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<p>PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — You don’t really think Baker Mayfield is the type of player to end his college football career with a whimper, do you?</p>
<p>The Heisman Trophy winner is destined to go out with a bang, and Georgia will feel it in the Rose Bowl on Monday.</p>
<p>Oklahoma’s swashbuckling quarterback lives for the big moments and craves the most daunting challenges. He propelled the Sooners (12-1) to a Big 12 title and into the College Football Playoff semifinal during a season of coaching transition with a furious will and spectacular skill.</p>
<p>Mayfield’s brilliance will be on full display when Oklahoma (12-1) beats the Bulldogs (12-1) in the Granddaddy of Them All and advances to Atlanta.</p>
<p>Don’t believe it? Ask Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who understands the intangibles facing his Bulldogs in the 6-foot body of a brilliant football player.</p>
<p>“The guy is a winner,” Smart said of Mayfield. “He’s a gunslinger. He is every defensive coordinator’s nightmare.”</p>
<p>The Rose Bowl has seen its share of phenomenal quarterback performances in the past decade. Mark Sanchez, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota and Sam Darnold have all carved up defenses on Pasadena’s hallowed turf, and Mayfield is poised to become the latest name in the record books.</p>
<p>Oklahoma has the nation’s most productive offense at 583.3 yards per game and 8.44 yards per play, and its passing game is a work of art averaging 12.03 yards per attempt, easily the biggest number in the FBS. Mayfield would be among the nation’s best players even if he never left the pocket — but when he does, he is one of the most elusive, confounding quarterbacks in football.</p>
<p>Mayfield has passed for 4,340 yards with 41 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He is a remarkably efficient and exceptionally careful with the ball, and he runs the sophisticated nuances of coach Lincoln Riley’s complex run-pass option schemes to perfection.</p>
<p>Georgia’s defense is among the nation’s best, but it hasn’t seen anything as good as Oklahoma’s offense.</p>
<p>Georgia’s pass defense in particular is superb, allowing a mere 5.58 yards per attempt — second-best in the FBS. But even the Bulldogs realize they haven’t faced any passers on Mayfield’s level during their SEC schedule.</p>
<p>Left tackle Orlando Brown and Oklahoma’s outstanding offensive line — which allowed only 30 quarterback pressures all year — are ideally equipped to keep its quarterback upright against star Lorenzo Carter and Georgia’s other speedy, physical pass rushers.</p>
<p>And even if Mayfield struggles to find open receivers against the Bulldogs’ excellent linebackers, the Sooners could run the ball. After all, they averaged 5.6 yards per rush this season, 13th in the nation.</p>
<p>The degree of difficulty in the Rose Bowl is likely to decline a bit when Georgia’s deliberately paced offense takes on an Oklahoma defense that has looked good and poor at different points of the season. The Bulldogs’ three-headed running game led by Nick Chubb is very effective, but the Sooners will be eager to test freshman Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm, who excels as a game manager but is vulnerable to pass pressure.</p>
<p>By most measures, this game is a fascinating matchup of contrasting styles, strengths and strategies. After adding up every variable, these teams look remarkably even.</p>
<p>Except that Mayfield is in the final weeks of a historic career with the chance to take his place among the game’s greats.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised when he plants his flag in the middle of Rose Bowl.</p>
<p>Prediction: Oklahoma 42, Georgia 31.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="http://www.collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">www.collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — You don’t really think Baker Mayfield is the type of player to end his college football career with a whimper, do you?</p>
<p>The Heisman Trophy winner is destined to go out with a bang, and Georgia will feel it in the Rose Bowl on Monday.</p>
<p>Oklahoma’s swashbuckling quarterback lives for the big moments and craves the most daunting challenges. He propelled the Sooners (12-1) to a Big 12 title and into the College Football Playoff semifinal during a season of coaching transition with a furious will and spectacular skill.</p>
<p>Mayfield’s brilliance will be on full display when Oklahoma (12-1) beats the Bulldogs (12-1) in the Granddaddy of Them All and advances to Atlanta.</p>
<p>Don’t believe it? Ask Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who understands the intangibles facing his Bulldogs in the 6-foot body of a brilliant football player.</p>
<p>“The guy is a winner,” Smart said of Mayfield. “He’s a gunslinger. He is every defensive coordinator’s nightmare.”</p>
<p>The Rose Bowl has seen its share of phenomenal quarterback performances in the past decade. Mark Sanchez, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota and Sam Darnold have all carved up defenses on Pasadena’s hallowed turf, and Mayfield is poised to become the latest name in the record books.</p>
<p>Oklahoma has the nation’s most productive offense at 583.3 yards per game and 8.44 yards per play, and its passing game is a work of art averaging 12.03 yards per attempt, easily the biggest number in the FBS. Mayfield would be among the nation’s best players even if he never left the pocket — but when he does, he is one of the most elusive, confounding quarterbacks in football.</p>
<p>Mayfield has passed for 4,340 yards with 41 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He is a remarkably efficient and exceptionally careful with the ball, and he runs the sophisticated nuances of coach Lincoln Riley’s complex run-pass option schemes to perfection.</p>
<p>Georgia’s defense is among the nation’s best, but it hasn’t seen anything as good as Oklahoma’s offense.</p>
<p>Georgia’s pass defense in particular is superb, allowing a mere 5.58 yards per attempt — second-best in the FBS. But even the Bulldogs realize they haven’t faced any passers on Mayfield’s level during their SEC schedule.</p>
<p>Left tackle Orlando Brown and Oklahoma’s outstanding offensive line — which allowed only 30 quarterback pressures all year — are ideally equipped to keep its quarterback upright against star Lorenzo Carter and Georgia’s other speedy, physical pass rushers.</p>
<p>And even if Mayfield struggles to find open receivers against the Bulldogs’ excellent linebackers, the Sooners could run the ball. After all, they averaged 5.6 yards per rush this season, 13th in the nation.</p>
<p>The degree of difficulty in the Rose Bowl is likely to decline a bit when Georgia’s deliberately paced offense takes on an Oklahoma defense that has looked good and poor at different points of the season. The Bulldogs’ three-headed running game led by Nick Chubb is very effective, but the Sooners will be eager to test freshman Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm, who excels as a game manager but is vulnerable to pass pressure.</p>
<p>By most measures, this game is a fascinating matchup of contrasting styles, strengths and strategies. After adding up every variable, these teams look remarkably even.</p>
<p>Except that Mayfield is in the final weeks of a historic career with the chance to take his place among the game’s greats.</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised when he plants his flag in the middle of Rose Bowl.</p>
<p>Prediction: Oklahoma 42, Georgia 31.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="http://www.collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">www.collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
| false | 2 |
pasadena calif ap dont really think baker mayfield type player end college football career whimper heisman trophy winner destined go bang georgia feel rose bowl monday oklahomas swashbuckling quarterback lives big moments craves daunting challenges propelled sooners 121 big 12 title college football playoff semifinal season coaching transition furious spectacular skill mayfields brilliance full display oklahoma 121 beats bulldogs 121 granddaddy advances atlanta dont believe ask georgia coach kirby smart understands intangibles facing bulldogs 6foot body brilliant football player guy winner smart said mayfield hes gunslinger every defensive coordinators nightmare rose bowl seen share phenomenal quarterback performances past decade mark sanchez andy dalton marcus mariota sam darnold carved defenses pasadenas hallowed turf mayfield poised become latest name record books oklahoma nations productive offense 5833 yards per game 844 yards per play passing game work art averaging 1203 yards per attempt easily biggest number fbs mayfield would among nations best players even never left pocket one elusive confounding quarterbacks football mayfield passed 4340 yards 41 touchdowns five interceptions remarkably efficient exceptionally careful ball runs sophisticated nuances coach lincoln rileys complex runpass option schemes perfection georgias defense among nations best hasnt seen anything good oklahomas offense georgias pass defense particular superb allowing mere 558 yards per attempt secondbest fbs even bulldogs realize havent faced passers mayfields level sec schedule left tackle orlando brown oklahomas outstanding offensive line allowed 30 quarterback pressures year ideally equipped keep quarterback upright star lorenzo carter georgias speedy physical pass rushers even mayfield struggles find open receivers bulldogs excellent linebackers sooners could run ball averaged 56 yards per rush season 13th nation degree difficulty rose bowl likely decline bit georgias deliberately paced offense takes oklahoma defense looked good poor different points season bulldogs threeheaded running game led nick chubb effective sooners eager test freshman bulldogs quarterback jake fromm excels game manager vulnerable pass pressure measures game fascinating matchup contrasting styles strengths strategies adding every variable teams look remarkably even except mayfield final weeks historic career chance take place among games greats dont surprised plants flag middle rose bowl prediction oklahoma 42 georgia 31 ___ ap college football wwwcollegefootballaporg wwwtwittercomap_top25 pasadena calif ap dont really think baker mayfield type player end college football career whimper heisman trophy winner destined go bang georgia feel rose bowl monday oklahomas swashbuckling quarterback lives big moments craves daunting challenges propelled sooners 121 big 12 title college football playoff semifinal season coaching transition furious spectacular skill mayfields brilliance full display oklahoma 121 beats bulldogs 121 granddaddy advances atlanta dont believe ask georgia coach kirby smart understands intangibles facing bulldogs 6foot body brilliant football player guy winner smart said mayfield hes gunslinger every defensive coordinators nightmare rose bowl seen share phenomenal quarterback performances past decade mark sanchez andy dalton marcus mariota sam darnold carved defenses pasadenas hallowed turf mayfield poised become latest name record books oklahoma nations productive offense 5833 yards per game 844 yards per play passing game work art averaging 1203 yards per attempt easily biggest number fbs mayfield would among nations best players even never left pocket one elusive confounding quarterbacks football mayfield passed 4340 yards 41 touchdowns five interceptions remarkably efficient exceptionally careful ball runs sophisticated nuances coach lincoln rileys complex runpass option schemes perfection georgias defense among nations best hasnt seen anything good oklahomas offense georgias pass defense particular superb allowing mere 558 yards per attempt secondbest fbs even bulldogs realize havent faced passers mayfields level sec schedule left tackle orlando brown oklahomas outstanding offensive line allowed 30 quarterback pressures year ideally equipped keep quarterback upright star lorenzo carter georgias speedy physical pass rushers even mayfield struggles find open receivers bulldogs excellent linebackers sooners could run ball averaged 56 yards per rush season 13th nation degree difficulty rose bowl likely decline bit georgias deliberately paced offense takes oklahoma defense looked good poor different points season bulldogs threeheaded running game led nick chubb effective sooners eager test freshman bulldogs quarterback jake fromm excels game manager vulnerable pass pressure measures game fascinating matchup contrasting styles strengths strategies adding every variable teams look remarkably even except mayfield final weeks historic career chance take place among games greats dont surprised plants flag middle rose bowl prediction oklahoma 42 georgia 31 ___ ap college football wwwcollegefootballaporg wwwtwittercomap_top25
| 702 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of available jobs posted by U.S. employers rose in December to the highest level in 14 years, a sign recent strong job gains will likely continue. Employers also filled more jobs and more employees quit, two additional signs of an improving labor market.</p>
<p>Job openings rose 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted 5 million, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That is the most since January 2001. Total hires also increased 1.9 percent to 5.1 million, the most in more than seven years.</p>
<p>The number of quits rose 2.1 percent to 2.7 million. More quits are a sign of confidence in the economy, because people typically quit when they have another job lined up, usually at higher pay, or are optimistic that they can find a new position.</p>
<p>More openings are usually followed by greater hiring. Businesses appear increasingly confident that the economy will continue to improve and are seeking more staff to meet stronger demand.</p>
<p>"Job openings continue to rocket," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. "Wage gains will follow."</p>
<p>The figures echo last week's jobs report, which showed that businesses are hiring workers at a robust pace and even paying more to attract them. Employers added 257,000 jobs in January, and wages rose at the fastest one-month pace in six years.</p>
<p>Hiring has accelerated in the past three months to the fastest pace since 1997. Employers have added more than 1 million jobs just since November.</p>
<p>Those figures are a net total of job gains or losses. Tuesday's data on job openings is from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, or JOLTS, which provides a more detailed look at the job market than the monthly employment report. It also includes figures for total hiring, as well as the number of quits and layoffs.</p>
<p>The step-up in hiring has encouraged many Americans to start looking for work. More than 700,000 people began searching for jobs in January, the most in six years. Not all found work, lifting the number of unemployed and pushing the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent.</p>
<p>There are now just 1.7 unemployed workers, on average, for each available job. That's back to pre-recession levels and down from a peak of 6.7 in July 2009, after the recession ended.</p>
<p>That ratio suggests employers may soon need to offer more pay to attract workers. Average hourly wages rose 0.5 percent in January, the jobs report said, the most in six years. Still, in the past 12 months, average pay rose just 2.2 percent. That's below the 3.5 percent level that is consistent with a strong economy.</p>
<p>There are always some open jobs even in a depressed economy. Job vacancies fell to 2.1 million in July 2009, the lowest in the 14 years the data has been tracked.</p>
<p>Vacancies have soared 29 percent in the past year, a sizzling pace. That raises questions about why they aren't being filled more quickly.</p>
<p>Steven Davis, an economist at the University of Chicago, has calculated that employers took an average of 25.6 working days to fill openings in November, the latest data available. That's near the 26 days in July, the most in the 14 years of JOLTS data that Davis uses.</p>
<p>The extended hiring period partly reflects positive trends: As the number of unemployed has fallen from a peak of over 15 million, companies have to take longer to find suitable workers.</p>
<p>But there are also downsides, including greater frustration for job-seekers. The skyrocketing number of vacancies also suggests that employers may not consider the millions of Americans who have given up looking for work, or those who work part-time but would prefer full-time jobs, as viable candidates.</p>
<p>"The relentless increase in job openings continues, signaling that employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find suitable staff," Shepherdson said. "Companies appear not to want to hire people who have not worked for some time. Sooner or later, they will have to pay more in order to entice people away from their current employers."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Chris Rugaber on Twitter at <a href="http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber" type="external">http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber</a> .</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of available jobs posted by U.S. employers rose in December to the highest level in 14 years, a sign recent strong job gains will likely continue. Employers also filled more jobs and more employees quit, two additional signs of an improving labor market.</p>
