thought really nice think really believe hes correct done really great job comments rossello meeting facts trump get aplus puerto rico response clintonera administration emergency chief cited trump james lee witt understandable thought published reports suggested witt given trump administration top grades actions three monster storms harvey irma maria witt told ap assign grade maria response soon could end f grade said ___ trump fake news going crazy wacky congresswoman wilsond secretly personal call gave total lie content tweet thursday chief staff john kelly stuns member congress would listened conversation absolutely stuns thought least sacred briefing thursday facts suggestion florida rep frederica wilson eavesdropped nefarious purposes trumps call war widow problematic best shes indeed scathing trumps behavior phone myeshia johnson wife sgt la david johnson killed early month ambush niger three us soldiers also died trump said said dispute wilson friend family widow aunt uncle raised soldier boy call arrived family members wilson car call placed speakerphone meantime kelly several others white house listened end trump said personal call ___ kelly 2015 building dedication ceremony said wilson stood talked congresswoman stood long tradition empty barrels making noise stood talked instrumental getting funding building took care constituents got money called president obama phone call gave money 20 million build building sat stunned stunned shed done briefing thursday facts thats happened video ceremony democratic congresswoman never takes credit getting government pay building project approved came congress spent three minutes nineminute remarks talking drive building named two slain fbi agents republican lawmakers others rallied cause made happen quickly kelly lost marine son robert afghanistan 2010 furious wilsons criticisms trumps phone call ___ trump judicial nominees democrats holding beyond anything beyond comprehension theyre holding news conference oct 16 facts beyond anything hes judges confirmed barack obama period presidency numbers arent far recent presidents actually leg process 2013 thenmajority democrats changed senate rules judicial nominations trial appeals courts approved 51 senate votes simple majority republicans currently hold 52 seats seven trumps judicial nominees confirmed senate according federal statistics obama three judicial nominees confirmed point presidency shy nine months president george hw bush four confirmed recent presidents confirmed eight george w bush nine clinton 13 ronald reagan ___ trump calls tax overhaul largest tax cut history nation news conference oct 16 facts tax plan fifth largest estimated cost says marc goldwein nonpartisan committee responsible federal budget could end even lower ladder historically estimated cost tax plan dropped half since spring contours known analysis april goldweins group found 55 trillion plan expected would third largest since 1940 share gross domestic product behind reagans package 1981 tax cuts enacted 1945 phase revenue generated world war ii citing estimated costs 15 trillion 25 trillion trumps plan goldwein said several historically significant tax cuts also would surpass trumps 2013 1964 ___ associated press writers josh boak jessica gresko seth borenstein washington danica kirka london tom murphy indianapolis contributed report ___ find ap fact checks httpapnews2kbx8bd washington ap president donald trump sounding offkey note economic performance perhaps overstating much public wants tax package look statements economy weekend rash misstatements variety topics past week trump economic growth last quarter hit 32 percent know previous administration didnt hit year 8 years eight years didnt hit fox business interview broadcast sunday facts true president barack obama didnt hit economy expanded 3 percent annual rate better eight quarters obamas right years office true economy never grew 3 percent full calendar year obama hasnt happened since 2005 unlikely happen year either trump also misstated record economy expanded 31 percent apriljune quarter rather 32 percent cited trump ___ trump theres great spirit people want see call tax cuts160 tax reform also think theres tremendous appetite fox business interview facts may much hunger tax package argues recent polls suggest relatively low priority us public according gallup poll september asked respondents name nations important problem 2 percent cited taxes top problems dissatisfaction government mentioned 18 percent race relationsracism named 12 percent followed immigration 11 percent april survey pew research center found 54 percent americans say pay right amount taxes 40 percent say pay fair share presidents plan calls cutting corporate tax rate 35 percent 20 percent april gallup poll found twothirds americans think corporations pay little taxes ___ trump congress comes together enact commonsense plan council economic advisers estimates raise annual income typical hardworking american household average around 4000 opinion piece trumps byline usa today sunday facts white house council economic advisers predicts conclusion strongly disputed many economists based idea overall incomes would rise 504 billion result proposed tax cuts put perspective thats 200 billion total revenue generated corporate income tax prediction also assumes benefit cut would flow employees businesses use proceeds invest equipment makes workers productive moreproductive workers could win higher pay yet analysis treasury department economists 2012 found roughly threequarters benefit corporate tax cuts would go investors form dividend payments share buybacks ___ trump consoling families lost loved ones military service think ive called every family someone whos died interview fox news radio tuesday facts hasnt associated press contacted relatives 20 43 people died military service since trump took office january relatives least 10 fallen said get call also didnt get letter ___ trump past presidents dealt family members lost loved ones military service didnt make calls obama might done occasion presidents call news conference oct 1 facts recent record clear obama president george w bush made painstaking efforts contact bereaved military families many deal trump far presidency bush even height two wars wrote families fallen said freddy ford spokesman expresident ford said bush also called met hundreds thousands family members war dead obama paid plenty attention families fallen visiting dover air force base delaware occasions remains dead brought back us inviting gold star families white house meeting calling writing others veterans groups said neither president shortchanged bereaved military families offering condolences personally ___ trump tweet friday report united kingdom crime rises 13 annually amid spread radical islamic terror good must keep america safe facts trump misstates statistics reason crime gone 13 percent increase cited trump refers crime england wales entire uk also includes scotland northern ireland biggest jump crime reports came car thefts shoplifting homicides slightly dropped even deadly attacks extremists london manchester ___ trump hurricane marias effect puerto rico got hit dead center look maps category 5 nobodys ever heard 5 hitting land usually time dissipated hit right kept 5 hit right middle island right middle puerto rico comments thursday white house meeting puerto rico gov ricardo rossello facts made landfall strong category 4 hurricane 5 though devastating maria also rake across island category 5 weakened left island seven hours later barely category 3 ___ trump keep given credit know nice gentleman worked bill clinton president gave us aplus included puerto rico gave us aplus thought really nice think really believe hes correct done really great job comments rossello meeting facts trump get aplus puerto rico response clintonera administration emergency chief cited trump james lee witt understandable thought published reports suggested witt given trump administration top grades actions three monster storms harvey irma maria witt told ap assign grade maria response soon could end f grade said ___ trump fake news going crazy wacky congresswoman wilsond secretly personal call gave total lie content tweet thursday chief staff john kelly stuns member congress would listened conversation absolutely stuns thought least sacred briefing thursday facts suggestion florida rep frederica wilson eavesdropped nefarious purposes trumps call war widow problematic best shes indeed scathing trumps behavior phone myeshia johnson wife sgt la david johnson killed early month ambush niger three us soldiers also died trump said said dispute wilson friend family widow aunt uncle raised soldier boy call arrived family members wilson car call placed speakerphone meantime kelly several others white house listened end trump said personal call ___ kelly 2015 building dedication ceremony said wilson stood talked congresswoman stood long tradition empty barrels making noise stood talked instrumental getting funding building took care constituents got money called president obama phone call gave money 20 million build building sat stunned stunned shed done briefing thursday facts thats happened video ceremony democratic congresswoman never takes credit getting government pay building project approved came congress spent three minutes nineminute remarks talking drive building named two slain fbi agents republican lawmakers others rallied cause made happen quickly kelly lost marine son robert afghanistan 2010 furious wilsons criticisms trumps phone call ___ trump judicial nominees democrats holding beyond anything beyond comprehension theyre holding news conference oct 16 facts beyond anything hes judges confirmed barack obama period presidency numbers arent far recent presidents actually leg process 2013 thenmajority democrats changed senate rules judicial nominations trial appeals courts approved 51 senate votes simple majority republicans currently hold 52 seats seven trumps judicial nominees confirmed senate according federal statistics obama three judicial nominees confirmed point presidency shy nine months president george hw bush four confirmed recent presidents confirmed eight george w bush nine clinton 13 ronald reagan ___ trump calls tax overhaul largest tax cut history nation news conference oct 16 facts tax plan fifth largest estimated cost says marc goldwein nonpartisan committee responsible federal budget could end even lower ladder historically estimated cost tax plan dropped half since spring contours known analysis april goldweins group found 55 trillion plan expected would third largest since 1940 share gross domestic product behind reagans package 1981 tax cuts enacted 1945 phase revenue generated world war ii citing estimated costs 15 trillion 25 trillion trumps plan goldwein said several historically significant tax cuts also would surpass trumps 2013 1964 ___ associated press writers josh boak jessica gresko seth borenstein washington danica kirka london tom murphy indianapolis contributed report ___ find ap fact checks httpapnews2kbx8bd
| 2,240 |
<p>Simone Biles watched as her friends and former Olympic teammates came forward to detail abuse at the hands of a now-imprisoned former USA Gymnastics team doctor.</p>
<p>Drawing in part from their strength, the four-time gold medalist acknowledged Monday she is among the athletes who were sexually abused by Larry Nassar.</p>
<p>Biles, who won five medals overall at the 2016 Olympics, <a href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles/status/953014513837715457/photo/1" type="external">released a statement via Twitter</a> outlining that abuse. Nassar, who spent more than two decades as a physician at USA Gymnastics while also working at Michigan State University, has admitted sexually assaulting gymnasts, possessing child pornography and molesting girls who sought medical treatment. He was sentenced in December to 60 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography and is facing another 40 to 125 years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting seven girls.</p>
<p>Biles, now 20, called Nassar's behavior "completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially from someone whom I was told to trust." She joins a list of high-profile gymnasts who have come out against Nassar, including six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman, 2012 all-around champion Gabby Douglas and two-time Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney.</p>
<p>Like her Olympic teammates, Biles detailed abuse by Nassar that he disguised as treatment.</p>
<p>"It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as the 'special' treatment," Biles wrote.</p>
<p>Biles is in the beginning stages of a return to competition, a journey that includes visits to the national team's training center at the Karolyi Ranch north of Houston, where she said the abuse occurred.</p>
<p>"It is impossibly difficult to relive these experiences and it breaks my heart even more to think that as I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused," Biles wrote.</p>
<p>USA Gymnastics initially agreed to buy the Karolyi Ranch in the summer of August 2016, following the retirement of longtime national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, but then backed out of the deal. The national team continues to use the facility while options for a replacement are explored.</p>
<p>Biles says she initially wondered if she was to blame.</p>
<p>"For too long I've asked myself, 'Was I too naive? Was it may fault?'" Biles wrote. "I now know the answer to those questions. No. No. It was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others."</p>
<p>USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is "heartbroken, sorry and angry" that Biles and other athletes were harmed by Nassar.</p>
<p>"USA Gymnastics' support is unwavering for Simone and all athletes who courageously came forward to share their experiences," the organization said in a release. "We are our athletes' advocates. USA Gymnastics will continue to listen to our athletes and our members in our efforts of creating a culture of empowerment with a relentless focus on athlete safety every single day."</p>
<p>The organization has taken several steps in recent months. President and CEO Steve Penny resigned under pressure last March and was replaced by Kerry Perry, who took over on Dec. 1.</p>
<p>The organization hired Toby Stark, a child welfare advocate, as its director of SafeSport last summer. Part of Stark's mandate is educating members on rules, educational programs and reporting. The federation also adopted over 70 recommendations by Deborah Daniels, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw an extensive independent review.</p>
<p>That's not far enough for some. Raisman has urged the organization to remove chairman of the board Paul Parilla among others. Biles, like Raisman, wants USA Gymnastics to take a deeper look at the conditions that allowed Nassar's behavior to run unchecked for so long.</p>
<p>"We need to know why this was able to take place for so long and to so many of us," Biles said. "We need to make sure something like this never happens again."</p>
<p>Simone Biles watched as her friends and former Olympic teammates came forward to detail abuse at the hands of a now-imprisoned former USA Gymnastics team doctor.</p>
<p>Drawing in part from their strength, the four-time gold medalist acknowledged Monday she is among the athletes who were sexually abused by Larry Nassar.</p>
<p>Biles, who won five medals overall at the 2016 Olympics, <a href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles/status/953014513837715457/photo/1" type="external">released a statement via Twitter</a> outlining that abuse. Nassar, who spent more than two decades as a physician at USA Gymnastics while also working at Michigan State University, has admitted sexually assaulting gymnasts, possessing child pornography and molesting girls who sought medical treatment. He was sentenced in December to 60 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography and is facing another 40 to 125 years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting seven girls.</p>
<p>Biles, now 20, called Nassar's behavior "completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially from someone whom I was told to trust." She joins a list of high-profile gymnasts who have come out against Nassar, including six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman, 2012 all-around champion Gabby Douglas and two-time Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney.</p>
<p>Like her Olympic teammates, Biles detailed abuse by Nassar that he disguised as treatment.</p>
<p>"It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as the 'special' treatment," Biles wrote.</p>
<p>Biles is in the beginning stages of a return to competition, a journey that includes visits to the national team's training center at the Karolyi Ranch north of Houston, where she said the abuse occurred.</p>
<p>"It is impossibly difficult to relive these experiences and it breaks my heart even more to think that as I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where I was abused," Biles wrote.</p>
<p>USA Gymnastics initially agreed to buy the Karolyi Ranch in the summer of August 2016, following the retirement of longtime national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, but then backed out of the deal. The national team continues to use the facility while options for a replacement are explored.</p>
<p>Biles says she initially wondered if she was to blame.</p>
<p>"For too long I've asked myself, 'Was I too naive? Was it may fault?'" Biles wrote. "I now know the answer to those questions. No. No. It was not my fault. No, I will not and should not carry the guilt that belongs to Larry Nassar, USAG, and others."</p>
<p>USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is "heartbroken, sorry and angry" that Biles and other athletes were harmed by Nassar.</p>
<p>"USA Gymnastics' support is unwavering for Simone and all athletes who courageously came forward to share their experiences," the organization said in a release. "We are our athletes' advocates. USA Gymnastics will continue to listen to our athletes and our members in our efforts of creating a culture of empowerment with a relentless focus on athlete safety every single day."</p>
<p>The organization has taken several steps in recent months. President and CEO Steve Penny resigned under pressure last March and was replaced by Kerry Perry, who took over on Dec. 1.</p>
<p>The organization hired Toby Stark, a child welfare advocate, as its director of SafeSport last summer. Part of Stark's mandate is educating members on rules, educational programs and reporting. The federation also adopted over 70 recommendations by Deborah Daniels, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw an extensive independent review.</p>
<p>That's not far enough for some. Raisman has urged the organization to remove chairman of the board Paul Parilla among others. Biles, like Raisman, wants USA Gymnastics to take a deeper look at the conditions that allowed Nassar's behavior to run unchecked for so long.</p>
<p>"We need to know why this was able to take place for so long and to so many of us," Biles said. "We need to make sure something like this never happens again."</p>
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simone biles watched friends former olympic teammates came forward detail abuse hands nowimprisoned former usa gymnastics team doctor drawing part strength fourtime gold medalist acknowledged monday among athletes sexually abused larry nassar biles five medals overall 2016 olympics released statement via twitter outlining abuse nassar spent two decades physician usa gymnastics also working michigan state university admitted sexually assaulting gymnasts possessing child pornography molesting girls sought medical treatment sentenced december 60 years federal prison possessing child pornography facing another 40 125 years prison pleading guilty assaulting seven girls biles 20 called nassars behavior completely unacceptable disgusting abusive especially someone told trust joins list highprofile gymnasts come nassar including sixtime olympic medalist aly raisman 2012 allaround champion gabby douglas twotime olympic medalist mckayla maroney like olympic teammates biles detailed abuse nassar disguised treatment normal receive type treatment trusted team physician refer horrifyingly special treatment biles wrote biles beginning stages return competition journey includes visits national teams training center karolyi ranch north houston said abuse occurred impossibly difficult relive experiences breaks heart even think work towards dream competing tokyo 2020 continually return training facility abused biles wrote usa gymnastics initially agreed buy karolyi ranch summer august 2016 following retirement longtime national team coordinator martha karolyi backed deal national team continues use facility options replacement explored biles says initially wondered blame long ive asked naive may fault biles wrote know answer questions fault carry guilt belongs larry nassar usag others usa gymnastics said statement heartbroken sorry angry biles athletes harmed nassar usa gymnastics support unwavering simone athletes courageously came forward share experiences organization said release athletes advocates usa gymnastics continue listen athletes members efforts creating culture empowerment relentless focus athlete safety every single day organization taken several steps recent months president ceo steve penny resigned pressure last march replaced kerry perry took dec 1 organization hired toby stark child welfare advocate director safesport last summer part starks mandate educating members rules educational programs reporting federation also adopted 70 recommendations deborah daniels former federal prosecutor oversaw extensive independent review thats far enough raisman urged organization remove chairman board paul parilla among others biles like raisman wants usa gymnastics take deeper look conditions allowed nassars behavior run unchecked long need know able take place long many us biles said need make sure something like never happens simone biles watched friends former olympic teammates came forward detail abuse hands nowimprisoned former usa gymnastics team doctor drawing part strength fourtime gold medalist acknowledged monday among athletes sexually abused larry nassar biles five medals overall 2016 olympics released statement via twitter outlining abuse nassar spent two decades physician usa gymnastics also working michigan state university admitted sexually assaulting gymnasts possessing child pornography molesting girls sought medical treatment sentenced december 60 years federal prison possessing child pornography facing another 40 125 years prison pleading guilty assaulting seven girls biles 20 called nassars behavior completely unacceptable disgusting abusive especially someone told trust joins list highprofile gymnasts come nassar including sixtime olympic medalist aly raisman 2012 allaround champion gabby douglas twotime olympic medalist mckayla maroney like olympic teammates biles detailed abuse nassar disguised treatment normal receive type treatment trusted team physician refer horrifyingly special treatment biles wrote biles beginning stages return competition journey includes visits national teams training center karolyi ranch north houston said abuse occurred impossibly difficult relive experiences breaks heart even think work towards dream competing tokyo 2020 continually return training facility abused biles wrote usa gymnastics initially agreed buy karolyi ranch summer august 2016 following retirement longtime national team coordinator martha karolyi backed deal national team continues use facility options replacement explored biles says initially wondered blame long ive asked naive may fault biles wrote know answer questions fault carry guilt belongs larry nassar usag others usa gymnastics said statement heartbroken sorry angry biles athletes harmed nassar usa gymnastics support unwavering simone athletes courageously came forward share experiences organization said release athletes advocates usa gymnastics continue listen athletes members efforts creating culture empowerment relentless focus athlete safety every single day organization taken several steps recent months president ceo steve penny resigned pressure last march replaced kerry perry took dec 1 organization hired toby stark child welfare advocate director safesport last summer part starks mandate educating members rules educational programs reporting federation also adopted 70 recommendations deborah daniels former federal prosecutor oversaw extensive independent review thats far enough raisman urged organization remove chairman board paul parilla among others biles like raisman wants usa gymnastics take deeper look conditions allowed nassars behavior run unchecked long need know able take place long many us biles said need make sure something like never happens
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<p />
<p>Drug violence here is again on the upswing, the government has struggled to combat widespread corruption and nationwide protests have erupted after gasoline prices spiked this month amid the country’s falling oil production and inability to produce all its own fuel.</p>
<p>Even before his swearing-in, Trump has already hurt the country’s economy by pressuring automakers to shift factories out of Mexico, threatening its most important manufacturing sector and status as a rising star in auto production. Amid an uncertain economic outlook, the peso has plunged to all-time lows against the U.S. dollar.</p>
<p>Now Trump takes office vowing to crack down on migrants, whom he famously denigrated as criminals and “rapists,” and who send back remittances that inject billions of dollars into Mexico’s economy. He has also threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican products, force Mexico to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and pay for a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile (3,145-kilometer) border.</p>
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<p>“We have begun a year full of challenges and adversities,” the Mexican Council of Bishops said in a statement Wednesday. “International economic crises are killing our economy, and the elections and political decisions of our neighbors have such an important impact on our country, but paradoxically we have no say in the matter.”</p>
<p>Trump’s election has also further dimmed Mexicans’ view of President Enrique Pena Nieto, who held an unpopular meeting with the then-Republican candidate.</p>
<p>Pena Nieto’s approval rating fell to 12 percent this month, according to a Grupo Reforma poll. That coincided with a bump for the populist leftist politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose Morena party led all others in the Reforma survey with 27 percent of respondents saying they would vote for it if the 2018 presidential election were held today. The poll had a margin of error of four percentage points.</p>
<p>Already two major manufacturers have abandoned Mexico expansion plans, and Trump has threatened General Motors and BMW with a border tax on vehicles built here. So far BMW has held fast to plans for a new Mexico factory, but GM announced that 450 new pickup truck axle-making jobs will be moved from Mexico to Michigan.</p>
<p>Ratings agencies have lowered the outlook for Mexico’s debt, foreign direct investment is expected to suffer and the government has had to curtail spending and implement the fuel price hike, which sparked widespread protests and looting.</p>
<p>The looming crisis has broken down Mexicans into roughly three camps: a governmental and business elite that hopes for a pragmatic appeal to Trump’s business background; farm groups that never liked NAFTA’s huge imports of cheap U.S. grain and hope parts of the 1994 trade deal will be repealed; and another segment that wants its leaders to stand up to what Mexicans widely perceive as bullying by Trump.</p>
<p>“Mexican society has been frightened by the threats of a bully,” said Eugenia Correa, an economist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who predicts some rocky months ahead. “The credit ratings are going to continue to fall, the foreign investments are not going to arrive, or they are going to wait.”</p>
<p>Correa argued that, especially due to the incoming Trump administration’s policy promises, Mexico needs to reduce dependence on the United States, by far its largest trade partner, by developing domestic oil refineries, farming and trade ties to other Latin American nations.</p>
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<p>Some fear the possibility of a wave of returning migrants, either through deportations or people fleeing a hostile climate in the United States. So far, there have only been anecdotal reports of such “self-deportations,” but an exodus of returnees could devastate the nearly $25 billion in remittances sent to the country each year.</p>
<p>Former Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda said Mexico should be prepared to fight back. It could be less cooperative with the deportation process, for example, or halt its efforts to enforce its southern border and crack down on Central American migration bound for the United States.</p>
<p>“We don’t have any reason to do the dirty work (of detaining migrants) for nothing, for a president who is no friend of Mexico,” Castaneda said. He and others also say Mexico could stop aiding the United States in anti-drug operations.</p>
<p>Others like Victor Suarez, who launched a national farm cooperative movement in 1995, said grain imports made possible by NAFTA drove 6 million Mexican farmers and workers off the land. He sees a silver lining to renegotiating the trade deal.</p>
<p>He argues that NAFTA has hurt workers, farmers, unions and the environment in Mexico, the United States and Canada, and he would like to see protections put in place for Mexican corn, beans, rice and sugar against U.S. exports.</p>
<p>“We have been demanding the renegotiation of NAFTA since 1994,” Suarez said. “We have always said it was badly negotiated and implemented even worse.”</p>
<p>Mexico’s government has said it wants to negotiate with Trump “as soon as possible.”</p>
<p>Pena Nieto recently appointed Luis Videgaray, an acquaintance of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, to head the talks as foreign relations secretary. The bet is that Trump likes to strike deals.</p>
<p>“This is a man who has negotiated all his life,” Videgaray said. “We have to be open to re-negotiating some points of NAFTA — to Mexico’s advantage.”</p>
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drug violence upswing government struggled combat widespread corruption nationwide protests erupted gasoline prices spiked month amid countrys falling oil production inability produce fuel even swearingin trump already hurt countrys economy pressuring automakers shift factories mexico threatening important manufacturing sector status rising star auto production amid uncertain economic outlook peso plunged alltime lows us dollar trump takes office vowing crack migrants famously denigrated criminals rapists send back remittances inject billions dollars mexicos economy also threatened impose tariffs mexican products force mexico renegotiate north american free trade agreement pay wall along nearly 2000mile 3145kilometer border advertisement begun year full challenges adversities mexican council bishops said statement wednesday international economic crises killing economy elections political decisions neighbors important impact country paradoxically say matter trumps election also dimmed mexicans view president enrique pena nieto held unpopular meeting thenrepublican candidate pena nietos approval rating fell 12 percent month according grupo reforma poll coincided bump populist leftist politician andres manuel lopez obrador whose morena party led others reforma survey 27 percent respondents saying would vote 2018 presidential election held today poll margin error four percentage points already two major manufacturers abandoned mexico expansion plans trump threatened general motors bmw border tax vehicles built far bmw held fast plans new mexico factory gm announced 450 new pickup truck axlemaking jobs moved mexico michigan ratings agencies lowered outlook mexicos debt foreign direct investment expected suffer government curtail spending implement fuel price hike sparked widespread protests looting looming crisis broken mexicans roughly three camps governmental business elite hopes pragmatic appeal trumps business background farm groups never liked naftas huge imports cheap us grain hope parts 1994 trade deal repealed another segment wants leaders stand mexicans widely perceive bullying trump mexican society frightened threats bully said eugenia correa economist national autonomous university mexico predicts rocky months ahead credit ratings going continue fall foreign investments going arrive going wait correa argued especially due incoming trump administrations policy promises mexico needs reduce dependence united states far largest trade partner developing domestic oil refineries farming trade ties latin american nations advertisement fear possibility wave returning migrants either deportations people fleeing hostile climate united states far anecdotal reports selfdeportations exodus returnees could devastate nearly 25 billion remittances sent country year former foreign minister jorge castaneda said mexico prepared fight back could less cooperative deportation process example halt efforts enforce southern border crack central american migration bound united states dont reason dirty work detaining migrants nothing president friend mexico castaneda said others also say mexico could stop aiding united states antidrug operations others like victor suarez launched national farm cooperative movement 1995 said grain imports made possible nafta drove 6 million mexican farmers workers land sees silver lining renegotiating trade deal argues nafta hurt workers farmers unions environment mexico united states canada would like see protections put place mexican corn beans rice sugar us exports demanding renegotiation nafta since 1994 suarez said always said badly negotiated implemented even worse mexicos government said wants negotiate trump soon possible pena nieto recently appointed luis videgaray acquaintance trump soninlaw jared kushner head talks foreign relations secretary bet trump likes strike deals man negotiated life videgaray said open renegotiating points nafta mexicos advantage
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<p>DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The United Nations is ready to help people who might flee from the Afrin enclave, where Turkish troops are on the offensive against Kurdish fighters, the top U.N. official in Syria said Monday.</p>
<p>Ali al-Za’tari told The Associated Press in his office in western Damascus that they are following the news but “it is still not clear” if people are fleeing the region.</p>
<p>On Saturday, Turkey began an offensive aimed at driving out a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, which Ankara views as a threat because of its links to Kurdish insurgents fighting in Turkey. Turkey says it aims to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep “secure zone” in Afrin.</p>
<p>“If and when we have verification of people in need, wherever they move to we will be able to assist,” al-Za’tari said.</p>
<p>Elsewhere in Syria, Al-Za’tari described conditions in the besieged rebel-held Damascus suburbs known as eastern Ghouta as “terrible,” saying that no aid has entered the area since December.</p>
<p>“Access sometimes is very difficult, or even near impossible because of ongoing fighting,” he said.</p>
<p>Government forces have been pounding eastern Ghouta for weeks, killing and wounding dozens of people. Insurgents have fired shells into Damascus, also killing and wounding dozens, including nine dead on Monday alone, including a three-year old child, according to hospital officials and state media.</p>
<p>Last month, Syria’s government allowed the evacuation of nearly 30 critically ill people from eastern Ghouta, where hundreds requiring medical treatment have been prevented from reaching hospitals minutes away.</p>
<p>Government forces had recently tightened their siege on the area, home to some 400,000 people, leading to severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine as winter set in, according to opposition activists.</p>
<p>“For people who are civilians I can only say that it’s quite difficult because the access that they have to basic necessities is rather constrained, the prices of commodities are high (and) medical services are low,” said al-Za’tari. “We need to get assistance into Ghouta regardless of the control party or authority in that region.”</p>
<p>Al-Za’tari said there are currently about 500,000 people living in 10 besieged areas around Syria. He added that if those who are hard to reach are added, the figure rises to about 3 million.</p>
<p>The U.N. official said there are about 6 million Syrians who are internally displaced. Another 5 million have fled to neighboring countries.</p>
<p>“We don’t have yet the conducive environment for refugees to return to Syria,” al-Za’tari said, citing difficulties related to security, documentation and housing.</p>
<p>He said the U.N. spent $1.7 billion in Syria last year through the humanitarian response plan. He said they plan to spend $3.5 billion this year.</p>
<p>DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The United Nations is ready to help people who might flee from the Afrin enclave, where Turkish troops are on the offensive against Kurdish fighters, the top U.N. official in Syria said Monday.</p>
<p>Ali al-Za’tari told The Associated Press in his office in western Damascus that they are following the news but “it is still not clear” if people are fleeing the region.</p>
<p>On Saturday, Turkey began an offensive aimed at driving out a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, which Ankara views as a threat because of its links to Kurdish insurgents fighting in Turkey. Turkey says it aims to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep “secure zone” in Afrin.</p>
<p>“If and when we have verification of people in need, wherever they move to we will be able to assist,” al-Za’tari said.</p>
<p>Elsewhere in Syria, Al-Za’tari described conditions in the besieged rebel-held Damascus suburbs known as eastern Ghouta as “terrible,” saying that no aid has entered the area since December.</p>
<p>“Access sometimes is very difficult, or even near impossible because of ongoing fighting,” he said.</p>
<p>Government forces have been pounding eastern Ghouta for weeks, killing and wounding dozens of people. Insurgents have fired shells into Damascus, also killing and wounding dozens, including nine dead on Monday alone, including a three-year old child, according to hospital officials and state media.</p>
<p>Last month, Syria’s government allowed the evacuation of nearly 30 critically ill people from eastern Ghouta, where hundreds requiring medical treatment have been prevented from reaching hospitals minutes away.</p>
<p>Government forces had recently tightened their siege on the area, home to some 400,000 people, leading to severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine as winter set in, according to opposition activists.</p>
<p>“For people who are civilians I can only say that it’s quite difficult because the access that they have to basic necessities is rather constrained, the prices of commodities are high (and) medical services are low,” said al-Za’tari. “We need to get assistance into Ghouta regardless of the control party or authority in that region.”</p>
<p>Al-Za’tari said there are currently about 500,000 people living in 10 besieged areas around Syria. He added that if those who are hard to reach are added, the figure rises to about 3 million.</p>
<p>The U.N. official said there are about 6 million Syrians who are internally displaced. Another 5 million have fled to neighboring countries.</p>
<p>“We don’t have yet the conducive environment for refugees to return to Syria,” al-Za’tari said, citing difficulties related to security, documentation and housing.</p>
<p>He said the U.N. spent $1.7 billion in Syria last year through the humanitarian response plan. He said they plan to spend $3.5 billion this year.</p>
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damascus syria ap united nations ready help people might flee afrin enclave turkish troops offensive kurdish fighters top un official syria said monday ali alzatari told associated press office western damascus following news still clear people fleeing region saturday turkey began offensive aimed driving usallied kurdish militia ankara views threat links kurdish insurgents fighting turkey turkey says aims create 30kilometer 20mile deep secure zone afrin verification people need wherever move able assist alzatari said elsewhere syria alzatari described conditions besieged rebelheld damascus suburbs known eastern ghouta terrible saying aid entered area since december access sometimes difficult even near impossible ongoing fighting said government forces pounding eastern ghouta weeks killing wounding dozens people insurgents fired shells damascus also killing wounding dozens including nine dead monday alone including threeyear old child according hospital officials state media last month syrias government allowed evacuation nearly 30 critically ill people eastern ghouta hundreds requiring medical treatment prevented reaching hospitals minutes away government forces recently tightened siege area home 400000 people leading severe shortages food fuel medicine winter set according opposition activists people civilians say quite difficult access basic necessities rather constrained prices commodities high medical services low said alzatari need get assistance ghouta regardless control party authority region alzatari said currently 500000 people living 10 besieged areas around syria added hard reach added figure rises 3 million un official said 6 million syrians internally displaced another 5 million fled neighboring countries dont yet conducive environment refugees return syria alzatari said citing difficulties related security documentation housing said un spent 17 billion syria last year humanitarian response plan said plan spend 35 billion year damascus syria ap united nations ready help people might flee afrin enclave turkish troops offensive kurdish fighters top un official syria said monday ali alzatari told associated press office western damascus following news still clear people fleeing region saturday turkey began offensive aimed driving usallied kurdish militia ankara views threat links kurdish insurgents fighting turkey turkey says aims create 30kilometer 20mile deep secure zone afrin verification people need wherever move able assist alzatari said elsewhere syria alzatari described conditions besieged rebelheld damascus suburbs known eastern ghouta terrible saying aid entered area since december access sometimes difficult even near impossible ongoing fighting said government forces pounding eastern ghouta weeks killing wounding dozens people insurgents fired shells damascus also killing wounding dozens including nine dead monday alone including threeyear old child according hospital officials state media last month syrias government allowed evacuation nearly 30 critically ill people eastern ghouta hundreds requiring medical treatment prevented reaching hospitals minutes away government forces recently tightened siege area home 400000 people leading severe shortages food fuel medicine winter set according opposition activists people civilians say quite difficult access basic necessities rather constrained prices commodities high medical services low said alzatari need get assistance ghouta regardless control party authority region alzatari said currently 500000 people living 10 besieged areas around syria added hard reach added figure rises 3 million un official said 6 million syrians internally displaced another 5 million fled neighboring countries dont yet conducive environment refugees return syria alzatari said citing difficulties related security documentation housing said un spent 17 billion syria last year humanitarian response plan said plan spend 35 billion year
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<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Facing new calls to resign from some fellow Republicans, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens instead affirmed his intent Tuesday to remain on the job while seeking forgiveness for an extramarital affair that he described as a “personal mistake.”</p>
<p>Greitens, who has stayed out of the public eye since admitting to an affair last week, distributed a message via Facebook and email Tuesday that simultaneously apologized for his actions and asserted that some allegations against him were false and “extremely hurtful.”</p>
<p>“I assure you that this personal mistake will not deter us from the mission we were sent here to do,” Greitens said in the statement. “We have been, and we will, continue to work for and to fight for the people of Missouri.”</p>
<p>Greitens issued the statement as Republican Sen. Rob Schaaf, of St. Joseph, was calling upon him to resign during a speech on the Senate floor.</p>
<p>“When you ran for office, you promised that you would be a governor known for ethics and transparency,” said Schaaf, directing his comments as if Greitens was there listening. “Instead, you have defined yourself through scandal and covering things up.”</p>
<p>Schaaf concluded: “So governor, I’m asking you: please resign.”</p>
<p>State Reps. Nate Walker of Kirksville, Marsha Haefner of Oakville, Steve Cookson of Poplar Bluff and Kathie Conway of St. Charles all also called for Greitens to step down Tuesday. Several Democrats also have called for the governor’s resignation.</p>
<p>“For our state to continue to move forward, I think it’s time for new leadership there in the governor’s office,” Walker, an early supporter of Greitens, told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Jim Bennett, Greitens’ private attorney, said the governor will not resign.</p>
<p>St. Louis television station KMOV reported Jan. 10 that Greitens had an affair with his St. Louis hairdresser in 2015 as he was preparing to run for governor. Greitens acknowledged the affair in a statement minutes after the report. But Bennett later denied the woman’s claim to her now ex-husband — recorded without her knowledge during a March 2015 conversation — that Greitens took a compromising photo to ensure her silence.</p>
<p>St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced a criminal investigation on Thursday, citing “serious allegations” against Greitens, 43, a former Navy SEAL officer who defeated Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster in the November 2016 gubernatorial race.</p>
<p>The woman has declined to speak publicly, and The Associated Press is not naming her. Bennett said Greitens did not reach a financial settlement with the woman, and there is no non-disclosure agreement.</p>
<p>Greitens’ affair has been a disruption as Missouri lawmakers start the 2018 legislative session.</p>
<p>The House has delayed a vote on a Greitens-backed ethics bill limiting lobbyist gifts to lawmakers. It gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill loosening regulations on hair braiders, but not without Democratic Rep. Michael Butler taking a rhetorical jab during debate by alluding to the governor’s affair with a hairdresser.</p>
<p>The Senate confirmed 25 of Greitens’ appointees to various boards and commissions Tuesday. A Senate panel also went forward with a hearing on a pair of tax-cut proposals, even as Greitens canceled plans Tuesday for a tour outlining his own tax proposals.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, suburban St. Louis attorney Al Watkins provided the AP with an audio recording of a fact-finding call from Lucinda Luetkemeyer, general counsel in the governor’s office, that Watkins received about eight hours before the KMOV story.</p>
<p>Watkins, the attorney for the ex-husband of the woman involved in the affair, questioned the appropriateness of an attorney on the state payroll calling him about matters Greitens himself has described as private and personal.</p>
<p>“She was clearly calling me trying to facilitate damage control,” Watkins said of Luetkemeyer. “If it’s a private and personal matter, why is your counsel calling?”</p>
<p>Watkins said he turned over several hours of new audio recordings between the woman and her ex-husband to Gardner’s office. He declined to discuss what was on the recordings but called it “graphic.”</p>
<p>Watkins said those tapes also were provided to the FBI. The FBI has not confirmed if a federal investigation is underway.</p>
<p>Luetkemeyer in an email statement said that her office had heard Watkins was “shopping around” a story about Greitens but that she didn’t know whether the story involved the governor’s personal life or pertained to his official duties.</p>
<p>Luetkemeyer said she left her office to call Watkins and used her personal cellphone.</p>
<p>“Following the call, I referred the matter to the Governor’s personal counsel, and advised our official press office that further comment related to this issue should be handled by the Governor’s personal counsel,” Luetkemeyer said in her email.</p>
<p>Greitens is paying his own legal fees, Bennett said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Salter reported from St. Louis.</p>
<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Facing new calls to resign from some fellow Republicans, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens instead affirmed his intent Tuesday to remain on the job while seeking forgiveness for an extramarital affair that he described as a “personal mistake.”</p>
<p>Greitens, who has stayed out of the public eye since admitting to an affair last week, distributed a message via Facebook and email Tuesday that simultaneously apologized for his actions and asserted that some allegations against him were false and “extremely hurtful.”</p>
<p>“I assure you that this personal mistake will not deter us from the mission we were sent here to do,” Greitens said in the statement. “We have been, and we will, continue to work for and to fight for the people of Missouri.”</p>
<p>Greitens issued the statement as Republican Sen. Rob Schaaf, of St. Joseph, was calling upon him to resign during a speech on the Senate floor.</p>
<p>“When you ran for office, you promised that you would be a governor known for ethics and transparency,” said Schaaf, directing his comments as if Greitens was there listening. “Instead, you have defined yourself through scandal and covering things up.”</p>
<p>Schaaf concluded: “So governor, I’m asking you: please resign.”</p>
<p>State Reps. Nate Walker of Kirksville, Marsha Haefner of Oakville, Steve Cookson of Poplar Bluff and Kathie Conway of St. Charles all also called for Greitens to step down Tuesday. Several Democrats also have called for the governor’s resignation.</p>
<p>“For our state to continue to move forward, I think it’s time for new leadership there in the governor’s office,” Walker, an early supporter of Greitens, told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Jim Bennett, Greitens’ private attorney, said the governor will not resign.</p>
<p>St. Louis television station KMOV reported Jan. 10 that Greitens had an affair with his St. Louis hairdresser in 2015 as he was preparing to run for governor. Greitens acknowledged the affair in a statement minutes after the report. But Bennett later denied the woman’s claim to her now ex-husband — recorded without her knowledge during a March 2015 conversation — that Greitens took a compromising photo to ensure her silence.</p>
<p>St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced a criminal investigation on Thursday, citing “serious allegations” against Greitens, 43, a former Navy SEAL officer who defeated Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster in the November 2016 gubernatorial race.</p>
<p>The woman has declined to speak publicly, and The Associated Press is not naming her. Bennett said Greitens did not reach a financial settlement with the woman, and there is no non-disclosure agreement.</p>
<p>Greitens’ affair has been a disruption as Missouri lawmakers start the 2018 legislative session.</p>
<p>The House has delayed a vote on a Greitens-backed ethics bill limiting lobbyist gifts to lawmakers. It gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill loosening regulations on hair braiders, but not without Democratic Rep. Michael Butler taking a rhetorical jab during debate by alluding to the governor’s affair with a hairdresser.</p>
<p>The Senate confirmed 25 of Greitens’ appointees to various boards and commissions Tuesday. A Senate panel also went forward with a hearing on a pair of tax-cut proposals, even as Greitens canceled plans Tuesday for a tour outlining his own tax proposals.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, suburban St. Louis attorney Al Watkins provided the AP with an audio recording of a fact-finding call from Lucinda Luetkemeyer, general counsel in the governor’s office, that Watkins received about eight hours before the KMOV story.</p>
<p>Watkins, the attorney for the ex-husband of the woman involved in the affair, questioned the appropriateness of an attorney on the state payroll calling him about matters Greitens himself has described as private and personal.</p>
<p>“She was clearly calling me trying to facilitate damage control,” Watkins said of Luetkemeyer. “If it’s a private and personal matter, why is your counsel calling?”</p>
<p>Watkins said he turned over several hours of new audio recordings between the woman and her ex-husband to Gardner’s office. He declined to discuss what was on the recordings but called it “graphic.”</p>
<p>Watkins said those tapes also were provided to the FBI. The FBI has not confirmed if a federal investigation is underway.</p>
<p>Luetkemeyer in an email statement said that her office had heard Watkins was “shopping around” a story about Greitens but that she didn’t know whether the story involved the governor’s personal life or pertained to his official duties.</p>
<p>Luetkemeyer said she left her office to call Watkins and used her personal cellphone.</p>
<p>“Following the call, I referred the matter to the Governor’s personal counsel, and advised our official press office that further comment related to this issue should be handled by the Governor’s personal counsel,” Luetkemeyer said in her email.</p>
<p>Greitens is paying his own legal fees, Bennett said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Salter reported from St. Louis.</p>
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jefferson city mo ap facing new calls resign fellow republicans missouri gov eric greitens instead affirmed intent tuesday remain job seeking forgiveness extramarital affair described personal mistake greitens stayed public eye since admitting affair last week distributed message via facebook email tuesday simultaneously apologized actions asserted allegations false extremely hurtful assure personal mistake deter us mission sent greitens said statement continue work fight people missouri greitens issued statement republican sen rob schaaf st joseph calling upon resign speech senate floor ran office promised would governor known ethics transparency said schaaf directing comments greitens listening instead defined scandal covering things schaaf concluded governor im asking please resign state reps nate walker kirksville marsha haefner oakville steve cookson poplar bluff kathie conway st charles also called greitens step tuesday several democrats also called governors resignation state continue move forward think time new leadership governors office walker early supporter greitens told associated press jim bennett greitens private attorney said governor resign st louis television station kmov reported jan 10 greitens affair st louis hairdresser 2015 preparing run governor greitens acknowledged affair statement minutes report bennett later denied womans claim exhusband recorded without knowledge march 2015 conversation greitens took compromising photo ensure silence st louis circuit attorney kim gardner announced criminal investigation thursday citing serious allegations greitens 43 former navy seal officer defeated democratic attorney general chris koster november 2016 gubernatorial race woman declined speak publicly associated press naming bennett said greitens reach financial settlement woman nondisclosure agreement greitens affair disruption missouri lawmakers start 2018 legislative session house delayed vote greitensbacked ethics bill limiting lobbyist gifts lawmakers gave initial approval tuesday bill loosening regulations hair braiders without democratic rep michael butler taking rhetorical jab debate alluding governors affair hairdresser senate confirmed 25 greitens appointees various boards commissions tuesday senate panel also went forward hearing pair taxcut proposals even greitens canceled plans tuesday tour outlining tax proposals meanwhile suburban st louis attorney al watkins provided ap audio recording factfinding call lucinda luetkemeyer general counsel governors office watkins received eight hours kmov story watkins attorney exhusband woman involved affair questioned appropriateness attorney state payroll calling matters greitens described private personal clearly calling trying facilitate damage control watkins said luetkemeyer private personal matter counsel calling watkins said turned several hours new audio recordings woman exhusband gardners office declined discuss recordings called graphic watkins said tapes also provided fbi fbi confirmed federal investigation underway luetkemeyer email statement said office heard watkins shopping around story greitens didnt know whether story involved governors personal life pertained official duties luetkemeyer said left office call watkins used personal cellphone following call referred matter governors personal counsel advised official press office comment related issue handled governors personal counsel luetkemeyer said email greitens paying legal fees bennett said ___ salter reported st louis jefferson city mo ap facing new calls resign fellow republicans missouri gov eric greitens instead affirmed intent tuesday remain job seeking forgiveness extramarital affair described personal mistake greitens stayed public eye since admitting affair last week distributed message via facebook email tuesday simultaneously apologized actions asserted allegations false extremely hurtful assure personal mistake deter us mission sent greitens said statement continue work fight people missouri greitens issued statement republican sen rob schaaf st joseph calling upon resign speech senate floor ran office promised would governor known ethics transparency said schaaf directing comments greitens listening instead defined scandal covering things schaaf concluded governor im asking please resign state reps nate walker kirksville marsha haefner oakville steve cookson poplar bluff kathie conway st charles also called greitens step tuesday several democrats also called governors resignation state continue move forward think time new leadership governors office walker early supporter greitens told associated press jim bennett greitens private attorney said governor resign st louis television station kmov reported jan 10 greitens affair st louis hairdresser 2015 preparing run governor greitens acknowledged affair statement minutes report bennett later denied womans claim exhusband recorded without knowledge march 2015 conversation greitens took compromising photo ensure silence st louis circuit attorney kim gardner announced criminal investigation thursday citing serious allegations greitens 43 former navy seal officer defeated democratic attorney general chris koster november 2016 gubernatorial race woman declined speak publicly associated press naming bennett said greitens reach financial settlement woman nondisclosure agreement greitens affair disruption missouri lawmakers start 2018 legislative session house delayed vote greitensbacked ethics bill limiting lobbyist gifts lawmakers gave initial approval tuesday bill loosening regulations hair braiders without democratic rep michael butler taking rhetorical jab debate alluding governors affair hairdresser senate confirmed 25 greitens appointees various boards commissions tuesday senate panel also went forward hearing pair taxcut proposals even greitens canceled plans tuesday tour outlining tax proposals meanwhile suburban st louis attorney al watkins provided ap audio recording factfinding call lucinda luetkemeyer general counsel governors office watkins received eight hours kmov story watkins attorney exhusband woman involved affair questioned appropriateness attorney state payroll calling matters greitens described private personal clearly calling trying facilitate damage control watkins said luetkemeyer private personal matter counsel calling watkins said turned several hours new audio recordings woman exhusband gardners office declined discuss recordings called graphic watkins said tapes also provided fbi fbi confirmed federal investigation underway luetkemeyer email statement said office heard watkins shopping around story greitens didnt know whether story involved governors personal life pertained official duties luetkemeyer said left office call watkins used personal cellphone following call referred matter governors personal counsel advised official press office comment related issue handled governors personal counsel luetkemeyer said email greitens paying legal fees bennett said ___ salter reported st louis
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — She has kept the photos in a black leather binder for 33 years, though there have been times, many times, when she has asked herself why she still holds onto them.</p>
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<p>“But then I tell myself, ‘They are history,’ ” Marcella Armijo says. “Terrible history.”</p>
<p>Not many have seen the photos. Not many want to. They are disturbing photos, taken Feb. 3, 1980, hours after the worst prison riot in New Mexico history came to an inglorious end, as she walked through the flooded and bloody corridors cluttered with burned and butchered body parts.</p>
<p>Armijo, then a corrections officer at the Penitentiary of New Mexico near Santa Fe, was one of the first to survey the prison destruction and the bodies of the 33 inmates who were killed, tortured and mutilated by fellow inmates who had run amok, drunk, drugged and evil.</p>
<p>The photos taken during that trip into hell are ghastly enough, but the worst ones are those that had been locked inside Armijo’s mind for years. Like so many others who were there during the 36-hour siege or saw its gruesome aftermath, Armijo silently suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.</p>
<p>Unlike many others, she survived.</p>
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<p>“I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever need help,” says Armijo, who is 61 and has been retired for 11 years. “I was hard-core. I still think I am hard-core.”</p>
<p>Armijo, the hard-edged sister of former Secretary of State Stephanie Gonzales and Teatro Nuevo Mexico artistic director Salomé Martinez Lutz, began her unlikely career in 1976. For years, she fought to be given the same consideration for promotions as her male counterparts, filing a complaint with the state Human Rights Commission, which she won in 1979.</p>
<p>In 1985, she became the first woman in the state Department of Corrections to attain the rank of captain, a feat for which she was honored in 1995 with the Trailblazer Award by the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women.</p>
<p>Armijo was a no-nonsense, no-fear supervisor who routinely confronted dangerous men as if they were naughty schoolboys.</p>
<p>She would have been the only woman among the 15 officers working the night shift when the riot broke out Feb. 2, 1980.</p>
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<p>Twelve of the officers were taken hostage, some of them stripped, raped and tortured by inmates drunk on raisin jack and raging over their living conditions.</p>
<p>“I tell myself all the time they would have killed me just to kill me,” Armijo says.</p>
<p>Fate, though, stepped in.</p>
<p>Armijo, known for showing up for work, sometimes as early as two hours to prepare for her shift, was a rare no-show that night, a Friday, having gone out to dinner with friends and having too much to drink.</p>
<p>“I’ve always felt guilty about that, because I should have been there with my comrades,” she says. “But thank God I wasn’t. I’m no holy roller. I don’t go to church, but I do think somebody was helping me that night.”</p>
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<p>When she learned of the ongoing riot the next morning, a Saturday, she raced to the penitentiary.</p>
<p>Her supervisor burst into tears when he saw her.</p>
<p>“He didn’t know I hadn’t shown up for work,” she says. “They imagined the worst.”</p>
<p>But for Armijo, the worst was yet to come. The riot collapsed that Sunday afternoon. Many of the surviving inmates were tired and cold, many had overdosed on narcotics stolen from the prison infirmary, many were dead or wounded, many simply had nobody else to kill.</p>
<p>“We didn’t take back the prison,” Armijo says. “Those inmates allowed us to go in.”</p>
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<p>She was one of the few corrections officers sent in to the prison around 3 p.m. with four Army National Guardsmen and a State Police officer, who took photos at her request.</p>
<p>By the time they completed their rounds of the demolished prison, darkness had fallen, two of the Guardsmen had fainted and Armijo’s boots were covered in blood. Her bare hands were moist with the charred, putrefying flesh of an inmate’s face, burned off by a blowtorch, and her nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of death.</p>
<p>It’s a smell she cannot forget.</p>
<p>What she saw she cannot forget.</p>
<p>But it’s how she and her fellow corrections officers were treated – or not treated – afterward that she can most not forget.</p>
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<p>“I’m mad because nobody helped us get through this. There should have been a debriefing, training, someone to help us process what we saw, what we experienced,” she says. “We had to deal with those bodies. Oh, God, if you see the photos, it would give you an idea of what we had to go through.”</p>
<p>And so I do.</p>
<p>She pulls out the binder and shows me black-and-white images of bodies – one with a noose around his neck and the word “RAT” carved into his chest, another with his severed head between his legs, another with his genitals hacked away, many others with many stab wounds and cigarette burns, many with terror frozen on their faces.</p>
<p>Not one of them was appropriate for publishing in the Journal.</p>
<p>Also in the binder is her handwritten list of the officers on duty that night. Nearly all of them are dead, she says.</p>
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<p>“A lot of them were never right again,” she says. “Many of them started drinking.”</p>
<p>Armijo did, too, she admits. For nearly 20 years, she struggled alone with the bottle and the nightmares and the paralyzing anxiety.</p>
<p>But she went to work every day.</p>
<p>“I thought everybody was looking at me to see if I would mess up and then they wouldn’t promote other females,” she says. “I worried that they would think I was weak.”</p>
<p>Finally, in 1999, she sought help from a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with PTSD. In 2001, she was granted disability benefits and retired.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>She lives a quiet life now in Albuquerque, crafting beautiful, intricate folk art jewelry, many items featuring skulls and saints.</p>
<p>It helps calm her, she says.</p>
<p>I ask her how she managed all those years, how she was able to stick with the job after the riot when most could not, how she was able to fight back the demons of those days, 33 years ago this Saturday.</p>
<p>For a moment, the hard edge falls away and the tears come.</p>
<p>“I had to prove a point,” she says.</p>
<p>I think she’s done that.</p>
<p>She closes the binder, zips it shut and with a smile returning to her face, she says: “Maybe it’s time to let go of these photos. Maybe it’s time to get rid of them.”</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 505-823-3603, <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a> or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
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albuquerque nm kept photos black leather binder 33 years though times many times asked still holds onto advertisement tell history marcella armijo says terrible history many seen photos many want disturbing photos taken feb 3 1980 hours worst prison riot new mexico history came inglorious end walked flooded bloody corridors cluttered burned butchered body parts armijo corrections officer penitentiary new mexico near santa fe one first survey prison destruction bodies 33 inmates killed tortured mutilated fellow inmates run amok drunk drugged evil photos taken trip hell ghastly enough worst ones locked inside armijos mind years like many others 36hour siege saw gruesome aftermath armijo silently suffered posttraumatic stress disorder unlike many others survived advertisement never wildest dreams thought would ever need help says armijo 61 retired 11 years hardcore still think hardcore armijo hardedged sister former secretary state stephanie gonzales teatro nuevo mexico artistic director salomé martinez lutz began unlikely career 1976 years fought given consideration promotions male counterparts filing complaint state human rights commission 1979 1985 became first woman state department corrections attain rank captain feat honored 1995 trailblazer award new mexico commission status women armijo nononsense nofear supervisor routinely confronted dangerous men naughty schoolboys would woman among 15 officers working night shift riot broke feb 2 1980 advertisement twelve officers taken hostage stripped raped tortured inmates drunk raisin jack raging living conditions tell time would killed kill armijo says fate though stepped armijo known showing work sometimes early two hours prepare shift rare noshow night friday gone dinner friends much drink ive always felt guilty comrades says thank god wasnt im holy roller dont go church think somebody helping night advertisement learned ongoing riot next morning saturday raced penitentiary supervisor burst tears saw didnt know hadnt shown work says imagined worst armijo worst yet come riot collapsed sunday afternoon many surviving inmates tired cold many overdosed narcotics stolen prison infirmary many dead wounded many simply nobody else kill didnt take back prison armijo says inmates allowed us go advertisement one corrections officers sent prison around 3 pm four army national guardsmen state police officer took photos request time completed rounds demolished prison darkness fallen two guardsmen fainted armijos boots covered blood bare hands moist charred putrefying flesh inmates face burned blowtorch nostrils filled acrid smell death smell forget saw forget fellow corrections officers treated treated afterward forget advertisement im mad nobody helped us get debriefing training someone help us process saw experienced says deal bodies oh god see photos would give idea go pulls binder shows blackandwhite images bodies one noose around neck word rat carved chest another severed head legs another genitals hacked away many others many stab wounds cigarette burns many terror frozen faces one appropriate publishing journal also binder handwritten list officers duty night nearly dead says advertisement lot never right says many started drinking armijo admits nearly 20 years struggled alone bottle nightmares paralyzing anxiety went work every day thought everybody looking see would mess wouldnt promote females says worried would think weak finally 1999 sought help psychiatrist diagnosed ptsd 2001 granted disability benefits retired advertisement lives quiet life albuquerque crafting beautiful intricate folk art jewelry many items featuring skulls saints helps calm says ask managed years able stick job riot could able fight back demons days 33 years ago saturday moment hard edge falls away tears come prove point says think shes done closes binder zips shut smile returning face says maybe time let go photos maybe time get rid upfront daily frontpage news opinion column comment directly joline 5058233603 jkruegerabqjournalcom follow twitter jolinegkg article appeared page a1 albuquerque journal
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<p>CHICAGO (AP) — Martin Jones made 33 saves for his fifth shutout and Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal in the second period to lead the San Jose Sharks past the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Joe Thornton added a long empty-netter with 1:42 left.</p>
<p>Marleau's goal, on the Sharks' only man advantage, ended his six-game drought and was just his second in his last 17. But it was all the offense San Jose needed to improve to 18-8-2 on the road, best in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>The Sharks, who ended Chicago's three-game winning streak, are 10-2-2 in their last 14.</p>
<p>Jones rebounded to earn his 12th career shutout after allowing five goals on 29 shots in a 6-2 loss at Nashville on Saturday. He is 9-2-1 in his last 12 starts and 16-5-2 on the road.</p>
<p>Chicago goalie Corey Crawford made 25 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champions were blanked for the sixth time this season.</p>
<p>The Blackhawks came out flat off a 5-1 win at Dallas on Saturday night that strengthened their hold on first place in the Central Division.</p>
<p>Chicago's Artemi Panarin, who leads NHL rookies with 52 points, was ill and missed his first game this season. He was replaced by slumping Teuvo Teravainen at left wing on Chicago's top line with right wing and NHL leading scorer Patrick Kane and center Artem Anisimov.</p>
<p>Teravainen entered with no goals in his last 14 games and only one in his last 23.</p>
<p>An apparent goal by Chicago's Brandon Mashinter with 2:37 left in the first period was disallowed following San Jose coach Peter DeBoer's successful video challenge for goalie interference.</p>
<p>Mashinter deflected in a bouncing puck off his right shin guard with no kicking motion, but Chicago's Dennis Rasmussen was in the crease and made contact with Jones.</p>
<p>Marleau opened the scoring with a power-play a goal at 9:09 of the second. His shot from the right point deflected off Chicago's Jonathan Toews and ticked in off the right post with traffic in front of Crawford.</p>
<p>The Sharks had the better chances in the second, but Jones made a point-blank save on Marian Hossa with 1:09 left to preserve San Jose's 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>The Sharks and Jones kept the Blackhawks at bay in the final 2 minutes after Crawford was pulled for an extra attacker.</p>
<p>NOTES: The Blackhawks played their first game at the United Center since Jan. 24 and started a run of four home games in seven nights. . The Sharks return home, where they are 10-12-2, for two games before heading out on a five-game trip. . Marleau appeared in his 512th straight game and is third on the NHL's active ironman list.</p>
<p>CHICAGO (AP) — Martin Jones made 33 saves for his fifth shutout and Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal in the second period to lead the San Jose Sharks past the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Joe Thornton added a long empty-netter with 1:42 left.</p>
<p>Marleau's goal, on the Sharks' only man advantage, ended his six-game drought and was just his second in his last 17. But it was all the offense San Jose needed to improve to 18-8-2 on the road, best in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>The Sharks, who ended Chicago's three-game winning streak, are 10-2-2 in their last 14.</p>
<p>Jones rebounded to earn his 12th career shutout after allowing five goals on 29 shots in a 6-2 loss at Nashville on Saturday. He is 9-2-1 in his last 12 starts and 16-5-2 on the road.</p>
<p>Chicago goalie Corey Crawford made 25 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champions were blanked for the sixth time this season.</p>
<p>The Blackhawks came out flat off a 5-1 win at Dallas on Saturday night that strengthened their hold on first place in the Central Division.</p>
<p>Chicago's Artemi Panarin, who leads NHL rookies with 52 points, was ill and missed his first game this season. He was replaced by slumping Teuvo Teravainen at left wing on Chicago's top line with right wing and NHL leading scorer Patrick Kane and center Artem Anisimov.</p>
<p>Teravainen entered with no goals in his last 14 games and only one in his last 23.</p>
<p>An apparent goal by Chicago's Brandon Mashinter with 2:37 left in the first period was disallowed following San Jose coach Peter DeBoer's successful video challenge for goalie interference.</p>
<p>Mashinter deflected in a bouncing puck off his right shin guard with no kicking motion, but Chicago's Dennis Rasmussen was in the crease and made contact with Jones.</p>
<p>Marleau opened the scoring with a power-play a goal at 9:09 of the second. His shot from the right point deflected off Chicago's Jonathan Toews and ticked in off the right post with traffic in front of Crawford.</p>
<p>The Sharks had the better chances in the second, but Jones made a point-blank save on Marian Hossa with 1:09 left to preserve San Jose's 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>The Sharks and Jones kept the Blackhawks at bay in the final 2 minutes after Crawford was pulled for an extra attacker.</p>
<p>NOTES: The Blackhawks played their first game at the United Center since Jan. 24 and started a run of four home games in seven nights. . The Sharks return home, where they are 10-12-2, for two games before heading out on a five-game trip. . Marleau appeared in his 512th straight game and is third on the NHL's active ironman list.</p>
| false | 2 |
chicago ap martin jones made 33 saves fifth shutout patrick marleau scored powerplay goal second period lead san jose sharks past chicago blackhawks 20 tuesday night joe thornton added long emptynetter 142 left marleaus goal sharks man advantage ended sixgame drought second last 17 offense san jose needed improve 1882 road best western conference sharks ended chicagos threegame winning streak 1022 last 14 jones rebounded earn 12th career shutout allowing five goals 29 shots 62 loss nashville saturday 921 last 12 starts 1652 road chicago goalie corey crawford made 25 saves defending stanley cup champions blanked sixth time season blackhawks came flat 51 win dallas saturday night strengthened hold first place central division chicagos artemi panarin leads nhl rookies 52 points ill missed first game season replaced slumping teuvo teravainen left wing chicagos top line right wing nhl leading scorer patrick kane center artem anisimov teravainen entered goals last 14 games one last 23 apparent goal chicagos brandon mashinter 237 left first period disallowed following san jose coach peter deboers successful video challenge goalie interference mashinter deflected bouncing puck right shin guard kicking motion chicagos dennis rasmussen crease made contact jones marleau opened scoring powerplay goal 909 second shot right point deflected chicagos jonathan toews ticked right post traffic front crawford sharks better chances second jones made pointblank save marian hossa 109 left preserve san joses 10 lead sharks jones kept blackhawks bay final 2 minutes crawford pulled extra attacker notes blackhawks played first game united center since jan 24 started run four home games seven nights sharks return home 10122 two games heading fivegame trip marleau appeared 512th straight game third nhls active ironman list chicago ap martin jones made 33 saves fifth shutout patrick marleau scored powerplay goal second period lead san jose sharks past chicago blackhawks 20 tuesday night joe thornton added long emptynetter 142 left marleaus goal sharks man advantage ended sixgame drought second last 17 offense san jose needed improve 1882 road best western conference sharks ended chicagos threegame winning streak 1022 last 14 jones rebounded earn 12th career shutout allowing five goals 29 shots 62 loss nashville saturday 921 last 12 starts 1652 road chicago goalie corey crawford made 25 saves defending stanley cup champions blanked sixth time season blackhawks came flat 51 win dallas saturday night strengthened hold first place central division chicagos artemi panarin leads nhl rookies 52 points ill missed first game season replaced slumping teuvo teravainen left wing chicagos top line right wing nhl leading scorer patrick kane center artem anisimov teravainen entered goals last 14 games one last 23 apparent goal chicagos brandon mashinter 237 left first period disallowed following san jose coach peter deboers successful video challenge goalie interference mashinter deflected bouncing puck right shin guard kicking motion chicagos dennis rasmussen crease made contact jones marleau opened scoring powerplay goal 909 second shot right point deflected chicagos jonathan toews ticked right post traffic front crawford sharks better chances second jones made pointblank save marian hossa 109 left preserve san joses 10 lead sharks jones kept blackhawks bay final 2 minutes crawford pulled extra attacker notes blackhawks played first game united center since jan 24 started run four home games seven nights sharks return home 10122 two games heading fivegame trip marleau appeared 512th straight game third nhls active ironman list
| 552 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - NDA Securities Ltd:</p>
<p>* SAYS TO CONSIDER PROPOSAL OF DISINVESTMENT OF SHARES OF CO'S UNIT Source text - <a href="http://bit.ly/2F4v1ff" type="external">bit.ly/2F4v1ff</a> Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Mexico’s presidential front-runner launches his campaign near the U.S. border on Sunday, amid tension over U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to put a wall between the two countries.</p> FILE PHOTO: Leftist front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) addresses the audience during a conference organised by the Mexican Construction Industry Association in Guadalajara, Mexico March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
<p>As the July 1 election approaches, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and three other candidates will face off over issues including corruption, drug violence and trade.</p>
<p>Here are some facts on the presidential contenders:</p> ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR
<p>Two-time runner-up Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, is running on an anti-corruption platform with his National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party and he has a double-digit lead in opinion polls.</p>
<p>He could usher in a Mexican government less accommodating toward the United States, where Trump has stoked trade tensions with Mexico and aggressively moved to curb immigration. Trump’s pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border was a main theme of his 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.</p>
<p>Variously described as a leftist, a populist and a nationalist, Lopez Obrador, 64, has aimed for a moderate tone in this campaign. His slogan is “peace and love,” and he says he is not looking for revenge against the current government.</p>
<p>But the former Mexico City mayor has also promised to review recently awarded oil contracts and threatened to cancel the capital’s new airport, spooking investors.</p> Ricardo Anaya, presidential candidate for the National Action Party (PAN), leading a left-right coalition, gives a speech to supporters during his campaign rally in Mexico City, Mexico March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
<p>When he narrowly lost his first presidential bid in 2006, he contested the result and organized a sit-in that closed one of the main thoroughfares in Mexico City for weeks, causing chaos. Lopez Obrador says he has changed since then.</p> RICARDO ANAYA
<p>The youngest of the four presidential candidates, Anaya sprung to prominence when he took over the presidency of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) in 2015.</p>
<p>Born in the small, central state of Queretaro, the 39-year-old career politician helped the party take more than 10 of the country’s governorships for the first time in its history.</p>
<p>His main proposals include a universal minimum income and an international commission to investigate the current government over corruption allegations.</p>
<p>Anaya has been criticized for his frequent trips to Atlanta, where his wife and three children have lived, and over a real estate deal the ruling party said was money laundering.</p>
<p>Anaya denied the allegations.</p>
<p>He joined the PAN as a law student and held several senior positions in the Queretaro state government between 2002 and 2009 before becoming president of the federal lower house in 2013.</p> JOSE ANTONIO MEADE
<p>At the end of 2017, in an attempt to clean up its image and as Lopez Obrador took off in opinion polls, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) chose a non-member as its candidate for the first time.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Meade, 49, has served in five different ministerial jobs, including minister of foreign affairs, social development, energy and finance, under PRI and PAN governments.</p>
<p>His critics blame him for a hike in gasoline prices in 2017 that led to protests across Mexico and spiked inflation, and tie him to corruption accusations at departments he ran. He denies any wrongdoing.</p> MARGARITA ZAVALA
<p>Zavala is the only independent candidate on the ballot after a scandal over falsified signatures knocked out two of her opponents.</p>
<p>The former first lady left the PAN in 2017, in a split with fellow candidate Ricardo Anaya. Mexico City-born Zavala would be Mexico’s first-ever female president.</p>
<p>In the 1990s, Zavala was a lawmaker in the Mexico City assembly and the chief lawyer for the PAN’s executive committee. She was later a federal congresswoman.</p>
<p>She faces criticism for her husband Felipe Calderon’s policy of putting soldiers on the streets when he was president, during a war on drug gangs that saw tens of thousands killed.</p>
<p>If elected, Zavala says she would withdraw the troops.</p>
<p>Reporting by Mexico City Newsroom; editing by Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico’s presidential front-runner launches his campaign close to the U.S. border on Sunday amid tension over U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to put up a wall between the countries.</p> FILE PHOTO: Leftist front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) addresses the audience during a conference organised by the Mexican Construction Industry Association in Guadalajara, Mexico March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
<p>If leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wins the July 1 election, he is expected to be less accommodating toward Trump than the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has been lagging in polls because of anger over its failure to contain violence and graft.</p>
<p>His three-month campaign starts in Ciudad Juarez, a tribute to the city’s namesake Benito Juarez, the 19th century Mexican president from indigenous roots whose exiled government resisted a French colonialist intervention from the unruly border city.</p>
<p>Lopez Obrador recently criticized President Enrique Pena Nieto for “governing with recipes sent from abroad,” but he has lately softened his opposition to the government’s policy of allowing foreign investment in the oil industry.</p>
<p>The ruling party candidate trailing in third place, former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, launches his own campaign on Sunday at the other end of the country in the southeastern town of Merida.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mexico-election-candidates-factbox/factbox-mexicos-presidential-candidates-at-the-start-of-campaigning-idUSKCN1H80XL" type="external">Factbox: Mexico's presidential candidates at the start of campaigning</a>
<p>Second-place Ricardo Anaya began campaigning on Friday.</p>
<p>Silver-haired leftist Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, first ran for president in 2006. He would seek a meeting with Trump “as soon as possible” a senior advisor said, while indicating foreign policy would hew less closely to U.S. regional priorities if he wins.</p>
<p>Trump’s tough trade policies, insults against Mexican migrants and demands for the border wall have angered ordinary Mexicans who see their country as a natural ally of the United States.</p>
<p>Lopez Obrador has made clear U.S.-Mexican relations will remain strong if he wins, while promising to throw Trump a “curve ball” and defend Mexican pride. His unconventional, and at times inconsistent, policy stances have sometimes led to comparisons with the U.S. president.</p>
<p>He supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and the United States, but has called for talks started by Trump to renegotiate the deal to be suspended until after the election.</p>
<p>In a possible sign of the moderation Lopez Obrador is keen to project, Ciudad Juarez also harbored another of his heroes — Francisco I. Madero, a wealthy, U.S.-educated, moderate leader of the Mexican revolution who tried to unite conservatives and radicals.</p>
<p>However, the 64-year-old continues to play to his leftist base, attacking the current government over a $13 billion airport project he says is tainted by corruption.</p>
<p>He has promised to “consult the people” on reforms and plans to turn the presidential residence into a cultural center, sell the presidential plane and cut his salary in half.</p>
<p>The candidate’s foreign policy advisor, Hector Vasconcelos, has said U.S. relations should be aimed at bolstering economic cooperation and that the current ties over-emphasize police and military relations.</p>
<p>Vasconcelos also said Mexico would not follow the United States in sanctioning socialist Venezuela, and would refrain from foreign interference to focus on critical problems at home such as violence.</p>
<p>As well as its storied history, in modern times Ciudad Juarez, opposite El Paso in Texas, has been the scene of the murders of hundreds of women, many of them low-salaried workers in export factories.</p>
<p>That horror, mirrored in towns across Mexico during a decade of extreme drug violence, is another reason Lopez Obrador chose the city to start campaigning, an advisor said.</p>
<p>“It is a symbol of the need to heal Mexican pain,” said senior campaign member Tatiana Clouthier.</p>
<p>Angel Perez, 29, a Mexican national who lives in El Paso, said he would attend Sunday’s campaign launch with his wife and two daughters, hopeful that Lopez Obrador will deliver on promises for change.</p>
<p>“I think he has what it takes to put Trump in his place,” he said.</p>
<p>Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. policy toward China has been misdirected for decades and policymakers are now recalibrating ties, Senator Elizabeth Warren told reporters during a visit to Beijing amid heightened trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.</p> FILE PHOTO: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) addresses the audience at the morning plenary session at the Netroots Nation conference for political progressives in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Christopher Aluka Berry
<p>Warren’s visit comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to implement more than $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods meant to punish China over U.S. allegations that Beijing systematically misappropriated American intellectual property.</p>
<p>The Massachusetts Democrat and Trump foe, who has been touted as a potential 2020 presidential candidate despite rejecting such speculation, has said U.S. trade policy needs a rethink and that she is not afraid of tariffs.</p>
<p>After years of mistakenly assuming economic engagement would lead to a more open China, the U.S. government was waking up to Chinese demands for U.S. companies to give up their know-how in exchange for access to its market, Warren said.</p>
<p>“The whole policy was misdirected. We told ourselves a happy-face story that never fit with the facts,” Warren told reporters on Saturday, during a three-day visit to China that began on Friday.</p>
<p>“Now U.S. policymakers are starting to look more aggressively at pushing China to open up the markets without demanding a hostage price of access to U.S. technology,” she said.</p>
<p>Warren discussed trade issues and North Korea with senior Chinese officials, including Liu He, the vice premier for economic policy, Yang Jiechi, a top diplomat, and the Minister of Defence Wei Fenghe.</p>
<p>She said she told officials she met that Americans cannot support a more integrated economic system with China if it “fails to respect basic human rights”.</p>
<p>China’s ruling Communist Party has tightened controls on society since President Xi Jinping assumed power, from online censorship to a crackdown on activists and non-governmental organizations, though Chinese officials routinely deny accusations of rights abuses.</p>
<p>Warren also made stops in Japan and South Korea, and she said that U.S. allies in Asia were having trouble understanding Trump’s “chaotic” foreign policy.</p>
<p>North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Trump had earlier exchanged insults and veiled threats of war over North Korea’s tests of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, but the U.S. leader made the surprising announcement last month that he was prepared to meet Kim.</p>
<p>Warren said success for that meeting would mean getting a commitment to discuss verifiable steps to reduce North Korea’s nuclear threat, which would require careful negotiations from a State Department whose role has been vastly diminished under Trump, with several high-profile posts unoccupied.</p>
<p>Trump’s efforts to “take the legs out from underneath our diplomatic corps” are a “terrible mistake”, she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Christian Schmollinger</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - About 200 people demonstrated in Sacramento on Saturday to protest the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark, in the latest of nearly two weeks of mostly peaceful rallies since the unarmed black man was gunned down in his grandmother’s yard.</p>
<p>Another vigil with about 150 people was held Saturday night, and a protester was apparently hit by a Sacramento Sheriff’s vehicle, according to a video posted on the Internet and The Sacramento Bee.</p>
<p>The video shows the protester apparently hit and then fall to the ground as people screamed. The newspaper reported that witnesses said the sheriff’s vehicle then left the scene and a short time later the protestor was taken to a hospital by the fire department. No officials were available for comment early Sunday.</p>
<p>The death of the 22-year-old father of two was the latest in a string of killings of black men by police that have triggered street protests and fueled a renewed national debate about bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Saturday’s demonstration brought together a multi-racial crowd, many holding signs such as “Stop Police Rage” and “Power to the People.” It was led by retired National Basketball Association player Matt Barnes, who grew up in the area and had two stints with the Sacramento Kings franchise.</p>
<p>“We’re here today to raise awareness, to come together peacefully and to have some accountability for the officers, not only in Sacramento but across the country, who have been doing this,” Barnes told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.</p>
<p>Some of Clark’s relatives attended the gathering in a city plaza. It followed a more heated protest overnight, during which demonstrators yelled expletives at police clad in riot gear.</p> Salena Manni (L), fiancee of Stephon Clark, holds their son Cairo and an unidentified man holds son Aiden (2nd R) while Basim Elkarra speaks and Rev Shane Harris listens at a rally in Sacramento, California, U.S., March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Bob Strong NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
<p>Clark was shot on the night of March 18 by police responding to a report that someone was breaking windows. Police said the officers feared he had a gun, but that he was later found to have been holding a cellphone.</p>
<p>Police have said he was moving towards officers in a menacing way. The shooting was captured on a body cam video released by police.</p>
<p>On Friday, an attorney for Clark’s family released a private autopsy showing most of the eight bullets that hit Clark struck him in the back, contradicting the police version of events.</p> Slideshow (14 Images)
<p>Clark was shot six times in the back, once in the side and once in the leg, said the attorney, Benjamin Crump.</p>
<p>“This independent autopsy affirms that Stephon was not a threat to police and was slain in another senseless police killing under increasingly questionable circumstances,” Crump said.</p>
<p>The Sacramento Police Department said it would have no further comment until after the release of the findings of an official autopsy by the county coroner, and a review by state and local prosecutors.</p>
<p>In several days of sporadic protests, protesters have blocked traffic and twice delayed fans from reaching games played by the Kings at the Golden 1 Center.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Rich McKay in Atlanta and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing Chizu Nomiyama and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 22 reuters nda securities ltd says consider proposal disinvestment shares cos unit source text bitly2f4v1ff company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters mexicos presidential frontrunner launches campaign near us border sunday amid tension us president donald trumps plan put wall two countries file photo leftist frontrunner andres manuel lopez obrador national regeneration movement morena addresses audience conference organised mexican construction industry association guadalajara mexico march 23 2018 reutershenry romero july 1 election approaches andres manuel lopez obrador three candidates face issues including corruption drug violence trade facts presidential contenders andres manuel lopez obrador twotime runnerup lopez obrador known amlo running anticorruption platform national regeneration movement morena party doubledigit lead opinion polls could usher mexican government less accommodating toward united states trump stoked trade tensions mexico aggressively moved curb immigration trumps pledge build wall usmexican border main theme 2016 us presidential campaign variously described leftist populist nationalist lopez obrador 64 aimed moderate tone campaign slogan peace love says looking revenge current government former mexico city mayor also promised review recently awarded oil contracts threatened cancel capitals new airport spooking investors ricardo anaya presidential candidate national action party pan leading leftright coalition gives speech supporters campaign rally mexico city mexico march 31 2018 reutershenry romero narrowly lost first presidential bid 2006 contested result organized sitin closed one main thoroughfares mexico city weeks causing chaos lopez obrador says changed since ricardo anaya youngest four presidential candidates anaya sprung prominence took presidency conservative national action party pan 2015 born small central state queretaro 39yearold career politician helped party take 10 countrys governorships first time history main proposals include universal minimum income international commission investigate current government corruption allegations anaya criticized frequent trips atlanta wife three children lived real estate deal ruling party said money laundering anaya denied allegations joined pan law student held several senior positions queretaro state government 2002 2009 becoming president federal lower house 2013 jose antonio meade end 2017 attempt clean image lopez obrador took opinion polls ruling institutional revolutionary party pri chose nonmember candidate first time slideshow 2 images meade 49 served five different ministerial jobs including minister foreign affairs social development energy finance pri pan governments critics blame hike gasoline prices 2017 led protests across mexico spiked inflation tie corruption accusations departments ran denies wrongdoing margarita zavala zavala independent candidate ballot scandal falsified signatures knocked two opponents former first lady left pan 2017 split fellow candidate ricardo anaya mexico cityborn zavala would mexicos firstever female president 1990s zavala lawmaker mexico city assembly chief lawyer pans executive committee later federal congresswoman faces criticism husband felipe calderons policy putting soldiers streets president war drug gangs saw tens thousands killed elected zavala says would withdraw troops reporting mexico city newsroom editing jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles ciudad juarez mexico reuters mexicos presidential frontrunner launches campaign close us border sunday amid tension us president donald trumps plan put wall countries file photo leftist frontrunner andres manuel lopez obrador national regeneration movement morena addresses audience conference organised mexican construction industry association guadalajara mexico march 23 2018 reutershenry romero leftist andres manuel lopez obrador wins july 1 election expected less accommodating toward trump ruling institutional revolutionary party pri lagging polls anger failure contain violence graft threemonth campaign starts ciudad juarez tribute citys namesake benito juarez 19th century mexican president indigenous roots whose exiled government resisted french colonialist intervention unruly border city lopez obrador recently criticized president enrique pena nieto governing recipes sent abroad lately softened opposition governments policy allowing foreign investment oil industry ruling party candidate trailing third place former finance minister jose antonio meade launches campaign sunday end country southeastern town merida related coverage factbox mexicos presidential candidates start campaigning secondplace ricardo anaya began campaigning friday silverhaired leftist lopez obrador former mexico city mayor first ran president 2006 would seek meeting trump soon possible senior advisor said indicating foreign policy would hew less closely us regional priorities wins trumps tough trade policies insults mexican migrants demands border wall angered ordinary mexicans see country natural ally united states lopez obrador made clear usmexican relations remain strong wins promising throw trump curve ball defend mexican pride unconventional times inconsistent policy stances sometimes led comparisons us president supports north american free trade agreement nafta canada united states called talks started trump renegotiate deal suspended election possible sign moderation lopez obrador keen project ciudad juarez also harbored another heroes francisco madero wealthy useducated moderate leader mexican revolution tried unite conservatives radicals however 64yearold continues play leftist base attacking current government 13 billion airport project says tainted corruption promised consult people reforms plans turn presidential residence cultural center sell presidential plane cut salary half candidates foreign policy advisor hector vasconcelos said us relations aimed bolstering economic cooperation current ties overemphasize police military relations vasconcelos also said mexico would follow united states sanctioning socialist venezuela would refrain foreign interference focus critical problems home violence well storied history modern times ciudad juarez opposite el paso texas scene murders hundreds women many lowsalaried workers export factories horror mirrored towns across mexico decade extreme drug violence another reason lopez obrador chose city start campaigning advisor said symbol need heal mexican pain said senior campaign member tatiana clouthier angel perez 29 mexican national lives el paso said would attend sundays campaign launch wife two daughters hopeful lopez obrador deliver promises change think takes put trump place said writing daina beth solomon editing frank jack daniel sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles beijing reuters us policy toward china misdirected decades policymakers recalibrating ties senator elizabeth warren told reporters visit beijing amid heightened trade tensions worlds two largest economies file photo senator elizabeth warren dma addresses audience morning plenary session netroots nation conference political progressives atlanta georgia us august 12 2017 reuterschristopher aluka berry warrens visit comes us president donald trump prepares implement 50 billion tariffs chinese goods meant punish china us allegations beijing systematically misappropriated american intellectual property massachusetts democrat trump foe touted potential 2020 presidential candidate despite rejecting speculation said us trade policy needs rethink afraid tariffs years mistakenly assuming economic engagement would lead open china us government waking chinese demands us companies give knowhow exchange access market warren said whole policy misdirected told happyface story never fit facts warren told reporters saturday threeday visit china began friday us policymakers starting look aggressively pushing china open markets without demanding hostage price access us technology said warren discussed trade issues north korea senior chinese officials including liu vice premier economic policy yang jiechi top diplomat minister defence wei fenghe said told officials met americans support integrated economic system china fails respect basic human rights chinas ruling communist party tightened controls society since president xi jinping assumed power online censorship crackdown activists nongovernmental organizations though chinese officials routinely deny accusations rights abuses warren also made stops japan south korea said us allies asia trouble understanding trumps chaotic foreign policy north koreas kim jong un trump earlier exchanged insults veiled threats war north koreas tests nuclear weapons ballistic missiles us leader made surprising announcement last month prepared meet kim warren said success meeting would mean getting commitment discuss verifiable steps reduce north koreas nuclear threat would require careful negotiations state department whose role vastly diminished trump several highprofile posts unoccupied trumps efforts take legs underneath diplomatic corps terrible mistake said reporting michael martina editing christian schmollinger standards thomson reuters trust principles sacramento calif reuters 200 people demonstrated sacramento saturday protest fatal police shooting stephon clark latest nearly two weeks mostly peaceful rallies since unarmed black man gunned grandmothers yard another vigil 150 people held saturday night protester apparently hit sacramento sheriffs vehicle according video posted internet sacramento bee video shows protester apparently hit fall ground people screamed newspaper reported witnesses said sheriffs vehicle left scene short time later protestor taken hospital fire department officials available comment early sunday death 22yearold father two latest string killings black men police triggered street protests fueled renewed national debate bias us criminal justice system saturdays demonstration brought together multiracial crowd many holding signs stop police rage power people led retired national basketball association player matt barnes grew area two stints sacramento kings franchise today raise awareness come together peacefully accountability officers sacramento across country barnes told sacramento bee newspaper clarks relatives attended gathering city plaza followed heated protest overnight demonstrators yelled expletives police clad riot gear salena manni l fiancee stephon clark holds son cairo unidentified man holds son aiden 2nd r basim elkarra speaks rev shane harris listens rally sacramento california us march 31 2018 reutersbob strong resales archives clark shot night march 18 police responding report someone breaking windows police said officers feared gun later found holding cellphone police said moving towards officers menacing way shooting captured body cam video released police friday attorney clarks family released private autopsy showing eight bullets hit clark struck back contradicting police version events slideshow 14 images clark shot six times back side leg said attorney benjamin crump independent autopsy affirms stephon threat police slain another senseless police killing increasingly questionable circumstances crump said sacramento police department said would comment release findings official autopsy county coroner review state local prosecutors several days sporadic protests protesters blocked traffic twice delayed fans reaching games played kings golden 1 center additional reporting alex dobuzinskis los angeles brendan obrien milwaukee rich mckay atlanta jonathan allen new york editing chizu nomiyama sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>HOUSTON (Reuters) - Schlumberger ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SLB.N" type="external">SLB.N</a>) on Friday posted a fourth quarter loss on charges but beat Wall Street forecasts and gave an upbeat outlook, predicting its international operations would grow in 2018 for the first time in four years.</p>
<p>Schlumberger, the largest energy company so far to report results, is a bellwether for oilfield services and drilling. Its forecast for broad improvements this year on higher oil prices signals a stronger recovery for producers and service companies.</p>
<p>“Looking at the oil market, the strong growth in demand is projected to continue in 2018, on the back of a robust global economy,” said Chief Executive Paal Kibsgaard. Producers predict between 15 and 20 percent growth in North American energy investments, he said.</p>
<p>The world’s largest oilfield services company reported $2.7 billion in fourth quarter charges including a $938 million write-down of its Venezuelan holdings and unpaid bills due to economic turmoil there. Schlumberger said it would remain in the South American country and continue to seek payment for its past work there.</p>
<p>It also took more than $1.1 billion in restructuring expenses tied to its WesternGeco seismic business, citing poor returns. That unit will focus on selling its seismic data and no longer provide land and marine seismic acquisition. The business has suffered as drilling has focused on well-defined U.S. shale fields rather than new areas.</p>
<p>The charges widened Schlumberger’s fourth quarter net loss to $2.26 billion, from $204 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 15 percent to $8.18 billion.</p>
<p>Its shares were roughly flat at $76.33 in afternoon trade.</p>
<p>Excluding the writedowns, profit benefited from the year’s recovery in crude prices, rising to 48 cents a share, above the average analyst estimate of 44 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.</p>
<p>Schlumberger said quarterly results included an additional $76 million in taxes due to U.S. tax reform.</p>
<p>The company saw international growth underpinned by recent contract wins in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India and elsewhere.</p> FILE PHOTO: The exterior of the Schlumberger Corporation headquarters building is pictured in the Galleria area of Houston January 16, 2015. REUTERS/Richard Carson/File Photo
<p>“The international market will return to growth for the first time since 2014,” Patrick Schorn, executive vice president for new ventures, said during an earnings call. “Projected activity growth is leading us to start the reactivation of equipment,” he added.</p>
<p>Growth in the international market has been supported by a nearly 24 percent climb in the global Brent futures contract LCOc1 in the past three months.</p>
<p>In North America, where fourth quarter revenue rose 59 percent over a year earlier, Schlumberger said it expected to deploy new hydraulic fracturing fleets due to strong demand for pressure pumping services. The company in January acquired Weatherford International’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WFT.N" type="external">WFT.N</a>) hydraulic fracturing business, scrapping plans for a joint venture.</p>
<p>The recovery of global oil prices to almost $70 a barrel has given fresh legs to shale drilling in North America, positioning the United States to push oil output past 10 million barrels per day - toppling a record set in 1970.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SLB.N" type="external">Schlumberger NV</a> 65.84 SLB.N New York Stock Exchange +1.03 (+1.59%) SLB.N WFT.N
<p>Schlumberger also said it would move into “execution” mode to focus on generating positive cash flow for its Schlumberger Production Management (SPM) business, which invests in major oilfield projects alongside customers.</p>
<p>“I would characterize this as very disciplined growth going forward,” said Schorn, regarding the company’s strategy for the business, which has drawn investor attention because of heavy investments.</p>
<p>For the full year, Schlumberger reported a net loss of $1.51 billion, down from $1.69 billion in 2016. Revenue rose 9.5 percent to $30.44 billion.</p>
<p>Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Liz Hampton; Editing by Patrick Graham and Andrew Hay</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit increased to a near 9-1/2-year high in February, with both imports and exports rising to record highs in a sign of strong domestic and global demand.</p>
<p>News on Thursday of the worsening trade deficit came as the United States and China were embroiled in tit-for-tat tariffs which escalated trade war fears and rattled financial markets.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump’s administration is pursuing import duties to eradicate the deficit and protect domestic industries from what he says is unfair foreign competition. But economists say the trade penalties will not reverse the deficit.</p>
<p>“The U.S. continues to expand faster than most other industrialized countries, so it should not surprise anyone that the trade deficit is worsening,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.”Tariffs may sound like a good way to change the pattern of trade, but they tend to raise prices rather than modify the trade fundamentals.”</p>
<p>The Commerce Department said the trade gap increased 1.6 percent to $57.6 billion in February, the highest level since October 2008. The deficit has now increased for six straight months. Most of the rise in the trade deficit in February reflected commodity price increases.</p>
<p>Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade gap widening to $56.8 billion in February. The goods trade deficit was the highest since July 2008 and the surplus on services was the lowest since December 2012.</p>
<p>While the politically sensitive goods trade deficit with China fell 18.6 percent to $29.3 billion in February, it has increased 20.2 percent so far this year.</p>
<p>The Trump administration on Tuesday targeted 25 percent tariffs on some 1,300 Chinese industrial technology, transport and medical products, to force changes in Beijing’s intellectual property practices. China swiftly retaliated on Wednesday with a list of similar duties on key American imports including soybeans, planes, cars, beef and chemicals</p>
<p>Trump, who claims the United States is being taken advantage of by its trading partners, has already imposed broad tariffs on imported solar panels and large washing machines. He has also slapped 25 percent import duties on steel and 10 percent on aluminum.</p>
<p>While these actions may prove politically popular with Trump’s working class political base, especially in states hard-hit by factory closures and import competition, analysts warn they could undercut economic growth and raise prices for both consumers and producers.</p>
<p>The dollar rose to a two-week high against a currency basket amid signs the United States was looking to resolve the trade dispute with China. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher while prices for U.S. Treasuries fell.</p> DEFICIT WILL WORSEN
<p>The trade deficit is expected to widen further, thanks to an accommodative fiscal policy stance at a time when the economy is operating very close to full capacity. A $1.5 trillion income tax cut package came into effect in January and government spending will increase this year.</p>
<p>The economy’s strong fundamentals were underscored by a report from the Labor Department on Thursday showing the number of Americans on unemployment benefits falling to its lowest level since December 1973 during the week ending March 24.</p>
<p>When adjusted for inflation, the trade deficit slipped to $69.11 billion from $69.96 billion in January. The so-called real trade deficit average for the first two months of 2018 is above the fourth-quarter average of $66.8 billion.</p>
<p>This suggests trade would subtract from first-quarter gross domestic product. Trade sliced 1.16 percentage points from fourth-quarter GDP growth. The economy grew at a 2.9 percent annualized rate during that period. Growth estimates for the first quarter are mostly below a 2 percent rate.</p>
<p>“We suspect widening trade deficits and resulting subtractions from GDP growth will be a persistent feature of GDP this year as domestic demand outpaces the economy’s supply potential,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. “Tariffs will do nothing to lessen this trade imbalance, unless there is a retaliatory escalation that leads to an economic downturn.”</p>
<p>In February, exports of goods increased 2.3 percent to $137.2 billion, boosted by shipments of crude oil, natural gas, motor vehicles, civilian aircraft, and drilling and oilfield equipment. Exports to China were unchanged in February.</p>
<p>Goods imports jumped 1.6 percent to $214.2 billion in February, lifted by food, civilian aircraft, computers and crude oil. Imports of services rose to a record $47.8 billion from $46.8 billion in January, boosted by royalties and broadcast license fees related to the Winter Olympics.</p> Shipping containers are being loaded onto Xin Da Yang Zhou ship from Shanghai, China at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, U.S., April 4, 2018. REUTERS/Bob Riha Jr.
<p>Imports from China declined 14.7 percent in February.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar gained and equity markets around the world jumped on Thursday in a relief rally as fears eased of a trade war between China and the United States after Washington expressed a willingness to negotiate.</p> Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>The dollar rose to a three-week high against the Japanese yen and a 10-week peak versus the Swiss franc, two safe-haven assets that investors buy in times of market uncertainty.</p>
<p>U.S. Treasury yields rose to one-week highs as rising stock markets were a sign of improving risk appetite amid expectations a growing economy will be confirmed Friday when the closely watched U.S. employment report for March is released.</p>
<p>Major European stock indexes surged 2 percent or more, with Germany's exporter-heavy DAX <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.GDAXI" type="external">.GDAXI</a>, the market most exposed to China, climbing 2.90 percent.</p>
<p>MSCI’s all-country world stock index .MIWD00000PUS, which tracks shares in 47 countries, gained 1.12 percent, led by Amazon.com ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>), Apple ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AAPL.O" type="external">AAPL.O</a>) and Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>).</p>
<p>“Markets seem to be in relief rally mode and part of this is really driven by the fact we’re not really in a trade war yet,” said Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management in Minneapolis.</p>
<p>“This is quite small in terms of the impact to the economy, we still have the runway of tax reform that’s coming along,” Ripley said, referring to boost U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tax code is delivering to corporate earnings.</p>
<p>The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.FTEU3" type="external">.FTEU3</a> of leading regional shares rose 2.47 percent.</p>
<p>On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> rose 324.01 points, or 1.34 percent, to 24,588.31. The S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> gained 25.55 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,670.24 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> added 65.37 points, or 0.93 percent, to 7,107.48.</p>
<p>Signs the United States is looking to resolve a trade dispute with China lifted the dollar but limited an advance in oil prices as crude is dollar-priced and a stronger greenback makes oil purchases in other currencies more expensive.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.GDAXI" type="external">Deutsche Boerse AG</a> 12305.19 .GDAXI Xetra +347.29 (+2.90%) .GDAXI AMZN.O AAPL.O FB.O .FTEU3
<p>White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said he expects the United States and China to work out differences and trade barriers likely “will come down on both sides.”</p>
<p>The dollar index .DXY rose 0.48 percent, with the euro <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=EUR&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">EUR=</a> down 0.46 percent to $1.2221. The Japanese yen <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=JPY&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">JPY=</a> weakened 0.63 percent versus the greenback at 107.45 per dollar.</p>
<p>Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solution in Washington, said the dollar was boosted by a view that “Washington and Beijing might broker a trade deal that doesn’t torpedo global commerce or damage the world economy.”</p>
<p>U.S. crude CLcv1 rose 43 cents to $63.80 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 gained 51 cents to $68.53.</p>
<p>Gold prices fell as the apparent willingness to resolve a trade dispute reduced demand for bullion as a place to park money. A stronger dollar also crimped gold as it’s more expensive for users of other currencies.</p>
<p>U.S. gold futures GCcv1 fell $11.70 to $1,328.50 an ounce.</p>
<p>Many suspect Washington will likely back down on some fronts after Beijing threatened tariffs on soybeans, the top U.S. agricultural export to China. Threats to such exports are a powerful weapon for Beijing to wield given the potential impact on Iowa and other farming states that backed Trump in the presidential election.</p>
<p>U.S. soybeans Sc1 and corn Cc1 regained ground, following losses of around 2 percent the previous day.</p>
<p>Reporting by Kit Rees; Additional reporting by Hideyuki Sano in Tokyo; Editing by Bernadette Baum</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Wall Street rose on Thursday afternoon as investors shrugged off fears of an escalating trade conflict between the United States and China and looked forward to the quarterly earnings season.</p>
<p>Boeing ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">BA.N</a>), among the worst hit stocks on Wednesday after China retaliated with $50 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods, rose 2.4 percent, pulling up the Dow.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the Dow dived more than 500 points after China and U.S. imposed tariffs on each others products, but closed up 230 points after President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the administration was involved in a “negotiation” with China rather than a trade war.</p>
<p>“There is a lot of bad news on the trade front built into the market. So the ability of the equity markets to push significantly lower is going to be limited,” said John Brady, senior vice president at R.J. O’Brien &amp; Associates in Chicago.</p>
<p>“We’re going to need brand new, bad news on trade for the equity markets to push lower.”</p>
<p>China’s state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday that the country will win any trade war with the United States.</p>
<p>Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility index .VIX eased to a two-week low at 19.21 points.</p>
<p>At 13:09 ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> was up 1.15 percent at 24,542.21. The S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> rose 0.85 percent to 2,667.22 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> gained 0.7 percent at 7,091.65.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P and the Dow were on track to post their first three-day gains in about a month.</p>
<p>Ten of the 11 major S&amp;P sectors were higher, led by a 2,2 percent rise in the S&amp;P energy index .SPNY as oil prices rose.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>), Amazon ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>), Alphabet ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">GOOGL.O</a>) and Netflix ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NFLX.O" type="external">NFLX.O</a>) - collectively known as the “FANG” group - were up between 1 percent and 3 percent.</p>
<p>Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company had not seen “any meaningful impact” on usage or ad sales since the data privacy scandal.</p>
<p>Amazon ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>) rose 3.2 percent after being repeatedly hammered this week by Trump’s attacks on the online retailer.</p>
<p>Advanced Micro Devices ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMD.O" type="external">AMD.O</a>) jumped 3.8 percent after Stifel upgraded to “buy”, while Micron Technology ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MU.O" type="external">MU.O</a>) fell 6.44 percent after UBS started coverage with a “sell” rating.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">Boeing Co</a> 334.08 BA.N New York Stock Exchange +6.64 (+2.03%) BA.N .DJI .SPX .IXIC FB.O
<p>The S&amp;P 500 showed five new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 51 new highs and 25 new lows.</p>
<p>Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE for a 2.85-to-1 ratio and on the Nasdaq, for a 1.80-to-1 ratio.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - It took China just 11 hours to retaliate against the United States for proposing tariffs on some 1,300 Chinese products, but Chinese officials are holding back on taking aim at their largest American import: government debt.</p>
<p>In a tit-for-tat response to the Trump administration’s plan for 25 percent duties on $50 billion of Chinese imports, China hit back with its own list of similar duties on key American imports including soybeans, planes, cars, beef and chemicals. But officials signaled no interest for now in bringing their vast holdings of U.S. Treasuries to the fight.</p>
<p>China held around $1.17 trillion of Treasuries as of the end of January, making it the largest of America's foreign creditors and the No. 2 overall owner of U.S. government bonds after the Federal Reserve. Any move by China to chop its Treasury portfolio could inflict significant harm on U.S. finances and global investors, driving bond yields higher and making it more costly to finance the federal government.(Graphic: Top U.S. trade partners &amp; foreign holders of Treasuries - <a href="http://reut.rs/2CUqQB0" type="external">reut.rs/2CUqQB0</a>)</p>
<a href="http://reut.rs/2CUqQB0" type="external" />
<p>Jeffrey Gundlach, the chief executive of DoubleLine Capital LP, said China can use its Treasury holdings as leverage, but only if they keep holding them.</p>
<p>“It is more effective as a threat. If they sell, they have no threat,” said Gundlach, known as Wall Street’s Bond King.</p>
<p>“It would only escalate the situation and eliminate their leverage.”</p>
<p>Prices on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes slipped on Wednesday, giving back earlier gains on the trade news. Their yield edged up to about 2.81 percent Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>China’s Treasury holdings have dipped in recent months, declining by about $30 billion from $1.20 trillion last August, and they are down about 11 percent from their record high above $1.3 trillion in late 2013, according to U.S government data. In all, foreign governments own $4 trillion, or more than a quarter, of the $14.7 trillion in Treasury securities outstanding.</p>
<p>Asked by a reporter on Wednesday if China would reduce its U.S. Treasury holdings in retaliation, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao reiterated China’s long-standing policy regarding its foreign exchange reserves, saying it is a responsible investor and that it will safeguard their value.</p>
<p>China’s foreign exchange reserves, the world’s largest, stood at about $3.13 trillion at the end of February, with roughly a third of it held in Treasuries.</p>
<p>“If they wanted to pull the nuclear switch, if they committed to dumping Treasuries, it would have an immediate and temporary impact on money markets in the United States,” said Jeff Klingelhofer, a portfolio manager who oversees more than $6 billion at Thornburg Investment Management Inc. “But I think it is a bigger hit to the sustainability of what they’re trying to accomplish.”</p>
<p>Brad Setser, senior fellow for international economics&#160;at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said China can sell Treasuries and buy lower-yielding European or Japanese debt.</p>
<p>But the effect would likely be to strengthen the yuan against the dollar, weakening the relative desirability of its exports, analysts said. The sale could also tank the value of the Treasuries China retains, with nothing to show for the aggression.</p>
<p>More likely, if China wanted to turn up the heat it would let the yuan depreciate against the U.S. dollar, according to CFR’s Setser, a move that could kneecap the Trump administration’s goal of jump-starting U.S. manufacturing. The yuan weakened by about 0.25 percent on Wednesday but remains near its strongest in two and a half years.</p>
<p>Even if the likelihood of a change in Chinese policy regarding its Treasuries portfolio remains low, investors are sensitive to the risk any big shift would pose to world financial markets, where Treasuries are a global benchmark asset.</p>
<p>A January report that China might halt its purchases of Treasuries forced yields higher, but China disputed the news and said it was only diversifying its foreign exchange reserves to safeguard their value.</p>
<p>Reporting by Kate Duguid and Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Jennifer Ablan; Editing by Dan Burns and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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houston reuters schlumberger slbn friday posted fourth quarter loss charges beat wall street forecasts gave upbeat outlook predicting international operations would grow 2018 first time four years schlumberger largest energy company far report results bellwether oilfield services drilling forecast broad improvements year higher oil prices signals stronger recovery producers service companies looking oil market strong growth demand projected continue 2018 back robust global economy said chief executive paal kibsgaard producers predict 15 20 percent growth north american energy investments said worlds largest oilfield services company reported 27 billion fourth quarter charges including 938 million writedown venezuelan holdings unpaid bills due economic turmoil schlumberger said would remain south american country continue seek payment past work also took 11 billion restructuring expenses tied westerngeco seismic business citing poor returns unit focus selling seismic data longer provide land marine seismic acquisition business suffered drilling focused welldefined us shale fields rather new areas charges widened schlumbergers fourth quarter net loss 226 billion 204 million year earlier revenue rose 15 percent 818 billion shares roughly flat 7633 afternoon trade excluding writedowns profit benefited years recovery crude prices rising 48 cents share average analyst estimate 44 cents according thomson reuters ibes schlumberger said quarterly results included additional 76 million taxes due us tax reform company saw international growth underpinned recent contract wins saudi arabia kuwait india elsewhere file photo exterior schlumberger corporation headquarters building pictured galleria area houston january 16 2015 reutersrichard carsonfile photo international market return growth first time since 2014 patrick schorn executive vice president new ventures said earnings call projected activity growth leading us start reactivation equipment added growth international market supported nearly 24 percent climb global brent futures contract lcoc1 past three months north america fourth quarter revenue rose 59 percent year earlier schlumberger said expected deploy new hydraulic fracturing fleets due strong demand pressure pumping services company january acquired weatherford internationals wftn hydraulic fracturing business scrapping plans joint venture recovery global oil prices almost 70 barrel given fresh legs shale drilling north america positioning united states push oil output past 10 million barrels per day toppling record set 1970 schlumberger nv 6584 slbn new york stock exchange 103 159 slbn wftn schlumberger also said would move execution mode focus generating positive cash flow schlumberger production management spm business invests major oilfield projects alongside customers would characterize disciplined growth going forward said schorn regarding companys strategy business drawn investor attention heavy investments full year schlumberger reported net loss 151 billion 169 billion 2016 revenue rose 95 percent 3044 billion reporting nivedita bhattacharjee liz hampton editing patrick graham andrew hay standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us trade deficit increased near 912year high february imports exports rising record highs sign strong domestic global demand news thursday worsening trade deficit came united states china embroiled titfortat tariffs escalated trade war fears rattled financial markets president donald trumps administration pursuing import duties eradicate deficit protect domestic industries says unfair foreign competition economists say trade penalties reverse deficit us continues expand faster industrialized countries surprise anyone trade deficit worsening said joel naroff chief economist naroff economic advisors holland pennsylvaniatariffs may sound like good way change pattern trade tend raise prices rather modify trade fundamentals commerce department said trade gap increased 16 percent 576 billion february highest level since october 2008 deficit increased six straight months rise trade deficit february reflected commodity price increases economists polled reuters forecast trade gap widening 568 billion february goods trade deficit highest since july 2008 surplus services lowest since december 2012 politically sensitive goods trade deficit china fell 186 percent 293 billion february increased 202 percent far year trump administration tuesday targeted 25 percent tariffs 1300 chinese industrial technology transport medical products force changes beijings intellectual property practices china swiftly retaliated wednesday list similar duties key american imports including soybeans planes cars beef chemicals trump claims united states taken advantage trading partners already imposed broad tariffs imported solar panels large washing machines also slapped 25 percent import duties steel 10 percent aluminum actions may prove politically popular trumps working class political base especially states hardhit factory closures import competition analysts warn could undercut economic growth raise prices consumers producers dollar rose twoweek high currency basket amid signs united states looking resolve trade dispute china stocks wall street trading higher prices us treasuries fell deficit worsen trade deficit expected widen thanks accommodative fiscal policy stance time economy operating close full capacity 15 trillion income tax cut package came effect january government spending increase year economys strong fundamentals underscored report labor department thursday showing number americans unemployment benefits falling lowest level since december 1973 week ending march 24 adjusted inflation trade deficit slipped 6911 billion 6996 billion january socalled real trade deficit average first two months 2018 fourthquarter average 668 billion suggests trade would subtract firstquarter gross domestic product trade sliced 116 percentage points fourthquarter gdp growth economy grew 29 percent annualized rate period growth estimates first quarter mostly 2 percent rate suspect widening trade deficits resulting subtractions gdp growth persistent feature gdp year domestic demand outpaces economys supply potential said john ryding chief economist rdq economics new york tariffs nothing lessen trade imbalance unless retaliatory escalation leads economic downturn february exports goods increased 23 percent 1372 billion boosted shipments crude oil natural gas motor vehicles civilian aircraft drilling oilfield equipment exports china unchanged february goods imports jumped 16 percent 2142 billion february lifted food civilian aircraft computers crude oil imports services rose record 478 billion 468 billion january boosted royalties broadcast license fees related winter olympics shipping containers loaded onto xin da yang zhou ship shanghai china pier j port long beach long beach california us april 4 2018 reutersbob riha jr imports china declined 147 percent february reporting lucia mutikani editing andrea ricci standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters us dollar gained equity markets around world jumped thursday relief rally fears eased trade war china united states washington expressed willingness negotiate traders work floor new york stock exchange nyse new york us april 5 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid dollar rose threeweek high japanese yen 10week peak versus swiss franc two safehaven assets investors buy times market uncertainty us treasury yields rose oneweek highs rising stock markets sign improving risk appetite amid expectations growing economy confirmed friday closely watched us employment report march released major european stock indexes surged 2 percent germanys exporterheavy dax gdaxi market exposed china climbing 290 percent mscis allcountry world stock index miwd00000pus tracks shares 47 countries gained 112 percent led amazoncom amzno apple aaplo facebook fbo markets seem relief rally mode part really driven fact really trade war yet said charlie ripley senior investment strategist allianz investment management minneapolis quite small terms impact economy still runway tax reform thats coming along ripley said referring boost us president donald trumps new tax code delivering corporate earnings paneuropean ftseurofirst 300 index fteu3 leading regional shares rose 247 percent wall street dow jones industrial average dji rose 32401 points 134 percent 2458831 sampp 500 spx gained 2555 points 097 percent 267024 nasdaq composite ixic added 6537 points 093 percent 710748 signs united states looking resolve trade dispute china lifted dollar limited advance oil prices crude dollarpriced stronger greenback makes oil purchases currencies expensive deutsche boerse ag 1230519 gdaxi xetra 34729 290 gdaxi amzno aaplo fbo fteu3 white house economic adviser larry kudlow said expects united states china work differences trade barriers likely come sides dollar index dxy rose 048 percent euro eur 046 percent 12221 japanese yen jpy weakened 063 percent versus greenback 10745 per dollar joe manimbo senior market analyst western union business solution washington said dollar boosted view washington beijing might broker trade deal doesnt torpedo global commerce damage world economy us crude clcv1 rose 43 cents 6380 per barrel brent lcocv1 gained 51 cents 6853 gold prices fell apparent willingness resolve trade dispute reduced demand bullion place park money stronger dollar also crimped gold expensive users currencies us gold futures gccv1 fell 1170 132850 ounce many suspect washington likely back fronts beijing threatened tariffs soybeans top us agricultural export china threats exports powerful weapon beijing wield given potential impact iowa farming states backed trump presidential election us soybeans sc1 corn cc1 regained ground following losses around 2 percent previous day reporting kit rees additional reporting hideyuki sano tokyo editing bernadette baum standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters wall street rose thursday afternoon investors shrugged fears escalating trade conflict united states china looked forward quarterly earnings season boeing ban among worst hit stocks wednesday china retaliated 50 billion tariffs us goods rose 24 percent pulling dow wednesday dow dived 500 points china us imposed tariffs others products closed 230 points president donald trumps top economic adviser larry kudlow said administration involved negotiation china rather trade war lot bad news trade front built market ability equity markets push significantly lower going limited said john brady senior vice president rj obrien amp associates chicago going need brand new bad news trade equity markets push lower chinas state news agency xinhua said thursday country win trade war united states wall streets fear gauge cboe volatility index vix eased twoweek low 1921 points 1309 et dow jones industrial average dji 115 percent 2454221 sampp 500 spx rose 085 percent 266722 nasdaq composite ixic gained 07 percent 709165 sampp dow track post first threeday gains month ten 11 major sampp sectors higher led 22 percent rise sampp energy index spny oil prices rose slideshow 3 images facebook fbo amazon amzno alphabet googlo netflix nflxo collectively known fang group 1 percent 3 percent facebook chief executive mark zuckerberg said company seen meaningful impact usage ad sales since data privacy scandal amazon amzno rose 32 percent repeatedly hammered week trumps attacks online retailer advanced micro devices amdo jumped 38 percent stifel upgraded buy micron technology muo fell 644 percent ubs started coverage sell rating boeing co 33408 ban new york stock exchange 664 203 ban dji spx ixic fbo sampp 500 showed five new 52week highs one new low nasdaq recorded 51 new highs 25 new lows advancing issues outnumbered decliners nyse 285to1 ratio nasdaq 180to1 ratio reporting sruthi shankar bengaluru editing sriraj kalluvila standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters took china 11 hours retaliate united states proposing tariffs 1300 chinese products chinese officials holding back taking aim largest american import government debt titfortat response trump administrations plan 25 percent duties 50 billion chinese imports china hit back list similar duties key american imports including soybeans planes cars beef chemicals officials signaled interest bringing vast holdings us treasuries fight china held around 117 trillion treasuries end january making largest americas foreign creditors 2 overall owner us government bonds federal reserve move china chop treasury portfolio could inflict significant harm us finances global investors driving bond yields higher making costly finance federal governmentgraphic top us trade partners amp foreign holders treasuries reutrs2cuqqb0 jeffrey gundlach chief executive doubleline capital lp said china use treasury holdings leverage keep holding effective threat sell threat said gundlach known wall streets bond king would escalate situation eliminate leverage prices benchmark 10year us treasury notes slipped wednesday giving back earlier gains trade news yield edged 281 percent wednesday afternoon chinas treasury holdings dipped recent months declining 30 billion 120 trillion last august 11 percent record high 13 trillion late 2013 according us government data foreign governments 4 trillion quarter 147 trillion treasury securities outstanding asked reporter wednesday china would reduce us treasury holdings retaliation vice finance minister zhu guangyao reiterated chinas longstanding policy regarding foreign exchange reserves saying responsible investor safeguard value chinas foreign exchange reserves worlds largest stood 313 trillion end february roughly third held treasuries wanted pull nuclear switch committed dumping treasuries would immediate temporary impact money markets united states said jeff klingelhofer portfolio manager oversees 6 billion thornburg investment management inc think bigger hit sustainability theyre trying accomplish brad setser senior fellow international economics160at council foreign relations new york said china sell treasuries buy loweryielding european japanese debt effect would likely strengthen yuan dollar weakening relative desirability exports analysts said sale could also tank value treasuries china retains nothing show aggression likely china wanted turn heat would let yuan depreciate us dollar according cfrs setser move could kneecap trump administrations goal jumpstarting us manufacturing yuan weakened 025 percent wednesday remains near strongest two half years even likelihood change chinese policy regarding treasuries portfolio remains low investors sensitive risk big shift would pose world financial markets treasuries global benchmark asset january report china might halt purchases treasuries forced yields higher china disputed news said diversifying foreign exchange reserves safeguard value reporting kate duguid trevor hunnicutt additional reporting jennifer ablan editing dan burns james dalgleish standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>The challenge of emotional interviews, which figured in <a href="" type="internal">last week's column</a>, brought&#160;two&#160;items of feedback worth sharing. The first shares the insights of a reporter who came to the newsroom after more than two decades in nursing.&#160;The second focuses on the lessons a young reporter learned.</p>
<p>From the ER to the Newsroom: The Importance of Understanding Grief</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Mary Pitman</a> graduated from Poynter's News Reporting and Writing Fellowship program in 2001 after earning a B.A. in journalism&#160; from Georgia State University,&#160;spent two years as Lifetyles editor at the Forsyth County News&#160;&#160;and now works as a freelance writer in Cumming, Ga.&#160;Most of our summer fellows are right out of college; Mary came to journalism&#160;after a two-decade career as a nurse. Based on that experience, here's what she wrote me after reading last week's column:</p>
<p>When I know I'm going into an emotionally sensitive story, I find that being well-prepared is invaluable. I know what questions I want to ask and more importantly, how I want to ask them.The second thing that works consistently for me is I try to put myself on the same level as the person I'm interviewing. It can be intimidating, even frightening, to spill your guts to a journalist. I usually say something along the lines of, "I can't imagine what you're going through. I feel privileged that you're taking the time to talk to me. Some of the questions are going to be as hard for me to ask as they are for you to answer. So please don't think I'm insensitive. But in order to give your story the depth it deserves, I have to ask those questions. Any time you want to stop the interview, just say so. We can always reschedule."This accomplishes four things. First, I'm sincere with the first two sentences. Second, it shows that I'm respectful of their situation. Third, it shows that I care about their story. (Actually I care about all my stories.) Finally, it gives them an out. They aren't locked in and that removes some of the pressure.If they start crying, I pause. If the situation is not out of control, I repeat the last line they said to me. "The police were at your door?"I've never had to reschedule.</p>
<p>My 24 years as a nurse has been absolutely invaluable in these situations. Working in the ER is similar to journalism. You have contact with people during the worst time of their life. A husband with no history of heart disease drops dead. A husband and wife are killed in a car wreck. We are left with the survivors. I've learned to distance myself from the situation and still be sensitive. I can't do my job if I get wrapped up in the emotions. It's the same line I have to walk in journalism. I have to remain objective and yet acknowledge that the people in front of me are in pain. I just can't let it become my pain.I really believe every journalist who is faced with these types of interviews should familiarize themselves with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's "Death and Dying." She explains <a href="http://dying.about.com/cs/glossary/g/g_5Stages.htm" type="external">the five stages of dying/grief</a>. It's given me a great understanding of what's behind the emotions of the people I interview.These stories are never easy. Understanding grief gives a journalist tremendous power and sensitivity to where their subject is in the process -- even if the journalist is not a touchy-feely type.</p>
<p>Lessons Learned By a Young ReporterLes Gura, metro editor at the Winston-Salem Journal, wrote me after reading last week's column, "It reminded me of a situation that occurred to my night police reporter last year." An 11-year-old Mount Airy, N.C., student collapsed&#160;at school during a physical education class, then died soon after. The reporter, Jessica Guenzel, "was less than a year out of college at the time" and covered <a href="" type="internal">the story</a>.&#160;At Gura's urging, she also wrote about how she handled the story.&#160;Both became grist for both a metro desk meeting and a print journalism course&#160;Gura teaches online. Here is Guenzel's report of how she handled the experience.</p>
<p>...It was around 8:30 and I was staring down deadline and thinking that I was probably about to intrude on a family that just lost a child a few hours before and get yelled at, but I didn't want a story about the little girl to be without heart, and I knew that I had to at least try the family, not expecting them to talk. I do remember looking at the clock and calculating in my head that their daughter had died just six hours ago. Then I think I just stopped thinking long enough to dial.A woman answered the phone, and I said I was looking for the parents of a little girl who died at school today and asked if I had called the right number, knowing that I had, but trying not to hit her with "MEDIA." She said that it was the right house, but that she was not the mother, rather another relative. I apologized to her for her loss and asked if there was anyone in the house with her right now who could talk to me about what kind of a child Taylor was, that I was a reporter with the Journal and that I had heard from some students at the school that she was very active and friendly. She told me to hold on and talked to the parents.When she put me on hold, I thought for sure she was going to come back and tell me that no one wanted to talk right now. But I could hear her talking a little in the background and I heard her say something about how I wanted to know more about Taylor. Then I heard the mom say, "No, you can do it if you want." (I guess to the dad)Dad got on the phone and I told him who I was again, apologized for his loss and asked him if he would be able to tell me a little bit about his daughter, who she was, what she liked, etc. I told him that I knew it was going to be hard and that, if he needed some time, to let me know and we could bear with each other.He started spouting out facts about Taylor, like her birthdate, grade, age, etc. He was calm and I was thinking, "I know all this already" but I didn't know if it was okay to ask him questions that I knew would hurt and I didn't know if I'd be able to handle his answers.I let him say everything that he felt like I wanted to know. Then I was kind of quiet for a few seconds, and I think he was getting ready to get off the phone, so I said that I knew it was going to be horrible to talk about, but did he remember the last time he saw her, and asked if it was this morning before school as an example. He said, yes, that it was that morning, and when he started telling me about the morning, how she woke up and fixed herself four waffles, his voice started cracking and he sobbed a few times. Meanwhile, I'm trying to type through tears that are welling up in my own eyes and I kept thinking, "Don't cry. Don't cry." But, I was, and he could hear it in my voice when I tried to ask him to clarify something he had said. Once I knew it was obvious that I was crying, I stopped asking questions for a second so that I could focus and swallow and breathe, and apologized to him again. He had only gotten to the point where he had driven Taylor to school, and I was thinking that there was probably a really emotional moment to be found if I could get him to tell me about how she got out of the car. I asked what happened after they got to school, trying to be hyper-sensitive, and he said that Taylor got out of the car. I asked if there was any kind of exchange between them and gave him some examples, like did she give him a hug or say "I'll see you later," or what. That's when he told me about how he told her to make sure she was "smart today" and the exchange that followed.When he was telling me how she said, "Daddy, I love you," he started sobbing and, thus, I started crying again. (I'm a wuss)I knew that if he felt overwhelmed with sadness, he would say he couldn't talk anymore and get off the phone, so I asked him something a little more neutral, about if Taylor was an active child. I told him I had heard that she was a gymnast and a cheerleader and, when it was clear that he had calmed down enough, I told him that a boy at the school had told me that she was very attractive, hoping that would get him to smile when he thought about her. That got him cooled off a bit and he talked pretty coherently about her activities.Then I asked about any pre-existing medical conditions that she might have had, trying to stay in unemotional territory, and if she had complained of anything that morning or the night before. He told me, no, that she hadn't complained of anything and that she was fine last night. In fact, he said, she had stayed up late hanging out with him and Taylor's mom the night before. So, I asked about that. He told me about how they stayed up and looked at pictures. I asked what kind of pictures and found out that there were old pictures of Taylor on her first days of school. I asked what Taylor thought of them and he told me that she was asking questions and they stayed up for about 15 minutes explaining things from her childhood to her and reminiscing. I asked if it was normal for her to climb into bed with them at night and he started crying again and said that it wasn't normal, that it was like she knew she was going to die and wanted just a few more minutes with them.Then dad asked me if I could talk to his wife for a few minutes so that he could take a break. I said sure, obviously, but I kind of didn't want to. I had been through the emotional wringer with dad and didn't think I had the energy to do it again with mom. But, when mom got on the phone, I explained who I was and apologized and asked her if she could tell me about the relationship she had with her daughter. She was quiet and I was thinking, "Oh, God, she's going to say, "How dare you call us when our daughter just died."&#160;But she just cried and said that she was sorry, she thought she could talk to me but it was too hard and asked if she could talk to me another time. I said sure, that I understood and apologized again. But I didn't want her to hang up, so I remember rushing to say, "Is it possible for you to put your husband back on the phone?"When dad got back on the phone, I asked him about funeral arrangements and then I thanked him for being so open with me, apologized again and let him go.After I hung up, everything that had built up during the phone conversation came out -- tears, sobbing-type breaths. I told Jennifer that was the hardest interview I've ever done, got it all out and started writing, with about 15 minutes to go until deadline.</p>
<p>Jessica's editor, Gura,&#160;said, "Jessica's tale of how she did the interviewing with Taylor's father and mother point to several useful things to remember."&#160;Among them:</p>
<p>My thanks to Les, Jessica and Mary for sharing their experiences. Among the many things my mentor Don Murray has taught me over the years is to never be afraid to be a human being. Reporting the news is painful enough without denying the part of ourselves that makes it possible to do the job with compassion as well as professionalism.</p>
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challenge emotional interviews figured last weeks column brought160two160items feedback worth sharing first shares insights reporter came newsroom two decades nursing160the second focuses lessons young reporter learned er newsroom importance understanding grief mary pitman graduated poynters news reporting writing fellowship program 2001 earning ba journalism160 georgia state university160spent two years lifetyles editor forsyth county news160160and works freelance writer cumming ga160most summer fellows right college mary came journalism160after twodecade career nurse based experience heres wrote reading last weeks column know im going emotionally sensitive story find wellprepared invaluable know questions want ask importantly want ask themthe second thing works consistently try put level person im interviewing intimidating even frightening spill guts journalist usually say something along lines cant imagine youre going feel privileged youre taking time talk questions going hard ask answer please dont think im insensitive order give story depth deserves ask questions time want stop interview say always reschedulethis accomplishes four things first im sincere first two sentences second shows im respectful situation third shows care story actually care stories finally gives arent locked removes pressureif start crying pause situation control repeat last line said police doorive never reschedule 24 years nurse absolutely invaluable situations working er similar journalism contact people worst time life husband history heart disease drops dead husband wife killed car wreck left survivors ive learned distance situation still sensitive cant job get wrapped emotions line walk journalism remain objective yet acknowledge people front pain cant let become paini really believe every journalist faced types interviews familiarize elizabeth kublerrosss death dying explains five stages dyinggrief given great understanding whats behind emotions people interviewthese stories never easy understanding grief gives journalist tremendous power sensitivity subject process even journalist touchyfeely type lessons learned young reporterles gura metro editor winstonsalem journal wrote reading last weeks column reminded situation occurred night police reporter last year 11yearold mount airy nc student collapsed160at school physical education class died soon reporter jessica guenzel less year college time covered story160at guras urging also wrote handled story160both became grist metro desk meeting print journalism course160gura teaches online guenzels report handled experience around 830 staring deadline thinking probably intrude family lost child hours get yelled didnt want story little girl without heart knew least try family expecting talk remember looking clock calculating head daughter died six hours ago think stopped thinking long enough diala woman answered phone said looking parents little girl died school today asked called right number knowing trying hit media said right house mother rather another relative apologized loss asked anyone house right could talk kind child taylor reporter journal heard students school active friendly told hold talked parentswhen put hold thought sure going come back tell one wanted talk right could hear talking little background heard say something wanted know taylor heard mom say want guess daddad got phone told apologized loss asked would able tell little bit daughter liked etc told knew going hard needed time let know could bear otherhe started spouting facts taylor like birthdate grade age etc calm thinking know already didnt know okay ask questions knew would hurt didnt know id able handle answersi let say everything felt like wanted know kind quiet seconds think getting ready get phone said knew going horrible talk remember last time saw asked morning school example said yes morning started telling morning woke fixed four waffles voice started cracking sobbed times meanwhile im trying type tears welling eyes kept thinking dont cry dont cry could hear voice tried ask clarify something said knew obvious crying stopped asking questions second could focus swallow breathe apologized gotten point driven taylor school thinking probably really emotional moment found could get tell got car asked happened got school trying hypersensitive said taylor got car asked kind exchange gave examples like give hug say ill see later thats told told make sure smart today exchange followedwhen telling said daddy love started sobbing thus started crying im wussi knew felt overwhelmed sadness would say couldnt talk anymore get phone asked something little neutral taylor active child told heard gymnast cheerleader clear calmed enough told boy school told attractive hoping would get smile thought got cooled bit talked pretty coherently activitiesthen asked preexisting medical conditions might trying stay unemotional territory complained anything morning night told hadnt complained anything fine last night fact said stayed late hanging taylors mom night asked told stayed looked pictures asked kind pictures found old pictures taylor first days school asked taylor thought told asking questions stayed 15 minutes explaining things childhood reminiscing asked normal climb bed night started crying said wasnt normal like knew going die wanted minutes themthen dad asked could talk wife minutes could take break said sure obviously kind didnt want emotional wringer dad didnt think energy mom mom got phone explained apologized asked could tell relationship daughter quiet thinking oh god shes going say dare call us daughter died160but cried said sorry thought could talk hard asked could talk another time said sure understood apologized didnt want hang remember rushing say possible put husband back phonewhen dad got back phone asked funeral arrangements thanked open apologized let goafter hung everything built phone conversation came tears sobbingtype breaths told jennifer hardest interview ive ever done got started writing 15 minutes go deadline jessicas editor gura160said jessicas tale interviewing taylors father mother point several useful things remember160among thanks les jessica mary sharing experiences among many things mentor murray taught years never afraid human reporting news painful enough without denying part makes possible job compassion well professionalism
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<p>BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Unfair trade and an overproduction of steel are at the root of international tensions over commerce, France’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday after a G20 gathering in Buenos Aires.</p> France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks during a news conference at the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>“This G20 meeting has been really useful because it has helped us to understand the difficulties of every nation and it has helped us make a path, a step in the right direction,” said Le Maire, adding that G20 members had acknowledged the issue of steel over-capacity.</p>
<p>“Unfair trade conditions are also at the root of our difficulties,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Francesco Canepa; Editing by Paul Simao</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Australian woman last July was arrested on Tuesday on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, prosecutors said.</p> Mohamed Noor, 32, is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters March 20, 2018. Hennepin County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Mohamed Noor, 32, turned himself in and was arrested for the death of Justine Damond, 40, who had called 911 about a possible sexual assault near her house, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a press conference announcing the charges.</p>
<p>“There is no evidence that Officer Noor encountered a threat, appreciated a threat, investigated a threat or confirmed a threat that justified his decision to use deadly force,” Freeman told reporters. “Instead, Officer Noor recklessly and intentionally fired his handgun.”</p>
<p>After Noor shot her, Damond put her hands on the gunshot wound on the left side of her abdomen and said, “I’m dying” or “I’m dead,” Freeman said.</p>
<p>The shooting drew condemnation in Minnesota and Australia, where Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called it “shocking” and “inexplicable.” Then-Minneapolis police chief Jamee Harteau resigned after city officials said procedures had been violated and Damond “didn’t have to die.”</p>
<p>The third-degree murder charge accused Noor of committing an “eminently dangerous act” and showing a “depraved mind,” and the second-degree manslaughter charge cited “culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk,” the records showed.</p>
<p>The penalty for third-degree murder is up to 25 years in prison and second-degree manslaughter carries a penalty of up to 10 years, according to a state website.</p>
<p>Freeman, Minneapolis’ top prosecutor, had delayed his decision in December, saying his office needed more time and he did not have enough evidence to charge Noor.</p>
<p>Noor has been on paid leave and refused to be interviewed by Minnesota state investigators. Noor’s attorney, Tom Plunkett, could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>
<p>Plunkett previously said Noor extended his “thoughts and wishes” to Damond’s family and raised concerns about Freeman’s objectivity.</p> FILE PHOTO: Justine Damond, also known as Justine Ruszczyk, from Sydney, is seen in this 2015 photo released by Stephen Govel Photography in New York, U.S., on July 17, 2017. Courtesy Stephen Govel/Stephen Govel Photography/Handout/File Photo via REUTERS
<p>The attorney for Damond’s family, Bob Bennett, could not be reached on Tuesday.</p> ‘INIQUITOUS ACT’
<p>Damond’s fiance, Don Damond, and her father, John Ruszczyk, issued a joint statement in which they praised the decision to charge Noor and hoped it resulted in a conviction, calling it “one step toward justice for this iniquitous act.”</p>
<p>“No charges can bring our Justine back. However, justice demands accountability for those responsible for recklessly killing the fellow citizens they are sworn to protect,” they said in the statement.</p>
<p>Damond, who was living in Minneapolis and engaged to be married, approached the police after their arrival, authorities have said. She had owned a meditation and life-coaching company.</p>
<p>Neither Noor, who came to the United States from Somalia as a child, nor Matthew Harrity, another officer in the patrol car, had their body cameras activated, police have said.</p>
<p>Harrity was startled by a loud sound near the patrol car shortly before Noor fired from the passenger seat of the patrol car through Harrity’s window, Freeman said.</p>
<p>Harrity, who pulled out his handgun during the incident but didn’t fire it, said both officers “got spooked” when Damond appeared “out of nowhere,” Freeman said.</p>
<p>Noor is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis. Prosecutors are asking that Noor’s bail be set at $500,000, Freeman said.</p>
<p>(This version corrects headline and first paragraph to show Noor was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, not second-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter)</p>
<p>Reporting by Todd Melby, Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump feted Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday and lauded U.S. defense sales as a boost to American jobs, even as Riyadh’s involvement in Yemen’s civil war faced criticism.</p>
<p>In the Oval Office, Trump and the crown prince lauded the strength of U.S.-Saudi ties, which had grown strained under the Obama administration in part over differing views towards Riyadh’s regional rival Iran.</p>
<p>Not so with Trump, who has taken a hardline view against Iran similar to that of the Saudi crown prince who has compared Iran’s supreme leader to Adolf Hitler.</p>
<p>The talks were part of the first visit by the prince to the United States since he became the heir apparent last year to succeed King Salman.</p>
<p>Trump’s red-carpet treatment highlighted his administration’s strong backing of the crown prince, who carried out an anti-corruption purge that consolidated his power and whose aggressive foreign policy has caused unease among some Western allies.</p>
<p>At the same time, the kingdom has witnessed a cautious new climate of social freedoms with the rise of the 32-year-old crown prince to power after decades of elderly rulers.</p>
<p>Trump and Prince Mohammed discussed an agreement last year for $200 billion worth of Saudi investments with the United States, including large purchases of U.S. military equipment. Trump said the military sales contributed to the creation of 40,000 American jobs.</p>
<p>Trump held up charts to show the depth of Saudi purchases of U.S. military hardware, ranging from ships to missile defense to planes and fighting vehicles.</p>
<p>“Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy nation, and they’re going to give the United States some of that wealth, hopefully, in the form of jobs, in the form of the purchase of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world,” he told reporters.</p>
<p>The crown prince, who is also the defense minister, is on a public relations blitz while traveling in the United States, with stops in New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston to cultivate investments.</p>
<p>As they talked, U.S. senators debated a resolution seeking an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen’s civil war, in which about 10,000 people have been killed. Some members of Congress have been critical of the Saudi involvement, particularly over the humanitarian situation and civilian casualties.</p>
<p>A Saudi-led coalition, with logistical and intelligence support from Washington is fighting to counter the influence of Iran, an ally of the Houthi militia, which denies any help from Tehran and say it is fighting a revolution against corrupt politicians and Gulf powers in thrall to the West.</p>
<p>Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the chamber’s foreign relations committee, said senators had questioned the crown prince closely about Yemen during a meeting with him on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The Saudi embassy said the prince discussed with members “countering the threat posed by Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militias” as well as Saudi “efforts to address and alleviate the humanitarian situation in Yemen.”</p> U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst PRINCE’S RAPID RISE
<p>Prince Mohammed capped his rapid rise to power last June by replacing his elder cousin Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who had close relationships with U.S. intelligence and defense circles, as crown prince. He is likely to rule for many decades if he succeeds his father.</p>
<p>Trump praised the king’s move to elevate Mohammed and called U.S.-Saudi ties strong as ever.</p>
<p>“I thought your father made a very wise decision. And I miss your father - a special man,” he said. King Salman is to visit the United States later this year.</p> Slideshow (9 Images)
<p>Though the prince has won Western plaudits for seeking to ease Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil, tackle chronic corruption and reform the conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom, the severity and secrecy of his anti-corruption crackdown last November unnerved some in the West.</p>
<p>The crown prince, in a rare foray into speaking English, said on Tuesday the Saudi pledge for $200 billion in investments will end up at $400 billion when fully implemented. He said a 10-year window for implementing the deal was already under way.</p>
<p>“This is a signal that there (are) a lot of things (that) could be tackled in the close future and more opportunities. And that’s why we are here today, to be sure that we’ve tackled all the opportunities and achieve it and also get rid of all the threats facing our both countries,” he said.</p>
<p>Any visit to the New York Stock Exchange will be watched closely by investors because of the potentially lucrative listing of up to 5 percent of Saudi oil firm Aramco expected this year.</p>
<p>Also high on the agenda in the White House talks was confronting Iran, a country Trump has repeatedly criticized for its expansionist policies in the Middle East,</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-saudi-senate/senate-rejects-bid-to-end-u-s-support-for-saudi-campaign-in-yemen-idUSKBN1GW2BA" type="external">Senate rejects bid to end U.S. support for Saudi campaign in Yemen</a>
<p>Saudi Arabia on Monday called the Iran nuclear deal a “flawed agreement,” and Trump has made clear he plans to exit the agreement unless changes are made to it.</p>
<p>“We’re going to see what happens,” Trump said.</p>
<p>“But Iran has not been treating that part of the world or the world itself appropriately. A lot of bad things are happening in Iran. The deal is coming up in one month and we’ll see what happens.”</p>
<p>The prince was also due to have dinner with Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, along with Jason Greenblatt, the two point men in the Trump administration overseeing Middle East peace efforts.</p>
<p>Crown Prince Mohammed and Kushner have forged a close relationship, which has at times come under criticism in Washington for circumventing normal diplomatic channels.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Bell</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday killed a resolution seeking an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen’s civil war, the same day President Donald Trump was due to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.</p> FILE PHOTO: People inspect damage at the site of a Saudi-led air strike, north of Yemen's capital Sanaa, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi
<p>The Senate voted 55-44 to dismiss the resolution, which sought for the first time to take advantage of a provision in the 1973 War Powers Act that allows any senator to introduce a resolution on whether to withdraw U.S. armed forces from a conflict not authorized by Congress.</p>
<p>During Senate debate before the vote, some backers called the three-year-long conflict in Yemen a “humanitarian catastrophe,” which they blamed on the Saudis.</p>
<p>Independent Senator Bernie Sanders noted the deaths of thousands of civilians, displacement of millions, famine and potentially the largest cholera outbreak in history because of the conflict.</p>
<p>“That is what is going on in Yemen today as a result of the Saudi-led war there,” Sanders said.</p>
<p>Senator Mike Lee, a Republican backer of the resolution, stressed that it had been in the works for some time, and was not timed “in any way, shape or form” to coincide with the Saudi crown prince’s visit.</p>
<p>“Saudi Arabia is an indispensable partner in the region, without which the United States would be less successful,” Lee said.</p>
<p>The vote was largely along party lines, although a handful of Democrats voted with the majority Republicans to kill the measure, and a handful of Republicans supported the failed effort to let it move ahead.</p>
<p>Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Peter Cooney</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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thomson reuters trust principles buenos aires reuters unfair trade overproduction steel root international tensions commerce frances finance minister bruno le maire said tuesday g20 gathering buenos aires frances finance minister bruno le maire speaks news conference g20 meeting finance ministers buenos aires argentina march 20 2018 reutersmarcos brindicci slideshow 2 images g20 meeting really useful helped us understand difficulties every nation helped us make path step right direction said le maire adding g20 members acknowledged issue steel overcapacity unfair trade conditions also root difficulties said reporting francesco canepa editing paul simao standards thomson reuters trust principles minneapolis reuters minneapolis police officer fatally shot unarmed australian woman last july arrested tuesday charges thirddegree murder seconddegree manslaughter prosecutors said mohamed noor 32 pictured undated handout photo obtained reuters march 20 2018 hennepin county sheriffs officehandout via reuters mohamed noor 32 turned arrested death justine damond 40 called 911 possible sexual assault near house hennepin county attorney mike freeman said press conference announcing charges evidence officer noor encountered threat appreciated threat investigated threat confirmed threat justified decision use deadly force freeman told reporters instead officer noor recklessly intentionally fired handgun noor shot damond put hands gunshot wound left side abdomen said im dying im dead freeman said shooting drew condemnation minnesota australia prime minister malcolm turnbull called shocking inexplicable thenminneapolis police chief jamee harteau resigned city officials said procedures violated damond didnt die thirddegree murder charge accused noor committing eminently dangerous act showing depraved mind seconddegree manslaughter charge cited culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk records showed penalty thirddegree murder 25 years prison seconddegree manslaughter carries penalty 10 years according state website freeman minneapolis top prosecutor delayed decision december saying office needed time enough evidence charge noor noor paid leave refused interviewed minnesota state investigators noors attorney tom plunkett could immediately reached comment plunkett previously said noor extended thoughts wishes damonds family raised concerns freemans objectivity file photo justine damond also known justine ruszczyk sydney seen 2015 photo released stephen govel photography new york us july 17 2017 courtesy stephen govelstephen govel photographyhandoutfile photo via reuters attorney damonds family bob bennett could reached tuesday iniquitous act damonds fiance damond father john ruszczyk issued joint statement praised decision charge noor hoped resulted conviction calling one step toward justice iniquitous act charges bring justine back however justice demands accountability responsible recklessly killing fellow citizens sworn protect said statement damond living minneapolis engaged married approached police arrival authorities said owned meditation lifecoaching company neither noor came united states somalia child matthew harrity another officer patrol car body cameras activated police said harrity startled loud sound near patrol car shortly noor fired passenger seat patrol car harritys window freeman said harrity pulled handgun incident didnt fire said officers got spooked damond appeared nowhere freeman said noor scheduled make initial court appearance wednesday hennepin county district court minneapolis prosecutors asking noors bail set 500000 freeman said version corrects headline first paragraph show noor charged thirddegree murder seconddegree manslaughter seconddegree murder thirddegree manslaughter reporting todd melby writing ben klayman editing cynthia osterman standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters president donald trump feted saudi arabias powerful crown prince mohammed bin salman tuesday lauded us defense sales boost american jobs even riyadhs involvement yemens civil war faced criticism oval office trump crown prince lauded strength ussaudi ties grown strained obama administration part differing views towards riyadhs regional rival iran trump taken hardline view iran similar saudi crown prince compared irans supreme leader adolf hitler talks part first visit prince united states since became heir apparent last year succeed king salman trumps redcarpet treatment highlighted administrations strong backing crown prince carried anticorruption purge consolidated power whose aggressive foreign policy caused unease among western allies time kingdom witnessed cautious new climate social freedoms rise 32yearold crown prince power decades elderly rulers trump prince mohammed discussed agreement last year 200 billion worth saudi investments united states including large purchases us military equipment trump said military sales contributed creation 40000 american jobs trump held charts show depth saudi purchases us military hardware ranging ships missile defense planes fighting vehicles saudi arabia wealthy nation theyre going give united states wealth hopefully form jobs form purchase finest military equipment anywhere world told reporters crown prince also defense minister public relations blitz traveling united states stops new york boston seattle los angeles san francisco houston cultivate investments talked us senators debated resolution seeking end us support saudi arabias campaign yemens civil war 10000 people killed members congress critical saudi involvement particularly humanitarian situation civilian casualties saudiled coalition logistical intelligence support washington fighting counter influence iran ally houthi militia denies help tehran say fighting revolution corrupt politicians gulf powers thrall west senator bob corker chairman chambers foreign relations committee said senators questioned crown prince closely yemen meeting tuesday saudi embassy said prince discussed members countering threat posed iran iranbacked houthi militias well saudi efforts address alleviate humanitarian situation yemen us president donald trump welcomes saudi arabias crown prince mohammed bin salman oval office white house washington us march 20 2018 reutersjonathan ernst princes rapid rise prince mohammed capped rapid rise power last june replacing elder cousin prince mohammed bin nayef close relationships us intelligence defense circles crown prince likely rule many decades succeeds father trump praised kings move elevate mohammed called ussaudi ties strong ever thought father made wise decision miss father special man said king salman visit united states later year slideshow 9 images though prince western plaudits seeking ease saudi arabias reliance oil tackle chronic corruption reform conservative sunni muslim kingdom severity secrecy anticorruption crackdown last november unnerved west crown prince rare foray speaking english said tuesday saudi pledge 200 billion investments end 400 billion fully implemented said 10year window implementing deal already way signal lot things could tackled close future opportunities thats today sure weve tackled opportunities achieve also get rid threats facing countries said visit new york stock exchange watched closely investors potentially lucrative listing 5 percent saudi oil firm aramco expected year also high agenda white house talks confronting iran country trump repeatedly criticized expansionist policies middle east related coverage senate rejects bid end us support saudi campaign yemen saudi arabia monday called iran nuclear deal flawed agreement trump made clear plans exit agreement unless changes made going see happens trump said iran treating part world world appropriately lot bad things happening iran deal coming one month well see happens prince also due dinner jared kushner trumps senior adviser soninlaw along jason greenblatt two point men trump administration overseeing middle east peace efforts crown prince mohammed kushner forged close relationship times come criticism washington circumventing normal diplomatic channels additional reporting patricia zengerle editing yara bayoumy alistair bell standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us senate tuesday killed resolution seeking end us support saudi arabias campaign yemens civil war day president donald trump due meet saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman white house file photo people inspect damage site saudiled air strike north yemens capital sanaa march 8 2018 reutersmohamed alsayaghi senate voted 5544 dismiss resolution sought first time take advantage provision 1973 war powers act allows senator introduce resolution whether withdraw us armed forces conflict authorized congress senate debate vote backers called threeyearlong conflict yemen humanitarian catastrophe blamed saudis independent senator bernie sanders noted deaths thousands civilians displacement millions famine potentially largest cholera outbreak history conflict going yemen today result saudiled war sanders said senator mike lee republican backer resolution stressed works time timed way shape form coincide saudi crown princes visit saudi arabia indispensable partner region without united states would less successful lee said vote largely along party lines although handful democrats voted majority republicans kill measure handful republicans supported failed effort let move ahead reporting patricia zengerle editing steve orlofsky peter cooney standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Missing Taos Children Found</p>
<p>Two youths from Taos were found by Clark County Sheriff’s deputies in Colorado at their mother’s house after police began a search for them late last week.</p>
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<p>New Mexico State Police spokesman Lt. Robert McDonald said Cecelia Rome, 11, and her brother Armand Rome, 9, were taken to their mother’s home by their grandmother. He said police couldn’t find documentation as to who has custody of the children, so they were left with their mother.</p>
<p>McDonald said charges are unlikely in the case.</p>
<p />
<p>Man Accused In 2 More Robberies</p>
<p>A man who was arrested in October and charged with holding up a Walgreens with a toy gun was arrested again this weekend and accused of committing two new robberies while still wearing his GPS monitoring device.</p>
<p>Santa Fe Sgt. Andrea Dobyns said Robert Romero, 24, was arrested late Saturday night after reports of robberies at a Shell Station at Cerrillos and Airport roads and at an Allsup’s station on Calle Lorca. Police spotted Romero’s truck, which answered the description of the vehicle leaving both robberies, and pulled him over on St. Francis Drive and Siringo Road. He was arrested without incident and did not have a weapon. A woman that police believe to be Romero’s girlfriend was in the vehicle, but she is not facing charges, Dobyns said.</p>
<p>Romero is in the Santa Fe County jail. He is charged with the robbery at the Shell station and aggravated assault, but Dobyns said police will review security video at Allsup’s before charging him with the second robbery.</p>
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<p>Dobyns said police will also investigate whether he committed two robberies of a gas station and a burrito restaurant late last week. She said the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office will also question Romero for two of their unsolved robberies.</p>
<p>Investigations may be aided because the GPS monitor will show where Romero was at the time of those robberies, Dobyns said.</p>
<p>Romero was arrested earlier, after a man entered the Zia Road Walgreens on Oct. 9 and demanded painkillers. Dobyns said Romero had the GPS monitor as part of his conditions for release before trial for that earlier robbery.</p>
<p />
<p>Woman Charged With Smuggling</p>
<p>LAS VEGAS, N.M. — A New Mexico woman is facing charges after authorities say she tried to mail marijuana taped to a picture of a transformer to an inmate.</p>
<p>The Las Vegas Optic reports that Melissa “Fierce” Martinez, 33, was recently arrested and faces a number of charges, including conspiracy to bring contraband into a jail.</p>
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<p>According to court documents, the Las Vegas resident was linked to the marijuana-laced letter mailed to San Miguel County Detention Center inmate Apolinario Arturo Gonzales through recorded jail conversations.</p>
<p>Police say that in the envelope seized by the jail staff had suspected marijuana taped to a picture of a transformer.</p>
<p>It was unclear whether Martinez had an attorney.</p>
<p>Recycling Rising In Santa Fe</p>
<p>Santa Fe didn’t meet its goal of doubling its recycling tonnage over the past year, but the amount of recyclable materials delivered to a regional processing facility is rising.</p>
<p>The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that city leaders have been focused on getting more businesses to recycle and to distribute more recycling bins to residential customers. Since July, the city has signed up 24 businesses for recycling collection and has a goal of adding a new account every week.</p>
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<p>The policy on plastic bins used for residential recycling has changed.</p>
<p>Rather than requiring people to go to a department office with a utility bill to pick up a pair of 18-gallon containers for recycling, workers have been distributing them at community events to anyone who shows up.</p>
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<p>City of Las Vegas Upgrading Meters</p>
<p>LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Las Vegas plans to spend about $1.1 million in grant and loan money to upgrade existing water meters so that they no longer need to be read manually.</p>
<p>City Utilities Director Ken Garcia says about $825,000 is coming from a grant and the remaining $275,000 from a state clean water loan fund.</p>
<p>The Las Vegas Optic reports the city will need only one meter-reader once the new devices are installed. That worker will drive around, and equipment will read signals and record usage.</p>
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<p>Currently, three readers and a supervisor are dedicated to the task. Garcia says the other employees will be reassigned to other work, such as fixing water lines.</p>
<p>The City Council gave preliminary approval to the funding at its Nov. 5 meeting.</p>
<p>Tommy Macaione Day Today in City</p>
<p>Mayor David Coss has declared today “Tommy Macaione Day.”</p>
<p>The well-known Santa Fe painter and activist was born in New London, Conn., in 1907. After service in the U.S. Army, Macaione studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1951, he moved to Santa Fe, where he could often be seen painting colorful plein air landscapes. Macaione adopted the title “El Differente,” ran for political office, and died in 1992.</p>
<p>The city of Santa Fe has two paintings by Macaione, “Church” and “Flower Garden,” on permanent display at City Hall. In 1994, the city also commissioned a life-size bronze of Macaione by artist Max Vaughn, placing it in Macaione Park, at Marcy Street and Paseo de Peralta.</p>
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missing taos children found two youths taos found clark county sheriffs deputies colorado mothers house police began search late last week advertisement new mexico state police spokesman lt robert mcdonald said cecelia rome 11 brother armand rome 9 taken mothers home grandmother said police couldnt find documentation custody children left mother mcdonald said charges unlikely case man accused 2 robberies man arrested october charged holding walgreens toy gun arrested weekend accused committing two new robberies still wearing gps monitoring device santa fe sgt andrea dobyns said robert romero 24 arrested late saturday night reports robberies shell station cerrillos airport roads allsups station calle lorca police spotted romeros truck answered description vehicle leaving robberies pulled st francis drive siringo road arrested without incident weapon woman police believe romeros girlfriend vehicle facing charges dobyns said romero santa fe county jail charged robbery shell station aggravated assault dobyns said police review security video allsups charging second robbery advertisement dobyns said police also investigate whether committed two robberies gas station burrito restaurant late last week said santa fe sheriffs office also question romero two unsolved robberies investigations may aided gps monitor show romero time robberies dobyns said romero arrested earlier man entered zia road walgreens oct 9 demanded painkillers dobyns said romero gps monitor part conditions release trial earlier robbery woman charged smuggling las vegas nm new mexico woman facing charges authorities say tried mail marijuana taped picture transformer inmate las vegas optic reports melissa fierce martinez 33 recently arrested faces number charges including conspiracy bring contraband jail advertisement according court documents las vegas resident linked marijuanalaced letter mailed san miguel county detention center inmate apolinario arturo gonzales recorded jail conversations police say envelope seized jail staff suspected marijuana taped picture transformer unclear whether martinez attorney recycling rising santa fe santa fe didnt meet goal doubling recycling tonnage past year amount recyclable materials delivered regional processing facility rising santa fe new mexican reports city leaders focused getting businesses recycle distribute recycling bins residential customers since july city signed 24 businesses recycling collection goal adding new account every week advertisement policy plastic bins used residential recycling changed rather requiring people go department office utility bill pick pair 18gallon containers recycling workers distributing community events anyone shows city las vegas upgrading meters las vegas nm las vegas plans spend 11 million grant loan money upgrade existing water meters longer need read manually city utilities director ken garcia says 825000 coming grant remaining 275000 state clean water loan fund las vegas optic reports city need one meterreader new devices installed worker drive around equipment read signals record usage advertisement currently three readers supervisor dedicated task garcia says employees reassigned work fixing water lines city council gave preliminary approval funding nov 5 meeting tommy macaione day today city mayor david coss declared today tommy macaione day wellknown santa fe painter activist born new london conn 1907 service us army macaione studied painting rhode island school design 1951 moved santa fe could often seen painting colorful plein air landscapes macaione adopted title el differente ran political office died 1992 city santa fe two paintings macaione church flower garden permanent display city hall 1994 city also commissioned lifesize bronze macaione artist max vaughn placing macaione park marcy street paseo de peralta
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<p>Foley was on the receiving end of three of Bruere’s scoring strikes in regulation: a 29-yarder and a 16-yarder in the second quarter, and then another 29-yarder in the third period.</p>
<p>Also hauling in scoring passes for the Rams were Marky Alvarado, who caught a 10-yard TD pass to open the night’s scoring a mere 39 seconds into the game; K.J. Jiggets, who was on the receiving end of a 34-yarder after the Wildcats (2-3) couldn’t convert a fourth-down play; and Angelo Lujan, who got the final scoring drive in regulation off to a good start by returning a kickoff to the ‘Cats’ 30 and, following a 3-yard run by Jordan Lara, caught a 12-yarder.</p>
<p>Skylar Schademan had the Rams’ two rushing TDs in the game, a 38-yard rush in the second quarter and a 1-yard run in the fourth.</p>
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<p>The big story of the game was the big night of Clovis’s senior tailback Kamal Cass, last year’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year in New Mexico and a guy who was limited to three TDs in the Wildcats’ loss to Cleveland a week earlier.</p>
<p>At Rio Rancho Stadium all he did was score a school-record eight TDs while accumulating 326 yards on 38 carries in regulation.</p>
<p>The Rams rarely tackled him it seemed, but in OT, he was limited to a minus-2 yards on three carries before the Wildcats used a 24-yard field goal by Adam Wagener to take the lead for the first time, 59-56.</p>
<p>Until then, the teams had literally alternated touchdowns — the Rams scoring first and then matched with a Clovis TD, and only a missed point-after allowing the Rams to carry a one-point lead until Cass’s seventh TD of the game was followed by a two-point conversion to knot the game again at 49.</p>
<p>Down 59-56, the Rams got the ball on the 10, as is done to decide a winner in high school play.</p>
<p>A pass intended for Alvarado was caught for no gain, and then Bruere fired a pass to Foley on the ground in the southwest corner of the end zone for the game-winner.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the first time the senior two-way standout — he had trouble catching up with Cass when he slipped into the Rams’ secondary, but no trouble catching the pigskin — was the Rams’ hero and it probably won’t be the last.</p>
<p>Foley also came up big in the city he grew up, Roswell, when the Rams finally beat the Goddard Rockets two weeks ago, 28-21.</p>
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<p>“(Cass) is fast — he’s a great player … and when he gets the edge, he’s gone,” Foley said.</p>
<p>Yes, Foley said, “It’s great to beat teams, but it’s no bigger than our next game. The next biggest game is our next one.</p>
<p>“You can’t look forward to anyone; you can’t take anyone lightly, as you can tell,” he said.</p>
<p>Rams coach David Howes, Foley reported, said at halftime (the Rams owned a 35-27 lead at the break), “Just to get out there, execute our jobs; we need to get a stop on defense. The offense, keep doing what they’re doing. And just go play football and have fun.”</p>
<p>Unofficially, Bruere was 22 of 37 passing, with two interceptions, including one on his final pass of the game in the fourth quarter. He threw for 394 yards, while completing 11 passes in each half. Foley was his favorite target, with eight catches in regulation, plus the game-winner.</p>
<p>Jordan Lara led the rushing attack with 78 yards on 15 carries, although Bruere ran six times for 43 yards, thanks to good protection from his offensive line, which didn’t allow a sack all game.</p>
<p>Brad Torres was a perfect 8-for-8 on points-after for RRHS.</p>
<p>Howes looked exhausted after the three-hour contest.</p>
<p>“We knew we were going to need a stop at the end; we’ve got one stop all night long and it happened to be in overtime,” he said. “I’m proud of those kids stepping up at the end of the game and finishing strong, but we’ve got a lot of work to do on defense.”</p>
<p>As for Cass, Howes said, “That kid’s amazing. I have obviously nothing but positive things to say about Kamal Cass. … We could have out 10 guys on him, we would have had trouble with him tonight.”</p>
<p>RAMifications: Former Rio Rancho Parks &amp; Recreation director Ed Chismar was the referee Friday night.</p>
<p>… The Rams were without junior wide receiver Brady Patterson, who broke a small bone in his left hand in the fourth quarter at Las Cruces in the loss to the Bulldawgs. He’s expected to be out four or five weeks.</p>
<p>… This was Clovis’s five loss in as many years in Rio Rancho: three of them at Rio Rancho Stadium (2009, ’11 and this year) and twice at Cleveland (2010 and ’12).</p>
<p>The final tune-ups before the all-important District 1-5A slate begins for the city’s four varsity soccer teams come up this week, with the district season beginning for all four on Oct. 8 and 9.</p>
<p>Things haven’t changed much, either, with the Rio Rancho and Cleveland high school teams continuing to win and the boys teams playing at a .500 pace.</p>
<p>Cleveland girls (9-1)</p>
<p>Two out of three of the city’s high school varsity soccer teams that played games Tuesday came out victorious. Above, Cleveland goalkeeper Sarah Brameier leaps to make a save during her team’s victory over visiting Farmington. At right, above, RRHS’s Chris Leyba (8) came close to getting his foot on the ball, only to see the Bosque goalie keep the ball away from him in the Bobcats’ 1-0 win at Rio Rancho Stadium. At right, below, RRHS’s Brittany Shrader emerges from a collision with a Bosque player to get to the ball in the Rams girls’ 3-0 triumph on the grass pitch at Bosque School. (Rio Rancho Observer—GARY HERRON photos)</p>
<p>After being idle 11 days, the Storm girls racked up a pair of home field wins last week.</p>
<p>Storm 5, Farmington 3: Audriana Chavez notched a hat trick and assisted on another goal Tuesday, when the Storm rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit to beat the visiting Scorpions.</p>
<p>Celebrating “Senior Night” on a sunny afternoon, coach Greg Rusk started all eight of his seniors, including goalkeeper Sarah Brammeier.</p>
<p>Junior Ashley Martin played goal in the second half, when Chavez, whose goal in the 33rd minute had tied the game at 1, knotted the game at 2 in the 45th minute. Brianna Garcia, who was credited with an assist on Chavez’s second goal, then gave the Storm a 3-2 lead, from an assist by Chavez, when she scored in the 48th minute.</p>
<p>Chavez scored again in the 59th minute and Savannah Montoya scored a minute later to put the game out of reach. Farmington got its final goal with about five minutes left to play.</p>
<p>Brammeier and Martin were each credited with one save in the contest, during which the Storm out-shot the Scorpions by a hefty 13-6 margin.</p>
<p>Storm 1, Hope Christian 0: On a windy Thursday afternoon, it took 91 minutes for a team to get the ball into the net.</p>
<p>That team was the Storm, and Tuesday’s heroes repeated: Chavez scored in the first minute of the second overtime session at CHS, and her game-winner was assisted by Garcia.</p>
<p>The Storm dominated possession, especially in the first half when they had the brisk wind at their backs, but were unable to score. Cleveland wound up with seven corner kicks in the game, including three in the first half, but came up empty each time. The Huskies didn’t have any corner kicks.</p>
<p>Martin played all 91 minutes between the pipes and needed to make just two saves.</p>
<p>“The pre-district season is going well,” Rusk said. “We’re approaching the levels of fitness, skill and tactics that will help us compete in our district. What I’ve been most happy is the mentality of the team. We train and play with a wonderful sense of joy and grit at the same time.&#160; There are areas that need improvement.</p>
<p>“Our district season looks to be another tough one,” he added. “Volcano Vista is playing at a very high level and both Cibola and Rio Rancho are up there with them. It will be another season of close games. We still have a lot of work to do, but the attitude of the team doesn’t make it seem like work.”</p>
<p>The Storm’s lone loss was to Volcano Vista, a 1-0 shootout loss in the APS Metro Championships on Sept. 4.</p>
<p>The Storm open the 1-5A season on Oct. 9 when Cibola visits in a 6 p.m. start.</p>
<p>Winners of 10 of their first dozen games for the fourth time in their last seven seasons, the Rams have a balanced team, led by a pair of senior goalkeepers (Krissy Stinson and Kathryn Harris) and senior forward Makenna Johnson, some talented juniors (Brittany Shrader, Imani Morlock and Mariah Baker), plus some up-and-coming, goal-scoring freshmen (Leilani Baker and Elena Gurule).</p>
<p>Their losses are to two of the top 5A teams in the state, Cibola (a shootout loss) and Sandia (1-0).</p>
<p>In the midst of four road games, the Rams head down I-25 to play at Las Cruces Tuesday and then head to Clovis Saturday for their final non-district games. The Rams begin their 1-5A slate Oct. 9, when Volcano Vista visits Rio Rancho Stadium at 6.</p>
<p>The Rams won a pair of shutouts last week, giving them nine victories in which they haven’t given up a goal.</p>
<p>Rams 10, Gadsden 0: The fabulous Baker girls accounted for six goals on the road in southern New Mexico last Saturday: Leilani led the way with five goals and her sister Mariah also scored; Shrader netted a pair of goals and, when goalies Stinson and Harris weren’t between the pipes, each scored a goal.</p>
<p>Rams 3, Bosque 0: Johnson gave the Rams a 1-0 lead in the first half, while Leilani Baker and Sophie Rodrigues scored in the second half on the Bobcats’ field Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>Stinson played in goal the first half, Harris in the second. Neither faced serious scoring threats from the 3A Bobcats.</p>
<p>“It was a great game to play and they put good pressure on us,” coach Uwe Balzis said. “It was good practice on us, and trying to play through their high pressure, and we did well. … We couldn’t open up too much; we had to be really careful.”</p>
<p>Balzis said he still believes Cibola is the team to beat, but when the 1-5A season begins, “it’s not only how you play, it’s how you approach the game. And then the physical part is always big, big, big.”</p>
<p>Having not played what he termed the higher-echelon teams, “like La Cueva or Eldorado or Volcano Vista, we have to find out where we are.”</p>
<p>The Rams’ 1-5A opener is Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., when Volcano Vista visits Rio Rancho Stadium.</p>
<p>Rio Rancho boys (5-6)</p>
<p>The Rams lost a hard-fought game to visiting and undefeated Bosque (11-0), 1-0, Tuesday evening, but coach John Shepard wasn’t dismayed.</p>
<p>“We got one stolen from us today,” he said. “I feel like we played fantastic — credit to Bosque for hanging in there tough. But we had a good 60, 70 percent of possession and we’re down in their end far more than they were in ours.</p>
<p>“It’s just tough for us to play that well and not come away with a win,” Shepard said. “I’m really proud of the guys for how they played — a lot of good character.”</p>
<p>That loss, coming in the team’s first home game, left the Rams a game under .500 heading into their second of five straight home games when Manzano visited Rio Rancho Stadium Saturday morning. Las Cruces drops in Tuesday at 4 and Clovis is here Saturday at 3.</p>
<p>The Rams’ 1-5A opener, vs. Volcano Vista on Oct. 8, is at 6 p.m. contest at Rio Rancho Stadium.</p>
<p>The Rams have been shut out, 1-0, four times this season and have scored only 15 goals thus far, an average of 1.36 per game.</p>
<p>“We’ve got a few things to work on at practice, but we always have those,” Shepard said.</p>
<p>Cleveland boys (4-7)</p>
<p>The Storm stopped a trend last Saturday when they beat visiting Clovis, 2-1, in their first home game of the season.</p>
<p>CHS opened the season with three losses, then won a game. The team lost three games again, and then won its second game. The victory over the Wildcats ended a two-game skid.</p>
<p>Scoring has been the Storm’s main problem: They’ve scored no more than two goals in any game and have been shut out three times. One of their victories began as a 2-1 loss to La Cueva; that verdict was later deemed a forfeit because the Bears had used an ineligible player.</p>
<p>CHS played in Farmington Friday, hoping to avenge a 2-1 shootout loss to the Scorpions at Academy on Sept. 14.</p>
<p>After Manzano visits Thursday for a 6 p.m. contest, the Storm meet Sandia at the APS soccer complex on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.</p>
<p>Coach Shaun Gill’s guys begin 1-5A play on Oct. 9 vs. Cibola at 4:15 p.m. at the APS soccer complex.</p>
<p>Headers: Because of an error on the RRHS girls’ roster, Leilani Baker has recently been misidentified. Any previous photo in the Observer showing the Rams’ No. 3 had the ID incorrectly listed. The Observer regrets the errors, which were based on the roster submitted. Balzis said Baker and Kynzi Woodring swapped jerseys without his knowledge.</p>
<p>… Former Storm standout Emily Cubbage (Class of 2012) has started all eight games played by St. John’s University (6-1-1) so far, but has yet to score. She tallied three goals last season as a freshman. Former Storm star Mikaela Haley (Class of 2012) scored her first collegiate goal for New Mexico State University in its 1-0 victory at Wyoming on Sept. 15. Haley has started all 10 games for the Aggies (4-5-1).</p>
<p>… Former Ram Julian Roberts, a senior midfielder at Eastern New Mexico University, is pacing the Greyhounds with four assists and is tied for fifth on the school’s all-time list with 10 assists, five away from tying the Greyhound record of 15 held by Kal Herbert.</p>
<p>… One of the best websites in New Mexico for prep sports, nmsoccer.com, is having financial problems. Donations are being sought; more information is available on the site.</p>
<p>… The RRHS boys junior varsity team was 4-1-1 as it headed into a tournament at Sandia Prep this weekend. The Rams’ leading scorer is freshman Brandon Davis, who has five goals; sophomores Sheldon White (4 goals, 1 assist), Corey Archunde (3 goals, 2 assists) and T.J. Gurule (3 goals, 2 assists) are right behind him. “We’ve been somewhat hurt by injuries this season,” said coach Dave Hesser. “We have some able C-team players, freshman Jared Leon and eighth-grader Jesse Padilla, who have contributed.”</p>
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foley receiving end three brueres scoring strikes regulation 29yarder 16yarder second quarter another 29yarder third period also hauling scoring passes rams marky alvarado caught 10yard td pass open nights scoring mere 39 seconds game kj jiggets receiving end 34yarder wildcats 23 couldnt convert fourthdown play angelo lujan got final scoring drive regulation good start returning kickoff cats 30 following 3yard run jordan lara caught 12yarder skylar schademan rams two rushing tds game 38yard rush second quarter 1yard run fourth advertisement big story game big night cloviss senior tailback kamal cass last years gatorade football player year new mexico guy limited three tds wildcats loss cleveland week earlier rio rancho stadium score schoolrecord eight tds accumulating 326 yards 38 carries regulation rams rarely tackled seemed ot limited minus2 yards three carries wildcats used 24yard field goal adam wagener take lead first time 5956 teams literally alternated touchdowns rams scoring first matched clovis td missed pointafter allowing rams carry onepoint lead casss seventh td game followed twopoint conversion knot game 49 5956 rams got ball 10 done decide winner high school play pass intended alvarado caught gain bruere fired pass foley ground southwest corner end zone gamewinner wasnt first time senior twoway standout trouble catching cass slipped rams secondary trouble catching pigskin rams hero probably wont last foley also came big city grew roswell rams finally beat goddard rockets two weeks ago 2821 advertisement cass fast hes great player gets edge hes gone foley said yes foley said great beat teams bigger next game next biggest game next one cant look forward anyone cant take anyone lightly tell said rams coach david howes foley reported said halftime rams owned 3527 lead break get execute jobs need get stop defense offense keep theyre go play football fun unofficially bruere 22 37 passing two interceptions including one final pass game fourth quarter threw 394 yards completing 11 passes half foley favorite target eight catches regulation plus gamewinner jordan lara led rushing attack 78 yards 15 carries although bruere ran six times 43 yards thanks good protection offensive line didnt allow sack game brad torres perfect 8for8 pointsafter rrhs howes looked exhausted threehour contest knew going need stop end weve got one stop night long happened overtime said im proud kids stepping end game finishing strong weve got lot work defense cass howes said kids amazing obviously nothing positive things say kamal cass could 10 guys would trouble tonight ramifications former rio rancho parks amp recreation director ed chismar referee friday night rams without junior wide receiver brady patterson broke small bone left hand fourth quarter las cruces loss bulldawgs hes expected four five weeks cloviss five loss many years rio rancho three rio rancho stadium 2009 11 year twice cleveland 2010 12 final tuneups allimportant district 15a slate begins citys four varsity soccer teams come week district season beginning four oct 8 9 things havent changed much either rio rancho cleveland high school teams continuing win boys teams playing 500 pace cleveland girls 91 two three citys high school varsity soccer teams played games tuesday came victorious cleveland goalkeeper sarah brameier leaps make save teams victory visiting farmington right rrhss chris leyba 8 came close getting foot ball see bosque goalie keep ball away bobcats 10 win rio rancho stadium right rrhss brittany shrader emerges collision bosque player get ball rams girls 30 triumph grass pitch bosque school rio rancho observergary herron photos idle 11 days storm girls racked pair home field wins last week storm 5 farmington 3 audriana chavez notched hat trick assisted another goal tuesday storm rallied 21 halftime deficit beat visiting scorpions celebrating senior night sunny afternoon coach greg rusk started eight seniors including goalkeeper sarah brammeier junior ashley martin played goal second half chavez whose goal 33rd minute tied game 1 knotted game 2 45th minute brianna garcia credited assist chavezs second goal gave storm 32 lead assist chavez scored 48th minute chavez scored 59th minute savannah montoya scored minute later put game reach farmington got final goal five minutes left play brammeier martin credited one save contest storm outshot scorpions hefty 136 margin storm 1 hope christian 0 windy thursday afternoon took 91 minutes team get ball net team storm tuesdays heroes repeated chavez scored first minute second overtime session chs gamewinner assisted garcia storm dominated possession especially first half brisk wind backs unable score cleveland wound seven corner kicks game including three first half came empty time huskies didnt corner kicks martin played 91 minutes pipes needed make two saves predistrict season going well rusk said approaching levels fitness skill tactics help us compete district ive happy mentality team train play wonderful sense joy grit time160 areas need improvement district season looks another tough one added volcano vista playing high level cibola rio rancho another season close games still lot work attitude team doesnt make seem like work storms lone loss volcano vista 10 shootout loss aps metro championships sept 4 storm open 15a season oct 9 cibola visits 6 pm start winners 10 first dozen games fourth time last seven seasons rams balanced team led pair senior goalkeepers krissy stinson kathryn harris senior forward makenna johnson talented juniors brittany shrader imani morlock mariah baker plus upandcoming goalscoring freshmen leilani baker elena gurule losses two top 5a teams state cibola shootout loss sandia 10 midst four road games rams head i25 play las cruces tuesday head clovis saturday final nondistrict games rams begin 15a slate oct 9 volcano vista visits rio rancho stadium 6 rams pair shutouts last week giving nine victories havent given goal rams 10 gadsden 0 fabulous baker girls accounted six goals road southern new mexico last saturday leilani led way five goals sister mariah also scored shrader netted pair goals goalies stinson harris werent pipes scored goal rams 3 bosque 0 johnson gave rams 10 lead first half leilani baker sophie rodrigues scored second half bobcats field tuesday afternoon stinson played goal first half harris second neither faced serious scoring threats 3a bobcats great game play put good pressure us coach uwe balzis said good practice us trying play high pressure well couldnt open much really careful balzis said still believes cibola team beat 15a season begins play approach game physical part always big big big played termed higherechelon teams like la cueva eldorado volcano vista find rams 15a opener oct 9 6 pm volcano vista visits rio rancho stadium rio rancho boys 56 rams lost hardfought game visiting undefeated bosque 110 10 tuesday evening coach john shepard wasnt dismayed got one stolen us today said feel like played fantastic credit bosque hanging tough good 60 70 percent possession end far tough us play well come away win shepard said im really proud guys played lot good character loss coming teams first home game left rams game 500 heading second five straight home games manzano visited rio rancho stadium saturday morning las cruces drops tuesday 4 clovis saturday 3 rams 15a opener vs volcano vista oct 8 6 pm contest rio rancho stadium rams shut 10 four times season scored 15 goals thus far average 136 per game weve got things work practice always shepard said cleveland boys 47 storm stopped trend last saturday beat visiting clovis 21 first home game season chs opened season three losses game team lost three games second game victory wildcats ended twogame skid scoring storms main problem theyve scored two goals game shut three times one victories began 21 loss la cueva verdict later deemed forfeit bears used ineligible player chs played farmington friday hoping avenge 21 shootout loss scorpions academy sept 14 manzano visits thursday 6 pm contest storm meet sandia aps soccer complex saturday 1130 coach shaun gills guys begin 15a play oct 9 vs cibola 415 pm aps soccer complex headers error rrhs girls roster leilani baker recently misidentified previous photo observer showing rams 3 id incorrectly listed observer regrets errors based roster submitted balzis said baker kynzi woodring swapped jerseys without knowledge former storm standout emily cubbage class 2012 started eight games played st johns university 611 far yet score tallied three goals last season freshman former storm star mikaela haley class 2012 scored first collegiate goal new mexico state university 10 victory wyoming sept 15 haley started 10 games aggies 451 former ram julian roberts senior midfielder eastern new mexico university pacing greyhounds four assists tied fifth schools alltime list 10 assists five away tying greyhound record 15 held kal herbert one best websites new mexico prep sports nmsoccercom financial problems donations sought information available site rrhs boys junior varsity team 411 headed tournament sandia prep weekend rams leading scorer freshman brandon davis five goals sophomores sheldon white 4 goals 1 assist corey archunde 3 goals 2 assists tj gurule 3 goals 2 assists right behind weve somewhat hurt injuries season said coach dave hesser able cteam players freshman jared leon eighthgrader jesse padilla contributed
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<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials are proposing approving Idaho’s request to loosen field burning rules that backers say offer more flexibility to disperse smoke away from people but that health advocates say will lead to breathing problems for some area residents.</p>
<p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed allowing field burning in the state during worse air quality thresholds for ozone.</p>
<p>The agency in a statement said the new rules “may result in better general smoke dispersion and reduced smoke impacts in areas affected by agricultural residue burning.”</p>
<p>Field burning rids fields of stubble and pests. In Idaho, it runs from March to September, with about 35,000 to 45,000 acres burned annually.</p>
<p>Rural areas can have high background ozone levels, and health advocates say combining increased ozone with particulate matter caused by field burning can trigger health problems in children, the elderly, and those with lung diseases.</p>
<p>“They don’t consider that when ozone levels are higher, that inflames your lungs and makes it much harder to recover from a high (particulate matter) event,” said Patti Gora-McRavin of Safe Air For Everyone.</p>
<p>Currently, farmers are allowed to burn fields when ozone levels are less than 75 percent of the EPA limit of 75 parts per billion, and had faced a reduction to 75 percent of 70 parts per billion under new federal rules. Idaho officials said that would have eliminated a third to a half of potential field burning days in the state.</p>
<p>The new Idaho rules will allow field burning at 90 percent of 70 parts per billion. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said that’s enough of a difference to significantly increase the number of potential field burning days, making it possible to burn on days when weather conditions will lift smoke straight up and away from people on the ground.</p>
<p>“Our goal is that nobody breathe any of this,” said John Tippets, director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.</p>
<p>Field burning was banned in Idaho in early 2007 after the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals agreed with Safe Air For Everyone that the EPA’s approval of Idaho field burning at the time didn’t follow federal law. Safe Air documented what it said were numerous deaths due to breathing problems from field burning as well as car crashes caused by smoke limiting visibility on highways.</p>
<p>Field burning resumed in 2008 after Safe Air, farmers and state officials agreed on limits for when field burning could take place. Gora-McRavin said her group has recorded no deaths due to field burning since then.</p>
<p>Tippets said that following those rules being put in place, complaints about field burning in Idaho dropped from thousands per year to about 20 annually. He said the change now being proposed is mostly keeping the status quo while allowing more flexibility.</p>
<p>“I absolutely believe that it’s protective of public health,” he said. “We believe it’s going to be more protective of public health.”</p>
<p>Gora-McRavin said her group is not convinced, especially because the state ignored a proposal to decrease allowable particulate matter from field burning in exchange for an increase in ozone levels.</p>
<p>“We didn’t necessarily disagree with their proposal (on ozone),” she said. “But we wanted to add a comparable particulate matter safety level so people don’t get a double dose of lung irritants.”</p>
<p>The EPA is taking comments on the new plan through Feb. 21.</p>
<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials are proposing approving Idaho’s request to loosen field burning rules that backers say offer more flexibility to disperse smoke away from people but that health advocates say will lead to breathing problems for some area residents.</p>
<p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed allowing field burning in the state during worse air quality thresholds for ozone.</p>
<p>The agency in a statement said the new rules “may result in better general smoke dispersion and reduced smoke impacts in areas affected by agricultural residue burning.”</p>
<p>Field burning rids fields of stubble and pests. In Idaho, it runs from March to September, with about 35,000 to 45,000 acres burned annually.</p>
<p>Rural areas can have high background ozone levels, and health advocates say combining increased ozone with particulate matter caused by field burning can trigger health problems in children, the elderly, and those with lung diseases.</p>
<p>“They don’t consider that when ozone levels are higher, that inflames your lungs and makes it much harder to recover from a high (particulate matter) event,” said Patti Gora-McRavin of Safe Air For Everyone.</p>
<p>Currently, farmers are allowed to burn fields when ozone levels are less than 75 percent of the EPA limit of 75 parts per billion, and had faced a reduction to 75 percent of 70 parts per billion under new federal rules. Idaho officials said that would have eliminated a third to a half of potential field burning days in the state.</p>
<p>The new Idaho rules will allow field burning at 90 percent of 70 parts per billion. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said that’s enough of a difference to significantly increase the number of potential field burning days, making it possible to burn on days when weather conditions will lift smoke straight up and away from people on the ground.</p>
<p>“Our goal is that nobody breathe any of this,” said John Tippets, director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.</p>
<p>Field burning was banned in Idaho in early 2007 after the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals agreed with Safe Air For Everyone that the EPA’s approval of Idaho field burning at the time didn’t follow federal law. Safe Air documented what it said were numerous deaths due to breathing problems from field burning as well as car crashes caused by smoke limiting visibility on highways.</p>
<p>Field burning resumed in 2008 after Safe Air, farmers and state officials agreed on limits for when field burning could take place. Gora-McRavin said her group has recorded no deaths due to field burning since then.</p>
<p>Tippets said that following those rules being put in place, complaints about field burning in Idaho dropped from thousands per year to about 20 annually. He said the change now being proposed is mostly keeping the status quo while allowing more flexibility.</p>
<p>“I absolutely believe that it’s protective of public health,” he said. “We believe it’s going to be more protective of public health.”</p>
<p>Gora-McRavin said her group is not convinced, especially because the state ignored a proposal to decrease allowable particulate matter from field burning in exchange for an increase in ozone levels.</p>
<p>“We didn’t necessarily disagree with their proposal (on ozone),” she said. “But we wanted to add a comparable particulate matter safety level so people don’t get a double dose of lung irritants.”</p>
<p>The EPA is taking comments on the new plan through Feb. 21.</p>
| false | 2 |