<p>Job openings rose 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted 5 million, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That is the most since January 2001. Total hires also increased 1.9 percent to 5.1 million, the most in more than seven years.</p>
<p>The number of quits rose 2.1 percent to 2.7 million. More quits are a sign of confidence in the economy, because people typically quit when they have another job lined up, usually at higher pay, or are optimistic that they can find a new position.</p>
<p>More openings are usually followed by greater hiring. Businesses appear increasingly confident that the economy will continue to improve and are seeking more staff to meet stronger demand.</p>
<p>"Job openings continue to rocket," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. "Wage gains will follow."</p>
<p>The figures echo last week's jobs report, which showed that businesses are hiring workers at a robust pace and even paying more to attract them. Employers added 257,000 jobs in January, and wages rose at the fastest one-month pace in six years.</p>
<p>Hiring has accelerated in the past three months to the fastest pace since 1997. Employers have added more than 1 million jobs just since November.</p>
<p>Those figures are a net total of job gains or losses. Tuesday's data on job openings is from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, or JOLTS, which provides a more detailed look at the job market than the monthly employment report. It also includes figures for total hiring, as well as the number of quits and layoffs.</p>
<p>The step-up in hiring has encouraged many Americans to start looking for work. More than 700,000 people began searching for jobs in January, the most in six years. Not all found work, lifting the number of unemployed and pushing the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent.</p>
<p>There are now just 1.7 unemployed workers, on average, for each available job. That's back to pre-recession levels and down from a peak of 6.7 in July 2009, after the recession ended.</p>
<p>That ratio suggests employers may soon need to offer more pay to attract workers. Average hourly wages rose 0.5 percent in January, the jobs report said, the most in six years. Still, in the past 12 months, average pay rose just 2.2 percent. That's below the 3.5 percent level that is consistent with a strong economy.</p>
<p>There are always some open jobs even in a depressed economy. Job vacancies fell to 2.1 million in July 2009, the lowest in the 14 years the data has been tracked.</p>
<p>Vacancies have soared 29 percent in the past year, a sizzling pace. That raises questions about why they aren't being filled more quickly.</p>
<p>Steven Davis, an economist at the University of Chicago, has calculated that employers took an average of 25.6 working days to fill openings in November, the latest data available. That's near the 26 days in July, the most in the 14 years of JOLTS data that Davis uses.</p>
<p>The extended hiring period partly reflects positive trends: As the number of unemployed has fallen from a peak of over 15 million, companies have to take longer to find suitable workers.</p>
<p>But there are also downsides, including greater frustration for job-seekers. The skyrocketing number of vacancies also suggests that employers may not consider the millions of Americans who have given up looking for work, or those who work part-time but would prefer full-time jobs, as viable candidates.</p>
<p>"The relentless increase in job openings continues, signaling that employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find suitable staff," Shepherdson said. "Companies appear not to want to hire people who have not worked for some time. Sooner or later, they will have to pay more in order to entice people away from their current employers."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Chris Rugaber on Twitter at <a href="http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber" type="external">http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber</a> .</p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap number available jobs posted us employers rose december highest level 14 years sign recent strong job gains likely continue employers also filled jobs employees quit two additional signs improving labor market job openings rose 37 percent seasonally adjusted 5 million labor department said tuesday since january 2001 total hires also increased 19 percent 51 million seven years number quits rose 21 percent 27 million quits sign confidence economy people typically quit another job lined usually higher pay optimistic find new position openings usually followed greater hiring businesses appear increasingly confident economy continue improve seeking staff meet stronger demand job openings continue rocket said ian shepherdson chief economist pantheon macroeconomics wage gains follow figures echo last weeks jobs report showed businesses hiring workers robust pace even paying attract employers added 257000 jobs january wages rose fastest onemonth pace six years hiring accelerated past three months fastest pace since 1997 employers added 1 million jobs since november figures net total job gains losses tuesdays data job openings job openings labor turnover survey jolts provides detailed look job market monthly employment report also includes figures total hiring well number quits layoffs stepup hiring encouraged many americans start looking work 700000 people began searching jobs january six years found work lifting number unemployed pushing unemployment rate 57 percent 56 percent 17 unemployed workers average available job thats back prerecession levels peak 67 july 2009 recession ended ratio suggests employers may soon need offer pay attract workers average hourly wages rose 05 percent january jobs report said six years still past 12 months average pay rose 22 percent thats 35 percent level consistent strong economy always open jobs even depressed economy job vacancies fell 21 million july 2009 lowest 14 years data tracked vacancies soared 29 percent past year sizzling pace raises questions arent filled quickly steven davis economist university chicago calculated employers took average 256 working days fill openings november latest data available thats near 26 days july 14 years jolts data davis uses extended hiring period partly reflects positive trends number unemployed fallen peak 15 million companies take longer find suitable workers also downsides including greater frustration jobseekers skyrocketing number vacancies also suggests employers may consider millions americans given looking work work parttime would prefer fulltime jobs viable candidates relentless increase job openings continues signaling employers finding increasingly difficult find suitable staff shepherdson said companies appear want hire people worked time sooner later pay order entice people away current employers ___ follow chris rugaber twitter httptwittercomchrisrugaber washington ap number available jobs posted us employers rose december highest level 14 years sign recent strong job gains likely continue employers also filled jobs employees quit two additional signs improving labor market job openings rose 37 percent seasonally adjusted 5 million labor department said tuesday since january 2001 total hires also increased 19 percent 51 million seven years number quits rose 21 percent 27 million quits sign confidence economy people typically quit another job lined usually higher pay optimistic find new position openings usually followed greater hiring businesses appear increasingly confident economy continue improve seeking staff meet stronger demand job openings continue rocket said ian shepherdson chief economist pantheon macroeconomics wage gains follow figures echo last weeks jobs report showed businesses hiring workers robust pace even paying attract employers added 257000 jobs january wages rose fastest onemonth pace six years hiring accelerated past three months fastest pace since 1997 employers added 1 million jobs since november figures net total job gains losses tuesdays data job openings job openings labor turnover survey jolts provides detailed look job market monthly employment report also includes figures total hiring well number quits layoffs stepup hiring encouraged many americans start looking work 700000 people began searching jobs january six years found work lifting number unemployed pushing unemployment rate 57 percent 56 percent 17 unemployed workers average available job thats back prerecession levels peak 67 july 2009 recession ended ratio suggests employers may soon need offer pay attract workers average hourly wages rose 05 percent january jobs report said six years still past 12 months average pay rose 22 percent thats 35 percent level consistent strong economy always open jobs even depressed economy job vacancies fell 21 million july 2009 lowest 14 years data tracked vacancies soared 29 percent past year sizzling pace raises questions arent filled quickly steven davis economist university chicago calculated employers took average 256 working days fill openings november latest data available thats near 26 days july 14 years jolts data davis uses extended hiring period partly reflects positive trends number unemployed fallen peak 15 million companies take longer find suitable workers also downsides including greater frustration jobseekers skyrocketing number vacancies also suggests employers may consider millions americans given looking work work parttime would prefer fulltime jobs viable candidates relentless increase job openings continues signaling employers finding increasingly difficult find suitable staff shepherdson said companies appear want hire people worked time sooner later pay order entice people away current employers ___ follow chris rugaber twitter httptwittercomchrisrugaber
| 830 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — For all his errant swings at the facts, President Donald Trump sometimes gets it just right.</p>
<p>“There’s been no first year like this,” he told a Florida rally last month.</p>
<p>Were truer words ever spoken?</p>
<p>This Department of Corrections has certainly never seen a first year like this. Falsehoods and exaggerations have tumbled relentlessly out of Trump’s Twitter account, speeches and interviews, the vast majority in service of his ego.</p>
<p>Other presidents have skewered the truth — George W. Bush on the pretext for the Iraq war, Barack Obama on the benefits of “Obamacare” — but Trump is of a different order of magnitude.</p>
<p>The president routinely presents his intended actions as achievements (“Obamacare” is dead, money is “pouring” into NATO), and inflates the significance of what he’s done (calling his tax cuts the biggest ever and his accomplishments unrivaled in history — neither true). He exaggerates the problems he inherited (roads and bridges are in “total disrepair and disarray,” the border was “wide open”), lays out fanciful goals (6 percent economic growth), and doesn’t learn from mistakes. Instead he repeats them.</p>
<p>Moreover, Trump often bypasses the vast information-gathering apparatus that reports to him in favor of getting his reality from TV, or just his gut.</p>
<p>Some trends and highlights in his misstatements since taking office:</p>
<p />
<p>THE ART OF THE BIGGEST BESTEST</p>
<p>Trump doesn’t do big tax cuts. He does the biggest ever. He doesn’t win an election. He scores a “landslide.” He doesn’t just make the Veterans Affairs Department run better. He drives out the “sadists.”</p>
<p>In fact:</p>
<p>—The December tax overhaul ranks behind Ronald Reagan’s in the early 1980s, post-World War II tax cuts and at least several more.</p>
<p>—His 2016 win ranks as the 13th closest of the 58 presidential elections in U.S. history, according to a tally by Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. It was no landslide. His winning percentage in the Electoral College was just under 57 percent, narrower than both of Obama’s wins (61 percent in 2008 and 62 percent in 2012) and all but two of the last 10 presidential elections. Also, he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>—Despite his boasts that incompetent VA employees are being swiftly removed — and enactment of a mid-year law that expedites that process — more VA employees were fired in Obama’s last budget year than in Trump’s first.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MISSIONS UNACCOMPLISHED</p>
<p>Trump sees things the way he wants them to be and presents them as if that’s how they are.</p>
<p>“You know, we have factories pouring back into our country. Did you ever think you would hear that?” ″I urged our NATO allies to do more to strengthen our crucial alliance and set the stage for significant increases in member contributions. Billions and billions of dollars are pouring in because of that initiative.” ″Jobs are pouring back into our country.”</p>
<p>In fact:</p>
<p>—Factories are not pouring “back” into the country, nor are they sprouting up domestically in big numbers. When he made his claim, in December, spending on the construction of factories had dropped 14 percent over the past year, continuing a steady decline since the middle of 2015. As for jobs “pouring back into our country,” Trump hopes his tax overhaul will make that happen, but it hasn’t yet. The economy added about 170,000 new jobs a month during Trump’s first year. That was slightly below the average of 185,000 in 2016.</p>
<p>Manufacturers stepped up hiring, adding 196,000 jobs in 2017, but they added more in 2011 and 2014.</p>
<p>—Money isn’t pouring into the NATO organization and it won’t be. What Trump really means is that he’s pushing NATO members to increase their own military budgets so the U.S. won’t carry such a heavy load. NATO members agreed during Obama’s presidency to increase their military spending in the years ahead. Whether Trump has accelerated that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>THE APOCALYPSE</p>
<p>Trump makes the state of the union look better under his watch by making the past look as dark as can be. Before him, the U.S. “left our own border wide open. Anybody can come in.” The U.S. armed forces were all but in ruins. The health law he inherited and has tried to dismantle is a disaster that “covers very few people,” and is essentially “dead.” Previous presidents “put American energy under lock and key.”</p>
<p>Actually:</p>
<p>—The U.S. border was far from porous before Trump took office. The number of arrests of illegal border crossers — the best measure of how many people are trying to cross illegally — was at a 40-year low before Trump’s influence on border policy was felt. The government under presidents George W. Bush and Obama roughly doubled the ranks of the Border Patrol in the past decade or so. Obama was derided by pro-immigrant advocates as “deporter in chief” for the hefty numbers of people he sent home before easing deportations of certain groups later in his presidency.</p>
<p>—Obamacare was covering about 20 million people when Trump described the numbers as “very few.” The majority is from the law’s Medicaid expansion. The other driver of coverage, plans sold in the subsidized individual insurance market, drew roughly 9 million signups for 2018 despite a much shorter enrollment season, and cuts in the ad budget and federal payments to insurers. The new tax law ends the Obamacare fine for lacking insurance, starting in 2019. That repeals a major component of Obama’s law, but other critical parts of the law remain in place.</p>
<p>—Energy production was not imprisoned under previous administrations. It was unleashed, particularly during Obama’s presidency, largely because of advances in hydraulic fracturing that made it economical to tap vast reserves of natural gas. Oil production also greatly increased, reducing imports. Before the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. for the first time in decades was getting more energy domestically than it imports. Before Obama, Bush was no adversary of the energy industry.</p>
<p>Despite Trump’s rhetoric about U.S. energy production, one of his most consequential actions as president has been to open the U.S. to another source of foreign oil, with his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>GOING WITH HIS GUT (AND TV)</p>
<p>Trump forms instant impressions about what he sees on TV or otherwise hears about and shares those views, just as the average person does on social media or over coffee. The difference is that a president stands at a bully pulpit and his visceral reactions can change the world.</p>
<p>—Trump strained relations with Britain by retweeting videos spread by a far-right British fringe group that purported to show Muslim extremism. “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” said the introduction to one video, which showed a young man attacking another who was on crutches. The attacker was not a Muslim migrant. He was a Dutch-born citizen who was arrested and sentenced for the crime. “Facts do matter,” the Dutch Embassy in Washington said in a tweet directed at Trump.</p>
<p>—The president puzzled plenty of people in February when he told a rally that immigration is spreading violence and extremism in Sweden, pointing to “what’s happening last night in Sweden.” Nothing extraordinary happened in Sweden the previous night, Feb. 17. It happened to be when Trump saw an analyst talking about the subject on Fox News.</p>
<p>But he soon claimed vindication of his statement anyway, telling Time magazine the next month: “I make the statement, everyone goes crazy. The next day they have a massive riot, and death, and problems.”</p>
<p>That wasn’t right, either. Two days after his rally, a riot broke out in a largely immigrant neighborhood after police arrested a drug crime suspect. Cars were set on fire and shops looted, but no one was killed. Attacks in the country related to extremism remain rare; the biggest surprise for many Swedes was that a police officer found it necessary to fire his gun.</p>
<p>—When an Amtrak train hurtled off the tracks in Washington state in December, killing three people and injuring dozens, Trump’s first impulse was to make a plug for his infrastructure plan. Only after that did he offer thoughts and prayers for the victims and thanks for rescuers. His opening tweet: “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!”</p>
<p>Although he jumped to his conclusion within a few hours of the crash, it’s taking investigators months to reach a conclusion that is informed by the facts. But this much was obvious right away: The train was making its inaugural run along a fast, new route, not a crumbling line of the type that would be a priority of a national infrastructure plan. And the train was going over twice the speed limit.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>IT’S WHO YOU KNOW, AND DON’T</p>
<p>Trump has claimed to know certain people well, only to circle back to say he hardly knew them all. His familiarity with them has varied according to political circumstance.</p>
<p>So it was when George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser, pleaded guilty in October to lying about his Russian interactions. “Few people knew the young, low level volunteer,” Trump tweeted in response. After naming Papadopoulos to his campaign’s foreign policy advisory council in March 2016, Trump called him an “excellent guy” and tweeted a photo of his council meeting with Papadopoulos among several advisers.</p>
<p>Steve Bannon got such treatment months before his ouster as White House strategist last year.</p>
<p>Trump said he had known him for “many years” when Bannon became his campaign chief in August 2016. When Bannon’s tenure as White House strategist was getting dicey in April, Trump said “I didn’t know him” when Bannon was named campaign CEO.</p>
<p>Trump and Bannon had known each other for five years when the Republican candidate, a month after accepting the nomination, made him campaign chief.</p>
<p>David Bossie, who was deputy campaign manager, told AP he introduced them in 2011 at Trump Tower and they grew to know each well, as Trump appeared multiple times on Bannon’s Breitbart radio show. Bannon interviewed Trump at least nine times in 2015 and 2016 and members of his family and campaign on many other occasions. “They believe in each other’s agendas, which is why they have grown so close,” Bossie said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jim Drinkard, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Hope Yen, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Jill Colvin and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Find AP Fact Checks at <a href="http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd" type="external">http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — For all his errant swings at the facts, President Donald Trump sometimes gets it just right.</p>
<p>“There’s been no first year like this,” he told a Florida rally last month.</p>
<p>Were truer words ever spoken?</p>
<p>This Department of Corrections has certainly never seen a first year like this. Falsehoods and exaggerations have tumbled relentlessly out of Trump’s Twitter account, speeches and interviews, the vast majority in service of his ego.</p>
<p>Other presidents have skewered the truth — George W. Bush on the pretext for the Iraq war, Barack Obama on the benefits of “Obamacare” — but Trump is of a different order of magnitude.</p>
<p>The president routinely presents his intended actions as achievements (“Obamacare” is dead, money is “pouring” into NATO), and inflates the significance of what he’s done (calling his tax cuts the biggest ever and his accomplishments unrivaled in history — neither true). He exaggerates the problems he inherited (roads and bridges are in “total disrepair and disarray,” the border was “wide open”), lays out fanciful goals (6 percent economic growth), and doesn’t learn from mistakes. Instead he repeats them.</p>
<p>Moreover, Trump often bypasses the vast information-gathering apparatus that reports to him in favor of getting his reality from TV, or just his gut.</p>
<p>Some trends and highlights in his misstatements since taking office:</p>
<p />
<p>THE ART OF THE BIGGEST BESTEST</p>
<p>Trump doesn’t do big tax cuts. He does the biggest ever. He doesn’t win an election. He scores a “landslide.” He doesn’t just make the Veterans Affairs Department run better. He drives out the “sadists.”</p>
<p>In fact:</p>
<p>—The December tax overhaul ranks behind Ronald Reagan’s in the early 1980s, post-World War II tax cuts and at least several more.</p>
<p>—His 2016 win ranks as the 13th closest of the 58 presidential elections in U.S. history, according to a tally by Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. It was no landslide. His winning percentage in the Electoral College was just under 57 percent, narrower than both of Obama’s wins (61 percent in 2008 and 62 percent in 2012) and all but two of the last 10 presidential elections. Also, he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>—Despite his boasts that incompetent VA employees are being swiftly removed — and enactment of a mid-year law that expedites that process — more VA employees were fired in Obama’s last budget year than in Trump’s first.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MISSIONS UNACCOMPLISHED</p>
<p>Trump sees things the way he wants them to be and presents them as if that’s how they are.</p>
<p>“You know, we have factories pouring back into our country. Did you ever think you would hear that?” ″I urged our NATO allies to do more to strengthen our crucial alliance and set the stage for significant increases in member contributions. Billions and billions of dollars are pouring in because of that initiative.” ″Jobs are pouring back into our country.”</p>
<p>In fact:</p>
<p>—Factories are not pouring “back” into the country, nor are they sprouting up domestically in big numbers. When he made his claim, in December, spending on the construction of factories had dropped 14 percent over the past year, continuing a steady decline since the middle of 2015. As for jobs “pouring back into our country,” Trump hopes his tax overhaul will make that happen, but it hasn’t yet. The economy added about 170,000 new jobs a month during Trump’s first year. That was slightly below the average of 185,000 in 2016.</p>
<p>Manufacturers stepped up hiring, adding 196,000 jobs in 2017, but they added more in 2011 and 2014.</p>
<p>—Money isn’t pouring into the NATO organization and it won’t be. What Trump really means is that he’s pushing NATO members to increase their own military budgets so the U.S. won’t carry such a heavy load. NATO members agreed during Obama’s presidency to increase their military spending in the years ahead. Whether Trump has accelerated that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>THE APOCALYPSE</p>
<p>Trump makes the state of the union look better under his watch by making the past look as dark as can be. Before him, the U.S. “left our own border wide open. Anybody can come in.” The U.S. armed forces were all but in ruins. The health law he inherited and has tried to dismantle is a disaster that “covers very few people,” and is essentially “dead.” Previous presidents “put American energy under lock and key.”</p>
<p>Actually:</p>
<p>—The U.S. border was far from porous before Trump took office. The number of arrests of illegal border crossers — the best measure of how many people are trying to cross illegally — was at a 40-year low before Trump’s influence on border policy was felt. The government under presidents George W. Bush and Obama roughly doubled the ranks of the Border Patrol in the past decade or so. Obama was derided by pro-immigrant advocates as “deporter in chief” for the hefty numbers of people he sent home before easing deportations of certain groups later in his presidency.</p>
<p>—Obamacare was covering about 20 million people when Trump described the numbers as “very few.” The majority is from the law’s Medicaid expansion. The other driver of coverage, plans sold in the subsidized individual insurance market, drew roughly 9 million signups for 2018 despite a much shorter enrollment season, and cuts in the ad budget and federal payments to insurers. The new tax law ends the Obamacare fine for lacking insurance, starting in 2019. That repeals a major component of Obama’s law, but other critical parts of the law remain in place.</p>
<p>—Energy production was not imprisoned under previous administrations. It was unleashed, particularly during Obama’s presidency, largely because of advances in hydraulic fracturing that made it economical to tap vast reserves of natural gas. Oil production also greatly increased, reducing imports. Before the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. for the first time in decades was getting more energy domestically than it imports. Before Obama, Bush was no adversary of the energy industry.</p>
<p>Despite Trump’s rhetoric about U.S. energy production, one of his most consequential actions as president has been to open the U.S. to another source of foreign oil, with his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>GOING WITH HIS GUT (AND TV)</p>
<p>Trump forms instant impressions about what he sees on TV or otherwise hears about and shares those views, just as the average person does on social media or over coffee. The difference is that a president stands at a bully pulpit and his visceral reactions can change the world.</p>
<p>—Trump strained relations with Britain by retweeting videos spread by a far-right British fringe group that purported to show Muslim extremism. “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” said the introduction to one video, which showed a young man attacking another who was on crutches. The attacker was not a Muslim migrant. He was a Dutch-born citizen who was arrested and sentenced for the crime. “Facts do matter,” the Dutch Embassy in Washington said in a tweet directed at Trump.</p>
<p>—The president puzzled plenty of people in February when he told a rally that immigration is spreading violence and extremism in Sweden, pointing to “what’s happening last night in Sweden.” Nothing extraordinary happened in Sweden the previous night, Feb. 17. It happened to be when Trump saw an analyst talking about the subject on Fox News.</p>
<p>But he soon claimed vindication of his statement anyway, telling Time magazine the next month: “I make the statement, everyone goes crazy. The next day they have a massive riot, and death, and problems.”</p>
<p>That wasn’t right, either. Two days after his rally, a riot broke out in a largely immigrant neighborhood after police arrested a drug crime suspect. Cars were set on fire and shops looted, but no one was killed. Attacks in the country related to extremism remain rare; the biggest surprise for many Swedes was that a police officer found it necessary to fire his gun.</p>
<p>—When an Amtrak train hurtled off the tracks in Washington state in December, killing three people and injuring dozens, Trump’s first impulse was to make a plug for his infrastructure plan. Only after that did he offer thoughts and prayers for the victims and thanks for rescuers. His opening tweet: “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!”</p>
<p>Although he jumped to his conclusion within a few hours of the crash, it’s taking investigators months to reach a conclusion that is informed by the facts. But this much was obvious right away: The train was making its inaugural run along a fast, new route, not a crumbling line of the type that would be a priority of a national infrastructure plan. And the train was going over twice the speed limit.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>IT’S WHO YOU KNOW, AND DON’T</p>
<p>Trump has claimed to know certain people well, only to circle back to say he hardly knew them all. His familiarity with them has varied according to political circumstance.</p>
<p>So it was when George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser, pleaded guilty in October to lying about his Russian interactions. “Few people knew the young, low level volunteer,” Trump tweeted in response. After naming Papadopoulos to his campaign’s foreign policy advisory council in March 2016, Trump called him an “excellent guy” and tweeted a photo of his council meeting with Papadopoulos among several advisers.</p>
<p>Steve Bannon got such treatment months before his ouster as White House strategist last year.</p>
<p>Trump said he had known him for “many years” when Bannon became his campaign chief in August 2016. When Bannon’s tenure as White House strategist was getting dicey in April, Trump said “I didn’t know him” when Bannon was named campaign CEO.</p>
<p>Trump and Bannon had known each other for five years when the Republican candidate, a month after accepting the nomination, made him campaign chief.</p>
<p>David Bossie, who was deputy campaign manager, told AP he introduced them in 2011 at Trump Tower and they grew to know each well, as Trump appeared multiple times on Bannon’s Breitbart radio show. Bannon interviewed Trump at least nine times in 2015 and 2016 and members of his family and campaign on many other occasions. “They believe in each other’s agendas, which is why they have grown so close,” Bossie said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jim Drinkard, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Hope Yen, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Jill Colvin and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Find AP Fact Checks at <a href="http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd" type="external">http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd</a></p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap errant swings facts president donald trump sometimes gets right theres first year like told florida rally last month truer words ever spoken department corrections certainly never seen first year like falsehoods exaggerations tumbled relentlessly trumps twitter account speeches interviews vast majority service ego presidents skewered truth george w bush pretext iraq war barack obama benefits obamacare trump different order magnitude president routinely presents intended actions achievements obamacare dead money pouring nato inflates significance hes done calling tax cuts biggest ever accomplishments unrivaled history neither true exaggerates problems inherited roads bridges total disrepair disarray border wide open lays fanciful goals 6 percent economic growth doesnt learn mistakes instead repeats moreover trump often bypasses vast informationgathering apparatus reports favor getting reality tv gut trends highlights misstatements since taking office art biggest bestest trump doesnt big tax cuts biggest ever doesnt win election scores landslide doesnt make veterans affairs department run better drives sadists fact december tax overhaul ranks behind ronald reagans early 1980s postworld war ii tax cuts least several 2016 win ranks 13th closest 58 presidential elections us history according tally claremont mckenna college political scientist john pitney landslide winning percentage electoral college 57 percent narrower obamas wins 61 percent 2008 62 percent 2012 two last 10 presidential elections also lost popular vote democrat hillary clinton despite boasts incompetent va employees swiftly removed enactment midyear law expedites process va employees fired obamas last budget year trumps first ___ missions unaccomplished trump sees things way wants presents thats know factories pouring back country ever think would hear urged nato allies strengthen crucial alliance set stage significant increases member contributions billions billions dollars pouring initiative jobs pouring back country fact factories pouring back country sprouting domestically big numbers made claim december spending construction factories dropped 14 percent past year continuing steady decline since middle 2015 jobs pouring back country trump hopes tax overhaul make happen hasnt yet economy added 170000 new jobs month trumps first year slightly average 185000 2016 manufacturers stepped hiring adding 196000 jobs 2017 added 2011 2014 money isnt pouring nato organization wont trump really means hes pushing nato members increase military budgets us wont carry heavy load nato members agreed obamas presidency increase military spending years ahead whether trump accelerated remains seen ___ apocalypse trump makes state union look better watch making past look dark us left border wide open anybody