boise idaho ap federal officials proposing approving idahos request loosen field burning rules backers say offer flexibility disperse smoke away people health advocates say lead breathing problems area residents us environmental protection agency monday proposed allowing field burning state worse air quality thresholds ozone agency statement said new rules may result better general smoke dispersion reduced smoke impacts areas affected agricultural residue burning field burning rids fields stubble pests idaho runs march september 35000 45000 acres burned annually rural areas high background ozone levels health advocates say combining increased ozone particulate matter caused field burning trigger health problems children elderly lung diseases dont consider ozone levels higher inflames lungs makes much harder recover high particulate matter event said patti goramcravin safe air everyone currently farmers allowed burn fields ozone levels less 75 percent epa limit 75 parts per billion faced reduction 75 percent 70 parts per billion new federal rules idaho officials said would eliminated third half potential field burning days state new idaho rules allow field burning 90 percent 70 parts per billion idaho department environmental quality said thats enough difference significantly increase number potential field burning days making possible burn days weather conditions lift smoke straight away people ground goal nobody breathe said john tippets director idaho department environmental quality field burning banned idaho early 2007 9th us circuit appeals agreed safe air everyone epas approval idaho field burning time didnt follow federal law safe air documented said numerous deaths due breathing problems field burning well car crashes caused smoke limiting visibility highways field burning resumed 2008 safe air farmers state officials agreed limits field burning could take place goramcravin said group recorded deaths due field burning since tippets said following rules put place complaints field burning idaho dropped thousands per year 20 annually said change proposed mostly keeping status quo allowing flexibility absolutely believe protective public health said believe going protective public health goramcravin said group convinced especially state ignored proposal decrease allowable particulate matter field burning exchange increase ozone levels didnt necessarily disagree proposal ozone said wanted add comparable particulate matter safety level people dont get double dose lung irritants epa taking comments new plan feb 21 boise idaho ap federal officials proposing approving idahos request loosen field burning rules backers say offer flexibility disperse smoke away people health advocates say lead breathing problems area residents us environmental protection agency monday proposed allowing field burning state worse air quality thresholds ozone agency statement said new rules may result better general smoke dispersion reduced smoke impacts areas affected agricultural residue burning field burning rids fields stubble pests idaho runs march september 35000 45000 acres burned annually rural areas high background ozone levels health advocates say combining increased ozone particulate matter caused field burning trigger health problems children elderly lung diseases dont consider ozone levels higher inflames lungs makes much harder recover high particulate matter event said patti goramcravin safe air everyone currently farmers allowed burn fields ozone levels less 75 percent epa limit 75 parts per billion faced reduction 75 percent 70 parts per billion new federal rules idaho officials said would eliminated third half potential field burning days state new idaho rules allow field burning 90 percent 70 parts per billion idaho department environmental quality said thats enough difference significantly increase number potential field burning days making possible burn days weather conditions lift smoke straight away people ground goal nobody breathe said john tippets director idaho department environmental quality field burning banned idaho early 2007 9th us circuit appeals agreed safe air everyone epas approval idaho field burning time didnt follow federal law safe air documented said numerous deaths due breathing problems field burning well car crashes caused smoke limiting visibility highways field burning resumed 2008 safe air farmers state officials agreed limits field burning could take place goramcravin said group recorded deaths due field burning since tippets said following rules put place complaints field burning idaho dropped thousands per year 20 annually said change proposed mostly keeping status quo allowing flexibility absolutely believe protective public health said believe going protective public health goramcravin said group convinced especially state ignored proposal decrease allowable particulate matter field burning exchange increase ozone levels didnt necessarily disagree proposal ozone said wanted add comparable particulate matter safety level people dont get double dose lung irritants epa taking comments new plan feb 21
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<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City on Tuesday sued eight companies that make or distribute prescription opioids, blaming them for fuelling a deadly epidemic afflicting the most populous U.S. city.</p> FILE PHOTO: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers remarks at his 2018 Inaugural Ceremony at City Hall in Manhattan, New York, U.S., January 1, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
<p>Mayor Bill de Blasio said the lawsuit sought $500 million of damages to help fight the crisis, which kills more people in the city annually than homicides and car accidents combined, including more than 1,100 from opioid-induced overdoses in 2016.</p>
<p>“Big Pharma helped to fuel this epidemic by deceptively peddling these dangerous drugs and hooking millions of Americans in exchange for profit,” de Blasio said in a statement.</p>
<p>The defendants include manufacturers Allergan Plc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AGN.N" type="external">AGN.N</a>), Endo International Plc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ENDP.O" type="external">ENDP.O</a>), Johnson &amp; Johnson ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=JNJ.N" type="external">JNJ.N</a>), Purdue Pharma LP and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TEVA.TA" type="external">TEVA.TA</a>), and distributors AmerisourceBergen Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ABC.N" type="external">ABC.N</a>), Cardinal Health Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=CAH.N" type="external">CAH.N</a>) and McKesson Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MCK.N" type="external">MCK.N</a>).</p>
<p>All were accused in the city’s complaint of creating a public nuisance, and the distributors were accused of negligence.</p>
<p>Allergan, Endo, J&amp;J, Purdue, Teva, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson in separate statements emphasized the importance of using opioids safely.</p>
<p>Endo, J&amp;J and Purdue also denied the city’s allegations, while McKesson declined to comment on the lawsuit. Cardinal Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>New York City, whose population is about 8.54 million, joined a long list of U.S. states and municipalities to sue drug companies over opioid abuse, which U.S. President Donald Trump has called a national public health emergency.</p>
<p>Opioids, including prescription painkillers and heroin, played a role in 42,249 U.S. deaths in 2016, up 28 percent from 2015 and 47 percent from 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AGN.N" type="external">Allergan plc</a> 159.48 AGN.N New York Stock Exchange -3.10 (-1.91%) AGN.N ENDP.O JNJ.N TEVA.TA ABC.N
<p>In its complaint filed in state court in Manhattan, New York accused manufacturers of having for two decades misled consumers into believing that prescription opioids were safe to treat chronic non-cancer pain, with minimal risk of addiction.</p>
<p>The city also said distributors fueled abuse through oversupply, including a failure to identify suspicious orders and report them to authorities, contributing to an illegal secondary market.</p>
<p>Prescription opioids, such as Purdue’s OxyContin and Endo’s Percocet, are regulated as controlled substances.</p>
<p>New York City said roughly 2.5 million to 2.7 million opioid prescriptions were filled there each year from 2014 to 2016.</p>
<p>The case is City of New York v Purdue Pharma LP et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 450133/2018.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Andrew Hay</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Justice Department is proposing rule changes that will effectively ban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like a machine gun, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Friday.</p> FILE PHOTO: Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to the National Association of Attorneys General 2018 Winter Meeting in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
<p>“After the senseless attack in Las Vegas, this proposed rule is a critical step in our effort to reduce the threat of gun violence that is in keeping with the Constitution and the laws passed by Congress,”&#160;Sessions said in a statement.</p>
<p>Sessions has been a defender of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.</p>
<p>Gunman Stephen Paddock used a bump stock in a massacre last October that killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others at a music festival in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>Authorities said Paddock’s ability to fire hundreds of rounds per minute over a 10-minute period from his 32nd-floor hotel suite was a major factor in the high casualty count.</p>
<p>In February, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the Justice Department to make the regulatory change.</p>
<p>“As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period,” Trump said on Twitter as the announcement was made. “We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.”</p>
<p>The National Rifle Association, the most powerful U.S. gun lobby, supported more regulation of bump stocks but has not endorsed Trump’s ban and said previously it was awaiting the publication of the regulation before rendering judgment.</p>
<p>The Justice Department announcement comes as hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to rally nationwide on Saturday for tighter gun laws in “March For Our Lives” protests led by survivors of the Florida school massacre, which reiginited the debate over Americans’ access to guns.</p>
<p>Students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 students and staff were killed on Feb. 14 will be among the 500,000 people who organizers say could rally on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol in Washington.</p>
<p>Reporting by Eric Walsh and Eric Beech</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice of John Bolton as national security adviser provoked strong reactions worldwide on Friday - and few stronger than in the bitterly-divided Middle East.</p> FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S. February 24, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
<p>Some commentators saw it as another nail in the coffin of the Obama-era agreement between Iran and world powers to limit Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, already cast into grave doubt by Trump himself.</p>
<p>Others expected Bolton to further undermine any remaining slender hopes of a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict emerging in the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>He has in recent months applauded Trump’s plan to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Naftali Bennett, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, called Bolton “an extraordinary security expert, experienced diplomat and a stalwart friend of Israel”.</p>
<p>Left-leaning Israeli news website Haaretz was less enthusiastic, quoting 2016 comments by Bolton that the idea of two states, Israel and Palestine, existing side by side had “been dead for a long time”.</p>
<p>He instead argued for the Palestinian territories to be placed under Egyptian and Jordanian sovereignty.</p>
<p>Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, aligned with the Shi’ite militant group and political movement Hezbollah, reported Bolton’s appointment with the headline “Zionist Hawk in the White House”, drawing attention to Bolton’s historical calls for action against Iran.</p>
<p>“Bolton’s appointment, combined with (Mike) Pompeo’s nomination (for secretary of state) last week, significantly lowers the&#160;odds that Trump will stick to the nuclear deal beyond May,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations.</p>
<p>“Both men&#160;have vocally opposed the nuclear deal, advocated for regime change in Iran and Bolton has repeatedly called for bombing rather than diplomacy as a fix to the nuclear issue.”</p>
<p>Trump was surrounding himself with “like-minded advisers”, Geranmayeh told Reuters, and “purging those who disagree”.</p>
<p>But she said Bolton’s position on the Iran agreement would meet strong resistance from U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the European powers who are also signatories.</p> “DANGEROUS RIDE”
<p>European officials expressed alarm at the personnel changes in Washington. “The writing is on the wall, unless we Europeans can present a forceful and united front to save the Iran deal,” said one EU diplomat.</p>
<p>Another commented: “Any moderating factor in White House foreign policy is being lost. We hoped the ‘adults in the room’ would win over Trump, but now the adults are leaving.”</p>
<p>Some observers of Iran and the region saw storm clouds gathering. “President Trump has now chosen a war cabinet,” said&#160;Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.</p>
<p>Bolton was a leading advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and has called for a change of government in North Korea.</p>
<p>Any new conflict between the United States and Iran would undermine moderates in Iran and strengthen radical forces, Alfoneh said.</p>
<p>“Bolton was a champion of ‘us-versus-them’ foreign policy,” tweeted Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.</p> Related Video
<p>“We should brace ourselves for a rough &amp; dangerous ride.”</p>
<p>Turkey’s response to the appointments of Pompeo and Bolton was cautious. “We hope these changes of duty will be a means to further strengthen the continuing efforts to solve the problems that have existed between our countries for a long time,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.</p>
<p>Among the international reactions, Moscow too struck a note of reserve.</p>
<p>“That is not a question for us, it is for the U.S. administration,” a Kremlin spokesman said when asked about Bolton’s nomination.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dominic Evans, Parisa Hafezi, Babak Dehghanpisheh, Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, Ari Rabinovitch, Lisa Barrington, Laila Bassam and Robin Emmott; Writing by Andrew Roche; Editing by Angus MacSwan</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top cop for U.S. consumer finance has decided not to sue a payday loan collector and is weighing whether to drop cases against three payday lenders, said five people with direct knowledge of the matter.</p> FILE PHOTO: White House budget director Mick Mulvaney speaks during a news briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
<p>The move shows how Mick Mulvaney, named interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by U.S. President Donald Trump, is putting his mark on an agency conceived to stamp out abusive lending.</p>
<p>The payday loan cases are among about a dozen that Richard Cordray, the former agency chief, approved for litigation before he resigned in November. Cordray was the first to lead the agency that Congress created in 2010 after the financial crisis.</p>
<p>The four previously unreported cases aimed to return more than $60 million to consumers, the people said. Three are part of routine CFPB work to police storefront lenders. The fourth case concerns who has a right to collect payday loans offered from tribal land.</p>
<p>Cordray was ready to sue Kansas-based National Credit Adjusters (NCA), which primarily collects debt for online lenders operating on tribal land.</p>
<p>Such lenders charge triple-digit interest rates prohibited in many states. The companies have argued such loans are permitted when they are originated on tribal land.</p>
<p>The CFPB under Cordray concluded that NCA had no right to collect on such online loans, no matter where they were made.</p>
<p>Mulvaney has dropped the matter and the case is “dead,” Sarah Auchterlonie, a lawyer for NCA, told Reuters this week. She noted the agency appeared to be backing off issues involving tribal sovereignty.</p>
<p>“(Cordray) had a theory that was really out there and I think everything related to it is being pulled back,” Auchterlonie said.</p>
<p>Consumers have complained that NCA threatened to have them jailed and sue family members, CFPB’s public database shows.</p>
<p>A CFPB investigation found NCA wrongly collected roughly $50 million, of which the agency’s lawyers wanted to return about $45 million, sources said.</p>
<p>Payday lending often involves low-income borrowers taking out short-term cash loans at high rates. The industry collects about $9 billion in fees annually, according to Pew Charitable Trusts.</p>
<p>Supporters say the industry fills a need for customers lacking access to other banking products.</p>
<p>Mulvaney has said that, in general, the CFPB will go after egregious cases of consumer abuses.</p>
<p>“Good cases are being brought. The bad cases are not,” he told an event in Washington this month.</p>
<p>Some former CFPB lawyers said they worry the agency’s mission is being eroded.</p>
<p>“The CFPB is supposed to create a level playing field for consumers,” said Joanna Pearl, former enforcement attorney. “I’m not sure Mulvaney sees it like that.”</p> PAYDAY LENDING
<p>Mulvaney is reviewing three cases against lenders based in southern states where high-interest loans are permitted. He must eventually decide whether to sue the companies, settle with a fine or scrap the cases.</p>
<p>Lawyers working for Cordray had concluded that Security Finance, Cash Express LLC and Triton Management Group violated customer rights when attempting to collect, among other lapses.</p>
<p>Spokespeople for the companies declined to comment. A spokesman for the CFPB did not respond to a request for comment. None of the sources wished to be identified because they are not authorized to speak about the cases.</p>
<p>Security Finance offers loans at rates that often climb into triple-digits. Debt collectors working for Security Finance harassed borrowers at home and work, violating federal laws, and the company had faulty recordkeeping that could hurt borrowers’ credit scores, the CFPB concluded.</p>
<p>Customers complained Cash Express used high-pressure collection tactics, the CFPB database shows. Cordray was prepared to sue the company on those grounds, sources said.</p>
<p>Cash Express also misled customers by telling them they might repair their credit with a payday loan, even though the lender does not report to credit bureaus, the CFPB concluded.</p>
<p>The CFPB faulted Triton Management Group for aggressive collection in 2016 and the company changed some practices, the sources said. The CFPB still was ready to seek more than a million dollars in fines and restitution.</p>
<p>Reporting By Patrick Rucker; additional reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Michelle Price and Meredith Mazzilli</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Newly released video footage of police killing an unarmed black man in a barrage of gunfire in Sacramento, California, left the mayor “horrified” and sparked street protests on Thursday that gridlocked traffic in the state capital for hours.</p>
<p>Police said the video, captured by body cameras worn by officers involved in Sunday night’s confrontation, showed the victim, Stephon Clark, 22, holding an object that later turned out to be a cell phone as he was shot 20 times.</p>
<p>The video was released by police late on Wednesday and it soon went viral on the internet.</p>
<p>Sunday’s shooting was the latest in a series of killings of unarmed black men by police across the United Stated since 2014 that has sparked a national debate about racial bias in the criminal justice system and the use of lethal force.</p>
<p>More than 200 demonstrators gathered on Thursday to denounce the shooting in a protest organized by the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests were orderly and police allowed a group of demonstrators to march onto Interstate 5 at the height of the commuter rush hour as they blocked all southbound lanes.</p>
<p>Traffic was backed up on the highway, and through much of the downtown area, for hours.</p>
<p>The crowd then marched on to the state capitol building before converging outside the Golden 1 Center basketball arena, preventing many fans waiting to see a game between the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks from getting in to the event.</p>
<p>“It’s a loss of one night’s entertainment for me, but this family will feel this loss forever,” season ticket holder Frank Andersen, a 70-year-old retiree from Elk Grove, California, said as he walked with his wife to their car.</p>
<p>The Kings later issued a statement asking those fans to return home and promising refunds for their tickets.</p> Stephon Clark, 22, is visible on the ground after two police officers (L) shot him, in this still image captured from police aerial video footage released by Sacramento Police Department, California, U.S., on March 21, 2018. Courtesy Sacramento Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Hours earlier, Mayor Darrell Steinberg told reporters he was appalled by video of the shooting.</p>
<p>“Like any compassionate person, I was horrified by the death of a young Sacramento man who we later found out had two kids,” Steinberg told a news conference. “What was my reaction? It was horrible.”</p>
<p>Protesters marched into City Hall during the day shouting “It’s a phone, not a gun” and demanded to see the police chief.</p> Slideshow (7 Images)
<p>“I have four grandbabies who are black and I don’t want them taken,” said protester Tami Collins, 47, who is white.</p>
<p>Sacramento police said the shooting stemmed from a report of someone breaking car windows in a residential area where officers later found three damaged vehicles. Police said the suspect was also seen from a helicopter shattering a glass door of a house before jumping a fence into a yard next door.</p>
<p>The video from police body cameras showed two officers chase Clark through the dark with their flashlights and turn the corner of a house to face him in the backyard, yelling: “Show me your hands” and “gun” before they opened fire.</p>
<p>The officers had seen Clark “advance forward with his arms extended and holding an object,” which they mistakenly believed was a gun, police said.</p>
<p>Officers waited five minutes after the shooting until backup arrived before approaching Clark to help him, police said.</p>
<p>The encounter unfolded behind Clark’s grandparents’ home, where he was staying, according to the Sacramento Bee newspaper, which spoke to his relatives.</p>
<p>Sacramento prosecutors were investigating the incident.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in LOS ANGELES; Editing by Leslie Adler and Paul Tait</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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new york reuters new york city tuesday sued eight companies make distribute prescription opioids blaming fuelling deadly epidemic afflicting populous us city file photo new york city mayor bill de blasio delivers remarks 2018 inaugural ceremony city hall manhattan new york us january 1 2018 reutersandrew kelly mayor bill de blasio said lawsuit sought 500 million damages help fight crisis kills people city annually homicides car accidents combined including 1100 opioidinduced overdoses 2016 big pharma helped fuel epidemic deceptively peddling dangerous drugs hooking millions americans exchange profit de blasio said statement defendants include manufacturers allergan plc agnn endo international plc endpo johnson amp johnson jnjn purdue pharma lp teva pharmaceutical industries ltd tevata distributors amerisourcebergen corp abcn cardinal health inc cahn mckesson corp mckn accused citys complaint creating public nuisance distributors accused negligence allergan endo jampj purdue teva amerisourcebergen mckesson separate statements emphasized importance using opioids safely endo jampj purdue also denied citys allegations mckesson declined comment lawsuit cardinal health immediately respond requests comment new york city whose population 854 million joined long list us states municipalities sue drug companies opioid abuse us president donald trump called national public health emergency opioids including prescription painkillers heroin played role 42249 us deaths 2016 28 percent 2015 47 percent 2014 according us centers disease control prevention allergan plc 15948 agnn new york stock exchange 310 191 agnn endpo jnjn tevata abcn complaint filed state court manhattan new york accused manufacturers two decades misled consumers believing prescription opioids safe treat chronic noncancer pain minimal risk addiction city also said distributors fueled abuse oversupply including failure identify suspicious orders report authorities contributing illegal secondary market prescription opioids purdues oxycontin endos percocet regulated controlled substances new york city said roughly 25 million 27 million opioid prescriptions filled year 2014 2016 case city new york v purdue pharma lp et al new york state supreme court new york county 4501332018 reporting jonathan stempel new york nate raymond boston editing marguerita choy andrew hay standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters justice department proposing rule changes effectively ban bump stocks devices allow semiautomatic weapons fire like machine gun us attorney general jeff sessions said friday file photo attorney general jeff sessions speaks national association attorneys general 2018 winter meeting washington us february 27 2018 reutersjoshua robertsfile photo senseless attack las vegas proposed rule critical step effort reduce threat gun violence keeping constitution laws passed congress160sessions said statement sessions defender us constitutions second amendment protects right bear arms gunman stephen paddock used bump stock massacre last october killed 58 people wounded hundreds others music festival las vegas authorities said paddocks ability fire hundreds rounds per minute 10minute period 32ndfloor hotel suite major factor high casualty count february president donald trump signed memorandum directing justice department make regulatory change promised today department justice issue rule banning bump stocks mandated comment period trump said twitter announcement made ban devices turn legal weapons illegal machine guns national rifle association powerful us gun lobby supported regulation bump stocks endorsed trumps ban said previously awaiting publication regulation rendering judgment justice department announcement comes hundreds thousands americans expected rally nationwide saturday tighter gun laws march lives protests led survivors florida school massacre reiginited debate americans access guns students parkland florida high school 17 students staff killed feb 14 among 500000 people organizers say could rally pennsylvania avenue near capitol washington reporting eric walsh eric beech standards thomson reuters trust principles london reuters us president donald trumps choice john bolton national security adviser provoked strong reactions worldwide friday stronger bitterlydivided middle east file photo former us ambassador united nations john bolton speaks conservative political action conference cpac oxon hill maryland us february 24 2017 reutersjoshua robertsfile photo commentators saw another nail coffin obamaera agreement iran world powers limit tehrans nuclear ambitions already cast grave doubt trump others expected bolton undermine remaining slender hopes twostate solution israelipalestinian conflict emerging foreseeable future recent months applauded trumps plan move us embassy israel jerusalem naftali bennett member prime minister benjamin netanyahus security cabinet called bolton extraordinary security expert experienced diplomat stalwart friend israel leftleaning israeli news website haaretz less enthusiastic quoting 2016 comments bolton idea two states israel palestine existing side side dead long time instead argued palestinian territories placed egyptian jordanian sovereignty lebanese newspaper alakhbar aligned shiite militant group political movement hezbollah reported boltons appointment headline zionist hawk white house drawing attention boltons historical calls action iran boltons appointment combined mike pompeos nomination secretary state last week significantly lowers the160odds trump stick nuclear deal beyond may said ellie geranmayeh senior policy fellow european council foreign relations men160have vocally opposed nuclear deal advocated regime change iran bolton repeatedly called bombing rather diplomacy fix nuclear issue trump surrounding likeminded advisers geranmayeh told reuters purging disagree said boltons position iran agreement would meet strong resistance us defense secretary jim mattis european powers also signatories dangerous ride european officials expressed alarm personnel changes washington writing wall unless europeans present forceful united front save iran deal said one eu diplomat another commented moderating factor white house foreign policy lost hoped adults room would win trump adults leaving observers iran region saw storm clouds gathering president trump chosen war cabinet said160ali alfoneh senior fellow atlantic council bolton leading advocate 2003 invasion iraq called change government north korea new conflict united states iran would undermine moderates iran strengthen radical forces alfoneh said bolton champion usversusthem foreign policy tweeted mohamed elbaradei former head international atomic energy agency nobel peace prize winner related video brace rough amp dangerous ride turkeys response appointments pompeo bolton cautious hope changes duty means strengthen continuing efforts solve problems existed countries long time foreign ministry spokesman said among international reactions moscow struck note reserve question us us administration kremlin spokesman said asked boltons nomination reporting dominic evans parisa hafezi babak dehghanpisheh bozorgmehr sharafedin ari rabinovitch lisa barrington laila bassam robin emmott writing andrew roche editing angus macswan standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters top cop us consumer finance decided sue payday loan collector weighing whether drop cases three payday lenders said five people direct knowledge matter file photo white house budget director mick mulvaney speaks news briefing white house washington us february 12 2018 reutersyuri gripasfile photo move shows mick mulvaney named interim head consumer financial protection bureau cfpb us president donald trump putting mark agency conceived stamp abusive lending payday loan cases among dozen richard cordray former agency chief approved litigation resigned november cordray first lead agency congress created 2010 financial crisis four previously unreported cases aimed return 60 million consumers people said three part routine cfpb work police storefront lenders fourth case concerns right collect payday loans offered tribal land cordray ready sue kansasbased national credit adjusters nca primarily collects debt online lenders operating tribal land lenders charge tripledigit interest rates prohibited many states companies argued loans permitted originated tribal land cfpb cordray concluded nca right collect online loans matter made mulvaney dropped matter case dead sarah auchterlonie lawyer nca told reuters week noted agency appeared backing issues involving tribal sovereignty cordray theory really think everything related pulled back auchterlonie said consumers complained nca threatened jailed sue family members cfpbs public database shows cfpb investigation found nca wrongly collected roughly 50 million agencys lawyers wanted return 45 million sources said payday lending often involves lowincome borrowers taking shortterm cash loans high rates industry collects 9 billion fees annually according pew charitable trusts supporters say industry fills need customers lacking access banking products mulvaney said general cfpb go egregious cases consumer abuses good cases brought bad cases told event washington month former cfpb lawyers said worry agencys mission eroded cfpb supposed create level playing field consumers said joanna pearl former enforcement attorney im sure mulvaney sees like payday lending mulvaney reviewing three cases lenders based southern states highinterest loans permitted must eventually decide whether sue companies settle fine scrap cases lawyers working cordray concluded security finance cash express llc triton management group violated customer rights attempting collect among lapses spokespeople companies declined comment spokesman cfpb respond request comment none sources wished identified authorized speak cases security finance offers loans rates often climb tripledigits debt collectors working security finance harassed borrowers home work violating federal laws company faulty recordkeeping could hurt borrowers credit scores cfpb concluded customers complained cash express used highpressure collection tactics cfpb database shows cordray prepared sue company grounds sources said cash express also misled customers telling might repair credit payday loan even though lender report credit bureaus cfpb concluded cfpb faulted triton management group aggressive collection 2016 company changed practices sources said cfpb still ready seek million dollars fines restitution reporting patrick rucker additional reporting pete schroeder editing michelle price meredith mazzilli standards thomson reuters trust principles sacramento calif reuters newly released video footage police killing unarmed black man barrage gunfire sacramento california left mayor horrified sparked street protests thursday gridlocked traffic state capital hours police said video captured body cameras worn officers involved sunday nights confrontation showed victim stephon clark 22 holding object later turned cell phone shot 20 times video released police late wednesday soon went viral internet sundays shooting latest series killings unarmed black men police across united stated since 2014 sparked national debate racial bias criminal justice system use lethal force 200 demonstrators gathered thursday denounce shooting protest organized black lives matter movement protests orderly police allowed group demonstrators march onto interstate 5 height commuter rush hour blocked southbound lanes traffic backed highway much downtown area hours crowd marched state capitol building converging outside golden 1 center basketball arena preventing many fans waiting see game sacramento kings atlanta hawks getting event loss one nights entertainment family feel loss forever season ticket holder frank andersen 70yearold retiree elk grove california said walked wife car kings later issued statement asking fans return home promising refunds tickets stephon clark 22 visible ground two police officers l shot still image captured police aerial video footage released sacramento police department california us march 21 2018 courtesy sacramento police departmenthandout via reuters hours earlier mayor darrell steinberg told reporters appalled video shooting like compassionate person horrified death young sacramento man later found two kids steinberg told news conference reaction horrible protesters marched city hall day shouting phone gun demanded see police chief slideshow 7 images four grandbabies black dont want taken said protester tami collins 47 white sacramento police said shooting stemmed report someone breaking car windows residential area officers later found three damaged vehicles police said suspect also seen helicopter shattering glass door house jumping fence yard next door video police body cameras showed two officers chase clark dark flashlights turn corner house face backyard yelling show hands gun opened fire officers seen clark advance forward arms extended holding object mistakenly believed gun police said officers waited five minutes shooting backup arrived approaching clark help police said encounter unfolded behind clarks grandparents home staying according sacramento bee newspaper spoke relatives sacramento prosecutors investigating incident additional reporting alex dobuzinskis los angeles editing leslie adler paul tait standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, center, accompanied by his brother former President George W. Bush, right, and George's wife Laura Bush, takes the stage during a campaign stop Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)</p>
<p>CHARLESTON, S.C. - George W. Bush never mentioned Donald Trump. But with his folksy touch, the former president unleashed a tough takedown of the billionaire businessman who has upended a Republican Party his family has long led.</p>
<p>"I understand Americans are angry and frustrated," Bush said Monday during his first campaign rally for his brother, Jeb Bush. "But we do not need somebody in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration."</p>
<p>Trump's rise has confounded the Bush family and its allies. But despite months of predicting the brash billionaire would fade, it's Jeb Bush whose White House hopes are in peril, particularly if he's unable to pull out a strong showing in Saturday's South Carolina primary.</p>
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<p>The former president emerged from his self-imposed political hibernation to try to give Bush a President's Day boost. He layered each validation of his younger brother with an implicit critique of Trump.</p>
<p>He urged voters to back a candidate who will be "measured and thoughtful" on the world stage. A candidate whose "humility" helps him understand what he doesn't know. A candidate who can win in November's general election.</p>
<p>"All the sloganeering and all the talk doesn't matter if we don't win," Bush said. "We need somebody who can take a positive message across the country."</p>
<p>With his brother as a strong warmup act, Jeb Bush delivered an impassioned version of his campaign speech, touting his experience as Florida governor and vowing he could put Republicans back in the White House for the first time in eight years.</p>
<p>"I can beat Hillary Clinton," he said of the Democratic front-runner. "I can promise you that."</p>
<p>The former president's return to presidential politics has been met with blistering attacks from Trump about the unpopular Iraq war and the economic recession that began at the end of his administration. Trump has also repeatedly reminded voters that the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks happened on Bush's watch.</p>
<p>"If the ex-president is campaigning for his brother, I think he's probably open to great scrutiny, maybe things that haven't been thought of in the past," Trump told reporters Monday.</p>
<p>Rather than gloss over 9/11, Bush leaned in. As the crowd fell into a hushed silence, he recounted in detail his whereabouts on the morning of the attacks and praised the troops that served in the two wars he started in response.</p>
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<p>"Your most solemn job as voters is to elect a president who understands the reality of the threats we face," he said.</p>
<p>As he praised South Carolina's Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian-born parents, Bush pointedly said: "Thank goodness our country welcomed her parents when they immigrated here in 1969."</p>
<p>It was a reminder of how much the Republican Party has changed since he was president. While Bush championed failed legislation that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the U.S. illegally, many current GOP presidential candidates have fought to outdo each other with tough enforcement policies and even mass deportations.</p>
<p>Jeb Bush spent months trying to figure out what role, if any, his brother might play in his campaign. The 43rd president left office deeply unpopular with a nation fatigued by the Iraq War and angry over his botched response to Hurricane Katrina. He's also a reminder to voters eager to break with the political establishment that Jeb Bush would be the third man from his family to serve as president.</p>
<p>But South Carolina is a state that has long been friendly to the Bush family. Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush each won two Republican primaries in the state, and their family retains deep social and political ties here.</p>
<p>Pete and Tisha Petersen were among the Bush family fans who attended Monday's rally. Neither is sure whom they'll vote for in Saturday's primary, and both said the former president's return to the campaign trail has indeed rekindled memories of the Iraq war and the economic recession.</p>
<p>But Tisha Petersen said that, "for people who love the Bush family, I think it's not such a bad thing either. It shows loyalty." And her husband said that with Jeb Bush struggling to get traction, he may not have had any other choice but to campaign with his brother.</p>
<p>"Jeb doesn't quite have that edge that his brother had," he said. "Maybe his brother will give him a little bit of that."</p>
<p>George W. Bush has kept a low profile since leaving the White House in January 2009. He retreated to his home state of Texas, where he picked up painting and delved into work on his presidential library, public health projects in Africa, and events for wounded military service members.</p>
<p>The former president is the latest member of the prominent political family to hit the campaign trail to help prop up Jeb Bush. Family matriarch Barbara Bush had hit the campaign trail in New Hampshire, delighting voters with her outspoken style and tenacity, as the 90-year-old traipsed through snow to get to events.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Columbia, South Carolina, and Jill Colvin in Charleston contributed to this report.</p>
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republican presidential candidate former florida gov jeb bush center accompanied brother former president george w bush right georges wife laura bush takes stage campaign stop monday feb 15 2016 north charleston sc ap photomatt rourke charleston sc george w bush never mentioned donald trump folksy touch former president unleashed tough takedown billionaire businessman upended republican party family long led understand americans angry frustrated bush said monday first campaign rally brother jeb bush need somebody oval office mirrors inflames anger frustration trumps rise confounded bush family allies despite months predicting brash billionaire would fade jeb bush whose white house hopes peril particularly hes unable pull strong showing saturdays south carolina primary advertisement former president emerged selfimposed political hibernation try give bush presidents day boost layered validation younger brother implicit critique trump urged voters back candidate measured thoughtful world stage candidate whose humility helps understand doesnt know candidate win novembers general election sloganeering talk doesnt matter dont win bush said need somebody take positive message across country brother strong warmup act jeb bush delivered impassioned version campaign speech touting experience florida governor vowing could put republicans back white house first time eight years beat hillary clinton said democratic frontrunner promise former presidents return presidential politics met blistering attacks trump unpopular iraq war economic recession began end administration trump also repeatedly reminded voters sept 11 2001 terror attacks happened bushs watch expresident campaigning brother think hes probably open great scrutiny maybe things havent thought past trump told reporters monday rather gloss 911 bush leaned crowd fell hushed silence recounted detail whereabouts morning attacks praised troops served two wars started response advertisement solemn job voters elect president understands reality threats face said praised south carolinas republican gov nikki haley daughter indianborn parents bush pointedly said thank goodness country welcomed parents immigrated 1969 reminder much republican party changed since president bush championed failed legislation would provided pathway citizenship millions people us illegally many current gop presidential candidates fought outdo tough enforcement policies even mass deportations jeb bush spent months trying figure role brother might play campaign 43rd president left office deeply unpopular nation fatigued iraq war angry botched response hurricane katrina hes also reminder voters eager break political establishment jeb bush would third man family serve president south carolina state long friendly bush family presidents george w bush george hw bush two republican primaries state family retains deep social political ties pete tisha petersen among bush family fans attended mondays rally neither sure theyll vote saturdays primary said former presidents return campaign trail indeed rekindled memories iraq war economic recession tisha petersen said people love bush family think bad thing either shows loyalty husband said jeb bush struggling get traction may choice campaign brother jeb doesnt quite edge brother said maybe brother give little bit george w bush kept low profile since leaving white house january 2009 retreated home state texas picked painting delved work presidential library public health projects africa events wounded military service members former president latest member prominent political family hit campaign trail help prop jeb bush family matriarch barbara bush hit campaign trail new hampshire delighting voters outspoken style tenacity 90yearold traipsed snow get events ___ associated press writers bill barrow columbia south carolina jill colvin charleston contributed report
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<p />
<p>Howard Bruce is scheduled to appear in an Albuquerque court today and is suspected of committing at least 12 rapes in New Mexico in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Bruce is serving a 64-year sentence for attempting to blow up a police officer’s home. He is accused of being the Ether Man, who was known for using chemicals to subdue dozens of rape victims in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.</p>
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<p>He has also been linked to rapes in Oklahoma.</p>
<p>It was unclear which attorney in New Mexico was representing Bruce.</p>
<p>6:02am 2/16/12 — ‘Ether Man’ Admits Okla. Rapes</p>
<p>By The Associated Press</p>
<p>NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Police say a Colorado prison inmate accused of rapes in New Mexico and several other states has been connected to 14 sexual assaults that occurred in Norman from 1985 to 2001.</p>
<p>Officers say 50-year-old Howard Bruce admitted to the assaults on female students at the University of Oklahoma, where he once attended. Investigators zeroed in on him when his DNA was entered into a national database after convictions in Colorado.</p>
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<p>Authorities allege Bruce followed the women home, broke into their residences and raped them.</p>
<p>In Colorado, he was sentenced to six years for sexual assault; 24 years for burglary and 64 years for trying to kill a Pueblo, Colo., police officer.</p>
<p>Norman detectives interviewed him in Colorado and say Bruce pinpointed where the attacks occurred.</p>
<p>A call to his attorney at the Colorado State Public Defender’s office wasn’t immediately returned.</p>
<p>Detectives in Albuquerque believe Bruce is behind the assaults of several women in the University of New Mexico area, and he has been indicted for 10 rapes and is suspected in several more, <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/ether-man-confesses-to-more-rapes" type="external">KRQE News 13</a> reported.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg told News 13 that she would not be surprised if the number of suspected sexual assaults by Bruce in New Mexico grew.</p>
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<p>“We do think that is a very likely possibility,” Brandenburg told KRQE. “That’s what we anticipate.”</p>
<p>8:43am 10/6/11 — ‘Ether Man’ Deal Could Clear N.M. Rape Cases</p>
<p>A confession of guilt this week in a Pueblo, Colo., courtroom by a man police suspect is a serial rapist could close dozens of sexual assault cases in the Southwest, including nearly a dozen in New Mexico, <a href="http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/bruce-pleads-guilty-to-attempted-rape/article_51939132-efdf-11e0-bafd-001cc4c002e0.html" type="external">The Pueblo Chieftain</a> reported.</p>
<p>Robert Howard Bruce, the alleged “Ether Man” rapist, pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal attempt to commit sexual assault and first-degree burglary in a Pueblo rape case dating back to July 2006, The Chieftain said.</p>
<p>When asked if was pleading guilty because he was in fact guilty, Bruce said “I am,” sealing a plea agreement that would ensure that Bruce would serve six years for the attempted rape and up to 24 years for the burglary concurrently, according to The Chieftain.</p>
<p>But where he will spend his prison time and whether the new sentence will run concurrent to or be tacked on his recent 64-year sentence imposed for trying to kill a Pueblo police officer will depend on how well he cooperates with federal authorities who are looking into dozens of rape cases from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, the paper reported.</p>
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<p>Under the agreement reached Wednesday, the 49-year-0ld Bruce will work with federal investigators on the multiple rape cases in order to get a concurrent sentence and to avoid serving time in a Colorado state prison but rather in a federal prison facility, The Chieftain said.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t cooperate with federal investigators, all bets are off, and Bruce will be looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars and in a state prison, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Deputy District Attorney James Coursey told the court that his office had been contacted by federal investigators who have been talking to Bruce, who said he had “information that would clear up a number of sex assaults in other jurisdictions,” according to The Chieftain.</p>
<p>District Attorney Bill Thiebault said there could be nearly 40 of those cases, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Bruce is scheduled for sentencing in the attempted rape/burglary case in January, The Chieftain said.</p>
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<p>9/29/11 — ‘Ether Man’ Gets 64 Years in Colo. Cop Case</p>
<p>The suspected “Ether Man” was sentenced to 64 years in prison for trying to kill a Pueblo, Colo., police officer who was set to testify against him in a misdemeanor case, the Pueblo Chieftain reported.</p>
<p>Robert Howard Bruce, who is suspected in dozens of rapes in Albuquerque, Texas and Colorado, was sentenced on Friday.</p>
<p>Bruce was found guilty of trying to rig the officer’s house with an explosive the day the officer was set to testify against him in a peeping Tom case, a misdemeanor offense. He was found guilty in that case.</p>
<p>But it was the attempted murder of the police officer that unraveled a years-long mystery surrounding almost a dozen rapes around the University of New Mexico. Colorado officials entered Howard’s DNA into the national database, and it matched the DNA taken from rape victims in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Howard will also be tried for those rapes in New Mexico.</p>
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<p>8/6/11 — ‘Ether Man’ Found Guilty in Colorado</p>
<p>By Astrid Galvan/Journal Staff Writer</p>
<p>The suspected “Ether Man” may already face decades in prison for his recent attempted murder conviction in Colorado, but New Mexico officials say he will still face his day in court here.</p>
<p>Robert Howard Bruce, accused of raping at least 12 women in Albuquerque, Texas and Colorado over the course of almost 20 years, was found guilty this week in Pueblo, Colo., of trying to kill a police officer who was testifying in a peeping Tom case against him.</p>
<p>It was his second conviction in Pueblo. In July 2010, Bruce was convicted of misdemeanor peeping Tom and trespassing charges stemming from an incident in which a woman reported a prowler in her backyard.</p>
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<p>That peeping Tom case helped unravel a serial rapist case that had frustrated police for years, authorities said. Known as Ether Man for the way he used a chemical-soaked rag to render women unconscious, Bruce is believed to have raped dozens of women both in this country and overseas.</p>
<p>In Albuquerque, authorities had already indicted Bruce on several rape charges, but under the name John Doe because they hadn’t connected him to the case. But when Bruce was arrested on charges of trying to blow up the officer’s house in Colorado in 2009, authorities drew his DNA, and it was entered into the national database for felony offenders.</p>
<p>Albuquerque detectives, long troubled by the unsolved rapes, had their match.</p>
<p>Still, it could be years before Bruce sees his day in court in New Mexico, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing, District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Kayla Anderson said.</p>
<p>Anderson said prosecutors are updating some DNA evidence against Bruce.</p>
<p>“The DNA evidence collected was originally processed under different standards. Obviously, as technology changes, standards have changed as well. It’s important for our office to meet those standards for today,” Anderson said.</p>
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<p>Anderson said prosecutors will work with crime analysts to re-test the evidence and make sure everything is in place.</p>
<p>There are currently two pending cases against Bruce, one for kidnapping and another that includes several rape charges.</p>
<p>“He will have his day in court here in New Mexico, as will the state of New Mexico and the alleged victims. But we just don’t know when that will happen at this point,” Anderson said.</p>
<p>A local prosecutor is working with others in Texas and Colorado to see which state gets to try Bruce next.</p>
<p>There is still a pending rape case against Bruce in Colorado, authorities have said.</p>
<p>Police said Ether Man would break into a woman’s home at night, put a rag over her face with cleaning supplies to knock her out, and assault the woman. Most of the Albuquerque women he attacked lived near the University of New Mexico and worked in the medical field in some capacity, police said. — This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
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howard bruce scheduled appear albuquerque court today suspected committing least 12 rapes new mexico 1990s bruce serving 64year sentence attempting blow police officers home accused ether man known using chemicals subdue dozens rape victims colorado new mexico texas advertisement also linked rapes oklahoma unclear attorney new mexico representing bruce 602am 21612 ether man admits okla rapes associated press norman okla ap police say colorado prison inmate accused rapes new mexico several states connected 14 sexual assaults occurred norman 1985 2001 officers say 50yearold howard bruce admitted assaults female students university oklahoma attended investigators zeroed dna entered national database convictions colorado advertisement authorities allege bruce followed women home broke residences raped colorado sentenced six years sexual assault 24 years burglary 64 years trying kill pueblo colo police officer norman detectives interviewed colorado say bruce pinpointed attacks occurred call attorney colorado state public defenders office wasnt immediately returned detectives albuquerque believe bruce behind assaults several women university new mexico area indicted 10 rapes suspected several krqe news 13 reported meanwhile bernalillo county district attorney kari brandenburg told news 13 would surprised number suspected sexual assaults bruce new mexico grew advertisement think likely possibility brandenburg told krqe thats anticipate 843am 10611 ether man deal could clear nm rape cases confession guilt week pueblo colo courtroom man police suspect serial rapist could close dozens sexual assault cases southwest including nearly dozen new mexico pueblo chieftain reported robert howard bruce alleged ether man rapist pleaded guilty wednesday criminal attempt commit sexual assault firstdegree burglary pueblo rape case dating back july 2006 chieftain said asked pleading guilty fact guilty bruce said sealing plea agreement would ensure bruce would serve six years attempted rape 24 years burglary concurrently according chieftain spend prison time whether new sentence run concurrent tacked recent 64year sentence imposed trying kill pueblo police officer depend well cooperates federal authorities looking dozens rape cases new mexico texas oklahoma paper reported advertisement agreement reached wednesday 49year0ld bruce work federal investigators multiple rape cases order get concurrent sentence avoid serving time colorado state prison rather federal prison facility chieftain said doesnt cooperate federal investigators bets bruce looking spending rest life behind bars state prison paper reported deputy district attorney james coursey told court office contacted federal investigators talking bruce said information would clear number sex assaults jurisdictions according chieftain district attorney bill thiebault said could nearly 40 cases paper reported bruce scheduled sentencing attempted rapeburglary case january chieftain said advertisement 92911 ether man gets 64 years colo cop case suspected ether man sentenced 64 years prison trying kill pueblo colo police officer set testify misdemeanor case pueblo chieftain reported robert howard bruce suspected dozens rapes albuquerque texas colorado sentenced friday bruce found guilty trying rig officers house explosive day officer set testify peeping tom case misdemeanor offense found guilty case attempted murder police officer unraveled yearslong mystery surrounding almost dozen rapes around university new mexico colorado officials entered howards dna national database matched dna taken rape victims albuquerque howard also tried rapes new mexico advertisement 8611 ether man found guilty colorado astrid galvanjournal staff writer suspected ether man may already face decades prison recent attempted murder conviction colorado new mexico officials say still face day court robert howard bruce accused raping least 12 women albuquerque texas colorado course almost 20 years found guilty week pueblo colo trying kill police officer testifying peeping tom case second conviction pueblo july 2010 bruce convicted misdemeanor peeping tom trespassing charges stemming incident woman reported prowler backyard advertisement peeping tom case helped unravel serial rapist case frustrated police years authorities said known ether man way used chemicalsoaked rag render women unconscious bruce believed raped dozens women country overseas albuquerque authorities already indicted bruce several rape charges name john doe hadnt connected case bruce arrested charges trying blow officers house colorado 2009 authorities drew dna entered national database felony offenders albuquerque detectives long troubled unsolved rapes match still could years bruce sees day court new mexico although thats necessarily bad thing district attorneys office spokeswoman kayla anderson said anderson said prosecutors updating dna evidence bruce dna evidence collected originally processed different standards obviously technology changes standards changed well important office meet standards today anderson said advertisement anderson said prosecutors work crime analysts retest evidence make sure everything place currently two pending cases bruce one kidnapping another includes several rape charges day court new mexico state new mexico alleged victims dont know happen point anderson said local prosecutor working others texas colorado see state gets try bruce next still pending rape case bruce colorado authorities said police said ether man would break womans home night put rag face cleaning supplies knock assault woman albuquerque women attacked lived near university new mexico worked medical field capacity police said article appeared page c1 albuquerque journal
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<p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson strolled into the Charlotte Convention Center and did a double-take when he saw Fernando Alonso hanging out in a hallway.</p>
<p>"What's he doing here?" NASCAR's seven-time champion wondered.</p>
<p>Alonso made the trip to North Carolina to make an appearance at NASCAR's annual preseason media tour. No, a ride in NASCAR is not imminent, but the two-time Formula One champion is about to embark on his <a href="https://racing.ap.org/article/alonso-set-knock-rolex-24-sports-car-race-bucket-list" type="external">first major sports car race</a> .</p>
<p>Alonso will race this weekend in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona for United Autosports, the sports car team owned by his McLaren F1 boss, Zak Brown. It was Brown who paved the way for Alonso to compete in last year's Indianapolis 500, and he is helping the Spaniard knock prestigious races off his wish list.</p>
<p>Alonso spent about 10 minutes chatting with Johnson, and the duo was eventually joined by sports car aces Scott Pruett and Joey Hand, who were brought to the NASCAR event by IMSA to help promote the Rolex, and then Cup champion Kevin Harvick.</p>
<p>The meet-and-greet with Alonso was a thrill for Johnson. Alonso was equally impressed.</p>
<p>"The first time I heard his name it was probably 2003 on the NASCAR video game," Alonso said Tuesday. "I used to choose him, not knowing him, just because of the car. I remember playing with another friend of mine, he likes a chocolate company I will not name now, and he was choosing that car and I was choosing Jimmie's car.</p>
<p>"But that was the first time I heard of him, and obviously the success that he has in the years in motor racing, he became a legend of our sport, and massive respect."</p>
<p>Johnson said he's always been a fan of Alonso's and spent some time telling Alonso how well he ran in the Indianapolis 500 last May. Alonso led 27 laps and seemed to be in contention for the win until his engine expired 21 laps from the finish.</p>
<p>"He handled himself so well, really did a great job, and I think brought a lot to the table," Johnson said. "He brought worldwide attention to motorsports and it was really good for us here stateside."</p>
<p>While in NASCAR country, Alonso was asked about potentially trying a stock car someday. It's not something that could happen soon, he said, but it is something he'd like to at least attempt.</p>
<p>"Right now, it looks quite far. The driving technique and the experience all those guys have, it's difficult for me to achieve that level," Alonso said. "I will never know until I try, so I would like one day to test a car and after that, driving the car, I will know how enjoyable it will be in racing.</p>
<p>"Outside (watching), the races are great because they are all in a group, it is not predictable at all and until the last lap, you don't know what is going to happen. We love watching from the outside, but I don't know from the inside."</p>
<p>Alonso has so far only had three days of testing at Daytona in the sports car to adjust to a closed cockpit, as well as driving at night and in traffic. Trying different series has been a thrill for him, and he's still eyeing a way to get Le Mans on his schedule.</p>
<p>"It's one thing that I would like to do, I would like to compete in the best races in the world, and Le Mans and is one of the top races," he said. "If that day will be this year or not is still to be discussed, but maybe yes."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP Auto Racing: https://racing.ap.org/</p>
<p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson strolled into the Charlotte Convention Center and did a double-take when he saw Fernando Alonso hanging out in a hallway.</p>
<p>"What's he doing here?" NASCAR's seven-time champion wondered.</p>
<p>Alonso made the trip to North Carolina to make an appearance at NASCAR's annual preseason media tour. No, a ride in NASCAR is not imminent, but the two-time Formula One champion is about to embark on his <a href="https://racing.ap.org/article/alonso-set-knock-rolex-24-sports-car-race-bucket-list" type="external">first major sports car race</a> .</p>
<p>Alonso will race this weekend in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona for United Autosports, the sports car team owned by his McLaren F1 boss, Zak Brown. It was Brown who paved the way for Alonso to compete in last year's Indianapolis 500, and he is helping the Spaniard knock prestigious races off his wish list.</p>
<p>Alonso spent about 10 minutes chatting with Johnson, and the duo was eventually joined by sports car aces Scott Pruett and Joey Hand, who were brought to the NASCAR event by IMSA to help promote the Rolex, and then Cup champion Kevin Harvick.</p>
<p>The meet-and-greet with Alonso was a thrill for Johnson. Alonso was equally impressed.</p>
<p>"The first time I heard his name it was probably 2003 on the NASCAR video game," Alonso said Tuesday. "I used to choose him, not knowing him, just because of the car. I remember playing with another friend of mine, he likes a chocolate company I will not name now, and he was choosing that car and I was choosing Jimmie's car.</p>
<p>"But that was the first time I heard of him, and obviously the success that he has in the years in motor racing, he became a legend of our sport, and massive respect."</p>
<p>Johnson said he's always been a fan of Alonso's and spent some time telling Alonso how well he ran in the Indianapolis 500 last May. Alonso led 27 laps and seemed to be in contention for the win until his engine expired 21 laps from the finish.</p>
<p>"He handled himself so well, really did a great job, and I think brought a lot to the table," Johnson said. "He brought worldwide attention to motorsports and it was really good for us here stateside."</p>
<p>While in NASCAR country, Alonso was asked about potentially trying a stock car someday. It's not something that could happen soon, he said, but it is something he'd like to at least attempt.</p>
<p>"Right now, it looks quite far. The driving technique and the experience all those guys have, it's difficult for me to achieve that level," Alonso said. "I will never know until I try, so I would like one day to test a car and after that, driving the car, I will know how enjoyable it will be in racing.</p>
<p>"Outside (watching), the races are great because they are all in a group, it is not predictable at all and until the last lap, you don't know what is going to happen. We love watching from the outside, but I don't know from the inside."</p>
<p>Alonso has so far only had three days of testing at Daytona in the sports car to adjust to a closed cockpit, as well as driving at night and in traffic. Trying different series has been a thrill for him, and he's still eyeing a way to get Le Mans on his schedule.</p>
<p>"It's one thing that I would like to do, I would like to compete in the best races in the world, and Le Mans and is one of the top races," he said. "If that day will be this year or not is still to be discussed, but maybe yes."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP Auto Racing: https://racing.ap.org/</p>
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charlotte nc ap jimmie johnson strolled charlotte convention center doubletake saw fernando alonso hanging hallway whats nascars seventime champion wondered alonso made trip north carolina make appearance nascars annual preseason media tour ride nascar imminent twotime formula one champion embark first major sports car race alonso race weekend rolex 24 hours daytona united autosports sports car team owned mclaren f1 boss zak brown brown paved way alonso compete last years indianapolis 500 helping spaniard knock prestigious races wish list alonso spent 10 minutes chatting johnson duo eventually joined sports car aces scott pruett joey hand brought nascar event imsa help promote rolex cup champion kevin harvick meetandgreet alonso thrill johnson alonso equally impressed first time heard name probably 2003 nascar video game alonso said tuesday used choose knowing car remember playing another friend mine likes chocolate company name choosing car choosing jimmies car first time heard obviously success years motor racing became legend sport massive respect johnson said hes always fan alonsos spent time telling alonso well ran indianapolis 500 last may alonso led 27 laps seemed contention win engine expired 21 laps finish handled well really great job think brought lot table johnson said brought worldwide attention motorsports really good us stateside nascar country alonso asked potentially trying stock car someday something could happen soon said something hed like least attempt right looks quite far driving technique experience guys difficult achieve level alonso said never know try would like one day test car driving car know enjoyable racing outside watching races great group predictable last lap dont know going happen love watching outside dont know inside alonso far three days testing daytona sports car adjust closed cockpit well driving night traffic trying different series thrill hes still eyeing way get le mans schedule one thing would like would like compete best races world le mans one top races said day year still discussed maybe yes ___ ap auto racing httpsracingaporg charlotte nc ap jimmie johnson strolled charlotte convention center doubletake saw fernando alonso hanging hallway whats nascars seventime champion wondered alonso made trip north carolina make appearance nascars annual preseason media tour ride nascar imminent twotime formula one champion embark first major sports car race alonso race weekend rolex 24 hours daytona united autosports sports car team owned mclaren f1 boss zak brown brown paved way alonso compete last years indianapolis 500 helping spaniard knock prestigious races wish list alonso spent 10 minutes chatting johnson duo eventually joined sports car aces scott pruett joey hand brought nascar event imsa help promote rolex cup champion kevin harvick meetandgreet alonso thrill johnson alonso equally impressed first time heard name probably 2003 nascar video game alonso said tuesday used choose knowing car remember playing another friend mine likes chocolate company name choosing car choosing jimmies car first time heard obviously success years motor racing became legend sport massive respect johnson said hes always fan alonsos spent time telling alonso well ran indianapolis 500 last may alonso led 27 laps seemed contention win engine expired 21 laps finish handled well really great job think brought lot table johnson said brought worldwide attention motorsports really good us stateside nascar country alonso asked potentially trying stock car someday something could happen soon said something hed like least attempt right looks quite far driving technique experience guys difficult achieve level alonso said never know try would like one day test car driving car know enjoyable racing outside watching races great group predictable last lap dont know going happen love watching outside dont know inside alonso far three days testing daytona sports car adjust closed cockpit well driving night traffic trying different series thrill hes still eyeing way get le mans schedule one thing would like would like compete best races world le mans one top races said day year still discussed maybe yes ___ ap auto racing httpsracingaporg
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<p>Danette Webb, 53, was found naked and bound with duct tape in her SW Albuquerque home in June. She loved the outdoors, and often took her two dogs on treks to the West Side\’s volcanoes.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2014 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>Some nights, Suzan Hagler imagines her former partner was strangled. Other nights, she imagines she was smothered. Others, she was running from one room to the next, bleeding and screaming.</p>
<p>Danette Webb, 53, was found dead, naked and bound with duct tape in her southwest Albuquerque home in June. Webb had two broken ribs, an area of her carpet was blood-stained, and there was evidence of a struggle in the kitchen.</p>
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<p>Police said she was murdered. The Office of the Medical Investigator has said the cause of death is undetermined.</p>
<p>Webb is an unlikely murder victim by all accounts. She regularly volunteered to feed the homeless and worked for the state, helping developmentally disabled people.</p>
<p>Neighbors and friends are looking for answers about her death.</p>
<p>“There must be someone out there protecting something. If anybody has a conscience in the world … remember that Danette Webb was a person, she was a wonderful person,” Hagler said in a recent interview. “Right now, she’s been forgotten. She has been totally forgotten.”</p>
<p>Danette Webb, 53, was found dead, naked and bound with duct tape in her southwest Albuquerque home in June. (Courtesy of Suzan Hagler)</p>
<p>Hagler remembers walking into Webb’s house after the crime tape came down and the body was gone. She saw a patch of blood in the house’s front bedroom. She didn’t see any other blood in the house.</p>
<p>Webb’s body was found in a different bedroom.</p>
<p>After finding the stain, Hagler ran home for her carpet cutter. She cut out the circle, but the blood had seeped into the floor. So she started cutting into the floor.</p>
<p>“I cut as deeply as I could. The blood still kept going,” she said. “I realized if I kept going, I was going to see the dirt beneath this house. But I had to do it to even be able to be in that house.”</p>
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<p>The police report did not mention any blood in the home. There was no report of blood loss in the autopsy, nor injuries consistent with blood loss. It says Webb had two broken ribs, and scattered abrasions and bruises – no cuts.</p>
<p>“Obvious significant trauma, natural disease and infection have been excluded” as definitive causes of her death, the autopsy report reads. “Circumstances surrounding the death and law enforcement’s investigation of the scene are concerning for foul play. The manner of death is undetermined.”</p>
<p>Webb’s body, found June 30, was starting to decompose. Her hands and feet were duct-taped in front of her, and a piece of duct tape covered her mouth. The autopsy report doesn’t give a time or day of death.</p>
<p>Neck injuries and evidence of asphyxiation can be difficult to see or detect once the body has started to decompose, the autopsy report states. It also says the possibility that Webb died from a “subtle or early disease,” or an irregular heartbeat, cannot be ruled out.</p>
<p>No suspects</p>
<p>An Albuquerque Police Department spokesman said police have no person or persons of interest in the case.</p>
<p>Friends of Danette Webb plan to distribute this flier around town in the hopes someone will call police with information about her murder.</p>
<p>Police told Webb’s friends they have DNA evidence from a male offender, but didn’t say where the DNA was left.</p>
<p>The department refused to confirm that or discuss details of the case. It’s unclear if that DNA has been matched to a suspect.</p>
<p>A sex crimes detective drafted three warrants to search Webb’s home after her body was found by co-workers. They were worried when Webb – who was very punctual – didn’t show up for work that Monday.</p>
<p>The first warrant states police were looking for Webb’s identification, bank statements, photographs of the house, blood-stained clothing and cash.</p>
<p>In the second warrant, signed the following day, police were looking for “any and all material/books pertaining to bondage.”</p>
<p>A third warrant was drafted for “possible blood, DNA and body fluids (that) still needed to be collected” by police.</p>
<p>There was no evidence of genital trauma, the autopsy report states.</p>
<p>More than $3,000 in cash was left in a lock box in the house, and Webb’s purse – which held her credit cards and around $200 in cash – was left untouched in the kitchen, Hagler said.</p>
<p>Hagler, Webb’s partner for more than a decade, said Webb was private about her personal life and rarely dated after the pair split in 2007. They remained close friends, she said.</p>
<p>And Debbie DiSanti, one of Webb’s close friends, confirmed that.</p>
<p>“We weren’t gossiping or trading messages like men think women do,” she said when they talked. “We talked about philosophy.”</p>
<p>Webb loved taking her German shepherd named Girl and mixed terrier Piper for walks on the West Mesa’s volcanoes. She often spent her birthdays in a cabin near Chama, taking the dogs hiking on nearby trails.</p>
<p>She would have turned 54 last month. She loved good chocolate and coffee, Sandia cigarettes and classic ’70s rock. She didn’t have a television and read the newspaper every day. She skipped over the bad news.</p>
<p>‘It is scary’</p>
<p>After her death, neighbors organized a vigil outside her small stucco house off of 86th and Bridge. More than 100 people – who knew her from work, the dog parks she frequented and from Noon Day Ministries where she volunteered weekly feeding the homeless – showed up to light candles and release blue balloons into the sky on a warm July evening.</p>
<p>“It is scary. We don’t know what happened,” said neighbor Debbie Ulibarri in late October. “We have beefed up security. I never used to lock my doors and now they’re double-locked. We take that extra precaution. You never know.”</p>
<p>Hagler and DiSanti are worried police have forgotten about Webb. They’re worried police don’t have any leads. And they’re worried that whoever did this is still out there.</p>
<p>APD spokesman Tanner Tixier said the investigation is still active and police are following “any and all leads.”</p>
<p>“We are working hard to track down the killer or killers in this case, and if the community or neighbors have any further questions or any need from us, they can reach out to us and we will address them as thoroughly as possible,” Tixier said. “They want an arrest overnight, and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I wish it did.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Hagler and DiSanti are taking matters into their own hands.</p>
<p>They printed fliers of Webb that they plan to hang up everywhere Webb frequented.</p>
<p>Hagler is also dealing with getting Webb’s estate in order. Webb left $73,314 to Health Care for the Homeless’ Art Street program in her will, and Hagler wrote a check to the organization in early October.</p>
<p>Hagler was wearing Webb’s clothing – from her shoes to her shirt to her socks – when she went to sign the check. She used one of Webb’s pens.</p>
<p>“Love from Danette,” the memo line read.</p>
<p>“She meant so much to me. She meant way more to me than I mean to myself,” Hagler said. “I would die for her. If only God made deals.”</p>
<p>Journal digital editor Robert Browman contributed to this report.</p>
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danette webb 53 found naked bound duct tape sw albuquerque home june loved outdoors often took two dogs treks west sides volcanoes copyright 2014 albuquerque journal nights suzan hagler imagines former partner strangled nights imagines smothered others running one room next bleeding screaming danette webb 53 found dead naked bound duct tape southwest albuquerque home june webb two broken ribs area carpet bloodstained evidence struggle kitchen advertisement police said murdered office medical investigator said cause death undetermined webb unlikely murder victim accounts regularly volunteered feed homeless worked state helping developmentally disabled people neighbors friends looking answers death must someone protecting something anybody conscience world remember danette webb person wonderful person hagler said recent interview right shes forgotten totally forgotten danette webb 53 found dead naked bound duct tape southwest albuquerque home june courtesy suzan hagler hagler remembers walking webbs house crime tape came body gone saw patch blood houses front bedroom didnt see blood house webbs body found different bedroom finding stain hagler ran home carpet cutter cut circle blood seeped floor started cutting floor cut deeply could blood still kept going said realized kept going going see dirt beneath house even able house advertisement police report mention blood home report blood loss autopsy injuries consistent blood loss says webb two broken ribs scattered abrasions bruises cuts obvious significant trauma natural disease infection excluded definitive causes death autopsy report reads circumstances surrounding death law enforcements investigation scene concerning foul play manner death undetermined webbs body found june 30 starting decompose hands feet ducttaped front piece duct tape covered mouth autopsy report doesnt give time day death neck injuries evidence asphyxiation difficult see detect body started decompose autopsy report states also says possibility webb died subtle early disease irregular heartbeat ruled suspects albuquerque police department spokesman said police person persons interest case friends danette webb plan distribute flier around town hopes someone call police information murder police told webbs friends dna evidence male offender didnt say dna left department refused confirm discuss details case unclear dna matched suspect sex crimes detective drafted three warrants search webbs home body found coworkers worried webb punctual didnt show work monday first warrant states police looking webbs identification bank statements photographs house bloodstained clothing cash second warrant signed following day police looking materialbooks pertaining bondage third warrant drafted possible blood dna body fluids still needed collected police evidence genital trauma autopsy report states 3000 cash left lock box house webbs purse held credit cards around 200 cash left untouched kitchen hagler said hagler webbs partner decade said webb private personal life rarely dated pair split 2007 remained close friends said debbie disanti one webbs close friends confirmed werent gossiping trading messages like men think women said talked talked philosophy webb loved taking german shepherd named girl mixed terrier piper walks west mesas volcanoes often spent birthdays cabin near chama taking dogs hiking nearby trails would turned 54 last month loved good chocolate coffee sandia cigarettes classic 70s rock didnt television read newspaper every day skipped bad news scary death neighbors organized vigil outside small stucco house 86th bridge 100 people knew work dog parks frequented noon day ministries volunteered weekly feeding homeless showed light candles release blue balloons sky warm july evening scary dont know happened said neighbor debbie ulibarri late october beefed security never used lock doors theyre doublelocked take extra precaution never know hagler disanti worried police forgotten webb theyre worried police dont leads theyre worried whoever still apd spokesman tanner tixier said investigation still active police following leads working hard track killer killers case community neighbors questions need us reach us address thoroughly possible tixier said want arrest overnight sometimes doesnt happen wish meanwhile hagler disanti taking matters hands printed fliers webb plan hang everywhere webb frequented hagler also dealing getting webbs estate order webb left 73314 health care homeless art street program hagler wrote check organization early october hagler wearing webbs clothing shoes shirt socks went sign check used one webbs pens love danette memo line read meant much meant way mean hagler said would die god made deals journal digital editor robert browman contributed report 160
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<p>Tera Chavez “didn’t like guns,” according to testimony this morning from a longtime friend with whom she had a complicated relationship.</p>
<p>Samantha Wheeler testified today — as the third week of the murder trial against Chavez’s husband, Levi Chavez, began — that she had been the maid of honor at the couple’s wedding.</p>
<p>Later on, in August 2007, Tera Chavez told Wheeler that she had been having an affair with Wheeler’s husband, Nick Wheeler.</p>
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<p>Three days after Levi Chavez allegedly killed Tera in the couples home in Los Lunas, Nick Wheeler confessed the affair to his wife. That was October 24, 2007, a date Samantha Wheeler remembered well because it was her birthday, she testified this morning.</p>
<p>Samantha Wheeler testified that her friendship with Tera Chavez began in high school and carried on into adulthood. She said knew Tera to have emotional ups and downs because of Levi’s infidelities, but never knew her to broadly depressed.</p>
<p>In the last months of Tera’s life, according to Wheeler’s testimony, “she was ready to move on.”</p>
<p>In an interview with detectives after Tera’s death, Samantha Wheeler said she believed the 26-year-old might be capable of suicide by drug overdose or by cutting her wrists. But Tera never would have shot herself, Samantha, told detectives.</p>
<p>Earlier this morning, during a hearing to decide whether an alibi witness for Levi Chavez had a Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying, his attorney asked for immunity from prosecution. Bryan McKay, the lead prosecutor on the Chavez case, said he would not be able to grant immunity to Russell Perea, the former APD officer who was sharing a police vehicle on the weekend Tera died. “If there was any kind of perjury, it would have been in Bernalillo County,” McKay said.</p>
<p>The question now is whether State District Judge George P. Eichwald, who is presiding over the Chavez murder, could grant Perea immunity. After conducting a brief interview with Perea and his attorney in chambers, Eichwald said in open court that he would research that question. The judge expects to announce his findings some time in the next week.</p>
<p>Prosecutors expect to rest their case on either Friday or next Monday.</p>
<p>10:03 a.m.</p>
<p>Russell Perea appears in court during the Levi Chavez murder trial on Monday, June 24, 2013. Perea is seeking to get out of testifying by asserting his Fifth Amendment rights. (KOAT-TV)</p>
<p>BERNALILLO–Levi Chavez’s APD partner on the weekend in 2007 when Chavez allegedly killed his wife may yet testify in the ongoing murder trial in state District Court. But if Russell Perea does testify, he’ll do so with a promise of immunity.</p>
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<p>State District Judge George P. Eichwald said during a hearing on Perea’s testimony this morning that he will look into whether he himself can grant the former APD officer his immunity.</p>
<p>Eichwald said he had a week or so to figure it out.</p>
<p>That’s because Perea wouldn’t take the stand until next week at the earliest, when Chavez’s attorney, David Serna, begins the presentation of his case in chief.</p>
<p>Serna had sought to compel Perea’s testimony as an alibi witness for Chavez.</p>
<p>But Perea, through his attorney, Sam Bregman, made it clear that he intended to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and that he would not testify.</p>
<p>“Every citizen in this country has the right to the Fifth Amendment,” Bregman said in court this morning. “Where are the immunity orders, judge? If they want my client’s testimony so bad, they need to grant him some kind of immunity.”</p>
<p>Bryan McKay, the chief prosecutor in Chavez’s murder case, said that if Perea takes the witness stand — regardless of any immunity order — any and all potential questions of Perea are fair game.</p>
<p>“If he gets called, we will assert our right to fully and effectively cross-examine him,” McKay said.</p>
<p>Also this morning, Eichwald ruled that prosecutors can play a recorded deposition Chavez gave in a civil wrongful death lawsuit against him.</p>
<p>The prosecutors, however, will only be allowed to play the audio of that recording.</p>
<p>Eichwald, picking up on a concern raised by Serna, said he didn’t want the jury to see the video, in part, because Chavez was dressed casually during the deposition and he didn’t appear pleased to be speaking with civil attorneys hired by the family of his dead wife, Tera Chavez.</p>
<p>— The following story appeared on page A1 of the Monday, June 24, 2013, edition of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>Copyright © 2013 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>One of Levi Chavez’s potential alibi witnesses is trying to get out of testifying in Chavez’s murder trial by asserting his Fifth Amendment rights, according to court filings, because he doesn’t want to “make waves” in a pending legal case of his own.</p>
<p>So Chavez’s attorney, David Serna, is seeking to compel the testimony of Russell Perea, who was sharing an Albuquerque Police Department vehicle with Chavez the weekend prosecutors allege that Chavez killed his wife.</p>
<p>State District Judge George P. Eichwald will decide at a hearing this morning, outside the presence of the jury, whether Perea must testify, the Journal has learned.</p>
<p>Prosecutors allege that Chavez, a former Albuquerque police officer, killed his wife in the couple’s home near Los Lunas last year on either Oct. 19, 20 or 21 with his APD-issued pistol and tried to make it look like a suicide.</p>
<p>Chavez contends that he discovered his wife’s body around 9 p.m. on Oct. 21, a Sunday. He claims he hadn’t been home since the previous Friday morning and that he had spent the weekend working two 2 p.m. to midnight shifts for APD and staying at the Albuquerque home of another officer with whom he was having an affair.</p>
<p>On Oct. 19 and 20, Perea and Chavez worked the West Side together.</p>
<p>In a motion to compel Perea’s testimony filed Thursday, Serna contends that Perea testified under oath in a deposition for a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Chavez that “he was in the physical presence of Levi Chavez for virtually the entire shift” on those two days and that “Levi Chavez never left the Westside Area Command during his shift.”</p>
<p>APD officials fired Perea in August 2011, four months after Chavez was indicted, for inconsistencies between statements he made about the Levi Chavez matter during the deposition, in an interview with Valencia County Sheriff’s deputies who were investigating Tera Chavez’s death and in an APD Internal Affairs investigation.</p>
<p>Serna pointed out two of those inconsistencies in his motion to compel Perea’s testimony: Perea said in one instance that he didn’t know Chavez prior to their employment at APD but later said the two had gone to high school together, and he at first said the two never shared a police vehicle after Tera’s death but later said they had.</p>
<p>APD records show that the last call Perea and Chavez took on Saturday, Oct. 20, was a domestic violence incident at 7:45 p.m.</p>
<p>Perea has maintained that the two were together virtually the entire shift. However, discrepancies in APD records raised questions for department officials about where he and Chavez had been that night and whether they had been together the whole shift, according to a city hearing officer’s summary of why Perea was fired.</p>
<p>Perea successfully sought through the city personnel board to get his job back.</p>
<p>According to the city hearing officer, APD officials never told Perea how he violated policies before they fired him. And APD Deputy Chiefs Allen Banks and Paul Feist, who is now retired, were unable to prove during personnel hearings earlier this year that Perea had been untruthful.</p>
<p>In a 19-page opinion dated in February, the hearing officer blasted APD and the city, saying the city failed “to demonstrate employee wrongdoing, much less that he deserved to be discharged.”</p>
<p>The city appealed the personnel board’s ruling, and a hearing is scheduled this week in state District Court.</p>
<p>In his motion to compel Perea’s testimony, Serna accused then-VCSO Detective Aaron Jones, the lead investigator in Tera Chavez’s death, of using “coercive, threatening interrogation techniques during (a) nearly three hour interview” with Perea.</p>
<p>“None of the statements Mr. Perea made during his deposition, which Aaron Jones claims are untruthful, are material misstatements of fact,” Serna wrote. “Therefore, Russell Perea is not in jeopardy for perjury or any other sort of criminal violation.”</p>
<p>On April 17, Serna served a subpoena on Perea through his attorney, Sam Bregman, for a pretrial interview in the murder case. Bregman told Serna, according to the motion, that he intended to seek a protective order to keep Perea off the stand.</p>
<p>In a follow-up letter on June 12 that was attached to Serna’s motion, Bregman wrote: “I have conferred with my client and it is still our position that Mr. Perea will be exercising his Fifth Amendment right not to testify at trial … .”</p>
<p>Reached by telephone Friday, Bregman confirmed that he plans to accompany Perea to this morning’s hearing. He declined to comment further.</p>
<p>Serna, in his motion, wrote that Bregman is “simply wanting to protect his client, and avoid ‘making waves’ ” in the upcoming appeal hearing.</p>
<p>“Although Mr. Bregman is justifiably concerned that thrusting Mr. Perea into a high profile murder case as an alibi witness for (Levi Chavez) might have a negative impact on Mr. Perea’s pending litigation, such concern does not amount to a Fifth Amendment privilege … ,” his motion states.</p>
<p>It is unclear whether prosecutors had planned to call Perea as a witness for the state, although his name was on a prosecution witness list from March 2012.</p>
<p>Thirteenth Judicial District Attorney Lemuel Martinez did not return a telephone message Friday.</p>
<p>Also on that witness list is Rita Brito, Levi Chavez’s mother. Chavez maintains that he went to his mother’s home in Los Lunas on Sunday evening Oct. 21, 2007, and that he left from there to go home and check on Tera. That’s when he said he found her dead.</p>
<p>The third of Chavez’s alibi witnesses is former APD officer Deborah Romero, with whom Levi Chavez was having an affair at the time of his wife’s death. Chavez maintains that he went to Romero’s Northeast Albuquerque home after finishing his shift at 12 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2007, and stayed the night.</p>
<p>Romero testified last week that Chavez did spend the night, but she doesn’t know what time he arrived, because she was asleep.</p>
<p>After this morning’s hearing, the trial is scheduled to move into its third week with testimony from more prosecution witnesses.</p>
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tera chavez didnt like guns according testimony morning longtime friend complicated relationship samantha wheeler testified today third week murder trial chavezs husband levi chavez began maid honor couples wedding later august 2007 tera chavez told wheeler affair wheelers husband nick wheeler advertisement three days levi chavez allegedly killed tera couples home los lunas nick wheeler confessed affair wife october 24 2007 date samantha wheeler remembered well birthday testified morning samantha wheeler testified friendship tera chavez began high school carried adulthood said knew tera emotional ups downs levis infidelities never knew broadly depressed last months teras life according wheelers testimony ready move interview detectives teras death samantha wheeler said believed 26yearold might capable suicide drug overdose cutting wrists tera never would shot samantha told detectives earlier morning hearing decide whether alibi witness levi chavez fifth amendment right avoid testifying attorney asked immunity prosecution bryan mckay lead prosecutor chavez case said would able grant immunity russell perea former apd officer sharing police vehicle weekend tera died kind perjury would bernalillo county mckay said question whether state district judge george p eichwald presiding chavez murder could grant perea immunity conducting brief interview perea attorney chambers eichwald said open court would research question judge expects announce findings time next week prosecutors expect rest case either friday next monday 1003 russell perea appears court levi chavez murder trial monday june 24 2013 perea seeking get testifying asserting fifth amendment rights koattv bernalillolevi chavezs apd partner weekend 2007 chavez allegedly killed wife may yet testify ongoing murder trial state district court russell perea testify hell promise immunity advertisement state district judge george p eichwald said hearing pereas testimony morning look whether grant former apd officer immunity eichwald said week figure thats perea wouldnt take stand next week earliest chavezs attorney david serna begins presentation case chief serna sought compel pereas testimony alibi witness chavez perea attorney sam bregman made clear intended assert fifth amendment right selfincrimination would testify every citizen country right fifth amendment bregman said court morning immunity orders judge want clients testimony bad need grant kind immunity bryan mckay chief prosecutor chavezs murder case said perea takes witness stand regardless immunity order potential questions perea fair game gets called assert right fully effectively crossexamine mckay said also morning eichwald ruled prosecutors play recorded deposition chavez gave civil wrongful death lawsuit prosecutors however allowed play audio recording eichwald picking concern raised serna said didnt want jury see video part chavez dressed casually deposition didnt appear pleased speaking civil attorneys hired family dead wife tera chavez following story appeared page a1 monday june 24 2013 edition albuquerque journal copyright 2013 albuquerque journal one levi chavezs potential alibi witnesses trying get testifying chavezs murder trial asserting fifth amendment rights according court filings doesnt want make waves pending legal case chavezs attorney david serna seeking compel testimony russell perea sharing albuquerque police department vehicle chavez weekend prosecutors allege chavez killed wife state district judge george p eichwald decide hearing morning outside presence jury whether perea must testify journal learned prosecutors allege chavez former albuquerque police officer killed wife couples home near los lunas last year either oct 19 20 21 apdissued pistol tried make look like suicide chavez contends discovered wifes body around 9 pm oct 21 sunday claims hadnt home since previous friday morning spent weekend working two 2 pm midnight shifts apd staying albuquerque home another officer affair oct 19 20 perea chavez worked west side together motion compel pereas testimony filed thursday serna contends perea testified oath deposition civil wrongful death lawsuit chavez physical presence levi chavez virtually entire shift two days levi chavez never left westside area command shift apd officials fired perea august 2011 four months chavez indicted inconsistencies statements made levi chavez matter deposition interview valencia county sheriffs deputies investigating tera chavezs death apd internal affairs investigation serna pointed two inconsistencies motion compel pereas testimony perea said one instance didnt know chavez prior employment apd later said two gone high school together first said two never shared police vehicle teras death later said apd records show last call perea chavez took saturday oct 20 domestic violence incident 745 pm perea maintained two together virtually entire shift however discrepancies apd records raised questions department officials chavez night whether together whole shift according city hearing officers summary perea fired perea successfully sought city personnel board get job back according city hearing officer apd officials never told perea violated policies fired apd deputy chiefs allen banks paul feist retired unable prove personnel hearings earlier year perea untruthful 19page opinion dated february hearing officer blasted apd city saying city failed demonstrate employee wrongdoing much less deserved discharged city appealed personnel boards ruling hearing scheduled week state district court motion compel pereas testimony serna accused thenvcso detective aaron jones lead investigator tera chavezs death using coercive threatening interrogation techniques nearly three hour interview perea none statements mr perea made deposition aaron jones claims untruthful material misstatements fact serna wrote therefore russell perea jeopardy perjury sort criminal violation april 17 serna served subpoena perea attorney sam bregman pretrial interview murder case bregman told serna according motion intended seek protective order keep perea stand followup letter june 12 attached sernas motion bregman wrote conferred client still position mr perea exercising fifth amendment right testify trial reached telephone friday bregman confirmed plans accompany perea mornings hearing declined comment serna motion wrote bregman simply wanting protect client avoid making waves upcoming appeal hearing although mr bregman justifiably concerned thrusting mr perea high profile murder case alibi witness levi chavez might negative impact mr pereas pending litigation concern amount fifth amendment privilege motion states unclear whether prosecutors planned call perea witness state although name prosecution witness list march 2012 thirteenth judicial district attorney lemuel martinez return telephone message friday also witness list rita brito levi chavezs mother chavez maintains went mothers home los lunas sunday evening oct 21 2007 left go home check tera thats said found dead third chavezs alibi witnesses former apd officer deborah romero levi chavez affair time wifes death chavez maintains went romeros northeast albuquerque home finishing shift 12 oct 21 2007 stayed night romero testified last week chavez spend night doesnt know time arrived asleep mornings hearing trial scheduled move third week testimony prosecution witnesses
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<p>BEIRUT (AP) — As Turkey threatens a bloody confrontation with a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in the main Syrian Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria, it faces the challenge of maintaining its old alliance with Washington and reinforcing a new rapprochement with Moscow.</p>
<p>The move comes as Syria once again finds itself on the precipice of a new conflict, after months of reduced violence and a surge in post-war stabilization plans. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Syrians in the northwest are fleeing the renewed violence amid a new government offensive in neighboring Idlib, converging on the Turkish border and igniting fears of a new wave of migration.</p>
<p>Turkey’s defense minister, Nurettin Canikli, said Friday there was no turning back from launching a ground assault on Syria’s Afrin enclave, saying the offensive had “de facto” started with sporadic Turkish military shelling of the area. Over the last week, Turkey has sent troops and tanks to the border and rallied Syrian fighters it has backed for the fight against Afrin’s battle-hardened Kurdish fighters, estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000.</p>
<p>The operation could spill into a wider Turkish-Kurdish confrontation inside Turkey. It also threatens to turn into a humanitarian disaster. The Afrin district houses no less than 800,000 civilians, including displaced people from earlier years of the Syrian war.</p>
<p>Turkey has been preparing for a showdown in Afrin for a while. But the recent escalation coincides with U.S. announcements that it is creating a new 30,000-strong Kurdish-led border force to secure the frontiers of Kurdish-controlled areas, including with Turkey and Iraq, to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>Moscow’s green light is necessary for a Turkish operation into Afrin, where Russian military observers have deployed since last year to prevent such a confrontation.</p>
<p>Activists and Kurdish fighters have denied claims in Turkish media that Russian troops have begun a withdrawal.</p>
<p>Russia, Iran and Turkey are interested in limiting the U.S. presence in Syria, and have protested Washington’s plans to create the border force, viewed as a U.S. attempt to create a buffer zone where Iranian and Syrian government influence ends.</p>
<p>Ankara’s military operations in Syria began in 2016 in large part to curtail the formation of a contiguous territory under Kurdish control along its borders. It successfully severed that territorial continuity when it deployed its troops and proxy Syrian fighters to areas between Kurdish enclaves in eastern and western Syria.</p>
<p>Afrin remained the only Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria, encircled by Turkey-backed rebels, and Turkey has been preparing an assault for over a year. Turkey claims that Afrin is an operating base for fighters of its own outlawed Kurdish insurgent group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to infiltrate Turkish territories.</p>
<p>In dealing with the conflicts in Afrin and Idlib, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown political acumen, juggling national security interests and domestic election concerns, while exerting pressure on Washington and Moscow for his long-term strategic objectives. The threats of an offensive against Kurdish fighters help consolidate nationalist support for Erdogan, who faces a crucial election next year.</p>
<p>With an assault on Afrin, Turkey seeks to further undermine the Kurdish dream of federalized rule in northern Syria. Driving the Kurdish militia out of Afrin would also allow Turkey-backed Syrian fighters supporting its offensive to link Idlib to Syria’s largest city, Aleppo.</p>
<p>Turkey deployed troops in November in Idlib to monitor a de-escalation agreement with Russia and Iran, but they were more strategically stationed along the border with Afrin.</p>
<p>The timing reflects Turkey’s increased frustration with U.S. support for Kurdish forces in Syria, who are now in control of nearly 25 percent of the country, in areas that straddle the Turkish and Iraqi border.</p>
<p>“Turkey remains a loyal and trusted friend and ally of the U.S. and the West. But that does not mean we will accept being treated as sacrificial animals just because a couple of American generals want to embark on an adventure in the Middle East,” Ilnur Cevik, an Erdogan presidential adviser, wrote in the Turkish daily Sabah.</p>
<p>Despite assurances to Turkey from State Secretary Rex Tillerson, who says the Kurdish-led border force has been misrepresented, there doesn’t seem to be a major shift in U.S. policy in Syria.</p>
<p>“If anything, he exacerbated it. Erdogan will perceive Tillerson’s announcement of longer term U.S. presence in Syria as doubling down on our partnership with (the Kurdish militia), which does not de-escalate the Turks,” said Elizabeth Teoman, a Turkey researcher with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.</p>
<p>The Trump administration has been urging Turkey not to attack Afrin, asking Turkish officials to avoid unilateral actions, said two U.S. officials, who weren’t authorized to discuss diplomatic conversations and demanded anonymity.</p>
<p>The U.S military doesn’t have any presence in Afrin, one of the officials said, but a Turkish operation there could have an impact on U.S. operations further east in Syria. The U.S. worries that such an operation could prove to be a distraction from defeating the last vestiges of the Islamic State group, the officials said, adding that the new Kurdish-led border force is nothing new and should not come as a surprise to the Turkish government.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Turkey has maneuvered to curtail a wide Russian-backed Syrian government military operation in Idlib — the largest remaining insurgent-held area in Syria. The offensive has already caused tens of thousands to flee and has threatened to undermine Erdogan’s clout in the region.</p>
<p>Turkey’s threatened ground assault in Afrin comes as the Idlib operation has intensified, with the Syrian government positioning rival troops near Turkey’s forces there, threatening Turkey-backed Syrian insurgents in the province and creating conditions for a humanitarian disaster.</p>
<p>As the offensive has unfolded, Russian bases in Syria have come under unprecedented drone attacks, sparking tension between Moscow and Turkey amid accusations that such drones would have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation technology.</p>
<p>A Syrian Kurdish official, Ilham Ahmed, said the Russians were “bargaining” with Turkey over Afrin in exchange for allowing the government to take Idlib. Russia would prefer handing over Idlib to the Syrian government, instead of Turkey-backed opposition fighters. What to do with al-Qaida-linked group remains a dilemma for all parties, and is a sticking point between the U.S. and Turkey.</p>
<p>Last week, the government offensive in Idlib slowed down amid a counteroffensive from the rebel forces and bad weather. But the airstrikes continued and the number of the province’s displaced resident has reached about 215,000 since mid-December.</p>
<p>_______</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>BEIRUT (AP) — As Turkey threatens a bloody confrontation with a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in the main Syrian Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria, it faces the challenge of maintaining its old alliance with Washington and reinforcing a new rapprochement with Moscow.</p>
<p>The move comes as Syria once again finds itself on the precipice of a new conflict, after months of reduced violence and a surge in post-war stabilization plans. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Syrians in the northwest are fleeing the renewed violence amid a new government offensive in neighboring Idlib, converging on the Turkish border and igniting fears of a new wave of migration.</p>
<p>Turkey’s defense minister, Nurettin Canikli, said Friday there was no turning back from launching a ground assault on Syria’s Afrin enclave, saying the offensive had “de facto” started with sporadic Turkish military shelling of the area. Over the last week, Turkey has sent troops and tanks to the border and rallied Syrian fighters it has backed for the fight against Afrin’s battle-hardened Kurdish fighters, estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000.</p>
<p>The operation could spill into a wider Turkish-Kurdish confrontation inside Turkey. It also threatens to turn into a humanitarian disaster. The Afrin district houses no less than 800,000 civilians, including displaced people from earlier years of the Syrian war.</p>
<p>Turkey has been preparing for a showdown in Afrin for a while. But the recent escalation coincides with U.S. announcements that it is creating a new 30,000-strong Kurdish-led border force to secure the frontiers of Kurdish-controlled areas, including with Turkey and Iraq, to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>Moscow’s green light is necessary for a Turkish operation into Afrin, where Russian military observers have deployed since last year to prevent such a confrontation.</p>
<p>Activists and Kurdish fighters have denied claims in Turkish media that Russian troops have begun a withdrawal.</p>
<p>Russia, Iran and Turkey are interested in limiting the U.S. presence in Syria, and have protested Washington’s plans to create the border force, viewed as a U.S. attempt to create a buffer zone where Iranian and Syrian government influence ends.</p>
<p>Ankara’s military operations in Syria began in 2016 in large part to curtail the formation of a contiguous territory under Kurdish control along its borders. It successfully severed that territorial continuity when it deployed its troops and proxy Syrian fighters to areas between Kurdish enclaves in eastern and western Syria.</p>
<p>Afrin remained the only Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria, encircled by Turkey-backed rebels, and Turkey has been preparing an assault for over a year. Turkey claims that Afrin is an operating base for fighters of its own outlawed Kurdish insurgent group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to infiltrate Turkish territories.</p>
<p>In dealing with the conflicts in Afrin and Idlib, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown political acumen, juggling national security interests and domestic election concerns, while exerting pressure on Washington and Moscow for his long-term strategic objectives. The threats of an offensive against Kurdish fighters help consolidate nationalist support for Erdogan, who faces a crucial election next year.</p>
<p>With an assault on Afrin, Turkey seeks to further undermine the Kurdish dream of federalized rule in northern Syria. Driving the Kurdish militia out of Afrin would also allow Turkey-backed Syrian fighters supporting its offensive to link Idlib to Syria’s largest city, Aleppo.</p>
<p>Turkey deployed troops in November in Idlib to monitor a de-escalation agreement with Russia and Iran, but they were more strategically stationed along the border with Afrin.</p>
<p>The timing reflects Turkey’s increased frustration with U.S. support for Kurdish forces in Syria, who are now in control of nearly 25 percent of the country, in areas that straddle the Turkish and Iraqi border.</p>
<p>“Turkey remains a loyal and trusted friend and ally of the U.S. and the West. But that does not mean we will accept being treated as sacrificial animals just because a couple of American generals want to embark on an adventure in the Middle East,” Ilnur Cevik, an Erdogan presidential adviser, wrote in the Turkish daily Sabah.</p>
<p>Despite assurances to Turkey from State Secretary Rex Tillerson, who says the Kurdish-led border force has been misrepresented, there doesn’t seem to be a major shift in U.S. policy in Syria.</p>
<p>“If anything, he exacerbated it. Erdogan will perceive Tillerson’s announcement of longer term U.S. presence in Syria as doubling down on our partnership with (the Kurdish militia), which does not de-escalate the Turks,” said Elizabeth Teoman, a Turkey researcher with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.</p>
<p>The Trump administration has been urging Turkey not to attack Afrin, asking Turkish officials to avoid unilateral actions, said two U.S. officials, who weren’t authorized to discuss diplomatic conversations and demanded anonymity.</p>
<p>The U.S military doesn’t have any presence in Afrin, one of the officials said, but a Turkish operation there could have an impact on U.S. operations further east in Syria. The U.S. worries that such an operation could prove to be a distraction from defeating the last vestiges of the Islamic State group, the officials said, adding that the new Kurdish-led border force is nothing new and should not come as a surprise to the Turkish government.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Turkey has maneuvered to curtail a wide Russian-backed Syrian government military operation in Idlib — the largest remaining insurgent-held area in Syria. The offensive has already caused tens of thousands to flee and has threatened to undermine Erdogan’s clout in the region.</p>
<p>Turkey’s threatened ground assault in Afrin comes as the Idlib operation has intensified, with the Syrian government positioning rival troops near Turkey’s forces there, threatening Turkey-backed Syrian insurgents in the province and creating conditions for a humanitarian disaster.</p>
<p>As the offensive has unfolded, Russian bases in Syria have come under unprecedented drone attacks, sparking tension between Moscow and Turkey amid accusations that such drones would have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation technology.</p>
<p>A Syrian Kurdish official, Ilham Ahmed, said the Russians were “bargaining” with Turkey over Afrin in exchange for allowing the government to take Idlib. Russia would prefer handing over Idlib to the Syrian government, instead of Turkey-backed opposition fighters. What to do with al-Qaida-linked group remains a dilemma for all parties, and is a sticking point between the U.S. and Turkey.</p>
<p>Last week, the government offensive in Idlib slowed down amid a counteroffensive from the rebel forces and bad weather. But the airstrikes continued and the number of the province’s displaced resident has reached about 215,000 since mid-December.</p>
<p>_______</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
beirut ap turkey threatens bloody confrontation usbacked kurdish militia main syrian kurdish enclave northwestern syria faces challenge maintaining old alliance washington reinforcing new rapprochement moscow move comes syria finds precipice new conflict months reduced violence surge postwar stabilization plans meanwhile tens thousands syrians northwest fleeing renewed violence amid new government offensive neighboring idlib converging turkish border igniting fears new wave migration turkeys defense minister nurettin canikli said friday turning back launching ground assault syrias afrin enclave saying offensive de facto started sporadic turkish military shelling area last week turkey sent troops tanks border rallied syrian fighters backed fight afrins battlehardened kurdish fighters estimated 8000 10000 operation could spill wider turkishkurdish confrontation inside turkey also threatens turn humanitarian disaster afrin district houses less 800000 civilians including displaced people earlier years syrian war turkey preparing showdown afrin recent escalation coincides us announcements creating new 30000strong kurdishled border force secure frontiers kurdishcontrolled areas including turkey iraq prevent resurgence islamic state militants moscows green light necessary turkish operation afrin russian military observers deployed since last year prevent confrontation activists kurdish fighters denied claims turkish media russian troops begun withdrawal russia iran turkey interested limiting us presence syria protested washingtons plans create border force viewed us attempt create buffer zone iranian syrian government influence ends ankaras military operations syria began 2016 large part curtail formation contiguous territory kurdish control along borders successfully severed territorial continuity deployed troops proxy syrian fighters areas kurdish enclaves eastern western syria afrin remained kurdish enclave northwestern syria encircled turkeybacked rebels turkey preparing assault year turkey claims afrin operating base fighters outlawed kurdish insurgent group kurdistan workers party pkk infiltrate turkish territories dealing conflicts afrin idlib turkish president recep tayyip erdogan shown political acumen juggling national security interests domestic election concerns exerting pressure washington moscow longterm strategic objectives threats offensive kurdish fighters help consolidate nationalist support erdogan faces crucial election next year assault afrin turkey seeks undermine kurdish dream federalized rule northern syria driving kurdish militia afrin would also allow turkeybacked syrian fighters supporting offensive link idlib syrias largest city aleppo turkey deployed troops november idlib monitor deescalation agreement russia iran strategically stationed along border afrin timing reflects turkeys increased frustration us support kurdish forces syria control nearly 25 percent country areas straddle turkish iraqi border turkey remains loyal trusted friend ally us west mean accept treated sacrificial animals couple american generals want embark adventure middle east ilnur cevik erdogan presidential adviser wrote turkish daily sabah despite assurances turkey state secretary rex tillerson says kurdishled border force misrepresented doesnt seem major shift us policy syria anything exacerbated erdogan perceive tillersons announcement longer term us presence syria doubling partnership kurdish militia deescalate turks said elizabeth teoman turkey researcher washingtonbased institute study war trump administration urging turkey attack afrin asking turkish officials avoid unilateral actions said two us officials werent authorized discuss diplomatic conversations demanded anonymity us military doesnt presence afrin one officials said turkish operation could impact us operations east syria us worries operation could prove distraction defeating last vestiges islamic state group officials said adding new kurdishled border force nothing new come surprise turkish government meanwhile turkey maneuvered curtail wide russianbacked syrian government military operation idlib largest remaining insurgentheld area syria offensive already caused tens thousands flee threatened undermine erdogans clout region turkeys threatened ground assault afrin comes idlib operation intensified syrian government positioning rival troops near turkeys forces threatening turkeybacked syrian insurgents province creating conditions humanitarian disaster offensive unfolded russian bases syria come unprecedented drone attacks sparking tension moscow turkey amid accusations drones would required assistance country possessing satellite navigation technology syrian kurdish official ilham ahmed said russians bargaining turkey afrin exchange allowing government take idlib russia would prefer handing idlib syrian government instead turkeybacked opposition fighters alqaidalinked group remains dilemma parties sticking point us turkey last week government offensive idlib slowed amid counteroffensive rebel forces bad weather airstrikes continued number provinces displaced resident reached 215000 since middecember _______ associated press writers suzan frazer ankara turkey josh lederman washington contributed report beirut ap turkey threatens bloody confrontation usbacked kurdish militia main syrian kurdish enclave northwestern syria faces challenge maintaining old alliance washington reinforcing new rapprochement moscow move comes syria finds precipice new conflict months reduced violence surge postwar stabilization plans meanwhile tens thousands syrians northwest fleeing renewed violence amid new government offensive neighboring idlib converging turkish border igniting fears new wave migration turkeys defense minister nurettin canikli said friday turning back launching ground assault syrias afrin enclave saying offensive de facto started sporadic turkish military shelling area last week turkey sent troops tanks border rallied syrian fighters backed fight afrins battlehardened kurdish fighters estimated 8000 10000 operation could spill wider turkishkurdish confrontation inside turkey also threatens turn humanitarian disaster afrin district houses less 800000 civilians including displaced people earlier years syrian war turkey preparing showdown afrin recent escalation coincides us announcements creating new 30000strong kurdishled border force secure frontiers kurdishcontrolled areas including turkey iraq prevent resurgence islamic state militants moscows green light necessary turkish operation afrin russian military observers deployed since last year prevent confrontation activists kurdish fighters denied claims turkish media russian troops begun withdrawal russia iran turkey interested limiting us presence syria protested washingtons plans create border force viewed us attempt create buffer zone iranian syrian government influence ends ankaras military operations syria began 2016 large part curtail formation contiguous territory kurdish control along borders successfully severed territorial continuity deployed troops proxy syrian fighters areas kurdish enclaves eastern western syria afrin remained kurdish enclave northwestern syria encircled turkeybacked rebels turkey preparing assault year turkey claims afrin operating base fighters outlawed kurdish insurgent group kurdistan workers party pkk infiltrate turkish territories dealing conflicts afrin idlib turkish president recep tayyip erdogan shown political acumen juggling national security interests domestic election concerns exerting pressure washington moscow longterm strategic objectives threats offensive kurdish fighters help consolidate nationalist support erdogan faces crucial election next year assault afrin turkey seeks undermine kurdish dream federalized rule northern syria driving kurdish militia afrin would also allow turkeybacked syrian fighters supporting offensive link idlib syrias largest city aleppo turkey deployed troops november idlib monitor deescalation agreement russia iran strategically stationed along border afrin timing reflects turkeys increased frustration us support kurdish forces syria control nearly 25 percent country areas straddle turkish iraqi border turkey remains loyal trusted friend ally us west mean accept treated sacrificial animals couple american generals want embark adventure middle east ilnur cevik erdogan presidential adviser wrote turkish daily sabah despite assurances turkey state secretary rex tillerson says kurdishled border force misrepresented doesnt seem major shift us policy syria anything exacerbated erdogan perceive tillersons announcement longer term us presence syria doubling partnership kurdish militia deescalate turks said elizabeth teoman turkey researcher washingtonbased institute study war trump administration urging turkey attack afrin asking turkish officials avoid unilateral actions said two us officials werent authorized discuss diplomatic conversations demanded anonymity us military doesnt presence afrin one officials said turkish operation could impact us operations east syria us worries operation could prove distraction defeating last vestiges islamic state group officials said adding new kurdishled border force nothing new come surprise turkish government meanwhile turkey maneuvered curtail wide russianbacked syrian government military operation idlib largest remaining insurgentheld area syria offensive already caused tens thousands flee threatened undermine erdogans clout region turkeys threatened ground assault afrin comes idlib operation intensified syrian government positioning rival troops near turkeys forces threatening turkeybacked syrian insurgents province creating conditions humanitarian disaster offensive unfolded russian bases syria come unprecedented drone attacks sparking tension moscow turkey amid accusations drones would required assistance country possessing satellite navigation technology syrian kurdish official ilham ahmed said russians bargaining turkey afrin exchange allowing government take idlib russia would prefer handing idlib syrian government instead turkeybacked opposition fighters alqaidalinked group remains dilemma parties sticking point us turkey last week government offensive idlib slowed amid counteroffensive rebel forces bad weather airstrikes continued number provinces displaced resident reached 215000 since middecember _______ associated press writers suzan frazer ankara turkey josh lederman washington contributed report
| 1,322 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Bank Of Marin Bancorp:</p> * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.17
<p>* Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.84 — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S</p> * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.80 EXCLUDING ITEMS
<p>* NET INTEREST INCOME TOTALED $20.1 MILLION IN Q4 OF 2017 COMPARED TO $18.8 MILLION IN PRIOR QUARTER Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
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<p>(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">SBUX.O</a>) and other coffee sellers must put a cancer warning on coffee sold in California, a Los Angeles judge has ruled, possibly exposing the companies to millions of dollars in fines.</p>
<p>A little-known not-for-profit group sued some 90 coffee retailers, including Starbucks, on grounds they were violating a California law requiring companies to warn consumers of chemicals in their products that could cause cancer.</p>
<p>One of those chemicals is acrylamide, a byproduct of roasting coffee beans that is present in high levels in brewed coffee.</p>
<p>Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle said in a decision dated Wednesday that Starbucks and other companies had failed to show there was no significant risk from a carcinogen produced in the coffee roasting process, court documents showed.</p>
<p>Starbucks and other defendants have until April 10 to file objections to the decision.</p>
<p>Starbucks declined to comment, referring reporters to a statement by the National Coffee Association (NCA) that said the industry was considering an appeal and further legal actions.</p>
<p>“Cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading. The U.S. government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” the NCA statement said.</p> FILE PHOTO - A woman holds a Frappuccino at a Starbucks store inside the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, United States, October 27, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
<p>In his decision, Berle said: “Defendants failed to satisfy their burden of proving by a preponderance of evidence that consumption of coffee confers a benefit to human health.”</p>
<p>Officials from Dunkin’ Donuts ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DNKN.O" type="external">DNKN.O</a>), McDonald’s Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MCD.N" type="external">MCD.N</a>), Peet’s and other big coffee sellers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>The lawsuit was filed in 2010 by the Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT). It calls for fines as large as $2,500 per person for every exposure to the chemical since 2002 at the defendants’ shops in California. Any civil penalties, which will be decided in a third phase of the trial, could be huge in California, which has a population of nearly 40 million.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">Starbucks Corp</a> 57.89 SBUX.O Nasdaq -0.01 (-0.02%) SBUX.O DNKN.O MCD.N
<p>CERT’s lawyer Raphael Metzger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>Starbucks lost the first phase of the trial in which it failed to show the level of acrylamide in coffee was below that which would pose a significant risk of cancer. In the second phase of the trial, defendants failed to prove there was an acceptable “alternative” risk level for the carcinogen, court documents showed.</p>
<p>Several defendants in the case settled before Wednesday’s decision, agreeing to post signage about the cancer-linked chemical and pay millions in fines, according to published reports.</p>
<p>Reporting by Nate Raymond; Additional reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Writing by Andrew Hay; Editing by Richard Chang and Leslie Adler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore’s competition watchdog said it had reasonable grounds to suspect competition had been infringed by Uber Technologies Inc’s [UBER.UL] deal to sell its operations in Southeast Asia to rival ride-hailing firm Grab.</p> FILE PHOTO: The Uber logo is seen on a screen in Singapore August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Picture
<p>In a rare move, the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has begun an investigation into the deal and proposed interim measures that will require Uber and Grab to maintain their pre-transaction independent pricing, the watchdog said in a statement on Friday.</p>
<p>The proposal also requires Uber and Grab not to take any action that might lead to the integration of their businesses in Singapore, a move likely to pose a major hurdle to the U.S. company’s attempt to improve profitability by exiting the loss-making Southeast Asian market.</p>
<p>It is the first time the commission has issued interim measures on any business in the country.</p>
<p>“To address consumer concerns, we have voluntarily committed to maintaining our fare structure and will not increase base fares. This is a commitment we are prepared to give the CCS, and to the public,” Lim Kell Jay, head of Grab Singapore, told Reuters in a statement.</p>
<p>Uber was not immediately available for comment.</p>
<p>Uber and Grab announced the deal on Monday, marking the U.S. company’s second retreat from an Asian market.</p>
<p>Under the deal, Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Grab, which is valued at around $6 billion, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join the Singapore-based company’s board.</p>
<p>CCS proposals also require both Grab and Uber not to obtain from each other any confidential information including pricing, customers and drivers.</p>
<p>The two firms will be given an opportunity to make written representations to the CCS upon receipt of the proposed interim measures, it said.</p> FILE PHOTO: A Grab vehicle is pictured in Singapore March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Edgar Su
<p>Singapore has a voluntary merger notification regime, and CCS has yet to receive the notification from Uber and Grab as of Friday, although the companies have indicated their intention to file a formal merger notification, CCS said.</p>
<p>“We had engaged with the CCS prior to signing and continue to do so,” Lim said.</p>
<p>“We have informed the CCS that we are making a voluntary notification no later than 16 April 2018 to continue to cooperate and engage with the CCS,” he added.</p>
<p>The deal is the industry’s first big consolidation in Southeast Asia, home to about 640 million people, and is widely expected to give Uber more firepower to focus on other markets including India, as it prepares for an IPO in 2019.</p>
<p>Uber lost $4.5 billion last year and is facing fierce competition at home in the United States and across Asia, as well as a regulatory crackdown in Europe. The firm has invested $700 million in its Southeast Asian operations.</p>
<p>Reporting by Miyoung Kim, additional reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Jacqueline Wong and Gareth Jones</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Snap Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SNAP.N" type="external">SNAP.N</a>) on Friday said it cut 7 percent of its global workforce in March, as disclosed by it in a regulatory filing <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1564408/000156459018007282/0001564590-18-007282-index.htm" type="external">here</a>.</p> A woman stands in front of the logo of Snap Inc. on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) while waiting for Snap Inc. to post their IPO, in New York City, NY, U.S. March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
<p>The social media company said it would incur about $10 million of cash expenditure due to severance costs to be reflected in the current quarter ending March 31.</p>
<p>As a result of the layoffs, primarily in its engineering and sales teams, the company said it sees savings of about $25 million in 2018.</p>
<p>The company had said it had 3,069 employees as of Dec. 31, 2017, according to its annual filing <a href="https://bit.ly/2pScNbz" type="external">bit.ly/2pScNbz</a>.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SNAP.N" type="external">Snap Inc</a> 15.87 SNAP.N New York Stock Exchange -0.08 (-0.50%) SNAP.N
<p>The Snapchat parent has been under pressure from investors to reduce costs after revenue fell short of analyst expectations during Snap’s first year as a publicly traded company.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, a company memo had shown that the company would cut just over 120 engineers and reorganize its engineering team, Reuters reported.</p>
<p>The Southern California-based company said the workforce reduction “is to align resources around our top strategic priorities and to reflect structural changes in our business.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean trade officials braved snowstorms, ate instant noodles to save time and spent weeks hotel-hopping in Washington as they raced to overcome major trade hurdles with their U.S. ally ahead of high-stakes nuclear discussions with North Korea.</p> FILE PHOTO: Rolled steel are seen at a Hyundai Steel plant in Dangjin, about 130 km (81 miles) southwest of Seoul June 15, 2011. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won
<p>What was meant to be a week-long trip to Washington stretched into a four-week marathon, as dozens of Seoul officials sought to wrap up talks aimed at amending the six-year-old U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement known as KORUS, according to several South Korean officials with direct knowledge of the matter.</p>
<p>U.S. plans announced earlier this month to impose hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports added urgency to the trade negotiations. As the third-largest steel exporter to the United States, South Korea had a lot to lose from 25 percent tariffs.</p>
<p>Seoul also felt it couldn’t afford a protracted trade dispute with its most important ally at a time when the two need to work together to contain a nuclear-armed North Korea, the officials told Reuters.</p>
<p>“This had to work well,” a senior official at South Korea’s presidential Blue House told Reuters. “It was right to settle this as soon as possible because if this remains ahead of inter-Korean talks and U.S.-North Korea talks, it could unnecessarily complicate our relationship.”</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump initially welcomed the breakthrough as a “great deal for American and Korean workers”, a marked turnaround from a year ago when he told Reuters he would either renegotiate or scrap what he called a “horrible” trade deal.</p>
<p>But Trump said on Thursday he may hold up signing it until after an agreement is reached with North Korea on denuclearisation, saying such a deal was “a very strong card” to ensure fairness on the new trade pact.</p>
<p>Trump is expected to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in May after the two Koreas hold their first summit in more than a decade in late April. All parties are expected to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea.</p> “FINALLY WITHIN REACH”
<p>Whenever South Korean President Moon Jae-in had a phone call with Trump to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue in recent months, Moon also raised the trade agenda, the Blue House official said.</p>
<p>In their latest call on March 16, while the two countries’ trade representatives were holding a third round of trade talks in Washington, Moon asked Trump to have a “keen interest” in the matter and work toward a speedy trade agreement before their respective summit meetings Kim, the Blue House said at the time.</p>
<p>Around that time, South Korean negotiators started to see a glimmer of hope they could save the trade pact, which has seen the U.S. goods trade deficit with South Korea double since 2012 when it took effect.</p>
<p>“The negotiations started to make progress around March 17, and that’s why our trade team decided to stay longer because they thought agreement was finally within reach,” said a South Korean senior trade ministry official.</p>
<p>The official and another trade official said nearly 30 South Korean negotiators had to move hotels repeatedly in Washington when their trip took longer than expected, at times finding themselves crammed into one hotel room to work on their negotiation strategy for the next day.</p>
<p>“We mostly lived off on instant noodles and quick seaweed rice wraps bought from Korean supermarkets to save time,” the official said.</p>
<p>The efforts culminated in a revised pact the two countries announced this week that gives U.S. automakers and pharmaceuticals more access to the South Korean market.</p>
<p>It also lifted the threat of a 25 percent U.S. tariff on South Korean steel in exchange for quotas that will cut imports of Korean steel by about 30 percent.</p>
<p>“We swiftly removed potential conflicts between the two countries at a time when close cooperation between South Korea and the United States is more important than ever,” a second senior Blue House official said.</p>
<p>All the South Korean officials interviewed by Reuters asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.</p> “AS COLD AS SIBERIA”
<p>The talks didn’t get off to a good start as the United States “kept asking us to make concessions unilaterally,” South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong said in an interview broadcast live to the Blue House’s Facebook account on Thursday.</p>
<p>“When we first met to talk, the mood was as cold as Siberia and our meeting only lasted for 21 minutes,” Kim said, referring to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. “Later on, we got closer and our relations developed to something like a bromance.”</p>
<p>From the start, South Korea saw that for the deal to survive, concessions were inevitable in autos, which made up over 70 percent of its 2017 trade surplus with the United States.</p>
<p>“If the free trade deal got terminated and 8 percent tariffs revived on South Korean auto exports, that would have been an absolute nightmare. Problem was, how do we sell a deal that doesn’t do anything good for us?,” a senior South Korean government official said.</p>
<p>“The steel issue effectively provided an opening. We make concessions in autos that we saw as inevitable anyway, and in return become the first country to be exempt from steel tariffs. This suddenly became a win-win.”</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: Nuclear North Korea - <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2lE5yjF" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2lE5yjF</a>)</p>
<p>Reporting By Jane Chung and Christine Kim. Additional reporting by Cynthia Kim. Editing by Soyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 22 reuters bank marin bancorp q4 earnings per share 017 q4 earnings per share view 084 thomson reuters ibes q4 earnings per share 080 excluding items net interest income totaled 201 million q4 2017 compared 188 million prior quarter source text eikon company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters starbucks corp sbuxo coffee sellers must put cancer warning coffee sold california los angeles judge ruled possibly exposing companies millions dollars fines littleknown notforprofit group sued 90 coffee retailers including starbucks grounds violating california law requiring companies warn consumers chemicals products could cause cancer one chemicals acrylamide byproduct roasting coffee beans present high levels brewed coffee los angeles superior court judge elihu berle said decision dated wednesday starbucks companies failed show significant risk carcinogen produced coffee roasting process court documents showed starbucks defendants april 10 file objections decision starbucks declined comment referring reporters statement national coffee association nca said industry considering appeal legal actions cancer warning labels coffee would misleading us governments dietary guidelines state coffee part healthy lifestyle nca statement said file photo woman holds frappuccino starbucks store inside tom bradley terminal lax airport los angeles california united states october 27 2015 reuterslucy nicholson decision berle said defendants failed satisfy burden proving preponderance evidence consumption coffee confers benefit human health officials dunkin donuts dnkno mcdonalds corp mcdn peets big coffee sellers immediately respond requests comment lawsuit filed 2010 council education research toxics cert calls fines large 2500 per person every exposure chemical since 2002 defendants shops california civil penalties decided third phase trial could huge california population nearly 40 million starbucks corp 5789 sbuxo nasdaq 001 002 sbuxo dnkno mcdn certs lawyer raphael metzger immediately respond request comment starbucks lost first phase trial failed show level acrylamide coffee would pose significant risk cancer second phase trial defendants failed prove acceptable alternative risk level carcinogen court documents showed several defendants case settled wednesdays decision agreeing post signage cancerlinked chemical pay millions fines according published reports reporting nate raymond additional reporting lisa baertlein writing andrew hay editing richard chang leslie adler standards thomson reuters trust principles singapore reuters singapores competition watchdog said reasonable grounds suspect competition infringed uber technologies incs uberul deal sell operations southeast asia rival ridehailing firm grab file photo uber logo seen screen singapore august 4 2017 reutersthomas whitefile picture rare move competition commission singapore ccs begun investigation deal proposed interim measures require uber grab maintain pretransaction independent pricing watchdog said statement friday proposal also requires uber grab take action might lead integration businesses singapore move likely pose major hurdle us companys attempt improve profitability exiting lossmaking southeast asian market first time commission issued interim measures business country address consumer concerns voluntarily committed maintaining fare structure increase base fares commitment prepared give ccs public lim kell jay head grab singapore told reuters statement uber immediately available comment uber grab announced deal monday marking us companys second retreat asian market deal uber take 275 percent stake grab valued around 6 billion uber ceo dara khosrowshahi join singaporebased companys board ccs proposals also require grab uber obtain confidential information including pricing customers drivers two firms given opportunity make written representations ccs upon receipt proposed interim measures said file photo grab vehicle pictured singapore march 26 2018 reutersedgar su singapore voluntary merger notification regime ccs yet receive notification uber grab friday although companies indicated intention file formal merger notification ccs said engaged ccs prior signing continue lim said informed ccs making voluntary notification later 16 april 2018 continue cooperate engage ccs added deal industrys first big consolidation southeast asia home 640 million people widely expected give uber firepower focus markets including india prepares ipo 2019 uber lost 45 billion last year facing fierce competition home united states across asia well regulatory crackdown europe firm invested 700 million southeast asian operations reporting miyoung kim additional reporting fathin ungku editing himani sarkar jacqueline wong gareth jones standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters snap inc snapn friday said cut 7 percent global workforce march disclosed regulatory filing woman stands front logo snap inc floor new york stock exchange nyse waiting snap inc post ipo new york city ny us march 2 2017 reuterslucas jackson social media company said would incur 10 million cash expenditure due severance costs reflected current quarter ending march 31 result layoffs primarily engineering sales teams company said sees savings 25 million 2018 company said 3069 employees dec 31 2017 according annual filing bitly2pscnbz snap inc 1587 snapn new york stock exchange 008 050 snapn snapchat parent pressure investors reduce costs revenue fell short analyst expectations snaps first year publicly traded company earlier month company memo shown company would cut 120 engineers reorganize engineering team reuters reported southern californiabased company said workforce reduction align resources around top strategic priorities reflect structural changes business reporting nivedita balu bengaluru editing sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles seoul reuters south korean trade officials braved snowstorms ate instant noodles save time spent weeks hotelhopping washington raced overcome major trade hurdles us ally ahead highstakes nuclear discussions north korea file photo rolled steel seen hyundai steel plant dangjin 130 km 81 miles southwest seoul june 15 2011 reuterslee jaewon meant weeklong trip washington stretched fourweek marathon dozens seoul officials sought wrap talks aimed amending sixyearold uskorea free trade agreement known korus according several south korean officials direct knowledge matter us plans announced earlier month impose hefty tariffs steel aluminum imports added urgency trade negotiations thirdlargest steel exporter united states south korea lot lose 25 percent tariffs seoul also felt couldnt afford protracted trade dispute important ally time two need work together contain nucleararmed north korea officials told reuters work well senior official south koreas presidential blue house told reuters right settle soon possible remains ahead interkorean talks usnorth korea talks could unnecessarily complicate relationship us president donald trump initially welcomed breakthrough great deal american korean workers marked turnaround year ago told reuters would either renegotiate scrap called horrible trade deal trump said thursday may hold signing agreement reached north korea denuclearisation saying deal strong card ensure fairness new trade pact trump expected meet north koreas kim jong un may two koreas hold first summit decade late april parties expected discuss denuclearisation north korea finally within reach whenever south korean president moon jaein phone call trump discuss north korean nuclear issue recent months moon also raised trade agenda blue house official said latest call march 16 two countries trade representatives holding third round trade talks washington moon asked trump keen interest matter work toward speedy trade agreement respective summit meetings kim blue house said time around time south korean negotiators started see glimmer hope could save trade pact seen us goods trade deficit south korea double since 2012 took effect negotiations started make progress around march 17 thats trade team decided stay longer thought agreement finally within reach said south korean senior trade ministry official official another trade official said nearly 30 south korean negotiators move hotels repeatedly washington trip took longer expected times finding crammed one hotel room work negotiation strategy next day mostly lived instant noodles quick seaweed rice wraps bought korean supermarkets save time official said efforts culminated revised pact two countries announced week gives us automakers pharmaceuticals access south korean market also lifted threat 25 percent us tariff south korean steel exchange quotas cut imports korean steel 30 percent swiftly removed potential conflicts two countries time close cooperation south korea united states important ever second senior blue house official said south korean officials interviewed reuters asked named due sensitivity issue cold siberia talks didnt get good start united states kept asking us make concessions unilaterally south korean trade minister kim hyunchong said interview broadcast live blue houses facebook account thursday first met talk mood cold siberia meeting lasted 21 minutes kim said referring us trade representative robert lighthizer later got closer relations developed something like bromance start south korea saw deal survive concessions inevitable autos made 70 percent 2017 trade surplus united states free trade deal got terminated 8 percent tariffs revived south korean auto exports would absolute nightmare problem sell deal doesnt anything good us senior south korean government official said steel issue effectively provided opening make concessions autos saw inevitable anyway return become first country exempt steel tariffs suddenly became winwin graphic nuclear north korea tmsnrtrs2le5yjf reporting jane chung christine kim additional reporting cynthia kim editing soyoung kim lincoln feast standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A HNA Group unit said on Thursday that some of its accounts with a local bank had been temporarily suspended this month - the latest in a series of financial woes at the Chinese conglomerate amid rising scrutiny of its heavy debt burden.</p> Illustration photo of the HNA logo December 21, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration
<p>Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co Ltd said in a filing to the Shanghai bourse that accounts at Ningbo Commerce Bank were frozen on Jan. 12, but had been unfrozen by Jan. 15 following what it called friendly discussions with the bank.</p>
<p>Its shares have been suspended since Jan. 12 when the firm disclosed it was working on major plan. It did not discose details of the plan or that some of its bank accounts had been frozen.</p>
<p>Tianjin Tianhai, parent of U.S. technology hardware and services distributor Ingram Micro Inc, said the accounts had been frozen due to a disagreement between controlling shareholder HNA Technology and the Ningbo lender over the due date of a loan. Tianjin Tianhai said it had guaranteed the loan.</p>
<p>Reuters could not immediately reach Ningbo Commerce Bank for comment on Thursday.</p>
<p>Nearly half of Chinese conglomerate HNA’s listed units have suspended trade in their shares, ahead of an anticipated restructuring among group companies. HNA faces rising financing costs after a $50 billion acquisition spree over the past two years.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, HNA said it has passed compliance checks by several global banks, a rare bit of good news for the cash-strapped conglomerate.</p>
<p>Tianjin Tianhai, which bought Ingram Micro last year for about $6 billion, this month denied it was selling the subsidiary after media reports about a planned disposal.</p>
<p>The firm said it would look to strengthen its communication with its lenders in future to avoid similar situations happening again.</p>
<p>Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Engen Tham and Matthew Miller; Editing by Edwina Gibbs</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian gas giant Gazprom will cut hundreds of jobs at its overseas trading and export offices, including Britain, and move them to St Petersburg, according to two sources familiar with the plan, which comes at a time of rising tensions with the West.</p> The logo of Gazprom is pictured at the 26th World Gas Conference in Paris, France, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
<p>One of the sources said the decision reflected a broader trend of Russian state firms retreating from the West as part of President Vladimir Putin’s drive to repatriate capital to reduce exposure to sanctions and also shore up the domestic economy.</p>
<p>“In Russia, this story can be sold as a job creation exercise on home turf. This is useful, especially ahead of the presidential election,” said the source, referring to the vote on Sunday that Putin is widely expected to win.</p>
<p>The reorganization comes as relations between Russia and Britain, where Gazprom has the largest trading office by far, have hit a new low after Prime Minister Theresa May said Moscow was to blame for the attempted murder a former Russian double agent in an English city.</p>
<p>However the jobs decision was taken earlier this year, long before the spy scandal erupted, according to the sources who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.</p>
<p>Gazprom, which has its headquarters in St Petersburg, said it was too early to comment on numbers and moves. The company last month that it planned to reorganize its overseas trading and export operations but gave no details.</p>
<p>“This work is aimed at strengthening the company’s position abroad,” a spokesman said.</p>
<p>Gazprom’s overseas trading and exports divisions employ around 2,000 people, with the bulk of them - around 1,000 - in London. It also has offices in locations including Paris, Houston, Singapore and cities in Germany. Not all employees are traders, as they also include finance and logistics specialists.</p>
<p>The reorganization will see the number of people more than halved, while about the same number of people will be hired in St Petersburg from where many trading operations will be executed, according to one of the sources who did not give more specific details about where the cuts would happen.</p>
<p>Since setting up Gazprom’s trading offices in London in 2005, Gazprom has hired dozens of top traders from rival companies such as Total and Gunvor.</p> REPATRIATING CAPITAL
<p>Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 triggered a series of U.S. and EU sanctions against the Kremlin and its companies, and ties have worsened further after Russia was accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.</p>
<p>Russian state banks such as VTB and companies such as Rosneft have since scaled back their presence in the West, while some of Putin’s closest allies such as businessman Gennady Timchenko have sold their assets in the West and repatriated capital to Russia.</p>
<p>The West has repeatedly accused Putin of using Gazprom as a economic and political weapon after the gas behemoth cut supplies to Ukraine, thus disrupting deliveries to Europe. Moscow denies that charge.</p>
<p>Europe gets a third of its gas from Russia, and Gazprom has spent 15 years on building a mighty trading division to help it further boost that share.</p>
<p>The plan to move Gazprom’s trading headquarters from London to St Petersburg was first considered by the company’s management in 2015 but it was put on ice due to concerns about an exodus of people and the difficulties of raising credit for a capital-intensive operation, according to Gazprom sources.</p>
<p>The last time Gazprom’s marketing and trading division published its results, for 2014, it said it made a net income of $613 million and a return on equity of 41 percent while staff costs stood at $162 million. The unit has not published results since.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Olesya Astakhova; Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov and Pravin Char</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As U.S. President Donald Trump forges ahead with his controversial trade policies, even financial experts who enthusiastically applaud many of Trump’s other policies are worried that the protectionist measures could hurt U.S. growth, Reuters interviews with more than two dozen such specialists show.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the news media before boarding Marine One helicopter to depart for travel to California via Joint Base Andrews from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
<p>“It is almost unimaginable that an educated, business-friendly politician would revert to protectionist policies in 2018, but Trump’s embrace of tariffs points to a very bleak period for global trade and investment” said William Megginson, a professor of finance at the University of Oklahoma, who rates both Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation efforts a perfect “10.”</p>
<p>Though Trump’s policies “on balance have been good for growth,” he said, Trump’s decision last week to slap tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum is “the single dumbest step the Trump administration has taken.”</p>
<p>The tariffs, and the threat of more to come, have drawn wide condemnation from economists of all political stripes. In a recent blog post, for instance, Harvard University’s Dani Rodrik called the tariffs “small potatoes” in and of themselves, but fretted that in today’s globalized world they could be more destructive than the sweeping restrictions imposed by President Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>Of 30 financial experts polled by Reuters who rate Trump’s other economic policies in glowing terms, only a handful expressed even lukewarm support for the tariffs.</p>
<p>“A fairer appraisal is to view them as bargaining ploys rather than serious long-run changes in trade policy,” said Marjorie Baldwin, a professor at Arizona State University’s Carey School of Business who gave the tariffs a slightly positive “6.”</p>
<p>The fact that the distaste for tariffs is prevalent even among those largely supportive of Trump’s policies is notable as the president acts on campaign promises that many thought his business-friendly economic team, led by Gary Cohn, would keep him from carrying out. Cohn resigned after last week’s tariff announcement.</p>
<p>Cohn’s likely successor, CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow, “has come around” to supporting tariffs as a negotiating tool, Trump said Tuesday, as reports emerged the president is seeking tariffs on $60 billion of Chinese imports. Over the weekend Trump also repeated his threat to tax European-made cars.</p> Related Video
<p>Lloyd Cohen, a law professor at George Mason University with a master’s degree in economics, gave Trump generally high marks for his policies, except the tariffs.</p>
<p>“The only saving grace for us with this protectionist nonsense is that we are a huge country with enormous markets and competition and so such policies do less damage here&#160;than they would in let us say, Argentina,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ann Saphir; editing by Diane Craft</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices gained 0.4 percent in choppy trade on Wednesday, after a report showing a bigger-than-expected U.S. crude stock build was offset by large distillate and gasoline inventory draws.</p> FILE PHOTO - A pump jack is seen at sunrise near Bakersfield, California October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
<p>U.S. crude stocks rose by 5 million barrels, the biggest jump since late January, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Expectations had been for a 2 million barrel build. But there was a larger-than-expected draw on fuel stocks.</p>
<p>“We’re not pressuring the downside that much. Of course, the reason is because we had some unexpectedly large draws in distillates and gasoline that, when added together, are two times bigger than the crude build,” said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.</p>
<p>Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were up 25 cents, or 0.4 percent, to settle at $64.89 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 also gained 25 cents, to settle at $60.96 per barrel.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we have a clear set of directions, and I don’t think this (EIA) report gives that much of an insight as to whether the rebalance continues or not. We continue to just chop around here,” said Gene McGillian, manager of market research at Tradition Energy.</p>
<p>Prices were pressured after The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said in its monthly report that supply from non-members is likely to grow by 1.66 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2018, almost double the growth it predicted in November, largely due to rising U.S. supply.</p>
<p>OPEC also said oil inventories across the most industrialized countries rose in January for the first time in eight months, a sign the impact of its output cuts may be waning. OPEC trimmed its 2018 demand forecast for its own crude by 250,000 bpd to 32.61 million bpd, a fourth consecutive decline.</p>
<p>“According to the OPEC report, demand for OPEC’s oil must be 33 million barrels per day for the rest of the year to get rid of any remaining oversupply,” Commerzbank strategist Carsten Fritsch said.</p>
<p>Oil prices got a boost early in the session from a broader investor push into commodities after Chinese data showed industrial production in the world’s largest importer of raw materials grew more than expected over the first two months of the year.</p>
<p>Oil may also soon get some support from seasonal demand.</p>
<p>“We are now only two to four weeks away from when weekly oil inventory data will start to draw again which should be supportive for oil prices,” SEB commodities strategist Bjarne Schieldrop said.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper and Henning Gloystein; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Leslie Adler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embattled blood-testing company Theranos Inc and its Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes agreed to settle “massive fraud” charges in a deal that strips her of majority control among other penalties, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Theranos was once hailed as a Silicon Valley star, with a $9 billion valuation based on its promise to disrupt the staid laboratory testing business with new technology the company claimed could analyze a single drop of blood. Founded in 2003, its fortunes began to wane in 2015 after Wall Street Journal reports suggested its devices were flawed and inaccurate.</p>
<p>As part of the settlement, the Securities and Exchange Commission said company founder Holmes must also return millions of shares to the privately held company, pay a $500,000 fine and cannot serve as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.</p>
<p>The SEC’s complaint alleged that the company, Holmes and Theranos’ former president, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, “made numerous false and misleading statements in investor presentations, product demonstrations, and media articles” about its key product.</p>
<p>Balwani did not agree to a settlement, the agency said.</p>
<p>Theranos raised more than $750 million from investors including well-known venture capital firm DFJ, Walgreens, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Many investors have already sold their stakes.</p>
<p>The SEC, describing the case as involving “massive fraud,” said Theranos, Holmes and Balwani were charged “with raising more than $700 million from investors through an elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company’s technology, business and financial performance.”</p> FILE PHOTO: Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, speaks at the Wall Street Journal Digital Live (WSJDLive) conference at the Montage hotel in Laguna Beach, California, October 21, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
<p>The SEC’s co-director of enforcement, Steven Peikin, said on a conference call with reporters that the move to remove control of the company from Holmes was very rare for the agency.</p>
<p>“It’s a pretty unique set of remedies,” he said. “And I think it’s a particularly meaningful one … particularly in Silicon Valley where the founders of startup companies like this obviously value the concept of control.”</p> FILE PHOTO - Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of Theranos, attends a panel discussion during the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting in New York, September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
<p>Peikin said the SEC intends to pursue litigation against Balwani. The regulator pursued charges against Holmes and Balwani to deter executive wrongdoing elsewhere and out of concern that imposing stiff penalties on the company itself could make it even more difficult for defrauded investors to recoup any funds.</p>
<p>“Really this company was a company that was a two-person operation, where Holmes and Balwani exclusively controlled Theranos. They were responsible for all of the misconduct alleged in this complaint,” he said.</p>
<p>Peikin did not comment on whether the civil charges preclude future criminal charges or whether other agencies were engaged in ongoing criminal investigations against the company.</p>
<p>Jina Choi, the head of SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office, said the company’s troubles offered “an important lesson for Silicon Valley.”</p>
<p>“Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday,” she said in a statement.</p>
<p>Reporting by Susan Heavey and Tim Ahmann; Additional reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by Dan Grebler and Cynthia Osterman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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shanghai reuters hna group unit said thursday accounts local bank temporarily suspended month latest series financial woes chinese conglomerate amid rising scrutiny heavy debt burden illustration photo hna logo december 21 2017 reutersthomas whiteillustration tianjin tianhai investment co ltd said filing shanghai bourse accounts ningbo commerce bank frozen jan 12 unfrozen jan 15 following called friendly discussions bank shares suspended since jan 12 firm disclosed working major plan discose details plan bank accounts frozen tianjin tianhai parent us technology hardware services distributor ingram micro inc said accounts frozen due disagreement controlling shareholder hna technology ningbo lender due date loan tianjin tianhai said guaranteed loan reuters could immediately reach ningbo commerce bank comment thursday nearly half chinese conglomerate hnas listed units suspended trade shares ahead anticipated restructuring among group companies hna faces rising financing costs 50 billion acquisition spree past two years wednesday hna said passed compliance checks several global banks rare bit good news cashstrapped conglomerate tianjin tianhai bought ingram micro last year 6 billion month denied selling subsidiary media reports planned disposal firm said would look strengthen communication lenders future avoid similar situations happening reporting adam jourdan additional reporting engen tham matthew miller editing edwina gibbs standards thomson reuters trust principles moscow reuters russian gas giant gazprom cut hundreds jobs overseas trading export offices including britain move st petersburg according two sources familiar plan comes time rising tensions west logo gazprom pictured 26th world gas conference paris france june 2 2015 reutersbenoit tessier one sources said decision reflected broader trend russian state firms retreating west part president vladimir putins drive repatriate capital reduce exposure sanctions also shore domestic economy russia story sold job creation exercise home turf useful especially ahead presidential election said source referring vote sunday putin widely expected win reorganization comes relations russia britain gazprom largest trading office far hit new low prime minister theresa may said moscow blame attempted murder former russian double agent english city however jobs decision taken earlier year long spy scandal erupted according sources declined named due sensitivity matter gazprom headquarters st petersburg said early comment numbers moves company last month planned reorganize overseas trading export operations gave details work aimed strengthening companys position abroad spokesman said gazproms overseas trading exports divisions employ around 2000 people bulk around 1000 london also offices locations including paris houston singapore cities germany employees traders also include finance logistics specialists reorganization see number people halved number people hired st petersburg many trading operations executed according one sources give specific details cuts would happen since setting gazproms trading offices london 2005 gazprom hired dozens top traders rival companies total gunvor repatriating capital russias annexation crimea ukraine 2014 triggered series us eu sanctions kremlin companies ties worsened russia accused meddling 2016 us presidential election russian state banks vtb companies rosneft since scaled back presence west putins closest allies businessman gennady timchenko sold assets west repatriated capital russia west repeatedly accused putin using gazprom economic political weapon gas behemoth cut supplies ukraine thus disrupting deliveries europe moscow denies charge europe gets third gas russia gazprom spent 15 years building mighty trading division help boost share plan move gazproms trading headquarters london st petersburg first considered companys management 2015 put ice due concerns exodus people difficulties raising credit capitalintensive operation according gazprom sources last time gazproms marketing trading division published results 2014 said made net income 613 million return equity 41 percent staff costs stood 162 million unit published results since additional reporting olesya astakhova editing dmitry zhdannikov pravin char standards thomson reuters trust principles san francisco reuters us president donald trump forges ahead controversial trade policies even financial experts enthusiastically applaud many trumps policies worried protectionist measures could hurt us growth reuters interviews two dozen specialists show file photo us president donald trump speaks news media boarding marine one helicopter depart travel california via joint base andrews south lawn white house washington us march 13 2018 reutersleah millis almost unimaginable educated businessfriendly politician would revert protectionist policies 2018 trumps embrace tariffs points bleak period global trade investment said william megginson professor finance university oklahoma rates trumps tax cuts deregulation efforts perfect 10 though trumps policies balance good growth said trumps decision last week slap tariffs 25 percent imported steel 10 percent aluminum single dumbest step trump administration taken tariffs threat come drawn wide condemnation economists political stripes recent blog post instance harvard universitys dani rodrik called tariffs small potatoes fretted todays globalized world could destructive sweeping restrictions imposed president ronald reagan 30 financial experts polled reuters rate trumps economic policies glowing terms handful expressed even lukewarm support tariffs fairer appraisal view bargaining ploys rather serious longrun changes trade policy said marjorie baldwin professor arizona state universitys carey school business gave tariffs slightly positive 6 fact distaste tariffs prevalent even among largely supportive trumps policies notable president acts campaign promises many thought businessfriendly economic team led gary cohn would keep carrying cohn resigned last weeks tariff announcement cohns likely successor cnbc commentator larry kudlow come around supporting tariffs negotiating tool trump said tuesday reports emerged president seeking tariffs 60 billion chinese imports weekend trump also repeated threat tax europeanmade cars related video lloyd cohen law professor george mason university masters degree economics gave trump generally high marks policies except tariffs saving grace us protectionist nonsense huge country enormous markets competition policies less damage here160than would let us say argentina said reporting ann saphir editing diane craft standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters oil prices gained 04 percent choppy trade wednesday report showing biggerthanexpected us crude stock build offset large distillate gasoline inventory draws file photo pump jack seen sunrise near bakersfield california october 14 2014 reuterslucy nicholsonfile photo us crude stocks rose 5 million barrels biggest jump since late january us energy information administration eia said expectations 2 million barrel build largerthanexpected draw fuel stocks pressuring downside much course reason unexpectedly large draws distillates gasoline added together two times bigger crude build said bob yawger director energy futures mizuho brent crude oil futures lcoc1 25 cents 04 percent settle 6489 per barrel us west texas intermediate wti futures clc1 also gained 25 cents settle 6096 per barrel dont think clear set directions dont think eia report gives much insight whether rebalance continues continue chop around said gene mcgillian manager market research tradition energy prices pressured organization petroleum exporting countries opec said monthly report supply nonmembers likely grow 166 million barrels per day bpd 2018 almost double growth predicted november largely due rising us supply opec also said oil inventories across industrialized countries rose january first time eight months sign impact output cuts may waning opec trimmed 2018 demand forecast crude 250000 bpd 3261 million bpd fourth consecutive decline according opec report demand opecs oil must 33 million barrels per day rest year get rid remaining oversupply commerzbank strategist carsten fritsch said oil prices got boost early session broader investor push commodities chinese data showed industrial production worlds largest importer raw materials grew expected first two months year oil may also soon get support seasonal demand two four weeks away weekly oil inventory data start draw supportive oil prices seb commodities strategist bjarne schieldrop said additional reporting amanda cooper henning gloystein editing elaine hardcastle leslie adler standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters embattled bloodtesting company theranos inc chief executive elizabeth holmes agreed settle massive fraud charges deal strips majority control among penalties us regulators said wednesday theranos hailed silicon valley star 9 billion valuation based promise disrupt staid laboratory testing business new technology company claimed could analyze single drop blood founded 2003 fortunes began wane 2015 wall street journal reports suggested devices flawed inaccurate part settlement securities exchange commission said company founder holmes must also return millions shares privately held company pay 500000 fine serve officer director public company 10 years secs complaint alleged company holmes theranos former president ramesh sunny balwani made numerous false misleading statements investor presentations product demonstrations media articles key product balwani agree settlement agency said theranos raised 750 million investors including wellknown venture capital firm dfj walgreens media mogul rupert murdoch oracle cofounder larry ellison many investors already sold stakes sec describing case involving massive fraud said theranos holmes balwani charged raising 700 million investors elaborate yearslong fraud exaggerated made false statements companys technology business financial performance file photo elizabeth holmes founder ceo theranos speaks wall street journal digital live wsjdlive conference montage hotel laguna beach california october 21 2015 reutersmike blakefile photo secs codirector enforcement steven peikin said conference call reporters move remove control company holmes rare agency pretty unique set remedies said think particularly meaningful one particularly silicon valley founders startup companies like obviously value concept control file photo elizabeth holmes ceo theranos attends panel discussion clinton global initiatives annual meeting new york september 29 2015 reutersbrendan mcdermidfile photo peikin said sec intends pursue litigation balwani regulator pursued charges holmes balwani deter executive wrongdoing elsewhere concern imposing stiff penalties company could make even difficult defrauded investors recoup funds really company company twoperson operation holmes balwani exclusively controlled theranos responsible misconduct alleged complaint said peikin comment whether civil charges preclude future criminal charges whether agencies engaged ongoing criminal investigations company jina choi head secs san francisco regional office said companys troubles offered important lesson silicon valley innovators seek revolutionize disrupt industry must tell investors truth technology today hope might someday said statement reporting susan heavey tim ahmann additional reporting heather somerville editing dan grebler cynthia osterman standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>A widely-seen ad pushes a White House-backed bill that would make it easier for the government to wiretap Americans. It also would give retroactive legal immunity to telecom companies that cooperated with Bush’s secret, post-9/11 warrantless wiretapping program.</p>
<p>Sponsored by Defense of Democracies, a group with GOP connections, the ad&#160; takes the House to task for not passing the bill, as the Senate has. The ad appeals to fear, with its image of Osama bin Laden and similar ploys. But we find that it also makes several misleading claims.</p>
<p>Specifically, the ad says that:</p>
<p>Update Feb. 29: Defense of Democracies sent us comments saying portions of this article are "misleading the public" and "twisting the facts" about aspects of the legislation. For details see the discussion at the end of the article.</p>
<p>The ads began running Friday, Feb. 22 in 17 media markets targeting 15 Democratic members of the House. A national version was up and running Monday on the major cable networks, and it was expected to air for most of this week. It appeared during a commercial break in Tuesday night’s MSNBC-sponsored debate between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>The group behind the ad, <a href="http://defenseofdemocracies.org/" type="external">Defense of Democracies</a>, was set up just last week. It was spun off from a nonprofit called <a href="http://www.defenddemocracy.org/" type="external">Foundation for Defense of Democracies</a>, which was formed after 9/11 and is headed by Clifford May, a former spokesman for the Republican National Committee. The three listed members of the foundation’s board of directors are&#160; <a href="http://www.forbes.com/fdc/bios/new/steveforbes2.html" type="external">Steve Forbes</a>, editor-in-chief of the business magazine Forbes and a Republican candidate for president in 1996 and 2000; <a href="http://www.kemppartners.com/principals-jk1.htm" type="external">Jack Kemp</a>, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988 and GOP nominee Bob Dole’s running mate in 1996; and <a href="http://www.aei.org/scholars/scholarID.32/scholar.asp" type="external">Jeane Kirkpatrick</a>, best known as Ronald Reagan’s ambassador to the United Nations. Kirkpatrick died in 2006, however. A few Democrats were sprinkled in among the parent group’s advisers (as well as Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman), but several of the most prominent, including Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and Donna Brazile, the former campaign manager for Al Gore’s presidential bid, have resigned because of this ad. Brazile issued a <a href="http://www.brazileassociates.com/viewBlog.cfm?id=82" type="external">statement</a> calling the ad campaign "misleading and reckless" and saying it would "have the effect of emboldening terrorists."</p>
<p>Organized under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, the new group is not required to publicly disclose its donors, and it has no plans to do so, according to a spokesman. (Brazile’s statement claimed that "due to the influence of their funders" the parent group has "morphed into a radical right wing organization.") The group also declined to provide a list of lawmakers being targeted by the ad, but we’ve learned that they include Democratic Reps. Kirsten Gillibrand and Michael Arcuri of New York, Tim Mahoney of Florida, Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Nancy Boyda of Kansas, and Tim Walz of Minnesota, all of them first-term lawmakers who may be vulnerable in their reelection bids.</p>
<p>Osama bin Calling …</p>
<p>&lt;iframe height="390" width="480" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgemjEwI"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Defense of Democracies TV Ad: "Midnight"</p>
<p>Narrator: Midnight. February 16th. The law that lets intelligence agencies intercept al-Qaeda communications expires.</p>
<p>Senate Democrats and Republicans vote overwhelmingly to extend terrorist surveillance. But the House refuses to vote and instead goes on vacation.</p>
<p>So new surveillance against terrorists is crippled.</p>
<p>Tell the House of Representatives to do its job and pass the Senate’s terror surveillance bill… to keep us all safe.[/TET]</p>
<p>Cue the scary music, black background and misleading statement:</p>
<p>Narrator: Midnight. February 16. The law that lets intelligence agencies intercept al-Qaeda communications expires.</p>
<p>This is simply not true. First, if government eavesdroppers want to listen in on communications between two suspected terrorists who are outside the U.S., they can. That would likely include a lot of al-Qaeda-related chats. No warrant is necessary as long as the communication isn’t intercepted over a wire in the U.S.</p>
<p>Second, even if one of the parties targeted for tapping is in the U.S., the government still can rely on the granddaddy of laws that deal with wiretapping as a foreign sleuthing tool, the 1978 <a href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/ch36.html" type="external">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act</a>. Under FISA, intelligence-gatherers must apply to a special court for a warrant to tap the communications of a person in the U.S. The process can be cumbersome, although officials have <a href="http://intelligence.house.gov/Media/PDFS/FISATranscript091807.pdf" type="external">said</a> that court approval sometimes takes only minutes. And if there’s an emergency and the government has strong evidence, the wiretap can proceed before an order is sought; authorities have up to 72 hours to get their application to the FISA court, which seldom swats the government down. Of the 2,181 applications made to the FISA court for authority to conduct electronic surveillance or physical searches in 2006, just one was denied, and only in part, according to the Justice Department’s annual <a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/2006rept.pdf" type="external">report</a> on the statute.</p>
<p>What the ad’s narrator really means is that a law updating and expanding FISA to make the government’s work easier, which was passed last August, has expired. The <a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2007_cr/h080407.html" type="external">Protect America Act</a> was given a life of only six months because lawmakers wanted to put something in place while continuing to debate its civil liberties and national security implications before deciding whether to make it permanent. That’s the law that vaporized on Feb. 16, with disagreements between the House and Senate still unresolved.</p>
<p>The Protect America Act, among other things, expanded the range of situations in which the government could operate without a FISA warrant. Controversy arose because the wording of the law could have allowed the government to wiretap the conversations and e-mails of Americans without a court order when targeting a foreigner abroad.</p>
<p>Which brings us to the ad’s next claim:</p>
<p>Narrator: Senate Democrats and Republicans vote overwhelmingly to extend terrorist surveillance. But the House refuses to vote and instead goes on vacation.</p>
<p>It’s true that the Senate passed a <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.03773:" type="external">bill</a> replacing the Protect America Act, and it was largely to the White House’s liking. It’s not as though the House sat on its hands, however. It passed its own bill, the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02248:" type="external">Restore Act</a>, back in November.</p>
<p>The Bush administration opposes the House bill, as do its allies at Defense of Democracies, and the point of the ad is to pressure House members to accede to the Senate version. Both bills rein in, to some degree, the Protect America Act’s broad wiretapping provisions, which had alarmed civil libertarians. The Senate bill grants more authority to the executive branch with respect to ordering surveillance, however, and a minimal role to the court, while the House bill envisions a larger role for the court.</p>
<p>And there’s another major difference that’s become a flash point on Capitol Hill. The Senate bill would give telecommunications companies retroactive immunity from lawsuits arising from their cooperation with the Bush administration’s post-9/11 intelligence-gathering program. In December 2005, the New York Times broke a story revealing that after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, President Bush secretly authorized a program that allowed the government to bypass FISA in pursuit of terrorists, even when collecting communications in the U.S. More than 40 lawsuits contending that the program was illegal and that telecom companies violated citizens’ constitutional rights by participating in it are pending in federal court in California, consolidated from around the country. Bush has <a href="http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/NEWS01/802240303/1002" type="external">accused</a> Democrats who oppose this immunity provision of shilling for the trial lawyers’ bar, and he has cast the House Democrats as roadblocks on this issue almost daily.</p>
<p>The ad’s next claim is a very strong statement, but we don’t have the security clearance to say how much truth is in it.</p>
<p>Narrator: [N]ew surveillance against terrorists is crippled.</p>
<p>Though the narrator never mentions it, this seems to be a reference to possible refusal by telecom firms to assist with wiretapping. In a <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/mukasey-mcconnell-reyes/" type="external">letter</a> written to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes last Friday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell said:</p>
<p>Mukasey/McConnell letter: We have lost intelligence information this past week as a direct result of the uncertainty created by Congress’ failure to act. … In particular, [companies] have delayed or refused compliance with our requests to initiate new surveillances of terrorist and other foreign intelligence targets. … Indeed, this has led directly to a degraded intelligence capability.</p>
<p>The alleged reason for this was because Congress hadn’t yet given the firms retroactive immunity. Administration sources had told reporters that same evening that at least one telecom firm was refusing to help the government track newly suspected terrorists, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hours later, though, officials withdrew that claim, saying all the telecom companies would continue cooperating with the government’s requests while Congress worked on a compromise.</p>
<p>Critics of the immunity provision point out that it provides blanket immunity and is not specifically targeted to lawsuits arising from the companies’ cooperation with the post-9/11 program. Some suspect there may be another secret program that hasn’t yet come to light. Telecom companies already have immunity for actions they take in connection with surveillance conducted under the law.</p>
<p>The ad’s play to public fear echoes the tactics used by the administration to put strong pressure on Congress. In an <a href="http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6685679" type="external">interview</a> late last year with the El Paso Times, McConnell even went so far as to say that without quick approval of the law, "some Americans are going to die" because of continuing public discussion of the issue. The reporter asked McConnell how he makes the case that the new law is important.</p>
<p>El Paso Times: You have to do public relations, I assume?</p>
<p>McConnell: Well, one of the things you do is you talk to reporters. … The fact we’re doing it this way means that some Americans are going to die, because we do this mission unknown to the bad guys because they’re using a process that we can exploit and the more we talk about it, the more they will go with an alternative means. …</p>
<p>El Paso Times: So you’re saying that the reporting and the debate in Congress means that some Americans are going to die?</p>
<p>McConnell: That’s what I mean. Because we have made it so public.</p>
<p>Unless McConnell is clairvoyant, it’s going too far to proclaim that Americans "are going to die" because a wiretapping bill is being publicly debated.</p>
<p>The ad is careful to specify that "new" surveillance has been crippled. That’s because any eavesdropping orders issued under the Protect America Act of last August would be in effect for up to a year, so there’s no imminent danger of the communications of known terrorists.</p>
<p>The ad’s closing assertion is that the House should "do its job" by passing the Senate bill to "keep us all safe." But if anything in the murky debate over spycraft is clear, it’s that the Constitution doesn’t make it "the job" of the House to rubber-stamp Senate-passed bills, or bend to the wishes of the president.</p>
<p>Update Feb. 29: <a href="http://www.defenddemocracy.org/biographies/biographies_show.htm?attrib_id=9716" type="external">Andrew C. McCarthy</a>, director of the foundation’s Center for Law and Counterterrorism, responded to this article.&#160; McCarthy’s arguments leave us still convinced that the ad contains false claims and twists the facts, but we have <a href="" type="internal">posted his comments as a "supporting document"</a> both as a courtesy to FDD and so that our readers may judge for themselves.</p>
<p>He states that a "radical" court decision now applies FISA’s "arduous" probable-cause requirements to interception of foreign-to-foreign communications. He also dismisses the House bill as “unacceptable,” saying President Bush has threatened to veto it.</p>
<p>While it is true that a court decision last year applied FISA to some foreign-to-foreign communications – those that are routed through wires in the U.S., as sometimes happens – it is not true that all legal authority to intercept al Qaeda communications has expired as this ad implied. Furthermore, civil libertarians argued that the Protect America Act’s attempt to address that decision didn’t provide sufficient protection to Americans who might have been communicating with persons targeted abroad. The <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h3773_eh.xml" type="external">House bill</a> would take care of the problem of foreign-to-foreign communications that travel through U.S.-based switches with explicit language saying no warrant would be needed to eavesdrop on them.</p>
<p>We take no position on either House or Senate legislation, and it remains to be seen what will emerge from the negotiations between the two bodies, let alone whether the president will sign it or not. Our point is that the House did not "refuse to vote" as the ad claimed.</p>
<p>We wish to make clear that we neither support or oppose Defense of Democracies’ position. What we object to are the use of appeals to fear, false claims and twisted facts in support of this or any other legislation.</p>
<p>– by Viveca Novak</p>
<p />
<p>Riechmann, Deb. " <a href="http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/NEWS01/802240303/1002" type="external">Bush pushes House to pass intelligence bill, says Democrats side with trial lawyers</a>." Associated Press Financial Wire, 23 Feb. 2008.</p>
<p>Lichtblau, Eric. " <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/washington/23fisa.html?_r=1&amp;pagewanted=print&amp;oref=slogin" type="external">More sharp words traded over lapsed wiretap law</a>." The New York Times, 23 Feb. 2008.</p>
<p>Risen, James and Eric Lichtblau. " <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html" type="external">Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts</a>." The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2005.</p>
<p>Mukasey, Michael and J.M. McConnell. <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/mukasey-mcconnell-reyes/" type="external">Letter to The Hon. Silvestre Reyes</a>, 22 Feb. 208.</p>
<p>Roberts, Chris. " <a href="http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_6685679" type="external">Transcript: Debate on the foreign intelligence Surveillance Act</a>." El Paso Times, 22 Aug. 2007.</p>
<p>Bazan, Elizabeth. " <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL34279.pdf" type="external">The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: A Brief Overview of Selected Issues</a>." CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service, updated 14 Dec. 2007.</p>
<p>Rockefeller, Jay and Patrick Leahy, Silvestre Reyes and John Conyers. " <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022401668.html" type="external">Scare Tactics and Our Surveillance Bill</a>." Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2008.&#160;</p>
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widelyseen ad pushes white housebacked bill would make easier government wiretap americans also would give retroactive legal immunity telecom companies cooperated bushs secret post911 warrantless wiretapping program sponsored defense democracies group gop connections ad160 takes house task passing bill senate ad appeals fear image osama bin laden similar ploys find also makes several misleading claims specifically ad says update feb 29 defense democracies sent us comments saying portions article misleading public twisting facts aspects legislation details see discussion end article ads began running friday feb 22 17 media markets targeting 15 democratic members house national version running monday major cable networks expected air week appeared commercial break tuesday nights msnbcsponsored debate democrats barack obama hillary clinton group behind ad defense democracies set last week spun nonprofit called foundation defense democracies formed 911 headed clifford may former spokesman republican national committee three listed members foundations board directors are160 steve forbes editorinchief business magazine forbes republican candidate president 1996 2000 jack kemp candidate republican presidential nomination 1988 gop nominee bob doles running mate 1996 jeane kirkpatrick best known ronald reagans ambassador united nations kirkpatrick died 2006 however democrats sprinkled among parent groups advisers well democratturnedindependent sen joe lieberman several prominent including sen charles schumer new york donna brazile former campaign manager al gores presidential bid resigned ad brazile issued statement calling ad campaign misleading reckless saying would effect emboldening terrorists organized section 501c4 tax code new group required publicly disclose donors plans according spokesman braziles statement claimed due influence funders parent group morphed radical right wing organization group also declined provide list lawmakers targeted ad weve learned include democratic reps kirsten gillibrand michael arcuri new york tim mahoney florida joe courtney chris murphy connecticut nancy boyda kansas tim walz minnesota firstterm lawmakers may vulnerable reelection bids osama bin calling ltiframe height390 width480 allowfullscreentrue allowscriptaccessalways typeapplicationxshockwaveflash srchttpsvideofactcheckorgplayhiuwgemjewigtltiframegt tet defense democracies tv ad midnight narrator midnight february 16th law lets intelligence agencies intercept alqaeda communications expires senate democrats republicans vote overwhelmingly extend terrorist surveillance house refuses vote instead goes vacation new surveillance terrorists crippled tell house representatives job pass senates terror surveillance bill keep us safetet cue scary music black background misleading statement narrator midnight february 16 law lets intelligence agencies intercept alqaeda communications expires simply true first government eavesdroppers want listen communications two suspected terrorists outside us would likely include lot alqaedarelated chats warrant necessary long communication isnt intercepted wire us second even one parties targeted tapping us government still rely granddaddy laws deal wiretapping foreign sleuthing tool 1978 foreign intelligence surveillance act fisa intelligencegatherers must apply special court warrant tap communications person us process cumbersome although officials said court approval sometimes takes minutes theres emergency government strong evidence wiretap proceed order sought authorities 72 hours get application fisa court seldom swats government 2181 applications made fisa court authority conduct electronic surveillance physical searches 2006 one denied part according justice departments annual report statute ads narrator really means law updating expanding fisa make governments work easier passed last august expired protect america act given life six months lawmakers wanted put something place continuing debate civil liberties national security implications deciding whether make permanent thats law vaporized feb 16 disagreements house senate still unresolved protect america act among things expanded range situations government could operate without fisa warrant controversy arose wording law could allowed government wiretap conversations emails americans without court order targeting foreigner abroad brings us ads next claim narrator senate democrats republicans vote overwhelmingly extend terrorist surveillance house refuses vote instead goes vacation true senate passed bill replacing protect america act largely white houses liking though house sat hands however passed bill restore act back november bush administration opposes house bill allies defense democracies point ad pressure house members accede senate version bills rein degree protect america acts broad wiretapping provisions alarmed civil libertarians senate bill grants authority executive branch respect ordering surveillance however minimal role court house bill envisions larger role court theres another major difference thats become flash point capitol hill senate bill would give telecommunications companies retroactive immunity lawsuits arising cooperation bush administrations post911 intelligencegathering program december 2005 new york times broke story revealing world trade center pentagon attacks president bush secretly authorized program allowed government bypass fisa pursuit terrorists even collecting communications us 40 lawsuits contending program illegal telecom companies violated citizens constitutional rights participating pending federal court california consolidated around country bush accused democrats oppose immunity provision shilling trial lawyers bar cast house democrats roadblocks issue almost daily ads next claim strong statement dont security clearance say much truth narrator new surveillance terrorists crippled though narrator never mentions seems reference possible refusal telecom firms assist wiretapping letter written house intelligence committee chairman silvestre reyes last friday attorney general michael mukasey director national intelligence michael mcconnell said mukaseymcconnell letter lost intelligence information past week direct result uncertainty created congress failure act particular companies delayed refused compliance requests initiate new surveillances terrorist foreign intelligence targets indeed led directly degraded intelligence capability alleged reason congress hadnt yet given firms retroactive immunity administration sources told reporters evening least one telecom firm refusing help government track newly suspected terrorists according los angeles times hours later though officials withdrew claim saying telecom companies would continue cooperating governments requests congress worked compromise critics immunity provision point provides blanket immunity specifically targeted lawsuits arising companies cooperation post911 program suspect may another secret program hasnt yet come light telecom companies already immunity actions take connection surveillance conducted law ads play public fear echoes tactics used administration put strong pressure congress interview late last year el paso times mcconnell even went far say without quick approval law americans going die continuing public discussion issue reporter asked mcconnell makes case new law important el paso times public relations assume mcconnell well one things talk reporters fact way means americans going die mission unknown bad guys theyre using process exploit talk go alternative means el paso times youre saying reporting debate congress means americans going die mcconnell thats mean made public unless mcconnell clairvoyant going far proclaim americans going die wiretapping bill publicly debated ad careful specify new surveillance crippled thats eavesdropping orders issued protect america act last august would effect year theres imminent danger communications known terrorists ads closing assertion house job passing senate bill keep us safe anything murky debate spycraft clear constitution doesnt make job house rubberstamp senatepassed bills bend wishes president update feb 29 andrew c mccarthy director foundations center law counterterrorism responded article160 mccarthys arguments leave us still convinced ad contains false claims twists facts posted comments supporting document courtesy fdd readers may judge states radical court decision applies fisas arduous probablecause requirements interception foreigntoforeign communications also dismisses house bill unacceptable saying president bush threatened veto true court decision last year applied fisa foreigntoforeign communications routed wires us sometimes happens true legal authority intercept al qaeda communications expired ad implied furthermore civil libertarians argued protect america acts attempt address decision didnt provide sufficient protection americans might communicating persons targeted abroad house bill would take care problem foreigntoforeign communications travel usbased switches explicit language saying warrant would needed eavesdrop take position either house senate legislation remains seen emerge negotiations two bodies let alone whether president sign point house refuse vote ad claimed wish make clear neither support oppose defense democracies position object use appeals fear false claims twisted facts support legislation viveca novak riechmann deb bush pushes house pass intelligence bill says democrats side trial lawyers associated press financial wire 23 feb 2008 lichtblau eric sharp words traded lapsed wiretap law new york times 23 feb 2008 risen james eric lichtblau bush lets us spy callers without courts new york times 16 dec 2005 mukasey michael jm mcconnell letter hon silvestre reyes 22 feb 208 roberts chris transcript debate foreign intelligence surveillance act el paso times 22 aug 2007 bazan elizabeth foreign intelligence surveillance act brief overview selected issues crs report congress congressional research service updated 14 dec 2007 rockefeller jay patrick leahy silvestre reyes john conyers scare tactics surveillance bill washington post 25 feb 2008160
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<p>“48 Hours.” “Princess Diaries.” “Mrs. Doubtfire.” These are just a few of the megahit movies that took place in San Francisco proper. Is San Francisco positioned to become the next Hollywood?</p>
<p>With all of the innovations coming out of San Francisco as of late, the City by the Bay may become a businessman’s dream come true. San Francisco is known as a city of independent-minded citizens, yet citizens who also cherish their city as a global financial and business center. And with Mayor Gavin Newsom’s recent forays into noticeable pro-business measures, is the city moving more toward classical liberalism and libertarianism?</p>
<p>Keep in mind, also, that the notoriously “liberal” city of San Francisco also was authorized by its citizens in 2003 to keep a “rainy day fund” to save money. Mayor Newsom dipped into the fund on March 10, in order to save teaching jobs that were otherwise threatened by hard times. In the statement, Newsom explained the removal of $23 million from this fund to “save all of our teachers’ jobs… We are lucky in San Francisco to have saved our extra revenue for when times get tough.” Food for thought, anyway.</p>
<p>On March 3, Mayor Newsom announced a major investment into the City of San Francisco. The press release associated with Newsom’s announcement hails Mayor Newsom for “Spur[ring] Job Creation” with his unveiling of nearly $30 billion in proposed “capital investments” in the city, for the city and county of San Francisco’s Proposed Capital Plan for Fiscal Year 2010-2019.</p>
<p>The ultimate goal of this monetary infusion? “To spur local job growth.” The investment of $28 billion will take place over a ten-year period, and will be composed of $10.5 billion from “investments of… local agencies” and $17.5 billion worth of “capital investments” from the city government.</p>
<p>Newsom cited infrastructure additions and improvements, the creation of “high-paying jobs,” the rebuilding of local “streets, parks, libraries… and… new residential and economic centers that will sustain and transform our vibrant city” as the ways in which the $28 billion will be dispensed over the coming decade.</p>
<p>The goal of this plan is to “create at least 200,000 new construction-related jobs in San Francisco… At a minimum, 200,000 new jobs will be created through these projects in San Francisco with additional jobs created around the Bay Area.” In the statement, Mayor Newsom noted that in the face of a hard-hit national economy and a large city budget as well (reported by the Mayor, in December, to be over $575 million), that leaders “must continue to think strategically and invest in the people, infrastructure and businesses that will pull our economy” out of the current slump.</p>
<p>On March 2, Mayor Newsom also proudly announced that NBC will soon begin filming a television show, to be titled “Trauma” on San Francisco’s very own Treasure Island. Mayor Newsom stated that the production of the show “is a great opportunity to create several hundred jobs and stimulate the local economy with as much as $7 million in revenue.” Newsom went on to extol the beauty of San Francisco, and its choice location as a “beautiful and welcoming city.” The statement also references a recent Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation study, which estimated that a T.V. production of the size of “Trauma” would realistically create more than 300 jobs.</p>
<p>In a 2007 report commissioned by the San Francisco Film Office, it was found that “although the past few years have been difficult ones for the film industry in San Francisco, the City possesses many advantages and his well-suited to capitalize on significant trends affecting film, the broader media landscape, and the Internet.” According to the report, the most recent statistic showed that in 2004, filmmaking “directly provided 1,389 salaried jobs in San Francisco.” The study concluded that “severe challenges in infrastructure” prevented certain elements of the film industry from expanding in SF, also making “the price of production” increase, “making San Francisco uncompetitive in competing for film production, forcing a contraction in the local performing arts, and driving down employment in both industries.”</p>
<p>It was also noted that the cost of filming in SF was the biggest barrier to more filming, and “the City’s greatest weakness,” though the “locations and natural beauty of the area, and the quality of life,” were good marks for the city.</p>
<p>To put this into context, the report showed that in 2005, Los Angeles employed 127,671 people in the film industry, while San Francisco employed 6,782.</p>
<p>Since then, it appears that film officials in the Bay Area have been working hard to drive business back home. The report concluded with four goals: create better indoor shooting facilities, link together films and digital technology [ahem, Mayor Newsom’s new online State of the City addresses?], “promote locally-based production in San Francisco” and the goal of making San Francisco and the Bay Area more overall competitive for filming. The report noted that competing cities were utilizing tax credits, tax rebates, grants, loans, sales and use taxes and hotel taxes to attract filmmakers. The SF Film Commission is now apparently moving to do the same.</p>
<p>The San Francisco Film Commission publicly stated excitement over the news of the selection of SF as the backdrop for “Trauma,” noting that the more exposure to San Francisco via television series, the greater the amount of tourism to the city. When contacted, the San Francisco Film Commission could not comment further on the status of the city as a film and television production hub. However, during the January meeting of the council (the most recent meeting), an amendment to extend financial assistance to film crews was put on the table. The Administrative Code encourages the promotion of “film activities in the City.”</p>
<p>One of the ways in which this is done is by offering rebates to film crews in SF, which are currently capped by the amount of taxes paid by the crew. In the proposed amendment, there would no longer be a cap dependent solely on taxes paid, but the cap would be raised to $600,000 and would “remove sales tax and hotel taxes paid to the City from the list of payments subject to the refund process.” The stated purpose of the Film Rebate Program is to “increase the number of qualified film productions being made in San Francisco, increase the number of City residents employed in the filmmaking industry, and encourage the resulting economic benefits to increased filmmaking in San Francisco.” The rebate is explained as such: “The City shall pay one dollar for each dollar the qualified low budget film production or qualified film production paid in qualified production cost not to exceed $1.8 million dollars by June 30, 2011. The rebate shall be paid from the fund into which the qualified production cost was originally deposited. In no event shall the amount of the rebate exceed $600,000.00.“</p>
<p>Cheers to the hopeful-Hollywood of the north.</p>
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48 hours princess diaries mrs doubtfire megahit movies took place san francisco proper san francisco positioned become next hollywood innovations coming san francisco late city bay may become businessmans dream come true san francisco known city independentminded citizens yet citizens also cherish city global financial business center mayor gavin newsoms recent forays noticeable probusiness measures city moving toward classical liberalism libertarianism keep mind also notoriously liberal city san francisco also authorized citizens 2003 keep rainy day fund save money mayor newsom dipped fund march 10 order save teaching jobs otherwise threatened hard times statement newsom explained removal 23 million fund save teachers jobs lucky san francisco saved extra revenue times get tough food thought anyway march 3 mayor newsom announced major investment city san francisco press release associated newsoms announcement hails mayor newsom spurring job creation unveiling nearly 30 billion proposed capital investments city city county san franciscos proposed capital plan fiscal year 20102019 ultimate goal monetary infusion spur local job growth investment 28 billion take place tenyear period composed 105 billion investments local agencies 175 billion worth capital investments city government newsom cited infrastructure additions improvements creation highpaying jobs rebuilding local streets parks libraries new residential economic centers sustain transform vibrant city ways 28 billion dispensed coming decade goal plan create least 200000 new constructionrelated jobs san francisco minimum 200000 new jobs created projects san francisco additional jobs created around bay area statement mayor newsom noted face hardhit national economy large city budget well reported mayor december 575 million leaders must continue think strategically invest people infrastructure businesses pull economy current slump march 2 mayor newsom also proudly announced nbc soon begin filming television show titled trauma san franciscos treasure island mayor newsom stated production show great opportunity create several hundred jobs stimulate local economy much 7 million revenue newsom went extol beauty san francisco choice location beautiful welcoming city statement also references recent los angeles economic development corporation study estimated tv production size trauma would realistically create 300 jobs 2007 report commissioned san francisco film office found although past years difficult ones film industry san francisco city possesses many advantages wellsuited capitalize significant trends affecting film broader media landscape internet according report recent statistic showed 2004 filmmaking directly provided 1389 salaried jobs san francisco study concluded severe challenges infrastructure prevented certain elements film industry expanding sf also making price production increase making san francisco uncompetitive competing film production forcing contraction local performing arts driving employment industries also noted cost filming sf biggest barrier filming citys greatest weakness though locations natural beauty area quality life good marks city put context report showed 2005 los angeles employed 127671 people film industry san francisco employed 6782 since appears film officials bay area working hard drive business back home report concluded four goals create better indoor shooting facilities link together films digital technology ahem mayor newsoms new online state city addresses promote locallybased production san francisco goal making san francisco bay area overall competitive filming report noted competing cities utilizing tax credits tax rebates grants loans sales use taxes hotel taxes attract filmmakers sf film commission apparently moving san francisco film commission publicly stated excitement news selection sf backdrop trauma noting exposure san francisco via television series greater amount tourism city contacted san francisco film commission could comment status city film television production hub however january meeting council recent meeting amendment extend financial assistance film crews put table administrative code encourages promotion film activities city one ways done offering rebates film crews sf currently capped amount taxes paid crew proposed amendment would longer cap dependent solely taxes paid cap would raised 600000 would remove sales tax hotel taxes paid city list payments subject refund process stated purpose film rebate program increase number qualified film productions made san francisco increase number city residents employed filmmaking industry encourage resulting economic benefits increased filmmaking san francisco rebate explained city shall pay one dollar dollar qualified low budget film production qualified film production paid qualified production cost exceed 18 million dollars june 30 2011 rebate shall paid fund qualified production cost originally deposited event shall amount rebate exceed 60000000 cheers hopefulhollywood north
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<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Tuesday it was closely watching events that are unfolding rapidly in Beijing, where diplomatic sources said a senior North Korean official was visiting amid reports it was leader Kim Jong Un ahead of a series of historic summits.</p> Police officers patrol near the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where foreign dignitaries usually stay, in Beijing, China March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
<p>Bloomberg, citing three unidentified sources, reported on Monday that Kim was in Beijing in what would be his first known trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011. The unconfirmed visit also comes ahead of a potential summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>“The presidential Blue House is watching things in Beijing very closely, while keeping all possibilities open,” said the senior official in Seoul, who spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>Improving bilateral ties between North Korea and China would be a positive sign before the planned summits, he said.</p>
<p>A Reuters reporter saw a convoy leave Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House, where senior foreign leaders often stay on visits to the Chinese capital, and drive north on Tuesday morning. It was unclear where the convoy was headed.</p>
<p>A senior U.S. official who follows North Korea closely said the available evidence suggested that Kim had traveled to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but stressed that has not been confirmed.</p>
<p>Diplomatic sources in Beijing said a senior North Korean official was in town, but did not know exactly who.</p>
<p>Underscoring the mystery surrounding the trip, one senior Beijing-based diplomatic source told Reuters simply: “We just don’t know”.</p>
<p>One source with ties to China’s leadership said it was possible Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, was in the city. She visited South Korea for the Winter Olympics last month, paving the way for a summit between the two Koreas.</p>
<p>South Korean news agency Newsis reported that Kim Yo Jong and the North’s ceremonial leader, Kim Yong Nam, were visiting Beijing, citing an unidentified North Korea-related source in Beijing.</p>
<p>The pair visited South Korean President Moon Jae-in at his office in Seoul during the Winter Olympics in February.</p>
<p>The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was unlikely Kim Jong Un would have sent his sister on such an important mission because that might create an impression she is important enough to be sent on such a high-profile trip, unlike her ceremonial visit to South Korea for the Olympics.</p>
<p>On the contrary, the official said, a summit with Xi would underscore Kim’s standing as a world leader.</p>
<p>Xi and Kim Jong Un both have reasons to meet in advance of Kim’s meetings with Moon and possibly also Trump, the U.S. official said.</p>
<p>“Xi has met Trump, and in many respects learned how to deal with him better than some people here do,” the official said.</p> Security personnel take position along Beijing's main east-west thoroughfare, Changan Avenue, near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
<p>“At the same time, despite the recent tensions, he needs to know what Kim has in mind for dealing with the South and the U.S., and he still has a lot of leverage with the North.”</p> PURPOSE UNKNOWN
<p>The details of Kim Jong Un’s visit, including its purpose and itinerary, were not yet known, Bloomberg reported. Japanese media reported on Monday that a high-ranking Pyongyang official appeared to have arrived by train in Beijing.</p>
<p>The Blue House official said the South Korean government had been aware of “related movements” in North Korea, such as the train, for a few days but he could not confirm whether Kim or another high-ranking North Korean official was visiting China.</p>
<p>Beijing is the main ally of secretive and isolated North Korea, as well as its biggest trading partner.</p> Slideshow (4 Images)
<p>China has not confirmed any visit by a North Korean but has not totally censored speculation Kim Jong Un might be in town.</p>
<p>Searches on Baidu News, China’s equivalent of Google News, brought up two stories in the simplified Chinese edition of Taiwanese newspaper the China Times that reported, citing what it said were internet rumors, that he was on a secret visit to Beijing.</p>
<p>One of the paper’s reports showed pictures taken from Chinese social media of what was purportedly Kim Jong Un’s train in China.</p>
<p>There were also posts on Chinese social media talking about the possibility Kim Jong Un was in China, some citing family members in the Chinese border city of Dandong where the main train link between the two countries is located.</p>
<p>The North Korean leader is due to hold separate summits with South Korea in late April and the United States in May, including a potential meeting with Trump.</p>
<p>“The fact that the summits are being held has been beyond our expectations. Right now, the situation surrounding the Korean peninsula is moving very quickly and it would be inadvisable to think with prejudice,” the Blue House official said.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, met then-president Jiang Zemin in China in 2000 before a summit between the two Koreas in June that year.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Il was considered at the time to have made the visit to reaffirm close ties with the North’s biggest ally.</p>
<p>“North Korea likely wants to confirm its relationship with China and believes it has some leverage with which it can ask for things from China,” said Yoo Ho-yeol, Professor of North Korean studies at Seoul’s Korea University.</p>
<p>“If North Korea speaks with the United States on its own it might feel it is at a disadvantage but, if it has China as an ally, Pyongyang may think it will be able to protect its interests and profits during the summits,” Yoo said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING and Christine Kim in SEOUL; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang in SEOUL and John Walcott in WASHINGTON; Editing by Paul Tait</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SEOUL (Reuters) - General Motors said its loss-making South Korean operations would file for bankruptcy if its union did not agree to cut labor costs by April 20, heaping pressure on workers and the South Korean government to swiftly agree a rescue plan.</p> The logo of GM Korea is seen at its Bupyeong plant in Incheon, South Korea March 12, 2018. Picture taken March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
<p>The U.S. automaker announced in February it would shut down one of its four factories in South Korea, and asked for government support and union concessions to stay in South Korea.</p>
<p>Barry Engle, the President of GM International, also told the union leader of GM Korea on Monday the unit needed to secure $600 million in operating funds by the end of April, the union said in a document reviewed by Reuters.</p>
<p>A GM Korea spokesman said the union concessions were needed for the automaker to present a confirmed turnaround plan to the government by April 20. GM wanted the union to reach a wage deal by the end of March, he added.</p>
<p>If GM Korea failed to present the plan by April 20 it would have no choice but to file for bankruptcy, the spokesman said.</p>
<p>The crisis at GM Korea has created challenges the administration of President Moon Jae-In, who came to power last year promising to prioritize job creation.</p>
<p>A government official told Reuters GM appeared to be “using threats to ramp up pressure on the union to make concessions by the end of March”. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.</p>
<p>Engle, based in Detroit, has made a flurry of visits to South Korea this year. He met the chairman of GM Korea’s second-largest shareholder, state-funded South Korean Development Bank, on Tuesday morning, followed by vice industry minister Lee In-ho later in the day, according to the GM spokesman.</p> CASH CRISIS?