come us armed forces ruins health law inherited tried dismantle disaster covers people essentially dead previous presidents put american energy lock key actually us border far porous trump took office number arrests illegal border crossers best measure many people trying cross illegally 40year low trumps influence border policy felt government presidents george w bush obama roughly doubled ranks border patrol past decade obama derided proimmigrant advocates deporter chief hefty numbers people sent home easing deportations certain groups later presidency obamacare covering 20 million people trump described numbers majority laws medicaid expansion driver coverage plans sold subsidized individual insurance market drew roughly 9 million signups 2018 despite much shorter enrollment season cuts ad budget federal payments insurers new tax law ends obamacare fine lacking insurance starting 2019 repeals major component obamas law critical parts law remain place energy production imprisoned previous administrations unleashed particularly obamas presidency largely advances hydraulic fracturing made economical tap vast reserves natural gas oil production also greatly increased reducing imports 2016 presidential election us first time decades getting energy domestically imports obama bush adversary energy industry despite trumps rhetoric us energy production one consequential actions president open us another source foreign oil approval keystone xl pipeline canada ___ going gut tv trump forms instant impressions sees tv otherwise hears shares views average person social media coffee difference president stands bully pulpit visceral reactions change world trump strained relations britain retweeting videos spread farright british fringe group purported show muslim extremism muslim migrant beats dutch boy crutches said introduction one video showed young man attacking another crutches attacker muslim migrant dutchborn citizen arrested sentenced crime facts matter dutch embassy washington said tweet directed trump president puzzled plenty people february told rally immigration spreading violence extremism sweden pointing whats happening last night sweden nothing extraordinary happened sweden previous night feb 17 happened trump saw analyst talking subject fox news soon claimed vindication statement anyway telling time magazine next month make statement everyone goes crazy next day massive riot death problems wasnt right either two days rally riot broke largely immigrant neighborhood police arrested drug crime suspect cars set fire shops looted one killed attacks country related extremism remain rare biggest surprise many swedes police officer found necessary fire gun amtrak train hurtled tracks washington state december killing three people injuring dozens trumps first impulse make plug infrastructure plan offer thoughts prayers victims thanks rescuers opening tweet train accident occurred dupont wa shows ever soon submitted infrastructure plan must approved quickly seven trillion dollars spent middle east roads bridges tunnels railways crumble long although jumped conclusion within hours crash taking investigators months reach conclusion informed facts much obvious right away train making inaugural run along fast new route crumbling line type would priority national infrastructure plan train going twice speed limit ___ know dont trump claimed know certain people well circle back say hardly knew familiarity varied according political circumstance george papadopoulos trump campaign adviser pleaded guilty october lying russian interactions people knew young low level volunteer trump tweeted response naming papadopoulos campaigns foreign policy advisory council march 2016 trump called excellent guy tweeted photo council meeting papadopoulos among several advisers steve bannon got treatment months ouster white house strategist last year trump said known many years bannon became campaign chief august 2016 bannons tenure white house strategist getting dicey april trump said didnt know bannon named campaign ceo trump bannon known five years republican candidate month accepting nomination made campaign chief david bossie deputy campaign manager told ap introduced 2011 trump tower grew know well trump appeared multiple times bannons breitbart radio show bannon interviewed trump least nine times 2015 2016 members family campaign many occasions believe others agendas grown close bossie said ___ associated press writers jim drinkard josh boak christopher rugaber hope yen ricardo alonsozaldivar jill colvin lolita c baldor contributed report ___ find ap fact checks httpapnews2kbx8bd washington ap errant swings facts president donald trump sometimes gets right theres first year like told florida rally last month truer words ever spoken department corrections certainly never seen first year like falsehoods exaggerations tumbled relentlessly trumps twitter account speeches interviews vast majority service ego presidents skewered truth george w bush pretext iraq war barack obama benefits obamacare trump different order magnitude president routinely presents intended actions achievements obamacare dead money pouring nato inflates significance hes done calling tax cuts biggest ever accomplishments unrivaled history neither true exaggerates problems inherited roads bridges total disrepair disarray border wide open lays fanciful goals 6 percent economic growth doesnt learn mistakes instead repeats moreover trump often bypasses vast informationgathering apparatus reports favor getting reality tv gut trends highlights misstatements since taking office art biggest bestest trump doesnt big tax cuts biggest ever doesnt win election scores landslide doesnt make veterans affairs department run better drives sadists fact december tax overhaul ranks behind ronald reagans early 1980s postworld war ii tax cuts least several 2016 win ranks 13th closest 58 presidential elections us history according tally claremont mckenna college political scientist john pitney landslide winning percentage electoral college 57 percent narrower obamas wins 61 percent 2008 62 percent 2012 two last 10 presidential elections also lost popular vote democrat hillary clinton despite boasts incompetent va employees swiftly removed enactment midyear law expedites process va employees fired obamas last budget year trumps first ___ missions unaccomplished trump sees things way wants presents thats know factories pouring back country ever think would hear urged nato allies strengthen crucial alliance set stage significant increases member contributions billions billions dollars pouring initiative jobs pouring back country fact factories pouring back country sprouting domestically big numbers made claim december spending construction factories dropped 14 percent past year continuing steady decline since middle 2015 jobs pouring back country trump hopes tax overhaul make happen hasnt yet economy added 170000 new jobs month trumps first year slightly average 185000 2016 manufacturers stepped hiring adding 196000 jobs 2017 added 2011 2014 money isnt pouring nato organization wont trump really means hes pushing nato members increase military budgets us wont carry heavy load nato members agreed obamas presidency increase military spending years ahead whether trump accelerated remains seen ___ apocalypse trump makes state union look better watch making past look dark us left border wide open anybody come us armed forces ruins health law inherited tried dismantle disaster covers people essentially dead previous presidents put american energy lock key actually us border far porous trump took office number arrests illegal border crossers best measure many people trying cross illegally 40year low trumps influence border policy felt government presidents george w bush obama roughly doubled ranks border patrol past decade obama derided proimmigrant advocates deporter chief hefty numbers people sent home easing deportations certain groups later presidency obamacare covering 20 million people trump described numbers majority laws medicaid expansion driver coverage plans sold subsidized individual insurance market drew roughly 9 million signups 2018 despite much shorter enrollment season cuts ad budget federal payments insurers new tax law ends obamacare fine lacking insurance starting 2019 repeals major component obamas law critical parts law remain place energy production imprisoned previous administrations unleashed particularly obamas presidency largely advances hydraulic fracturing made economical tap vast reserves natural gas oil production also greatly increased reducing imports 2016 presidential election us first time decades getting energy domestically imports obama bush adversary energy industry despite trumps rhetoric us energy production one consequential actions president open us another source foreign oil approval keystone xl pipeline canada ___ going gut tv trump forms instant impressions sees tv otherwise hears shares views average person social media coffee difference president stands bully pulpit visceral reactions change world trump strained relations britain retweeting videos spread farright british fringe group purported show muslim extremism muslim migrant beats dutch boy crutches said introduction one video showed young man attacking another crutches attacker muslim migrant dutchborn citizen arrested sentenced crime facts matter dutch embassy washington said tweet directed trump president puzzled plenty people february told rally immigration spreading violence extremism sweden pointing whats happening last night sweden nothing extraordinary happened sweden previous night feb 17 happened trump saw analyst talking subject fox news soon claimed vindication statement anyway telling time magazine next month make statement everyone goes crazy next day massive riot death problems wasnt right either two days rally riot broke largely immigrant neighborhood police arrested drug crime suspect cars set fire shops looted one killed attacks country related extremism remain rare biggest surprise many swedes police officer found necessary fire gun amtrak train hurtled tracks washington state december killing three people injuring dozens trumps first impulse make plug infrastructure plan offer thoughts prayers victims thanks rescuers opening tweet train accident occurred dupont wa shows ever soon submitted infrastructure plan must approved quickly seven trillion dollars spent middle east roads bridges tunnels railways crumble long although jumped conclusion within hours crash taking investigators months reach conclusion informed facts much obvious right away train making inaugural run along fast new route crumbling line type would priority national infrastructure plan train going twice speed limit ___ know dont trump claimed know certain people well circle back say hardly knew familiarity varied according political circumstance george papadopoulos trump campaign adviser pleaded guilty october lying russian interactions people knew young low level volunteer trump tweeted response naming papadopoulos campaigns foreign policy advisory council march 2016 trump called excellent guy tweeted photo council meeting papadopoulos among several advisers steve bannon got treatment months ouster white house strategist last year trump said known many years bannon became campaign chief august 2016 bannons tenure white house strategist getting dicey april trump said didnt know bannon named campaign ceo trump bannon known five years republican candidate month accepting nomination made campaign chief david bossie deputy campaign manager told ap introduced 2011 trump tower grew know well trump appeared multiple times bannons breitbart radio show bannon interviewed trump least nine times 2015 2016 members family campaign many occasions believe others agendas grown close bossie said ___ associated press writers jim drinkard josh boak christopher rugaber hope yen ricardo alonsozaldivar jill colvin lolita c baldor contributed report ___ find ap fact checks httpapnews2kbx8bd
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<p>I have heard from a few well-meaning Christian friends that they feel they can’t attend my ceremony. I think that’s silly, I think it’s theologically misguided, and it hurts me deeply because it makes it seem as if they care more about abstract principles than me, their friend and family member.</p>
<p>Still, I do not think these conservatives should be shamed or mocked. I do not think they should be fired. And I certainly do not think they should be the butt of a popular BuzzFeed article.</p>
<p>I’m referring to a non-story written by Kate Aurthur, published Tuesday on BuzzFeed. The piece starts off innocently enough by describing the success of Chip and Joanna Gaines, a husband-and-wife team whose series “Fixer Upper” is one of the most popular shows on HGTV. After pivoting to the religious beliefs of the Gaineses, and pointing out that they go to an evangelical church whose pastors oppose same-sex marriage, Aurthur then poses these questions:</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage? And would they ever feature a same-sex couple on the show, as have HGTV’s ‘House Hunters’ and ‘Property Brothers’?”</p>
<p>The entire article is an elaborate exploration of that hypothetical question. And yes, it is very much hypothetical, by the reporter’s own admission: “Emails to Brock Murphy, the public relations director at their company, Magnolia, were not returned. Nor were emails and calls to HGTV’s PR department.”</p>
<p>But that does not stop Aurthur from writing almost 800 more words about the non-story. Her upshot seems to be: Two popular celebrities might oppose same-sex marriage because the pastor of the church they go to opposes same-sex marriage, but I haven’t heard one way or the other. (I can’t imagine pitching that story to an editor and getting a green light, by the way.)</p>
<p>Besides the fact that the entire case is made by speculation and suggestion, there are many other problems at play. Here are a few of them.</p>
<p>A 2016 survey from Pew Research Center shows public support of same-sex marriage is at an all-time high of 55 percent – and it is steadily growing. But the same polls tell us that nearly 4 out of 10 Americans – no small number! – are not on board with it. The minds at BuzzFeed are not naive: They know that the Gaineses and HGTV are going to have to come out with a public statement on same-sex marriage. They also know that if the statement is not 100 percent supportive of same-sex marriage, the network will be pressured to drop them.</p>
<p>Think about that for a moment. Is the suggestion here that 40 percent of Americans are unemployable because of their religious convictions on marriage? That the companies that employ them deserve to be boycotted until they yield to the other side of the debate – a side, we should note, that is only slightly larger than the one being shouted down?</p>
<p>Or maybe the suggestion is that, because they are public figures, they need to be held to a higher standard, one that does not allow them room for moral and religious convictions? But that doesn’t make sense, either.</p>
<p>BuzzFeed is probably at the forefront of discussions surrounding diversity in entertainment. But do their reporters think diversity refers only to skin color? Does ideological diversity count for nothing, especially when it is representative of, again, a sizable chunk of the American public? It’s hard to make the case that the website promotes this kind of diversity, particularly on same-sex marriage. In June, Ben Smith, the publication’s editor in chief, told Politico that “there are not two sides” on the issue.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Another concern I have with the story is that it validates everything that President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters have been saying about the media: that some journalists – specifically younger ones at popular digital publications – will tell stories in certain deceitful, manipulative ways to take down conservatives. (And really, I can’t for the life of me imagine any other intention of the Gaines story.)</p>
<p>Stories such as this will serve only to reinforce the growing chasm between the media and Trump, which means we are in for four agonizing, tedious years of “gotcha” non-stories like this one.</p>
<p>A few years ago, gay activists decided the best way to win arguments in favor of same-sex marriage was to shut up their opponents. All they had to do was lob a charge of homophobia and the argument was won. Or they tweeted at the companies that employed the “homophobes” until they were fired. Conservatives were bullied on social media and mocked for being ass-backward (and indeed, some of them were and are). But they were never taken seriously.</p>
<p>They were simply dismissed with a snarky RuPaul GIF. At the time, this seemed like a good strategy because, well, Hillary Clinton was a shoo-in for president and because the country was only becoming more and more liberal, and those kinds of hillbillies were being left in the dark.</p>
<p>Enter Trump – the voice of all of the people liberals and activists have been shutting up for the past eight years. It’s no secret that part of Trump’s success is owed to how skillfully he invalidated the media’s authority in the eyes of his conservative followers. The message was very clearly: The media doesn’t like me because I’m conservative, and they don’t like you because you’re conservative, and they’re going to try to ruin all of us, so let’s just ignore them.</p>
<p>And then, like clockwork, BuzzFeed published a story proving him right.</p>
<p>The old strategy of journalists shaming “hicks” is not going to work anymore because our new president seems to be on their side. Sure, no one really believes Trump is homophobic, and sure, he has given his word that same-sex marriage will not be overturned. But as is very clear by now, Vice President-elect Mike Pence (who is literally one heartbeat away from the presidency) has a political past that rightly scares LGBT people and our allies. Also very clear: Many enthusiastic Trump supporters oppose same-sex marriage. Like it or not, we now have to engage them.</p>
<p>As a community, LGBT people did a terrible job of settling the issue of same-sex marriage from a political, ethical and logical standpoint – and now the issue is back to haunt us. What we need to do is what we should have been doing all along: engage our opponents, answer their questions, and use appeals to philosophy and – yes! – theology to thwart their arguments.</p>
<p>Anti-same-sex-marriage arguments are very easy to win, in my opinion. Appeals to natural law are often arbitrary and unaware of how historically contingent they are. Arguments from Scripture do not hold water because most Christians do not consistently apply their biblical hermeneutic. Arguments that queer love is not real love do not hold up under the weight of the extraordinary experiential reality of the millions of committed gay couples who love each other selflessly.</p>
<p>But we need to show up to these arguments to win them. Being “too good” or “too cosmopolitan” or “too educated” to show up to the debate is no longer an effective strategy in the age of Trump.</p>
<p>BuzzFeed can’t argue that the same-sex-marriage issue is ethically settled, because it isn’t for a sizable population of our country and our world. It is no longer okay – indeed, it never was – to write cutesy articles shaming religious people as homophobic for simply being one of the many millions of Americans in 2016 who attend a religious congregation that does not support same-sex marriage. That is not a good move for activism or journalism.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Ambrosino is a writer living in Delaware.</p>
<p>gaines-media-comment</p>
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heard wellmeaning christian friends feel cant attend ceremony think thats silly think theologically misguided hurts deeply makes seem care abstract principles friend family member still think conservatives shamed mocked think fired certainly think butt popular buzzfeed article im referring nonstory written kate aurthur published tuesday buzzfeed piece starts innocently enough describing success chip joanna gaines husbandandwife team whose series fixer upper one popular shows hgtv pivoting religious beliefs gaineses pointing go evangelical church whose pastors oppose samesex marriage aurthur poses questions advertisement gaineses samesex marriage would ever feature samesex couple show hgtvs house hunters property brothers entire article elaborate exploration hypothetical question yes much hypothetical reporters admission emails brock murphy public relations director company magnolia returned emails calls hgtvs pr department stop aurthur writing almost 800 words nonstory upshot seems two popular celebrities might oppose samesex marriage pastor church go opposes samesex marriage havent heard one way cant imagine pitching story editor getting green light way besides fact entire case made speculation suggestion many problems play 2016 survey pew research center shows public support samesex marriage alltime high 55 percent steadily growing polls tell us nearly 4 10 americans small number board minds buzzfeed naive know gaineses hgtv going come public statement samesex marriage also know statement 100 percent supportive samesex marriage network pressured drop think moment suggestion 40 percent americans unemployable religious convictions marriage companies employ deserve boycotted yield side debate side note slightly larger one shouted maybe suggestion public figures need held higher standard one allow room moral religious convictions doesnt make sense either buzzfeed probably forefront discussions surrounding diversity entertainment reporters think diversity refers skin color ideological diversity count nothing especially representative sizable chunk american public hard make case website promotes kind diversity particularly samesex marriage june ben smith publications editor chief told politico two sides issue advertisement another concern story validates everything presidentelect donald trumps supporters saying media journalists specifically younger ones popular digital publications tell stories certain deceitful manipulative ways take conservatives really cant life imagine intention gaines story stories serve reinforce growing chasm media trump means four agonizing tedious years gotcha nonstories like one years ago gay activists decided best way win arguments favor samesex marriage shut opponents lob charge homophobia argument tweeted companies employed homophobes fired conservatives bullied social media mocked assbackward indeed never taken seriously simply dismissed snarky rupaul gif time seemed like good strategy well hillary clinton shooin president country becoming liberal kinds hillbillies left dark enter trump voice people liberals activists shutting past eight years secret part trumps success owed skillfully invalidated medias authority eyes conservative followers message clearly media doesnt like im conservative dont like youre conservative theyre going try ruin us lets ignore like clockwork buzzfeed published story proving right old strategy journalists shaming hicks going work anymore new president seems side sure one really believes trump homophobic sure given word samesex marriage overturned clear vice presidentelect mike pence literally one heartbeat away presidency political past rightly scares lgbt people allies also clear many enthusiastic trump supporters oppose samesex marriage like engage community lgbt people terrible job settling issue samesex marriage political ethical logical standpoint issue back haunt us need along engage opponents answer questions use appeals philosophy yes theology thwart arguments antisamesexmarriage arguments easy win opinion appeals natural law often arbitrary unaware historically contingent arguments scripture hold water christians consistently apply biblical hermeneutic arguments queer love real love hold weight extraordinary experiential reality millions committed gay couples love selflessly need show arguments win good cosmopolitan educated show debate longer effective strategy age trump buzzfeed cant argue samesexmarriage issue ethically settled isnt sizable population country world longer okay indeed never write cutesy articles shaming religious people homophobic simply one many millions americans 2016 attend religious congregation support samesex marriage good move activism journalism ambrosino writer living delaware gainesmediacomment
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<p>The McCain campaign claims that Obama voted to raise income taxes on individuals who earn as little as $32,000 per year. That’s wrong.</p>
<p>Update, July 11: After this article was posted the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee aired a radio ad in two states repeating the bogus $32,000 figure. The campaign also sent an e-mail to reporters defending it, but failing to note that it refers to taxable income and not total income.</p>
<p>Sen. John McCain’s "economic adviser" Steve Forbes pushed the $32,000 claim July 7 in a conference call with reporters and in news interviews. Here’s what he said in the call:</p>
<p>Forbes: Senator Obama has a series of tax proposals and tax actions that would devastate the American economy. For example, he has voted to increase income taxes on individuals earning as little as $32,000 a year. He doesn’t make much of that on the campaign trail, but he did that in the Senate.</p>
<p>We can certainly see why Obama wouldn’t "make much of this" – especially since it’s not true.</p>
<p>What Obama voted for was a budget resolution that would have allowed most of the provisions of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to expire. In particular, the resolution would allow the 25 percent tax bracket to return to its pre-2001 level of 28 percent. That bracket kicks in at $32,550 for an individual or $65,100 for a married couple. (The McCain campaign relies on an AP article which puts the cutoff at $31,850, but that figure is from <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/Content/PDF/individual_rates.pdf" type="external">2007</a>, not this year.) So the McCain campaign claims that anyone making "as little as $32,000" would be affected by the rate increase.</p>
<p>But as those of you who have filled out a 1040 know, that’s not actually how income taxes work. We don’t pay taxes on our total earnings; we pay them based on our "taxable income." The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center’s Eric Toder told FactCheck.org that "people with taxable income of $32,000 would have a total income greater than that." In 2008, anyone filing taxes with single status would be <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?DocID=474&amp;Topic2id=30&amp;Topic3id=38" type="external">entitled</a> to a standard deduction of $5,450, as well as a personal exemption of $3,500. So to have a taxable income high enough to reach the 25 percent bracket, an individual would need to earn at least $41,500 in total income, while a married couple would need a combined income of at least $83,000.</p>
<p>What Would Barack Do?</p>
<p>Forbes refers to Obama’s March 2008 <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00085" type="external">vote</a> for a non-binding <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/110/sc/sc70.pdf" type="external">budget resolution</a> that would have set general revenue and spending targets for congressional tax-writing and appropriations committees. The resolution does not contain a specific provision to raise tax rates, but rather assumes that most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire as scheduled in 2011. It also bears no relation to Obama’s proposed economic plan. In fact, Obama has stated repeatedly that his plan would increase taxes only for those making more than $250,000 per year:</p>
<p>Obama (June 12, 2008): If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan will not raise your taxes. Period. Not income tax, not payroll tax, not capital gains tax, not any of your taxes. And chances are you will get a tax cut.</p>
<p>The most comprehensive nonpartisan <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411693_CandidateTaxPlans.pdf" type="external">analysis</a> of Obama’s tax proposal available is the Tax Policy Center’s comparison of McCain’s and Obama’s economic plans. That analysis mostly supports Obama’s claim that his plan won’t raise taxes, though it says that families earning between $169,480 and $237,040 would see an average tax increase of $486 under Obama’s plan. All those earning less than $169,480 would see tax cuts. In fact, that hypothetical taxpayer with the $32,000 in taxable income would get a <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?DocID=1839" type="external">$502 tax cut</a> under Obama’s plan. McCain’s plan, by contrast, would leave that person’s taxes unchanged.</p>
<p>Obama the Flip-Flopper?</p>
<p>Forbes is right that Obama voted for a resolution that would have allowed tax rates to return to their pre-2001 levels. Yet Obama’s own economic plan makes permanent the tax cuts to the four lowest brackets. So why the shift? Obama <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/07/1185362.aspx" type="external">told</a> reporters on July 7 that "the budget resolutions are not tax votes" and went on to describe the budget process as "screwy." We’ll certainly grant him that last part. As we have <a href="" type="internal">described</a> before, budget resolutions basically set targets for appropriations committees to use. They are more like guidelines than actual rules. And, like many budget resolutions, this one passed on a party-line vote, with just one Democrat and two Republicans crossing party lines.</p>
<p>Certainly Obama’s votes indicate a willingness to raise taxes, and Obama has not been shy about saying explicitly that he will raise some taxes. We’ll leave it to you to decide what you think about Obama’s record and his specific proposals. But we do find that the McCain campaign is simply wrong to say Obama supported raising taxes on those making "as little as $32,000 a year." In fact, according to the Tax Policy Center, only the top 10 percent of earners would see increases under Obama’s plan, with most of the burden falling on the top 1 percent.</p>
<p>– by Joe Miller</p>
<p>Update, July 11: The McCain campaign has escalated its use of the false $32,000 claim. The campaign and the RNC have aired a <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0708/McCain_RNC_to_hit_Obama_on_radio_.html" type="external">radio ad</a> in Virginia and <a href="http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2008/07/10/antiobama_ad_hits_dayton_radio.html" type="external">Ohio</a> in which a teacher repeats the false claim, saying: "Barack Obama promises to cut taxes, but he voted to raise taxes on folks earning as little as $32,000." Also, in a July 11 e-mail to reporters, McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin defended the figure:</p>
<p>Holtz-Eakin: In the past three days, much has been written about Barack Obama’s vote in favor of a budget resolution that raises income tax rates by three percentage points for 25, 28 and 33 percent tax brackets. The lowest of these brackets begins at an income level of $31,850.</p>
<p>What Holtz-Eakin fails to say anywhere in his message, however, is that he is referring to taxable income, and not to total income. As we already noted, an unmarried taxpayer with no dependents would need to have an income of at least $41,500 to reach the 25 percent bracket in 2008. A couple would have to earn at least $83,000. In 2008, the cutoff for the 25 percent bracket was $32,500 (not $31,850 as the McCain campaign continues to claim) in taxable income – or income after deductions and exclusions.</p>
<p>Holtz-Eakin is a former director of the Congressional Budget Office, so we were surprised to see him misstate such a basic figure. But he does. The $31,850 number he cites was for income earned last year, 2007, as the Internal Revenue Service <a href="http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=164272,00.html" type="external">notes</a> on its Web site. The IRS <a href="http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=174876,00.html" type="external">announced</a> last October that the tax brackets for this year would be widened, as they are every year, to adjust for inflation. For 2008, the 25 percent bracket begins at $32,550 of taxable income, as the IRS notes in this <a href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-07-66.pdf" type="external">procedural manual</a>.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Obama’s vote was on a budget bill for 2009, at which time the bracket will start at an even higher level.</p>
<p>Holtz-Eakin says that Obama’s "words on the campaign trail do not match the actions he has taken. He tells the American people one thing but has a record that is quite different." The McCain campaign is surely entitled to compare Obama’s voting record with his campaign promises. But the fact is, Obama didn’t vote for raising taxes on persons making $32,000. The resolution could not have affected any single person making less than $41,500 in total income, and no married couple making less than $83,000.</p>
<p>We reiterate: McCain’s $32,000 figure is phony.</p>
<p>Jones, Athena. " <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/07/1185362.aspx" type="external">Obama Talks Economy, Iraq.</a>" 7 July 2008. MSNBC: First Read, 8 July 2008.</p>
<p>Len Burman, et. al. " <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411693_CandidateTaxPlans.pdf" type="external">A Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans.</a>" 20 June 2008. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.</p>
<p>Len Burman, et. al. " <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?DocID=1839" type="external">Change in Tax Liability Under the Presidential Candidate Tax Plans Fully Phased In, for Representative Nonelderly Single and Head of Household Families, Assuming Current-Law Nonitemizers Do Not Have Mortgages, 2009.</a>" 19 June 2008. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.</p>
<p>Neuman, Johanna. " <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-campaign13-2008jun13,0,3522950.story" type="external">Obama Takes on McCain Over Taxes.</a>" 12 June 2008. L.A. Times, 7 July 2008.</p>
<p>Tax Policy Center. " <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/Content/PDF/individual_rates.pdf" type="external">Individual Income Tax Brackets, 1945 – 2008.</a>" 4 November 2007. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.</p>