<p>South Korea was for years a low-cost export hub for GM, producing close to a fifth of its Chevy global output at its peak.</p>
<p>But the automaker’s decision to exit other unprofitable markets have exacerbated problems for GM Korea.</p>
<p>Almost 2,500 workers at GM Korea, some 15 percent of its staff, have applied for a redundancy package that the U.S. automaker is offering as part of a drastic restructuring, union officials have said previously.</p>
<p>According to the union, Engle said GM Korea may consider more voluntary redundancies for the remaining 680 workers at the Gunsan factory which will face a shutdown by May.</p>
<p>Engle said the South Korean government should also promise to provide support for GM Korea by April 20, the union document said.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, KDB began a due-diligence review of GM South Korea to decide whether to inject more capital into the unit. The review is expected to be completed by mid-May.</p>
<p>The union said earlier this month it will not demand a pay rise and bonuses this year, but instead wants the U.S. automaker to provide a future production plan and job security.</p>
<p>GM Korea still wants the union to agree to cut benefits worth 80-90 billion won ($74-$84 million), a union official said on Tuesday. The automaker had already achieved cost cuts of over 500 billion won through union concessions on wages and bonuses and voluntary redundancies, the union official added.</p>
<p>GM Korea plans to slash 5,000 jobs, or about 30 percent of its workforce, but keep production steady if Seoul agrees to its $2.8 billion restructuring proposal, according to a document seen by Reuters earlier this month.</p>
<p>GM Korea, which employs nearly 16,000 people, has said that without new funding from its major shareholders it would face a first-quarter “cash crisis”.</p>
<p>GM owns 77 percent of its South Korean unit GM Korea, while KDB owns a 17 percent stake. GM’s main Chinese partner, SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, controls the remaining 6 percent.</p>
<p>GM headquarters in Detroit has lent its South Korean unit some $2.7 billion won, which it offered to swap into equity if it gets government support and union concessions.</p>
<p>GM last month agreed to grant temporary relief in repaying 700 billion won in debt due at the end of February, with more debts due in the coming months.</p>
<p>Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Lincoln Feast</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(This version of the March 26 story corrects source of poll in paragraph four from Asahi newspaper to TV Asahi)</p> Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe atttends at an upper house parliamentary session in Tokyo, Japan March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato
<p>TOKYO (Reuters) - Nearly half of Japanese voters believe Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should quit to take responsibility over a cronyism scandal and cover-up that have sent his support sliding, according to an opinion poll released on Monday.</p>
<p>Suspicions have arisen about a sale of state-owned land at a huge discount to a nationalist school operator with ties to Abe’s wife, Akie, setting off the biggest political crisis Abe has faced since returning to power in 2012 and prompting protestors to call almost nightly for him to quit.</p>
<p>Abe has denied that either he or his wife intervened in the sale or were involved in altering documents related to the deal, in which mention of his and Akie’s names were removed.</p> Protesters hold placards reading "Stop constitution revision and war" and "Abe should go prison" as they shout slogans during a rally denouncing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a suspected cover-up of a cronyism scandal and his administration, at Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall in Tokyo March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato
<p>According to a public opinion survey covered by the liberal TV Asahi at the weekend, 48 percent of those polled said Abe and his government should quit, compared to 39 percent who said that wasn’t necessary.</p>
<p>Those who said they supported Abe slid to 32.6 percent, down 11.7 percentage points from a month ago, while those who said they did not rose 13.2 percentage points to 54.9 percent.</p>
<p>Asked why they supported him, the largest number - 37.8 percent - said it was because his government “seems better than others,” a reflection of the fragmented opposition and voter memories of the rocky tenure of the rival Democratic Party of Japan, one part of the reason Abe has managed to stay in power as long as he has.</p>
<p>No margin of error was given for the poll, in which 66.7 percent of 1,606 people contacted responded.</p>
<p>Asked about the land sale scandal in a parliamentary committee on Monday, Abe reiterated that as head of the government he was responsible for voters losing trust in his administration but repeated his denial that either he or his wife had been directly involved in the land sale.</p>
<p>Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Michael Perry</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stormy Daniels sued Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen on Monday for defamation, according to court documents, escalating a legal battle between the American president and the porn star that the White House was struggling to contain.</p>
<p>Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, made the claim a day after her widely watched TV interview on “60 Minutes” on CBS. Daniels said she was threatened with violence to keep quiet about her alleged 2006 tryst with Trump.</p>
<p>At the White House, a spokesman in a briefing with reporters cast aspersions on her account. The White House has denied allegations that Trump had a sexual relationship with Daniels.</p>
<p>CBS Corp said the show drew its biggest audience in more than eight years, with 21.3 million Americans tuning in, more than double the previous week’s edition of “60 Minutes.”</p>
<p>Presidential spokesman Raj Shah told the briefing, “The president doesn’t believe any of the claims Ms. Daniels made in the interview last night were accurate.”</p>
<p>Asked if Trump believed Daniels was threatened, Shah said, “No, he does not. ... There’s nothing to corroborate her claim.”</p>
<p>Daniels’ “60 Minutes” appearance also drew a denial from the president’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, that he was involved in the alleged threat of violence against her.</p>
<p>Daniels originally sued Trump on March 6, saying he never signed an agreement for her to stay silent about what she called their “intimate” relationship. Monday’s filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles amended the original lawsuit to say Daniels was defamed.</p>
<p>Her attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Cohen “meant to convey that Ms. Clifford is a liar, someone who should not be trusted, and that her claims about her relationship with Mr. Trump” were not true.</p>
<p>Daniels’ defamation allegation was based on a Feb. 13 statement by Cohen that she said hurt her reputation.</p> Stormy Daniels is interviewed by Anderson Cooper. CBSNews/60 MINUTES/via REUTERS
<p>The latest filing also said $130,000 Cohen paid Daniels in October 2016 just before the presidential election to secure her silence amounted to an illegal campaign contribution, and that the agreement should be declared void.</p>
<p>Cohen has said he paid Daniels out of his own pocket, but has not explained why or if Trump was aware of the payment.</p>
<p>In filings with the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission, watchdog groups have said the $130,000 may have exceeded campaign contribution limits, violating U.S. law. Cohen has denied this.</p>
<p>California attorney Michael Overing, who specializes in defamation law, said it would be difficult for Daniels to prevail on her defamation claim because she is a public figure.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>To prove libel, she would have to show that a false statement was made with either reckless or purposeful disregard for the truth, Overing said.</p>
<p>Trump attorney Cohen’s denial of involvement in the alleged threat against Daniels came in a “cease-and-desist” letter sent to Avenatti shortly after “60 Minutes” aired that demanded a retraction and an apology. A copy of the letter was seen by Reuters on Monday.</p>
<p>The letter said, “Mr. Cohen had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any such person or incident, and does not even believe that any such person exists, or that such incident ever occurred.”</p>
<p>Daniels said the threat of harm was made by a stranger in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011.</p>
<p>Avenatti said on NBC on Monday that the man who threatened her while she was with her infant daughter was not Cohen, but “had to be someone that is related to Mr. Trump or Mr. Cohen.”</p>
<p>Last week CNN interviewed former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who described a 10-month affair with Trump starting in 2006.</p>
<p>Trump was married to his wife, Melania, during both alleged relationships. In addition to denying Trump had sex with Daniels, the White House has said he denies having an affair with McDougal.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lisa Lambert and Makini Brice; Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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thomson reuters trust principles beijingseoul reuters south korea said tuesday closely watching events unfolding rapidly beijing diplomatic sources said senior north korean official visiting amid reports leader kim jong un ahead series historic summits police officers patrol near diaoyutai state guesthouse foreign dignitaries usually stay beijing china march 27 2018 reutersjason lee bloomberg citing three unidentified sources reported monday kim beijing would first known trip outside north korea since taking power 2011 unconfirmed visit also comes ahead potential summit us president donald trump presidential blue house watching things beijing closely keeping possibilities open said senior official seoul spoke condition anonymity improving bilateral ties north korea china would positive sign planned summits said reuters reporter saw convoy leave beijings diaoyutai state guest house senior foreign leaders often stay visits chinese capital drive north tuesday morning unclear convoy headed senior us official follows north korea closely said available evidence suggested kim traveled beijing meet chinese president xi jinping stressed confirmed diplomatic sources beijing said senior north korean official town know exactly underscoring mystery surrounding trip one senior beijingbased diplomatic source told reuters simply dont know one source ties chinas leadership said possible kims younger sister kim yo jong city visited south korea winter olympics last month paving way summit two koreas south korean news agency newsis reported kim yo jong norths ceremonial leader kim yong nam visiting beijing citing unidentified north korearelated source beijing pair visited south korean president moon jaein office seoul winter olympics february us official speaking condition anonymity said unlikely kim jong un would sent sister important mission might create impression important enough sent highprofile trip unlike ceremonial visit south korea olympics contrary official said summit xi would underscore kims standing world leader xi kim jong un reasons meet advance kims meetings moon possibly also trump us official said xi met trump many respects learned deal better people official said security personnel take position along beijings main eastwest thoroughfare changan avenue near great hall people beijing china march 27 2018 reutersdamir sagolj time despite recent tensions needs know kim mind dealing south us still lot leverage north purpose unknown details kim jong uns visit including purpose itinerary yet known bloomberg reported japanese media reported monday highranking pyongyang official appeared arrived train beijing blue house official said south korean government aware related movements north korea train days could confirm whether kim another highranking north korean official visiting china beijing main ally secretive isolated north korea well biggest trading partner slideshow 4 images china confirmed visit north korean totally censored speculation kim jong un might town searches baidu news chinas equivalent google news brought two stories simplified chinese edition taiwanese newspaper china times reported citing said internet rumors secret visit beijing one papers reports showed pictures taken chinese social media purportedly kim jong uns train china also posts chinese social media talking possibility kim jong un china citing family members chinese border city dandong main train link two countries located north korean leader due hold separate summits south korea late april united states may including potential meeting trump fact summits held beyond expectations right situation surrounding korean peninsula moving quickly would inadvisable think prejudice blue house official said kim jong uns father kim jong il met thenpresident jiang zemin china 2000 summit two koreas june year kim jong il considered time made visit reaffirm close ties norths biggest ally north korea likely wants confirm relationship china believes leverage ask things china said yoo hoyeol professor north korean studies seouls korea university north korea speaks united states might feel disadvantage china ally pyongyang may think able protect interests profits summits yoo said reporting ben blanchard beijing christine kim seoul additional reporting heekyong yang seoul john walcott washington editing paul tait standards thomson reuters trust principles seoul reuters general motors said lossmaking south korean operations would file bankruptcy union agree cut labor costs april 20 heaping pressure workers south korean government swiftly agree rescue plan logo gm korea seen bupyeong plant incheon south korea march 12 2018 picture taken march 12 2018 reuterskim hongji us automaker announced february would shut one four factories south korea asked government support union concessions stay south korea barry engle president gm international also told union leader gm korea monday unit needed secure 600 million operating funds end april union said document reviewed reuters gm korea spokesman said union concessions needed automaker present confirmed turnaround plan government april 20 gm wanted union reach wage deal end march added gm korea failed present plan april 20 would choice file bankruptcy spokesman said crisis gm korea created challenges administration president moon jaein came power last year promising prioritize job creation government official told reuters gm appeared using threats ramp pressure union make concessions end march spoke condition anonymity sensitivity issue engle based detroit made flurry visits south korea year met chairman gm koreas secondlargest shareholder statefunded south korean development bank tuesday morning followed vice industry minister lee inho later day according gm spokesman cash crisis south korea years lowcost export hub gm producing close fifth chevy global output peak automakers decision exit unprofitable markets exacerbated problems gm korea almost 2500 workers gm korea 15 percent staff applied redundancy package us automaker offering part drastic restructuring union officials said previously according union engle said gm korea may consider voluntary redundancies remaining 680 workers gunsan factory face shutdown may engle said south korean government also promise provide support gm korea april 20 union document said earlier month kdb began duediligence review gm south korea decide whether inject capital unit review expected completed midmay union said earlier month demand pay rise bonuses year instead wants us automaker provide future production plan job security gm korea still wants union agree cut benefits worth 8090 billion 7484 million union official said tuesday automaker already achieved cost cuts 500 billion union concessions wages bonuses voluntary redundancies union official added gm korea plans slash 5000 jobs 30 percent workforce keep production steady seoul agrees 28 billion restructuring proposal according document seen reuters earlier month gm korea employs nearly 16000 people said without new funding major shareholders would face firstquarter cash crisis gm owns 77 percent south korean unit gm korea kdb owns 17 percent stake gms main chinese partner saic motor corp ltd controls remaining 6 percent gm headquarters detroit lent south korean unit 27 billion offered swap equity gets government support union concessions gm last month agreed grant temporary relief repaying 700 billion debt due end february debts due coming months reporting hyunjoo jin editing lincoln feast standards thomson reuters trust principles version march 26 story corrects source poll paragraph four asahi newspaper tv asahi japans prime minister shinzo abe atttends upper house parliamentary session tokyo japan march 19 2018 reutersissei kato tokyo reuters nearly half japanese voters believe prime minister shinzo abe quit take responsibility cronyism scandal coverup sent support sliding according opinion poll released monday suspicions arisen sale stateowned land huge discount nationalist school operator ties abes wife akie setting biggest political crisis abe faced since returning power 2012 prompting protestors call almost nightly quit abe denied either wife intervened sale involved altering documents related deal mention akies names removed protesters hold placards reading stop constitution revision war abe go prison shout slogans rally denouncing japanese prime minister shinzo abe suspected coverup cronyism scandal administration hibiya open air concert hall tokyo march 25 2018 reutersissei kato according public opinion survey covered liberal tv asahi weekend 48 percent polled said abe government quit compared 39 percent said wasnt necessary said supported abe slid 326 percent 117 percentage points month ago said rose 132 percentage points 549 percent asked supported largest number 378 percent said government seems better others reflection fragmented opposition voter memories rocky tenure rival democratic party japan one part reason abe managed stay power long margin error given poll 667 percent 1606 people contacted responded asked land sale scandal parliamentary committee monday abe reiterated head government responsible voters losing trust administration repeated denial either wife directly involved land sale reporting elaine lies editing michael perry standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters stormy daniels sued donald trumps lawyer michael cohen monday defamation according court documents escalating legal battle american president porn star white house struggling contain daniels whose real name stephanie clifford made claim day widely watched tv interview 60 minutes cbs daniels said threatened violence keep quiet alleged 2006 tryst trump white house spokesman briefing reporters cast aspersions account white house denied allegations trump sexual relationship daniels cbs corp said show drew biggest audience eight years 213 million americans tuning double previous weeks edition 60 minutes presidential spokesman raj shah told briefing president doesnt believe claims ms daniels made interview last night accurate asked trump believed daniels threatened shah said theres nothing corroborate claim daniels 60 minutes appearance also drew denial presidents personal lawyer michael cohen involved alleged threat violence daniels originally sued trump march 6 saying never signed agreement stay silent called intimate relationship mondays filing us district court los angeles amended original lawsuit say daniels defamed attorney michael avenatti said cohen meant convey ms clifford liar someone trusted claims relationship mr trump true daniels defamation allegation based feb 13 statement cohen said hurt reputation stormy daniels interviewed anderson cooper cbsnews60 minutesvia reuters latest filing also said 130000 cohen paid daniels october 2016 presidential election secure silence amounted illegal campaign contribution agreement declared void cohen said paid daniels pocket explained trump aware payment filings justice department federal election commission watchdog groups said 130000 may exceeded campaign contribution limits violating us law cohen denied california attorney michael overing specializes defamation law said would difficult daniels prevail defamation claim public figure slideshow 2 images prove libel would show false statement made either reckless purposeful disregard truth overing said trump attorney cohens denial involvement alleged threat daniels came ceaseanddesist letter sent avenatti shortly 60 minutes aired demanded retraction apology copy letter seen reuters monday letter said mr cohen absolutely nothing whatsoever person incident even believe person exists incident ever occurred daniels said threat harm made stranger las vegas parking lot 2011 avenatti said nbc monday man threatened infant daughter cohen someone related mr trump mr cohen last week cnn interviewed former playboy model karen mcdougal described 10month affair trump starting 2006 trump married wife melania alleged relationships addition denying trump sex daniels white house said denies affair mcdougal reporting lisa lambert makini brice additional reporting jan wolfe editing jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (AP) - The grassy brown Sierra meadow where California's water managers gave the results of the winter's first manual snowpack measurements Wednesday told the story - the drought-prone state is off to another unusually dry start in its vital winter rain and snow season.</p>
<p>"We would like to have had more snow," Grant Davis, head of California's Department of Water Resources, told news crews gathered in this mountain field, bare of all but a few crusty dots of old snow.</p>
<p>"It's early," Davis said. "We're obviously hopeful there will be more snow the next time we come out here."</p>
<p>He spoke after Frank Gehrke, head of the state's snow survey team, stuck a metal pole into one of the few patches of snow at the site, measuring just over an inch (2.5 centimeters), or 3 percent of normal.</p>
<p>Climate change increasingly is changing the mountain snowfall equation, but historically up to 60 percent of Californians' water supply each year starts out as snowfall in the Sierras. That makes the state's manual and electronic snowpack measurements in these mountains crucial gauges of how much water cities and farms will get in the year ahead.</p>
<p>This winter, one month into the state's peak storm season, snowpack across the Sierras stood Wednesday at 24 percent of normal.</p>
<p>The dry spell is even more acute in Southern California, including Los Angeles, which the National Weather Service said this week was marking its driest 10-month period on record. Residents there last saw significant rainfall in February.</p>
<p>The dry start to the rain and snow season is raising worries the state could be plunging right back into drought. The scene Wednesday was remiscent of 2015, when Gov. Jerry Brown stood in a brown, dry Sierra meadow equally bare of snow to declare a drought emergency, including mandatory water cutbacks by cities and towns.</p>
<p>Near-record rainfall last winter snapped the historic drought, filling reservoirs and sending many rivers over their banks. Reservoirs remain at 110 percent of normal storage thanks to the last wet winter, water officials said.</p>
<p>As Californians, "we live in the most variable climate in the country," Davis said Wednesday, surrounded by forecasters and water officials in parkas for their mountain-meadow news conference. "That variability is what we have to manage."</p>
<p>He called for more improvements in long-range forecasting, to help the state's reservoir managers better operate dams for both water supplies and flood control. As the climate changes, much of the state's water is coming in the form of rain during storms known as "atmospheric rivers," Davis noted.</p>
<p>"It's very clear to us that we need to have more information" about how atmospheric rivers behave overall, Davis said.</p>
<p>This winter, in contrast to the previous rain-sodden one, meteorologists point to a strengthening La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific, which typically brings drier weather.</p>
<p>A stubborn ridge of high pressure in the Pacific - the same bad guy during the state's drought - has been blocking storms from reaching Southern California in particular.</p>
<p>In December, dry winds and parched vegetation combined for the state's biggest wildfires on record in the Los Angeles area, after deadlier wildfires in Northern California in October.</p>
<p>Even as the water officials spoke Wednesday, a welcome new storm carried some of the first rain in weeks into Northern California, which also had marked one of its driest Decembers on record.</p>
<p>Parts of Northern California will see rain - but not massive amounts of it - through the first half of January, with 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5 centimeters) of snow expected in the Sierras, the weather service said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Knickmeyer reported from San Francisco.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show Grant Davis, head of California's Department of Water Resources, said he was hopeful for more snow, not Frank Gehrke, head of the state's snow survey team.</p>
<p>PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (AP) - The grassy brown Sierra meadow where California's water managers gave the results of the winter's first manual snowpack measurements Wednesday told the story - the drought-prone state is off to another unusually dry start in its vital winter rain and snow season.</p>
<p>"We would like to have had more snow," Grant Davis, head of California's Department of Water Resources, told news crews gathered in this mountain field, bare of all but a few crusty dots of old snow.</p>
<p>"It's early," Davis said. "We're obviously hopeful there will be more snow the next time we come out here."</p>
<p>He spoke after Frank Gehrke, head of the state's snow survey team, stuck a metal pole into one of the few patches of snow at the site, measuring just over an inch (2.5 centimeters), or 3 percent of normal.</p>
<p>Climate change increasingly is changing the mountain snowfall equation, but historically up to 60 percent of Californians' water supply each year starts out as snowfall in the Sierras. That makes the state's manual and electronic snowpack measurements in these mountains crucial gauges of how much water cities and farms will get in the year ahead.</p>
<p>This winter, one month into the state's peak storm season, snowpack across the Sierras stood Wednesday at 24 percent of normal.</p>
<p>The dry spell is even more acute in Southern California, including Los Angeles, which the National Weather Service said this week was marking its driest 10-month period on record. Residents there last saw significant rainfall in February.</p>
<p>The dry start to the rain and snow season is raising worries the state could be plunging right back into drought. The scene Wednesday was remiscent of 2015, when Gov. Jerry Brown stood in a brown, dry Sierra meadow equally bare of snow to declare a drought emergency, including mandatory water cutbacks by cities and towns.</p>
<p>Near-record rainfall last winter snapped the historic drought, filling reservoirs and sending many rivers over their banks. Reservoirs remain at 110 percent of normal storage thanks to the last wet winter, water officials said.</p>
<p>As Californians, "we live in the most variable climate in the country," Davis said Wednesday, surrounded by forecasters and water officials in parkas for their mountain-meadow news conference. "That variability is what we have to manage."</p>
<p>He called for more improvements in long-range forecasting, to help the state's reservoir managers better operate dams for both water supplies and flood control. As the climate changes, much of the state's water is coming in the form of rain during storms known as "atmospheric rivers," Davis noted.</p>
<p>"It's very clear to us that we need to have more information" about how atmospheric rivers behave overall, Davis said.</p>
<p>This winter, in contrast to the previous rain-sodden one, meteorologists point to a strengthening La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific, which typically brings drier weather.</p>
<p>A stubborn ridge of high pressure in the Pacific - the same bad guy during the state's drought - has been blocking storms from reaching Southern California in particular.</p>
<p>In December, dry winds and parched vegetation combined for the state's biggest wildfires on record in the Los Angeles area, after deadlier wildfires in Northern California in October.</p>
<p>Even as the water officials spoke Wednesday, a welcome new storm carried some of the first rain in weeks into Northern California, which also had marked one of its driest Decembers on record.</p>
<p>Parts of Northern California will see rain - but not massive amounts of it - through the first half of January, with 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5 centimeters) of snow expected in the Sierras, the weather service said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Knickmeyer reported from San Francisco.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show Grant Davis, head of California's Department of Water Resources, said he was hopeful for more snow, not Frank Gehrke, head of the state's snow survey team.</p>
| false | 2 |
phillips station calif ap grassy brown sierra meadow californias water managers gave results winters first manual snowpack measurements wednesday told story droughtprone state another unusually dry start vital winter rain snow season would like snow grant davis head californias department water resources told news crews gathered mountain field bare crusty dots old snow early davis said obviously hopeful snow next time come spoke frank gehrke head states snow survey team stuck metal pole one patches snow site measuring inch 25 centimeters 3 percent normal climate change increasingly changing mountain snowfall equation historically 60 percent californians water supply year starts snowfall sierras makes states manual electronic snowpack measurements mountains crucial gauges much water cities farms get year ahead winter one month states peak storm season snowpack across sierras stood wednesday 24 percent normal dry spell even acute southern california including los angeles national weather service said week marking driest 10month period record residents last saw significant rainfall february dry start rain snow season raising worries state could plunging right back drought scene wednesday remiscent 2015 gov jerry brown stood brown dry sierra meadow equally bare snow declare drought emergency including mandatory water cutbacks cities towns nearrecord rainfall last winter snapped historic drought filling reservoirs sending many rivers banks reservoirs remain 110 percent normal storage thanks last wet winter water officials said californians live variable climate country davis said wednesday surrounded forecasters water officials parkas mountainmeadow news conference variability manage called improvements longrange forecasting help states reservoir managers better operate dams water supplies flood control climate changes much states water coming form rain storms known atmospheric rivers davis noted clear us need information atmospheric rivers behave overall davis said winter contrast previous rainsodden one meteorologists point strengthening la nina weather pattern pacific typically brings drier weather stubborn ridge high pressure pacific bad guy states drought blocking storms reaching southern california particular december dry winds parched vegetation combined states biggest wildfires record los angeles area deadlier wildfires northern california october even water officials spoke wednesday welcome new storm carried first rain weeks northern california also marked one driest decembers record parts northern california see rain massive amounts first half january 1 2 inches 25 5 centimeters snow expected sierras weather service said ___ knickmeyer reported san francisco ___ story corrected show grant davis head californias department water resources said hopeful snow frank gehrke head states snow survey team phillips station calif ap grassy brown sierra meadow californias water managers gave results winters first manual snowpack measurements wednesday told story droughtprone state another unusually dry start vital winter rain snow season would like snow grant davis head californias department water resources told news crews gathered mountain field bare crusty dots old snow early davis said obviously hopeful snow next time come spoke frank gehrke head states snow survey team stuck metal pole one patches snow site measuring inch 25 centimeters 3 percent normal climate change increasingly changing mountain snowfall equation historically 60 percent californians water supply year starts snowfall sierras makes states manual electronic snowpack measurements mountains crucial gauges much water cities farms get year ahead winter one month states peak storm season snowpack across sierras stood wednesday 24 percent normal dry spell even acute southern california including los angeles national weather service said week marking driest 10month period record residents last saw significant rainfall february dry start rain snow season raising worries state could plunging right back drought scene wednesday remiscent 2015 gov jerry brown stood brown dry sierra meadow equally bare snow declare drought emergency including mandatory water cutbacks cities towns nearrecord rainfall last winter snapped historic drought filling reservoirs sending many rivers banks reservoirs remain 110 percent normal storage thanks last wet winter water officials said californians live variable climate country davis said wednesday surrounded forecasters water officials parkas mountainmeadow news conference variability manage called improvements longrange forecasting help states reservoir managers better operate dams water supplies flood control climate changes much states water coming form rain storms known atmospheric rivers davis noted clear us need information atmospheric rivers behave overall davis said winter contrast previous rainsodden one meteorologists point strengthening la nina weather pattern pacific typically brings drier weather stubborn ridge high pressure pacific bad guy states drought blocking storms reaching southern california particular december dry winds parched vegetation combined states biggest wildfires record los angeles area deadlier wildfires northern california october even water officials spoke wednesday welcome new storm carried first rain weeks northern california also marked one driest decembers record parts northern california see rain massive amounts first half january 1 2 inches 25 5 centimeters snow expected sierras weather service said ___ knickmeyer reported san francisco ___ story corrected show grant davis head californias department water resources said hopeful snow frank gehrke head states snow survey team
| 790 |
<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As Democrats nationwide encourage Oprah Winfrey to seek the presidency in 2020, those closest to the media mogul are sending mixed messages about her political intentions.</p>
<p>Her best friend, CBS News host Gayle King, said Tuesday that Winfrey is "intrigued" by the idea of a White House bid.</p>
<p>"She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don't think she's actively considering it at this time," King said, noting that she spoke to Winfrey at length the night before. "I also know that after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind."</p>
<p>On Monday, Winfrey's longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times that "it's up to the people" whether she will be president, adding, "She would absolutely do it."</p>
<p>The presidential buzz follows Winfrey's impassioned call for "a brighter morning even in our darkest nights" at the Golden Globes on Sunday night in a speech that left some viewers contemplating the idea of the Democratic Party embracing a celebrity candidate of its own to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. Trump, of course, was little more than a businessman-turned-reality-television-star before his extraordinary political rise.</p>
<p>Trump, who has lauded Winfrey as worthy of the vice presidency, dismissed her Tuesday as a threat, albeit cordially.</p>
<p>"I'll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well," Trump said at the White House as he met with lawmakers to discuss immigration. "I like Oprah. I don't think she's going to run."</p>
<p>House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Winfrey, like Trump, lacks any kind of governing experience.</p>
<p>"I think one of the arguments for Oprah is 45," Pelosi said, referring to Trump in shorthand for the 45th president. "I think one of the arguments against Oprah is 45."</p>
<p>Even so, for Democrats in early voting states, and perhaps for a public that largely disapproves of Trump's job performance, the notion of a popular media figure as a presidential candidate is not as strange as it once seemed.</p>
<p>"Look, it's ridiculous — and I get that," said Brad Anderson, Barack Obama's 2012 Iowa campaign director, who supports the idea of Winfrey running. "At the same time, politics is ridiculous right now."</p>
<p>Winfrey's speech as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award touched on her humble upbringing and childhood wonder in civil rights heroes.</p>
<p>But it was her exhortation of the legions of women who have called out sexual harassers — and her dream of a day "when nobody has to say 'me too' again" — that got some influential political operatives thinking Winfrey might be just what the Democrats need. Her appeal extended well beyond her celebrity, some said, citing her compassion, kindness and devotion to helping others as a badly needed change after Trump.</p>
<p>"People need to have hope," said Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, who encouraged the idea of an Oprah run. "If it means looking at one of these celebrities that have a moral core, that are compassion and intelligent, I think that people should look to where they can during these very, very difficult times."</p>
<p>Even Trump's daughter Ivanka endorsed Oprah's message, if not a political future, in a tweet Monday. "Just saw @Oprah's empowering and inspiring speech at last night's #GoldenGlobes. Let's all come together, women &amp; men, &amp; say #TIMESUP! #UNITED."</p>
<p>Trump's job approval rating sat at just 32 percent in December, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll. And though polls show his approval up slightly since, Trump is the least popular first-year president on record. He has also been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, though he has vehemently denied the allegations.</p>
<p>Winfrey, in September and October, publicly dismissed the notion of seeking the nation's highest office, though she noted that Trump's victory made her rethink the requirements of the office.</p>
<p>The 64-year-old media mogul has become a cultural phenomenon over the past 30-plus years, born into a poor home in Mississippi but breaking through as a television news and talk show personality in the 1980s. Over 30 years, she became the face of television talk shows, starred and produced feature films, and began her own network.</p>
<p>Trump himself has lavished praise on Winfrey over the years, including in 2015, when he said that he would consider her as a running mate on his Republican ticket. "I'd love to have Oprah. I think we'd win easily, actually," Trump told ABC News at the time.</p>
<p>Late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel said Monday that he preferred Winfrey to Trump.</p>
<p>"Given the choice between Oprah and our current president, I'm on the bus with Oprah traveling the country encouraging people to sign up and vote," he said.</p>
<p>Some political operatives think she has what it takes to be a viable presidential contender.</p>
<p>"She would be a serious candidate," said Jennifer Palmieri, former White House communications director under President Barack Obama and the communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.</p>
<p>Beyond her rise from poverty, Winfrey's success as a multidimensional media figure has come from promoting ways for women to assert themselves, typically outside the political arena. That could soften what Palmieri describes as an enduring resistance among some voters to women with political ambition.</p>
<p>"I think lessons we all learned from watching Hillary's run, and how her ambition was unfavorably and unfairly viewed, coupled with Oprah's existing popularity, could give Oprah a strong start," Palmieri said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Dave Bauder in New York contributed to this report.</p>
<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As Democrats nationwide encourage Oprah Winfrey to seek the presidency in 2020, those closest to the media mogul are sending mixed messages about her political intentions.</p>
<p>Her best friend, CBS News host Gayle King, said Tuesday that Winfrey is "intrigued" by the idea of a White House bid.</p>
<p>"She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don't think she's actively considering it at this time," King said, noting that she spoke to Winfrey at length the night before. "I also know that after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind."</p>
<p>On Monday, Winfrey's longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times that "it's up to the people" whether she will be president, adding, "She would absolutely do it."</p>
<p>The presidential buzz follows Winfrey's impassioned call for "a brighter morning even in our darkest nights" at the Golden Globes on Sunday night in a speech that left some viewers contemplating the idea of the Democratic Party embracing a celebrity candidate of its own to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. Trump, of course, was little more than a businessman-turned-reality-television-star before his extraordinary political rise.</p>
<p>Trump, who has lauded Winfrey as worthy of the vice presidency, dismissed her Tuesday as a threat, albeit cordially.</p>
<p>"I'll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well," Trump said at the White House as he met with lawmakers to discuss immigration. "I like Oprah. I don't think she's going to run."</p>
<p>House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Winfrey, like Trump, lacks any kind of governing experience.</p>
<p>"I think one of the arguments for Oprah is 45," Pelosi said, referring to Trump in shorthand for the 45th president. "I think one of the arguments against Oprah is 45."</p>
<p>Even so, for Democrats in early voting states, and perhaps for a public that largely disapproves of Trump's job performance, the notion of a popular media figure as a presidential candidate is not as strange as it once seemed.</p>
<p>"Look, it's ridiculous — and I get that," said Brad Anderson, Barack Obama's 2012 Iowa campaign director, who supports the idea of Winfrey running. "At the same time, politics is ridiculous right now."</p>
<p>Winfrey's speech as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award touched on her humble upbringing and childhood wonder in civil rights heroes.</p>
<p>But it was her exhortation of the legions of women who have called out sexual harassers — and her dream of a day "when nobody has to say 'me too' again" — that got some influential political operatives thinking Winfrey might be just what the Democrats need. Her appeal extended well beyond her celebrity, some said, citing her compassion, kindness and devotion to helping others as a badly needed change after Trump.</p>
<p>"People need to have hope," said Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, who encouraged the idea of an Oprah run. "If it means looking at one of these celebrities that have a moral core, that are compassion and intelligent, I think that people should look to where they can during these very, very difficult times."</p>
<p>Even Trump's daughter Ivanka endorsed Oprah's message, if not a political future, in a tweet Monday. "Just saw @Oprah's empowering and inspiring speech at last night's #GoldenGlobes. Let's all come together, women &amp; men, &amp; say #TIMESUP! #UNITED."</p>
<p>Trump's job approval rating sat at just 32 percent in December, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll. And though polls show his approval up slightly since, Trump is the least popular first-year president on record. He has also been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, though he has vehemently denied the allegations.</p>
<p>Winfrey, in September and October, publicly dismissed the notion of seeking the nation's highest office, though she noted that Trump's victory made her rethink the requirements of the office.</p>
<p>The 64-year-old media mogul has become a cultural phenomenon over the past 30-plus years, born into a poor home in Mississippi but breaking through as a television news and talk show personality in the 1980s. Over 30 years, she became the face of television talk shows, starred and produced feature films, and began her own network.</p>
<p>Trump himself has lavished praise on Winfrey over the years, including in 2015, when he said that he would consider her as a running mate on his Republican ticket. "I'd love to have Oprah. I think we'd win easily, actually," Trump told ABC News at the time.</p>
<p>Late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel said Monday that he preferred Winfrey to Trump.</p>
<p>"Given the choice between Oprah and our current president, I'm on the bus with Oprah traveling the country encouraging people to sign up and vote," he said.</p>
<p>Some political operatives think she has what it takes to be a viable presidential contender.</p>
<p>"She would be a serious candidate," said Jennifer Palmieri, former White House communications director under President Barack Obama and the communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.</p>
<p>Beyond her rise from poverty, Winfrey's success as a multidimensional media figure has come from promoting ways for women to assert themselves, typically outside the political arena. That could soften what Palmieri describes as an enduring resistance among some voters to women with political ambition.</p>
<p>"I think lessons we all learned from watching Hillary's run, and how her ambition was unfavorably and unfairly viewed, coupled with Oprah's existing popularity, could give Oprah a strong start," Palmieri said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Dave Bauder in New York contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
des moines iowa ap democrats nationwide encourage oprah winfrey seek presidency 2020 closest media mogul sending mixed messages political intentions best friend cbs news host gayle king said tuesday winfrey intrigued idea white house bid loves country would like service way dont think shes actively considering time king said noting spoke winfrey length night also know years watching oprah show always right change mind monday winfreys longtime partner stedman graham told los angeles times people whether president adding would absolutely presidential buzz follows winfreys impassioned call brighter morning even darkest nights golden globes sunday night speech left viewers contemplating idea democratic party embracing celebrity candidate challenge president donald trump 2020 trump course little businessmanturnedrealitytelevisionstar extraordinary political rise trump lauded winfrey worthy vice presidency dismissed tuesday threat albeit cordially ill beat oprah oprah would lot fun know well trump said white house met lawmakers discuss immigration like oprah dont think shes going run house minority leader nancy pelosi dcalif noted winfrey like trump lacks kind governing experience think one arguments oprah 45 pelosi said referring trump shorthand 45th president think one arguments oprah 45 even democrats early voting states perhaps public largely disapproves trumps job performance notion popular media figure presidential candidate strange seemed look ridiculous get said brad anderson barack obamas 2012 iowa campaign director supports idea winfrey running time politics ridiculous right winfreys speech accepted cecil b demille lifetime achievement award touched humble upbringing childhood wonder civil rights heroes exhortation legions women called sexual harassers dream day nobody say got influential political operatives thinking winfrey might democrats need appeal extended well beyond celebrity said citing compassion kindness devotion helping others badly needed change trump people need hope said ray buckley chairman new hampshire democratic party encouraged idea oprah run means looking one celebrities moral core compassion intelligent think people look difficult times even trumps daughter ivanka endorsed oprahs message political future tweet monday saw oprahs empowering inspiring speech last nights goldenglobes lets come together women amp men amp say timesup united trumps job approval rating sat 32 percent december according associated pressnorc poll though polls show approval slightly since trump least popular firstyear president record also accused multiple women sexual misconduct though vehemently denied allegations winfrey september october publicly dismissed notion seeking nations highest office though noted trumps victory made rethink requirements office 64yearold media mogul become cultural phenomenon past 30plus years born poor home mississippi breaking television news talk show personality 1980s 30 years became face television talk shows starred produced feature films began network trump lavished praise winfrey years including 2015 said would consider running mate republican ticket id love oprah think wed win easily actually trump told abc news time latenight show host jimmy kimmel said monday preferred winfrey trump given choice oprah current president im bus oprah traveling country encouraging people sign vote said political operatives think takes viable presidential contender would serious candidate said jennifer palmieri former white house communications director president barack obama communications director hillary clintons 2016 campaign beyond rise poverty winfreys success multidimensional media figure come promoting ways women assert typically outside political arena could soften palmieri describes enduring resistance among voters women political ambition think lessons learned watching hillarys run ambition unfavorably unfairly viewed coupled oprahs existing popularity could give oprah strong start palmieri said ___ peoples reported new york associated press writers andrew taylor catherine lucey washington dave bauder new york contributed report des moines iowa ap democrats nationwide encourage oprah winfrey seek presidency 2020 closest media mogul sending mixed messages political intentions best friend cbs news host gayle king said tuesday winfrey intrigued idea white house bid loves country would like service way dont think shes actively considering time king said noting spoke winfrey length night also know years watching oprah show always right change mind monday winfreys longtime partner stedman graham told los angeles times people whether president adding would absolutely presidential buzz follows winfreys impassioned call brighter morning even darkest nights golden globes sunday night speech left viewers contemplating idea democratic party embracing celebrity candidate challenge president donald trump 2020 trump course little businessmanturnedrealitytelevisionstar extraordinary political rise trump lauded winfrey worthy vice presidency dismissed tuesday threat albeit cordially ill beat oprah oprah would lot fun know well trump said white house met lawmakers discuss immigration like oprah dont think shes going run house minority leader nancy pelosi dcalif noted winfrey like trump lacks kind governing experience think one arguments oprah 45 pelosi said referring trump shorthand 45th president think one arguments oprah 45 even democrats early voting states perhaps public largely disapproves trumps job performance notion popular media figure presidential candidate strange seemed look ridiculous get said brad anderson barack obamas 2012 iowa campaign director supports idea winfrey running time politics ridiculous right winfreys speech accepted cecil b demille lifetime achievement award touched humble upbringing childhood wonder civil rights heroes exhortation legions women called sexual harassers dream day nobody say got influential political operatives thinking winfrey might democrats need appeal extended well beyond celebrity said citing compassion kindness devotion helping others badly needed change trump people need hope said ray buckley chairman new hampshire democratic party encouraged idea oprah run means looking one celebrities moral core compassion intelligent think people look difficult times even trumps daughter ivanka endorsed oprahs message political future tweet monday saw oprahs empowering inspiring speech last nights goldenglobes lets come together women amp men amp say timesup united trumps job approval rating sat 32 percent december according associated pressnorc poll though polls show approval slightly since trump least popular firstyear president record also accused multiple women sexual misconduct though vehemently denied allegations winfrey september october publicly dismissed notion seeking nations highest office though noted trumps victory made rethink requirements office 64yearold media mogul become cultural phenomenon past 30plus years born poor home mississippi breaking television news talk show personality 1980s 30 years became face television talk shows starred produced feature films began network trump lavished praise winfrey years including 2015 said would consider running mate republican ticket id love oprah think wed win easily actually trump told abc news time latenight show host jimmy kimmel said monday preferred winfrey trump given choice oprah current president im bus oprah traveling country encouraging people sign vote said political operatives think takes viable presidential contender would serious candidate said jennifer palmieri former white house communications director president barack obama communications director hillary clintons 2016 campaign beyond rise poverty winfreys success multidimensional media figure come promoting ways women assert typically outside political arena could soften palmieri describes enduring resistance among voters women political ambition think lessons learned watching hillarys run ambition unfavorably unfairly viewed coupled oprahs existing popularity could give oprah strong start palmieri said ___ peoples reported new york associated press writers andrew taylor catherine lucey washington dave bauder new york contributed report
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<p />
<p>An assistant state land commissioner accused of sexual harassment in his previous job as head of the Game and Fish Department has again resigned from a high-ranking state government job.</p>
<p>LANE: Quit top job at Game and Fish in 2013</p>
<p>Jim Lane, hired in March as assistant land commissioner for surface and special projects, resigned Monday - a day after the Journal reported he stepped down as director of Game and Fish in October 2013 after being accused of making repeated sexual overtures toward the agency's director of human resources.</p>
<p>Laura Riley, deputy commissioner to Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, said Tuesday that the Land Office had a background investigation of Lane conducted and examined his personnel file as part of his hiring but that neither turned up the sexual harassment allegations.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Riley said the office had just recently learned of the sexual harassment allegations against Lane and was trying to determine how to deal with them when the Journal story was published.</p>
<p>In a written statement, Dunn said he "unfortunately" had to ask for Lane's resignation and said Lane had been "subjected to a game of dirty politics." Dunn also thanked Lane for his work.</p>
<p>The Journal reported Sunday that Lane's abrupt resignation from Game and Fish in 2013 came nine days after the office of Gov. Susana Martinez received a letter accusing him of sexually harassing HR Director Sonya Quintana, then retaliating against her after she rebuffed him. Among the cellphone texts allegedly sent by Lane to Quintana while the two were staying in the same hotel on a business trip: "I really want to wake up with you tomorrow."</p>
<p>A commission appointed by the governor oversees Game and Fish, but the state land commissioner is elected separately and not under the governor's authority. Lane's annual pay at the Land Office was $92,000. He made $101,000 a year at Game and Fish.</p>
<p>The Journal obtained a copy of the letter to the Governor's Office accusing Lane of misconduct, as well as copies of text messages purportedly sent by Lane to Quintana and a copy of an audio recording of a meeting between Lane and Quintana during which Lane said he was "trying to control his personal insane attraction" to Quintana. He said on the recording that he could groom Quintana for promotion at Game and Fish.</p>
<p>In his statement announcing Lane's departure, Dunn said Lane would be unable to do his job effectively as a result of the public disclosure of private personnel information. The statement also said:</p>
<p>"Mr. Lane has now been subjected to a game of dirty politics more than two years after he had an agreement from the Martinez administration that his personnel records would not be disclosed, in what appears to be an unfortunate and possible attempt to interfere with the negotiations between the State Land Office and the Game Department."</p>
<p>Dunn issued a news release last week saying he wanted the Game and Fish Department to pay more for hunter and angler access to state trust lands. The department paid $200,000 this year, the release said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A spokesman for the governor said there was no agreement not to disclose Lane's personnel files, saying confidentiality of personnel records is governed by state law.</p>
<p>Under state law, personnel files - with the exception of letters and memos that are matters of opinion - must be provided to the public when requested. Accusations of sexual harassment could be withheld under the exception.</p>
<p>Hushed settlement</p>
<p>In a settlement reached in February 2014, Game and Fish and the state Risk Management Division agreed to pay $65,000 to settle Quintana's claims. She left the agency as part of the settlement and now works for Santa Fe County.</p>
<p>The Risk Management Division has repeatedly declined to release the settlement. The Journal obtained a copy elsewhere.</p>
<p>Under state law, such settlements are subject to public inspection 180 days after being reached, but there are exceptions. The Risk Management Division has refused to specify the exception or exceptions it is relying on in refusing to release the Quintana settlement and related documents.</p>
<p>Riley said the office learned of the sexual harassment accusations within the past two weeks when Game and Fish sent a copy of the letter that had gone from Quintana's attorney to the Governor's Office shortly before Lane's resignation as director of the agency. The letter was sent to the Land Office so it could be included in Lane's personnel file, she said.</p>
<p>"We were trying to determine internally how to deal with this when it came out in the newspaper," she said.</p>
<p>Riley said Lane was asked to resign because "we cannot manage an agency with these types of issues."</p>
<p>The letter to the Governor's Office also accused Lane of misusing a state vehicle, interfering with equal employment opportunity complaints and committing other wrongdoing during his two years as director of the Game and Fish Department. Lane hasn't responded to phone and email messages seeking comment.</p>
<p>Other departures</p>
<p>Lane is at least the third member of Dunn's executive staff to leave the agency after only a few months on the job. Dunn took office Jan. 1.</p>
<p>Robert Ortega, hired by Dunn as his deputy, left in May. Jill McLaughlin, assistant commissioner for communications, left about the end of April. Dunn hasn't disclosed the reasons behind the departures.</p>
<p>Rep. James R.J. Strickler, R-Farmington, chairman of the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said stability is good for government, but sometimes people don't work out. "Turnover happens in business and industry and state government," he said.</p>
<p>Strickler said the Land Office under Dunn has erased a backlog of permit applications, including those for rights of way, oil and gas drilling and other activities on state trust lands.</p>
<p>State Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, chairman of the Senate Conservation Committee, said, "It's certainly concerning to have turnover in an agency of such importance to the state."</p>
<p>Wirth said he also is concerned that Dunn has gotten away from the office's mission of managing state trust lands and has moved into wildlife management.</p>
<p>The senator cited Dunn's demand that the Game and Fish Department pay more money for hunter and angler access to trust lands, as well as Dunn's request that Game and Fish allow hunters to use traps or foot snares to capture cougars on about 9 million acres of trust land. The Game Commission is expected to vote this month on Dunn's request.</p>
<p>Lane, before being hired by the Land Office, was at the forefront of an unsuccessful effort in the Legislature this year to allow unregulated cougar hunting.</p>
<p />
<p />
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assistant state land commissioner accused sexual harassment previous job head game fish department resigned highranking state government job lane quit top job game fish 2013 jim lane hired march assistant land commissioner surface special projects resigned monday day journal reported stepped director game fish october 2013 accused making repeated sexual overtures toward agencys director human resources laura riley deputy commissioner land commissioner aubrey dunn said tuesday land office background investigation lane conducted examined personnel file part hiring neither turned sexual harassment allegations advertisement riley said office recently learned sexual harassment allegations lane trying determine deal journal story published written statement dunn said unfortunately ask lanes resignation said lane subjected game dirty politics dunn also thanked lane work journal reported sunday lanes abrupt resignation game fish 2013 came nine days office gov susana martinez received letter accusing sexually harassing hr director sonya quintana retaliating rebuffed among cellphone texts allegedly sent lane quintana two staying hotel business trip really want wake tomorrow commission appointed governor oversees game fish state land commissioner elected separately governors authority lanes annual pay land office 92000 made 101000 year game fish journal obtained copy letter governors office accusing lane misconduct well copies text messages purportedly sent lane quintana copy audio recording meeting lane quintana lane said trying control personal insane attraction quintana said recording could groom quintana promotion game fish statement announcing lanes departure dunn said lane would unable job effectively result public disclosure private personnel information statement also said mr lane subjected game dirty politics two years agreement martinez administration personnel records would disclosed appears unfortunate possible attempt interfere negotiations state land office game department dunn issued news release last week saying wanted game fish department pay hunter angler access state trust lands department paid 200000 year release said advertisement spokesman governor said agreement disclose lanes personnel files saying confidentiality personnel records governed state law state law personnel files exception letters memos matters opinion must provided public requested accusations sexual harassment could withheld exception hushed settlement settlement reached february 2014 game fish state risk management division agreed pay 65000 settle quintanas claims left agency part settlement works santa fe county risk management division repeatedly declined release settlement journal obtained copy elsewhere state law settlements subject public inspection 180 days reached exceptions risk management division refused specify exception exceptions relying refusing release quintana settlement related documents riley said office learned sexual harassment accusations within past two weeks game fish sent copy letter gone quintanas attorney governors office shortly lanes resignation director agency letter sent land office could included lanes personnel file said trying determine internally deal came newspaper said riley said lane asked resign manage agency types issues letter governors office also accused lane misusing state vehicle interfering equal employment opportunity complaints committing wrongdoing two years director game fish department lane hasnt responded phone email messages seeking comment departures lane least third member dunns executive staff leave agency months job dunn took office jan 1 robert ortega hired dunn deputy left may jill mclaughlin assistant commissioner communications left end april dunn hasnt disclosed reasons behind departures rep james rj strickler rfarmington chairman house energy environment natural resources committee said stability good government sometimes people dont work turnover happens business industry state government said strickler said land office dunn erased backlog permit applications including rights way oil gas drilling activities state trust lands state sen peter wirth dsanta fe chairman senate conservation committee said certainly concerning turnover agency importance state wirth said also concerned dunn gotten away offices mission managing state trust lands moved wildlife management senator cited dunns demand game fish department pay money hunter angler access trust lands well dunns request game fish allow hunters use traps foot snares capture cougars 9 million acres trust land game commission expected vote month dunns request lane hired land office forefront unsuccessful effort legislature year allow unregulated cougar hunting
| 640 |
<p>WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. government’s aid chief, Mark Green, made an unannounced visit to Raqqa in Syria on Monday, the most senior U.S. civilian official to visit the war-struck city months after American-backed militia retook the area from Islamic State.</p>
<p>Green was accompanied by the head of the U.S. Central Command General Joseph Votel, as the United States ramps up efforts to stabilize areas once held by Islamic State to prevent them from falling back into the hands of other militants.</p>
<p>“We’re at the point where people really do want to go home so this is the moment to seize,” Green, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said in a phone interview with Reuters after the visit. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; editing by Grant McCool)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Investigators probing whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russia have been questioning witnesses about events at the 2016 Republican National Convention, according to two sources familiar with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiries.</p> Special Counsel Robert Mueller (R) departs after briefing members of the U.S. Senate on his investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
<p>Mueller’s team has been asking about a convention-related event attended by both Russia’s U.S. ambassador and Jeff Sessions, the first U.S. senator to support Trump and now his attorney general, said one source, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.</p>
<p>Another issue Mueller’s team has been asking about is how and why Republican Party platform language hostile to Russia was deleted from a section of the document related to Ukraine, said another source who also requested anonymity.</p>
<p>Mueller’s interest in what happened at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July 2016, is an indication that Trump campaign contacts and actions related to Russia remain central to the special counsel’s investigation.</p>
<p>Trump, who was nominated as the Republican Party candidate for the November 2016 election during the convention, has denied any collusion with Russia during the campaign. Moscow has denied U.S. intelligence agencies’ findings that it interfered in the campaign to try to tilt the election in Trump’s favor.</p>
<p>Investigators have asked detailed questions about conversations that Sessions, then a Trump campaign adviser, had at a convention event attended by then-Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak, said the first source, who was questioned by Mueller about the event.</p>
<p>The same source said Mueller’s team also has been asking whether Sessions had private discussions with Kislyak on the sidelines of a campaign speech Trump gave at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel in April 2016.</p>
<p>Sessions’ spokespersons have denied repeatedly that he had any private discussions with Kislyak at the Mayflower, although Sessions has admitted to speaking briefly to Kislyak at the event.</p>
<p>Spokespersons for Mueller and Sessions declined to comment on Mueller’s interest in Sessions’ activities at the convention and other convention-related events.</p> UKRAINE LANGUAGE
<p>The special counsel’s investigators have also interviewed attendees of the committee meetings that drafted the Republican Party platform in Cleveland.</p>
<p>At one committee meeting, according to people in attendance, Diana Denman, a member of the platform committee’s national security subcommittee, proposed language calling for the United States to supply “lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine’s armed forces and greater coordination with NATO on defense planning.”</p>
<p>But the final platform language deleted the reference to “lethal defensive weapons,” a change that made the platform less hostile to Russia, whose troops had invaded the Crimean peninsula and eastern Ukraine.</p>
<p>After the convention, Denman told Reuters in 2016, J.D. Gordon, a Trump foreign policy adviser, told her he was going to speak to Trump about the language on Ukraine, and that Trump’s campaign team played a direct role in softening the platform language.</p>
<p>The Trump campaign has denied playing any role in the weakening of the party’s position regarding Ukraine. Gordon has called Denman’s version of events “inaccurate.”</p>
<p>Stephen Yates, co-chair of the platform committee’s national security subcommittee, said he has “heard nothing about other members of the subcommittee being called in for questioning, and I have had no interaction with anyone working on the investigation.”</p>
<p>Sessions recused himself last year from the federal probe into Russian election meddling after it emerged that he had failed to say during his Senate confirmation hearing to be attorney general that he had met with Russia’s ambassador in 2016.</p>
<p>Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by John Walcott and Frances Kerry</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by the Trump administration but says he was terminated because he is a crucial witness in the Russia investigation, is raising funds to help cover costs defending against other ongoing government probes, according to a copy of a draft website seen by Reuters.</p> FILE PHOTO: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (C) arrives to testify behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>The GoFundMe Web page unveiled on Thursday, which seeks to raise $150,000 from members of the public, represents an escalation of the battle between McCabe and the administration over his firing amid heavy criticism by President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>It also raises the prospect that McCabe could legally challenge his termination in the future.</p>
<p>"Andrew McCabe’s FBI career was long, distinguished, and unblemished," says the Web page. ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2GTUnyv" type="external">bit.ly/2GTUnyv</a>)</p>
<p>“His reward for that has been a termination that was completely unjustified, amidst repeated ad hominem attacks by the President of the United States,”</p>
<p>The page features a photo of McCabe alongside his wife, two children and the family dog, Jeremiah.</p>
<p>On March 16, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he was terminating McCabe after the Justice Department’s inspector general concluded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation veteran leaked information to the press and misled investigators about his actions.</p>
<p>The report used as the basis for the firing has still not been made public. Following McCabe’s termination, Trump took to Twitter, where he declared it was a “great day for Democracy.”</p>
<p>McCabe’s dismissal came less than two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with his full pension.</p>
<p>McCabe disputes the findings by the inspector general’s office. He said he believes he is facing administration retaliation because he is a crucial witness into whether Trump may have tried to obstruct a criminal probe now being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.</p>
<p>While he was the FBI’s No. 2 official, McCabe was deeply involved in overseeing investigations related to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, and whether Russia colluded with Trump’s campaign. Trump has denied any collusion occurred. Russia has denied meddling.</p>
<p>Reuters has reported that McCabe kept contemporaneous notes following his conversations with Trump, as well as notes related to former FBI Director James Comey’s conversations with Trump.</p>
<p>Trump fired Comey in 2017, prompting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Mueller as special counsel. Trump later acknowledged in a televised interview he fired Comey over “this Russia thing.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TEMPE, Ariz. (Reuters) - The family of a woman killed by an Uber Technologies Inc self-driving vehicle in Arizona has reached a settlement with the ride services company, ending a potential legal battle over the first fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle.</p>
<p>Cristina Perez Hesano, an attorney with the firm of Bellah Perez in Glendale, Arizona, said “the matter has been resolved” between Uber and the daughter and husband of Elaine Herzberg, 49, who died after being hit by an Uber self-driving SUV while walking across a street in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe earlier this month.</p>
<p>Terms of the settlement were not given. The law firm representing Herzberg’s daughter and husband, whose names were not disclosed, said they would have no further comment on the matter as they considered it resolved.</p>
<p>An Uber spokeswoman declined to comment.</p>
<p>The fallout from the accident could stall the development and testing of self-driving vehicles, designed to eventually perform far better than human drivers and to sharply reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities that occur each year.</p>
<p>Uber has suspended its testing in the wake of the incident. Toyota Motor Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=7203.T" type="external">7203.T</a>) and chipmaker Nvidia Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NVDA.O" type="external">NVDA.O</a>) have also suspended self-driving testing on public roads, as they and others await the results of investigations into the Tempe accident, believed to be the first death of a pedestrian struck by a self-driving vehicle.</p>
<p>Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, said Uber does not use the chipmaker’s self-driving platform architecture.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Toyota North America Chief Executive Jim Lentz said the company expects to “soon” resume testing of self-driving vehicles, while warning that the ongoing risks will affect the industry’s progress.</p>
<p>“There will be mistakes from vehicles, from systems, and a hundred or 500 or a thousand people could lose their lives in accidents like we’ve seen in Arizona,” Lentz said Thursday at a Reuters Newsmakers event connected with the New York auto show.</p>
<p>“The big question for government is: How much risk are they willing to take? If you can save net 34,000 lives, are you willing to potentially have 10 or 100 or 500 or 1,000 people die?” he said. “And I think the answer to that today is they are not willing to take that risk - and that’s going to really slow down the adoption of autonomous driving.”</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=7203.T" type="external">Toyota Motor Corp</a> 6842.0 7203.T Tokyo Stock Exchange -20.00 (-0.29%) 7203.T NVDA.O
<p>The March 18 fatality near downtown Tempe also presents an unprecedented liability challenge because self-driving vehicles, which are still in the development stage, involve a complex system of hardware and software often made by outside suppliers.</p>
<p>Herzberg was pushing a bicycle while walking across a four-lane road outside a crosswalk when she was struck. Video footage from a dash-mounted camera inside the vehicle, released by Tempe police, showed the SUV traveling along a dark street when the headlights suddenly illuminated Herzberg in front of the SUV.</p>
<p>Other footage showed that in the seconds before the accident, the human safety driver behind the wheel was mostly looking down, not at the road.</p>
<p>Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in New York; Writing by Peter Henderson and Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Leslie Adler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has ordered 60 U.S. diplomats to leave by April 5, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, in a retaliatory move against Washington which expelled a similar number of Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a Russian spy in England.</p> A view through a fence shows the building of the consulate-general of the U.S. in St. Petersburg, Russia March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-russia-usa-un/u-n-chief-warns-another-cold-war-developing-between-russia-u-s-idUSKBN1H52QQ" type="external">U.N. chief warns another Cold War developing between Russia, U.S.</a>
<p>The foreign ministry said it had declared persona non grata 58 diplomats in Moscow and two general consulate officials in Yekaterinburg in the row over the poisoning of former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal on March 4.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Moments before the ministry announcement, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would respond in kind to the mass expulsion of diplomats by Western governments which include, apart from the United States and Britain, most member states of NATO and the European Union.</p>
<p>“The measures would be reciprocal ... They include expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and they include our decision to withdraw our agreement to allow the United States’ general consulate to operate in St. Petersburg,” Lavrov told a briefing.</p>
<p>The attack on 66-year-old Skripal and his daughter, which Britain has blamed on Russian President Vladimir Putin and says was caused by a Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok left on the door of their home in England, has driven relations between Russia and the West to a new post-Cold War low.</p>
<p>Russia has denied involvement in the attack on the Skripals and says it suspects the British secret services are trying to frame Russia to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.</p>
<p>Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence who betrayed Russian agents to Britain and then was exchanged in a spy swap deal, is still in a critical condition from the attack.</p>
<p>His 33-year-old daughter was also in a critical condition though the English hospital where she was being treated said on Thursday that her condition had improved.</p>
<p>Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Richard Balmforth</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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washington jan 22 reuters us governments aid chief mark green made unannounced visit raqqa syria monday senior us civilian official visit warstruck city months americanbacked militia retook area islamic state green accompanied head us central command general joseph votel united states ramps efforts stabilize areas held islamic state prevent falling back hands militants point people really want go home moment seize green administrator united states agency international development usaid said phone interview reuters visit reporting lesley wroughton editing grant mccool standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters investigators probing whether donald trumps presidential campaign colluded russia questioning witnesses events 2016 republican national convention according two sources familiar special counsel robert muellers inquiries special counsel robert mueller r departs briefing members us senate investigation potential collusion russia trump campaign capitol hill washington us june 21 2017 reutersjoshua roberts muellers team asking conventionrelated event attended russias us ambassador jeff sessions first us senator support trump attorney general said one source requested anonymity due ongoing investigation another issue muellers team asking republican party platform language hostile russia deleted section document related ukraine said another source also requested anonymity muellers interest happened republican convention cleveland ohio july 2016 indication trump campaign contacts actions related russia remain central special counsels investigation trump nominated republican party candidate november 2016 election convention denied collusion russia campaign moscow denied us intelligence agencies findings interfered campaign try tilt election trumps favor investigators asked detailed questions conversations sessions trump campaign adviser convention event attended thenrussian ambassador united states sergei kislyak said first source questioned mueller event source said muellers team also asking whether sessions private discussions kislyak sidelines campaign speech trump gave washingtons mayflower hotel april 2016 sessions spokespersons denied repeatedly private discussions kislyak mayflower although sessions admitted speaking briefly kislyak event spokespersons mueller sessions declined comment muellers interest sessions activities convention conventionrelated events ukraine language special counsels investigators also interviewed attendees committee meetings drafted republican party platform cleveland one committee meeting according people attendance diana denman member platform committees national security subcommittee proposed language calling united states supply lethal defensive weapons ukraines armed forces greater coordination nato defense planning final platform language deleted reference lethal defensive weapons change made platform less hostile russia whose troops invaded crimean peninsula eastern ukraine convention denman told reuters 2016 jd gordon trump foreign policy adviser told going speak trump language ukraine trumps campaign team played direct role softening platform language trump campaign denied playing role weakening partys position regarding ukraine gordon called denmans version events inaccurate stephen yates cochair platform committees national security subcommittee said heard nothing members subcommittee called questioning interaction anyone working investigation sessions recused last year federal probe russian election meddling emerged failed say senate confirmation hearing attorney general met russias ambassador 2016 reporting mark hosenball editing john walcott frances kerry standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe fired trump administration says terminated crucial witness russia investigation raising funds help cover costs defending ongoing government probes according copy draft website seen reuters file photo fbi deputy director andrew mccabe c arrives testify behind closed doors house judiciary committee capitol hill washington us december 21 2017 reutersyuri gripas gofundme web page unveiled thursday seeks raise 150000 members public represents escalation battle mccabe administration firing amid heavy criticism president donald trump also raises prospect mccabe could legally challenge termination future andrew mccabes fbi career long distinguished unblemished says web page bitly2gtunyv reward termination completely unjustified amidst repeated ad hominem attacks president united states page features photo mccabe alongside wife two children family dog jeremiah march 16 us attorney general jeff sessions announced terminating mccabe justice departments inspector general concluded federal bureau investigation veteran leaked information press misled investigators actions report used basis firing still made public following mccabes termination trump took twitter declared great day democracy mccabes dismissal came less two days 50th birthday would eligible retire federal bureau investigation full pension mccabe disputes findings inspector generals office said believes facing administration retaliation crucial witness whether trump may tried obstruct criminal probe led special counsel robert mueller alleged russian meddling 2016 election fbis 2 official mccabe deeply involved overseeing investigations related former secretary state hillary clintons use private email server whether russia colluded trumps campaign trump denied collusion occurred russia denied meddling reuters reported mccabe kept contemporaneous notes following conversations trump well notes related former fbi director james comeys conversations trump trump fired comey 2017 prompting deputy attorney general rod rosenstein appoint mueller special counsel trump later acknowledged televised interview fired comey russia thing reporting sarah n lynch standards thomson reuters trust principles tempe ariz reuters family woman killed uber technologies inc selfdriving vehicle arizona reached settlement ride services company ending potential legal battle first fatality caused autonomous vehicle cristina perez hesano attorney firm bellah perez glendale arizona said matter resolved uber daughter husband elaine herzberg 49 died hit uber selfdriving suv walking across street phoenix suburb tempe earlier month terms settlement given law firm representing herzbergs daughter husband whose names disclosed said would comment matter considered resolved uber spokeswoman declined comment fallout accident could stall development testing selfdriving vehicles designed eventually perform far better human drivers sharply reduce number motor vehicle fatalities occur year uber suspended testing wake incident toyota motor corp 7203t chipmaker nvidia corp nvdao also suspended selfdriving testing public roads others await results investigations tempe accident believed first death pedestrian struck selfdriving vehicle nvidias chief executive jensen huang said uber use chipmakers selfdriving platform architecture slideshow 3 images toyota north america chief executive jim lentz said company expects soon resume testing selfdriving vehicles warning ongoing risks affect industrys progress mistakes vehicles systems hundred 500 thousand people could lose lives accidents like weve seen arizona lentz said thursday reuters newsmakers event connected new york auto show big question government much risk willing take save net 34000 lives willing potentially 10 100 500 1000 people die said think answer today willing take risk thats going really slow adoption autonomous driving toyota motor corp 68420 7203t tokyo stock exchange 2000 029 7203t nvdao march 18 fatality near downtown tempe also presents unprecedented liability challenge selfdriving vehicles still development stage involve complex system hardware software often made outside suppliers herzberg pushing bicycle walking across fourlane road outside crosswalk struck video footage dashmounted camera inside vehicle released tempe police showed suv traveling along dark street headlights suddenly illuminated herzberg front suv footage showed seconds accident human safety driver behind wheel mostly looking road reporting bernie woodall additional reporting david shepardson new york writing peter henderson bernie woodall editing bernadette baum leslie adler standards thomson reuters trust principles moscow reuters russia ordered 60 us diplomats leave april 5 foreign ministry said thursday retaliatory move washington expelled similar number russian diplomats poisoning russian spy england view fence shows building consulategeneral us st petersburg russia march 29 2018 reutersanton vaganov related coverage un chief warns another cold war developing russia us foreign ministry said declared persona non grata 58 diplomats moscow two general consulate officials yekaterinburg row poisoning former russian doubleagent sergei skripal march 4 slideshow 2 images moments ministry announcement foreign minister sergei lavrov said russia would respond kind mass expulsion diplomats western governments include apart united states britain member states nato european union measures would reciprocal include expulsion equivalent number diplomats include decision withdraw agreement allow united states general consulate operate st petersburg lavrov told briefing attack 66yearold skripal daughter britain blamed russian president vladimir putin says caused sovietera nerve agent novichok left door home england driven relations russia west new postcold war low russia denied involvement attack skripals says suspects british secret services trying frame russia stoke antirussian hysteria skripal former russian military intelligence betrayed russian agents britain exchanged spy swap deal still critical condition attack 33yearold daughter also critical condition though english hospital treated said thursday condition improved reporting vladimir soldatkin writing richard balmforth standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Jan 19 (Reuters) - Oceanwide Holdings Co Ltd:</p>
<p>* SAYS ITS SHARE TRADE TO REMAIN SUSPENDED FROM JAN 22 PENDING ANNOUNCEMENT RELATED TO ITS ASSET RESTRUCTURING Source text in Chinese: <a href="http://bit.ly/2mVirrU" type="external">bit.ly/2mVirrU</a> Further company coverage: (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom)</p> Our Standards:
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<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President Donald Trump’s top homeland security advisers said on Sunday the Unites States will not rule out launching a missile attack in response to new reports about a chemical attack on a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta, Syria.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser Thomas Bossert said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”</p>
<p>“We are looking into the attack at this point,” he said, adding that the photos of the incident are “horrible.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
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<p>CAIRO (Reuters) - Mohamed “Ibn Nufal” Nufal, 24, kisses his mother goodbye in Cairo’s Tahrir Square as he sets off for the World Cup in Russia - on a bicycle.</p> Egyptian cyclist Mohamed Nofal cycles as he makes his way to Russia for the 2018 Fifa World Cup after Egypt qualified for the first time in 28 years, in Cairo, Egypt, April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
<p>After about 5,000 km (3,000 miles) and 65 days on the road, Nufal hopes to reach Moscow to see Egypt make its first appearance in the World Cup for 28 years.</p>
<p>Nufal plans to get there via Jordan, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. He will fly over Syria due to the civil war there and will also give Iraq a miss for security reasons.</p>
<p>On his bike, Nufal has packed spare parts, an extra phone, batteries and camping gear. In addition to his tent, Nufal will put up in hostels where he can find them, as well as relying on the kindness of strangers for a bed for the night.</p> Slideshow (9 Images)
<p>“It is about the road more than the arrival,” he told Reuters Television. “If it were just about the World Cup, I would take a plane. It is a great chance for me to see new things.”</p>
<p>A group of cyclists and friends escorted Nufal as he started his trip on Saturday, and he hopes many more will offer him help along the way.</p>
<p>After clinching its World Cup spot in October, Egypt will compete on football’s ultimate stage for the first time since 1990.</p>
<p>Reporting by Mostafa Salem, writing by Giles Elgood, editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>YANGON (Reuters) - Lawyers for two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss the case against them, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support charges of obtaining secret government papers.</p>
<p>A court in Yangon has been holding preliminary hearings since January to decide whether Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, will be charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.</p>
<p>Defence and prosecution lawyers made legal arguments in front of Judge Ye Lwin on Wednesday, after the defence filed a motion to have the case thrown out last week.</p>
<p>The reporters’ lawyers argued that the testimony from witnesses called by the prosecution was insufficient to charge the pair. They also pointed to what they said were inconsistencies in witness testimony and procedural mistakes made by the authorities during the arrest and subsequent searches.</p>
<p>“At this stage, after we’ve examined 17 witnesses, there’s nothing in the preliminary testimonies so they should be released now without being charged,” defence lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told reporters after the hearing.</p>
<p>During previous hearings one of the police witnesses told the court he had burned his notes from the time of the arrests. A civilian witness had the location where police say the arrests was made - which emerged as a key point of contention during the proceedings - written on his hand.</p>
<p>Another witness said he had signed the search form recording the reporters’ arrests before the items seized from them had been filled in.</p>
<p>Lead prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung argued against the dismissal of the case, reiterating the prosecution’s position that the documents the reporters had in their possession were secret and that the court could assume they intended to harm the security of the country.</p>
<p>Kyaw Min Aung did not respond to a request for comment after the proceedings.</p>
<p>Myanmar’s government spokesman, Zaw Htay, told Reuters by telephone that under Myanmar’s constitution the courts were independent, “so the judge will decide whether to dismiss the case or not”.</p>
<p>Judge Ye Lwin adjourned the proceedings until April 11, when he is expected to rule on the dismissal motion.</p> “WE ARE NOT TRAITORS”
<p>Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been in custody since their arrests on Dec. 12.</p>
<p>The journalists had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men in the village of Inn Din, in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, during an army crackdown that has sent nearly 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh.</p>
<p>They have told relatives they were arrested almost immediately after being handed some rolled up papers at a restaurant in northern Yangon by two policemen they had not met before, having been invited to meet the officers for dinner.</p>
<p>Police witnesses, however, have said the reporters were stopped and searched at a traffic checkpoint by officers who were unaware they were journalists, and found to be holding in their hands documents relating to security force deployments in Rakhine.</p> Detained Reuters journalist Wa Lone gives a thumbs up as he is escorted by police after a court hearing in Yangon, Myanmar April 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang
<p>In its argument, the defence said the papers contained only publicly available information and could not be deemed secret.</p>
<p>Senior U.N. officials, Western nations and press freedom advocates have called for the release of the journalists and diplomats from France, Sweden, the United States and the United Nations were among those who attended Wednesday’s hearing.</p>
<p>“What the testimony heard so far has revealed...is a poorly prepared case, inconsistent statements by police witnesses, and what appears to be a blatant disregard for proper police procedures,” said the embassy of Denmark in a statement released before the hearing.</p>
<p>After the hearing Wa Lone told journalists that he was not “a traitor of the country”.</p>
<p>“We only did our work as reporters. I want the people to understand that and want to tell them that I never betrayed the country,” said the reporter on the steps of the courthouse as he was being pushed inside a police truck.</p>
<p>Kyaw Soe Oo said the news media were important for Myanmar’s democracy.</p> Slideshow (7 Images)
<p>“We followed the news and uncovered the Inn Din story. The reason why we did it is to give the vitally important information to the country,” he said.</p>
<p>Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, Hau Do Suan, said last month that the journalists were not arrested for reporting a story, but were accused of “illegally possessing confidential government documents”.</p>
<p>Reporting by Shoon Naing and Thu Thu Aung; Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski, Yimou Lee, Simon Lewis and Sam Aung Moon; Editing by Alex Richardson</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Tweet on Sunday that China would take down its trade barriers and that the two countries would reach a deal on intellectual property.</p> FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform during a visit to White Sulphur Springs, in West Virginia, U.S., April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
<p>On Thursday, Trump directed U.S. trade officials to identify tariffs on $100 billion more Chinese imports, stoking fears of an all-out trade war between the world’s two largest economies.</p>
<p>In his Tweet on Sunday, Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would always be friends despite the dispute, adding: “China will take down its trade barriers because it is the right thing to do. Taxes will become reciprocal and a deal will be made on intellectual property. Great future for both countries!”</p> Texas sends 250 National Guard troops to Mexico border
<p>Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Michelle Price; Editing by Susan Fenton</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
jan 19 reuters oceanwide holdings co ltd says share trade remain suspended jan 22 pending announcement related asset restructuring source text chinese bitly2mvirru company coverage reporting hong kong newsroom standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters one president donald trumps top homeland security advisers said sunday unites states rule launching missile attack response new reports chemical attack rebelheld town eastern ghouta syria wouldnt take anything table white house homeland security counterterrorism adviser thomas bossert said interview abcs week looking attack point said adding photos incident horrible reporting sarah n lynch editing james dalgleish standards thomson reuters trust principles cairo reuters mohamed ibn nufal nufal 24 kisses mother goodbye cairos tahrir square sets world cup russia bicycle egyptian cyclist mohamed nofal cycles makes way russia 2018 fifa world cup egypt qualified first time 28 years cairo egypt april 7 2018 reutersamr abdallah dalsh 5000 km 3000 miles 65 days road nufal hopes reach moscow see egypt make first appearance world cup 28 years nufal plans get via jordan bulgaria romania moldova ukraine fly syria due civil war also give iraq miss security reasons bike nufal packed spare parts extra phone batteries camping gear addition tent nufal put hostels find well relying kindness strangers bed night slideshow 9 images road arrival told reuters television world cup would take plane great chance see new things group cyclists friends escorted nufal started trip saturday hopes many offer help along way clinching world cup spot october egypt compete footballs ultimate stage first time since 1990 reporting mostafa salem writing giles elgood editing larry king standards thomson reuters trust principles yangon reuters lawyers two reuters reporters jailed myanmar asked judge wednesday dismiss case arguing insufficient evidence support charges obtaining secret government papers court yangon holding preliminary hearings since january decide whether wa lone 31 kyaw soe oo 28 charged colonialera official secrets act carries maximum penalty 14 years prison defence prosecution lawyers made legal arguments front judge ye lwin wednesday defence filed motion case thrown last week reporters lawyers argued testimony witnesses called prosecution insufficient charge pair also pointed said inconsistencies witness testimony procedural mistakes made authorities arrest subsequent searches stage weve examined 17 witnesses theres nothing preliminary testimonies released without charged defence lawyer khin maung zaw told reporters hearing previous hearings one police witnesses told court burned notes time arrests civilian witness location police say arrests made emerged key point contention proceedings written hand another witness said signed search form recording reporters arrests items seized filled lead prosecutor kyaw min aung argued dismissal case reiterating prosecutions position documents reporters possession secret court could assume intended harm security country kyaw min aung respond request comment proceedings myanmars government spokesman zaw htay told reuters telephone myanmars constitution courts independent judge decide whether dismiss case judge ye lwin adjourned proceedings april 11 expected rule dismissal motion traitors wa lone kyaw soe oo custody since arrests dec 12 journalists working reuters investigation killing 10 rohingya muslim men village inn din western myanmars rakhine state army crackdown sent nearly 700000 people fleeing bangladesh told relatives arrested almost immediately handed rolled papers restaurant northern yangon two policemen met invited meet officers dinner police witnesses however said reporters stopped searched traffic checkpoint officers unaware journalists found holding hands documents relating security force deployments rakhine detained reuters journalist wa lone gives thumbs escorted police court hearing yangon myanmar april 4 2018 reutersann wang argument defence said papers contained publicly available information could deemed secret senior un officials western nations press freedom advocates called release journalists diplomats france sweden united states united nations among attended wednesdays hearing testimony heard far revealedis poorly prepared case inconsistent statements police witnesses appears blatant disregard proper police procedures said embassy denmark statement released hearing hearing wa lone told journalists traitor country work reporters want people understand want tell never betrayed country said reporter steps courthouse pushed inside police truck kyaw soe oo said news media important myanmars democracy slideshow 7 images followed news uncovered inn din story reason give vitally important information country said myanmars ambassador united nations hau suan said last month journalists arrested reporting story accused illegally possessing confidential government documents reporting shoon naing thu thu aung additional reporting antoni slodkowski yimou lee simon lewis sam aung moon editing alex richardson standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trump said tweet sunday china would take trade barriers two countries would reach deal intellectual property file photo us president donald trump speaks tax reform visit white sulphur springs west virginia us april 5 2018 reuterskevin lamarque thursday trump directed us trade officials identify tariffs 100 billion chinese imports stoking fears allout trade war worlds two largest economies tweet sunday trump said chinese president xi jinping would always friends despite dispute adding china take trade barriers right thing taxes become reciprocal deal made intellectual property great future countries texas sends 250 national guard troops mexico border reporting sarah n lynch michelle price editing susan fenton standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days of the Trump administration, the head of one of America’s largest coal companies sent a four-page “action plan” to the White House calling for rollbacks of Obama-era environmental and mine safety regulations.</p>
<p>“We have listed our suggested actions in order of priority,” Robert “Bob” Murray, the chairman and CEO of Ohio-based Murray Energy, wrote in his March 1 letter addressed to Vice President Mike Pence. “We are available to assist you and your administration in any way that you request.”</p>
<p>A review of the memo by The Associated Press shows Murray, an early campaign supporter of President Donald Trump and major GOP political donor, has gotten about half the items on his wish list. They include pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accords and revoking the Clean Power Plan, former President Obama’s signature effort to limit planet-warming emissions from coal-fired power plants.</p>
<p>Murray has spoken widely about his policy priorities in the intervening months, but a copy of his four-page plan became public this week after it was obtained by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and first reported by The New York Times.</p>
<p>Under Trump, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has also moved to reconsider rules meant to protect miners from breathing coal and rock dust — the primary cause of black lung — and diesel exhaust, which can cause cancer.</p>
<p>Other Murray priorities, such as eliminating federal tax credits for wind turbines and solar panels, have floundered, however. The renewable energy tax breaks were largely retained in the final Republican-drafted tax plan signed by Trump last month.</p>
<p>And despite Trump’s campaign pledges to put scores of coal back to work by ending what he and Murray have derided as Obama’s “War on Coal,” the administration’s regulatory rollback has thus far had modest economic benefits.</p>
<p>Only about 500 coal mining jobs were added in Trump’s first year, bringing the total to about 50,900 nationally, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s utilities have also continued to shutter coal-fired plants in favor of those burning natural gas made cheaper and more abundant by new drilling technologies.</p>
<p>In an interview with AP on Wednesday, Murray said Trump and his appointees have overall done a great job helping his industry, rating them “nearly a 10” in the first year. He specifically credited Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruitt and Energy Secretary Rick Perry with being “stars.”</p>
<p>Murray said he had private meetings with both Pruitt and Perry last year to discuss his policy goals.</p>
<p>“President Trump has done a wonderful job in addressing what is needed to improve the cost of electricity in America and to improve the reliability, security and resilience of the electric power grid,” Murray said. “I give him very high marks.”</p>
<p>Spokespeople for Pruitt and Perry did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about Murray’s action plan.</p>
<p>Murray said he is still hopeful that Pruitt will follow through on the second-highest priority item on his 2017 action plan, revoking EPA’s 2009 finding that emitting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere threatens public health and welfare. The finding provided the legal underpinnings for Obama’s efforts to regulate carbon emissions as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.</p>
<p>Murray also expressed disappointment that Trump appointees on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted Monday to reject a proposal by Perry to make coal and nuclear power plants eligible for billions of dollars in government subsidies.</p>
<p>AP reported last year that Murray had asked the Trump administration to issue an emergency order protecting coal-fired power plants from closing. Murray warned that failure to act could cause thousands of coal miners to be laid off and force his largest customer, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Solutions, into bankruptcy.</p>
<p>Perry ultimately rejected Murray’s request, but later asked FERC to boost coal and nuclear plants by subsidizing their continued operation.</p>
<p>The Republican-controlled commission voted unanimously to reject Perry’s claim that further retirements of coal-fired power plants pose a threat to reliability of the nation’s electric grid.</p>
<p>“There’s no question about it, there are folks in the administration that have their own agenda, rather than President Trump’s,” Murray said. “There are some staffers who have gone contrary to the wishes of our president.”</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Follow Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker at <a href="http://twitter.com/mbieseck" type="external">http://twitter.com/mbieseck</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days of the Trump administration, the head of one of America’s largest coal companies sent a four-page “action plan” to the White House calling for rollbacks of Obama-era environmental and mine safety regulations.</p>
<p>“We have listed our suggested actions in order of priority,” Robert “Bob” Murray, the chairman and CEO of Ohio-based Murray Energy, wrote in his March 1 letter addressed to Vice President Mike Pence. “We are available to assist you and your administration in any way that you request.”</p>
<p>A review of the memo by The Associated Press shows Murray, an early campaign supporter of President Donald Trump and major GOP political donor, has gotten about half the items on his wish list. They include pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accords and revoking the Clean Power Plan, former President Obama’s signature effort to limit planet-warming emissions from coal-fired power plants.</p>
<p>Murray has spoken widely about his policy priorities in the intervening months, but a copy of his four-page plan became public this week after it was obtained by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and first reported by The New York Times.</p>
<p>Under Trump, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has also moved to reconsider rules meant to protect miners from breathing coal and rock dust — the primary cause of black lung — and diesel exhaust, which can cause cancer.</p>
<p>Other Murray priorities, such as eliminating federal tax credits for wind turbines and solar panels, have floundered, however. The renewable energy tax breaks were largely retained in the final Republican-drafted tax plan signed by Trump last month.</p>
<p>And despite Trump’s campaign pledges to put scores of coal back to work by ending what he and Murray have derided as Obama’s “War on Coal,” the administration’s regulatory rollback has thus far had modest economic benefits.</p>
<p>Only about 500 coal mining jobs were added in Trump’s first year, bringing the total to about 50,900 nationally, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s utilities have also continued to shutter coal-fired plants in favor of those burning natural gas made cheaper and more abundant by new drilling technologies.</p>
<p>In an interview with AP on Wednesday, Murray said Trump and his appointees have overall done a great job helping his industry, rating them “nearly a 10” in the first year. He specifically credited Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruitt and Energy Secretary Rick Perry with being “stars.”</p>
<p>Murray said he had private meetings with both Pruitt and Perry last year to discuss his policy goals.</p>
<p>“President Trump has done a wonderful job in addressing what is needed to improve the cost of electricity in America and to improve the reliability, security and resilience of the electric power grid,” Murray said. “I give him very high marks.”</p>
<p>Spokespeople for Pruitt and Perry did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about Murray’s action plan.</p>
<p>Murray said he is still hopeful that Pruitt will follow through on the second-highest priority item on his 2017 action plan, revoking EPA’s 2009 finding that emitting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere threatens public health and welfare. The finding provided the legal underpinnings for Obama’s efforts to regulate carbon emissions as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.</p>
<p>Murray also expressed disappointment that Trump appointees on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted Monday to reject a proposal by Perry to make coal and nuclear power plants eligible for billions of dollars in government subsidies.</p>
<p>AP reported last year that Murray had asked the Trump administration to issue an emergency order protecting coal-fired power plants from closing. Murray warned that failure to act could cause thousands of coal miners to be laid off and force his largest customer, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Solutions, into bankruptcy.</p>
<p>Perry ultimately rejected Murray’s request, but later asked FERC to boost coal and nuclear plants by subsidizing their continued operation.</p>
<p>The Republican-controlled commission voted unanimously to reject Perry’s claim that further retirements of coal-fired power plants pose a threat to reliability of the nation’s electric grid.</p>
<p>“There’s no question about it, there are folks in the administration that have their own agenda, rather than President Trump’s,” Murray said. “There are some staffers who have gone contrary to the wishes of our president.”</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Follow Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker at <a href="http://twitter.com/mbieseck" type="external">http://twitter.com/mbieseck</a></p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap early days trump administration head one americas largest coal companies sent fourpage action plan white house calling rollbacks obamaera environmental mine safety regulations listed suggested actions order priority robert bob murray chairman ceo ohiobased murray energy wrote march 1 letter addressed vice president mike pence available assist administration way request review memo associated press shows murray early campaign supporter president donald trump major gop political donor gotten half items wish list include pulling united states paris climate accords revoking clean power plan former president obamas signature effort limit planetwarming emissions coalfired power plants murray spoken widely policy priorities intervening months copy fourpage plan became public week obtained democratic sen sheldon whitehouse rhode island first reported new york times trump mine safety health administration also moved reconsider rules meant protect miners breathing coal rock dust primary cause black lung diesel exhaust cause cancer murray priorities eliminating federal tax credits wind turbines solar panels floundered however renewable energy tax breaks largely retained final republicandrafted tax plan signed trump last month despite trumps campaign pledges put scores coal back work ending murray derided obamas war coal administrations regulatory rollback thus far modest economic benefits 500 coal mining jobs added trumps first year bringing total 50900 nationally according federal bureau labor statistics nations utilities also continued shutter coalfired plants favor burning natural gas made cheaper abundant new drilling technologies interview ap wednesday murray said trump appointees overall done great job helping industry rating nearly 10 first year specifically credited environmental protection administrator scott pruitt energy secretary rick perry stars murray said private meetings pruitt perry last year discuss policy goals president trump done wonderful job addressing needed improve cost electricity america improve reliability security resilience electric power grid murray said give high marks spokespeople pruitt perry immediately respond questions wednesday murrays action plan murray said still hopeful pruitt follow secondhighest priority item 2017 action plan revoking epas 2009 finding emitting greenhouse gases atmosphere threatens public health welfare finding provided legal underpinnings obamas efforts regulate carbon emissions pollutants clean air act murray also expressed disappointment trump appointees federal energy regulatory commission voted monday reject proposal perry make coal nuclear power plants eligible billions dollars government subsidies ap reported last year murray asked trump administration issue emergency order protecting coalfired power plants closing murray warned failure act could cause thousands coal miners laid force largest customer ohiobased firstenergy solutions bankruptcy perry ultimately rejected murrays request later asked ferc boost coal nuclear plants subsidizing continued operation republicancontrolled commission voted unanimously reject perrys claim retirements coalfired power plants pose threat reliability nations electric grid theres question folks administration agenda rather president trumps murray said staffers gone contrary wishes president __ follow associated press environmental writer michael biesecker httptwittercommbieseck washington ap early days trump administration head one americas largest coal companies sent fourpage action plan white house calling rollbacks obamaera environmental mine safety regulations listed suggested actions order priority robert bob murray chairman ceo ohiobased murray energy wrote march 1 letter addressed vice president mike pence available assist administration way request review memo associated press shows murray early campaign supporter president donald trump major gop political donor gotten half items wish list include pulling united states paris climate accords revoking clean power plan former president obamas signature effort limit planetwarming emissions coalfired power plants murray spoken widely policy priorities intervening months copy fourpage plan became public week obtained democratic sen sheldon whitehouse rhode island first reported new york times trump mine safety health administration also moved reconsider rules meant protect miners breathing coal rock dust primary cause black lung diesel exhaust cause cancer murray priorities eliminating federal tax credits wind turbines solar panels floundered however renewable energy tax breaks largely retained final republicandrafted tax plan signed trump last month despite trumps campaign pledges put scores coal back work ending murray derided obamas war coal administrations regulatory rollback thus far modest economic benefits 500 coal mining jobs added trumps first year bringing total 50900 nationally according federal bureau labor statistics nations utilities also continued shutter coalfired plants favor burning natural gas made cheaper abundant new drilling technologies interview ap wednesday murray said trump appointees overall done great job helping industry rating nearly 10 first year specifically credited environmental protection administrator scott pruitt energy secretary rick perry stars murray said private meetings pruitt perry last year discuss policy goals president trump done wonderful job addressing needed improve cost electricity america improve reliability security resilience electric power grid murray said give high marks spokespeople pruitt perry immediately respond questions wednesday murrays action plan murray said still hopeful pruitt follow secondhighest priority item 2017 action plan revoking epas 2009 finding emitting greenhouse gases atmosphere threatens public health welfare finding provided legal underpinnings obamas efforts regulate carbon emissions pollutants clean air act murray also expressed disappointment trump appointees federal energy regulatory commission voted monday reject proposal perry make coal nuclear power plants eligible billions dollars government subsidies ap reported last year murray asked trump administration issue emergency order protecting coalfired power plants closing murray warned failure act could cause thousands coal miners laid force largest customer ohiobased firstenergy solutions bankruptcy perry ultimately rejected murrays request later asked ferc boost coal nuclear plants subsidizing continued operation republicancontrolled commission voted unanimously reject perrys claim retirements coalfired power plants pose threat reliability nations electric grid theres question folks administration agenda rather president trumps murray said staffers gone contrary wishes president __ follow associated press environmental writer michael biesecker httptwittercommbieseck
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<p />
<p>10:05 a.m.</p>
<p>Vice President Mike Pence is warning the people of Southeast Texas that Harvey is still dangerous and that life-threatening flooding will continue.</p>
<p>Pence is urging residents to continue to listen their state and local officials. He commented during interviews Tuesday with radio stations serving Corpus Christi and San Antonio.</p>
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<p>Houston has been paralyzed by a storm that struck on Friday and has been parked over the Gulf Coast ever since. More than 30 inches (75 centimeters) of rain has fallen in some areas and nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) more is expected, leading authorities to fear the worst might be yet to come.</p>
<p>Pence says he and his wife, Karen, will visit the region later this week.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, were scheduled to visit Corpus Christi and Austin on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: <a href="http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb" type="external">http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb</a></p>
<p>9:30 a.m.</p>
<p>Two Houston reservoirs are overflowing, despite a controlled water release that aimed to prevent flooding downtown.</p>
<p>The Addicks and Barker reservoirs are both at record high levels due to days of heavy rain. Army Corps of Engineers officials have been releasing water from both, but the amount of water entering exceeds the amount being released, sending floodwaters over spillways.</p>
<p>Jeff Lindner, with the Harris County Flood Control District, said Tuesday that he's certain that more homes and streets will flood as a result. Lindner says the county is trying to determine where the water will go, specifically from the north end of the Addicks reservoir.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>He says some homes will be inundated “for up to a month.”</p>
<p>The flood gauge at the Barker reservoir is overwhelmed and disabled and officials are worried the Addicks gauge also will fail.</p>
<p>9:10 a.m.</p>
<p>Texas residents can get free replacements for their legal identification if it was lost or left behind when rain and flooding from Harvey forced them from their homes.</p>
<p>The Texas Department of Public Safety announced late Monday that any driver's license office will provide replacement driver's licenses or identification cards at no cost.</p>
<p>The offer applies to anyone who previously had such documents and lives in a county that Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a disaster area.</p>
<p>This item has been corrected to show the announcement came late Monday, not Tuesday.</p>
<p>8:35 a.m.</p>
<p>A western Michigan company is sending about 2,000 kayaks to Texas and Louisiana to help with flooding relief and rescue efforts amid Harvey's onslaught.</p>
<p>On Monday, rain-fed floods reached the rooflines of some single-story homes in Houston and surrounding communities. Officials have received thousands of pleas for rescue. Boats and kayaks are being used to reach people stranded on rooftops.</p>
<p>WOOD-TV reports that retailer Walmart is buying the kayaks from Muskegon-based KL Outdoor.</p>
<p>KL Outdoor Chief Executive Chuck Smith tells the television station that his company is covering the shipping costs. Some kayaks were sent out Monday. The rest are expected to be put on trucks Tuesday.</p>
<p>Harvey made landfall late Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane and is now a tropical storm.</p>
<p>8:20 a.m.</p>
<p>A fire official says 11 people were rescued from fast-moving floodwaters in northwest Houston after a private rescue boat capsized.</p>
<p>Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department spokesman David Padovan said Tuesday that the people who fell from the boat clung to trees to avoid being carried away by the current.</p>
<p>A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter provided a floodlight early Tuesday to guide rescuers to the people in the water.</p>
<p>Padovan says it appears the people were being evacuated from their homes in a flooded Houston subdivision and were being taken to dry ground when the boat capsized.</p>
<p>It's not clear what caused the craft to roll.</p>
<p>The rescued people were treated for cuts, abrasions and mild hypothermia.</p>
<p>Harvey has been dumping torrential rain on Texas since Sunday, causing catastrophic flooding across the state and in particular on Houston and the surrounding area.</p>
<p>8:10 a.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is making an all-out push to show the federal government's responsiveness to the massive storm that has lashed the Texas coast and caused catastrophic flooding.</p>
<p>Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday for briefings on the federal government's work to help the state recover from Harvey's devastation.</p>
<p>The storm marks the first time Trump has been tested by a major natural disaster at the start of his administration.</p>
<p>The president was scheduled to get briefings on the relief efforts in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later meet with state officials at the emergency operations center in Austin. The president will be joined by first lady Melania Trump.</p>
<p>8 a.m.</p>
<p>Two more Texas prisons near the rising Brazos River are being evacuated.</p>
<p>The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says the 1,400 inmates at the Vance and Jester 3 Units in Richmond, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Houston, are being taken Tuesday by agency buses to other prisons in South Texas.</p>
<p>That brings to nearly 6,000 the number of prisoners displaced by Harvey, which made landfall Friday as a hurricane and is now a tropical storm.</p>
<p>The state corrections department earlier moved 4,500 inmates from the Terrell, Stringfellow, and Ramsey Units in Brazoria County, south of Houston, to prisons in East Texas.</p>
<p>6:45 a.m.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service says rain is falling just east of Houston at a rate of 2 inches (5 centimeters) an hour.</p>
<p>The National Hurricane Center has said heavy rain from Harvey is forecast to worsen flooding in Southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana.</p>
<p>NWS meteorologist Tawnya Evans says Harris County, home to Houston, is recording about half an inch (1 centimeter) of rainfall each hour early Tuesday, and that areas east of there are seeing much more.</p>
<p>She says the rain could abate later in the morning but that another band of heavy rainfall will soon follow.</p>
<p>Harvey is expected to produce 10 to 20 additional inches (25 to 51 centimeters) or rain over the upper Texas coast and southwestern Louisiana through Thursday.</p>
<p>4:12 a.m.</p>
<p>The National Hurricane Center says heavy rain from Harvey is expected to worsen flooding in Southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana.</p>
<p>The center says in its 4 a.m. CDT advisory that flooded roadways continue to make travel difficult and advises people to take shelter.</p>
<p>The center of the storm was marked 135 miles (220 kilometers) south-southwest of Port Arthur, Texas, and was moving east at 3 mph (4.8 kph) with sustained winds of up to 45 mph (72 kph).</p>
<p>The storm was expected to make a slow turn to the northeast on Tuesday, placing the center just off the middle and upper Texas Gulf coast through Tuesday night before moving inland. Harvey is expected to produce 10 to 20 additional inches or rain over the upper Texas coast and southwestern Louisiana through Thursday, with isolated storm totals maybe reaching 50 inches (130 centimeters) over the Houston-Galveston area and the upper Texas coast.</p>
<p>2:10 a.m.</p>
<p>Crews overwhelmed by thousands of rescue calls during one of the heaviest downpours in U.S. history have had little time to search for other potential victims. But officials acknowledge the grim reality that fatalities linked to Harvey could soar once the devastating floodwaters recede.</p>
<p>Even worse, officials now worry that the worst may be yet to come.</p>
<p>More than three days after the storm ravaged the Texas coastline as a Category 4 hurricane, authorities worry that the tropical storm now parked over the Gulf Coast will return and deliver a knockout blow to a Houston region already ravaged by devastating downpours generating an amount of rain normally seen only once in more than 1,000 years.</p>
<p>Some fear that may be more than the nation's fourth-largest city could bear.</p>
<p><a href="#e0566a92-8372-4d91-ab07-7e22b8134fb7" type="external">© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a> Learn more about our <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/privacy" type="external">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/terms" type="external">Terms of Use</a>.</p>
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1005 vice president mike pence warning people southeast texas harvey still dangerous lifethreatening flooding continue pence urging residents continue listen state local officials commented interviews tuesday radio stations serving corpus christi san antonio advertisement houston paralyzed storm struck friday parked gulf coast ever since 30 inches 75 centimeters rain fallen areas nearly 2 feet 60 centimeters expected leading authorities fear worst might yet come pence says wife karen visit region later week president donald trump wife melania scheduled visit corpus christi austin tuesday sign aps daily newsletter showcasing best allformats reporting harvey aftermath httpapnewsahyqgtb 930 two houston reservoirs overflowing despite controlled water release aimed prevent flooding downtown addicks barker reservoirs record high levels due days heavy rain army corps engineers officials releasing water amount water entering exceeds amount released sending floodwaters spillways jeff lindner harris county flood control district said tuesday hes certain homes streets flood result lindner says county trying determine water go specifically north end addicks reservoir advertisement says homes inundated month flood gauge barker reservoir overwhelmed disabled officials worried addicks gauge also fail 910 texas residents get free replacements legal identification lost left behind rain flooding harvey forced homes texas department public safety announced late monday drivers license office provide replacement drivers licenses identification cards cost offer applies anyone previously documents lives county gov greg abbott declared disaster area item corrected show announcement came late monday tuesday 835 western michigan company sending 2000 kayaks texas louisiana help flooding relief rescue efforts amid harveys onslaught monday rainfed floods reached rooflines singlestory homes houston surrounding communities officials received thousands pleas rescue boats kayaks used reach people stranded rooftops woodtv reports retailer walmart buying kayaks muskegonbased kl outdoor kl outdoor chief executive chuck smith tells television station company covering shipping costs kayaks sent monday rest expected put trucks tuesday harvey made landfall late friday along texas gulf coast category 4 hurricane tropical storm 820 fire official says 11 people rescued fastmoving floodwaters northwest houston private rescue boat capsized cyfair volunteer fire department spokesman david padovan said tuesday people fell boat clung trees avoid carried away current texas department public safety helicopter provided floodlight early tuesday guide rescuers people water padovan says appears people evacuated homes flooded houston subdivision taken dry ground boat capsized clear caused craft roll rescued people treated cuts abrasions mild hypothermia harvey dumping torrential rain texas since sunday causing catastrophic flooding across state particular houston surrounding area 810 president donald trump making allout push show federal governments responsiveness massive storm lashed texas coast caused catastrophic flooding trump travel texas tuesday briefings federal governments work help state recover harveys devastation storm marks first time trump tested major natural disaster start administration president scheduled get briefings relief efforts corpus christi texas later meet state officials emergency operations center austin president joined first lady melania trump 8 two texas prisons near rising brazos river evacuated texas department criminal justice says 1400 inmates vance jester 3 units richmond 30 miles 50 kilometers southwest houston taken tuesday agency buses prisons south texas brings nearly 6000 number prisoners displaced harvey made landfall friday hurricane tropical storm state corrections department earlier moved 4500 inmates terrell stringfellow ramsey units brazoria county south houston prisons east texas 645 national weather service says rain falling east houston rate 2 inches 5 centimeters hour national hurricane center said heavy rain harvey forecast worsen flooding southeast texas southwestern louisiana nws meteorologist tawnya evans says harris county home houston recording half inch 1 centimeter rainfall hour early tuesday areas east seeing much says rain could abate later morning another band heavy rainfall soon follow harvey expected produce 10 20 additional inches 25 51 centimeters rain upper texas coast southwestern louisiana thursday 412 national hurricane center says heavy rain harvey expected worsen flooding southeast texas southwestern louisiana center says 4 cdt advisory flooded roadways continue make travel difficult advises people take shelter center storm marked 135 miles 220 kilometers southsouthwest port arthur texas moving east 3 mph 48 kph sustained winds 45 mph 72 kph storm expected make slow turn northeast tuesday placing center middle upper texas gulf coast tuesday night moving inland harvey expected produce 10 20 additional inches rain upper texas coast southwestern louisiana thursday isolated storm totals maybe reaching 50 inches 130 centimeters houstongalveston area upper texas coast 210 crews overwhelmed thousands rescue calls one heaviest downpours us history little time search potential victims officials acknowledge grim reality fatalities linked harvey could soar devastating floodwaters recede even worse officials worry worst may yet come three days storm ravaged texas coastline category 4 hurricane authorities worry tropical storm parked gulf coast return deliver knockout blow houston region already ravaged devastating downpours generating amount rain normally seen 1000 years fear may nations fourthlargest city could bear 2017 associated press rights reserved material may published broadcast rewritten redistributed learn privacy policy terms use
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<p>BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will decide on Monday whether Greece is eligible for the next tranche of bailout loans after listening to an expert review of reforms recently adopted by Athens, top euro zone officials said.</p>
<p>To pay out 6.7 billion euros ($8.2 billion) of new loans, probably in more than one tranche, international lenders have asked Greece to adopt 110 “prior actions”.</p>
<p>Greece passed a so-called omnibus bill earlier this month to meet that condition and experts of the lenders — the European Commission, the bailout fund ESM and the European Central Bank — have been looking at the laws to see if they cover all the agreed areas.</p>
<p>“Things are on track. Greece has adopted next year’s budget respecting the primary surplus target... Greece has over-performed its fiscal targets during the last three years so now, provided that all prior actions are delivered, the council (of ministers) could decide on the next disbursement,” Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters.</p>
<p>“We have now to listen to the ESM on the issue of disbursement, but certainly this is the natural sequence of the programme,” the chairman of euro zone finance ministers Mario Centeno told reporters on entering the talks. ($1 = 0.8165 euros) (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, Francesco Guarascio, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Philip Blenkinsop)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PHOENIX (Reuters) - More family members of a woman killed by an Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] self-driving vehicle have hired legal counsel, indicating the ride services firm’s legal problems may not be over in the first fatality caused by an autonomous car.</p> A still frame taken from video released March 21, 2018 shows the exterior view of the self-driving Uber vehicle leading up to the fatal collision in Tempe, Arizona, U.S. on March 18, 2018. Tempe Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Phoenix attorney Patrick McGroder said he has been retained by the mother, father and son of Elaine Herzberg, 49, who died after being struck by an Uber self-driving SUV while walking across a street in the suburb of Tempe earlier this month.</p>
<p>On Thursday, a different law firm representing Herzberg’s daughter and husband said it had reached a settlement with Uber. The terms were not given.</p>
<p>That settlement does not affect the new case, McGroder said in an email on Friday.</p>
<p>“We are in the initial stages of investigation,” he said, noting he and his two partners will represent the family members and that they had sent a letter of representation to Uber this week.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Uber declined to comment.</p>
<p>The fallout from the accident could stall the development and testing of self-driving vehicles, designed to eventually perform far better than human drivers and to sharply reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities that occur each year.</p>
<p>Uber has suspended its testing in the wake of the incident. Toyota Motor Corp and chipmaker Nvidia Corp have also suspended self-driving testing on public roads, as they and others await the results of investigations into the Tempe accident, believed to be the first death of a pedestrian struck by a self-driving vehicle.</p>
<p>The March 18 fatality near downtown Tempe also presents an unprecedented liability challenge because self-driving vehicles, which are still in the development stage, involve a complex system of hardware and software often made by outside suppliers.</p>
<p>Herzberg was pushing a bicycle while walking across a four-lane road outside a crosswalk when she was struck. Video footage from a dash-mounted camera inside the vehicle, released by Tempe police, showed the SUV traveling along a dark street when the headlights suddenly illuminated Herzberg in front of the SUV.</p>
<p>Other footage showed that in the seconds before the accident, the human safety driver behind the wheel was mostly looking down, not at the road.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Writing by Chris Prentice; Editing by Susan Thomas</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Friday that the situation in Gaza “might deteriorate in the coming days” and called for civilians, particularly children, to not be targeted.</p>
<p>At least 16 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured on Friday by Israeli security forces confronting one of the largest Palestinian demonstrations in recent years along the Israel-Gaza border, Gaza medical officials said.</p>
<p>“Israel must uphold its responsibilities under international human rights and humanitarian law. Lethal force should only be used as a last resort with any resulting fatalities properly investigated by the authorities,” U.N. deputy political affairs chief Taye-Brook Zerihoun said.</p>
<p>The council had been due to meet behind closed doors at the request of Kuwait. But after it became clear the 15-member body would be unable to agree on a statement on the situation, diplomats said Kuwait requested the meeting be held publicly.</p>
<p>U.S. diplomat Walter Miller said it was unfortunate that Israel, a close U.S. ally, could not take part in Friday’s meeting due to the Passover holiday.</p>
<p>“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life today. We urge those involved to take steps to lower tensions and reduce the risk of new clashes. Bad actors who use protests as a cover to incite violence endanger innocent lives,” Miller told the council.</p>
<p>Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Susan Thomas and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>GAZA-ISRAEL BORDER (Reuters) - At least 16 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured by Israeli security forces confronting one of the largest Palestinian demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border in recent years, Gaza medical officials said.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of Palestinians, pressing for a right of return for refugees to what is now Israel, gathered along the fenced 65-km (40-mile) frontier where tents were erected for a planned six-week protest, local officials said. The Israeli military estimate was 30,000.</p>
<p>Families brought their children to the encampments just a few hundred meters from the Israeli security barrier with the Hamas Islamist-run enclave, and football fields were marked in the sand and scout bands played.</p>
<p>But as the day wore on, hundreds of Palestinian youths ignored calls from the organizers and the Israeli military to stay away from the frontier, where Israeli soldiers across the border kept watch from dirt mound embankments.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-israel-palestinians-un/u-n-fears-gaza-situation-might-deteriorate-in-coming-days-idUSKBN1H61SX" type="external">U.N. fears Gaza situation might deteriorate in coming days</a>
<p>The military said its troops had used live fire only against people trying to sabotage the border security fence, some of them rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks, and that at least two of the dead were Hamas operatives.</p>
<p>Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces used mostly gunfire against the protesters, in addition to tear gas and rubber bullets. Witnesses said the military had deployed a drone over at least one location to drop tear gas.</p>
<p>One of the dead was aged 16 and at least 400 people were wounded by live gunfire, while others were struck by rubber bullets or treated for tear gas inhalation, Gaza health officials said.</p>
<p>Two Palestinians were killed by tank fire, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said the two were militants who had opened fire at troops across the border.</p>
<p>Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement that Israel was responsible for the violence and declared Saturday a national day of mourning.</p>
<p>The United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Friday to discuss the situation in Gaza, diplomats said.</p> RIGHT OF RETURN
<p>The protest presented a rare show of unity among rival Palestinian factions in the impoverished Gaza Strip, where pressure has been building on Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah movement to end a decade-old rift. Reconciliation efforts to end the feud have been faltering for months.</p>
<p>The demonstration was launched on “Land Day,” an annual commemoration of the deaths of six Arab citizens of Israel killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations over government land confiscations in northern Israel in 1976.</p>
<p>But its main focus was a demand that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages which their families fled from, or were driven out of, when the state of Israel was created in 1948.</p> A Palestinian runs during clashes with Israeli troops, during a tent city protest along the Israel border with Gaza, demanding the right to return to their homeland, the southern Gaza Strip March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
<p>In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hamas of “cynically exploiting women and children, sending them to the security fence and endangering their lives”.</p>
<p>The military said that more than 100 army sharpshooters had been deployed in the area.</p>
<p>Hamas, which seeks Israel’s destruction, had earlier urged protesters to adhere to the “peaceful nature” of the protest.</p>
<p>Israel has long ruled out any right of return, fearing an influx of Arabs that would wipe out its Jewish majority. It argues that refugees should resettle in a future state the Palestinians seek in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. Peace talks to that end collapsed in 2014.</p> Slideshow (24 Images)
<p>There were also small protests in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and about 65 Palestinians were injured.</p>
<p>In Gaza, the protest was dubbed “The March of Return” and some of the tents bore names of the refugees’ original villages in what is now Israel, written in Arabic and Hebrew alike.</p>
<p>Citing security concerns, Israel, which withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, blockades the coastal territory, maintaining tight restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and goods across the frontier. Egypt, battling an Islamist insurgency in neighboring Sinai, keeps its border with Gaza largely closed.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Ori Lewis and Stephen Farrell; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is telling advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops from Syria, two senior administration officials said on Friday, a stance that may put him at odds with many top U.S. officials.</p>
<p>Trump is spending Easter weekend at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate. During a speech in Richfield, Ohio on Thursday, he revealed his desire to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria and turn over security to regional countries.</p>
<p>He said that based on allied victories against Islamic State militants, “We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon.”</p>
<p>“Let the other people take care of it now.&#160;Very soon, very soon, we’re coming out,” Trump said. “We’re going to get back to our country, where we belong, where we want to be.”</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-trump-syria-wsj/trump-freezes-funds-for-syria-signals-exit-wall-street-journal-idUSKBN1H7006" type="external">Trump freezes funds for Syria; signals exit: Wall Street Journal</a>
<p>The administration officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Trump’s comment during the speech reflected internal deliberations with advisers in which he has wondered aloud why U.S. forces should remain with the militants on their heels.</p>
<p>Trump has made clear that “once ISIS and its remnants are destroyed that the United States would be looking toward having countries in the region playing a larger role in ensuring security and leaving it at that,” one official said.</p>
<p>Such a policy is nowhere near complete, however, the official added.</p>
<p>The second official said Trump’s national security advisers have told him U.S. forces should stay in small numbers for at least a couple of years to make sure gains against the militants are held and ensure Syria does not essentially become a permanent Iranian base.</p>
<p>Top national security aides discussed Syria in a White House meeting recently but have yet to settle on a strategy for U.S. forces in Syria to recommend to Trump going forward, the official said.</p>
<p>“So far he has not given an order to just get out,” the official said.About 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria.</p>
<p>An American service member was among two people killed on Thursday by improvised explosive device in Syria, two U.S. officials told Reuters.</p>
<p>Four officials at the State and Defense Departments and the CIA said on Friday they were surprised by Trump’s Syria remarks, which one senior intelligence official said “appeared to be completely off the cuff.”</p>
<p>They added, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that Trump’s comments also appear to be part of a pattern that includes questioning the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Charter and suggesting the Pentagon will pay for a border wall with Mexico, positions that many or most national security officials opposed.</p>
<p>Trump last year went through a similar wrenching debate over whether to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ultimately agreeing to keep them there but only after repeatedly raising questions of why they should stay.</p> U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S., for the Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>Trump’s view on Syria may put him at odds with those of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, named by Trump a week ago to replace H.R. McMaster as White House national security adviser.”The caliphate in Syria &amp; Iraq is gone, but #ISIS’s terrorist activities will continue and #Iran is becoming a bigger player in the region,” Bolton tweeted last Oct. 20 when he was a national security analyst.</p>
<p>Reporting By Steve Holland and John Walcott; Editing by David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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brussels jan 22 reuters euro zone finance ministers decide monday whether greece eligible next tranche bailout loans listening expert review reforms recently adopted athens top euro zone officials said pay 67 billion euros 82 billion new loans probably one tranche international lenders asked greece adopt 110 prior actions greece passed socalled omnibus bill earlier month meet condition experts lenders european commission bailout fund esm european central bank looking laws see cover agreed areas things track greece adopted next years budget respecting primary surplus target greece overperformed fiscal targets last three years provided prior actions delivered council ministers could decide next disbursement commission vice president valdis dombrovskis told reporters listen esm issue disbursement certainly natural sequence programme chairman euro zone finance ministers mario centeno told reporters entering talks 1 08165 euros reporting jan strupczewski francesco guarascio robertjan bartunek philip blenkinsop standards thomson reuters trust principles phoenix reuters family members woman killed uber technologies inc uberul selfdriving vehicle hired legal counsel indicating ride services firms legal problems may first fatality caused autonomous car still frame taken video released march 21 2018 shows exterior view selfdriving uber vehicle leading fatal collision tempe arizona us march 18 2018 tempe police departmenthandout via reuters phoenix attorney patrick mcgroder said retained mother father son elaine herzberg 49 died struck uber selfdriving suv walking across street suburb tempe earlier month thursday different law firm representing herzbergs daughter husband said reached settlement uber terms given settlement affect new case mcgroder said email friday initial stages investigation said noting two partners represent family members sent letter representation uber week spokesman uber declined comment fallout accident could stall development testing selfdriving vehicles designed eventually perform far better human drivers sharply reduce number motor vehicle fatalities occur year uber suspended testing wake incident toyota motor corp chipmaker nvidia corp also suspended selfdriving testing public roads others await results investigations tempe accident believed first death pedestrian struck selfdriving vehicle march 18 fatality near downtown tempe also presents unprecedented liability challenge selfdriving vehicles still development stage involve complex system hardware software often made outside suppliers herzberg pushing bicycle walking across fourlane road outside crosswalk struck video footage dashmounted camera inside vehicle released tempe police showed suv traveling along dark street headlights suddenly illuminated herzberg front suv footage showed seconds accident human safety driver behind wheel mostly looking road reporting david schwartz phoenix writing chris prentice editing susan thomas standards thomson reuters trust principles united nations reuters senior united nations official told security council friday situation gaza might deteriorate coming days called civilians particularly children targeted least 16 palestinians killed hundreds injured friday israeli security forces confronting one largest palestinian demonstrations recent years along israelgaza border gaza medical officials said israel must uphold responsibilities international human rights humanitarian law lethal force used last resort resulting fatalities properly investigated authorities un deputy political affairs chief tayebrook zerihoun said council due meet behind closed doors request kuwait became clear 15member body would unable agree statement situation diplomats said kuwait requested meeting held publicly us diplomat walter miller said unfortunate israel close us ally could take part fridays meeting due passover holiday deeply saddened loss life today urge involved take steps lower tensions reduce risk new clashes bad actors use protests cover incite violence endanger innocent lives miller told council reporting michelle nichols editing susan thomas sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles gazaisrael border reuters least 16 palestinians killed hundreds injured israeli security forces confronting one largest palestinian demonstrations along israelgaza border recent years gaza medical officials said tens thousands palestinians pressing right return refugees israel gathered along fenced 65km 40mile frontier tents erected planned sixweek protest local officials said israeli military estimate 30000 families brought children encampments hundred meters israeli security barrier hamas islamistrun enclave football fields marked sand scout bands played day wore hundreds palestinian youths ignored calls organizers israeli military stay away frontier israeli soldiers across border kept watch dirt mound embankments related coverage un fears gaza situation might deteriorate coming days military said troops used live fire people trying sabotage border security fence rolling burning tyres throwing rocks least two dead hamas operatives palestinian health officials said israeli forces used mostly gunfire protesters addition tear gas rubber bullets witnesses said military deployed drone least one location drop tear gas one dead aged 16 least 400 people wounded live gunfire others struck rubber bullets treated tear gas inhalation gaza health officials said two palestinians killed tank fire gaza health ministry said israeli military said two militants opened fire troops across border palestinian president mahmoud abbas said statement israel responsible violence declared saturday national day mourning united nations security council due meet later friday discuss situation gaza diplomats said right return protest presented rare show unity among rival palestinian factions impoverished gaza strip pressure building hamas abbass fatah movement end decadeold rift reconciliation efforts end feud faltering months demonstration launched land day annual commemoration deaths six arab citizens israel killed israeli security forces demonstrations government land confiscations northern israel 1976 main focus demand palestinian refugees allowed right return towns villages families fled driven state israel created 1948 palestinian runs clashes israeli troops tent city protest along israel border gaza demanding right return homeland southern gaza strip march 30 2018 reutersibraheem abu mustafa statement israeli military accused hamas cynically exploiting women children sending security fence endangering lives military said 100 army sharpshooters deployed area hamas seeks israels destruction earlier urged protesters adhere peaceful nature protest israel long ruled right return fearing influx arabs would wipe jewish majority argues refugees resettle future state palestinians seek israelioccupied west bank gaza peace talks end collapsed 2014 slideshow 24 images also small protests israelioccupied west bank 65 palestinians injured gaza protest dubbed march return tents bore names refugees original villages israel written arabic hebrew alike citing security concerns israel withdrew troops settlers gaza 2005 blockades coastal territory maintaining tight restrictions movement palestinians goods across frontier egypt battling islamist insurgency neighboring sinai keeps border gaza largely closed additional reporting maayan lubell jerusalem ali sawafta ramallah michelle nichols new york writing ori lewis stephen farrell editing richard balmforth larry king standards thomson reuters trust principles west palm beach fla reuters president donald trump telling advisers wants early exit us troops syria two senior administration officials said friday stance may put odds many top us officials trump spending easter weekend palm beach florida estate speech richfield ohio thursday revealed desire withdraw us forces syria turn security regional countries said based allied victories islamic state militants well coming syria like soon let people take care now160very soon soon coming trump said going get back country belong want related coverage trump freezes funds syria signals exit wall street journal administration officials speaking reuters condition anonymity said trumps comment speech reflected internal deliberations advisers wondered aloud us forces remain militants heels trump made clear isis remnants destroyed united states would looking toward countries region playing larger role ensuring security leaving one official said policy nowhere near complete however official added second official said trumps national security advisers told us forces stay small numbers least couple years make sure gains militants held ensure syria essentially become permanent iranian base top national security aides discussed syria white house meeting recently yet settle strategy us forces syria recommend trump going forward official said far given order get official saidabout 2000 us troops deployed syria american service member among two people killed thursday improvised explosive device syria two us officials told reuters four officials state defense departments cia said friday surprised trumps syria remarks one senior intelligence official said appeared completely cuff added speaking condition anonymity trumps comments also appear part pattern includes questioning us commitment article 5 nato charter suggesting pentagon pay border wall mexico positions many national security officials opposed trump last year went similar wrenching debate whether withdraw us forces afghanistan ultimately agreeing keep repeatedly raising questions stay us president donald trump arrives palm beach international airport florida us easter weekend maralago palm beach march 29 2018 reutersyuri gripas trumps view syria may put odds former us ambassador united nations john bolton named trump week ago replace hr mcmaster white house national security adviserthe caliphate syria amp iraq gone isiss terrorist activities continue iran becoming bigger player region bolton tweeted last oct 20 national security analyst reporting steve holland john walcott editing david gregorio standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>In two recent statements, Sen. Rand Paul made the unsubstantiated claim that the U.S. government once “armed” and “funded” Osama bin Laden. The CIA and several of its top officials deny that the U.S. ever recruited, trained, armed or funded bin Laden during the Afghan war over Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Bin Laden himself has denied it.</p>
<p>Although the specter of a CIA-bin Laden link has been raised often since 9/11, no evidence has emerged to back it up. The CIA did covertly finance and arm Islamic fundamentalist Afghan factions in the fight against the Soviets, but the CIA has long maintained that it did not support the Arab fighters — including bin Laden — who came to Afghanistan to fight in solidarity with a Muslim country.</p>
<p>Several independent journalists and authors who have extensively researched and written about the CIA’s involvement in the Afghanistan conflict with the Soviets in the 1980s support the CIA’s contention. For example, Peter Bergen, a national security analyst for CNN who interviewed bin Laden in 1997, told us, “There is no evidence that the CIA funded or armed bin Laden or even knew who he was until 1993.”</p>
<p>Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a possible candidate for president in 2016, did not offer any evidence in his public comments that the CIA armed and funded bin Laden. We repeatedly reached out to his office seeking backup for his claims, but we did not hear back.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=press_release&amp;id=695" type="external">speech on foreign policy</a> at the Heritage Foundation on Feb. 6, Paul argued that U.S. decisions to provide military aid in the Middle East have sometimes backfired.</p>
<p>Paul, Feb. 6: In the 1980s the war caucus in Congress armed bin Laden and the mujahedeen in their fight with the Soviet Union. In fact, it was the official position of the State Department to support radical jihad against the Soviets. We all know how well that worked out.</p>
<p>The Kentucky Republican also made the claim at John Kerry’s secretary of state confirmation hearing, when <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7EA0MzPqc&amp;feature=player_embedded" type="external">Paul asserted</a> that the U.S. “funded” bin Laden (about the 5:48 mark).</p>
<p>Paul, Jan. 24: But this has been our problem with our foreign policy for decades, Republican and Democrat. We funded bin Laden. We funded the mujahedeen. We were in favor of radical jihad because they were the enemy of our enemy.</p>
<p>This is not a new position for Paul, who made <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-03-30/pdf/CREC-2011-03-30-pt1-PgS1962-2.pdf#page=1" type="external">similar comments</a>in March 2011, when arguing on the Senate floor in favor of a “sense of the Senate” amendment that “[t]he President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” According to Paul, “Osama bin Laden — now our mortal enemy — was receiving money from the United States and support from the United States for over a decade.”</p>
<p>It is certainly true, as Paul said, that the U.S. government covertly funded the Afghan rebels in their war against Soviet occupation in the 1980s.</p>
<p>According to a 2011 <a href="http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/156542.pdf" type="external">Congressional Research Service report</a> from John Rollins, a specialist in terrorism and national security, the U.S. “did covertly finance (about $3 billion during 1981-1991) and arm (via Pakistan) the Afghan mujahedin factions, particularly the Islamic fundamentalist Afghan factions, fighting Soviet forces.”</p>
<p>It’s also true that thousands of Arabs&#160; — including bin Laden — came to Afghanistan to aid the Afghan cause, and some fought alongside Afghan forces. But the CIA steadfastly denies that the U.S. ever directly supported the so-called “Afghan Arabs” in general, or bin Laden in particular. And independent journalists have found no evidence to contradict that.</p>
<p>In his book, “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan-Invasion-September/dp/0143034669" type="external">Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001</a>,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll wrote on pages 86-87: “Bin Laden moved within Saudi intelligence’s compartmented operations, outside of CIA eyesight. CIA archives contain no record of any direct contact between a CIA officer and bin Laden during the 1980s. … If the CIA did have contact with bin Laden during the 1980s and subsequently covered it up, it has so far done an excellent job.”</p>
<p>Author and journalist Peter Bergen, a national security analyst for CNN who interviewed bin Laden in 1997, told us via email: “There is no evidence that the CIA funded or armed bin Laden or even knew who he was until 1993.”</p>
<p>In an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/15/bergen.answers/index.html" type="external">interview on CNN</a>in 2006, Bergen said this:</p>
<p>Bergen,&#160; Sept. 6, 2006: The story about bin Laden and the CIA — that the CIA funded bin Laden or trained bin Laden — is simply a folk myth. There’s no evidence of this. In fact, there are very few things that bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and the U.S. government agree on. They all agree that they didn’t have a relationship in the 1980s. And they wouldn’t have needed to. Bin Laden had his own money, he was anti-American and he was operating secretly and independently.</p>
<p>Here’s the CIA’s official position, from its <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/cia-the-war-on-terrorism/terrorism-faqs.html" type="external">FAQ page</a>:</p>
<p>Q: Has the CIA ever provided funding, training, or other support to Usama Bin Laden?</p>
<p>A: No. Numerous comments in the media recently have reiterated a widely circulated but incorrect notion that the CIA once had a relationship with Usama Bin Laden. For the record, you should know that the CIA never employed, paid, or maintained any relationship whatsoever with Bin Laden.</p>
<p>Numerous CIA officials have gone on record to deny U.S. financing or arming of bin Laden.</p>
<p>“It never happened,” said <a href="http://www.asiaafricaprojectsgroup.com/staff/milton-bearden/" type="external">Milton Bearden</a>, the CIA station chief in Pakistan from 1986 to 1989, where he was responsible for the agency’s covert program in support of the Afghan resistance.</p>
<p>“The whole thing about us recruiting and training and paying and arming Arabs is one of those hardy perennials people love to make,” Bearden told us in a phone interview. “It’s a story too delicious to actually check. … It’s an urban myth.”</p>
<p>Bearden said he has often challenged those who make claims like Paul’s to produce “one single Arab that you believe was recruited, trained or otherwise supported by the U.S. government.”</p>
<p>“No one’s coughed up a single guy in 20 years,” Bearden said.</p>
<p>Early in the Afghan war against the Soviets, before he took over the post, Bearden said some officials in the CIA floated the notion of recruiting Arab legions who had come to Afghanistan. But the CIA quickly concluded it was a “really bad idea,” he said.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.khyber.org/publications/006-010/afghangraveyard.shtml" type="external">an article</a> written for <a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/57411/milton-bearden/afghanistan-graveyard-of-empires" type="external">Foreign Affairs</a> after the 9/11 attacks, but before the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Bearden wrote:</p>
<p>Bearden: The idea that the Afghans somehow needed fighters from outside their culture was deeply flawed and ignored basic historical and cultural facts. The Arabs who did travel to Afghanistan from Peshawar were generally considered nuisances by mujahideen commanders, some of whom viewed them as only slightly less bothersome than the Soviets.</p>
<p>The so-called Afghan Arabs included some well-intentioned people, Bearden told us, but also a lot of “whack jobs,” including “an awful lot of derelicts emptied out of Saudi Arabian prisons. … It became sort of a Club Med Jihad.”</p>
<p>“For the most part, they were a joke, these guys,” Bearden said.</p>
<p>The CIA decided supporting the Arab fighters “would get out of hand,” he said. “There was no serious discussion of arming these Arab legions.”</p>
<p>There were “very few” Arabs who actually saw any combat in Afghanistan, Bearden said, although bin Laden got into a couple “dustups.” But that doesn’t mean their influence was not felt. Arab fundraisers were bringing in nearly $25 million a month at one point in the war, largely used for humanitarian and construction projects, Bearden said. And one of the most prominent fundraisers was bin Laden, although Bearden said that at the time bin Laden was largely unknown to U.S. intelligence.</p>
<p>The U.S. covertly funded the Afghan fighters through Pakistan. So how does Bearden know the Pakistanis didn’t simply give some of the money to the Arabs, including bin Laden?</p>
<p>“They didn’t,” Bearden said. “We had ways to check where the money was going.”</p>
<p>Besides, he said, the Arabs were “awash with money from the Gulf.” In other words, they didn’t need it. Bearden said the CIA made efforts to keep its support for Afghan forces “very discreet from everything else.”</p>
<p>“There was a policy not to do that [support the Arab fighters],” Bearden said. “The question is, ‘Did the CIA secretly support the radical Islamic Arabs in Afghanistan?’ The answer is absolutely not.”</p>
<p>Bearden isn’t the only CIA official on the record denying U.S. support for bin Laden.</p>
<p>Richard Miniter, author of the book “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Bin-Laden-Clintons-Unleashed/dp/0895260484" type="external">Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton’s Failures Unleashed Global Terror</a>,” wrote in a Fox News op-ed, “ <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98115,00.html#ixzz2KF3p3mFk" type="external">Dispelling the CIA-Bin Laden Myth</a>,” that he had interviewed Bill Peikney, Bearden’s predecessor as CIA station chief in Pakistan from 1984 to 1986. Peikney also flatly denied that any funds went to bin Laden, Miniter said. Miniter wrote that Peikney added in an email: “I don’t even recall UBL [bin Laden] coming across my screen when I was there.”</p>
<p>Here’s a snippet from <a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092602black.html" type="external">the testimony of Cofer Black</a>, director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center from 1999 through May 2002, to Congress’ inquiry into the 9/11 attacks:</p>
<p>Black, Sept. 26, 2002: We knew of Bin Ladin since his early days in Afghanistan. We had no relationship with him but we watched a 22 year old rich kid from a prominent Saudi family, change from frontline mujahedin fighter to a financier for road construction and hospitals. Then we watched him found something we learned was called al Qa’ida.</p>
<p>And here’s part of what former CIA Director George Tenet provided in <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/speeches-testimony/2002/dci_testimony_10172002.html" type="external">a written statement</a>to Congress’ Joint Inquiry Committee:</p>
<p>Tenet, Oct. 17, 2002: Bin Ladin gained prominence during the Afghan war for his role in financing the recruitment, transportation, and training of Arab nationals who fought alongside the Afghan mujahedin against the Soviets during the 1980s. While we knew of him, we have no record of any direct US Government contact with Bin Ladin at that time.</p>
<p>Here’s what bin Laden himself <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/antisoviet-warrior-puts-his-army-on-the-road-to-peace-the-saudi-businessman-who-recruited-mujahedin-now-uses-them-for-largescale-building-projects-in-sudan-robert-fisk-met-him-in-almatig-1465715.html" type="external">told British journalist Robert Fisk</a> for The Independent in December 1993:</p>
<p>Bin Laden, Dec. 6, 1993: Personally neither I nor my brothers saw evidence of American help.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://nobsblog.blogspot.com/1996_12_01_archive.html" type="external">second interview</a> with Fisk for the The Independent in July 1996, bin Laden repeated that position.</p>
<p>Bin Laden, July 10, 1996: We were never at any time friends of the Americans. We knew that the Americans support the Jews in Palestine and that they are our enemies. Most of the weapons that came to Afghanistan were paid for by the Saudis on the orders of the Americans because Turki al-Faisal, the head of Saudi external intelligence, and the CIA were working together.</p>
<p>And last, <a href="http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2009/05/20090505134735atlahtnevel0.5280725.html#axzz2K9i25jAI" type="external">an article</a> from the U.S. embassy website states that “the United States never had ‘any relationship whatsoever’ with Osama bin Laden.”</p>
<p>U.S. embassy article, May 1, 2009: While the charges that the CIA was responsible for the rise of the Afghan Arabs might make good copy, they don’t make good history. The truth is more complicated, tinged with varying shades of gray. The United States wanted to be able to deny that the CIA was funding the Afghan war, so its support was funneled through Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI). ISI in turn made the decisions about which Afghan factions to arm and train, tending to favor the most Islamist and pro-Pakistan. The Afghan Arabs generally fought alongside those factions, which is how the charge arose that they were creatures of the CIA. …</p>
<p>There was simply no point in the CIA and the Afghan Arabs being in contact with each other. … [T]he Afghan Arabs functioned independently and had their own sources of funding. The CIA did not need the Afghan Arabs, and the Afghan Arabs did not need the CIA. So the notion that the Agency funded and trained the Afghan Arabs is, at best, misleading.</p>
<p>It is almost impossible to prove a negative and dispel Paul’s claim that the U.S. government once “funded” and “armed” bin Laden. But for a senator to make this claim — particularly one who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee and who has <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84086.html" type="external">expressed an interest</a> in running for president in 2016– it is incumbent upon him to provide some evidence to back it up. Should we hear back from his office, we will publish an update.</p>
<p>— by Robert Farley</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/06/watch-live-senator-rand-paul-on-constitutionally-conservative-foreign-policy/" type="external">Transcript of Rand Paul’s Heritage Foundation Speech</a>. Heritage Foundation’s The Foundry. 6 Feb 2013.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7EA0MzPqc&amp;feature=player_embedded" type="external">John Kerry Confirmation Hearing</a>. YouTube.com. 24 Jan 2013.</p>
<p>Congressional Record, Senate. <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-03-30/pdf/CREC-2011-03-30-pt1-PgS1962-2.pdf#page=1" type="external">Rand Paul Speaks from Senate Floor on Reauthorization Act of 2011</a>. Government Printing Office. 30 Mar 2011.</p>
<p>Rollins, John. “ <a href="http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/156542.pdf" type="external">Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy</a>.” Congressional Research Service. 25 Jan 2011.</p>
<p>Central Intelligence Agency Website. <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/cia-the-war-on-terrorism/terrorism-faqs.html" type="external">Terrorism FAQs</a>.</p>
<p>Bearden, Milton. Phone interview with FactCheck.org. 7 Feb 2013.</p>
<p>Bearden, Milton. “ <a href="http://www.khyber.org/publications/006-010/afghangraveyard.shtml" type="external">Afghanistan Graveyard of Empires</a>.” Foreign Affairs. 2001.</p>
<p>Miniter, Richard. “ <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98115,00.html#ixzz2KF3p3mFk" type="external">Dispelling the CIA-Bin Laden Myth</a>.” Fox News. 24 Sep 2003.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092602black.html" type="external">Testimony of Cofer Black</a> before Congress’ Joint Inquiry Committee. 26 Sep 2002.</p>
<p>Central Intelligence Agency Website. <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/speeches-testimony/2002/dci_testimony_10172002.html" type="external">Written Statement for the Record of the Director of Central Intelligence (George Tenet) Before the Joint Inquiry Committee</a>. 27 Oct 2002.</p>
<p>Coll, Steve. “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan-Invasion-September/dp/0143034669" type="external">Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001</a>.” Penguin USA. 2004.</p>
<p>Bergen, Peter. Email interview with FactCheck.org. 7 Feb 2013.</p>
<p>CNN.com. “ <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/15/bergen.answers/index.html" type="external">Bergen: Bin Laden, CIA links hogwash</a>.” 6 Sep 2006.</p>
<p>Fisk, Robert. “ <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/antisoviet-warrior-puts-his-army-on-the-road-to-peace-the-saudi-businessman-who-recruited-mujahedin-now-uses-them-for-largescale-building-projects-in-sudan-robert-fisk-met-him-in-almatig-1465715.html" type="external">Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace</a>.” The Independent. 06 Dec 2003.</p>
<p>Fisk, Robert. “ <a href="http://nobsblog.blogspot.com/1996_12_01_archive.html" type="external">Why we reject the West – By the Saudis’ fiercest Arab critic</a>.” The Independent. 10 Jul 1996.</p>
<p>U.S. Embassy Website. “ <a href="http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2009/05/20090505134735atlahtnevel0.5280725.html#axzz2K9i25jAI" type="external">The United States did not ‘create’ Osama bin Laden.</a>” 1 May 2009.</p>
<p>Cervantes, Bobby. “ <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84086.html" type="external">Rand Paul says he’s eyeing 2016 run.</a>” Politico. 20 Nov 2012.</p>
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two recent statements sen rand paul made unsubstantiated claim us government armed funded osama bin laden cia several top officials deny us ever recruited trained armed funded bin laden afghan war soviet occupation 1980s bin laden denied although specter ciabin laden link raised often since 911 evidence emerged back cia covertly finance arm islamic fundamentalist afghan factions fight soviets cia long maintained support arab fighters including bin laden came afghanistan fight solidarity muslim country several independent journalists authors extensively researched written cias involvement afghanistan conflict soviets 1980s support cias contention example peter bergen national security analyst cnn interviewed bin laden 1997 told us evidence cia funded armed bin laden even knew 1993 paul member senate foreign relations committee possible candidate president 2016 offer evidence public comments cia armed funded bin laden repeatedly reached office seeking backup claims hear back speech foreign policy heritage foundation feb 6 paul argued us decisions provide military aid middle east sometimes backfired paul feb 6 1980s war caucus congress armed bin laden mujahedeen fight soviet union fact official position state department support radical jihad soviets know well worked kentucky republican also made claim john kerrys secretary state confirmation hearing paul asserted us funded bin laden 548 mark paul jan 24 problem foreign policy decades republican democrat funded bin laden funded mujahedeen favor radical jihad enemy enemy new position paul made similar commentsin march 2011 arguing senate floor favor sense senate amendment president power constitution unilaterally authorize military attack situation involve stopping actual imminent threat nation according paul osama bin laden mortal enemy receiving money united states support united states decade certainly true paul said us government covertly funded afghan rebels war soviet occupation 1980s according 2011 congressional research service report john rollins specialist terrorism national security us covertly finance 3 billion 19811991 arm via pakistan afghan mujahedin factions particularly islamic fundamentalist afghan factions fighting soviet forces also true thousands arabs160 including bin laden came afghanistan aid afghan cause fought alongside afghan forces cia steadfastly denies us ever directly supported socalled afghan arabs general bin laden particular independent journalists found evidence contradict book ghost wars secret history cia afghanistan bin laden soviet invasion september 10 2001 pulitzer prizewinning journalist steve coll wrote pages 8687 bin laden moved within saudi intelligences compartmented operations outside cia eyesight cia archives contain record direct contact cia officer bin laden 1980s cia contact bin laden 1980s subsequently covered far done excellent job author journalist peter bergen national security analyst cnn interviewed bin laden 1997 told us via email evidence cia funded armed bin laden even knew 1993 interview cnnin 2006 bergen said bergen160 sept 6 2006 story bin laden cia cia funded bin laden trained bin laden simply folk myth theres evidence fact things bin laden ayman alzawahiri us government agree agree didnt relationship 1980s wouldnt needed bin laden money antiamerican operating secretly independently heres cias official position faq page q cia ever provided funding training support usama bin laden numerous comments media recently reiterated widely circulated incorrect notion cia relationship usama bin laden record know cia never employed paid maintained relationship whatsoever bin laden numerous cia officials gone record deny us financing arming bin laden never happened said milton bearden cia station chief pakistan 1986 1989 responsible agencys covert program support afghan resistance whole thing us recruiting training paying arming arabs one hardy perennials people love make bearden told us phone interview story delicious actually check urban myth bearden said often challenged make claims like pauls produce one single arab believe recruited trained otherwise supported us government ones coughed single guy 20 years bearden said early afghan war soviets took post bearden said officials cia floated notion recruiting arab legions come afghanistan cia quickly concluded really bad idea said article written foreign affairs 911 attacks us invasion afghanistan bearden wrote bearden idea afghans somehow needed fighters outside culture deeply flawed ignored basic historical cultural facts arabs travel afghanistan peshawar generally considered nuisances mujahideen commanders viewed slightly less bothersome soviets socalled afghan arabs included wellintentioned people bearden told us also lot whack jobs including awful lot derelicts emptied saudi arabian prisons became sort club med jihad part joke guys bearden said cia decided supporting arab fighters would get hand said serious discussion arming arab legions arabs actually saw combat afghanistan bearden said although bin laden got couple dustups doesnt mean influence felt arab fundraisers bringing nearly 25 million month one point war largely used humanitarian construction projects bearden said one prominent fundraisers bin laden although bearden said time bin laden largely unknown us intelligence us covertly funded afghan fighters pakistan bearden know pakistanis didnt simply give money arabs including bin laden didnt bearden said ways check money going besides said arabs awash money gulf words didnt need bearden said cia made efforts keep support afghan forces discreet everything else policy support arab fighters bearden said question cia secretly support radical islamic arabs afghanistan answer absolutely bearden isnt cia official record denying us support bin laden richard miniter author book losing bin laden bill clintons failures unleashed global terror wrote fox news oped dispelling ciabin laden myth interviewed bill peikney beardens predecessor cia station chief pakistan 1984 1986 peikney also flatly denied funds went bin laden miniter said miniter wrote peikney added email dont even recall ubl bin laden coming across screen heres snippet testimony cofer black director cias counterterrorism center 1999 may 2002 congress inquiry 911 attacks black sept 26 2002 knew bin ladin since early days afghanistan relationship watched 22 year old rich kid prominent saudi family change frontline mujahedin fighter financier road construction hospitals watched found something learned called al qaida heres part former cia director george tenet provided written statementto congress joint inquiry committee tenet oct 17 2002 bin ladin gained prominence afghan war role financing recruitment transportation training arab nationals fought alongside afghan mujahedin soviets 1980s knew record direct us government contact bin ladin time heres bin laden told british journalist robert fisk independent december 1993 bin laden dec 6 1993 personally neither brothers saw evidence american help second interview fisk independent july 1996 bin laden repeated position bin laden july 10 1996 never time friends americans knew americans support jews palestine enemies weapons came afghanistan paid saudis orders americans turki alfaisal head saudi external intelligence cia working together last article us embassy website states united states never relationship whatsoever osama bin laden us embassy article may 1 2009 charges cia responsible rise afghan arabs might make good copy dont make good history truth complicated tinged varying shades gray united states wanted able deny cia funding afghan war support funneled pakistans inter services intelligence agency isi isi turn made decisions afghan factions arm train tending favor islamist propakistan afghan arabs generally fought alongside factions charge arose creatures cia simply point cia afghan arabs contact afghan arabs functioned independently sources funding cia need afghan arabs afghan arabs need cia notion agency funded trained afghan arabs best misleading almost impossible prove negative dispel pauls claim us government funded armed bin laden senator make claim particularly one sits foreign relations committee expressed interest running president 2016 incumbent upon provide evidence back hear back office publish update robert farley transcript rand pauls heritage foundation speech heritage foundations foundry 6 feb 2013 john kerry confirmation hearing youtubecom 24 jan 2013 congressional record senate rand paul speaks senate floor reauthorization act 2011 government printing office 30 mar 2011 rollins john al qaeda affiliates historical perspective global presence implications us policy congressional research service 25 jan 2011 central intelligence agency website terrorism faqs bearden milton phone interview factcheckorg 7 feb 2013 bearden milton afghanistan graveyard empires foreign affairs 2001 miniter richard dispelling ciabin laden myth fox news 24 sep 2003 testimony cofer black congress joint inquiry committee 26 sep 2002 central intelligence agency website written statement record director central intelligence george tenet joint inquiry committee 27 oct 2002 coll steve ghost wars secret history cia afghanistan bin laden soviet invasion september 10 2001 penguin usa 2004 bergen peter email interview factcheckorg 7 feb 2013 cnncom bergen bin laden cia links hogwash 6 sep 2006 fisk robert antisoviet warrior puts army road peace independent 06 dec 2003 fisk robert reject west saudis fiercest arab critic independent 10 jul 1996 us embassy website united states create osama bin laden 1 may 2009 cervantes bobby rand paul says hes eyeing 2016 run politico 20 nov 2012
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<p>The following article is a serialized story of the decade-long effort to convince intransigent government officials in San Diego County that science matters and that the region’s native chaparral ecosystem has value. In the name of fire protection, the county attempted to establish a plan that could have allowed it to clear tens of thousands of acres of native habitat without proper oversight as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The story is timely because of the current politicization of science in the United States and the impact that process can have on public policy. The story also provides valuable lessons to activists dealing with the enforcement of environmental law.</p>
<p>This is part IV of VII.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part I of The Politics of Fire: The Struggle Between Science and Ideology in San Diego County</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part II of The Politics of Fire: Academic Nonsense</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part III of The Politics of Fire: Huge Fires are Natural</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part IV of The Politics of Fire: Denying the Science</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part V of The Politics of Fire: It Gets Worse</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part VI of The Politics of Fire: This is Not it</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part VII of The Politics of Fire: Attempting an End Run</p>
<p>Part IV: Denying the Science</p>
<p>On July 18, 2008, the plan’s first draft of San Diego County’s Fire Management Plan was released. The document started with the assumption that “to prevent the start, slow the rapid spread, and moderate the intensity of all but the most intensely wind-driven massive wildfires,” lands set aside for habitat preservation need to be managed with masticators, goats, and controlled burns. Unfortunately, as with the 2003 task force report, there was no attempt to present a science-based analysis of all the available data in order to consider viable alternatives. No scientific references were cited to support the document’s recommendations.</p>
<p>The new plan repeated two of the same assumptions found within the county’s earlier 2003 task force report that had been repudiated by fire scientists: large chaparral fires are the result of “unnatural” accumulations of vegetation due to past fire suppression activities, and mixed-aged mosaics are the “natural” condition of chaparral. The plan also introduced two new perspectives that were again not supported by scientific evidence: it is “critical” to begin “managing” chaparral when it reaches 30-40 years old for its own “health,” and there is a “debate” over whether or not high fire frequency can in fact type-convert chaparral to non-native grasslands.</p>
<p>Denying scientific evidence or giving equal time to discredited ideas has been a pervasive problem in how San Diego County deals with fire issues as it has been in national discussions concerning climate change and evolution. In fact, in an April 2, 2010, comment letter to the California Board of Forestry on the development of a new California state fire plan, San Diego County’s Department of Planning and Land Use made a definitive claim that chaparral is not threatened by type-conversion and urged the state not to consider climate change in developing long-range fire management plans. Recognizing type-conversion, they wrote, “would impact our ability to obtain funding to carry out important vegetation treatment programs here.”</p>
<p>Fortunately, the Board of Forestry ignored the county’s request to ignore the science. The new plan acknowledges the earth’s climate is changing and that such change may impact fire patterns. In addition, the plan stated that “many chaparral shrubland ecosystems may be impacted by a too-frequent fire interval, especially in Southern California,” and as a result, “these areas may be at risk of conversion from native to non-native species, which can pose an increased fire threat.”</p>
<p>The county’s notion that old-growth chaparral “needs” to be “managed” for its own “health” after 30-40 years (i.e., burned) comes from earlier range management literature that saw chaparral as a “problem” because it was not conducive to ranching or deer hunting. For example, in 1954, Harold Biswell, a professor of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, whose viewpoint has been characterized as seeing chaparral as merely degraded grassland, wrote, “The brush problem in California has been “pin-pointed” as one of lost acres&#160; ̶&#160; once productive acres now lost to invading brush. Because the brush has increased in abundance, the production capacity of many lands has gone downward. The problem now is how to control the brush…”</p>
<p>The reference to “vegetative health”&#160; to justify burning or masticating increasingly rare stands of old-growth chaparral habitat is nothing new. A similar argument has been used to justify the logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific-Northwest. A decade ago, the US Forest Service insisted that, “A mature stand of timber is largely stagnant. Some liken it to a desert. Decay and death of individual trees diminish what’s there. Nothing much happens until management begins” (USFS visitor information at the Olympic National Park in Washington state).</p>
<p>A proposal that had not been part of the county’s previous approach was to re-establish forests burned during the 2003 Cedar Fire by doing “specific treatments for removal of the invading chaparral shrubs and modifying the understory of replanted and seedling conifers as they grow.”</p>
<p>Once again, the county ignored the scientific research. Ceanothus shrubs, the primary so-called “invading” species the plan was referring to, are in fact a natural part of the successional process. Ceanothus species are nitrogen-fixers (they facilitate the movement of atmospheric nitrogen into soluble soil forms) and are hence critical to restoring the soil’s nitrogen balance in post-fire environments. Removing them would negatively impact the ecosystem’s recovery and would likely compromise the growth of conifer seedlings the county wanted to foster.</p>
<p>Numerous scientists and conservationists submitted comments after the draft plan was released. Wayne Spencer, who had been involved in reviewing the county’s ill-fated 2003 task force report, summed up the views of many by writing, “It is extremely frustrating to see the same unsupported, unjustified, opinions stated as facts after all these years of accumulating science, observation, and discussion of the realities of fire in Southern California.”</p>
<p>Dr. Keeley reminded the county in his comment letter that, “I believe there is incontrovertible evidence that any sustainable solution must involve a multi-prong approach that considers all of the factors contributing to the fire problem in San Diego. This perhaps is the major failing of the 7/18/08 draft.”</p>
<p>The first gathering to discuss the draft was held on July 24 during the Forest Area Safety Taskforce (FAST) meeting at a Rancho Santa Fe Fire Department station. FAST was a group composed of representatives from fire, wildlife, and conservation organizations charged with evaluating the county’s plan.</p>
<p>During the initial review by county representative Thomas Oberbauer, there appeared to be an effort to minimize controversial sections and emphasize conservation values despite the fact that such values were generally ignored in the document. Oberbauer stated that one of the plans main focuses was to “maintain habitat values” and that “sensitive species are of primary focus.” Neither goal was stated in the document.</p>
<p>On August 8, 2008, a hearing on the draft was held by the San Diego County Planning Commission. Seven individuals testified against the county’s plan including Kurt Roblek from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Michael Beck (a commissioner on the Planning Commission itself), and Dr. Anne Fege. No one who provided public testimony voiced support for the county’s approach.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>This article is the fourth in The Politics of Fire series.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part I of The Politics of Fire: The Struggle Between Science and Ideology in San Diego County</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part II of The Politics of Fire: Academic Nonsense</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part III of The Politics of Fire: Huge Fires are Natural</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part IV of The Politics of Fire: Denying the Science</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part V of The Politics of Fire: It Gets Worse</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part VI of The Politics of Fire: This is Not it</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> for Part VII of The Politics of Fire: Attempting an End Run</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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160 following article serialized story decadelong effort convince intransigent government officials san diego county science matters regions native chaparral ecosystem value name fire protection county attempted establish plan could allowed clear tens thousands acres native habitat without proper oversight required california environmental quality act ceqa story timely current politicization science united states impact process public policy story also provides valuable lessons activists dealing enforcement environmental law part iv vii click part politics fire struggle science ideology san diego county click part ii politics fire academic nonsense click part iii politics fire huge fires natural click part iv politics fire denying science click part v politics fire gets worse click part vi politics fire click part vii politics fire attempting end run part iv denying science july 18 2008 plans first draft san diego countys fire management plan released document started assumption prevent start slow rapid spread moderate intensity intensely winddriven massive wildfires lands set aside habitat preservation need managed masticators goats controlled burns unfortunately 2003 task force report attempt present sciencebased analysis available data order consider viable alternatives scientific references cited support documents recommendations new plan repeated two assumptions found within countys earlier 2003 task force report repudiated fire scientists large chaparral fires result unnatural accumulations vegetation due past fire suppression activities mixedaged mosaics natural condition chaparral plan also introduced two new perspectives supported scientific evidence critical begin managing chaparral reaches 3040 years old health debate whether high fire frequency fact typeconvert chaparral nonnative grasslands denying scientific evidence giving equal time discredited ideas pervasive problem san diego county deals fire issues national discussions concerning climate change evolution fact april 2 2010 comment letter california board forestry development new california state fire plan san diego countys department planning land use made definitive claim chaparral threatened typeconversion urged state consider climate change developing longrange fire management plans recognizing typeconversion wrote would impact ability obtain funding carry important vegetation treatment programs fortunately board forestry ignored countys request ignore science new plan acknowledges earths climate changing change may impact fire patterns addition plan stated many chaparral shrubland ecosystems may impacted toofrequent fire interval especially southern california result areas may risk conversion native nonnative species pose increased fire threat countys notion oldgrowth chaparral needs managed health 3040 years ie burned comes earlier range management literature saw chaparral problem conducive ranching deer hunting example 1954 harold biswell professor forestry university california berkeley whose viewpoint characterized seeing chaparral merely degraded grassland wrote brush problem california pinpointed one lost acres160 160 productive acres lost invading brush brush increased abundance production capacity many lands gone downward problem control brush reference vegetative health160 justify burning masticating increasingly rare stands oldgrowth chaparral habitat nothing new similar argument used justify logging oldgrowth forests pacificnorthwest decade ago us forest service insisted mature stand timber largely stagnant liken desert decay death individual trees diminish whats nothing much happens management begins usfs visitor information olympic national park washington state proposal part countys previous approach reestablish forests burned 2003 cedar fire specific treatments removal invading chaparral shrubs modifying understory replanted seedling conifers grow county ignored scientific research ceanothus shrubs primary socalled invading species plan referring fact natural part successional process ceanothus species nitrogenfixers facilitate movement atmospheric nitrogen soluble soil forms hence critical restoring soils nitrogen balance postfire environments removing would negatively impact ecosystems recovery would likely compromise growth conifer seedlings county wanted foster numerous scientists conservationists submitted comments draft plan released wayne spencer involved reviewing countys illfated 2003 task force report summed views many writing extremely frustrating see unsupported unjustified opinions stated facts years accumulating science observation discussion realities fire southern california dr keeley reminded county comment letter believe incontrovertible evidence sustainable solution must involve multiprong approach considers factors contributing fire problem san diego perhaps major failing 71808 draft first gathering discuss draft held july 24 forest area safety taskforce fast meeting rancho santa fe fire department station fast group composed representatives fire wildlife conservation organizations charged evaluating countys plan initial review county representative thomas oberbauer appeared effort minimize controversial sections emphasize conservation values despite fact values generally ignored document oberbauer stated one plans main focuses maintain habitat values sensitive species primary focus neither goal stated document august 8 2008 hearing draft held san diego county planning commission seven individuals testified countys plan including kurt roblek us fish wildlife service michael beck commissioner planning commission dr anne fege one provided public testimony voiced support countys approach article fourth politics fire series click part politics fire struggle science ideology san diego county click part ii politics fire academic nonsense click part iii politics fire huge fires natural click part iv politics fire denying science click part v politics fire gets worse click part vi politics fire click part vii politics fire attempting end run 160
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<p>(Refiles to clarify BOJ’s assessment refers to inflation expectations in para 4)</p>
<p>* Yen near 4-month high after BOJ stands pat</p>
<p>* Dollar pares some losses after deal to end govt shutdown</p>
<p>* Dollar index still near 3-year low</p>
<p>* Pound at highest since Brexit vote</p>
<p>By Hideyuki Sano</p>
<p>TOKYO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The yen ticked up slightly on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged as expected but made tweaks to its views on inflation that some trader say pointed to a slightly less pessimistic central bank outlook on consumer prices.</p>
<p>The dollar had recovered from earlier losses after U.S. senators struck a deal to lift a three-day government shutdown but it remained mired near a three-year low against a basket of currencies on lingering concerns about its yield advantage being chipped away.</p>
<p>The greenback fell 0.2 percent to 110.74 yen, edging near last week’s four-month low of 110.19, after the BOJ maintained its policy and its economic and price projections.</p>
<p>The central bank on Tuesday said risks to prices are still tilted to the downside, though it did change its assessment on inflation expectations to “flat” from “weak”, seen as a technical tweak to reflect a recent pickup in inflation, which is largely due to rise in oil prices.</p>
<p>“I don’t see anything in today’s announcement that suggests a change in the BOJ’s stance. Rather today’s price action talks more about how the market is preoccupied with the idea that the BOJ will adjust its monetary policy at some stage in the future,” said Minori Uchida, chief FX analyst at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.</p>
<p>The yen has gained after the Bank of Japan trimmed its buying of long-dated government bonds earlier this month, sparking speculation of an eventual exit from its large stimulus.</p>
<p>“Today’s market reaction suggests the market may not ditch this perception easily no matter how clearly BOJ Governor (Haruhiko) Kuroda denies that he is considering policy adjustments,” Uchida added.</p>
<p>Kuroda will hold a news conference from 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT).</p>
<p>“In the near-term, there will be focus on Kuroda’s news conference, which could offer “a more dovish lean”, said Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific for Oanda in Singapore.</p>
<p>The dollar’s index against a basket of major currencies stood at 90.37, not far off its three-year low of 90.104 touched on Jan. 17.</p>
<p>The U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term measure on Monday to fund the federal government through Feb. 8 after it won enough support in the Senate.</p>
<p>Still, a boost from the deal did not last long partly because the measure secured funding for only a little more than two weeks, with the Republicans and Democrats still at loggerheads on many issues.</p>
<p>One reason often cited by traders for the dollar’s climbdown is that its relative yield attraction is at risk as the world’s major central banks are seen winding up their stimulus.</p>
<p>That would change the interest rate dynamics of the past few years, when the U.S. Federal Reserve was the only central bank raising rates.</p>
<p>The euro stood at $1.2258, consolidating its rally after having hit a three-year high of $1.2323 on Jan. 17.</p>
<p>Expectations that the European Central Bank may withdraw its stimulus gained momentum earlier this month after the accounts of its last policy meeting showed it could shift its policy communication early this year.</p>
<p>But sources have told Reuters the ECB is unlikely to ditch a pledge to keep buying bonds at its upcoming meeting on Thursday.</p>
<p>The British pound hit its post-Brexit referendum high of $1.4005, helped by optimism that Britain will reach a favourable divorce deal with the European Union.</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday Britain would be able to have a bespoke deal with the European Union after Brexit, one of Prime Minister Theresa May’s objectives. (Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano in Singapore, Editing by Sam Holmes)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - U.S. gunmaker Remington Outdoor Co has obtained commitments for nearly $300 million from its existing lenders, including some of the biggest U.S. banks, after new sources of funding dried up in the months leading up to its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.</p>
<p>During that time, the company’s investment bank, Lazard Ltd ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=LAZ.N" type="external">LAZ.N</a>), approached more than 30 possible lenders, according to court documents.</p>
<p>“The vast majority of lenders contacted, however, indicated they were reluctant to provide financing to firearms manufacturers,” said Lazard banker Ari Lefkovits in the papers.</p>
<p>Most of the banks providing the bankruptcy funding were lenders to Remington before its current financial problems, according to court records. Without the funds, Remington may have been forced to go out of business and the banks could have seen their investment crash in value.</p>
<p>The company and its investors have been under heightened scrutiny after 17 were killed in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida in February.</p>
<p>Remington filed for bankruptcy one day after hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to demand tighter gun control measures.</p>
<p>Banks often sell troubled loans to hedge funds when a borrower is heading into bankruptcy, but one source told Reuters that even as the Remington loans were heavily discounted, buyers were scarce.</p>
<p>The company’s bankruptcy lenders include Bank of America Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BAC.N" type="external">BAC.N</a>), Wells Fargo &amp; Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WFC.N" type="external">WFC.N</a>), JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=JPM.N" type="external">JPM.N</a>) and Deutsche Bank AG ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DBKGn.DE" type="external">DBKGn.DE</a>), according to court documents.</p>
<p>Remington disclosed the loan details in its Sunday bankruptcy filing, which the company said will allow it to cancel $775 million of debt and bring it out of Chapter 11 as soon as May.</p>
<p>Smaller banks Regions Financial Corporation ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=RF.N" type="external">RF.N</a>), BB&amp;T Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BBT.N" type="external">BBT.N</a>), Synovus Financial Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SNV.N" type="external">SNV.N</a>) and Fifth Third Bancorp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FITB.O" type="external">FITB.O</a>) have also committed to help fund Remington’s bankruptcy loans, court documents show. An affiliate of investment manager Franklin Templeton Investments, another lender, is also providing funds.</p>
<p>Bank of America, Regions, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and Synovus declined to comment.</p>
<p>BB&amp;T declined to comment on its lending relationships. The bank said part of its consideration is to listen to its clients and stakeholders, who have a wide range of opinions.</p> FILE PHOTO: A man walks with his Remington 870 Express 12 gauge shotgun during a pro-gun and Second Amendment protest outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., January 19, 2013. REUTERS/Joshua Lott/File Photo
<p>“We’re deeply concerned with the increasing amount of gun violence in our schools and communities,” the bank said.</p>
<p>The others, along with Remington, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>The company ran into trouble after borrowing to ramp up production in 2016 in anticipation of greater industry demand, according to court filings.</p>
<p>The expectation of higher sales was in part driven by fears of a Hillary Clinton presidency and tighter gun controls. With the election of Donald Trump, who has said he strongly supports gun ownership, the firearms industry was stuck with a glut of weapons and higher levels of debt.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=LAZ.N" type="external">Lazard Ltd</a> 51.77 LAZ.N New York Stock Exchange -0.77 (-1.47%) LAZ.N BAC.N WFC.N JPM.N DBKGn.DE
<p>Remington, which said in January it was nearly out of cash, plans to tap the loans from the banks to help pay corporate expenses, including payroll, during its bankruptcy filing.</p>
<p>Remington’s bondholders are also providing some of the bankruptcy loan and will receive a stake in the company when it exits bankruptcy.</p>
<p>Their identities were redacted in court documents.</p>
<p>The company also asked the court to seal the letters detailing the fees the lenders will earn from the loans, saying that the sums are commercially sensitive, according to filings in the bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware.</p>
<p>The court records also showed that Remington’s business faces new hurdles in the wake of the Florida shooting.</p>
<p>The company cited a risk to its business from restrictions placed on gun sales by retailers such Walmart Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WMT.N" type="external">WMT.N</a>), Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DKS.N" type="external">DKS.N</a>) and Kroger Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=KR.N" type="external">KR.N</a>).</p>
<p>Walmart accounted for 11 percent of Remington sales in 2017, according to court documents.</p>
<p>Remington also said sales could be hurt by more government regulation, including enhanced background checks and a broader definition of “dealer” under current gun laws. Remington said if the 1994 federal assault weapons ban were re-enacted it would have an adverse effect on the business.</p>
<p>Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware and Jessica DiNapoli in New York</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>FRANKFURT/ZURICH (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GSK.L" type="external">GSK.L</a>) is buying Novartis ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NOVN.S" type="external">NOVN.S</a>) out of their consumer healthcare joint venture for $13 billion, taking full control of products including Sensodyne toothpaste, Panadol headache tablets, muscle gel Voltaren, and Nicotinell patches.</p>
<p>GSK’s biggest move since Emma Walmsley became chief executive last year follows the British drugmaker’s decision last week to quit the race to buy Pfizer’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=PFE.N" type="external">PFE.N</a>) consumer healthcare business, endangering an auction the U.S. company hoped would bring in as much as $20 billion.</p>
<p>Consumer remedies sold over the counter have lower margins than prescription drugs, but they are typically well-known brands with customers.</p>
<p>“The proposed transaction addresses one of our key capital allocation priorities and will allow GSK shareholders to capture the full value of one of the world’s leading consumer healthcare businesses,” Walmsley said in a statement on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Although some pharmaceuticals groups have been keen to hold consumer care products, intense price competition online, mainly from Amazon ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>), as well as cheaper store-brand products, have led others to doubt their stable returns longer-term.</p>
<p>The British group’s shares jumped 6.1 percent, outperforming a 2 percent gain in the STOXX Europe 600 Health Care .SXDP.</p>
<p>GSK said that as well as ending the Novartis venture it would start a strategic review of Horlicks and other consumer nutrition products, sparking another potential industry shake-up. The review will include an assessment of its majority stake in India-listed GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GLSM.NS" type="external">GLSM.NS</a>).</p>
<p>“The decision not to pay up for Pfizer’s consumer assets will have led GSK CEO Emma Walmsley to remove uncertainty by bringing all the consumer revenues in-house and assisting toward efficient capital allocation,” said Ketan Patel, co-manager of the Amity UK Fund at EdenTree Investment Management, who holds GSK shares.</p>
<p>“Long-term investors will welcome the greater clarity this brings to both companies.”</p>
<p>GSK said that the purchase would boost adjusted earnings and cash flows.</p>
<p>Pfizer has been struggling to sell its consumer healthcare business after GSK and Reckitt Benckiser ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=RB.L" type="external">RB.L</a>) both dropped out of the bidding, while differences in price expectations have also hobbled German drugmaker Merck KGaA’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MRCG.DE" type="external">MRCG.DE</a>) attempts to sell its consumer products unit.</p>
<p>And GSK’s call for bids for its consumer healthcare nutrition brands - with a regional focus on India - could detract attention from Merck’s asset, which relies heavily on sales of vitamins and dietary supplements in emerging markets.</p> Slideshow (2 Images) NOVARTIS SHARES RISE
<p>Barclays analysts said Glaxo was paying less than 17 times expected 2018 core earnings for the joint venture stake, while sources have told Reuters that both Merck and Pfizer had asked for up to 20 times for their respective assets.</p>
<p>Yet analysts at Baader Helvea welcomed the cash price fetched by Novartis as “excellent news” for the Swiss company, whose shares opened 1.9 percent higher.</p>
<p>Deutsche Bank analysts said the move decluttered Novartis’s portfolio, but cautioned that the Swiss group was being too vague about what it would do with the cash.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GSK.L" type="external">GlaxoSmithKline PLC</a> 1351.0 GSK.L London Stock Exchange +62.80 (+4.88%) GSK.L NOVN.S PFE.N AMZN.O GLSM.NS
<p>“The time&#160;is&#160;right for Novartis to divest&#160;a&#160;non-core asset at an&#160;attractive price,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said.</p>
<p>Novartis said the money would be used by Novartis to expand its business organically as well as for bolt-on acquisitions.</p>
<p>In an interview before the deal was announced, Narasimhan ruled out large acquisitions by the Basel-based company.</p>
<p>“We want to focus our M&amp;A efforts on bolt on acquisitions that have either new technologies or products that fit into our core therapeutic areas,” he told CNBC in an interview recorded on Sunday.</p>
<p>For Narasimhan, a Harvard trained medical doctor, the disposal is among his first moves as CEO, a role he took on less than two months ago when he replaced Joe Jimenez.</p>
<p>He is now emphasizing the use of technology to boost returns on research investment but Novartis is currently also reviewing its Alcon eye care unit for a possible spinoff to shareholders, which could come in early 2019.</p>
<p>Under the 2014 deal to pool their consumer assets, Novartis had the right so sell its 36.5 percent stake to Glaxo from this month. The transaction is set to complete in the second quarter, subject to necessary approvals.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-novartis-gsk-margins/gsk-says-very-confident-about-consumer-margin-goal-of-at-least-20-percent-idUSKBN1H317X" type="external">GSK says very confident about consumer margin goal of at least 20 percent</a>
<p>($1 = 0.7029 pounds)</p>
<p>additional reporting by Simon Jessop in London, Michael Shields in Zurich; editing by Alexander Smith and Louise Heavens</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street scored its best day in 2-1/2 years and the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its third-biggest point gain ever on Monday, as trade war fears eased on reports the United States and China are willing to renegotiate tariffs and trade imbalances.</p>
<p>The rally, fueled by technology stocks, came on the heels of the indexes' worst weekly performance since January 2016, the S&amp;P 500's <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> gain making up for less than half of the prior week's near 6 percent loss.</p>
<p>“We saw a really good rally because of potential talks with China,” said Dennis Dick, Head of Markets Structure, Proprietary Trader at Bright Trading LLC in Las Vegas. “People are taking advantage of the huge dip last week.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think you’re out of the woods yet. There’s political uncertainty,” Dick added.</p>
<p>Last week’s drop was fueled in part by tensions surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to levy tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports, in addition to those imposed on solar panels, steel and aluminum.</p>
<p>But tensions were calmed as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang repeated pledges to maintain trade negotiations and ease access to American businesses.</p>
<p>U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday he believed Washington could reach agreement with China on some issues but tariffs would not be put on hold “unless we have an acceptable agreement that the president signs off on.”</p>
<p>“It’s clearly the easing of trade tensions. The comments by Steve Mnuchin late yesterday gave room for negotiation with China,” said Oliver Pursche, Chief Market Strategist at Bruderman Asset Management in New York.</p>
<p>But China did call for unity among World Trade Organization members to prevent the United States from “wrecking” the WTO, and urged opposition to Trump’s tariffs targeting China’s alleged intellectual property theft.</p> Slideshow (6 Images)
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> rose 669.4 points, or 2.84 percent, to 24,202.6. The two larger point gains for the Dow were in October 2008. The S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> gained 70.29 points, or 2.72 percent, to 2,658.55 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> added 227.88 points, or 3.26 percent, to 7,220.54. 7,220.54</p>
<p>The three major U.S. indexes saw their best percentage gains since Aug. 26, 2015.</p>
<p>All 11 major sectors of the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> closed in positive territory, led by technology .SPLRCT and finance .SPSY indexes, up 4.0 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">Standard &amp; Poor's Corp</a> 2658.55 .SPX Chicago Board Options Exchange +0.00 (+0.00%) .SPX .DJI .IXIC MSFT.O INTC.O
<p>The tech sector saw its biggest daily percentage gain since August 2015 and financials had their best day since November 2016.</p>
<p>Microsoft ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MSFT.O" type="external">MSFT.O</a>) pulled the indexes higher, gaining 7.6 percent. Morgan Stanley upped its price target on the tech company’s stock, saying its market value could hit $1 trillion on improved margins and growth in cloud computing.</p>
<p>Intel ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=INTC.O" type="external">INTC.O</a>) advanced 6.3 percent after brokerage Raymond James upgraded the technology to “market perform”.</p>
<p>Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) closed up 0.4 percent following several days of declines as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced it was investigating how the company allowed data of 50 million users to get into the hands of Cambridge Analytica.</p>
<p>The Cboe Volatility Index .VIX, the most widely followed barometer of expected near-term volatility for the S&amp;P 500, finished down 3.84 points at 21.03.</p>
<p>Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 3.04-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.27-to-1 ratio favored advancers.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-stocks-instantview/wall-street-rebounds-on-hopes-for-u-s-china-talks-on-trade-idUSKBN1H22LX" type="external">Wall Street rebounds on hopes for U.S.-China talks on trade</a>
<p>Volume on U.S. exchanges was 7.30 billion shares, below the 7.35 billion average for the last 20 trading days.</p>
<p>Reporting by Stephen Culp; Editing by James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
refiles clarify bojs assessment refers inflation expectations para 4 yen near 4month high boj stands pat dollar pares losses deal end govt shutdown dollar index still near 3year low pound highest since brexit vote hideyuki sano tokyo jan 23 reuters yen ticked slightly tuesday bank japan kept monetary policy unchanged expected made tweaks views inflation trader say pointed slightly less pessimistic central bank outlook consumer prices dollar recovered earlier losses us senators struck deal lift threeday government shutdown remained mired near threeyear low basket currencies lingering concerns yield advantage chipped away greenback fell 02 percent 11074 yen edging near last weeks fourmonth low 11019 boj maintained policy economic price projections central bank tuesday said risks prices still tilted downside though change assessment inflation expectations flat weak seen technical tweak reflect recent pickup inflation largely due rise oil prices dont see anything todays announcement suggests change bojs stance rather todays price action talks market preoccupied idea boj adjust monetary policy stage future said minori uchida chief fx analyst bank tokyomitsubishi ufj yen gained bank japan trimmed buying longdated government bonds earlier month sparking speculation eventual exit large stimulus todays market reaction suggests market may ditch perception easily matter clearly boj governor haruhiko kuroda denies considering policy adjustments uchida added kuroda hold news conference 330 pm 0630 gmt nearterm focus kurodas news conference could offer dovish lean said stephen innes head trading asiapacific oanda singapore dollars index basket major currencies stood 9037 far threeyear low 90104 touched jan 17 us house representatives passed shortterm measure monday fund federal government feb 8 enough support senate still boost deal last long partly measure secured funding little two weeks republicans democrats still loggerheads many issues one reason often cited traders dollars climbdown relative yield attraction risk worlds major central banks seen winding stimulus would change interest rate dynamics past years us federal reserve central bank raising rates euro stood 12258 consolidating rally hit threeyear high 12323 jan 17 expectations european central bank may withdraw stimulus gained momentum earlier month accounts last policy meeting showed could shift policy communication early year sources told reuters ecb unlikely ditch pledge keep buying bonds upcoming meeting thursday british pound hit postbrexit referendum high 14005 helped optimism britain reach favourable divorce deal european union french president emmanuel macron said saturday britain would able bespoke deal european union brexit one prime minister theresa mays objectives additional reporting masayuki kitano singapore editing sam holmes standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters us gunmaker remington outdoor co obtained commitments nearly 300 million existing lenders including biggest us banks new sources funding dried months leading filing chapter 11 bankruptcy time companys investment bank lazard ltd lazn approached 30 possible lenders according court documents vast majority lenders contacted however indicated reluctant provide financing firearms manufacturers said lazard banker ari lefkovits papers banks providing bankruptcy funding lenders remington current financial problems according court records without funds remington may forced go business banks could seen investment crash value company investors heightened scrutiny 17 killed school shooting parkland florida february remington filed bankruptcy one day hundreds thousands americans took streets demand tighter gun control measures banks often sell troubled loans hedge funds borrower heading bankruptcy one source told reuters even remington loans heavily discounted buyers scarce companys bankruptcy lenders include bank america corp bacn wells fargo amp co wfcn jpmorgan chase amp co jpmn deutsche bank ag dbkgnde according court documents remington disclosed loan details sunday bankruptcy filing company said allow cancel 775 million debt bring chapter 11 soon may smaller banks regions financial corporation rfn bbampt corp bbtn synovus financial corp snvn fifth third bancorp fitbo also committed help fund remingtons bankruptcy loans court documents show affiliate investment manager franklin templeton investments another lender also providing funds bank america regions deutsche bank jpmorgan synovus declined comment bbampt declined comment lending relationships bank said part consideration listen clients stakeholders wide range opinions file photo man walks remington 870 express 12 gauge shotgun progun second amendment protest outside arizona state capitol phoenix arizona us january 19 2013 reutersjoshua lottfile photo deeply concerned increasing amount gun violence schools communities bank said others along remington immediately respond request comment company ran trouble borrowing ramp production 2016 anticipation greater industry demand according court filings expectation higher sales part driven fears hillary clinton presidency tighter gun controls election donald trump said strongly supports gun ownership firearms industry stuck glut weapons higher levels debt lazard ltd 5177 lazn new york stock exchange 077 147 lazn bacn wfcn jpmn dbkgnde remington said january nearly cash plans tap loans banks help pay corporate expenses including payroll bankruptcy filing remingtons bondholders also providing bankruptcy loan receive stake company exits bankruptcy identities redacted court documents company also asked court seal letters detailing fees lenders earn loans saying sums commercially sensitive according filings bankruptcy court wilmington delaware court records also showed remingtons business faces new hurdles wake florida shooting company cited risk business restrictions placed gun sales retailers walmart inc wmtn dicks sporting goods inc dksn kroger co krn walmart accounted 11 percent remington sales 2017 according court documents remington also said sales could hurt government regulation including enhanced background checks broader definition dealer current gun laws remington said 1994 federal assault weapons ban reenacted would adverse effect business reporting tom hals wilmington delaware jessica dinapoli new york standards thomson reuters trust principles frankfurtzurich reuters glaxosmithkline gskl buying novartis novns consumer healthcare joint venture 13 billion taking full control products including sensodyne toothpaste panadol headache tablets muscle gel voltaren nicotinell patches gsks biggest move since emma walmsley became chief executive last year follows british drugmakers decision last week quit race buy pfizers pfen consumer healthcare business endangering auction us company hoped would bring much 20 billion consumer remedies sold counter lower margins prescription drugs typically wellknown brands customers proposed transaction addresses one key capital allocation priorities allow gsk shareholders capture full value one worlds leading consumer healthcare businesses walmsley said statement tuesday although pharmaceuticals groups keen hold consumer care products intense price competition online mainly amazon amzno well cheaper storebrand products led others doubt stable returns longerterm british groups shares jumped 61 percent outperforming 2 percent gain stoxx europe 600 health care sxdp gsk said well ending novartis venture would start strategic review horlicks consumer nutrition products sparking another potential industry shakeup review include assessment majority stake indialisted glaxosmithkline consumer healthcare glsmns decision pay pfizers consumer assets led gsk ceo emma walmsley remove uncertainty bringing consumer revenues inhouse assisting toward efficient capital allocation said ketan patel comanager amity uk fund edentree investment management holds gsk shares longterm investors welcome greater clarity brings companies gsk said purchase would boost adjusted earnings cash flows pfizer struggling sell consumer healthcare business gsk reckitt benckiser rbl dropped bidding differences price expectations also hobbled german drugmaker merck kgaas mrcgde attempts sell consumer products unit gsks call bids consumer healthcare nutrition brands regional focus india could detract attention mercks asset relies heavily sales vitamins dietary supplements emerging markets slideshow 2 images novartis shares rise barclays analysts said glaxo paying less 17 times expected 2018 core earnings joint venture stake sources told reuters merck pfizer asked 20 times respective assets yet analysts baader helvea welcomed cash price fetched novartis excellent news swiss company whose shares opened 19 percent higher deutsche bank analysts said move decluttered novartiss portfolio cautioned swiss group vague would cash glaxosmithkline plc 13510 gskl london stock exchange 6280 488 gskl novns pfen amzno glsmns time160is160right novartis divest160a160noncore asset an160attractive price novartis ceo vas narasimhan said novartis said money would used novartis expand business organically well bolton acquisitions interview deal announced narasimhan ruled large acquisitions baselbased company want focus mampa efforts bolt acquisitions either new technologies products fit core therapeutic areas told cnbc interview recorded sunday narasimhan harvard trained medical doctor disposal among first moves ceo role took less two months ago replaced joe jimenez emphasizing use technology boost returns research investment novartis currently also reviewing alcon eye care unit possible spinoff shareholders could come early 2019 2014 deal pool consumer assets novartis right sell 365 percent stake glaxo month transaction set complete second quarter subject necessary approvals related coverage gsk says confident consumer margin goal least 20 percent 1 07029 pounds additional reporting simon jessop london michael shields zurich editing alexander smith louise heavens standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters wall street scored best day 212 years dow jones industrial average saw thirdbiggest point gain ever monday trade war fears eased reports united states china willing renegotiate tariffs trade imbalances rally fueled technology stocks came heels indexes worst weekly performance since january 2016 sampp 500s spx gain making less half prior weeks near 6 percent loss saw really good rally potential talks china said dennis dick head markets structure proprietary trader bright trading llc las vegas people taking advantage huge dip last week dont think youre woods yet theres political uncertainty dick added last weeks drop fueled part tensions surrounding us president donald trumps move levy tariffs 60 billion chinese imports addition imposed solar panels steel aluminum tensions calmed chinese premier li keqiang repeated pledges maintain trade negotiations ease access american businesses us treasury secretary steve mnuchin said sunday believed washington could reach agreement china issues tariffs would put hold unless acceptable agreement president signs clearly easing trade tensions comments steve mnuchin late yesterday gave room negotiation china said oliver pursche chief market strategist bruderman asset management new york china call unity among world trade organization members prevent united states wrecking wto urged opposition trumps tariffs targeting chinas alleged intellectual property theft slideshow 6 images dow jones industrial average dji rose 6694 points 284 percent 242026 two larger point gains dow october 2008 sampp 500 spx gained 7029 points 272 percent 265855 nasdaq composite ixic added 22788 points 326 percent 722054 722054 three major us indexes saw best percentage gains since aug 26 2015 11 major sectors sampp 500 spx closed positive territory led technology splrct finance spsy indexes 40 percent 32 percent respectively standard amp poors corp 265855 spx chicago board options exchange 000 000 spx dji ixic msfto intco tech sector saw biggest daily percentage gain since august 2015 financials best day since november 2016 microsoft msfto pulled indexes higher gaining 76 percent morgan stanley upped price target tech companys stock saying market value could hit 1 trillion improved margins growth cloud computing intel intco advanced 63 percent brokerage raymond james upgraded technology market perform facebook fbo closed 04 percent following several days declines us federal trade commission announced investigating company allowed data 50 million users get hands cambridge analytica cboe volatility index vix widely followed barometer expected nearterm volatility sampp 500 finished 384 points 2103 advancing issues outnumbered declining ones nyse 304to1 ratio nasdaq 227to1 ratio favored advancers related coverage wall street rebounds hopes uschina talks trade volume us exchanges 730 billion shares 735 billion average last 20 trading days reporting stephen culp editing james dalgleish standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Missing Colorado boy Dylan Redwine’s parents were on the popular “Dr. Phil Show” for the second day in a row Wednesday and continued pointing a finger at the other, <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/missing-boys-dad-ducks-tv-polygraph" type="external">KRQE News 13</a> reported.</p>
<p>Mark Redwine earlier agreed to take a polygraph test on the air to take suspicion off himself, but it never happened, News 13 said.</p>
<p>But when it came time for the polygraph test, Mark Redwine asked for a day’s delay, KRQE said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The next morning, when the test was just getting started, Redwine said he didn’t feel well, an automatic disqualifier, according to News 13.</p>
<p>Dr. Phil pleaded with him again hours later.</p>
<p>“You should be doing back flips to do this test,” Dr. Phil McGraw told Redwine. “You were the last one to have seen your son before he disappeared.”</p>
<p>But Redwine told Dr. Phil that he doesn’t trust the polygraph process, according to KRQE.</p>
<p>Shortly after his son’s disappearance, Redwine was polygraphed by authorities and was told he failed the test, but he was later told that the person who conducted the test was unqualified, Redwine told the television host.</p>
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<p>5:40am 2/27/13 — Missing boy’s parents spar on ‘Dr. Phil Show’</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the “Dr. Phil Show” aired the first of two segments featuring Mark and Elaine Redwine, the divorced parents of 14-year-old Dylan Redwine, the Colorado boy who went missing in November from his father’s home in Vallecito, Colo., <a href="http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20130226/NEWS01/130229725//article/20130226/NEWS01/130229725/Dr-Phil-interviews-the-Redwines" type="external">The Durango Herald</a> reported.</p>
<p>The on-air interview was the first time the parents have spoken to each other in three years, The Herald said.</p>
<p>Elaine Redwine said the whole point of her appearance on the popular television show was to talk to her ex-husband, while Mark Redwine said he hoped his appearance would help efforts to find his missing son — saying he had earlier refused to talk to his ex-wife because she couldn’t have a “civil conversation” with him, the paper reported.</p>
<p>During the interview, each parent blamed the other for their son’s Nov. 19, 2012, disappearance, according to The Herald.</p>
<p>Today’s segment will be broadcast on KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque at 3 p.m. in which Mark Redwine will take a lie-detector test on the air, according to <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/missing-boys-parents-snipe-on-dr-phil" type="external">News 13</a>.</p>
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<p>5:56am 2/14/13 — Dr. Phil Show to deal with missing Colorado boy</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>Producers from the “Dr. Phil Show” are talking to members of missing Dylan Redwine’s family about appearing on a program devoted to the teenage boy who disappeared last year from Vallecito, Colo., <a href="http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20130213/NEWS01/130219806/Dr-Phil-working-on-a-Redwine-program--" type="external">The Durango Herald</a> reported.</p>
<p>“It’s not a maybe; it’s going to happen,” said Mark Redwine, father of the missing boy. “It’s just a matter of getting it coordinated.”</p>
<p>Denise Hess, who has helped coordinate search efforts for Dylan, also confirmed the plans, The Herald said.</p>
<p>Producers wanted the Redwine family to tape the show this week in California, but Mark Redwine was unable to attend, the paper reported. Now the producers are planning to tape next Wednesday or Thursday.</p>
<p>Dylan, 14, was reported missing Nov. 19 from his father’s home north of the Vallecito Reservoir while he was visiting his father on a court-ordered visitation for the Thanksgiving holiday, The Herald said.</p>
<p>The boy’s mother, Elaine Redwine, and his older brother, 21-year-old Cory, also plan to appear on the show, according to the paper.</p>
<p>It is unknown when the show might air, The Herald said.</p>
<p>6:00am 2/12/13 — Colo. deputies seek possible witness in boy’s disappearance</p>
<p>DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Investigators looking for a boy last seen in the Vallecito area on Nov. 19 say they hope to talk to a man seen in the north end of Vallecito that day.</p>
<p>La Plata County sheriff’s officials said Monday the man might not realize he could be a witness who could help find Dylan Redwine.</p>
<p>Investigators say they recently interviewed someone who remembered speaking to the man, who asked where to find gasoline for his vehicle Nov. 19. The man said he was looking at rental properties. He is described as Hispanic, between ages 45 and 50, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and about 170 pounds.</p>
<p>Dylan’s 14th birthday was last week. He lives in the Monument area with his mother but was visiting his dad in southwestern Colorado in November.</p>
<p>7:00am 1/24/13 — Rally Aimed at Missing Colo. Boy’s Dad</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>Family members of Dylan Redwine, the 13-year-old Colorado boy who disappeared in November north of the Vallecito Reservoir, plan to hold a rally Saturday in front of the boy’s father’s house, The Durango Herald reported.</p>
<p>The boy’s mother, Elaine Redwine, told The Herald the rally is intended to remind the public that Dylan is still missing and to encourage the boy’s father to be more communicative with family members.</p>
<p>“We’re rallying to bring more awareness to Dylan and his story and get his face out there, and try to encourage Dylan’s dad to be more a part of the search efforts,” Elaine Redwine told the paper.</p>
<p>But in a phone interview with The Herald Wednesday, Mark Redwine said the rally is an attempt by some to “play judge and jury.”</p>
<p>Mark Redwine said he won’t be home Saturday morning during the rally.</p>
<p>“If this is what they feel like they need to do to keep this in the media’s attention and keep the search for Dylan alive, I don’t think I have the ability to stop them, nor do I really want to try,” Mark Redwine said.</p>
<p>Dylan was reported missing by his father on Nov. 19, less than a day after the boy arrived in La Plata County for a court-ordered visitation during the Thanksgiving holiday, The Herald said.</p>
<p>6:35am 1/10/13 — Donor Boosts Redwine Reward</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>The reward for information leading to a solution of the disappearance of Dylan Redwine, 13, who dropped out of sight on Nov. 19 while visiting his father in Vallecito, Colo., jumped on Wednesday to $30,450, The Durango Herald reported.</p>
<p>“There was a single, $10,000 private donation out of Denver,” Ignacio resident Denise Hess, a family friend who has led the community effort to find the boy, told The Herald. “When I deposited the money today, I learned that the bank had received $450 for the account.”</p>
<p>The case attracted national attention, including two segments on Nancy Grace’s Headline News show and an interview with Dylan’s mother Elaine Redwine on “Good Morning America.”</p>
<p>No solid leads have been found, dropping from several dozen a day to average of two or three a day, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.</p>
<p>5:58am 12/27/12 — $20,000 Reward Offered in Missing Colo. Boy Case</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>The reward for information leading to solving the disappearance of 13-year-old Dylan Redwine, who went missing from his father’s house in Vallecito, Colo., on Nov. 19, now stands at $20,000, <a href="http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20121226/NEWS01/121229694//article/20121226/NEWS01/121229694/Reward-for-Dylan-tips-at-$20000--" type="external">The Durango Herald</a> reported.</p>
<p>“I just went to the bank this morning and deposited $4,000 more,” said Denise Hess, an Ignacio, Colo., resident and family friend who has led the community effort to find the youngster.</p>
<p>The reward could go for a lead resulting in an arrest or information leading to the discover of Dylan’s whereabouts, Durango police Officer Ron Wysocki told The Herald.</p>
<p>Hess said donations, a benefit dinner and a silent auction raised $14,000 in reward money, the paper reported.</p>
<p>An anonymous donor contributed $5,000 and Durango-La Plata Crime Stoppers, which administers the reward money, put in $1,000, according to The Herald.</p>
<p>A separate fund at Wells Fargo Bank contains about $2,000 in donations and the sale of bracelets and ribbons will keep interest in the boy’s disappearance before the public, Hess told the paper.</p>
<p>5:40am 12/11/12 — Scammer Claims He Kidnapped Missing Colo. Boy</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>Among the new developments in the search for missing 13-year-old Dylan Redwine, now beginning its fourth week, is a Facebook claim by a scam artist demanding ransom for the boy, <a href="http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20121210/NEWS01/121219970/0/FRONTPAGE/Scam-artist-tries-to-collect-on-Redwine-case" type="external">The Durango Herald</a> reported.</p>
<p>The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday that a person has been trying to perpetrate a scam regarding the search, The Herald said.</p>
<p>“He identifies himself as ‘Abass Gadafi,’ a new resident of the Bayfield (Colo.) area,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “He claims to be the ‘boss of a kidnapper gang’ and claims to be holding Dylan Redwine captive and wants $1,000 to provide a photo of Dylan, and then he expects another $4,000 in order to release Dylan.”</p>
<p>The money is to be sent to an address in the United Kingdom through Western Union, the paper reported.</p>
<p>“This is a scam,” sheriff’s Capt. Jim Ezzell said. “Do not send any money.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers said it would issue a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the 13-year-old, The Herald said. The reward was contributed by an anonymous donor.</p>
<p>6:07am 11/29/12 — Police Say Missing Colo. Boy Not a Runaway</p>
<p>By The Associated Press</p>
<p>DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Members of a task force are going door-to-door looking for a 13-year-old boy missing for more than a week in southwestern Colorado.</p>
<p>La Plata County sheriff’s spokesman Dan Bender said Wednesday that investigators are no longer looking at the possibility that Dylan Redwine ran away while visiting his father for Thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>In a statement, Bender also said that investigators still view their operation as a search, not a recovery mission, but he didn’t elaborate on why.</p>
<p>The boy’s mother, Elaine Redwine, told ABC News she thinks her ex-husband, Mark Redwine, may be involved in her son’s disappearance.</p>
<p>Mark Redwine says he wishes he and his ex-wife could come together at such a difficult time.</p>
<p>6:10am 11/27/12 — Lake Search Ends for Colo. Boy</p>
<p>DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Authorities have ended their search for a missing 13-year-old boy for now.</p>
<p>Sheriff’s officials say a two-day search of the Vallecito reservoir in southwest Colorado turned up no sign of Dylan Redwine, who has been missing for a week.</p>
<p>La Plata County sheriff’s spokesman Dan Bender says no more searches are planned today, but sheriff’s officials and FBI agents are still investigating.</p>
<p>The boy lives in Colorado Springs with his mother but was in Vallecito for a court-ordered Thanksgiving break visit with his father.</p>
<p>8:00am 11/26/12 — Teams Search Lake Area for Missing Colorado 13-Year-Old Boy</p>
<p>By The Associated Press</p>
<p>DURANGO, Colo. — Teams are searching around Vallecito Lake for 13-year-old Dylan Redwine who has been missing for a week.</p>
<p>La Plata County Sheriff’s spokesman Dan Bender says searchers had no luck on Sunday but would resume efforts at the lake Monday.</p>
<p>The boy lives in Colorado Springs but was visiting his father in Vallecito on Thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>He is 5 feet tall, 105 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes and fair complexion. He was wearing a blue-and-white Duke Blue Devils baseball cap, black Nike T-shirt and black Jordan tennis shoes.</p>
<p>Bender says scuba divers will search the lake while teams will also comb the shoreline area.</p>
<p>He says investigators are exploring all possibilities including a runaway situation.</p>
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albuquerque nm missing colorado boy dylan redwines parents popular dr phil show second day row wednesday continued pointing finger krqe news 13 reported mark redwine earlier agreed take polygraph test air take suspicion never happened news 13 said came time polygraph test mark redwine asked days delay krqe said advertisement next morning test getting started redwine said didnt feel well automatic disqualifier according news 13 dr phil pleaded hours later back flips test dr phil mcgraw told redwine last one seen son disappeared redwine told dr phil doesnt trust polygraph process according krqe shortly sons disappearance redwine polygraphed authorities told failed test later told person conducted test unqualified redwine told television host 160 540am 22713 missing boys parents spar dr phil show abqnews staff advertisement tuesday dr phil show aired first two segments featuring mark elaine redwine divorced parents 14yearold dylan redwine colorado boy went missing november fathers home vallecito colo durango herald reported onair interview first time parents spoken three years herald said elaine redwine said whole point appearance popular television show talk exhusband mark redwine said hoped appearance would help efforts find missing son saying earlier refused talk exwife couldnt civil conversation paper reported interview parent blamed sons nov 19 2012 disappearance according herald todays segment broadcast krqe news 13 albuquerque 3 pm mark redwine take liedetector test air according news 13 160 160 556am 21413 dr phil show deal missing colorado boy abqnews staff producers dr phil show talking members missing dylan redwines family appearing program devoted teenage boy disappeared last year vallecito colo durango herald reported maybe going happen said mark redwine father missing boy matter getting coordinated denise hess helped coordinate search efforts dylan also confirmed plans herald said producers wanted redwine family tape show week california mark redwine unable attend paper reported producers planning tape next wednesday thursday dylan 14 reported missing nov 19 fathers home north vallecito reservoir visiting father courtordered visitation thanksgiving holiday herald said boys mother elaine redwine older brother 21yearold cory also plan appear show according paper unknown show might air herald said 600am 21213 colo deputies seek possible witness boys disappearance durango colo ap investigators looking boy last seen vallecito area nov 19 say hope talk man seen north end vallecito day la plata county sheriffs officials said monday man might realize could witness could help find dylan redwine investigators say recently interviewed someone remembered speaking man asked find gasoline vehicle nov 19 man said looking rental properties described hispanic ages 45 50 5 feet 10 inches tall 170 pounds dylans 14th birthday last week lives monument area mother visiting dad southwestern colorado november 700am 12413 rally aimed missing colo boys dad abqnews staff family members dylan redwine 13yearold colorado boy disappeared november north vallecito reservoir plan hold rally saturday front boys fathers house durango herald reported boys mother elaine redwine told herald rally intended remind public dylan still missing encourage boys father communicative family members rallying bring awareness dylan story get face try encourage dylans dad part search efforts elaine redwine told paper phone interview herald wednesday mark redwine said rally attempt play judge jury mark redwine said wont home saturday morning rally feel like need keep medias attention keep search dylan alive dont think ability stop really want try mark redwine said dylan reported missing father nov 19 less day boy arrived la plata county courtordered visitation thanksgiving holiday herald said 635am 11013 donor boosts redwine reward abqnews staff reward information leading solution disappearance dylan redwine 13 dropped sight nov 19 visiting father vallecito colo jumped wednesday 30450 durango herald reported single 10000 private donation denver ignacio resident denise hess family friend led community effort find boy told herald deposited money today learned bank received 450 account case attracted national attention including two segments nancy graces headline news show interview dylans mother elaine redwine good morning america solid leads found dropping several dozen day average two three day la plata county sheriffs office said news release 558am 122712 20000 reward offered missing colo boy case abqnews staff reward information leading solving disappearance 13yearold dylan redwine went missing fathers house vallecito colo nov 19 stands 20000 durango herald reported went bank morning deposited 4000 said denise hess ignacio colo resident family friend led community effort find youngster reward could go lead resulting arrest information leading discover dylans whereabouts durango police officer ron wysocki told herald hess said donations benefit dinner silent auction raised 14000 reward money paper reported anonymous donor contributed 5000 durangola plata crime stoppers administers reward money put 1000 according herald separate fund wells fargo bank contains 2000 donations sale bracelets ribbons keep interest boys disappearance public hess told paper 540am 121112 scammer claims kidnapped missing colo boy abqnews staff among new developments search missing 13yearold dylan redwine beginning fourth week facebook claim scam artist demanding ransom boy durango herald reported la plata county sheriffs office reported monday person trying perpetrate scam regarding search herald said identifies abass gadafi new resident bayfield colo area sheriffs office said news release claims boss kidnapper gang claims holding dylan redwine captive wants 1000 provide photo dylan expects another 4000 order release dylan money sent address united kingdom western union paper reported scam sheriffs capt jim ezzell said send money meanwhile crime stoppers said would issue 5000 reward information leading recovery 13yearold herald said reward contributed anonymous donor 607am 112912 police say missing colo boy runaway associated press durango colo ap members task force going doortodoor looking 13yearold boy missing week southwestern colorado la plata county sheriffs spokesman dan bender said wednesday investigators longer looking possibility dylan redwine ran away visiting father thanksgiving break statement bender also said investigators still view operation search recovery mission didnt elaborate boys mother elaine redwine told abc news thinks exhusband mark redwine may involved sons disappearance mark redwine says wishes exwife could come together difficult time 610am 112712 lake search ends colo boy durango colo ap authorities ended search missing 13yearold boy sheriffs officials say twoday search vallecito reservoir southwest colorado turned sign dylan redwine missing week la plata county sheriffs spokesman dan bender says searches planned today sheriffs officials fbi agents still investigating boy lives colorado springs mother vallecito courtordered thanksgiving break visit father 800am 112612 teams search lake area missing colorado 13yearold boy associated press durango colo teams searching around vallecito lake 13yearold dylan redwine missing week la plata county sheriffs spokesman dan bender says searchers luck sunday would resume efforts lake monday boy lives colorado springs visiting father vallecito thanksgiving break 5 feet tall 105 pounds blond hair blue eyes fair complexion wearing blueandwhite duke blue devils baseball cap black nike tshirt black jordan tennis shoes bender says scuba divers search lake teams also comb shoreline area says investigators exploring possibilities including runaway situation
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<p>Critics of the federal investigation into claims President Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russian government have latched onto a theory that the inquiry only began after the FBI received a controversial dossier funded by Democrats and littered with unproven allegations.</p>
<p>But that, too, is unproven.</p>
<p>On CNN Jan. 2, Florida International University law professor Elizabeth Foley claimed that the 35-page collection of research memos, which has come to be called the Steele Dossier, started a chain of events that led to the wiretapping of Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.</p>
<p>Here’s what she said, and how CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Jeffrey Toobin reacted.</p>
<p>"On July 7, Carter Page goes to Moscow to give a speech at a University," Foley said. "On July 19, this is 2016, (former British intelligence officer Christopher) Steele submits a salacious dossier to the FBI about some sort of quid pro quo being discussed between Page and Russian oligarchs. He submits that to the FBI on July 19. About a month later we have the FBI going to the foreign intelligence surveillance court to get a wiretap, to get surveillance of Carter Page. And this is all based on a dossier."</p>
<p>"You have no proof of that!" Cooper interrupted.</p>
<p>"You don’t know that!" echoed panelist Jeffrey Toobin.</p>
<p>"That’s what Jim Comey has suggested," Foley said. "That’s what CNN reported in April (2017). And that’s also what the New York Times previously reported in April 2017. So, all of sudden now they are trying to walk back the genesis of this investigation and switch it to (Trump adviser George) Papadopoulos. If they really believe national security was at risk and there was some collusion why would they have waited four months?"</p>
<p>"I'll double check this, professor, but I don’t believe that we reported that was the basis for this," Cooper responded. "But I’ll double check it."</p>
<p>Cooper did look into it, and so did we.</p>
<p>We can’t say what motivated the FBI to begin an investigation into Page, but the reporting that Foley said traced the genesis of the Page investigation to the Steele Dossier isn’t cut-and-dried.</p>
<p>The dossier in question was compiled by a former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and contained numerous explosive but unverified claims.</p>
<p>The memos were compiled by a research firm called Fusion GPS, who was first hired by The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative publication that was reporting on the Republican primary field.</p>
<p>After the Republican primary, <a href="" type="internal">Fusion GPS was hired</a>on behalf of Clinton’s campaign. That’s when the firm hired Steele.</p>
<p>The dossier circulated among Washington lawmakers, intelligence agents and journalists for months before becoming public knowledge, when unnamed U.S. officials told CNN in January 2017 that intelligence officers presented Trump with a summary of the document. (Then BuzzFeed published its entirety.)</p>
<p>The dossier claims that Page&#160;met with Russians and discussed quid-pro-quo deals relating to sanctions and Russia's interference in the election. Trump, himself, has blamed the dossier for launching the FBI probe into his campaign.</p>
<p>Shortly after the original CNN broadcast where Foley made the claim, Cooper did his own fact-check of Foley’s claim. He read aloud an excerpt of a story CNN published on April 17. CNN <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/politics/fbi-dossier-carter-page-donald-trump-russia-investigation/index.html" type="external">reported</a> that the FBI used the Russian dossier as "part of the justification" — not the only reason — to win approval to secretly monitor Carter.</p>
<p>It went on to paraphrase unnamed officials "familiar with the process," who said that if information from the dossier was used, it would only be after the FBI corroborated the information through its own investigation.</p>
<p>"The officials would not say what or how much was corroborated," CNN reported. "U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials have said U.S. investigators did their own work, separate from the dossier, to support their findings that Russia tried to meddle in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump."</p>
<p>In other words, the dossier was part of the reported reason, but we really can’t say how much.</p>
<p>In an interview with PolitiFact Florida, Foley said CNN offered no evidence to support this assertion that the FBI did in fact corroborate the report other than paraphrasing an unnamed source.</p>
<p>"While the CNN report intimates that there may be other sources of information besides the dossier, neither CNN nor any of its sources proffer any clue as to what those sources may be, or even whether there is any reliable evidence that such sources actually exist," Foley said.</p>
<p>As for the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/us/politics/carter-page-russia-trump.html" type="external">New York Times</a>, Foley was referring to a report published on April 19 about Carter’s visit to Moscow that garnered the attention of the FBI. The report does not mention the dossier, but said the investigation spawned after his July 2016 trip to Moscow, in which he was critical of American policy toward Russia.</p>
<p>"It is unclear exactly what about Mr. Page’s visit drew the FBI’s interest: meetings he had during his three days in Moscow, intercepted communications of Russian officials speaking about him, or something else," it said.</p>
<p>The CNN report says the dossier was cited by Comey in some of his briefings to members of Congress, but that doesn’t mean he suggested it was the basis of the probe.</p>
<p>"The dossier has also been cited by FBI Director James Comey in some of his briefings to members of Congress in recent weeks, as one of the sources of information the bureau has used to bolster its investigation, according to U.S. officials briefed on the probe," CNN reported.</p>
<p>When we showed Foley this excerpt showing Comey used the dossier "as one of" the bureau’s sources, she pushed back again, saying "innuendo is not fact."</p>
<p>She said the only facts reported by the CNN story are that the Steele dossier was relied on to justify the collusion investigation and that Comey had relayed information about the dossier, as salient to his agency’s investigation, to members of Congress.</p>
<p>We also looked at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/us/politics/senate-hearing-transcript.html?mtrref=www.google.com&amp;gwh=3F066535EC8FA275AED56D8F283373F5&amp;gwt=pay" type="external">transcripts of Comey’s testimony</a> in front of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 8 to see what he’s said on the record.</p>
<p>Comey would not answer publically whether the FBI was able to confirm anything in the Steele dossier, but he did respond to several questions about it. And in one instance, Comey described some material in the dossier as "salacious and unverified."</p>
<p>"The (intelligence community) leadership thought it important, for a variety of reasons, to alert the incoming president to the existence of this material, even though it was salacious and unverified," he said.</p>
<p>Foley said James Comey and news reporting showed the basis of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant for Carter Page was "all based on a dossier."</p>
<p>This is not accurate. CNN and the New York Times never reported that the dossier was the basis for Carter’s probe. CNN reported that it "part of the justification" and the New York Times didn’t even mention the dossier.</p>
<p>We couldn’t find any evidence that proved Comey suggested that Page’s warrant was "all based on a dossier." According to CNN’s unnamed sources, Comey has cited the dossier, but has not confirmed publically how much of it has been verified.</p>
<p>We rate this claim Mostly False.</p>
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critics federal investigation claims president donald trumps campaign colluded russian government latched onto theory inquiry began fbi received controversial dossier funded democrats littered unproven allegations unproven cnn jan 2 florida international university law professor elizabeth foley claimed 35page collection research memos come called steele dossier started chain events led wiretapping trump campaign foreign policy adviser carter page heres said cnns anderson cooper jeffrey toobin reacted july 7 carter page goes moscow give speech university foley said july 19 2016 former british intelligence officer christopher steele submits salacious dossier fbi sort quid pro quo discussed page russian oligarchs submits fbi july 19 month later fbi going foreign intelligence surveillance court get wiretap get surveillance carter page based dossier proof cooper interrupted dont know echoed panelist jeffrey toobin thats jim comey suggested foley said thats cnn reported april 2017 thats also new york times previously reported april 2017 sudden trying walk back genesis investigation switch trump adviser george papadopoulos really believe national security risk collusion would waited four months ill double check professor dont believe reported basis cooper responded ill double check cooper look cant say motivated fbi begin investigation page reporting foley said traced genesis page investigation steele dossier isnt cutanddried dossier question compiled former british intelligence officer christopher steele contained numerous explosive unverified claims memos compiled research firm called fusion gps first hired washington free beacon conservative publication reporting republican primary field republican primary fusion gps hiredon behalf clintons campaign thats firm hired steele dossier circulated among washington lawmakers intelligence agents journalists months becoming public knowledge unnamed us officials told cnn january 2017 intelligence officers presented trump summary document buzzfeed published entirety dossier claims page160met russians discussed quidproquo deals relating sanctions russias interference election trump blamed dossier launching fbi probe campaign shortly original cnn broadcast foley made claim cooper factcheck foleys claim read aloud excerpt story cnn published april 17 cnn reported fbi used russian dossier part justification reason win approval secretly monitor carter went paraphrase unnamed officials familiar process said information dossier used would fbi corroborated information investigation officials would say much corroborated cnn reported us law enforcement intelligence officials said us investigators work separate dossier support findings russia tried meddle 2016 presidential election favor trump words dossier part reported reason really cant say much interview politifact florida foley said cnn offered evidence support assertion fbi fact corroborate report paraphrasing unnamed source cnn report intimates may sources information besides dossier neither cnn sources proffer clue sources may even whether reliable evidence sources actually exist foley said new york times foley referring report published april 19 carters visit moscow garnered attention fbi report mention dossier said investigation spawned july 2016 trip moscow critical american policy toward russia unclear exactly mr pages visit drew fbis interest meetings three days moscow intercepted communications russian officials speaking something else said cnn report says dossier cited comey briefings members congress doesnt mean suggested basis probe dossier also cited fbi director james comey briefings members congress recent weeks one sources information bureau used bolster investigation according us officials briefed probe cnn reported showed foley excerpt showing comey used dossier one bureaus sources pushed back saying innuendo fact said facts reported cnn story steele dossier relied justify collusion investigation comey relayed information dossier salient agencys investigation members congress also looked transcripts comeys testimony front senate select committee intelligence june 8 see hes said record comey would answer publically whether fbi able confirm anything steele dossier respond several questions one instance comey described material dossier salacious unverified intelligence community leadership thought important variety reasons alert incoming president existence material even though salacious unverified said foley said james comey news reporting showed basis foreign intelligence surveillance act warrant carter page based dossier accurate cnn new york times never reported dossier basis carters probe cnn reported part justification new york times didnt even mention dossier couldnt find evidence proved comey suggested pages warrant based dossier according cnns unnamed sources comey cited dossier confirmed publically much verified rate claim mostly false
| 661 |
<p>SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state House committee on Tuesday approved a measure that would require fuel producers and importers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with gasoline and other transportation fuels.</p>
<p>Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, a Seattle Democrat who sponsored House Bill 2338, said it's an opportunity to reduce air pollution, spur clean fuel technologies and carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for the largest share of the state's total greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The House environment committee passed the measure 5-4 along party lines. The bill now heads to a fiscal committee.</p>
<p>The bill would override so-called "poison pill" language that Republicans inserted into the $16.1 billion transportation package in 2015.</p>
<p>That provision said money for bike paths and transit would be transferred to other transportation projects if any state agency adopts a low carbon fuel standard before 2023. Gov. Jay Inslee had opposed that language but eventually agreed to it and approved the transportation package.</p>
<p>HB 2338 directs the Department of Ecology to adopt a clean fuels program similar to ones in California and Oregon. It would require fuel producers to reduce the carbon emissions associated with their products 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028. The program would begin in 2020.</p>
<p>The carbon intensity of certain transportation fuel types would be calculated over its entire life cycle, from when it's produced and transported to when it's used in a vehicle. Fuels used by aircraft, vessels and railroad locomotives would be exempt.</p>
<p>At a bill hearing in Olympia earlier this month, groups such as Carbon Washington and Climate Solutions and renewable energy producers testified in support of the program. They noted that the program has been working in other states.</p>
<p>Vlad Gutman-Britten with Climate Solutions said the policy will help the state transition to cleaner fuels.</p>
<p>Those opposed worried it would raise gasoline prices and said there isn't the technological innovation yet or adequate supply of low-carbon fuels to meet those targets.</p>
<p>Frank Riordan, president of Becker Trucking who also spoke on behalf of the Washington Trucking Association, said state-based truckers would be at a disadvantage. He said any mandate should be done at a federal level for an even playing field.</p>
<p>Greg Hanon, a lobbyist with Western States Petroleum Association, urged the House environment committee to evaluate the potential costs to consumers and the uncertainty over whether fuel blends exists to supply the market and to determine how much it would cost the state to implement the program.</p>
<p>SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state House committee on Tuesday approved a measure that would require fuel producers and importers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with gasoline and other transportation fuels.</p>
<p>Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, a Seattle Democrat who sponsored House Bill 2338, said it's an opportunity to reduce air pollution, spur clean fuel technologies and carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for the largest share of the state's total greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The House environment committee passed the measure 5-4 along party lines. The bill now heads to a fiscal committee.</p>
<p>The bill would override so-called "poison pill" language that Republicans inserted into the $16.1 billion transportation package in 2015.</p>
<p>That provision said money for bike paths and transit would be transferred to other transportation projects if any state agency adopts a low carbon fuel standard before 2023. Gov. Jay Inslee had opposed that language but eventually agreed to it and approved the transportation package.</p>
<p>HB 2338 directs the Department of Ecology to adopt a clean fuels program similar to ones in California and Oregon. It would require fuel producers to reduce the carbon emissions associated with their products 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028. The program would begin in 2020.</p>
<p>The carbon intensity of certain transportation fuel types would be calculated over its entire life cycle, from when it's produced and transported to when it's used in a vehicle. Fuels used by aircraft, vessels and railroad locomotives would be exempt.</p>
<p>At a bill hearing in Olympia earlier this month, groups such as Carbon Washington and Climate Solutions and renewable energy producers testified in support of the program. They noted that the program has been working in other states.</p>
<p>Vlad Gutman-Britten with Climate Solutions said the policy will help the state transition to cleaner fuels.</p>
<p>Those opposed worried it would raise gasoline prices and said there isn't the technological innovation yet or adequate supply of low-carbon fuels to meet those targets.</p>
<p>Frank Riordan, president of Becker Trucking who also spoke on behalf of the Washington Trucking Association, said state-based truckers would be at a disadvantage. He said any mandate should be done at a federal level for an even playing field.</p>
<p>Greg Hanon, a lobbyist with Western States Petroleum Association, urged the House environment committee to evaluate the potential costs to consumers and the uncertainty over whether fuel blends exists to supply the market and to determine how much it would cost the state to implement the program.</p>
| false | 2 |
seattle ap washington state house committee tuesday approved measure would require fuel producers importers reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated gasoline transportation fuels rep joe fitzgibbon seattle democrat sponsored house bill 2338 said opportunity reduce air pollution spur clean fuel technologies carbon emissions transportation sector accounts largest share states total greenhouse gas emissions house environment committee passed measure 54 along party lines bill heads fiscal committee bill would override socalled poison pill language republicans inserted 161 billion transportation package 2015 provision said money bike paths transit would transferred transportation projects state agency adopts low carbon fuel standard 2023 gov jay inslee opposed language eventually agreed approved transportation package hb 2338 directs department ecology adopt clean fuels program similar ones california oregon would require fuel producers reduce carbon emissions associated products 10 percent 2017 levels 2028 program would begin 2020 carbon intensity certain transportation fuel types would calculated entire life cycle produced transported used vehicle fuels used aircraft vessels railroad locomotives would exempt bill hearing olympia earlier month groups carbon washington climate solutions renewable energy producers testified support program noted program working states vlad gutmanbritten climate solutions said policy help state transition cleaner fuels opposed worried would raise gasoline prices said isnt technological innovation yet adequate supply lowcarbon fuels meet targets frank riordan president becker trucking also spoke behalf washington trucking association said statebased truckers would disadvantage said mandate done federal level even playing field greg hanon lobbyist western states petroleum association urged house environment committee evaluate potential costs consumers uncertainty whether fuel blends exists supply market determine much would cost state implement program seattle ap washington state house committee tuesday approved measure would require fuel producers importers reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated gasoline transportation fuels rep joe fitzgibbon seattle democrat sponsored house bill 2338 said opportunity reduce air pollution spur clean fuel technologies carbon emissions transportation sector accounts largest share states total greenhouse gas emissions house environment committee passed measure 54 along party lines bill heads fiscal committee bill would override socalled poison pill language republicans inserted 161 billion transportation package 2015 provision said money bike paths transit would transferred transportation projects state agency adopts low carbon fuel standard 2023 gov jay inslee opposed language eventually agreed approved transportation package hb 2338 directs department ecology adopt clean fuels program similar ones california oregon would require fuel producers reduce carbon emissions associated products 10 percent 2017 levels 2028 program would begin 2020 carbon intensity certain transportation fuel types would calculated entire life cycle produced transported used vehicle fuels used aircraft vessels railroad locomotives would exempt bill hearing olympia earlier month groups carbon washington climate solutions renewable energy producers testified support program noted program working states vlad gutmanbritten climate solutions said policy help state transition cleaner fuels opposed worried would raise gasoline prices said isnt technological innovation yet adequate supply lowcarbon fuels meet targets frank riordan president becker trucking also spoke behalf washington trucking association said statebased truckers would disadvantage said mandate done federal level even playing field greg hanon lobbyist western states petroleum association urged house environment committee evaluate potential costs consumers uncertainty whether fuel blends exists supply market determine much would cost state implement program
| 524 |
<p>BEIRUT (AP) — The United States struck an al-Qaida gathering in northern Syria, killing dozens of militants, U.S. officials said Friday. They said they found no basis for reports that civilians were killed.</p>
<p>Syrian opposition activists said around 40 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a mosque in the area, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of carrying out the airstrike Thursday evening.</p>
<p>Friday prayers were cancelled across rebel-held parts of northern Syria after the airstrike that opposition activists and paramedics said struck the crowded Omar Ibn al-Khattab Mosque in the Jeeneh district in Aleppo province, killing and wounding dozens of people, some of whom were left trapped under the rubble.</p>
<p>U.S. Army Maj. Josh Jacques, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the U.S. did not target or strike a mosque.</p>
<p>"We targeted an al-Qaeda gathering across the street from a mosque. The mosque does not appear to be damaged following the strike," he said.</p>
<p>Later, a Pentagon spokesman, Eric Pahon, said U.S. surveillance of the target area indicated evening prayers already had concluded before the attack. He said the building that was struck was a "partially constructed community meeting hall" that al-Qaida leaders used to gather and "as a place to educate and indoctrinate al-Qaida fighters."</p>
<p>"Initial assessments based upon post-strike analysis do not indicate civilian casualties," Pahon said. He said the Pentagon would investigate any credible allegations it received.</p>
<p>Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, another Pentagon spokesman, said officials weren't aware of any such credible assessment. He showed reporters a U.S. military photo of the strike and said that "dozens" of al-Qaida militants who were meeting in the building were targeted and killed. The photo, which the military said was taken less than five minutes after the strike, showed extensive damage to the building. Debris also was scattered toward the mosque, but there was little visible damage to the mosque or two cars parked next to it.</p>
<p>Davis said the U.S. was aware the mosque was next door and deliberately did not strike it. He said that some video he has seen showed damage to the building on the other side of the al-Qaida base.</p>
<p>Davis said the U.S. believes there were some high ranking individuals there, but he did not identify them, and said the U.S. is still assessing the results of the strike. He said al-Qaida had been using the building as a meeting place, but he said he did not know if the building had at some point been associated with the mosque next door.</p>
<p>He said that manned and unmanned aircraft launched airstrikes at the building, which would include Hellfire missiles and bombs.</p>
<p>A powerful Syrian opposition group and other opposition activists blamed the U.S.-led coalition for the airstrike. The coalition has been targeting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's affiliate in northern Syria for more than two years, but it was not clear how the opposition group knew who carried out the strike. Russian and Syrian aircraft are known also to operate in the opposition-held region.</p>
<p>Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said fragments of ammunition with Latin markings were found in the debris at the scene, which made it possible to conclude that Hellfire missiles were being used.</p>
<p>"The US military has officially confirmed that it was they who struck the area. The goal was a building located across the street from the mosque, which was used to hold meetings by al-Qaida terrorists," she said.</p>
<p>Bahaa al-Halaby, an Aleppo-based opposition activist based, said the Thursday night airstrike hit as about 250 people had gathered at the mosque for prayers or to attend a religious lesson. Mosques are usually crowded on Thursday night ahead of Friday, the day of communal prayers in the Muslim weekend.</p>
<p>"This was one of the worst massacres committed in the area," al-Halaby said.</p>
<p>An Islamic networking group as Advocacy and Intimation is known to be active at the mosque where religious lessons are offered to the local population, according to al-Halaby and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which also described the attack as a "massacre."</p>
<p>Jihadi and militant websites said the group, which aims to encourage people to adhere to Islam by peaceful means, was holding a weekly meeting with about 250 people in attendance. The group has branches in other countries.</p>
<p>Footage from the scene showed volunteers putting out fires and pulling victims from the rubble.</p>
<p>The Observatory and al-Halaby said Friday prayers were cancelled in rebel-held parts of Aleppo and Idlib provinces, adding that such decisions are not uncommon where mosques have been targeted in the past.</p>
<p>The Observatory said the airstrike on the mosque in Jeeneh killed 46 while the Local Coordination Committees, another monitoring group, said 40 were killed. Such discrepancies are not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of attacks in Syria.</p>
<p>The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group also said the airstrike was carried out by the U.S.-led coalition, adding that "the targeting mosques and places of worship is a war crime."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story from Beirut and AP writer Lolita C. Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
<p>BEIRUT (AP) — The United States struck an al-Qaida gathering in northern Syria, killing dozens of militants, U.S. officials said Friday. They said they found no basis for reports that civilians were killed.</p>
<p>Syrian opposition activists said around 40 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a mosque in the area, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of carrying out the airstrike Thursday evening.</p>
<p>Friday prayers were cancelled across rebel-held parts of northern Syria after the airstrike that opposition activists and paramedics said struck the crowded Omar Ibn al-Khattab Mosque in the Jeeneh district in Aleppo province, killing and wounding dozens of people, some of whom were left trapped under the rubble.</p>
<p>U.S. Army Maj. Josh Jacques, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the U.S. did not target or strike a mosque.</p>
<p>"We targeted an al-Qaeda gathering across the street from a mosque. The mosque does not appear to be damaged following the strike," he said.</p>
<p>Later, a Pentagon spokesman, Eric Pahon, said U.S. surveillance of the target area indicated evening prayers already had concluded before the attack. He said the building that was struck was a "partially constructed community meeting hall" that al-Qaida leaders used to gather and "as a place to educate and indoctrinate al-Qaida fighters."</p>
<p>"Initial assessments based upon post-strike analysis do not indicate civilian casualties," Pahon said. He said the Pentagon would investigate any credible allegations it received.</p>
<p>Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, another Pentagon spokesman, said officials weren't aware of any such credible assessment. He showed reporters a U.S. military photo of the strike and said that "dozens" of al-Qaida militants who were meeting in the building were targeted and killed. The photo, which the military said was taken less than five minutes after the strike, showed extensive damage to the building. Debris also was scattered toward the mosque, but there was little visible damage to the mosque or two cars parked next to it.</p>
<p>Davis said the U.S. was aware the mosque was next door and deliberately did not strike it. He said that some video he has seen showed damage to the building on the other side of the al-Qaida base.</p>
<p>Davis said the U.S. believes there were some high ranking individuals there, but he did not identify them, and said the U.S. is still assessing the results of the strike. He said al-Qaida had been using the building as a meeting place, but he said he did not know if the building had at some point been associated with the mosque next door.</p>
<p>He said that manned and unmanned aircraft launched airstrikes at the building, which would include Hellfire missiles and bombs.</p>
<p>A powerful Syrian opposition group and other opposition activists blamed the U.S.-led coalition for the airstrike. The coalition has been targeting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's affiliate in northern Syria for more than two years, but it was not clear how the opposition group knew who carried out the strike. Russian and Syrian aircraft are known also to operate in the opposition-held region.</p>
<p>Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said fragments of ammunition with Latin markings were found in the debris at the scene, which made it possible to conclude that Hellfire missiles were being used.</p>
<p>"The US military has officially confirmed that it was they who struck the area. The goal was a building located across the street from the mosque, which was used to hold meetings by al-Qaida terrorists," she said.</p>
<p>Bahaa al-Halaby, an Aleppo-based opposition activist based, said the Thursday night airstrike hit as about 250 people had gathered at the mosque for prayers or to attend a religious lesson. Mosques are usually crowded on Thursday night ahead of Friday, the day of communal prayers in the Muslim weekend.</p>
<p>"This was one of the worst massacres committed in the area," al-Halaby said.</p>
<p>An Islamic networking group as Advocacy and Intimation is known to be active at the mosque where religious lessons are offered to the local population, according to al-Halaby and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which also described the attack as a "massacre."</p>
<p>Jihadi and militant websites said the group, which aims to encourage people to adhere to Islam by peaceful means, was holding a weekly meeting with about 250 people in attendance. The group has branches in other countries.</p>
<p>Footage from the scene showed volunteers putting out fires and pulling victims from the rubble.</p>
<p>The Observatory and al-Halaby said Friday prayers were cancelled in rebel-held parts of Aleppo and Idlib provinces, adding that such decisions are not uncommon where mosques have been targeted in the past.</p>
<p>The Observatory said the airstrike on the mosque in Jeeneh killed 46 while the Local Coordination Committees, another monitoring group, said 40 were killed. Such discrepancies are not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of attacks in Syria.</p>
<p>The powerful ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group also said the airstrike was carried out by the U.S.-led coalition, adding that "the targeting mosques and places of worship is a war crime."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story from Beirut and AP writer Lolita C. Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
beirut ap united states struck alqaida gathering northern syria killing dozens militants us officials said friday said found basis reports civilians killed syrian opposition activists said around 40 people mostly civilians killed mosque area accusing usled coalition carrying airstrike thursday evening friday prayers cancelled across rebelheld parts northern syria airstrike opposition activists paramedics said struck crowded omar ibn alkhattab mosque jeeneh district aleppo province killing wounding dozens people left trapped rubble us army maj josh jacques us central command spokesman said us target strike mosque targeted alqaeda gathering across street mosque mosque appear damaged following strike said later pentagon spokesman eric pahon said us surveillance target area indicated evening prayers already concluded attack said building struck partially constructed community meeting hall alqaida leaders used gather place educate indoctrinate alqaida fighters initial assessments based upon poststrike analysis indicate civilian casualties pahon said said pentagon would investigate credible allegations received navy capt jeff davis another pentagon spokesman said officials werent aware credible assessment showed reporters us military photo strike said dozens alqaida militants meeting building targeted killed photo military said taken less five minutes strike showed extensive damage building debris also scattered toward mosque little visible damage mosque two cars parked next davis said us aware mosque next door deliberately strike said video seen showed damage building side alqaida base davis said us believes high ranking individuals identify said us still assessing results strike said alqaida using building meeting place said know building point associated mosque next door said manned unmanned aircraft launched airstrikes building would include hellfire missiles bombs powerful syrian opposition group opposition activists blamed usled coalition airstrike coalition targeting islamic state group alqaidas affiliate northern syria two years clear opposition group knew carried strike russian syrian aircraft known also operate oppositionheld region russian foreign ministry spokeswoman maria zakharova said fragments ammunition latin markings found debris scene made possible conclude hellfire missiles used us military officially confirmed struck area goal building located across street mosque used hold meetings alqaida terrorists said bahaa alhalaby aleppobased opposition activist based said thursday night airstrike hit 250 people gathered mosque prayers attend religious lesson mosques usually crowded thursday night ahead friday day communal prayers muslim weekend one worst massacres committed area alhalaby said islamic networking group advocacy intimation known active mosque religious lessons offered local population according alhalaby britainbased syrian observatory human rights also described attack massacre jihadi militant websites said group aims encourage people adhere islam peaceful means holding weekly meeting 250 people attendance group branches countries footage scene showed volunteers putting fires pulling victims rubble observatory alhalaby said friday prayers cancelled rebelheld parts aleppo idlib provinces adding decisions uncommon mosques targeted past observatory said airstrike mosque jeeneh killed 46 local coordination committees another monitoring group said 40 killed discrepancies uncommon immediate aftermath attacks syria powerful ultraconservative ahrar alsham group also said airstrike carried usled coalition adding targeting mosques places worship war crime ___ associated press writer bassem mroue reported story beirut ap writer lolita c baldor reported washington ap writer jim heintz moscow contributed report beirut ap united states struck alqaida gathering northern syria killing dozens militants us officials said friday said found basis reports civilians killed syrian opposition activists said around 40 people mostly civilians killed mosque area accusing usled coalition carrying airstrike thursday evening friday prayers cancelled across rebelheld parts northern syria airstrike opposition activists paramedics said struck crowded omar ibn alkhattab mosque jeeneh district aleppo province killing wounding dozens people left trapped rubble us army maj josh jacques us central command spokesman said us target strike mosque targeted alqaeda gathering across street mosque mosque appear damaged following strike said later pentagon spokesman eric pahon said us surveillance target area indicated evening prayers already concluded attack said building struck partially constructed community meeting hall alqaida leaders used gather place educate indoctrinate alqaida fighters initial assessments based upon poststrike analysis indicate civilian casualties pahon said said pentagon would investigate credible allegations received navy capt jeff davis another pentagon spokesman said officials werent aware credible assessment showed reporters us military photo strike said dozens alqaida militants meeting building targeted killed photo military said taken less five minutes strike showed extensive damage building debris also scattered toward mosque little visible damage mosque two cars parked next davis said us aware mosque next door deliberately strike said video seen showed damage building side alqaida base davis said us believes high ranking individuals identify said us still assessing results strike said alqaida using building meeting place said know building point associated mosque next door said manned unmanned aircraft launched airstrikes building would include hellfire missiles bombs powerful syrian opposition group opposition activists blamed usled coalition airstrike coalition targeting islamic state group alqaidas affiliate northern syria two years clear opposition group knew carried strike russian syrian aircraft known also operate oppositionheld region russian foreign ministry spokeswoman maria zakharova said fragments ammunition latin markings found debris scene made possible conclude hellfire missiles used us military officially confirmed struck area goal building located across street mosque used hold meetings alqaida terrorists said bahaa alhalaby aleppobased opposition activist based said thursday night airstrike hit 250 people gathered mosque prayers attend religious lesson mosques usually crowded thursday night ahead friday day communal prayers muslim weekend one worst massacres committed area alhalaby said islamic networking group advocacy intimation known active mosque religious lessons offered local population according alhalaby britainbased syrian observatory human rights also described attack massacre jihadi militant websites said group aims encourage people adhere islam peaceful means holding weekly meeting 250 people attendance group branches countries footage scene showed volunteers putting fires pulling victims rubble observatory alhalaby said friday prayers cancelled rebelheld parts aleppo idlib provinces adding decisions uncommon mosques targeted past observatory said airstrike mosque jeeneh killed 46 local coordination committees another monitoring group said 40 killed discrepancies uncommon immediate aftermath attacks syria powerful ultraconservative ahrar alsham group also said airstrike carried usled coalition adding targeting mosques places worship war crime ___ associated press writer bassem mroue reported story beirut ap writer lolita c baldor reported washington ap writer jim heintz moscow contributed report
| 1,006 |
<p>Jan 18 (Reuters) - Idbi Bank Ltd:</p>
<p>* SEEKS SHAREHOLDERS' NOD TO ISSUE SHARES TO GOVERNMENT OF INDIA WORTH 27.29 BILLION RUPEES Source text: <a href="http://bit.ly/2rjJ52r" type="external">bit.ly/2rjJ52r</a> Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group said four of its members were killed in an apparent accidental blast in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.</p> A Palestinian man looks at the scene of an explosion in the southern Gaza Strip, April 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
<p>The group said in a statement that it was “mourning its fighters who were martyred during preparations”.</p>
<p>It usually employs those terms to refer to casualties caused by the accidental detonation of weapons or explosives used in attacks against Israel.</p> Palestinians react at a hospital following an explosion in the southern Gaza Strip, April 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
<p>The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed four fatalities in the incident. Medics at the scene in the Rafah area said the explosion was caused by Israel. But an Israeli military spokesman said the army was not involved.</p>
<p>“Contrary to reports currently circulating I can tell you that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is not aware of any IDF fire in the area surrounding Rafah,” the spokesman said.</p>
<p>Violence has flared in the Gaza Strip since March 30, when Palestinians began protests along the border area with Israel.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Israeli troops have shot dead 31 Gaza Palestinians and wounded hundreds since the protests began, drawing international criticism of their lethal tactics.</p>
<p>The border area remained largely quiet on Saturday.</p>
<p>Protesters have set up tented camps near the frontier as a protest dubbed “The Great March of Return” - evoking a longtime call for refugees to regain ancestral homes in what is now Israel - moved into its third week.</p>
<p>Israel has declared a no-go zone close to the Gaza border fence.</p>
<p>Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinian enclave is ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement, designated by Israel and the West as a terrorist group.</p>
<p>Citing security concerns, Israel maintains a naval blockade of the coastal territory, keeping tight restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and goods across the frontier.</p>
<p>Egypt, battling an Islamist insurgency in neighboring Sinai, keeps its border with Gaza largely closed.</p>
<p>Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; writing by Maayan Lubell; editing by Angus MacSwan</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) - Britain’s foreign minister and United Nations human rights rapporteurs separately called on Thursday for the release of two Reuters reporters detained in Myanmar, after a judge rejected a request for their case to be dismissed.</p> Detained Reuters journalist Wa Lone gestures to the media as he is escorted by police after a court hearing in Yangon, Myanmar April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang
<p>Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Twitter that Myanmar must show its “commitment to media freedom” while the U.N. special rapporteurs said in a joint statement that the pursuit of the case against Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, gave rise to “grave concern for investigative journalism”.</p>
<p>A Myanmar government spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>
<p>A court in Yangon has been holding preliminary hearings since January to decide whether the journalists will be charged for possessing secret government papers under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.</p>
<p>Judge Ye Lwin rejected on Wednesday a defence request to dismiss the case against the two reporters, who have been held since December, for lack of evidence. The judge said he wanted to hear the eight remaining prosecution witnesses out of the 25 listed, according to defence lawyer Khin Maung Zaw.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, seven Myanmar soldiers were sentenced to 10 years “with hard labor in a remote area” for participating in a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslim men in northwestern Rakhine state last September, the army said.</p>
<p>Yanghee Lee, U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar, and David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, noted the journalists could be sentenced to longer terms if found guilty.</p>
<p>“The perpetrators of a massacre that was, in part, the subject of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s reporting have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. And yet these two reporters face a possible 14 years imprisonment. The absurdity of this trial and the wrongfulness of their detention and prosecution are clear,” they said in a joint statement.</p>
<p>Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the U.N..</p>
<p>The country’s ambassador to the U.N., Hau Do Suan, said last month that the journalists were not arrested for reporting a story, but were accused of “illegally possessing confidential government documents”.</p> Detained Reuters journalist Kyaw Soe Oo is escorted by police before a court hearing in Yangon, Myanmar April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang ARMY CRACKDOWN
<p>An army crackdown, unleashed in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces in August, has been beset by allegations of murder, rape, arson and looting. The U.N. and United States described it as ethnic cleansing - an accusation which Myanmar denies.</p>
<p>Nearly 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled Rakhine state and crossed into southern Bangladesh since then.</p>
<p>After the U.N. experts made their comments, Johnson took to Twitter on the case. “Very disappointed to hear Burmese @Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone are now to face trial,” he said. “Reiterate my calls for their release: Burmese authorities must show their commitment to media freedom.”</p>
<p>At this stage the prosecutor is trying to persuade the court to file charges. The preliminary proceedings are still underway and only after they are completed is the court expected to decide whether to send the two reporters to trial.</p>
<p>Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and William James; editing by David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Western powers said on Saturday their missile attacks struck at the heart of Syria’s chemical weapons program, but the restrained assault appeared unlikely to halt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s progress in the 7-year-old civil war.</p>
<p>The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles overnight in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Syria a week ago, targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities, including a research and development center in Damascus’ Barzeh district and two installations near Homs.</p>
<p>The bombing was the biggest intervention by Western countries against Assad and his superpower ally Russia, but the three countries said the strikes were limited to Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and not aimed at toppling Assad or intervening in the civil war.</p>
<p>The air attack, denounced by Damascus and its allies as an illegal act of aggression, was unlikely to alter the course of a multisided war that has killed at least half a million people.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump called the operation a success.</p>
<p>He proclaimed on Twitter: “Mission accomplished,” echoing former President George W. Bush, whose use of the same phrase in 2003 to describe the U.S. invasion of Iraq was widely ridiculed as violence there dragged on for years.</p>
<p>“We believe that by hitting Barzeh in particular we’ve attacked the heart of the Syrian chemicals weapon program,” U.S. Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie said at the Pentagon.</p>
<p>However, McKenzie acknowledged elements of the program remain and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-sarin/u-s-official-says-information-points-to-sarin-chlorine-use-in-syria-attack-idUSKBN1HL172" type="external">U.S. official says 'information' points to sarin, chlorine use in Syria attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idlib/france-warns-of-humanitarian-disaster-in-syrian-city-idlib-idUSKBN1HL1C2" type="external">France warns of humanitarian disaster in Syrian city Idlib</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un/russia-fails-in-u-n-bid-to-condemn-u-s-led-strikes-on-syria-idUSKBN1HL0S9" type="external">Russia fails in U.N. bid to condemn U.S.-led strikes on Syria</a>
<p>The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Trump told her that if Syria uses poisonous gas again, “The United States is locked and loaded.”</p>
<p>The Western countries said the strikes were aimed at preventing more Syrian chemical weapons attacks after a suspected poison gas attack in Douma on April 7 killed up to 75 people. They blame Assad’s government for the attack.</p>
<p>In Washington, a senior administration official said on Saturday that “while the available information is much greater on the chlorine use, we do have significant information that also points to sarin use” in the attack.</p>
<p>Speaking at a summit in Peru, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence seemed less sure of the use of sarin, saying that Washington may well determine that it was used along with chlorine.</p> ASSAD ‘RESILIENCE’
<p>Ten hours after the missiles hit, smoke was still rising from the remains of five destroyed buildings of the Syrian Scientific Research Center in Barzeh, where a Syrian employee said medical components were developed.</p>
<p>There were no immediate reports of casualties.</p>
<p>Syria released video of the wreckage of a bombed-out research lab, but also of Assad arriving at work as usual, with the caption “Morning of resilience”.</p>
<p>Late on Saturday Syria time, a large explosion was heard in a Syrian government-controlled area in a rural region south of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory said the cause of the explosion was unknown, as well as its target.</p>
<p>Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has allowed Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him.</p>
<p>The United States, Britain and France have all participated in the Syrian conflict for years, arming rebels, bombing Islamic State fighters and deploying troops on the ground to fight that group. But they have refrained from targeting Assad’s government, apart from a volley of U.S. missiles last year.</p>
<p>Although the Western countries have all said for seven years that Assad must leave power, they held back in the past from striking his government, lacking a wider strategy to defeat him.</p>
<p>Syria and its allies also made clear that they considered the attack a one-off, unlikely to do meaningful harm to Assad.</p>
<p>A senior official in a regional alliance that backs Damascus told Reuters the sites that were targeted had been evacuated days ago thanks to a warning from Russia.</p>
<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strikes were “unacceptable and lawless.”</p>
<p>Syrian state media called them a “flagrant violation of international law,” while Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called it a crime and the Western leaders criminals.</p>
<p>Russia had promised to respond to any attack on its ally, but the Pentagon said no Russian air defense systems were used. Syria fired 40 unguided surface-to-air missiles - but only after the Western strikes had ended, the Pentagon said.</p>
<p>“We are confident that all of our missiles reached their targets,” McKenzie said.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Theresa May described the strike as “limited and targeted,” with no intention of toppling Assad or intervening more widely in the war.</p>
<p>Washington described the strike targets as a center near Damascus for the research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons; a chemical weapons storage site near the city of Homs; and another site near Homs that stored chemical weapons equipment and housed a command post.</p>
<p>The Pentagon said there had been chemical weapons agents at one of the targets, and that the strikes had significantly crippled Syria’s ability to produce such weapons.</p>
<p>Trump spoke to May and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss results of the strikes, the leaders’ offices said.</p> A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, launches a strike as part of the multinational response to Syria's use of chemical weapons is seen in this image from Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar released on April 14, 2018. U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
<p>U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all Security Council members to exercise restraint and avoid escalation in Syria, but said allegations of chemical weapons use demand an investigation.</p> WEAPONS INSPECTIONS
<p>Inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW were due to try to visit Douma on Saturday to inspect the site of the suspected gas attack. Moscow condemned the Western states for refusing to wait for their findings.</p>
<p>Russia, whose relations with the West have deteriorated to levels of Cold War-era hostility, has denied any gas attack took place in Douma and even accused Britain of staging it to whip up anti-Russian hysteria.</p>
<p>The Western countries took precautions to avoid unexpected conflict with Russia. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said Russians was warned beforehand to avert conflict.</p>
<p>Dmitry Belik, a Russian member of parliament who was in Damascus and witnessed the strikes, told Reuters: “The attack was more of a psychological nature rather than practical. Luckily there are no substantial losses or damages.”</p>
<p>In Douma, site of the suspected gas attack, the last buses were due on Saturday to transport out rebels and their families who agreed to surrender the town, state TV reported. That effectively ends all resistance in the suburbs of Damascus known as eastern Ghouta, marking one of the biggest victories for Assad’s government of the war.</p>
<p>The Western assault involved more missiles than a U.S. attack last year but struck targets limited to Syria’s chemical weapons facilities. The U.S. intervention last year had effectively no impact on the war.</p> Slideshow (18 Images)
<p>Syria agreed in 2013 to give up its chemical weapons after a nerve gas attack killed hundreds of people in Douma. Damascus is still permitted to have chlorine for civilian use, although its use as a weapon is banned. Allegations of Assad’s chlorine use have been frequent during the war although, unlike nerve agents, chlorine did not produce mass casualties as seen last week.</p>
<p>Reporting by Phil Stewart and Tom Perry; additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Idrees Ali, Yara Bayoumy, Matt Spetalnick and Joel Schectman in Washington; Michelle Nichols in New York; Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall in Beirut; Kinda Makieh in Barzeh; Michael Holden and Guy Faulconbridge in London; and Jean-Baptiste Vey, Geert de Clerq and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Polina Ivanova in Moscow; writing by Doina Chiacu; editing by Yara Bayoumy, Alistair Bell and Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>OKLAHOMA CITY/TULSA, Okla. (Reuters) - High school physics teacher Craig Hoxie filed to run for Oklahoma’s House of Representatives on Friday, a day after the end of a two-week teacher walkout that had pressed lawmakers for school funding.</p> FILE PHOTO: Teachers rally outside the state Capitol on the second day of a teacher walkout to demand higher pay and more funding for education in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo
<p>“A week ago, I would have told you I wasn’t going to do it,” said the 48-year-old Army veteran who has worked in public schools for 18 years, as he drove to the state election board office to submit his paperwork to become a Democratic candidate in this fall’s election. “There is a funding crisis with all public services in our state.”</p>
<p>Teachers and parents in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona have staged collective actions in recent weeks, seeking higher wages and education spending. They say years of budget reductions have decimated public school systems in favor of tax cuts.</p>
<p>Protests in those Republican-dominated states have encouraged teachers unions and Democratic candidates who will try to capitalize on the outrage to score electoral victories. In November’s mid-term elections, 36 governorships and thousands of state legislative seats will be up for grabs.</p>
<p>“This transcends what has traditionally been viewed as blue states and red states,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which boasts 1.7 million members. “The deprivation has gotten so great that people are taking the risk to escalate their activism.”</p>
<p>The union, typically aligned with the Democratic Party, has targeted a number of key states with plans to mobilize in statehouse, gubernatorial and congressional elections this fall.</p>
<p>Nationwide, progressive causes have seen a surge of enthusiasm since Republican President Donald Trump’s election. Protesters have rallied on issues as wide ranging as gun control, gender equality, science and immigrants’ rights.</p>
<p>The Oklahoma walkout demonstrated the power of collective action to influence Republican lawmakers, as well as its limits. The legislature boosted annual education funding by about $450 million and raised teacher pay by an average of about $6,100, yet those figures remained short of the teachers’ demands.</p>
<p>The state’s largest union, the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), declared victory and turned its attention to the fall elections to continue the fight for more funding. At least a dozen Oklahoma teachers are seeking office.</p>
<p>In remarks to the Tulsa County Democratic Party on Friday, OEA President Alicia Priest said local union chapters would form election committees to support pro-education candidates, while members will go door-to-door.</p>
<p>“We have to change and try something different,” she said of teachers choosing to run for office themselves.</p>
<p>Several Republican incumbents facing challenges from teacher candidates did not respond to calls for comment.</p>
<p>Sheri Guyse, 42, a parent with two children in Oklahoma public schools who participated in the walkout, pledged that come November, she would remember whose side lawmakers were on.</p> FILE PHOTO: Teachers pack the state Capitol rotunda to capacity on the second day of a teacher walkout to demand higher pay and more funding for education in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo
<p>“A few of their demands were met, and of course that’s a step in the right direction, but the only thing I’m feeling really good about today is that there’s a big election in November where a lot of these legislators will lose their jobs,” she said.</p>
<p>A number of teachers have already won special legislative elections as Democrats in the last two years. Karen Gaddis, a retired teacher who ran on a largely pro-education platform, captured a seat near Tulsa that had been in Republican hands for more than 20 years.</p>
<p>“Things have gotten so bad out here, we’re like a third-world country,”” Gaddis said in a phone interview. She first ran and lost in 2016, but said she has sensed a shift this year as people have grown fed up with budget cuts.</p>
<p>“Education in particular was just being flushed down the toilet,” she said.</p>
<p>The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which focuses on statehouse races nationwide, said more than 50 educators are running in other states. The group said the 26 states in which Republicans control both the legislature and the governorship have seen an average 5 percent cut in education spending over the last decade.</p>
<p>In response, David James, a spokesman for the Republican State Leadership Committee, which supports that party in statehouse races, said, “It is sad and appalling for the Democrats to be coordinating a national protest effort with their longtime faculty room friends in the teachers unions to push a political agenda in the classroom, at the expense of the nation’s students.”</p>
<p>John Waldron, a social studies teacher, ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in Oklahoma in 2016. He is running again as a Democrat in 2018, this time for the state House of Representatives, and said the walkout gives him confidence this campaign will unfold differently.</p>
<p>“We’ve turned a whole generation of Oklahomans into political activists now,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Heide Brandes in Oklahoma City and Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton in Tulsa; Writing and additional reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 18 reuters idbi bank ltd seeks shareholders nod issue shares government india worth 2729 billion rupees source text bitly2rjj52r company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles gaza reuters palestinian islamic jihad militant group said four members killed apparent accidental blast gaza strip saturday palestinian man looks scene explosion southern gaza strip april 14 2018 reutersibraheem abu mustafa group said statement mourning fighters martyred preparations usually employs terms refer casualties caused accidental detonation weapons explosives used attacks israel palestinians react hospital following explosion southern gaza strip april 14 2018 reutersibraheem abu mustafa gaza health ministry confirmed four fatalities incident medics scene rafah area said explosion caused israel israeli military spokesman said army involved contrary reports currently circulating tell idf israel defence forces aware idf fire area surrounding rafah spokesman said violence flared gaza strip since march 30 palestinians began protests along border area israel slideshow 2 images israeli troops shot dead 31 gaza palestinians wounded hundreds since protests began drawing international criticism lethal tactics border area remained largely quiet saturday protesters set tented camps near frontier protest dubbed great march return evoking longtime call refugees regain ancestral homes israel moved third week israel declared nogo zone close gaza border fence israel withdrew troops settlers gaza 2005 palestinian enclave ruled islamist hamas movement designated israel west terrorist group citing security concerns israel maintains naval blockade coastal territory keeping tight restrictions movement palestinians goods across frontier egypt battling islamist insurgency neighboring sinai keeps border gaza largely closed reporting nidal almughrabi writing maayan lubell editing angus macswan standards thomson reuters trust principles londongeneva reuters britains foreign minister united nations human rights rapporteurs separately called thursday release two reuters reporters detained myanmar judge rejected request case dismissed detained reuters journalist wa lone gestures media escorted police court hearing yangon myanmar april 11 2018 reutersann wang foreign secretary boris johnson said twitter myanmar must show commitment media freedom un special rapporteurs said joint statement pursuit case wa lone 32 kyaw soe oo 28 gave rise grave concern investigative journalism myanmar government spokesman could immediately reached comment court yangon holding preliminary hearings since january decide whether journalists charged possessing secret government papers colonialera official secrets act carries maximum penalty 14 years prison judge ye lwin rejected wednesday defence request dismiss case two reporters held since december lack evidence judge said wanted hear eight remaining prosecution witnesses 25 listed according defence lawyer khin maung zaw tuesday seven myanmar soldiers sentenced 10 years hard labor remote area participating massacre 10 rohingya muslim men northwestern rakhine state last september army said yanghee lee un special rapporteur myanmar david kaye un special rapporteur right freedom opinion expression noted journalists could sentenced longer terms found guilty perpetrators massacre part subject wa lone kyaw soe oos reporting sentenced 10 years imprisonment yet two reporters face possible 14 years imprisonment absurdity trial wrongfulness detention prosecution clear said joint statement special rapporteurs independent experts appointed un countrys ambassador un hau suan said last month journalists arrested reporting story accused illegally possessing confidential government documents detained reuters journalist kyaw soe oo escorted police court hearing yangon myanmar april 11 2018 reutersann wang army crackdown army crackdown unleashed response rohingya militant attacks security forces august beset allegations murder rape arson looting un united states described ethnic cleansing accusation myanmar denies nearly 700000 muslim rohingya fled rakhine state crossed southern bangladesh since un experts made comments johnson took twitter case disappointed hear burmese reuters journalists kyaw soe oo wa lone face trial said reiterate calls release burmese authorities must show commitment media freedom stage prosecutor trying persuade court file charges preliminary proceedings still underway completed court expected decide whether send two reporters trial reporting stephanie nebehay william james editing david stamp standards thomson reuters trust principles washingtonbeirut reuters western powers said saturday missile attacks struck heart syrias chemical weapons program restrained assault appeared unlikely halt syrian president bashar alassads progress 7yearold civil war united states france britain launched 105 missiles overnight retaliation suspected poison gas attack syria week ago targeting pentagon said three chemical weapons facilities including research development center damascus barzeh district two installations near homs bombing biggest intervention western countries assad superpower ally russia three countries said strikes limited syrias chemical weapons capabilities aimed toppling assad intervening civil war air attack denounced damascus allies illegal act aggression unlikely alter course multisided war killed least half million people us president donald trump called operation success proclaimed twitter mission accomplished echoing former president george w bush whose use phrase 2003 describe us invasion iraq widely ridiculed violence dragged years believe hitting barzeh particular weve attacked heart syrian chemicals weapon program us lieutenant general kenneth mckenzie said pentagon however mckenzie acknowledged elements program remain could guarantee syria would unable conduct chemical attack future related coverage us official says information points sarin chlorine use syria attack france warns humanitarian disaster syrian city idlib russia fails un bid condemn usled strikes syria us ambassador united nations nikki haley said emergency meeting un security council trump told syria uses poisonous gas united states locked loaded western countries said strikes aimed preventing syrian chemical weapons attacks suspected poison gas attack douma april 7 killed 75 people blame assads government attack washington senior administration official said saturday available information much greater chlorine use significant information also points sarin use attack speaking summit peru us vice president mike pence seemed less sure use sarin saying washington may well determine used along chlorine assad resilience ten hours missiles hit smoke still rising remains five destroyed buildings syrian scientific research center barzeh syrian employee said medical components developed immediate reports casualties syria released video wreckage bombedout research lab also assad arriving work usual caption morning resilience late saturday syria time large explosion heard syrian governmentcontrolled area rural region south aleppo according britainbased war monitor syrian observatory human rights observatory said cause explosion unknown well target russian iranian military help past three years allowed assad crush rebel threat topple united states britain france participated syrian conflict years arming rebels bombing islamic state fighters deploying troops ground fight group refrained targeting assads government apart volley us missiles last year although western countries said seven years assad must leave power held back past striking government lacking wider strategy defeat syria allies also made clear considered attack oneoff unlikely meaningful harm assad senior official regional alliance backs damascus told reuters sites targeted evacuated days ago thanks warning russia russian foreign minister sergei lavrov said strikes unacceptable lawless syrian state media called flagrant violation international law iranian supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei called crime western leaders criminals russia promised respond attack ally pentagon said russian air defense systems used syria fired 40 unguided surfacetoair missiles western strikes ended pentagon said confident missiles reached targets mckenzie said british prime minister theresa may described strike limited targeted intention toppling assad intervening widely war washington described strike targets center near damascus research development production testing chemical biological weapons chemical weapons storage site near city homs another site near homs stored chemical weapons equipment housed command post pentagon said chemical weapons agents one targets strikes significantly crippled syrias ability produce weapons trump spoke may french president emmanuel macron discuss results strikes leaders offices said us air force b1b lancer deployed al udeid air base launches strike part multinational response syrias use chemical weapons seen image al udeid air base doha qatar released april 14 2018 us air forcehandout via reuters un secretarygeneral antonio guterres urged security council members exercise restraint avoid escalation syria said allegations chemical weapons use demand investigation weapons inspections inspectors global chemical weapons watchdog opcw due try visit douma saturday inspect site suspected gas attack moscow condemned western states refusing wait findings russia whose relations west deteriorated levels cold warera hostility denied gas attack took place douma even accused britain staging whip antirussian hysteria western countries took precautions avoid unexpected conflict russia french defence minister florence parly said russians warned beforehand avert conflict dmitry belik russian member parliament damascus witnessed strikes told reuters attack psychological nature rather practical luckily substantial losses damages douma site suspected gas attack last buses due saturday transport rebels families agreed surrender town state tv reported effectively ends resistance suburbs damascus known eastern ghouta marking one biggest victories assads government war western assault involved missiles us attack last year struck targets limited syrias chemical weapons facilities us intervention last year effectively impact war slideshow 18 images syria agreed 2013 give chemical weapons nerve gas attack killed hundreds people douma damascus still permitted chlorine civilian use although use weapon banned allegations assads chlorine use frequent war although unlike nerve agents chlorine produce mass casualties seen last week reporting phil stewart tom perry additional reporting jeff mason steve holland idrees ali yara bayoumy matt spetalnick joel schectman washington michelle nichols new york samia nakhoul tom perry laila bassam ellen francis angus mcdowall beirut kinda makieh barzeh michael holden guy faulconbridge london jeanbaptiste vey geert de clerq matthias blamont paris polina ivanova moscow writing doina chiacu editing yara bayoumy alistair bell jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles oklahoma citytulsa okla reuters high school physics teacher craig hoxie filed run oklahomas house representatives friday day end twoweek teacher walkout pressed lawmakers school funding file photo teachers rally outside state capitol second day teacher walkout demand higher pay funding education oklahoma city oklahoma us april 3 2018 reutersnick oxfordfile photo week ago would told wasnt going said 48yearold army veteran worked public schools 18 years drove state election board office submit paperwork become democratic candidate falls election funding crisis public services state teachers parents oklahoma west virginia kentucky arizona staged collective actions recent weeks seeking higher wages education spending say years budget reductions decimated public school systems favor tax cuts protests republicandominated states encouraged teachers unions democratic candidates try capitalize outrage score electoral victories novembers midterm elections 36 governorships thousands state legislative seats grabs transcends traditionally viewed blue states red states said randi weingarten president american federation teachers boasts 17 million members deprivation gotten great people taking risk escalate activism union typically aligned democratic party targeted number key states plans mobilize statehouse gubernatorial congressional elections fall nationwide progressive causes seen surge enthusiasm since republican president donald trumps election protesters rallied issues wide ranging gun control gender equality science immigrants rights oklahoma walkout demonstrated power collective action influence republican lawmakers well limits legislature boosted annual education funding 450 million raised teacher pay average 6100 yet figures remained short teachers demands states largest union oklahoma education association oea declared victory turned attention fall elections continue fight funding least dozen oklahoma teachers seeking office remarks tulsa county democratic party friday oea president alicia priest said local union chapters would form election committees support proeducation candidates members go doortodoor change try something different said teachers choosing run office several republican incumbents facing challenges teacher candidates respond calls comment sheri guyse 42 parent two children oklahoma public schools participated walkout pledged come november would remember whose side lawmakers file photo teachers pack state capitol rotunda capacity second day teacher walkout demand higher pay funding education oklahoma city oklahoma us april 3 2018 reutersnick oxfordfile photo demands met course thats step right direction thing im feeling really good today theres big election november lot legislators lose jobs said number teachers already special legislative elections democrats last two years karen gaddis retired teacher ran largely proeducation platform captured seat near tulsa republican hands 20 years things gotten bad like thirdworld country gaddis said phone interview first ran lost 2016 said sensed shift year people grown fed budget cuts education particular flushed toilet said democratic legislative campaign committee focuses statehouse races nationwide said 50 educators running states group said 26 states republicans control legislature governorship seen average 5 percent cut education spending last decade response david james spokesman republican state leadership committee supports party statehouse races said sad appalling democrats coordinating national protest effort longtime faculty room friends teachers unions push political agenda classroom expense nations students john waldron social studies teacher ran unsuccessfully state senate oklahoma 2016 running democrat 2018 time state house representatives said walkout gives confidence campaign unfold differently weve turned whole generation oklahomans political activists said reporting heide brandes oklahoma city lenzy krehbielburton tulsa writing additional reporting joseph ax new york editing colleen jenkins david gregorio standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>SAO PAULO (AP) — Though Brazil's season has ended, some of the best young players are staying away from the beaches to cling to their phones.</p>
<p>They're waiting to see if a call comes in the January transfer window, which offers a life-changing opportunity for those who are in the spotlight in South America's main domestic league.</p>
<p>Some of them could be at the World Cup in Russia, and could be a bargain in January.</p>
<p>Here are some names to know:</p>
<p>ARTHUR</p>
<p>Nicknamed "King Arthur," the defensive midfielder was pivotal to Gremio's title in the Copa Libertadores. His organizing skills were missed when he was injured and couldn't play in the Club World Cup final loss to Real Madrid this month. The 21-year-old Brazilian admits he is in negotiations with Barcelona, but Spanish media say Real Madrid could also try to sign him. Arthur's fans deem him as a new Xavi. Brazil coach Tite summoned him for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Chile. Gremio coach Renato Portaluppi admits Arthur is unlikely to be at the club next season.</p>
<p>LUCAS PAQUETA</p>
<p>The 20-year-old Flamengo midfielder has caught the eye of foreign clubs after helping the team reach the Copa Sudamericana final. Paqueta is fast, skilled, and hard-working. He has been linked to Turkey's Besiktas, but a deal is not certain after his impressive recent performances. Specialist websites increased his value from 1 million euros in August to more than 7 million in December. Paqueta played 37 matches this year and scored six goals. "He is different, now everyone can see it," says Diego Ribas, Paqueta's teammate who had a successful 12-year career in Europe.</p>
<p>LUAN</p>
<p>The 24-year-old striker was voted best player of the Copa Libertadores, especially after he scored a screamer for Gremio against Lanus in the second leg of the final. Gremio executives have said they won't take less than 24 million euros ($27 million) for the natural dribbler. Luan was part of Brazil's gold medal-winning team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He began the tournament as a reserve, but eventually became a starter alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus, who are his friends. Brazil coach Tite is under pressure to take him to Russia. Luan scored 18 goals in 51 matches in 2017. "Luan was by far the best player of the Americas this year," the great Ronaldo says.</p>
<p>ROMULO OTERO</p>
<p>The Venezuela midfielder just turned 25 and has quickly become the best dead-ball taker in Brazilian football. Otero scored 15 times for Atletico Mineiro, five from free kicks. He is also good from long distance, with nine goals this year. His performance against Brazilian champion Corinthians caught the attention of foreign clubs: He netted a spectacular free kick from distance, gave one assist and almost scored from a corner kick in a 2-2 draw in Sao Paulo. "Yes, you can compare our styles in free kicks," former Atletico Mineiro and Barcelona star Ronaldinho says. The Brazilian club paid only $1.5 million to sign Otero this year.</p>
<p>EDER MILITAO</p>
<p>The 19-year-old Sao Paulo player can be a defender, defensive midfielder, and right back. Argentine Julio Buffarini, who arrived at the Brazilian club with star status, is likely returning to his native country because of Militao's convincing performances. Militao has already been linked to Juventus, but he does not have the attacking style of other famous Brazilian wingers. "He is a great defender and he will play World Cups for Brazil," Uruguayan defender Diego Lugano says. Militao's contract expires at the end of 2018, which could allow foreign clubs to sign him for free after the World Cup.</p>
<p>SAO PAULO (AP) — Though Brazil's season has ended, some of the best young players are staying away from the beaches to cling to their phones.</p>
<p>They're waiting to see if a call comes in the January transfer window, which offers a life-changing opportunity for those who are in the spotlight in South America's main domestic league.</p>
<p>Some of them could be at the World Cup in Russia, and could be a bargain in January.</p>
<p>Here are some names to know:</p>
<p>ARTHUR</p>
<p>Nicknamed "King Arthur," the defensive midfielder was pivotal to Gremio's title in the Copa Libertadores. His organizing skills were missed when he was injured and couldn't play in the Club World Cup final loss to Real Madrid this month. The 21-year-old Brazilian admits he is in negotiations with Barcelona, but Spanish media say Real Madrid could also try to sign him. Arthur's fans deem him as a new Xavi. Brazil coach Tite summoned him for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Chile. Gremio coach Renato Portaluppi admits Arthur is unlikely to be at the club next season.</p>
<p>LUCAS PAQUETA</p>
<p>The 20-year-old Flamengo midfielder has caught the eye of foreign clubs after helping the team reach the Copa Sudamericana final. Paqueta is fast, skilled, and hard-working. He has been linked to Turkey's Besiktas, but a deal is not certain after his impressive recent performances. Specialist websites increased his value from 1 million euros in August to more than 7 million in December. Paqueta played 37 matches this year and scored six goals. "He is different, now everyone can see it," says Diego Ribas, Paqueta's teammate who had a successful 12-year career in Europe.</p>
<p>LUAN</p>
<p>The 24-year-old striker was voted best player of the Copa Libertadores, especially after he scored a screamer for Gremio against Lanus in the second leg of the final. Gremio executives have said they won't take less than 24 million euros ($27 million) for the natural dribbler. Luan was part of Brazil's gold medal-winning team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He began the tournament as a reserve, but eventually became a starter alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus, who are his friends. Brazil coach Tite is under pressure to take him to Russia. Luan scored 18 goals in 51 matches in 2017. "Luan was by far the best player of the Americas this year," the great Ronaldo says.</p>
<p>ROMULO OTERO</p>
<p>The Venezuela midfielder just turned 25 and has quickly become the best dead-ball taker in Brazilian football. Otero scored 15 times for Atletico Mineiro, five from free kicks. He is also good from long distance, with nine goals this year. His performance against Brazilian champion Corinthians caught the attention of foreign clubs: He netted a spectacular free kick from distance, gave one assist and almost scored from a corner kick in a 2-2 draw in Sao Paulo. "Yes, you can compare our styles in free kicks," former Atletico Mineiro and Barcelona star Ronaldinho says. The Brazilian club paid only $1.5 million to sign Otero this year.</p>
<p>EDER MILITAO</p>
<p>The 19-year-old Sao Paulo player can be a defender, defensive midfielder, and right back. Argentine Julio Buffarini, who arrived at the Brazilian club with star status, is likely returning to his native country because of Militao's convincing performances. Militao has already been linked to Juventus, but he does not have the attacking style of other famous Brazilian wingers. "He is a great defender and he will play World Cups for Brazil," Uruguayan defender Diego Lugano says. Militao's contract expires at the end of 2018, which could allow foreign clubs to sign him for free after the World Cup.</p>
| false | 2 |
sao paulo ap though brazils season ended best young players staying away beaches cling phones theyre waiting see call comes january transfer window offers lifechanging opportunity spotlight south americas main domestic league could world cup russia could bargain january names know arthur nicknamed king arthur defensive midfielder pivotal gremios title copa libertadores organizing skills missed injured couldnt play club world cup final loss real madrid month 21yearold brazilian admits negotiations barcelona spanish media say real madrid could also try sign arthurs fans deem new xavi brazil coach tite summoned world cup qualifiers bolivia chile gremio coach renato portaluppi admits arthur unlikely club next season lucas paqueta 20yearold flamengo midfielder caught eye foreign clubs helping team reach copa sudamericana final paqueta fast skilled hardworking linked turkeys besiktas deal certain impressive recent performances specialist websites increased value 1 million euros august 7 million december paqueta played 37 matches year scored six goals different everyone see says diego ribas paquetas teammate successful 12year career europe luan 24yearold striker voted best player copa libertadores especially scored screamer gremio lanus second leg final gremio executives said wont take less 24 million euros 27 million natural dribbler luan part brazils gold medalwinning team rio de janeiro olympics began tournament reserve eventually became starter alongside neymar gabriel jesus friends brazil coach tite pressure take russia luan scored 18 goals 51 matches 2017 luan far best player americas year great ronaldo says romulo otero venezuela midfielder turned 25 quickly become best deadball taker brazilian football otero scored 15 times atletico mineiro five free kicks also good long distance nine goals year performance brazilian champion corinthians caught attention foreign clubs netted spectacular free kick distance gave one assist almost scored corner kick 22 draw sao paulo yes compare styles free kicks former atletico mineiro barcelona star ronaldinho says brazilian club paid 15 million sign otero year eder militao 19yearold sao paulo player defender defensive midfielder right back argentine julio buffarini arrived brazilian club star status likely returning native country militaos convincing performances militao already linked juventus attacking style famous brazilian wingers great defender play world cups brazil uruguayan defender diego lugano says militaos contract expires end 2018 could allow foreign clubs sign free world cup sao paulo ap though brazils season ended best young players staying away beaches cling phones theyre waiting see call comes january transfer window offers lifechanging opportunity spotlight south americas main domestic league could world cup russia could bargain january names know arthur nicknamed king arthur defensive midfielder pivotal gremios title copa libertadores organizing skills missed injured couldnt play club world cup final loss real madrid month 21yearold brazilian admits negotiations barcelona spanish media say real madrid could also try sign arthurs fans deem new xavi brazil coach tite summoned world cup qualifiers bolivia chile gremio coach renato portaluppi admits arthur unlikely club next season lucas paqueta 20yearold flamengo midfielder caught eye foreign clubs helping team reach copa sudamericana final paqueta fast skilled hardworking linked turkeys besiktas deal certain impressive recent performances specialist websites increased value 1 million euros august 7 million december paqueta played 37 matches year scored six goals different everyone see says diego ribas paquetas teammate successful 12year career europe luan 24yearold striker voted best player copa libertadores especially scored screamer gremio lanus second leg final gremio executives said wont take less 24 million euros 27 million natural dribbler luan part brazils gold medalwinning team rio de janeiro olympics began tournament reserve eventually became starter alongside neymar gabriel jesus friends brazil coach tite pressure take russia luan scored 18 goals 51 matches 2017 luan far best player americas year great ronaldo says romulo otero venezuela midfielder turned 25 quickly become best deadball taker brazilian football otero scored 15 times atletico mineiro five free kicks also good long distance nine goals year performance brazilian champion corinthians caught attention foreign clubs netted spectacular free kick distance gave one assist almost scored corner kick 22 draw sao paulo yes compare styles free kicks former atletico mineiro barcelona star ronaldinho says brazilian club paid 15 million sign otero year eder militao 19yearold sao paulo player defender defensive midfielder right back argentine julio buffarini arrived brazilian club star status likely returning native country militaos convincing performances militao already linked juventus attacking style famous brazilian wingers great defender play world cups brazil uruguayan defender diego lugano says militaos contract expires end 2018 could allow foreign clubs sign free world cup
| 732 |
<p>LONDON (AP) — Angel Di Maria led the way in the Associated Press Global Football 10 on Tuesday after scoring twice to propel Paris Saint-Germain past Angers 5-1 at the weekend.</p>
<p>Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, who was also runner-up last week, was beaten to the summit of the player vote by Di Maria's stunning performance for the runaway leader in Ligue 1.</p>
<p>"Angers had only conceded 13 goals in 21 league matches (before facing PSG)," Jonathan Johnson of beIN Sports USA in France said. "However, after 90 minutes in Paris, they had shipped five to an Angel Di Maria-inspired PSG."</p>
<p>Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was third after a double helped his team beat Hamburg 2-1.</p>
<p>Roberto Firmino was fourth, after also notching two goals in Liverpool's entertaining 5-4 victory against Norwich in the Premier League in Saturday.</p>
<p>"For the unexpected, nothing may have topped Liverpool's wild win over Norwich, in which Roberto Firmino had two goals and an assist," Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the United States said.</p>
<p>Diego Costa was fifth after scoring the only goal in Chelsea's win against Arsenal.</p>
<p>Sergio Aguero, Aritz Aduriz, Alexander Meier, Antonio Sanabria, and Lionel Messi rounded out the top 10 players of the week.</p>
<p>Chelsea topped the team vote after beating London rival Arsenal 1-0 in the Premier League, with Costa's strike the difference.</p>
<p>PSG was second for its emphatic weekend triumph.</p>
<p>Juventus polled third for winning its 11th straight match in Serie A against Roma, having also defeated Lazio to reach the Italian Cup semifinals last week.</p>
<p>"Juventus maintained their push for a fifth successive Scudetto with victory against Roma, having beaten Lazio, in midweek to reach the Coppa Italia semifinal," Umaid Wasim of Dawn newspaper in Pakistan said.</p>
<p>Napoli was fourth after defeating Sampdoria 4-2 kept it at the top of the Italian league.</p>
<p>Leicester ranked fifth after beating Stoke 3-0 to move three points clear atop the Premier League.</p>
<p>Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Liverpool, Southampton, Tottenham rounded out the top 10 teams.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP Global Football 10</p>
<p>Players:</p>
<p>1. Angel Di Maria, 85 points.</p>
<p>2. Paulo Dybala, 68.</p>
<p>3. Robert Lewandowski, 64.</p>
<p>4. Roberto Firmino, 63.</p>
<p>5. Diego Costa, 56.</p>
<p>6. Sergio Aguero, 50.</p>
<p>7. Aritz Aduriz, 41.</p>
<p>8. Alexander Meier, 40.</p>
<p>9. Antonio Sanabria, 39.</p>
<p>10. Lionel Messi, 32.</p>
<p>Teams:</p>
<p>1. Chelsea, 94.</p>
<p>2. Paris Saint-Germain, 82.</p>
<p>3. Juventus, 64.</p>
<p>4. Napoli, 63.</p>
<p>5. Leicester, 62.</p>
<p>6. Borussia Dortmund, 59.</p>
<p>7. Barcelona, 48.</p>
<p>8. Liverpool, 44.</p>
<p>9. Southampton, 32.</p>
<p>10. Tottenham, 29.</p>
<p>LONDON (AP) — Angel Di Maria led the way in the Associated Press Global Football 10 on Tuesday after scoring twice to propel Paris Saint-Germain past Angers 5-1 at the weekend.</p>
<p>Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, who was also runner-up last week, was beaten to the summit of the player vote by Di Maria's stunning performance for the runaway leader in Ligue 1.</p>
<p>"Angers had only conceded 13 goals in 21 league matches (before facing PSG)," Jonathan Johnson of beIN Sports USA in France said. "However, after 90 minutes in Paris, they had shipped five to an Angel Di Maria-inspired PSG."</p>
<p>Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was third after a double helped his team beat Hamburg 2-1.</p>
<p>Roberto Firmino was fourth, after also notching two goals in Liverpool's entertaining 5-4 victory against Norwich in the Premier League in Saturday.</p>
<p>"For the unexpected, nothing may have topped Liverpool's wild win over Norwich, in which Roberto Firmino had two goals and an assist," Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the United States said.</p>
<p>Diego Costa was fifth after scoring the only goal in Chelsea's win against Arsenal.</p>
<p>Sergio Aguero, Aritz Aduriz, Alexander Meier, Antonio Sanabria, and Lionel Messi rounded out the top 10 players of the week.</p>
<p>Chelsea topped the team vote after beating London rival Arsenal 1-0 in the Premier League, with Costa's strike the difference.</p>
<p>PSG was second for its emphatic weekend triumph.</p>
<p>Juventus polled third for winning its 11th straight match in Serie A against Roma, having also defeated Lazio to reach the Italian Cup semifinals last week.</p>
<p>"Juventus maintained their push for a fifth successive Scudetto with victory against Roma, having beaten Lazio, in midweek to reach the Coppa Italia semifinal," Umaid Wasim of Dawn newspaper in Pakistan said.</p>
<p>Napoli was fourth after defeating Sampdoria 4-2 kept it at the top of the Italian league.</p>
<p>Leicester ranked fifth after beating Stoke 3-0 to move three points clear atop the Premier League.</p>
<p>Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Liverpool, Southampton, Tottenham rounded out the top 10 teams.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP Global Football 10</p>
<p>Players:</p>
<p>1. Angel Di Maria, 85 points.</p>
<p>2. Paulo Dybala, 68.</p>
<p>3. Robert Lewandowski, 64.</p>
<p>4. Roberto Firmino, 63.</p>
<p>5. Diego Costa, 56.</p>
<p>6. Sergio Aguero, 50.</p>
<p>7. Aritz Aduriz, 41.</p>
<p>8. Alexander Meier, 40.</p>
<p>9. Antonio Sanabria, 39.</p>
<p>10. Lionel Messi, 32.</p>
<p>Teams:</p>
<p>1. Chelsea, 94.</p>
<p>2. Paris Saint-Germain, 82.</p>
<p>3. Juventus, 64.</p>
<p>4. Napoli, 63.</p>
<p>5. Leicester, 62.</p>
<p>6. Borussia Dortmund, 59.</p>
<p>7. Barcelona, 48.</p>
<p>8. Liverpool, 44.</p>
<p>9. Southampton, 32.</p>
<p>10. Tottenham, 29.</p>
| false | 2 |
london ap angel di maria led way associated press global football 10 tuesday scoring twice propel paris saintgermain past angers 51 weekend juventus striker paulo dybala also runnerup last week beaten summit player vote di marias stunning performance runaway leader ligue 1 angers conceded 13 goals 21 league matches facing psg jonathan johnson bein sports usa france said however 90 minutes paris shipped five angel di mariainspired psg bayern munich striker robert lewandowski third double helped team beat hamburg 21 roberto firmino fourth also notching two goals liverpools entertaining 54 victory norwich premier league saturday unexpected nothing may topped liverpools wild win norwich roberto firmino two goals assist tom timmermann st louis postdispatch united states said diego costa fifth scoring goal chelseas win arsenal sergio aguero aritz aduriz alexander meier antonio sanabria lionel messi rounded top 10 players week chelsea topped team vote beating london rival arsenal 10 premier league costas strike difference psg second emphatic weekend triumph juventus polled third winning 11th straight match serie roma also defeated lazio reach italian cup semifinals last week juventus maintained push fifth successive scudetto victory roma beaten lazio midweek reach coppa italia semifinal umaid wasim dawn newspaper pakistan said napoli fourth defeating sampdoria 42 kept top italian league leicester ranked fifth beating stoke 30 move three points clear atop premier league borussia dortmund barcelona liverpool southampton tottenham rounded top 10 teams ___ ap global football 10 players 1 angel di maria 85 points 2 paulo dybala 68 3 robert lewandowski 64 4 roberto firmino 63 5 diego costa 56 6 sergio aguero 50 7 aritz aduriz 41 8 alexander meier 40 9 antonio sanabria 39 10 lionel messi 32 teams 1 chelsea 94 2 paris saintgermain 82 3 juventus 64 4 napoli 63 5 leicester 62 6 borussia dortmund 59 7 barcelona 48 8 liverpool 44 9 southampton 32 10 tottenham 29 london ap angel di maria led way associated press global football 10 tuesday scoring twice propel paris saintgermain past angers 51 weekend juventus striker paulo dybala also runnerup last week beaten summit player vote di marias stunning performance runaway leader ligue 1 angers conceded 13 goals 21 league matches facing psg jonathan johnson bein sports usa france said however 90 minutes paris shipped five angel di mariainspired psg bayern munich striker robert lewandowski third double helped team beat hamburg 21 roberto firmino fourth also notching two goals liverpools entertaining 54 victory norwich premier league saturday unexpected nothing may topped liverpools wild win norwich roberto firmino two goals assist tom timmermann st louis postdispatch united states said diego costa fifth scoring goal chelseas win arsenal sergio aguero aritz aduriz alexander meier antonio sanabria lionel messi rounded top 10 players week chelsea topped team vote beating london rival arsenal 10 premier league costas strike difference psg second emphatic weekend triumph juventus polled third winning 11th straight match serie roma also defeated lazio reach italian cup semifinals last week juventus maintained push fifth successive scudetto victory roma beaten lazio midweek reach coppa italia semifinal umaid wasim dawn newspaper pakistan said napoli fourth defeating sampdoria 42 kept top italian league leicester ranked fifth beating stoke 30 move three points clear atop premier league borussia dortmund barcelona liverpool southampton tottenham rounded top 10 teams ___ ap global football 10 players 1 angel di maria 85 points 2 paulo dybala 68 3 robert lewandowski 64 4 roberto firmino 63 5 diego costa 56 6 sergio aguero 50 7 aritz aduriz 41 8 alexander meier 40 9 antonio sanabria 39 10 lionel messi 32 teams 1 chelsea 94 2 paris saintgermain 82 3 juventus 64 4 napoli 63 5 leicester 62 6 borussia dortmund 59 7 barcelona 48 8 liverpool 44 9 southampton 32 10 tottenham 29
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<p />
<p>Physician Dayana George-Lucero and pharmacist/clinician Ron Scott check the computer for information about one of their patients at the Presbyterian Medical Group clinic on the West Side. Health care organizations say the ability to coordinate data about a patient's clinic visits, medications and tests helps avoid duplication and increase the effectiveness of care they provide. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>They'll be getting yet more of a push under changes to the Medicaid and Medicare programs, which in New Mexico together provide coverage for more than half of the state's residents. Insurers have also begun making changes in private plans they offer under the Affordable Care Act and in policies they sell to large employers in the state.</p>
<p>Changes include setting cost targets for treatments and providing incentives to providers for helping keep chronically ill patients like diabetics on a medication regime so they don't end up needing costly hospital treatment.</p>
<p>Another concept the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed involves bundled payments, or setting a specific price for all treatment related to a procedure, such as a joint replacement, instead of the present system where providers are paid for each step of the procedure with no incentive to control prices.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Soaring health care costs have been a driving force for change. Studies by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation focused on health care, have shown that spending on health care in the U.S. is substantially higher than in other countrie,s but the results are worse in terms of efficiency, equity and outcomes. The nonprofit tracks health care issues and its 2014 study comparing 11 countries showed the U.S. was the most expensive, with annual per-capita spending of $8,508, but ranked last. The United Kingdom spent $3,405 per capita, but ranked number one in the survey.</p>
<p>Cultural shift</p>
<p>The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the country's largest single payer through Medicare, has</p>
<p>SUN: Chief medical officer at BCBS of NM</p>
<p>been nudging providers toward change by publishing a series of road maps for a new financial model focused on the value rather than the volume of care. And earlier this year, the federal Health and Human Services Department announced a goal of linking 85 percent of traditional Medicare payments to quality or value care by the end of 2016, and 90 percent by the end of 2018.</p>
<p>"The challenge is, it's a cultural change for everyone unlike anything we've seen before as it relates to health care," said Patricia Montoya of New Mexico Coalition for Health Care Value and Health Insight New Mexico.</p>
<p>The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, also has helped accelerate the pace of change. It enabled CMS to revamp the way it reimburses for programs it administers, providing rewards for quality and penalties for inefficient, ineffective care. For example, CMS will reduce Medicare payments to hospitals that have high rates of hospital-acquired infections.</p>
<p>The ACA allowed states to expand their Medicaid programs with federal funding support and about 40 percent of New Mexicans are now covered under Medicaid. CMS administers Medicaid at the federal level and provides funding to the states to run the program at the state level.</p>
<p>In New Mexico, contracts to manage the state's Centennial Care Medicaid program awarded to Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan and United Healthcare Community Plan of New Mexico directed them to reform their payment models, moving away from the traditional fee for service toward providing incentives for better outcomes.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Full patient picture</p>
<p>For Presbyterian, Molina and Blue Cross Blue Shield, change has centered around a model they call the "patient centered medical home," an environment where patients, especially those with potentially costly chronic illnesses, get a continuum of care to help keep them healthy.</p>
<p>ROBRAN-MARQUES: Of Molina Healthcare</p>
<p>As Darcie Robran-Marques, Molina's chief medical officer, explains, it means physicians work closely with pharmacists and clinics share information with insurance companies so they can see the patient's entire health care picture. What tests did they have? What medications are they taking? Did they get their prescriptions filled? Do they have transportation to get to appointments' she said.</p>
<p>Molina and other payers have also developed financial incentives that reward providers for quality care.</p>
<p>Molina pays providers at clinics around the state a fixed amount per month to care for patients with complex conditions. It also provides bonuses to providers for meeting target criteria for disease management and preventive care by helping members avoid emergency room visits or hospital stays, Robran-Marques said.</p>
<p>"What really made this successful was regular meetings between Molina and the clinic staff to share information about the health status of the members," she said.</p>
<p>For example, the insurer can share information about whether a high-risk patient has been filling prescriptions and which tests they have undergone.</p>
<p>Blue Cross is also making changes, according to Chief Medical Officer Eugene Sun. He said the insurer has adopted new systems of paying providers who care for its 124,000 Medicaid members. In one model, the insurer pays the provider a set monthly amount per patient for coordinating care. This ensures the provider an upfront revenue stream that will cover extra services such as phone calls to check on patients after a doctor appointment. The other new payment model includes the performance pay incentive that is often part of a corporate executive's compensation package. Providers can earn performance pay when they ensure adult patients get certain preventive care, such as mammograms or colonoscopies, or if pediatric patients show improvement over time, Sun said.</p>
<p>Payment for value</p>
<p>Outside of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, New Mexico Health Connections, which began selling private insurance plans in 2013 through the health exchange established under the ACA, is also focused on payment for value. Health Connections pays a quality bonus for providers who meet targets on diabetic and asthma care.</p>
<p>And Presbyterian has implemented a cost-sharing program. Presbyterian's contract with Intel for the clinic it operates at the Rio Rancho plant, for example, sets a monthly per-member target cost for treating employees who join the Presbyterian plan. If care costs less than the target, Intel and Presbyterian share the savings. If more, the companies share the cost.</p>
<p>Presbyterian, which has hospitals, clinics and medical staff, as well as a health plan, began offering free video visits to all of its 440,000 members this year. Members can access a physician on their smartphone to seek advice about things like a rash or sore throat, instead of visiting an urgent care clinic. Presbyterian contracted with an Arizona-based firm, MeMD, to provide the service, which puts patients in voice and video contact with a nationwide network of physicians. Those physicians get $25 per video visit.</p>
<p>Presbyterian Healthcare Services is also looking at the bundled payment concept, specifically for hip and knee replacements, which are some of the most common surgeries Medicare beneficiaries receive.</p>
<p />
| false | 2 |
physician dayana georgelucero pharmacistclinician ron scott check computer information one patients presbyterian medical group clinic west side health care organizations say ability coordinate data patients clinic visits medications tests helps avoid duplication increase effectiveness care provide jim thompsonalbuquerque journal theyll getting yet push changes medicaid medicare programs new mexico together provide coverage half states residents insurers also begun making changes private plans offer affordable care act policies sell large employers state changes include setting cost targets treatments providing incentives providers helping keep chronically ill patients like diabetics medication regime dont end needing costly hospital treatment another concept centers medicare medicaid services proposed involves bundled payments setting specific price treatment related procedure joint replacement instead present system providers paid step procedure incentive control prices advertisement soaring health care costs driving force change studies commonwealth fund private foundation focused health care shown spending health care us substantially higher countries results worse terms efficiency equity outcomes nonprofit tracks health care issues 2014 study comparing 11 countries showed us expensive annual percapita spending 8508 ranked last united kingdom spent 3405 per capita ranked number one survey cultural shift centers medicare medicaid services countrys largest single payer medicare sun chief medical officer bcbs nm nudging providers toward change publishing series road maps new financial model focused value rather volume care earlier year federal health human services department announced goal linking 85 percent traditional medicare payments quality value care end 2016 90 percent end 2018 challenge cultural change everyone unlike anything weve seen relates health care said patricia montoya new mexico coalition health care value health insight new mexico affordable care act passed 2010 also helped accelerate pace change enabled cms revamp way reimburses programs administers providing rewards quality penalties inefficient ineffective care example cms reduce medicare payments hospitals high rates hospitalacquired infections aca allowed states expand medicaid programs federal funding support 40 percent new mexicans covered medicaid cms administers medicaid federal level provides funding states run program state level new mexico contracts manage states centennial care medicaid program awarded blue cross blue shield new mexico molina healthcare new mexico presbyterian health plan united healthcare community plan new mexico directed reform payment models moving away traditional fee service toward providing incentives better outcomes advertisement full patient picture presbyterian molina blue cross blue shield change centered around model call patient centered medical home environment patients especially potentially costly chronic illnesses get continuum care help keep healthy robranmarques molina healthcare darcie robranmarques molinas chief medical officer explains means physicians work closely pharmacists clinics share information insurance companies see patients entire health care picture tests medications taking get prescriptions filled transportation get appointments said molina payers also developed financial incentives reward providers quality care molina pays providers clinics around state fixed amount per month care patients complex conditions also provides bonuses providers meeting target criteria disease management preventive care helping members avoid emergency room visits hospital stays robranmarques said really made successful regular meetings molina clinic staff share information health status members said example insurer share information whether highrisk patient filling prescriptions tests undergone blue cross also making changes according chief medical officer eugene sun said insurer adopted new systems paying providers care 124000 medicaid members one model insurer pays provider set monthly amount per patient coordinating care ensures provider upfront revenue stream cover extra services phone calls check patients doctor appointment new payment model includes performance pay incentive often part corporate executives compensation package providers earn performance pay ensure adult patients get certain preventive care mammograms colonoscopies pediatric patients show improvement time sun said payment value outside medicare medicaid programs new mexico health connections began selling private insurance plans 2013 health exchange established aca also focused payment value health connections pays quality bonus providers meet targets diabetic asthma care presbyterian implemented costsharing program presbyterians contract intel clinic operates rio rancho plant example sets monthly permember target cost treating employees join presbyterian plan care costs less target intel presbyterian share savings companies share cost presbyterian hospitals clinics medical staff well health plan began offering free video visits 440000 members year members access physician smartphone seek advice things like rash sore throat instead visiting urgent care clinic presbyterian contracted arizonabased firm memd provide service puts patients voice video contact nationwide network physicians physicians get 25 per video visit presbyterian healthcare services also looking bundled payment concept specifically hip knee replacements common surgeries medicare beneficiaries receive
| 725 |
<p>MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - For one Iraqi lieutenant, the fight against the Islamic State group in Mosul has been a slow, methodical quest for revenge. For three years, he has hunted for two IS militants from his village who he believes killed his father. Along the way, he has shot to death detained militants after interrogating them, he acknowledges unapologetically.</p>
<p>And if he catches either of the men he is searching for, the lieutenant vows he will inflict on him "a slow death" and hang his body from a post in the village after forcing him to reveal where his father's body is buried.</p>
<p>That sort of thirst for vengeance in the wake of military victories is fueling extrajudicial killings of suspected IS members at the hands of Iraqi security forces in and around Mosul. Videos that emerged last week showed troops in Mosul taking captured IS suspects and throwing them one by one off a high wall next to the Tigris River, then shooting their bodies below.</p>
<p>Speaking to The Associated Press, four Iraqi officers from three different branches of the military and security forces openly admitted that their troops killed unarmed and captured Islamic State suspects, and they defended the practice. They, like the lieutenant, spoke on condition of anonymity because they acknowledged such practices were against international law, but all those interviewed by AP said they believed the fight against IS should be exempt from such rules of war because militant rule in Iraq was so cruel.</p>
<p>However, the killings risk tipping Iraq back into the cycles of violence that have plagued the country for over a decade, according to Belkis Wille, Iraq researcher with Human Rights Watch. The Islamic State group was able to attract recruits in the past because of people's anger over abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture and extrajudicial killings, she said.</p>
<p>If abuses continue, "all you're going to see is (that) young Sunni Arab men are going to want to join whatever the next extremist group looks like," she said. Despite the military's vows not to tolerate it, she said no soldier or commander has been held accountable for any killings.</p>
<p>The bloodshed reflects the deeply personal nature of the fight against IS. When the militants overran Mosul and large parts of northern and western Iraq in 2014, they specifically targeted members of the military and security forces and their families for brutal atrocities. Near Tirkrit, IS massacred some 1,700 captured military recruits and buried them in mass graves that have been uncovered since. Hundreds of policemen and soldiers in Mosul are believed to have been killed after the takeover. Militants made no attempt to hide atrocities.</p>
<p>Defense Ministry's spokesman, Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, said that authorities "have not registered any incident of revenge killing, whether carried out by security forces or residents. The situation is under full control and we will not allow such incidents to happen because this issue is very sensitive and leads to violent reactions."</p>
<p>But a senior Iraqi officer said his troops regularly killed men who were said to be IS among civilians fleeing the city at screening centers in and around Mosul. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the possibility it could prompt legal repercussions.</p>
<p>"When an entire group of civilians tells us, 'This man is Daesh,' yes, we shoot him," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.</p>
<p>"When you're facing a man who has killed your friends, your family, yes, sometimes the men get rough," he added. "But for us, this is personal."</p>
<p>The lieutenant said the two men who killed his father were well known in his hometown, a small village south of Mosul. He agreed to share his story with the AP because he wanted to show how personal the fight is for Iraqi troops. Two of his colleagues confirmed his version of events. The AP is not revealing the names of the men he is pursuing because there is no way to confirm independently they belonged to IS.</p>
<p>The lieutenant said his father was an officer in the security forces who fought al-Qaida, the predecessor to IS, in 2007, at the height of Iraq's sectarian violence. After the Islamic State group seized the village in 2014, the tribes that were once kicked out for al-Qaida ties moved back in, and IS installed them in security and administrative positions.</p>
<p>According to the lieutenant, two men grabbed the lieutenant's father outside his home. The two were among those previously expelled for al-Qaida ties, he said.</p>
<p>The lieutenant was away, and his neighbors told him his father had been killed and who did it. He said he was told the men boasted about it in public. IS fighters also killed the lieutenant's uncle and more than a dozen other friends and relatives.</p>
<p>The lieutenant keeps an old picture of the two men on his phone. He said a handful of other troops know about his hunt and have helped him interrogate and kill IS suspects.</p>
<p>As Iraqi forces advanced toward the lieutenant's village last year in the lead-up to Mosul, he began interrogating captured IS suspects.</p>
<p>"Most of them I just asked questions," he said, "but for those who I knew had blood on their hands, I killed them on the spot."</p>
<p>He said he has killed more than 40 militants, whether in combat or in interrogations on the sidelines of the battle. He acknowledged most were not directly responsible for his relatives' deaths.</p>
<p>"I'm not selfish with my revenge, what I'm doing is for all Iraqis," he said.</p>
<p>Early on in the Mosul operation, he said he learned that one of the two men was in Tal Afar, a town west of Mosul that remains in IS hands, or had fled to Syria.</p>
<p>In early July, as Iraqi forces pushed into Mosul's Old City, he received a tip on the location of the second man. He said a colleague, an intelligence officer, called and said he was holding an IS suspect from the lieutenant's home town.</p>
<p>"I told him don't do anything, keep him there. I'm on my way," the lieutenant said.</p>
<p>The detainee was the uncle of the lieutenant's second target. The man was left alone with the lieutenant in a bare concrete room without a table or chair.</p>
<p>"I didn't torture him. I cut the plastic handcuffs from his wrists and gave him water," the lieutenant said. The man was elderly, with a grey beard and hair.</p>
<p>"He begged me not to kill him as I questioned him," he said, smiling. "He could barely walk (he was so scared)."</p>
<p>Eventually, the man told the lieutenant that his second target was alive and in Mosul's Old City.</p>
<p>"After I questioned him I sent him to hell," the lieutenant said flatly. He said he shot the man with his side arm and left his body on the floor.</p>
<p>The first reports of revenge killings appeared within weeks of the launch of the Mosul operation last year and continued throughout. But the government and rights groups do not have an exact number.</p>
<p>In June, Human Rights Watch said at least 26 bodies of blindfolded and handcuffed men had been found dumped in government-held areas in and around Mosul. A month later, HRW said it had further reports of extrajudicial killings. Wille of Human Rights Watch said it was taking place "basically everywhere that is touched by this conflict" and by every armed force involved in the fight.</p>
<p>The military says troops have orders to hand any captured IS over for interrogation ahead of future trial.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday acknowledged that rights violations took place during the Iraqi forces' battle in Mosul but described them as "individual acts" by persons who were either "ignorant" of the consequences or who had struck a deal with Daesh with the intent "to defame us and the security forces."</p>
<p>He pledged the government would punish the perpetrators.</p>
<p>The lieutenant dismissed the idea of going to the courts, saying they are corrupt and suspects could bribe their way to freedom.</p>
<p>"I know some people believe that this kind of killing is wrong, but Daesh, they are not human beings," he said. "I am the one who still has my humanity."</p>
<p>When al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul last week, the lieutenant said he believed his target is still in one of the last IS pockets in the Old City.</p>
<p>"I hope I find him alive," he said, "because I want to make sure he dies a slow death, not quick. I want him to tell me where my father's body is buried, and then I want to take his body and hang it from a post in my village."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.</p>
<p>MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - For one Iraqi lieutenant, the fight against the Islamic State group in Mosul has been a slow, methodical quest for revenge. For three years, he has hunted for two IS militants from his village who he believes killed his father. Along the way, he has shot to death detained militants after interrogating them, he acknowledges unapologetically.</p>
<p>And if he catches either of the men he is searching for, the lieutenant vows he will inflict on him "a slow death" and hang his body from a post in the village after forcing him to reveal where his father's body is buried.</p>
<p>That sort of thirst for vengeance in the wake of military victories is fueling extrajudicial killings of suspected IS members at the hands of Iraqi security forces in and around Mosul. Videos that emerged last week showed troops in Mosul taking captured IS suspects and throwing them one by one off a high wall next to the Tigris River, then shooting their bodies below.</p>
<p>Speaking to The Associated Press, four Iraqi officers from three different branches of the military and security forces openly admitted that their troops killed unarmed and captured Islamic State suspects, and they defended the practice. They, like the lieutenant, spoke on condition of anonymity because they acknowledged such practices were against international law, but all those interviewed by AP said they believed the fight against IS should be exempt from such rules of war because militant rule in Iraq was so cruel.</p>
<p>However, the killings risk tipping Iraq back into the cycles of violence that have plagued the country for over a decade, according to Belkis Wille, Iraq researcher with Human Rights Watch. The Islamic State group was able to attract recruits in the past because of people's anger over abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture and extrajudicial killings, she said.</p>
<p>If abuses continue, "all you're going to see is (that) young Sunni Arab men are going to want to join whatever the next extremist group looks like," she said. Despite the military's vows not to tolerate it, she said no soldier or commander has been held accountable for any killings.</p>
<p>The bloodshed reflects the deeply personal nature of the fight against IS. When the militants overran Mosul and large parts of northern and western Iraq in 2014, they specifically targeted members of the military and security forces and their families for brutal atrocities. Near Tirkrit, IS massacred some 1,700 captured military recruits and buried them in mass graves that have been uncovered since. Hundreds of policemen and soldiers in Mosul are believed to have been killed after the takeover. Militants made no attempt to hide atrocities.</p>
<p>Defense Ministry's spokesman, Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, said that authorities "have not registered any incident of revenge killing, whether carried out by security forces or residents. The situation is under full control and we will not allow such incidents to happen because this issue is very sensitive and leads to violent reactions."</p>
<p>But a senior Iraqi officer said his troops regularly killed men who were said to be IS among civilians fleeing the city at screening centers in and around Mosul. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the possibility it could prompt legal repercussions.</p>
<p>"When an entire group of civilians tells us, 'This man is Daesh,' yes, we shoot him," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.</p>
<p>"When you're facing a man who has killed your friends, your family, yes, sometimes the men get rough," he added. "But for us, this is personal."</p>
<p>The lieutenant said the two men who killed his father were well known in his hometown, a small village south of Mosul. He agreed to share his story with the AP because he wanted to show how personal the fight is for Iraqi troops. Two of his colleagues confirmed his version of events. The AP is not revealing the names of the men he is pursuing because there is no way to confirm independently they belonged to IS.</p>
<p>The lieutenant said his father was an officer in the security forces who fought al-Qaida, the predecessor to IS, in 2007, at the height of Iraq's sectarian violence. After the Islamic State group seized the village in 2014, the tribes that were once kicked out for al-Qaida ties moved back in, and IS installed them in security and administrative positions.</p>
<p>According to the lieutenant, two men grabbed the lieutenant's father outside his home. The two were among those previously expelled for al-Qaida ties, he said.</p>
<p>The lieutenant was away, and his neighbors told him his father had been killed and who did it. He said he was told the men boasted about it in public. IS fighters also killed the lieutenant's uncle and more than a dozen other friends and relatives.</p>
<p>The lieutenant keeps an old picture of the two men on his phone. He said a handful of other troops know about his hunt and have helped him interrogate and kill IS suspects.</p>
<p>As Iraqi forces advanced toward the lieutenant's village last year in the lead-up to Mosul, he began interrogating captured IS suspects.</p>
<p>"Most of them I just asked questions," he said, "but for those who I knew had blood on their hands, I killed them on the spot."</p>
<p>He said he has killed more than 40 militants, whether in combat or in interrogations on the sidelines of the battle. He acknowledged most were not directly responsible for his relatives' deaths.</p>
<p>"I'm not selfish with my revenge, what I'm doing is for all Iraqis," he said.</p>
<p>Early on in the Mosul operation, he said he learned that one of the two men was in Tal Afar, a town west of Mosul that remains in IS hands, or had fled to Syria.</p>
<p>In early July, as Iraqi forces pushed into Mosul's Old City, he received a tip on the location of the second man. He said a colleague, an intelligence officer, called and said he was holding an IS suspect from the lieutenant's home town.</p>
<p>"I told him don't do anything, keep him there. I'm on my way," the lieutenant said.</p>
<p>The detainee was the uncle of the lieutenant's second target. The man was left alone with the lieutenant in a bare concrete room without a table or chair.</p>
<p>"I didn't torture him. I cut the plastic handcuffs from his wrists and gave him water," the lieutenant said. The man was elderly, with a grey beard and hair.</p>
<p>"He begged me not to kill him as I questioned him," he said, smiling. "He could barely walk (he was so scared)."</p>
<p>Eventually, the man told the lieutenant that his second target was alive and in Mosul's Old City.</p>
<p>"After I questioned him I sent him to hell," the lieutenant said flatly. He said he shot the man with his side arm and left his body on the floor.</p>
<p>The first reports of revenge killings appeared within weeks of the launch of the Mosul operation last year and continued throughout. But the government and rights groups do not have an exact number.</p>
<p>In June, Human Rights Watch said at least 26 bodies of blindfolded and handcuffed men had been found dumped in government-held areas in and around Mosul. A month later, HRW said it had further reports of extrajudicial killings. Wille of Human Rights Watch said it was taking place "basically everywhere that is touched by this conflict" and by every armed force involved in the fight.</p>
<p>The military says troops have orders to hand any captured IS over for interrogation ahead of future trial.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday acknowledged that rights violations took place during the Iraqi forces' battle in Mosul but described them as "individual acts" by persons who were either "ignorant" of the consequences or who had struck a deal with Daesh with the intent "to defame us and the security forces."</p>
<p>He pledged the government would punish the perpetrators.</p>
<p>The lieutenant dismissed the idea of going to the courts, saying they are corrupt and suspects could bribe their way to freedom.</p>
<p>"I know some people believe that this kind of killing is wrong, but Daesh, they are not human beings," he said. "I am the one who still has my humanity."</p>
<p>When al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul last week, the lieutenant said he believed his target is still in one of the last IS pockets in the Old City.</p>
<p>"I hope I find him alive," he said, "because I want to make sure he dies a slow death, not quick. I want him to tell me where my father's body is buried, and then I want to take his body and hang it from a post in my village."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
mosul iraq ap one iraqi lieutenant fight islamic state group mosul slow methodical quest revenge three years hunted two militants village believes killed father along way shot death detained militants interrogating acknowledges unapologetically catches either men searching lieutenant vows inflict slow death hang body post village forcing reveal fathers body buried sort thirst vengeance wake military victories fueling extrajudicial killings suspected members hands iraqi security forces around mosul videos emerged last week showed troops mosul taking captured suspects throwing one one high wall next tigris river shooting bodies speaking associated press four iraqi officers three different branches military security forces openly admitted troops killed unarmed captured islamic state suspects defended practice like lieutenant spoke condition anonymity acknowledged practices international law interviewed ap said believed fight exempt rules war militant rule iraq cruel however killings risk tipping iraq back cycles violence plagued country decade according belkis wille iraq researcher human rights watch islamic state group able attract recruits past peoples anger abuses including arbitrary detentions torture extrajudicial killings said abuses continue youre going see young sunni arab men going want join whatever next extremist group looks like said despite militarys vows tolerate said soldier commander held accountable killings bloodshed reflects deeply personal nature fight militants overran mosul large parts northern western iraq 2014 specifically targeted members military security forces families brutal atrocities near tirkrit massacred 1700 captured military recruits buried mass graves uncovered since hundreds policemen soldiers mosul believed killed takeover militants made attempt hide atrocities defense ministrys spokesman brig gen tahseen ibrahim said authorities registered incident revenge killing whether carried security forces residents situation full control allow incidents happen issue sensitive leads violent reactions senior iraqi officer said troops regularly killed men said among civilians fleeing city screening centers around mosul spoke condition anonymity possibility could prompt legal repercussions entire group civilians tells us man daesh yes shoot said using arabic acronym islamic state group youre facing man killed friends family yes sometimes men get rough added us personal lieutenant said two men killed father well known hometown small village south mosul agreed share story ap wanted show personal fight iraqi troops two colleagues confirmed version events ap revealing names men pursuing way confirm independently belonged lieutenant said father officer security forces fought alqaida predecessor 2007 height iraqs sectarian violence islamic state group seized village 2014 tribes kicked alqaida ties moved back installed security administrative positions according lieutenant two men grabbed lieutenants father outside home two among previously expelled alqaida ties said lieutenant away neighbors told father killed said told men boasted public fighters also killed lieutenants uncle dozen friends relatives lieutenant keeps old picture two men phone said handful troops know hunt helped interrogate kill suspects iraqi forces advanced toward lieutenants village last year leadup mosul began interrogating captured suspects asked questions said knew blood hands killed spot said killed 40 militants whether combat interrogations sidelines battle acknowledged directly responsible relatives deaths im selfish revenge im iraqis said early mosul operation said learned one two men tal afar town west mosul remains hands fled syria early july iraqi forces pushed mosuls old city received tip location second man said colleague intelligence officer called said holding suspect lieutenants home town told dont anything keep im way lieutenant said detainee uncle lieutenants second target man left alone lieutenant bare concrete room without table chair didnt torture cut plastic handcuffs wrists gave water lieutenant said man elderly grey beard hair begged kill questioned said smiling could barely walk scared eventually man told lieutenant second target alive mosuls old city questioned sent hell lieutenant said flatly said shot man side arm left body floor first reports revenge killings appeared within weeks launch mosul operation last year continued throughout government rights groups exact number june human rights watch said least 26 bodies blindfolded handcuffed men found dumped governmentheld areas around mosul month later hrw said reports extrajudicial killings wille human rights watch said taking place basically everywhere touched conflict every armed force involved fight military says troops orders hand captured interrogation ahead future trial prime minister haider alabadi tuesday acknowledged rights violations took place iraqi forces battle mosul described individual acts persons either ignorant consequences struck deal daesh intent defame us security forces pledged government would punish perpetrators lieutenant dismissed idea going courts saying corrupt suspects could bribe way freedom know people believe kind killing wrong daesh human beings said one still humanity alabadi declared total victory mosul last week lieutenant said believed target still one last pockets old city hope find alive said want make sure dies slow death quick want tell fathers body buried want take body hang post village ___ associated press writer sinan salaheddin baghdad contributed report mosul iraq ap one iraqi lieutenant fight islamic state group mosul slow methodical quest revenge three years hunted two militants village believes killed father along way shot death detained militants interrogating acknowledges unapologetically catches either men searching lieutenant vows inflict slow death hang body post village forcing reveal fathers body buried sort thirst vengeance wake military victories fueling extrajudicial killings suspected members hands iraqi security forces around mosul videos emerged last week showed troops mosul taking captured suspects throwing one one high wall next tigris river shooting bodies speaking associated press four iraqi officers three different branches military security forces openly admitted troops killed unarmed captured islamic state suspects defended practice like lieutenant spoke condition anonymity acknowledged practices international law interviewed ap said believed fight exempt rules war militant rule iraq cruel however killings risk tipping iraq back cycles violence plagued country decade according belkis wille iraq researcher human rights watch islamic state group able attract recruits past peoples anger abuses including arbitrary detentions torture extrajudicial killings said abuses continue youre going see young sunni arab men going want join whatever next extremist group looks like said despite militarys vows tolerate said soldier commander held accountable killings bloodshed reflects deeply personal nature fight militants overran mosul large parts northern western iraq 2014 specifically targeted members military security forces families brutal atrocities near tirkrit massacred 1700 captured military recruits buried mass graves uncovered since hundreds policemen soldiers mosul believed killed takeover militants made attempt hide atrocities defense ministrys spokesman brig gen tahseen ibrahim said authorities registered incident revenge killing whether carried security forces residents situation full control allow incidents happen issue sensitive leads violent reactions senior iraqi officer said troops regularly killed men said among civilians fleeing city screening centers around mosul spoke condition anonymity possibility could prompt legal repercussions entire group civilians tells us man daesh yes shoot said using arabic acronym islamic state group youre facing man killed friends family yes sometimes men get rough added us personal lieutenant said two men killed father well known hometown small village south mosul agreed share story ap wanted show personal fight iraqi troops two colleagues confirmed version events ap revealing names men pursuing way confirm independently belonged lieutenant said father officer security forces fought alqaida predecessor 2007 height iraqs sectarian violence islamic state group seized village 2014 tribes kicked alqaida ties moved back installed security administrative positions according lieutenant two men grabbed lieutenants father outside home two among previously expelled alqaida ties said lieutenant away neighbors told father killed said told men boasted public fighters also killed lieutenants uncle dozen friends relatives lieutenant keeps old picture two men phone said handful troops know hunt helped interrogate kill suspects iraqi forces advanced toward lieutenants village last year leadup mosul began interrogating captured suspects asked questions said knew blood hands killed spot said killed 40 militants whether combat interrogations sidelines battle acknowledged directly responsible relatives deaths im selfish revenge im iraqis said early mosul operation said learned one two men tal afar town west mosul remains hands fled syria early july iraqi forces pushed mosuls old city received tip location second man said colleague intelligence officer called said holding suspect lieutenants home town told dont anything keep im way lieutenant said detainee uncle lieutenants second target man left alone lieutenant bare concrete room without table chair didnt torture cut plastic handcuffs wrists gave water lieutenant said man elderly grey beard hair begged kill questioned said smiling could barely walk scared eventually man told lieutenant second target alive mosuls old city questioned sent hell lieutenant said flatly said shot man side arm left body floor first reports revenge killings appeared within weeks launch mosul operation last year continued throughout government rights groups exact number june human rights watch said least 26 bodies blindfolded handcuffed men found dumped governmentheld areas around mosul month later hrw said reports extrajudicial killings wille human rights watch said taking place basically everywhere touched conflict every armed force involved fight military says troops orders hand captured interrogation ahead future trial prime minister haider alabadi tuesday acknowledged rights violations took place iraqi forces battle mosul described individual acts persons either ignorant consequences struck deal daesh intent defame us security forces pledged government would punish perpetrators lieutenant dismissed idea going courts saying corrupt suspects could bribe way freedom know people believe kind killing wrong daesh human beings said one still humanity alabadi declared total victory mosul last week lieutenant said believed target still one last pockets old city hope find alive said want make sure dies slow death quick want tell fathers body buried want take body hang post village ___ associated press writer sinan salaheddin baghdad contributed report
| 1,554 |
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has published the rules that will govern its legal marijuana economy in 2018, giving businesses and consumers a glimpse into the future.</p>
<p>But there are important steps before legal recreational sales kick off on Jan. 1, and even more uncertainties about how the marketplace will function. Warning: Don't count on being able to stroll into your local dispensary on New Year's Day to celebrate with a pot cookie or joint.</p>
<p>WHY ARE THE REGULATIONS IMPORTANT?</p>
<p>They form the framework of the new pot economy, estimated to be worth $7 billion. Can you make animal-shaped edibles? No. Transport pot in a drone? No. But retailers can be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's a dense stack of rules that includes fees for licensing (nearly $80,000 annually for a large grower), how pot will be traced from seed to sale and testing requirements to ensure customers get what they pay for.</p>
<p>CAN I BUY LEGAL RECREATIONAL POT ON JAN. 1?</p>
<p>For most people, probably not. It will vary place to place, but many cities are not prepared. Even though the state regulations went out Thursday, the Bureau of Cannabis Control is still developing an online system for businesses to apply for operating licenses. California is working out technical bugs and hopes it will be ready in early December.</p>
<p>"There certainly will be licenses issued on Jan. 1," said Alex Traverso of the Bureau of Cannabis Control.</p>
<p>But there's a snag: To apply for a state license, a grower or seller first needs a local permit, and many cities are struggling to establish those rules, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the biggest markets.</p>
<p>"I think the state dropped the ball big time. This should have been done by June, July," said Los Angeles grower and retailer Donnie Anderson. "I don't think this is going to be ready."</p>
<p>Other places, like Kern County, have banned commercial pot activity. At the same time, San Diego is among the cities that have local rules in place and are ready for legal sales. Palm Springs is planning for cannabis lounges, where recreational pot can be smoked on site.</p>
<p>A GRADUAL START</p>
<p>For six months, the state is allowing businesses to bend the rules a bit, recognizing it will take time for the new system to take hold. During that period, businesses can sell products that do not meet new packaging requirements. Retailers can sell inventory that does not meet new rules for ingredients or appearance.</p>
<p>At an industry conference in September, California's top pot regulator sought to ease concerns that the state would move quickly on enforcement against operations without licenses. If authorities are aware a business has applied for a license "I don't want you to have anxiety that we're out there and we're going to be enforcing everything right away," said Lori Ajax, who heads the state cannabis bureau.</p>
<p>EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY</p>
<p>Even if you get a license, it will be temporary — good for 120 days. In some cases, there can be a 90-day extension on top of that. During that time, the state will review a business' credentials and information submitted in the license application, such as financial records and investors in the business.</p>
<p>The regulations issued by the state this week are temporary, too.</p>
<p>MANY CHALLENGES REMAIN</p>
<p>Key pieces of the legal pot system are still in the works. A massive tracking system that will follow plants from seed to sale is in development, but officials say it will be ready at the start of the new year. It's not clear if enough distributors will be available to move cannabis from fields to testing labs and eventually to retail shops, possibly creating a bottleneck between growers and store shelves.</p>
<p>THE LOOMING BLACK MARKET</p>
<p>No one knows how many operators will apply for licenses. While medical marijuana has been legal in California for over two decades, most growing and selling occurs in the black market. Come Jan. 1, officials hope those growers and sellers will join the legal pot economy.</p>
<p>But there are concerns many might continue business as usual to avoid new taxes, which could hit 45 percent in the recreational market in some cases, according to a recent study by Fitch Ratings.</p>
<p>"The existing black market for cannabis may prove a formidable competitor" if taxes send legal retail prices soaring, the report said.</p>
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has published the rules that will govern its legal marijuana economy in 2018, giving businesses and consumers a glimpse into the future.</p>
<p>But there are important steps before legal recreational sales kick off on Jan. 1, and even more uncertainties about how the marketplace will function. Warning: Don't count on being able to stroll into your local dispensary on New Year's Day to celebrate with a pot cookie or joint.</p>
<p>WHY ARE THE REGULATIONS IMPORTANT?</p>
<p>They form the framework of the new pot economy, estimated to be worth $7 billion. Can you make animal-shaped edibles? No. Transport pot in a drone? No. But retailers can be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's a dense stack of rules that includes fees for licensing (nearly $80,000 annually for a large grower), how pot will be traced from seed to sale and testing requirements to ensure customers get what they pay for.</p>
<p>CAN I BUY LEGAL RECREATIONAL POT ON JAN. 1?</p>
<p>For most people, probably not. It will vary place to place, but many cities are not prepared. Even though the state regulations went out Thursday, the Bureau of Cannabis Control is still developing an online system for businesses to apply for operating licenses. California is working out technical bugs and hopes it will be ready in early December.</p>
<p>"There certainly will be licenses issued on Jan. 1," said Alex Traverso of the Bureau of Cannabis Control.</p>
<p>But there's a snag: To apply for a state license, a grower or seller first needs a local permit, and many cities are struggling to establish those rules, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the biggest markets.</p>
<p>"I think the state dropped the ball big time. This should have been done by June, July," said Los Angeles grower and retailer Donnie Anderson. "I don't think this is going to be ready."</p>
<p>Other places, like Kern County, have banned commercial pot activity. At the same time, San Diego is among the cities that have local rules in place and are ready for legal sales. Palm Springs is planning for cannabis lounges, where recreational pot can be smoked on site.</p>
<p>A GRADUAL START</p>
<p>For six months, the state is allowing businesses to bend the rules a bit, recognizing it will take time for the new system to take hold. During that period, businesses can sell products that do not meet new packaging requirements. Retailers can sell inventory that does not meet new rules for ingredients or appearance.</p>
<p>At an industry conference in September, California's top pot regulator sought to ease concerns that the state would move quickly on enforcement against operations without licenses. If authorities are aware a business has applied for a license "I don't want you to have anxiety that we're out there and we're going to be enforcing everything right away," said Lori Ajax, who heads the state cannabis bureau.</p>
<p>EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY</p>
<p>Even if you get a license, it will be temporary — good for 120 days. In some cases, there can be a 90-day extension on top of that. During that time, the state will review a business' credentials and information submitted in the license application, such as financial records and investors in the business.</p>
<p>The regulations issued by the state this week are temporary, too.</p>
<p>MANY CHALLENGES REMAIN</p>
<p>Key pieces of the legal pot system are still in the works. A massive tracking system that will follow plants from seed to sale is in development, but officials say it will be ready at the start of the new year. It's not clear if enough distributors will be available to move cannabis from fields to testing labs and eventually to retail shops, possibly creating a bottleneck between growers and store shelves.</p>
<p>THE LOOMING BLACK MARKET</p>
<p>No one knows how many operators will apply for licenses. While medical marijuana has been legal in California for over two decades, most growing and selling occurs in the black market. Come Jan. 1, officials hope those growers and sellers will join the legal pot economy.</p>
<p>But there are concerns many might continue business as usual to avoid new taxes, which could hit 45 percent in the recreational market in some cases, according to a recent study by Fitch Ratings.</p>
<p>"The existing black market for cannabis may prove a formidable competitor" if taxes send legal retail prices soaring, the report said.</p>
| false | 2 |
los angeles ap california published rules govern legal marijuana economy 2018 giving businesses consumers glimpse future important steps legal recreational sales kick jan 1 even uncertainties marketplace function warning dont count able stroll local dispensary new years day celebrate pot cookie joint regulations important form framework new pot economy estimated worth 7 billion make animalshaped edibles transport pot drone retailers open 6 10 pm dense stack rules includes fees licensing nearly 80000 annually large grower pot traced seed sale testing requirements ensure customers get pay buy legal recreational pot jan 1 people probably vary place place many cities prepared even though state regulations went thursday bureau cannabis control still developing online system businesses apply operating licenses california working technical bugs hopes ready early december certainly licenses issued jan 1 said alex traverso bureau cannabis control theres snag apply state license grower seller first needs local permit many cities struggling establish rules including los angeles san francisco two biggest markets think state dropped ball big time done june july said los angeles grower retailer donnie anderson dont think going ready places like kern county banned commercial pot activity time san diego among cities local rules place ready legal sales palm springs planning cannabis lounges recreational pot smoked site gradual start six months state allowing businesses bend rules bit recognizing take time new system take hold period businesses sell products meet new packaging requirements retailers sell inventory meet new rules ingredients appearance industry conference september californias top pot regulator sought ease concerns state would move quickly enforcement operations without licenses authorities aware business applied license dont want anxiety going enforcing everything right away said lori ajax heads state cannabis bureau everything temporary even get license temporary good 120 days cases 90day extension top time state review business credentials information submitted license application financial records investors business regulations issued state week temporary many challenges remain key pieces legal pot system still works massive tracking system follow plants seed sale development officials say ready start new year clear enough distributors available move cannabis fields testing labs eventually retail shops possibly creating bottleneck growers store shelves looming black market one knows many operators apply licenses medical marijuana legal california two decades growing selling occurs black market come jan 1 officials hope growers sellers join legal pot economy concerns many might continue business usual avoid new taxes could hit 45 percent recreational market cases according recent study fitch ratings existing black market cannabis may prove formidable competitor taxes send legal retail prices soaring report said los angeles ap california published rules govern legal marijuana economy 2018 giving businesses consumers glimpse future important steps legal recreational sales kick jan 1 even uncertainties marketplace function warning dont count able stroll local dispensary new years day celebrate pot cookie joint regulations important form framework new pot economy estimated worth 7 billion make animalshaped edibles transport pot drone retailers open 6 10 pm dense stack rules includes fees licensing nearly 80000 annually large grower pot traced seed sale testing requirements ensure customers get pay buy legal recreational pot jan 1 people probably vary place place many cities prepared even though state regulations went thursday bureau cannabis control still developing online system businesses apply operating licenses california working technical bugs hopes ready early december certainly licenses issued jan 1 said alex traverso bureau cannabis control theres snag apply state license grower seller first needs local permit many cities struggling establish rules including los angeles san francisco two biggest markets think state dropped ball big time done june july said los angeles grower retailer donnie anderson dont think going ready places like kern county banned commercial pot activity time san diego among cities local rules place ready legal sales palm springs planning cannabis lounges recreational pot smoked site gradual start six months state allowing businesses bend rules bit recognizing take time new system take hold period businesses sell products meet new packaging requirements retailers sell inventory meet new rules ingredients appearance industry conference september californias top pot regulator sought ease concerns state would move quickly enforcement operations without licenses authorities aware business applied license dont want anxiety going enforcing everything right away said lori ajax heads state cannabis bureau everything temporary even get license temporary good 120 days cases 90day extension top time state review business credentials information submitted license application financial records investors business regulations issued state week temporary many challenges remain key pieces legal pot system still works massive tracking system follow plants seed sale development officials say ready start new year clear enough distributors available move cannabis fields testing labs eventually retail shops possibly creating bottleneck growers store shelves looming black market one knows many operators apply licenses medical marijuana legal california two decades growing selling occurs black market come jan 1 officials hope growers sellers join legal pot economy concerns many might continue business usual avoid new taxes could hit 45 percent recreational market cases according recent study fitch ratings existing black market cannabis may prove formidable competitor taxes send legal retail prices soaring report said
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<p>FILE - This undated file image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier held prisoner for years by the Taliban after leaving his post in Afghanistan. Observers wondered for months if Bergdahl would be charged with desertion. But military prosecutors have reached into a seldom used section of military law to charge Bergdahl with misbehavior before the enemy. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, file)</p>
<p>RALEIGH, N.C. - Military prosecutors have reached into a section of military law seldom used since World War II in the politically fraught case against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier held prisoner for years by the Taliban after leaving his post in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Observers wondered for months if Bergdahl would be charged with desertion after the deal brokered by the U.S. to bring him home. He was - but he was also charged with misbehavior before the enemy, a much rarer offense that carries a stiffer potential penalty in this case.</p>
<p>"I've never seen it charged," Walter Huffman, a retired major general who served as the Army's top lawyer, said of the misbehavior charge. "It's not something you find in common everyday practice in the military."</p>
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<p>Bergdahl could face a life sentence if convicted of the charge, which accuses him of endangering fellow soldiers when he "left without authority; and wrongfully caused search and recovery operations."</p>
<p>Huffman and others say the misbehavior charge allows authorities to allege that Bergdahl not only left his unit with one less soldier, but that his deliberate action put soldiers who searched for him in harm's way. The Pentagon has said there is no evidence anyone died searching for Bergdahl.</p>
<p>"You're able to say that what he did had a particular impact or put particular people at risk. It is less generic than just quitting," said Lawrence Morris, a retired Army colonel who served as the branch's top prosecutor and top public defender.</p>
<p>The Obama administration has been criticized both for agreeing to release five Taliban operatives from the Guantanamo Bay prison and for heralding Bergdahl's return to the U.S. with an announcement in the White House Rose Garden. The administration stood by the way it secured his release even after the charges were announced.</p>
<p>The military has scheduled an initial court appearance known as an Article 32 hearing for Bergdahl on Sept. 17 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The proceeding is similar to a civilian grand jury, and afterward the case could be referred to a court-martial and go to trial.</p>
<p>Misbehavior before the enemy was used hundreds of times during World War II, but scholars say its use appears to have dwindled in conflicts since then. Misbehavior before the enemy cases were tried at least 494 times for soldiers in Europe between 1942 and 1945, according to a Military Law Review article.</p>
<p>Legal databases and media accounts turn up only a few misbehavior cases since 2001 when fighting began in Afghanistan, followed by Iraq less than two years later. By contrast, statistics show the U.S. Army prosecuted about 1,900 desertion cases between 2001 and the end of 2014.</p>
<p>The misbehavior charge is included in Article 99 of the military justice code, which is best known for its use to prosecute cases of cowardice. However, Article 99 encompasses nine different offenses including several not necessarily motivated by cowardice, such as causing a false alarm or endangering one's unit - the charge Bergdahl faces.</p>
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<p>The complexity of Article 99 may be one reason it's not frequently used, said Morris, who published a book on the military justice system.</p>
<p>"It is of course more complicated than the desertion charge, not as well understood, a higher burden on the government to prove," he said.</p>
<p>Huffman, now a law professor at Texas Tech University, said another reason may be that different parts of military law already deal with similar misconduct, including disobeying orders and avoiding duty.</p>
<p>Recent prosecutions under the misbehavior charge include a Marine lance corporal who pleaded guilty after refusing to provide security for a convoy leaving base in Iraq in 2004. A soldier in Iraq was charged with cowardice in 2003 under Article 99 after he saw a mangled body and sought counseling, but the charges were later dropped.</p>
<p>The specification that Bergdahl faces appears in the 1971 case of an Army captain accused of endangering a base in Vietnam by disobeying an order to establish an ambush position. The captain was found guilty of other charges including dereliction of duty.</p>
<p>Another case cited in a 1955 military law journal says an Army corporal was convicted under Article 99 of endangering his unit in Korea by getting drunk on duty. The article says he "became so drunk that it took the tank company commander thirty minutes to arouse him."</p>
<p>For Bergdahl, the Article 99 offense allows the prosecutors to seek a stiffer penalty than the desertion charge, which in this case carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.</p>
<p>Bergdahl's attorney, Eugene Fidell, has argued his client is being charged twice for the same action, saying in a previous television interview that "it's unfortunate that someone got creative in drafting the charge sheet and figured out two ways to charge the same thing."</p>
<p>The scholars say that's a valid issue for Fidell to bring up in court, but it may not sway military authorities.</p>
<p>"The question is: Is it a piling on?" said Jeffrey K. Walker, a St. John's University law professor, retired Air Force officer and former military lawyer. "It does almost look like you're trying to get two bites at the same apple."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press news researchers Jennifer Farrar and Barbara Sambriski contributed to this report.</p>
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file undated file image provided us army shows sgt bowe bergdahl soldier held prisoner years taliban leaving post afghanistan observers wondered months bergdahl would charged desertion military prosecutors reached seldom used section military law charge bergdahl misbehavior enemy ap photous army file raleigh nc military prosecutors reached section military law seldom used since world war ii politically fraught case army sgt bowe bergdahl soldier held prisoner years taliban leaving post afghanistan observers wondered months bergdahl would charged desertion deal brokered us bring home also charged misbehavior enemy much rarer offense carries stiffer potential penalty case ive never seen charged walter huffman retired major general served armys top lawyer said misbehavior charge something find common everyday practice military advertisement bergdahl could face life sentence convicted charge accuses endangering fellow soldiers left without authority wrongfully caused search recovery operations huffman others say misbehavior charge allows authorities allege bergdahl left unit one less soldier deliberate action put soldiers searched harms way pentagon said evidence anyone died searching bergdahl youre able say particular impact put particular people risk less generic quitting said lawrence morris retired army colonel served branchs top prosecutor top public defender obama administration criticized agreeing release five taliban operatives guantanamo bay prison heralding bergdahls return us announcement white house rose garden administration stood way secured release even charges announced military scheduled initial court appearance known article 32 hearing bergdahl sept 17 fort sam houston texas proceeding similar civilian grand jury afterward case could referred courtmartial go trial misbehavior enemy used hundreds times world war ii scholars say use appears dwindled conflicts since misbehavior enemy cases tried least 494 times soldiers europe 1942 1945 according military law review article legal databases media accounts turn misbehavior cases since 2001 fighting began afghanistan followed iraq less two years later contrast statistics show us army prosecuted 1900 desertion cases 2001 end 2014 misbehavior charge included article 99 military justice code best known use prosecute cases cowardice however article 99 encompasses nine different offenses including several necessarily motivated cowardice causing false alarm endangering ones unit charge bergdahl faces advertisement complexity article 99 may one reason frequently used said morris published book military justice system course complicated desertion charge well understood higher burden government prove said huffman law professor texas tech university said another reason may different parts military law already deal similar misconduct including disobeying orders avoiding duty recent prosecutions misbehavior charge include marine lance corporal pleaded guilty refusing provide security convoy leaving base iraq 2004 soldier iraq charged cowardice 2003 article 99 saw mangled body sought counseling charges later dropped specification bergdahl faces appears 1971 case army captain accused endangering base vietnam disobeying order establish ambush position captain found guilty charges including dereliction duty another case cited 1955 military law journal says army corporal convicted article 99 endangering unit korea getting drunk duty article says became drunk took tank company commander thirty minutes arouse bergdahl article 99 offense allows prosecutors seek stiffer penalty desertion charge case carries maximum sentence five years prison bergdahls attorney eugene fidell argued client charged twice action saying previous television interview unfortunate someone got creative drafting charge sheet figured two ways charge thing scholars say thats valid issue fidell bring court may sway military authorities question piling said jeffrey k walker st johns university law professor retired air force officer former military lawyer almost look like youre trying get two bites apple ___ associated press news researchers jennifer farrar barbara sambriski contributed report
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<p>EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — This is the lesson that the working-class city of Everett has learned: It takes a community to rescue the hardcore homeless.</p>
<p>It takes teams of outreach workers — building relationships with men and women struggling with addiction or untreated mental illness, prodding them to get help. It takes police and other agencies, working together to provide for their needs.</p>
<p>And it takes a prosecutor who was tired of managing the unending cycle of homelessness — jail-street-jail-street-jail. Hil Kaman left his job prosecuting the homeless and took up the challenge of finding solutions. For starters, he helped put together a team that would track the 25 most costly and vulnerable cases, and hover over each one individually until he or she was in treatment or housing.</p>
<p>“It was when everything else seems to have failed,” said Kaman, who became the city’s public health and safety director 17 months ago.</p>
<p>“They’ll bring someone to jail several hundred times, bring someone to the emergency department dozens of times — the (people) resistant to treatment and other alternatives. It was a call to say, ‘Isn’t there anything else that we could do?’”</p>
<p>Kaman (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>In two years, Everett’s specialized team has found some form of housing for 14 chronically homeless people on its by-name list. The city’s newly formed community outreach enforcement team has gotten more than two dozen people into long-term treatment, primarily using beds paid through a partnership with a nonprofit that helps officers deal with the opioid crisis. The city also set up a flex fund that accepts private donations to help pay for motel rooms, bus tickets and other costs.</p>
<p>It’s among an array of strategies the city has tried. There is still much work to do: Everett, a city of 110,000 north of Seattle hard-hit by the opioid epidemic, and surrounding Snohomish County saw a 65 percent jump in people living outside between 2015 and 2017 — one of the largest increases on the West Coast in that period, according to a one-night count earlier this year.</p>
<p>The number of unsheltered chronically homeless — those who have been homeless for longer than a year while struggling with a serious mental illness, substance use disorder or physical disability — has grown steadily in the Everett region, more than doubling since 2015. That’s even as the city and county added more supportive housing.</p>
<p>Kaman and others say a combination of the opioid epidemic, poverty, lack of unskilled jobs, rising rents, and a shortage of affordable housing have made it even harder for those who fall into homelessness to get out.</p>
<p>The problem is not limited to Everett; up and down the West Coast, the high cost of housing has forced thousands of people to live on the streets, a trend that opioids have exacerbated.</p>
<p>“These are expensive places to live. It’s expensive for everybody. But the burden falls the hardest on people with the biggest problems,” said Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>In 2011, roughly one in every five opioid-related deaths in Washington state took place in this county. That was the peak, but heroin deaths remain high and deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are climbing. Last month, county officials partially activated its emergency coordination center, typically used for natural disasters, to respond to the opioid crisis. So far this year, health officials have collected 2 million discarded needles.</p>
<p>In this former lumber town on scenic Puget Sound, where thousands of workers assemble the newest Boeing airplanes, the crisis had become so dire that this year Everett city officials became among the first to sue the manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin. The city blames Purdue Pharma for an addiction crisis that has overwhelmed city resources and deepened its homelessness problem.</p>
<p>An outreach worker finds a used needle while cleaning up an Everett homeless encampment. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Kaman joined the city’s mayor, police chief, city council members and others who drove to Seattle in September for the city’s successful argument that a federal judge allow its lawsuit against the drug manufacturer to proceed.</p>
<p>While that case works through the court, social workers and police officers are fanning out to find people camping under the freeway or living in RVs or the woods and try to connect them to services. Many of them initially deflect treatment, or are too ill to even know they need aid.</p>
<p>James McGee, a heroin addict who was living in his minivan on the streets, was among those who got help.</p>
<p>The 27-year-old started popping OxyContin prescription pills after a shoulder surgery. When the drug manufacturer changed its formula, he switched to cheaper heroin. He first told himself he would never shoot up. Then he did.</p>
<p>“You draw that line, tell yourself you’re not going to pass that, and the next thing, you do,” McGee said. “Then you keep going and going. Before I know it, I’m sticking needles in my body, doing heroin and meth every day.”</p>
<p>He eventually lost his job at Costco and his apartment. Shortly after overdosing in the parking lot this summer — and being revived by someone who had overdose-reversal spray at hand — McGee walked into a police station and pleaded for help. Kaitlyn Dowd, a social worker embedded with Everett police, helped connect him to treatment about 100 miles away.</p>
<p>Now he’s living in sober housing, more than 90 days clean, working a construction job and attending as many recovery meetings as possible. “I never thought I would taste recovery like this,” he said. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For every person who finds a treatment bed or permanent supportive housing, many more wait. Until this summer, when a second facility opened, the county had only 16 publicly funded detox beds for its 785,000 residents. Many must go out of the county, or even state, to find beds.</p>
<p>Experts say lack of on-demand treatment and a shortage of appropriate housing to meet specific needs are among the biggest barriers to helping people off the streets. Without permanent housing, advocates and city officials say the homeless will end up back on the street after completing their treatment, repeating the cycle.</p>
<p>Paige Clem lives in her car in Everett. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Kaman said the city has been moving the chronically homeless into private rental units using vouchers, but the region’s low vacancy rate makes that much more challenging.</p>
<p>That’s part of the reason Everett is pushing ahead with a low-barrier permanent supportive housing project on city land. The project with Catholic Housing Services will house 65 chronically homeless people without first requiring they be addiction-free or deal with other issues. Residents will have access to mental health, recovery and other services and around-the-clock on-site staff.</p>
<p>Studies have found that such housing can save taxpayer money when compared to the costs of serving chronically homeless in emergency rooms, shelters and jails.</p>
<p>But so many chronically homeless people in the Everett region are on the waitlist for housing that those units will fill up when it opens in 2019.</p>
<p>“Housing is as, if not more, important than any medication” or other services, said Tom Sebastian, CEO of Compass Health, Snohomish County’s largest behavioral health provider.</p>
<p>His agency is developing an 84-unit housing project for mentally ill and addicted homeless on a vacant lot in downtown Everett.</p>
<p>Compass Health doesn’t typically develop housing, but “because there’s that shortage, we feel a driving sense to step into that breach to do something to help solve that problem,” Sebastian said.</p>
<p>For those who can get housing and services, stability can be a lifeline.</p>
<p>Garrick Heller, 35, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, said he would be on the streets otherwise.</p>
<p>Several years ago, he was involuntary civilly committed because he posed a danger to himself or others. He spent time on the streets, in shelters and eventually at a locked psychiatric facility run by Compass Health. Over time, he gradually moved into more independent living situations run by Compass Health.</p>
<p>Now he lives in a small studio apartment, where he sleeps on an air mattress. He gets mental health counseling and other services within blocks of his home. A service helps him pay his bills and rent, which is one-third of the $735 he gets in monthly disability payment.</p>
<p>Heller (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Heller said he regularly takes his medication and works hard each day to stick to his treatment plan. He plans on looking for a job soon and wants to pass his GED.</p>
<p>“Getting myself back to normal — that took a long time,” he said. “I’m determined to get better.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Finding solutions to homelessness is expensive. Voters in the city and county of Los Angeles since last year have passed a pair of ballot initiatives that will raise about $4.7 billion over the next decade to pay for thousands of affordable housing units and homeless services.</p>
<p>In May, a nonprofit pledged $100 million to help San Francisco cut its number of chronically homeless in half in five years by creating more permanent housing and increasing mental health services.</p>
<p>In Sacramento, where the number of people living on the streets has soared 116 percent over the past two years, the city and county last month agreed to spend tens of millions of dollars to coordinate services for those with mental illness and substance abuse problems. Steering them toward permanent housing is a cornerstone of the new effort.</p>
<p>And last month, King County, which includes Seattle, partnered with the Ballmer Group and others in a new program that will pay incentives to agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand.</p>
<p>The hardcore homeless represent a major financial burden on Everett, putting pressure on the jail, emergency room and other services. In one extreme example, officials estimated one person used about $500,000 in such resources in one year. Another homeless man spent 800 nights in jail over eight years for trespassing and other nuisance crimes.</p>
<p>Hard cases resist easy solutions, but Everett’s team persists.</p>
<p>Teams try to serve people where they are — in streets, in the woods or under freeways. Volunteers with The Hand Up Project — many of whom are recently homeless and recovering addicts — have been hitting familiar haunts to find others who might be ready for recovery.</p>
<p>One rainy day, they found 34-year-old Robart Blocher living high up in the trees in a two-story fort he built out of discarded materials. He is addicted to meth, he said, and suffers from social anxiety disorder and other mental health issues, making it hard for him to go to places and seek help.</p>
<p>Blocher (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>He used to make $14.50 an hour as a chef until his addiction, a series of bad choices and medical issues forced him to find shelter in the woods. He had been living in a basement apartment, but got kicked out when his roommate died. Then he moved into a trailer and couch surfed. He eventually lost his job.</p>