<p>Taylor, Andrew. " <a href="http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1722003,00.html" type="external">Presidential Hopefuls to Vote on Budget.</a>" 13 March 2008. Associated Press, 7 July 2008.</p>
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mccain campaign claims obama voted raise income taxes individuals earn little 32000 per year thats wrong update july 11 article posted mccain campaign republican national committee aired radio ad two states repeating bogus 32000 figure campaign also sent email reporters defending failing note refers taxable income total income sen john mccains economic adviser steve forbes pushed 32000 claim july 7 conference call reporters news interviews heres said call forbes senator obama series tax proposals tax actions would devastate american economy example voted increase income taxes individuals earning little 32000 year doesnt make much campaign trail senate certainly see obama wouldnt make much especially since true obama voted budget resolution would allowed provisions 2001 2003 tax cuts expire particular resolution would allow 25 percent tax bracket return pre2001 level 28 percent bracket kicks 32550 individual 65100 married couple mccain campaign relies ap article puts cutoff 31850 figure 2007 year mccain campaign claims anyone making little 32000 would affected rate increase filled 1040 know thats actually income taxes work dont pay taxes total earnings pay based taxable income urbanbrookings tax policy centers eric toder told factcheckorg people taxable income 32000 would total income greater 2008 anyone filing taxes single status would entitled standard deduction 5450 well personal exemption 3500 taxable income high enough reach 25 percent bracket individual would need earn least 41500 total income married couple would need combined income least 83000 would barack forbes refers obamas march 2008 vote nonbinding budget resolution would set general revenue spending targets congressional taxwriting appropriations committees resolution contain specific provision raise tax rates rather assumes 2001 2003 tax cuts expire scheduled 2011 also bears relation obamas proposed economic plan fact obama stated repeatedly plan would increase taxes making 250000 per year obama june 12 2008 family making less 250000 year plan raise taxes period income tax payroll tax capital gains tax taxes chances get tax cut comprehensive nonpartisan analysis obamas tax proposal available tax policy centers comparison mccains obamas economic plans analysis mostly supports obamas claim plan wont raise taxes though says families earning 169480 237040 would see average tax increase 486 obamas plan earning less 169480 would see tax cuts fact hypothetical taxpayer 32000 taxable income would get 502 tax cut obamas plan mccains plan contrast would leave persons taxes unchanged obama flipflopper forbes right obama voted resolution would allowed tax rates return pre2001 levels yet obamas economic plan makes permanent tax cuts four lowest brackets shift obama told reporters july 7 budget resolutions tax votes went describe budget process screwy well certainly grant last part described budget resolutions basically set targets appropriations committees use like guidelines actual rules like many budget resolutions one passed partyline vote one democrat two republicans crossing party lines certainly obamas votes indicate willingness raise taxes obama shy saying explicitly raise taxes well leave decide think obamas record specific proposals find mccain campaign simply wrong say obama supported raising taxes making little 32000 year fact according tax policy center top 10 percent earners would see increases obamas plan burden falling top 1 percent joe miller update july 11 mccain campaign escalated use false 32000 claim campaign rnc aired radio ad virginia ohio teacher repeats false claim saying barack obama promises cut taxes voted raise taxes folks earning little 32000 also july 11 email reporters mccain economic adviser douglas holtzeakin defended figure holtzeakin past three days much written barack obamas vote favor budget resolution raises income tax rates three percentage points 25 28 33 percent tax brackets lowest brackets begins income level 31850 holtzeakin fails say anywhere message however referring taxable income total income already noted unmarried taxpayer dependents would need income least 41500 reach 25 percent bracket 2008 couple would earn least 83000 2008 cutoff 25 percent bracket 32500 31850 mccain campaign continues claim taxable income income deductions exclusions holtzeakin former director congressional budget office surprised see misstate basic figure 31850 number cites income earned last year 2007 internal revenue service notes web site irs announced last october tax brackets year would widened every year adjust inflation 2008 25 percent bracket begins 32550 taxable income irs notes procedural manual furthermore obamas vote budget bill 2009 time bracket start even higher level holtzeakin says obamas words campaign trail match actions taken tells american people one thing record quite different mccain campaign surely entitled compare obamas voting record campaign promises fact obama didnt vote raising taxes persons making 32000 resolution could affected single person making less 41500 total income married couple making less 83000 reiterate mccains 32000 figure phony jones athena obama talks economy iraq 7 july 2008 msnbc first read 8 july 2008 len burman et al preliminary analysis 2008 presidential candidates tax plans 20 june 2008 tax policy center 7 july 2008 len burman et al change tax liability presidential candidate tax plans fully phased representative nonelderly single head household families assuming currentlaw nonitemizers mortgages 2009 19 june 2008 tax policy center 7 july 2008 neuman johanna obama takes mccain taxes 12 june 2008 la times 7 july 2008 tax policy center individual income tax brackets 1945 2008 4 november 2007 tax policy center 7 july 2008 taylor andrew presidential hopefuls vote budget 13 march 2008 associated press 7 july 2008
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<p>BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — Longtime ski racer Ivica Kostelic of Croatia has almost gone through as many knee surgeries as World Cup seasons.</p>
<p>The 35-year-old no longer has meniscus or cartilage in his right knee. But who needs soft tissue when you're after the hardware? Apparently not Kostelic, a four-time Olympic silver medalist who's looking for his first world championships title in more than a decade Sunday in the slalom.</p>
<p>Kostelic has endured 15 knee operations — two on his left knee and 13 more on the right, including four ACL reconstructions.</p>
<p>"I'm the leader for all the knee people in the world," laughed Kostelic, who's competing in his eighth world championships in Beaver Creek.</p>
<p>His last name is familiar in ski circles. After all, his father and coach, Ante, is renowned for setting some of the wildest and most challenging courses in professional skiing. His younger sister, Janica, is the only female skier to win four Olympic gold medals.</p>
<p>Of course, he's no slouch, either. Ivica Kostelic won the 2011 overall World Cup title, 26 World Cup races, three medals at worlds — one of every color, including gold in the slalom at St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 2003 — and those four Olympic silver medals.</p>
<p>"I love skiing more than anything else," Kostelic said. "I've lived this life since I was 7. I don't know any other life. I don't believe that there was ever greater love than between me and skiing."</p>
<p>Even through all the knee pain.</p>
<p>Every turn brings bone-on-bone twinges. Giant slalom is the worst, which is why Kostelic skipped the event. He's also scaled back on downhill and super-G races, but tried the super-G at worlds, only to miss a gate and not finish. He finished 12th in the Alpine combined, but his knee hurt.</p>
<p>To combat the pain, he routinely receives Cortisone shots. He's tried stem-cell regeneration and constantly takes painkillers. Every experimental remedy in existence— and within the rules — he's tried it.</p>
<p>"With so much medicine, I can't believe it's starting to hurt more and more, that it's working less and less," said Kostelic, whose first World Cup victory in 2001 was down the road in Aspen, when he charged to the slalom win from bib No. 64.</p>
<p>Kostelic has no plans to retire just yet, but hopes that limiting his skiing now will mean that he will be able to live an active life once he does stop racing.</p>
<p>"This is important for me, so when I quit, I can still walk normally and run," Kostelic said.</p>
<p>The slalom race Sunday is Kostelic's last hope for a medal — possibly ever.</p>
<p>"Slalom is still going," Kostelic said. "This is the discipline where I have the least pain. It's hard to let it go. I love skiing and want to stay in it as long as I can. That's why I'm still trying."</p>
<p>BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — Longtime ski racer Ivica Kostelic of Croatia has almost gone through as many knee surgeries as World Cup seasons.</p>
<p>The 35-year-old no longer has meniscus or cartilage in his right knee. But who needs soft tissue when you're after the hardware? Apparently not Kostelic, a four-time Olympic silver medalist who's looking for his first world championships title in more than a decade Sunday in the slalom.</p>
<p>Kostelic has endured 15 knee operations — two on his left knee and 13 more on the right, including four ACL reconstructions.</p>
<p>"I'm the leader for all the knee people in the world," laughed Kostelic, who's competing in his eighth world championships in Beaver Creek.</p>
<p>His last name is familiar in ski circles. After all, his father and coach, Ante, is renowned for setting some of the wildest and most challenging courses in professional skiing. His younger sister, Janica, is the only female skier to win four Olympic gold medals.</p>
<p>Of course, he's no slouch, either. Ivica Kostelic won the 2011 overall World Cup title, 26 World Cup races, three medals at worlds — one of every color, including gold in the slalom at St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 2003 — and those four Olympic silver medals.</p>
<p>"I love skiing more than anything else," Kostelic said. "I've lived this life since I was 7. I don't know any other life. I don't believe that there was ever greater love than between me and skiing."</p>
<p>Even through all the knee pain.</p>
<p>Every turn brings bone-on-bone twinges. Giant slalom is the worst, which is why Kostelic skipped the event. He's also scaled back on downhill and super-G races, but tried the super-G at worlds, only to miss a gate and not finish. He finished 12th in the Alpine combined, but his knee hurt.</p>
<p>To combat the pain, he routinely receives Cortisone shots. He's tried stem-cell regeneration and constantly takes painkillers. Every experimental remedy in existence— and within the rules — he's tried it.</p>
<p>"With so much medicine, I can't believe it's starting to hurt more and more, that it's working less and less," said Kostelic, whose first World Cup victory in 2001 was down the road in Aspen, when he charged to the slalom win from bib No. 64.</p>
<p>Kostelic has no plans to retire just yet, but hopes that limiting his skiing now will mean that he will be able to live an active life once he does stop racing.</p>
<p>"This is important for me, so when I quit, I can still walk normally and run," Kostelic said.</p>
<p>The slalom race Sunday is Kostelic's last hope for a medal — possibly ever.</p>
<p>"Slalom is still going," Kostelic said. "This is the discipline where I have the least pain. It's hard to let it go. I love skiing and want to stay in it as long as I can. That's why I'm still trying."</p>
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beaver creek colo ap longtime ski racer ivica kostelic croatia almost gone many knee surgeries world cup seasons 35yearold longer meniscus cartilage right knee needs soft tissue youre hardware apparently kostelic fourtime olympic silver medalist whos looking first world championships title decade sunday slalom kostelic endured 15 knee operations two left knee 13 right including four acl reconstructions im leader knee people world laughed kostelic whos competing eighth world championships beaver creek last name familiar ski circles father coach ante renowned setting wildest challenging courses professional skiing younger sister janica female skier win four olympic gold medals course hes slouch either ivica kostelic 2011 overall world cup title 26 world cup races three medals worlds one every color including gold slalom st moritz switzerland 2003 four olympic silver medals love skiing anything else kostelic said ive lived life since 7 dont know life dont believe ever greater love skiing even knee pain every turn brings boneonbone twinges giant slalom worst kostelic skipped event hes also scaled back downhill superg races tried superg worlds miss gate finish finished 12th alpine combined knee hurt combat pain routinely receives cortisone shots hes tried stemcell regeneration constantly takes painkillers every experimental remedy existence within rules hes tried much medicine cant believe starting hurt working less less said kostelic whose first world cup victory 2001 road aspen charged slalom win bib 64 kostelic plans retire yet hopes limiting skiing mean able live active life stop racing important quit still walk normally run kostelic said slalom race sunday kostelics last hope medal possibly ever slalom still going kostelic said discipline least pain hard let go love skiing want stay long thats im still trying beaver creek colo ap longtime ski racer ivica kostelic croatia almost gone many knee surgeries world cup seasons 35yearold longer meniscus cartilage right knee needs soft tissue youre hardware apparently kostelic fourtime olympic silver medalist whos looking first world championships title decade sunday slalom kostelic endured 15 knee operations two left knee 13 right including four acl reconstructions im leader knee people world laughed kostelic whos competing eighth world championships beaver creek last name familiar ski circles father coach ante renowned setting wildest challenging courses professional skiing younger sister janica female skier win four olympic gold medals course hes slouch either ivica kostelic 2011 overall world cup title 26 world cup races three medals worlds one every color including gold slalom st moritz switzerland 2003 four olympic silver medals love skiing anything else kostelic said ive lived life since 7 dont know life dont believe ever greater love skiing even knee pain every turn brings boneonbone twinges giant slalom worst kostelic skipped event hes also scaled back downhill superg races tried superg worlds miss gate finish finished 12th alpine combined knee hurt combat pain routinely receives cortisone shots hes tried stemcell regeneration constantly takes painkillers every experimental remedy existence within rules hes tried much medicine cant believe starting hurt working less less said kostelic whose first world cup victory 2001 road aspen charged slalom win bib 64 kostelic plans retire yet hopes limiting skiing mean able live active life stop racing important quit still walk normally run kostelic said slalom race sunday kostelics last hope medal possibly ever slalom still going kostelic said discipline least pain hard let go love skiing want stay long thats im still trying
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<p>Nearly 50 years after NASA sent astronauts into space and put Neil Armstrong on the moon, contemporary artists continue to look to the galaxies for imagery and inspiration. They’re re-enacting planetary landings, replicating astronaut gear, even training with NASA. Last spring, New York’s Park Avenue Armory staged “Space Program 2.0: Mars,” filling the 55,000-square-foot hall with a re-enactment of a trip to Mars.</p>
<p>“It’s not fiction anymore,” Harwood Museum of Art curator Jina Brenneman said. “It’s becoming fact.”</p>
<p>“Machine Wilderness (In Zero Gravity)” explores that truth at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos. The show encompasses three exhibitions, partially inspired by the 18th International Symposium on Electronic Art in Albuquerque this fall. The exhibits consider artists’ use of technology in space, fueled by its eventual colonization. Their work ranges from spoof to inspired, populated with aliens and spaceships. There’s even a consideration of zero-gravity tap-dancing.</p>
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<p>For Brenneman, the exploration is anything but apocalyptic. “Mad Max” fans need not attend.</p>
<p>“It’s not about going to the moon; it’s about hope,” she said.</p>
<p>The show is divided into a trio of exhibitions: “Falling Without Fear,” “Curiosity: From the Faraway Nearby” and “Charles Luna.” Some artists cross over from one category to the other.</p>
<p>“Falling Without Fear” showcases the work of artists using digital media such as looped videos and 3-D graphics.</p>
<p>Jeff T. Alu already produces graphics and animation for clients ranging from NASA to Hasbro.</p>
<p>“He has been hired by some of the companies to do animated films in space,” Brenneman said.</p>
<p>“The work in ‘Curiosity’ is all iPhone,” she explained. “The work in ‘Falling’ is all digital. They’re animation. He has his hands in both low- and high-tech.”</p>