<p>A recent report found there is nowhere nearby where someone working a full-time minimum-wage job could afford an apartment that was not subsidized or shared with others, and that’s Blocher’s experience: “Nowadays, no way,” he said.</p>
<p>When the outreach team approached Blocher, offering to help him into treatment, he seemed receptive. He said he needed a mental health evaluation — but he had to deal with other stuff first.</p>
<p>The volunteers back off, for now. They will return.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>In the past, Hil Kaman had prosecuted 38-year-old Joshua Rape. For years, his life has been a revolving door of jail stints, shelters and couches, and street-wanderings.</p>
<p>A specialized team of mental health professionals, housing and recovery experts, social workers, jail staff and officers worked to build a relationship with him. There were times when he’d tell them he wanted to get better but then he would disappear: “I was pretty evasive and elusive,” Rape recalled.</p>
<p>Opioid outreach specialist Amy Austin kept after him.</p>
<p>“She was all over me,” he said, recalling how she went searching for him a year ago when he missed an appointment after relapsing.</p>
<p>Rape (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>“I just wanted him to know that he could always come and find me,” she said.</p>
<p>When he decided in jail this fall that he was ready for treatment, the team got him into a motel until a slot opened up. They took turns checking in daily as he waited more than a week for a treatment bed. In October, they drove him to catch a bus to the recovery center 200 miles away.</p>
<p>“We’ve all been counting down the days until he’s been ready. We’ve tried so hard to get him engaged,” said Dowd, the social worker. “We’ve known him for a long time. We all want to see him being successful.”</p>
<p>Now he’s back in Everett, having wrapped up 30 days of inpatient treatment. He goes to outpatient treatment and recovery meetings several times a week.</p>
<p>For the first time, the man who has been homeless for six years will have his own place — a one-bedroom apartment that he’ll move into this month, using a housing voucher.</p>
<p>“I had to make multiple attempts at doing this,” he said. “But it’s working out. It can be done. You have to work for it.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show Everett was among the first cities to sue OxyContin’s maker.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — This is the lesson that the working-class city of Everett has learned: It takes a community to rescue the hardcore homeless.</p>
<p>It takes teams of outreach workers — building relationships with men and women struggling with addiction or untreated mental illness, prodding them to get help. It takes police and other agencies, working together to provide for their needs.</p>
<p>And it takes a prosecutor who was tired of managing the unending cycle of homelessness — jail-street-jail-street-jail. Hil Kaman left his job prosecuting the homeless and took up the challenge of finding solutions. For starters, he helped put together a team that would track the 25 most costly and vulnerable cases, and hover over each one individually until he or she was in treatment or housing.</p>
<p>“It was when everything else seems to have failed,” said Kaman, who became the city’s public health and safety director 17 months ago.</p>
<p>“They’ll bring someone to jail several hundred times, bring someone to the emergency department dozens of times — the (people) resistant to treatment and other alternatives. It was a call to say, ‘Isn’t there anything else that we could do?’”</p>
<p>Kaman (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>In two years, Everett’s specialized team has found some form of housing for 14 chronically homeless people on its by-name list. The city’s newly formed community outreach enforcement team has gotten more than two dozen people into long-term treatment, primarily using beds paid through a partnership with a nonprofit that helps officers deal with the opioid crisis. The city also set up a flex fund that accepts private donations to help pay for motel rooms, bus tickets and other costs.</p>
<p>It’s among an array of strategies the city has tried. There is still much work to do: Everett, a city of 110,000 north of Seattle hard-hit by the opioid epidemic, and surrounding Snohomish County saw a 65 percent jump in people living outside between 2015 and 2017 — one of the largest increases on the West Coast in that period, according to a one-night count earlier this year.</p>
<p>The number of unsheltered chronically homeless — those who have been homeless for longer than a year while struggling with a serious mental illness, substance use disorder or physical disability — has grown steadily in the Everett region, more than doubling since 2015. That’s even as the city and county added more supportive housing.</p>
<p>Kaman and others say a combination of the opioid epidemic, poverty, lack of unskilled jobs, rising rents, and a shortage of affordable housing have made it even harder for those who fall into homelessness to get out.</p>
<p>The problem is not limited to Everett; up and down the West Coast, the high cost of housing has forced thousands of people to live on the streets, a trend that opioids have exacerbated.</p>
<p>“These are expensive places to live. It’s expensive for everybody. But the burden falls the hardest on people with the biggest problems,” said Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>In 2011, roughly one in every five opioid-related deaths in Washington state took place in this county. That was the peak, but heroin deaths remain high and deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are climbing. Last month, county officials partially activated its emergency coordination center, typically used for natural disasters, to respond to the opioid crisis. So far this year, health officials have collected 2 million discarded needles.</p>
<p>In this former lumber town on scenic Puget Sound, where thousands of workers assemble the newest Boeing airplanes, the crisis had become so dire that this year Everett city officials became among the first to sue the manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin. The city blames Purdue Pharma for an addiction crisis that has overwhelmed city resources and deepened its homelessness problem.</p>
<p>An outreach worker finds a used needle while cleaning up an Everett homeless encampment. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Kaman joined the city’s mayor, police chief, city council members and others who drove to Seattle in September for the city’s successful argument that a federal judge allow its lawsuit against the drug manufacturer to proceed.</p>
<p>While that case works through the court, social workers and police officers are fanning out to find people camping under the freeway or living in RVs or the woods and try to connect them to services. Many of them initially deflect treatment, or are too ill to even know they need aid.</p>
<p>James McGee, a heroin addict who was living in his minivan on the streets, was among those who got help.</p>
<p>The 27-year-old started popping OxyContin prescription pills after a shoulder surgery. When the drug manufacturer changed its formula, he switched to cheaper heroin. He first told himself he would never shoot up. Then he did.</p>
<p>“You draw that line, tell yourself you’re not going to pass that, and the next thing, you do,” McGee said. “Then you keep going and going. Before I know it, I’m sticking needles in my body, doing heroin and meth every day.”</p>
<p>He eventually lost his job at Costco and his apartment. Shortly after overdosing in the parking lot this summer — and being revived by someone who had overdose-reversal spray at hand — McGee walked into a police station and pleaded for help. Kaitlyn Dowd, a social worker embedded with Everett police, helped connect him to treatment about 100 miles away.</p>
<p>Now he’s living in sober housing, more than 90 days clean, working a construction job and attending as many recovery meetings as possible. “I never thought I would taste recovery like this,” he said. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For every person who finds a treatment bed or permanent supportive housing, many more wait. Until this summer, when a second facility opened, the county had only 16 publicly funded detox beds for its 785,000 residents. Many must go out of the county, or even state, to find beds.</p>
<p>Experts say lack of on-demand treatment and a shortage of appropriate housing to meet specific needs are among the biggest barriers to helping people off the streets. Without permanent housing, advocates and city officials say the homeless will end up back on the street after completing their treatment, repeating the cycle.</p>
<p>Paige Clem lives in her car in Everett. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Kaman said the city has been moving the chronically homeless into private rental units using vouchers, but the region’s low vacancy rate makes that much more challenging.</p>
<p>That’s part of the reason Everett is pushing ahead with a low-barrier permanent supportive housing project on city land. The project with Catholic Housing Services will house 65 chronically homeless people without first requiring they be addiction-free or deal with other issues. Residents will have access to mental health, recovery and other services and around-the-clock on-site staff.</p>
<p>Studies have found that such housing can save taxpayer money when compared to the costs of serving chronically homeless in emergency rooms, shelters and jails.</p>
<p>But so many chronically homeless people in the Everett region are on the waitlist for housing that those units will fill up when it opens in 2019.</p>
<p>“Housing is as, if not more, important than any medication” or other services, said Tom Sebastian, CEO of Compass Health, Snohomish County’s largest behavioral health provider.</p>
<p>His agency is developing an 84-unit housing project for mentally ill and addicted homeless on a vacant lot in downtown Everett.</p>
<p>Compass Health doesn’t typically develop housing, but “because there’s that shortage, we feel a driving sense to step into that breach to do something to help solve that problem,” Sebastian said.</p>
<p>For those who can get housing and services, stability can be a lifeline.</p>
<p>Garrick Heller, 35, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, said he would be on the streets otherwise.</p>
<p>Several years ago, he was involuntary civilly committed because he posed a danger to himself or others. He spent time on the streets, in shelters and eventually at a locked psychiatric facility run by Compass Health. Over time, he gradually moved into more independent living situations run by Compass Health.</p>
<p>Now he lives in a small studio apartment, where he sleeps on an air mattress. He gets mental health counseling and other services within blocks of his home. A service helps him pay his bills and rent, which is one-third of the $735 he gets in monthly disability payment.</p>
<p>Heller (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>Heller said he regularly takes his medication and works hard each day to stick to his treatment plan. He plans on looking for a job soon and wants to pass his GED.</p>
<p>“Getting myself back to normal — that took a long time,” he said. “I’m determined to get better.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Finding solutions to homelessness is expensive. Voters in the city and county of Los Angeles since last year have passed a pair of ballot initiatives that will raise about $4.7 billion over the next decade to pay for thousands of affordable housing units and homeless services.</p>
<p>In May, a nonprofit pledged $100 million to help San Francisco cut its number of chronically homeless in half in five years by creating more permanent housing and increasing mental health services.</p>
<p>In Sacramento, where the number of people living on the streets has soared 116 percent over the past two years, the city and county last month agreed to spend tens of millions of dollars to coordinate services for those with mental illness and substance abuse problems. Steering them toward permanent housing is a cornerstone of the new effort.</p>
<p>And last month, King County, which includes Seattle, partnered with the Ballmer Group and others in a new program that will pay incentives to agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand.</p>
<p>The hardcore homeless represent a major financial burden on Everett, putting pressure on the jail, emergency room and other services. In one extreme example, officials estimated one person used about $500,000 in such resources in one year. Another homeless man spent 800 nights in jail over eight years for trespassing and other nuisance crimes.</p>
<p>Hard cases resist easy solutions, but Everett’s team persists.</p>
<p>Teams try to serve people where they are — in streets, in the woods or under freeways. Volunteers with The Hand Up Project — many of whom are recently homeless and recovering addicts — have been hitting familiar haunts to find others who might be ready for recovery.</p>
<p>One rainy day, they found 34-year-old Robart Blocher living high up in the trees in a two-story fort he built out of discarded materials. He is addicted to meth, he said, and suffers from social anxiety disorder and other mental health issues, making it hard for him to go to places and seek help.</p>
<p>Blocher (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>He used to make $14.50 an hour as a chef until his addiction, a series of bad choices and medical issues forced him to find shelter in the woods. He had been living in a basement apartment, but got kicked out when his roommate died. Then he moved into a trailer and couch surfed. He eventually lost his job.</p>
<p>A recent report found there is nowhere nearby where someone working a full-time minimum-wage job could afford an apartment that was not subsidized or shared with others, and that’s Blocher’s experience: “Nowadays, no way,” he said.</p>
<p>When the outreach team approached Blocher, offering to help him into treatment, he seemed receptive. He said he needed a mental health evaluation — but he had to deal with other stuff first.</p>
<p>The volunteers back off, for now. They will return.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>In the past, Hil Kaman had prosecuted 38-year-old Joshua Rape. For years, his life has been a revolving door of jail stints, shelters and couches, and street-wanderings.</p>
<p>A specialized team of mental health professionals, housing and recovery experts, social workers, jail staff and officers worked to build a relationship with him. There were times when he’d tell them he wanted to get better but then he would disappear: “I was pretty evasive and elusive,” Rape recalled.</p>
<p>Opioid outreach specialist Amy Austin kept after him.</p>
<p>“She was all over me,” he said, recalling how she went searching for him a year ago when he missed an appointment after relapsing.</p>
<p>Rape (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</p>
<p>“I just wanted him to know that he could always come and find me,” she said.</p>
<p>When he decided in jail this fall that he was ready for treatment, the team got him into a motel until a slot opened up. They took turns checking in daily as he waited more than a week for a treatment bed. In October, they drove him to catch a bus to the recovery center 200 miles away.</p>
<p>“We’ve all been counting down the days until he’s been ready. We’ve tried so hard to get him engaged,” said Dowd, the social worker. “We’ve known him for a long time. We all want to see him being successful.”</p>
<p>Now he’s back in Everett, having wrapped up 30 days of inpatient treatment. He goes to outpatient treatment and recovery meetings several times a week.</p>
<p>For the first time, the man who has been homeless for six years will have his own place — a one-bedroom apartment that he’ll move into this month, using a housing voucher.</p>
<p>“I had to make multiple attempts at doing this,” he said. “But it’s working out. It can be done. You have to work for it.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show Everett was among the first cities to sue OxyContin’s maker.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
everett wash ap lesson workingclass city everett learned takes community rescue hardcore homeless takes teams outreach workers building relationships men women struggling addiction untreated mental illness prodding get help takes police agencies working together provide needs takes prosecutor tired managing unending cycle homelessness jailstreetjailstreetjail hil kaman left job prosecuting homeless took challenge finding solutions starters helped put together team would track 25 costly vulnerable cases hover one individually treatment housing everything else seems failed said kaman became citys public health safety director 17 months ago theyll bring someone jail several hundred times bring someone emergency department dozens times people resistant treatment alternatives call say isnt anything else could kaman ap phototed warren two years everetts specialized team found form housing 14 chronically homeless people byname list citys newly formed community outreach enforcement team gotten two dozen people longterm treatment primarily using beds paid partnership nonprofit helps officers deal opioid crisis city also set flex fund accepts private donations help pay motel rooms bus tickets costs among array strategies city tried still much work everett city 110000 north seattle hardhit opioid epidemic surrounding snohomish county saw 65 percent jump people living outside 2015 2017 one largest increases west coast period according onenight count earlier year number unsheltered chronically homeless homeless longer year struggling serious mental illness substance use disorder physical disability grown steadily everett region doubling since 2015 thats even city county added supportive housing kaman others say combination opioid epidemic poverty lack unskilled jobs rising rents shortage affordable housing made even harder fall homelessness get problem limited everett west coast high cost housing forced thousands people live streets trend opioids exacerbated expensive places live expensive everybody burden falls hardest people biggest problems said steve berg vice president programs policy national alliance end homelessness ___ 2011 roughly one every five opioidrelated deaths washington state took place county peak heroin deaths remain high deaths synthetic opioids fentanyl climbing last month county officials partially activated emergency coordination center typically used natural disasters respond opioid crisis far year health officials collected 2 million discarded needles former lumber town scenic puget sound thousands workers assemble newest boeing airplanes crisis become dire year everett city officials became among first sue manufacturer painkiller oxycontin city blames purdue pharma addiction crisis overwhelmed city resources deepened homelessness problem outreach worker finds used needle cleaning everett homeless encampment ap phototed warren kaman joined citys mayor police chief city council members others drove seattle september citys successful argument federal judge allow lawsuit drug manufacturer proceed case works court social workers police officers fanning find people camping freeway living rvs woods try connect services many initially deflect treatment ill even know need aid james mcgee heroin addict living minivan streets among got help 27yearold started popping oxycontin prescription pills shoulder surgery drug manufacturer changed formula switched cheaper heroin first told would never shoot draw line tell youre going pass next thing mcgee said keep going going know im sticking needles body heroin meth every day eventually lost job costco apartment shortly overdosing parking lot summer revived someone overdosereversal spray hand mcgee walked police station pleaded help kaitlyn dowd social worker embedded everett police helped connect treatment 100 miles away hes living sober housing 90 days clean working construction job attending many recovery meetings possible never thought would taste recovery like said everyone deserves second chance ___ every person finds treatment bed permanent supportive housing many wait summer second facility opened county 16 publicly funded detox beds 785000 residents many must go county even state find beds experts say lack ondemand treatment shortage appropriate housing meet specific needs among biggest barriers helping people streets without permanent housing advocates city officials say homeless end back street completing treatment repeating cycle paige clem lives car everett ap phototed warren kaman said city moving chronically homeless private rental units using vouchers regions low vacancy rate makes much challenging thats part reason everett pushing ahead lowbarrier permanent supportive housing project city land project catholic housing services house 65 chronically homeless people without first requiring addictionfree deal issues residents access mental health recovery services aroundtheclock onsite staff studies found housing save taxpayer money compared costs serving chronically homeless emergency rooms shelters jails many chronically homeless people everett region waitlist housing units fill opens 2019 housing important medication services said tom sebastian ceo compass health snohomish countys largest behavioral health provider agency developing 84unit housing project mentally ill addicted homeless vacant lot downtown everett compass health doesnt typically develop housing theres shortage feel driving sense step breach something help solve problem sebastian said get housing services stability lifeline garrick heller 35 diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia said would streets otherwise several years ago involuntary civilly committed posed danger others spent time streets shelters eventually locked psychiatric facility run compass health time gradually moved independent living situations run compass health lives small studio apartment sleeps air mattress gets mental health counseling services within blocks home service helps pay bills rent onethird 735 gets monthly disability payment heller ap phototed warren heller said regularly takes medication works hard day stick treatment plan plans looking job soon wants pass ged getting back normal took long time said im determined get better ___ finding solutions homelessness expensive voters city county los angeles since last year passed pair ballot initiatives raise 47 billion next decade pay thousands affordable housing units homeless services may nonprofit pledged 100 million help san francisco cut number chronically homeless half five years creating permanent housing increasing mental health services sacramento number people living streets soared 116 percent past two years city county last month agreed spend tens millions dollars coordinate services mental illness substance abuse problems steering toward permanent housing cornerstone new effort last month king county includes seattle partnered ballmer group others new program pay incentives agencies provide outpatient treatment demand hardcore homeless represent major financial burden everett putting pressure jail emergency room services one extreme example officials estimated one person used 500000 resources one year another homeless man spent 800 nights jail eight years trespassing nuisance crimes hard cases resist easy solutions everetts team persists teams try serve people streets woods freeways volunteers hand project many recently homeless recovering addicts hitting familiar haunts find others might ready recovery one rainy day found 34yearold robart blocher living high trees twostory fort built discarded materials addicted meth said suffers social anxiety disorder mental health issues making hard go places seek help blocher ap phototed warren used make 1450 hour chef addiction series bad choices medical issues forced find shelter woods living basement apartment got kicked roommate died moved trailer couch surfed eventually lost job recent report found nowhere nearby someone working fulltime minimumwage job could afford apartment subsidized shared others thats blochers experience nowadays way said outreach team approached blocher offering help treatment seemed receptive said needed mental health evaluation deal stuff first volunteers back return ___ past hil kaman prosecuted 38yearold joshua rape years life revolving door jail stints shelters couches streetwanderings specialized team mental health professionals housing recovery experts social workers jail staff officers worked build relationship times hed tell wanted get better would disappear pretty evasive elusive rape recalled opioid outreach specialist amy austin kept said recalling went searching year ago missed appointment relapsing rape ap phototed warren wanted know could always come find said decided jail fall ready treatment team got motel slot opened took turns checking daily waited week treatment bed october drove catch bus recovery center 200 miles away weve counting days hes ready weve tried hard get engaged said dowd social worker weve known long time want see successful hes back everett wrapped 30 days inpatient treatment goes outpatient treatment recovery meetings several times week first time man homeless six years place onebedroom apartment hell move month using housing voucher make multiple attempts said working done work ___ story corrected show everett among first cities sue oxycontins maker ___ associated press writer geoff mulvihill cherry hill new jersey contributed report everett wash ap lesson workingclass city everett learned takes community rescue hardcore homeless takes teams outreach workers building relationships men women struggling addiction untreated mental illness prodding get help takes police agencies working together provide needs takes prosecutor tired managing unending cycle homelessness jailstreetjailstreetjail hil kaman left job prosecuting homeless took challenge finding solutions starters helped put together team would track 25 costly vulnerable cases hover one individually treatment housing everything else seems failed said kaman became citys public health safety director 17 months ago theyll bring someone jail several hundred times bring someone emergency department dozens times people resistant treatment alternatives call say isnt anything else could kaman ap phototed warren two years everetts specialized team found form housing 14 chronically homeless people byname list citys newly formed community outreach enforcement team gotten two dozen people longterm treatment primarily using beds paid partnership nonprofit helps officers deal opioid crisis city also set flex fund accepts private donations help pay motel rooms bus tickets costs among array strategies city tried still much work everett city 110000 north seattle hardhit opioid epidemic surrounding snohomish county saw 65 percent jump people living outside 2015 2017 one largest increases west coast period according onenight count earlier year number unsheltered chronically homeless homeless longer year struggling serious mental illness substance use disorder physical disability grown steadily everett region doubling since 2015 thats even city county added supportive housing kaman others say combination opioid epidemic poverty lack unskilled jobs rising rents shortage affordable housing made even harder fall homelessness get problem limited everett west coast high cost housing forced thousands people live streets trend opioids exacerbated expensive places live expensive everybody burden falls hardest people biggest problems said steve berg vice president programs policy national alliance end homelessness ___ 2011 roughly one every five opioidrelated deaths washington state took place county peak heroin deaths remain high deaths synthetic opioids fentanyl climbing last month county officials partially activated emergency coordination center typically used natural disasters respond opioid crisis far year health officials collected 2 million discarded needles former lumber town scenic puget sound thousands workers assemble newest boeing airplanes crisis become dire year everett city officials became among first sue manufacturer painkiller oxycontin city blames purdue pharma addiction crisis overwhelmed city resources deepened homelessness problem outreach worker finds used needle cleaning everett homeless encampment ap phototed warren kaman joined citys mayor police chief city council members others drove seattle september citys successful argument federal judge allow lawsuit drug manufacturer proceed case works court social workers police officers fanning find people camping freeway living rvs woods try connect services many initially deflect treatment ill even know need aid james mcgee heroin addict living minivan streets among got help 27yearold started popping oxycontin prescription pills shoulder surgery drug manufacturer changed formula switched cheaper heroin first told would never shoot draw line tell youre going pass next thing mcgee said keep going going know im sticking needles body heroin meth every day eventually lost job costco apartment shortly overdosing parking lot summer revived someone overdosereversal spray hand mcgee walked police station pleaded help kaitlyn dowd social worker embedded everett police helped connect treatment 100 miles away hes living sober housing 90 days clean working construction job attending many recovery meetings possible never thought would taste recovery like said everyone deserves second chance ___ every person finds treatment bed permanent supportive housing many wait summer second facility opened county 16 publicly funded detox beds 785000 residents many must go county even state find beds experts say lack ondemand treatment shortage appropriate housing meet specific needs among biggest barriers helping people streets without permanent housing advocates city officials say homeless end back street completing treatment repeating cycle paige clem lives car everett ap phototed warren kaman said city moving chronically homeless private rental units using vouchers regions low vacancy rate makes much challenging thats part reason everett pushing ahead lowbarrier permanent supportive housing project city land project catholic housing services house 65 chronically homeless people without first requiring addictionfree deal issues residents access mental health recovery services aroundtheclock onsite staff studies found housing save taxpayer money compared costs serving chronically homeless emergency rooms shelters jails many chronically homeless people everett region waitlist housing units fill opens 2019 housing important medication services said tom sebastian ceo compass health snohomish countys largest behavioral health provider agency developing 84unit housing project mentally ill addicted homeless vacant lot downtown everett compass health doesnt typically develop housing theres shortage feel driving sense step breach something help solve problem sebastian said get housing services stability lifeline garrick heller 35 diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia said would streets otherwise several years ago involuntary civilly committed posed danger others spent time streets shelters eventually locked psychiatric facility run compass health time gradually moved independent living situations run compass health lives small studio apartment sleeps air mattress gets mental health counseling services within blocks home service helps pay bills rent onethird 735 gets monthly disability payment heller ap phototed warren heller said regularly takes medication works hard day stick treatment plan plans looking job soon wants pass ged getting back normal took long time said im determined get better ___ finding solutions homelessness expensive voters city county los angeles since last year passed pair ballot initiatives raise 47 billion next decade pay thousands affordable housing units homeless services may nonprofit pledged 100 million help san francisco cut number chronically homeless half five years creating permanent housing increasing mental health services sacramento number people living streets soared 116 percent past two years city county last month agreed spend tens millions dollars coordinate services mental illness substance abuse problems steering toward permanent housing cornerstone new effort last month king county includes seattle partnered ballmer group others new program pay incentives agencies provide outpatient treatment demand hardcore homeless represent major financial burden everett putting pressure jail emergency room services one extreme example officials estimated one person used 500000 resources one year another homeless man spent 800 nights jail eight years trespassing nuisance crimes hard cases resist easy solutions everetts team persists teams try serve people streets woods freeways volunteers hand project many recently homeless recovering addicts hitting familiar haunts find others might ready recovery one rainy day found 34yearold robart blocher living high trees twostory fort built discarded materials addicted meth said suffers social anxiety disorder mental health issues making hard go places seek help blocher ap phototed warren used make 1450 hour chef addiction series bad choices medical issues forced find shelter woods living basement apartment got kicked roommate died moved trailer couch surfed eventually lost job recent report found nowhere nearby someone working fulltime minimumwage job could afford apartment subsidized shared others thats blochers experience nowadays way said outreach team approached blocher offering help treatment seemed receptive said needed mental health evaluation deal stuff first volunteers back return ___ past hil kaman prosecuted 38yearold joshua rape years life revolving door jail stints shelters couches streetwanderings specialized team mental health professionals housing recovery experts social workers jail staff officers worked build relationship times hed tell wanted get better would disappear pretty evasive elusive rape recalled opioid outreach specialist amy austin kept said recalling went searching year ago missed appointment relapsing rape ap phototed warren wanted know could always come find said decided jail fall ready treatment team got motel slot opened took turns checking daily waited week treatment bed october drove catch bus recovery center 200 miles away weve counting days hes ready weve tried hard get engaged said dowd social worker weve known long time want see successful hes back everett wrapped 30 days inpatient treatment goes outpatient treatment recovery meetings several times week first time man homeless six years place onebedroom apartment hell move month using housing voucher make multiple attempts said working done work ___ story corrected show everett among first cities sue oxycontins maker ___ associated press writer geoff mulvihill cherry hill new jersey contributed report
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<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security benefits for nearly 58 million people will increase by 1.5 percent next year, the government announced today.</p>
<p>The increase is among the smallest since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975. It is small because consumer prices haven’t gone up much in the past year.</p>
<p>The annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is based on a government measure of inflation that was released this morning.</p>
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<p>The COLA affects benefits for more than one-fifth of the country. In addition to Social Security payments, it affects benefits for millions of disabled veterans, federal retirees and people who get Supplemental Security Income, the disability program for the poor.</p>
<p>The amount of wages subject to Social Security taxes is also going up. Social Security is funded by a 12.4 percent tax on the first $113,700 in wages earned by a worker, with half paid by employers and the other half withheld from workers’ pay.</p>
<p>The wage threshold will increase to $117,000 next year, the Social Security Administration said. Wages above the threshold are not subject to Social Security taxes.</p>
<p>About 165 million workers pay Social Security taxes. About 10 million earn wages above the threshold, the agency said.</p>
<p>Social Security pays retired workers an average of $1,272 a month. A 1.5 percent raise comes to about $19.</p>
<p>“By providing protection against inflation, the COLA helps beneficiaries of all ages maintain their standard of living, keeping many from falling into poverty,” said AARP executive vice president Nancy LeaMond. “The COLA announced today is vital to millions, but at an average of just $19 per month, it will quickly be consumed by the rising costs of basic needs like food, utilities and health care.”</p>
<p>The COLA announcement had been scheduled for two weeks ago. It was delayed because the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not issue the inflation report for September during the partial government shutdown.</p>
<p>Since 1975, annual Social Security raises have averaged just over 4 percent. Next year will mark only the seventh time the COLA has been less than 2 percent, including several recent ones. This year’s increase was 1.7 percent. There was no COLA in 2010 or 2011 because inflation was too low.</p>
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<p>In some years, part of COLA has been erased by an increase in Medicare Part B premiums, which are deducted automatically from Social Security payments. But Medicare announced Monday that Part B premiums, which cover doctor visits, will stay the same in 2014, at $104.90 a month for most seniors.</p>
<p>By law, the cost-of-living adjustment is based on the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, a broad measure of consumer prices generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It measures price changes for food, housing, clothing, transportation, energy, medical care, recreation and education.</p>
<p>The COLA is calculated by comparing consumer prices in July, August and September each year to prices in the same three months from the previous year. If prices go up over the course of the year, benefits go up, starting with payments delivered in January.</p>
<p>Lower prices for gasoline are helping keep inflation low, said Polina Vlasenko, a research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research.</p>
<p>The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped over the past year from $3.53 to about $3.28, according to the automotive club AAA. Overall transportation costs have dropped by 2 percent in the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>Prices for food and beverages have gone up by 1.4 percent, while clothing costs have gone up by 0.7 percent.</p>
<p>Automatic COLAs were adopted so that benefits for people on fixed incomes would keep pace with rising prices. Some advocates for older Americans, however, complain that the COLA sometimes falls short, especially for people with high medical costs.</p>
<p>Over the past year, medical costs went up less than in previous years but still outpaced other consumer prices, rising 2.4 percent, according to the government report. Housing costs went up 2.3 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press reporter Christopher S. Rugaber contributed to this report.</p>
<p>5:58am — Social Security set to announce benefit increase</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 58 million Social Security recipients are finding out how much their monthly payments will go up next year.</p>
<p>The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is based on a government measure of inflation that is being released today.</p>
<p>Preliminary figures suggest a raise of roughly 1.5 percent, which would make it among the smallest since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975. The increase will be small because consumer prices, as measured by the government, haven’t gone up much in the past year.</p>
<p>The COLA affects benefits for more than one-fifth of the country, including millions of disabled veterans, federal retirees and people who get Supplemental Security Income, the disability program for the poor.</p>
<p>Social Security pays the average retired worker $1,272 a month. A 1.5 percent raise would come to about $19.</p>
<p>In some years, part of that raise would be erased by an increase in Medicare Part B premiums, which are deducted automatically from Social Security payments. But Medicare announced Monday that Part B premiums, which cover doctor visits, will stay the same in 2014, at $104.90 a month for most seniors.</p>
<p>The COLA announcement had been scheduled for two weeks ago. It was delayed because the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not issue the inflation report for September during the partial government shutdown.</p>
<p>Since 1975, annual Social Security raises have averaged 4.1 percent. Only six times have they been less than 2 percent, including three of the past five years. This year’s increase was 1.7 percent. There was no COLA in 2010 or 2011 because inflation was too low.</p>
<p>By law, the cost-of-living adjustment is based on the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, a broad measure of consumer prices generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It measures price changes for food, housing, clothing, transportation, energy, medical care, recreation and education.</p>
<p>The COLA is calculated by comparing consumer prices in July, August and September each year to prices in the same three months from the previous year. If prices go up over the course of the year, benefits go up, starting with payments delivered in January.</p>
<p>Polina Vlasenko, a research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, projects the COLA will be between 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent.</p>
<p>Her projection is similar to those done by others, including AARP, which estimates the COLA will be between 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent. The Senior Citizens League estimates it will be about 1.5 percent.</p>
<p>Lower prices for gasoline are helping keep inflation low, Vlasenko said.</p>
<p>Gasoline prices are down 2.4 percent from a year ago, while food prices are up slightly, according to the August inflation report. Housing costs, meanwhile, went up 2.3 percent, and utilities increased by 3.2 percent.</p>
<p>Medical costs went up less than in previous years but still outpaced some other consumer prices, rising 2.5 percent.</p>
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washington ap social security benefits nearly 58 million people increase 15 percent next year government announced today increase among smallest since automatic adjustments adopted 1975 small consumer prices havent gone much past year annual costofliving adjustment cola based government measure inflation released morning advertisement cola affects benefits onefifth country addition social security payments affects benefits millions disabled veterans federal retirees people get supplemental security income disability program poor amount wages subject social security taxes also going social security funded 124 percent tax first 113700 wages earned worker half paid employers half withheld workers pay wage threshold increase 117000 next year social security administration said wages threshold subject social security taxes 165 million workers pay social security taxes 10 million earn wages threshold agency said social security pays retired workers average 1272 month 15 percent raise comes 19 providing protection inflation cola helps beneficiaries ages maintain standard living keeping many falling poverty said aarp executive vice president nancy leamond cola announced today vital millions average 19 per month quickly consumed rising costs basic needs like food utilities health care cola announcement scheduled two weeks ago delayed bureau labor statistics issue inflation report september partial government shutdown since 1975 annual social security raises averaged 4 percent next year mark seventh time cola less 2 percent including several recent ones years increase 17 percent cola 2010 2011 inflation low advertisement years part cola erased increase medicare part b premiums deducted automatically social security payments medicare announced monday part b premiums cover doctor visits stay 2014 10490 month seniors law costofliving adjustment based consumer price index urban wage earners clerical workers broad measure consumer prices generated bureau labor statistics measures price changes food housing clothing transportation energy medical care recreation education cola calculated comparing consumer prices july august september year prices three months previous year prices go course year benefits go starting payments delivered january lower prices gasoline helping keep inflation low said polina vlasenko research fellow american institute economic research average price gallon regular gasoline dropped past year 353 328 according automotive club aaa overall transportation costs dropped 2 percent past year according bureau labor statistics prices food beverages gone 14 percent clothing costs gone 07 percent automatic colas adopted benefits people fixed incomes would keep pace rising prices advocates older americans however complain cola sometimes falls short especially people high medical costs past year medical costs went less previous years still outpaced consumer prices rising 24 percent according government report housing costs went 23 percent ___ associated press reporter christopher rugaber contributed report 558am social security set announce benefit increase washington ap nearly 58 million social security recipients finding much monthly payments go next year costofliving adjustment cola based government measure inflation released today preliminary figures suggest raise roughly 15 percent would make among smallest since automatic adjustments adopted 1975 increase small consumer prices measured government havent gone much past year cola affects benefits onefifth country including millions disabled veterans federal retirees people get supplemental security income disability program poor social security pays average retired worker 1272 month 15 percent raise would come 19 years part raise would erased increase medicare part b premiums deducted automatically social security payments medicare announced monday part b premiums cover doctor visits stay 2014 10490 month seniors cola announcement scheduled two weeks ago delayed bureau labor statistics issue inflation report september partial government shutdown since 1975 annual social security raises averaged 41 percent six times less 2 percent including three past five years years increase 17 percent cola 2010 2011 inflation low law costofliving adjustment based consumer price index urban wage earners clerical workers broad measure consumer prices generated bureau labor statistics measures price changes food housing clothing transportation energy medical care recreation education cola calculated comparing consumer prices july august september year prices three months previous year prices go course year benefits go starting payments delivered january polina vlasenko research fellow american institute economic research projects cola 14 percent 16 percent projection similar done others including aarp estimates cola 15 percent 17 percent senior citizens league estimates 15 percent lower prices gasoline helping keep inflation low vlasenko said gasoline prices 24 percent year ago food prices slightly according august inflation report housing costs meanwhile went 23 percent utilities increased 32 percent medical costs went less previous years still outpaced consumer prices rising 25 percent
| 719 |
<p>HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — Those on the front lines of emergency calls such as firefighters, paramedics and other first responders have become more aware of post-traumatic stress disorder as calls for their services have grown.</p>
<p>Members of the Hamilton Fire Department have found a unique way to combat the problem.</p>
<p>On a frigid weekday morning recently, a few members of the fire department gathered inside of the Budokai Judo &amp; Jiu-Jitsu located in downtown Hamilton. The group dripped sweat as they were put through some intense training by one of the instructors.</p>
<p>This training in martial arts is helping them cope with stress in a healthy way. They’re bonding, and they’re learning how to protect themselves when out in the field.</p>
<p>“It’s not a good idea to just drop somebody when you are strangling them,” the instructor reminded his students while demonstrating a technique. “Just walk them back and lay them down.”</p>
<p>Tony Harris, president of the IAFF Local 20, which represents Hamilton firefighters, kept a watchful eye on the firefighters who have arrived to learn judo and jiu-jitsu.</p>
<p>“With PTSD being a forefront in the fire service today, more and more members are beginning to feel the weight and struggles it places on you,” he explained. “Everyone is different with how they handle certain situations and what works best for them to deal with it. Several of our members began brainstorming different ideas on how to address these issues.”</p>
<p>The number of runs due to increased drug problems made it even more important to find a way to deal with stress.</p>
<p>“In 1996, the department went on 8,116 runs and in 2017 there were 14,546 runs,” Harris said. “We were up even 1,500 runs from last year. Dealing with these types of numbers, plus the extra danger out there with the drug overdoses, made us try to figure out a way to deal with the stress.”</p>
<p>Bryan Hanna has been with the department for 13 years. He explained that the new Judo training has been helpful for many different reasons and has been popular with people new to the department and even those who have even retired.</p>
<p>“We needed to find an outlet aside from going out and drinking with the guys or going out late at night, and this is a good way for us to get together and have a little one and one (time) as well as group sessions to get some physical activity and it is also mentally stimulating learning a new skill,” Hanna said.</p>
<p>Getting some extra training on how to deal with on-the-job problems has also been a big benefit of the martial arts instruction.</p>
<p>“With the number of overdoses, several times they come to and want to be combative and they try to attack us out of confusion,” Hanna said. “We are learning here how to restrain them until the police officers can assist us or until they understand exactly what is going on — that they are coming through an overdose or a bad situation.”</p>
<p>He added, “we are learning judo and jiu-jitsu. Both of those are putting us in stressful situations so we know that we can survive and overcome any issue, and that applies to personal lives, family lives and professional lives.”</p>
<p>The training has been a hit with all of the firefighters and paramedics who have signed up, and Hanna thinks it will grow in the future.</p>
<p>“This has been going on for about four weeks now. We’ve had, department-wide, about 20 individuals show interest,” he said. “It is a growing process. There are a lot of other individuals who are expressing interest, and I feel in the next six months or so this is going to be something major.”</p>
<p>Ryan Tucker, who has been with the fire department for nearly four months, was fresh off of applying a back-of-the-leg maneuver that could be helpful in deterring injury to himself or others when he gave his stamp of approval to the training.</p>
<p>“It is very helpful, and we are learning things that can help prevent us or others we are trying to help from getting injured,” he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online: <a href="http://bit.ly/2m8vmp6" type="external">http://bit.ly/2m8vmp6</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: MIDDLETOWN: Hamilton-Middletown Journal News , <a href="http://www.journal-news.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.journal-news.com" type="external">http://www.journal-news.com</a></p>
<p>HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — Those on the front lines of emergency calls such as firefighters, paramedics and other first responders have become more aware of post-traumatic stress disorder as calls for their services have grown.</p>
<p>Members of the Hamilton Fire Department have found a unique way to combat the problem.</p>
<p>On a frigid weekday morning recently, a few members of the fire department gathered inside of the Budokai Judo &amp; Jiu-Jitsu located in downtown Hamilton. The group dripped sweat as they were put through some intense training by one of the instructors.</p>
<p>This training in martial arts is helping them cope with stress in a healthy way. They’re bonding, and they’re learning how to protect themselves when out in the field.</p>
<p>“It’s not a good idea to just drop somebody when you are strangling them,” the instructor reminded his students while demonstrating a technique. “Just walk them back and lay them down.”</p>
<p>Tony Harris, president of the IAFF Local 20, which represents Hamilton firefighters, kept a watchful eye on the firefighters who have arrived to learn judo and jiu-jitsu.</p>
<p>“With PTSD being a forefront in the fire service today, more and more members are beginning to feel the weight and struggles it places on you,” he explained. “Everyone is different with how they handle certain situations and what works best for them to deal with it. Several of our members began brainstorming different ideas on how to address these issues.”</p>
<p>The number of runs due to increased drug problems made it even more important to find a way to deal with stress.</p>
<p>“In 1996, the department went on 8,116 runs and in 2017 there were 14,546 runs,” Harris said. “We were up even 1,500 runs from last year. Dealing with these types of numbers, plus the extra danger out there with the drug overdoses, made us try to figure out a way to deal with the stress.”</p>
<p>Bryan Hanna has been with the department for 13 years. He explained that the new Judo training has been helpful for many different reasons and has been popular with people new to the department and even those who have even retired.</p>
<p>“We needed to find an outlet aside from going out and drinking with the guys or going out late at night, and this is a good way for us to get together and have a little one and one (time) as well as group sessions to get some physical activity and it is also mentally stimulating learning a new skill,” Hanna said.</p>
<p>Getting some extra training on how to deal with on-the-job problems has also been a big benefit of the martial arts instruction.</p>
<p>“With the number of overdoses, several times they come to and want to be combative and they try to attack us out of confusion,” Hanna said. “We are learning here how to restrain them until the police officers can assist us or until they understand exactly what is going on — that they are coming through an overdose or a bad situation.”</p>
<p>He added, “we are learning judo and jiu-jitsu. Both of those are putting us in stressful situations so we know that we can survive and overcome any issue, and that applies to personal lives, family lives and professional lives.”</p>
<p>The training has been a hit with all of the firefighters and paramedics who have signed up, and Hanna thinks it will grow in the future.</p>
<p>“This has been going on for about four weeks now. We’ve had, department-wide, about 20 individuals show interest,” he said. “It is a growing process. There are a lot of other individuals who are expressing interest, and I feel in the next six months or so this is going to be something major.”</p>
<p>Ryan Tucker, who has been with the fire department for nearly four months, was fresh off of applying a back-of-the-leg maneuver that could be helpful in deterring injury to himself or others when he gave his stamp of approval to the training.</p>
<p>“It is very helpful, and we are learning things that can help prevent us or others we are trying to help from getting injured,” he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online: <a href="http://bit.ly/2m8vmp6" type="external">http://bit.ly/2m8vmp6</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: MIDDLETOWN: Hamilton-Middletown Journal News , <a href="http://www.journal-news.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.journal-news.com" type="external">http://www.journal-news.com</a></p>
| false | 2 |
hamilton ohio ap front lines emergency calls firefighters paramedics first responders become aware posttraumatic stress disorder calls services grown members hamilton fire department found unique way combat problem frigid weekday morning recently members fire department gathered inside budokai judo amp jiujitsu located downtown hamilton group dripped sweat put intense training one instructors training martial arts helping cope stress healthy way theyre bonding theyre learning protect field good idea drop somebody strangling instructor reminded students demonstrating technique walk back lay tony harris president iaff local 20 represents hamilton firefighters kept watchful eye firefighters arrived learn judo jiujitsu ptsd forefront fire service today members beginning feel weight struggles places explained everyone different handle certain situations works best deal several members began brainstorming different ideas address issues number runs due increased drug problems made even important find way deal stress 1996 department went 8116 runs 2017 14546 runs harris said even 1500 runs last year dealing types numbers plus extra danger drug overdoses made us try figure way deal stress bryan hanna department 13 years explained new judo training helpful many different reasons popular people new department even even retired needed find outlet aside going drinking guys going late night good way us get together little one one time well group sessions get physical activity also mentally stimulating learning new skill hanna said getting extra training deal onthejob problems also big benefit martial arts instruction number overdoses several times come want combative try attack us confusion hanna said learning restrain police officers assist us understand exactly going coming overdose bad situation added learning judo jiujitsu putting us stressful situations know survive overcome issue applies personal lives family lives professional lives training hit firefighters paramedics signed hanna thinks grow future going four weeks weve departmentwide 20 individuals show interest said growing process lot individuals expressing interest feel next six months going something major ryan tucker fire department nearly four months fresh applying backoftheleg maneuver could helpful deterring injury others gave stamp approval training helpful learning things help prevent us others trying help getting injured said ___ online httpbitly2m8vmp6 ___ information middletown hamiltonmiddletown journal news httpwwwjournalnewscom hamilton ohio ap front lines emergency calls firefighters paramedics first responders become aware posttraumatic stress disorder calls services grown members hamilton fire department found unique way combat problem frigid weekday morning recently members fire department gathered inside budokai judo amp jiujitsu located downtown hamilton group dripped sweat put intense training one instructors training martial arts helping cope stress healthy way theyre bonding theyre learning protect field good idea drop somebody strangling instructor reminded students demonstrating technique walk back lay tony harris president iaff local 20 represents hamilton firefighters kept watchful eye firefighters arrived learn judo jiujitsu ptsd forefront fire service today members beginning feel weight struggles places explained everyone different handle certain situations works best deal several members began brainstorming different ideas address issues number runs due increased drug problems made even important find way deal stress 1996 department went 8116 runs 2017 14546 runs harris said even 1500 runs last year dealing types numbers plus extra danger drug overdoses made us try figure way deal stress bryan hanna department 13 years explained new judo training helpful many different reasons popular people new department even even retired needed find outlet aside going drinking guys going late night good way us get together little one one time well group sessions get physical activity also mentally stimulating learning new skill hanna said getting extra training deal onthejob problems also big benefit martial arts instruction number overdoses several times come want combative try attack us confusion hanna said learning restrain police officers assist us understand exactly going coming overdose bad situation added learning judo jiujitsu putting us stressful situations know survive overcome issue applies personal lives family lives professional lives training hit firefighters paramedics signed hanna thinks grow future going four weeks weve departmentwide 20 individuals show interest said growing process lot individuals expressing interest feel next six months going something major ryan tucker fire department nearly four months fresh applying backoftheleg maneuver could helpful deterring injury others gave stamp approval training helpful learning things help prevent us others trying help getting injured said ___ online httpbitly2m8vmp6 ___ information middletown hamiltonmiddletown journal news httpwwwjournalnewscom
| 702 |
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<p />
<p>And those differing approaches created confusion and anguish Thursday for the families of those aboard the ill-fated flight.</p>
<p>"From our first observation, the color tone and all maintenance records that we have, we know," Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said. "Our records show that it's the same as MH370."</p>
<p>He added that there are "many other technical details that I do not have to reveal" that confirm the part is from Flight 370.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced early Thursday that the piece of debris, known as a flaperon, came from the doomed aircraft, but authorities in France, the U.S. and Australia have stopped short of full confirmation.</p>
<p>The dissonant comments infuriated many relatives of the 239 people on board the plane, who have waited more than 500 days for concrete clues into the fate of their loved ones. Dai Shuqin, the sister of a passenger, was among about a dozen Chinese relatives who held a demonstration outside Malaysia Airlines' offices in Beijing.</p>
<p>"France is being cautious about it, but Malaysia is desperate to put an end to this case and run away from all responsibilities," she said.</p>
<p>Liow said differences with other countries amounted to "a choice of words."</p>
<p>He also said more debris has been found on Reunion Island and was sent to local authorities for French investigators to examine. However, the Paris prosecutor's office, which is spearheading a French legal inquiry into the crash, denied that investigators had any new debris, and multiple French officials involved in the investigation in Reunion and in Paris said they also were unaware of a new discovery.</p>
<p>The officials requested anonymity, because they did not want to appear critical of the Malaysian investigation, but those contradictory statements about new debris threw more confusion over an investigation that has often seemed inconsistent, to the dismay of families of those lost.</p>
<p>Liow said a Malaysian team found the objects, including a window and some aluminum foil, but an aide to the minister later said it was "window material" rather than a window that was recovered.</p>
<p>"I can only ascertain that it's plane debris," Liow said. "I cannot confirm that it's from MH370."</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>France said it is deploying a search plane, helicopters and boats around Reunion in hopes of spotting more debris that might be from Flight 370.</p>
<p>In an announcement late Thursday, the government said it understands the pain of families who lost loved ones, "for whom this discovery has awakened the hope of shedding light on the circumstances of the disappearance of flight MH370."</p>
<p>French officials have said no other airplane debris has been found.</p>
<p>The disappearance of the Boeing 777 jetliner while on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, has been one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. Officials believe it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, killing all aboard, but the wreckage and the cause remain elusive.</p>
<p>"It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed MH370," Najib told reporters.</p>
<p>But at a news conference in Paris, Deputy Prosecutor Serge Mackowiak said only that "the very strong conjectures are to be confirmed by complementary analysis that will begin tomorrow morning."</p>
<p>The Australian government, which leads the seabed search for wreckage west of Australia, was also less certain than Malaysia, saying only that "based on high probability, it is MH370."</p>
<p>However, Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss said Australia respected Malaysia's right to make that call, given that it is in charge of the investigation.</p>
<p>"Of course, there is still some I's not dotted and T's not crossed. There is still a very small element of doubt," Truss said.</p>
<p>Many Flight 370 families said they were fed up with the mixed messages.</p>
<p>"Why the hell do you have one confirm and one not?" said Sara Weeks, the sister of New Zealander Paul Weeks, who was on board. "Why not wait and get everybody on the same page so the families don't need to go through this turmoil?"</p>
<p>A U.S. official familiar with the investigation said the flaperon clearly is from a Boeing 777. However, a team of experts in France examining the part hadn't yet found anything linking it specifically to the missing plane, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to talk publicly about the case.</p>
<p>No other 777s or flaperons are known to be missing, but the U.S. and Boeing team members are trying "to be precise," the official said.</p>
<p>Australia, which sent an official to France to help examine the flaperon, has said the find will not affect its sonar search of a 120,000-square-kilometer (46,000-square- mile) expanse of seabed more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) east of Reunion Island.</p>
<p>That search, which began in October, has covered almost half that area without finding any clues.</p>
<p>Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Melbourne Radio 3AW that the apparent discovery of Flight 370 wreckage "does seem very consistent with the search pattern that we've been using for the last few months."</p>
<p>"Let's hope we can turn something up," he said.</p>
<p>It is not known why Flight 370 - less than an hour into its journey - turned back from its original flight path and headed in an opposite direction before turning again and flying south over the Indian Ocean for hours.</p>
<p>A six-week air and sea search covering 4.6 million square kilometers (1.8 million square miles) of the southern Indian Ocean surface last year failed to find any trace of the jetliner. The Reunion Island debris would support the working theory that the jet went down in the Indian Ocean and the debris was carried west by the current.</p>
<p>Malaysian officials have said the plane's movements were consistent with deliberate actions by someone on the plane, suggesting someone in the cockpit intentionally flew the aircraft off course.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Kristen Gelineau in Sydney, Paul Joshua in Kuala Lumpur, Lori Hinnant in Paris, Joan Lowy in Washington, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, and Isolda Morillo and Aritz Parra in Beijing contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
differing approaches created confusion anguish thursday families aboard illfated flight first observation color tone maintenance records know malaysian transport minister liow tiong lai said records show mh370 added many technical details reveal confirm part flight 370 advertisement malaysian prime minister najib razak announced early thursday piece debris known flaperon came doomed aircraft authorities france us australia stopped short full confirmation dissonant comments infuriated many relatives 239 people board plane waited 500 days concrete clues fate loved ones dai shuqin sister passenger among dozen chinese relatives held demonstration outside malaysia airlines offices beijing france cautious malaysia desperate put end case run away responsibilities said liow said differences countries amounted choice words also said debris found reunion island sent local authorities french investigators examine however paris prosecutors office spearheading french legal inquiry crash denied investigators new debris multiple french officials involved investigation reunion paris said also unaware new discovery officials requested anonymity want appear critical malaysian investigation contradictory statements new debris threw confusion investigation often seemed inconsistent dismay families lost liow said malaysian team found objects including window aluminum foil aide minister later said window material rather window recovered ascertain plane debris liow said confirm mh370 advertisement france said deploying search plane helicopters boats around reunion hopes spotting debris might flight 370 announcement late thursday government said understands pain families lost loved ones discovery awakened hope shedding light circumstances disappearance flight mh370 french officials said airplane debris found disappearance boeing 777 jetliner flight kuala lumpur beijing march 8 2014 one biggest mysteries aviation history officials believe crashed southern indian ocean killing aboard wreckage cause remain elusive heavy heart must tell international team experts conclusively confirmed aircraft debris found reunion island indeed mh370 najib told reporters news conference paris deputy prosecutor serge mackowiak said strong conjectures confirmed complementary analysis begin tomorrow morning australian government leads seabed search wreckage west australia also less certain malaysia saying based high probability mh370 however australian transport minister warren truss said australia respected malaysias right make call given charge investigation course still dotted ts crossed still small element doubt truss said many flight 370 families said fed mixed messages hell one confirm one said sara weeks sister new zealander paul weeks board wait get everybody page families dont need go turmoil us official familiar investigation said flaperon clearly boeing 777 however team experts france examining part hadnt yet found anything linking specifically missing plane official said speaking condition anonymity authorization talk publicly case 777s flaperons known missing us boeing team members trying precise official said australia sent official france help examine flaperon said find affect sonar search 120000squarekilometer 46000square mile expanse seabed 4000 kilometers 2500 miles east reunion island search began october covered almost half area without finding clues australian prime minister tony abbott told melbourne radio 3aw apparent discovery flight 370 wreckage seem consistent search pattern weve using last months lets hope turn something said known flight 370 less hour journey turned back original flight path headed opposite direction turning flying south indian ocean hours sixweek air sea search covering 46 million square kilometers 18 million square miles southern indian ocean surface last year failed find trace jetliner reunion island debris would support working theory jet went indian ocean debris carried west current malaysian officials said planes movements consistent deliberate actions someone plane suggesting someone cockpit intentionally flew aircraft course ___ associated press writers kristen gelineau sydney paul joshua kuala lumpur lori hinnant paris joan lowy washington rod mcguirk canberra australia nick perry wellington new zealand isolda morillo aritz parra beijing contributed report
| 586 |
<p>Abraham Lincoln 63, Gratz 51</p>
<p>Academy Park 51, Glen Mills 45</p>
<p>Bangor 73, Saucon Valley 33</p>
<p>Bartram 70, Engineering And Science 52</p>
<p>Bensalem 53, Council Rock South 35</p>
<p>Bishop Guilfoyle 78, Central Cambria 51</p>
<p>Bishop Shanahan 76, West Chester East 42</p>
<p>Bodine 56, Philadelphia Science Leadership 18</p>
<p>Brandywine Heights 59, Tulpehocken 54</p>
<p>Burgettstown 85, Brownsville 83</p>
<p>Calvary Christian, N.J. 64, The City School 28</p>
<p>Chester 67, Interboro 30</p>
<p>Chichester 56, Penn Wood 53</p>
<p>Clairton 77, Thomas Jefferson 43</p>
<p>Coatesville 80, West Chester Henderson 41</p>
<p>Council Rock North 43, Pennsbury 39</p>
<p>Cowanesque Valley 51, Canton 39</p>
<p>Curwensville 90, Harmony 74</p>
<p>Danville 60, Central Columbia 35</p>
<p>Dobbins 74, GAMP 35</p>
<p>Downingtown East 50, Avon Grove 38</p>
<p>Dunmore 56, Old Forge 39</p>
<p>Edison 52, Franklin Learning Center 48</p>
<p>Ephrata 63, Solanco 47</p>
<p>Erie McDowell 70, Erie 35</p>
<p>Fels 60, Palumbo 49</p>
<p>Forest Hills 64, Bishop Carroll 57</p>
<p>Fort Cherry 54, Frazier 40</p>
<p>Foundation Collegiate, N.J. 53, International Christian 42</p>
<p>Frankford 65, Benjamin Franklin 33</p>
<p>Freire Charter 64, KIPP Dubois 53</p>
<p>Girard College 80, Pine Forge 24</p>
<p>Great Valley 45, West Chester Rustin 44</p>
<p>Greater Johnstown 54, Westmont Hilltop 38</p>
<p>Harriton 52, Ridley 47</p>
<p>Highlands 53, Armstrong 39</p>
<p>Holy Redeemer 49, Berwick 48, OT</p>
<p>Homer-Center 53, West Shamokin 40</p>
<p>Imhotep Charter 71, Constitution 57</p>
<p>Jenkintown 61, Calvary Baptist 33</p>
<p>Juniata Valley 73, Bellwood-Antis 60</p>
<p>Kensington 61, Strawberry Mansion 49</p>
<p>Lancaster Catholic 61, Northern Lebanon 38</p>
<p>Latin Charter 47, Philadelphia Northeast 45</p>
<p>Lebanon Catholic 38, Veritas Academy 31</p>
<p>Littlestown 61, York County Tech 44</p>
<p>Malvern Phelps 51, Mercy Career 28</p>
<p>Mariana Bracetti 77, Rush 60</p>
<p>Martin Luther King 53, Mastery Charter North 49</p>
<p>Mastbaum 63, Paul Robeson 51</p>
<p>Masterman 63, Franklin Towne Charter 43</p>
<p>Mastery Charter South 59, Roxborough 54</p>
<p>Meadowbrook Christian 61, Sunbury Christian 30</p>
<p>Moravian Academy 60, Northwestern Lehigh 50</p>
<p>Mountain Ridge, Md. 83, Meyersdale 39</p>
<p>Nanticoke Area 62, Lake-Lehman 46</p>
<p>Northumberland Christian 78, East Juniata 44</p>
<p>Nueva Esperanza 54, Philadelphia CAPA 39</p>
<p>Oil City 100, Slippery Rock 63</p>
<p>Olney Charter 52, Prep Charter 43</p>
<p>Overbrook 57, Motivation 48</p>
<p>Owen J Roberts 55, Upper Perkiomen 40</p>
<p>Parkway Northwest 79, Randolph 68</p>
<p>Paw Paw, Mich. 69, HOPE for Hyndman 50</p>
<p>Paw Paw, W.Va. 69, Hyndman 50</p>
<p>Penn Cambria 66, Cambria Heights 57</p>
<p>Penn Treaty 79, Maritime Academy 55</p>
<p>Penns Manor 62, Blairsville 50</p>
<p>Pennsylvania School of the Deaf 49, New York School for the Deaf, N.Y. 41</p>
<p>Philadelphia MC&amp;S 73, Audenried 64</p>
<p>Purchase Line 51, Saltsburg 42</p>
<p>Salisbury 44, Southern Lehigh 43</p>
<p>Sankofa Freedom 70, West Philadelphia 48</p>
<p>Sayre 43, Parkway Center City 39</p>
<p>Sayre Area 49, North Penn/Liberty 45</p>
<p>Serra Catholic 79, Bentworth 43</p>
<p>Shipley 64, George School 40</p>
<p>SLA Beeber 61, Philadelphia Academy Charter 17</p>
<p>South Philadelphia 60, Philadelphia George Washington 43</p>
<p>Spring-Ford 61, Pope John Paul II 42</p>
<p>String Theory Schools 93, Eastern University 80</p>
<p>Swenson 68, Hill Freedman 58</p>
<p>Tacony Academy 70, High School of the Future 52</p>
<p>Towanda 87, Williamson 46</p>
<p>Troy 65, Athens 61</p>
<p>Tunkhannock 56, Northwest Area 45</p>
<p>Unionville 61, Oxford 48</p>
<p>United 57, Northern Cambria 50</p>
<p>United 57, Northern Cambria 50</p>
<p>Upper Darby 55, Radnor 50</p>
<p>Upper St. Clair 107, Pittsburgh Obama 77</p>
<p>Wellsboro 62, North Penn-Mansfield 38</p>
<p>Wilkes-Barre Meyers 54, MMI Prep 41</p>
<p>Williamsburg 63, Glendale 27</p>
<p>Wilson 75, Pen Argyl 53</p>
<p>Winchester Thurston 63, Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh 25</p>
<p>Wyalusing 70, Northeast Bradford 40</p>
<p>Wyoming Area 49, Hanover Area 36</p>
<p>Wyoming Seminary 55, Wilkes-Barre GAR 52</p>
<p>Wyomissing 48, Twin Valley 45</p>
<p>Abraham Lincoln 63, Gratz 51</p>
<p>Academy Park 51, Glen Mills 45</p>
<p>Bangor 73, Saucon Valley 33</p>
<p>Bartram 70, Engineering And Science 52</p>
<p>Bensalem 53, Council Rock South 35</p>
<p>Bishop Guilfoyle 78, Central Cambria 51</p>
<p>Bishop Shanahan 76, West Chester East 42</p>
<p>Bodine 56, Philadelphia Science Leadership 18</p>
<p>Brandywine Heights 59, Tulpehocken 54</p>
<p>Burgettstown 85, Brownsville 83</p>
<p>Calvary Christian, N.J. 64, The City School 28</p>
<p>Chester 67, Interboro 30</p>
<p>Chichester 56, Penn Wood 53</p>
<p>Clairton 77, Thomas Jefferson 43</p>
<p>Coatesville 80, West Chester Henderson 41</p>
<p>Council Rock North 43, Pennsbury 39</p>
<p>Cowanesque Valley 51, Canton 39</p>
<p>Curwensville 90, Harmony 74</p>
<p>Danville 60, Central Columbia 35</p>
<p>Dobbins 74, GAMP 35</p>
<p>Downingtown East 50, Avon Grove 38</p>
<p>Dunmore 56, Old Forge 39</p>
<p>Edison 52, Franklin Learning Center 48</p>
<p>Ephrata 63, Solanco 47</p>
<p>Erie McDowell 70, Erie 35</p>
<p>Fels 60, Palumbo 49</p>
<p>Forest Hills 64, Bishop Carroll 57</p>
<p>Fort Cherry 54, Frazier 40</p>
<p>Foundation Collegiate, N.J. 53, International Christian 42</p>
<p>Frankford 65, Benjamin Franklin 33</p>
<p>Freire Charter 64, KIPP Dubois 53</p>
<p>Girard College 80, Pine Forge 24</p>
<p>Great Valley 45, West Chester Rustin 44</p>
<p>Greater Johnstown 54, Westmont Hilltop 38</p>
<p>Harriton 52, Ridley 47</p>
<p>Highlands 53, Armstrong 39</p>
<p>Holy Redeemer 49, Berwick 48, OT</p>
<p>Homer-Center 53, West Shamokin 40</p>
<p>Imhotep Charter 71, Constitution 57</p>
<p>Jenkintown 61, Calvary Baptist 33</p>
<p>Juniata Valley 73, Bellwood-Antis 60</p>
<p>Kensington 61, Strawberry Mansion 49</p>
<p>Lancaster Catholic 61, Northern Lebanon 38</p>
<p>Latin Charter 47, Philadelphia Northeast 45</p>
<p>Lebanon Catholic 38, Veritas Academy 31</p>
<p>Littlestown 61, York County Tech 44</p>
<p>Malvern Phelps 51, Mercy Career 28</p>
<p>Mariana Bracetti 77, Rush 60</p>
<p>Martin Luther King 53, Mastery Charter North 49</p>
<p>Mastbaum 63, Paul Robeson 51</p>
<p>Masterman 63, Franklin Towne Charter 43</p>
<p>Mastery Charter South 59, Roxborough 54</p>
<p>Meadowbrook Christian 61, Sunbury Christian 30</p>
<p>Moravian Academy 60, Northwestern Lehigh 50</p>
<p>Mountain Ridge, Md. 83, Meyersdale 39</p>
<p>Nanticoke Area 62, Lake-Lehman 46</p>
<p>Northumberland Christian 78, East Juniata 44</p>
<p>Nueva Esperanza 54, Philadelphia CAPA 39</p>
<p>Oil City 100, Slippery Rock 63</p>
<p>Olney Charter 52, Prep Charter 43</p>
<p>Overbrook 57, Motivation 48</p>
<p>Owen J Roberts 55, Upper Perkiomen 40</p>
<p>Parkway Northwest 79, Randolph 68</p>
<p>Paw Paw, Mich. 69, HOPE for Hyndman 50</p>
<p>Paw Paw, W.Va. 69, Hyndman 50</p>
<p>Penn Cambria 66, Cambria Heights 57</p>
<p>Penn Treaty 79, Maritime Academy 55</p>
<p>Penns Manor 62, Blairsville 50</p>
<p>Pennsylvania School of the Deaf 49, New York School for the Deaf, N.Y. 41</p>
<p>Philadelphia MC&amp;S 73, Audenried 64</p>
<p>Purchase Line 51, Saltsburg 42</p>
<p>Salisbury 44, Southern Lehigh 43</p>
<p>Sankofa Freedom 70, West Philadelphia 48</p>
<p>Sayre 43, Parkway Center City 39</p>
<p>Sayre Area 49, North Penn/Liberty 45</p>
<p>Serra Catholic 79, Bentworth 43</p>
<p>Shipley 64, George School 40</p>
<p>SLA Beeber 61, Philadelphia Academy Charter 17</p>
<p>South Philadelphia 60, Philadelphia George Washington 43</p>
<p>Spring-Ford 61, Pope John Paul II 42</p>
<p>String Theory Schools 93, Eastern University 80</p>
<p>Swenson 68, Hill Freedman 58</p>
<p>Tacony Academy 70, High School of the Future 52</p>
<p>Towanda 87, Williamson 46</p>
<p>Troy 65, Athens 61</p>
<p>Tunkhannock 56, Northwest Area 45</p>
<p>Unionville 61, Oxford 48</p>
<p>United 57, Northern Cambria 50</p>
<p>United 57, Northern Cambria 50</p>
<p>Upper Darby 55, Radnor 50</p>
<p>Upper St. Clair 107, Pittsburgh Obama 77</p>
<p>Wellsboro 62, North Penn-Mansfield 38</p>
<p>Wilkes-Barre Meyers 54, MMI Prep 41</p>
<p>Williamsburg 63, Glendale 27</p>
<p>Wilson 75, Pen Argyl 53</p>
<p>Winchester Thurston 63, Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh 25</p>
<p>Wyalusing 70, Northeast Bradford 40</p>
<p>Wyoming Area 49, Hanover Area 36</p>
<p>Wyoming Seminary 55, Wilkes-Barre GAR 52</p>
<p>Wyomissing 48, Twin Valley 45</p>
| false | 2 |
abraham lincoln 63 gratz 51 academy park 51 glen mills 45 bangor 73 saucon valley 33 bartram 70 engineering science 52 bensalem 53 council rock south 35 bishop guilfoyle 78 central cambria 51 bishop shanahan 76 west chester east 42 bodine 56 philadelphia science leadership 18 brandywine heights 59 tulpehocken 54 burgettstown 85 brownsville 83 calvary christian nj 64 city school 28 chester 67 interboro 30 chichester 56 penn wood 53 clairton 77 thomas jefferson 43 coatesville 80 west chester henderson 41 council rock north 43 pennsbury 39 cowanesque valley 51 canton 39 curwensville 90 harmony 74 danville 60 central columbia 35 dobbins 74 gamp 35 downingtown east 50 avon grove 38 dunmore 56 old forge 39 edison 52 franklin learning center 48 ephrata 63 solanco 47 erie mcdowell 70 erie 35 fels 60 palumbo 49 forest hills 64 bishop carroll 57 fort cherry 54 frazier 40 foundation collegiate nj 53 international christian 42 frankford 65 benjamin franklin 33 freire charter 64 kipp dubois 53 girard college 80 pine forge 24 great valley 45 west chester rustin 44 greater johnstown 54 westmont hilltop 38 harriton 52 ridley 47 highlands 53 armstrong 39 holy redeemer 49 berwick 48 ot homercenter 53 west shamokin 40 imhotep charter 71 constitution 57 jenkintown 61 calvary baptist 33 juniata valley 73 bellwoodantis 60 kensington 61 strawberry mansion 49 lancaster catholic 61 northern lebanon 38 latin charter 47 philadelphia northeast 45 lebanon catholic 38 veritas academy 31 littlestown 61 york county tech 44 malvern phelps 51 mercy career 28 mariana bracetti 77 rush 60 martin luther king 53 mastery charter north 49 mastbaum 63 paul robeson 51 masterman 63 franklin towne charter 43 mastery charter south 59 roxborough 54 meadowbrook christian 61 sunbury christian 30 moravian academy 60 northwestern lehigh 50 mountain ridge md 83 meyersdale 39 nanticoke area 62 lakelehman 46 northumberland christian 78 east juniata 44 nueva esperanza 54 philadelphia capa 39 oil city 100 slippery rock 63 olney charter 52 prep charter 43 overbrook 57 motivation 48 owen j roberts 55 upper perkiomen 40 parkway northwest 79 randolph 68 paw paw mich 69 hope hyndman 50 paw paw wva 69 hyndman 50 penn cambria 66 cambria heights 57 penn treaty 79 maritime academy 55 penns manor 62 blairsville 50 pennsylvania school deaf 49 new york school deaf ny 41 philadelphia mcamps 73 audenried 64 purchase line 51 saltsburg 42 salisbury 44 southern lehigh 43 sankofa freedom 70 west philadelphia 48 sayre 43 parkway center city 39 sayre area 49 north pennliberty 45 serra catholic 79 bentworth 43 shipley 64 george school 40 sla beeber 61 philadelphia academy charter 17 south philadelphia 60 philadelphia george washington 43 springford 61 pope john paul ii 42 string theory schools 93 eastern university 80 swenson 68 hill freedman 58 tacony academy 70 high school future 52 towanda 87 williamson 46 troy 65 athens 61 tunkhannock 56 northwest area 45 unionville 61 oxford 48 united 57 northern cambria 50 united 57 northern cambria 50 upper darby 55 radnor 50 upper st clair 107 pittsburgh obama 77 wellsboro 62 north pennmansfield 38 wilkesbarre meyers 54 mmi prep 41 williamsburg 63 glendale 27 wilson 75 pen argyl 53 winchester thurston 63 aquinas academy pittsburgh 25 wyalusing 70 northeast bradford 40 wyoming area 49 hanover area 36 wyoming seminary 55 wilkesbarre gar 52 wyomissing 48 twin valley 45 abraham lincoln 63 gratz 51 academy park 51 glen mills 45 bangor 73 saucon valley 33 bartram 70 engineering science 52 bensalem 53 council rock south 35 bishop guilfoyle 78 central cambria 51 bishop shanahan 76 west chester east 42 bodine 56 philadelphia science leadership 18 brandywine heights 59 tulpehocken 54 burgettstown 85 brownsville 83 calvary christian nj 64 city school 28 chester 67 interboro 30 chichester 56 penn wood 53 clairton 77 thomas jefferson 43 coatesville 80 west chester henderson 41 council rock north 43 pennsbury 39 cowanesque valley 51 canton 39 curwensville 90 harmony 74 danville 60 central columbia 35 dobbins 74 gamp 35 downingtown east 50 avon grove 38 dunmore 56 old forge 39 edison 52 franklin learning center 48 ephrata 63 solanco 47 erie mcdowell 70 erie 35 fels 60 palumbo 49 forest hills 64 bishop carroll 57 fort cherry 54 frazier 40 foundation collegiate nj 53 international christian 42 frankford 65 benjamin franklin 33 freire charter 64 kipp dubois 53 girard college 80 pine forge 24 great valley 45 west chester rustin 44 greater johnstown 54 westmont hilltop 38 harriton 52 ridley 47 highlands 53 armstrong 39 holy redeemer 49 berwick 48 ot homercenter 53 west shamokin 40 imhotep charter 71 constitution 57 jenkintown 61 calvary baptist 33 juniata valley 73 bellwoodantis 60 kensington 61 strawberry mansion 49 lancaster catholic 61 northern lebanon 38 latin charter 47 philadelphia northeast 45 lebanon catholic 38 veritas academy 31 littlestown 61 york county tech 44 malvern phelps 51 mercy career 28 mariana bracetti 77 rush 60 martin luther king 53 mastery charter north 49 mastbaum 63 paul robeson 51 masterman 63 franklin towne charter 43 mastery charter south 59 roxborough 54 meadowbrook christian 61 sunbury christian 30 moravian academy 60 northwestern lehigh 50 mountain ridge md 83 meyersdale 39 nanticoke area 62 lakelehman 46 northumberland christian 78 east juniata 44 nueva esperanza 54 philadelphia capa 39 oil city 100 slippery rock 63 olney charter 52 prep charter 43 overbrook 57 motivation 48 owen j roberts 55 upper perkiomen 40 parkway northwest 79 randolph 68 paw paw mich 69 hope hyndman 50 paw paw wva 69 hyndman 50 penn cambria 66 cambria heights 57 penn treaty 79 maritime academy 55 penns manor 62 blairsville 50 pennsylvania school deaf 49 new york school deaf ny 41 philadelphia mcamps 73 audenried 64 purchase line 51 saltsburg 42 salisbury 44 southern lehigh 43 sankofa freedom 70 west philadelphia 48 sayre 43 parkway center city 39 sayre area 49 north pennliberty 45 serra catholic 79 bentworth 43 shipley 64 george school 40 sla beeber 61 philadelphia academy charter 17 south philadelphia 60 philadelphia george washington 43 springford 61 pope john paul ii 42 string theory schools 93 eastern university 80 swenson 68 hill freedman 58 tacony academy 70 high school future 52 towanda 87 williamson 46 troy 65 athens 61 tunkhannock 56 northwest area 45 unionville 61 oxford 48 united 57 northern cambria 50 united 57 northern cambria 50 upper darby 55 radnor 50 upper st clair 107 pittsburgh obama 77 wellsboro 62 north pennmansfield 38 wilkesbarre meyers 54 mmi prep 41 williamsburg 63 glendale 27 wilson 75 pen argyl 53 winchester thurston 63 aquinas academy pittsburgh 25 wyalusing 70 northeast bradford 40 wyoming area 49 hanover area 36 wyoming seminary 55 wilkesbarre gar 52 wyomissing 48 twin valley 45
| 1,114 |
<p>CAIRO (AP) — Egypt will hold its presidential election over three days in March, officials said Monday, with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi virtually guaranteed to run for and win a second four-year term amid a heavy clampdown on dissent.</p>
<p>El-Sissi has yet to formally announce his candidacy, but with less than three months to go before the vote, no candidate who could pose a serious challenge to him has emerged. Nearly all prominent critics of the government have been jailed, left the country or gone silent, while authorities have blocked hundreds of websites and banned all unauthorized demonstrations.</p>
<p>El-Sissi has meanwhile drummed up support with official functions in which he touts new infrastructure projects and delivers an upbeat assessment of the economy, which is slowly recovering after years of unrest.</p>
<p>With a comfortable win all but guaranteed, el-Sissi has repeatedly called on people to vote, perhaps fearing that a low turnout could undermine his legitimacy. That the vote is staggered over three days, March 26-28, appears designed to maximize participation.</p>
<p>El-Sissi, a former general, led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Since then, authorities have jailed thousands of critics, mainly Islamists but also a number of prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Human rights groups have been placed under draconian restrictions, and several rights campaigners have been banned from foreign travel or had their assets frozen.</p>
<p>Lasheen Ibrahim, the chairman of the National Election Authority, announced the dates for the election at a televised news conference. He said a runoff will be held April 24-26 if no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote. Egyptian expatriates will vote March 16-18 and April 19-21. Campaigning is allowed for less than a month, beginning Feb. 24.</p>
<p>"We will run the election with integrity and keep an equal distance from all candidates," Lasheen said. He urged the media, which is dominated by el-Sissi supporters who fiercely vilify critics, to be objective in reporting on the vote.</p>
<p>The election, said Lasheen, must be "an epic of love for Egypt."</p>
<p>The announcement came just one day after a former prime minister and a career air force general who had declared his candidacy last month said he would not run against el-Sissi.</p>
<p>Ahmed Shafiq, who served as the last prime minister under Mubarak, declared his intention to run while in the United Arab Emirates, where he lived in exile after his close defeat in the 2012 presidential election won by Mohammed Morsi, a leading figure in the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group.</p>
<p>Shafiq was subjected to harsh criticism by Egypt's pro-government media immediately after he announced his intention to run. Some of that criticism amounted to character assassination, with a flurry of unsubstantiated accusations thrown at him.</p>
<p>An army colonel who declared his intention to run was meanwhile court martialed and convicted of breaching military regulations prohibiting political activism. Col. Ahmed Konsowa was sentenced to six years in prison last month. The case prompted critics to post images on social media dating back to 2014, when el-Sissi announced his presidential candidacy while wearing his military uniform.</p>
<p>Another hopeful is Khaled Ali, a prominent rights campaigner who shot to national fame after he won a court case that annulled Egypt's transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. The government went ahead with the transfer after the agreement was ratified by parliament.</p>
<p>Ali was convicted and sentenced to three months in prison in September for allegedly making an obscene gesture while celebrating the court's ruling last January. He is appealing the verdict, but if his conviction is upheld he would not be eligible to run.</p>
<p>Mohammed Anwar Sadat, an opposition politician who last year was thrown out of parliament — a 596-seat chamber packed with el-Sissi supporters — says he intends to run but complains of harassment by security agencies.</p>
<p>In a recent letter to Lasheen, the election commission chief, Sadat said the agency mandated with domestic security has been preventing him from booking a venue to officially announce his candidacy. Sadat is the nephew of the late President Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.</p>
<p>__________</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Samy Magdy contributed to this report.</p>
<p>CAIRO (AP) — Egypt will hold its presidential election over three days in March, officials said Monday, with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi virtually guaranteed to run for and win a second four-year term amid a heavy clampdown on dissent.</p>
<p>El-Sissi has yet to formally announce his candidacy, but with less than three months to go before the vote, no candidate who could pose a serious challenge to him has emerged. Nearly all prominent critics of the government have been jailed, left the country or gone silent, while authorities have blocked hundreds of websites and banned all unauthorized demonstrations.</p>
<p>El-Sissi has meanwhile drummed up support with official functions in which he touts new infrastructure projects and delivers an upbeat assessment of the economy, which is slowly recovering after years of unrest.</p>
<p>With a comfortable win all but guaranteed, el-Sissi has repeatedly called on people to vote, perhaps fearing that a low turnout could undermine his legitimacy. That the vote is staggered over three days, March 26-28, appears designed to maximize participation.</p>
<p>El-Sissi, a former general, led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Since then, authorities have jailed thousands of critics, mainly Islamists but also a number of prominent secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Human rights groups have been placed under draconian restrictions, and several rights campaigners have been banned from foreign travel or had their assets frozen.</p>
<p>Lasheen Ibrahim, the chairman of the National Election Authority, announced the dates for the election at a televised news conference. He said a runoff will be held April 24-26 if no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote. Egyptian expatriates will vote March 16-18 and April 19-21. Campaigning is allowed for less than a month, beginning Feb. 24.</p>
<p>"We will run the election with integrity and keep an equal distance from all candidates," Lasheen said. He urged the media, which is dominated by el-Sissi supporters who fiercely vilify critics, to be objective in reporting on the vote.</p>
<p>The election, said Lasheen, must be "an epic of love for Egypt."</p>
<p>The announcement came just one day after a former prime minister and a career air force general who had declared his candidacy last month said he would not run against el-Sissi.</p>
<p>Ahmed Shafiq, who served as the last prime minister under Mubarak, declared his intention to run while in the United Arab Emirates, where he lived in exile after his close defeat in the 2012 presidential election won by Mohammed Morsi, a leading figure in the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group.</p>
<p>Shafiq was subjected to harsh criticism by Egypt's pro-government media immediately after he announced his intention to run. Some of that criticism amounted to character assassination, with a flurry of unsubstantiated accusations thrown at him.</p>
<p>An army colonel who declared his intention to run was meanwhile court martialed and convicted of breaching military regulations prohibiting political activism. Col. Ahmed Konsowa was sentenced to six years in prison last month. The case prompted critics to post images on social media dating back to 2014, when el-Sissi announced his presidential candidacy while wearing his military uniform.</p>
<p>Another hopeful is Khaled Ali, a prominent rights campaigner who shot to national fame after he won a court case that annulled Egypt's transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. The government went ahead with the transfer after the agreement was ratified by parliament.</p>
<p>Ali was convicted and sentenced to three months in prison in September for allegedly making an obscene gesture while celebrating the court's ruling last January. He is appealing the verdict, but if his conviction is upheld he would not be eligible to run.</p>
<p>Mohammed Anwar Sadat, an opposition politician who last year was thrown out of parliament — a 596-seat chamber packed with el-Sissi supporters — says he intends to run but complains of harassment by security agencies.</p>
<p>In a recent letter to Lasheen, the election commission chief, Sadat said the agency mandated with domestic security has been preventing him from booking a venue to officially announce his candidacy. Sadat is the nephew of the late President Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.</p>
<p>__________</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Samy Magdy contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
cairo ap egypt hold presidential election three days march officials said monday president abdelfattah elsissi virtually guaranteed run win second fouryear term amid heavy clampdown dissent elsissi yet formally announce candidacy less three months go vote candidate could pose serious challenge emerged nearly prominent critics government jailed left country gone silent authorities blocked hundreds websites banned unauthorized demonstrations elsissi meanwhile drummed support official functions touts new infrastructure projects delivers upbeat assessment economy slowly recovering years unrest comfortable win guaranteed elsissi repeatedly called people vote perhaps fearing low turnout could undermine legitimacy vote staggered three days march 2628 appears designed maximize participation elsissi former general led military overthrow elected divisive islamist president 2013 since authorities jailed thousands critics mainly islamists also number prominent secular activists including many behind 2011 uprising toppled longtime autocrat hosni mubarak human rights groups placed draconian restrictions several rights campaigners banned foreign travel assets frozen lasheen ibrahim chairman national election authority announced dates election televised news conference said runoff held april 2426 candidate secures 50 percent vote egyptian expatriates vote march 1618 april 1921 campaigning allowed less month beginning feb 24 run election integrity keep equal distance candidates lasheen said urged media dominated elsissi supporters fiercely vilify critics objective reporting vote election said lasheen must epic love egypt announcement came one day former prime minister career air force general declared candidacy last month said would run elsissi ahmed shafiq served last prime minister mubarak declared intention run united arab emirates lived exile close defeat 2012 presidential election mohammed morsi leading figure nowbanned muslim brotherhood group shafiq subjected harsh criticism egypts progovernment media immediately announced intention run criticism amounted character assassination flurry unsubstantiated accusations thrown army colonel declared intention run meanwhile court martialed convicted breaching military regulations prohibiting political activism col ahmed konsowa sentenced six years prison last month case prompted critics post images social media dating back 2014 elsissi announced presidential candidacy wearing military uniform another hopeful khaled ali prominent rights campaigner shot national fame court case annulled egypts transfer two red sea islands saudi arabia government went ahead transfer agreement ratified parliament ali convicted sentenced three months prison september allegedly making obscene gesture celebrating courts ruling last january appealing verdict conviction upheld would eligible run mohammed anwar sadat opposition politician last year thrown parliament 596seat chamber packed elsissi supporters says intends run complains harassment security agencies recent letter lasheen election commission chief sadat said agency mandated domestic security preventing booking venue officially announce candidacy sadat nephew late president anwar sadat assassinated 1981 __________ associated press writer samy magdy contributed report cairo ap egypt hold presidential election three days march officials said monday president abdelfattah elsissi virtually guaranteed run win second fouryear term amid heavy clampdown dissent elsissi yet formally announce candidacy less three months go vote candidate could pose serious challenge emerged nearly prominent critics government jailed left country gone silent authorities blocked hundreds websites banned unauthorized demonstrations elsissi meanwhile drummed support official functions touts new infrastructure projects delivers upbeat assessment economy slowly recovering years unrest comfortable win guaranteed elsissi repeatedly called people vote perhaps fearing low turnout could undermine legitimacy vote staggered three days march 2628 appears designed maximize participation elsissi former general led military overthrow elected divisive islamist president 2013 since authorities jailed thousands critics mainly islamists also number prominent secular activists including many behind 2011 uprising toppled longtime autocrat hosni mubarak human rights groups placed draconian restrictions several rights campaigners banned foreign travel assets frozen lasheen ibrahim chairman national election authority announced dates election televised news conference said runoff held april 2426 candidate secures 50 percent vote egyptian expatriates vote march 1618 april 1921 campaigning allowed less month beginning feb 24 run election integrity keep equal distance candidates lasheen said urged media dominated elsissi supporters fiercely vilify critics objective reporting vote election said lasheen must epic love egypt announcement came one day former prime minister career air force general declared candidacy last month said would run elsissi ahmed shafiq served last prime minister mubarak declared intention run united arab emirates lived exile close defeat 2012 presidential election mohammed morsi leading figure nowbanned muslim brotherhood group shafiq subjected harsh criticism egypts progovernment media immediately announced intention run criticism amounted character assassination flurry unsubstantiated accusations thrown army colonel declared intention run meanwhile court martialed convicted breaching military regulations prohibiting political activism col ahmed konsowa sentenced six years prison last month case prompted critics post images social media dating back 2014 elsissi announced presidential candidacy wearing military uniform another hopeful khaled ali prominent rights campaigner shot national fame court case annulled egypts transfer two red sea islands saudi arabia government went ahead transfer agreement ratified parliament ali convicted sentenced three months prison september allegedly making obscene gesture celebrating courts ruling last january appealing verdict conviction upheld would eligible run mohammed anwar sadat opposition politician last year thrown parliament 596seat chamber packed elsissi supporters says intends run complains harassment security agencies recent letter lasheen election commission chief sadat said agency mandated domestic security preventing booking venue officially announce candidacy sadat nephew late president anwar sadat assassinated 1981 __________ associated press writer samy magdy contributed report
| 848 |
<p>* Electric vehicle maker Faraday Future among Jia’s businesses</p>
<p>* Leshi says owed 7.5 billion yuan by Jia’s LeEco</p>
<p>* Says has financial liability totaling 9.29 billion yuan</p>
<p>* Share trade to resume Jan 24 after nine-month suspension (Adds company shares to resume trading in fifth paragraph)</p>
<p>By Sijia Jiang</p>
<p>HONG KONG, Jan 23 (Reuters) - China’s Leshi Internet Information and Technology is seeking equity stakes in the car businesses of its largest shareholder, Jia Yueting, for debt owed by him and his companies amounting to as much as 7.5 billion yuan ($1.17 billion).</p>
<p>Leshi told an investor briefing on Tuesday it was seeking equity stakes in Jia’s car businesses, including electric vehicle companies Faraday Future, Lucid and LeSEE.</p>
<p>Jia, who founded the LeEco conglomerate that is now struggling to repay its debts, no longer holds any position in Shenzhen-listed Leshi but remains its largest shareholder with a 25.67 percent stake.</p>
<p>LeEco did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Telephone calls to its spokesman remained unanswered.</p>
<p>Leshi shares will resume trading on Wednesday after a nine-month suspension, it said in a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The company asked in April for trading to be suspended pending an acquisition of LeEco’s film unit for 9.8 billion yuan ($1.53 billion), a plan it eventually scrapped last week.</p>
<p>Leshi, which makes internet-connected TVs and produces video entertainment, said Jia and various non-listed units of LeEco owed it 7.5 billion yuan at the end of November.</p>
<p>LeEco on Monday disputed the debt amount, saying it only owed Leshi 6 billion yuan, half of which it has arranged to repay soon.</p>
<p>Leshi, which said on Tuesday that China’s TV market is estimated to have declined by 5-10 percent in 2017, has loans and liabilities totalling 9.29 billion yuan ($1.45 billion). Part of that will be due in 2018, it said last week.</p>
<p>Leshi said it expects to report a loss for 2017 and warned that it would run into “operational difficulty” if it does not receive new funds to repay its own debt.</p>
<p>It also scrapped a plan to inject LeEco’s film unit into the listed company, a transaction pending which Leshi’s stock had been suspended from trading since April.</p>
<p>Leshi, once the main listed vehicle of LeEco, is now controlled by property developer Sunac China, its second-largest shareholder with an 8.56 percent stake. ($1 = 6.3982 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Sijia Jiang and Meg Shen; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Biju Dwarakanath and David Goodman)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday, in what would be the U.S. company’s second retreat from Asia.</p> Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Tokyo, Japan, November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
<p>The deal, which could be announced as early as Monday, marks the first big consolidation in the industry in Southeast Asia, home to about 640 million people, and will put pressure on rivals such as Indonesia’s Go-Jek, backed by Alphabet Inc’s Google and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd .</p>
<p>As part of the transaction, Uber would get a stake of as much as 30 percent in the combined business, the source said. He did not want to be identified as the deal is not public yet.</p>
<p>Another source familiar with the deal said Uber would acquire a 25 percent to 30 percent stake in Grab, valuing the entire business at $6 billion, the same valuation it commanded in its most recent capital raising.</p>
<p>Uber and Singapore-based Grab, Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing firm, declined to comment.</p> FILE PHOTO: New hires relax at a lounge area in a Grab office in Singapore September 23, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
<p>A multi-billion dollar investment in Uber earlier this year by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp , already one of Grab’s main investors, had stoked expectations that Uber would consolidate its Southeast Asian business with Grab.</p>
<p>Grab’s deal with Uber would be similar to the one struck in China in 2016, when Didi Chuxing bought out Uber’s China business and handed over a stake in return.</p>
<p>During a visit to India in February, Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi had, however, pledged to continue investing aggressively in Southeast Asia, even as the company expected to lose money in the fast growing market.</p>
<p>Both Grab and Uber have raised billions of dollars from global investors to fund their expansion plans, as they offer heavy discounts and promotions to attract both riders and drivers.</p>
<p>Grab raised about $2.5 billion last July from Didi, SoftBank and others in a deal valuing the company at around $6 billion.</p>
<p>Bloomberg first reported the deal.</p>
<p>Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Miyoung Kim, Keith Weir and Lisa Shumaker</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HOUSTON (Reuters) - Nearly a third of the 25 top U.S. shale oil producers have paid or pledged to pay dividends this year, according to Reuters review of financial filings, the largest number since the shale boom took off a decade ago.</p> FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An oil pump is seen operating in the Permian Basin near Midland, Texas, U.S. on May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder/File Photo
<p>Oil prices CLc1 have risen by over a third in the past year, giving shale producers more revenue to respond to investor calls for improved shareholder returns.</p>
<p>Investors in shale have seen thin returns despite booming production, as shale firms have used profits to invest in raising output more rather than returning cash to shareholders.</p>
<p>Seven U.S. independent shale producers, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=APC.N" type="external">APC.N</a>) and ConocoPhillips ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=COP.N" type="external">COP.N</a>), have boosted quarterly dividends this year, financial disclosures show. That’s a change from just two years ago, when eight of the 25 largest shale firms cut payouts as oil prices CLc1 plunged.</p>
<p>“Investors are using a large megaphone as they talk to the industry about returns, and it’s on the minds of a lot of CEOs,” Travis Stice, chief executive of shale producer Diamondback Energy Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FANG.O" type="external">FANG.O</a>), said in an interview.</p>
<p>Diamondback last month announced a 12.5-cent quarterly dividend, becoming the first U.S. shale oil company to start a payout since the oil price downturn began in 2014, according to S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence. Shares of the Midland, Texas-based company, which operates in the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oilfield, are up about 11 percent since the move.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>“You’re going to see more shale producers focus on dividends,” said Leigh Goehring of G&amp;R Associates, a New York-based energy investment research firm. “Shareholders are demanding it and a trend is forming.”</p>
<p>Since January, 11 shale producers have disclosed plans to spend $3.5 billion on stock buybacks.Oil producers this week will meet investors at an industry conference in New Orleans, a gathering that energy firms often use to outline annual production goals and to shape investor expectations for first-quarter results.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=APC.N" type="external">Anadarko Petroleum Corp</a> 61.56 APC.N New York Stock Exchange +0.90 (+1.48%) APC.N COP.N FANG.O PE.N CLR.N
<p>Calls are likely for more companies to begin offering payouts through dividends or share repurchases. The outlook for continued production gains and the impact of rising service costs also will be on investors’ agenda.</p>
<p>“There does seem to be increasing evidence of financial prudence in the industry,” said Andy McConn of oil consultancy Wood Mackenzie.</p>
<p>Twelve of the 25 largest shale firms do not have quarterly payouts, choosing instead to reinvest cash in drilling and other projects. Parsley Energy Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=PE.N" type="external">PE.N</a>) and Continental Resources Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=CLR.N" type="external">CLR.N</a>) are among the largest of that group, focusing on driving growth in the largest- and second-largest U.S. shale fields, respectively.</p>
<p>That may change as more of their peers focus on payouts.</p>
<p>“Investors are looking for improving results, better returns and operational performance,” said Maynard Holt, chief executive of energy investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt &amp; Co.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Gary McWilliams, Simon Webb and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.</p> Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell in New York, U.S., March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson 1/WAR CRIES
<p>If fears of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, weren’t enough to set the nerves racing, the two sides are butting against each other in the South China Sea again and Donald Trump has just tossed in the threat of another U.S. government shutdown.</p>
<p>Next week will probably see a drama involving all three and possibly other elements too that we don’t even know about yet.</p>
<p>However, some experienced analysts suggest that the rout in stocks may not point to panic over a full-scale trade war.</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: Global stocks sell-off - <a href="https://reut.rs/2pBpWF1" type="external">reut.rs/2pBpWF1</a>)</p> 2/HUNG, DRAWN AND QUARTERED
<p>The first quarter draws to a close, and what a quarter it has been. Investors have had a lot thrown at them - from the biggest ever rise in stock market volatility to rapidly escalating tensions over global trade, deepening tumult in the White House and tech sector wobbles.</p>
<p>The market “melt-up” they all talked about in January has melted away, the Dow and S&amp;P are down for the year, and the outlook for Q2 is a great deal more uncertain. Global trade tensions are now infecting investor sentiment and risk appetite, there are signs that growth has peaked (particularly in Europe), rising dollar interbank rates show no sign of reversing, and the global liquidity pool will shrink this year.</p>
<p>Will the bears continue to gain the upper hand in Q2, or will the bulls charge again?</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: Q1 returns - winners &amp; losers - <a href="http://reut.rs/2pAC6xX" type="external">reut.rs/2pAC6xX</a>)</p> 3/GROWING TO PLAN
<p>The final U.S. government read on fourth quarter GDP on Wednesday will come hot on the heels of the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate hike of the year.</p>
<p>In theory it should be reassuring. The United States is a fairly closed economy, and in the fourth quarter Donald Trump was dishing out tax cuts, not threatening trade wars.</p>
<p>The U.S. Commerce Department also said on Friday that new orders for key U.S.-made capital goods rebounded more than expected last month and shipments of core capital goods saw the biggest advance since December 2016.</p>
<p>Other realtime data, though, is not so encouraging. An Atlanta Federal Reserve model which updates weekly is now forecasting Q1 GDP increasing at an annualized rate of 1.8 percent. At the start of March it was churning out numbers around 3.5 percent.</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: U.S. GDP - <a href="https://reut.rs/2pz3u00" type="external">reut.rs/2pz3u00</a>)</p> 4/SELL EUROPE?
<p>High expectations for European stocks in 2018 have not been met. Euro zone and UK business confidence data due out next week will either inflame or soothe concerns that the region’s economic momentum may be starting to wane.</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley equity strategists say Europe is now seeing record outflows versus the United States, and even the popularity of French President Emmanual Macron - elected last year with a strong mandate to reform rigid labor markets - has now hit an all-time low in the polls.</p>
<p>The French CAC-40 share index is now down 5 percent from when Macron won power last May, though that is still better than the near 7 percent the pan-European Stoxx 600 has lost.</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: Economic surprises: euro zone vs U.S. - <a href="http://reut.rs/2pyuBaT" type="external">reut.rs/2pyuBaT</a>)</p> 5/UNFRIENDED
<p>The Facebook shock has been a hugely significant moment in this long-running bull market. Tech and internet stocks – such as the fabled FAANGs and BATs – have dominated and driven the equity rally of the past 2-3 years – mainly because the digital revolution underlying the boom in those companies was seen as largely impervious to shifting political winds or even ebbs and flows in the economic cycle.</p>
<p>In the long run that may still be true. But Facebook’s travails and questions over the use of ‘Big Data’ more generally - or at least the advertising model underlying many of these companies - has cast some doubt over whether that progress is as linear as market pricing suggests.</p>
<p>Next week may well be all about the growls coming from governments and their regulators on how far they will go to rein in the power of social networks. Mark Zuckerberg already has a long list of what are not exactly ‘friend’ requests to testify in front of various countries’ lawmakers.</p>
<p>(GRAPHIC: Unfriended - <a href="http://reut.rs/2psCzTp" type="external">reut.rs/2psCzTp</a>)</p>
<p>Writing by Marc Jones, additional reporting by Jamie McGeever, Danilo Masoni, Kit Rees and Alden Bentley; Editing by Gareth Jones</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The former CEO of Israel-based Yukom Communications was charged in an indictment for her alleged participation in a binary options scheme to defraud investors in the United States and across the world, the U.S. Department of Justice said.</p>
<p>Lee Elbaz, 36, from Israel, was charged in the District of Maryland with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud, the Department said in a statement.</p>
<p>In a detention hearing in September, Elbaz’s lawyer Jonathan Lopez defended his client, arguing that Yukom is a legitimate business, the Times of Israel reported.</p>
<p>Lopez could not immediately be reached for comment outside normal business hours.</p>
<p>Binary options involve placing a bet on whether the value of a financial asset - a currency, commodity or stock - will rise or fall in a fixed time, sometimes as short as a minute.</p>
<p>The indictment alleges that Yukom provided investor retention services for two websites, BinaryBook and BigOption, that were used to promote and market binary options and that those binary options were fraudulently sold and marketed.</p>
<p>The indictment also alleges that as CEO of Yukom, Elbaz, along with her co-conspirators and subordinates, misled investors by falsely claiming to represent the interests of investors but that, in fact, the owners of BinaryBook and BigOption profited when investors lost money.</p>
<p>Elbaz and her co-conspirators also allegedly misrepresented the expected return on investments through BinaryBook and BigOption, allegedly provided investors with false names and qualifications and falsely claiming to be working from London, and misrepresented how investors could withdraw funds from their accounts, the statement said.</p>
<p>Representatives of BinaryBook and BigOption, working under Elbaz’s supervision, misrepresented the terms of “bonuses,” “risk free trades” and “insured trades,” and deceptively used these supposed benefits in a manner that in fact harmed investors, according to the indictment.</p>
<p>Elbaz was arrested by the FBI in September when she arrived at New York’s JFK airport from Tel Aviv.</p>
<p>Israel’s parliament in October approved a ban on local firms selling binary options overseas by online trading, giving regulators the authority to begin cracking down.</p>
<p>A Reuters special report in 2016 shed light on the rapid rise of the industry in Israel. London-based lawyers said hundreds of their clients were duped out of vast sums of money by some Israeli firms.</p>
<p>Reporting by Tova Cohen; Editing by Steven Scheer and Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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electric vehicle maker faraday future among jias businesses leshi says owed 75 billion yuan jias leeco says financial liability totaling 929 billion yuan share trade resume jan 24 ninemonth suspension adds company shares resume trading fifth paragraph sijia jiang hong kong jan 23 reuters chinas leshi internet information technology seeking equity stakes car businesses largest shareholder jia yueting debt owed companies amounting much 75 billion yuan 117 billion leshi told investor briefing tuesday seeking equity stakes jias car businesses including electric vehicle companies faraday future lucid lesee jia founded leeco conglomerate struggling repay debts longer holds position shenzhenlisted leshi remains largest shareholder 2567 percent stake leeco immediately respond emailed requests comment telephone calls spokesman remained unanswered leshi shares resume trading wednesday ninemonth suspension said filing shenzhen stock exchange tuesday company asked april trading suspended pending acquisition leecos film unit 98 billion yuan 153 billion plan eventually scrapped last week leshi makes internetconnected tvs produces video entertainment said jia various nonlisted units leeco owed 75 billion yuan end november leeco monday disputed debt amount saying owed leshi 6 billion yuan half arranged repay soon leshi said tuesday chinas tv market estimated declined 510 percent 2017 loans liabilities totalling 929 billion yuan 145 billion part due 2018 said last week leshi said expects report loss 2017 warned would run operational difficulty receive new funds repay debt also scrapped plan inject leecos film unit listed company transaction pending leshis stock suspended trading since april leshi main listed vehicle leeco controlled property developer sunac china secondlargest shareholder 856 percent stake 1 63982 chinese yuan reporting sijia jiang meg shen editing muralikumar anantharaman biju dwarakanath david goodman standards thomson reuters trust principles singapore reuters ridehailing firm uber technologies inc uberul agreed sell southeast asian business bigger regional rival grab source direct knowledge matter said sunday would us companys second retreat asia ubers logo pictured office tokyo japan november 27 2017 reuterskim kyunghoon deal could announced early monday marks first big consolidation industry southeast asia home 640 million people put pressure rivals indonesias gojek backed alphabet incs google chinas tencent holdings ltd part transaction uber would get stake much 30 percent combined business source said want identified deal public yet another source familiar deal said uber would acquire 25 percent 30 percent stake grab valuing entire business 6 billion valuation commanded recent capital raising uber singaporebased grab southeast asias biggest ridehailing firm declined comment file photo new hires relax lounge area grab office singapore september 23 2016 reutersedgar sufile photo multibillion dollar investment uber earlier year japans softbank group corp already one grabs main investors stoked expectations uber would consolidate southeast asian business grab grabs deal uber would similar one struck china 2016 didi chuxing bought ubers china business handed stake return visit india february uber chief executive dara khosrowshahi however pledged continue investing aggressively southeast asia even company expected lose money fast growing market grab uber raised billions dollars global investors fund expansion plans offer heavy discounts promotions attract riders drivers grab raised 25 billion last july didi softbank others deal valuing company around 6 billion bloomberg first reported deal reporting anshuman daga additional reporting greg roumeliotis new york editing miyoung kim keith weir lisa shumaker standards thomson reuters trust principles houston reuters nearly third 25 top us shale oil producers paid pledged pay dividends year according reuters review financial filings largest number since shale boom took decade ago file photo file photo oil pump seen operating permian basin near midland texas us may 3 2017 reutersernest scheyderfile photo oil prices clc1 risen third past year giving shale producers revenue respond investor calls improved shareholder returns investors shale seen thin returns despite booming production shale firms used profits invest raising output rather returning cash shareholders seven us independent shale producers including anadarko petroleum corp apcn conocophillips copn boosted quarterly dividends year financial disclosures show thats change two years ago eight 25 largest shale firms cut payouts oil prices clc1 plunged investors using large megaphone talk industry returns minds lot ceos travis stice chief executive shale producer diamondback energy inc fango said interview diamondback last month announced 125cent quarterly dividend becoming first us shale oil company start payout since oil price downturn began 2014 according sampp global market intelligence shares midland texasbased company operates permian basin largest us oilfield 11 percent since move slideshow 3 images youre going see shale producers focus dividends said leigh goehring gampr associates new yorkbased energy investment research firm shareholders demanding trend forming since january 11 shale producers disclosed plans spend 35 billion stock buybacksoil producers week meet investors industry conference new orleans gathering energy firms often use outline annual production goals shape investor expectations firstquarter results anadarko petroleum corp 6156 apcn new york stock exchange 090 148 apcn copn fango pen clrn calls likely companies begin offering payouts dividends share repurchases outlook continued production gains impact rising service costs also investors agenda seem increasing evidence financial prudence industry said andy mcconn oil consultancy wood mackenzie twelve 25 largest shale firms quarterly payouts choosing instead reinvest cash drilling projects parsley energy inc pen continental resources inc clrn among largest group focusing driving growth largest secondlargest us shale fields respectively may change peers focus payouts investors looking improving results better returns operational performance said maynard holt chief executive energy investment bank tudor pickering holt amp co reporting ernest scheyder editing gary mcwilliams simon webb sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles london reuters following five big themes likely dominate thinking investors traders coming week reuters stories related traders work floor new york stock exchange shortly opening bell new york us march 21 2018 reuterslucas jackson 1war cries fears trade war worlds two largest economies united states china werent enough set nerves racing two sides butting south china sea donald trump tossed threat another us government shutdown next week probably see drama involving three possibly elements dont even know yet however experienced analysts suggest rout stocks may point panic fullscale trade war graphic global stocks selloff reutrs2pbpwf1 2hung drawn quartered first quarter draws close quarter investors lot thrown biggest ever rise stock market volatility rapidly escalating tensions global trade deepening tumult white house tech sector wobbles market meltup talked january melted away dow sampp year outlook q2 great deal uncertain global trade tensions infecting investor sentiment risk appetite signs growth peaked particularly europe rising dollar interbank rates show sign reversing global liquidity pool shrink year bears continue gain upper hand q2 bulls charge graphic q1 returns winners amp losers reutrs2pac6xx 3growing plan final us government read fourth quarter gdp wednesday come hot heels federal reserves first interest rate hike year theory reassuring united states fairly closed economy fourth quarter donald trump dishing tax cuts threatening trade wars us commerce department also said friday new orders key usmade capital goods rebounded expected last month shipments core capital goods saw biggest advance since december 2016 realtime data though encouraging atlanta federal reserve model updates weekly forecasting q1 gdp increasing annualized rate 18 percent start march churning numbers around 35 percent graphic us gdp reutrs2pz3u00 4sell europe high expectations european stocks 2018 met euro zone uk business confidence data due next week either inflame soothe concerns regions economic momentum may starting wane morgan stanley equity strategists say europe seeing record outflows versus united states even popularity french president emmanual macron elected last year strong mandate reform rigid labor markets hit alltime low polls french cac40 share index 5 percent macron power last may though still better near 7 percent paneuropean stoxx 600 lost graphic economic surprises euro zone vs us reutrs2pyubat 5unfriended facebook shock hugely significant moment longrunning bull market tech internet stocks fabled faangs bats dominated driven equity rally past 23 years mainly digital revolution underlying boom companies seen largely impervious shifting political winds even ebbs flows economic cycle long run may still true facebooks travails questions use big data generally least advertising model underlying many companies cast doubt whether progress linear market pricing suggests next week may well growls coming governments regulators far go rein power social networks mark zuckerberg already long list exactly friend requests testify front various countries lawmakers graphic unfriended reutrs2pscztp writing marc jones additional reporting jamie mcgeever danilo masoni kit rees alden bentley editing gareth jones standards thomson reuters trust principles tel aviv reuters former ceo israelbased yukom communications charged indictment alleged participation binary options scheme defraud investors united states across world us department justice said lee elbaz 36 israel charged district maryland one count conspiracy commit wire fraud three counts wire fraud department said statement detention hearing september elbazs lawyer jonathan lopez defended client arguing yukom legitimate business times israel reported lopez could immediately reached comment outside normal business hours binary options involve placing bet whether value financial asset currency commodity stock rise fall fixed time sometimes short minute indictment alleges yukom provided investor retention services two websites binarybook bigoption used promote market binary options binary options fraudulently sold marketed indictment also alleges ceo yukom elbaz along coconspirators subordinates misled investors falsely claiming represent interests investors fact owners binarybook bigoption profited investors lost money elbaz coconspirators also allegedly misrepresented expected return investments binarybook bigoption allegedly provided investors false names qualifications falsely claiming working london misrepresented investors could withdraw funds accounts statement said representatives binarybook bigoption working elbazs supervision misrepresented terms bonuses risk free trades insured trades deceptively used supposed benefits manner fact harmed investors according indictment elbaz arrested fbi september arrived new yorks jfk airport tel aviv israels parliament october approved ban local firms selling binary options overseas online trading giving regulators authority begin cracking reuters special report 2016 shed light rapid rise industry israel londonbased lawyers said hundreds clients duped vast sums money israeli firms reporting tova cohen editing steven scheer jane merriman standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>BARTELLA, Iraq — In a story Dec. 25 about Iraqis celebrating Christmas in a town retaken from the Islamic State group, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the Mass was celebrated at an Assyrian Orthodox church. It is a Syriac Orthodox church.</p>
<p>A corrected version of the story is below:</p>
<p>Displaced Iraqi Christians head home for ‘wartime’ Christmas</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>For the 300 Christians who have braved rain and wind to attend Christmas Mass in their hometown, the ceremony provided them with as much holiday cheer as grim reminders of the war still raging on around their northern Iraqi town</p>
<p>By HAMZA HENDAWI</p>
<p>Associated Press</p>
<p>BARTELLA, Iraq — For the 300 Christians who braved wind and rain to attend Christmas’s Eve Mass in their hometown, the ceremony evoked both holiday cheer and grim reminders of the war raging around their northern Iraqi town, and the distant prospect of moving back home.</p>
<p>Displaced when the Islamic State group seized their town, Bartella, in August 2014, the Christians were bused into town from Irbil, capital of the self-ruled Kurdish region where they have lived for more than two years, to attend the lunchtime service in the Syriac Orthodox church of Mart Shmoni.</p>
<p>Torched by IS militants, church-supervised volunteers recently cleaned it up after government forces retook Bartella as part of an ongoing campaign to liberate the nearby city of Mosul and surrounding areas in Nineveh province. But the church is still missing its icons, electrical wiring hangs perilously from its ceiling and most light fixtures are gone. The headless statue of a late patriarch stands in the front yard, its pedestal surrounded by shards of glass.</p>
<p>On Saturday, women joyously ululated when they stepped into the marble-walled church. Almost everyone held a lit candle. Many took photos with their mobile phones. A handful of gas heaters were brought in, but they did little to warm the place on a wet and windy December day.</p>
<p>For many of them, the sight of their hometown in almost complete ruin was shocking. Only a few homes in the once vibrant town of some 25,000 people stand unscathed. Most have been damaged by shelling or blackened by fire.</p>
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<p>On one street wall, IS’s black banner remains visible under the white paint. Next to it, someone wrote: “Christ is the light of the world. Bartella is Christian.”</p>
<p>“Our joy is bigger than our sadness,” said university student Nevine Ibrahim, 20, who was in Bartella Saturday for the first time since she, her parents and four siblings left in 2014. They found their house badly damaged. Everything they owned was gone.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we can return. The house can be fixed but the pain inside us cannot,” she said, seated among three of her siblings. “Who will protect us?”</p>
<p>Halfway through the service, it became something of a wartime mass. Roughly a dozen U.S. military servicemen and a 100-man contingent from the Iraqi military led by several top generals descended on the church in a show of solidarity.</p>
<p>Unlike their Americans counterparts, the Iraqi troops came armed. Iraqi soldiers — with one wearing a skull-face balaclava– searched people coming into the church. Inside, soldiers frisked anyone moving close to the Iraqi generals, who arrived in some two dozen armored SUVs and Humvees.</p>
<p>The distant thud of explosions could be heard after mass. But none of that seemed to dampen the worshippers’ joyous spirit.</p>
<p>The soldiers photographed each other and took selfies. Many of them held lit candles, and the congregation warmly applauded when Bishop Mussa Al-Shamani thanked the Iraqi military for “liberating” Bartella.</p>
<p>The Christians of Nineveh are members of an ancient and once-vibrant community. They enjoyed protection under Saddam Hussein, but their numbers rapidly dwindled after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled the regime of the late dictator in 2003.</p>
<p>Since 2003, Sunni militants have targeted Christians and their churches, terrorizing the community and forcing many of its members to flee to the West, neighboring nations or the northern Kurdish region. IS’s onslaught across northern Iraq in 2014 devastated the unique communities of Christian-majority towns like Karamlis, Bartella and Qaraqosh — all in the Nineveh plains. Of the estimated 1.5 million Christians who lived in Iraq on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion, about 500,000 are left.</p>
<p>“This is the mass of defiance,” the Rev. Yacoub Saady told the congregation at the end of the service. “We, the Christians, are the oldest component of this country. We are staying put and no power can force us to leave.”</p>
<p>His words, however, were more hopeful than realistic. The Bartella Christians attending Saturday’s Christmas Mass spoke of the community’s woes and their slim hopes of returning home.</p>
<p>With the central Baghdad government strapped for cash because of low oil prices and the spiraling cost of the war against IS, it is unlikely that monetary compensation will be dispensed to residents who lost their homes, or that large scale reconstruction will be undertaken in Bartella anytime soon.</p>
<p>Residents also have deep security concerns, arising mostly from the Iraqi military and security forces’ meltdown in the face of IS’s blitz across northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014.</p>
<p>“People must first be compensated and services like water and electricity restored before they come back to live here,” said Ramsen Matti, a 28-year-old accountant who now lives in Irbil with his wife and their only child, a daughter born in Bartella less than two months before they fled the town.</p>
<p>Altar boy Masar Jalal arrived with his father on Saturday, the 16-year-old’s first visit to Bartella since he fled with his family to Irbil in 2014.</p>
<p>“I cried for what has become of the town,” said Jalal. “I will only come back to live here if there is security.”</p>
<p>He found some of his old clothes when he visited the family home, but the furniture was gone. “The clothes I found are too small for me now, but I also found a mug with my photo that a cousin of mine snapped. No one took that.”</p>
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bartella iraq story dec 25 iraqis celebrating christmas town retaken islamic state group associated press reported erroneously mass celebrated assyrian orthodox church syriac orthodox church corrected version story displaced iraqi christians head home wartime christmas advertisement 300 christians braved rain wind attend christmas mass hometown ceremony provided much holiday cheer grim reminders war still raging around northern iraqi town hamza hendawi associated press bartella iraq 300 christians braved wind rain attend christmass eve mass hometown ceremony evoked holiday cheer grim reminders war raging around northern iraqi town distant prospect moving back home displaced islamic state group seized town bartella august 2014 christians bused town irbil capital selfruled kurdish region lived two years attend lunchtime service syriac orthodox church mart shmoni torched militants churchsupervised volunteers recently cleaned government forces retook bartella part ongoing campaign liberate nearby city mosul surrounding areas nineveh province church still missing icons electrical wiring hangs perilously ceiling light fixtures gone headless statue late patriarch stands front yard pedestal surrounded shards glass saturday women joyously ululated stepped marblewalled church almost everyone held lit candle many took photos mobile phones handful gas heaters brought little warm place wet windy december day many sight hometown almost complete ruin shocking homes vibrant town 25000 people stand unscathed damaged shelling blackened fire advertisement one street wall iss black banner remains visible white paint next someone wrote christ light world bartella christian joy bigger sadness said university student nevine ibrahim 20 bartella saturday first time since parents four siblings left 2014 found house badly damaged everything owned gone dont think return house fixed pain inside us said seated among three siblings protect us halfway service became something wartime mass roughly dozen us military servicemen 100man contingent iraqi military led several top generals descended church show solidarity unlike americans counterparts iraqi troops came armed iraqi soldiers one wearing skullface balaclava searched people coming church inside soldiers frisked anyone moving close iraqi generals arrived two dozen armored suvs humvees distant thud explosions could heard mass none seemed dampen worshippers joyous spirit soldiers photographed took selfies many held lit candles congregation warmly applauded bishop mussa alshamani thanked iraqi military liberating bartella christians nineveh members ancient oncevibrant community enjoyed protection saddam hussein numbers rapidly dwindled usled invasion iraq toppled regime late dictator 2003 since 2003 sunni militants targeted christians churches terrorizing community forcing many members flee west neighboring nations northern kurdish region iss onslaught across northern iraq 2014 devastated unique communities christianmajority towns like karamlis bartella qaraqosh nineveh plains estimated 15 million christians lived iraq eve usled invasion 500000 left mass defiance rev yacoub saady told congregation end service christians oldest component country staying put power force us leave words however hopeful realistic bartella christians attending saturdays christmas mass spoke communitys woes slim hopes returning home central baghdad government strapped cash low oil prices spiraling cost war unlikely monetary compensation dispensed residents lost homes large scale reconstruction undertaken bartella anytime soon residents also deep security concerns arising mostly iraqi military security forces meltdown face iss blitz across northern western iraq summer 2014 people must first compensated services like water electricity restored come back live said ramsen matti 28yearold accountant lives irbil wife child daughter born bartella less two months fled town altar boy masar jalal arrived father saturday 16yearolds first visit bartella since fled family irbil 2014 cried become town said jalal come back live security found old clothes visited family home furniture gone clothes found small also found mug photo cousin mine snapped one took
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<p>STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Norway’s double Olympic cross-country skiing gold medalist Petter Northug will not be going to Pyeongchang for next month’s Winter Olympics after failing to recover from a recent illness.</p> FILE PHOTO: Norway's Petter Northug reacts after winning the men's cross country 50 km mass start classic race at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun March 1, 2015. Ê REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File photo
<p>Despite a struggle for form and fitness so far this season, many Norwegian fans held on to the hope that the 32-year-old would be able to take part as a reserve, but Northug’s name was absent when the team was announced on Wednesday.</p>
<p>“Petter has said that it’s not on the agenda. He is not maximally prepared, he is still sick and therefore not at one hundred percent,” Northug’s coach Stig Rune Kveen was quoted as saying in newspaper VG.</p>
<p>Winner of 13 World Championship gold medals, Northug has also netted six Olympic medals for Norway, including two gold, a silver and a bronze at the 2010 games in Vancouver and two bronze medals in team events in Sochi four years later.</p>
<p>Reporting by Philip O'Connor; editing by Alexander Smith</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed rules on Wednesday to make digital companies pay their fair share of tax, with U.S. tech giants such as Google ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">GOOGL.O</a>), Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) and Amazon ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>) set to foot a large chunk of the bill.</p> FILE PHOTO - The Google logo is seen at the "Station F" start up campus in Paris, France, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
<p>Under the Commission’s plan, companies with significant digital revenues in Europe will pay a 3 percent tax on their turnover on various online services in the European Union, bringing in an estimated 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion).</p>
<p>If backed by EU states and lawmakers, whose support is far from certain, the tax would apply to large firms with annual worldwide revenue above 750 million euros ($920.9 million) annual “taxable” EU revenues above 50 million euros.</p>
<p>The tax, designed as a short-term measure before the EU finds a way to tax profits based on where they do business, could also encompass other high-profile U.S. firms such as Airbnb and Uber [UBER.UL].</p>
<p>It is designed to apply to activities in which users play a role in value creation - whether via online advertising, such as in search engines or social media, via online trading or in the sale of data about users.</p>
<p>The legislation comes as the United States unsettles Europe with its own tax reform and the threat of a trade war along with reports that Facebook user data was accessed by a consultancy to help President Donald Trump win the 2016 election.</p>
<p>EU antitrust authorities have also been busy investigating the business practices of Amazon, Google and Apple, leading to accusations, which the Commission denies, that it is targeting Silicon Valley.</p> DEEP DIVISIONS
<p>The Commission said that top digital firms, whose average revenue growth of 14 percent far exceeded that of other multinationals, faced an effective tax rate of 9.5 percent, less than half the level of traditional companies.</p>
<p>The proposals require backing from the European Parliament and the 28 EU countries, but they are divided on the issue. EU tax reforms need the backing of all member states to become law.</p> FILE PHOTO - A Facebook logo is pictured at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany September 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
<p>Large EU states have accused the tech firms of paying too little tax in the bloc by routing some of their profits to low-tax member states such as Ireland and Luxembourg.</p>
<p>U.S. tech companies themselves have said they are paying tax in line with national and international laws and, in some cases, that the tax should be paid in the United States on profits repatriated there.</p>
<p>The proposal is to tax companies according to where their digital users are based.</p>
<p>A senior EU diplomatic predicted it would be hard to push through the legislation, among the most important for the bloc, because of deep divisions between larger countries set to gain more tax income and smaller ones set to lose.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">Alphabet Inc</a> 1095.8 GOOGL.O Nasdaq +0.00 (+0.00%) GOOGL.O FB.O AMZN.O
<p>Smaller countries also fear becoming less attractive to multinational firms.</p>
<p>Ireland has warned that the proposals risk merely re-slicing the tax cake, rather than actually taxing more. Some countries also believe that smaller companies should also face a bill.</p>
<p>Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said that the EU would prefer globally agreed rules, but that the amount of profits currently going untaxed was unacceptable.</p>
<p>The tax would to apply to online advertising sales, which would bring in companies such as Google and Facebook, to platforms offering services such as interaction with other users or online sales and to those selling data generated from users.</p>
<p>The tax would be collected in countries where the users are located.</p>
<p>Tech industry groups have complained that it is wrong to tax revenues as that would unduly hit companies, such as Amazon, with thinner margins.</p>
<p>($1 = 0.8145 euros)</p>
<p>Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Alison Williams</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up near a Shi’ite shrine in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and wounding dozens, officials said, as the Afghan capital celebrated the Nawruz holiday marking the start of the Persian new year.</p>
<p>The explosion underlined the threat to the city from militant attacks, despite government promises to tighten security in the wake of an attack in January that killed around 100 people.</p>
<p>Militant group Islamic State, which has claimed several previous attacks on Shi’ite targets, claimed responsibility, its Amaq news agency said. The Taliban issued a statement denying any connection.</p>
<p>Kabul had been on alert for attacks over the Nawruz holiday but the bomber was still able to detonate his explosives as people were leaving the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, in a heavily Shi’ite area in the west of the city.</p>
<p>“When the explosion took place, I fell to the ground and I saw many people on the ground around me,” said Ramazan, who was wounded in the blast at the shrine, near the city’s main university.</p> An Afghan man inspects the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
<p>Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber had apparently intended to reach the shrine, which was attacked during a Shi’ite festival in October 2016, but had been prevented from getting closer by police checkpoints.</p>
<p>“We had our security in place in and around the shrine,” he said. “All the casualties were young people who were either passing by on the road or gathering to enjoy Nawruz.”</p> Slideshow (11 Images)
<p>Dr Waheed Majroh, a spokesman for the ministry of public health, said 29 people were confirmed dead with 52 wounded being treated in hospitals in the city. Women and children were among the casualties, he said.</p>
<p>Nawruz, an ancient Persian celebration of the start of spring, is widely celebrated in many parts of Afghanistan but has also faced opposition from some fundamentalist Muslims, who say it is un-Islamic.</p>
<p>The seemingly endless attacks have undermined support for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, who offered last month to hold peace talks with Taliban insurgents fighting to drive out international forces and reimpose their version of strict Islamic law.</p>
<p>The Taliban have so far shown little sign of accepting the offer of talks with the Western-backed government, which they consider an illegitimate, foreign-imposed regime, although they have offered to talk to the United States.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Mohammad Aziz and Omar Fahmy in CAIRO; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Nick Macfie and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - For residents of the Old City, returning to Mosul is an exercise in trying to forget.</p> Moayad stands in front of the market stall where he sells second-hand jeans in al-Nabi market in the east Mosul, Iraq, January 11, 2018. REUTERS/Raya Jalabi
<p>Its streets bear the scars of the horrors they survived – either living under Islamic State’s (IS) draconian rule or during nine months of brutal fighting, as the U.S.-led coalition battled to recapture the city from the jihadists.</p>
<p>“This corner is where Daesh whipped my sons for talking out of turn,” said Um Abdullah, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, walking around the neighborhood she returned to in January. “And this corner is where they killed my father for trying to stop them.”</p>
<p>The spot was meters away from her home in the Bab al-Jadeed district. Though the front door had been blown off its hinges, the house remained standing unlike most others on the street. Where there were once 40 families living, there are now only three.</p>
<p>Um Abdullah says she returned reluctantly to the area, which has no electricity and no running water, because conditions were nevertheless better than the refugee camp where she had lived before.</p>
<p>A few streets away, Um Russil said she had also recently returned to the area, where her husband had been wounded in an air strike.</p>
<p>“Some of our neighbors don’t want to return – they say they are scarred by what they went through and can’t come back,” she said. “But we had to come back ... we had no choice.”</p>
<p>Prior to the move back, Um Russil had been living in the eastern part of Mosul, Islamic State’s main base in Iraq which suffered heavy damage from bombing and fighting.</p> FORCED UNDERGROUND
<p>Many residents of the Old City were among the last to leave Mosul. As the fighting intensified in the spring of 2017, the militants retreated further inwards, to the densely packed buildings of the historic quarter. They took over entire homes, turning them into makeshift bases, forcing families underground.</p>
<p>“We lived for three months in the cellar, before they liberated our areas on July 7,” said Moayad, 45.</p>
<p>He was forced to live - along with his mother, his children and grandchildren - in his small, windowless basement by Russian-speaking Islamic State fighters who took over his home in the Zanjili district last spring.</p>
<p>“They had everything they needed,” said Moayad, who declined to give his full name. He added that without clean drinking water or food to eat, his family survived on flour mixed with saline water he stole from IS fighters’ medical kits.</p>
<p>He was jaundiced and starving when Iraqi security forces cleared his street and evacuated civilians who had been living under intense shelling for months.</p>
<p>It wasn’t always like this. When Islamic State first came to the city, they were mostly welcomed by the predominantly Sunni residents, some of whom – at least at first – were sympathetic to their cause.</p>
<p>“Nothing really changed at first,” said Moayad, a market trader who sells second hand clothes. “We could still move around, go to the market, walk in the streets and everyone would greet each other and chit-chat, even the new people in their strange clothes.”</p>
<p>Many residents were relieved to gain reprieve from the Shi’ite-led government forces that they say treated them badly, and happier still to get a break from car bombs that had dominated since al Qaeda, Islamic State’s predecessor, fomented a years-long insurgency.</p> CLEAN STREETS AND BRUTALITY
<p>Islamic State quickly set about building the apparatus of its so-called caliphate, including establishing a new local government. Some of the city’s employees left Mosul, current municipality head Abdelsattar al-Hibbu told Reuters.</p>
<p>But most stayed and were either forced to work for or willingly joined the new regime.</p>
<p>The militants ensured streets were cleaned and roads were paved. Some residents said the Islamic State’s administration, run by a French-Morrocan jihadi, was more efficient than the previous regime. The militants subsidized services and food for some of the city’s poor.</p>
<p>But they also imposed a system of oppressive religious taxes and issued a series of decrees covering all aspects of public and private life. Punishments ranged from chopped hands to beheadings, a spectrum of unfettered violence which turned many initial supporters away.</p>
<p>“You lived in constant fear of getting in trouble with the religious police or a senior fighter walking by,” said Moayad, who said crimes could be as small as smoking to wearing the wrong clothing.</p>
<p>As the war began and later intensified, residents of the Old City were prevented from leaving, serving as human shields for the dwindling numbers of IS fighters.</p>
<p>“They killed four people who tried to escape the neighborhood right outside my house,” said Moayad, recalling the scene.</p>
<p>“And they did it publicly to scare people into staying. We weren’t allowed to remove the bodies until they started decomposing, to scare us.”</p>
<p>Editing by Cassell Bryan-Low</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Perched atop a mound of rubble, Abdelsattar al-Hibbu surveyed what remained of his second-floor office: twisted iron and centuries-old stone reduced to dust by an airstrike.</p> FILE PHOTO - Abdelsattar al-Hibbu, municipality chief of Mosul, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Mosul, Iraq, January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
<p>“I used to look out at the river from my window,” Hibbu said wistfully, recalling how the nine-month battle that defeated Islamic State militants in Mosul last year destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. “Now look at it.”</p>
<p>Hibbu is the municipality chief of Mosul and faces the titanic task of rebuilding Iraq’s second largest city from the ruins of war. It is a mega-project that could take years and require billions of dollars – yet his administration is strapped for cash.</p>
<p>“What are we supposed to do, dig money out of the ground?” asked Hibbu, a tall, broad man in his mid-forties who is fond of recounting his city’s storied past as a center of culture and learning.</p>
<p>His daily struggles reflect the challenges facing a city seen as vital to efforts to stabilize Iraq. Once home to about two million inhabitants, Mosul now has an estimated 700,000 of its population displaced and needs at least $2 billion of reconstruction, according to federal government estimates. Before the war it had an administrative budget of $80 million a year; now it doesn’t know how to pay its bills.</p>
<p>In mid-January Hibbu told Reuters he didn’t have a budget for 2018 yet, but that the city needed $75 million just to maintain basic services. He thought he might get $10 million from the Ministry of the Municipalities and Public Works, a federal government agency in Baghdad that oversees municipal governments. Nor is he expecting much from the provincial government, which once provided Mosul with about $60 million a year. It’s in disarray after the governor was suspended in an investigation into alleged corruption and the torturing of journalists. The governor denies any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>What scares Hibbu and Western officials is that the devastation and lack of help may reignite old sectarian grievances.</p>
<p>Mosul’s predominantly Sunni population had for years complained they were marginalized by the Shi’ite-led central government, treated like second class citizens and deprived of decent jobs and senior positions in the security forces. Those resentments led many of Mosul’s Sunnis to welcome Islamic State when it captured the city in 2014 and called for war against Iraq’s majority Shi’ites.</p>
<p>Hibbu, a Sunni himself, wants to avoid conditions that could enable a new group of militants to exploit frustration with the central government and pose another security threat.</p>
<p>“If Baghdad doesn’t properly invest in the reconstruction of Mosul, we could get something worse” than Islamic State, said Hibbu. “This lack of foresight is going to have very negative consequences.”</p>
<p>Lise Grande, until recently the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq who oversaw the U.N.’s stabilization program tasked with servicing immediate humanitarian needs, takes a similar view. “If we don’t stabilize these areas quickly, violent extremism might emerge again, and the gains against ISIL (Islamic State) could be lost,” she told Reuters.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-iraq-mosul-official-scene/bloody-scenes-of-life-under-is-haunt-mosul-returnees-idUSKBN1GX1AL" type="external">Bloody scenes of life under IS haunt Mosul returnees</a>
<a href="/article/us-iraq-mosul-official-help/international-help-for-iraq-idUSKBN1GX19I" type="external">International help for Iraq</a>
<p>The Baghdad government did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the reconstruction of Mosul and the festering tensions.</p>
<p>For Hibbu, it’s an uphill struggle. People show up at his office at all hours making endless demands. State employees who have not been paid in months. City workers who need more vehicles to clear the garbage that is piling up. Factory officials desperate for fuel. Even a shepherd seeking help to transport his animals through the city center.</p>
<p>Many people in the city feel abandoned. Some areas are dotted with dirt-covered women and children, scouring the rubble for scrap metal they can sell. At one rubbish dump in December, an elderly woman rooted through a pile of fetid garbage for anything salvageable. “At least under Daesh” - an Arabic acronym for Islamic State - “we were treated better and weren’t reduced to picking garbage,” she said.</p> DESERTED BAZAARS
<p>Hibbu portrays himself as a wheeler-dealer who can handle just about anything after a career as a municipality official that began 17 years ago under Saddam Hussein. During the subsequent al-Qaeda insurgency, local officials, including him, were targeted. Hibbu faced three assassination attempts and still feels pain from the wounds. Two bullets are still lodged in his lower back, he said.</p>
<p>He works an average of 18 hours a day, often sleeping on a mattress he keeps in his office, and the stress sometimes gets to him. One moment he has guests in his office and charms them over glasses of sweet tea, the next he yells down the telephone at employees or argues with people lobbying for help.</p>
<p>The Tigris River, which flows through the city, is a demarcation line in the task of reconstruction. To the east, which escaped the worst of the fighting, much of life has returned to normal: Markets are busy, classrooms are full and traffic is constant.</p>
<p>The picture is much bleaker to the west, where militants drew the advancing forces into door-to-door combat in the Old City, a warren of narrow streets dating back centuries. Officials estimate that 40,000 homes were destroyed in West Mosul. Civilian life has only just begun to trickle in once more.</p>
<p>According to Hibbu, of the 200,000 residents of the Old City, only 1,000 families have returned – or roughly 5,000 people. Many of those displaced are still living in refugee camps or have piled into East Mosul, putting additional strain on already stretched infrastructure.</p>
<p>The United Nations estimates there are 10 million tons of rubble in Mosul overall, and the Old City’s streets are still knee-deep with debris. Children’s clothes, university textbooks and human remains are scattered between mangled doorways and sheets of corrugated iron, the detritus of life in a city half-destroyed.</p>
<p>Taller buildings, home to snipers and makeshift bomb factories during the battle, are heaps of collapsed concrete. The bazaars have been turned inside out, their scorched or dust-coated contents strewn outside pummeled shops that once sold everything from CDs to saffron and second-hand clocks.</p> FILE PHOTO - Abdelsattar al-Hibbu, municipality chief of Mosul, is seen in Mosul, Iraq, January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
<p>Massive cranes are perched in the main square, clearing rubble and bullet-pocked cars, and knocking down unstable structures. Men sweep dust and pick up trash.</p>
<p>“Every month we advance about 100 meters into the Old City,” Hibbu said of rubble-clearing efforts there, walking through the bazaars one morning in mid-January. “It’s slow going, but that’s all we can do with the resources we have right now.”</p>
<p>To help places such as Mosul, the Baghdad government set up a body called ReFAATO – The Reconstruction Fund for Areas Affected by Terroristic Operations. Fadhel Abdel Amir, an adviser to the Ministry of Municipalities, which is a partner in ReFAATO, said the fund was allocated $400 million last year in the federal budget. But only $120 million was actually transferred to the fund - and that money was for all liberated areas of Iraq, not just Mosul, Abdel Amir said.</p>
<p>According to Hibbu, Mosul received the equivalent of just $252,000 from ReFAATO for 2017. “That’s about what we need to spend every hour,” Hibbu said, frustrated. “It’s not fair on the people of Mosul.” The central government in Baghdad declined to comment.</p>
<p>Hibbu says the municipality currently has 1,500 employees but needs 10,000. Much of its machinery was stolen or destroyed by Islamic State. About 970 machines, worth some $350 million, were taken or wrecked, he says, and the city has been left with only two specialized bulldozers small enough for clearing residential side streets.</p>
<p>To survive, the city has been racking up debts and relying on the patience of workers. The municipality owes $7 million to contractors and workers it hired in 2017, Hibbu said. “We’re four months late paying the salaries of our laborers.”</p>
<p>Fuel supplies are also short. On Mosul’s outskirts is a plant making asphalt vital for reconstruction. Its manager, Wafar Younis Zanoon, said the plant needs 5,000 liters of fuel per day but secures only 3,000 liters about twice a week. “We have to close three days a week,” he said.</p>
<p>It is people like Um Russil, a mother of two, who came back to her home in the Bab al Jadeed neighborhood of the Old City in October, that Hibbu needs to reassure. The municipal chief was eager to show that her street and nearby ones had been cleared of rubble. But there was no water or electricity anywhere in the neighborhood.</p> Slideshow (18 Images)
<p>Um Russil asked Hibbu to speed up the delivery of basic services to her and three other families who have returned to her street. “I’m too embarrassed to ask anything from you,” she said as she pulled at her dirt-covered dress. “But our lives were destroyed by Daesh … Right now, we just need running water.” Hibbu, clad in a smart suit, instructed a deputy from his 20-person entourage to look into the delay.</p>
<p>Some barely scratch a living as they suffer quietly in half-demolished homes. On a typical day before the war, a trader named Moayad, who declined to give his full name, used to earn $10 a day selling used jeans. Now, he says he can hardly make $1 a week.</p>
<p>“How am I ever going to make any money to rebuild my home?” he asked on a cold day in mid-January. His eldest son was killed in an airstrike during the war, leaving him to take care of his son’s wife and five children.</p>
<p>He said he had to borrow $25 from his sister just to buy a tarpaulin and some cement blocks to shelter his extended family of 13. He fears that even if aid money does arrive, it will not reach people like him.</p>
<p>“The best solution would be if the international donors and the coalition gave money directly to us, to residents, to rebuild our own homes and our own city,” said Moayad. “Because you know the second the money goes into government hands, we’re never going to see a dinar.”</p> “NOT A WISE CHOICE”
<p>Early this year, the central government and Mosul officials approved a plan intended to ameliorate sectarian tensions and police the city more effectively. The federal police and the powerful Shi’ite militias that have been providing security since the city’s liberation on July 10 were supposed to be phased out in favor of an army unit led by Najm al-Jabouri, a popular general from a large Sunni tribe.</p>
<p>Iraqi and Western officials had agreed to this arrangement to help displaced Sunni civilians feel safe enough to move back to the city. The Shi’ite militias were accused throughout the war of extra-judicial killings of Sunnis suspected of backing Islamic State. However, the plan has been indefinitely delayed, according to military and government sources, due to an increase in violence across liberated areas.</p>
<p>Sectarian tensions are still evident in the city. In January, members of Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias and the federal police held up posters of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in a main Mosul square.</p>
<p>“That was not a wise choice,” an outraged Hibbu said. “We gave a lot of martyrs fighting Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, and now they’re putting up pictures of Khomeini!”</p>
<p>The challenges of creating sectarian harmony were also evident on the outskirts of Mosul. Sh’ite militiamen who stood guard along a road leading to a garbage dump said they and many other militiamen have no intention of leaving the city.</p>
<p>“I am just concerned with security,” one of the men, Jameel Khodr, who was holding an AK-47, told Reuters. Like other militiamen, he was determined that the militias keep control of as much of the area as possible. “We have enough weapons. We have machineguns. Rocket-propelled grenades.”</p>
<p>As Hibbu strives to bridge divisions and rebuild the city, he is under no illusions about the difficulties.</p>
<p>“Iraq is truthfully a divided country. The people are divided, though officially, we’re not divided,” he said as he sat in his office, pensive at the start of what he knew would be a long day. He even wondered whether Mosul and the surrounding areas should split away from Baghdad and become autonomous.</p>
<p>“Everyone should be helping reconstruct the liberated areas. Because in Iraq, we endured terrorists from around the world.” He listed various countries that played a part in his city’s ruin, from Iran to the United States. “They all ended up in Mosul, where the coalition waged war against them and destroyed Mosul.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Raya Jalabi and Michael Georgy. Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad. Editing By Richard Woods</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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stockholm reuters norways double olympic crosscountry skiing gold medalist petter northug going pyeongchang next months winter olympics failing recover recent illness file photo norways petter northug reacts winning mens cross country 50 km mass start classic race nordic world ski championships falun march 1 2015 Ê reuterskai pfaffenbachfile photo despite struggle form fitness far season many norwegian fans held hope 32yearold would able take part reserve northugs name absent team announced wednesday petter said agenda maximally prepared still sick therefore one hundred percent northugs coach stig rune kveen quoted saying newspaper vg winner 13 world championship gold medals northug also netted six olympic medals norway including two gold silver bronze 2010 games vancouver two bronze medals team events sochi four years later reporting philip oconnor editing alexander smith standards thomson reuters trust principles brussels reuters european commission proposed rules wednesday make digital companies pay fair share tax us tech giants google googlo facebook fbo amazon amzno set foot large chunk bill file photo google logo seen station f start campus paris france february 15 2018 reutersbenoit tessier commissions plan companies significant digital revenues europe pay 3 percent tax turnover various online services european union bringing estimated 5 billion euros 61 billion backed eu states lawmakers whose support far certain tax would apply large firms annual worldwide revenue 750 million euros 9209 million annual taxable eu revenues 50 million euros tax designed shortterm measure eu finds way tax profits based business could also encompass highprofile us firms airbnb uber uberul designed apply activities users play role value creation whether via online advertising search engines social media via online trading sale data users legislation comes united states unsettles europe tax reform threat trade war along reports facebook user data accessed consultancy help president donald trump win 2016 election eu antitrust authorities also busy investigating business practices amazon google apple leading accusations commission denies targeting silicon valley deep divisions commission said top digital firms whose average revenue growth 14 percent far exceeded multinationals faced effective tax rate 95 percent less half level traditional companies proposals require backing european parliament 28 eu countries divided issue eu tax reforms need backing member states become law file photo facebook logo pictured frankfurt motor show iaa frankfurt germany september 16 2017 reutersralph orlowski large eu states accused tech firms paying little tax bloc routing profits lowtax member states ireland luxembourg us tech companies said paying tax line national international laws cases tax paid united states profits repatriated proposal tax companies according digital users based senior eu diplomatic predicted would hard push legislation among important bloc deep divisions larger countries set gain tax income smaller ones set lose alphabet inc 10958 googlo nasdaq 000 000 googlo fbo amzno smaller countries also fear becoming less attractive multinational firms ireland warned proposals risk merely reslicing tax cake rather actually taxing countries also believe smaller companies also face bill commission vice president valdis dombrovskis said eu would prefer globally agreed rules amount profits currently going untaxed unacceptable tax would apply online advertising sales would bring companies google facebook platforms offering services interaction users online sales selling data generated users tax would collected countries users located tech industry groups complained wrong tax revenues would unduly hit companies amazon thinner margins 1 08145 euros reporting philip blenkinsop additional reporting alastair macdonald editing alison williams standards thomson reuters trust principles kabul reuters suicide bomber blew near shiite shrine kabul wednesday killing least 29 people wounding dozens officials said afghan capital celebrated nawruz holiday marking start persian new year explosion underlined threat city militant attacks despite government promises tighten security wake attack january killed around 100 people militant group islamic state claimed several previous attacks shiite targets claimed responsibility amaq news agency said taliban issued statement denying connection kabul alert attacks nawruz holiday bomber still able detonate explosives people leaving karte sakhi shrine heavily shiite area west city explosion took place fell ground saw many people ground around said ramazan wounded blast shrine near citys main university afghan man inspects site suicide attack kabul afghanistan march 21 2018 reutersomar sobhani interior ministry spokesman najib danesh said bomber apparently intended reach shrine attacked shiite festival october 2016 prevented getting closer police checkpoints security place around shrine said casualties young people either passing road gathering enjoy nawruz slideshow 11 images dr waheed majroh spokesman ministry public health said 29 people confirmed dead 52 wounded treated hospitals city women children among casualties said nawruz ancient persian celebration start spring widely celebrated many parts afghanistan also faced opposition fundamentalist muslims say unislamic seemingly endless attacks undermined support government president ashraf ghani offered last month hold peace talks taliban insurgents fighting drive international forces reimpose version strict islamic law taliban far shown little sign accepting offer talks westernbacked government consider illegitimate foreignimposed regime although offered talk united states additional reporting mohammad aziz omar fahmy cairo writing james mackenzie editing nick macfie clarence fernandez standards thomson reuters trust principles mosul iraq reuters residents old city returning mosul exercise trying forget moayad stands front market stall sells secondhand jeans alnabi market east mosul iraq january 11 2018 reutersraya jalabi streets bear scars horrors survived either living islamic states draconian rule nine months brutal fighting usled coalition battled recapture city jihadists corner daesh whipped sons talking turn said um abdullah using arabic acronym islamic state walking around neighborhood returned january corner killed father trying stop spot meters away home bab aljadeed district though front door blown hinges house remained standing unlike others street 40 families living three um abdullah says returned reluctantly area electricity running water conditions nevertheless better refugee camp lived streets away um russil said also recently returned area husband wounded air strike neighbors dont want return say scarred went cant come back said come back choice prior move back um russil living eastern part mosul islamic states main base iraq suffered heavy damage bombing fighting forced underground many residents old city among last leave mosul fighting intensified spring 2017 militants retreated inwards densely packed buildings historic quarter took entire homes turning makeshift bases forcing families underground lived three months cellar liberated areas july 7 said moayad 45 forced live along mother children grandchildren small windowless basement russianspeaking islamic state fighters took home zanjili district last spring everything needed said moayad declined give full name added without clean drinking water food eat family survived flour mixed saline water stole fighters medical kits jaundiced starving iraqi security forces cleared street evacuated civilians living intense shelling months wasnt always like islamic state first came city mostly welcomed predominantly sunni residents least first sympathetic cause nothing really changed first said moayad market trader sells second hand clothes could still move around go market walk streets everyone would greet chitchat even new people strange clothes many residents relieved gain reprieve shiiteled government forces say treated badly happier still get break car bombs dominated since al qaeda islamic states predecessor fomented yearslong insurgency clean streets brutality islamic state quickly set building apparatus socalled caliphate including establishing new local government citys employees left mosul current municipality head abdelsattar alhibbu told reuters stayed either forced work willingly joined new regime militants ensured streets cleaned roads paved residents said islamic states administration run frenchmorrocan jihadi efficient previous regime militants subsidized services food citys poor also imposed system oppressive religious taxes issued series decrees covering aspects public private life punishments ranged chopped hands beheadings spectrum unfettered violence turned many initial supporters away lived constant fear getting trouble religious police senior fighter walking said moayad said crimes could small smoking wearing wrong clothing war began later intensified residents old city prevented leaving serving human shields dwindling numbers fighters killed four people tried escape neighborhood right outside house said moayad recalling scene publicly scare people staying werent allowed remove bodies started decomposing scare us editing cassell bryanlow standards thomson reuters trust principles mosul iraq reuters perched atop mound rubble abdelsattar alhibbu surveyed remained secondfloor office twisted iron centuriesold stone reduced dust airstrike file photo abdelsattar alhibbu municipality chief mosul speaks interview reuters mosul iraq january 9 2018 reutersari jalal used look river window hibbu said wistfully recalling ninemonth battle defeated islamic state militants mosul last year destroyed tens thousands buildings look hibbu municipality chief mosul faces titanic task rebuilding iraqs second largest city ruins war megaproject could take years require billions dollars yet administration strapped cash supposed dig money ground asked hibbu tall broad man midforties fond recounting citys storied past center culture learning daily struggles reflect challenges facing city seen vital efforts stabilize iraq home two million inhabitants mosul estimated 700000 population displaced needs least 2 billion reconstruction according federal government estimates war administrative budget 80 million year doesnt know pay bills midjanuary hibbu told reuters didnt budget 2018 yet city needed 75 million maintain basic services thought might get 10 million ministry municipalities public works federal government agency baghdad oversees municipal governments expecting much provincial government provided mosul 60 million year disarray governor suspended investigation alleged corruption torturing journalists governor denies wrongdoing scares hibbu western officials devastation lack help may reignite old sectarian grievances mosuls predominantly sunni population years complained marginalized shiiteled central government treated like second class citizens deprived decent jobs senior positions security forces resentments led many mosuls sunnis welcome islamic state captured city 2014 called war iraqs majority shiites hibbu sunni wants avoid conditions could enable new group militants exploit frustration central government pose another security threat baghdad doesnt properly invest reconstruction mosul could get something worse islamic state said hibbu lack foresight going negative consequences lise grande recently un humanitarian coordinator iraq oversaw uns stabilization program tasked servicing immediate humanitarian needs takes similar view dont stabilize areas quickly violent extremism might emerge gains isil islamic state could lost told reuters related coverage bloody scenes life haunt mosul returnees international help iraq baghdad government respond reuters requests comment reconstruction mosul festering tensions hibbu uphill struggle people show office hours making endless demands state employees paid months city workers need vehicles clear garbage piling factory officials desperate fuel even shepherd seeking help transport animals city center many people city feel abandoned areas dotted dirtcovered women children scouring rubble scrap metal sell one rubbish dump december elderly woman rooted pile fetid garbage anything salvageable least daesh arabic acronym islamic state treated better werent reduced picking garbage said deserted bazaars hibbu portrays wheelerdealer handle anything career municipality official began 17 years ago saddam hussein subsequent alqaeda insurgency local officials including targeted hibbu faced three assassination attempts still feels pain wounds two bullets still lodged lower back said works average 18 hours day often sleeping mattress keeps office stress sometimes gets one moment guests office charms glasses sweet tea next yells telephone employees argues people lobbying help tigris river flows city demarcation line task reconstruction east escaped worst fighting much life returned normal markets busy classrooms full traffic constant picture much bleaker west militants drew advancing forces doortodoor combat old city warren narrow streets dating back centuries officials estimate 40000 homes destroyed west mosul civilian life begun trickle according hibbu 200000 residents old city 1000 families returned roughly 5000 people many displaced still living refugee camps piled east mosul putting additional strain already stretched infrastructure united nations estimates 10 million tons rubble mosul overall old citys streets still kneedeep debris childrens clothes university textbooks human remains scattered mangled doorways sheets corrugated iron detritus life city halfdestroyed taller buildings home snipers makeshift bomb factories battle heaps collapsed concrete bazaars turned inside scorched dustcoated contents strewn outside pummeled shops sold everything cds saffron secondhand clocks file photo abdelsattar alhibbu municipality chief mosul seen mosul iraq january 9 2018 reutersari jalal massive cranes perched main square clearing rubble bulletpocked cars knocking unstable structures men sweep dust pick trash every month advance 100 meters old city hibbu said rubbleclearing efforts walking bazaars one morning midjanuary slow going thats resources right help places mosul baghdad government set body called refaato reconstruction fund areas affected terroristic operations fadhel abdel amir adviser ministry municipalities partner refaato said fund allocated 400 million last year federal budget 120 million actually transferred fund money liberated areas iraq mosul abdel amir said according hibbu mosul received equivalent 252000 refaato 2017 thats need spend every hour hibbu said frustrated fair people mosul central government baghdad declined comment hibbu says municipality currently 1500 employees needs 10000 much machinery stolen destroyed islamic state 970 machines worth 350 million taken wrecked says city left two specialized bulldozers small enough clearing residential side streets survive city racking debts relying patience workers municipality owes 7 million contractors workers hired 2017 hibbu said four months late paying salaries laborers fuel supplies also short mosuls outskirts plant making asphalt vital reconstruction manager wafar younis zanoon said plant needs 5000 liters fuel per day secures 3000 liters twice week close three days week said people like um russil mother two came back home bab al jadeed neighborhood old city october hibbu needs reassure municipal chief eager show street nearby ones cleared rubble water electricity anywhere neighborhood slideshow 18 images um russil asked hibbu speed delivery basic services three families returned street im embarrassed ask anything said pulled dirtcovered dress lives destroyed daesh right need running water hibbu clad smart suit instructed deputy 20person entourage look delay barely scratch living suffer quietly halfdemolished homes typical day war trader named moayad declined give full name used earn 10 day selling used jeans says hardly make 1 week ever going make money rebuild home asked cold day midjanuary eldest son killed airstrike war leaving take care sons wife five children said borrow 25 sister buy tarpaulin cement blocks shelter extended family 13 fears even aid money arrive reach people like best solution would international donors coalition gave money directly us residents rebuild homes city said moayad know second money goes government hands never going see dinar wise choice early year central government mosul officials approved plan intended ameliorate sectarian tensions police city effectively federal police powerful shiite militias providing security since citys liberation july 10 supposed phased favor army unit led najm aljabouri popular general large sunni tribe iraqi western officials agreed arrangement help displaced sunni civilians feel safe enough move back city shiite militias accused throughout war extrajudicial killings sunnis suspected backing islamic state however plan indefinitely delayed according military government sources due increase violence across liberated areas sectarian tensions still evident city january members iranianbacked shiite militias federal police held posters iranian revolutionary leader ayatollah ruhollah khomeini main mosul square wise choice outraged hibbu said gave lot martyrs fighting iran iraniraq war theyre putting pictures khomeini challenges creating sectarian harmony also evident outskirts mosul shite militiamen stood guard along road leading garbage dump said many militiamen intention leaving city concerned security one men jameel khodr holding ak47 told reuters like militiamen determined militias keep control much area possible enough weapons machineguns rocketpropelled grenades hibbu strives bridge divisions rebuild city illusions difficulties iraq truthfully divided country people divided though officially divided said sat office pensive start knew would long day even wondered whether mosul surrounding areas split away baghdad become autonomous everyone helping reconstruct liberated areas iraq endured terrorists around world listed various countries played part citys ruin iran united states ended mosul coalition waged war destroyed mosul reporting raya jalabi michael georgy additional reporting ahmed rasheed baghdad editing richard woods standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Valley Meat Co.’s plans to convert a cattle plant into a horse slaughterhouse has hit a new roadblock over an environmental dispute. (AP Photo/Jeri Clausing, File)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials cleared the way Friday for a return to domestic horse slaughter, granting a southeastern New Mexico company’s application to convert its cattle facility into a horse processing plant.</p>
<p>In approving Valley Meat Co. plans to produce horse meat, USDA officials also indicated they would grant similar permits to companies in Iowa and Missouri as early as next week.</p>
<p>With the action, the Roswell, N.M., company is set to become the first operation in the nation licensed to process horses into meat since Congress effectively banned the practice seven years ago.</p>
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<p>The company has been fighting for approval from the Department of Agriculture for more than a year with a request that ignited an emotional debate over whether horses are livestock or domestic companions.</p>
<p>Valley Meat Co. owner Rick De Los Santos. (AP Photo/Jeri Clausing)</p>
<p>The decision comes more than six months after Valley Meat Co. sued the USDA, accusing it of intentionally delaying the process because the Obama Administration opposes horse slaughter.</p>
<p>Valley Meat Co. wants to ship horse meat to countries where people cook with it or feed it to animals.</p>
<p>In a statement, the company said it was “encouraged that after well over a year of delay that the process has finally reached completion. Valley will now begin final preparation to hire 40 to 100 employees over the coming weeks and months so that they may go to work providing a humanely harvested, safe, legally compliant product to the world markets.”</p>
<p>Although the USDA granted the company’s certification, it was unclear when it would actually be able to begin slaughtering horses. Valley Meat Co. attorney Blair Dunn said the USDA has to send inspectors to the plant before it can begin operation. The USDA said Valley Meat would have to notify the plant in advance to get inspectors on site.</p>
<p>The plant would become the first horse slaughterhouse to operate in the country since Congress banned the practice by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants. Congress reinstated the funding in 2011, but the USDA has been slow in granting permits permit, citing the need to re-establish an oversight program.</p>
<p>The USDA said it expects to issue permits next week for Rains Natural Meats in Missouri and Responsible Transportation in Iowa.</p>
<p>Meantime, the USDA continues to push for an outright ban on horse slaughter, and the Obama administration’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year eliminates funding for inspections of horse slaughterhouses, which would effectively reinstate a prohibition on the industry. Both the House and Senate agriculture committees have endorsed proposals that would cut the funding. But it is unclear when and if an agriculture appropriations bill will pass this year.</p>
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<p>“Since Congress has not yet acted to ban horse slaughter inspection, (the agriculture department) is legally required to issue a grant of inspection today to Valley Meats in Roswell, N.M., for equine slaughter,” said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe.</p>
<p>“The Administration has requested Congress to reinstate the ban on horse slaughter. Until Congress acts, the Department must continue to comply with current law.”</p>
<p>A return to domestic horse slaughter has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country’s horse overpopulation and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.</p>
<p>The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue said it would follow through on plans to file suit to try to block the resumption of horse slaughter.</p>
<p>“The USDA’s decision to start up domestic horse slaughter, while at the same time asking Congress to defund it, is bizarre and unwarranted,” Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at The HSUS, said in a statement. “Slaughter plants have a history of polluting their communities and producing horse meat that is tainted with a dangerous cocktail of banned drugs. We intend to hold the Obama administration accountable in federal court for this inhumane, wasteful and illegal decision.”</p>
<p>Proponents of a return to domestic horse slaughter point to a 2011 report from the federal Government Accountability Office that shows horse abuse and abandonment have been increasing since slaughter was banned in 2006, leaving fewer humane options for horse owners who can’t afford to care for or euthanize their animals. They say it is better to slaughter the animals in humane, federally regulated facilities than have them abandoned to starve across the drought-stricken West or sold at auction houses that then ship them to inhumane facilities in Mexico.</p>
<p>The number of U.S. horses sent to other countries for slaughter has nearly tripled since 2006, the report says. Many humane groups agree that some of the worst abuse occurs in the slaughter pipeline. Many are pushing for a ban on domestic slaughter and a ban on shipping horses to Mexico and Canada.</p>
<p>Gov. Susana Martinez, a horse lover, said “creating a horse slaughter industry in New Mexico is wrong and I am strongly opposed.”</p>
<p>New Mexico Land Commissioner Ray Powell, a veterinarian, called on local, state and federal leaders to “work together to create solutions and provide sustainable funding to care for or humanely euthanize these unwanted horses. Continuing to ignore the plight of starving horses, creating a new horse slaughter plant, or exporting unwanted horses to Mexico won’t solve this problem.”</p>
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valley meat cos plans convert cattle plant horse slaughterhouse hit new roadblock environmental dispute ap photojeri clausing file albuquerque nm ap federal officials cleared way friday return domestic horse slaughter granting southeastern new mexico companys application convert cattle facility horse processing plant approving valley meat co plans produce horse meat usda officials also indicated would grant similar permits companies iowa missouri early next week action roswell nm company set become first operation nation licensed process horses meat since congress effectively banned practice seven years ago advertisement company fighting approval department agriculture year request ignited emotional debate whether horses livestock domestic companions valley meat co owner rick de los santos ap photojeri clausing decision comes six months valley meat co sued usda accusing intentionally delaying process obama administration opposes horse slaughter valley meat co wants ship horse meat countries people cook feed animals statement company said encouraged well year delay process finally reached completion valley begin final preparation hire 40 100 employees coming weeks months may go work providing humanely harvested safe legally compliant product world markets although usda granted companys certification unclear would actually able begin slaughtering horses valley meat co attorney blair dunn said usda send inspectors plant begin operation usda said valley meat would notify plant advance get inspectors site plant would become first horse slaughterhouse operate country since congress banned practice eliminating funding inspections plants congress reinstated funding 2011 usda slow granting permits permit citing need reestablish oversight program usda said expects issue permits next week rains natural meats missouri responsible transportation iowa meantime usda continues push outright ban horse slaughter obama administrations budget proposal upcoming fiscal year eliminates funding inspections horse slaughterhouses would effectively reinstate prohibition industry house senate agriculture committees endorsed proposals would cut funding unclear agriculture appropriations bill pass year advertisement since congress yet acted ban horse slaughter inspection agriculture department legally required issue grant inspection today valley meats roswell nm equine slaughter said usda spokeswoman courtney rowe administration requested congress reinstate ban horse slaughter congress acts department must continue comply current law return domestic horse slaughter divided horse rescue animal welfare groups ranchers politicians indian tribes humane way deal countrys horse overpopulation rescue groups said rising number neglected starving horses west deals persistent drought humane society united states front range equine rescue said would follow plans file suit try block resumption horse slaughter usdas decision start domestic horse slaughter time asking congress defund bizarre unwarranted jonathan lovvorn senior vice president chief counsel animal protection litigation hsus said statement slaughter plants history polluting communities producing horse meat tainted dangerous cocktail banned drugs intend hold obama administration accountable federal court inhumane wasteful illegal decision proponents return domestic horse slaughter point 2011 report federal government accountability office shows horse abuse abandonment increasing since slaughter banned 2006 leaving fewer humane options horse owners cant afford care euthanize animals say better slaughter animals humane federally regulated facilities abandoned starve across droughtstricken west sold auction houses ship inhumane facilities mexico number us horses sent countries slaughter nearly tripled since 2006 report says many humane groups agree worst abuse occurs slaughter pipeline many pushing ban domestic slaughter ban shipping horses mexico canada gov susana martinez horse lover said creating horse slaughter industry new mexico wrong strongly opposed new mexico land commissioner ray powell veterinarian called local state federal leaders work together create solutions provide sustainable funding care humanely euthanize unwanted horses continuing ignore plight starving horses creating new horse slaughter plant exporting unwanted horses mexico wont solve problem
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<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Below are company-related news and stories from French and Benelux media which could have an impact on the region’s markets or individual stocks.</p> AIRBUS:
<p>Airbus is in talks with British Airways on new A380 sale.</p> EIFFAGE:
<p>Kier Group announced 50/50 joint venture with Eiffage on HS2.</p> ENGIE:
<p>The board of French gas and power group Engie has decided to keep the roles of chief executive and board chair separate, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday.</p> FRENCH POLITICS:
<p>Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday they wanted to deepen Franco-German cooperation and give the European Union a fresh push towards closer integration.</p> LVMH:
<p>French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH said on Sunday it has appointed former Yves Saint Laurent star designer Hedi Slimane as artistic director of its Celine label.</p> SANOFI:
<p>French healthcare group Sanofi has agreed to buy U.S. peer Bioverativ for $11.6 billion, in a deal which Sanofi said would boost its earnings and strengthen its presence in the field of treatment for rare diseases.</p>
<p>Pan-European market data: European Equities speed guide................... FTSE Eurotop 300 index.............................. DJ STOXX index...................................... Top 10 STOXX sectors........................... Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors...................... Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors..................... Top 25 European pct gainers....................... Top 25 European pct losers........................ Main stock markets: Dow Jones............... Wall Street report ..... Nikkei 225............. Tokyo report............ FTSE 100............... London report........... Xetra DAX............. Frankfurt items......... CAC-40................. Paris items............ World Indices..................................... Reuters survey of world bourse outlook......... European Asset Allocation........................ Reuters News at a glance: Top News............. Equities.............. Main oil report........... Main currency report.....</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia plans to issue tenders to consolidate consultancy services for government infrastructure projects in the coming months in a bid to improve efficiency and bring fresh momentum to stalled developments, government sources said.</p> FILE PHOTO: A view shows buildings and houses in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo
<p>The kingdom plans to hire a consultancy at each ministry or state entity to supervise its pipeline of projects worth billions of dollars, according to one draft request for proposal (RFP) seen by Reuters.</p>
<p>Currently some entities and ministries like housing, health, power and municipalities use multiple consultants per project.</p>
<p>Local and international consultants do&#160;project design and execution, while government&#160;entities and ministries monitor.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The new plan aims to outsource these services&#160;for five years during which the winning bidders will train Saudis so government bodies ultimately have&#160;the capability to manage&#160;such work&#160;themselves.</p>
<p>It also aims to trim waste in state spending, combat corruption and help revive a slump in the construction industry at a critical time for the economy as Saudi Arabia embarks on an ambitious economic transformation plan that includes development of major projects such as the $500 billion NEOM business zone in the northwest of the country.</p>
<p>Recognized regional and foreign consultants with expertise in applying international project management standards are expected to win the contracts.&#160; &#160; &#160;</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Saudi Arabia’s construction sector has slumped in recent years as the government delayed payments to contractors and lower oil prices squeezed the state budget for new projects.</p>
<p>&#160; &#160;The RFPs are being finalised and tendering, worth millions of dollars, is expected to start in coming months, with five-year contracts to be awarded by the end of 2018, government sources told Reuters.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is not yet public</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; The total value of the contracts has not been finalised, but one source said the contract his ministry is planning to tender could reach 5 billion riyals ($1.3 billion).</p> FILE PHOTO: Men walk at the under-construction King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;COUNTERING THE SLUMP
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; The kingdom has spent billions of dollars on mega-projects over the past decades, but the absence of a standard mechanism for planning, follow up, and accountability has resulted in many projects being stalled or delayed.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Work on King Abdullah Financial District for example, a $10 billion mega project in the capital Riyadh, began in 2006 but has been plagued by construction delays, cost overruns and doubts about the initial economic feasibility study.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; The government is now moving to standardize infrastructure project delivery across the kingdom. The project management office at each ministry and state entity will be overseen by the National Project Management Organization (NMPO) — which was set up in 2016 as part of a broad government effort to overhaul the economy and close a gaping budget deficit.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; The government hired U.S.-based Bechtel Corp, one of the world’s largest industrial contractors, to run the NPMO - Mashroat in Arabic.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; Consultancy Faithful+Gould has said the roll out of project management offices across government sectors would speed up delivery of priority projects and was a positive development for the industry following two years of contraction and uncertainty.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160; In a January 2018 report, Faithful+Gould forecast Saudi Arabia to award infrastructure contracts in 2018 worth $35 billion across government sectors.&#160;&#160; &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Reporting by Marwa Rashad; Editing by Ghaida Ghantous and Alexandra Hudson</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq plans to award oil and gas exploration and development contracts in 11 new blocks on April 15, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said on Sunday.</p> FILE PHOTO: Flames emerge from flare stacks at the oil fields in Basra, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani//File Photo
<p>Iraq had initially set June 21 as the date to open the bids for the new blocks, located in border areas with Iran and Kuwait, and in offshore Gulf waters.</p>
<p>Bidding documents will be made available to oil companies planning to make offers on April 13, Jihad told Reuters. The offers will have to be submitted on April 15 and the winners will be announced the same day, he added.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-iraq-oil-exports/iraqs-oil-exports-from-southern-ports-3-45-million-bpd-in-march-idUSKCN1H811A" type="external">Iraq's oil exports from southern ports 3.45 million bpd in March</a>
<p>The oil ministry announced on Thursday measures to reduce the fees received by the oil companies from the government in the new contracts.</p>
<p>The new contracts will exclude oil by-products from the companies’ revenues, establish a linkage between prevailing oil prices and their remuneration, and introduce a royalty element.</p>
<p>Oil producers in Iraq currently receive a fee from the government linked to production increases, which include crude and oil by-products such as liquefied petroleum gas and dry gas.</p>
<p>OPEC’s second largest producer, after Saudi Arabia, Iraq decided to change the contracts after a glut caused oil prices to crash in 2014, reducing Baghdad’s ability to pay the fees.</p>
<p>Companies including BP, Exxon Mobil, Eni, Total and Royal Dutch Shell helped Iraq grow its production in the past decade by over 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) to about 4.7 million bpd.</p>
<p>The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government produces oil and gas from fields under its control in northern Iraq under a production sharing model more profitable to companies.</p>
<p>The new contracts offered by Baghdad will also set a time limit for companies to end gas flaring from oil fields they develop on territory under its control.</p>
<p>Iraq continues to flare some of the gas extracted alongside crude oil at its fields because it lacks the facilities to process it into fuel for local consumption or exports.</p>
<p>Iraq hopes to end gas flaring by 2021, which costs nearly $2.5 billion in lost revenue for the government and would be sufficient to meet most of its unmet needs for gas‐based power generation, according to the World Bank.</p>
<p>Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Mark Potter</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday, lifted by a drop in U.S. drilling activity as well as by expectations that the United States could re-introduce sanctions against Iran.</p> FILE PHOTO: Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo
<p>U.S. WTI crude futures CLc1 were at $65.21 barrel at 0122 GMT, up 27 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their previous settlement.</p>
<p>Brent crude futures LCOc1 were fetching $69.71 per barrel, up 37 cents, or 0.55 percent.</p>
<p>Shanghai September crude futures ISCc1 were at 415.6 yuan ($66.26) per barrel, up 0.9 percent.</p>
<p>Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia/Pacific at futures brokerage OANDA in Singapore, said oil markets remained nervous about “whether or not the U.S. administration will scrap or maintain the fragile nuclear deal with Iran”.</p>
<p>Innes said prices were also supported by a weekly report that there was a drop in activity of drilling for new oil production in the United States.</p>
<p>U.S. drillers cut seven oil rigs in the week to March 29, bringing the total count down to 797 RIG-OL-USA-BHI, General Electric Co’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GE.N" type="external">GE.N</a>) Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report last Thursday. It was the first time in three weeks that the rig-count fell.</p>
<p>Baker Hughes published its North American rig count report on Thursday, one day earlier than usual, due to the Good Friday holiday on March 30.</p>
<p>Oil prices have generally been supported by supply restraint led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia, which started in 2017 in order to rein in oversupply and prop up prices.</p>
<p>Rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China are likely to weigh on sentiment and could make for volatile trading in the coming days, traders and analysts said.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GE.N" type="external">General Electric Co</a> 13.48 GE.N New York Stock Exchange -0.20 (-1.46%) GE.N
<p>China slapped extra tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 U.S. products including frozen pork, as well as wine and certain fruits and nuts, in response to U.S. duties on imports of aluminum and steel, the country’s finance ministry said on Sunday night.</p>
<p>“Investors took their cue from falling U.S drilling counts,” Wang Xiao, head of crude oil research with Guotai Junan Futures said. “But increasing trade friction between China and U.S. is likely to rock global markets and tarnish bullish sentiment in crude oil markets.”</p>
<p>Trading volumes on Monday are likely to be low as many countries, especially in Europe, will still be on Easter holiday.</p>
<p>(For a graphic on 'U.S. oil rig count' click <a href="https://reut.rs/2pWPLj6" type="external">reut.rs/2pWPLj6</a>)</p>
<a href="https://reut.rs/2pWPLj6" type="external" />
<p>Reporting by Henning Gloystein in SINGAPORE and Meng Meng in BEIJING; Editing by Aaron Sheldrick</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The dollar held steady against the yen on Monday, taking a breather after last week’s rally and as it treads cautiously amid lingering concerns over a U.S.-China trade spat.</p> FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Dollar note is seen in this June 22, 2017 illustration photo. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
<p>The dollar last traded at 106.30 yen <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=JPY&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">JPY=</a>, after having risen more than 1.5 percent last week for its biggest weekly gain since September 2017.</p>
<p>The U.S. currency had risen against the yen last week, helped by signs China and the United States were working behind the scenes to avoid a full-blown trade war, and hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough over North Korea’s nuclear program.</p>
<p>The resulting uptick in risk appetite weighed on the safe-haven yen, a currency that tends to rise during times of market turmoil and vice versa.</p>
<p>Given the simmering U.S.-China trade tensions, however, some analysts say the dollar’s gains against the yen may be limited in the near term.</p>
<p>China has slapped extra tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 U.S. products including frozen pork, as well as on wine and certain fruits and nuts, in response to U.S. duties on imports of aluminum and steel, China’s finance ministry said.</p>
<p>The tariffs, to take effect on Monday, matches a list of potential tariffs on up to $3 billion in U.S. goods published by China on March 23.</p>
<p>Markets haven’t shown much reaction to China’s announcement so far, partly because Beijing had already warned of such measures, said Satoshi Okagawa, senior global markets analyst for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in Singapore.</p>
<p>“However, if Chinese equities were to fall on this factor, we could see a general risk-off move,” Okagawa said.</p>
<p>Analysts say another focus is the potential for foreign investment by Japanese institutional investors at the start of Japan’s new financial year.</p>
<p>Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s Okagawa said Japanese investors will probably increase their allocation to overseas assets, at least to some extent, which will support the dollar.</p>
<p>“Still, it’s probably going too far to say that the dollar will head up towards 110 yen in April because of such fresh buying,” Okagawa added.</p>
<p>Against a basket of six major peers, the dollar last stood at 89.967 .DXY, having backed off from a one-week high of 90.178 set last Thursday.</p>
<p>The euro held steady at $1.2321 <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=EUR&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">EUR=</a>.</p>
<p>Although expectations of an exit from the ECB’s stimulus had boosted the euro since last year, the common currency has been in a holding pattern since hitting a three-year high of $1.2556 on Feb. 16, with its March 1 low of $1.21545 seen as an immediate support level.</p>
<p>Reporting by Masayuki Kitano in Singapore; Editing by Shri Navaratnam</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 22 reuters companyrelated news stories french benelux media could impact regions markets individual stocks airbus airbus talks british airways new a380 sale eiffage kier group announced 5050 joint venture eiffage hs2 engie board french gas power group engie decided keep roles chief executive board chair separate french finance minister bruno le maire said sunday french politics chancellor angela merkel president emmanuel macron said sunday wanted deepen francogerman cooperation give european union fresh push towards closer integration lvmh french luxury goods conglomerate lvmh said sunday appointed former yves saint laurent star designer hedi slimane artistic director celine label sanofi french healthcare group sanofi agreed buy us peer bioverativ 116 billion deal sanofi said would boost earnings strengthen presence field treatment rare diseases paneuropean market data european equities speed guide ftse eurotop 300 index dj stoxx index top 10 stoxx sectors top 10 eurostoxx sectors top 10 eurotop 300 sectors top 25 european pct gainers top 25 european pct losers main stock markets dow jones wall street report nikkei 225 tokyo report ftse 100 london report xetra dax frankfurt items cac40 paris items world indices reuters survey world bourse outlook european asset allocation reuters news glance top news equities main oil report main currency report standards thomson reuters trust principles riyadh reuters saudi arabia plans issue tenders consolidate consultancy services government infrastructure projects coming months bid improve efficiency bring fresh momentum stalled developments government sources said file photo view shows buildings houses riyadh saudi arabia march 1 2017 reutersfaisal al nasserfile photo kingdom plans hire consultancy ministry state entity supervise pipeline projects worth billions dollars according one draft request proposal rfp seen reuters currently entities ministries like housing health power municipalities use multiple consultants per project local international consultants do160project design execution government160entities ministries monitor 160160160160the new plan aims outsource services160for five years winning bidders train saudis government bodies ultimately have160the capability manage160such work160themselves also aims trim waste state spending combat corruption help revive slump construction industry critical time economy saudi arabia embarks ambitious economic transformation plan includes development major projects 500 billion neom business zone northwest country recognized regional foreign consultants expertise applying international project management standards expected win contracts160 160 160 160160160 saudi arabias construction sector slumped recent years government delayed payments contractors lower oil prices squeezed state budget new projects 160 160the rfps finalised tendering worth millions dollars expected start coming months fiveyear contracts awarded end 2018 government sources told reuters 160160160160the sources spoke condition anonymity matter yet public 160160160 total value contracts finalised one source said contract ministry planning tender could reach 5 billion riyals 13 billion file photo men walk underconstruction king abdullah financial district riyadh saudi arabia may 12 2016 reutersfaisal al nasserfile photo 160160160160countering slump 160160160 kingdom spent billions dollars megaprojects past decades absence standard mechanism planning follow accountability resulted many projects stalled delayed 160160160160work king abdullah financial district example 10 billion mega project capital riyadh began 2006 plagued construction delays cost overruns doubts initial economic feasibility study 160160160 government moving standardize infrastructure project delivery across kingdom project management office ministry state entity overseen national project management organization nmpo set 2016 part broad government effort overhaul economy close gaping budget deficit 160160160 government hired usbased bechtel corp one worlds largest industrial contractors run npmo mashroat arabic 160160160 consultancy faithfulgould said roll project management offices across government sectors would speed delivery priority projects positive development industry following two years contraction uncertainty 160160160 january 2018 report faithfulgould forecast saudi arabia award infrastructure contracts 2018 worth 35 billion across government sectors160160 160160160160 reporting marwa rashad editing ghaida ghantous alexandra hudson standards thomson reuters trust principles baghdad reuters iraq plans award oil gas exploration development contracts 11 new blocks april 15 oil ministry spokesman asim jihad said sunday file photo flames emerge flare stacks oil fields basra southeast baghdad iraq january 17 2017 reutersessam alsudanifile photo iraq initially set june 21 date open bids new blocks located border areas iran kuwait offshore gulf waters bidding documents made available oil companies planning make offers april 13 jihad told reuters offers submitted april 15 winners announced day added related coverage iraqs oil exports southern ports 345 million bpd march oil ministry announced thursday measures reduce fees received oil companies government new contracts new contracts exclude oil byproducts companies revenues establish linkage prevailing oil prices remuneration introduce royalty element oil producers iraq currently receive fee government linked production increases include crude oil byproducts liquefied petroleum gas dry gas opecs second largest producer saudi arabia iraq decided change contracts glut caused oil prices crash 2014 reducing baghdads ability pay fees companies including bp exxon mobil eni total royal dutch shell helped iraq grow production past decade 25 million barrels per day bpd 47 million bpd semiautonomous kurdistan regional government produces oil gas fields control northern iraq production sharing model profitable companies new contracts offered baghdad also set time limit companies end gas flaring oil fields develop territory control iraq continues flare gas extracted alongside crude oil fields lacks facilities process fuel local consumption exports iraq hopes end gas flaring 2021 costs nearly 25 billion lost revenue government would sufficient meet unmet needs gasbased power generation according world bank reporting maher chmaytelli editing mark potter standards thomson reuters trust principles singaporebeijing reuters oil prices rose monday lifted drop us drilling activity well expectations united states could reintroduce sanctions iran file photo crude oil storage tanks seen cushing oil hub cushing oklahoma march 24 2016 reutersnick oxfordfile photo us wti crude futures clc1 6521 barrel 0122 gmt 27 cents 04 percent previous settlement brent crude futures lcoc1 fetching 6971 per barrel 37 cents 055 percent shanghai september crude futures iscc1 4156 yuan 6626 per barrel 09 percent stephen innes head trading asiapacific futures brokerage oanda singapore said oil markets remained nervous whether us administration scrap maintain fragile nuclear deal iran innes said prices also supported weekly report drop activity drilling new oil production united states us drillers cut seven oil rigs week march 29 bringing total count 797 rigolusabhi general electric cos gen baker hughes energy services firm said closely followed report last thursday first time three weeks rigcount fell baker hughes published north american rig count report thursday one day earlier usual due good friday holiday march 30 oil prices generally supported supply restraint led organization petroleum exporting countries opec russia started 2017 order rein oversupply prop prices rising trade tensions us china likely weigh sentiment could make volatile trading coming days traders analysts said general electric co 1348 gen new york stock exchange 020 146 gen china slapped extra tariffs 25 percent 128 us products including frozen pork well wine certain fruits nuts response us duties imports aluminum steel countrys finance ministry said sunday night investors took cue falling us drilling counts wang xiao head crude oil research guotai junan futures said increasing trade friction china us likely rock global markets tarnish bullish sentiment crude oil markets trading volumes monday likely low many countries especially europe still easter holiday graphic us oil rig count click reutrs2pwplj6 reporting henning gloystein singapore meng meng beijing editing aaron sheldrick standards thomson reuters trust principles singapore reuters dollar held steady yen monday taking breather last weeks rally treads cautiously amid lingering concerns uschina trade spat file photo us dollar note seen june 22 2017 illustration photo reutersthomas whiteillustrationfile photo dollar last traded 10630 yen jpy risen 15 percent last week biggest weekly gain since september 2017 us currency risen yen last week helped signs china united states working behind scenes avoid fullblown trade war hopes diplomatic breakthrough north koreas nuclear program resulting uptick risk appetite weighed safehaven yen currency tends rise times market turmoil vice versa given simmering uschina trade tensions however analysts say dollars gains yen may limited near term china slapped extra tariffs 25 percent 128 us products including frozen pork well wine certain fruits nuts response us duties imports aluminum steel chinas finance ministry said tariffs take effect monday matches list potential tariffs 3 billion us goods published china march 23 markets havent shown much reaction chinas announcement far partly beijing already warned measures said satoshi okagawa senior global markets analyst sumitomo mitsui banking corporation singapore however chinese equities fall factor could see general riskoff move okagawa said analysts say another focus potential foreign investment japanese institutional investors start japans new financial year sumitomo mitsui banking corporations okagawa said japanese investors probably increase allocation overseas assets least extent support dollar still probably going far say dollar head towards 110 yen april fresh buying okagawa added basket six major peers dollar last stood 89967 dxy backed oneweek high 90178 set last thursday euro held steady 12321 eur although expectations exit ecbs stimulus boosted euro since last year common currency holding pattern since hitting threeyear high 12556 feb 16 march 1 low 121545 seen immediate support level reporting masayuki kitano singapore editing shri navaratnam standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Los Angeles attorneys who represented former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight were arrested Thursday on warrants alleging they were accessories after the fact to a felony, authorities said.</p>
<p>The attorneys, Matthew Fletcher and Thaddeus Culpepper, were arrested Thursday by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, sheriff's department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida told The Associated Press. The warrants allege they were accessories after the fact to a crime, she said, without providing any additional details.</p>
<p>Fletcher, 53, was arrested around 2 p.m. and was being booked at the county jail's inmate reception center, officials said. Jail records showed he was being held on $1 million bail and no information was listed about Culpepper.</p>
<p>In a court filing in August, prosecutors accused Fletcher and Knight of witness tampering in the rap mogul's pending murder case. Transcripts of recorded conversations suggested the two had discussed fabricating testimony and Knight had tried to pay off potential witnesses with his lawyer's help, the filing said.</p>
<p>The alleged talks of bribery came in a series of recorded calls in 2015 between Knight, who was in jail and Fletcher, along with Knight's fiancee and his business partner.</p>
<p>Fletcher is one of several lawyers who has represented Knight, the Death Row Records co-founder, since he was charged with murder and attempted murder after he ran over two men outside a Compton burger stand in January 2015, killing one of them. Knight has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial later this year.</p>
<p>The people on the calls discuss payments of as much as $25,000 to witnesses to say the victims or others at the burger stand were armed at the time, bolstering Knight's argument that he was acting in self-defense.</p>
<p>In one call, Fletcher said he would "pay anything" to bikers who were at the scene.</p>
<p>"If we can get the two or three versions from the bikers on tape and we can get ... we're done," he said. "It's going home time. Right? That's a fair ... investment, you know, 20, 25 thousand dollars."</p>
<p>After the court filing, Fletcher vehemently denied that he was suggesting bribing witnesses and said he was talking about bikers who may have had cellphone video that could be useful to the defense.</p>
<p>The filing also included accusations that Culpepper had contacted a sheriff's department informant and had agreed to pay for his testimony that he was present at the time of the crime and witnessed events that would favorable for the defense's case.</p>
<p>A text message sent to Fletcher's cell phone Thursday night was not immediately returned and a woman who answered the phone at his law office declined comment and hung up without giving her name. A telephone message left for Culpepper was also not immediately returned.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1</a> .</p>
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Los Angeles attorneys who represented former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight were arrested Thursday on warrants alleging they were accessories after the fact to a felony, authorities said.</p>
<p>The attorneys, Matthew Fletcher and Thaddeus Culpepper, were arrested Thursday by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, sheriff's department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida told The Associated Press. The warrants allege they were accessories after the fact to a crime, she said, without providing any additional details.</p>
<p>Fletcher, 53, was arrested around 2 p.m. and was being booked at the county jail's inmate reception center, officials said. Jail records showed he was being held on $1 million bail and no information was listed about Culpepper.</p>
<p>In a court filing in August, prosecutors accused Fletcher and Knight of witness tampering in the rap mogul's pending murder case. Transcripts of recorded conversations suggested the two had discussed fabricating testimony and Knight had tried to pay off potential witnesses with his lawyer's help, the filing said.</p>
<p>The alleged talks of bribery came in a series of recorded calls in 2015 between Knight, who was in jail and Fletcher, along with Knight's fiancee and his business partner.</p>
<p>Fletcher is one of several lawyers who has represented Knight, the Death Row Records co-founder, since he was charged with murder and attempted murder after he ran over two men outside a Compton burger stand in January 2015, killing one of them. Knight has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial later this year.</p>
<p>The people on the calls discuss payments of as much as $25,000 to witnesses to say the victims or others at the burger stand were armed at the time, bolstering Knight's argument that he was acting in self-defense.</p>
<p>In one call, Fletcher said he would "pay anything" to bikers who were at the scene.</p>
<p>"If we can get the two or three versions from the bikers on tape and we can get ... we're done," he said. "It's going home time. Right? That's a fair ... investment, you know, 20, 25 thousand dollars."</p>
<p>After the court filing, Fletcher vehemently denied that he was suggesting bribing witnesses and said he was talking about bikers who may have had cellphone video that could be useful to the defense.</p>
<p>The filing also included accusations that Culpepper had contacted a sheriff's department informant and had agreed to pay for his testimony that he was present at the time of the crime and witnessed events that would favorable for the defense's case.</p>
<p>A text message sent to Fletcher's cell phone Thursday night was not immediately returned and a woman who answered the phone at his law office declined comment and hung up without giving her name. A telephone message left for Culpepper was also not immediately returned.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1</a> .</p>
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los angeles ap two los angeles attorneys represented former rap mogul marion suge knight arrested thursday warrants alleging accessories fact felony authorities said attorneys matthew fletcher thaddeus culpepper arrested thursday los angeles county sheriffs deputies sheriffs department spokeswoman nicole nishida told associated press warrants allege accessories fact crime said without providing additional details fletcher 53 arrested around 2 pm booked county jails inmate reception center officials said jail records showed held 1 million bail information listed culpepper court filing august prosecutors accused fletcher knight witness tampering rap moguls pending murder case transcripts recorded conversations suggested two discussed fabricating testimony knight tried pay potential witnesses lawyers help filing said alleged talks bribery came series recorded calls 2015 knight jail fletcher along knights fiancee business partner fletcher one several lawyers represented knight death row records cofounder since charged murder attempted murder ran two men outside compton burger stand january 2015 killing one knight pleaded guilty scheduled go trial later year people calls discuss payments much 25000 witnesses say victims others burger stand armed time bolstering knights argument acting selfdefense one call fletcher said would pay anything bikers scene get two three versions bikers tape get done said going home time right thats fair investment know 20 25 thousand dollars court filing fletcher vehemently denied suggesting bribing witnesses said talking bikers may cellphone video could useful defense filing also included accusations culpepper contacted sheriffs department informant agreed pay testimony present time crime witnessed events would favorable defenses case text message sent fletchers cell phone thursday night immediately returned woman answered phone law office declined comment hung without giving name telephone message left culpepper also immediately returned ___ follow michael balsamo twitter httpwwwtwittercommikebalsamo1 los angeles ap two los angeles attorneys represented former rap mogul marion suge knight arrested thursday warrants alleging accessories fact felony authorities said attorneys matthew fletcher thaddeus culpepper arrested thursday los angeles county sheriffs deputies sheriffs department spokeswoman nicole nishida told associated press warrants allege accessories fact crime said without providing additional details fletcher 53 arrested around 2 pm booked county jails inmate reception center officials said jail records showed held 1 million bail information listed culpepper court filing august prosecutors accused fletcher knight witness tampering rap moguls pending murder case transcripts recorded conversations suggested two discussed fabricating testimony knight tried pay potential witnesses lawyers help filing said alleged talks bribery came series recorded calls 2015 knight jail fletcher along knights fiancee business partner fletcher one several lawyers represented knight death row records cofounder since charged murder attempted murder ran two men outside compton burger stand january 2015 killing one knight pleaded guilty scheduled go trial later year people calls discuss payments much 25000 witnesses say victims others burger stand armed time bolstering knights argument acting selfdefense one call fletcher said would pay anything bikers scene get two three versions bikers tape get done said going home time right thats fair investment know 20 25 thousand dollars court filing fletcher vehemently denied suggesting bribing witnesses said talking bikers may cellphone video could useful defense filing also included accusations culpepper contacted sheriffs department informant agreed pay testimony present time crime witnessed events would favorable defenses case text message sent fletchers cell phone thursday night immediately returned woman answered phone law office declined comment hung without giving name telephone message left culpepper also immediately returned ___ follow michael balsamo twitter httpwwwtwittercommikebalsamo1
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<p>Nathalie Bonnard-Grenet is co-owner with her husband of L’Olivier, a new restaurant that opened at the corner of West Alameda and Galisteo Street in Santa Fe. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — After nearly 20 years in the States, French chef Xavier Grenet has long since learned a U.S. slang phrase for a classic French cooking technique: “low and slow.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes,” he said recently. “That’s the way we cook in the winter – there are many dishes that are cooked low and slow. It’s called braising.”</p>
<p>Cooking them low and slow is what makes his rosemary-braised beef short ribs so succulent that the meat falls off the bone, enhanced with glazed shallots, haricots vert and green chile/jack-cheese mashed potatoes.</p>
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<p>Um, green chile and jack cheese?</p>
<p>“I have lived here for 13 years. I am a New Mexican now,” Grenet said firmly in heavily accented English.</p>
<p>He’s a French-born New Mexican who met and married the love of his life, also Paris born and raised, in Santa Fe. The two of them took a big chance on each other, marrying in early middle age, Xavier and Nathalie Bonnard-Grenet admitted.</p>
<p>Now they’ve taken another big chance: opening a restaurant together. Grenet is executive chef as well as co-owner.</p>
<p>“It is my first place of my own. It is the first place with my wife,” Grenet said. (The honeymoon isn’t over, even after five years. The words “my wife” spill out of Grenet’s mouth about every 30 seconds.)</p>
<p>L’Olivier (The Olive Tree) opened Dec. 20 in the small, erstwhile gas station (and skating rink and curio store and rug shop and thrice incarnated as a restaurant) building at the corner of Galisteo and Alameda. It’s been busy ever since, the Grenets reported happily.</p>
<p>French chef Xavier Grenet prepares to cook at his new restaurant, L’Olivier. He was previously executive chef at Ristra in Santa Fe. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>Why does he think his restaurant will succeed in a spot where others have failed?</p>
<p>“Because we are two,” he said. “Me in the kitchen and my wife is in the front. There needs to be two – one in the front and one in the back. Also, I know how to cook. Who I am is reflected in the food on the plate. But you need two to run a good restaurant, to create the ambiance where people can enjoy their food. …</p>
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<p>“This is the first time I don’t have anybody telling me, ‘Use this. Try that.’ The menu is mine, and I love it,” Grenet added.</p>
<p>His menu reflects his classical training at L’Ecole Francaise de la Gastronomie Ferrandi in Paris and at L’Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. Among other winter-time entrees are coq au vin with sautéed potatoes, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts and bacon, and suckling pig with a root-vegetable confit and truffle sauce.</p>
<p>But there’s also the giant Tiger prawn with sautéed artichoke and a red chile risotto and the achiote elk tenderloin with celery root puree, fava beans and a sauce Grand Veneur, demonstrating spices and ingredients he learned to use in the American Southwest.</p>
<p>Grenet came to the U.S. in 1993 to join the three-star New York restaurant Les Celebrites. He was also executive chef at the Barcelona in San Francisco. He arrived in Santa Fe in 2000 to become executive chef for Eric LaMalle’s well-known Ristra restaurant.</p>
<p>Last April, however, LaMalle died unexpectedly at his Tesuque home. The Grenets, who had been mulling the possibility of their own restaurant, offered to buy Ristra, “but it didn’t work out.”</p>
<p>“We were sad, because we love Santa Fe,” Grenet said. “We love the outdoors and northern New Mexico.”</p>
<p>When the opportunity arose to take over what had been Tomme’s spot downtown, the couple decided to take the plunge. “It’s like a goal for every chef, to have your own place,” Grenet said.</p>
<p>The couple cleaned and redecorated the building, fitting out the kitchen.</p>
<p>L’Olivier is the latest eatery occupying the corner of Alameda and Galisteo Street in Santa Fe, having opened on Dec. 20. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“We didn’t just move in some pans,” Bonnard-Grenet said. “This building had not been taken care of for a long time. We put in a lot of effort to put in something that would work. The floors had to be changed. The windows had to be fixed so that drafts did not come in.</p>
<p>“We had a lot of help. The staff from Ristra just showed up and helped us,” she added.</p>
<p>Bonnard-Grenet, who is a designer by training, found Art Deco-style lighting fixtures on Craigslist, and chose the color palette with the help of a friend.</p>
<p>“I like color, but I am afraid to use it,” she confessed. “My friend gave me the courage.”</p>
<p>Most walls are a warm, pale amber. A rust-colored accent wall backs the dining room, and the wooden beams and trim are painted a blue-green that is the true olive green.</p>
<p>“We wanted it to be warm, to remind people of the south of France and the Mediterranean,” she said.</p>
<p>Family got into the act. Grenet’s mother and stepfather came from Paris for the opening and spent their Joyeux Noel week painting the frame of the outdoor shelter for the summertime patio.</p>
<p>Desserts are made by Bonnard-Grenet’s 20-year-old daughter, Gabrielle Fretel. Her lunch dessert list includes crème caramel, ile flottant and a chocolate terrine.</p>
<p>The restaurant employs between 12 and 15 people, depending on the shifts.</p>
<p>“I think people here like good food,” Grenet said. “People in Santa Fe like to go out and dine. It’s a great city for restaurants. There’s a lot of diversity. You can find good Asian, French, Mexican, New Mexican, Italian and even African food here, at Jambo.”</p>
<p>The couple enjoys the neighborhood around Galisteo and Alameda. “This is a great area; we are surrounded by nice hotels and a lovely B&amp;B,” Bonnard-Grenet said. In their scarce free time, they’ve visited nearby restaurants Galisteo Bistro and Bouche. They spoke highly of both.</p>
<p>“I like food,” Grenet said. “I like any kind of food.”</p>
<p />
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nathalie bonnardgrenet coowner husband lolivier new restaurant opened corner west alameda galisteo street santa fe eddie moorealbuquerque journal santa fe nm nearly 20 years states french chef xavier grenet long since learned us slang phrase classic french cooking technique low slow oh yes said recently thats way cook winter many dishes cooked low slow called braising cooking low slow makes rosemarybraised beef short ribs succulent meat falls bone enhanced glazed shallots haricots vert green chilejackcheese mashed potatoes advertisement um green chile jack cheese lived 13 years new mexican grenet said firmly heavily accented english hes frenchborn new mexican met married love life also paris born raised santa fe two took big chance marrying early middle age xavier nathalie bonnardgrenet admitted theyve taken another big chance opening restaurant together grenet executive chef well coowner first place first place wife grenet said honeymoon isnt even five years words wife spill grenets mouth every 30 seconds lolivier olive tree opened dec 20 small erstwhile gas station skating rink curio store rug shop thrice incarnated restaurant building corner galisteo alameda busy ever since grenets reported happily french chef xavier grenet prepares cook new restaurant lolivier previously executive chef ristra santa fe eddie moorealbuquerque journal think restaurant succeed spot others failed two said kitchen wife front needs two one front one back also know cook reflected food plate need two run good restaurant create ambiance people enjoy food advertisement first time dont anybody telling use try menu mine love grenet added menu reflects classical training lecole francaise de la gastronomie ferrandi paris lecole hoteliere de lausanne switzerland among wintertime entrees coq au vin sautéed potatoes mushrooms brussels sprouts bacon suckling pig rootvegetable confit truffle sauce theres also giant tiger prawn sautéed artichoke red chile risotto achiote elk tenderloin celery root puree fava beans sauce grand veneur demonstrating spices ingredients learned use american southwest grenet came us 1993 join threestar new york restaurant les celebrites also executive chef barcelona san francisco arrived santa fe 2000 become executive chef eric lamalles wellknown ristra restaurant last april however lamalle died unexpectedly tesuque home grenets mulling possibility restaurant offered buy ristra didnt work sad love santa fe grenet said love outdoors northern new mexico opportunity arose take tommes spot downtown couple decided take plunge like goal every chef place grenet said couple cleaned redecorated building fitting kitchen lolivier latest eatery occupying corner alameda galisteo street santa fe opened dec 20 eddie moorealbuquerque journal didnt move pans bonnardgrenet said building taken care long time put lot effort put something would work floors changed windows fixed drafts come lot help staff ristra showed helped us added bonnardgrenet designer training found art decostyle lighting fixtures craigslist chose color palette help friend like color afraid use confessed friend gave courage walls warm pale amber rustcolored accent wall backs dining room wooden beams trim painted bluegreen true olive green wanted warm remind people south france mediterranean said family got act grenets mother stepfather came paris opening spent joyeux noel week painting frame outdoor shelter summertime patio desserts made bonnardgrenets 20yearold daughter gabrielle fretel lunch dessert list includes crème caramel ile flottant chocolate terrine restaurant employs 12 15 people depending shifts think people like good food grenet said people santa fe like go dine great city restaurants theres lot diversity find good asian french mexican new mexican italian even african food jambo couple enjoys neighborhood around galisteo alameda great area surrounded nice hotels lovely bampb bonnardgrenet said scarce free time theyve visited nearby restaurants galisteo bistro bouche spoke highly like food grenet said like kind food
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<p>DALLAS (AP) — Ben Bishop is getting regular work, and he and the Dallas Stars have been playing some of their best hockey of the season.</p>
<p>Bishop made 26 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, Tyler Pitlick scored twice and the Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 6-0 on Sunday night.</p>
<p>Bishop’s 23rd career shutout came in his seventh straight start. It was Dallas’ fourth win in five games.</p>
<p>In the first two games of a six-game homestand, the Stars have outscored opponents 10-2. The first five games are all two days apart.</p>
<p>“We kind of had a real hard one there before this homestand, a lot of in-and-outs, so it’s kind of nice to have this homestand,” Bishop said. “We’ve done a good job so far. It’s going to be kind of important to enjoy this one and obviously get some rest (Monday).”</p>
<p>Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said there are few breaks in the schedule.</p>
<p>“We’ve made a little bit of ground, and we’ve created no separation,” he said. “This is the way it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It doesn’t seem like anybody’s missing a beat right now, especially in the Central.”</p>
<p>Dallas scored two goals in each period — by John Klingberg and Pitlick in the first, Stephen Johns and Tyler Seguin in the second and Devin Shore and Pitlick 50 seconds apart in the third.</p>
<p>“I thought this was Pitlick’s strongest game,” Hitchcock said. “He stayed determined on the puck.”</p>
<p>San Jose starter Martin Jones had 18 saves in the first two periods before giving way to Aaron Dell, who stopped eight shots.</p>
<p>The Sharks’ three-game winning streak ended with their most lopsided loss this season. The poor road performance came as San Jose began a stretch with 14 of 18 games on the road.</p>
<p>“I don’t look at this like we’ve been a poor road team. This was a poor game tonight,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s a symptom of something bigger. It was just a bad night.”</p>
<p>Klingberg added an assist on Seguin’s 19th goal of the season, a power-play score. Radek Faksa tied his career high with three assists and Mattias Janmark assisted twice.</p>
<p>The Stars had the game’s first six shots on goal and cashed in on their seventh. Janmark circled behind the net and passed to Klingberg near the right faceoff dot. He sent a shot past Jones at 6:19, and then Pitlick gave Dallas a 2-0 lead at 15:07.</p>
<p>Dallas had 17 shots, their most in the first period this season, to five for San Jose. The Sharks had a chance with a power play to begin the second, but Bishop stopped the first six shots on goal. Logan Couture sent one shot into the right goalpost and another into the goalie’s pads.</p>
<p>“We didn’t play very well,” Couture said. “Pretty simple. Left our goalies out to dry. I feel bad for those two. They battled and no one else did.”</p>
<p>The teams were skating 4-on-4 when Johns scored at 4:25 of the second.</p>
<p>Seguin skated in front to deflect Klingberg’s shot into the top of the net on the power play.</p>
<p>NOTES: Dallas RW Alexander Radulov left in the second period with an upper-body injury from a hit by Sharks D Justin Braun. ... The Stars have scored a power-play goal in six straight games, following a stretch of 14 games with only two goals with a man advantage. ... Benn has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a six-game point streak. ... Couture, who leads San Jose with 15 goals, returned after missing four games because of a concussion. ... The Sharks had not allowed more than five goals in a game before Sunday. ... The six-goal win was Dallas’ largest margin of victory. ... Pitlick has seven goals this season. Three times he has scored twice in a game.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Sharks: Play the second game on a five-game trip on Tuesday night at Montreal.</p>
<p>Stars: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP hockey: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey</a></p>
<p>DALLAS (AP) — Ben Bishop is getting regular work, and he and the Dallas Stars have been playing some of their best hockey of the season.</p>
<p>Bishop made 26 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, Tyler Pitlick scored twice and the Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 6-0 on Sunday night.</p>
<p>Bishop’s 23rd career shutout came in his seventh straight start. It was Dallas’ fourth win in five games.</p>
<p>In the first two games of a six-game homestand, the Stars have outscored opponents 10-2. The first five games are all two days apart.</p>
<p>“We kind of had a real hard one there before this homestand, a lot of in-and-outs, so it’s kind of nice to have this homestand,” Bishop said. “We’ve done a good job so far. It’s going to be kind of important to enjoy this one and obviously get some rest (Monday).”</p>
<p>Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said there are few breaks in the schedule.</p>
<p>“We’ve made a little bit of ground, and we’ve created no separation,” he said. “This is the way it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It doesn’t seem like anybody’s missing a beat right now, especially in the Central.”</p>
<p>Dallas scored two goals in each period — by John Klingberg and Pitlick in the first, Stephen Johns and Tyler Seguin in the second and Devin Shore and Pitlick 50 seconds apart in the third.</p>
<p>“I thought this was Pitlick’s strongest game,” Hitchcock said. “He stayed determined on the puck.”</p>
<p>San Jose starter Martin Jones had 18 saves in the first two periods before giving way to Aaron Dell, who stopped eight shots.</p>
<p>The Sharks’ three-game winning streak ended with their most lopsided loss this season. The poor road performance came as San Jose began a stretch with 14 of 18 games on the road.</p>
<p>“I don’t look at this like we’ve been a poor road team. This was a poor game tonight,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s a symptom of something bigger. It was just a bad night.”</p>
<p>Klingberg added an assist on Seguin’s 19th goal of the season, a power-play score. Radek Faksa tied his career high with three assists and Mattias Janmark assisted twice.</p>
<p>The Stars had the game’s first six shots on goal and cashed in on their seventh. Janmark circled behind the net and passed to Klingberg near the right faceoff dot. He sent a shot past Jones at 6:19, and then Pitlick gave Dallas a 2-0 lead at 15:07.</p>
<p>Dallas had 17 shots, their most in the first period this season, to five for San Jose. The Sharks had a chance with a power play to begin the second, but Bishop stopped the first six shots on goal. Logan Couture sent one shot into the right goalpost and another into the goalie’s pads.</p>
<p>“We didn’t play very well,” Couture said. “Pretty simple. Left our goalies out to dry. I feel bad for those two. They battled and no one else did.”</p>
<p>The teams were skating 4-on-4 when Johns scored at 4:25 of the second.</p>
<p>Seguin skated in front to deflect Klingberg’s shot into the top of the net on the power play.</p>
<p>NOTES: Dallas RW Alexander Radulov left in the second period with an upper-body injury from a hit by Sharks D Justin Braun. ... The Stars have scored a power-play goal in six straight games, following a stretch of 14 games with only two goals with a man advantage. ... Benn has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a six-game point streak. ... Couture, who leads San Jose with 15 goals, returned after missing four games because of a concussion. ... The Sharks had not allowed more than five goals in a game before Sunday. ... The six-goal win was Dallas’ largest margin of victory. ... Pitlick has seven goals this season. Three times he has scored twice in a game.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Sharks: Play the second game on a five-game trip on Tuesday night at Montreal.</p>
<p>Stars: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP hockey: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey</a></p>
| false | 2 |
dallas ap ben bishop getting regular work dallas stars playing best hockey season bishop made 26 saves fourth shutout season tyler pitlick scored twice stars beat san jose sharks 60 sunday night bishops 23rd career shutout came seventh straight start dallas fourth win five games first two games sixgame homestand stars outscored opponents 102 first five games two days apart kind real hard one homestand lot inandouts kind nice homestand bishop said weve done good job far going kind important enjoy one obviously get rest monday stars coach ken hitchcock said breaks schedule weve made little bit ground weve created separation said way going rest year doesnt seem like anybodys missing beat right especially central dallas scored two goals period john klingberg pitlick first stephen johns tyler seguin second devin shore pitlick 50 seconds apart third thought pitlicks strongest game hitchcock said stayed determined puck san jose starter martin jones 18 saves first two periods giving way aaron dell stopped eight shots sharks threegame winning streak ended lopsided loss season poor road performance came san jose began stretch 14 18 games road dont look like weve poor road team poor game tonight sharks coach peter deboer said dont think symptom something bigger bad night klingberg added assist seguins 19th goal season powerplay score radek faksa tied career high three assists mattias janmark assisted twice stars games first six shots goal cashed seventh janmark circled behind net passed klingberg near right faceoff dot sent shot past jones 619 pitlick gave dallas 20 lead 1507 dallas 17 shots first period season five san jose sharks chance power play begin second bishop stopped first six shots goal logan couture sent one shot right goalpost another goalies pads didnt play well couture said pretty simple left goalies dry feel bad two battled one else teams skating 4on4 johns scored 425 second seguin skated front deflect klingbergs shot top net power play notes dallas rw alexander radulov left second period upperbody injury hit sharks justin braun stars scored powerplay goal six straight games following stretch 14 games two goals man advantage benn seven points three goals four assists sixgame point streak couture leads san jose 15 goals returned missing four games concussion sharks allowed five goals game sunday sixgoal win dallas largest margin victory pitlick seven goals season three times scored twice game next sharks play second game fivegame trip tuesday night montreal stars host columbus tuesday night ___ ap hockey httpsapnewscomtagnhlhockey dallas ap ben bishop getting regular work dallas stars playing best hockey season bishop made 26 saves fourth shutout season tyler pitlick scored twice stars beat san jose sharks 60 sunday night bishops 23rd career shutout came seventh straight start dallas fourth win five games first two games sixgame homestand stars outscored opponents 102 first five games two days apart kind real hard one homestand lot inandouts kind nice homestand bishop said weve done good job far going kind important enjoy one obviously get rest monday stars coach ken hitchcock said breaks schedule weve made little bit ground weve created separation said way going rest year doesnt seem like anybodys missing beat right especially central dallas scored two goals period john klingberg pitlick first stephen johns tyler seguin second devin shore pitlick 50 seconds apart third thought pitlicks strongest game hitchcock said stayed determined puck san jose starter martin jones 18 saves first two periods giving way aaron dell stopped eight shots sharks threegame winning streak ended lopsided loss season poor road performance came san jose began stretch 14 18 games road dont look like weve poor road team poor game tonight sharks coach peter deboer said dont think symptom something bigger bad night klingberg added assist seguins 19th goal season powerplay score radek faksa tied career high three assists mattias janmark assisted twice stars games first six shots goal cashed seventh janmark circled behind net passed klingberg near right faceoff dot sent shot past jones 619 pitlick gave dallas 20 lead 1507 dallas 17 shots first period season five san jose sharks chance power play begin second bishop stopped first six shots goal logan couture sent one shot right goalpost another goalies pads didnt play well couture said pretty simple left goalies dry feel bad two battled one else teams skating 4on4 johns scored 425 second seguin skated front deflect klingbergs shot top net power play notes dallas rw alexander radulov left second period upperbody injury hit sharks justin braun stars scored powerplay goal six straight games following stretch 14 games two goals man advantage benn seven points three goals four assists sixgame point streak couture leads san jose 15 goals returned missing four games concussion sharks allowed five goals game sunday sixgoal win dallas largest margin victory pitlick seven goals season three times scored twice game next sharks play second game fivegame trip tuesday night montreal stars host columbus tuesday night ___ ap hockey httpsapnewscomtagnhlhockey
| 814 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - Wall Street sure loves the tax bill, even if polls show most Americans don't.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average surged past 25,000 Thursday, a strong signal of investor enthusiasm for President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion tax cut. The milestone comes less than a year after the Dow topped 20,000.</p>
<p>"We broke a very, very big barrier," Trump said Thursday at the White House. "Every time you see that number go up on Wall Street it means jobs, it means success, it means 401(k)s that are flourishing."</p>
<p>The Dow jumped an additional 220 points Friday after the government reported that employers added 148,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained a low 4.1 percent. Investors celebrated the modest job gains because they made it less likely that the Federal Reserve will step up its pace of interest rate increases. Higher rates can depress share prices as some investors shift money away from stocks to bonds.</p>
<p>It's easy to see why investors like the tax overhaul: Businesses will benefit from a steep cut in the corporate tax rate. They'll also be able to fully deduct the cost of major purchases from their taxable income, reducing the amount they owe. And companies with large stockpiles of cash overseas can bring the money back to the United States at new, lower rates.</p>
<p>All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index by roughly 8 percent this year. That's much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6 percent that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center.</p>
<p>"All else being equal, this should go straight to the bottom line," said David Joy, chief market strategist for Ameriprise Financial, a financial services company based in Minneapolis. Improved corporate profits contributed to the market's gains last year.</p>
<p>The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26 percent in support.</p>
<p>Still, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&amp;T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees.</p>
<p>Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economy's long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees.</p>
<p>Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors' hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the U.S. and overseas, haven't always led to higher wages.</p>
<p>For Wall Street, it's all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Whether businesses pass most of the extra money to workers or to shareholders, consumer spending should increase and lift economic growth.</p>
<p>Trump has repeatedly made highly optimistic claims about the impact of his tax cuts and other policies on the economy, speculating that they would lead to annual growth of 4 percent or higher.</p>
<p>Last month, the Treasury Department estimated that the economy will expand at a 2.9 percent annual rate for the next decade.</p>
<p>Private economists, as well as the Federal Reserve, forecast a more modest impact. Most expect growth will be closer to 2.5 percent in 2018 and slower than that in subsequent years.</p>
<p>Some companies and sectors will likely benefit more than others, particularly if they derive most of their income from the United States. Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that large banks will see their earnings rise by 13 percent as a result of the corporate rate cut. Wells Fargo will likely see the biggest gain, at 18 percent.</p>
<p>Analysts at Stifel, an investment bank, project that some restaurant chains could see earnings boosts of 20 percent or more, including Chipotle, Wingstop and Domino's Pizza.</p>
<p>Barclays, another bank, says that technology and pharmaceutical firms, which are already paying lower taxes because they have lots of cash overseas, will see much smaller increases of less than 4 percent.</p>
<p>The legislation's corporate tax cut is not necessarily as dramatic as it seems, because most corporations don't end up paying the full 35 percent rate. Barclays estimates that the "effective" tax rate - what companies actually pay - will drop from 26 percent to 20.1 percent.</p>
<p>Joy and other analysts think that most of the money brought back from other countries will go to shareholders, rather than investment. That's what happened in 2004, when companies were given a one-time low rate on repatriated cash as an inducement.</p>
<p>Opinions differ, however, when it comes to the additional profits that result from the tax cut. Many economists expect that most of those dollars will also be passed on to shareholders.</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard, an economist at Columbia Business School and former top economist for President George W. Bush, says the corporate tax cut will eventually benefit workers through higher pay. That will also boost the economy and most businesses by lifting spending.</p>
<p>"Any way you slice it, it's good for companies," Hubbard said.</p>
<p>For much of last year, the stock market's gains were helped by a synchronized global recovery, with economies from Europe to Asia to Latin America expanding simultaneously for the first time in a decade.</p>
<p>Since November, investors' anticipation of a tax cut has pushed markets higher, said Keith Parker, an analyst at UBS.</p>
<p>Still, the market's outsize return, benefits only a narrow slice of the population. According to research by Edward Wolff, an economist at New York University, just 10 percent of the population owns 84 percent of the stock market's value.</p>
<p>"That benefit won't accrue to everybody, certainly," Joy said.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Contact Christopher Rugaber on Twitter at <a href="http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber" type="external">http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - Wall Street sure loves the tax bill, even if polls show most Americans don't.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average surged past 25,000 Thursday, a strong signal of investor enthusiasm for President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion tax cut. The milestone comes less than a year after the Dow topped 20,000.</p>
<p>"We broke a very, very big barrier," Trump said Thursday at the White House. "Every time you see that number go up on Wall Street it means jobs, it means success, it means 401(k)s that are flourishing."</p>
<p>The Dow jumped an additional 220 points Friday after the government reported that employers added 148,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained a low 4.1 percent. Investors celebrated the modest job gains because they made it less likely that the Federal Reserve will step up its pace of interest rate increases. Higher rates can depress share prices as some investors shift money away from stocks to bonds.</p>
<p>It's easy to see why investors like the tax overhaul: Businesses will benefit from a steep cut in the corporate tax rate. They'll also be able to fully deduct the cost of major purchases from their taxable income, reducing the amount they owe. And companies with large stockpiles of cash overseas can bring the money back to the United States at new, lower rates.</p>
<p>All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index by roughly 8 percent this year. That's much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6 percent that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center.</p>
<p>"All else being equal, this should go straight to the bottom line," said David Joy, chief market strategist for Ameriprise Financial, a financial services company based in Minneapolis. Improved corporate profits contributed to the market's gains last year.</p>
<p>The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26 percent in support.</p>
<p>Still, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&amp;T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees.</p>
<p>Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economy's long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees.</p>
<p>Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors' hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the U.S. and overseas, haven't always led to higher wages.</p>
<p>For Wall Street, it's all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Whether businesses pass most of the extra money to workers or to shareholders, consumer spending should increase and lift economic growth.</p>
<p>Trump has repeatedly made highly optimistic claims about the impact of his tax cuts and other policies on the economy, speculating that they would lead to annual growth of 4 percent or higher.</p>
<p>Last month, the Treasury Department estimated that the economy will expand at a 2.9 percent annual rate for the next decade.</p>
<p>Private economists, as well as the Federal Reserve, forecast a more modest impact. Most expect growth will be closer to 2.5 percent in 2018 and slower than that in subsequent years.</p>
<p>Some companies and sectors will likely benefit more than others, particularly if they derive most of their income from the United States. Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that large banks will see their earnings rise by 13 percent as a result of the corporate rate cut. Wells Fargo will likely see the biggest gain, at 18 percent.</p>
<p>Analysts at Stifel, an investment bank, project that some restaurant chains could see earnings boosts of 20 percent or more, including Chipotle, Wingstop and Domino's Pizza.</p>
<p>Barclays, another bank, says that technology and pharmaceutical firms, which are already paying lower taxes because they have lots of cash overseas, will see much smaller increases of less than 4 percent.</p>
<p>The legislation's corporate tax cut is not necessarily as dramatic as it seems, because most corporations don't end up paying the full 35 percent rate. Barclays estimates that the "effective" tax rate - what companies actually pay - will drop from 26 percent to 20.1 percent.</p>
<p>Joy and other analysts think that most of the money brought back from other countries will go to shareholders, rather than investment. That's what happened in 2004, when companies were given a one-time low rate on repatriated cash as an inducement.</p>
<p>Opinions differ, however, when it comes to the additional profits that result from the tax cut. Many economists expect that most of those dollars will also be passed on to shareholders.</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard, an economist at Columbia Business School and former top economist for President George W. Bush, says the corporate tax cut will eventually benefit workers through higher pay. That will also boost the economy and most businesses by lifting spending.</p>
<p>"Any way you slice it, it's good for companies," Hubbard said.</p>
<p>For much of last year, the stock market's gains were helped by a synchronized global recovery, with economies from Europe to Asia to Latin America expanding simultaneously for the first time in a decade.</p>
<p>Since November, investors' anticipation of a tax cut has pushed markets higher, said Keith Parker, an analyst at UBS.</p>
<p>Still, the market's outsize return, benefits only a narrow slice of the population. According to research by Edward Wolff, an economist at New York University, just 10 percent of the population owns 84 percent of the stock market's value.</p>
<p>"That benefit won't accrue to everybody, certainly," Joy said.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Contact Christopher Rugaber on Twitter at <a href="http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber" type="external">http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber</a></p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap wall street sure loves tax bill even polls show americans dont dow jones industrial average surged past 25000 thursday strong signal investor enthusiasm president donald trumps 15 trillion tax cut milestone comes less year dow topped 20000 broke big barrier trump said thursday white house every time see number go wall street means jobs means success means 401ks flourishing dow jumped additional 220 points friday government reported employers added 148000 jobs last month unemployment rate remained low 41 percent investors celebrated modest job gains made less likely federal reserve step pace interest rate increases higher rates depress share prices investors shift money away stocks bonds easy see investors like tax overhaul businesses benefit steep cut corporate tax rate theyll also able fully deduct cost major purchases taxable income reducing amount owe companies large stockpiles cash overseas bring money back united states new lower rates told wall street analysts estimate tax package boost earnings companies standard amp poors 500 index roughly 8 percent year thats much generous average tax cut 16 percent middleclass families receive according tax policy center else equal go straight bottom line said david joy chief market strategist ameriprise financial financial services company based minneapolis improved corporate profits contributed markets gains last year public less enthusiastic tax law monmouth university poll last month found nearly half americans disapproved 26 percent support still workers seen benefit far dozens companies announced bonuses higher minimum wages result tax cut atampt comcast bank america american airlines pledged pay 1000 bonuses employees investors also appear less concerned many politicians additional profits used trump administration says expects companies plow much extra profit back businesses purchasing software machinery equipment investments make workers productive provide key boost economys longrun growth also boost wages salaries employees opponents tax law respond companies likely pass windfall shareholders form higher dividend payments share buybacks raise price shares still investors hands previous cuts corporate tax rates us overseas havent always led higher wages wall street good least short run analysts take view either way companies economy benefit whether businesses pass extra money workers shareholders consumer spending increase lift economic growth trump repeatedly made highly optimistic claims impact tax cuts policies economy speculating would lead annual growth 4 percent higher last month treasury department estimated economy expand 29 percent annual rate next decade private economists well federal reserve forecast modest impact expect growth closer 25 percent 2018 slower subsequent years companies sectors likely benefit others particularly derive income united states analysts goldman sachs estimate large banks see earnings rise 13 percent result corporate rate cut wells fargo likely see biggest gain 18 percent analysts stifel investment bank project restaurant chains could see earnings boosts 20 percent including chipotle wingstop dominos pizza barclays another bank says technology pharmaceutical firms already paying lower taxes lots cash overseas see much smaller increases less 4 percent legislations corporate tax cut necessarily dramatic seems corporations dont end paying full 35 percent rate barclays estimates effective tax rate companies actually pay drop 26 percent 201 percent joy analysts think money brought back countries go shareholders rather investment thats happened 2004 companies given onetime low rate repatriated cash inducement opinions differ however comes additional profits result tax cut many economists expect dollars also passed shareholders glenn hubbard economist columbia business school former top economist president george w bush says corporate tax cut eventually benefit workers higher pay also boost economy businesses lifting spending way slice good companies hubbard said much last year stock markets gains helped synchronized global recovery economies europe asia latin america expanding simultaneously first time decade since november investors anticipation tax cut pushed markets higher said keith parker analyst ubs still markets outsize return benefits narrow slice population according research edward wolff economist new york university 10 percent population owns 84 percent stock markets value benefit wont accrue everybody certainly joy said __ contact christopher rugaber twitter httptwittercomchrisrugaber washington ap wall street sure loves tax bill even polls show americans dont dow jones industrial average surged past 25000 thursday strong signal investor enthusiasm president donald trumps 15 trillion tax cut milestone comes less year dow topped 20000 broke big barrier trump said thursday white house every time see number go wall street means jobs means success means 401ks flourishing dow jumped additional 220 points friday government reported employers added 148000 jobs last month unemployment rate remained low 41 percent investors celebrated modest job gains made less likely federal reserve step pace interest rate increases higher rates depress share prices investors shift money away stocks bonds easy see investors like tax overhaul businesses benefit steep cut corporate tax rate theyll also able fully deduct cost major purchases taxable income reducing amount owe companies large stockpiles cash overseas bring money back united states new lower rates told wall street analysts estimate tax package boost earnings companies standard amp poors 500 index roughly 8 percent year thats much generous average tax cut 16 percent middleclass families receive according tax policy center else equal go straight bottom line said david joy chief market strategist ameriprise financial financial services company based minneapolis improved corporate profits contributed markets gains last year public less enthusiastic tax law monmouth university poll last month found nearly half americans disapproved 26 percent support still workers seen benefit far dozens companies announced bonuses higher minimum wages result tax cut atampt comcast bank america american airlines pledged pay 1000 bonuses employees investors also appear less concerned many politicians additional profits used trump administration says expects companies plow much extra profit back businesses purchasing software machinery equipment investments make workers productive provide key boost economys longrun growth also boost wages salaries employees opponents tax law respond companies likely pass windfall shareholders form higher dividend payments share buybacks raise price shares still investors hands previous cuts corporate tax rates us overseas havent always led higher wages wall street good least short run analysts take view either way companies economy benefit whether businesses pass extra money workers shareholders consumer spending increase lift economic growth trump repeatedly made highly optimistic claims impact tax cuts policies economy speculating would lead annual growth 4 percent higher last month treasury department estimated economy expand 29 percent annual rate next decade private economists well federal reserve forecast modest impact expect growth closer 25 percent 2018 slower subsequent years companies sectors likely benefit others particularly derive income united states analysts goldman sachs estimate large banks see earnings rise 13 percent result corporate rate cut wells fargo likely see biggest gain 18 percent analysts stifel investment bank project restaurant chains could see earnings boosts 20 percent including chipotle wingstop dominos pizza barclays another bank says technology pharmaceutical firms already paying lower taxes lots cash overseas see much smaller increases less 4 percent legislations corporate tax cut necessarily dramatic seems corporations dont end paying full 35 percent rate barclays estimates effective tax rate companies actually pay drop 26 percent 201 percent joy analysts think money brought back countries go shareholders rather investment thats happened 2004 companies given onetime low rate repatriated cash inducement opinions differ however comes additional profits result tax cut many economists expect dollars also passed shareholders glenn hubbard economist columbia business school former top economist president george w bush says corporate tax cut eventually benefit workers higher pay also boost economy businesses lifting spending way slice good companies hubbard said much last year stock markets gains helped synchronized global recovery economies europe asia latin america expanding simultaneously first time decade since november investors anticipation tax cut pushed markets higher said keith parker analyst ubs still markets outsize return benefits narrow slice population according research edward wolff economist new york university 10 percent population owns 84 percent stock markets value benefit wont accrue everybody certainly joy said __ contact christopher rugaber twitter httptwittercomchrisrugaber
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<p>WASHINGTON – When the gavel sounded to start the first meeting of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the new Congress last week, a New Mexico lawmaker was sitting in an especially powerful perch.</p>
<p>Sen. Tom Udall, a Democrat who has served on the committee for the past eight years, is now its top-ranking Democrat, a position that gives Udall broad influence over federal policies affecting Indian Country, including the Navajo Nation, New Mexico’s 19 pueblos and other tribes.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Udall said one of his highest priorities in the new role is simply to listen to America’s tribes.</p>
<p>“I think there’s been a lack of respect and a lack of understanding of Native American history and what they want in terms of a good future in America,” Udall said in a recent</p>
<p>Journal interview in his Washington office. “They were here first, and we need to respect that and work very carefully with them.”</p>
<p>Udall’s legendary political family has a long history of advocating for Native American causes. The New Mexico lawmaker’s ancestor, Jacob Hamblin, was a Utah Mormon and a so-called “Indian peacemaker” who served as a liaison between Indians and white settlers in sometimes brutal conflicts during U.S. expansion westward in the mid- to late 1800s. The senator’s father, Stewart Udall, served as U.S. Interior secretary under President John F. Kennedy, and had a reputation for respecting the dignity and sovereignty of Indian tribes.</p>
<p>Udall said that his upbringing informs his approach to Indian affairs.</p>
<p>“It developed in me a real compassion for their situation,” Udall said. “As a kid, I’d go with my father to the Interior Department and … you can’t walk into that department not knowing that Native Americans are a very big part of it and its history.”</p>
<p>This Acoma shield that had been for sale at an auction house in Paris is now the subject of an effort by the U. S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico to get it returned. (Courtesy of Acoma Pueblo)</p>
<p>As vice-chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Udall said he will focus on health care and education, housing, economic development, infrastructure and public safety. Udall also said he will introduce legislation to crack down on the sale of sacred Indian cultural artifacts. Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico has been embroiled in a high-profile dispute over the attempted sale of a sacred pueblo shield at a Paris auction house.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“I really feel cultural repatriation is important nationally and it’s something we’ll be working on in the committee, and it’s also important to New Mexico tribes,” Udall said.</p>
<p>In one of his first official acts in the new role, Udall wrote to President Donald Trump asking him to exempt from a federal hiring freeze agencies that provide essential services to Native communities – particularly the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education. Several of his Democratic colleagues on the committee signed the letter, but the committee chairman, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., did not.</p>
<p>In a fiercely polarized congressional climate, the Indian Affairs Committee has a reputation for collegial bipartisanship. The panel even refers to its top minority member as “vice-chairman” instead of “ranking member.” Udall said he’s confident he can work with Hoeven on most issues in a collegial way. But the senator said he’s concerned about the president, who he said has shown an early insensitivity to Native American issues. He cited as an example Trump’s executive order last week that advances approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been the site of protests by Native Americans and others who are concerned about the pipeline leaking into groundwater and disturbing sacred grounds.</p>
<p>“I fear that President Trump’s abrupt executive order on the Dakota Access Pipeline is an indicator that his approach to Indian Country will be misguided and cruel,” Udall said. “One of the main priorities is ensuring we hold this new administration accountable on tribal issues.”</p>
<p>The White House did not respond to requests for comment on Udall’s remarks.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>NM support</p>
<p>Native American leaders in New Mexico cheered Udall’s appointment. Max Zuni, the lieutenant governor of Isleta Pueblo, told the Journal that Udall can be an effective advocate for Native American interests in water rights and other disputes.</p>
<p>“It will be good to have someone we can call in Washington,” Zuni said.</p>
<p>Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, called Udall “a proven leader and voice for the Navajo people and Indian Country in Washington.”</p>
<p>“We are proud to have a New Mexican provide input and leadership for this important committee,” Begaye said. “I know he will continue his family’s strong legacy and represent the Navajo people in Washington.”</p>
<p>Begaye also said he hopes Udall can help Navajo farmers win a settlement from the federal government after the Environmental Protection Agency ruled this month it would not compensate Navajo farmers and others adversely affected by the Gold King Mine spill, which polluted waters and damaged crops on the reservation in 2015.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The EPA declared on Jan. 18 that, by law, it could not compensate farmers for the spill triggered when EPA workers trying to mitigate leakage from the mine inadvertently blew a hole in it, causing millions of gallons of toxic sludge to spill into the Animas River. Udall and other members of the New Mexico congressional delegation called the EPA’s belated decision not to offer compensation outrageous. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, nominated by Trump to lead the EPA, has agreed to revisit the decision if he is confirmed.</p>
<p>Kevin Washburn, a University of New Mexico law professor who served as director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Obama administration, told the Journal that Udall – as a “voice of reason” – has a chance to help Native Americans in his new role.</p>
<p>Washburn said he will be particularly interested in the committee’s advocacy for Native Americans as the Republican-controlled Congress tries to repeal the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>“Included within the ACA were several significant improvements in how health care is delivered in Indian country,” Washburn said. “If the Republicans use a bludgeon and try to do a blanket repeal of the entire ACA, then they would move Indian country backwards quite a bit. There was a lot of thoughtful, common-sense stuff in the ACA for tribes.”</p>
<p>Washburn cited a provision allowing tribally run Indian clinics to take medical insurance from patients who are insured through their private employers as an example.</p>
<p>“On the other hand, if the Republicans use a scalpel and are more thoughtful about reform, there are still some further tweaks that can improve even on what President Obama did,” Washburn said. “Indian Affairs may well play a role in shining the spotlight on these issues.”</p>
<p>Washburn also said energy development on Indian lands will continue to be a hot-button topic, with tribes around the country taking different positions on federal policy according to their interests.</p>
<p>“The Committee on Indian Affairs has long been interested in reforming how much control tribes have over their own energy development, but people have quibbled over how to go about that, so nothing has happened,” Washburn said. “Sen. Udall may be able to make a difference there.”</p>
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washington gavel sounded start first meeting us senate indian affairs committee new congress last week new mexico lawmaker sitting especially powerful perch sen tom udall democrat served committee past eight years topranking democrat position gives udall broad influence federal policies affecting indian country including navajo nation new mexicos 19 pueblos tribes advertisement udall said one highest priorities new role simply listen americas tribes think theres lack respect lack understanding native american history want terms good future america udall said recent journal interview washington office first need respect work carefully udalls legendary political family long history advocating native american causes new mexico lawmakers ancestor jacob hamblin utah mormon socalled indian peacemaker served liaison indians white settlers sometimes brutal conflicts us expansion westward mid late 1800s senators father stewart udall served us interior secretary president john f kennedy reputation respecting dignity sovereignty indian tribes udall said upbringing informs approach indian affairs developed real compassion situation udall said kid id go father interior department cant walk department knowing native americans big part history acoma shield sale auction house paris subject effort u attorneys office new mexico get returned courtesy acoma pueblo vicechairman indian affairs committee udall said focus health care education housing economic development infrastructure public safety udall also said introduce legislation crack sale sacred indian cultural artifacts acoma pueblo new mexico embroiled highprofile dispute attempted sale sacred pueblo shield paris auction house advertisement really feel cultural repatriation important nationally something well working committee also important new mexico tribes udall said one first official acts new role udall wrote president donald trump asking exempt federal hiring freeze agencies provide essential services native communities particularly indian health service bureau indian affairs bureau indian education several democratic colleagues committee signed letter committee chairman sen john hoeven rnd fiercely polarized congressional climate indian affairs committee reputation collegial bipartisanship panel even refers top minority member vicechairman instead ranking member udall said hes confident work hoeven issues collegial way senator said hes concerned president said shown early insensitivity native american issues cited example trumps executive order last week advances approval dakota access pipeline site protests native americans others concerned pipeline leaking groundwater disturbing sacred grounds fear president trumps abrupt executive order dakota access pipeline indicator approach indian country misguided cruel udall said one main priorities ensuring hold new administration accountable tribal issues white house respond requests comment udalls remarks advertisement nm support native american leaders new mexico cheered udalls appointment max zuni lieutenant governor isleta pueblo told journal udall effective advocate native american interests water rights disputes good someone call washington zuni said russell begaye president navajo nation called udall proven leader voice navajo people indian country washington proud new mexican provide input leadership important committee begaye said know continue familys strong legacy represent navajo people washington begaye also said hopes udall help navajo farmers win settlement federal government environmental protection agency ruled month would compensate navajo farmers others adversely affected gold king mine spill polluted waters damaged crops reservation 2015 advertisement epa declared jan 18 law could compensate farmers spill triggered epa workers trying mitigate leakage mine inadvertently blew hole causing millions gallons toxic sludge spill animas river udall members new mexico congressional delegation called epas belated decision offer compensation outrageous oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt nominated trump lead epa agreed revisit decision confirmed kevin washburn university new mexico law professor served director bureau indian affairs obama administration told journal udall voice reason chance help native americans new role washburn said particularly interested committees advocacy native americans republicancontrolled congress tries repeal affordable care act included within aca several significant improvements health care delivered indian country washburn said republicans use bludgeon try blanket repeal entire aca would move indian country backwards quite bit lot thoughtful commonsense stuff aca tribes washburn cited provision allowing tribally run indian clinics take medical insurance patients insured private employers example hand republicans use scalpel thoughtful reform still tweaks improve even president obama washburn said indian affairs may well play role shining spotlight issues washburn also said energy development indian lands continue hotbutton topic tribes around country taking different positions federal policy according interests committee indian affairs long interested reforming much control tribes energy development people quibbled go nothing happened washburn said sen udall may able make difference
| 704 |
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia denied accusations that Moscow and Syrian governmental forces were behind a chemical attack in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta on Jan. 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in statement on Wednesday, adding that the attack itself has not been confirmed.</p>
<p>It also said that accusations were U.S. “propaganda” aimed at undermining peace talks on the Syrian civil war that Russia is hosting in the city of Sochi, due to begin on Monday, or “even torpedo the Syria peace process”.</p>
<p>reporting by Denis Pinchuk, editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The suspended chief executive of Cambridge Analytica said in a secretly recorded video broadcast on Tuesday that his UK-based political consultancy’s online campaign played a decisive role in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory.</p>
<p>His comments, which could not be verified, are potentially a further problem for Facebook Inc as it faces lawmakers’ scrutiny in the United States and Europe over Cambridge Analytica’s improper use of 50 million Facebook users’ personal data.</p>
<p>The social media network’s shares fell for a second day, closing down 2.5 percent to $168.15, as investors worried that its dealings with Cambridge Analytica might damage its reputation, deter advertisers and invite restrictive regulation. The company has lost $60 billion of its stock market value over the last two days.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica said on Tuesday its board of directors suspended CEO Alexander Nix, shortly before the second part of British broadcaster Channel 4’s expose of the firm’s methods. In the program Nix boasts he met Trump when he was the Republican presidential candidate “many times”.</p>
<p>Nix’s comments “do not represent the values or operations of the firm and his suspension reflects the seriousness with which we view this violation,” Cambridge Analytica said in a statement on Tuesday.</p>
<p>U.S. and European lawmakers have demanded an explanation of how Cambridge Analytica gained access to user data in 2014 and why Facebook failed to inform its users, raising broader industry questions about consumer privacy.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had been told by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the leading U.S. consumer regulator, that it would receive a letter this week with questions about the data acquired by Cambridge Analytica. It said it had no indication of a formal investigation.</p>
<p>“The entire company is outraged we were deceived,” Facebook said in a statement on Tuesday. “We are committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people’s information and will take whatever steps are required to see that this happens.”</p> FTC REVIEW
<p>The FTC is reviewing whether Facebook violated a 2011 consent decree it reached with the authority over its privacy practices, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters.</p>
<p>“We are aware of the issues that have been raised but cannot comment on whether we are investigating. We take any allegations of violations of our consent decrees very seriously as we did in 2012 in a privacy case involving Google,” an FTC spokesman said.</p>
<p>Under the 2011 settlement, Facebook agreed to get user consent for certain changes to privacy settings as part of a settlement of federal charges that it deceived consumers and forced them to share more personal information than they intended, Bloomberg reported.</p>
<p>If the FTC finds Facebook violated terms of the consent decree, it has the power to fine the company thousands of dollars a day per violation.</p>
<p>In a research note, Deutsche Bank analysts said government scrutiny could hurt Facebook’s ability to gather and deploy data for advertising targeting - critical to its growth.</p> People walk past the building housing the offices of Cambridge Analytica in central London, Britain, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>Fear of regulation hurt other social media firms. Shares of Snap Inc fell 2.5 percent and Twitter Inc fell more than 10 percent.</p>
<p>Facebook and its peers Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter already face a backlash over their role during the U.S. presidential election by allowing the spread of false information that might have swayed voters toward Trump.</p>
<p>U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called on Tuesday for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in Congress. Congressional staff said the company would brief U.S. Senate and House aides on Wednesday.</p>
<p>A Congressional official said House Intelligence Committee Democrats plan to interview Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie. The committee interviewed Nix by video teleconference, according to the Congressional official, but a transcript of that interview has not yet been made public.</p> Slideshow (6 Images)
<p>The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting a long-term investigation of alleged Russian interference in U.S. politics and a detailed examination of U.S. election security precautions, would carry out its own inquiry of Cambridge Analytica, a Congressional official with direct knowledge of the investigation said.</p>
<p>The White House said it welcomed inquiries, and that the President believes that Americans’ privacy should be protected.</p> PERSONAL INFORMATION
<p>In Britain, the Information Commissioner’s Office, an independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, was seeking a warrant from a judge to search the offices of London-based Cambridge Analytica. It was unclear late on Tuesday whether it had obtained it.</p>
<p>Created in 2013, Cambridge Analytica markets itself as a source of consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambrige-analytica-stocks/social-media-stocks-tumble-as-wall-street-fears-regulation-idUSKBN1GW2QO" type="external">Social media stocks tumble as Wall Street fears regulation</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-feinstei/senate-democrat-wants-facebook-ceo-zuckerberg-to-testify-idUSKBN1GW2TU" type="external">Senate Democrat wants Facebook CEO Zuckerberg to testify</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-states/massachusetts-new-york-send-letter-to-facebook-demanding-documents-idUSKBN1GW2RX" type="external">Massachusetts, New York send letter to Facebook demanding documents</a>
<p>According to the New York Times, it was launched with $15 million in backing from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by the-then future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon.</p>
<p>Facebook says the data were harvested by a British academic, Aleksandr Kogan, who created an app on the platform that was downloaded by 270,000 people, providing access not only to their own personal data but also their friends’.</p>
<p>Facebook said Kogan then violated its policies by passing the data to Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has since suspended both the consulting firm and SCL (Strategic Communication Laboratories), a government and military contractor.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had been told that the data were destroyed. Kogan was not immediately reachable for comment.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica has denied all the media claims and said it deleted the data after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Ingram in San Francisco, Kate Holton and Paul Sandle in London, David Shephardson, Susan Heavey and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Additional reporting by Munsif Vengattil; Writing by Susan Thomas; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Bill Rigby</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>AUSTIN/SCHERTZ, Texas (Reuters) - A package bomb blew up at a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio on Tuesday, the fifth in a series of attacks that have rocked Texas this month and left baffled investigators searching for what they suspect is a serial bomber.</p>
<p>The package filled with nails and metal shrapnel was mailed from Austin to another address in Austin and passed through a sorting center in Schertz, about 65 miles (105 km) away, when it exploded on a conveyer belt, knocking a female employee off her feet, officials said.</p>
<p>It was the fifth of a series in explosions in Texas in the past 18 days that have killed two people, injured others, and left hundreds of federal and local investigators scrambling to find the perpetrator and a motive.</p>
<p>“We do believe that these incidents are all related. That is because of the specific contents of these devices,” interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told members of the Austin City Council, the Austin American-Statesman reported.</p>
<p>A further package sent by the same person was discovered and turned over to law enforcement, FedEx Corp said in a statement on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Fedex did not give further details on the second package but a FedEx employee with knowledge of the incident said another box had been tracked to a south Austin facility. The facility was evacuated, said the employee, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.</p>
<p>Speaking through the media, officials have appealed to the bomber to reveal the motives for the attacks. They have also asked the public for any tips, offering a $115,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprit.</p>
<p>“Somebody has to know something,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Christina Garza. “The person behind these explosives, please, we want to know why.”</p>
<p>“This is obviously a very, very sick individual, or maybe individuals,” President Donald Trump told reporters. “These are sick people, and we will get to the bottom of it.”</p> Law enforcement personnel are seen gathering evidence outside a FedEx Store which was closed for investigation, in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Flores
<p>The four previous explosions - which took place between March 2 and March 18 - killed two people and injured four others, unnerving residents of Austin, the state capital of some 1 million people.</p>
<p>The first three devices were parcel bombs dropped off in front of homes in different Austin neighborhoods. The fourth went off on Sunday night on the west side of the city and was described by police as a more sophisticated device detonated through a trip wire.</p> Slideshow (18 Images) MOTIVE?
<p>Investigators were trying to work out a motive for the bombings and identity of the bomber or bombers, a U.S. security official and a law enforcement official told Reuters.</p>
<p>The FBI was investigating the FedEx package explosion on the assumption of a connection to the Austin bombings, the law enforcement official said. Both sources declined to be identified.</p>
<p>Security experts said the recovery of the second Fedex package and the attacker’s use of a commercial parcel service could give investigators important clues.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-texas-blast-whitehouse/no-known-link-to-terrorism-in-texas-bombings-white-house-idUSKBN1GW293" type="external">No known link to terrorism in Texas bombings: White House</a>
<p>Police have not given any details about the address on the second parcel or whether it contained any kind of device, saying only that it was a suspicious package.</p>
<p>But if it did contain an unexploded device, that “will be of great forensic value, then you will be able to tell unequivocally the construction techniques that are used,” said Danny Defenbaugh, a Texas-based security consultant who worked for the FBI for 33 years.</p>
<p>The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were among those working with local officials in Austin, Schertz and San Antonio.</p>
<p>“We have agents from across the country. We have our national response team here. We have explosive detection canines here. We have intel research specialists,” Frank Ortega, acting assistant special agent in charge of the San Antonio ATF office, told reporters. “We’ve been working around the clock.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Mark Hosenball and Lisa Lambert in Washington, Andrew Hay and Eric Johnson; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Tom Brown</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Playboy model who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump filed suit in California on Tuesday seeking release from a legal agreement requiring her to stay silent, becoming the second woman this month to contest arrangements not to disclose alleged extramarital relationships with Trump.</p> Playboy Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal poses at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills in 1998. REUTERS/Files
<p>Karen McDougal filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer, which paid her $150,000 in 2016 to keep quiet.</p>
<p>McDougal’s lawsuit came on the same day that a New York state judge ruled Trump must face a defamation suit by California restaurateur Summer Zervos, who accused him of sexually harassing her after she appeared on his former reality TV show “The Apprentice.”</p>
<p>New Yorker magazine last month reported on McDougal’s alleged affair and a move by American Media to pay her for rights to her story, which it never published. American Media head David Pecker has described Trump as a “personal friend.”</p>
<p>In the lawsuit, McDougal claimed she and Trump engaged in a 10-month extramarital “romantic relationship” in 2006 and 2007, a time period that overlaps with his alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump’s wife Melania Trump gave birth to the president’s youngest son Barron in 2006.</p>
<p>McDougal said her lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson, secretly negotiated with Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, on the AMI deal. Cohen has acknowledged arranging to pay Daniels for her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the news media before boarding Marine One helicopter to depart for travel to California via Joint Base Andrews from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
<p>McDougal is asking the court to declare the agreement null and void, saying she was tricked into signing it, that it was intended to illegally influence the 2016 election and because it violates public policy against using threats of legal action to get someone to stay silent on issues of public concern.</p>
<p>She also called the agreement an illegal corporate donation from AMI to the Trump campaign that violated federal election law.</p>
<p>AMI said in a statement the company has a valid contract with McDougal and looks forward to reaching an amicable resolution with her. It said she has been free to respond to press inquiries about her relationship with Trump since 2016 and that the suggestion that AMI silenced her is without merit.</p>
<p>“AMI lied to me, made empty promises, and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me. I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives, and its lawyers,” McDougal, who was Playboy magazine’s 1998 Playmate of the Year, said in a statement.</p>
<p>Davidson declined to comment, citing attorney-client privilege. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued the president on March 6, stating Trump never signed an agreement for her to keep her quiet about an “intimate” relationship between them. Daniels received $130,000 under that agreement.</p>
<p>Reporting by Nathan Layne and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Will Dunham</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Salesforce.com Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=CRM.N" type="external">CRM.N</a>) said on Tuesday it would buy software maker MuleSoft Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MULE.N" type="external">MULE.N</a>) for about $6.5 billion, including debt, just a year after the software company went public.</p> FILE PHOTO - The Salesforce logo is pictured on a building in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Lily Jamali
<p>MuleSoft shareholders would get $36 in cash and 0.0711 of a Salesforce share, or $44.89 per share. The per-share price represents a premium of 36 percent to Mulesoft’s Monday close.</p>
<p>MuleSoft shares were up 4.5 percent in extended trading after rising 27 percent during the day. Salesforce shares were down 2 percent after the bell.</p>
<p>Excluding debt, the deal was valued at $5.90 billion, according to Reuters’ calculation.</p>
<p>MuleSoft listed on the New York Stock Exchange on March 17 at $17 apiece. It closed up 40 percent on the first day of trading, giving it a market value of nearly $3 billion.</p>
<p>Reuters had reported about the deal earlier on Tuesday.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=CRM.N" type="external">Salesforce.com Inc</a> 125.12 CRM.N New York Stock Exchange +0.14 (+0.11%) CRM.N MULE.N KO.N MCD.N
<p>Salesforce Ventures, the company’s venture capital arm, led a $128 million funding round in MuleSoft in 2015.</p>
<p>MuleSoft, which makes software that automatically integrates disparate data, devices and applications to help businesses networks run faster, counts Coca-Cola Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=KO.N" type="external">KO.N</a>), McDonald’s Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MCD.N" type="external">MCD.N</a>), Salesforce and Spotify ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SPOT.N" type="external">SPOT.N</a>) among its customers.</p>
<p>BofA Merrill Lynch is Salesforce’s financial adviser and Goldman Sachs advised MuleSoft.</p>
<p>Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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moscow reuters russia denied accusations moscow syrian governmental forces behind chemical attack syrias eastern ghouta jan 22 russian foreign ministry said statement wednesday adding attack confirmed also said accusations us propaganda aimed undermining peace talks syrian civil war russia hosting city sochi due begin monday even torpedo syria peace process reporting denis pinchuk editing larry king standards thomson reuters trust principles londonsan francisco reuters suspended chief executive cambridge analytica said secretly recorded video broadcast tuesday ukbased political consultancys online campaign played decisive role us president donald trumps 2016 election victory comments could verified potentially problem facebook inc faces lawmakers scrutiny united states europe cambridge analyticas improper use 50 million facebook users personal data social media networks shares fell second day closing 25 percent 16815 investors worried dealings cambridge analytica might damage reputation deter advertisers invite restrictive regulation company lost 60 billion stock market value last two days cambridge analytica said tuesday board directors suspended ceo alexander nix shortly second part british broadcaster channel 4s expose firms methods program nix boasts met trump republican presidential candidate many times nixs comments represent values operations firm suspension reflects seriousness view violation cambridge analytica said statement tuesday us european lawmakers demanded explanation cambridge analytica gained access user data 2014 facebook failed inform users raising broader industry questions consumer privacy facebook said told federal trade commission ftc leading us consumer regulator would receive letter week questions data acquired cambridge analytica said indication formal investigation entire company outraged deceived facebook said statement tuesday committed vigorously enforcing policies protect peoples information take whatever steps required see happens ftc review ftc reviewing whether facebook violated 2011 consent decree reached authority privacy practices person briefed matter told reuters aware issues raised comment whether investigating take allegations violations consent decrees seriously 2012 privacy case involving google ftc spokesman said 2011 settlement facebook agreed get user consent certain changes privacy settings part settlement federal charges deceived consumers forced share personal information intended bloomberg reported ftc finds facebook violated terms consent decree power fine company thousands dollars day per violation research note deutsche bank analysts said government scrutiny could hurt facebooks ability gather deploy data advertising targeting critical growth people walk past building housing offices cambridge analytica central london britain march 20 2018 reutershenry nicholls fear regulation hurt social media firms shares snap inc fell 25 percent twitter inc fell 10 percent facebook peers alphabet incs google twitter already face backlash role us presidential election allowing spread false information might swayed voters toward trump us senator dianne feinstein top democrat judiciary committee called tuesday facebook ceo mark zuckerberg testify congress congressional staff said company would brief us senate house aides wednesday congressional official said house intelligence committee democrats plan interview cambridge analytica whistleblower christopher wylie committee interviewed nix video teleconference according congressional official transcript interview yet made public slideshow 6 images senate intelligence committee conducting longterm investigation alleged russian interference us politics detailed examination us election security precautions would carry inquiry cambridge analytica congressional official direct knowledge investigation said white house said welcomed inquiries president believes americans privacy protected personal information britain information commissioners office independent authority set uphold information rights public interest seeking warrant judge search offices londonbased cambridge analytica unclear late tuesday whether obtained created 2013 cambridge analytica markets source consumer research targeted advertising datarelated services political corporate clients related coverage social media stocks tumble wall street fears regulation senate democrat wants facebook ceo zuckerberg testify massachusetts new york send letter facebook demanding documents according new york times launched 15 million backing billionaire republican donor robert mercer name chosen thethen future trump white house adviser steve bannon facebook says data harvested british academic aleksandr kogan created app platform downloaded 270000 people providing access personal data also friends facebook said kogan violated policies passing data cambridge analytica facebook since suspended consulting firm scl strategic communication laboratories government military contractor facebook said told data destroyed kogan immediately reachable comment cambridge analytica denied media claims said deleted data learning information adhere data protection rules reporting david ingram san francisco kate holton paul sandle london david shephardson susan heavey mark hosenball washington additional reporting munsif vengattil writing susan thomas editing nick zieminski bill rigby standards thomson reuters trust principles austinschertz texas reuters package bomb blew fedex distribution center near san antonio tuesday fifth series attacks rocked texas month left baffled investigators searching suspect serial bomber package filled nails metal shrapnel mailed austin another address austin passed sorting center schertz 65 miles 105 km away exploded conveyer belt knocking female employee feet officials said fifth series explosions texas past 18 days killed two people injured others left hundreds federal local investigators scrambling find perpetrator motive believe incidents related specific contents devices interim austin police chief brian manley told members austin city council austin americanstatesman reported package sent person discovered turned law enforcement fedex corp said statement tuesday fedex give details second package fedex employee knowledge incident said another box tracked south austin facility facility evacuated said employee asked anonymity authorized discuss matter speaking media officials appealed bomber reveal motives attacks also asked public tips offering 115000 reward information leading arrest conviction culprit somebody know something said federal bureau investigation spokeswoman christina garza person behind explosives please want know obviously sick individual maybe individuals president donald trump told reporters sick people get bottom law enforcement personnel seen gathering evidence outside fedex store closed investigation austin texas us march 20 2018 reuterssergio flores four previous explosions took place march 2 march 18 killed two people injured four others unnerving residents austin state capital 1 million people first three devices parcel bombs dropped front homes different austin neighborhoods fourth went sunday night west side city described police sophisticated device detonated trip wire slideshow 18 images motive investigators trying work motive bombings identity bomber bombers us security official law enforcement official told reuters fbi investigating fedex package explosion assumption connection austin bombings law enforcement official said sources declined identified security experts said recovery second fedex package attackers use commercial parcel service could give investigators important clues related coverage known link terrorism texas bombings white house police given details address second parcel whether contained kind device saying suspicious package contain unexploded device great forensic value able tell unequivocally construction techniques used said danny defenbaugh texasbased security consultant worked fbi 33 years fbi bureau alcohol tobacco firearms explosives atf among working local officials austin schertz san antonio agents across country national response team explosive detection canines intel research specialists frank ortega acting assistant special agent charge san antonio atf office told reporters weve working around clock additional reporting brendan obrien milwaukee mark hosenball lisa lambert washington andrew hay eric johnson writing daniel trotta rosalba obrien editing jeffrey benkoe tom brown standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters former playboy model said affair president donald trump filed suit california tuesday seeking release legal agreement requiring stay silent becoming second woman month contest arrangements disclose alleged extramarital relationships trump playboy playmate year karen mcdougal poses playboy mansion beverly hills 1998 reutersfiles karen mcdougal filed lawsuit los angeles superior court american media inc publisher national enquirer paid 150000 2016 keep quiet mcdougals lawsuit came day new york state judge ruled trump must face defamation suit california restaurateur summer zervos accused sexually harassing appeared former reality tv show apprentice new yorker magazine last month reported mcdougals alleged affair move american media pay rights story never published american media head david pecker described trump personal friend lawsuit mcdougal claimed trump engaged 10month extramarital romantic relationship 2006 2007 time period overlaps alleged affair adult film actress stormy daniels trumps wife melania trump gave birth presidents youngest son barron 2006 mcdougal said lawyer time keith davidson secretly negotiated michael cohen trumps personal lawyer ami deal cohen acknowledged arranging pay daniels silence 2016 presidential campaign file photo us president donald trump speaks news media boarding marine one helicopter depart travel california via joint base andrews south lawn white house washington us march 13 2018 reutersleah millisfile photo mcdougal asking court declare agreement null void saying tricked signing intended illegally influence 2016 election violates public policy using threats legal action get someone stay silent issues public concern also called agreement illegal corporate donation ami trump campaign violated federal election law ami said statement company valid contract mcdougal looks forward reaching amicable resolution said free respond press inquiries relationship trump since 2016 suggestion ami silenced without merit ami lied made empty promises repeatedly intimidated manipulated want opportunity set record straight move life free company executives lawyers mcdougal playboy magazines 1998 playmate year said statement davidson declined comment citing attorneyclient privilege cohen immediately respond request comment daniels whose real name stephanie clifford sued president march 6 stating trump never signed agreement keep quiet intimate relationship daniels received 130000 agreement reporting nathan layne karen freifeld new york editing dunham standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters salesforcecom inc crmn said tuesday would buy software maker mulesoft inc mulen 65 billion including debt year software company went public file photo salesforce logo pictured building san francisco california us october 12 2016 reuterslily jamali mulesoft shareholders would get 36 cash 00711 salesforce share 4489 per share pershare price represents premium 36 percent mulesofts monday close mulesoft shares 45 percent extended trading rising 27 percent day salesforce shares 2 percent bell excluding debt deal valued 590 billion according reuters calculation mulesoft listed new york stock exchange march 17 17 apiece closed 40 percent first day trading giving market value nearly 3 billion reuters reported deal earlier tuesday salesforcecom inc 12512 crmn new york stock exchange 014 011 crmn mulen kon mcdn salesforce ventures companys venture capital arm led 128 million funding round mulesoft 2015 mulesoft makes software automatically integrates disparate data devices applications help businesses networks run faster counts cocacola co kon mcdonalds corp mcdn salesforce spotify spotn among customers bofa merrill lynch salesforces financial adviser goldman sachs advised mulesoft reporting supantha mukherjee bengaluru editing shounak dasgupta standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p />
<p>“Nov. 8 happened, and it was a really big shock,” she recalls by phone from her home in a sunny, undeniably Democratic state. “We live in Los Angeles, where, honestly, I saw, like, one Trump bumper sticker.”</p>
<p>Stunned by the election that made Donald Trump our nation’s next president, Zweiman, 38, an architectural designer, took a brief period to mourn before emerging Nov. 16 with a protest plan. She and a friend, Krista Suh, would rally an army: women in every corner of the country, joined in a single cause.</p>
<p>They couldn’t undo the election. But they could knit hats.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Hats in every shade of pink, from rose to flamingo to fuchsia, with bold, pointed cat ears. Each one as unique as a snowflake. This yarn-loving-squad’s goal is to turn out 1 million pink “pussyhats” by inauguration weekend and for those hats to become the visual marker for activists attending the Jan. 21 Women’s March on Washington. For the hats to become symbols of the struggle for women’s rights.</p>
<p>To become a way, Zweiman says, for wearers “to take a stand in their daily life without having to say a word.”</p>
<p>The most divisive election of our time has triggered a wave of protests and rallies, from street marches to Golden Globes tirades to hashtags to plans to “stink up” the inauguration with marijuana to silent, warm-and-fuzzy stands such as Zweiman’s. It has launched a thousand Facebook groups and online petitions, spurred fashion trends (safety pins, anyone?) and spawned pantsuit dances.</p>
<p>But the election outcome won’t change. So what good do any of these protests do?</p>
<p>Passive protests in particular may be more about tending to the losing side’s wounded psyches than addressing America’s deep political rift.</p>
<p>“The amazing thing about knitting,” Zweiman says, “is that it’s like meditation.”</p>
<p>Thomas Plante, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at Santa Clara University in California, has another thought. “We like having control,” he says. “People feel they need to get control somewhere, whether that’s wearing a safety pin, or (signing) an online petition or posting things on Facebook.”</p>
<p>There is something soothing about it all. Clicking on a petition. Registering your rage. “Seeing how many likes you get on Facebook,” Plante offers. “You feel solidarity.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>You feel like you’ve done something.</p>
<p>In the antsy days and hours before the election, nearly 200 dancers pulled on vibrant pantsuits and “Wild Feminist” Ts and took to a New York park to pop, shimmy and back flip for Hillary Clinton. The Pantsuit Nation, a “secret” army of 3 million Facebook users, mostly women, reached for its blazers and rallied for Clinton so swiftly and solidly that the candidate herself made a winking mention of the group’s efforts in her concession speech. After it was all over, Trump opponents decked out their lapels with safety pins (#safetypin, because #hashtivism) and declared themselves walking, talking safe spaces.</p>
<p>“People are looking around for other ways to protest,” says Micah White, a founder of the Occupy Wall Street movement who has more recently authored “The End of Protest,” a book declaring old-school protest dead. “We invested so much effort into street protest, we put everything into it. And what happens? Nothing. And Trump gets elected.”</p>
<p>Approximately 10,000 Trump-related petitions have been filed on Change.org since the election, including one to suspend or cancel Trump’s Twitter account and another urging his impeachment, according to site spokesman A.J. Walton. They’ve amassed 8 million signatures and yielded the site’s most popular petition of all time, to get the electoral college to choose anyone but Donald Trump as our next president. (It collected 4.9 million signatures, shy of its goal of 6 million.)</p>
<p>The creator of that petition, Daniel Brezenoff, 45, once taught American history and knew that, even as the election was being called for Trump, there was still a glimmer of hope. So on Nov. 9, he created a plea for electronic signatures to urge the electoral college’s electors to choose Clinton over Trump. “My highest aspiration at the time,” says the Long Beach, California-based social worker, “was generating a good discussion on my social media with people in my network.”</p>
<p>But the petition, which circulated, like so many protests these days, on Facebook, took off. And when the nation’s 538 electors met in their home states last month, Brezenoff printed and delivered his petition by hand to a few from Texas meeting in Austin.</p>
<p>The college did as expected and made Trump president-elect. But two Republican electors in Texas cast their votes for others.</p>
<p>“I took that as a great success,” Brezenoff says. “I think there’s a psychological benefit in having hope, and participating in the process.”</p>
<p>That hasn’t stopped critics from pointing out the seeming futility of some of these pin-and-pantsuit efforts.</p>
<p>“These pins – not the wearing of them or the pictures posted of folks wearing them – are not about safe spaces. They’re about not wanting to be perceived as a racist,” Demetria Lucas D’Oyley wrote of the safety-pin movement on the site The Root, which covers news from an African-American perspective.</p>
<p>Over the holidays, Pantsuit Nation became embroiled in controversy when its former allies denounced founder Libby Chamberlain for profiting from the movement with a book deal. In the Los Angeles Times, an op-ed writer fretted, “I imagined we were mobilizing for the political fight of our lives.”</p>
<p>But was a Facebook group ever a political fight at all?</p>
<p>“We believe if we do some sort of ritual called protest, and it can take many different forms, then somehow our elected representatives will have to listen, and change will happen, blah blah blah.’ That story line is broken,” White says. “If I were Trump, I’d be so happy that they’re knitting hats. I’d be like, ‘Yes, please, knit some more hats, while I take all power!’ “</p>
<p>Psychologically speaking, protesters are going to need positive reinforcement sometime. They need successes, Plante says. And that’s something these sorts of political statements don’t deliver.</p>
<p>“Taking to the streets creates traffic jams, creates big news, creates a more visible way of protest,” he says. “Taking it to Facebook really doesn’t. You get 300 or 400 likes on your rant, you might feel satisfied. But that’s not going to change anything.”</p>
<p>None of this has swayed Zweiman and her contingent of hatmakers from ferociously knitting and crocheting in preparation for their inauguration debut.</p>
<p>“I would not discourage anyone from signing their name to something they care about,” Zweiman says. “I don’t know what it actually does. It might do something.”</p>
<p>It might make them feel just a little bit better.</p>
<p>“They want to feel that they matter,” Plante says. “And if marching around with a pink hat on the 21st makes you feel all of that, that may be a good thing.”</p>
<p>Nevertheless, he wonders.</p>
<p>“What happens the day after the march in Washington?”</p>
| false | 2 |
nov 8 happened really big shock recalls phone home sunny undeniably democratic state live los angeles honestly saw like one trump bumper sticker stunned election made donald trump nations next president zweiman 38 architectural designer took brief period mourn emerging nov 16 protest plan friend krista suh would rally army women every corner country joined single cause couldnt undo election could knit hats advertisement hats every shade pink rose flamingo fuchsia bold pointed cat ears one unique snowflake yarnlovingsquads goal turn 1 million pink pussyhats inauguration weekend hats become visual marker activists attending jan 21 womens march washington hats become symbols struggle womens rights become way zweiman says wearers take stand daily life without say word divisive election time triggered wave protests rallies street marches golden globes tirades hashtags plans stink inauguration marijuana silent warmandfuzzy stands zweimans launched thousand facebook groups online petitions spurred fashion trends safety pins anyone spawned pantsuit dances election outcome wont change good protests passive protests particular may tending losing sides wounded psyches addressing americas deep political rift amazing thing knitting zweiman says like meditation thomas plante clinical psychologist professor psychology santa clara university california another thought like control says people feel need get control somewhere whether thats wearing safety pin signing online petition posting things facebook something soothing clicking petition registering rage seeing many likes get facebook plante offers feel solidarity advertisement feel like youve done something antsy days hours election nearly 200 dancers pulled vibrant pantsuits wild feminist ts took new york park pop shimmy back flip hillary clinton pantsuit nation secret army 3 million facebook users mostly women reached blazers rallied clinton swiftly solidly candidate made winking mention groups efforts concession speech trump opponents decked lapels safety pins safetypin hashtivism declared walking talking safe spaces people looking around ways protest says micah white founder occupy wall street movement recently authored end protest book declaring oldschool protest dead invested much effort street protest put everything happens nothing trump gets elected approximately 10000 trumprelated petitions filed changeorg since election including one suspend cancel trumps twitter account another urging impeachment according site spokesman aj walton theyve amassed 8 million signatures yielded sites popular petition time get electoral college choose anyone donald trump next president collected 49 million signatures shy goal 6 million creator petition daniel brezenoff 45 taught american history knew even election called trump still glimmer hope nov 9 created plea electronic signatures urge electoral colleges electors choose clinton trump highest aspiration time says long beach californiabased social worker generating good discussion social media people network petition circulated like many protests days facebook took nations 538 electors met home states last month brezenoff printed delivered petition hand texas meeting austin college expected made trump presidentelect two republican electors texas cast votes others took great success brezenoff says think theres psychological benefit hope participating process hasnt stopped critics pointing seeming futility pinandpantsuit efforts pins wearing pictures posted folks wearing safe spaces theyre wanting perceived racist demetria lucas doyley wrote safetypin movement site root covers news africanamerican perspective holidays pantsuit nation became embroiled controversy former allies denounced founder libby chamberlain profiting movement book deal los angeles times oped writer fretted imagined mobilizing political fight lives facebook group ever political fight believe sort ritual called protest take many different forms somehow elected representatives listen change happen blah blah blah story line broken white says trump id happy theyre knitting hats id like yes please knit hats take power psychologically speaking protesters going need positive reinforcement sometime need successes plante says thats something sorts political statements dont deliver taking streets creates traffic jams creates big news creates visible way protest says taking facebook really doesnt get 300 400 likes rant might feel satisfied thats going change anything none swayed zweiman contingent hatmakers ferociously knitting crocheting preparation inauguration debut would discourage anyone signing name something care zweiman says dont know actually might something might make feel little bit better want feel matter plante says marching around pink hat 21st makes feel may good thing nevertheless wonders happens day march washington
| 670 |
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industrial production increased more than expected in December as unseasonably cold weather at the end of the month boosted demand for heating, but manufacturing output barely rose, pointing to moderate growth in the industrial sector.</p> FILE PHOTO - Robotic arms spot welds on the chassis of a Ford Transit Van under assembly at the Ford Claycomo Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Dave Kaup
<p>Strong demand for utilities reported by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday bolstered expectations of an acceleration in consumer spending in the fourth quarter, prompting some economists to bump up their economic growth estimates for the October-December period.</p>
<p>"This is consistent with the solid growth story," said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto.</p>
<p>The Fed said industrial output surged 0.9 percent last month also buoyed by robust gains in mining production, after slipping 0.1 percent in November.</p>
<p>Economists polled by Reuters had forecast industrial production advancing 0.4 percent in December. It rose at an annual rate of 8.2 percent in the fourth quarter, the biggest gain since the second quarter of 2010.</p>
<p>For all of 2017, industrial output rose 1.8 percent, the first and largest increase since 2014. In another report, the U.S. central bank said the economy continued to expand from late November through the end of 2017.</p>
<p>In its Beige Book report of anecdotal information on business activity collected from contacts nationwide, the Fed said "the outlook for 2018 remains optimistic for a majority of contacts across the country."</p>
<p>The reports were seen supportive of an interest rate increase in March from the Fed. Prices for U.S. Treasuries fell, with the yield on the interest rate sensitive two-year note hitting a nine-year high. The dollar briefly rose against a basket of currencies, but later surrendered gains.</p>
<p>Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher.</p> MODEST FACTORY OUTPUT GAIN
<p>Manufacturing output, which accounts for more than 70 percent of industrial production, gained only 0.1 percent in December. Data for October and November was, however, revised to show factory output rising 1.5 percent and 0.3 percent respectively instead of the previously reported 1.4 percent and 0.2 percent.</p>
<p>Manufacturing output last month was held back by a 1.5 percent drop in the production of primary metals. Motor vehicle and parts production increased 2.0 percent.</p>
<p>Manufacturing production rose at a 7.0 percent rate in the fourth quarter, the biggest gain since the second quarter of 2010. It increased 1.3 percent in 2017, the largest rise since 2012.</p>
<p>The industrial sector is being supported by a strengthening global economy and recent dollar weakness, which is helping to make U.S. exports more competitive relative to those of the nation's main trading partners.</p>
<p>It is likely to be boosted by a $1.5 trillion tax cut approved by the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month. A survey early this month showed an acceleration in factory activity in December, with a measure of new orders recording its best reading since January 2004.</p>
<p>"A positive fundamental backdrop of tax cuts, solid domestic and global demand, a weaker dollar, firmer energy prices and somewhat leaner inventories all translate into solid prospects for industrial activity in 2018," said Gregory Daco, chief&#160;U.S. economist&#160;at Oxford Economics in New York.</p>
<p>Mining production increased 1.6 percent in December amid a rebound in oil and gas well drilling. Utilities production accelerated 5.6 percent last month after declining 3.1 percent in November.</p>
<p>Bitter cold gripped a large part of the country at the end of December. The surge in utilities demand added to strong December retail sales in supporting expectations of an acceleration in consumer spending in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>Forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers raised its fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth estimate by one-tenth of a percentage point to a 2.8 percent annualized rate. Barclays lifted its GDP growth forecast to a 3.1 percent pace from a 3.0 percent rate.</p>
<p>Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, increased at a 2.2 percent annualized rate in the third quarter. The economy grew at a 3.2 percent rate in the July-September period.</p>
<p>The surge in industrial production pushed up capacity utilization, a measure of how fully industries are deploying their resources, to 77.9 percent. That was the highest since February 2015 and followed a 77.2 percent rate in November.</p>
<p>Capacity utilization is 2 percentage points below its long-run average. Officials at the Fed tend to look at capacity use as a signal of how much "slack" remains in the economy and how much room there is for growth to accelerate before it becomes inflationary.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy grew at a slightly faster-than-expected pace of 6.8 percent in the first quarter, buoyed by strong consumer demand and robust property investment.</p>
<p>Resilience in the world's second-largest economy will likely keep a synchronized global recovery on track for a while longer, even as China faces rising tensions with the United States that could impact billions of dollars in trade.</p>
<p>But economists still expect China to lose momentum in coming quarters as Beijing forces local governments to scale back infrastructure projects to contain their debt, and as property sales cool further due to strict government controls on purchases to fight speculation.</p>
<p>Consumption, which accounted for almost 80 percent of economic growth in the first quarter, played a significant role in supporting the economy even as risks grew for Chinese exporters.</p>
<p>March retail sales rose 10.1 percent from a year earlier, slightly more than expected and the strongest pace in four months, with consumers buying more of almost everything from cosmetics to furniture and home appliances.</p>
<p>"The retail sales data tells you a lot about consumption. It is not seasonal - if you look at growth in cosmetics, spending on clothing, spending on automobiles, there has been a persistent trend for a few months," said Iris Pang, Greater China economist at ING in Hong Kong.</p>
<p>"Consumption is really strong, there is strong wage growth in urban areas. We underestimated the power of consumption in China."</p>
<p>China's export sector also posted solid growth in the first quarter, with shipments to the U.S. jumping 14.8 percent on-year. Some analysts have speculated Chinese firms may have rushed out deliveries to the U.S. as tariff threats loomed.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-china-economy-trade-usa/trade-frictions-with-u-s-wont-change-stable-development-of-chinas-economy-stats-bureau-idUSKBN1HO09I" type="external">Trade frictions with U.S. won't change stable development of China's economy: stats bureau</a>
<a href="/article/us-china-economy-output-oil/china-march-refinery-runs-hit-record-crude-output-near-multi-year-low-idUSKBN1HO09O" type="external">China March refinery runs hit record; crude output near multi-year low</a>
<a href="/article/us-china-economy-activity/china-march-industrial-output-up-6-0-percent-misses-expectations-january-march-investment-growth-slows-idUSKBN1HO07A" type="external">China March industrial output up 6.0 percent, misses expectations, January-March investment growth slows</a>
<p>However, net exports overall were a drag on GDP growth in the quarter after giving an added boost to the economy last year, highlighting the need for sustained strength in domestic demand if significant new tariffs are imposed.</p>
<p>"We don't expect (the U.S.-China tensions) will evolve into a full-scale trade war, but we also argue this uncertainty will not disappear and we expect a bumpy road of negotiations. In terms of the impact of potential tariffs, it is pretty limited, particularly this year," said Haibin Zhu, chief China economist at JP Morgan in Hong Kong.</p>
<p>"Even in the worst scenario that both countries start to implement the $50 billion tariffs, we're talking about a few tenths of a percentage point and most likely it will only start to affect the economy late this year and in 2019."</p>
<p>CRACKDOWNS ON FINANCIAL RISKS, POLLUTION TO CONTINUE</p>
<p>Analysts polled by Reuters had expected January-March GDP to grow 6.7 percent from a year earlier, slowing marginally from the pace in late 2017.</p>
<p>China's GDP has now grown 6.8 percent for three straight quarters, a remarkably steady pace for such a large and dynamic economy and reinforcing concerns about the reliability of official data.</p>
<p>On a quarterly seasonally adjusted basis, GDP grew 1.4 percent, slightly less than expected and easing from 1.6 percent in October-December, again suggesting the economy may be losing some steam.</p>
<p>Still, growth remained comfortably above the government's target of around 6.5 percent for the full year, giving policymakers room to further reduce risks in China's financial system and rein in pollution without stalling economic growth.</p>
<p>Authorities have repeated pledged to reduce a mountain of corporate debt in the name of national security, though they have moved cautiously to avoid stunting business activity.</p>
<p>Beijing has also stuck to its campaign of shuttering heavily polluting factories as it tries to encourage more sustainable and higher quality growth from "new economy" sectors such as technology.</p>
<p>Smokestack industries have been a key focus of that pivot in industrial policy, even though it is weighing on China's overall manufacturing outlook.</p>
<p>Industrial output expanded 6.0 percent in March on-year, the slowest pace in seven months. Analysts had predicted output growth would cool to 6.2 percent from 7.2 percent in the first two months of the year.</p>
<p>"Underneath the stable GDP growth is quite rapid rebalancing from industrial, investment and old economy sectors to consumption, services and new economy sectors like tech," said Robert Subbaraman, chief economist for Asia excluding Japan at Nomura in Singapore.</p>
<p>"The more timely March data, however, point to nascent signs of a growth slowdown underway, led by these old economy sectors."</p> REAL ESTATE TO SLOW
<p>First-quarter readings on China's property sector, a key economic driver, were mixed but also appeared to reflect the growing influence of changing government policies.</p>
<p>Real estate investment accelerated to 10.4 percent in the quarter - the fastest pace in three years - compared with a 9.9 percent rise in the first two months of this year.</p>
<p>Analysts say a significant rise in land prices, as well as a government push to build more public housing, could have contributed to the unexpected strength in the headline figure and a jump in construction starts.</p>
<p>Property sales, however, continued to slow amid a flurry of government measures to get soaring home prices under control and rising mortgage rates. Sales by floor area rose 3.6 percent in the quarter, easing from earlier in the year.</p>
<p>Fixed-asset investment has also faltered as Beijing urges local governments to refrain from rampant borrowing to finance glamour projects to beat economic growth targets.</p>
<p>January-March fixed-asset investment growth slowed to 7.5 percent, below expectations and 7.9 percent in January-February.</p>
<p>Infrastructure investment rose 13 percent on-year, easing slightly from January-February.</p> Buildings are seen in Beijing's central business area, China, April 1, 2018. Picture taken April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
<p>In one surprise shift, private investment - which accounts for about 60 percent of overall investment in China - grew faster than state firms' investment for the first time in over two years.</p>
<p>Private-sector fixed-asset investment rose 8.9 percent in January-March, accelerating from an increase of 8.1 percent in the first two months.</p>
<p>"The pickup in private investment this year is mainly the result of improving corporate profits from last year and government policy support. Bank lending at the start of the year also helped," David Qu, a Shanghai-based economist at ANZ.</p>
<p>Despite a more upbeat first quarter than expected, analysts still predict China's economic growth will slow to 6.5 percent this year, with the ongoing regulatory crackdown and U.S. trade dispute seen as key risks, a Reuters poll showed.[ECILT/CN]</p>
<p>Reporting by Elias Glenn; Additional reporting by Yawen Chen and Stella Qiu in BEIJING and Marius Zaharia in HONG KONG; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Kim Coghill</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. homebuilding increased more than expected in March amid a rebound in the construction of multi-family housing units, but weakness in the single-family segment suggested the housing market was slowing.</p> Construction workers build a single family home in San Diego, California, U.S. February 15, 2017. Picture taken February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
<p>Housing starts rose 1.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.319 million units, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Data for February was revised up to show groundbreaking declining to a 1.295 million-unit pace instead of the previously reported 1.236 million units.</p>
<p>Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts rising to a pace of 1.262 million units last month. Permits for future home building rose 2.5 percent to a rate of 1.354 million units in March.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-economy-output/utilities-boost-u-s-industrial-output-factory-growth-sluggish-idUSKBN1HO1XA" type="external">Utilities boost U.S. industrial output; factory growth sluggish</a>
<p>U.S. financial markets were little moved by the data.</p>
<p>Despite the rebound in homebuilding last month, activity appears to be slowing. Single-family homebuilding, which accounts for the largest share of the housing market, fell 3.7 percent to a rate of 867,000 units in March.</p>
<p>A survey on Monday showed confidence among homebuilders fell in April for a fourth straight month. Builders complained about a lack of buildable lots and increasing construction material costs. According to the survey, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian lumber and other imported products were "pushing up prices and hurting housing affordability."</p>
<p>Confronted with these supply constraints, homebuilding will probably not increase significantly to eradicate an acute shortage of houses on the market, which is pushing up prices and sidelining some first-time home buyers.</p>
<p>Demand for housing is being driven by a robust labor market, which is underpinning the economy. Despite jobs market strength, wage inflation has remained moderate.</p>
<p>Single-family home construction fell in the Northeast, South and West, but rose in the Midwest. Permits to build single-family homes dropped 5.5 percent in March to an 840,000 unit-pace, the lowest level since September 2017.</p>
<p>With permits lagging starts, single-family home construction could slow further.</p>
<p>Starts for the volatile multi-family housing segment surged 14.4 percent to a rate of 452,000 units in March. Permits for the construction of multi-family homes dropped jumped 19 percent to a 514,000 unit-pace.</p>
<p>The outlook for housing inventory was mixed. Housing completions fell 5.1 percent to 1.217 million units last month, with single-family units dropping 4.7 percent. But the stock of housing under construction rose 0.3 percent to 1.125 million, the highest level since July 2007.</p>
<p>Single-family units under construction climbed 0.2 percent to the highest level since June 2008.</p>
<p>Realtors estimate that the housing starts and completions rates need to be in a range of 1.5 million to 1.6 million units per month to plug the inventory gap.</p>
<p>Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GS.N" type="external">GS.N</a>) blew past Wall Street's expectations for quarterly profit on Tuesday, as volatility in global markets powered a surge in bond and stock trading.</p> A Goldman Sachs sign is displayed inside the company's post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>The bank's bond trading business outperformed, with revenue rising 23 percent in the first quarter.</p>
<p>Overall revenue from trading - Goldman's biggest business - was up 30.5 percent as volatility rocked global markets in February after a prolonged calm in 2017, roiling stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities, and remained elevated through the end of March.</p>
<p>The bank's shares rose 1.4 percent to $261.28 in early trading.</p>
<p>Total revenue, including net interest income, rose 25 percent to $10.04 billion, with all four businesses recording a rise in revenue.</p>
<p>Evercore ISI analyst Glenn Schorr described the $1.8 billion-$2.3 billion in revenue Goldman generated from each of its business units as "pretty impressive."</p>
<p>"Obviously it won't always be this good, but sure is cool to see a good old Goldman beat in a quarter that was far from the perfect backdrop," he wrote in a note to clients.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GS.N" type="external">Goldman Sachs Group Inc</a> 254.74 GS.N New York Stock Exchange -3.14 (-1.22%) GS.N MS.N
<p>Following last year's sharp fall in bond trading, the bank laid out a growth plan to add as much as $5 billion in revenue annually by courting asset managers and banks to trade with the firm, expanding its footprint with corporate clients particularly in commodities and currencies, lending more to clients, and hiring more trading talent.</p>
<p>Chief Financial Officer Marty Chavez said the lender's management was "cautiously optimistic" that the factors leading to outperformance in the first quarter would continue.</p>
<p>The plan to generate more revenue by luring new clients and offering more products and services should provide an added lift, he said.</p>
<p>Net income applicable to common shareholders rose 27 percent to $2.74 billion, or $6.95 per share, and blew past the average analyst estimate of $5.58 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.</p>
<p>Investing and lending revenue rose 43 percent, while revenue from investment banking, which includes underwriting fees, rose 5.3 percent.</p>
<p>The lender's return on equity was 15.4 percent. Analysts typically like to see banks produce returns of at least 10 percent to meet their cost of capital.</p>
<p>Goldman's arch rival Morgan Stanley ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MS.N" type="external">MS.N</a>) is scheduled to report quarterly results on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Reporting By Aparajita Saxena and Sweta Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Netflix Inc's blitz of original programs attracted a surprisingly high 7.4 million new customers from January to March, reassuring investors who are betting the video-streaming pioneer's massive spending will fuel growth around the world.</p>
<p>New shows like "Altered Carbon" and "O Mecanismo" helped Netflix smash analysts' subscriber estimates, and its better-than-expected second-quarter outlook soothed concerns about competition from Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc.</p>
<p>Shares of Netflix jumped more than 7 percent in after-hours trading on Monday to $330.30. The stock is the top performer on the S&amp;P 500 this year, gaining more than 60 percent.</p>
<p>"I don't think this is a one-time thing," said Chaim Siegel, analyst at Elazar Advisors. "It's very similar to the results we saw last quarter. It's getting better."</p>
<p>Wall Street expected Netflix to add 6.5 million new subscribers, according to FactSet data. Netflix topped that and also said it would bring in 6.2 million more customers from April through June, 1 million more than analyst predictions.</p>
<p>Netflix says it will spend up to $8 billion on global TV shows and movies in 2018. As it has expanded to some 190 countries, investors accepted negative free cash flow in exchange for the potential of outsized growth in future years.</p>
<p>"We have big plans for content growth and you should expect that to continue," Chief Executive Reed Hastings said on a post-earnings webcast.</p>
<p>In the first three months of the year, Netflix boosted original programing by 85 percent from a year earlier to a record 483 hours, according to Cowen &amp; Co analysts.</p>
<p>The slate included science fiction series "Altered Carbon" and Marvel action drama "Jessica Jones."</p>
<p>Non-English programing also is gaining traction, Netflix said. "O Mecanismo" is on pace to become one of the service's most-viewed original series in Brazil, and Spanish-language heist thriller "La Casa de Papel" was the most-watched non-English series ever on Netflix, according to the company.</p>
<p>For the just-ended quarter, revenue grew 40 percent year-over-year to $3.7 billion, the fastest pace in the company's history. The average cost of a Netflix membership rose 14 percent during that time, and customer ranks swelled to 125 million.</p>
<p>"Subscribers are accelerating even at higher pricing," BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said. "Content spend is having a direct effect on its subscriber growth."</p>
<p>In a quarterly letter to shareholders, Netflix said it will "continue to raise debt as needed to fund our increase in original content," adding that its debt levels were "quite modest as a percentage of our enterprise value."</p>
<p>The company's market capitalization stands at $137.2 billion, more than double a year earlier.</p>
<p>But it faces growing competition as technology companies such as Apple and Amazon pour money into premium programing, international rivals jump into streaming and traditional media companies pursue digital customers.</p>
<p>Walt Disney Co will stop supplying new movies to Netflix starting next year and will start its own streaming service for families.</p> The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
<p>Investors have appeared bullish on the company's ability to add more members. Netflix recently traded at 93 times expected earnings for the next 12 months, versus Amazon at 133 times earnings and Disney at 17 times earnings, according to Thomson Reuters data.</p>
<p>Net income rose to $290.1 million, or 64 cents per share, in the quarter ended March 31 from $178.2 million, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier.</p>
<p>Revenue grew 40 percent year-over-year to $3.7 billion, the fastest pace in the company's history.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles and Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Lisa Shumaker</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
washington reuters us industrial production increased expected december unseasonably cold weather end month boosted demand heating manufacturing output barely rose pointing moderate growth industrial sector file photo robotic arms spot welds chassis ford transit van assembly ford claycomo assembly plant claycomo missouri april 30 2014 reutersdave kaup strong demand utilities reported federal reserve wednesday bolstered expectations acceleration consumer spending fourth quarter prompting economists bump economic growth estimates octoberdecember period consistent solid growth story said jennifer lee senior economist bmo capital markets toronto fed said industrial output surged 09 percent last month also buoyed robust gains mining production slipping 01 percent november economists polled reuters forecast industrial production advancing 04 percent december rose annual rate 82 percent fourth quarter biggest gain since second quarter 2010 2017 industrial output rose 18 percent first largest increase since 2014 another report us central bank said economy continued expand late november end 2017 beige book report anecdotal information business activity collected contacts nationwide fed said outlook 2018 remains optimistic majority contacts across country reports seen supportive interest rate increase march fed prices us treasuries fell yield interest rate sensitive twoyear note hitting nineyear high dollar briefly rose basket currencies later surrendered gains stocks wall street trading higher modest factory output gain manufacturing output accounts 70 percent industrial production gained 01 percent december data october november however revised show factory output rising 15 percent 03 percent respectively instead previously reported 14 percent 02 percent manufacturing output last month held back 15 percent drop production primary metals motor vehicle parts production increased 20 percent manufacturing production rose 70 percent rate fourth quarter biggest gain since second quarter 2010 increased 13 percent 2017 largest rise since 2012 industrial sector supported strengthening global economy recent dollar weakness helping make us exports competitive relative nations main trading partners likely boosted 15 trillion tax cut approved republicancontrolled us congress signed law president donald trump last month survey early month showed acceleration factory activity december measure new orders recording best reading since january 2004 positive fundamental backdrop tax cuts solid domestic global demand weaker dollar firmer energy prices somewhat leaner inventories translate solid prospects industrial activity 2018 said gregory daco chief160us economist160at oxford economics new york mining production increased 16 percent december amid rebound oil gas well drilling utilities production accelerated 56 percent last month declining 31 percent november bitter cold gripped large part country end december surge utilities demand added strong december retail sales supporting expectations acceleration consumer spending fourth quarter forecasting firm macroeconomic advisers raised fourthquarter gross domestic product growth estimate onetenth percentage point 28 percent annualized rate barclays lifted gdp growth forecast 31 percent pace 30 percent rate consumer spending accounts twothirds us economic activity increased 22 percent annualized rate third quarter economy grew 32 percent rate julyseptember period surge industrial production pushed capacity utilization measure fully industries deploying resources 779 percent highest since february 2015 followed 772 percent rate november capacity utilization 2 percentage points longrun average officials fed tend look capacity use signal much slack remains economy much room growth accelerate becomes inflationary reporting lucia mutikani editing andrea ricci standards thomson reuters trust principles beijing reuters chinas economy grew slightly fasterthanexpected pace 68 percent first quarter buoyed strong consumer demand robust property investment resilience worlds secondlargest economy likely keep synchronized global recovery track longer even china faces rising tensions united states could impact billions dollars trade economists still expect china lose momentum coming quarters beijing forces local governments scale back infrastructure projects contain debt property sales cool due strict government controls purchases fight speculation consumption accounted almost 80 percent economic growth first quarter played significant role supporting economy even risks grew chinese exporters march retail sales rose 101 percent year earlier slightly expected strongest pace four months consumers buying almost everything cosmetics furniture home appliances retail sales data tells lot consumption seasonal look growth cosmetics spending clothing spending automobiles persistent trend months said iris pang greater china economist ing hong kong consumption really strong strong wage growth urban areas underestimated power consumption china chinas export sector also posted solid growth first quarter shipments us jumping 148 percent onyear analysts speculated chinese firms may rushed deliveries us tariff threats loomed related coverage trade frictions us wont change stable development chinas economy stats bureau china march refinery runs hit record crude output near multiyear low china march industrial output 60 percent misses expectations januarymarch investment growth slows however net exports overall drag gdp growth quarter giving added boost economy last year highlighting need sustained strength domestic demand significant new tariffs imposed dont expect uschina tensions evolve fullscale trade war also argue uncertainty disappear expect bumpy road negotiations terms impact potential tariffs pretty limited particularly year said haibin zhu chief china economist jp morgan hong kong even worst scenario countries start implement 50 billion tariffs talking tenths percentage point likely start affect economy late year 2019 crackdowns financial risks pollution continue analysts polled reuters expected januarymarch gdp grow 67 percent year earlier slowing marginally pace late 2017 chinas gdp grown 68 percent three straight quarters remarkably steady pace large dynamic economy reinforcing concerns reliability official data quarterly seasonally adjusted basis gdp grew 14 percent slightly less expected easing 16 percent octoberdecember suggesting economy may losing steam still growth remained comfortably governments target around 65 percent full year giving policymakers room reduce risks chinas financial system rein pollution without stalling economic growth authorities repeated pledged reduce mountain corporate debt name national security though moved cautiously avoid stunting business activity beijing also stuck campaign shuttering heavily polluting factories tries encourage sustainable higher quality growth new economy sectors technology smokestack industries key focus pivot industrial policy even though weighing chinas overall manufacturing outlook industrial output expanded 60 percent march onyear slowest pace seven months analysts predicted output growth would cool 62 percent 72 percent first two months year underneath stable gdp growth quite rapid rebalancing industrial investment old economy sectors consumption services new economy sectors like tech said robert subbaraman chief economist asia excluding japan nomura singapore timely march data however point nascent signs growth slowdown underway led old economy sectors real estate slow firstquarter readings chinas property sector key economic driver mixed also appeared reflect growing influence changing government policies real estate investment accelerated 104 percent quarter fastest pace three years compared 99 percent rise first two months year analysts say significant rise land prices well government push build public housing could contributed unexpected strength headline figure jump construction starts property sales however continued slow amid flurry government measures get soaring home prices control rising mortgage rates sales floor area rose 36 percent quarter easing earlier year fixedasset investment also faltered beijing urges local governments refrain rampant borrowing finance glamour projects beat economic growth targets januarymarch fixedasset investment growth slowed 75 percent expectations 79 percent januaryfebruary infrastructure investment rose 13 percent onyear easing slightly januaryfebruary buildings seen beijings central business area china april 1 2018 picture taken april 1 2018 reutersjason lee one surprise shift private investment accounts 60 percent overall investment china grew faster state firms investment first time two years privatesector fixedasset investment rose 89 percent januarymarch accelerating increase 81 percent first two months pickup private investment year mainly result improving corporate profits last year government policy support bank lending start year also helped david qu shanghaibased economist anz despite upbeat first quarter expected analysts still predict chinas economic growth slow 65 percent year ongoing regulatory crackdown us trade dispute seen key risks reuters poll showedeciltcn reporting elias glenn additional reporting yawen chen stella qiu beijing marius zaharia hong kong writing ryan woo editing kim coghill standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us homebuilding increased expected march amid rebound construction multifamily housing units weakness singlefamily segment suggested housing market slowing construction workers build single family home san diego california us february 15 2017 picture taken february 15 2017 reutersmike blake housing starts rose 19 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate 1319 million units commerce department said tuesday data february revised show groundbreaking declining 1295 millionunit pace instead previously reported 1236 million units economists polled reuters forecast housing starts rising pace 1262 million units last month permits future home building rose 25 percent rate 1354 million units march related coverage utilities boost us industrial output factory growth sluggish us financial markets little moved data despite rebound homebuilding last month activity appears slowing singlefamily homebuilding accounts largest share housing market fell 37 percent rate 867000 units march survey monday showed confidence among homebuilders fell april fourth straight month builders complained lack buildable lots increasing construction material costs according survey tariffs imposed trump administration canadian lumber imported products pushing prices hurting housing affordability confronted supply constraints homebuilding probably increase significantly eradicate acute shortage houses market pushing prices sidelining firsttime home buyers demand housing driven robust labor market underpinning economy despite jobs market strength wage inflation remained moderate singlefamily home construction fell northeast south west rose midwest permits build singlefamily homes dropped 55 percent march 840000 unitpace lowest level since september 2017 permits lagging starts singlefamily home construction could slow starts volatile multifamily housing segment surged 144 percent rate 452000 units march permits construction multifamily homes dropped jumped 19 percent 514000 unitpace outlook housing inventory mixed housing completions fell 51 percent 1217 million units last month singlefamily units dropping 47 percent stock housing construction rose 03 percent 1125 million highest level since july 2007 singlefamily units construction climbed 02 percent highest level since june 2008 realtors estimate housing starts completions rates need range 15 million 16 million units per month plug inventory gap reporting lucia mutikani editing andrea ricci standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters goldman sachs group inc gsn blew past wall streets expectations quarterly profit tuesday volatility global markets powered surge bond stock trading goldman sachs sign displayed inside companys post floor new york stock exchange nyse new york us april 18 2017 reutersbrendan mcdermid banks bond trading business outperformed revenue rising 23 percent first quarter overall revenue trading goldmans biggest business 305 percent volatility rocked global markets february prolonged calm 2017 roiling stocks bonds currencies commodities remained elevated end march banks shares rose 14 percent 26128 early trading total revenue including net interest income rose 25 percent 1004 billion four businesses recording rise revenue evercore isi analyst glenn schorr described 18 billion23 billion revenue goldman generated business units pretty impressive obviously wont always good sure cool see good old goldman beat quarter far perfect backdrop wrote note clients goldman sachs group inc 25474 gsn new york stock exchange 314 122 gsn msn following last years sharp fall bond trading bank laid growth plan add much 5 billion revenue annually courting asset managers banks trade firm expanding footprint corporate clients particularly commodities currencies lending clients hiring trading talent chief financial officer marty chavez said lenders management cautiously optimistic factors leading outperformance first quarter would continue plan generate revenue luring new clients offering products services provide added lift said net income applicable common shareholders rose 27 percent 274 billion 695 per share blew past average analyst estimate 558 per share according thomson reuters ibes investing lending revenue rose 43 percent revenue investment banking includes underwriting fees rose 53 percent lenders return equity 154 percent analysts typically like see banks produce returns least 10 percent meet cost capital goldmans arch rival morgan stanley msn scheduled report quarterly results wednesday reporting aparajita saxena sweta singh bengaluru editing saumyadeb chakrabarty standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters netflix incs blitz original programs attracted surprisingly high 74 million new customers january march reassuring investors betting videostreaming pioneers massive spending fuel growth around world new shows like altered carbon mecanismo helped netflix smash analysts subscriber estimates betterthanexpected secondquarter outlook soothed concerns competition apple inc amazoncom inc shares netflix jumped 7 percent afterhours trading monday 33030 stock top performer sampp 500 year gaining 60 percent dont think onetime thing said chaim siegel analyst elazar advisors similar results saw last quarter getting better wall street expected netflix add 65 million new subscribers according factset data netflix topped also said would bring 62 million customers april june 1 million analyst predictions netflix says spend 8 billion global tv shows movies 2018 expanded 190 countries investors accepted negative free cash flow exchange potential outsized growth future years big plans content growth expect continue chief executive reed hastings said postearnings webcast first three months year netflix boosted original programing 85 percent year earlier record 483 hours according cowen amp co analysts slate included science fiction series altered carbon marvel action drama jessica jones nonenglish programing also gaining traction netflix said mecanismo pace become one services mostviewed original series brazil spanishlanguage heist thriller la casa de papel mostwatched nonenglish series ever netflix according company justended quarter revenue grew 40 percent yearoveryear 37 billion fastest pace companys history average cost netflix membership rose 14 percent time customer ranks swelled 125 million subscribers accelerating even higher pricing btig analyst richard greenfield said content spend direct effect subscriber growth quarterly letter shareholders netflix said continue raise debt needed fund increase original content adding debt levels quite modest percentage enterprise value companys market capitalization stands 1372 billion double year earlier faces growing competition technology companies apple amazon pour money premium programing international rivals jump streaming traditional media companies pursue digital customers walt disney co stop supplying new movies netflix starting next year start streaming service families netflix logo pictured television illustration photograph taken encinitas california us january 18 2017 reutersmike blake investors appeared bullish companys ability add members netflix recently traded 93 times expected earnings next 12 months versus amazon 133 times earnings disney 17 times earnings according thomson reuters data net income rose 2901 million 64 cents per share quarter ended march 31 1782 million 40 cents per share year earlier revenue grew 40 percent yearoveryear 37 billion fastest pace companys history reporting lisa richwine los angeles laharee chatterjee bengaluru editing meredith mazzilli lisa shumaker standards thomson reuters trust principles
| 2,302 |
<p>SALEM, Ore. (AP) — When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions green-lighted federal prosecutions of marijuana lawbreakers, the vast majority of U.S. states that allow some form of medical marijuana were unexpectedly placed at risk of a crackdown and are warily watching developments.</p>
<p>Forty-six states — including Sessions’ home state of Alabama — have legalized some form of medical marijuana in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Eight of those states also allow recreational marijuana.</p>
<p>Among the guidance that Sessions rescinded was the so-called Ogden Memorandum of 2009 that instructed federal prosecutors not to pursue cases against medical marijuana patients and distributors who complied with state laws.</p>
<p>“Previous nationwide guidance specific to marijuana enforcement is unnecessary and is rescinded, effective immediately,” Sessions told the U.S. attorneys based in all 50 states in a letter Thursday.</p>
<p>Georgia state Rep. Allen Peake, a Republican who sponsored a bill in his state’s legislature that legalized possession of medical marijuana in 2015, denounced the move.</p>
<p>“I’m very disappointed in Jeff Session’s actions,” Peake said Friday in a telephone interview. “He will be hurting the grandfather with Alzheimer’s, the soccer mom with breast cancer, the college student with Crohn’s disease, the young child with seizures — these are the people that will be impacted by this action by the attorney general.”</p>
<p>The only legal protection now for medical marijuana growers, processors, sellers and users is a temporary measure sponsored by Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer prohibiting the U.S. Department of Justice from using government funds to target them.</p>
<p>Rohrabacher, in a conference call with reporters and four other members of Congress, said Sessions’ move should galvanize national support for marijuana legalization.</p>
<p>“This is a wake-up call for American people who believe in freedom,” Rohrabacher said. “It will mobilize people throughout the country.”</p>
<p>Many politicians, including Republicans, have cast Session’s move as an infringement on states’ rights.</p>
<p>Only Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas do not allow any access to marijuana, said Karmen Hanson, a cannabis policy analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.</p>
<p>Twenty-nine states — plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico — allow for comprehensive public medical marijuana programs. An additional 17 states allow use of marijuana products for medical reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense, she said.</p>
<p>Many of the states that allow some form of medical marijuana with low THC — marijuana’s psychoactive compound — did so in 2013 and 2014. About half of the initiatives that allowed medical marijuana were passed by voters in ballot measures and the rest by state legislatures, Hanson said.</p>
<p>Georgia’s General Assembly passed that state’s medical marijuana law in 2015. Called Haleigh’s Hope Act, it was named for a girl who was suffering from hundreds of seizures a day.</p>
<p>“This means the world to us,” Haleigh’s mother, Janea Cox, told reporters when Georgia’s governor signed the bill.</p>
<p>Peake said Sessions’ move will have a chilling effect on a bill he introduced that would allow the growing, processing and distribution of cannabis oil in Georgia.</p>
<p>“This is as bipartisan an issue as you can get,” he said. “Cancer doesn’t ask if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. There are people of all races and creeds who benefit from medical cannabis, so that’s why it’s so crucial that Congress get together and take action.”</p>
<p>The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment that restricts U.S. attorneys from taking legal action against people who use medical marijuana or produce it was maintained in a last short-term funding bill passed by Congress. But that funding bill expires on Jan. 19.</p>
<p>Blumenauer “is working to make sure it’s maintained again in whatever next funding bill Congress passes,” said his spokeswoman, Nicole L’Esperance.</p>
<p>Rohrabacher said a better, more permanent solution is a bill he submitted last year that amends the Controlled Substances Act so it doesn’t apply to people who produce, possess or deliver marijuana in compliance with state marijuana laws.</p>
<p>If it passes, Rohrabacher said he and Blumenauer would not be forced to repeatedly seek passage of their amendment annually.</p>
<p>New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has also introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewselsky" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewselsky" type="external">https://twitter.com/andrewselsky</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This version corrects that Peake has introduced the Georgia bill, not that he plans to.</p>
<p>SALEM, Ore. (AP) — When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions green-lighted federal prosecutions of marijuana lawbreakers, the vast majority of U.S. states that allow some form of medical marijuana were unexpectedly placed at risk of a crackdown and are warily watching developments.</p>
<p>Forty-six states — including Sessions’ home state of Alabama — have legalized some form of medical marijuana in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Eight of those states also allow recreational marijuana.</p>
<p>Among the guidance that Sessions rescinded was the so-called Ogden Memorandum of 2009 that instructed federal prosecutors not to pursue cases against medical marijuana patients and distributors who complied with state laws.</p>
<p>“Previous nationwide guidance specific to marijuana enforcement is unnecessary and is rescinded, effective immediately,” Sessions told the U.S. attorneys based in all 50 states in a letter Thursday.</p>
<p>Georgia state Rep. Allen Peake, a Republican who sponsored a bill in his state’s legislature that legalized possession of medical marijuana in 2015, denounced the move.</p>
<p>“I’m very disappointed in Jeff Session’s actions,” Peake said Friday in a telephone interview. “He will be hurting the grandfather with Alzheimer’s, the soccer mom with breast cancer, the college student with Crohn’s disease, the young child with seizures — these are the people that will be impacted by this action by the attorney general.”</p>
<p>The only legal protection now for medical marijuana growers, processors, sellers and users is a temporary measure sponsored by Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer prohibiting the U.S. Department of Justice from using government funds to target them.</p>
<p>Rohrabacher, in a conference call with reporters and four other members of Congress, said Sessions’ move should galvanize national support for marijuana legalization.</p>
<p>“This is a wake-up call for American people who believe in freedom,” Rohrabacher said. “It will mobilize people throughout the country.”</p>
<p>Many politicians, including Republicans, have cast Session’s move as an infringement on states’ rights.</p>
<p>Only Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas do not allow any access to marijuana, said Karmen Hanson, a cannabis policy analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.</p>
<p>Twenty-nine states — plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico — allow for comprehensive public medical marijuana programs. An additional 17 states allow use of marijuana products for medical reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense, she said.</p>
<p>Many of the states that allow some form of medical marijuana with low THC — marijuana’s psychoactive compound — did so in 2013 and 2014. About half of the initiatives that allowed medical marijuana were passed by voters in ballot measures and the rest by state legislatures, Hanson said.</p>
<p>Georgia’s General Assembly passed that state’s medical marijuana law in 2015. Called Haleigh’s Hope Act, it was named for a girl who was suffering from hundreds of seizures a day.</p>
<p>“This means the world to us,” Haleigh’s mother, Janea Cox, told reporters when Georgia’s governor signed the bill.</p>
<p>Peake said Sessions’ move will have a chilling effect on a bill he introduced that would allow the growing, processing and distribution of cannabis oil in Georgia.</p>
<p>“This is as bipartisan an issue as you can get,” he said. “Cancer doesn’t ask if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. There are people of all races and creeds who benefit from medical cannabis, so that’s why it’s so crucial that Congress get together and take action.”</p>
<p>The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment that restricts U.S. attorneys from taking legal action against people who use medical marijuana or produce it was maintained in a last short-term funding bill passed by Congress. But that funding bill expires on Jan. 19.</p>
<p>Blumenauer “is working to make sure it’s maintained again in whatever next funding bill Congress passes,” said his spokeswoman, Nicole L’Esperance.</p>
<p>Rohrabacher said a better, more permanent solution is a bill he submitted last year that amends the Controlled Substances Act so it doesn’t apply to people who produce, possess or deliver marijuana in compliance with state marijuana laws.</p>
<p>If it passes, Rohrabacher said he and Blumenauer would not be forced to repeatedly seek passage of their amendment annually.</p>
<p>New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker has also introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewselsky" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewselsky" type="external">https://twitter.com/andrewselsky</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This version corrects that Peake has introduced the Georgia bill, not that he plans to.</p>
| false | 2 |
salem ore ap us attorney general jeff sessions greenlighted federal prosecutions marijuana lawbreakers vast majority us states allow form medical marijuana unexpectedly placed risk crackdown warily watching developments fortysix states including sessions home state alabama legalized form medical marijuana recent years according national conference state legislatures eight states also allow recreational marijuana among guidance sessions rescinded socalled ogden memorandum 2009 instructed federal prosecutors pursue cases medical marijuana patients distributors complied state laws previous nationwide guidance specific marijuana enforcement unnecessary rescinded effective immediately sessions told us attorneys based 50 states letter thursday georgia state rep allen peake republican sponsored bill states legislature legalized possession medical marijuana 2015 denounced move im disappointed jeff sessions actions peake said friday telephone interview hurting grandfather alzheimers soccer mom breast cancer college student crohns disease young child seizures people impacted action attorney general legal protection medical marijuana growers processors sellers users temporary measure sponsored republican california rep dana rohrabacher democratic oregon rep earl blumenauer prohibiting us department justice using government funds target rohrabacher conference call reporters four members congress said sessions move galvanize national support marijuana legalization wakeup call american people believe freedom rohrabacher said mobilize people throughout country many politicians including republicans cast sessions move infringement states rights idaho south dakota nebraska kansas allow access marijuana said karmen hanson cannabis policy analyst national conference state legislatures twentynine states plus washington dc us territories guam puerto rico allow comprehensive public medical marijuana programs additional 17 states allow use marijuana products medical reasons limited situations legal defense said many states allow form medical marijuana low thc marijuanas psychoactive compound 2013 2014 half initiatives allowed medical marijuana passed voters ballot measures rest state legislatures hanson said georgias general assembly passed states medical marijuana law 2015 called haleighs hope act named girl suffering hundreds seizures day means world us haleighs mother janea cox told reporters georgias governor signed bill peake said sessions move chilling effect bill introduced would allow growing processing distribution cannabis oil georgia bipartisan issue get said cancer doesnt ask youre republican democrat people races creeds benefit medical cannabis thats crucial congress get together take action rohrabacherblumenauer amendment restricts us attorneys taking legal action people use medical marijuana produce maintained last shortterm funding bill passed congress funding bill expires jan 19 blumenauer working make sure maintained whatever next funding bill congress passes said spokeswoman nicole lesperance rohrabacher said better permanent solution bill submitted last year amends controlled substances act doesnt apply people produce possess deliver marijuana compliance state marijuana laws passes rohrabacher said blumenauer would forced repeatedly seek passage amendment annually new jersey democratic sen cory booker also introduced bill legalize marijuana federal level ___ follow andrew selsky twitter httpstwittercomandrewselsky ___ version corrects peake introduced georgia bill plans salem ore ap us attorney general jeff sessions greenlighted federal prosecutions marijuana lawbreakers vast majority us states allow form medical marijuana unexpectedly placed risk crackdown warily watching developments fortysix states including sessions home state alabama legalized form medical marijuana recent years according national conference state legislatures eight states also allow recreational marijuana among guidance sessions rescinded socalled ogden memorandum 2009 instructed federal prosecutors pursue cases medical marijuana patients distributors complied state laws previous nationwide guidance specific marijuana enforcement unnecessary rescinded effective immediately sessions told us attorneys based 50 states letter thursday georgia state rep allen peake republican sponsored bill states legislature legalized possession medical marijuana 2015 denounced move im disappointed jeff sessions actions peake said friday telephone interview hurting grandfather alzheimers soccer mom breast cancer college student crohns disease young child seizures people impacted action attorney general legal protection medical marijuana growers processors sellers users temporary measure sponsored republican california rep dana rohrabacher democratic oregon rep earl blumenauer prohibiting us department justice using government funds target rohrabacher conference call reporters four members congress said sessions move galvanize national support marijuana legalization wakeup call american people believe freedom rohrabacher said mobilize people throughout country many politicians including republicans cast sessions move infringement states rights idaho south dakota nebraska kansas allow access marijuana said karmen hanson cannabis policy analyst national conference state legislatures twentynine states plus washington dc us territories guam puerto rico allow comprehensive public medical marijuana programs additional 17 states allow use marijuana products medical reasons limited situations legal defense said many states allow form medical marijuana low thc marijuanas psychoactive compound 2013 2014 half initiatives allowed medical marijuana passed voters ballot measures rest state legislatures hanson said georgias general assembly passed states medical marijuana law 2015 called haleighs hope act named girl suffering hundreds seizures day means world us haleighs mother janea cox told reporters georgias governor signed bill peake said sessions move chilling effect bill introduced would allow growing processing distribution cannabis oil georgia bipartisan issue get said cancer doesnt ask youre republican democrat people races creeds benefit medical cannabis thats crucial congress get together take action rohrabacherblumenauer amendment restricts us attorneys taking legal action people use medical marijuana produce maintained last shortterm funding bill passed congress funding bill expires jan 19 blumenauer working make sure maintained whatever next funding bill congress passes said spokeswoman nicole lesperance rohrabacher said better permanent solution bill submitted last year amends controlled substances act doesnt apply people produce possess deliver marijuana compliance state marijuana laws passes rohrabacher said blumenauer would forced repeatedly seek passage amendment annually new jersey democratic sen cory booker also introduced bill legalize marijuana federal level ___ follow andrew selsky twitter httpstwittercomandrewselsky ___ version corrects peake introduced georgia bill plans
| 902 |
<p>LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - South Africa’s rand rose to its highest in more than two years on Monday amid growing expectations that scandal-tarnished President Jacob Zuma would soon be ousted, while emerging-market equities pushed to another near-decade high.</p>
<p>The rand gained around 1 percent against the dollar to trade at its best levels since June 2015, following reports that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party plans to force Zuma to step down.</p>
<p>The rand has strengthened by about 12 percent since the election of businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC leader in December, with investors warming to his promises to root out corruption and boost the economy.</p>
<p>“South Africa has a couple of things going for it which remind me of Brazil two years ago,” said Kiran Kowshik, a strategist at UniCredit. Those include improving external balances, a shrinking current account deficit, high real yields and hopes of reform under Ramaphosa, he said.</p>
<p>“The momentum behind the reform expectations is very strong and will continue to support the rand. I don’t think it’s a big deal if it goes to 11.70 per dollar. The support is there for the currency,” Kowshik said.</p>
<p>In another promising sign, Ramaphosa appointed a new board at state-owned power utility Eskom at the weekend. Eskom has been in a leadership crisis after several board members resigned in 2017 amid growing governance concerns.</p>
<p>South African bank stocks rallied hard, up 2 percent and the broader index rose 0.3 percent.</p>
<p>Shares of troubled South African retailer Steinhoff also jumped 10.6 percent after it announced a plan to sell $620 million of stock in investment firm PSG Group as it scrambles to plug a liquidity gap.</p>
<p>MSCI’s emerging equity index rose 0.4 percent, underpinned by accelerating world economic growth. Equity markets are shrugging off the shutdown of the U.S. government, after the Senate failed to reach a compromise on funding it .</p>
<p>“EM equities owe (their) strong performance to rising earnings,” analysts at Goldman Sachs said it a note, adding that valuations had “significant room to improve” based on improving economic fundamentals and the rosier earnings outlook.</p>
<p>Chinese blue-chip stocks rose to 31-month highs.</p>
<p>In emerging Europe, Russian shares rose 0.7 percent, approaching Friday’s record highs, as oil prices held near $69 a barrel.</p>
<p>But the lira weakened 0.3 percent after Turkey launched a military operation at the weekend against a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in Syria. The move threatens to further strain Turkey’s ties with the United States.</p>
<p>The Romanian leu underperformed regional peers, trading at its weakest year-to-date against the euro. Tens of thousands of Romanians marched in Bucharest on Saturday to protest corruption and attempts by the ruling Social Democrats to weaken judicial independence.</p>
<p>For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance 2017, see <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2e7eoml" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2e7eoml</a> For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance 2017, see <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2dZbdP5" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2dZbdP5</a></p>
<p>For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see</p>
<p>For TURKISH market report, see</p>
<p>For RUSSIAN market report, see) Emerging Markets Prices from Reuters Equities Latest Net Chg % Chg % Chg</p>
<p>on year</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley Emrg Mkt Indx 1237.72 +5.12 +0.42 +6.84</p>
<p>Czech Rep 1125.26 +1.64 +0.15 +4.37</p>
<p>Poland 2602.83 +1.01 +0.04 +5.75</p>
<p>Hungary 40212.49 +190.60 +0.48 +2.12</p>
<p>Romania 8355.16 -6.79 -0.08 +7.76</p>
<p>Greece 852.65 +5.09 +0.60 +6.27</p>
<p>Russia 1281.96 +11.04 +0.87 +11.05</p>
<p>South Africa 54275.29 +216.55 +0.40 +3.32</p>
<p>Turkey 15438.87 +291.81 +0.25 +0.09</p>
<p>China 3501.36 +13.50 +0.39 +5.87</p>
<p>India 35691.91 +180.33 +0.51 +4.80</p>
<p>Currencies Latest Prev Local Local</p>
<p>close currency currency</p>
<p>% change % change</p>
<p>in 2018</p>
<p>Czech Rep 25.39 25.38 -0.05 +0.52</p>
<p>Poland 4.17 4.17 +0.07 +0.16</p>
<p>Hungary 309.25 309.07 -0.06 +0.41</p>
<p>Romania 4.67 4.66 -0.14 +0.26</p>
<p>Serbia 118.49 118.35 -0.12 -0.08</p>
<p>Russia 56.55 56.68 +0.23 +1.96</p>
<p>Kazakhstan 323.96 324.70 +0.23 +2.73</p>
<p>Ukraine 28.87 28.86 -0.03 -2.51</p>
<p>South Africa 12.06 12.18 +0.96 +2.45</p>
<p>Kenya 102.75 102.70 -0.05 +0.34</p>
<p>Israel 3.42 3.41 -0.22 +1.62</p>
<p>Turkey 3.81 3.81 -0.24 -0.66</p>
<p>China 6.40 6.40 -0.04 +1.63</p>
<p>India 63.74 63.82 +0.13 +0.14</p>
<p>Brazil 3.20 3.20 +0.00 +3.63</p>
<p>Mexico 18.60 18.61 +0.03 +5.63</p>
<p>Debt Index Strip Spd Chg %Rtn Index</p>
<p>Sov’gn Debt EMBIG 295 0 .00 8 06.17 1</p>
<p>Reporting by Claire Milhench; additional reporting by Sujata Rao, editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - About 200 people demonstrated in Sacramento on Saturday to protest the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark, in the latest of nearly two weeks of mostly peaceful rallies since the unarmed black man was gunned down in his grandmother’s yard.</p>
<p>The death of the 22-year-old father of two was the latest in a string of killings of black men by police that have triggered street protests and fueled a renewed national debate about bias in the U.S. criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Saturday’s demonstration brought together a multi-racial crowd, many holding signs such as “Stop Police Rage” and “Power to the People.” It was led by retired National Basketball Association player Matt Barnes, who grew up in the area and had two stints with the Sacramento Kings franchise.</p>
<p>“We’re here today to raise awareness, to come together peacefully and to have some accountability for the officers, not only in Sacramento but across the country, who have been doing this,” Barnes told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.</p>
<p>Some of Clark’s relatives attended the gathering in a city plaza. It followed a more heated protest overnight, during which demonstrators yelled expletives at police clad in riot gear.</p>
<p>Clark was shot on the night of March 18 by police responding to a report that someone was breaking windows. Police said the officers feared he had a gun, but that he was later found to have been holding a cellphone.</p>
<p>Police have said he was moving towards officers in a menacing way. The shooting was captured on a body cam video released by police.</p> Salena Manni (L), fiancee of Stephon Clark, holds their son Cairo and an unidentified man holds son Aiden (2nd R) while Basim Elkarra speaks and Rev Shane Harris listens at a rally in Sacramento, California, U.S., March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Bob Strong NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
<p>On Friday, an attorney for Clark’s family released a private autopsy showing most of the eight bullets that hit Clark struck him in the back, contradicting the police version of events.</p>
<p>Clark was shot six times in the back, once in the side and once in the leg, said the attorney, Benjamin Crump.</p>
<p>“This independent autopsy affirms that Stephon was not a threat to police and was slain in another senseless police killing under increasingly questionable circumstances,” Crump said.</p> Slideshow (14 Images)
<p>The Sacramento Police Department said it would have no further comment until after the release of the findings of an official autopsy by the county coroner, and a review by state and local prosecutors.</p>
<p>In several days of sporadic protests, protesters have blocked traffic and twice delayed fans from reaching games played by the Kings at the Golden 1 Center.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Rich McKay in Atlanta and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing Chizu Nomiyama and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>The U.S. government’s Supreme Court battle with Microsoft Corp over whether technology companies can be forced to hand over data stored overseas could be nearing its end, after federal prosecutors asked that the case be dismissed.</p> FILE PHOTO: The Microsoft logo is shown on the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
<p>President Donald Trump on March 22 signed a provision into law making it clear that U.S. judges can issue warrants for such data, while giving companies an avenue to object if the request conflicts with foreign law.</p>
<p>“This case is now moot,” the U.S. Department of Justice said, citing the newly passed legislation, in a 16-page court filing on Friday that requested the dismissal.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Feb. 27 heard arguments in the case, which had been one of the most closely watched of the high court’s current term. Some justices urged Congress to pass a law to resolve the matter.</p> FILE PHOTO: Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith (R) makes a statement to the news media with his lawyer Josh Rosenkranz outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
<p>Microsoft and the Justice Department had been locked in a dispute over how U.S. prosecutors seek access to data held on overseas computer servers owned by American companies. The case involved Microsoft’s challenge to a domestic warrant issued by a U.S. judge for emails stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin relating to a drug-trafficking investigation.</p>
<p>The bipartisan new law, known as the Cloud Act, was supported by Microsoft, other major technology companies and the Trump administration. But civil liberties groups opposed it, saying it lacked sufficient privacy protections.</p>
<p>Microsoft, which has 100 data centers in 40 countries, was the first American company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the United States. The Microsoft customer whose emails were sought told the company he was based in Ireland when he signed up for his account.</p>
<p>A representative for Microsoft did not immediately return requests for comment on the Justice Department’s filing.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Alex Dobuzinskis; Additional reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>ATLANTA (Reuters) - Atlanta’s top officials holed up in their offices on Saturday as they worked to restore critical systems knocked out by a nine-day-old cyber attack that plunged the Southeastern U.S. metropolis into technological chaos and forced some city workers to revert to paper.</p> A view of Atlanta's City Hall, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Laila Kearney
<p>On an Easter and Passover holiday weekend, city officials labored in preparation for the workweek to come.</p>
<p>Police and other public servants have spent the past week trying to piece together their digital work lives, recreating audit spreadsheets and conducting business on mobile phones in response to one of the most devastating “ransomware” virus attacks to hit an American city.</p>
<p>Three city council staffers have been sharing a single clunky personal laptop brought in after cyber extortionists attacked Atlanta’s computer network with a virus that scrambled data and still prevents access to critical systems.</p>
<p>“It’s extraordinarily frustrating,” said Councilman Howard Shook, whose office lost 16 years of digital records.</p>
<p>One compromised city computer seen by Reuters showed multiple corrupted documents with “weapologize” and “imsorry” added to file names.</p>
<p>Ransomware attacks have surged in recent years as cyber extortionists moved from attacking individual computers to large organizations, including businesses, healthcare organizations and government agencies. Previous high-profile attacks have shut down factories, prompted hospitals to turn away patients and forced local emergency dispatch systems to move to manual operations.</p>
<p>Ransomware typically corrupts data and does not steal it. The city of Atlanta has said it does not believe private residents’ information is in the hands of hackers, but they do not know for sure.</p>
<p>City officials have declined to discuss the extent of damage beyond disclosed outages that have shut down some services at municipal offices, including courts and the water department.</p>
<p>Nearly 6 million people live in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Georgia city itself is home to more than 450,000 people, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.</p>
<p>City officials told Reuters that police files and financial documents were rendered inaccessible by unknown hackers who demanded $51,000 worth of bitcoin to provide digital keys to unlock scrambled files.</p>
<p>“Everything on my hard drive is gone,” City Auditor Amanda Noble said in her office housed in Atlanta City Hall’s ornate tower.</p>
<p>City officials have not disclosed the extent to which servers for backing up information on PCs were corrupted or what kind of information they think is unrecoverable without paying the ransom.</p>
<p>Noble discovered the disarray on March 22 when she turned on her computer to discover that files could not be opened after being encrypted by a powerful computer virus known as SamSam that renamed them with gibberish.</p>
<p>“I said, ‘This is wrong,’” she recalled.</p>
<p>City officials then quickly entered her office and told her to shut down the computer before warning the rest of the building.</p>
<p>Noble is working on a personal laptop and using her smartphone to search for details of current projects mentioned in emails stored on that device.</p>
<p>Not all computers were compromised. Ten of 18 machines in the auditing office were not affected, Noble said.</p>
<p>OLD-SCHOOL ANALOG</p>
<p>Atlanta police returned to taking written case notes and have lost access to some investigative databases, department spokesman Carlos Campos told Reuters. He declined to discuss the contents of the affected files.</p>
<p>“Our data management teams are working diligently to restore normal operations and functionalities to these systems and hope to be back online in the very near future,” he said. By the weekend, he added, officers were returning to digital police reports.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, some city employees complained they have been left in the dark, unsure when it is safe to turn on their computers.</p>
<p>“We don’t know anything,” said one frustrated employee as she left for a lunch break on Friday.</p> FEEBLE
<p>Like City Hall, whose 1930 neo-Gothic structure is attached to a massive modern wing, the city’s computer system is a combination of old and new.&#160;</p> A view of Atlanta's City Hall, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Laila Kearney
<p>“One of the reasons why municipalities are vulnerable is we just have so many different systems,” Noble said.&#160;</p>
<p>The city published results from a recent cyber-security audit in January, and had started implementing its recommendations before the ransomware virus hit. The audit called for better record-keeping and hiring more technology workers.</p>
<p>Councilman Shook said he is worried about how much the recovery will cost the city, but that he supports funding a cyber-security overhaul to counter future attacks.</p>
<p>For now his staff are temporarily sharing one aging laptop.</p>
<p>“Things are very slow,” he said. “It was a very surreal experience to be shut down like that.”</p>
<p>Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who took office in January, has declined to say if the city paid the ransom ahead of a March 28 deadline mentioned in an extortion note whose image was released by a local television station.</p>
<p>Shook, who chairs the city council’s finance subcommittee, said he did not know whether the city is negotiating with the hackers, but that it appears no ransom has been paid to date.</p>
<p>The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is helping Atlanta respond, typically discourages ransomware victims from paying up.</p>
<p>FBI officials could not immediately be reached for comment. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman confirmed the agency is helping Atlanta respond to the attack, but declined to comment further.</p>
<p>Hackers typically walk away when ransoms are not paid, said Mark Weatherford, a former senior DHS cyber official.</p>
<p>Weatherford, who previously served as California’s chief information security officer, said the situation might have been resolved with little pain if the city had quickly made that payment.</p>
<p>“The longer it goes, the worse it gets,” he said. “This could turn out to be really bad if they never get their data back.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Laila Kearney; additional reporting by Jim Finkle; editing by Daniel Bases and Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities on Saturday arrested billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov on charges of embezzling more than $35 million, in one of the highest-profile prosecutions of a Russian tycoon in years.</p> Magomed Magomedov, a business partner and brother of co-owner of Russia's Summa group Ziyavudin Magomedov, attends a hearing on his detention at the Tverskoy District Court in Moscow, Russia March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
<p>Magomedov denied the charges at a pre-trial hearing, where a judge ordered that he be held in custody until May 30.</p>
<p>One of Russia’s richest men, the 49-year-old Magomedov holds assets in construction and logistics through his sprawling Summa Group. He also has investments in U.S. tech ventures, including the Virgin One Hyperloop project.</p>
<p>He was detained along with his business partner and brother, Magomed Magomedov, and Artur Maksidov, the head of a company in the Summa Group that was involved in the construction of a soccer World Cup venue in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.</p>
<p>Both businessmen will also be held in custody until May 30, the court ruled.</p>
<p>At a hearing in Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court to decide whether Magomedov and his associates should be detained before their trial, Judge Maria Sizintseva said they had acted as part of an organized crime group and had tried to put pressure on witnesses. She rejected an offer from Magomedov to put up a $35 million bail bond, and ordered he be detained.</p>
<p>Citing the arguments against granting bail, the judge said Magomedov had access to his own aircraft, and assets abroad. The day before he was detained, he had booked a flight from Moscow to Miami, the judge said.</p>
<p>Summa said it planned to appeal the court decision and was ready to cooperate with the investigation.</p> MUSCULAR STATE
<p>Invited to speak from a cage in the courtroom, Magomedov, dressed in a dark-blue jogging suit, said: “I categorically disagree with the charges presented ... The prosecution case does not stand up to scrutiny.”</p> Slideshow (7 Images)
<p>He said he needed treatment in the United States for a medical problem, and offered to put up the $35 million bail. “I’m willing to pull together this money, so no one has any thoughts that I might go on the run,” Magomedov said.</p>
<p>Magomedov is part of a group of Russian multi-millionaires who, while publicly loyal to the Kremlin, are not in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.</p>
<p>Some members of the group say they are being squeezed by a tough economy, Western sanctions on Russia, and powerful state-run companies that are muscling in on nearly all sectors of the economy.</p>
<p>In past cases when magnates have been prosecuted, some in the Russia business community have said the tycoons were victims of a plot by the Kremlin or by politically connected business rivals - though the authorities deny that.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NMTP.MM" type="external">Novorossiyskiy Morskoy Torgovyi Port PAO</a> 7.765 NMTP.MM Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange -0.19 (-2.33%) NMTP.MM TRNF_p.MM FESH.MM
<p>People familiar with the Russian judicial system say high-profile corruption cases are rarely fabricated, but that the law is applied selectively, and that prosecutions can be influenced by outside factors.</p>
<p>Ziyavudin Magomedov ranked 63rd last year on the Forbes list of the richest business people in Russia with $1.4 billion. In January, he was listed by the U.S. Treasury Department as one of 96 “oligarchs” close to Putin.</p>
<p>His Caspian Venture Capital fund has investments in ride-hailing service Uber UBER.UL; Diamond Foundry, a company that produces man-made diamonds; and Peek, an online leisure activities company.</p>
<p>Magomedov is also co-executive chairman of Los Angeles-based tech firm Virgin Hyperloop One, which is chaired by Richard Branson. It is one of several firms developing a futuristic transport system that involves propelling people at high speed through sealed tubes.</p>
<p>He also co-owns the Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NMTP.MM" type="external">NMTP.MM</a>) with Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TRNF_p.MM" type="external">TRNF_p.MM</a>) and transportation group Fesco ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FESH.MM" type="external">FESH.MM</a>).</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Christian Lowe; Editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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london jan 22 reuters south africas rand rose highest two years monday amid growing expectations scandaltarnished president jacob zuma would soon ousted emergingmarket equities pushed another neardecade high rand gained around 1 percent dollar trade best levels since june 2015 following reports ruling african national congress anc party plans force zuma step rand strengthened 12 percent since election businessman cyril ramaphosa anc leader december investors warming promises root corruption boost economy south africa couple things going remind brazil two years ago said kiran kowshik strategist unicredit include improving external balances shrinking current account deficit high real yields hopes reform ramaphosa said momentum behind reform expectations strong continue support rand dont think big deal goes 1170 per dollar support currency kowshik said another promising sign ramaphosa appointed new board stateowned power utility eskom weekend eskom leadership crisis several board members resigned 2017 amid growing governance concerns south african bank stocks rallied hard 2 percent broader index rose 03 percent shares troubled south african retailer steinhoff also jumped 106 percent announced plan sell 620 million stock investment firm psg group scrambles plug liquidity gap mscis emerging equity index rose 04 percent underpinned accelerating world economic growth equity markets shrugging shutdown us government senate failed reach compromise funding em equities owe strong performance rising earnings analysts goldman sachs said note adding valuations significant room improve based improving economic fundamentals rosier earnings outlook chinese bluechip stocks rose 31month highs emerging europe russian shares rose 07 percent approaching fridays record highs oil prices held near 69 barrel lira weakened 03 percent turkey launched military operation weekend usbacked kurdish militia syria move threatens strain turkeys ties united states romanian leu underperformed regional peers trading weakest yeartodate euro tens thousands romanians marched bucharest saturday protest corruption attempts ruling social democrats weaken judicial independence graphic emerging market fx performance 2017 see tmsnrtrs2e7eoml graphic msci emerging index performance 2017 see tmsnrtrs2dzbdp5 central europe market report see turkish market report see russian market report see emerging markets prices reuters equities latest net chg chg chg year morgan stanley emrg mkt indx 123772 512 042 684 czech rep 112526 164 015 437 poland 260283 101 004 575 hungary 4021249 19060 048 212 romania 835516 679 008 776 greece 85265 509 060 627 russia 128196 1104 087 1105 south africa 5427529 21655 040 332 turkey 1543887 29181 025 009 china 350136 1350 039 587 india 3569191 18033 051 480 currencies latest prev local local close currency currency change change 2018 czech rep 2539 2538 005 052 poland 417 417 007 016 hungary 30925 30907 006 041 romania 467 466 014 026 serbia 11849 11835 012 008 russia 5655 5668 023 196 kazakhstan 32396 32470 023 273 ukraine 2887 2886 003 251 south africa 1206 1218 096 245 kenya 10275 10270 005 034 israel 342 341 022 162 turkey 381 381 024 066 china 640 640 004 163 india 6374 6382 013 014 brazil 320 320 000 363 mexico 1860 1861 003 563 debt index strip spd chg rtn index sovgn debt embig 295 0 00 8 0617 1 reporting claire milhench additional reporting sujata rao editing larry king standards thomson reuters trust principles sacramento calif reuters 200 people demonstrated sacramento saturday protest fatal police shooting stephon clark latest nearly two weeks mostly peaceful rallies since unarmed black man gunned grandmothers yard death 22yearold father two latest string killings black men police triggered street protests fueled renewed national debate bias us criminal justice system saturdays demonstration brought together multiracial crowd many holding signs stop police rage power people led retired national basketball association player matt barnes grew area two stints sacramento kings franchise today raise awareness come together peacefully accountability officers sacramento across country barnes told sacramento bee newspaper clarks relatives attended gathering city plaza followed heated protest overnight demonstrators yelled expletives police clad riot gear clark shot night march 18 police responding report someone breaking windows police said officers feared gun later found holding cellphone police said moving towards officers menacing way shooting captured body cam video released police salena manni l fiancee stephon clark holds son cairo unidentified man holds son aiden 2nd r basim elkarra speaks rev shane harris listens rally sacramento california us march 31 2018 reutersbob strong resales archives friday attorney clarks family released private autopsy showing eight bullets hit clark struck back contradicting police version events clark shot six times back side leg said attorney benjamin crump independent autopsy affirms stephon threat police slain another senseless police killing increasingly questionable circumstances crump said slideshow 14 images sacramento police department said would comment release findings official autopsy county coroner review state local prosecutors several days sporadic protests protesters blocked traffic twice delayed fans reaching games played kings golden 1 center additional reporting alex dobuzinskis los angeles brendan obrien milwaukee rich mckay atlanta jonathan allen new york editing chizu nomiyama sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles us governments supreme court battle microsoft corp whether technology companies forced hand data stored overseas could nearing end federal prosecutors asked case dismissed file photo microsoft logo shown microsoft theatre los angeles california us june 13 2017 reutersmike blakefile photo president donald trump march 22 signed provision law making clear us judges issue warrants data giving companies avenue object request conflicts foreign law case moot us department justice said citing newly passed legislation 16page court filing friday requested dismissal supreme court feb 27 heard arguments case one closely watched high courts current term justices urged congress pass law resolve matter file photo microsoft president chief legal officer brad smith r makes statement news media lawyer josh rosenkranz outside us supreme court washington us february 27 2018 reutersleah millis microsoft justice department locked dispute us prosecutors seek access data held overseas computer servers owned american companies case involved microsofts challenge domestic warrant issued us judge emails stored microsoft server dublin relating drugtrafficking investigation bipartisan new law known cloud act supported microsoft major technology companies trump administration civil liberties groups opposed saying lacked sufficient privacy protections microsoft 100 data centers 40 countries first american company challenge domestic search warrant seeking data held outside united states microsoft customer whose emails sought told company based ireland signed account representative microsoft immediately return requests comment justice departments filing reporting lawrence hurley alex dobuzinskis additional reporting dustin volz editing dunham jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles atlanta reuters atlantas top officials holed offices saturday worked restore critical systems knocked ninedayold cyber attack plunged southeastern us metropolis technological chaos forced city workers revert paper view atlantas city hall atlanta georgia us march 31 2018 reuterslaila kearney easter passover holiday weekend city officials labored preparation workweek come police public servants spent past week trying piece together digital work lives recreating audit spreadsheets conducting business mobile phones response one devastating ransomware virus attacks hit american city three city council staffers sharing single clunky personal laptop brought cyber extortionists attacked atlantas computer network virus scrambled data still prevents access critical systems extraordinarily frustrating said councilman howard shook whose office lost 16 years digital records one compromised city computer seen reuters showed multiple corrupted documents weapologize imsorry added file names ransomware attacks surged recent years cyber extortionists moved attacking individual computers large organizations including businesses healthcare organizations government agencies previous highprofile attacks shut factories prompted hospitals turn away patients forced local emergency dispatch systems move manual operations ransomware typically corrupts data steal city atlanta said believe private residents information hands hackers know sure city officials declined discuss extent damage beyond disclosed outages shut services municipal offices including courts water department nearly 6 million people live atlanta metropolitan area georgia city home 450000 people according latest data us census bureau city officials told reuters police files financial documents rendered inaccessible unknown hackers demanded 51000 worth bitcoin provide digital keys unlock scrambled files everything hard drive gone city auditor amanda noble said office housed atlanta city halls ornate tower city officials disclosed extent servers backing information pcs corrupted kind information think unrecoverable without paying ransom noble discovered disarray march 22 turned computer discover files could opened encrypted powerful computer virus known samsam renamed gibberish said wrong recalled city officials quickly entered office told shut computer warning rest building noble working personal laptop using smartphone search details current projects mentioned emails stored device computers compromised ten 18 machines auditing office affected noble said oldschool analog atlanta police returned taking written case notes lost access investigative databases department spokesman carlos campos told reuters declined discuss contents affected files data management teams working diligently restore normal operations functionalities systems hope back online near future said weekend added officers returning digital police reports meanwhile city employees complained left dark unsure safe turn computers dont know anything said one frustrated employee left lunch break friday feeble like city hall whose 1930 neogothic structure attached massive modern wing citys computer system combination old new160 view atlantas city hall atlanta georgia us march 31 2018 reuterslaila kearney one reasons municipalities vulnerable many different systems noble said160 city published results recent cybersecurity audit january started implementing recommendations ransomware virus hit audit called better recordkeeping hiring technology workers councilman shook said worried much recovery cost city supports funding cybersecurity overhaul counter future attacks staff temporarily sharing one aging laptop things slow said surreal experience shut like mayor keisha lance bottoms took office january declined say city paid ransom ahead march 28 deadline mentioned extortion note whose image released local television station shook chairs city councils finance subcommittee said know whether city negotiating hackers appears ransom paid date federal bureau investigation helping atlanta respond typically discourages ransomware victims paying fbi officials could immediately reached comment department homeland security spokesman confirmed agency helping atlanta respond attack declined comment hackers typically walk away ransoms paid said mark weatherford former senior dhs cyber official weatherford previously served californias chief information security officer said situation might resolved little pain city quickly made payment longer goes worse gets said could turn really bad never get data back reporting laila kearney additional reporting jim finkle editing daniel bases jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles moscow reuters russian authorities saturday arrested billionaire ziyavudin magomedov charges embezzling 35 million one highestprofile prosecutions russian tycoon years magomed magomedov business partner brother coowner russias summa group ziyavudin magomedov attends hearing detention tverskoy district court moscow russia march 31 2018 reuterstatyana makeyeva magomedov denied charges pretrial hearing judge ordered held custody may 30 one russias richest men 49yearold magomedov holds assets construction logistics sprawling summa group also investments us tech ventures including virgin one hyperloop project detained along business partner brother magomed magomedov artur maksidov head company summa group involved construction soccer world cup venue russian exclave kaliningrad businessmen also held custody may 30 court ruled hearing moscows tverskoy district court decide whether magomedov associates detained trial judge maria sizintseva said acted part organized crime group tried put pressure witnesses rejected offer magomedov put 35 million bail bond ordered detained citing arguments granting bail judge said magomedov access aircraft assets abroad day detained booked flight moscow miami judge said summa said planned appeal court decision ready cooperate investigation muscular state invited speak cage courtroom magomedov dressed darkblue jogging suit said categorically disagree charges presented prosecution case stand scrutiny slideshow 7 images said needed treatment united states medical problem offered put 35 million bail im willing pull together money one thoughts might go run magomedov said magomedov part group russian multimillionaires publicly loyal kremlin president vladimir putins inner circle members group say squeezed tough economy western sanctions russia powerful staterun companies muscling nearly sectors economy past cases magnates prosecuted russia business community said tycoons victims plot kremlin politically connected business rivals though authorities deny novorossiyskiy morskoy torgovyi port pao 7765 nmtpmm moscow interbank currency exchange 019 233 nmtpmm trnf_pmm feshmm people familiar russian judicial system say highprofile corruption cases rarely fabricated law applied selectively prosecutions influenced outside factors ziyavudin magomedov ranked 63rd last year forbes list richest business people russia 14 billion january listed us treasury department one 96 oligarchs close putin caspian venture capital fund investments ridehailing service uber uberul diamond foundry company produces manmade diamonds peek online leisure activities company magomedov also coexecutive chairman los angelesbased tech firm virgin hyperloop one chaired richard branson one several firms developing futuristic transport system involves propelling people high speed sealed tubes also coowns novorossiysk commercial sea port nmtpmm russian oil pipeline monopoly transneft trnf_pmm transportation group fesco feshmm additional reporting gleb stolyarov writing gabrielle tetraultfarber christian lowe editing larry king standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>WASHINGTON – The White House is considering five names to replace retiring Judge Paul Kelly Jr. of Santa Fe on the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals – including one surprise contender who is raising eyebrows in New Mexico’s legal community because of his lack of roots and legal experience in the state.</p>
<p>The list submitted by the White House to the state’s congressional delegation for review includes four candidates who fit the typical profile for what has traditionally been a New Mexico “seat” on the federal appeals court. They include Judge James Browning of the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque; Judge Miles Hanisee of the New Mexico Court of Appeals; Joel Carson, a lawyer with Carson Ryan law firm in Roswell and a part-time U.S. magistrate judge; and Ben Allison, a partner in the Santa Fe law firm of Bardacke Allison.</p>
<p>The surprising fifth name is William Levi, a 33-year-old Washington lawyer with the Sidley Austin firm, whose relatively short legal career has included stints clerking for Judge Anthony J. Scirica on the U.S. Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. He also served as chief counsel for Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, on the Senate Judiciary Committee. <a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/09/judge_candidates.png" type="external" /></p>
<p>Levi’s family has owned the Ranney cattle ranch in Corona since 1968, according to the ranch’s website, but Levi told the Washington Examiner in 2016 that his hometown was Fair Oaks, Calif.</p>
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<p>His biography on the Sidley Austin website makes no mention of New Mexico, except to say he has been admitted to the state bar. He also worked on the House re-election campaign of former Rep. Heather Wilson, a New Mexico Republican, in 2006. Wilson is now secretary of the Air Force.</p>
<p>Andy Schultz of the Rodey Law Firm in Albuquerque said Levi’s lack of New Mexico legal practice – and relatively limited legal experience related to the other contenders in general – is an issue.</p>
<p>“When I first saw his name on the list, my first reaction was ‘who?’ ” Shultz said of Levi. “He was not born in New Mexico and as far as I know he was not raised in New Mexico. If you do a search online, you will see he has never been listed as a counsel of record in any appellate case coming from New Mexico, either in state or federal court, and he’s never practiced with any New Mexico law firm.”</p>
<p>Schultz said that, if Levi were to win the appointment, “my perception is the legal community would be up in arms because they do not know this guy.”</p>
<p>The 10th Circuit hears appeals from the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Montana and Idaho. In addition to Kelly, Judge Harris Hartz of Albuquerque sits on the court now as does senior status Judge Bobby Baldock of Roswell.</p>
<p>University of New Mexico law professor Michael Browde also said Levi is an unknown in the New Mexico legal community.</p>
<p>“He may have taken the New Mexico bar, but I wouldn’t call him active in any sense, and I think that’s somewhat offensive to the (New Mexico) bar as a whole,” said. “We pride ourselves on the number of New Mexico lawyers or practitioners who have been elevated to the federal bench. I think that is the tradition. The circuits are composed of active members of the bar of the various members of the circuit.”</p>
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<p>Levi, who did not respond to voice and email messages left by the Journal, could face tough sledding in the Senate confirmation process.</p>
<p>Sen Tom Udall, D-N.M. and a former New Mexico attorney general, wrote a letter to White House Counsel Donald McGahn II in August, noting that a New Mexico background is crucial to wining his vote for confirmation.</p>
<p>“To gain my support, the president’s nominee must be a native New Mexican with a deep understanding of the legal issues that arise in the state, such as water rights, Indian law and public lands,” Udall wrote in a letter to McGahn on Aug. 9, before the White House had forwarded its list of potential nominees to the New Mexico congressional delegation.</p>
<p>Udall also noted in the letter that Browning “would be an excellent appellate court judge and I would accept his nomination contingent on a clean FBI background check and acceptable rating by the A.B.A (American Bar Association).”</p>
<p>Former Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican, wrote a letter to Udall recommending Browning – a Hobbs native and former deputy under Republican Attorney General Hal Stratton – for the job.</p>
<p>Browning has been on the federal bench since 2003. Levi, meanwhile, has just seven years of legal experience.</p>
<p>American Bar Association guidelines say a federal judicial nominee “ordinarily should have at least twelve years’ experience in the practice of law.”</p>
<p>“In evaluating the professional qualifications of a nominee, the Committee recognizes that substantial courtroom and trial experience as a lawyer or trial judge is important,” the American Bar Association guidelines also say.</p>
<p>One possible strike against Browning’s nomination is his age – at 61 he may be considered too old for the post because presidential administrations often like to appoint younger judges to lifetime positions.</p>
<p>The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the 10th Circuit court appointment decision.</p>
<p>Despite his seeming lack of New Mexico roots, no one disputes that Levi is on an impressive career track and hails from a family with stellar legal credentials.</p>
<p>He comes with a blue-chip educational pedigree, having graduated from Stanford University and Yale Law School in addition to clerking for Scirica and Alito and working for Lee. His father is the dean of the Duke University law school. Levi is also the grandson of the late Edward H. Levi, who served as the United States attorney general from 1975 to 1977.</p>
<p>Several members of the delegation declined to comment last week on the candidates or on whether they have concerns about Levi’s New Mexico experience.</p>
<p>“The New Mexico delegation continues to work together to identify and recommend qualified New Mexicans for presidential appointments, as it did with the U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal nominations,” said Sens. Udall and Martin Heinrich – both Democrats – and Rep. Steve Pearce, a Republican, in a joint statement.</p>