<p>One shows a hotel designed for space travel; another the formation of a planet, then a solar system.</p>
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<p>Folk musician/composer Paul Elwood germinated the music accompanying the exhibit while contemplating movement in outer space.</p>
<p>“If you were going to tap dance in outer space, how would you make a sound?” Brenneman said he asked. “The answer is Velcro.”</p>
<p>He reasoned the sounds would occur when lifting the feet from the floor, rather than striking the floor.</p>
<p>The percussive music features the composer bowing a banjo like he would a violin. Elwood videotaped University of Iowa students rehearsing the piece.</p>
<p>“When I saw it I thought, ‘You couldn’t go to a Star Trek convention and see anything dorkier than this,’ ” Brenneman said.</p>
<p>The exhibit “Curiosity: From the Faraway Nearby” features photographs taken using everything from iPhones to Polaroids.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque-born and -raised Connie Samaras moved to Los Angeles, then returned home to photograph New Mexico’s spaceports and their appendaged buildings and runways. Her work touches on the implications of space travel as that exploration moves away from the government toward private enterprise. New Mexico is the world’s first hub for sending ordinary travelers into the stratosphere.</p>
<p>And then there are the speculative landscapes of Denver’s Joe Clower, aka “El Disco.” During the 1970s, Clower drove around northern New Mexico and southern Colorado carrying a model spaceship dangling from a fishing pole with his buddies and a lot of beer.</p>
<p>“They passed the fishing pole with the model over the landscape,” Brenneman said.</p>
<p>The results looked like landscapes with silver discs soaring across the sky.</p>
<p>“The UFO people went nuts because they thought they were real.”</p>
<p>All joking aside, the masquerades make clear a subconscious desire to explore the spangled expanse we call space.</p>
<p>While “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” may stand as galactic touchstones for older viewers, younger visitors need no such prompting.</p>
<p>“For them, it’s part of their language,” Brenneman said. “It’s not a comic book anymore.”</p>
<p>In fact, there is already art in space.</p>
<p>French choreographer Kitsou Dubois received a government grant taking her to Houston and NASA.</p>
<p>In 1990, she began participating in parabolic flights.</p>
<p>She used that experience of weightlessness to choreograph movement in space. She works with dancers in water, parabolic flights and in virtual reality set-ups.</p>
<p>“She has danced her whole life in zero gravity,” Brenneman said. “They go up in a plane. You see them on the ground. Then you see (the plane) drop and they’re flying and dancing. It’s so gorgeous and ethereal.”</p>
<p>It all shows a healthy disregard for the seemingly impossible.</p>
<p>“Fear of Falling” flatscreens show Taos artist Christina Sporrong dangling from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, as well as other high-altitude performances.</p>
<p>“She’s a welder,” Brenneman explained. “She’s also an aerial dancer and an acrobat.”</p>
<p>It was the work of Colorado artist Charles Luna who summed up the exhibition theme for Brenneman. She discovered his paintings while she was judging work for the Colorado State Fair.</p>
<p>The unsettling portraits show a figure with its head replaced by a TV screen, surrounded by a high desert landscape.</p>
<p>“It was machine wilderness in the way I wanted to see machine wilderness,” she said. “It’s how our culture’s changing.”</p>
<p>Brenneman hatched “Machine Wilderness” after stumbling upon a link to London’s Tate Modern called “Tate in Space.” The Tate has declared outer space to be its next outpost in the form of a docking module at the International Space Station.</p>
<p>“I thought it was an artist’s project,” Brenneman said. “But it was a funded department. I called the curator and she said, ‘This is not a joke.’ They’re talking about preserving (art) at zero gravity.”</p>
| false | 2 |
nearly 50 years nasa sent astronauts space put neil armstrong moon contemporary artists continue look galaxies imagery inspiration theyre reenacting planetary landings replicating astronaut gear even training nasa last spring new yorks park avenue armory staged space program 20 mars filling 55000squarefoot hall reenactment trip mars fiction anymore harwood museum art curator jina brenneman said becoming fact machine wilderness zero gravity explores truth harwood museum art taos show encompasses three exhibitions partially inspired 18th international symposium electronic art albuquerque fall exhibits consider artists use technology space fueled eventual colonization work ranges spoof inspired populated aliens spaceships theres even consideration zerogravity tapdancing advertisement brenneman exploration anything apocalyptic mad max fans need attend going moon hope said show divided trio exhibitions falling without fear curiosity faraway nearby charles luna artists cross one category falling without fear showcases work artists using digital media looped videos 3d graphics jeff alu already produces graphics animation clients ranging nasa hasbro hired companies animated films space brenneman said work curiosity iphone explained work falling digital theyre animation hands low hightech one shows hotel designed space travel another formation planet solar system advertisement folk musiciancomposer paul elwood germinated music accompanying exhibit contemplating movement outer space going tap dance outer space would make sound brenneman said asked answer velcro reasoned sounds would occur lifting feet floor rather striking floor percussive music features composer bowing banjo like would violin elwood videotaped university iowa students rehearsing piece saw thought couldnt go star trek convention see anything dorkier brenneman said exhibit curiosity faraway nearby features photographs taken using everything iphones polaroids albuquerqueborn raised connie samaras moved los angeles returned home photograph new mexicos spaceports appendaged buildings runways work touches implications space travel exploration moves away government toward private enterprise new mexico worlds first hub sending ordinary travelers stratosphere speculative landscapes denvers joe clower aka el disco 1970s clower drove around northern new mexico southern colorado carrying model spaceship dangling fishing pole buddies lot beer passed fishing pole model landscape brenneman said results looked like landscapes silver discs soaring across sky ufo people went nuts thought real joking aside masquerades make clear subconscious desire explore spangled expanse call space star trek star wars may stand galactic touchstones older viewers younger visitors need prompting part language brenneman said comic book anymore fact already art space french choreographer kitsou dubois received government grant taking houston nasa 1990 began participating parabolic flights used experience weightlessness choreograph movement space works dancers water parabolic flights virtual reality setups danced whole life zero gravity brenneman said go plane see ground see plane drop theyre flying dancing gorgeous ethereal shows healthy disregard seemingly impossible fear falling flatscreens show taos artist christina sporrong dangling rio grande gorge bridge well highaltitude performances shes welder brenneman explained shes also aerial dancer acrobat work colorado artist charles luna summed exhibition theme brenneman discovered paintings judging work colorado state fair unsettling portraits show figure head replaced tv screen surrounded high desert landscape machine wilderness way wanted see machine wilderness said cultures changing brenneman hatched machine wilderness stumbling upon link londons tate modern called tate space tate declared outer space next outpost form docking module international space station thought artists project brenneman said funded department called curator said joke theyre talking preserving art zero gravity
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<p>The president and House speaker restated familiar positions in their dueling debt ceiling speeches, but they took their points too far at times or made them without enough context.</p>
<p>For the most part, the two men stuck to the facts or offered their opinions. In our Analysis, we provide details on where they did stray too far from the facts.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama was the first to speak, delivering a 15-minute <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/25/address-president-nation" type="external">speech</a> to the nation on July 25 — just three days after the White House's debt ceiling negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/no-deal-debt-ceiling-talks-between-obama-boehner-break-down.html" type="external">collapsed</a>. The president's speech was quickly followed by a <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/07/25/boehner_transcript_address_to_the_nation_on_the_debt_ceiling_110710.html" type="external">brief response</a> from Boehner. Both blamed the other for failing to negotiate in good faith, as the country draws closer to the Aug. 2 date when the administration says the U.S. will not be able to borrow any more money and will not be able to pay all of its bills.&#160;</p>
<p>Debt Ceiling Vote 'Routine'?</p>
<p>Obama said raising the debt ceiling has been a common occurrence over the last 60 years. That's true, but this request is the largest in history, even in inflation-adjusted dollars.</p>
<p>Obama, July 25: In the past, raising the debt ceiling was routine. Since the 1950s, Congress has always passed it, and every president has signed it. President Reagan did it 18 times. George W. Bush did it seven times. And we have to do it by next Tuesday, Aug. 2, or else we won’t be able to pay all of our bills.</p>
<p>Obama was mostly correct when he said that raising the debt ceiling was something that every president has done since the 1950s. The debt ceiling increased during every presidency since the 1940s — with the exception of President Harry Truman — according to the Office of Management and Budget's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/hist07z3.xls" type="external">historical tables</a> on federal debt statutory limits. Truman <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/harrystruman" type="external">became president</a> on April 12, 1945, nine days after the debt ceiling was increased from $260 billion to $300 billion. The debt limit wasn't raised again until 1954, during the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/dwightdeisenhower" type="external">Dwight D. Eisenhower administration</a>, when it went from $275 billion to $281 billion. (Truman had reduced the debt limit to $275 billion in 1946.)</p>
<p>He is also correct about President George W. Bush and largely correct about President Ronald Reagan, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/hist07z3.xls" type="external">OMB's budget tables</a> show. Bush raised the debt limit seven times. Under Reagan, there were 18 debt-ceiling votes — although one of them didn't raise the limit but rather changed its effective date. Reagan raised the debt by more than $1.8 trillion in his two terms in office, going from about $935 billion to about $2.8 trillion. And Bush raised the debt limit by more than $5.3 trillion, going from about $5.95 trillion to $11.315 trillion.</p>
<p>The White House, according to <a href="http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/11/07/15/the-cut-cap" type="external">House Republicans</a> and various <a href="http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/26/debt-debate-cheat-sheet/" type="external">news</a> <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/obama-says-republicans-walking-away-from-fair-deal-in-debt-ceiling-talks.html" type="external">reports</a>, have requested that the debt limit be raised by $2.4 trillion. That figure matches the president's own FY 2012 budget, which projects that the debt subject to the statutory limit that year would be more than <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/budget.pdf" type="external">$16.6 trillion</a>, or nearly $2.4 trillion more than the current $14.29 trillion limit. And the administration has <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/25/statement-press-secretary" type="external">backed</a> a recent proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that would raise the debt limit by that amount.</p>
<p>There have only been a few occasions when the debt limit was raised at one time by anything close to $2.4 trillion. In August 1978 and April 1979, the debt limit was raised $398 billion and $430 billion, respectively, under President Jimmy Carter. Those are increases of almost $1.4 trillion and $1.3 trillion when adjusted for inflation. In November 1990, during the administration of President George H.W. Bush, the debt was increased by $915 billion. That's nearly $1.6 trillion in <a href="http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm" type="external">inflation-adjusted</a> figures. And in May 2003, during George W. Bush's presidency, the debt limit was raised by $984 billion, or roughly $1.2 trillion when <a href="http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm" type="external">adjusted for inflation</a>.</p>
<p>Corporate Jets, Big Oil and Seniors</p>
<p>Obama recycled a well-worn but misleading Democratic talking point when he accused Republicans of favoring tax breaks for oil companies and owners of private jets at the expense of cuts for Medicare recipients:</p>
<p>Obama: Most Americans, regardless of political party, don’t understand how we can ask a senior citizen to pay more for her Medicare before we ask a corporate jet owner or the oil companies to give up tax breaks that other companies don’t get.&#160;</p>
<p>It's true that GOP lawmakers have so far rejected Democratic proposals to raise taxes on anyone, even oil companies and jet owners, while the House-passed Republican budget called for major reductions in the future growth of Medicare spending. But nobody should get the idea that raising taxes only on one unpopular industry and high-flying corporate suits will significantly reduce the deficit.</p>
<p>According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, repealing all the tax preferences for the oil and gas industry, as called for in Obama's fiscal 2012 budget proposal, would <a href="http://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=startdown&amp;id=3773" type="external">yield just $36 billion over the next decade</a>. And eliminating tax breaks for corporate jets would <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-29/jet-tax-break-cited-six-times-by-obama-would-cut-debt-by-about-3-billion.html" type="external">yield only about $3 billion</a> over the same period, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg News. That's about four-tenths of 1 percent of the <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12130/BudgetProjectionsforAPBStudy.xls" type="external">$9.5 trillion in total deficits projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office</a> over the same 10 years.</p>
<p>So while attacking oil companies and jet-set corporate executives may have political appeal, it doesn't qualify as serious deficit-cutting. Raising the $1.2 trillion in added revenue that the president reportedly is seeking will require a lot more than that.</p>
<p>'Fundamental Changes' to Entitlements?</p>
<p>In his response to the president's speech, Boehner claimed that Obama was against any "fundamental changes" to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.</p>
<p>Boehner, July 25: The president is adamant that we cannot make fundamental changes to our entitlement programs.</p>
<p>But Obama has proposed cuts to entitlement programs, bucking his own party in the process. In a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president" type="external">July 22 press conference</a>, Obama said he had put $650 billion in reductions over 10 years on the table:</p>
<p>Obama, July 22: Essentially what we had offered Speaker Boehner was over a trillion dollars in cuts to discretionary spending, both domestic and defense. We then offered an additional $650 billion in cuts to entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. We believed that it was possible to shape those in a way that preserved the integrity of the system, made them available for the next generation, and did not affect current beneficiaries in an adverse way.</p>
<p>Whether Obama offered "fundamental" changes is a matter of opinion, but Obama was open to raising the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republicans agreeing to raise taxes, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/11/obama-medicare-eligibility-age_n_894833.html" type="external">according to the Huffington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/11/obama-holds-press-conference-ahead-budget-talks/" type="external">Fox News</a> and an <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/boehner-s-response-is-work-of-political-fiction-jonathan-alter.html" type="external">opinion piece for Bloomberg News by Jonathan Alter</a>, who also said Obama had "endorsed … means-testing benefits [which would take a person's income into account when distributing benefits] and reducing the growth of future Social Security payments" as part of his $650 billion in spending cuts. A White House spokeswoman confirmed to us that those were the specific measures Obama has proposed.</p>