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washington white house considering five names replace retiring judge paul kelly jr santa fe federal 10th circuit court appeals including one surprise contender raising eyebrows new mexicos legal community lack roots legal experience state list submitted white house states congressional delegation review includes four candidates fit typical profile traditionally new mexico seat federal appeals court include judge james browning us district court albuquerque judge miles hanisee new mexico court appeals joel carson lawyer carson ryan law firm roswell parttime us magistrate judge ben allison partner santa fe law firm bardacke allison surprising fifth name william levi 33yearold washington lawyer sidley austin firm whose relatively short legal career included stints clerking judge anthony j scirica us court appeals supreme court justice samuel alito jr also served chief counsel sen mike lee utah republican senate judiciary committee levis family owned ranney cattle ranch corona since 1968 according ranchs website levi told washington examiner 2016 hometown fair oaks calif advertisement biography sidley austin website makes mention new mexico except say admitted state bar also worked house reelection campaign former rep heather wilson new mexico republican 2006 wilson secretary air force andy schultz rodey law firm albuquerque said levis lack new mexico legal practice relatively limited legal experience related contenders general issue first saw name list first reaction shultz said levi born new mexico far know raised new mexico search online see never listed counsel record appellate case coming new mexico either state federal court hes never practiced new mexico law firm schultz said levi win appointment perception legal community would arms know guy 10th circuit hears appeals states new mexico colorado oklahoma kansas utah wyoming parts montana idaho addition kelly judge harris hartz albuquerque sits court senior status judge bobby baldock roswell university new mexico law professor michael browde also said levi unknown new mexico legal community may taken new mexico bar wouldnt call active sense think thats somewhat offensive new mexico bar whole said pride number new mexico lawyers practitioners elevated federal bench think tradition circuits composed active members bar various members circuit advertisement levi respond voice email messages left journal could face tough sledding senate confirmation process sen tom udall dnm former new mexico attorney general wrote letter white house counsel donald mcgahn ii august noting new mexico background crucial wining vote confirmation gain support presidents nominee must native new mexican deep understanding legal issues arise state water rights indian law public lands udall wrote letter mcgahn aug 9 white house forwarded list potential nominees new mexico congressional delegation udall also noted letter browning would excellent appellate court judge would accept nomination contingent clean fbi background check acceptable rating aba american bar association former sen pete domenici republican wrote letter udall recommending browning hobbs native former deputy republican attorney general hal stratton job browning federal bench since 2003 levi meanwhile seven years legal experience american bar association guidelines say federal judicial nominee ordinarily least twelve years experience practice law evaluating professional qualifications nominee committee recognizes substantial courtroom trial experience lawyer trial judge important american bar association guidelines also say one possible strike brownings nomination age 61 may considered old post presidential administrations often like appoint younger judges lifetime positions white house respond request comment 10th circuit court appointment decision despite seeming lack new mexico roots one disputes levi impressive career track hails family stellar legal credentials comes bluechip educational pedigree graduated stanford university yale law school addition clerking scirica alito working lee father dean duke university law school levi also grandson late edward h levi served united states attorney general 1975 1977 several members delegation declined comment last week candidates whether concerns levis new mexico experience new mexico delegation continues work together identify recommend qualified new mexicans presidential appointments us attorney us marshal nominations said sens udall martin heinrich democrats rep steve pearce republican joint statement
| 635 |
<p>PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Just a few years ago, she was reportedly executed by a North Korean firing squad. Now, Pyongyang’s top pop diva is a senior ruling party official and a surprise headliner in the run-up to the South Korean Winter Olympics.</p>
<p>Hyon Song Wol, the photogenic leader of Kim Jong Un’s hand-picked Moranbong Band, has made two excursions across the Demilitarized Zone as a negotiator and advance team leader working out the details of Kim’s surprise offer for the North to participate in the Pyeongchang Games.</p>
<p>South Korea’s media have been treating her like a true K-pop celebrity.</p>
<p>On Monday, as she wrapped up her latest visit and prepared to return to Pyongyang, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported a large crowd waited outside her hotel for a glimpse of her eating breakfast. Journalists, it noted, received only a “subtle smile” in response to their questions before she was whisked away with the North Korean delegation.</p>
<p>But not all South Koreans welcomed her or North Korea’s plan to join the games.</p>
<p>After a visit to the eastern city of Gangneung, Hyon was met at Seoul railway station by about 150 to 200 activists. The demonstrators later burned Kim’s photo, a North Korean flag and a “unification flag” the rival Koreas plan to carry during the opening ceremony.</p>
<p>North Korea is expected to send 22 athletes, a demonstration taekwondo team, several hundred members of an all-female cheering group and the 140-member Samjiyon Band to the games.</p>
<p>Hyon will lead the Samjiyon Band, which is made up of an orchestra with dancers and vocalists.</p>
<p>Hyon is no stranger to the South Korean media.</p>
<p>Several years ago, it was widely reported in South Korea that she had been executed in connection with a salacious sex-and-porn scandal. She appeared on North Korean television the following year, effectively putting that theory to rest. She is now an alternate member of the ruling party’s powerful central committee, making her one of the most influential women in the country.</p>
<p>Viewed from North Korea, the South’s intense interest in Hyon and the frenzied megastar treatment given her are somewhat ironic. There are no paparazzi in North Korea and no celebrity news. Whatever “hype” any performer receives depends completely on what the government wants the public to see.</p>
<p>Hyon’s role in the pre-Olympic preparations is a good example. It has received virtually no coverage in North Korea’s official media, which hasn’t said much at all about whom it is sending. And while Hyon is the leader of North Korea’s best-known pop band, the overriding message is that in North Korea there is only one megastar, Kim Jong Un. The Moranbong Band was created specifically to sing his praises.</p>
<p>The band, which has 10 or so members, made its debut in 2012, less than a year after Kim assumed power upon the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. Hyon and the band were supposed to make their international debut in Beijing in 2015, but that plan was derailed mysteriously at the last minute.</p>
<p>The women’s short skirts, electric guitars, suggestive shimmies and inclusion of some Western music early on generated quite a lot of speculation about how it was a sign the Kim Jong Un regime would be more open to the outside world.</p>
<p>The band has instead been a stalwart component of the North’s time-tested propaganda machine.</p>
<p>It has held firmly to the party line with lyrics that inevitably stress love and devotion to Kim Jong Un or hail the wisdom of the ruling party and the values of selfless sacrifice and “single-minded unity.” It frequently is called on to perform for major party events — often with Kim Jong Un, the military and missiles on big screens behind them — and alternate between mini-skirts and military uniforms when they take the stage.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Il, who was much more involved in the arts, and particularly in filmmaking, also founded a band, which he called the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble. It was known for its synthesizer-heavy sound and Hyon was a prominent member.</p>
<p>While still guaranteed a special role as the “soft” face of Kim’s regime, the novelty of Moranbong Band might be wearing thin.</p>
<p>A similar group, the Chongbong Band, was created in 2015 in what appeared to be an effort to revive interest in a similar kind of vaguely youth-oriented, pop-influenced music.</p>
<p>But the regime doesn’t seem to be promoting the Chongbong Band very seriously and it now rarely appears in public.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Talmadge is the AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @erictalmadge</p>
<p>PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Just a few years ago, she was reportedly executed by a North Korean firing squad. Now, Pyongyang’s top pop diva is a senior ruling party official and a surprise headliner in the run-up to the South Korean Winter Olympics.</p>
<p>Hyon Song Wol, the photogenic leader of Kim Jong Un’s hand-picked Moranbong Band, has made two excursions across the Demilitarized Zone as a negotiator and advance team leader working out the details of Kim’s surprise offer for the North to participate in the Pyeongchang Games.</p>
<p>South Korea’s media have been treating her like a true K-pop celebrity.</p>
<p>On Monday, as she wrapped up her latest visit and prepared to return to Pyongyang, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported a large crowd waited outside her hotel for a glimpse of her eating breakfast. Journalists, it noted, received only a “subtle smile” in response to their questions before she was whisked away with the North Korean delegation.</p>
<p>But not all South Koreans welcomed her or North Korea’s plan to join the games.</p>
<p>After a visit to the eastern city of Gangneung, Hyon was met at Seoul railway station by about 150 to 200 activists. The demonstrators later burned Kim’s photo, a North Korean flag and a “unification flag” the rival Koreas plan to carry during the opening ceremony.</p>
<p>North Korea is expected to send 22 athletes, a demonstration taekwondo team, several hundred members of an all-female cheering group and the 140-member Samjiyon Band to the games.</p>
<p>Hyon will lead the Samjiyon Band, which is made up of an orchestra with dancers and vocalists.</p>
<p>Hyon is no stranger to the South Korean media.</p>
<p>Several years ago, it was widely reported in South Korea that she had been executed in connection with a salacious sex-and-porn scandal. She appeared on North Korean television the following year, effectively putting that theory to rest. She is now an alternate member of the ruling party’s powerful central committee, making her one of the most influential women in the country.</p>
<p>Viewed from North Korea, the South’s intense interest in Hyon and the frenzied megastar treatment given her are somewhat ironic. There are no paparazzi in North Korea and no celebrity news. Whatever “hype” any performer receives depends completely on what the government wants the public to see.</p>
<p>Hyon’s role in the pre-Olympic preparations is a good example. It has received virtually no coverage in North Korea’s official media, which hasn’t said much at all about whom it is sending. And while Hyon is the leader of North Korea’s best-known pop band, the overriding message is that in North Korea there is only one megastar, Kim Jong Un. The Moranbong Band was created specifically to sing his praises.</p>
<p>The band, which has 10 or so members, made its debut in 2012, less than a year after Kim assumed power upon the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. Hyon and the band were supposed to make their international debut in Beijing in 2015, but that plan was derailed mysteriously at the last minute.</p>
<p>The women’s short skirts, electric guitars, suggestive shimmies and inclusion of some Western music early on generated quite a lot of speculation about how it was a sign the Kim Jong Un regime would be more open to the outside world.</p>
<p>The band has instead been a stalwart component of the North’s time-tested propaganda machine.</p>
<p>It has held firmly to the party line with lyrics that inevitably stress love and devotion to Kim Jong Un or hail the wisdom of the ruling party and the values of selfless sacrifice and “single-minded unity.” It frequently is called on to perform for major party events — often with Kim Jong Un, the military and missiles on big screens behind them — and alternate between mini-skirts and military uniforms when they take the stage.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Il, who was much more involved in the arts, and particularly in filmmaking, also founded a band, which he called the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble. It was known for its synthesizer-heavy sound and Hyon was a prominent member.</p>
<p>While still guaranteed a special role as the “soft” face of Kim’s regime, the novelty of Moranbong Band might be wearing thin.</p>
<p>A similar group, the Chongbong Band, was created in 2015 in what appeared to be an effort to revive interest in a similar kind of vaguely youth-oriented, pop-influenced music.</p>
<p>But the regime doesn’t seem to be promoting the Chongbong Band very seriously and it now rarely appears in public.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Talmadge is the AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @erictalmadge</p>
| false | 2 |
pyongyang north korea ap years ago reportedly executed north korean firing squad pyongyangs top pop diva senior ruling party official surprise headliner runup south korean winter olympics hyon song wol photogenic leader kim jong uns handpicked moranbong band made two excursions across demilitarized zone negotiator advance team leader working details kims surprise offer north participate pyeongchang games south koreas media treating like true kpop celebrity monday wrapped latest visit prepared return pyongyang souths yonhap news agency reported large crowd waited outside hotel glimpse eating breakfast journalists noted received subtle smile response questions whisked away north korean delegation south koreans welcomed north koreas plan join games visit eastern city gangneung hyon met seoul railway station 150 200 activists demonstrators later burned kims photo north korean flag unification flag rival koreas plan carry opening ceremony north korea expected send 22 athletes demonstration taekwondo team several hundred members allfemale cheering group 140member samjiyon band games hyon lead samjiyon band made orchestra dancers vocalists hyon stranger south korean media several years ago widely reported south korea executed connection salacious sexandporn scandal appeared north korean television following year effectively putting theory rest alternate member ruling partys powerful central committee making one influential women country viewed north korea souths intense interest hyon frenzied megastar treatment given somewhat ironic paparazzi north korea celebrity news whatever hype performer receives depends completely government wants public see hyons role preolympic preparations good example received virtually coverage north koreas official media hasnt said much sending hyon leader north koreas bestknown pop band overriding message north korea one megastar kim jong un moranbong band created specifically sing praises band 10 members made debut 2012 less year kim assumed power upon death father kim jong il hyon band supposed make international debut beijing 2015 plan derailed mysteriously last minute womens short skirts electric guitars suggestive shimmies inclusion western music early generated quite lot speculation sign kim jong un regime would open outside world band instead stalwart component norths timetested propaganda machine held firmly party line lyrics inevitably stress love devotion kim jong un hail wisdom ruling party values selfless sacrifice singleminded unity frequently called perform major party events often kim jong un military missiles big screens behind alternate miniskirts military uniforms take stage kim jong il much involved arts particularly filmmaking also founded band called pochonbo electronic ensemble known synthesizerheavy sound hyon prominent member still guaranteed special role soft face kims regime novelty moranbong band might wearing thin similar group chongbong band created 2015 appeared effort revive interest similar kind vaguely youthoriented popinfluenced music regime doesnt seem promoting chongbong band seriously rarely appears public ___ talmadge aps pyongyang bureau chief follow twitter instagram erictalmadge pyongyang north korea ap years ago reportedly executed north korean firing squad pyongyangs top pop diva senior ruling party official surprise headliner runup south korean winter olympics hyon song wol photogenic leader kim jong uns handpicked moranbong band made two excursions across demilitarized zone negotiator advance team leader working details kims surprise offer north participate pyeongchang games south koreas media treating like true kpop celebrity monday wrapped latest visit prepared return pyongyang souths yonhap news agency reported large crowd waited outside hotel glimpse eating breakfast journalists noted received subtle smile response questions whisked away north korean delegation south koreans welcomed north koreas plan join games visit eastern city gangneung hyon met seoul railway station 150 200 activists demonstrators later burned kims photo north korean flag unification flag rival koreas plan carry opening ceremony north korea expected send 22 athletes demonstration taekwondo team several hundred members allfemale cheering group 140member samjiyon band games hyon lead samjiyon band made orchestra dancers vocalists hyon stranger south korean media several years ago widely reported south korea executed connection salacious sexandporn scandal appeared north korean television following year effectively putting theory rest alternate member ruling partys powerful central committee making one influential women country viewed north korea souths intense interest hyon frenzied megastar treatment given somewhat ironic paparazzi north korea celebrity news whatever hype performer receives depends completely government wants public see hyons role preolympic preparations good example received virtually coverage north koreas official media hasnt said much sending hyon leader north koreas bestknown pop band overriding message north korea one megastar kim jong un moranbong band created specifically sing praises band 10 members made debut 2012 less year kim assumed power upon death father kim jong il hyon band supposed make international debut beijing 2015 plan derailed mysteriously last minute womens short skirts electric guitars suggestive shimmies inclusion western music early generated quite lot speculation sign kim jong un regime would open outside world band instead stalwart component norths timetested propaganda machine held firmly party line lyrics inevitably stress love devotion kim jong un hail wisdom ruling party values selfless sacrifice singleminded unity frequently called perform major party events often kim jong un military missiles big screens behind alternate miniskirts military uniforms take stage kim jong il much involved arts particularly filmmaking also founded band called pochonbo electronic ensemble known synthesizerheavy sound hyon prominent member still guaranteed special role soft face kims regime novelty moranbong band might wearing thin similar group chongbong band created 2015 appeared effort revive interest similar kind vaguely youthoriented popinfluenced music regime doesnt seem promoting chongbong band seriously rarely appears public ___ talmadge aps pyongyang bureau chief follow twitter instagram erictalmadge
| 882 |
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ association rejected Major League Baseball’s proposal to institute 20-second pitch clocks and limits on mound visits, a move that dares management to unilaterally impose the changes designed to speed pace of games.</p>
<p>Union head Tony Clark and deputy general counsel Matt Nussbaum informed MLB of the decision Thursday during a telephone call to deputy commissioner Dan Halem, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.</p>
<p>Management has the right to implement the rules changes it proposed last year. Under baseball’s labor contract, management can change on-field rules on its own with one season of advance notice.</p>
<p>MLB does not intend to make any decision before its next owners’ meetings, scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 in Beverly Hills, California. Spring training games start Feb. 23 and the season opens March 29.</p>
<p>The union’s decision was first reported by Fox</p>
<p>Nine-inning games averaged a record 3 hours, 5 minutes during the 2017 regular season and 3:29 during the postseason, and the length of games has concerned club owners and executives in an age where they compete for consumers with more entertainment choices and shorter attention spans.</p>
<p>Players and MLB have bargained over the matter since last summer, and the union told MLB on Thursday there was no consensus among its members for pace alterations. After a November owners’ meeting, Commissioner Rob Manfred vowed change.</p>
<p>“My preferred path is a negotiated agreement with the players, but if we can’t get an agreement we are going to have rule changes in 2018 one way or the other,” he said then.</p>
<p>Under the proposal MLB can implement, there would be a 30-second clock between batters and a 20-second clock between pitches, according to details obtained by the AP.</p>
<p>A hitter would be required to be in the batter’s box with at least 5 seconds left on the timer. The clock would start when the pitcher has the ball on the mound, except for the first pitch of an at-bat, when it would start at the end of the previous play.</p>
<p>The clock would reset when a pitcher steps off the rubber and when he makes or feints a pickoff throw.</p>
<p>An umpire would issue a warning to a pitcher or batter for a first violation each game, and subsequent violations by the same player would result in a ball being called against a pitcher and a strike against a batter.</p>
<p>Under the proposed limit on mound visits, a team would be allowed one per pitcher each inning, whether by a manager, coach or player. A second visit would result in the team being forced to change pitchers.</p>
<p>During bargaining, MLB offered to start the pitch clock this year only with no runners on base and delay its use with runners on until 2019, the person said.</p>
<p>Clark did not respond to an email seeking comment.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP baseball: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball</a></p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ association rejected Major League Baseball’s proposal to institute 20-second pitch clocks and limits on mound visits, a move that dares management to unilaterally impose the changes designed to speed pace of games.</p>
<p>Union head Tony Clark and deputy general counsel Matt Nussbaum informed MLB of the decision Thursday during a telephone call to deputy commissioner Dan Halem, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.</p>
<p>Management has the right to implement the rules changes it proposed last year. Under baseball’s labor contract, management can change on-field rules on its own with one season of advance notice.</p>
<p>MLB does not intend to make any decision before its next owners’ meetings, scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 in Beverly Hills, California. Spring training games start Feb. 23 and the season opens March 29.</p>
<p>The union’s decision was first reported by Fox</p>
<p>Nine-inning games averaged a record 3 hours, 5 minutes during the 2017 regular season and 3:29 during the postseason, and the length of games has concerned club owners and executives in an age where they compete for consumers with more entertainment choices and shorter attention spans.</p>
<p>Players and MLB have bargained over the matter since last summer, and the union told MLB on Thursday there was no consensus among its members for pace alterations. After a November owners’ meeting, Commissioner Rob Manfred vowed change.</p>
<p>“My preferred path is a negotiated agreement with the players, but if we can’t get an agreement we are going to have rule changes in 2018 one way or the other,” he said then.</p>
<p>Under the proposal MLB can implement, there would be a 30-second clock between batters and a 20-second clock between pitches, according to details obtained by the AP.</p>
<p>A hitter would be required to be in the batter’s box with at least 5 seconds left on the timer. The clock would start when the pitcher has the ball on the mound, except for the first pitch of an at-bat, when it would start at the end of the previous play.</p>
<p>The clock would reset when a pitcher steps off the rubber and when he makes or feints a pickoff throw.</p>
<p>An umpire would issue a warning to a pitcher or batter for a first violation each game, and subsequent violations by the same player would result in a ball being called against a pitcher and a strike against a batter.</p>
<p>Under the proposed limit on mound visits, a team would be allowed one per pitcher each inning, whether by a manager, coach or player. A second visit would result in the team being forced to change pitchers.</p>
<p>During bargaining, MLB offered to start the pitch clock this year only with no runners on base and delay its use with runners on until 2019, the person said.</p>
<p>Clark did not respond to an email seeking comment.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP baseball: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball</a></p>
| false | 2 |
new york ap players association rejected major league baseballs proposal institute 20second pitch clocks limits mound visits move dares management unilaterally impose changes designed speed pace games union head tony clark deputy general counsel matt nussbaum informed mlb decision thursday telephone call deputy commissioner dan halem person familiar decision told associated press person spoke condition anonymity statements authorized management right implement rules changes proposed last year baseballs labor contract management change onfield rules one season advance notice mlb intend make decision next owners meetings scheduled jan 30 feb 1 beverly hills california spring training games start feb 23 season opens march 29 unions decision first reported fox nineinning games averaged record 3 hours 5 minutes 2017 regular season 329 postseason length games concerned club owners executives age compete consumers entertainment choices shorter attention spans players mlb bargained matter since last summer union told mlb thursday consensus among members pace alterations november owners meeting commissioner rob manfred vowed change preferred path negotiated agreement players cant get agreement going rule changes 2018 one way said proposal mlb implement would 30second clock batters 20second clock pitches according details obtained ap hitter would required batters box least 5 seconds left timer clock would start pitcher ball mound except first pitch atbat would start end previous play clock would reset pitcher steps rubber makes feints pickoff throw umpire would issue warning pitcher batter first violation game subsequent violations player would result ball called pitcher strike batter proposed limit mound visits team would allowed one per pitcher inning whether manager coach player second visit would result team forced change pitchers bargaining mlb offered start pitch clock year runners base delay use runners 2019 person said clark respond email seeking comment ___ ap baseball httpsapnewscomtagmlbbaseball new york ap players association rejected major league baseballs proposal institute 20second pitch clocks limits mound visits move dares management unilaterally impose changes designed speed pace games union head tony clark deputy general counsel matt nussbaum informed mlb decision thursday telephone call deputy commissioner dan halem person familiar decision told associated press person spoke condition anonymity statements authorized management right implement rules changes proposed last year baseballs labor contract management change onfield rules one season advance notice mlb intend make decision next owners meetings scheduled jan 30 feb 1 beverly hills california spring training games start feb 23 season opens march 29 unions decision first reported fox nineinning games averaged record 3 hours 5 minutes 2017 regular season 329 postseason length games concerned club owners executives age compete consumers entertainment choices shorter attention spans players mlb bargained matter since last summer union told mlb thursday consensus among members pace alterations november owners meeting commissioner rob manfred vowed change preferred path negotiated agreement players cant get agreement going rule changes 2018 one way said proposal mlb implement would 30second clock batters 20second clock pitches according details obtained ap hitter would required batters box least 5 seconds left timer clock would start pitcher ball mound except first pitch atbat would start end previous play clock would reset pitcher steps rubber makes feints pickoff throw umpire would issue warning pitcher batter first violation game subsequent violations player would result ball called pitcher strike batter proposed limit mound visits team would allowed one per pitcher inning whether manager coach player second visit would result team forced change pitchers bargaining mlb offered start pitch clock year runners base delay use runners 2019 person said clark respond email seeking comment ___ ap baseball httpsapnewscomtagmlbbaseball
| 576 |
<p>AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Allen Greene's formal introduction as Auburn athletic director came four days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and Greene couldn't deny the significance even if he wished his skin color wasn't so notable.</p>
<p>Greene took the podium Friday as the first African-American athletic director at Auburn and only the third in the Southeastern Conference, saying "it speaks volumes to how far our country has progressed."</p>
<p>"I would be naive to sit here and think that it does not mean something significant," Greene said. "I would be naive to think so.</p>
<p>"I'm sure there are people out there who are watching. I'm sure that of the 400 texts I have, that people are very happy for me and on the bigger picture for our country. Then there's the other side of me that thinks it's not a big deal. I consider myself a partner, a leader and regardless of my gender or my sexual orientation or my skin color, I'm here to serve. That should transcend."</p>
<p>Greene joins Vanderbilt's David Williams and former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans as African-American ADs in the league. The 40-year-old spent the past two years running the University of Buffalo's athletic department after stints at Notre Dame and Mississippi.</p>
<p>"In this case, we hired the best person and it is a different kind of hire for most of collegiate athletics and historically in the SEC," Leath said. "But he's the right guy at the right time."</p>
<p>Trustee Quentin Riggins, a former Auburn linebacker, said Greene stood out to all the search committee members after the interviews.</p>
<p>"In my profession, whether being hired by Alabama Power or running (Gov.) Bob Riley's governmental affairs department, I was the first black in both," Riggins said. "In both situations, they felt they got the best person. So I think we got the best person."</p>
<p>Greene takes over the department amid an internal review into Bruce Pearl's basketball program.</p>
<p>Pearl has led the No. 17 Tigers to their highest ranking in nearly 20 years but his program is dealing with an internal review. Auburn fired associate head basketball coach Chuck Person after his arrest on federal fraud and bribery charges and the fallout has cost Auburn standout players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy so far this season while two staffers remain on leave.</p>
<p>The NCAA has already ruled that Wiley won't be eligible this season. It leaves the job security of Pearl an open question, and Leath said the final call "would be ultimately Allen's decision."</p>
<p>Greene said Leath was transparent about the basketball situation during the interview process. He was asked if what he learned made him feel better about the basketball program than what he'd seen in media reports.</p>
<p>"I've learned to not necessarily believe the things I read and hear," Greene said. "But I need to sit down and really get my hands dirty and understand what the situation is in its entirety, and then make some decisions based on that."</p>
<p>Pearl and football coach Gus Malzahn were among those attending Greene's introductory news conference in a room packed with trustees and Auburn supporters. UCF athletic director Danny White, Greene's former boss at Buffalo, also made the trip, along with Greene's parents, wife and kids.</p>
<p>Malzahn has already agreed to a new seven-year contract, but is hoping for some facility upgrades. Greene joked that the coach had already "hit me up for a stand-alone football facility." Malzahn applauded the hire.</p>
<p>"In due time, we'll sit down and we'll talk about the whole football situation, as far as facilities and everything that goes with that," the coach said. "I'm really excited to have Allen here. He's going to do a super job. He's got a dynamic personality. He's got dynamic vision, for not just football but Auburn athletics.</p>
<p>"I really feel like our students are going to be excited, our student-athletes are going to be excited, and it's a great fit right now."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.</p>
<p>AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Allen Greene's formal introduction as Auburn athletic director came four days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and Greene couldn't deny the significance even if he wished his skin color wasn't so notable.</p>
<p>Greene took the podium Friday as the first African-American athletic director at Auburn and only the third in the Southeastern Conference, saying "it speaks volumes to how far our country has progressed."</p>
<p>"I would be naive to sit here and think that it does not mean something significant," Greene said. "I would be naive to think so.</p>
<p>"I'm sure there are people out there who are watching. I'm sure that of the 400 texts I have, that people are very happy for me and on the bigger picture for our country. Then there's the other side of me that thinks it's not a big deal. I consider myself a partner, a leader and regardless of my gender or my sexual orientation or my skin color, I'm here to serve. That should transcend."</p>
<p>Greene joins Vanderbilt's David Williams and former Georgia athletic director Damon Evans as African-American ADs in the league. The 40-year-old spent the past two years running the University of Buffalo's athletic department after stints at Notre Dame and Mississippi.</p>
<p>"In this case, we hired the best person and it is a different kind of hire for most of collegiate athletics and historically in the SEC," Leath said. "But he's the right guy at the right time."</p>
<p>Trustee Quentin Riggins, a former Auburn linebacker, said Greene stood out to all the search committee members after the interviews.</p>
<p>"In my profession, whether being hired by Alabama Power or running (Gov.) Bob Riley's governmental affairs department, I was the first black in both," Riggins said. "In both situations, they felt they got the best person. So I think we got the best person."</p>
<p>Greene takes over the department amid an internal review into Bruce Pearl's basketball program.</p>
<p>Pearl has led the No. 17 Tigers to their highest ranking in nearly 20 years but his program is dealing with an internal review. Auburn fired associate head basketball coach Chuck Person after his arrest on federal fraud and bribery charges and the fallout has cost Auburn standout players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy so far this season while two staffers remain on leave.</p>
<p>The NCAA has already ruled that Wiley won't be eligible this season. It leaves the job security of Pearl an open question, and Leath said the final call "would be ultimately Allen's decision."</p>
<p>Greene said Leath was transparent about the basketball situation during the interview process. He was asked if what he learned made him feel better about the basketball program than what he'd seen in media reports.</p>
<p>"I've learned to not necessarily believe the things I read and hear," Greene said. "But I need to sit down and really get my hands dirty and understand what the situation is in its entirety, and then make some decisions based on that."</p>
<p>Pearl and football coach Gus Malzahn were among those attending Greene's introductory news conference in a room packed with trustees and Auburn supporters. UCF athletic director Danny White, Greene's former boss at Buffalo, also made the trip, along with Greene's parents, wife and kids.</p>
<p>Malzahn has already agreed to a new seven-year contract, but is hoping for some facility upgrades. Greene joked that the coach had already "hit me up for a stand-alone football facility." Malzahn applauded the hire.</p>
<p>"In due time, we'll sit down and we'll talk about the whole football situation, as far as facilities and everything that goes with that," the coach said. "I'm really excited to have Allen here. He's going to do a super job. He's got a dynamic personality. He's got dynamic vision, for not just football but Auburn athletics.</p>
<p>"I really feel like our students are going to be excited, our student-athletes are going to be excited, and it's a great fit right now."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.</p>
| false | 2 |
auburn ala ap allen greenes formal introduction auburn athletic director came four days martin luther king jrs birthday greene couldnt deny significance even wished skin color wasnt notable greene took podium friday first africanamerican athletic director auburn third southeastern conference saying speaks volumes far country progressed would naive sit think mean something significant greene said would naive think im sure people watching im sure 400 texts people happy bigger picture country theres side thinks big deal consider partner leader regardless gender sexual orientation skin color im serve transcend greene joins vanderbilts david williams former georgia athletic director damon evans africanamerican ads league 40yearold spent past two years running university buffalos athletic department stints notre dame mississippi case hired best person different kind hire collegiate athletics historically sec leath said hes right guy right time trustee quentin riggins former auburn linebacker said greene stood search committee members interviews profession whether hired alabama power running gov bob rileys governmental affairs department first black riggins said situations felt got best person think got best person greene takes department amid internal review bruce pearls basketball program pearl led 17 tigers highest ranking nearly 20 years program dealing internal review auburn fired associate head basketball coach chuck person arrest federal fraud bribery charges fallout cost auburn standout players austin wiley danjel purifoy far season two staffers remain leave ncaa already ruled wiley wont eligible season leaves job security pearl open question leath said final call would ultimately allens decision greene said leath transparent basketball situation interview process asked learned made feel better basketball program hed seen media reports ive learned necessarily believe things read hear greene said need sit really get hands dirty understand situation entirety make decisions based pearl football coach gus malzahn among attending greenes introductory news conference room packed trustees auburn supporters ucf athletic director danny white greenes former boss buffalo also made trip along greenes parents wife kids malzahn already agreed new sevenyear contract hoping facility upgrades greene joked coach already hit standalone football facility malzahn applauded hire due time well sit well talk whole football situation far facilities everything goes coach said im really excited allen hes going super job hes got dynamic personality hes got dynamic vision football auburn athletics really feel like students going excited studentathletes going excited great fit right ___ ap college football wwwcollegefootballaporg httpstwittercomap_top25 auburn ala ap allen greenes formal introduction auburn athletic director came four days martin luther king jrs birthday greene couldnt deny significance even wished skin color wasnt notable greene took podium friday first africanamerican athletic director auburn third southeastern conference saying speaks volumes far country progressed would naive sit think mean something significant greene said would naive think im sure people watching im sure 400 texts people happy bigger picture country theres side thinks big deal consider partner leader regardless gender sexual orientation skin color im serve transcend greene joins vanderbilts david williams former georgia athletic director damon evans africanamerican ads league 40yearold spent past two years running university buffalos athletic department stints notre dame mississippi case hired best person different kind hire collegiate athletics historically sec leath said hes right guy right time trustee quentin riggins former auburn linebacker said greene stood search committee members interviews profession whether hired alabama power running gov bob rileys governmental affairs department first black riggins said situations felt got best person think got best person greene takes department amid internal review bruce pearls basketball program pearl led 17 tigers highest ranking nearly 20 years program dealing internal review auburn fired associate head basketball coach chuck person arrest federal fraud bribery charges fallout cost auburn standout players austin wiley danjel purifoy far season two staffers remain leave ncaa already ruled wiley wont eligible season leaves job security pearl open question leath said final call would ultimately allens decision greene said leath transparent basketball situation interview process asked learned made feel better basketball program hed seen media reports ive learned necessarily believe things read hear greene said need sit really get hands dirty understand situation entirety make decisions based pearl football coach gus malzahn among attending greenes introductory news conference room packed trustees auburn supporters ucf athletic director danny white greenes former boss buffalo also made trip along greenes parents wife kids malzahn already agreed new sevenyear contract hoping facility upgrades greene joked coach already hit standalone football facility malzahn applauded hire due time well sit well talk whole football situation far facilities everything goes coach said im really excited allen hes going super job hes got dynamic personality hes got dynamic vision football auburn athletics really feel like students going excited studentathletes going excited great fit right ___ ap college football wwwcollegefootballaporg httpstwittercomap_top25
| 778 |
<p>Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died, NASA said Saturday. Young was 87.</p>
<p>The space agency said Young died Friday night at home in Houston following complications from pneumonia.</p>
<p>NASA called Young one of its pioneers - the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the first to fly into space six times. He was the ninth man to walk on the moon.</p>
<p>"Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight," acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot said in an emailed statement. "John was one of that group of early space pioneers whose bravery and commitment sparked our nation's first great achievements in space."</p>
<p>Young was the only spaceman to span NASA's Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs, and became the first person to rocket away from Earth six times. Counting his takeoff from the moon in 1972 as commander of Apollo 16, his blastoff tally stood at seven, for decades a world record.</p>
<p>He flew twice during the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s, twice to the moon during NASA's Apollo program, and twice more aboard the new space shuttle Columbia in the early 1980s.</p>
<p>His NASA career lasted 42 years, longer than any other astronaut's, and he was revered among his peers for his dogged dedication to keeping crews safe - and his outspokenness in challenging the space agency's status quo.</p>
<p>Chastened by the 1967 Apollo launch pad fire that killed three astronauts, Young spoke up after the 1986 shuttle Challenger launch accident. His hard scrutiny continued well past shuttle Columbia's disintegration during re-entry in 2003.</p>
<p>"Whenever and wherever I found a potential safety issue, I always did my utmost to make some noise about it, by memo or whatever means might best bring attention to it," Young wrote in his 2012 memoir, "Forever Young."</p>
<p>He said he wrote a "mountain of memos" between the two shuttle accidents to "hit people over the head." Such practice bordered on heresy at NASA.</p>
<p>Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited the moon in 1969 as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked its surface, considered Young "the memo-writing champion of the astronaut office." Young kept working at Johnson Space Center in Houston "long after his compatriots had been put out to pasture or discovered other green fields," Collins wrote in the foreword of "Forever Young."</p>
<p>Indeed, Young remained an active astronaut into his early 70s, long after all his peers had left, and held on to his role as NASA's conscience until his retirement in 2004.</p>
<p>"You don't want to be politically correct," he said in a 2000 interview with The Associated Press. "You want to be right."</p>
<p>Young was in NASA's second astronaut class, chosen in 1962, along with the likes of Neil Armstrong, Pete Conrad and James Lovell.</p>
<p>Young was the first of his group to fly in space: He and Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom made the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. Unknown to NASA, Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich on board, given to him by Mercury astronaut Wally Schirra. When it came time to test NASA's official space food, Young handed Grissom the sandwich as a joke.</p>
<p>The ensuing scandal over that corned beef on rye - two silly minutes of an otherwise triumphant five-hour flight - always amazed Young. Sandwiches already had flown in space, Young said in his book, but NASA brass and Congress considered this one a multimillion-dollar embarrassment and outlawed corned beef sandwiches in space forever after.</p>
<p>Two years later, with Gemini over and Apollo looming, Young asked Grissom why he didn't say something about the bad wiring in the new Apollo 1 spacecraft. Grissom feared doing so would get him fired, Young said. A few weeks later, on Jan. 27, 1967, those wires contributed to the fire that killed Grissom, Edward White II and Roger Chaffee in a countdown practice on their Cape Canaveral launch pad.</p>
<p>It was the safety measures put in place after the fire that got 12 men, Young included, safely to the surface of the moon and back.</p>
<p>"I can assure you if we had not had that fire and rebuilt the command module ... we could not have done the Apollo program successfully," Young said in 2007. "So we owe a lot to Gus, and Rog and Ed. They made it possible for the rest of us to do the almost impossible."</p>
<p>Young orbited the moon on Apollo 10 in May 1969 in preparation for the Apollo 11 moon landing that was to follow in a couple months. He commanded Apollo 16 three years later, the next-to-last manned lunar voyage, and walked on the moon.</p>
<p>He hung on for the space shuttle, commanding Columbia's successful maiden voyage in 1981 with co-pilot Robert Crippen by his side. It was a risky endeavor: Never before had NASA launched people on a rocket ship that had not first been tested in space. Young pumped his fists in jubilation after emerging from Columbia on the California runway, following the two-day flight.</p>
<p>Crippen called flying with Young "a real treat."</p>
<p>"Anybody who ever flew in space admired John," said Crippen, a close friend who last spoke to him a few months ago.</p>
<p>Young made his final trek into orbit aboard Columbia two years later, again as its skipper.</p>
<p>Young's reputation continued to grow, even after he stopped launching. He spoke out on safety measures, even before the Challenger debacle.</p>
<p>"By whatever management methods it takes, we must make Flight Safety first. If we do not consider Flight Safety first all the time at all levels of NASA, this machinery and this program will NOT make it," he warned colleagues.</p>
<p>As then chief of the astronaut corps, Young was flying a shuttle training aircraft high above Kennedy Space Center when Challenger ruptured. He took pictures of the nose-diving crew cabin. The seven Challenger astronauts never knew of all the dangerous O-ring seal trouble leading up to their flight. "If I had known these things, I would have made them aware, that's for damn sure," Young wrote in his book.</p>
<p>Young noted that even his friends at NASA considered him "doom and gloom," and that a shuttle launch "always scared me more than it thrilled me."</p>
<p>He always thought the probability was there for a space shuttle accident, he observed in his autobiography, given that it was "such an incredibly complex machine."</p>
<p>"It wasn't pessimism. It was just being realistic," he wrote.</p>
<p>Yet Young maintained that NASA and the nation should accept an occasional spaceflight failure, saying it's worth the risk.</p>
<p>"I really believe we should be operating (the shuttle), flying it right now, because there's just not a lot we can do to make it any better," Young said in 2004, a year after the Columbia tragedy. Another year passed before shuttle flights resumed.</p>
<p>Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Young maintained the United States should be doing two to three times the amount of space exploration that it was doing. NASA should be developing massive rockets to lift payloads to the moon to industrialize it, he said, and building space systems for detecting and deflecting comets or asteroids that could threaten Earth.</p>
<p>"The country needs it. The world needs it. Civilization needs it," Young said in 2000, adding with a chuckle, "I don't need it. I'm not going to be here that long."</p>
<p>In his book, Young noted that his "relentless" stream of memos about volcanic super-eruptions and killer asteroids was aimed at scaring and educating at the same time. Humans need to start living off the planet in order to save the species, he stressed again and again, pointing to the moon. "Some folks surely regarded me as a crackpot," he wrote. "But that didn't stop me."</p>
<p>Young spent his last 17 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in management, focusing on safety issues. He retired at the end of 2004, seven months shy of NASA's return to space following the Columbia accident.</p>
<p>Young was born Sept. 24, 1930 and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He became interested early on in aviation, making model planes. He spent his last high school summer working on a surveying team. The job took him to Titusville due east of Orlando; he never imagined that one day he would be sitting on rockets across the Indian River, blasting off for the moon.</p>
<p>He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952 and went on to join the Navy and serve in Korea as a gunnery officer. He eventually became a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot.</p>
<p>Young received more than 100 major accolades in his lifetime, including the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1981.</p>
<p>Even after leaving NASA, he worked to keep the space flame alive, noting in his official NASA biography that he was continuing to advocate the development of technologies "that will allow us to live and work on the moon and Mars."</p>
<p>"Those technologies over the long (or short) haul will save civilization on Earth," he warned in his NASA bio, almost as a parting shot.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein and AP writer Julie Watson contributed. Dunn reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to clarify that Robert Lightfoot is acting NASA administrator.</p>
<p>Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, has died, NASA said Saturday. Young was 87.</p>
<p>The space agency said Young died Friday night at home in Houston following complications from pneumonia.</p>
<p>NASA called Young one of its pioneers - the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the first to fly into space six times. He was the ninth man to walk on the moon.</p>
<p>"Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight," acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot said in an emailed statement. "John was one of that group of early space pioneers whose bravery and commitment sparked our nation's first great achievements in space."</p>
<p>Young was the only spaceman to span NASA's Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs, and became the first person to rocket away from Earth six times. Counting his takeoff from the moon in 1972 as commander of Apollo 16, his blastoff tally stood at seven, for decades a world record.</p>
<p>He flew twice during the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s, twice to the moon during NASA's Apollo program, and twice more aboard the new space shuttle Columbia in the early 1980s.</p>
<p>His NASA career lasted 42 years, longer than any other astronaut's, and he was revered among his peers for his dogged dedication to keeping crews safe - and his outspokenness in challenging the space agency's status quo.</p>
<p>Chastened by the 1967 Apollo launch pad fire that killed three astronauts, Young spoke up after the 1986 shuttle Challenger launch accident. His hard scrutiny continued well past shuttle Columbia's disintegration during re-entry in 2003.</p>
<p>"Whenever and wherever I found a potential safety issue, I always did my utmost to make some noise about it, by memo or whatever means might best bring attention to it," Young wrote in his 2012 memoir, "Forever Young."</p>
<p>He said he wrote a "mountain of memos" between the two shuttle accidents to "hit people over the head." Such practice bordered on heresy at NASA.</p>
<p>Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who orbited the moon in 1969 as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked its surface, considered Young "the memo-writing champion of the astronaut office." Young kept working at Johnson Space Center in Houston "long after his compatriots had been put out to pasture or discovered other green fields," Collins wrote in the foreword of "Forever Young."</p>
<p>Indeed, Young remained an active astronaut into his early 70s, long after all his peers had left, and held on to his role as NASA's conscience until his retirement in 2004.</p>
<p>"You don't want to be politically correct," he said in a 2000 interview with The Associated Press. "You want to be right."</p>
<p>Young was in NASA's second astronaut class, chosen in 1962, along with the likes of Neil Armstrong, Pete Conrad and James Lovell.</p>
<p>Young was the first of his group to fly in space: He and Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom made the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. Unknown to NASA, Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich on board, given to him by Mercury astronaut Wally Schirra. When it came time to test NASA's official space food, Young handed Grissom the sandwich as a joke.</p>
<p>The ensuing scandal over that corned beef on rye - two silly minutes of an otherwise triumphant five-hour flight - always amazed Young. Sandwiches already had flown in space, Young said in his book, but NASA brass and Congress considered this one a multimillion-dollar embarrassment and outlawed corned beef sandwiches in space forever after.</p>
<p>Two years later, with Gemini over and Apollo looming, Young asked Grissom why he didn't say something about the bad wiring in the new Apollo 1 spacecraft. Grissom feared doing so would get him fired, Young said. A few weeks later, on Jan. 27, 1967, those wires contributed to the fire that killed Grissom, Edward White II and Roger Chaffee in a countdown practice on their Cape Canaveral launch pad.</p>
<p>It was the safety measures put in place after the fire that got 12 men, Young included, safely to the surface of the moon and back.</p>
<p>"I can assure you if we had not had that fire and rebuilt the command module ... we could not have done the Apollo program successfully," Young said in 2007. "So we owe a lot to Gus, and Rog and Ed. They made it possible for the rest of us to do the almost impossible."</p>
<p>Young orbited the moon on Apollo 10 in May 1969 in preparation for the Apollo 11 moon landing that was to follow in a couple months. He commanded Apollo 16 three years later, the next-to-last manned lunar voyage, and walked on the moon.</p>
<p>He hung on for the space shuttle, commanding Columbia's successful maiden voyage in 1981 with co-pilot Robert Crippen by his side. It was a risky endeavor: Never before had NASA launched people on a rocket ship that had not first been tested in space. Young pumped his fists in jubilation after emerging from Columbia on the California runway, following the two-day flight.</p>
<p>Crippen called flying with Young "a real treat."</p>
<p>"Anybody who ever flew in space admired John," said Crippen, a close friend who last spoke to him a few months ago.</p>
<p>Young made his final trek into orbit aboard Columbia two years later, again as its skipper.</p>
<p>Young's reputation continued to grow, even after he stopped launching. He spoke out on safety measures, even before the Challenger debacle.</p>
<p>"By whatever management methods it takes, we must make Flight Safety first. If we do not consider Flight Safety first all the time at all levels of NASA, this machinery and this program will NOT make it," he warned colleagues.</p>
<p>As then chief of the astronaut corps, Young was flying a shuttle training aircraft high above Kennedy Space Center when Challenger ruptured. He took pictures of the nose-diving crew cabin. The seven Challenger astronauts never knew of all the dangerous O-ring seal trouble leading up to their flight. "If I had known these things, I would have made them aware, that's for damn sure," Young wrote in his book.</p>
<p>Young noted that even his friends at NASA considered him "doom and gloom," and that a shuttle launch "always scared me more than it thrilled me."</p>
<p>He always thought the probability was there for a space shuttle accident, he observed in his autobiography, given that it was "such an incredibly complex machine."</p>
<p>"It wasn't pessimism. It was just being realistic," he wrote.</p>
<p>Yet Young maintained that NASA and the nation should accept an occasional spaceflight failure, saying it's worth the risk.</p>
<p>"I really believe we should be operating (the shuttle), flying it right now, because there's just not a lot we can do to make it any better," Young said in 2004, a year after the Columbia tragedy. Another year passed before shuttle flights resumed.</p>
<p>Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Young maintained the United States should be doing two to three times the amount of space exploration that it was doing. NASA should be developing massive rockets to lift payloads to the moon to industrialize it, he said, and building space systems for detecting and deflecting comets or asteroids that could threaten Earth.</p>
<p>"The country needs it. The world needs it. Civilization needs it," Young said in 2000, adding with a chuckle, "I don't need it. I'm not going to be here that long."</p>
<p>In his book, Young noted that his "relentless" stream of memos about volcanic super-eruptions and killer asteroids was aimed at scaring and educating at the same time. Humans need to start living off the planet in order to save the species, he stressed again and again, pointing to the moon. "Some folks surely regarded me as a crackpot," he wrote. "But that didn't stop me."</p>
<p>Young spent his last 17 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in management, focusing on safety issues. He retired at the end of 2004, seven months shy of NASA's return to space following the Columbia accident.</p>
<p>Young was born Sept. 24, 1930 and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He became interested early on in aviation, making model planes. He spent his last high school summer working on a surveying team. The job took him to Titusville due east of Orlando; he never imagined that one day he would be sitting on rockets across the Indian River, blasting off for the moon.</p>
<p>He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952 and went on to join the Navy and serve in Korea as a gunnery officer. He eventually became a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot.</p>
<p>Young received more than 100 major accolades in his lifetime, including the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1981.</p>
<p>Even after leaving NASA, he worked to keep the space flame alive, noting in his official NASA biography that he was continuing to advocate the development of technologies "that will allow us to live and work on the moon and Mars."</p>
<p>"Those technologies over the long (or short) haul will save civilization on Earth," he warned in his NASA bio, almost as a parting shot.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein and AP writer Julie Watson contributed. Dunn reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to clarify that Robert Lightfoot is acting NASA administrator.</p>
| false | 2 |
legendary astronaut john young walked moon later commanded first space shuttle flight died nasa said saturday young 87 space agency said young died friday night home houston following complications pneumonia nasa called young one pioneers agency astronaut go space part gemini apollo space shuttle programs first fly space six times ninth man walk moon astronaut john youngs storied career spanned three generations spaceflight acting nasa administrator robert lightfoot said emailed statement john one group early space pioneers whose bravery commitment sparked nations first great achievements space young spaceman span nasas gemini apollo shuttle programs became first person rocket away earth six times counting takeoff moon 1972 commander apollo 16 blastoff tally stood seven decades world record flew twice twoman gemini missions mid1960s twice moon nasas apollo program twice aboard new space shuttle columbia early 1980s nasa career lasted 42 years longer astronauts revered among peers dogged dedication keeping crews safe outspokenness challenging space agencys status quo chastened 1967 apollo launch pad fire killed three astronauts young spoke 1986 shuttle challenger launch accident hard scrutiny continued well past shuttle columbias disintegration reentry 2003 whenever wherever found potential safety issue always utmost make noise memo whatever means might best bring attention young wrote 2012 memoir forever young said wrote mountain memos two shuttle accidents hit people head practice bordered heresy nasa apollo 11 astronaut michael collins orbited moon 1969 neil armstrong buzz aldrin walked surface considered young memowriting champion astronaut office young kept working johnson space center houston long compatriots put pasture discovered green fields collins wrote foreword forever young indeed young remained active astronaut early 70s long peers left held role nasas conscience retirement 2004 dont want politically correct said 2000 interview associated press want right young nasas second astronaut class chosen 1962 along likes neil armstrong pete conrad james lovell young first group fly space mercury astronaut gus grissom made first manned gemini mission 1965 unknown nasa young smuggled corned beef sandwich board given mercury astronaut wally schirra came time test nasas official space food young handed grissom sandwich joke ensuing scandal corned beef rye two silly minutes otherwise triumphant fivehour flight always amazed young sandwiches already flown space young said book nasa brass congress considered one multimilliondollar embarrassment outlawed corned beef sandwiches space forever two years later gemini apollo looming young asked grissom didnt say something bad wiring new apollo 1 spacecraft grissom feared would get fired young said weeks later jan 27 1967 wires contributed fire killed grissom edward white ii roger chaffee countdown practice cape canaveral launch pad safety measures put place fire got 12 men young included safely surface moon back assure fire rebuilt command module could done apollo program successfully young said 2007 owe lot gus rog ed made possible rest us almost impossible young orbited moon apollo 10 may 1969 preparation apollo 11 moon landing follow couple months commanded apollo 16 three years later nexttolast manned lunar voyage walked moon hung space shuttle commanding columbias successful maiden voyage 1981 copilot robert crippen side risky endeavor never nasa launched people rocket ship first tested space young pumped fists jubilation emerging columbia california runway following twoday flight crippen called flying young real treat anybody ever flew space admired john said crippen close friend last spoke months ago young made final trek orbit aboard columbia two years later skipper youngs reputation continued grow even stopped launching spoke safety measures even challenger debacle whatever management methods takes must make flight safety first consider flight safety first time levels nasa machinery program make warned colleagues chief astronaut corps young flying shuttle training aircraft high kennedy space center challenger ruptured took pictures nosediving crew cabin seven challenger astronauts never knew dangerous oring seal trouble leading flight known things would made aware thats damn sure young wrote book young noted even friends nasa considered doom gloom shuttle launch always scared thrilled always thought probability space shuttle accident observed autobiography given incredibly complex machine wasnt pessimism realistic wrote yet young maintained nasa nation accept occasional spaceflight failure saying worth risk really believe operating shuttle flying right theres lot make better young said 2004 year columbia tragedy another year passed shuttle flights resumed throughout 1990s 2000s young maintained united states two three times amount space exploration nasa developing massive rockets lift payloads moon industrialize said building space systems detecting deflecting comets asteroids could threaten earth country needs world needs civilization needs young said 2000 adding chuckle dont need im going long book young noted relentless stream memos volcanic supereruptions killer asteroids aimed scaring educating time humans need start living planet order save species stressed pointing moon folks surely regarded crackpot wrote didnt stop young spent last 17 years nasas johnson space center houston management focusing safety issues retired end 2004 seven months shy nasas return space following columbia accident young born sept 24 1930 grew orlando florida became interested early aviation making model planes spent last high school summer working surveying team job took titusville due east orlando never imagined one day would sitting rockets across indian river blasting moon earned aeronautical engineering degree georgia institute technology 1952 went join navy serve korea gunnery officer eventually became navy fighter pilot test pilot young received 100 major accolades lifetime including prestigious congressional space medal honor 1981 even leaving nasa worked keep space flame alive noting official nasa biography continuing advocate development technologies allow us live work moon mars technologies long short haul save civilization earth warned nasa bio almost parting shot __ ap science writer seth borenstein ap writer julie watson contributed dunn reported cape canaveral florida ___ story corrected clarify robert lightfoot acting nasa administrator legendary astronaut john young walked moon later commanded first space shuttle flight died nasa said saturday young 87 space agency said young died friday night home houston following complications pneumonia nasa called young one pioneers agency astronaut go space part gemini apollo space shuttle programs first fly space six times ninth man walk moon astronaut john youngs storied career spanned three generations spaceflight acting nasa administrator robert lightfoot said emailed statement john one group early space pioneers whose bravery commitment sparked nations first great achievements space young spaceman span nasas gemini apollo shuttle programs became first person rocket away earth six times counting takeoff moon 1972 commander apollo 16 blastoff tally stood seven decades world record flew twice twoman gemini missions mid1960s twice moon nasas apollo program twice aboard new space shuttle columbia early 1980s nasa career lasted 42 years longer astronauts revered among peers dogged dedication keeping crews safe outspokenness challenging space agencys status quo chastened 1967 apollo launch pad fire killed three astronauts young spoke 1986 shuttle challenger launch accident hard scrutiny continued well past shuttle columbias disintegration reentry 2003 whenever wherever found potential safety issue always utmost make noise memo whatever means might best bring attention young wrote 2012 memoir forever young said wrote mountain memos two shuttle accidents hit people head practice bordered heresy nasa apollo 11 astronaut michael collins orbited moon 1969 neil armstrong buzz aldrin walked surface considered young memowriting champion astronaut office young kept working johnson space center houston long compatriots put pasture discovered green fields collins wrote foreword forever young indeed young remained active astronaut early 70s long peers left held role nasas conscience retirement 2004 dont want politically correct said 2000 interview associated press want right young nasas second astronaut class chosen 1962 along likes neil armstrong pete conrad james lovell young first group fly space mercury astronaut gus grissom made first manned gemini mission 1965 unknown nasa young smuggled corned beef sandwich board given mercury astronaut wally schirra came time test nasas official space food young handed grissom sandwich joke ensuing scandal corned beef rye two silly minutes otherwise triumphant fivehour flight always amazed young sandwiches already flown space young said book nasa brass congress considered one multimilliondollar embarrassment outlawed corned beef sandwiches space forever two years later gemini apollo looming young asked grissom didnt say something bad wiring new apollo 1 spacecraft grissom feared would get fired young said weeks later jan 27 1967 wires contributed fire killed grissom edward white ii roger chaffee countdown practice cape canaveral launch pad safety measures put place fire got 12 men young included safely surface moon back assure fire rebuilt command module could done apollo program successfully young said 2007 owe lot gus rog ed made possible rest us almost impossible young orbited moon apollo 10 may 1969 preparation apollo 11 moon landing follow couple months commanded apollo 16 three years later nexttolast manned lunar voyage walked moon hung space shuttle commanding columbias successful maiden voyage 1981 copilot robert crippen side risky endeavor never nasa launched people rocket ship first tested space young pumped fists jubilation emerging columbia california runway following twoday flight crippen called flying young real treat anybody ever flew space admired john said crippen close friend last spoke months ago young made final trek orbit aboard columbia two years later skipper youngs reputation continued grow even stopped launching spoke safety measures even challenger debacle whatever management methods takes must make flight safety first consider flight safety first time levels nasa machinery program make warned colleagues chief astronaut corps young flying shuttle training aircraft high kennedy space center challenger ruptured took pictures nosediving crew cabin seven challenger astronauts never knew dangerous oring seal trouble leading flight known things would made aware thats damn sure young wrote book young noted even friends nasa considered doom gloom shuttle launch always scared thrilled always thought probability space shuttle accident observed autobiography given incredibly complex machine wasnt pessimism realistic wrote yet young maintained nasa nation accept occasional spaceflight failure saying worth risk really believe operating shuttle flying right theres lot make better young said 2004 year columbia tragedy another year passed shuttle flights resumed throughout 1990s 2000s young maintained united states two three times amount space exploration nasa developing massive rockets lift payloads moon industrialize said building space systems detecting deflecting comets asteroids could threaten earth country needs world needs civilization needs young said 2000 adding chuckle dont need im going long book young noted relentless stream memos volcanic supereruptions killer asteroids aimed scaring educating time humans need start living planet order save species stressed pointing moon folks surely regarded crackpot wrote didnt stop young spent last 17 years nasas johnson space center houston management focusing safety issues retired end 2004 seven months shy nasas return space following columbia accident young born sept 24 1930 grew orlando florida became interested early aviation making model planes spent last high school summer working surveying team job took titusville due east orlando never imagined one day would sitting rockets across indian river blasting moon earned aeronautical engineering degree georgia institute technology 1952 went join navy serve korea gunnery officer eventually became navy fighter pilot test pilot young received 100 major accolades lifetime including prestigious congressional space medal honor 1981 even leaving nasa worked keep space flame alive noting official nasa biography continuing advocate development technologies allow us live work moon mars technologies long short haul save civilization earth warned nasa bio almost parting shot __ ap science writer seth borenstein ap writer julie watson contributed dunn reported cape canaveral florida ___ story corrected clarify robert lightfoot acting nasa administrator
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<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi authorities are still holding 95 people in a purported anti-corruption campaign that was launched nearly three months ago by the kingdom’s influential crown prince, Saudi press quoting the attorney general reported on Wednesday.</p>
<p>A Saudi infographic shared on social media said that detainees who have not agreed on financial settlements to close their case will soon be referred to the Public Prosecution for trial.</p>
<p>Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is reportedly among those still being held since early November when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the stunning arrests of top princes, businessmen and officials. The prince is chairman of the publicly traded Kingdom Holding, which has investments in twitter, Apple, Citigroup, and the Four Seasons hotel chain. He is also an investor in ride-sharing services Lyft and Careem.</p>
<p>If a financial agreement cannot be reached, the attorney general has previously said that detainees will be prosecuted, investigated further and could face six months or more imprisonment.</p>
<p>At least 11 princes were among those detained in the surprise sweep that began Nov. 4. Many of the detainees have been held at the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which has been closed to the public since. The hotel’s website is taking reservations again starting Feb. 14.</p>
<p>While the Saudi public has for decades complained of rampant government corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials, the arrests of top business figures and princes, and the secrecy shrouding who was detained and what their alleged crimes were, have foreign investors worried.</p>
<p>State-linked Sabq news website quoted Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb on Wednesday as saying 90 detainees in total have been released after agreeing to settlements involving cash, real estate and other assets. He says a total of 350 people were questioned in the sweep.</p>
<p>Among those detained were two of the late King Abdullah’s sons, including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah who was fired from his post as head of the National Guard the night of his arrest. After paying an undisclosed sum, the prince was released and later photographed smiling with his younger cousin, the 32-year-old crown prince, at a horse race in late December. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was even filmed kissing Prince Miteb’s shoulder in a sign of respect.</p>
<p>The crown prince heads the anti-corruption committee that was formed by his father, King Salman. The committee has carried out the orders of arrest, investigations and negotiations. The committee has previously said that investigators uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption.</p>
<p>Also purportedly detained and released is Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister under King Salman. He is now leading Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week as a minister of state and member of cabinet.</p>
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi authorities are still holding 95 people in a purported anti-corruption campaign that was launched nearly three months ago by the kingdom’s influential crown prince, Saudi press quoting the attorney general reported on Wednesday.</p>
<p>A Saudi infographic shared on social media said that detainees who have not agreed on financial settlements to close their case will soon be referred to the Public Prosecution for trial.</p>
<p>Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is reportedly among those still being held since early November when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the stunning arrests of top princes, businessmen and officials. The prince is chairman of the publicly traded Kingdom Holding, which has investments in twitter, Apple, Citigroup, and the Four Seasons hotel chain. He is also an investor in ride-sharing services Lyft and Careem.</p>
<p>If a financial agreement cannot be reached, the attorney general has previously said that detainees will be prosecuted, investigated further and could face six months or more imprisonment.</p>
<p>At least 11 princes were among those detained in the surprise sweep that began Nov. 4. Many of the detainees have been held at the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which has been closed to the public since. The hotel’s website is taking reservations again starting Feb. 14.</p>
<p>While the Saudi public has for decades complained of rampant government corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials, the arrests of top business figures and princes, and the secrecy shrouding who was detained and what their alleged crimes were, have foreign investors worried.</p>
<p>State-linked Sabq news website quoted Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb on Wednesday as saying 90 detainees in total have been released after agreeing to settlements involving cash, real estate and other assets. He says a total of 350 people were questioned in the sweep.</p>
<p>Among those detained were two of the late King Abdullah’s sons, including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah who was fired from his post as head of the National Guard the night of his arrest. After paying an undisclosed sum, the prince was released and later photographed smiling with his younger cousin, the 32-year-old crown prince, at a horse race in late December. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was even filmed kissing Prince Miteb’s shoulder in a sign of respect.</p>
<p>The crown prince heads the anti-corruption committee that was formed by his father, King Salman. The committee has carried out the orders of arrest, investigations and negotiations. The committee has previously said that investigators uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption.</p>
<p>Also purportedly detained and released is Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister under King Salman. He is now leading Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week as a minister of state and member of cabinet.</p>
| false | 2 |
dubai united arab emirates ap saudi authorities still holding 95 people purported anticorruption campaign launched nearly three months ago kingdoms influential crown prince saudi press quoting attorney general reported wednesday saudi infographic shared social media said detainees agreed financial settlements close case soon referred public prosecution trial billionaire prince alwaleed bin talal reportedly among still held since early november crown prince mohammed bin salman ordered stunning arrests top princes businessmen officials prince chairman publicly traded kingdom holding investments twitter apple citigroup four seasons hotel chain also investor ridesharing services lyft careem financial agreement reached attorney general previously said detainees prosecuted investigated could face six months imprisonment least 11 princes among detained surprise sweep began nov 4 many detainees held luxurious ritz carlton hotel riyadh closed public since hotels website taking reservations starting feb 14 saudi public decades complained rampant government corruption misuse public funds top officials arrests top business figures princes secrecy shrouding detained alleged crimes foreign investors worried statelinked sabq news website quoted attorney general saud almojeb wednesday saying 90 detainees total released agreeing settlements involving cash real estate assets says total 350 people questioned sweep among detained two late king abdullahs sons including prince miteb bin abdullah fired post head national guard night arrest paying undisclosed sum prince released later photographed smiling younger cousin 32yearold crown prince horse race late december crown prince mohammed bin salman even filmed kissing prince mitebs shoulder sign respect crown prince heads anticorruption committee formed father king salman committee carried orders arrest investigations negotiations committee previously said investigators uncovered least 100 billion corruption also purportedly detained released ibrahim alassaf former finance minister king salman leading saudi arabias delegation world economic forum davos switzerland week minister state member cabinet dubai united arab emirates ap saudi authorities still holding 95 people purported anticorruption campaign launched nearly three months ago kingdoms influential crown prince saudi press quoting attorney general reported wednesday saudi infographic shared social media said detainees agreed financial settlements close case soon referred public prosecution trial billionaire prince alwaleed bin talal reportedly among still held since early november crown prince mohammed bin salman ordered stunning arrests top princes businessmen officials prince chairman publicly traded kingdom holding investments twitter apple citigroup four seasons hotel chain also investor ridesharing services lyft careem financial agreement reached attorney general previously said detainees prosecuted investigated could face six months imprisonment least 11 princes among detained surprise sweep began nov 4 many detainees held luxurious ritz carlton hotel riyadh closed public since hotels website taking reservations starting feb 14 saudi public decades complained rampant government corruption misuse public funds top officials arrests top business figures princes secrecy shrouding detained alleged crimes foreign investors worried statelinked sabq news website quoted attorney general saud almojeb wednesday saying 90 detainees total released agreeing settlements involving cash real estate assets says total 350 people questioned sweep among detained two late king abdullahs sons including prince miteb bin abdullah fired post head national guard night arrest paying undisclosed sum prince released later photographed smiling younger cousin 32yearold crown prince horse race late december crown prince mohammed bin salman even filmed kissing prince mitebs shoulder sign respect crown prince heads anticorruption committee formed father king salman committee carried orders arrest investigations negotiations committee previously said investigators uncovered least 100 billion corruption also purportedly detained released ibrahim alassaf former finance minister king salman leading saudi arabias delegation world economic forum davos switzerland week minister state member cabinet
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<p>Q: Did all eight Supreme Court justices write a letter opposing Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to fill a court vacancy?</p>
<p>A: No. That false claim was made on a liberal website that misrepresented a court ruling regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.</p>
<p />
<p>Did John Roberts write a letter stating that all eight members of the Supreme Court object to Gorsuch being on the court?</p>
<p>President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/31/president-donald-j-trump-nominates-judge-neil-gorsuch-united-states" type="external">nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch</a> to replace Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who died <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographyScalia.aspx" type="external">Feb. 13, 2016</a>. That much is true.</p>
<p>But the Supreme Court justices have not “turned their backs on Trump, rejecting his nominee to fill Antonin Scalia’s empty seat.” That false claim was reported by the liberal BipartisanReport.com in a March 26 article with the misleading headline: “ <a href="" type="internal">Just In: All 8 Supreme Court Justices Stand in Solidarity Against Trump SCOTUS Pick</a>.”</p>
<p>The article, which <a href="http://bipartisanreport.com/2017/03/26/just-in-all-8-supreme-court-justices-stand-in-solidarity-against-trump-scotus-pick/" type="external">since has been removed</a> from the website, claimed that “all eight of the current justices agree that President Trump is completely wrong in choosing Neil Gorsuch to fill the ninth seat on the Supreme Court bench.” It also claimed Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a letter from the Supreme Court that “cited a 2008 ruling by Gorsuch as [the] reason.”</p>
<p>There was no such letter.</p>
<p>Instead, the article quoted from the Supreme Court’s unanimous <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/15-827_0pm1.pdf" type="external">opinion</a> in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, a case that centered on the federal requirement that states provide “free appropriate public education” to disabled students under the <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/osep-idea.html" type="external">Individuals with Disabilities Education Act</a> (IDEA).</p>
<p>On March 22, the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/03/22/521094752/the-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-a-special-education-student" type="external">ruled</a>, 8-0, that the parents of a child with autism and attention deficit disorder had the right to sue their Colorado school district to seek reimbursement for the cost of sending their son to private school because a public school was unable to meet his needs.</p>
<p>Writing for a unified court, Roberts said: “When all is said and done, a student offered an educational program providing ‘merely more than de minimis’ progress from year to year can hardly be said to have been offered an education at all. For children with disabilities, receiving&#160; instruction&#160; that&#160; aims&#160; so&#160; low&#160; would&#160; be&#160; tantamount&#160; to&#160; “sitting&#160; idly … awaiting&#160; the&#160; time&#160; when&#160; they were&#160; old&#160; enough&#160; to&#160; ‘drop&#160; out.’ The IDEA demands more. It&#160; requires an educational program reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/22/supreme-court-ruling-tangled-neil-gorsuch-hearing/" type="external">decision</a> overturned <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/15-827-opinion-below.pdf" type="external">a ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals</a>, which, in siding with the Douglas County School District, had cited, among others, Gorsuch’s 2008 opinion in <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-ca10-07-01304/pdf/USCOURTS-ca10-07-01304-0.pdf" type="external">Thompson R2-J School v. Luke P.</a>, another case involving an autistic child who struggled to learn in a public school setting.</p>
<p>In the Thompson case, Gorsuch, who <a href="https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/hr/judge-neil-m-gorsuch" type="external">also sits on the 10th Circuit Court</a>, wrote that “the assistance that IDEA mandates is limited in scope” and that “the educational benefit mandated by IDEA must merely be ‘more than de minimis,’ ” or the minimum. He concluded that “this standard has been met” by the school.</p>
<p>During a Senate confirmation hearing on the same day as the Supreme Court’s decision, Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4664938/durbin-gorsuch" type="external">asked Gorsuch</a>: “Why? Why in your earlier decision did you want to lower the bar so low to ‘merely more than de minimis’ as a standard for public education to meet this federal requirement under the law?”</p>
<p>In response, Gorsuch said, “I was wrong, senator. I was wrong because I was bound by circuit precedent. And I’m sorry.” He noted that in <a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-10th-circuit/1278336.html" type="external">Urban v. Jefferson County School District</a> in 1996, a different set of judges on the 10th Circuit used the “de minimis standard.”</p>
<p>So, the Supreme Court’s opinion contradicted an earlier one written by Gorsuch. That’s not the same as saying, “All eight of the current justices agree that President Trump is completely wrong in choosing Neil Gorsuch” to sit on the high court, as BipartisanReport.com wrote.</p>
<p>At least one justice, <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx" type="external">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</a>, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said in February that Gorsuch “writes very well” and “is very easy to get along with,” <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b85c6827f83141e7acda02eaef4ca998/justice-ginsburg-praises-media-and-role-free-press" type="external">according to</a> an Associated Press report.</p>
<p>Readers should be skeptical of stories published on BipartisanReport.com, which has a history of <a href="http://www.snopes.com/has-the-process-to-impeach-donald-trump-begun/" type="external">publishing misleading headlines</a> on <a href="http://www.snopes.com/national-security-agencies-on-high-alert-after-trump-caught-telling-dangerous-lie/" type="external">false reports</a> that <a href="http://www.snopes.com/russia-paid-donald-trump-millions-of-dollars/" type="external">misrepresent legitimate news sources</a>.</p>
<p>After <a href="http://www.snopes.com/supreme-court-justices-stand/" type="external">other</a> <a href="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/03/29/fake-news-claims-entire-supreme-court-bench-opposes-neil-gorsuch/22017954/" type="external">websites</a> pointed out its inaccuracies, BipartisanReport.com removed the Gorsuch story from its website.</p>
<p>McKinney, Pearson. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20170327200824/http://bipartisanreport.com/2017/03/26/just-in-all-8-supreme-court-justices-stand-in-solidarity-against-trump-scotus-pick/" type="external">“JUST IN: All 8 Supreme Court Justices Stand in Solidarity Against Trump SCOTUS Pick.”</a> BipartisanReport.com. 26 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>Mikkelson, David. “ <a href="http://www.snopes.com/supreme-court-justices-stand/" type="external">All 8 Supreme Court Justices Stand in Solidarity Against Trump SCOTUS Pick?</a>” Snopes.com. 27 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>AOL.com. “ <a href="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/03/29/fake-news-claims-entire-supreme-court-bench-opposes-neil-gorsuch/22017954/" type="external">Fake news claims entire Supreme Court bench opposes Neil Gorsuch’s nomination</a>.” 29 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>Aguilar, John. “ <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/22/supreme-court-ruling-tangled-neil-gorsuch-hearing/" type="external">U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Douglas County student disabilities case gets tangled up in Neil Gorsuch hearing</a>.” Denver Post. 22 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>Kamenetz, Anya and Cory Turner. “ <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/03/22/521094752/the-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-a-special-education-student" type="external">The Supreme Court Rules in Favor of A Special Education Student</a>.” NPR. 22 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>U.S. Department of Education. “ <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/osep-idea.html" type="external">Individuals with Disabilities Education Act</a>.” Accessed 3 Apr 2017.</p>
<p>Kiely, Eugene. “ <a href="" type="internal">Partisan Spin on Gorsuch Vote</a>.” FactCheck.org. 31 Mar 2017.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/15-827_0pm1.pdf" type="external">Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.</a> Supreme Court of the United States (22 Mar&#160; 2017).</p>
<p><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-10th-circuit/1711562.html" type="external">Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.</a> U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (25 August 2015).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/171177/thompson-r2-j-school-v-luke-p-ex-rel-jeff-p/" type="external">Thompson R2-J School v. Luke P.</a> U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (29 Aug 2008).</p>
<p><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-10th-circuit/1376434.html" type="external">Garcia v. Board of Education of Albuquerque Public Schools.</a> U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (25 Mar 2008).</p>
<p>U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. “ <a href="https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/hr/judge-neil-m-gorsuch" type="external">Judge Neil M. Gorsuch</a>.” Accessed 3 Apr 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-10th-circuit/1278336.html" type="external">Urban Urban v. Jefferson County School District.</a> U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (16 Jul 1996).</p>
<p>Supreme Court of the United States. “ <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx" type="external">Biographies of Current Justices of the Supreme Court</a>.”&#160; Accessed 4 Apr 2017.</p>
<p>Hananel, Sam. “ <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b85c6827f83141e7acda02eaef4ca998/justice-ginsburg-praises-media-and-role-free-press" type="external">Justice Ginsburg praises media and the role of free press</a>.” Associated Press. 23 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>Palma, Bethania. “ <a href="http://www.snopes.com/has-the-process-to-impeach-donald-trump-begun/" type="external">Has the Process to Impeach Donald Trump Begun?</a>” Snopes.com. 15 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>LaCapria, Kim. “ <a href="http://www.snopes.com/national-security-agencies-on-high-alert-after-trump-caught-telling-dangerous-lie/" type="external">Homeland Insecurity</a>.” Snopes.com. 19 Dec 2016.</p>
<p>Palma, Bethania. “ <a href="http://www.snopes.com/russia-paid-donald-trump-millions-of-dollars/" type="external">Putin on the Ritz</a>.” Snopes.com. 31 Oct 2016.</p>
| false | 2 |
q eight supreme court justices write letter opposing judge neil gorsuchs nomination fill court vacancy false claim made liberal website misrepresented court ruling regarding individuals disabilities education act john roberts write letter stating eight members supreme court object gorsuch court president donald trump nominated judge neil gorsuch replace associate justice antonin scalia died feb 13 2016 much true supreme court justices turned backs trump rejecting nominee fill antonin scalias empty seat false claim reported liberal bipartisanreportcom march 26 article misleading headline 8 supreme court justices stand solidarity trump scotus pick article since removed website claimed eight current justices agree president trump completely wrong choosing neil gorsuch fill ninth seat supreme court bench also claimed chief justice john roberts wrote letter supreme court cited 2008 ruling gorsuch reason letter instead article quoted supreme courts unanimous opinion endrew f v douglas county school district case centered federal requirement states provide free appropriate public education disabled students individuals disabilities education act idea march 22 supreme court ruled 80 parents child autism attention deficit disorder right sue colorado school district seek reimbursement cost sending son private school public school unable meet needs writing unified court roberts said said done student offered educational program providing merely de minimis progress year year hardly said offered education children disabilities receiving160 instruction160 that160 aims160 so160 low160 would160 be160 tantamount160 to160 sitting160 idly awaiting160 the160 time160 when160 were160 old160 enough160 to160 drop160 idea demands it160 requires educational program reasonably calculated enable child make progress appropriate light childs circumstances decision overturned ruling 10th us circuit court appeals siding douglas county school district cited among others gorsuchs 2008 opinion thompson r2j school v luke p another case involving autistic child struggled learn public school setting thompson case gorsuch also sits 10th circuit court wrote assistance idea mandates limited scope educational benefit mandated idea must merely de minimis minimum concluded standard met school senate confirmation hearing day supreme courts decision democratic sen richard durbin asked gorsuch earlier decision want lower bar low merely de minimis standard public education meet federal requirement law response gorsuch said wrong senator wrong bound circuit precedent im sorry noted urban v jefferson county school district 1996 different set judges 10th circuit used de minimis standard supreme courts opinion contradicted earlier one written gorsuch thats saying eight current justices agree president trump completely wrong choosing neil gorsuch sit high court bipartisanreportcom wrote least one justice ruth bader ginsburg nominated supreme court democratic president bill clinton said february gorsuch writes well easy get along according associated press report readers skeptical stories published bipartisanreportcom history publishing misleading headlines false reports misrepresent legitimate news sources websites pointed inaccuracies bipartisanreportcom removed gorsuch story website mckinney pearson 8 supreme court justices stand solidarity trump scotus pick bipartisanreportcom 26 mar 2017 mikkelson david 8 supreme court justices stand solidarity trump scotus pick snopescom 27 mar 2017 aolcom fake news claims entire supreme court bench opposes neil gorsuchs nomination 29 mar 2017 aguilar john us supreme court ruling douglas county student disabilities case gets tangled neil gorsuch hearing denver post 22 mar 2017 kamenetz anya cory turner supreme court rules favor special education student npr 22 mar 2017 us department education individuals disabilities education act accessed 3 apr 2017 kiely eugene partisan spin gorsuch vote factcheckorg 31 mar 2017 endrew f v douglas county school district supreme court united states 22 mar160 2017 endrew f v douglas county school district us court appeals 10th circuit 25 august 2015 thompson r2j school v luke p us court appeals 10th circuit 29 aug 2008 garcia v board education albuquerque public schools us court appeals 10th circuit 25 mar 2008 us court appeals 10th circuit judge neil gorsuch accessed 3 apr 2017 urban urban v jefferson county school district us court appeals 10th circuit 16 jul 1996 supreme court united states biographies current justices supreme court160 accessed 4 apr 2017 hananel sam justice ginsburg praises media role free press associated press 23 feb 2017 palma bethania process impeach donald trump begun snopescom 15 feb 2017 lacapria kim homeland insecurity snopescom 19 dec 2016 palma bethania putin ritz snopescom 31 oct 2016
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<p>The nation’s governors and state school chiefs went back to the drawing board to develop a new set of standards known as Common Core. Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Sue Cleveland has said Common Core is equivalent to the revolution in American education that followed the Soviet Union’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 – an event that shook the nation out of complacency.</p>
<p>The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers unveiled their proposal to have all states adopt the same educational standards for teaching English language arts and mathematics in a 2008 report titled “Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education.”</p>
<p>“The United States is falling behind other countries in the resource that matters most in the new global economy: human capital,” the report said. “American 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science achievement on the most recent international assessment conducted in 2006.”</p>
<p>The governors and school chiefs said American college graduation rates were first in the world in 1995 and had dropped to 14th in 2006. Around 40 percent of high school graduates entering college nationwide need remedial education to do college-level work. In New Mexico, about half of entering freshmen at the state’s universities now take remedial course work, according to the Legislative Finance Committee.</p>
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<p>“If the United States raised students’ math and science skills to globally competitive levels over the next two decades, its (gross domestic product) would be an additional 36 percent higher 75 years from now,” the report said.</p>
<p>The governors had other concerns.</p>
<p>A child who began her education in one state and then moved to another might be far ahead or far behind students in her new school.</p>
<p>No Child Left Behind imposed federal sanctions on schools that did not show improvement against benchmarks, but states were left to set their own standards and establish their own testing. That made it impossible to compare student achievement across states. It also gave states an incentive to dumb down their testing, because better test scores meant they could avoid federal sanctions.</p>
<p>The states’ school chiefs agreed the No Child Left Behind testing didn’t seem to measure whether kids were really learning anything.</p>
<p>The states came together to agree on the Common Core standards but did not propose either curricula or testing that would help students meet them. That was left to state education authorities and local schools. The state Public Education Department has directed Common Core will be implemented statewide next year.</p>
<p>The English standards were designed to encourage preparation for the real world. Students would study more complicated texts and less fiction. They would write more papers making a case supported by evidence and fewer about personal experience or points of view.</p>
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<p>Math standards focus less on the processes and tools involved in solving a problem and more on understanding how numbers work.</p>
<p>Some opponents to Common Core charge the standards amount to a national takeover of schools. They say it is an attempt to indoctrinate students into some sort of ideology backed by the administration of President Barack Obama. A Facebook page maintained by New Mexico opponents compares Common Core to Mao-era education in China.</p>
<p>The federal government had nothing to do with developing Common Core – the states’ governors and school chiefs did – but the federal Education Department has embraced the standards and has provided grants to states that want to adopt Common Core or even more rigorous standards of their own.</p>
<p>Support for Common Core created some strange bedfellows. The liberal Center for American Progress and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council were in favor. Potential Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President Obama are supporters. So are the American Federation of Teachers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.</p>
<p>Marjori Krebs, an associate professor of education at the University of New Mexico, calls Common Core “an important step in the right direction.” Albuquerque Teachers Federation President Ellen Bernstein said, “I have been personally and professionally a fan of the standards,” although some of her union’s members are not. Tony Monfiletto, executive director of the New Mexico Center for School Leadership, said, “It’s a great opportunity to make standards that are relevant to kids’ learning.”</p>
<p>They also have some reservations about Common Core. More on that in a bit.</p>
<p>Most states adopted Common Core standards. At one point, 45 states and the District of Columbia had committed to building curricula and testing programs in support of the standards.</p>
<p>New Mexico was an early and enthusiastic supporter. Gov. Bill Richardson applied for federal grants to implement Common Core in his last year in office. The Martinez administration has been working to implement Common Core statewide ever since. New Mexico is one 13 states collaborating to develop the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, designed to track how well students are meeting Common Core standards.</p>
<p>Local control</p>
<p>State support has been eroding, however. Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, for one, who supported Common Core in the past, said he wants to end his state’s participation to retain more local control. Skeptics say Jindal’s change of heart has more to do with his presidential ambitions than education as conservative voters become more leery of the idea of a national standard for education.</p>
<p>South Carolina and Indiana also have withdrawn their support on grounds that local control of schools would be diminished.</p>
<p>At the other end of the political spectrum, opponents object that Common Core advances a business agenda more than an educational one. They point to the involvement of Microsoft founder Bill Gates’s foundation in supporting Common Core. Not only did the foundation help pay for development of the standards, but The Washington Post reported it spent more than $200 million building political support for Common Core.</p>
<p>A change of this magnitude creates a multibillion-dollar opportunity for vendors of testing systems, curricula, computers, software and textbooks. Albuquerque Public Schools two years ago estimated that implementing the PARCC testing system would require a $39 million computer system upgrade. Opponents say Common Core is a windfall for companies like Pearson, which designs standardized tests, and McGraw-Hill, which publishes textbooks.</p>
<p>Classroom teachers and education experts have legitimate concerns that the new standards are not an improvement. Some English language arts teachers disagree with Common Core’s entire approach, especially the reduced role that fiction plays in learning.</p>
<p>Much of the local objection concerns not the philosophy of Common Core but its implementation.</p>
<p>Krebs worries that because the new testing is computer-based, the approach will favor students who have computer skills and better experience using computers.</p>
<p>Teachers are being asked to take on a lot of big changes all at once, she said. They are going to need professional development opportunities to handle those changes. Local school districts may not be able to provide those opportunities, given the cost.</p>
<p>“The question is, are the standards esoteric, distant standards that are not relevant to what this community needs?” Monfiletto said. Curricula developed in New Mexico should tap “local wisdom here about what it means to transition into work.” Instead, he said, districts will likely buy curricula developed by national companies and miss the chance to understand what local employers need their future employees to know.</p>
<p>Bernstein said the whole process has been rushed. New curricula, new tests and new testing infrastructure are a lot to take on all at once. Then teachers and schools are going to be evaluated on students’ ability not only to learn a new curriculum but to take a new test in a new way, she said.</p>
<p>“No one is trying to shirk accountability,” she said. “You can’t change everything about the fabric of American education and attach it to automatic punishment (of teachers and schools) if you don’t get it right the first time.”</p>
<p>“You have to allow time for the system to learn and change,” Bernstein said.</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Winthrop Quigley at 823-3896 or <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a>. Go to <a href="" type="internal">ABQjournal.com/letters/new</a> to submit a letter to the editor.</p>
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nations governors state school chiefs went back drawing board develop new set standards known common core rio rancho public schools superintendent sue cleveland said common core equivalent revolution american education followed soviet unions launch sputnik satellite 1957 event shook nation complacency national governors association council chief state school officers unveiled proposal states adopt educational standards teaching english language arts mathematics 2008 report titled benchmarking success ensuring us students receive worldclass education united states falling behind countries resource matters new global economy human capital report said american 15yearolds ranked 25th math 21st science achievement recent international assessment conducted 2006 governors school chiefs said american college graduation rates first world 1995 dropped 14th 2006 around 40 percent high school graduates entering college nationwide need remedial education collegelevel work new mexico half entering freshmen states universities take remedial course work according legislative finance committee advertisement united states raised students math science skills globally competitive levels next two decades gross domestic product would additional 36 percent higher 75 years report said governors concerns child began education one state moved another might far ahead far behind students new school child left behind imposed federal sanctions schools show improvement benchmarks states left set standards establish testing made impossible compare student achievement across states also gave states incentive dumb testing better test scores meant could avoid federal sanctions states school chiefs agreed child left behind testing didnt seem measure whether kids really learning anything states came together agree common core standards propose either curricula testing would help students meet left state education authorities local schools state public education department directed common core implemented statewide next year english standards designed encourage preparation real world students would study complicated texts less fiction would write papers making case supported evidence fewer personal experience points view advertisement math standards focus less processes tools involved solving problem understanding numbers work opponents common core charge standards amount national takeover schools say attempt indoctrinate students sort ideology backed administration president barack obama facebook page maintained new mexico opponents compares common core maoera education china federal government nothing developing common core states governors school chiefs federal education department embraced standards provided grants states want adopt common core even rigorous standards support common core created strange bedfellows liberal center american progress conservative american legislative exchange council favor potential republican presidential candidate former florida gov jeb bush president obama supporters american federation teachers us chamber commerce marjori krebs associate professor education university new mexico calls common core important step right direction albuquerque teachers federation president ellen bernstein said personally professionally fan standards although unions members tony monfiletto executive director new mexico center school leadership said great opportunity make standards relevant kids learning also reservations common core bit states adopted common core standards one point 45 states district columbia committed building curricula testing programs support standards new mexico early enthusiastic supporter gov bill richardson applied federal grants implement common core last year office martinez administration working implement common core statewide ever since new mexico one 13 states collaborating develop partnership assessment readiness college careers test designed track well students meeting common core standards local control state support eroding however gov bobby jindal louisiana one supported common core past said wants end states participation retain local control skeptics say jindals change heart presidential ambitions education conservative voters become leery idea national standard education south carolina indiana also withdrawn support grounds local control schools would diminished end political spectrum opponents object common core advances business agenda educational one point involvement microsoft founder bill gatess foundation supporting common core foundation help pay development standards washington post reported spent 200 million building political support common core change magnitude creates multibilliondollar opportunity vendors testing systems curricula computers software textbooks albuquerque public schools two years ago estimated implementing parcc testing system would require 39 million computer system upgrade opponents say common core windfall companies like pearson designs standardized tests mcgrawhill publishes textbooks classroom teachers education experts legitimate concerns new standards improvement english language arts teachers disagree common cores entire approach especially reduced role fiction plays learning much local objection concerns philosophy common core implementation krebs worries new testing computerbased approach favor students computer skills better experience using computers teachers asked take lot big changes said going need professional development opportunities handle changes local school districts may able provide opportunities given cost question standards esoteric distant standards relevant community needs monfiletto said curricula developed new mexico tap local wisdom means transition work instead said districts likely buy curricula developed national companies miss chance understand local employers need future employees know bernstein said whole process rushed new curricula new tests new testing infrastructure lot take teachers schools going evaluated students ability learn new curriculum take new test new way said one trying shirk accountability said cant change everything fabric american education attach automatic punishment teachers schools dont get right first time allow time system learn change bernstein said upfront daily frontpage news opinion column comment directly winthrop quigley 8233896 wquigleyabqjournalcom go abqjournalcomlettersnew submit letter editor
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<p>JERUSALEM — Arab assailants struck at ground zero of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Friday, opening fire from inside a major Jerusalem shrine and killing two Israeli policemen before being shot dead.</p>
<p>The rare attack from within the sacred site, revered by both Muslims and Jews, raised new concerns about an escalation of violence. The three attackers were Arab citizens of Israel, also a rarity in a rash of Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers that erupted about two years ago, in part over tensions at the holy site.</p>
<p>Jerusalem police commissioner Yoram Halevy said the attack was well planned: The assailants had obtained automatic weapons and stayed at the holy compound the night before. He said they marked their targets in advance and after shooting them ran back inside the compound. “The entire incident began and ended” at the holy compound, he told channel 10 TV.</p>
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<p>After the violence, Israel closed the site — known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount — for further sweeps to make sure there were no more weapons there.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it would reopen gradually after security evaluations on Sunday.</p>
<p>Jordan, a custodian of the sacred compound, called for its immediate reopening to allow access to Muslim worshippers.</p>
<p>Netanyahu acted quickly to allay Muslim fears, saying that the status quo at the Muslim-administered site “will be preserved.”</p>
<p>Jews revere the site, where the two Jewish temples stood in biblical times, as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the nearby Western Wall, a remnant of one of the temples, is the holiest place where Jews can pray.</p>
<p>Muslims regard the same hilltop compound as the Noble Sanctuary. Home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, it is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>The fate of the area is an emotional issue at the heart of the conflict and forms the centerpiece of rival Israeli and Palestinian national narratives.</p>
<p>After Friday’s attack, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said: “We cannot allow for agents of murder who desecrate the name of God, to drag us into a bloody war.”</p>
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<p>Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reached out to Netanyahu in a phone call, highlighting the concern about a possible escalation. The leaders have almost no direct contact.</p>
<p>Abbas condemned the attack and said he rejects “any violence from any party, particularly at holy sites,” said the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.</p>
<p>Police are investigating how the weapons were brought into the site.</p>
<p>Israeli police chief Roni Alsheikh said the attackers opened fire on the Israeli officers from inside the site. In response, “a police force charged at the terrorists, killed two and wounded the third,” he said. The wounded assailant used a knife to attack an Israeli officer checking him for explosives and was killed, the police chief said.</p>
<p>Footage released by police showed the attackers with guns raised running from inside the compound and attacking the officers on duty at the entrance.</p>
<p>A relative said the attackers were members of the Jabareen clan — two 19-year-olds and a 29-year-old.</p>
<p>They were devout Muslims and frequently visited the shrine, traveling to Jerusalem by bus from their homes in northern Israel, the relative, Yehiyeh Jabareen, told The Associated Press. He said the family was in shock over the shooting.</p>
<p>He confirmed the authenticity of a post on the Facebook page of one of the younger attackers that showed him flashing a half-smile. “God willing, tomorrow’s smile will be more beautiful,” read the caption.</p>
<p>The two slain policemen– Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Hael Sathawi, 30, and Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Kamil Shanan, 22, were members of Israel’s Druze community, followers of a secretive off-shoot of Islam.</p>
<p>Shanan was a son of Shachiv Shanan, a former member of parliament for the Labor Party. Sathawi left a wife and a 3-week-old baby, police said.</p>
<p>Unlike the majority of their fellow Arabs in Israel, many Druze serve in the Israeli security forces.</p>
<p>Israel’s Arab minority enjoys full citizenship rights but sometimes face discrimination in areas like housing and jobs. They are sometimes viewed with suspicion as many identify politically and culturally with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.</p>
<p>The closing of the shrine, something that rarely happens, meant the cancellation of noon prayers, which typically draw tens of thousands of Muslims from Israel and the West Bank to the compound on Fridays. The faithful performed prayers in the streets near the Old City instead.</p>
<p>Israel has previously accused Palestinians of stockpiling rocks and other projectiles in one of the mosques in the holy compound, and Israeli security forces have fired tear gas and stun grenades at the compound to disperse Palestinian stone throwers, who have at times have targeted Jews praying at the Western Wall.</p>
<p>Israel’s minister of public security Gilad Erdan said “the terrorists had desecrated the sanctity” of the site.</p>
<p>The top Muslim cleric of the Holy Land, Mohammed Hussein, was detained by police for several hours after the shooting.</p>
<p>In the past two years, Palestinians have killed 45 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and attacks using cars to ram into Israeli civilians and troops.</p>
<p>During that period, Israeli forces have killed more than 254 Palestinians, most of them said by Israel to be attackers while others were killed in clashes with Israeli forces.</p>
<p>Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.</p>
<p>Palestinians say the attacks are triggered by anger over decades of Israeli occupation of territories they claim for their future state.</p>
<p>The Jerusalem shrine has been the scene of repeated confrontations.</p>
<p>In September 2000, then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon made a provocative visit to the site to show Israeli presence, sparking Palestinian protests that quickly escalated into armed clashes between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers.</p>
<p>The incident was one of the triggers of an armed Palestinian uprising, including Palestinian suicide bombings targeting civilians in cafes and buses, that claimed several thousand victims, most of them Palestinians, and only began to ebb in 2005.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh and Karin Laub in the West Bank contributed to this report.</p>
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jerusalem arab assailants struck ground zero israelipalestinian conflict friday opening fire inside major jerusalem shrine killing two israeli policemen shot dead rare attack within sacred site revered muslims jews raised new concerns escalation violence three attackers arab citizens israel also rarity rash palestinian attacks israeli civilians soldiers erupted two years ago part tensions holy site jerusalem police commissioner yoram halevy said attack well planned assailants obtained automatic weapons stayed holy compound night said marked targets advance shooting ran back inside compound entire incident began ended holy compound told channel 10 tv advertisement violence israel closed site known muslims noble sanctuary jews temple mount sweeps make sure weapons prime minister benjamin netanyahus office said would reopen gradually security evaluations sunday jordan custodian sacred compound called immediate reopening allow access muslim worshippers netanyahu acted quickly allay muslim fears saying status quo muslimadministered site preserved jews revere site two jewish temples stood biblical times temple mount holiest site judaism nearby western wall remnant one temples holiest place jews pray muslims regard hilltop compound noble sanctuary home alaqsa mosque dome rock islams thirdholiest site mecca medina saudi arabia fate area emotional issue heart conflict forms centerpiece rival israeli palestinian national narratives fridays attack israeli president reuven rivlin said allow agents murder desecrate name god drag us bloody war advertisement palestinian president mahmoud abbas reached netanyahu phone call highlighting concern possible escalation leaders almost direct contact abbas condemned attack said rejects violence party particularly holy sites said official palestinian news agency wafa police investigating weapons brought site israeli police chief roni alsheikh said attackers opened fire israeli officers inside site response police force charged terrorists killed two wounded third said wounded assailant used knife attack israeli officer checking explosives killed police chief said footage released police showed attackers guns raised running inside compound attacking officers duty entrance relative said attackers members jabareen clan two 19yearolds 29yearold devout muslims frequently visited shrine traveling jerusalem bus homes northern israel relative yehiyeh jabareen told associated press said family shock shooting confirmed authenticity post facebook page one younger attackers showed flashing halfsmile god willing tomorrows smile beautiful read caption two slain policemen advanced staff sgt maj hael sathawi 30 advanced staff sgt maj kamil shanan 22 members israels druze community followers secretive offshoot islam shanan son shachiv shanan former member parliament labor party sathawi left wife 3weekold baby police said unlike majority fellow arabs israel many druze serve israeli security forces israels arab minority enjoys full citizenship rights sometimes face discrimination areas like housing jobs sometimes viewed suspicion many identify politically culturally palestinians west bank gaza closing shrine something rarely happens meant cancellation noon prayers typically draw tens thousands muslims israel west bank compound fridays faithful performed prayers streets near old city instead israel previously accused palestinians stockpiling rocks projectiles one mosques holy compound israeli security forces fired tear gas stun grenades compound disperse palestinian stone throwers times targeted jews praying western wall israels minister public security gilad erdan said terrorists desecrated sanctity site top muslim cleric holy land mohammed hussein detained police several hours shooting past two years palestinians killed 45 israelis two visiting americans british tourist stabbings shootings attacks using cars ram israeli civilians troops period israeli forces killed 254 palestinians said israel attackers others killed clashes israeli forces israel blames violence incitement palestinian political religious leaders compounded social media sites glorify violence encourage attacks palestinians say attacks triggered anger decades israeli occupation territories claim future state jerusalem shrine scene repeated confrontations september 2000 thenisraeli opposition leader ariel sharon made provocative visit site show israeli presence sparking palestinian protests quickly escalated armed clashes palestinian gunmen israeli soldiers incident one triggers armed palestinian uprising including palestinian suicide bombings targeting civilians cafes buses claimed several thousand victims palestinians began ebb 2005 ___ associated press writers mohammed daraghmeh karin laub west bank contributed report
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<p>Vice President Joe Biden speaks during The American Legion’s annual convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013. Biden says there is no doubt that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government is responsible for the heinous use of chemical weapons. Biden’s comments make him the highest-ranking U.S. official to say the Syrian regime is the culprit in a large-scale chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Johnny Hanson)</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared unequivocally that the United States has “concluded” that the Syrian government carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians. But new hurdles emerged that appeared to slow the formation of an international coalition that could use military force to punish Syria.</p>
<p>Obama did not present any direct evidence to back up his assertion that the Syrian government bears responsibility for the attack. While he said he is still evaluating possible military retaliation, the president vowed that any American response would send a “strong signal” to Syrian President Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>“We have concluded that the Syrian government in fact carried these out,” Obama said during an interview with PBS’ NewsHour. “And if that’s so, then there need to be international consequences.”</p>
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<p>Earlier Wednesday, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council failed to reach an agreement on a draft resolution from the British seeking authorization for the use of force. Russia, as expected, objected to international intervention.</p>
<p>Obama administration officials said they would take action against the Syrian government even without the backing of allies or the United Nations because diplomatic paralysis must not prevent a response to the alleged chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital last week.</p>
<p>Despite the administration’s assertions that it would press forward without the U.N., momentum for international military action appeared to slow.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister David Cameron promised British lawmakers he would not go to war until a U.N. chemical weapons team on the ground in Syria has a chance to report its findings, pushing the U.K.’s involvement in any potential strike until next week at the earliest. Cameron called an emergency meeting of Parliament on Thursday to vote on whether to endorse international action against Syria.</p>
<p>Even so, British Foreign Secretary William Hague suggested that U.S. military action need not be constrained by Britain. “The United States are able to make their own decisions,” he told reporters late Wednesday, just after speaking with Secretary of State John Kerry.</p>
<p>U.S. officials were in search of additional intelligence to bolster the White House’s case for a strike against Assad’s military infrastructure.</p>
<p>American intelligence intercepted lower-level Syrian military commanders’ communications discussing a chemical attack, but the communications don’t specifically link the attack to an official senior enough to tie the killings to Assad himself, according to one U.S. intelligence official and two other U.S. officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence publicly.</p>
<p>The White House ideally wants intelligence that links the attack directly to Assad or someone in his inner circle, to rule out the possibility that a rogue element of the military decided to use chemical weapons without Assad’s authorization.</p>
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<p>That quest for added intelligence has delayed the release of the report by the Office of the Director for National Intelligence laying out evidence against Assad. The report was promised earlier this week by administration officials.</p>
<p>The CIA and the Pentagon have been working to gather more human intelligence tying Assad to the attack, relying on the intelligence services of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel, the officials said. The administration was planning a teleconference briefing Thursday on Syria for leaders of the House and Senate and national security committees in both parties, U.S. officials and congressional aides said.</p>
<p>Both the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency have their own human sources — the rebel commanders and others who cross the border to brief CIA and defense intelligence officers at training camps in Jordan and Turkey. But their operation is much smaller than some of the other intelligence services, and it takes longer for their contacts to make their way overland.</p>
<p>The CIA, the Pentagon, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment on the intelligence picture, and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>Obama said he was not seeking a lengthy, open-ended conflict in Syria, indicating that any U.S. response would be limited in scope. But he argued that Syria’s use of chemical weapons not only violated international norms, but threatened “America’s core self-interest.”</p>
<p>“We do have to make sure that when countries break international norms on weapons like chemical weapons that could threaten us, that they are held accountable,” he said.</p>
<p>Laying out a legal justification for a U.S. response, Obama said Syria was violating the Geneva Protocols, an agreement signed in 1925 in the wake of World War I to ban the use of chemical gases. The White House has also cited the Chemical Weapons Convention, a 1992 agreement that builds on the Geneva Protocols by prohibiting the development and stockpiling of chemical weapons.</p>
<p>Syria is a party to the original Geneva accord, but not the latter chemical weapons agreement.</p>
<p>Syria, which sits on one of the world’s largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, has denied the charges. Moreover, Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Bashar Ja’afari, is demanding that United Nations experts investigate three alleged chemical weapons attacks against Syrian soldiers. He said the attacks occurred on Aug. 22, 24 and 25 in three suburbs of the Syrian capital and dozens of soldiers are being treated for inhaling nerve gas.</p>
<p>Certain members of Congress are expected to get a classified U.S. intelligence report laying out the case against Assad. An unclassified version is to be made public. Officials say it won’t have any detail that would jeopardize sources and methods.</p>
<p>Some lawmakers have argued that Congress must authorize any military action unless there has been an attack on the U.S. or the existence of an eminent threat to the U.S. Both Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday pressed the White House to provide a clear explanation of how military action would secure U.S. objectives.</p>
<p>Specifically, in a letter to Obama, House Speaker John Boehner asked him to make his case to Congress and the public about how military action would “secure American national security interests, preserve America’s credibility, deter the future use of chemical weapons, and, critically, be a part of our broader policy and strategy.”</p>
<p>Boehner said it was “essential you address on what basis any use of force would be legally justified.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace and AP writers Raphael Satter and Greg Katz in London contributed to this report.</p>
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vice president joe biden speaks american legions annual convention george r brown convention center houston tuesday aug 27 2013 biden says doubt syrian president bashar assads government responsible heinous use chemical weapons bidens comments make highestranking us official say syrian regime culprit largescale chemical weapons attack aug 21 ap photohouston chronicle johnny hanson washington ap president barack obama wednesday declared unequivocally united states concluded syrian government carried deadly chemical weapons attack civilians new hurdles emerged appeared slow formation international coalition could use military force punish syria obama present direct evidence back assertion syrian government bears responsibility attack said still evaluating possible military retaliation president vowed american response would send strong signal syrian president bashar assad concluded syrian government fact carried obama said interview pbs newshour thats need international consequences advertisement earlier wednesday five permanent members united nations security council failed reach agreement draft resolution british seeking authorization use force russia expected objected international intervention obama administration officials said would take action syrian government even without backing allies united nations diplomatic paralysis must prevent response alleged chemical weapons attack outside syrian capital last week despite administrations assertions would press forward without un momentum international military action appeared slow british prime minister david cameron promised british lawmakers would go war un chemical weapons team ground syria chance report findings pushing uks involvement potential strike next week earliest cameron called emergency meeting parliament thursday vote whether endorse international action syria even british foreign secretary william hague suggested us military action need constrained britain united states able make decisions told reporters late wednesday speaking secretary state john kerry us officials search additional intelligence bolster white houses case strike assads military infrastructure american intelligence intercepted lowerlevel syrian military commanders communications discussing chemical attack communications dont specifically link attack official senior enough tie killings assad according one us intelligence official two us officials spoke condition anonymity authorized discuss intelligence publicly white house ideally wants intelligence links attack directly assad someone inner circle rule possibility rogue element military decided use chemical weapons without assads authorization advertisement quest added intelligence delayed release report office director national intelligence laying evidence assad report promised earlier week administration officials cia pentagon working gather human intelligence tying assad attack relying intelligence services jordan saudi arabia israel officials said administration planning teleconference briefing thursday syria leaders house senate national security committees parties us officials congressional aides said cia defense intelligence agency human sources rebel commanders others cross border brief cia defense intelligence officers training camps jordan turkey operation much smaller intelligence services takes longer contacts make way overland cia pentagon office director national intelligence declined comment intelligence picture white house respond requests comment obama said seeking lengthy openended conflict syria indicating us response would limited scope argued syrias use chemical weapons violated international norms threatened americas core selfinterest make sure countries break international norms weapons like chemical weapons could threaten us held accountable said laying legal justification us response obama said syria violating geneva protocols agreement signed 1925 wake world war ban use chemical gases white house also cited chemical weapons convention 1992 agreement builds geneva protocols prohibiting development stockpiling chemical weapons syria party original geneva accord latter chemical weapons agreement syria sits one worlds largest stockpiles chemical weapons denied charges moreover syrias un ambassador bashar jaafari demanding united nations experts investigate three alleged chemical weapons attacks syrian soldiers said attacks occurred aug 22 24 25 three suburbs syrian capital dozens soldiers treated inhaling nerve gas certain members congress expected get classified us intelligence report laying case assad unclassified version made public officials say wont detail would jeopardize sources methods lawmakers argued congress must authorize military action unless attack us existence eminent threat us democrats republicans wednesday pressed white house provide clear explanation military action would secure us objectives specifically letter obama house speaker john boehner asked make case congress public military action would secure american national security interests preserve americas credibility deter future use chemical weapons critically part broader policy strategy boehner said essential address basis use force would legally justified ___ ap white house correspondent julie pace ap writers raphael satter greg katz london contributed report
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<p>As the Independent movement grows in strength, a backlash from the partisans of the major parties and political status quo is only to be expected, for they have the most to lose in the face of a truly Independent electorate. However, the supposed “myth of the Independent voter” is perhaps the strongest piece of evidence that they are simply in denial. &#160;</p>
<p>In May 2009, the <a href="http://people-press.org/report/517/political-values-and-core-attitudes" type="external">Pew Research Center</a> declared: “Independents take center stage in the age of Obama.” In the months following the 2008 general election, Independent identification surged to its highest level in seventy years, surpassing that of both the Democratic and Republican party brands. &#160;Since then, there has been a relatively steady supply of commentary and analysis arguing that, for all intents and purposes, the supposed “Independent voter” does not in fact exist, but is rather a long-standing myth of American political culture. &#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Yet, our nation’s politicians continue to seek their favor, and the White House appears especially concerned about winning back the Independent vote following the Democratic party’s poor performance in the midterm elections. &#160;Last week, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/13/AR2010111303260.html?hpid=topnews" type="external">The Washington Post</a> reported that White House advisers are “deeply concerned about winning back political independents, who supported Obama two years ago by an eight-point margin but backed Republicans for the House this year by 19 points.” &#160;In response, some liberal Democratic party strategists have resuscitated the myth of the “myth of the Independent voter” to aid in their opposition to this strategy. &#160;</p>
<p>In a widely circulated article published at <a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/79246/independent-voters-barack-obama-midterms" type="external">The New Republic</a>, John B. Judis seeks to correct the White House’s “misguided view of the Independent voter,” and in the process provides the reader with a series of arguments that have been <a href="http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009/12/three_myths_about_political_in.html" type="external">common currency</a> among strategists for the major parties since at least 1992, when a group of political scientists led by Bruce Keith published a work entitled The Myth of the Independent Voter. &#160;Let’s consider a sample of Judis’s arguments.</p>
<p>He begins by stating that Independents are actually nothing more than a figment of the pollster’s imagination. &#160;Judis writes that:</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; “Independents are not an organized or quasi-organized group like Democrats or Republicans that have headquarters and nominate candidates, but a creature of pollsters’ imagination.” &#160;</p>
<p>This statement of fact might come as a surprise to any number of Independent candidates for elected office, or their staffs and volunteers, or to voters who cast their ballots for those Independent candidates. &#160;It is indeed true that Independents are not organized the way Democrats and Republicans are. &#160;For instance, taxpayers do not have to foot the bill for primary elections to nominate an Independent candidate for office, as they do for the Republican and Democratic parties, which greatly benefit from the subsidization of the primary process. &#160;</p>
<p>And yet, the fact that Independents are indeed organized is demonstrated by the fact that there are successful Independent candidates for elected office. &#160;In Rhode Island, where registered Independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans, Lincoln Chafee was elected as the state’s first Independent governor, besting his Democratic and Republican rivals.&#160; Or were the results of this election simply invented out of whole cloth by a well-connected polling organization?</p>
<p>A second facet of the supposed “myth of the Independent voter” asserts that Independents are not actually independent, but rather partisan Democrats or Republicans who simply &#160;prefer to think of themselves as independent. &#160;Judis sums up the argument stating that “many independents are disguised partisans.” &#160;Judis’s “disguised partisans” are often termed “leaners” in the parlance of pollsters. &#160;These are individuals who identify themselves as Independents but, when asked whether they lean toward the Republican or Democratic party, side with one over the other. &#160;It is worth mentioning that when people identify themselves to a pollster as Democrats or Republicans, there is no follow-up question inquiring if they are really Democrats or Republicans, or asking whether they actually lean toward political independence or toward a third party.</p>
<p>The results to such a line of questioning might be rather interesting, to say the least. &#160;How many supposed Democrats or Republicans are actually just disguised Independents? Nonetheless, it is not surprising to find that many Independents have ideological, social, political or philosophical inclinations which cause them, in the abstract, to prefer Republicans over Democrats or vice versa. &#160;However, the fact that many self-described Independents lean one way or the other simply does not imply that they are not independent, as the purveyors of the myth of the “myth of the Independent voter” would have us conclude. &#160;</p>
<p>A better explanation for why one Independent would consistently vote for Democrats while another consistently supports Republicans might take the structure of the two-party state into consideration. &#160;Faced with a forced choice between the Democratic and Republican parties, it may well be impossible to actively express one’s political independence. &#160;Arguably, to determine the relative independence of voters, the important question is not whether they consistently cast ballots for Democrats or Republicans when they have no other option, but rather whether they would support a viable Independent candidate if they did have the option. &#160;Of course, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have rigged our political system to make this latter situation unlikely, yet Independents are capable of overcoming even these long odds. &#160;Independents were elected to the legislatures of <a href="http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/08/rhode-island-independent-state-senator-re-elected/" type="external">nearly ten states</a> this year. &#160;</p>
<p>In addition to Democratic and Republican “leaners,” Judis also considers what he calls “pure Independents,” who are sometimes absurdly referred to as “Independent Independents” by pollsters. &#160;These are individuals who maintain their Independent identification even after being asked whether they lean toward one major party or the other. &#160;Judis writes, “These independents, who are alienated from the party system itself, are most likely not to vote at all.” &#160;In other words, these Independents refuse to submit to the forced choice between the Republican and Democratic parties, and likely recognize the very form of the opposition as a false choice underpinning the reigning two-party state, and thus do not fall prey to the logic of lesser evilism that motivates leaners. &#160;Judis estimates that pure Independents constitute roughly 10 percent of the electorate. &#160;However, there is evidence to suggest that there are many more such individuals in the United States.&#160; In the majority of elections, the vast majority of eligible voters opt not to vote rather than cast a ballot for the Democrats or Republicans. &#160;</p>
<p>It is time to debunk the myth of the myth of the Independent voter. The simplest way to do this is to build the Independent movement and support Independent alternatives to the Democratic-Republican status-quo.</p>
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independent movement grows strength backlash partisans major parties political status quo expected lose face truly independent electorate however supposed myth independent voter perhaps strongest piece evidence simply denial 160 may 2009 pew research center declared independents take center stage age obama months following 2008 general election independent identification surged highest level seventy years surpassing democratic republican party brands 160since relatively steady supply commentary analysis arguing intents purposes supposed independent voter fact exist rather longstanding myth american political culture 160160160 yet nations politicians continue seek favor white house appears especially concerned winning back independent vote following democratic partys poor performance midterm elections 160last week washington post reported white house advisers deeply concerned winning back political independents supported obama two years ago eightpoint margin backed republicans house year 19 points 160in response liberal democratic party strategists resuscitated myth myth independent voter aid opposition strategy 160 widely circulated article published new republic john b judis seeks correct white houses misguided view independent voter process provides reader series arguments common currency among strategists major parties since least 1992 group political scientists led bruce keith published work entitled myth independent voter 160lets consider sample judiss arguments begins stating independents actually nothing figment pollsters imagination 160judis writes 160160160160 independents organized quasiorganized group like democrats republicans headquarters nominate candidates creature pollsters imagination 160 statement fact might come surprise number independent candidates elected office staffs volunteers voters cast ballots independent candidates 160it indeed true independents organized way democrats republicans 160for instance taxpayers foot bill primary elections nominate independent candidate office republican democratic parties greatly benefit subsidization primary process 160 yet fact independents indeed organized demonstrated fact successful independent candidates elected office 160in rhode island registered independents outnumber democrats republicans lincoln chafee elected states first independent governor besting democratic republican rivals160 results election simply invented whole cloth wellconnected polling organization second facet supposed myth independent voter asserts independents actually independent rather partisan democrats republicans simply 160prefer think independent 160judis sums argument stating many independents disguised partisans 160judiss disguised partisans often termed leaners parlance pollsters 160these individuals identify independents asked whether lean toward republican democratic party side one 160it worth mentioning people identify pollster democrats republicans followup question inquiring really democrats republicans asking whether actually lean toward political independence toward third party results line questioning might rather interesting say least 160how many supposed democrats republicans actually disguised independents nonetheless surprising find many independents ideological social political philosophical inclinations cause abstract prefer republicans democrats vice versa 160however fact many selfdescribed independents lean one way simply imply independent purveyors myth myth independent voter would us conclude 160 better explanation one independent would consistently vote democrats another consistently supports republicans might take structure twoparty state consideration 160faced forced choice democratic republican parties may well impossible actively express ones political independence 160arguably determine relative independence voters important question whether consistently cast ballots democrats republicans option rather whether would support viable independent candidate option 160of course democratic republican lawmakers rigged political system make latter situation unlikely yet independents capable overcoming even long odds 160independents elected legislatures nearly ten states year 160 addition democratic republican leaners judis also considers calls pure independents sometimes absurdly referred independent independents pollsters 160these individuals maintain independent identification even asked whether lean toward one major party 160judis writes independents alienated party system likely vote 160in words independents refuse submit forced choice republican democratic parties likely recognize form opposition false choice underpinning reigning twoparty state thus fall prey logic lesser evilism motivates leaners 160judis estimates pure independents constitute roughly 10 percent electorate 160however evidence suggest many individuals united states160 majority elections vast majority eligible voters opt vote rather cast ballot democrats republicans 160 time debunk myth myth independent voter simplest way build independent movement support independent alternatives democraticrepublican statusquo
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<p>In his new role, Luján will take control of the U.S. House Democrats’ election strategy and become a key member of the House Democratic leadership structure. The announcement came as a shock on Capitol Hill, as several more senior members’ names had been floated for the position in recent days. Luján will become just the second Latino to hold the post. Former Rep. Tony Coelho of California, who was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, headed the committee in the 1980s.</p>
<p>“I am pleased recommend to our colleagues Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, a dynamic and forward-looking leader with a fresh energy and ideas that Democrats need for victory in 2016,” Pelosi said at a Capitol Hill news conference to announce the pick. “He has bold vision and determined leadership to deliver wins in difficult districts. I am confident (Luján) will prove a tireless champion.”</p>
<p>A beaming Luján – son of the late New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan – apologized for being tardy to the news conference, saying he couldn’t get off the phone with his mother, ” who was “joyous” about the news.</p>
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<p>“It got a little emotional,” Luján told the Journal afterward, saying his mother told him his late father would have been proud of him. “We shared some tears and shared some laughs.”</p>
<p>While the DCCC chairmanship is a high-profile, plum assignment for Luján, he faces a steep climb heading into the 2016 political cycle. House Democrats were drubbed in congressional elections this month, and Republicans now control both chambers of Congress. Democrats would have to pick up about 30 seats to capture control of the House.</p>
<p>At the news conference, Luján said he was up to the challenge.</p>
<p>“House Republicans are once again talking about shutting down the government rather than working with Democrats and the president to tackle the issues facing families across our nation,” Luján said. “I will work to make sure House Republicans are held accountable for this reckless behavior and that the American people see the clear difference between House Democrats (and Republicans). There will be great opportunities in 2016 to make gains with the more favorable electorate during the presidential year. We will be on the offensive to put the majority in play.”</p>
<p>While Democrats were congratulating Luján on Capitol Hill, officials at the National Republican Congressional Committee – the DCCC’s counterpart – appeared pleased with the selection, as well – but for different reasons. Ian Prior, spokesman for the NRCC, said Luján is among the most liberal members of the House and his politics will fall flat with many Americans.</p>
<p>“In selecting Ben Luján to head the DCCC, Nancy Pelosi has chosen a member of the uber-liberal House Progressive Caucus who has routinely voted for budgets that include amnesty for illegal immigrants, tax rates as high as 49%, and a massive expansion of Obamacare,” Prior said. “This pick will give rise to plenty of awkward moments on the 2016 campaign trail as Democrats in swing states will have to distance themselves from incoming Chairman Luján, the very person tasked with helping them get elected.”</p>
<p>Larry Sabato, chairman of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and one of the nation’s best handicappers of House and Senate races, said Luján – while a surprise pick – has some qualities that can be helpful to the Democrats. Sabato also said he has his work cut out for him.</p>
<p>“Luján is a Westerner, Hispanic, and young and energetic,” Sabato said. “That last quality will be critical as he attempts to climb Mount Everest and somehow restore Democrats to the House majority. More realistically, he’ll want to try to get Democrats back over the 200-member mark after 2016 so that they can be in the game. Right now, House Democrats are by far the least relevant caucus in either house of Congress.”</p>
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<p>“House Republicans are once again talking about shutting down the government rather than working with Democrats and the president to tackle the issues facing families across our nation,” Luján said. “I will work to make sure House Republicans are held accountable for this reckless behavior and that the American people see the clear difference between House Democrats [and Republicans]. There will be great opportunities in 2016 to make gains with the more favorable electorate during the presidential year. We will be on the offensive to put the majority in play.”</p>
<p>Luján has proved a popular member of the Democratic House caucus and most recently served as vice chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Lujan’s Democratic congressional colleagues from New Mexico praised his appointment.</p>
<p>“Congressman Luján has been a dynamic leader in the Hispanic Caucus and in New Mexico,” said Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “He will build on that leadership for the Democratic Party and will engage key constituencies to build a path to the majority for Democrats in Congress. During his time in Congress, Congressman Luján has been a strong advocate for working families and the middle class. I fully support him as the messenger for Democratic priorities and I look forward to working with him to achieve those goals.”</p>
<p>“Ben Ray has shown strong leadership in the House and is greatly respected by his colleagues. I can’t think of anyone better-suited for this important post,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.</p>
<p>“Congressman Luján’s incredible enthusiasm, intelligence and leadership have made him an effective congressman for New Mexico and a great partner in Washington,” said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. “Having Congressman Luján in the House leadership will help shine a light on issues that matter to New Mexicans, from immigration to rural development to clean energy. I am extremely proud of him today.”</p>
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new role luján take control us house democrats election strategy become key member house democratic leadership structure announcement came shock capitol hill several senior members names floated position recent days luján become second latino hold post former rep tony coelho california member congressional hispanic caucus headed committee 1980s pleased recommend colleagues ben ray luján new mexico dynamic forwardlooking leader fresh energy ideas democrats need victory 2016 pelosi said capitol hill news conference announce pick bold vision determined leadership deliver wins difficult districts confident luján prove tireless champion beaming luján son late new mexico house speaker ben lujan apologized tardy news conference saying couldnt get phone mother joyous news advertisement got little emotional luján told journal afterward saying mother told late father would proud shared tears shared laughs dccc chairmanship highprofile plum assignment luján faces steep climb heading 2016 political cycle house democrats drubbed congressional elections month republicans control chambers congress democrats would pick 30 seats capture control house news conference luján said challenge house republicans talking shutting government rather working democrats president tackle issues facing families across nation luján said work make sure house republicans held accountable reckless behavior american people see clear difference house democrats republicans great opportunities 2016 make gains favorable electorate presidential year offensive put majority play democrats congratulating luján capitol hill officials national republican congressional committee dcccs counterpart appeared pleased selection well different reasons ian prior spokesman nrcc said luján among liberal members house politics fall flat many americans selecting ben luján head dccc nancy pelosi chosen member uberliberal house progressive caucus routinely voted budgets include amnesty illegal immigrants tax rates high 49 massive expansion obamacare prior said pick give rise plenty awkward moments 2016 campaign trail democrats swing states distance incoming chairman luján person tasked helping get elected larry sabato chairman center politics university virginia one nations best handicappers house senate races said luján surprise pick qualities helpful democrats sabato also said work cut luján westerner hispanic young energetic sabato said last quality critical attempts climb mount everest somehow restore democrats house majority realistically hell want try get democrats back 200member mark 2016 game right house democrats far least relevant caucus either house congress advertisement house republicans talking shutting government rather working democrats president tackle issues facing families across nation luján said work make sure house republicans held accountable reckless behavior american people see clear difference house democrats republicans great opportunities 2016 make gains favorable electorate presidential year offensive put majority play luján proved popular member democratic house caucus recently served vice chairman congressional hispanic caucus lujans democratic congressional colleagues new mexico praised appointment congressman luján dynamic leader hispanic caucus new mexico said rep michelle lujan grisham build leadership democratic party engage key constituencies build path majority democrats congress time congress congressman luján strong advocate working families middle class fully support messenger democratic priorities look forward working achieve goals ben ray shown strong leadership house greatly respected colleagues cant think anyone bettersuited important post said sen martin heinrich dnm congressman lujáns incredible enthusiasm intelligence leadership made effective congressman new mexico great partner washington said sen tom udall dnm congressman luján house leadership help shine light issues matter new mexicans immigration rural development clean energy extremely proud today
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<p>For nearly a year, Gov. Robert Bentley, 74, has fended off calls from his Republican allies and his opponents to resign after a recording of him having a sexually explicit conversation with his then-chief adviser emerged in March 2016.</p>
<p>Allegations of an affair between the Republican and one of his top aides, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, had already been swirling for months, according to local reporters. The rumors reached a peak after the governor’s wife of 50 years abruptly filed for divorce in August 2015. Still, there was no proof Bentley had done anything inappropriate, and the governor declared rumors of an affair to be “ridiculous.”</p>
<p>The tipping point came last March when Bentley fired his former friend Spencer Collier as secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Collier then went to local media to state, on the record, that Bentley was in fact having an affair with his top aide – and that he could prove it.</p>
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<p>Then came a bombshell audio recording, allegedly taped by Bentley’s family and then published by AL.com shortly after Collier was fired. In the recording, the governor can be heard having a sexually explicit conversation with a woman named “Rebekah,” professing his love for the woman and describing putting his hands on her breasts.</p>
<p>“You know, I just, I worry about sometimes I love so you much,” the governor could be heard saying on the recording. “I worry about loving you so much.”</p>
<p>Bentley could also be heard saying: “Baby, let me know what I am going to do when I start locking the door. If we are going to do what we did the other day, we are going to have to start locking the door.”</p>
<p>Mason resigned from her position immediately after news of the recordings broke.</p>
<p>In the hours that followed the tape’s release, Bentley “twisted himself into a pretzel to admit everything but the affair,” The Washington Post reported then. Yes, Bentley had said sexually explicit things to a staffer, the governor admitted. But the relationship was never physical, he said.</p>
<p>“At times in the past, have I said things that I should not have said?” he told reporters last March. “Absolutely. That’s what I’m saying today.”</p>
<p>When a reporter asked if the governor was in love with the adviser he’s rumored to have had an affair with, Bentley said: “I love many members of my staff, in fact, all the members of my staff. Do I love some more than others, absolutely.”</p>
<p>A spokeswoman for Bentley did not immediately return messages this week.</p>
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<p>Within a month, Alabama lawmakers had taken the first steps to try to impeach Bentley.</p>
<p>“We’re looking at this governor who has essentially betrayed the trust of the people of Alabama,” state Rep. Ed Henry , a Republican, told NBC News. “This is about the actions and lies that have caused us some doubts about his leadership.”</p>
<p>Henry added: “If he truly loves the people of this state, he will step down.”</p>
<p>Bentley has continued to deny having a “sexual relationship” with Mason and maintained that he will not resign. He repeatedly has insisted none of his conduct would be grounds for impeachment.</p>
<p>Even Republican lawmakers have been calling for Bentley to resign. Some pursued creating a recall method for the governor, and still others asked the state’s attorney general to launch a legal investigation into whether Bentley conducted an affair using state resources.</p>
<p>Last April, the House Judiciary Committee launched an impeachment investigation of the governor but put it on hold in November at the request of then-Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, who said his office was in the process of completing “related work.”</p>
<p>“I respectfully request that the Committee cease active interviews and investigation until I am able to report to you that the necessary related work of my office has been completed,” Strange wrote then, according to AL.com.</p>
<p>In February, Bentley appointed Strange to fill the seat in the state Senate vacated by Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. The timing of the appointment raised eyebrows among Alabama lawmakers; at least one said the arrangement “sure smells of quid pro quo.”</p>
<p>Current Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has since confirmed that his office is investigating Bentley. However, Marshall recused himself, naming a former Montgomery County district attorney to oversee it instead, AL.com reported.</p>
<p>Clay Redden, a spokesman for the State House of Representatives, said the scheduled meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday involved a “procedural question.” He said he could not comment on a Senate subcommittee meeting scheduled for Wednesday.</p>
<p>Calls to the offices of the judiciary committee’s chair, state Rep. Mike Jones, a Republican, were referred back to Redden.</p>
<p>Jones has said that, as soon as the state attorney general’s office clears them to proceed, he anticipates the investigation will wrap up before the end of the current legislative session in late May, according to AL.com.</p>
<p>Under the Alabama Constitution, if the House does vote to send Bentley’s impeachment charges to the Senate for a trial, the governor would have to immediately step down from office. The lieutenant governor would take his place throughout the Senate trial, and Bentley would then only be allowed to return to office if he is acquitted by the Senate.</p>
<p>Before the scandal, Bentley was not known for generating salacious headlines. He is in the middle of his second four-year term as governor. In his 2014 reelection race, Bentley won the largest percentage of the vote (63 percent) of any modern-day Republican governor in Alabama. He also was a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, a reputation he leaned on heavily. The church pastor released a statement last March saying Bentley and Mason no longer were members.</p>
<p>“One thing he had going for him after he was elected is at least people thought he was a man of integrity,” Richard Fording, the chair of the University of Alabama’s political science department, told The Post last March. “That is all gone now.”</p>
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nearly year gov robert bentley 74 fended calls republican allies opponents resign recording sexually explicit conversation thenchief adviser emerged march 2016 allegations affair republican one top aides rebekah caldwell mason already swirling months according local reporters rumors reached peak governors wife 50 years abruptly filed divorce august 2015 still proof bentley done anything inappropriate governor declared rumors affair ridiculous tipping point came last march bentley fired former friend spencer collier secretary alabama law enforcement agency collier went local media state record bentley fact affair top aide could prove advertisement came bombshell audio recording allegedly taped bentleys family published alcom shortly collier fired recording governor heard sexually explicit conversation woman named rebekah professing love woman describing putting hands breasts know worry sometimes love much governor could heard saying recording worry loving much bentley could also heard saying baby let know going start locking door going day going start locking door mason resigned position immediately news recordings broke hours followed tapes release bentley twisted pretzel admit everything affair washington post reported yes bentley said sexually explicit things staffer governor admitted relationship never physical said times past said things said told reporters last march absolutely thats im saying today reporter asked governor love adviser hes rumored affair bentley said love many members staff fact members staff love others absolutely spokeswoman bentley immediately return messages week advertisement within month alabama lawmakers taken first steps try impeach bentley looking governor essentially betrayed trust people alabama state rep ed henry republican told nbc news actions lies caused us doubts leadership henry added truly loves people state step bentley continued deny sexual relationship mason maintained resign repeatedly insisted none conduct would grounds impeachment even republican lawmakers calling bentley resign pursued creating recall method governor still others asked states attorney general launch legal investigation whether bentley conducted affair using state resources last april house judiciary committee launched impeachment investigation governor put hold november request thenalabama attorney general luther strange said office process completing related work respectfully request committee cease active interviews investigation able report necessary related work office completed strange wrote according alcom february bentley appointed strange fill seat state senate vacated jeff sessions us attorney general timing appointment raised eyebrows among alabama lawmakers least one said arrangement sure smells quid pro quo current alabama attorney general steve marshall since confirmed office investigating bentley however marshall recused naming former montgomery county district attorney oversee instead alcom reported clay redden spokesman state house representatives said scheduled meeting house judiciary committee tuesday involved procedural question said could comment senate subcommittee meeting scheduled wednesday calls offices judiciary committees chair state rep mike jones republican referred back redden jones said soon state attorney generals office clears proceed anticipates investigation wrap end current legislative session late may according alcom alabama constitution house vote send bentleys impeachment charges senate trial governor would immediately step office lieutenant governor would take place throughout senate trial bentley would allowed return office acquitted senate scandal bentley known generating salacious headlines middle second fouryear term governor 2014 reelection race bentley largest percentage vote 63 percent modernday republican governor alabama also deacon sunday school teacher first baptist church tuscaloosa reputation leaned heavily church pastor released statement last march saying bentley mason longer members one thing going elected least people thought man integrity richard fording chair university alabamas political science department told post last march gone
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<p>LAUSANNE (Reuters) - North Korea will send 22 athletes to the Winter Games in the neighbouring South next month and compete in three sports and five disciplines, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Saturday.</p> International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach poses with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the NOC of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy
<p>North Korea’s planned involvement in Pyeongchang is viewed as a sign of easing tensions over its nuclear and missile programme.</p>
<p>The North and South had agreed to march under a single flag at the opening ceremony and would field a united team in the women’s ice hockey, The IOC said in a statement that confirmed earlier reports. The North will send 24 officials and 21 media representatives.</p>
<p>It said the united Korean delegation would be led into the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony under the Korean Unification Flag which would be carried by two athletes, one from each country.</p> North Korea's International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Chang Ung speaks with a journalist before a meeting at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy
<p>Separately, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea would send a delegation to the country on Sunday to prepare for a trip by an art troupe during the Games, pushing the visit back a day after earlier cancelling it.</p>
<p>The North Korean athletes will be handed quota places, a rarely-used form of wild card, to allow them to compete in ice skating, skiing and ice hockey.</p>
<p>Until Saturday, a figure skating pair were the only North Koreans to have secured a spot at the Games through the conventional qualifying competition, although they lost their place after failing to register.</p>
<p>They were therefore handed one quota place while two male North Korean competitors were given places in the short track speed skating.</p>
<p>Three North Koreans will compete in the cross-country skiing and another three in the Alpine skiing slalom and giant slalom events.</p>
<p>Twelve players would be added to the existing South Korean women’s ice hockey squad of 23. At least three North Korean players would be selected for each match.</p> International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach welcomes Jong-Hwan Do, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy
<p>“Today marks the milestone on a long journey,” said IOC president Thomas Bach in a prepared declaration. “Since 2014, the IOC has addressed the special situation of having the Olympic Winter Games on the Korean peninsula.</p>
<p>“Such an agreement would have seemed impossible only a few weeks ago,” he added. “The Olympic Winter Games are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean peninsula.”</p>
<p>The IOC said it would provide any necessary equipment for the athletes.</p>
<p>North Korea’s participation in the Olympics has been seen as a win for South Korea president Moon Jae-in, who hopes to use the event to make a diplomatic breakthrough in the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme.</p>
<p>However, the decision to field a unified ice hockey team has sparked a sharp backlash in the South, including from younger South Koreans upset that an unchastened North Korea is taking the spotlight.</p>
<p>Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by John O'Brien and John Stonestreet</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - A rematch between Kazakhstan’s world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez scheduled for May 5 has been canceled following the Mexican’s positive test for the banned substance Clenbuterol, fight promoters said on Tuesday.</p> FILE PHOTO: Middleweight boxer Canelo Alvarez of Mexico and WBC/WBA/IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan pose during a news conference at MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus/File Photo
<p>Alvarez, who blamed contaminated beef that he consumed in Mexico for the test result, withdrew from the fight after being temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission less than two weeks ago for failing the test.</p>
<p>The commission will hold a hearing on the case on April 18.</p>
<p>Clenbuterol is sometimes illicitly mixed into livestock feed to make meat leaner.</p>
<p>The boxers fought to a controversial draw in their middleweight world title bout in Las Vegas in September, with each getting the nod from one judge while the third declared it a tie, ramping up anticipation for a rematch.</p>
<p>Golovkin still intends to fight on May 5 in Las Vegas against a yet-to-be determined opponent, Tom Loeffler of GGG Promotions said.</p>
<p>Golovkin, who holds the WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO belts, is unbeaten with a 37-0-1 record, while Alvarez is 49-1-2, with his only loss coming against Floyd Mayweather in 2013.</p>
<p>Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Ken Ferris</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Seven cities, or joint-bidding cities have expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.</p> The International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters is pictured on the day of an Executive Board meeting on sanctions for Russian athletes in Lausanne, Switzerland December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
<p>Canada’s Calgary, Austria’s Graz, Swedish capital Stockholm, Sion in Switzerland, Turkey’s Erzurum, Japan’s Sapporo and an Italian bid involving Cortina d’Ampezzo, Milan and Turin are all in the initial process.</p>
<p>There is considerable Olympic experience in the field with Calgary having hosted the 1988 Winter Games and Sapporo having staged the 1972 edition. Cortina is also a former host, having organized the 1956 Winter Olympics as is Turin in 2006.</p>
<p>Stockholm has hosted summer Games but despite repeated attempts, has failed to land the winter Olympics. It last bid briefly for 2022 but pulled out mid-race.</p>
<p>The cities will now enter a dialogue stage until October when the IOC will invite an unspecified number of them to take part in the one-year candidature phase.</p>
<p>The IOC has overhauled the bidding process for Games after a sharp slump in interest from potential hosts in recent years, cutting costs for bid cities and slashing the campaign time in half.</p>
<p>“I warmly welcome the National Olympic Committees’ and cities’ interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in a statement.</p>
<p>“The IOC has turned the page with regard to Olympic candidatures. Our goal is not just to have a record number of candidates, but ultimately it is to select the best city to stage the best Olympic Winter Games for the best athletes of the world.”</p>
<p>The IOC has also simplified the seven-year preparation for Games organizers, reducing costs, upping the IOC’s contribution and allowing host cities more flexibility in planning for the Olympics and the post-Games use of facilities.</p>
<p>It will elect the winning 2026 bid at its session in Milan in September, 2019 but some cities, including Sion, will need to hold referendums first.</p>
<p>“In a city where we have a referendum we welcome the public consultation,” Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi told reporters. “A project of this size has an impact, hopefully a positive one, on the life of cities for a long time.”</p>
<p>The IOC said there had already been interest for 2030, from the United States Olympic Committee among others.</p>
<p>The 2022 Winter Games will be held in Beijing after four other cities dropped out of the bid race for fear of soaring costs and size of the Olympics, leaving the Chinese capital and Kazakhstan’s Almaty as the only candidates.</p>
<p>More cities dropped out of the 2024 Summer Olympics race with the IOC opting to award them directly to Paris and in turn give Los Angeles, which had also bid for 2024, the 2028 Games.</p>
<p>Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>Tobias Harris had 31 points and nine rebounds, and Lou Williams scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Clippers erased a 19-point deficit to beat the visiting San Antonio Spurs 113-110 Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Austin Rivers added 18 points, Montrezl Harris 16 and DeAndre Jordan totaled 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the fourth time in six games to keep their playoff push alive.</p>
<p>“We’ve been a resilient group,” Williams told TNT after the game. “We know our backs (are) against the wall, we know we’ve got to win out to give ourselves an opportunity.”</p>
<p>Los Angeles moved within 1 1/2 games of the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. San Antonio dropped into a tie for fourth with Utah after the loss, though the Jazz hold the tiebreaker. Both the Spurs and the Jazz have four games remaining.</p>
<p>LaMarcus Aldridge had a game-high 35 points and nine rebounds, and Patty Mills put up 17 points for the Spurs. San Antonio had won two straight, including a victory over Western Conference-leading Houston on Sunday.</p>
<p>Kawhi Leonard missed his 34th straight game for San Antonio due to a nagging quad injury. Danilo Gallinari, who sat 18 games from Feb. 23 to March 28 with a right hand fracture, was sidelined for Los Angeles because of hand soreness.</p>
<p>Williams’ pull-up jumper with 50 seconds remaining to go gave the Clippers their first lead at 106-105. The advantage was short-lived as Mills knocked down a 3-pointer with 37.8 left to restore the Spurs’ lead.</p>
<p>Rivers’ trey with 29 seconds remaining put Los Angeles back up by one. Mills missed a potential go-ahead jumper with nine seconds left, and a video review confirmed the ball went out of bounds off of Aldridge.</p>
<p>Williams was fouled with 4.6 ticks left and sank both free throws to make it 111-108. After a San Antonio timeout, Mills was fouled after catching the inbound pass with 3.9 seconds on the clock, and he hit both foul shots.</p>
<p>Harris was fouled one second later and sank both free throws. The Spurs got the ball in to Manu Ginobili for a corner 3-point attempt, but he stepped out of bounds.</p>
<p>San Antonio caps its two-game L.A. swing against the Lakers on Wednesday night. The Clippers visit Utah on Thursday.</p>
<p>—Field Level Media</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>Jamie Benn scored a hat trick, including the game-winner with 3:06 to play and an empty netter with 24 seconds left, as the Dallas Stars came from behind in the final six minutes to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Tuesday at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.</p>
<p>Benn picked the pocket of Tomas Hertl in the San Jose zone and skated into the slot before going to his backhand to beat San Jose goaltender Martin Jones with the deciding goal.</p>
<p>The Sharks, who clinched a playoff berth when Los Angeles defeated Colorado 3-1 on Monday, hold onto second-place spot in the Pacific Division by two points over the Kings and by three over Anaheim. San Jose, which has lost four straight matches, will garner home-ice advantage for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs if it holds onto its current position.</p>
<p>Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. The Stars have missed the playoffs in eight of the last 10 seasons.</p>
<p>Logan Couture turned a pass from Brent Burns into a power-play goal on a viscous wrist shot at the 9:21 mark of the first period to hand the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Hertl also got an assist on the score.</p>
<p>Timo Meier expanded the lead to 2-0 as he chased down a loose puck and fired a shot from a tough angle past Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen with 4:44 to play in the opening period. Assists on the goal went to Burns and Joe Pavelski.</p>
<p>Dallas cut the lead in half with just 31 seconds to play in the second period on goal by Benn, who cut to the back door and redirected a pass from John Klingberg to register his 30th goal of the season. Tyler Seguin also assisted on the play.</p>
<p>Gemel Smith tied the match with 5:15 to play in regulation off an across-the-slot pass from Devin Shore.</p>
<p>Lehtonen made his eighth straight start for the Stars but was injured and replaced by Mike McKenna, who stopped all 17 shots he faced.</p>
<p>The Sharks host Colorado on Thursday before closing the season on Saturday at home against Minnesota. Dallas finishes its season with games in Anaheim on Friday and Los Angeles on Saturday.</p>
<p>—Field Level Media</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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lausanne reuters north korea send 22 athletes winter games neighbouring south next month compete three sports five disciplines international olympic committee ioc said saturday international olympic committee ioc president thomas bach poses national olympic committee noc republic korea rok noc democratic peoples republic korea dprk olympic museum lausanne switzerland january 20 2018 reuterspierre albouy north koreas planned involvement pyeongchang viewed sign easing tensions nuclear missile programme north south agreed march single flag opening ceremony would field united team womens ice hockey ioc said statement confirmed earlier reports north send 24 officials 21 media representatives said united korean delegation would led olympic stadium opening ceremony korean unification flag would carried two athletes one country north koreas international olympic committee ioc member chang ung speaks journalist meeting ioc headquarters lausanne switzerland january 20 2018 reuterspierre albouy separately south koreas unification ministry said north korea would send delegation country sunday prepare trip art troupe games pushing visit back day earlier cancelling north korean athletes handed quota places rarelyused form wild card allow compete ice skating skiing ice hockey saturday figure skating pair north koreans secured spot games conventional qualifying competition although lost place failing register therefore handed one quota place two male north korean competitors given places short track speed skating three north koreans compete crosscountry skiing another three alpine skiing slalom giant slalom events twelve players would added existing south korean womens ice hockey squad 23 least three north korean players would selected match international olympic committee ioc president thomas bach welcomes jonghwan minister culture sports tourism republic korea rok ioc headquarters lausanne switzerland january 20 2018 reuterspierre albouy today marks milestone long journey said ioc president thomas bach prepared declaration since 2014 ioc addressed special situation olympic winter games korean peninsula agreement would seemed impossible weeks ago added olympic winter games hopefully opening door brighter future korean peninsula ioc said would provide necessary equipment athletes north koreas participation olympics seen win south korea president moon jaein hopes use event make diplomatic breakthrough standoff north koreas nuclear missile programme however decision field unified ice hockey team sparked sharp backlash south including younger south koreans upset unchastened north korea taking spotlight writing brian homewood editing john obrien john stonestreet standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters rematch kazakhstans world middleweight champion gennady golovkin saul canelo alvarez scheduled may 5 canceled following mexicans positive test banned substance clenbuterol fight promoters said tuesday file photo middleweight boxer canelo alvarez mexico wbcwbaibf middleweight champion gennady golovkin kazakhstan pose news conference mgm grand hotel casino las vegas nevada us september 13 2017 reuterslas vegas sunsteve marcusfile photo alvarez blamed contaminated beef consumed mexico test result withdrew fight temporarily suspended nevada state athletic commission less two weeks ago failing test commission hold hearing case april 18 clenbuterol sometimes illicitly mixed livestock feed make meat leaner boxers fought controversial draw middleweight world title bout las vegas september getting nod one judge third declared tie ramping anticipation rematch golovkin still intends fight may 5 las vegas yettobe determined opponent tom loeffler ggg promotions said golovkin holds wba wbc ibf ibo belts unbeaten 3701 record alvarez 4912 loss coming floyd mayweather 2013 reporting rory carroll editing ken ferris standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters seven cities jointbidding cities expressed interest hosting 2026 winter olympics international olympic committee said tuesday international olympic committee ioc headquarters pictured day executive board meeting sanctions russian athletes lausanne switzerland december 5 2017 reutersdenis balibouse canadas calgary austrias graz swedish capital stockholm sion switzerland turkeys erzurum japans sapporo italian bid involving cortina dampezzo milan turin initial process considerable olympic experience field calgary hosted 1988 winter games sapporo staged 1972 edition cortina also former host organized 1956 winter olympics turin 2006 stockholm hosted summer games despite repeated attempts failed land winter olympics last bid briefly 2022 pulled midrace cities enter dialogue stage october ioc invite unspecified number take part oneyear candidature phase ioc overhauled bidding process games sharp slump interest potential hosts recent years cutting costs bid cities slashing campaign time half warmly welcome national olympic committees cities interest hosting olympic winter games said ioc president thomas bach statement ioc turned page regard olympic candidatures goal record number candidates ultimately select best city stage best olympic winter games best athletes world ioc also simplified sevenyear preparation games organizers reducing costs upping iocs contribution allowing host cities flexibility planning olympics postgames use facilities elect winning 2026 bid session milan september 2019 cities including sion need hold referendums first city referendum welcome public consultation olympic games executive director christophe dubi told reporters project size impact hopefully positive one life cities long time ioc said already interest 2030 united states olympic committee among others 2022 winter games held beijing four cities dropped bid race fear soaring costs size olympics leaving chinese capital kazakhstans almaty candidates cities dropped 2024 summer olympics race ioc opting award directly paris turn give los angeles also bid 2024 2028 games reporting karolos grohmann editing ed osmond christian radnedge standards thomson reuters trust principles tobias harris 31 points nine rebounds lou williams scored 15 22 points fourth quarter los angeles clippers erased 19point deficit beat visiting san antonio spurs 113110 tuesday night austin rivers added 18 points montrezl harris 16 deandre jordan totaled 10 points 17 rebounds clippers snapped twogame losing streak fourth time six games keep playoff push alive weve resilient group williams told tnt game know backs wall know weve got win give opportunity los angeles moved within 1 12 games new orleans pelicans eighth final playoff spot western conference san antonio dropped tie fourth utah loss though jazz hold tiebreaker spurs jazz four games remaining lamarcus aldridge gamehigh 35 points nine rebounds patty mills put 17 points spurs san antonio two straight including victory western conferenceleading houston sunday kawhi leonard missed 34th straight game san antonio due nagging quad injury danilo gallinari sat 18 games feb 23 march 28 right hand fracture sidelined los angeles hand soreness williams pullup jumper 50 seconds remaining go gave clippers first lead 106105 advantage shortlived mills knocked 3pointer 378 left restore spurs lead rivers trey 29 seconds remaining put los angeles back one mills missed potential goahead jumper nine seconds left video review confirmed ball went bounds aldridge williams fouled 46 ticks left sank free throws make 111108 san antonio timeout mills fouled catching inbound pass 39 seconds clock hit foul shots harris fouled one second later sank free throws spurs got ball manu ginobili corner 3point attempt stepped bounds san antonio caps twogame la swing lakers wednesday night clippers visit utah thursday field level media standards thomson reuters trust principles jamie benn scored hat trick including gamewinner 306 play empty netter 24 seconds left dallas stars came behind final six minutes defeat san jose sharks 42 tuesday sap center san jose calif benn picked pocket tomas hertl san jose zone skated slot going backhand beat san jose goaltender martin jones deciding goal sharks clinched playoff berth los angeles defeated colorado 31 monday hold onto secondplace spot pacific division two points kings three anaheim san jose lost four straight matches garner homeice advantage first round western conference playoffs holds onto current position dallas eliminated playoff contention sunday stars missed playoffs eight last 10 seasons logan couture turned pass brent burns powerplay goal viscous wrist shot 921 mark first period hand sharks 10 lead hertl also got assist score timo meier expanded lead 20 chased loose puck fired shot tough angle past dallas goaltender kari lehtonen 444 play opening period assists goal went burns joe pavelski dallas cut lead half 31 seconds play second period goal benn cut back door redirected pass john klingberg register 30th goal season tyler seguin also assisted play gemel smith tied match 515 play regulation acrosstheslot pass devin shore lehtonen made eighth straight start stars injured replaced mike mckenna stopped 17 shots faced sharks host colorado thursday closing season saturday home minnesota dallas finishes season games anaheim friday los angeles saturday field level media standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>NEW YORK (AP) — NBC is bringing back Katie Couric to co-host the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics next month in South Korea, and will live-stream the pomp for the first time.</p>
<p>Couric will work with Mike Tirico, who is replacing Bob Costas as prime-time host of the games, for the Feb. 9 ceremony.</p>
<p>The torch-lighting and parade of nations that begins every Olympics took on greater resonance Wednesday with the announcement that the rival Koreas will form their first unified Olympic team and march together in the ceremony.</p>
<p>“It’s going to be really emotional for the athletes, for the crowd and for everybody sitting at home,” said Jim Bell, executive producer of the Olympics for NBC.</p>
<p>The decision to live-stream the ceremony starting at 6 a.m. ET in the United States takes some critical heat off NBC. Some fans thought it odd that during the 2016 summer games in Brazil, NBC allowed every competition to be shown live online but not the opening ceremony. The live-stream will be available for free to cable subscribers.</p>
<p>The prime-time broadcast NBC will show on television will likely be edited for brevity.</p>
<p>Similarly, NBC will show its nightly Olympic prime-time broadcast that begins at 8 p.m. on the East Coast live across the country; given the time difference, there will be a lot of events taking place live during that time, daylight the next day in Korea. That means the West Coast “prime-time” broadcast will begin at 5 p.m.</p>
<p>The moves are a further recognition by NBC of the difficulty in showing tape-delayed events at a time the audience accustomed to seeing things when they want to.</p>
<p>Hoda Kotb would have been a natural pick to host the opening ceremony, but Bell said he didn’t want to burden her when she just got the new lead job at “Today.” So, instead, he called Couric, the former “Today” host who handled Olympic ceremonies in 2000, 2002, 2004 with Costas.</p>
<p>She joked at a news conference Wednesday that she and Tirico “go way back, to 45 minutes ago.”</p>
<p>NBC also said that it had hired Joshua Cooper Ramo, a co-chief executive of the Kissinger Associates consulting firm and an Asian expert, to provide analysis during the games.</p>
<p>The thaw in relations between North and South Korea — however temporary — adds an intriguing element to an Olympics that has had little advanced buzz. NBC’s most promotable American stars going in are Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White, two veteran athletes hoping for a last hurrah in Pyeongchang.</p>
<p>It means NBC is braced for a dip in its prime-time ratings, something that might be expected anyway because live television viewership in general is down from four years ago.</p>
<p>“I hope not,” said NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus. “But I just think media gravity takes us that way.”</p>
<p>Instead, NBC is intent on convincing its advertisers that even if prime-time television viewing is off, that more people will consume Olympics content on cable, online and through venues like Snapchat, he said.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — NBC is bringing back Katie Couric to co-host the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics next month in South Korea, and will live-stream the pomp for the first time.</p>
<p>Couric will work with Mike Tirico, who is replacing Bob Costas as prime-time host of the games, for the Feb. 9 ceremony.</p>
<p>The torch-lighting and parade of nations that begins every Olympics took on greater resonance Wednesday with the announcement that the rival Koreas will form their first unified Olympic team and march together in the ceremony.</p>
<p>“It’s going to be really emotional for the athletes, for the crowd and for everybody sitting at home,” said Jim Bell, executive producer of the Olympics for NBC.</p>
<p>The decision to live-stream the ceremony starting at 6 a.m. ET in the United States takes some critical heat off NBC. Some fans thought it odd that during the 2016 summer games in Brazil, NBC allowed every competition to be shown live online but not the opening ceremony. The live-stream will be available for free to cable subscribers.</p>
<p>The prime-time broadcast NBC will show on television will likely be edited for brevity.</p>
<p>Similarly, NBC will show its nightly Olympic prime-time broadcast that begins at 8 p.m. on the East Coast live across the country; given the time difference, there will be a lot of events taking place live during that time, daylight the next day in Korea. That means the West Coast “prime-time” broadcast will begin at 5 p.m.</p>
<p>The moves are a further recognition by NBC of the difficulty in showing tape-delayed events at a time the audience accustomed to seeing things when they want to.</p>
<p>Hoda Kotb would have been a natural pick to host the opening ceremony, but Bell said he didn’t want to burden her when she just got the new lead job at “Today.” So, instead, he called Couric, the former “Today” host who handled Olympic ceremonies in 2000, 2002, 2004 with Costas.</p>
<p>She joked at a news conference Wednesday that she and Tirico “go way back, to 45 minutes ago.”</p>
<p>NBC also said that it had hired Joshua Cooper Ramo, a co-chief executive of the Kissinger Associates consulting firm and an Asian expert, to provide analysis during the games.</p>
<p>The thaw in relations between North and South Korea — however temporary — adds an intriguing element to an Olympics that has had little advanced buzz. NBC’s most promotable American stars going in are Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White, two veteran athletes hoping for a last hurrah in Pyeongchang.</p>
<p>It means NBC is braced for a dip in its prime-time ratings, something that might be expected anyway because live television viewership in general is down from four years ago.</p>
<p>“I hope not,” said NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus. “But I just think media gravity takes us that way.”</p>
<p>Instead, NBC is intent on convincing its advertisers that even if prime-time television viewing is off, that more people will consume Olympics content on cable, online and through venues like Snapchat, he said.</p>
| false | 2 |
new york ap nbc bringing back katie couric cohost opening ceremony winter olympics next month south korea livestream pomp first time couric work mike tirico replacing bob costas primetime host games feb 9 ceremony torchlighting parade nations begins every olympics took greater resonance wednesday announcement rival koreas form first unified olympic team march together ceremony going really emotional athletes crowd everybody sitting home said jim bell executive producer olympics nbc decision livestream ceremony starting 6 et united states takes critical heat nbc fans thought odd 2016 summer games brazil nbc allowed every competition shown live online opening ceremony livestream available free cable subscribers primetime broadcast nbc show television likely edited brevity similarly nbc show nightly olympic primetime broadcast begins 8 pm east coast live across country given time difference lot events taking place live time daylight next day korea means west coast primetime broadcast begin 5 pm moves recognition nbc difficulty showing tapedelayed events time audience accustomed seeing things want hoda kotb would natural pick host opening ceremony bell said didnt want burden got new lead job today instead called couric former today host handled olympic ceremonies 2000 2002 2004 costas joked news conference wednesday tirico go way back 45 minutes ago nbc also said hired joshua cooper ramo cochief executive kissinger associates consulting firm asian expert provide analysis games thaw relations north south korea however temporary adds intriguing element olympics little advanced buzz nbcs promotable american stars going lindsey vonn shaun white two veteran athletes hoping last hurrah pyeongchang means nbc braced dip primetime ratings something might expected anyway live television viewership general four years ago hope said nbc sports chairman mark lazarus think media gravity takes us way instead nbc intent convincing advertisers even primetime television viewing people consume olympics content cable online venues like snapchat said new york ap nbc bringing back katie couric cohost opening ceremony winter olympics next month south korea livestream pomp first time couric work mike tirico replacing bob costas primetime host games feb 9 ceremony torchlighting parade nations begins every olympics took greater resonance wednesday announcement rival koreas form first unified olympic team march together ceremony going really emotional athletes crowd everybody sitting home said jim bell executive producer olympics nbc decision livestream ceremony starting 6 et united states takes critical heat nbc fans thought odd 2016 summer games brazil nbc allowed every competition shown live online opening ceremony livestream available free cable subscribers primetime broadcast nbc show television likely edited brevity similarly nbc show nightly olympic primetime broadcast begins 8 pm east coast live across country given time difference lot events taking place live time daylight next day korea means west coast primetime broadcast begin 5 pm moves recognition nbc difficulty showing tapedelayed events time audience accustomed seeing things want hoda kotb would natural pick host opening ceremony bell said didnt want burden got new lead job today instead called couric former today host handled olympic ceremonies 2000 2002 2004 costas joked news conference wednesday tirico go way back 45 minutes ago nbc also said hired joshua cooper ramo cochief executive kissinger associates consulting firm asian expert provide analysis games thaw relations north south korea however temporary adds intriguing element olympics little advanced buzz nbcs promotable american stars going lindsey vonn shaun white two veteran athletes hoping last hurrah pyeongchang means nbc braced dip primetime ratings something might expected anyway live television viewership general four years ago hope said nbc sports chairman mark lazarus think media gravity takes us way instead nbc intent convincing advertisers even primetime television viewing people consume olympics content cable online venues like snapchat said
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<p>In this Nov. 23 photo, members of the Barzetti family, Johnny, 6; Grace, 2; Dave and Carla, stand in their property in Newtown, Conn. In the wake of the Dec. 14, 2012, mass shooting, Dave Barzetti spoke against an ordinance to restrict target shooting. (Craig Ruttle/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>In the moment, Newtown’s children became our own.</p>
<p>Staring at photographs of their freckled faces, hair tucked into barrettes and baseball caps, a country divided by politics, geography, race, class and belief was united in mourning. And as their deaths confronted Americans with vexing questions about guns and violence, there were calls to turn that shared grief into a collective search for answers.</p>
<p>“These tragedies must end,” President Barack Obama said, two nights after the mass shooting left 20 first-graders and six educators dead. “And to end them, we must change.”</p>
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<p>Now, a year has passed. But the unity born of tragedy has given way to ambivalence and deepened division.</p>
<p>Today, half of Americans say the country needs stricter gun laws – down since spiking last December, but higher than two years ago. And the ranks of those who want easier access to guns – though far fewer than those who support gun control – are now at their highest level since Gallup began asking the question in 1990. Even when the public found some common ground, widely supporting expanded background checks for gun purchases, lawmakers could not agree.</p>
<p>In our towns, in our neighborhoods, the discord is striking.</p>
<p>In Webster, N.Y. – where two firefighters were shot and killed last Christmas Eve – an advocate of gun control is discouraged by the hostile response to his effort to get people to rethink old attitudes. In Nelson, Ga., each of two men who took opposite sides in the debate over a local law requiring everyone to own a gun says the other side won’t listen to reason. In Newtown, itself, a gun owner says the rush to bring the town together has left people like him marginalized.</p>
<p>People are digging in.</p>
<p>“I wish people could come to a table and say we all want the same thing. We want our kids to be safe. Now how are we going to do that?” says Carla Barzetti of Newtown, who backs her husband’s support of firearms ownership, yet feels personally uncomfortable around guns. “I don’t think the grown-ups are setting a very good example.”</p>
<p>This Jan. 17, 2013 photo provided by Paul Libera shows him with the sign he raised in his yard in Webster, N.Y., a few weeks after a gunman shot and killed two firefighters in the town and after the Dec. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Courtsey of Paul Libera)</p>
<p>Gun requirement</p>
<p>With 1,300 people in Nelson and so little crime that officials have debated whether it needs a full-time police officer, the north Georgia town was an unlikely flashpoint for the gun debate.</p>
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<p>Then Bill McNiff, a retired accountant and local tea party activist, suggested to councilman Duane Cronic that the town should have a law requiring everyone to own a gun. By the time council members unanimously approved, news cameras jockeyed for position in the chambers.</p>
<p>The spotlight didn’t last. After the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence sued the town in support of Lamar Kellett, the law’s most vocal critic, the council agreed in late August to revise the measure to make clear that gun ownership is a choice and that a requirement could not be enforced.</p>
<p>But the disagreements that breached the small-town quiet haven’t gone away. Instead, they’ve added to tensions on a wooded bend in Laurel Lake Drive, where McNiff and Kellett live two doors apart. Coming and going, they’re apt to pass Cronic, the councilman, who lives in the house between them. Edith Portillo, a councilwoman who also backed the ordinance, lives across the street.</p>
<p>“He’s my neighbor and he knows my feelings,” McNiff says of Kellett. “We go to city council meetings regularly and I see him there. I chat with him and we see our neighbors, there’s conversation … or as I’m prone to say, he’s an idiot, so I just put up with him.”</p>
<p>Asked about his neighbor, Kellett declines to use McNiff’s name or give credence to his argument.</p>
<p>Most people in this old marble quarrying center – itself named for a long-ago farmer and rifle maker – believe in a right to own guns, McNiff and Kellett agree. But Nelson’s gradual redevelopment as an outlying bedroom community for metro Atlanta has drawn families with different attitudes, they say. Each sees the outcome of Nelson’s debate as a mix of victory and disappointment.</p>
<p>McNiff says the ordinance declares values ignored by gun control advocates in big cities.</p>
<p>“They don’t go through and say I need a rifle, I need a gun because I have 55 acres and occasionally a coyote walks through,” he says. Critics “looked at (Nelson’s law) from their ideological point of view, which is that they’re anti-gun. They didn’t look at it from the point of view that we wanted to prevent the government” from taking away people’s guns.</p>
<p>Kellett, meanwhile, says the outcome did little to reshape a debate that leaves many people cowed into keeping quiet.</p>
<p>As in many other civic discussions, “a small percentage of the people make a lot of the noise,” he says.</p>
<p>“I talked to people who had not owned a gun in 50 years and didn’t intend to get one and I talked to people who had always had a gun forever. … That’s why I didn’t want the city of Nelson to be blown out of proportion, like we’re some sort of an armed camp.”</p>
<p>In this Nov. 26 photo, playwright Frank Higgins holds a copy of his play titled “Gunplay” at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater in Kansas City, Mo. (Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>Opposing views</p>
<p>More than 20 years ago, Frank Higgins delved into the debate over guns by trying to thread the middle.</p>
<p>After a former University of Iowa graduate student shot and killed four faculty members and a rival student in 1991 before killing himself, a local theater company hired Higgins to write a play about guns. He devised a series of vignettes populated by characters with clashing views.</p>
<p>When “Gunplay” opened in 1993, a few gun rights activists protested outside. The director invited them in to talk; they approved of some scenes and disapproved of others, he says. The company spent a year staging the play around Iowa, mostly in small towns, where audiences were largely receptive.</p>
<p>After that, though, Higgins’ play drew little interest. He recalls that a Florida director wanted to produce it and take it to local schools. A year earlier she’d done the same thing with a play about AIDS. But school board members deemed the gun play too incendiary.</p>
<p>After Newtown, though, the Kansas City, Mo., resident got a call from a friend in Boston who wanted to stage a reading. The play’s renewed relevance led to a call from The Kansas City Star, which ran a story in its arts section in late April.</p>
<p>By 9 a.m. that Saturday, Higgins’ home phone started ringing. Over the next couple of hours, he answered a dozen calls, all about the play.</p>
<p>“About half the people who read this article ripped me to pieces because the play should be fervently anti-gun … and the others were exactly the opposite,” Higgins says.</p>
<p>Some were just “30 seconds of rant and hanging up,” Higgins says. Others were longer, including one from a woman who told him her husband had been shot to death a few years earlier during a mugging.</p>
<p>Higgins’ number is listed. But none of his plays – including “Gunplay” – had ever prompted strangers to look him up. Something has changed.</p>
<p>“It seems as if part of what Newtown did is that there’s a greater sense of ‘We’re not going to back down, we’re going to speak out more.’ So what does that do? It just amps it up more.”</p>
<p>At the end of Higgins’ play, as many 10 actors take the stage, all talking over each other, until the debate is cut by a single gunshot. It was supposed to be a dramatization. Now, though, Higgins has to wonder.</p>
<p>‘Raised with guns’</p>
<p>Paul Libera went to college on the money his state-trooper dad earned in the gun-and-fishing-tackle store he ran on the side. Libera was “raised with guns under my bed and in my closet and with bird shot coming out of the food we were eating,” he says. He grew up duck hunting on Lake Ontario.</p>
<p>When Libera moved away from upstate New York, he also left behind his father’s love for guns. But the lake eventually drew Libera back. Each summer he gathered area kids for a water skiing camp at a friend’s yard on the waterfront in Webster.</p>
<p>That peace was broken early last Dec. 24 when an ex-con, William Spengler, set his own house on fire and sprayed gunfire at responding firefighters, killing Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka. The blaze destroyed seven homes, including the one where Libera’s campers met.</p>
<p>Webster grieved. But to Libera, that wasn’t enough.</p>
<p>In January, he spent $600 for an 8-foot-wide sign, lettered in red, and planted it in the frozen ground next door to the site of the ambush.</p>
<p>“How many deaths will it take ’til we know too many people have died?” the sign asked.</p>
<p>Soon after, he heard that the message had sparked a week of class discussion at the local high school.</p>
<p>“It made me feel really grateful that there was intellectual dialogue going on,” he says.</p>
<p>But when a photo of the sign was posted to a Facebook page honoring the firefighters, it drew more than 70 comments, many critical. There were those who said the sign was “repulsive,” that it politicized the firefighters’ deaths. Officials told him the sign had to be removed because he lacked a permit; he took it down in the spring.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, signs sprouted in some yards demanding repeal of the new state gun control law pushed through by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. And in October, American Tactical Imports, a firearms importer and manufacturer based in nearby Chili, announced it was moving to South Carolina, a “state that is friendly to the Second Amendment rights of the people.”</p>
<p>The pro-gun response discouraged Libera, who worried fighting to keep his sign up would distract from its message and the memory of the firefighters. And he was troubled when parents of some of the children he instructs, not knowing he was responsible for the sign, remarked that its message was so horrible they avoided driving by.</p>
<p>“I think they just want to shut it out and pretend it didn’t happen and hope it goes away,” he says.</p>
<p />
<p />
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nov 23 photo members barzetti family johnny 6 grace 2 dave carla stand property newtown conn wake dec 14 2012 mass shooting dave barzetti spoke ordinance restrict target shooting craig ruttlethe associated press moment newtowns children became staring photographs freckled faces hair tucked barrettes baseball caps country divided politics geography race class belief united mourning deaths confronted americans vexing questions guns violence calls turn shared grief collective search answers tragedies must end president barack obama said two nights mass shooting left 20 firstgraders six educators dead end must change advertisement year passed unity born tragedy given way ambivalence deepened division today half americans say country needs stricter gun laws since spiking last december higher two years ago ranks want easier access guns though far fewer support gun control highest level since gallup began asking question 1990 even public found common ground widely supporting expanded background checks gun purchases lawmakers could agree towns neighborhoods discord striking webster ny two firefighters shot killed last christmas eve advocate gun control discouraged hostile response effort get people rethink old attitudes nelson ga two men took opposite sides debate local law requiring everyone gun says side wont listen reason newtown gun owner says rush bring town together left people like marginalized people digging wish people could come table say want thing want kids safe going says carla barzetti newtown backs husbands support firearms ownership yet feels personally uncomfortable around guns dont think grownups setting good example jan 17 2013 photo provided paul libera shows sign raised yard webster ny weeks gunman shot killed two firefighters town dec 14 2012 ap photocourtsey paul libera gun requirement 1300 people nelson little crime officials debated whether needs fulltime police officer north georgia town unlikely flashpoint gun debate advertisement bill mcniff retired accountant local tea party activist suggested councilman duane cronic town law requiring everyone gun time council members unanimously approved news cameras jockeyed position chambers spotlight didnt last brady center prevent gun violence sued town support lamar kellett laws vocal critic council agreed late august revise measure make clear gun ownership choice requirement could enforced disagreements breached smalltown quiet havent gone away instead theyve added tensions wooded bend laurel lake drive mcniff kellett live two doors apart coming going theyre apt pass cronic councilman lives house edith portillo councilwoman also backed ordinance lives across street hes neighbor knows feelings mcniff says kellett go city council meetings regularly see chat see neighbors theres conversation im prone say hes idiot put asked neighbor kellett declines use mcniffs name give credence argument people old marble quarrying center named longago farmer rifle maker believe right guns mcniff kellett agree nelsons gradual redevelopment outlying bedroom community metro atlanta drawn families different attitudes say sees outcome nelsons debate mix victory disappointment mcniff says ordinance declares values ignored gun control advocates big cities dont go say need rifle need gun 55 acres occasionally coyote walks says critics looked nelsons law ideological point view theyre antigun didnt look point view wanted prevent government taking away peoples guns kellett meanwhile says outcome little reshape debate leaves many people cowed keeping quiet many civic discussions small percentage people make lot noise says talked people owned gun 50 years didnt intend get one talked people always gun forever thats didnt want city nelson blown proportion like sort armed camp nov 26 photo playwright frank higgins holds copy play titled gunplay metropolitan ensemble theater kansas city mo charlie riedelthe associated press opposing views 20 years ago frank higgins delved debate guns trying thread middle former university iowa graduate student shot killed four faculty members rival student 1991 killing local theater company hired higgins write play guns devised series vignettes populated characters clashing views gunplay opened 1993 gun rights activists protested outside director invited talk approved scenes disapproved others says company spent year staging play around iowa mostly small towns audiences largely receptive though higgins play drew little interest recalls florida director wanted produce take local schools year earlier shed done thing play aids school board members deemed gun play incendiary newtown though kansas city mo resident got call friend boston wanted stage reading plays renewed relevance led call kansas city star ran story arts section late april 9 saturday higgins home phone started ringing next couple hours answered dozen calls play half people read article ripped pieces play fervently antigun others exactly opposite higgins says 30 seconds rant hanging higgins says others longer including one woman told husband shot death years earlier mugging higgins number listed none plays including gunplay ever prompted strangers look something changed seems part newtown theres greater sense going back going speak amps end higgins play many 10 actors take stage talking debate cut single gunshot supposed dramatization though higgins wonder raised guns paul libera went college money statetrooper dad earned gunandfishingtackle store ran side libera raised guns bed closet bird shot coming food eating says grew duck hunting lake ontario libera moved away upstate new york also left behind fathers love guns lake eventually drew libera back summer gathered area kids water skiing camp friends yard waterfront webster peace broken early last dec 24 excon william spengler set house fire sprayed gunfire responding firefighters killing michael chiapperini tomasz kaczowka blaze destroyed seven homes including one liberas campers met webster grieved libera wasnt enough january spent 600 8footwide sign lettered red planted frozen ground next door site ambush many deaths take til know many people died sign asked soon heard message sparked week class discussion local high school made feel really grateful intellectual dialogue going says photo sign posted facebook page honoring firefighters drew 70 comments many critical said sign repulsive politicized firefighters deaths officials told sign removed lacked permit took spring meanwhile signs sprouted yards demanding repeal new state gun control law pushed gov andrew cuomo october american tactical imports firearms importer manufacturer based nearby chili announced moving south carolina state friendly second amendment rights people progun response discouraged libera worried fighting keep sign would distract message memory firefighters troubled parents children instructs knowing responsible sign remarked message horrible avoided driving think want shut pretend didnt happen hope goes away says
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — A triad can be a trio of people or a triplet with a single note as the root.</p>
<p>Both definitions apply to a trinity of books about three trailblazing artists whose legacy flows from Santa Clara Pueblo, tumbles down the Rio Grande to Albuquerque, then back flips north to Santa Fe. The artistic legacy of Pablita Velarde and her daughter Helen Hardin lives on through their paintings and in the life and work of their granddaughter and daughter Margarete Bagshaw.</p>
<p>The only documented, professional three-generation female painting dynasty, Velarde opened the door, Hardin was the first Native woman to move from representation to abstraction, while Bagshaw gathered all of their work to the mainstream art world.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Three books about those intertwined bloodlines will be released at Golden Dawn Gallery on Aug. 17, complete with prints illustrating the works of each artist: “Pablita Velarde: In Her Own Words,” by Shelby Tisdale; “Helen Hardin: A Straight Line Curved,” by Kate Nelson; and “Teaching My Spirit to Fly,” a memoir by Margarete Bagshaw, the owner of the gallery named after Velarde’s Tewa name. The first 100 “premiere editions” feature an original Bagshaw painting on the cover of a boxed set linen box.</p>
<p>A rebel</p>
<p>Pablita Velarde was the first Native American woman to paint as a career, persisting despite the taboos and prejudices of her own heritage, as well as a dominant culture that told women they belonged at home. Born at Santa Clara Pueblo, she would go on to claim a galaxy of awards and public acclaim. All three books deal honestly with Velarde’s dark side — the alcoholism, her black moods — as well as her triumphs.</p>
<p>Her words were transcribed from a taped interview done in the 1990s for an exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Tisdale’s book weaves in and out of Velarde’s voice, presenting her direct quotes in italics and dipping deeply into her private life.</p>
<p>Velarde’s mother died when she was 3 years old. Her father left her marooned at St. Catherine’s Indian School when she was 6. He remarried and her stepmother manipulated alcohol-fueled snubs, making her an outcast in both her biological and tribal families. Despite the rejection, she built her own home on what was once her father’s chile patch.</p>
<p>Her daughter Helen Hardin once said her mother grew up angry.</p>
<p>The book presents Velarde as a rebel and iconoclast who regularly broke boundaries. Her father torched her drawings to ignite the family fire. At Santa Clara, women were supposed to produce babies and pottery, not canvases.</p>
<p>She would go on to be the first female art student at the Santa Fe Indian School, surrounded by a cast of future luminaries like Allan Houser and Harrison Begay.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>She broke another boundary when she married a white man, Herbert Hardin, unthinkable to other pueblo members. Elder pueblo men chided her for depicting sacred ceremonies in her work, but Velarde thought they needed to be recorded to prevent them from being forgotten. Her work exalted pueblo women: She painted them husking corn, baking bread, firing pottery.</p>
<p>As a struggling artist, Velarde created murals for the old Maisel’s Indian Trading Post in Albuquerque. Then the government commissioned her to paint murals depicting pueblo life at the Bandelier National Monument Visitor’s Center.</p>
<p>But in 1956, her marriage imploded. Commissioned to create a 21-foot-long corn dance mural for a Houston cafeteria, she scattered her Albuquerque living room with the panels. Her husband worked nights as a city policeman and resented confronting the “mess” every time he came home.</p>
<p>“My grandfather came from the Anglo world,” Bagshaw said. “Women stayed home, men were the head of the household. My grandmother came from the pueblo world where women are the head of the household and make all the decisions.</p>
<p>“She thought that painting was what she was put here to do.”</p>
<p>Finally, Herbert Hardin took a job in Washington, D.C., while Velarde remained in New Mexico. The divorce wasn’t final until two days after he married his second wife, Bagshaw said with a roar. Herbert Hardin would go on to marry five times. The divorce and the presence of a stepmother added a sense of abandonment to Helen’s outrage.</p>
<p>Complex psyche</p>
<p>Helen Hardin was born in 1943; she was 13 when her father left. Both beautiful and talented, she stirred up jealousy and resentment in her newly single mother. Hardin bridled at Velarde’s controlling nature.</p>
<p>“Everyone likes to think of my mother as this beautiful, saintly woman,” Bagshaw said.”But she was a hell-raiser like all the rest of us. She was credited with having the best parties at St. Pius,” she added with a laugh.</p>
<p>Helen met Bagshaw’s biological father, Pat Terrazas, at the University of New Mexico. When Velarde came home from traveling to exhibitions and museum shows, she learned her daughter was pregnant. Later a desperate Helen bought a dime-store wedding band to appease her Catholic mother, but the couple never married.</p>
<p>“He was handsome,” Bagshaw said. “He was absolutely charming. He played football. He was a great dancer. I would have fallen for him.”</p>
<p>Hardin’s book describes the abusive Terrazas making both Hardin and Velarde’s lives miserable. He beat Hardin; she would leave him and then return only to repeat the vicious spiral of domestic violence. Later Hardin would fly to Bogota, Colombia, to escape with her father. Bagshaw wasn’t told her mother’s Albuquerque address to prevent Terrazas from coaxing it out of her.</p>
<p>Terrazas was shot in the head in front of his Albuquerque bar El Cid in 1975. No arrests were ever made; witnesses “disappeared.” Bagshaw was 11 years old. To this day, she is reluctant to reveal more information than what appeared in local newspapers.</p>
<p>In Bogota, Hardin’s artistry blossomed. The U.S. Embassy hosted her first exhibition. She sold 25 of 27 paintings in a place where no one knew her famous mother. It was enough to return home and rent an apartment.</p>
<p>At first Helen mimicked Velarde’s style in her artwork, down to the traditional dances at pueblo plazas. But her imagery cracked open when she studied anthropology at UNM. Soon her paintings would bristle with petroglyphs and Anasazi imagery composed in an abstract context.</p>
<p>If all art is self-portraiture, Hardin’s work mirrored her complex psyche with its fractured geometry and sharp edges veiled in pottery designs.</p>
<p>The Santa Fe Indian Market played a central role in the careers of all three artists. Velarde and Hardin placed first or second more than 25 times. Bagshaw remembers her stepfather lifting her mother’s paintings out of the car and watching them sell before they reached the Palace of the Governors portal. Both women would generate a year’s income in a single weekend.</p>
<p>Fight for creativity</p>
<p>In 1973, Helen married Cradoc Bagshaw, who was more like a father to Bagshaw than her biological parent.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Velarde was painting amid the cocktail culture of the 1950s, often balancing a glass of bourbon in one hand. At least one book has presented the artist in an abusive “Mommy Dearest” vein. But Bagshaw denied the characterization. The family finally staged an intervention in 1980 and Velarde largely quit drinking.</p>
<p>“In all three books my grandmother’s alcoholism is talked about,” Bagshaw said. “This woman had every right to be an alcoholic. She was going against everything that was expected of her. She was fighting to be a creative woman, fighting to be a mother. Look at everything she had to deal with.”</p>
<p>In her later years, Velarde would travel to Santa Clara like a reformed smoker and lecture her nephews and nieces on the evils of alcohol.</p>
<p>“She’d say, ‘Damn you, you need to sober up’,” Bagshaw said, laughing.</p>
<p>“It taught us a lot about relationships,” Bagshaw added. “It also taught us to be very supportive.”</p>
<p>Then one day Helen went for a checkup and came home with a diagnosis of breast cancer. The prognosis was dire. The disease raged despite aggressive treatment. The day Helen decided to end chemotherapy, she, Bagshaw and her stepfather told Velarde the devastating news together.</p>
<p>“My mother said, ‘I need you to stay sober’,” Bagshaw said. “My grandmother was 100 percent there for my mother.”</p>
<p>Helen died in 1984. She was 41.</p>
<p>Bagshaw took on the role of her grandmother’s caretaker.</p>
<p>Defiantly independent, Bagshaw worried about following in her famous family’s footsteps. Sleepless, bored and pregnant at 26 with her son Forrest, she started working in pastels to pass the long hours — anything but the paint that swirled across her forebears’ canvases. Her first work was in what she described as “primitive cubism” before she skated outside modernism with a geometric pull, incorporating the spirit of both her famous ancestors. She realized she could make a career of art when she juried into an Albuquerque show where her name was concealed. She sold out.</p>
<p>Today Bagshaw’s work fuses a vibrant color palette with precise shapes and texture illuminated by translucent layering.</p>
<p>When her grandmother died in 2006, Bagshaw fled to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Three years later, she says Velarde summoned her home to complete her own work and create a repository for the Velarde and Hardin legacies.</p>
<p>To this day, Bagshaw encounters whispery ties and lifelines connecting her to both women. She talks to them across both flesh and time — she calls the encounters “affirmations.” Objects appear. An old friend calls.</p>
<p>“They talk to me through my work,” she explained. “You just hear them saying things like, ‘This is a good thing.’ You sort of reflect back to what they may have gone through. Things happen — like the whole book project. Every time we needed money for the printer, something would sell.”</p>
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santa fe nm triad trio people triplet single note root definitions apply trinity books three trailblazing artists whose legacy flows santa clara pueblo tumbles rio grande albuquerque back flips north santa fe artistic legacy pablita velarde daughter helen hardin lives paintings life work granddaughter daughter margarete bagshaw documented professional threegeneration female painting dynasty velarde opened door hardin first native woman move representation abstraction bagshaw gathered work mainstream art world advertisement three books intertwined bloodlines released golden dawn gallery aug 17 complete prints illustrating works artist pablita velarde words shelby tisdale helen hardin straight line curved kate nelson teaching spirit fly memoir margarete bagshaw owner gallery named velardes tewa name first 100 premiere editions feature original bagshaw painting cover boxed set linen box rebel pablita velarde first native american woman paint career persisting despite taboos prejudices heritage well dominant culture told women belonged home born santa clara pueblo would go claim galaxy awards public acclaim three books deal honestly velardes dark side alcoholism black moods well triumphs words transcribed taped interview done 1990s exhibition wheelwright museum american indian tisdales book weaves velardes voice presenting direct quotes italics dipping deeply private life velardes mother died 3 years old father left marooned st catherines indian school 6 remarried stepmother manipulated alcoholfueled snubs making outcast biological tribal families despite rejection built home fathers chile patch daughter helen hardin said mother grew angry book presents velarde rebel iconoclast regularly broke boundaries father torched drawings ignite family fire santa clara women supposed produce babies pottery canvases would go first female art student santa fe indian school surrounded cast future luminaries like allan houser harrison begay advertisement broke another boundary married white man herbert hardin unthinkable pueblo members elder pueblo men chided depicting sacred ceremonies work velarde thought needed recorded prevent forgotten work exalted pueblo women painted husking corn baking bread firing pottery struggling artist velarde created murals old maisels indian trading post albuquerque government commissioned paint murals depicting pueblo life bandelier national monument visitors center 1956 marriage imploded commissioned create 21footlong corn dance mural houston cafeteria scattered albuquerque living room panels husband worked nights city policeman resented confronting mess every time came home grandfather came anglo world bagshaw said women stayed home men head household grandmother came pueblo world women head household make decisions thought painting put finally herbert hardin took job washington dc velarde remained new mexico divorce wasnt final two days married second wife bagshaw said roar herbert hardin would go marry five times divorce presence stepmother added sense abandonment helens outrage complex psyche helen hardin born 1943 13 father left beautiful talented stirred jealousy resentment newly single mother hardin bridled velardes controlling nature everyone likes think mother beautiful saintly woman bagshaw saidbut hellraiser like rest us credited best parties st pius added laugh helen met bagshaws biological father pat terrazas university new mexico velarde came home traveling exhibitions museum shows learned daughter pregnant later desperate helen bought dimestore wedding band appease catholic mother couple never married handsome bagshaw said absolutely charming played football great dancer would fallen hardins book describes abusive terrazas making hardin velardes lives miserable beat hardin would leave return repeat vicious spiral domestic violence later hardin would fly bogota colombia escape father bagshaw wasnt told mothers albuquerque address prevent terrazas coaxing terrazas shot head front albuquerque bar el cid 1975 arrests ever made witnesses disappeared bagshaw 11 years old day reluctant reveal information appeared local newspapers bogota hardins artistry blossomed us embassy hosted first exhibition sold 25 27 paintings place one knew famous mother enough return home rent apartment first helen mimicked velardes style artwork traditional dances pueblo plazas imagery cracked open studied anthropology unm soon paintings would bristle petroglyphs anasazi imagery composed abstract context art selfportraiture hardins work mirrored complex psyche fractured geometry sharp edges veiled pottery designs santa fe indian market played central role careers three artists velarde hardin placed first second 25 times bagshaw remembers stepfather lifting mothers paintings car watching sell reached palace governors portal women would generate years income single weekend fight creativity 1973 helen married cradoc bagshaw like father bagshaw biological parent meanwhile velarde painting amid cocktail culture 1950s often balancing glass bourbon one hand least one book presented artist abusive mommy dearest vein bagshaw denied characterization family finally staged intervention 1980 velarde largely quit drinking three books grandmothers alcoholism talked bagshaw said woman every right alcoholic going everything expected fighting creative woman fighting mother look everything deal later years velarde would travel santa clara like reformed smoker lecture nephews nieces evils alcohol shed say damn need sober bagshaw said laughing taught us lot relationships bagshaw added also taught us supportive one day helen went checkup came home diagnosis breast cancer prognosis dire disease raged despite aggressive treatment day helen decided end chemotherapy bagshaw stepfather told velarde devastating news together mother said need stay sober bagshaw said grandmother 100 percent mother helen died 1984 41 bagshaw took role grandmothers caretaker defiantly independent bagshaw worried following famous familys footsteps sleepless bored pregnant 26 son forrest started working pastels pass long hours anything paint swirled across forebears canvases first work described primitive cubism skated outside modernism geometric pull incorporating spirit famous ancestors realized could make career art juried albuquerque show name concealed sold today bagshaws work fuses vibrant color palette precise shapes texture illuminated translucent layering grandmother died 2006 bagshaw fled st thomas virgin islands three years later says velarde summoned home complete work create repository velarde hardin legacies day bagshaw encounters whispery ties lifelines connecting women talks across flesh time calls encounters affirmations objects appear old friend calls talk work explained hear saying things like good thing sort reflect back may gone things happen like whole book project every time needed money printer something would sell
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<p>JERUSALEM (AP) — From recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital to cutting aid to Palestinians, President Donald Trump has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the unprecedented gift of strong U.S. alignment with a nationalist Israeli government.</p>
<p>With the two leaders in sync personally and politically, Israel has become one of Trump's strongest supporters on the global stage. But this friendship also has unleashed forces that could harm Israel in the long run by damaging its traditional bipartisan support in Washington and propelling it onto a risky path toward a binational state with the Palestinians.</p>
<p>This week's decision by Trump to suspend $65 million in funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants was the latest in a series of steps by the president that have embraced Israel's positions toward the Palestinians.</p>
<p>For Netanyahu, it has been a welcome contrast to President Barack Obama, with whom he repeatedly clashed for eight years over West Bank settlement construction and Israel's tough line toward the Palestinians.</p>
<p>Trump, while promising to pursue what he called the "ultimate deal" between Israel and the Palestinians, has promised to reverse virtually everything Obama stood for.</p>
<p>His campaign platform made no mention of a Palestinian state, and his Middle East peace team, led by son-in-law Jared Kushner, is dominated by strong supporters of Israel, many of them Orthodox Jews with deep ties to the settlement movement.</p>
<p>Since taking office, Trump has distanced himself from the two-state solution embraced by the international community since Israel and the Palestinians signed the Oslo interim peace accords in the 1990s. He says he would support such a solution only if both sides agree, giving Netanyahu's government, dominated by opponents of Palestinian statehood, an effective veto.</p>
<p>Trump has voiced little opposition to Israel's continued settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians for their hoped-for state.</p>
<p>But the biggest game changer came last month when Trump, honoring a campaign promise, upended decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and promising to relocate the U.S. Embassy to the city. The Palestinians also claim east Jerusalem, home to the city's most sensitive holy sites, as their capital.</p>
<p>Trump said his decision merely recognized reality and was not meant to prejudge the final borders of the contested city. But the groundbreaking announcement was perceived far differently by the sides.</p>
<p>Netanyahu said he was "profoundly grateful" for Trump's "courageous" decision.</p>
<p>For the Palestinians, the announcement was seen as unfairly siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in a decades-old conflict. It drew angry condemnations, sparked weeks of sometimes deadly unrest, and prompted the Palestinians to declare Trump unfit as a Mideast mediator.</p>
<p>Their frustration boiled over in an angry speech this week by President Mahmoud Abbas, who mocked Trump and his peace team, declared the Oslo peace accords dead and pre-emptively rejected any peace plan that Trump's team may present. When Vice President Mike Pence visits next week, Abbas will be out of town and the Palestinians will not meet with him.</p>
<p>"How can we trust this administration?" Abbas said in a speech this week. "The unjust American position on Jerusalem has enticed the occupying power to persist in its arrogance and aggression against our people, our land and our holy sites," he said.</p>
<p>Trump has dug in his heels. In a Jan. 2 tweet, he described the Palestinians as ungrateful and threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.</p>
<p>He followed through this week by suspending a $65 million payment to the U.N. agency that aids Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The State Department said the U.S. wanted to see reforms in the organization, adding that the suspension was not a punishment.</p>
<p>Netanyahu welcomed the move, though critics in Israel, including many security experts, have said it will backfire by causing hardship and instability in the Palestinian territories. Trump's long-awaited peace proposal, meanwhile, appears to be on hold.</p>
<p>Netanyahu's nationalist partners have been emboldened by these developments. Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, has called on the government to annex the 60 percent of the West Bank incorporating the Israeli settlements. Netanyahu's own Likud Party approved a similar proposal in a nonbinding vote.</p>
<p>Ariel Kahane, the diplomatic correspondent for the pro-settler newspaper Makor Rishon, said now is the time for Israel to persuade the U.S. "to abandon the bilateral route" with the Palestinians and step up settlement construction.</p>
<p>"Israel needs to establish irreversible facts on the ground while it concomitantly tries to reach agreements with the Arab countries over the Palestinians' heads," he wrote. "To the right-wing government: This is your opportunity."</p>
<p>Indeed, Israel's right, after years of clashes with U.S. administrations over the settlements, may have an opportunity to barrel ahead with expanded construction. With over 600,000 Israelis living in the settlements spread throughout the occupied areas, it already would be difficult to carve out a Palestinian state that includes the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Stepped-up construction could stamp out that possibility for good.</p>
<p>But Israel's right wing has struggled to offer a viable long-term solution for the more than 2.5 million Palestinians living in these areas and 2 million others in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Combined with the Arab population in Israel, the number of Palestinians is near parity with Israel's Jewish population.</p>
<p>Without the establishment of a Palestinian state, the thinking goes, Israel will become a binational state that would no longer be able to remain a democracy with a decisive Jewish majority. Israel would then have to choose between giving Palestinians citizenship — threatening Israel's Jewish character — or creating an apartheid-like situation in which Jews have rights that Palestinians don't get.</p>
<p>Israeli nationalists have called for pressure-easing steps like developing the Palestinian economy, "building bridges" at the grassroots level or giving expanded autonomy to Palestinians. But this would not resolve the deeper issue of the Palestinians' final status.</p>
<p>"Those in Israel (or Washington) celebrating the demise of Abbas as a partner and any chance for a Trump peace plan should think again," Dan Shapiro, Obama's ambassador to Israel, warned in the Haaretz daily. He said it is vital for the U.S. to keep pushing for a two-state solution.</p>
<p>Israel's alliance with Trump could also have deep long-term repercussions in the U.S., where Israel has long prided itself on bipartisan support in Washington and support from American Jews.</p>
<p>Throughout Obama's term, Netanyahu signaled his preference for the Republicans. His close ties with Trump risk worsening that perception. Surveys show that most American Jews support the Democrats and tend to hold moderate to liberal political views.</p>
<p>"By allying himself with Trump, Netanyahu sets the stage for a backlash that will hurt both Israel and Jews throughout the world," said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T'ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization based in the U.S.</p>
<p>Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel's Bar Ilan University, said Netanyahu must be wary of getting "too friendly" with Trump.</p>
<p>"It's a little bit tricky, how to maintain a good relationship with Trump while at the same time not to alienate American Jewry and the Democrats. That's the bottom line."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Federman, the AP's bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories, has covered the region since 2003.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</p>
<p>JERUSALEM (AP) — From recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital to cutting aid to Palestinians, President Donald Trump has given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the unprecedented gift of strong U.S. alignment with a nationalist Israeli government.</p>
<p>With the two leaders in sync personally and politically, Israel has become one of Trump's strongest supporters on the global stage. But this friendship also has unleashed forces that could harm Israel in the long run by damaging its traditional bipartisan support in Washington and propelling it onto a risky path toward a binational state with the Palestinians.</p>
<p>This week's decision by Trump to suspend $65 million in funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants was the latest in a series of steps by the president that have embraced Israel's positions toward the Palestinians.</p>
<p>For Netanyahu, it has been a welcome contrast to President Barack Obama, with whom he repeatedly clashed for eight years over West Bank settlement construction and Israel's tough line toward the Palestinians.</p>
<p>Trump, while promising to pursue what he called the "ultimate deal" between Israel and the Palestinians, has promised to reverse virtually everything Obama stood for.</p>
<p>His campaign platform made no mention of a Palestinian state, and his Middle East peace team, led by son-in-law Jared Kushner, is dominated by strong supporters of Israel, many of them Orthodox Jews with deep ties to the settlement movement.</p>
<p>Since taking office, Trump has distanced himself from the two-state solution embraced by the international community since Israel and the Palestinians signed the Oslo interim peace accords in the 1990s. He says he would support such a solution only if both sides agree, giving Netanyahu's government, dominated by opponents of Palestinian statehood, an effective veto.</p>
<p>Trump has voiced little opposition to Israel's continued settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians for their hoped-for state.</p>
<p>But the biggest game changer came last month when Trump, honoring a campaign promise, upended decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and promising to relocate the U.S. Embassy to the city. The Palestinians also claim east Jerusalem, home to the city's most sensitive holy sites, as their capital.</p>
<p>Trump said his decision merely recognized reality and was not meant to prejudge the final borders of the contested city. But the groundbreaking announcement was perceived far differently by the sides.</p>
<p>Netanyahu said he was "profoundly grateful" for Trump's "courageous" decision.</p>
<p>For the Palestinians, the announcement was seen as unfairly siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in a decades-old conflict. It drew angry condemnations, sparked weeks of sometimes deadly unrest, and prompted the Palestinians to declare Trump unfit as a Mideast mediator.</p>
<p>Their frustration boiled over in an angry speech this week by President Mahmoud Abbas, who mocked Trump and his peace team, declared the Oslo peace accords dead and pre-emptively rejected any peace plan that Trump's team may present. When Vice President Mike Pence visits next week, Abbas will be out of town and the Palestinians will not meet with him.</p>
<p>"How can we trust this administration?" Abbas said in a speech this week. "The unjust American position on Jerusalem has enticed the occupying power to persist in its arrogance and aggression against our people, our land and our holy sites," he said.</p>
<p>Trump has dug in his heels. In a Jan. 2 tweet, he described the Palestinians as ungrateful and threatened to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.</p>
<p>He followed through this week by suspending a $65 million payment to the U.N. agency that aids Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The State Department said the U.S. wanted to see reforms in the organization, adding that the suspension was not a punishment.</p>
<p>Netanyahu welcomed the move, though critics in Israel, including many security experts, have said it will backfire by causing hardship and instability in the Palestinian territories. Trump's long-awaited peace proposal, meanwhile, appears to be on hold.</p>
<p>Netanyahu's nationalist partners have been emboldened by these developments. Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, has called on the government to annex the 60 percent of the West Bank incorporating the Israeli settlements. Netanyahu's own Likud Party approved a similar proposal in a nonbinding vote.</p>
<p>Ariel Kahane, the diplomatic correspondent for the pro-settler newspaper Makor Rishon, said now is the time for Israel to persuade the U.S. "to abandon the bilateral route" with the Palestinians and step up settlement construction.</p>
<p>"Israel needs to establish irreversible facts on the ground while it concomitantly tries to reach agreements with the Arab countries over the Palestinians' heads," he wrote. "To the right-wing government: This is your opportunity."</p>
<p>Indeed, Israel's right, after years of clashes with U.S. administrations over the settlements, may have an opportunity to barrel ahead with expanded construction. With over 600,000 Israelis living in the settlements spread throughout the occupied areas, it already would be difficult to carve out a Palestinian state that includes the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Stepped-up construction could stamp out that possibility for good.</p>
<p>But Israel's right wing has struggled to offer a viable long-term solution for the more than 2.5 million Palestinians living in these areas and 2 million others in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Combined with the Arab population in Israel, the number of Palestinians is near parity with Israel's Jewish population.</p>
<p>Without the establishment of a Palestinian state, the thinking goes, Israel will become a binational state that would no longer be able to remain a democracy with a decisive Jewish majority. Israel would then have to choose between giving Palestinians citizenship — threatening Israel's Jewish character — or creating an apartheid-like situation in which Jews have rights that Palestinians don't get.</p>
<p>Israeli nationalists have called for pressure-easing steps like developing the Palestinian economy, "building bridges" at the grassroots level or giving expanded autonomy to Palestinians. But this would not resolve the deeper issue of the Palestinians' final status.</p>
<p>"Those in Israel (or Washington) celebrating the demise of Abbas as a partner and any chance for a Trump peace plan should think again," Dan Shapiro, Obama's ambassador to Israel, warned in the Haaretz daily. He said it is vital for the U.S. to keep pushing for a two-state solution.</p>
<p>Israel's alliance with Trump could also have deep long-term repercussions in the U.S., where Israel has long prided itself on bipartisan support in Washington and support from American Jews.</p>
<p>Throughout Obama's term, Netanyahu signaled his preference for the Republicans. His close ties with Trump risk worsening that perception. Surveys show that most American Jews support the Democrats and tend to hold moderate to liberal political views.</p>
<p>"By allying himself with Trump, Netanyahu sets the stage for a backlash that will hurt both Israel and Jews throughout the world," said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T'ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization based in the U.S.</p>
<p>Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel's Bar Ilan University, said Netanyahu must be wary of getting "too friendly" with Trump.</p>
<p>"It's a little bit tricky, how to maintain a good relationship with Trump while at the same time not to alienate American Jewry and the Democrats. That's the bottom line."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Federman, the AP's bureau chief for Israel and the Palestinian territories, has covered the region since 2003.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
jerusalem ap recognizing jerusalem israels capital cutting aid palestinians president donald trump given prime minister benjamin netanyahu unprecedented gift strong us alignment nationalist israeli government two leaders sync personally politically israel become one trumps strongest supporters global stage friendship also unleashed forces could harm israel long run damaging traditional bipartisan support washington propelling onto risky path toward binational state palestinians weeks decision trump suspend 65 million funding un agency palestinian refugees descendants latest series steps president embraced israels positions toward palestinians netanyahu welcome contrast president barack obama repeatedly clashed eight years west bank settlement construction israels tough line toward palestinians trump promising pursue called ultimate deal israel palestinians promised reverse virtually everything obama stood campaign platform made mention palestinian state middle east peace team led soninlaw jared kushner dominated strong supporters israel many orthodox jews deep ties settlement movement since taking office trump distanced twostate solution embraced international community since israel palestinians signed oslo interim peace accords 1990s says would support solution sides agree giving netanyahus government dominated opponents palestinian statehood effective veto trump voiced little opposition israels continued settlement construction west bank east jerusalem lands captured 1967 mideast war claimed palestinians hopedfor state biggest game changer came last month trump honoring campaign promise upended decades us policy recognizing jerusalem israels capital promising relocate us embassy city palestinians also claim east jerusalem home citys sensitive holy sites capital trump said decision merely recognized reality meant prejudge final borders contested city groundbreaking announcement perceived far differently sides netanyahu said profoundly grateful trumps courageous decision palestinians announcement seen unfairly siding israel sensitive issue decadesold conflict drew angry condemnations sparked weeks sometimes deadly unrest prompted palestinians declare trump unfit mideast mediator frustration boiled angry speech week president mahmoud abbas mocked trump peace team declared oslo peace accords dead preemptively rejected peace plan trumps team may present vice president mike pence visits next week abbas town palestinians meet trust administration abbas said speech week unjust american position jerusalem enticed occupying power persist arrogance aggression people land holy sites said trump dug heels jan 2 tweet described palestinians ungrateful threatened cut hundreds millions dollars us aid followed week suspending 65 million payment un agency aids palestinian refugees descendants state department said us wanted see reforms organization adding suspension punishment netanyahu welcomed move though critics israel including many security experts said backfire causing hardship instability palestinian territories trumps longawaited peace proposal meanwhile appears hold netanyahus nationalist partners emboldened developments naftali bennett leader jewish home party called government annex 60 percent west bank incorporating israeli settlements netanyahus likud party approved similar proposal nonbinding vote ariel kahane diplomatic correspondent prosettler newspaper makor rishon said time israel persuade us abandon bilateral route palestinians step settlement construction israel needs establish irreversible facts ground concomitantly tries reach agreements arab countries palestinians heads wrote rightwing government opportunity indeed israels right years clashes us administrations settlements may opportunity barrel ahead expanded construction 600000 israelis living settlements spread throughout occupied areas already would difficult carve palestinian state includes west bank east jerusalem steppedup construction could stamp possibility good israels right wing struggled offer viable longterm solution 25 million palestinians living areas 2 million others hamascontrolled gaza combined arab population israel number palestinians near parity israels jewish population without establishment palestinian state thinking goes israel become binational state would longer able remain democracy decisive jewish majority israel would choose giving palestinians citizenship threatening israels jewish character creating apartheidlike situation jews rights palestinians dont get israeli nationalists called pressureeasing steps like developing palestinian economy building bridges grassroots level giving expanded autonomy palestinians would resolve deeper issue palestinians final status israel washington celebrating demise abbas partner chance trump peace plan think dan shapiro obamas ambassador israel warned haaretz daily said vital us keep pushing twostate solution israels alliance trump could also deep longterm repercussions us israel long prided bipartisan support washington support american jews throughout obamas term netanyahu signaled preference republicans close ties trump risk worsening perception surveys show american jews support democrats tend hold moderate liberal political views allying trump netanyahu sets stage backlash hurt israel jews throughout world said rabbi jill jacobs executive director truah rabbinic human rights organization based us eytan gilboa expert usisrael relations israels bar ilan university said netanyahu must wary getting friendly trump little bit tricky maintain good relationship trump time alienate american jewry democrats thats bottom line ___ federman aps bureau chief israel palestinian territories covered region since 2003 ___ associated press writer ian deitch jerusalem contributed report jerusalem ap recognizing jerusalem israels capital cutting aid palestinians president donald trump given prime minister benjamin netanyahu unprecedented gift strong us alignment nationalist israeli government two leaders sync personally politically israel become one trumps strongest supporters global stage friendship also unleashed forces could harm israel long run damaging traditional bipartisan support washington propelling onto risky path toward binational state palestinians weeks decision trump suspend 65 million funding un agency palestinian refugees descendants latest series steps president embraced israels positions toward palestinians netanyahu welcome contrast president barack obama repeatedly clashed eight years west bank settlement construction israels tough line toward palestinians trump promising pursue called ultimate deal israel palestinians promised reverse virtually everything obama stood campaign platform made mention palestinian state middle east peace team led soninlaw jared kushner dominated strong supporters israel many orthodox jews deep ties settlement movement since taking office trump distanced twostate solution embraced international community since israel palestinians signed oslo interim peace accords 1990s says would support solution sides agree giving netanyahus government dominated opponents palestinian statehood effective veto trump voiced little opposition israels continued settlement construction west bank east jerusalem lands captured 1967 mideast war claimed palestinians hopedfor state biggest game changer came last month trump honoring campaign promise upended decades us policy recognizing jerusalem israels capital promising relocate us embassy city palestinians also claim east jerusalem home citys sensitive holy sites capital trump said decision merely recognized reality meant prejudge final borders contested city groundbreaking announcement perceived far differently sides netanyahu said profoundly grateful trumps courageous decision palestinians announcement seen unfairly siding israel sensitive issue decadesold conflict drew angry condemnations sparked weeks sometimes deadly unrest prompted palestinians declare trump unfit mideast mediator frustration boiled angry speech week president mahmoud abbas mocked trump peace team declared oslo peace accords dead preemptively rejected peace plan trumps team may present vice president mike pence visits next week abbas town palestinians meet trust administration abbas said speech week unjust american position jerusalem enticed occupying power persist arrogance aggression people land holy sites said trump dug heels jan 2 tweet described palestinians ungrateful threatened cut hundreds millions dollars us aid followed week suspending 65 million payment un agency aids palestinian refugees descendants state department said us wanted see reforms organization adding suspension punishment netanyahu welcomed move though critics israel including many security experts said backfire causing hardship instability palestinian territories trumps longawaited peace proposal meanwhile appears hold netanyahus nationalist partners emboldened developments naftali bennett leader jewish home party called government annex 60 percent west bank incorporating israeli settlements netanyahus likud party approved similar proposal nonbinding vote ariel kahane diplomatic correspondent prosettler newspaper makor rishon said time israel persuade us abandon bilateral route palestinians step settlement construction israel needs establish irreversible facts ground concomitantly tries reach agreements arab countries palestinians heads wrote rightwing government opportunity indeed israels right years clashes us administrations settlements may opportunity barrel ahead expanded construction 600000 israelis living settlements spread throughout occupied areas already would difficult carve palestinian state includes west bank east jerusalem steppedup construction could stamp possibility good israels right wing struggled offer viable longterm solution 25 million palestinians living areas 2 million others hamascontrolled gaza combined arab population israel number palestinians near parity israels jewish population without establishment palestinian state thinking goes israel become binational state would longer able remain democracy decisive jewish majority israel would choose giving palestinians citizenship threatening israels jewish character creating apartheidlike situation jews rights palestinians dont get israeli nationalists called pressureeasing steps like developing palestinian economy building bridges grassroots level giving expanded autonomy palestinians would resolve deeper issue palestinians final status israel washington celebrating demise abbas partner chance trump peace plan think dan shapiro obamas ambassador israel warned haaretz daily said vital us keep pushing twostate solution israels alliance trump could also deep longterm repercussions us israel long prided bipartisan support washington support american jews throughout obamas term netanyahu signaled preference republicans close ties trump risk worsening perception surveys show american jews support democrats tend hold moderate liberal political views allying trump netanyahu sets stage backlash hurt israel jews throughout world said rabbi jill jacobs executive director truah rabbinic human rights organization based us eytan gilboa expert usisrael relations israels bar ilan university said netanyahu must wary getting friendly trump little bit tricky maintain good relationship trump time alienate american jewry democrats thats bottom line ___ federman aps bureau chief israel palestinian territories covered region since 2003 ___ associated press writer ian deitch jerusalem contributed report
| 1,476 |
<p>BOSTON (AP) - Boston College's plan is to rely heavily on the play of their talented guards Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman.</p>
<p>The pair will have plenty of playing time, too, because they've been on the floor for every minute in each of their last three Atlantic Coast Conference games.</p>
<p>Robinson scored 25 points with five rebounds and five assists to carry Boston College to a 77-71 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.</p>
<p>Coming into Saturday's game, Bowman was fourth in the league in minutes and Robinson seventh.</p>
<p>"We don't wear down - knock on wood," BC coach Jim Christian said, tapping the table for emphasis. "We rest. We don't really practice that long because these guys know what we're doing."</p>
<p>Steffon Mitchell scored 17 points, Bowman added 11 with 10 boards and Jordan Chatman scored 12 points for the Eagles (11-5, 2-2 ACC). Robinson also went 10 for 10 from the foul line to help BC snap a two-game losing skid.</p>
<p>"Going into the ballgame, we knew they played their starters heavy minutes," Demon Deacons coach Danny Manning said. "We thought we could wear them down and that was not the case tonight."</p>
<p>"Just rest, recover, really," Robinson said of the lofty minutes.</p>
<p>Bryant Crawford led Wake Forest (8-7, 1-2) with 24 points, and Chaundee Brown had 20 with six rebounds.</p>
<p>BC held a one-point lead before going on a 17-6 run over 7 - minutes midway in the second half. Robinson started the spurt with a one-handed baseline flip and capped it with a 3-point play after he was fouled flipping an off-balance shot with his body turned sideways in the lane and made the free throw.</p>
<p>Robinson then made both ends of a 1-and-1 and Bowman hit one from the line, pushing the Eagles ahead 63-51 with 4:30 to go. Bowman added a highlight dunk in the run.</p>
<p>The pair were too much for Wake Forest to stop.</p>
<p>"They average probably like a minute off a game," Crawford said. "That's pretty impressive."</p>
<p>Wake Forest closed it to 63-56, but Robinson's 3-pointer from the left corner - in front of his team's bench - helped seal it.</p>
<p>"Bowman and Robinson - those two guys are pretty dynamic and explosive," Manning said.</p>
<p>BC used a 12-2 spree late in the half to go up 35-30 before Wake Forest scored the final five points. Brown nailed a 3 and Donovan Mitchell tied it with a tip-in in the closing seconds.</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons struggled, at times, for offense with their second-leading scorer, Keyshawn Woods (14.8 per game), sidelined with a knee injury. With two games coming up against second-ranked Duke and one against No. 8 Virginia in their next five, they'll have to either get him back or find scoring elsewhere.</p>
<p>"Next man up," Manning said. "You've got to make shots when you're out there and we didn't do that."</p>
<p>The Demon Deacons shot only 29.4 in the second half, missing 24 of 34 shots.</p>
<p>Boston College: Coming off close losses against ranked teams in their last two ACC games, the Eagles needed a victory to not have their upset over then-No. 1 Duke in their conference opener fade completely away in their bid to build respect in the conference.</p>
<p>LOFTY NUMBERS</p>
<p>Robinson entered the day leading the ACC in scoring in conference play, averaging 27.0 points per game.</p>
<p>He scored a season-high 29 in a one-point loss at then-No. 9 Virginia on Dec. 30 and 28 in a loss against No. 25 Clemson in the Eagles' previous game.</p>
<p>CROWD PLEASER</p>
<p>Bowman drove in on a fastbreak, dribbled behind his back before capping it off with a reverse dunk that put BC up 50-45 with just under 12 minutes to play.</p>
<p>"It's awesome watching him on the fastbreak," Steffon Mitchell said. "As soon as he leaves, you know something special's going to happen."</p>
<p>MOOKIE SIGHTING</p>
<p>Red Sox star outfielder Mookie Betts watched the game from the front row across from BC's bench.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Wake Forest: Hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday before two straight road games.</p>
<p>Boston College: At No. 12 North Carolina on Tuesday before consecutive home games against Dartmouth and No. 24 Florida State.</p>
<p>BOSTON (AP) - Boston College's plan is to rely heavily on the play of their talented guards Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman.</p>
<p>The pair will have plenty of playing time, too, because they've been on the floor for every minute in each of their last three Atlantic Coast Conference games.</p>
<p>Robinson scored 25 points with five rebounds and five assists to carry Boston College to a 77-71 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.</p>
<p>Coming into Saturday's game, Bowman was fourth in the league in minutes and Robinson seventh.</p>
<p>"We don't wear down - knock on wood," BC coach Jim Christian said, tapping the table for emphasis. "We rest. We don't really practice that long because these guys know what we're doing."</p>
<p>Steffon Mitchell scored 17 points, Bowman added 11 with 10 boards and Jordan Chatman scored 12 points for the Eagles (11-5, 2-2 ACC). Robinson also went 10 for 10 from the foul line to help BC snap a two-game losing skid.</p>
<p>"Going into the ballgame, we knew they played their starters heavy minutes," Demon Deacons coach Danny Manning said. "We thought we could wear them down and that was not the case tonight."</p>
<p>"Just rest, recover, really," Robinson said of the lofty minutes.</p>
<p>Bryant Crawford led Wake Forest (8-7, 1-2) with 24 points, and Chaundee Brown had 20 with six rebounds.</p>
<p>BC held a one-point lead before going on a 17-6 run over 7 - minutes midway in the second half. Robinson started the spurt with a one-handed baseline flip and capped it with a 3-point play after he was fouled flipping an off-balance shot with his body turned sideways in the lane and made the free throw.</p>
<p>Robinson then made both ends of a 1-and-1 and Bowman hit one from the line, pushing the Eagles ahead 63-51 with 4:30 to go. Bowman added a highlight dunk in the run.</p>
<p>The pair were too much for Wake Forest to stop.</p>
<p>"They average probably like a minute off a game," Crawford said. "That's pretty impressive."</p>
<p>Wake Forest closed it to 63-56, but Robinson's 3-pointer from the left corner - in front of his team's bench - helped seal it.</p>
<p>"Bowman and Robinson - those two guys are pretty dynamic and explosive," Manning said.</p>
<p>BC used a 12-2 spree late in the half to go up 35-30 before Wake Forest scored the final five points. Brown nailed a 3 and Donovan Mitchell tied it with a tip-in in the closing seconds.</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons struggled, at times, for offense with their second-leading scorer, Keyshawn Woods (14.8 per game), sidelined with a knee injury. With two games coming up against second-ranked Duke and one against No. 8 Virginia in their next five, they'll have to either get him back or find scoring elsewhere.</p>
<p>"Next man up," Manning said. "You've got to make shots when you're out there and we didn't do that."</p>
<p>The Demon Deacons shot only 29.4 in the second half, missing 24 of 34 shots.</p>
<p>Boston College: Coming off close losses against ranked teams in their last two ACC games, the Eagles needed a victory to not have their upset over then-No. 1 Duke in their conference opener fade completely away in their bid to build respect in the conference.</p>
<p>LOFTY NUMBERS</p>
<p>Robinson entered the day leading the ACC in scoring in conference play, averaging 27.0 points per game.</p>
<p>He scored a season-high 29 in a one-point loss at then-No. 9 Virginia on Dec. 30 and 28 in a loss against No. 25 Clemson in the Eagles' previous game.</p>
<p>CROWD PLEASER</p>
<p>Bowman drove in on a fastbreak, dribbled behind his back before capping it off with a reverse dunk that put BC up 50-45 with just under 12 minutes to play.</p>
<p>"It's awesome watching him on the fastbreak," Steffon Mitchell said. "As soon as he leaves, you know something special's going to happen."</p>
<p>MOOKIE SIGHTING</p>
<p>Red Sox star outfielder Mookie Betts watched the game from the front row across from BC's bench.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Wake Forest: Hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday before two straight road games.</p>
<p>Boston College: At No. 12 North Carolina on Tuesday before consecutive home games against Dartmouth and No. 24 Florida State.</p>
| false | 2 |
boston ap boston colleges plan rely heavily play talented guards jerome robinson ky bowman pair plenty playing time theyve floor every minute last three atlantic coast conference games robinson scored 25 points five rebounds five assists carry boston college 7771 victory wake forest saturday coming saturdays game bowman fourth league minutes robinson seventh dont wear knock wood bc coach jim christian said tapping table emphasis rest dont really practice long guys know steffon mitchell scored 17 points bowman added 11 10 boards jordan chatman scored 12 points eagles 115 22 acc robinson also went 10 10 foul line help bc snap twogame losing skid going ballgame knew played starters heavy minutes demon deacons coach danny manning said thought could wear case tonight rest recover really robinson said lofty minutes bryant crawford led wake forest 87 12 24 points chaundee brown 20 six rebounds bc held onepoint lead going 176 run 7 minutes midway second half robinson started spurt onehanded baseline flip capped 3point play fouled flipping offbalance shot body turned sideways lane made free throw robinson made ends 1and1 bowman hit one line pushing eagles ahead 6351 430 go bowman added highlight dunk run pair much wake forest stop average probably like minute game crawford said thats pretty impressive wake forest closed 6356 robinsons 3pointer left corner front teams bench helped seal bowman robinson two guys pretty dynamic explosive manning said bc used 122 spree late half go 3530 wake forest scored final five points brown nailed 3 donovan mitchell tied tipin closing seconds big picture wake forest demon deacons struggled times offense secondleading scorer keyshawn woods 148 per game sidelined knee injury two games coming secondranked duke one 8 virginia next five theyll either get back find scoring elsewhere next man manning said youve got make shots youre didnt demon deacons shot 294 second half missing 24 34 shots boston college coming close losses ranked teams last two acc games eagles needed victory upset thenno 1 duke conference opener fade completely away bid build respect conference lofty numbers robinson entered day leading acc scoring conference play averaging 270 points per game scored seasonhigh 29 onepoint loss thenno 9 virginia dec 30 28 loss 25 clemson eagles previous game crowd pleaser bowman drove fastbreak dribbled behind back capping reverse dunk put bc 5045 12 minutes play awesome watching fastbreak steffon mitchell said soon leaves know something specials going happen mookie sighting red sox star outfielder mookie betts watched game front row across bcs bench next wake forest hosts virginia tech wednesday two straight road games boston college 12 north carolina tuesday consecutive home games dartmouth 24 florida state boston ap boston colleges plan rely heavily play talented guards jerome robinson ky bowman pair plenty playing time theyve floor every minute last three atlantic coast conference games robinson scored 25 points five rebounds five assists carry boston college 7771 victory wake forest saturday coming saturdays game bowman fourth league minutes robinson seventh dont wear knock wood bc coach jim christian said tapping table emphasis rest dont really practice long guys know steffon mitchell scored 17 points bowman added 11 10 boards jordan chatman scored 12 points eagles 115 22 acc robinson also went 10 10 foul line help bc snap twogame losing skid going ballgame knew played starters heavy minutes demon deacons coach danny manning said thought could wear case tonight rest recover really robinson said lofty minutes bryant crawford led wake forest 87 12 24 points chaundee brown 20 six rebounds bc held onepoint lead going 176 run 7 minutes midway second half robinson started spurt onehanded baseline flip capped 3point play fouled flipping offbalance shot body turned sideways lane made free throw robinson made ends 1and1 bowman hit one line pushing eagles ahead 6351 430 go bowman added highlight dunk run pair much wake forest stop average probably like minute game crawford said thats pretty impressive wake forest closed 6356 robinsons 3pointer left corner front teams bench helped seal bowman robinson two guys pretty dynamic explosive manning said bc used 122 spree late half go 3530 wake forest scored final five points brown nailed 3 donovan mitchell tied tipin closing seconds big picture wake forest demon deacons struggled times offense secondleading scorer keyshawn woods 148 per game sidelined knee injury two games coming secondranked duke one 8 virginia next five theyll either get back find scoring elsewhere next man manning said youve got make shots youre didnt demon deacons shot 294 second half missing 24 34 shots boston college coming close losses ranked teams last two acc games eagles needed victory upset thenno 1 duke conference opener fade completely away bid build respect conference lofty numbers robinson entered day leading acc scoring conference play averaging 270 points per game scored seasonhigh 29 onepoint loss thenno 9 virginia dec 30 28 loss 25 clemson eagles previous game crowd pleaser bowman drove fastbreak dribbled behind back capping reverse dunk put bc 5045 12 minutes play awesome watching fastbreak steffon mitchell said soon leaves know something specials going happen mookie sighting red sox star outfielder mookie betts watched game front row across bcs bench next wake forest hosts virginia tech wednesday two straight road games boston college 12 north carolina tuesday consecutive home games dartmouth 24 florida state
| 876 |
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Villanova Wildcats keep looking for a better shot, not content with simply a good look at the basket.</p>
<p>As a result, they're putting on quite the clinic in the NCAA Tournament with their latest performance putting them into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009.</p>
<p>Ryan Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins each scored 21 points and No. 2 seed Villanova never trailed in routing third-seeded Miami 92-69 Thursday night in the South Region semifinal of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats turned in their best shooting performance yet in this tournament, shooting 62.7 percent.</p>
<p>"If any team is shooting the way we're shooting right now, they'll easily be the most dangerous team in the country," Villanova senior forward Daniel Ochefu said. "But hopefully, we'll keep shooting like that, so we can keep playing the way we are."</p>
<p>The Wildcats (32-5) earned their third trip to the regional final with coach Jay Wright and seventh overall, coming through with former coach Rollie Massimino, who led Villanova to the 1985 national championship, sitting nearby.</p>
<p>Villanova will play top-seeded Kansas on Saturday in the regional final. It's redemption after losses on the opening weekend each of the past two NCAA Tournaments.</p>
<p>"These last couple years and a couple early exits wasn't the best thing for our program, but I think we just remain humble and try to get back," Arcidiacono said. "It's just a great feeling."</p>
<p>Ochefu added 17 points, and Josh Hart had 14 for Villanova, which shot 62.7 percent (32 of 51).</p>
<p>Miami (27-8) now is 0-3 in this round and 0-2 with coach Jim Larranaga.</p>
<p>"They're just an incredible offensive team," Larranaga said of Villanova. "We had no way to stop them."</p>
<p>Sheldon McClellan scored 26 points for Miami, tying a career-high making five 3s. Angel Rodriguez added 13.</p>
<p>Miami got here by beating a pair of double-digit seeds, Buffalo and Wichita State. Villanova showed the team from the Atlantic Coast Conference why the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history earlier this season. It was the first game between the teams in the NCAA Tournament, and the first overall since March 2004, when both teams were in the Big East.</p>
<p>They turned in a dizzying first half with both teams shooting 64 percent — or better — from the floor and were even sharper beyond the arc where they combined to hit 13 of 19.</p>
<p>"Look at the numbers, it's kind of crazy to think that was good defense," Wright said. "But I'm very proud of the second-half defense. When you play great teams like Miami, that's going to happen. We just got more stops than them."</p>
<p>Villanova led 43-37 at halftime with Jenkins coming through with the highlight shot of the game, knocking down a 3 with his left foot on the edge of the logo covering midcourt that instantly drew comparisons online to shots by reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry.</p>
<p>Villanova took control from the start by scoring the first eight points. The Wildcats also forced Miami into a bunch of turnovers early and scored some easy points off those mistakes. Villanova took its biggest lead at 29-14 on a 3-pointer by Jenkins with 8:35 left.</p>
<p>"It was a bit of a surprise they came out on fire like that," McClellan said.</p>
<p>When Miami put together a 16-2 run that pulled the Canes within 31-30 on Rodriguez's layup with 4:33 to go, Jenkins simply hit another 3. Miami never got that close again, and Villanova just padded its lead over the final minutes with each dunk or 3 giving Wildcats' fans yet another reason to cheer.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Miami: The Hurricanes gave up the most points they've allowed in the first half this season to Villanova and the second-most points for a game. They gave up 96 to North Carolina on Feb. 20. ... Larranaga now is 1-1 against Villanova in this tournament. He coached George Mason to a win in 2011 in the round of 64. ... The Canes didn't shoot badly. They were 25 of 47 (53.2 percent) overall and 10 of 17 from 3-point range.</p>
<p>Villanova: The Wildcats put on a shooting clinic all over the floor. They hit their first 15 free throws before finishing 18 of 19 at the line. They hit a season-high 66.7 percent (10 of 15) beyond the arc as well. ... The Wildcats outrebounded Miami 27-17 and had an 18-9 scoring edge off turnovers.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>JENKINS' 3</p>
<p>Ochefu said he knew Jenkins could knock down shots from well beyond the arc. But he had never seen Jenkins try such a shot in a game. "I know I was running back on defense, and I looked at Darryl (Reynolds). We both got eye contact like 'Wow!' That was Steph range,'" Ochefu said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Villanova will play top-seeded Kansas on Saturday. Kansas beat Maryland on Thursday night.</p>
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Villanova Wildcats keep looking for a better shot, not content with simply a good look at the basket.</p>
<p>As a result, they're putting on quite the clinic in the NCAA Tournament with their latest performance putting them into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009.</p>
<p>Ryan Arcidiacono and Kris Jenkins each scored 21 points and No. 2 seed Villanova never trailed in routing third-seeded Miami 92-69 Thursday night in the South Region semifinal of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats turned in their best shooting performance yet in this tournament, shooting 62.7 percent.</p>
<p>"If any team is shooting the way we're shooting right now, they'll easily be the most dangerous team in the country," Villanova senior forward Daniel Ochefu said. "But hopefully, we'll keep shooting like that, so we can keep playing the way we are."</p>
<p>The Wildcats (32-5) earned their third trip to the regional final with coach Jay Wright and seventh overall, coming through with former coach Rollie Massimino, who led Villanova to the 1985 national championship, sitting nearby.</p>
<p>Villanova will play top-seeded Kansas on Saturday in the regional final. It's redemption after losses on the opening weekend each of the past two NCAA Tournaments.</p>
<p>"These last couple years and a couple early exits wasn't the best thing for our program, but I think we just remain humble and try to get back," Arcidiacono said. "It's just a great feeling."</p>
<p>Ochefu added 17 points, and Josh Hart had 14 for Villanova, which shot 62.7 percent (32 of 51).</p>
<p>Miami (27-8) now is 0-3 in this round and 0-2 with coach Jim Larranaga.</p>
<p>"They're just an incredible offensive team," Larranaga said of Villanova. "We had no way to stop them."</p>
<p>Sheldon McClellan scored 26 points for Miami, tying a career-high making five 3s. Angel Rodriguez added 13.</p>
<p>Miami got here by beating a pair of double-digit seeds, Buffalo and Wichita State. Villanova showed the team from the Atlantic Coast Conference why the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history earlier this season. It was the first game between the teams in the NCAA Tournament, and the first overall since March 2004, when both teams were in the Big East.</p>
<p>They turned in a dizzying first half with both teams shooting 64 percent — or better — from the floor and were even sharper beyond the arc where they combined to hit 13 of 19.</p>
<p>"Look at the numbers, it's kind of crazy to think that was good defense," Wright said. "But I'm very proud of the second-half defense. When you play great teams like Miami, that's going to happen. We just got more stops than them."</p>
<p>Villanova led 43-37 at halftime with Jenkins coming through with the highlight shot of the game, knocking down a 3 with his left foot on the edge of the logo covering midcourt that instantly drew comparisons online to shots by reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry.</p>
<p>Villanova took control from the start by scoring the first eight points. The Wildcats also forced Miami into a bunch of turnovers early and scored some easy points off those mistakes. Villanova took its biggest lead at 29-14 on a 3-pointer by Jenkins with 8:35 left.</p>
<p>"It was a bit of a surprise they came out on fire like that," McClellan said.</p>
<p>When Miami put together a 16-2 run that pulled the Canes within 31-30 on Rodriguez's layup with 4:33 to go, Jenkins simply hit another 3. Miami never got that close again, and Villanova just padded its lead over the final minutes with each dunk or 3 giving Wildcats' fans yet another reason to cheer.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Miami: The Hurricanes gave up the most points they've allowed in the first half this season to Villanova and the second-most points for a game. They gave up 96 to North Carolina on Feb. 20. ... Larranaga now is 1-1 against Villanova in this tournament. He coached George Mason to a win in 2011 in the round of 64. ... The Canes didn't shoot badly. They were 25 of 47 (53.2 percent) overall and 10 of 17 from 3-point range.</p>
<p>Villanova: The Wildcats put on a shooting clinic all over the floor. They hit their first 15 free throws before finishing 18 of 19 at the line. They hit a season-high 66.7 percent (10 of 15) beyond the arc as well. ... The Wildcats outrebounded Miami 27-17 and had an 18-9 scoring edge off turnovers.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>JENKINS' 3</p>
<p>Ochefu said he knew Jenkins could knock down shots from well beyond the arc. But he had never seen Jenkins try such a shot in a game. "I know I was running back on defense, and I looked at Darryl (Reynolds). We both got eye contact like 'Wow!' That was Steph range,'" Ochefu said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Villanova will play top-seeded Kansas on Saturday. Kansas beat Maryland on Thursday night.</p>
| false | 2 |
louisville ky ap villanova wildcats keep looking better shot content simply good look basket result theyre putting quite clinic ncaa tournament latest performance putting elite eight first time since 2009 ryan arcidiacono kris jenkins scored 21 points 2 seed villanova never trailed routing thirdseeded miami 9269 thursday night south region semifinal ncaa tournament wildcats turned best shooting performance yet tournament shooting 627 percent team shooting way shooting right theyll easily dangerous team country villanova senior forward daniel ochefu said hopefully well keep shooting like keep playing way wildcats 325 earned third trip regional final coach jay wright seventh overall coming former coach rollie massimino led villanova 1985 national championship sitting nearby villanova play topseeded kansas saturday regional final redemption losses opening weekend past two ncaa tournaments last couple years couple early exits wasnt best thing program think remain humble try get back arcidiacono said great feeling ochefu added 17 points josh hart 14 villanova shot 627 percent 32 51 miami 278 03 round 02 coach jim larranaga theyre incredible offensive team larranaga said villanova way stop sheldon mcclellan scored 26 points miami tying careerhigh making five 3s angel rodriguez added 13 miami got beating pair doubledigit seeds buffalo wichita state villanova showed team atlantic coast conference wildcats ranked 1 nation first time program history earlier season first game teams ncaa tournament first overall since march 2004 teams big east turned dizzying first half teams shooting 64 percent better floor even sharper beyond arc combined hit 13 19 look numbers kind crazy think good defense wright said im proud secondhalf defense play great teams like miami thats going happen got stops villanova led 4337 halftime jenkins coming highlight shot game knocking 3 left foot edge logo covering midcourt instantly drew comparisons online shots reigning nba mvp stephen curry villanova took control start scoring first eight points wildcats also forced miami bunch turnovers early scored easy points mistakes villanova took biggest lead 2914 3pointer jenkins 835 left bit surprise came fire like mcclellan said miami put together 162 run pulled canes within 3130 rodriguezs layup 433 go jenkins simply hit another 3 miami never got close villanova padded lead final minutes dunk 3 giving wildcats fans yet another reason cheer ___ tipins miami hurricanes gave points theyve allowed first half season villanova secondmost points game gave 96 north carolina feb 20 larranaga 11 villanova tournament coached george mason win 2011 round 64 canes didnt shoot badly 25 47 532 percent overall 10 17 3point range villanova wildcats put shooting clinic floor hit first 15 free throws finishing 18 19 line hit seasonhigh 667 percent 10 15 beyond arc well wildcats outrebounded miami 2717 189 scoring edge turnovers ___ jenkins 3 ochefu said knew jenkins could knock shots well beyond arc never seen jenkins try shot game know running back defense looked darryl reynolds got eye contact like wow steph range ochefu said ___ next villanova play topseeded kansas saturday kansas beat maryland thursday night louisville ky ap villanova wildcats keep looking better shot content simply good look basket result theyre putting quite clinic ncaa tournament latest performance putting elite eight first time since 2009 ryan arcidiacono kris jenkins scored 21 points 2 seed villanova never trailed routing thirdseeded miami 9269 thursday night south region semifinal ncaa tournament wildcats turned best shooting performance yet tournament shooting 627 percent team shooting way shooting right theyll easily dangerous team country villanova senior forward daniel ochefu said hopefully well keep shooting like keep playing way wildcats 325 earned third trip regional final coach jay wright seventh overall coming former coach rollie massimino led villanova 1985 national championship sitting nearby villanova play topseeded kansas saturday regional final redemption losses opening weekend past two ncaa tournaments last couple years couple early exits wasnt best thing program think remain humble try get back arcidiacono said great feeling ochefu added 17 points josh hart 14 villanova shot 627 percent 32 51 miami 278 03 round 02 coach jim larranaga theyre incredible offensive team larranaga said villanova way stop sheldon mcclellan scored 26 points miami tying careerhigh making five 3s angel rodriguez added 13 miami got beating pair doubledigit seeds buffalo wichita state villanova showed team atlantic coast conference wildcats ranked 1 nation first time program history earlier season first game teams ncaa tournament first overall since march 2004 teams big east turned dizzying first half teams shooting 64 percent better floor even sharper beyond arc combined hit 13 19 look numbers kind crazy think good defense wright said im proud secondhalf defense play great teams like miami thats going happen got stops villanova led 4337 halftime jenkins coming highlight shot game knocking 3 left foot edge logo covering midcourt instantly drew comparisons online shots reigning nba mvp stephen curry villanova took control start scoring first eight points wildcats also forced miami bunch turnovers early scored easy points mistakes villanova took biggest lead 2914 3pointer jenkins 835 left bit surprise came fire like mcclellan said miami put together 162 run pulled canes within 3130 rodriguezs layup 433 go jenkins simply hit another 3 miami never got close villanova padded lead final minutes dunk 3 giving wildcats fans yet another reason cheer ___ tipins miami hurricanes gave points theyve allowed first half season villanova secondmost points game gave 96 north carolina feb 20 larranaga 11 villanova tournament coached george mason win 2011 round 64 canes didnt shoot badly 25 47 532 percent overall 10 17 3point range villanova wildcats put shooting clinic floor hit first 15 free throws finishing 18 19 line hit seasonhigh 667 percent 10 15 beyond arc well wildcats outrebounded miami 2717 189 scoring edge turnovers ___ jenkins 3 ochefu said knew jenkins could knock shots well beyond arc never seen jenkins try shot game know running back defense looked darryl reynolds got eye contact like wow steph range ochefu said ___ next villanova play topseeded kansas saturday kansas beat maryland thursday night
| 984 |
<p>LAS VEGAS (AP) — Holly Holm gave Cris “Cyborg” Justino the longest fight of her career. She just didn’t have enough to knock off yet another MMA star.</p>
<p>Justino used power strikes and kicks to beat Holm by unanimous decision and defend her featherweight belt at UFC 219 on Saturday night.</p>
<p>Judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, extending Justino’s unbeaten streak to 19 with a victory over a former bantamweight champion with a knack for big upsets. It was the first time that Justino was taken five rounds in her career.</p>
<p>This was Justino’s first defense of the featherweight belt since earning it by beating Tonya Evinger at UFC 214.</p>
<p>“I’m ready for anyone they put in front of me,” Justino said.</p>
<p>The fighters exchanged early punches, standing toe-to-toe for much of the first round. Justino (19-1) was able to land some bigger strikes, including a solid right hook that was the best punch of the opening round. The second round went similarly before Justino pressed forward in the third with a solid right cross and a number of kicks. She finished the third with a flurry of punches and continued to hold a slight edge the rest of the way in a tight bout.</p>
<p>Holm’s face was beat up by the end, although neither fighter appeared seriously injured. Holm (11-4) was trying for another marquee victory in a career highlighted by her upset of Ronda Rousey in 2015.</p>
<p>Earlier in the night, Khabib Nurmagomedov remained undefeated and staked a claim for a lightweight title shot with a dominant unanimous decision over Edson Barboza.</p>
<p>The second-ranked Nurmagomedov received winning scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-24 from the judges. Nurmagomedov improved to 25-0 overall and 9-0 in the UFC. Barboza fell to 19-5.</p>
<p>“Wow, 25-0, I feel great,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s one of the best strikers in the UFC, it was a tough 15 minutes.”</p>
<p>Current lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s fight status is unknown and interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson is the only other man standing in Khabib’s way of a title shot.</p>
<p>Nurmagomedov applied pressure from the opening seconds of the fight and secured a takedown early. From there he was able to advance position while landing heavy shots, keeping the fourth-ranked Barboza on the mat for the remainder of the round.</p>
<p>Khabib forced the action to start the second round, continuing to pummel Barboza as he stalked him across the octagon. Nurmagomedov secured another takedown late in the round and again neutralized Barboza while inflicting a great deal of damage until the end of the round.</p>
<p>Khabib had Barboza pressed against the fence for the first half of the final round and secured yet another takedown, completely limiting Barboza’s ability to attack while cruising through the end of the round.</p>
<p>Also, former strawweight champion Carla Esparza earned a hard fought decision victory, handing sixth-ranked Cynthia Calvillo her first professional loss, and 12th-ranked Neil Magny topped former interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit by unanimous decision.</p>
<p>LAS VEGAS (AP) — Holly Holm gave Cris “Cyborg” Justino the longest fight of her career. She just didn’t have enough to knock off yet another MMA star.</p>
<p>Justino used power strikes and kicks to beat Holm by unanimous decision and defend her featherweight belt at UFC 219 on Saturday night.</p>
<p>Judges scored it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, extending Justino’s unbeaten streak to 19 with a victory over a former bantamweight champion with a knack for big upsets. It was the first time that Justino was taken five rounds in her career.</p>
<p>This was Justino’s first defense of the featherweight belt since earning it by beating Tonya Evinger at UFC 214.</p>
<p>“I’m ready for anyone they put in front of me,” Justino said.</p>
<p>The fighters exchanged early punches, standing toe-to-toe for much of the first round. Justino (19-1) was able to land some bigger strikes, including a solid right hook that was the best punch of the opening round. The second round went similarly before Justino pressed forward in the third with a solid right cross and a number of kicks. She finished the third with a flurry of punches and continued to hold a slight edge the rest of the way in a tight bout.</p>
<p>Holm’s face was beat up by the end, although neither fighter appeared seriously injured. Holm (11-4) was trying for another marquee victory in a career highlighted by her upset of Ronda Rousey in 2015.</p>
<p>Earlier in the night, Khabib Nurmagomedov remained undefeated and staked a claim for a lightweight title shot with a dominant unanimous decision over Edson Barboza.</p>
<p>The second-ranked Nurmagomedov received winning scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-24 from the judges. Nurmagomedov improved to 25-0 overall and 9-0 in the UFC. Barboza fell to 19-5.</p>
<p>“Wow, 25-0, I feel great,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s one of the best strikers in the UFC, it was a tough 15 minutes.”</p>
<p>Current lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s fight status is unknown and interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson is the only other man standing in Khabib’s way of a title shot.</p>
<p>Nurmagomedov applied pressure from the opening seconds of the fight and secured a takedown early. From there he was able to advance position while landing heavy shots, keeping the fourth-ranked Barboza on the mat for the remainder of the round.</p>
<p>Khabib forced the action to start the second round, continuing to pummel Barboza as he stalked him across the octagon. Nurmagomedov secured another takedown late in the round and again neutralized Barboza while inflicting a great deal of damage until the end of the round.</p>
<p>Khabib had Barboza pressed against the fence for the first half of the final round and secured yet another takedown, completely limiting Barboza’s ability to attack while cruising through the end of the round.</p>
<p>Also, former strawweight champion Carla Esparza earned a hard fought decision victory, handing sixth-ranked Cynthia Calvillo her first professional loss, and 12th-ranked Neil Magny topped former interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit by unanimous decision.</p>
| false | 2 |
las vegas ap holly holm gave cris cyborg justino longest fight career didnt enough knock yet another mma star justino used power strikes kicks beat holm unanimous decision defend featherweight belt ufc 219 saturday night judges scored 4946 4847 4847 extending justinos unbeaten streak 19 victory former bantamweight champion knack big upsets first time justino taken five rounds career justinos first defense featherweight belt since earning beating tonya evinger ufc 214 im ready anyone put front justino said fighters exchanged early punches standing toetotoe much first round justino 191 able land bigger strikes including solid right hook best punch opening round second round went similarly justino pressed forward third solid right cross number kicks finished third flurry punches continued hold slight edge rest way tight bout holms face beat end although neither fighter appeared seriously injured holm 114 trying another marquee victory career highlighted upset ronda rousey 2015 earlier night khabib nurmagomedov remained undefeated staked claim lightweight title shot dominant unanimous decision edson barboza secondranked nurmagomedov received winning scores 3025 3025 3024 judges nurmagomedov improved 250 overall 90 ufc barboza fell 195 wow 250 feel great nurmagomedov said hes one best strikers ufc tough 15 minutes current lightweight champion conor mcgregors fight status unknown interim lightweight champ tony ferguson man standing khabibs way title shot nurmagomedov applied pressure opening seconds fight secured takedown early able advance position landing heavy shots keeping fourthranked barboza mat remainder round khabib forced action start second round continuing pummel barboza stalked across octagon nurmagomedov secured another takedown late round neutralized barboza inflicting great deal damage end round khabib barboza pressed fence first half final round secured yet another takedown completely limiting barbozas ability attack cruising end round also former strawweight champion carla esparza earned hard fought decision victory handing sixthranked cynthia calvillo first professional loss 12thranked neil magny topped former interim welterweight champ carlos condit unanimous decision las vegas ap holly holm gave cris cyborg justino longest fight career didnt enough knock yet another mma star justino used power strikes kicks beat holm unanimous decision defend featherweight belt ufc 219 saturday night judges scored 4946 4847 4847 extending justinos unbeaten streak 19 victory former bantamweight champion knack big upsets first time justino taken five rounds career justinos first defense featherweight belt since earning beating tonya evinger ufc 214 im ready anyone put front justino said fighters exchanged early punches standing toetotoe much first round justino 191 able land bigger strikes including solid right hook best punch opening round second round went similarly justino pressed forward third solid right cross number kicks finished third flurry punches continued hold slight edge rest way tight bout holms face beat end although neither fighter appeared seriously injured holm 114 trying another marquee victory career highlighted upset ronda rousey 2015 earlier night khabib nurmagomedov remained undefeated staked claim lightweight title shot dominant unanimous decision edson barboza secondranked nurmagomedov received winning scores 3025 3025 3024 judges nurmagomedov improved 250 overall 90 ufc barboza fell 195 wow 250 feel great nurmagomedov said hes one best strikers ufc tough 15 minutes current lightweight champion conor mcgregors fight status unknown interim lightweight champ tony ferguson man standing khabibs way title shot nurmagomedov applied pressure opening seconds fight secured takedown early able advance position landing heavy shots keeping fourthranked barboza mat remainder round khabib forced action start second round continuing pummel barboza stalked across octagon nurmagomedov secured another takedown late round neutralized barboza inflicting great deal damage end round khabib barboza pressed fence first half final round secured yet another takedown completely limiting barbozas ability attack cruising end round also former strawweight champion carla esparza earned hard fought decision victory handing sixthranked cynthia calvillo first professional loss 12thranked neil magny topped former interim welterweight champ carlos condit unanimous decision
| 624 |
<p>PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers and their staff attended sexual harassment training Wednesday after news reports about women who experienced sexism and harassment around the statehouse.</p>
<p>The training was required for legislative employees. Leaders had said all lawmakers were expected to attend, but it wasn't mandatory.</p>
<p>"There's really no ability for us to make attendance here mandatory," Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd said. "We're all elected to serve our districts, and we participate where we see fit, but I think for the most part everybody was here."</p>
<p>The afternoon ethics, professionalism and sexual harassment training from the National Conference of State Legislatures addressed topics including state and federal law and the South Dakota Legislature's joint rules. It was provided for free, Legislative Research Council Director Jason Hancock said in an email.</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Deb Peters, who helped bring the training to South Dakota, said her goal was to make sure lawmakers keep the issues of ethics, civility and sexual harassment at the forefront of their thoughts. But Peters said she hasn't seen sexual harassment at the Legislature.</p>
<p>"It's just important that we keep it on the forefront of the conversation and we ensure that everybody feels safe in the workplace," Peters said.</p>
<p>A state lawmaker who admitted to having sexual contact with two interns resigned last year. Citing poor health, a former legislator named to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles withdrew from consideration in December after a past lobbyist accused him of sexual harassment. He criticized the allegations as "false attacks" leveled for political gain.</p>
<p>In October, a former state senator came forward with her story of sexual harassment by an ex-House majority leader and a lobbyist shared her story of being raped.</p>
<p>Some lawmakers declined to go to the training. Sitting at her desk on the state House floor while it was occurring, Republican Rep. Marli Wiese said she had "issues that just precluded me from attending." GOP Rep. Lance Carson, also at his desk, said he had previously went through sexual harassment training. It wasn't clear if Republican Sen. Neal Tapio, who didn't immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press, attended the training.</p>
<p>Carson said that if someone is smart enough to get elected to the Legislature, they're "smart enough to know what's right and what's wrong."</p>
<p>Republican Rep. Elizabeth May said the training wasn't a good use of her time, but she came because she didn't want to let her leadership down.</p>
<p>"This is not a serious issue because there's not a problem," May said. "I have serious issues to deal with, and this is not one of them."</p>
<p>Senate President Pro Tempore Brock Greenfield, a Republican, disagreed.</p>
<p>"Anybody who's been around in the last year who says it wasn't worthwhile, they need to do a serious check as to what their attitude is," Greenfield said. "I take it too seriously to be dismissive and say, 'What a waste of time.'"</p>
<p>LEAD South Dakota, a nonprofit group that encourages women to enter politics, said in a statement that it hopes the training is the start of making the legislative session safer and more inclusive for women.</p>
<p>"This training is a good first step, but it can't be the last," LEAD Co-Chair Susan Kroger said. "Real change for this issue comes from dismantling the permissive culture in Pierre and electing new leaders to office."</p>
<p>Greenfield is going to appoint a legislative group to look at current anti-harassment policies, changes proposed by a Democratic lawmaker and issues proposed by others.</p>
<p>Democratic Sen. Billie Sutton had proposed changes that would require nonpartisan legislative staff to conduct investigations into harassment allegations. The proposed rules would apply to the harassment of legislators, lobbyists, interns, pages and legislative employees by people holding those positions.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that Greenfield is going to appoint the legislative anti-harassment group, not that he recently appointed it.</p>
<p>PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers and their staff attended sexual harassment training Wednesday after news reports about women who experienced sexism and harassment around the statehouse.</p>
<p>The training was required for legislative employees. Leaders had said all lawmakers were expected to attend, but it wasn't mandatory.</p>
<p>"There's really no ability for us to make attendance here mandatory," Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd said. "We're all elected to serve our districts, and we participate where we see fit, but I think for the most part everybody was here."</p>
<p>The afternoon ethics, professionalism and sexual harassment training from the National Conference of State Legislatures addressed topics including state and federal law and the South Dakota Legislature's joint rules. It was provided for free, Legislative Research Council Director Jason Hancock said in an email.</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Deb Peters, who helped bring the training to South Dakota, said her goal was to make sure lawmakers keep the issues of ethics, civility and sexual harassment at the forefront of their thoughts. But Peters said she hasn't seen sexual harassment at the Legislature.</p>
<p>"It's just important that we keep it on the forefront of the conversation and we ensure that everybody feels safe in the workplace," Peters said.</p>
<p>A state lawmaker who admitted to having sexual contact with two interns resigned last year. Citing poor health, a former legislator named to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles withdrew from consideration in December after a past lobbyist accused him of sexual harassment. He criticized the allegations as "false attacks" leveled for political gain.</p>
<p>In October, a former state senator came forward with her story of sexual harassment by an ex-House majority leader and a lobbyist shared her story of being raped.</p>
<p>Some lawmakers declined to go to the training. Sitting at her desk on the state House floor while it was occurring, Republican Rep. Marli Wiese said she had "issues that just precluded me from attending." GOP Rep. Lance Carson, also at his desk, said he had previously went through sexual harassment training. It wasn't clear if Republican Sen. Neal Tapio, who didn't immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press, attended the training.</p>
<p>Carson said that if someone is smart enough to get elected to the Legislature, they're "smart enough to know what's right and what's wrong."</p>
<p>Republican Rep. Elizabeth May said the training wasn't a good use of her time, but she came because she didn't want to let her leadership down.</p>
<p>"This is not a serious issue because there's not a problem," May said. "I have serious issues to deal with, and this is not one of them."</p>
<p>Senate President Pro Tempore Brock Greenfield, a Republican, disagreed.</p>
<p>"Anybody who's been around in the last year who says it wasn't worthwhile, they need to do a serious check as to what their attitude is," Greenfield said. "I take it too seriously to be dismissive and say, 'What a waste of time.'"</p>
<p>LEAD South Dakota, a nonprofit group that encourages women to enter politics, said in a statement that it hopes the training is the start of making the legislative session safer and more inclusive for women.</p>
<p>"This training is a good first step, but it can't be the last," LEAD Co-Chair Susan Kroger said. "Real change for this issue comes from dismantling the permissive culture in Pierre and electing new leaders to office."</p>
<p>Greenfield is going to appoint a legislative group to look at current anti-harassment policies, changes proposed by a Democratic lawmaker and issues proposed by others.</p>
<p>Democratic Sen. Billie Sutton had proposed changes that would require nonpartisan legislative staff to conduct investigations into harassment allegations. The proposed rules would apply to the harassment of legislators, lobbyists, interns, pages and legislative employees by people holding those positions.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that Greenfield is going to appoint the legislative anti-harassment group, not that he recently appointed it.</p>
| false | 2 |
pierre sd ap south dakota lawmakers staff attended sexual harassment training wednesday news reports women experienced sexism harassment around statehouse training required legislative employees leaders said lawmakers expected attend wasnt mandatory theres really ability us make attendance mandatory senate majority leader blake curd said elected serve districts participate see fit think part everybody afternoon ethics professionalism sexual harassment training national conference state legislatures addressed topics including state federal law south dakota legislatures joint rules provided free legislative research council director jason hancock said email republican sen deb peters helped bring training south dakota said goal make sure lawmakers keep issues ethics civility sexual harassment forefront thoughts peters said hasnt seen sexual harassment legislature important keep forefront conversation ensure everybody feels safe workplace peters said state lawmaker admitted sexual contact two interns resigned last year citing poor health former legislator named state board pardons paroles withdrew consideration december past lobbyist accused sexual harassment criticized allegations false attacks leveled political gain october former state senator came forward story sexual harassment exhouse majority leader lobbyist shared story raped lawmakers declined go training sitting desk state house floor occurring republican rep marli wiese said issues precluded attending gop rep lance carson also desk said previously went sexual harassment training wasnt clear republican sen neal tapio didnt immediately return telephone message associated press attended training carson said someone smart enough get elected legislature theyre smart enough know whats right whats wrong republican rep elizabeth may said training wasnt good use time came didnt want let leadership serious issue theres problem may said serious issues deal one senate president pro tempore brock greenfield republican disagreed anybody whos around last year says wasnt worthwhile need serious check attitude greenfield said take seriously dismissive say waste time lead south dakota nonprofit group encourages women enter politics said statement hopes training start making legislative session safer inclusive women training good first step cant last lead cochair susan kroger said real change issue comes dismantling permissive culture pierre electing new leaders office greenfield going appoint legislative group look current antiharassment policies changes proposed democratic lawmaker issues proposed others democratic sen billie sutton proposed changes would require nonpartisan legislative staff conduct investigations harassment allegations proposed rules would apply harassment legislators lobbyists interns pages legislative employees people holding positions ___ story corrected show greenfield going appoint legislative antiharassment group recently appointed pierre sd ap south dakota lawmakers staff attended sexual harassment training wednesday news reports women experienced sexism harassment around statehouse training required legislative employees leaders said lawmakers expected attend wasnt mandatory theres really ability us make attendance mandatory senate majority leader blake curd said elected serve districts participate see fit think part everybody afternoon ethics professionalism sexual harassment training national conference state legislatures addressed topics including state federal law south dakota legislatures joint rules provided free legislative research council director jason hancock said email republican sen deb peters helped bring training south dakota said goal make sure lawmakers keep issues ethics civility sexual harassment forefront thoughts peters said hasnt seen sexual harassment legislature important keep forefront conversation ensure everybody feels safe workplace peters said state lawmaker admitted sexual contact two interns resigned last year citing poor health former legislator named state board pardons paroles withdrew consideration december past lobbyist accused sexual harassment criticized allegations false attacks leveled political gain october former state senator came forward story sexual harassment exhouse majority leader lobbyist shared story raped lawmakers declined go training sitting desk state house floor occurring republican rep marli wiese said issues precluded attending gop rep lance carson also desk said previously went sexual harassment training wasnt clear republican sen neal tapio didnt immediately return telephone message associated press attended training carson said someone smart enough get elected legislature theyre smart enough know whats right whats wrong republican rep elizabeth may said training wasnt good use time came didnt want let leadership serious issue theres problem may said serious issues deal one senate president pro tempore brock greenfield republican disagreed anybody whos around last year says wasnt worthwhile need serious check attitude greenfield said take seriously dismissive say waste time lead south dakota nonprofit group encourages women enter politics said statement hopes training start making legislative session safer inclusive women training good first step cant last lead cochair susan kroger said real change issue comes dismantling permissive culture pierre electing new leaders office greenfield going appoint legislative group look current antiharassment policies changes proposed democratic lawmaker issues proposed others democratic sen billie sutton proposed changes would require nonpartisan legislative staff conduct investigations harassment allegations proposed rules would apply harassment legislators lobbyists interns pages legislative employees people holding positions ___ story corrected show greenfield going appoint legislative antiharassment group recently appointed
| 778 |
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era fairytale "The Shape of Water" swam away with a leading seven Golden Globes nominations on Monday and the HBO drama "Big Little Lies" came away with six nods. But nobody made landing a Globe nomination look easier than Christopher Plummer.</p>
<p>Just two weeks after shooting his scenes in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," Plummer was nominated for best supporting actor - a nod that was once considered a possibility for the actor he replaced, Kevin Spacey. An unfinished version of the film was screened last week for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes.</p>
<p>"They pulled off a miraculous feat over the last month and I'm delighted to have been a part of this unique experience," Plummer said in a statement.</p>
<p>The nomination for Plummer - which was joined by nods for Scott's directing and Michelle Williams as best actress - was just the latest, and most last-minute, twist in an awards season that has been rocked by the industry's continuing sexual harassment scandals. Even Monday's nominations, announced from Beverly Hills, California, were, as is customary, carried live on the "Today" show, which recently fired Matt Lauer after allegations of sexual misconduct.</p>
<p>As the most prominent platform yet in Hollywood's awards season to confront the post-Harvey Weinstein landscape, the Globes seemed eager to turn the page not just in its love for "All the Money in the World" but by shunning previous favorites like "House of Cards" and "Transparent." The latter remains in limbo following sexual harassment allegations against star Jeffrey Tambor, charges that he has denied.</p>
<p>Instead, the Globes lavished nominations on some tried-and-true favorites - Meryl Streep scored her 31st Globe nod - and some new faces, like the 21-year-old breakthrough of "Call Me By Your Name," Timothee Chalamet.</p>
<p>In what's has been a wide-open Oscar race so far, several films followed closely behind "The Shape of Water," including Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama "The Post," with six nominations, including best actress for Streep and best actor for Tom Hanks. Martin McDonagh's revenge drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" also got a major boost in the nominations announced Monday in Beverly Hills, California, with six nods, including best actress for Frances McDormand and supporting actor for Sam Rockwell.</p>
<p>Along with "The Shape of Water," ''Three Billboards" and "The Post," the nominees for best drama were the tender young romance "Call Me By Your Name" (which also landed a nod for Armie Hammer) and Christopher Nolan's World War II epic "Dunkirk."</p>
<p>But setting itself apart from the pack was the monster fable "The Shape of Water," which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a captive amphibious creature. No film was more widely celebrated by the press association, including nods for del Toro's directing and Alexandre Desplat's sumptuous score.</p>
<p>"We are really in need of believing in something other than the headlines and the skepticism and the cynicism that we're getting so used to reading in every arena, politically in terms of fearing the other, not being able to believe in love or hope," said del Toro. "It's beautiful to be able to do it, to believe in it by disarming that skepticism with the words 'Once upon a time.'"</p>
<p>The best picture comedy or musical category was led by a handful of Oscar favorites - Greta Gerwig's mother-daughter tale "Lady Bird," Jordan Peele's horror sensation "Get Out" - as well as several wildcards: James Franco's comedy "The Disaster Artist," about the making of "The Room"; the upcoming musical "The Greatest Showman"; and the Tonya Harding comic-drama "I, Tonya." The stars of all five, including Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya") and Franco, also landed acting nominations.</p>
<p>Despite considerable backlash, "Get Out" ended up on the comedy side of the Globes after being submitted that way by Universal Pictures. (The HFPA ultimately decides genre classification.) Peele himself slyly commented on the controversy, calling his social critique of latent racism "a documentary." The Globes passed over Peele's script, but newcomer Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for best actor in a comedy.</p>
<p>Though some predicted and feared an acting field lacking diversity, the nominees were fairly inclusive. Among the 30 film acting nominees were Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq."), Mary J. Blige ("Mudbound"), Hong Chau ("Downsizing") and Octavia Spencer ("The Shape of Water").</p>
<p>But if the Globes hoped to present a group of nominations that looked beyond the likes of Weinstein - so long a dominant force at its annual awards - they failed in one notable category. As the press association and the Academy Awards have historically done, it nominated five men for best director.</p>
<p>Many have hoped for a different story in a year where a parade of sexual harassment scandals has laid bare Hollywood's gender imbalances. But contenders like Gerwig (whose film garnered four nominations, including nods for star Saoirse Ronan, supporting actress Laurie Metcalf and Gerwig's screenplay), Patty Jenkins ("Wonder Woman") and Dee Rees ("Mudbound") were overlooked for a group of Spielberg, del Toro, Nolan, McDonagh and Scott.</p>
<p>"I'm so heartened by the group of women and what great work they've been doing and being able to talk to them and being in the conversation," Gerwig said Monday when asked about being passed over. "The feeling is: It's about making it so the next generation of female filmmakers, it's easier to get their work made and their voices heard and to be in positions of power."</p>
<p>Apart from the success of "All the Money in the World," the morning's biggest surprise was the complete omission of the romantic comedy "The Big Sick," penned by real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Another Oscar underdog, "The Florida Project," emerged with only one nomination, for Willem Dafoe's supporting performance as the manager of a low-rent motel.</p>
<p>In the television categories, the Emmy-winning "Big Little Lies" earned a host of acting nods (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Laura Dern) as well as best limited series. HBO, which recently announced a second season for "Big Little Lies," led TV networks with 12 nominations overall; Netflix followed with nine nods.</p>
<p>FX's Bette Davis and Joan Crawford chronicle "Feud: Bette and Joan" landed four nominations, including nods for Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Amazon's just-debuted "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" scored two nods, including best comedy series. Also with multiple nominations were Netflix's "Stranger Things," Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" and NBC's "This Is Us." HBO's "Game of Thrones" received a nod for best drama series, but nothing for its cast.</p>
<p>Geoffrey Rush was nominated for best performance by a lead actor in a limited series or TV movie for his Albert Einstein in Nat Geo's "Genius." Rush on Friday filed a defamation suit against the Daily Telegraph for a since-deleted report that the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint of "inappropriate behavior" by the actor.</p>
<p>The Globes haven't traditionally predicted the Oscars, but they did last January. The Globes two best-picture winners - "Moonlight" and "La La Land" - both ultimately ended up on the stage for the final award of the Oscars, with "Moonlight" emerging victorious only after the infamous envelope flub. The press association, which has worked in recent years to curtail its reputation for odd choices, is composed of about 90 freelance international journalists.</p>
<p>The last Globes broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, averaged 20 million viewers, an upswing of 8 percent, according to Nielsen. This year, Seth Meyers, will host the January 7 ceremony. He will have his hands full trying to keep a famously frothy show light amid such dark scandals for the movie industry.</p>
<p>Last year's Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement honoree, Streep, spoke forcefully against then President-elect Donald Trump, shortly before his inauguration. Trump the next day criticized the actress as "overrated." This year, Streep - along with Spielberg and Hanks - will return with a pointed and timely drama about the power of the press to counter lies emanating from the White House.</p>
<p>Streep said in a statement: "I'm thrilled for the movie, for Steven and Tom, and for the incredible ensemble of actors who made this movie need its moment in history."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press' Lindsey Bahr, Sandy Cohen and Ryan Pearson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era fairytale "The Shape of Water" swam away with a leading seven Golden Globes nominations on Monday and the HBO drama "Big Little Lies" came away with six nods. But nobody made landing a Globe nomination look easier than Christopher Plummer.</p>
<p>Just two weeks after shooting his scenes in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," Plummer was nominated for best supporting actor - a nod that was once considered a possibility for the actor he replaced, Kevin Spacey. An unfinished version of the film was screened last week for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes.</p>
<p>"They pulled off a miraculous feat over the last month and I'm delighted to have been a part of this unique experience," Plummer said in a statement.</p>
<p>The nomination for Plummer - which was joined by nods for Scott's directing and Michelle Williams as best actress - was just the latest, and most last-minute, twist in an awards season that has been rocked by the industry's continuing sexual harassment scandals. Even Monday's nominations, announced from Beverly Hills, California, were, as is customary, carried live on the "Today" show, which recently fired Matt Lauer after allegations of sexual misconduct.</p>
<p>As the most prominent platform yet in Hollywood's awards season to confront the post-Harvey Weinstein landscape, the Globes seemed eager to turn the page not just in its love for "All the Money in the World" but by shunning previous favorites like "House of Cards" and "Transparent." The latter remains in limbo following sexual harassment allegations against star Jeffrey Tambor, charges that he has denied.</p>
<p>Instead, the Globes lavished nominations on some tried-and-true favorites - Meryl Streep scored her 31st Globe nod - and some new faces, like the 21-year-old breakthrough of "Call Me By Your Name," Timothee Chalamet.</p>
<p>In what's has been a wide-open Oscar race so far, several films followed closely behind "The Shape of Water," including Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama "The Post," with six nominations, including best actress for Streep and best actor for Tom Hanks. Martin McDonagh's revenge drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" also got a major boost in the nominations announced Monday in Beverly Hills, California, with six nods, including best actress for Frances McDormand and supporting actor for Sam Rockwell.</p>
<p>Along with "The Shape of Water," ''Three Billboards" and "The Post," the nominees for best drama were the tender young romance "Call Me By Your Name" (which also landed a nod for Armie Hammer) and Christopher Nolan's World War II epic "Dunkirk."</p>
<p>But setting itself apart from the pack was the monster fable "The Shape of Water," which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a captive amphibious creature. No film was more widely celebrated by the press association, including nods for del Toro's directing and Alexandre Desplat's sumptuous score.</p>
<p>"We are really in need of believing in something other than the headlines and the skepticism and the cynicism that we're getting so used to reading in every arena, politically in terms of fearing the other, not being able to believe in love or hope," said del Toro. "It's beautiful to be able to do it, to believe in it by disarming that skepticism with the words 'Once upon a time.'"</p>
<p>The best picture comedy or musical category was led by a handful of Oscar favorites - Greta Gerwig's mother-daughter tale "Lady Bird," Jordan Peele's horror sensation "Get Out" - as well as several wildcards: James Franco's comedy "The Disaster Artist," about the making of "The Room"; the upcoming musical "The Greatest Showman"; and the Tonya Harding comic-drama "I, Tonya." The stars of all five, including Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya") and Franco, also landed acting nominations.</p>
<p>Despite considerable backlash, "Get Out" ended up on the comedy side of the Globes after being submitted that way by Universal Pictures. (The HFPA ultimately decides genre classification.) Peele himself slyly commented on the controversy, calling his social critique of latent racism "a documentary." The Globes passed over Peele's script, but newcomer Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for best actor in a comedy.</p>
<p>Though some predicted and feared an acting field lacking diversity, the nominees were fairly inclusive. Among the 30 film acting nominees were Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq."), Mary J. Blige ("Mudbound"), Hong Chau ("Downsizing") and Octavia Spencer ("The Shape of Water").</p>
<p>But if the Globes hoped to present a group of nominations that looked beyond the likes of Weinstein - so long a dominant force at its annual awards - they failed in one notable category. As the press association and the Academy Awards have historically done, it nominated five men for best director.</p>
<p>Many have hoped for a different story in a year where a parade of sexual harassment scandals has laid bare Hollywood's gender imbalances. But contenders like Gerwig (whose film garnered four nominations, including nods for star Saoirse Ronan, supporting actress Laurie Metcalf and Gerwig's screenplay), Patty Jenkins ("Wonder Woman") and Dee Rees ("Mudbound") were overlooked for a group of Spielberg, del Toro, Nolan, McDonagh and Scott.</p>
<p>"I'm so heartened by the group of women and what great work they've been doing and being able to talk to them and being in the conversation," Gerwig said Monday when asked about being passed over. "The feeling is: It's about making it so the next generation of female filmmakers, it's easier to get their work made and their voices heard and to be in positions of power."</p>
<p>Apart from the success of "All the Money in the World," the morning's biggest surprise was the complete omission of the romantic comedy "The Big Sick," penned by real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Another Oscar underdog, "The Florida Project," emerged with only one nomination, for Willem Dafoe's supporting performance as the manager of a low-rent motel.</p>
<p>In the television categories, the Emmy-winning "Big Little Lies" earned a host of acting nods (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Laura Dern) as well as best limited series. HBO, which recently announced a second season for "Big Little Lies," led TV networks with 12 nominations overall; Netflix followed with nine nods.</p>
<p>FX's Bette Davis and Joan Crawford chronicle "Feud: Bette and Joan" landed four nominations, including nods for Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Amazon's just-debuted "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" scored two nods, including best comedy series. Also with multiple nominations were Netflix's "Stranger Things," Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" and NBC's "This Is Us." HBO's "Game of Thrones" received a nod for best drama series, but nothing for its cast.</p>
<p>Geoffrey Rush was nominated for best performance by a lead actor in a limited series or TV movie for his Albert Einstein in Nat Geo's "Genius." Rush on Friday filed a defamation suit against the Daily Telegraph for a since-deleted report that the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint of "inappropriate behavior" by the actor.</p>
<p>The Globes haven't traditionally predicted the Oscars, but they did last January. The Globes two best-picture winners - "Moonlight" and "La La Land" - both ultimately ended up on the stage for the final award of the Oscars, with "Moonlight" emerging victorious only after the infamous envelope flub. The press association, which has worked in recent years to curtail its reputation for odd choices, is composed of about 90 freelance international journalists.</p>
<p>The last Globes broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, averaged 20 million viewers, an upswing of 8 percent, according to Nielsen. This year, Seth Meyers, will host the January 7 ceremony. He will have his hands full trying to keep a famously frothy show light amid such dark scandals for the movie industry.</p>
<p>Last year's Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement honoree, Streep, spoke forcefully against then President-elect Donald Trump, shortly before his inauguration. Trump the next day criticized the actress as "overrated." This year, Streep - along with Spielberg and Hanks - will return with a pointed and timely drama about the power of the press to counter lies emanating from the White House.</p>
<p>Streep said in a statement: "I'm thrilled for the movie, for Steven and Tom, and for the incredible ensemble of actors who made this movie need its moment in history."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press' Lindsey Bahr, Sandy Cohen and Ryan Pearson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.</p>
| false | 2 |
new york ap guillermo del toros cold warera fairytale shape water swam away leading seven golden globes nominations monday hbo drama big little lies came away six nods nobody made landing globe nomination look easier christopher plummer two weeks shooting scenes ridley scotts money world plummer nominated best supporting actor nod considered possibility actor replaced kevin spacey unfinished version film screened last week hollywood foreign press association puts globes pulled miraculous feat last month im delighted part unique experience plummer said statement nomination plummer joined nods scotts directing michelle williams best actress latest lastminute twist awards season rocked industrys continuing sexual harassment scandals even mondays nominations announced beverly hills california customary carried live today show recently fired matt lauer allegations sexual misconduct prominent platform yet hollywoods awards season confront postharvey weinstein landscape globes seemed eager turn page love money world shunning previous favorites like house cards transparent latter remains limbo following sexual harassment allegations star jeffrey tambor charges denied instead globes lavished nominations triedandtrue favorites meryl streep scored 31st globe nod new faces like 21yearold breakthrough call name timothee chalamet whats wideopen oscar race far several films followed closely behind shape water including steven spielbergs pentagon papers drama post six nominations including best actress streep best actor tom hanks martin mcdonaghs revenge drama three billboards outside ebbing missouri also got major boost nominations announced monday beverly hills california six nods including best actress frances mcdormand supporting actor sam rockwell along shape water three billboards post nominees best drama tender young romance call name also landed nod armie hammer christopher nolans world war ii epic dunkirk setting apart pack monster fable shape water stars sally hawkins mute cleaning woman falls love captive amphibious creature film widely celebrated press association including nods del toros directing alexandre desplats sumptuous score really need believing something headlines skepticism cynicism getting used reading every arena politically terms fearing able believe love hope said del toro beautiful able believe disarming skepticism words upon time best picture comedy musical category led handful oscar favorites greta gerwigs motherdaughter tale lady bird jordan peeles horror sensation get well several wildcards james francos comedy disaster artist making room upcoming musical greatest showman tonya harding comicdrama tonya stars five including margot robbie tonya franco also landed acting nominations despite considerable backlash get ended comedy side globes submitted way universal pictures hfpa ultimately decides genre classification peele slyly commented controversy calling social critique latent racism documentary globes passed peeles script newcomer daniel kaluuya nominated best actor comedy though predicted feared acting field lacking diversity nominees fairly inclusive among 30 film acting nominees denzel washington roman j israel esq mary j blige mudbound hong chau downsizing octavia spencer shape water globes hoped present group nominations looked beyond likes weinstein long dominant force annual awards failed one notable category press association academy awards historically done nominated five men best director many hoped different story year parade sexual harassment scandals laid bare hollywoods gender imbalances contenders like gerwig whose film garnered four nominations including nods star saoirse ronan supporting actress laurie metcalf gerwigs screenplay patty jenkins wonder woman dee rees mudbound overlooked group spielberg del toro nolan mcdonagh scott im heartened group women great work theyve able talk conversation gerwig said monday asked passed feeling making next generation female filmmakers easier get work made voices heard positions power apart success money world mornings biggest surprise complete omission romantic comedy big sick penned reallife couple kumail nanjiani emily v gordon another oscar underdog florida project emerged one nomination willem dafoes supporting performance manager lowrent motel television categories emmywinning big little lies earned host acting nods nicole kidman reese witherspoon shailene woodley alexander skarsgard laura dern well best limited series hbo recently announced second season big little lies led tv networks 12 nominations overall netflix followed nine nods fxs bette davis joan crawford chronicle feud bette joan landed four nominations including nods jessica lange susan sarandon amazons justdebuted marvelous mrs maisel scored two nods including best comedy series also multiple nominations netflixs stranger things hulus handmaids tale nbcs us hbos game thrones received nod best drama series nothing cast geoffrey rush nominated best performance lead actor limited series tv movie albert einstein nat geos genius rush friday filed defamation suit daily telegraph sincedeleted report sydney theatre company received complaint inappropriate behavior actor globes havent traditionally predicted oscars last january globes two bestpicture winners moonlight la la land ultimately ended stage final award oscars moonlight emerging victorious infamous envelope flub press association worked recent years curtail reputation odd choices composed 90 freelance international journalists last globes broadcast hosted jimmy fallon averaged 20 million viewers upswing 8 percent according nielsen year seth meyers host january 7 ceremony hands full trying keep famously frothy show light amid dark scandals movie industry last years cecil b demille lifetime achievement honoree streep spoke forcefully presidentelect donald trump shortly inauguration trump next day criticized actress overrated year streep along spielberg hanks return pointed timely drama power press counter lies emanating white house streep said statement im thrilled movie steven tom incredible ensemble actors made movie need moment history ___ associated press lindsey bahr sandy cohen ryan pearson contributed report los angeles new york ap guillermo del toros cold warera fairytale shape water swam away leading seven golden globes nominations monday hbo drama big little lies came away six nods nobody made landing globe nomination look easier christopher plummer two weeks shooting scenes ridley scotts money world plummer nominated best supporting actor nod considered possibility actor replaced kevin spacey unfinished version film screened last week hollywood foreign press association puts globes pulled miraculous feat last month im delighted part unique experience plummer said statement nomination plummer joined nods scotts directing michelle williams best actress latest lastminute twist awards season rocked industrys continuing sexual harassment scandals even mondays nominations announced beverly hills california customary carried live today show recently fired matt lauer allegations sexual misconduct prominent platform yet hollywoods awards season confront postharvey weinstein landscape globes seemed eager turn page love money world shunning previous favorites like house cards transparent latter remains limbo following sexual harassment allegations star jeffrey tambor charges denied instead globes lavished nominations triedandtrue favorites meryl streep scored 31st globe nod new faces like 21yearold breakthrough call name timothee chalamet whats wideopen oscar race far several films followed closely behind shape water including steven spielbergs pentagon papers drama post six nominations including best actress streep best actor tom hanks martin mcdonaghs revenge drama three billboards outside ebbing missouri also got major boost nominations announced monday beverly hills california six nods including best actress frances mcdormand supporting actor sam rockwell along shape water three billboards post nominees best drama tender young romance call name also landed nod armie hammer christopher nolans world war ii epic dunkirk setting apart pack monster fable shape water stars sally hawkins mute cleaning woman falls love captive amphibious creature film widely celebrated press association including nods del toros directing alexandre desplats sumptuous score really need believing something headlines skepticism cynicism getting used reading every arena politically terms fearing able believe love hope said del toro beautiful able believe disarming skepticism words upon time best picture comedy musical category led handful oscar favorites greta gerwigs motherdaughter tale lady bird jordan peeles horror sensation get well several wildcards james francos comedy disaster artist making room upcoming musical greatest showman tonya harding comicdrama tonya stars five including margot robbie tonya franco also landed acting nominations despite considerable backlash get ended comedy side globes submitted way universal pictures hfpa ultimately decides genre classification peele slyly commented controversy calling social critique latent racism documentary globes passed peeles script newcomer daniel kaluuya nominated best actor comedy though predicted feared acting field lacking diversity nominees fairly inclusive among 30 film acting nominees denzel washington roman j israel esq mary j blige mudbound hong chau downsizing octavia spencer shape water globes hoped present group nominations looked beyond likes weinstein long dominant force annual awards failed one notable category press association academy awards historically done nominated five men best director many hoped different story year parade sexual harassment scandals laid bare hollywoods gender imbalances contenders like gerwig whose film garnered four nominations including nods star saoirse ronan supporting actress laurie metcalf gerwigs screenplay patty jenkins wonder woman dee rees mudbound overlooked group spielberg del toro nolan mcdonagh scott im heartened group women great work theyve able talk conversation gerwig said monday asked passed feeling making next generation female filmmakers easier get work made voices heard positions power apart success money world mornings biggest surprise complete omission romantic comedy big sick penned reallife couple kumail nanjiani emily v gordon another oscar underdog florida project emerged one nomination willem dafoes supporting performance manager lowrent motel television categories emmywinning big little lies earned host acting nods nicole kidman reese witherspoon shailene woodley alexander skarsgard laura dern well best limited series hbo recently announced second season big little lies led tv networks 12 nominations overall netflix followed nine nods fxs bette davis joan crawford chronicle feud bette joan landed four nominations including nods jessica lange susan sarandon amazons justdebuted marvelous mrs maisel scored two nods including best comedy series also multiple nominations netflixs stranger things hulus handmaids tale nbcs us hbos game thrones received nod best drama series nothing cast geoffrey rush nominated best performance lead actor limited series tv movie albert einstein nat geos genius rush friday filed defamation suit daily telegraph sincedeleted report sydney theatre company received complaint inappropriate behavior actor globes havent traditionally predicted oscars last january globes two bestpicture winners moonlight la la land ultimately ended stage final award oscars moonlight emerging victorious infamous envelope flub press association worked recent years curtail reputation odd choices composed 90 freelance international journalists last globes broadcast hosted jimmy fallon averaged 20 million viewers upswing 8 percent according nielsen year seth meyers host january 7 ceremony hands full trying keep famously frothy show light amid dark scandals movie industry last years cecil b demille lifetime achievement honoree streep spoke forcefully presidentelect donald trump shortly inauguration trump next day criticized actress overrated year streep along spielberg hanks return pointed timely drama power press counter lies emanating white house streep said statement im thrilled movie steven tom incredible ensemble actors made movie need moment history ___ associated press lindsey bahr sandy cohen ryan pearson contributed report los angeles
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<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>This screen shot shows movies and television programs available for free to Amazon Prime members. Amazon changed the dynamics in 2011 when it started offering movies and TV shows to Prime members for free. Unlike Netflix, Amazon offers only part of its collection for free. (AP Photo/Amazon.com)</p>
<p>AMHERST, Ohio — Spending $99 a year for an Amazon Prime membership to get free shipping hardly seems like a deal. After all, I can usually get free shipping by spending at least $35 on a single order.</p>
<p>But Prime’s benefits became apparent gradually over the nine months I’ve used it.</p>
<p>During a trip last month, for instance, I got started on the first season of “The Good Wife” and read Michael Lewis’ “The Blind Side.” Last weekend, I added Journey’s “Greatest Hits” album to my music library and began watching the spy drama “The Americans.” I finished a book on photography on my way to work Monday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>All that came for free with Prime.</p>
<p>Some features work only with a Kindle e-reader or tablet. If Amazon.com Inc. introduces a new smartphone Wednesday, as widely expected, those features will likely work there, too. Amazon might even introduce additional ones just for its phone.</p>
<p>But there’s plenty to enjoy, even without an Amazon device:</p>
<p>— UNLIMITED VIDEO:</p>
<p>Since 2006, Amazon has been offering video for download, much like Apple’s iTunes. Although TV episodes cost just $2 or $3 each, I hate paying for something that’s been shown on television for free.</p>
<p>Amazon changed the dynamics in 2011 when it started offering movies and TV shows to Prime members for free. Unlike Netflix, Amazon offers only part of its collection that way. Video is available on a variety of devices, but not Google’s Chromecast or smartphones and tablets running Google’s Android system, with the exception of Kindles.</p>
<p>As with Netflix, free video has typically been limited to streaming, meaning you need a persistent Internet connection. But last fall, Amazon began enabling downloads on Kindle tablets. That came in handy during my train trip through Ohio and other states last month, when I kept encountering stretches without cellular service and couldn’t watch Netflix.</p>
<p>— EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Lately, Amazon has been making exclusive deals to block shows from Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services. Prime is the only way to get free streaming of past seasons of “24” and classic HBO series such as “The Sopranos” and “The Wire.” This summer, Amazon is making episodes of two CBS series, “Under the Dome” and “Extant,” available through Prime just four days after the broadcast.</p>
<p>Without Prime, you can still buy some shows digitally or on DVD. CBS is also making its shows available for free, though they will carry ads, while Prime will not.</p>
<p>Amazon also has been getting into original programming, though none of its shows has gotten the critical reception that Netflix has had with “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” After getting customer feedback on 14 shows, Amazon ordered full seasons for two comedies and three kids’ series. So far, people who don’t have Prime aren’t able to buy episodes.</p>
<p>— E-BOOKS:</p>
<p>You can borrow one book a month as long as you have a Kindle e-reader or tablet, but you’re not offered everything that Amazon makes available for purchase. The selection includes the “Harry Potter” and “Hunger Games” series and several books by best-selling author Michael Lewis. But once I finished those, I struggled to find books of interest.</p>
<p>Each month, Prime members can also choose one of four books to own outright, regardless of whether they own a Kindle device. These books are all published by Amazon. So far, none has interested me enough to get — even for free.</p>
<p>— MUSIC:</p>
<p>This is Amazon’s newest benefit, debuting just last week. More than a million songs are available for streaming on Kindle tablets, Web browsers and Amazon’s Music app for Apple and Android devices. In some cases, you can download songs for offline playback.</p>
<p>As with books and video, free music is limited to a portion of what Amazon makes available for sale. Universal Music Group’s catalog is missing, but you do get Grammies winner Daft Punk and plenty of ’80s tracks from Journey and Madonna.</p>
<p>— FOR KIDS:</p>
<p>Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited service offers plenty of kid-friendly apps, books and video for a set monthly price. Prime members still have to pay, but they get a few dollars off the monthly fee.</p>
<p>— SHIPPING:</p>
<p>And of course, there’s the free shipping. I started out by saying that I could get free shipping by spending at least $35 on an order. However, that’s for standard shipping, which takes up to eight business days. With Prime, I got a $14 corkscrew in just two days.</p>
<p>That said, shipping isn’t expensive, and you need up to 20 small orders a year to make it worth the $99 membership fee. Plus, scores of items are excluded from free shipping, including some running shorts I was looking to buy.</p>
<p>The benefits of Prime clearly go beyond free shipping. None of the other perks is enough by itself, but as a package, they make Prime a great value.</p>
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screen shot shows movies television programs available free amazon prime members amazon changed dynamics 2011 started offering movies tv shows prime members free unlike netflix amazon offers part collection free ap photoamazoncom amherst ohio spending 99 year amazon prime membership get free shipping hardly seems like deal usually get free shipping spending least 35 single order primes benefits became apparent gradually nine months ive used trip last month instance got started first season good wife read michael lewis blind side last weekend added journeys greatest hits album music library began watching spy drama americans finished book photography way work monday advertisement came free prime features work kindle ereader tablet amazoncom inc introduces new smartphone wednesday widely expected features likely work amazon might even introduce additional ones phone theres plenty enjoy even without amazon device unlimited video since 2006 amazon offering video download much like apples itunes although tv episodes cost 2 3 hate paying something thats shown television free amazon changed dynamics 2011 started offering movies tv shows prime members free unlike netflix amazon offers part collection way video available variety devices googles chromecast smartphones tablets running googles android system exception kindles netflix free video typically limited streaming meaning need persistent internet connection last fall amazon began enabling downloads kindle tablets came handy train trip ohio states last month kept encountering stretches without cellular service couldnt watch netflix exclusive video advertisement lately amazon making exclusive deals block shows netflix hulu streaming services prime way get free streaming past seasons 24 classic hbo series sopranos wire summer amazon making episodes two cbs series dome extant available prime four days broadcast without prime still buy shows digitally dvd cbs also making shows available free though carry ads prime amazon also getting original programming though none shows gotten critical reception netflix house cards orange new black getting customer feedback 14 shows amazon ordered full seasons two comedies three kids series far people dont prime arent able buy episodes ebooks borrow one book month long kindle ereader tablet youre offered everything amazon makes available purchase selection includes harry potter hunger games series several books bestselling author michael lewis finished struggled find books interest month prime members also choose one four books outright regardless whether kindle device books published amazon far none interested enough get even free music amazons newest benefit debuting last week million songs available streaming kindle tablets web browsers amazons music app apple android devices cases download songs offline playback books video free music limited portion amazon makes available sale universal music groups catalog missing get grammies winner daft punk plenty 80s tracks journey madonna kids amazons freetime unlimited service offers plenty kidfriendly apps books video set monthly price prime members still pay get dollars monthly fee shipping course theres free shipping started saying could get free shipping spending least 35 order however thats standard shipping takes eight business days prime got 14 corkscrew two days said shipping isnt expensive need 20 small orders year make worth 99 membership fee plus scores items excluded free shipping including running shorts looking buy benefits prime clearly go beyond free shipping none perks enough package make prime great value
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<p>___</p>
<p>Los Angeles Dodgers</p>
<p>2016: 91-71, first place, lost to Cubs in NLCS.</p>
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<p>Manager: Dave Roberts (second season).</p>
<p>He’s Here: 2B Logan Forsythe, RHP Sergio Romo.</p>
<p>He’s Outta Here: INF-OF Howie Kendrick, C Carlos Ruiz, RHP Louis Coleman, RHP Jose De Leon, RHP Carlos Frias.</p>
<p>Projected Lineup: 2B Logan Forsythe (.264, 20 HRs, 52 RBIs in 127 games with Tampa Bay), SS Corey Seager (.308, 26, 72, NL Rookie of the Year), 3B Justin Turner (.275, 27, 90), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.285, 18, 90), C Yasmani Grandal (.228, 27, 72), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 11, 45 in 104 games), CF Joc Pederson (.246, 25, 68 in 137 games), LF Andrew Toles (.314, 3, 16 in 48 games).</p>
<p>Rotation: LH Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA, 172 Ks in 21 starts), RH Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48, 179 Ks), LH Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 in 20 starts with Athletics and Dodgers), RH Brandon McCarthy (2-3, 4.95 in 10 games), LH Alex Wood (1-4, 3.73) or LH Julio Urias (5-2, 3.39, limited to 77 IP) or LH Scott Kazmir (10-6, 4.56, 134 Ks) or LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-1, 11.57 in 1 game).</p>
<p>Key Relievers: RH Kenley Jansen (3-2, 1.83, 47/53 saves, 104 Ks), RH Sergio Romo (1-0, 2.64 with Giants, limited to 40 appearances because of forearm flexor strain), LH Adam Liberatore (2-2, 3.38), RH Chris Hatcher (5-4, 5.53), LH Luis Avilan (3-0, 3.20), RH Ross Stripling (5-9, 3.96), LH Grant Dayton (0-1, 2.05), RH Josh Ravin (0-0, 0.93) RH Pedro Baez (3-2, 3.04), RH Brock Stewart (2-2, 5.79), RH Josh Fields (1-0, 2.79).</p>
<p>Hot Spot: Trainer’s Room. Beyond Kershaw and Maeda, the rotation is reliant on several pitchers coming off injuries, including McCarthy, Wood, Kazmir and Ryu. The front office has limited Urias’ innings and it’s possible he could be assigned to extended spring training to start the season.</p>
<p>Outlook: The Dodgers are coming off their fourth consecutive NL West title and a trip to the NL Championship Series, so they appear to be perhaps the biggest threat to the Cubs’ dominance in the National League. Los Angeles is still looking for its first trip to the World Series since winning the 1988 title. Having won the NL Rookie of the Year award, Seager expects to be ready for opening day after being sidelined in spring training for most of March with a strained oblique. The Dodgers succeeded in keeping much of the roster intact, including re-signing Jansen, Turner and Hill. The outfield will be a platoon situation involving right-handed hitters Puig, Trayce Thompson and Scott Van Slyke, and left-handed hitters Andre Ethier, Kike Hernandez, Pederson and Toles.</p>
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<p>___</p>
<p>San Francisco Giants</p>
<p>2016: 87-75, second place, wild card, lost to Cubs in NLDS.</p>
<p>Manager: Bruce Bochy (11th season).</p>
<p>He’s Here: RHP Mark Melancon, C Nick Hundley, 3B Jae-gyun Hwang, INF Jimmy Rollins, RF Justin Ruggiano.</p>
<p>He’s Outta Here: RHP Santiago Casilla, RHP Sergio Romo, LHP Javier Lopez, LF Angel Pagan, RHP Jake Peavy, RF Gregor Blanco, INF Ehire Adrianza, RHP Joe Nathan.</p>
<p>Projected Lineup: CF Denard Span (.266, 11 HRs, 52 RBIs, 12 SBs), 1B Brandon Belt (.275, 17, 82, 41 2Bs, 104 BBs), C Buster Posey (.288, 14, 80, 33 2Bs), RF Hunter Pence (.289, 13, 57), SS Brandon Crawford (.275, 12, 84), 3B Eduardo Nunez (.288, 16, 67, 40 SBs with Twins and Giants), 2B Joe Panik (.239, 10, 62), LF Jarrett Parker (.247, 12, 33) or Mac Williamson (.223, 6, 15).</p>
<p>Rotation: LH Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA, 251 Ks), RH Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79), LH Matt Moore (13-12, 4.08 with Rays and Giants), RH Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81), RH Matt Cain (4-8, 5.64).</p>
<p>Key Relievers: RH Mark Melancon (2-2, 1.64, 47/51 saves with Pirates and Nationals), RH Derek Law (4-2, 2.13, 1 save), RH Hunter Strickland (3-3, 3.10, 3 saves), LH Steven Okert (0-0, 3.21), RH George Kontos (3-2, 2.53).</p>
<p>Hot Spot: Bullpen. Trying to close games was an adventure last season for the Giants. They had 32 blown saves in the regular season, including nine in September. Bochy then went through five relievers in the ninth inning of Game 4 against the Cubs, and San Francisco was eliminated from the Division Series after allowing four runs for a 6-5 defeat. That led to the offseason departures of stalwarts Casilla, Romo and Lopez, who played key roles during the runs to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14. The new closer will be Melancon, whose 98 saves the past two seasons lead the majors.</p>
<p>Outlook: The Giants’ run of even-year championships ended last season with the bullpen meltdown against Chicago. But this squad has all the ingredients to contend again. Bumgarner and Cueto provide one of the best 1-2 punches at the top of any rotation in the majors, and a full season from Moore after he was acquired at the trade deadline last year from Tampa Bay only makes San Francisco tougher. The lineup is deep, led by All-Stars Posey and Crawford and key contributors like Pence and Belt. The Giants are also very strong defensively, especially up the middle. With Melancon on board to handle the ninth inning, the only glaring question is whether Cain can regain his previous form and lock down a spot at the back of the rotation, or if the Giants must look elsewhere for a fifth starter.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Colorado Rockies</p>
<p>2016: 75-87, third place.</p>
<p>Manager: Bud Black (first season).</p>
<p>He’s Here: 1B Ian Desmond, LHP Mike Dunn, RHP Greg Holland, INF Alexi Amarista.</p>
<p>He’s Outta Here: Manager Walt Weiss, LHP Jorge De La Rosa, C Nick Hundley, LHP Boone Logan, 1B-OF Ben Paulsen, OF Ryan Raburn, INF Daniel Descalso, RHP Eddie Butler.</p>
<p>Projected Lineup: CF Charlie Blackmon (.324, 29 HRs, 82 RBIs, 17 SBs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (MLB-best .348, 11, 66), 3B Nolan Arenado (.294, 41, MLB-high 133, .932 OBP), RF Carlos Gonzalez (.298, 25, 100), SS Trevor Story (.272, 27, 72 in 97 games), LF Gerardo Parra (.253, 7, 39), 1B Mark Reynolds (.282, 14, 53) until return of Ian Desmond (.285, 22, 86 with Rangers), C Tony Wolters (.259, 3, 30).</p>
<p>Rotation: RH Jon Gray (10-10, 4.16, 185 Ks), RH Tyler Chatwood (12-9, 3.87), LH Tyler Anderson (5-6, 3.53), RH Jeff Hoffman (0-4, 4.88 in 8 games, 6 starts), RH German Marquez (1-1, 5.23).</p>
<p>Key Relievers: RH Greg Holland (3-2, 3.83, 32 saves with Royals in 2015; missed last season recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery), RH Adam Ottavino (1-3, 2.67, 7 saves), LH Chris Rusin (3-5, 3.74), LH Jake McGee (2-3, 4.73, 15 saves), RH Carlos Estevez (2-5, 5.24, 11 saves), LH Mike Dunn (6-1, 3.40 in 42 1/3 IP with Miami).</p>
<p>Hot Spot: Starting Rotation. The Rockies are going to miss Chad Bettis, who stepped away from baseball to undergo chemotherapy after discovering that his testicular cancer had spread. There is no timetable for his return. He was going to be counted on heavily after going 14-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 32 starts last season. The last two spots could be up for grabs, with Hoffman, Marquez, lefty Kyle Freeland and righty Antonio Senzatela all trying to stake a claim.</p>
<p>Outlook: Heading into spring training, the Rockies were a trendy pick to make a run at their first playoff berth since 2009. They signed Black to a three-year deal to take over for Weiss. They brought in former shortstop and outfielder Desmond to learn first base, and bulked up their shaky bullpen with Holland and Dunn. They already had one of the most formidable lineups in the league with Arenado, Gonzalez, Story, Blackmon and LeMahieu. But this spring they’ve been hit hard by injuries. Desmond had surgery on his broken left hand and will miss several weeks. Rusin has an oblique injury, outfielder David Dahl is dealing with injured ribs and catcher Tom Murphy could miss a month with a hairline fracture in his right forearm. Weather the early injuries and it could be a fruitful season for Colorado, especially if Holland can return to the form that made him a lights-out closer in Kansas City before he got hurt.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Arizona Diamondbacks</p>
<p>2016: 69-93, fourth place.</p>
<p>Manager: Torey Lovullo (first season).</p>
<p>He’s Here: RHP Taijuan Walker, RHP Fernando Rodney, C Chris Iannetta, C Jeff Mathis, SS Ketel Marte, INF Daniel Descalso, OF Jeremy Hazelbaker, OF Gregor Blanco, RHP Tyler Jones.</p>
<p>He’s Outta Here: Manager Chip Hale, 2B-SS Jean Segura, C Welington Castillo, RHP Daniel Hudson, OF Rickie Weeks, OF Mitch Haniger, OF Peter O’Brien.</p>
<p>Projected Lineup: CF A.J. Pollock (.244, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs in 12 games; missed rest of season with fractured elbow), RF David Peralta (.251, 4, 15 in 48 games; missed rest of season with wrist injury), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.297, 24, 95, 32 SBs), 3B Jake Lamb (.249, 29, 91), LF Yasmany Tomas (.272, 31, 83; sidelined this spring with oblique strain), 2B Brandon Drury (.282, 16, 53), SS Chris Owings (.277, 5, 45, 21 SBs), C Jeff Mathis (.238, 2, 15 with Marlins) or Chris Herrmann (.284, 6, 28) or Chris Iannetta (.210, 7, 24 with Mariners).</p>
<p>Rotation: RH Zack Greinke (13-7, 4.37 ERA), RH Taijuan Walker (8-11, 4.22, 119 Ks with Mariners), LH Patrick Corbin (5-13, 5.15), RH Shelby Miller (3-12, 6.15), LH Robbie Ray (8-11, 4.90, 218 Ks).</p>
<p>Key Relievers: RH Fernando Rodney (2-4, 3.44, 25/28 saves with Padres and Marlins), RH Jake Barrett (1-2, 3.49), LH Andrew Chafin (0-1, 6.75), RH Randall Delgado (5-2, 4.44), RH Tom Wilhelmsen (2-4, 6.80 with Rangers and Mariners).</p>
<p>Hot Spot: Pitching Staff. Arizona ranked last in the majors a year ago with a 5.09 ERA. Yet most of the rotation returns intact, and the team built a bullpen of uncertain makeup that will rely on the 41-year-old Rodney as its closer. Those are the big question marks for a club assembled by new GM Mike Hazen, who added Walker but stuck with the rest of the starters who opened the 2016 season. Overall, they’ve pitched well in spring training and Lovullo has praised them throughout. But even if the group gets better, the bullpen looks shaky and the likely setup man, the hard-throwing Barrett, could begin the season on the DL with shoulder inflammation.</p>
<p>Outlook: The Diamondbacks can score — they were fourth in the NL last season with 752 runs. The return of Pollock and Peralta from injuries should make the lineup even more formidable, and Drury could have a breakout year as an everyday player at second base. Goldschmidt remains one of the game’s most dangerous sluggers. But the pitching must improve for this team to have any hope of challenging the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West. Greinke battled injuries throughout his first season in Arizona after the Diamondbacks signed him to a six-year, $206.5 million contract. Miller was awful after Arizona gave up two top prospects to acquire him from Atlanta. Corbin struggled and was demoted to the bullpen. Walker, the team’s big offseason acquisition, was promising but inconsistent in Seattle. Lovullo, the bench coach in Boston before coming to the desert, says he’s ignoring what happened with the Diamondbacks a year ago, when he wasn’t around. He’d better hope he doesn’t witness a rerun.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>San Diego Padres</p>
<p>2016: 68-94, fifth place.</p>
<p>Manager: Andy Green (second season).</p>
<p>He’s Here: RHP Jhoulys Chacin, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Jered Weaver, C Luis Torrens.</p>
<p>He’s Outta Here: CF Jon Jay, C Derek Norris, RHP Tyson Ross, INF-OF Alexi Amarista, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Carlos Villanueva, 3B Adam Rosales, RHP Brandon Morrow.</p>
<p>Projected Lineup: LF Travis Jankowski (.245, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs), CF Manuel Margot (.243, 0, 3 in 37 ABs), 1B Wil Myers (.259, 28, 94), 3B Yangervis Solarte (.286, 15, 71), RF Hunter Renfroe (.371, 4, 14 in 35 ABs), 2B Ryan Schimpf (.217, 20, 51), C Austin Hedges (.125, 0, 1 in 24 ABs), SS Luis Sardinas (.287, 2, 13).</p>
<p>Rotation: RH Jhoulys Chacin (6-8, 4.81 with Braves and Angels), LH Clayton Richard (3-4, 3.33 with Cubs and Padres), RH Trevor Cahill (4-4, 2.74 in 50 games, 1 start with Cubs), RH Jered Weaver (12-12, 5.06 with Angels), RH Luis Perdomo (9-10, 5.71).</p>
<p>Key Relievers: RH Carter Capps (1-0, 1.16 with Miami in 2015), RH Brandon Maurer (0-5, 4.52, 13 saves), RH Kevin Quackenbush (7-7, 3.92, 2 saves), LH Brad Hand (4-4, 2.92, 1 save, 111 Ks, 89 1/3 IP in 82 games), LH Ryan Buchter (3-0, 2.86, 1 save, 78 Ks, 63 IP), RH Jarred Cosart (0-4, 6.00 with Miami and San Diego).</p>
<p>Hot Spot: Starting Rotation. San Diego is in a deep rebuilding mode and a glaring example is the rotation, where all five starters on the 2016 opening day roster are gone. For now, the Padres have turned to journeymen like Chacin and Richard, and a fading former ace in Weaver, to help bridge the gap to the young arms in the farm system. The most promising starter returning is Perdomo, who made the jump from Class A to the majors as a Rule 5 pick last year and led the team’s starters in wins. Perdomo began the season in the bullpen before being moved to the rotation.</p>
<p>Outlook: Executive chairman Ron Fowler said last year he doesn’t expect the Padres to be competitive for at least two seasons. They have decided on a long-term plan to develop young players, a dramatic shift from GM A.J. Preller’s wild shopping spree two offseasons ago. Myers, the only holdover from that win-now attempt that failed, has become an All-Star and the current face of the franchise, although he could soon be challenged for that distinction by promising youngsters like Hedges and Renfroe. Power-hitting outfielder Jabari Blash probably won a spot on the 25-man roster with a strong spring. The Padres will experiment with using Christian Bethancourt as a catcher, pitcher and outfielder. San Diego hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 and hasn’t made the playoffs since claiming consecutive NL West titles from 2005-06. But now that the NFL’s Chargers have moved up the coast to Los Angeles, the Padres are the only big league game in town.</p>
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___ los angeles dodgers 2016 9171 first place lost cubs nlcs advertisement manager dave roberts second season hes 2b logan forsythe rhp sergio romo hes outta infof howie kendrick c carlos ruiz rhp louis coleman rhp jose de leon rhp carlos frias projected lineup 2b logan forsythe 264 20 hrs 52 rbis 127 games tampa bay ss corey seager 308 26 72 nl rookie year 3b justin turner 275 27 90 1b adrian gonzalez 285 18 90 c yasmani grandal 228 27 72 rf yasiel puig 263 11 45 104 games cf joc pederson 246 25 68 137 games lf andrew toles 314 3 16 48 games rotation lh clayton kershaw 124 169 era 172 ks 21 starts rh kenta maeda 1611 348 179 ks lh rich hill 125 212 20 starts athletics dodgers rh brandon mccarthy 23 495 10 games lh alex wood 14 373 lh julio urias 52 339 limited 77 ip lh scott kazmir 106 456 134 ks lh hyunjin ryu 01 1157 1 game key relievers rh kenley jansen 32 183 4753 saves 104 ks rh sergio romo 10 264 giants limited 40 appearances forearm flexor strain lh adam liberatore 22 338 rh chris hatcher 54 553 lh luis avilan 30 320 rh ross stripling 59 396 lh grant dayton 01 205 rh josh ravin 00 093 rh pedro baez 32 304 rh brock stewart 22 579 rh josh fields 10 279 hot spot trainers room beyond kershaw maeda rotation reliant several pitchers coming injuries including mccarthy wood kazmir ryu front office limited urias innings possible could assigned extended spring training start season outlook dodgers coming fourth consecutive nl west title trip nl championship series appear perhaps biggest threat cubs dominance national league los angeles still looking first trip world series since winning 1988 title nl rookie year award seager expects ready opening day sidelined spring training march strained oblique dodgers succeeded keeping much roster intact including resigning jansen turner hill outfield platoon situation involving righthanded hitters puig trayce thompson scott van slyke lefthanded hitters andre ethier kike hernandez pederson toles advertisement ___ san francisco giants 2016 8775 second place wild card lost cubs nlds manager bruce bochy 11th season hes rhp mark melancon c nick hundley 3b jaegyun hwang inf jimmy rollins rf justin ruggiano hes outta rhp santiago casilla rhp sergio romo lhp javier lopez lf angel pagan rhp jake peavy rf gregor blanco inf ehire adrianza rhp joe nathan projected lineup cf denard span 266 11 hrs 52 rbis 12 sbs 1b brandon belt 275 17 82 41 2bs 104 bbs c buster posey 288 14 80 33 2bs rf hunter pence 289 13 57 ss brandon crawford 275 12 84 3b eduardo nunez 288 16 67 40 sbs twins giants 2b joe panik 239 10 62 lf jarrett parker 247 12 33 mac williamson 223 6 15 rotation lh madison bumgarner 159 274 era 251 ks rh johnny cueto 185 279 lh matt moore 1312 408 rays giants rh jeff samardzija 1211 381 rh matt cain 48 564 key relievers rh mark melancon 22 164 4751 saves pirates nationals rh derek law 42 213 1 save rh hunter strickland 33 310 3 saves lh steven okert 00 321 rh george kontos 32 253 hot spot bullpen trying close games adventure last season giants 32 blown saves regular season including nine september bochy went five relievers ninth inning game 4 cubs san francisco eliminated division series allowing four runs 65 defeat led offseason departures stalwarts casilla romo lopez played key roles runs world series titles 2010 12 14 new closer melancon whose 98 saves past two seasons lead majors outlook giants run evenyear championships ended last season bullpen meltdown chicago squad ingredients contend bumgarner cueto provide one best 12 punches top rotation majors full season moore acquired trade deadline last year tampa bay makes san francisco tougher lineup deep led allstars posey crawford key contributors like pence belt giants also strong defensively especially middle melancon board handle ninth inning glaring question whether cain regain previous form lock spot back rotation giants must look elsewhere fifth starter ___ colorado rockies 2016 7587 third place manager bud black first season hes 1b ian desmond lhp mike dunn rhp greg holland inf alexi amarista hes outta manager walt weiss lhp jorge de la rosa c nick hundley lhp boone logan 1bof ben paulsen ryan raburn inf daniel descalso rhp eddie butler projected lineup cf charlie blackmon 324 29 hrs 82 rbis 17 sbs 2b dj lemahieu mlbbest 348 11 66 3b nolan arenado 294 41 mlbhigh 133 932 obp rf carlos gonzalez 298 25 100 ss trevor story 272 27 72 97 games lf gerardo parra 253 7 39 1b mark reynolds 282 14 53 return ian desmond 285 22 86 rangers c tony wolters 259 3 30 rotation rh jon gray 1010 416 185 ks rh tyler chatwood 129 387 lh tyler anderson 56 353 rh jeff hoffman 04 488 8 games 6 starts rh german marquez 11 523 key relievers rh greg holland 32 383 32 saves royals 2015 missed last season recovering reconstructive elbow surgery rh adam ottavino 13 267 7 saves lh chris rusin 35 374 lh jake mcgee 23 473 15 saves rh carlos estevez 25 524 11 saves lh mike dunn 61 340 42 13 ip miami hot spot starting rotation rockies going miss chad bettis stepped away baseball undergo chemotherapy discovering testicular cancer spread timetable return going counted heavily going 148 479 era 32 starts last season last two spots could grabs hoffman marquez lefty kyle freeland righty antonio senzatela trying stake claim outlook heading spring training rockies trendy pick make run first playoff berth since 2009 signed black threeyear deal take weiss brought former shortstop outfielder desmond learn first base bulked shaky bullpen holland dunn already one formidable lineups league arenado gonzalez story blackmon lemahieu spring theyve hit hard injuries desmond surgery broken left hand miss several weeks rusin oblique injury outfielder david dahl dealing injured ribs catcher tom murphy could miss month hairline fracture right forearm weather early injuries could fruitful season colorado especially holland return form made lightsout closer kansas city got hurt ___ arizona diamondbacks 2016 6993 fourth place manager torey lovullo first season hes rhp taijuan walker rhp fernando rodney c chris iannetta c jeff mathis ss ketel marte inf daniel descalso jeremy hazelbaker gregor blanco rhp tyler jones hes outta manager chip hale 2bss jean segura c welington castillo rhp daniel hudson rickie weeks mitch haniger peter obrien projected lineup cf aj pollock 244 2 hrs 7 rbis 12 games missed rest season fractured elbow rf david peralta 251 4 15 48 games missed rest season wrist injury 1b paul goldschmidt 297 24 95 32 sbs 3b jake lamb 249 29 91 lf yasmany tomas 272 31 83 sidelined spring oblique strain 2b brandon drury 282 16 53 ss chris owings 277 5 45 21 sbs c jeff mathis 238 2 15 marlins chris herrmann 284 6 28 chris iannetta 210 7 24 mariners rotation rh zack greinke 137 437 era rh taijuan walker 811 422 119 ks mariners lh patrick corbin 513 515 rh shelby miller 312 615 lh robbie ray 811 490 218 ks key relievers rh fernando rodney 24 344 2528 saves padres marlins rh jake barrett 12 349 lh andrew chafin 01 675 rh randall delgado 52 444 rh tom wilhelmsen 24 680 rangers mariners hot spot pitching staff arizona ranked last majors year ago 509 era yet rotation returns intact team built bullpen uncertain makeup rely 41yearold rodney closer big question marks club assembled new gm mike hazen added walker stuck rest starters opened 2016 season overall theyve pitched well spring training lovullo praised throughout even group gets better bullpen looks shaky likely setup man hardthrowing barrett could begin season dl shoulder inflammation outlook diamondbacks score fourth nl last season 752 runs return pollock peralta injuries make lineup even formidable drury could breakout year everyday player second base goldschmidt remains one games dangerous sluggers pitching must improve team hope challenging dodgers giants nl west greinke battled injuries throughout first season arizona diamondbacks signed sixyear 2065 million contract miller awful arizona gave two top prospects acquire atlanta corbin struggled demoted bullpen walker teams big offseason acquisition promising inconsistent seattle lovullo bench coach boston coming desert says hes ignoring happened diamondbacks year ago wasnt around hed better hope doesnt witness rerun ___ san diego padres 2016 6894 fifth place manager andy green second season hes rhp jhoulys chacin rhp trevor cahill rhp jered weaver c luis torrens hes outta cf jon jay c derek norris rhp tyson ross infof alexi amarista rhp edwin jackson rhp carlos villanueva 3b adam rosales rhp brandon morrow projected lineup lf travis jankowski 245 2 hrs 12 rbis cf manuel margot 243 0 3 37 abs 1b wil myers 259 28 94 3b yangervis solarte 286 15 71 rf hunter renfroe 371 4 14 35 abs 2b ryan schimpf 217 20 51 c austin hedges 125 0 1 24 abs ss luis sardinas 287 2 13 rotation rh jhoulys chacin 68 481 braves angels lh clayton richard 34 333 cubs padres rh trevor cahill 44 274 50 games 1 start cubs rh jered weaver 1212 506 angels rh luis perdomo 910 571 key relievers rh carter capps 10 116 miami 2015 rh brandon maurer 05 452 13 saves rh kevin quackenbush 77 392 2 saves lh brad hand 44 292 1 save 111 ks 89 13 ip 82 games lh ryan buchter 30 286 1 save 78 ks 63 ip rh jarred cosart 04 600 miami san diego hot spot starting rotation san diego deep rebuilding mode glaring example rotation five starters 2016 opening day roster gone padres turned journeymen like chacin richard fading former ace weaver help bridge gap young arms farm system promising starter returning perdomo made jump class majors rule 5 pick last year led teams starters wins perdomo began season bullpen moved rotation outlook executive chairman ron fowler said last year doesnt expect padres competitive least two seasons decided longterm plan develop young players dramatic shift gm aj prellers wild shopping spree two offseasons ago myers holdover winnow attempt failed become allstar current face franchise although could soon challenged distinction promising youngsters like hedges renfroe powerhitting outfielder jabari blash probably spot 25man roster strong spring padres experiment using christian bethancourt catcher pitcher outfielder san diego hasnt winning season since 2010 hasnt made playoffs since claiming consecutive nl west titles 200506 nfls chargers moved coast los angeles padres big league game town
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<p>PITTSBURGH — Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley made his players watch a version of the “One Shining Moment” video that runs at the end of every NCAA Tournament just hours before the Rams took on Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic-10 title game on Sunday.</p>
<p>Hurley’s message to his team was clear: don’t leave the opportunity to make an appearance in the 2017 edition up the mood of the selection committee.</p>
<p>“It’s the only time we talked about ‘the bubble,” junior guard E.C. Matthews said.</p>
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<p>And the only time they’ll have to.</p>
<p>Matthews finished with 19 points, including a decisive runner with 55 seconds to play that lifted Rhode Island to a 70-63 victory over the Rams to secure the A-10’s automatic bid and leave Sunday night’s selection show as a time of celebration instead of worry.</p>
<p>Rhode Island (24-9), the fourth seed, limited VCU (26-8) to just 31 percent shooting (21 of 67) and never trailed to earn a spot on college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time since Lamar Odom led the way in 1999. The Rams earned an 11th seed in the Midwest Region and will play Creighton (25-9) in Sacramento, California on Friday.</p>
<p>“We needed a win like this,” Hurley said. “We needed a bid to kind of set our fan base on fire to take things to the next level.”</p>
<p>A level Rhode Island has spent Hurley’s five seasons steadily climbing to, though not without setbacks. Poised to make a move last season, instead Rhode Island stumbled to 17-15. The Rams were a trendy pick this winter but found themselves reeling a bit after a 10-point loss to Fordham on Feb. 15 left them at just 8-5 in the conference.</p>
<p>Rhode Island hasn’t lost since. The 40-minute defensive clinic against VCU was the program’s eighth straight victory. The Rams led all the way in the title game and trailed for just 43 seconds across 120 minutes in the tournament.</p>
<p>“They (VCU) like to bully teams but our mindset was to try to come out and be the bullies today,” Rhode Island forward Hassan Martin said.</p>
<p>JeQuan Lewis led VCU with 15 points and Justin Tillman had 10 points and 17 rebounds but VCU struggled to get anything going against a team that led the A-10 in every major defensive category, including points against and field goal percentage defense. VCU had no trouble chasing down missed shots while grabbing 23 offensive rebounds, but all those extra looks resulted in just 14 second-chance points.</p>
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<p>“It’s deflating when you miss,” VCU coach Will Wade said. “They’re the one team, we’re usually doing that to everybody else but they’re the one team that’s as long and as physical as we are.”</p>
<p>The loss didn’t affect VCU’s chances of making the dance. The Rams are the 10th seed in the West Region and will play seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s (28-4) in Salt Lake City on Thursday.</p>
<p>VCU was pushed to overtime by third-seeded Richmond in the semifinals on Saturday while Rhode Island cruised by ninth-seeded Davidson. VCU looked out of it early, missing 4 of 22 shots to start the game while falling behind by 17.</p>
<p>Lewis settled down after the break and spearheaded a VCU rally, but each time Rhode Island responded, the last coming when Matthews drove the left side and threw up a runner from about 8 feet that gave Rhode Island a 66-61 lead with 55 seconds to go. VCU missed three straight shots on the ensuing possession before a layup by Tillman trimmed the deficit to three.</p>
<p>Terrell and Matthews went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in the final 34 seconds, leaving Matthews — named the tournament’s most outstanding player — to overcome his fear of heights by scaling a ladder to cut down the nets.</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Rhode Island: The Rams are dancing at last and considering the talent returning next season could be muscling its way alongside VCU and Dayton as A-10 royalty.</p>
<p>VCU: The Rams are still in solid shape ahead of the brackets being announced, though their inability to dictate tempo or pace in the semifinals and finals will be something to work on ahead of the postseason. VCU forced just six turnovers Sunday, less than half the season average of 14.9.</p>
<p>LOVING THE ‘BURGH</p>
<p>Hurley certainly loves playing in Pennsylvania’s second-biggest city. While coaching Wagner in 2011 he guided an upset of Pittsburgh, a victory that helped launch his coaching career. The Rams stayed in the same hotel as Wagner did six years ago and Hurley’s hotel room number was 1115, a combination of his brother Bobby’s college number at Duke and his own at Seton Hall.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to leave Pittsburgh,” Hurley said. “I love it here.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Rhode Island: Will try to top Creighton for first NCAA victory since reaching the Elite Eight in 1998.</p>
<p>VCU: A win over Saint Mary’s would give the Rams at least one NCAA victory in five of the last seven seasons.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college basketball: <a href="http://www.collegebasketball.ap.org" type="external">www.collegebasketball.ap.org</a> and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.</p>
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pittsburgh rhode island coach danny hurley made players watch version one shining moment video runs end every ncaa tournament hours rams took virginia commonwealth atlantic10 title game sunday hurleys message team clear dont leave opportunity make appearance 2017 edition mood selection committee time talked bubble junior guard ec matthews said advertisement time theyll matthews finished 19 points including decisive runner 55 seconds play lifted rhode island 7063 victory rams secure a10s automatic bid leave sunday nights selection show time celebration instead worry rhode island 249 fourth seed limited vcu 268 31 percent shooting 21 67 never trailed earn spot college basketballs biggest stage first time since lamar odom led way 1999 rams earned 11th seed midwest region play creighton 259 sacramento california friday needed win like hurley said needed bid kind set fan base fire take things next level level rhode island spent hurleys five seasons steadily climbing though without setbacks poised make move last season instead rhode island stumbled 1715 rams trendy pick winter found reeling bit 10point loss fordham feb 15 left 85 conference rhode island hasnt lost since 40minute defensive clinic vcu programs eighth straight victory rams led way title game trailed 43 seconds across 120 minutes tournament vcu like bully teams mindset try come bullies today rhode island forward hassan martin said jequan lewis led vcu 15 points justin tillman 10 points 17 rebounds vcu struggled get anything going team led a10 every major defensive category including points field goal percentage defense vcu trouble chasing missed shots grabbing 23 offensive rebounds extra looks resulted 14 secondchance points advertisement deflating miss vcu coach wade said theyre one team usually everybody else theyre one team thats long physical loss didnt affect vcus chances making dance rams 10th seed west region play seventhseeded saint marys 284 salt lake city thursday vcu pushed overtime thirdseeded richmond semifinals saturday rhode island cruised ninthseeded davidson vcu looked early missing 4 22 shots start game falling behind 17 lewis settled break spearheaded vcu rally time rhode island responded last coming matthews drove left side threw runner 8 feet gave rhode island 6661 lead 55 seconds go vcu missed three straight shots ensuing possession layup tillman trimmed deficit three terrell matthews went 4 4 free throw line final 34 seconds leaving matthews named tournaments outstanding player overcome fear heights scaling ladder cut nets big picture rhode island rams dancing last considering talent returning next season could muscling way alongside vcu dayton a10 royalty vcu rams still solid shape ahead brackets announced though inability dictate tempo pace semifinals finals something work ahead postseason vcu forced six turnovers sunday less half season average 149 loving burgh hurley certainly loves playing pennsylvanias secondbiggest city coaching wagner 2011 guided upset pittsburgh victory helped launch coaching career rams stayed hotel wagner six years ago hurleys hotel room number 1115 combination brother bobbys college number duke seton hall dont want leave pittsburgh hurley said love next rhode island try top creighton first ncaa victory since reaching elite eight 1998 vcu win saint marys would give rams least one ncaa victory five last seven seasons ___ ap college basketball wwwcollegebasketballaporg httpstwittercomap_top25
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<p>(Albuquerque Journal Illustration By Russ Ball)</p>
<p>Older homeowners often use reverse mortgages to pay off their traditional mortgages so they can get rid of their monthly house payments. Is that a wise strategy?</p>
<p>Reverse mortgages have gained a bad reputation over the years, but they can be a useful financial tool to seniors when used appropriately, says David Johnson, associate professor of finance at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.</p>
<p>Not only for the desperate:</p>
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<p>“Years past, financial planners didn’t view reverse mortgages as a planning tool,” says Johnson, who recently co-authored a study discussing the growing importance of reverse mortgages in retirement. “It was viewed as a last resort, and they assumed that the only people that do reverse mortgages are people who are desperate. Clearly that’s not the case, and I think they are starting to view it differently now.”</p>
<p>Why get a loan when you already have one? One of the most common reasons homeowners get reverse mortgages is to pay off their existing mortgage so they have more income with which to work, says Maggie O’Connell, who runs <a href="http://ReverseMortgageStore.com" type="external">ReverseMortgageStore.com</a>.</p>
<p>“They already have this debt on the house, so instead of making their mortgage payments they are just paying it out of their equity before they leave the home,” she says.</p>
<p />
<p>A reverse mortgage is a home equity loan in which the borrower is not required to make payments. The homeowner must be at least 62 years old. A reverse mortgage accrues interest and does not have to be repaid until the homeowner dies or moves out of the house. The Federal Housing Administration calls it an HECM, for home equity conversion mortgage.</p>
<p>Paying off housing debt with a reverse mortgage:</p>
<p>Example A</p>
<p>Robert is married to Linda, who is 62 and is the younger spouse. Their house is worth $200,000 and they owe $62,000 on the mortgage.</p>
<p>Based on their ages and the home’s value, they can get a reverse mortgage for up to about $104,800. This is known as the principal limit or maximum loan amount. Closing costs, including FHA initial mortgage insurance, reduce that available amount to about $93,800.</p>
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<p>Under FHA rules, the amount they borrow is limited in the first year. Borrowing the $62,000 to pay off the mortgage, they can take out another $10,400 in cash during the first year. A year later, the remainder is available to them.</p>
<p>Example B</p>
<p>Barbara is a 75-year-old widow with a house worth $400,000. She owes $25,000 on a home equity line of credit, with no other mortgage debt.</p>
<p>Based on her age and the home’s value, she can get a reverse mortgage for up to about $245,600 (the principal limit). Closing costs, including FHA initial mortgage insurance, reduce the available amount to around $234,900.</p>
<p>Under FHA rules, she can get a reverse mortgage, pay off the HELOC balance and take out up to around $111,600 in cash during the first year. A year later, the remainder would be available to her.</p>
<p>– Sources: <a href="http://Bankrate.com" type="external">Bankrate.com</a>, Beth Paterson</p>
<p>What it takes to get a reverse mortgage: To qualify for a reverse mortgage, the homeowner must be at least 62 years old and have sufficient equity in the house. The size of the loan depends on the value of the home, the age of the youngest borrower and how much is owed on the house. The owner must pay property taxes and insurance.</p>
<p>How equity is cashed out: With reverse mortgages, homeowners have three options for cashing out equity:</p>
<p>Many homeowners are conservative and just want to eliminate their mortgage payments, but they like having the credit line available, says Beth Paterson, executive vice president of the Reverse Mortgages SIDAC in St. Paul, Minn.</p>
<p>“Maybe they don’t need the money right now, but down the line they might have a medical emergency, so it’s good for them to have the option,” she says.</p>
<p>One borrower’s experience: That was the case with Barbara Hiebert after her husband died. Their house was mortgage-free, but she knew her retirement income wasn’t enough to cover some of her expenses, including medical emergencies. She got a reverse mortgage but didn’t access the money until she had no other option.</p>
<p>“I rely on it only when I need it,” she says. Recently, she hurt herself after falling and spent more than $10,000 during her at-home recovery.</p>
<p>“I had people come in for three hours in the morning and at night,” she says. “It was expensive. I couldn’t have afforded it without the reverse mortgage.”</p>
<p>What about the kids? As with many other seniors, Hiebert says she hesitated when she first heard of reverse mortgages because she wanted to leave her condo to her children.</p>
<p>“But they told me, ‘We don’t want you to think like that. We have money to take care of ourselves. We don’t want you to worry,'” she says.</p>
<p>The name stays on the title: In addition to the guilty feeling, some seniors are confused about the process and worry that once they get a reverse mortgage they no longer own the house, Johnson says.</p>
<p>“After they get a reverse mortgage, they still have title,” he says. “They can still do anything they want.”</p>
<p>Once the homeowner dies, the heirs are given the option to pay off the loan and keep the house or sell it to pay off the loan. If the house sells for more than the amount owed, the heirs receive the balance. If the loan is bigger than the loan value, the bank takes all the proceeds, but the balance of the loan does not have to be repaid.</p>
<p>Costs of getting a reverse mortgage: One of the reasons reverse mortgages have gained a bad reputation is because many view them as too costly. But they are no different from conventional mortgages in terms of costs, says Peter Bell, president and CEO at the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.</p>
<p>“It’s still going to be accruing interest on the house the same way as a conventional mortgage,” he says. “The question is whether you are going to be making those monthly payments now or let that be paid off later.”</p>
<p>Borrowers also are required to pay for mortgage insurance when they get a reverse mortgage. As with the interest, the mortgage insurance costs are paid with equity. The insurance protects lenders (not borrowers) from losses.</p>
<p>It’s essential to understand: Because the homeowner isn’t making monthly payments to cover upfront costs, interest and mortgage insurance, the equity on the house can quickly shrink as the loan balance gets bigger over time.</p>
<p>It’s crucial that seniors receive the required counseling before getting a reverse mortgage.</p>
<p>“For consumers, the most important thing they can do is to become educated on how it works,” Johnson says. “A reverse mortgage is not the solution for everybody, but clearly it’s an option for many people and the more information they know, the better they can understand how the product works and they can make an informed decision.”</p>
<p />
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albuquerque journal illustration russ ball older homeowners often use reverse mortgages pay traditional mortgages get rid monthly house payments wise strategy reverse mortgages gained bad reputation years useful financial tool seniors used appropriately says david johnson associate professor finance university wisconsinsuperior desperate advertisement years past financial planners didnt view reverse mortgages planning tool says johnson recently coauthored study discussing growing importance reverse mortgages retirement viewed last resort assumed people reverse mortgages people desperate clearly thats case think starting view differently get loan already one one common reasons homeowners get reverse mortgages pay existing mortgage income work says maggie oconnell runs reversemortgagestorecom already debt house instead making mortgage payments paying equity leave home says reverse mortgage home equity loan borrower required make payments homeowner must least 62 years old reverse mortgage accrues interest repaid homeowner dies moves house federal housing administration calls hecm home equity conversion mortgage paying housing debt reverse mortgage example robert married linda 62 younger spouse house worth 200000 owe 62000 mortgage based ages homes value get reverse mortgage 104800 known principal limit maximum loan amount closing costs including fha initial mortgage insurance reduce available amount 93800 advertisement fha rules amount borrow limited first year borrowing 62000 pay mortgage take another 10400 cash first year year later remainder available example b barbara 75yearold widow house worth 400000 owes 25000 home equity line credit mortgage debt based age homes value get reverse mortgage 245600 principal limit closing costs including fha initial mortgage insurance reduce available amount around 234900 fha rules get reverse mortgage pay heloc balance take around 111600 cash first year year later remainder would available sources bankratecom beth paterson takes get reverse mortgage qualify reverse mortgage homeowner must least 62 years old sufficient equity house size loan depends value home age youngest borrower much owed house owner must pay property taxes insurance equity cashed reverse mortgages homeowners three options cashing equity many homeowners conservative want eliminate mortgage payments like credit line available says beth paterson executive vice president reverse mortgages sidac st paul minn maybe dont need money right line might medical emergency good option says one borrowers experience case barbara hiebert husband died house mortgagefree knew retirement income wasnt enough cover expenses including medical emergencies got reverse mortgage didnt access money option rely need says recently hurt falling spent 10000 athome recovery people come three hours morning night says expensive couldnt afforded without reverse mortgage kids many seniors hiebert says hesitated first heard reverse mortgages wanted leave condo children told dont want think like money take care dont want worry says name stays title addition guilty feeling seniors confused process worry get reverse mortgage longer house johnson says get reverse mortgage still title says still anything want homeowner dies heirs given option pay loan keep house sell pay loan house sells amount owed heirs receive balance loan bigger loan value bank takes proceeds balance loan repaid costs getting reverse mortgage one reasons reverse mortgages gained bad reputation many view costly different conventional mortgages terms costs says peter bell president ceo national reverse mortgage lenders association still going accruing interest house way conventional mortgage says question whether going making monthly payments let paid later borrowers also required pay mortgage insurance get reverse mortgage interest mortgage insurance costs paid equity insurance protects lenders borrowers losses essential understand homeowner isnt making monthly payments cover upfront costs interest mortgage insurance equity house quickly shrink loan balance gets bigger time crucial seniors receive required counseling getting reverse mortgage consumers important thing become educated works johnson says reverse mortgage solution everybody clearly option many people information know better understand product works make informed decision
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<p>AUSTIN, Texas — The Civil War lessons taught to American students often depend on where the classroom is, with schools presenting accounts of the conflict that vary from state to state and even district to district.</p>
<p>Some schools emphasize states’ rights in addition to slavery and stress how economic and cultural differences stoked tensions between North and South. Others highlight the battlefield acumen of Confederate commanders alongside their Union counterparts. At least one suggests that abolition represented the first time the nation lived up to its founding ideals.</p>
<p>The differences don’t always break down neatly along geographic lines.</p>
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<p>“You don’t know, as you speak to folks around the country, what kind of assumptions they have about things like the Civil War,” said Dustin Kidd, a sociology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Lessons on the war and its causes usually begin in the fifth through eighth grades. That means attitudes toward the war may be influenced by what people learned at an age when many were choosing a favorite color or imagining what they wanted to be when they grew up.</p>
<p>The effect may not be obvious until a related issue is thrust into the spotlight like this month’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the resulting backlash against Confederate symbols.</p>
<p>Growing up in Charlottesville, Kidd said, he was taught that “folks from the North” had put forward the “misconception” that slavery was the cause of the war. The real origin, he was told, could be traced to groups of colonists from England who despised each other long before the rebellion began in 1861. Not until graduate school did he begin to question that premise.</p>
<p>Confederate sympathizers have long promoted the “Lost Cause” theory that the Southern side was heroic against impossible odds, and that slavery was not the driving force behind the war. Edward Countryman, a history professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said he learned that idea growing up in New York state in the 1950s.</p>
<p>“I recall my father coming home when I was about 8 or 9 with two Civil War caps, one’s gray and one’s blue. And I wanted the gray one,” Countryman said. “The belief, strongly, that the Civil War had been about anything but slavery was very, very powerful.”</p>
<p>A 2011 Pew Research Center poll found that 48 percent of Americans said the Civil War was mainly about states’ rights, compared with 38 percent who said its main cause was slavery. Nine percent said both factors were equal.</p>
<p>The divide in opinions broke down more by race than geography. Forty-eight percent of whites chose states’ rights over slavery, while 39 percent of blacks did. But 49 percent of self-described Southern whites chose states’ rights compared with 48 percent of whites who did not consider themselves Southern.</p>
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<p>The president of the Texas NAACP said finding “kinder” ways to describe the war’s origins masks racism.</p>
<p>“States’ rights is about the whole idea of permitting slavery and allowing the South to do what they do, or, after slavery, to allow the South to engage in Jim Crow,” Gary Bledsoe said. “You can’t sanitize history and have history report that master and slave were out there singing ‘Kumbaya’ in the fields.”</p>
<p>Texas has 178 confederate monuments. Only Virginia has more, with 223, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights advocacy group.</p>
<p>Democratic state Rep. Eric Johnson, meanwhile, is demanding the removal of a nearly 60-year-old plaque rejecting slavery as the Civil War’s “underlying cause.” Republican House Speaker Joe Straus has called for checking the accuracy of that plaque and nearly a dozen other Confederate symbols located around the state Capitol alone.</p>
<p>When curriculum standards were approved in 2010 by Texas’ Republican-controlled Board of Education, debate focused on slavery being a Civil War “after issue.”</p>
<p>The state’s fifth- and seventh-graders taking Texas history courses, and eighth-graders taking U.S. history, are now asked to identify the causes of the war, “including sectionalism, states’ rights and slavery.”</p>
<p>Eighth-graders also compare ideas from Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address with those from Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ inaugural address, which did not mention slavery and instead endorsed small-government values still popular with many conservatives today.</p>
<p>The eighth-grade curriculum also lists Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson alongside Frederick Douglass, a 19th century abolitionist, as examples of “the importance of effective leadership in a constitutional republic.”</p>
<p>Home to about 5.3 million public school students, Texas has a textbook market so large that volumes published for its classrooms can be sold in other states, though that influence has waned recently. Publishers can now more easily tailor electronic materials to the needs of individual markets.</p>
<p>Still, in 2015, a publisher promised to make editorial changes after a mother in Houston complained that her son’s ninth-grade geography textbook referred to African slaves as “workers” and immigrants.”</p>
<p>Virginia’s standards of learning for U.S. history to 1865 include “describing the cultural, economic and constitutional issues that divided the nation” and “explaining how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased sectional tensions.” Alabama fifth-graders “identify causes of the Civil War from the Northern and Southern viewpoints.”</p>
<p>Contrast that with Delaware, where school districts set their own curriculum but a syllabus for the eighth grade suggesting what might be covered during instruction says that abolition meant that the American people could for the first time “seriously claim to be living up to their commitment to the principle of liberty rooted in the American state papers.”</p>
<p>In Michigan, curriculum also is decided locally, though the state’s social studies standards for the Civil War and Reconstruction in eighth grade include the instructions: “Explain the reasons (political, economic, and social) why Southern states seceded and explain the differences in the timing of secession in the Upper and Lower South.”</p>
<p>Massachusetts’ framework for a U.S. history course asks students to “describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on plantations and farms across the South.”</p>
<p>Chester Finn, president emeritus of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an educational nonprofit, called teaching history and social studies “a real jigsaw puzzle” since many states leave standards up to school districts.</p>
<p>Still, “If the state curriculum calls it the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ and says states’ rights were dominated by the Yankee army crushing the good people of the South, and slighting the whole slavery issue,” Finn said, “you can influence what a million kids take away.”</p>
<p>___</p>
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austin texas civil war lessons taught american students often depend classroom schools presenting accounts conflict vary state state even district district schools emphasize states rights addition slavery stress economic cultural differences stoked tensions north south others highlight battlefield acumen confederate commanders alongside union counterparts least one suggests abolition represented first time nation lived founding ideals differences dont always break neatly along geographic lines advertisement dont know speak folks around country kind assumptions things like civil war said dustin kidd sociology professor temple university philadelphia lessons war causes usually begin fifth eighth grades means attitudes toward war may influenced people learned age many choosing favorite color imagining wanted grew effect may obvious related issue thrust spotlight like months violence charlottesville virginia resulting backlash confederate symbols growing charlottesville kidd said taught folks north put forward misconception slavery cause war real origin told could traced groups colonists england despised long rebellion began 1861 graduate school begin question premise confederate sympathizers long promoted lost cause theory southern side heroic impossible odds slavery driving force behind war edward countryman history professor southern methodist university dallas said learned idea growing new york state 1950s recall father coming home 8 9 two civil war caps ones gray ones blue wanted gray one countryman said belief strongly civil war anything slavery powerful 2011 pew research center poll found 48 percent americans said civil war mainly states rights compared 38 percent said main cause slavery nine percent said factors equal divide opinions broke race geography fortyeight percent whites chose states rights slavery 39 percent blacks 49 percent selfdescribed southern whites chose states rights compared 48 percent whites consider southern advertisement president texas naacp said finding kinder ways describe wars origins masks racism states rights whole idea permitting slavery allowing south slavery allow south engage jim crow gary bledsoe said cant sanitize history history report master slave singing kumbaya fields texas 178 confederate monuments virginia 223 according southern poverty law center civil rights advocacy group democratic state rep eric johnson meanwhile demanding removal nearly 60yearold plaque rejecting slavery civil wars underlying cause republican house speaker joe straus called checking accuracy plaque nearly dozen confederate symbols located around state capitol alone curriculum standards approved 2010 texas republicancontrolled board education debate focused slavery civil war issue states fifth seventhgraders taking texas history courses eighthgraders taking us history asked identify causes war including sectionalism states rights slavery eighthgraders also compare ideas abraham lincolns inaugural address confederate president jefferson davis inaugural address mention slavery instead endorsed smallgovernment values still popular many conservatives today eighthgrade curriculum also lists confederate gen thomas stonewall jackson alongside frederick douglass 19th century abolitionist examples importance effective leadership constitutional republic home 53 million public school students texas textbook market large volumes published classrooms sold states though influence waned recently publishers easily tailor electronic materials needs individual markets still 2015 publisher promised make editorial changes mother houston complained sons ninthgrade geography textbook referred african slaves workers immigrants virginias standards learning us history 1865 include describing cultural economic constitutional issues divided nation explaining issues states rights slavery increased sectional tensions alabama fifthgraders identify causes civil war northern southern viewpoints contrast delaware school districts set curriculum syllabus eighth grade suggesting might covered instruction says abolition meant american people could first time seriously claim living commitment principle liberty rooted american state papers michigan curriculum also decided locally though states social studies standards civil war reconstruction eighth grade include instructions explain reasons political economic social southern states seceded explain differences timing secession upper lower south massachusetts framework us history course asks students describe rapid growth slavery south 1800 analyze slave life resistance plantations farms across south chester finn president emeritus conservative thomas b fordham institute educational nonprofit called teaching history social studies real jigsaw puzzle since many states leave standards school districts still state curriculum calls war northern aggression says states rights dominated yankee army crushing good people south slighting whole slavery issue finn said influence million kids take away ___ sign aps weekly newsletter showcasing best reporting midwest texas httpapnews2u1rmfv
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<p>MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Nearly four decades after Wills High School graduate Steve Richardson and a friend died of drug overdoses at a party on Lake Allatoona, his class ring was returned to his family.</p>
<p>Richardson, a 19-year-old carpenter, died along with his friend Steve Byers on Aug. 19, 1978, after the two drank a lethal cocktail of Gatorade and MDA, an amphetamine-based psychedelic, at a house party along Kellogg Creek in Cherokee County, the MDJ reported at the time.</p>
<p>Family members described Richardson as hard-working and playful, a strapping young man who stood about six-foot-five and exceled as a marksman in Wills’ ROTC program. But they never found the class ring he always wore, the one engraved with his initials and set with a deep blue stone. Until now.</p>
<p>“I’d completely given up on it,” said Donna Smith, Richardson’s sister who now lives in Alpharetta. “It’s been missing since my brother died.”</p>
<p>Circumstances surrounding the 1978 deaths remain murky, but partygoers placed the bodies in the lake before transporting them to a Cherokee hospital under the pretense the young men had drowned, according to courtroom testimony. An autopsy revealed that was not the case as neither had water in their lungs and toxicology results showed both teenagers had ingested the MDA. Two others were hospitalized from drinking the concoction and 11 people from Cobb and Cherokee counties were ultimately charged in connection with the deaths and subsequent cover-up.</p>
<p>Smith said their mother always wondered what happened to Richardson’s ring but was told by investigators he wasn’t wearing one when his body was dropped off at the hospital that night.</p>
<p>“They gave us his wallet and driver’s license but my mother has gone to her grave thinking that ring was stolen,” said Smith, who was at a loss for words Thursday as she drove to meet two strangers to retrieve it.</p>
<p>Richardson’s cousin, Doug Hammontree, a truck driver living in Lithia Springs, stumbled upon a post on the Wills High School Facebook page Thursday morning stating someone who had found the 1977 class ring wished to return it to its rightful owner. He said he immediately called Smith, who set up the meeting to retrieve her brother’s long-lost ring on her lunch hour.</p>
<p>The ring was given to Marietta resident Tripp Greeson by his uncle last year in the hope he could find its owner, Greeson said, but initial attempts proved unsuccessful. With the help of a friend, however, and members of the Wills High School Facebook page who pored through old yearbooks in search of former students with the initials “S.A.R.,” — Steve Arnold Richardson — Greeson returned it to the Richardson family.</p>
<p>Greeson, a Campbell High graduate, said he wasn’t entirely sure how his uncle came across the class ring, but said he owned a home on the lake just north of Kellogg Creek in the ’90s and may have discovered it there.</p>
<p>Smith said she and her mother helped Richardson pick out that ring, which has a sapphire stone.</p>
<p>“My mother insisted that he get his initials engraved inside it and it’s a good thing she did because that’s how they found us,” she said. “They went into the yearbook and looked up everyone with those initials from that year and found his picture.”</p>
<p>Robert Allen Watts pleaded guilty in December of 1978 to two reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter in Cherokee County Superior Court in connection with the deaths of the two teens, newspaper archives show. He was given a five-year jail sentence, five years on probation and a $1,000 fine.</p>
<p>Cherokee County Superior Court testimony revealed the teens had been guests at a three-day party on Lake Allatoona where they consumed the psychedelic mixture provided by Watts, the MDJ reported at the time.</p>
<p>Five others pleaded guilty to drug possession charges and tampering with evidence after they were given plea deals dropping additional charges of concealing a death and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. They were given 30-day jail terms and three years on probation.</p>
<p>Smith, who for nearly 40 years thought her brother’s class ring was gone forever, said she was elated to finally have it back.</p>
<p>“It’s pretty exciting,” she said, wearing Richardson’s ring on her index finger when she returned to work. “It brought a lot to my Christmas, that’s for sure.”</p>
<p>MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Nearly four decades after Wills High School graduate Steve Richardson and a friend died of drug overdoses at a party on Lake Allatoona, his class ring was returned to his family.</p>
<p>Richardson, a 19-year-old carpenter, died along with his friend Steve Byers on Aug. 19, 1978, after the two drank a lethal cocktail of Gatorade and MDA, an amphetamine-based psychedelic, at a house party along Kellogg Creek in Cherokee County, the MDJ reported at the time.</p>
<p>Family members described Richardson as hard-working and playful, a strapping young man who stood about six-foot-five and exceled as a marksman in Wills’ ROTC program. But they never found the class ring he always wore, the one engraved with his initials and set with a deep blue stone. Until now.</p>
<p>“I’d completely given up on it,” said Donna Smith, Richardson’s sister who now lives in Alpharetta. “It’s been missing since my brother died.”</p>
<p>Circumstances surrounding the 1978 deaths remain murky, but partygoers placed the bodies in the lake before transporting them to a Cherokee hospital under the pretense the young men had drowned, according to courtroom testimony. An autopsy revealed that was not the case as neither had water in their lungs and toxicology results showed both teenagers had ingested the MDA. Two others were hospitalized from drinking the concoction and 11 people from Cobb and Cherokee counties were ultimately charged in connection with the deaths and subsequent cover-up.</p>
<p>Smith said their mother always wondered what happened to Richardson’s ring but was told by investigators he wasn’t wearing one when his body was dropped off at the hospital that night.</p>
<p>“They gave us his wallet and driver’s license but my mother has gone to her grave thinking that ring was stolen,” said Smith, who was at a loss for words Thursday as she drove to meet two strangers to retrieve it.</p>
<p>Richardson’s cousin, Doug Hammontree, a truck driver living in Lithia Springs, stumbled upon a post on the Wills High School Facebook page Thursday morning stating someone who had found the 1977 class ring wished to return it to its rightful owner. He said he immediately called Smith, who set up the meeting to retrieve her brother’s long-lost ring on her lunch hour.</p>
<p>The ring was given to Marietta resident Tripp Greeson by his uncle last year in the hope he could find its owner, Greeson said, but initial attempts proved unsuccessful. With the help of a friend, however, and members of the Wills High School Facebook page who pored through old yearbooks in search of former students with the initials “S.A.R.,” — Steve Arnold Richardson — Greeson returned it to the Richardson family.</p>
<p>Greeson, a Campbell High graduate, said he wasn’t entirely sure how his uncle came across the class ring, but said he owned a home on the lake just north of Kellogg Creek in the ’90s and may have discovered it there.</p>
<p>Smith said she and her mother helped Richardson pick out that ring, which has a sapphire stone.</p>
<p>“My mother insisted that he get his initials engraved inside it and it’s a good thing she did because that’s how they found us,” she said. “They went into the yearbook and looked up everyone with those initials from that year and found his picture.”</p>
<p>Robert Allen Watts pleaded guilty in December of 1978 to two reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter in Cherokee County Superior Court in connection with the deaths of the two teens, newspaper archives show. He was given a five-year jail sentence, five years on probation and a $1,000 fine.</p>
<p>Cherokee County Superior Court testimony revealed the teens had been guests at a three-day party on Lake Allatoona where they consumed the psychedelic mixture provided by Watts, the MDJ reported at the time.</p>
<p>Five others pleaded guilty to drug possession charges and tampering with evidence after they were given plea deals dropping additional charges of concealing a death and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. They were given 30-day jail terms and three years on probation.</p>
<p>Smith, who for nearly 40 years thought her brother’s class ring was gone forever, said she was elated to finally have it back.</p>
<p>“It’s pretty exciting,” she said, wearing Richardson’s ring on her index finger when she returned to work. “It brought a lot to my Christmas, that’s for sure.”</p>
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marietta ga ap nearly four decades wills high school graduate steve richardson friend died drug overdoses party lake allatoona class ring returned family richardson 19yearold carpenter died along friend steve byers aug 19 1978 two drank lethal cocktail gatorade mda amphetaminebased psychedelic house party along kellogg creek cherokee county mdj reported time family members described richardson hardworking playful strapping young man stood sixfootfive exceled marksman wills rotc program never found class ring always wore one engraved initials set deep blue stone id completely given said donna smith richardsons sister lives alpharetta missing since brother died circumstances surrounding 1978 deaths remain murky partygoers placed bodies lake transporting cherokee hospital pretense young men drowned according courtroom testimony autopsy revealed case neither water lungs toxicology results showed teenagers ingested mda two others hospitalized drinking concoction 11 people cobb cherokee counties ultimately charged connection deaths subsequent coverup smith said mother always wondered happened richardsons ring told investigators wasnt wearing one body dropped hospital night gave us wallet drivers license mother gone grave thinking ring stolen said smith loss words thursday drove meet two strangers retrieve richardsons cousin doug hammontree truck driver living lithia springs stumbled upon post wills high school facebook page thursday morning stating someone found 1977 class ring wished return rightful owner said immediately called smith set meeting retrieve brothers longlost ring lunch hour ring given marietta resident tripp greeson uncle last year hope could find owner greeson said initial attempts proved unsuccessful help friend however members wills high school facebook page pored old yearbooks search former students initials sar steve arnold richardson greeson returned richardson family greeson campbell high graduate said wasnt entirely sure uncle came across class ring said owned home lake north kellogg creek 90s may discovered smith said mother helped richardson pick ring sapphire stone mother insisted get initials engraved inside good thing thats found us said went yearbook looked everyone initials year found picture robert allen watts pleaded guilty december 1978 two reduced charges involuntary manslaughter cherokee county superior court connection deaths two teens newspaper archives show given fiveyear jail sentence five years probation 1000 fine cherokee county superior court testimony revealed teens guests threeday party lake allatoona consumed psychedelic mixture provided watts mdj reported time five others pleaded guilty drug possession charges tampering evidence given plea deals dropping additional charges concealing death hindering apprehension criminal given 30day jail terms three years probation smith nearly 40 years thought brothers class ring gone forever said elated finally back pretty exciting said wearing richardsons ring index finger returned work brought lot christmas thats sure marietta ga ap nearly four decades wills high school graduate steve richardson friend died drug overdoses party lake allatoona class ring returned family richardson 19yearold carpenter died along friend steve byers aug 19 1978 two drank lethal cocktail gatorade mda amphetaminebased psychedelic house party along kellogg creek cherokee county mdj reported time family members described richardson hardworking playful strapping young man stood sixfootfive exceled marksman wills rotc program never found class ring always wore one engraved initials set deep blue stone id completely given said donna smith richardsons sister lives alpharetta missing since brother died circumstances surrounding 1978 deaths remain murky partygoers placed bodies lake transporting cherokee hospital pretense young men drowned according courtroom testimony autopsy revealed case neither water lungs toxicology results showed teenagers ingested mda two others hospitalized drinking concoction 11 people cobb cherokee counties ultimately charged connection deaths subsequent coverup smith said mother always wondered happened richardsons ring told investigators wasnt wearing one body dropped hospital night gave us wallet drivers license mother gone grave thinking ring stolen said smith loss words thursday drove meet two strangers retrieve richardsons cousin doug hammontree truck driver living lithia springs stumbled upon post wills high school facebook page thursday morning stating someone found 1977 class ring wished return rightful owner said immediately called smith set meeting retrieve brothers longlost ring lunch hour ring given marietta resident tripp greeson uncle last year hope could find owner greeson said initial attempts proved unsuccessful help friend however members wills high school facebook page pored old yearbooks search former students initials sar steve arnold richardson greeson returned richardson family greeson campbell high graduate said wasnt entirely sure uncle came across class ring said owned home lake north kellogg creek 90s may discovered smith said mother helped richardson pick ring sapphire stone mother insisted get initials engraved inside good thing thats found us said went yearbook looked everyone initials year found picture robert allen watts pleaded guilty december 1978 two reduced charges involuntary manslaughter cherokee county superior court connection deaths two teens newspaper archives show given fiveyear jail sentence five years probation 1000 fine cherokee county superior court testimony revealed teens guests threeday party lake allatoona consumed psychedelic mixture provided watts mdj reported time five others pleaded guilty drug possession charges tampering evidence given plea deals dropping additional charges concealing death hindering apprehension criminal given 30day jail terms three years probation smith nearly 40 years thought brothers class ring gone forever said elated finally back pretty exciting said wearing richardsons ring index finger returned work brought lot christmas thats sure
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