<p>While the president has been open to some level of entitlement changes, many Democrats have not. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58585.html" type="external">has said</a> cuts to entitlement programs shouldn't be part of any deal on the debt ceiling. And Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/11/obama-holds-press-conference-ahead-budget-talks/#ixzz1TEkm8XL2" type="external">told Fox News</a>: "As long as the entitlement programs are part of a cut program, I can't support it."</p>
<p>No Blank Checks</p>
<p>Boehner also accused the president of wanting a "blank check today." That's not true.</p>
<p>Boehner: The sad truth is that the president wanted a blank check six months ago, and he wants a blank check today. That is just not going to happen.</p>
<p>It is true that Obama "wanted a blank check six months ago." In January, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner formally asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling in a <a href="http://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Pages/letter.aspx" type="external">letter</a> to congressional leaders. He urged quick action, warning that the debt limit could be reached as early as March. But he didn't promise any specific spending cuts to offset the higher debt ceiling and neither did the White House. The administration at first resisted <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/06/5777391-boehner-lays-down-his-marker-on-debt-ceiling?ocid=twitter" type="external">Republican calls</a> to cut spending in exchange for raising the debt limit. By April, the White House was still seeking to separate the two issues. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney <a href="http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/15/press-gaggle-press-secretary-jay-carney-aboard-air-force-one-en-route-jo" type="external">told</a> reporters April 15 that raising the debt ceiling and reducing deficit spending are "both urgent, but they're not linked."</p>
<p>However, Boehner takes it too far when he claims that the president wants "a blank check today." That's no longer the case. As Carney <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/14/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-7142011" type="external">explained</a> in a July 14 White House press briefing, the administration offered somewhere between $1.5 trillion and $1.7 trillion in cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. By July 21, the New York Times was among many news outlets <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/politics/22fiscal.html" type="external">reporting</a> that Boehner and Obama were close on a $3 trillion package of spending cuts, entitlement changes and new revenues. A <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/no-deal-debt-ceiling-talks-between-obama-boehner-break-down.html" type="external">day later</a>, the talks broke down when there was a dispute over how much to raise taxes. Obama <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president" type="external">said</a> he sought $1.2 trillion in new revenues; Boehner <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/07/boehner-calls-of-debt-talks.html" type="external">said</a> the president demanded $400 billion more than they had originally agreed upon.</p>
<p>Barely Bipartisan</p>
<p>Boehner portrayed the House vote for the <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr2560pcs/pdf/BILLS-112hr2560pcs.pdf" type="external">Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011</a> in a way that could lead some viewers to think it received more Democratic support than it really did.</p>
<p>Boehner: Last week, the House passed such a plan, and with bipartisan support. It's called the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act.</p>
<p>Boehner is correct that it received bipartisan support — that is, it received Republican and Democratic votes. But it received very few Democratic votes. <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll606.xml" type="external">Only five out of 193</a> Democrats voted for it. In fact, more Republicans voted against the bill than Democrats voted in favor of it. Nine Republicans voted no — including presidential candidates <a href="http://bachmann.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=252763" type="external">Michele Bachmann</a> and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/idUS20504+20-Jul-2011+BW20110720" type="external">Ron Paul</a>, both of whom said it did not go far enough. The bill passed 234-190.</p>
<p>The Senate voted <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00116" type="external">51-46</a> along party lines to table the House bill, effectively <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/cut-cap-and-balance-killed-in-the-senate-reid-cancels-senates-weekend-session.html" type="external">killing</a> it.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Who's to Blame for 'Crisis'?</p>
<p>Boehner claimed that the current situation is one that Obama created himself by rejecting GOP proposals to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts. But it takes two sides to create an impasse.</p>
<p>Boehner: If the president signs it, the 'crisis' atmosphere he has created will simply disappear. The debt limit will be raised. Spending will be cut by more than $1 trillion, and a serious, bipartisan committee of the Congress will begin the hard but necessary work of dealing with the tough challenges our nation faces.</p>
<p>Boehner is right that Obama could make the debt ceiling issue go away, at least temporarily, if he were to sign a new bill that Boehner is working on after the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.02560:" type="external">House-passed Cut, Cap and Balance Act</a> failed to clear the Senate last week. That assumes, of course, that Congress sends it to his desk. Boehner's new plan would increase the debt ceiling by nearly $1 trillion — enough to last through the early part of 2012 — in exchange for cutting the deficit by $1.2 trillion over 10 years, <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59817.html" type="external">according</a> to news reports. That means it would force another vote on raising the debt ceiling before the 2012 presidential election. Boehner's plan would also establish a joint congressional committee that would be tasked with coming up with additional spending reductions.</p>
<p>But Republicans could just as easily make the "crisis" disappear by voting in favor of Democratic proposals to raise the debt ceiling. Republicans have demanded deep spending cuts without new revenues in exchange for raising the nation's debt limit. And when Democrats proposed reducing the deficit through a combination of spending cuts and revenue increases, Republicans rejected the idea of any tax hikes.</p>
<p>So both parties are partly responsible for the current situation.</p>
<p>— by Eugene Kiely, Brooks Jackson, Lori Robertson and D'Angelo Gore</p>
<p>Correction, July 27: Our article originally said that the debt limit was raised in 1978 and 1979 under President Gerald Ford, but President Jimmy Carter was in office then. We have corrected the error.</p>
<p>Barthold, Thomas. Joint Committee on Taxation. <a href="http://www.responsibletaxes.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/JCT-memo-20100730.pdf" type="external">Memo to John Buckley, Aruna Kalyanam and Kase Jubboori</a>. 30 Jul 2010.</p>
<p>Obama, Barack. <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president" type="external">Remarks at a White House press conference</a>. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Stein, Sam. " <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/11/obama-medicare-eligibility-age_n_894833.html" type="external">Obama Offered To Raise Medicare Eligibility Age As Part Of Grand Debt Deal</a>." HuffingtonPost.com. 11 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>FoxNews.com. " <a href="http://:%20http//www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/11/obama-holds-press-conference-ahead-budget-talks/#ixzz1TF4mk0Br" type="external">Democrats Balk as Obama Offers to Raise Medicare Eligibility Age in Deficit-Reduction Talks</a>." 11 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Alter, Jonathan. " <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/boehner-s-response-is-work-of-political-fiction-jonathan-alter.html" type="external">Alter: Boehner’s Response Is Work of Political Fiction</a>." Bloomberg.com. 26 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Kim, Seung Min. " <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58585.html" type="external">Nancy Pelosi: No entitlement cuts</a>." Politico.com. 8 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Office of Management and Budget. <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals/" type="external">Historical Tables:Table 7.3 –Statutory Limits on Federal Debt: 1940–Current</a>. Accessed 26 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Office of Management and Budget. <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/budget.pdf" type="external">Fiscal Year 2012 Budget</a>. 14 Feb 2011.</p>
<p>White House. <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/25/statement-press-secretary" type="external">Statement by the Press Secretary</a>. 25 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Desjardins, Lisa. " <a href="http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/26/debt-debate-cheat-sheet/" type="external">Debt Debate Cheat Sheet</a>." CNN. 26 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Hirschfeld Davis, Julie and Laura Litvan. " <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/obama-says-republicans-walking-away-from-fair-deal-in-debt-ceiling-talks.html" type="external">Republicans, Democrats Push Dueling Plans</a>." Bloomberg News. 24 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>"The Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011." <a href="http://www.gop.gov/policy-news/11/07/15/the-cut-cap" type="external">Fact sheet</a>. House Republican Conference. 15 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Jackson, David. " <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/07/obama-backs-reid-debt-plan-over-boehner/1" type="external">Obama backs Reid debt plan; will speak at 9 p.m</a>." USA Today. 25 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Sherman, Jake, and Manu Raju. " <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59817.html" type="external">John Boehner to conference: New plan 'not perfect</a>'" Politico. 25 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>DePaul, Jennifer. " <a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/06/01/GOP-Nixes-Raising-Debt-Limit-Pushes-Spending-Cuts.aspx#page1" type="external">GOP Nixes Raising Debt Limit, Pushes Spending Cuts</a>." Fiscal Times. 1 Jun 2011.</p>
<p>O'Connor, Patrick. " <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304447804576410032064404822.html" type="external">Republicans Reject Tax Increases in Debt-Reduction Package</a>." Wall Street Journal. 26 Jun 2011.</p>
<p>Sullivan, Andy. " <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/us-usa-debt-taxes-idUSTRE76E05R20110715" type="external">Republicans reject tax deal at White House</a>." Reuters. 15 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Taxation, " <a href="http://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=startdown&amp;id=3773" type="external">Estimated Budget Effects Of The Revenue Provisions Contained In The President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Proposal</a>" 17 Mar 2011.</p>
<p>Rubin, Richard and Andrew Zajac, " <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-29/jet-tax-break-cited-six-times-by-obama-would-cut-debt-by-about-3-billion.html" type="external">Corporate Jet Tax Gets Six Obama Mentions, $3 Billion Estimate</a>" Bloomberg News 30 Jun 2011.</p>
<p>Congressional Budget Office, " <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12130/BudgetProjectionsforAPBStudy.xls" type="external">An Analysis of the President's Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 2012</a>" 15 Apr 2011.</p>
<p>"Secretary Geithner Sends Debt Limit Letter to Congress." <a href="http://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog/Pages/letter.aspx" type="external">Press release</a>. Department of Treasury. 6 Jan 2011.</p>
<p>" <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/06/5777391-boehner-lays-down-his-marker-on-debt-ceiling?ocid=twitter" type="external">Boehner lays down his marker on debt ceiling</a>." MSNBC. 6 Jan 2011.</p>
<p>"Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard Air Force One En Route Joint Base Andrews." <a href="http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/15/press-gaggle-press-secretary-jay-carney-aboard-air-force-one-en-route-jo" type="external">Transcript</a>. White House. 15 Apr 2011.&#160;</p>
<p>"Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney." <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/14/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-7142011" type="external">Transcript</a>. White House. 14 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Hulse, Carl and Jackie Calmes. " <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/politics/22fiscal.html" type="external">Boehner and Obama Nearing Deal on Cuts and Taxes.</a>" New York Times. 21 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Karl, Jonathan. " <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/no-deal-debt-ceiling-talks-between-obama-boehner-break-down.html" type="external">No Deal: Debt Ceiling Talks Between Obama, Boehner Break Down</a>." ABC News. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>"Remarks by the President." <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president" type="external">Transcript</a>. White House press conference. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>" <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/07/boehner-calls-of-debt-talks.html" type="external">Boehner Calls Off Debt Talks; Obama: 'We Have Run Out of Time</a>.' " PBS NewsHour. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>U.S. House. " <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr2560pcs/pdf/BILLS-112hr2560pcs.pdf" type="external">H.R. 2560, Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011</a>." (as sent to the Senate 20 Jul 2011.)</p>
<p>U.S. House. H.R. 2560, <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll606.xml" type="external">roll call vote #606</a>. 19 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>"Bachmann Statement on 'Cut, Cap and Balance' Vote." <a href="http://bachmann.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=252763" type="external">Press release</a>. Rep. Michele Bachmann. 19 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>"Ron Paul Issues Statement on House Cut, Cap, and Balance Act." <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/idUS20504+20-Jul-2011+BW20110720" type="external">Press release</a>. Reuters. 19 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>U.S. Senate. H.R. 2560, <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00116" type="external">roll call vote #116</a>. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>Miller, Sunlen. " <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/07/cut-cap-and-balance-killed-in-the-senate-reid-cancels-senates-weekend-session.html" type="external">Cut, Cap and Balance Killed in the Senate, Reid Cancels Senate’s Weekend Session</a>." ABC News. 22 Jul 2011.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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president house speaker restated familiar positions dueling debt ceiling speeches took points far times made without enough context part two men stuck facts offered opinions analysis provide details stray far facts president barack obama first speak delivering 15minute speech nation july 25 three days white houses debt ceiling negotiations house speaker john boehner collapsed presidents speech quickly followed brief response boehner blamed failing negotiate good faith country draws closer aug 2 date administration says us able borrow money able pay bills160 debt ceiling vote routine obama said raising debt ceiling common occurrence last 60 years thats true request largest history even inflationadjusted dollars obama july 25 past raising debt ceiling routine since 1950s congress always passed every president signed president reagan 18 times george w bush seven times next tuesday aug 2 else wont able pay bills obama mostly correct said raising debt ceiling something every president done since 1950s debt ceiling increased every presidency since 1940s exception president harry truman according office management budgets historical tables federal debt statutory limits truman became president april 12 1945 nine days debt ceiling increased 260 billion 300 billion debt limit wasnt raised 1954 dwight eisenhower administration went 275 billion 281 billion truman reduced debt limit 275 billion 1946 also correct president george w bush largely correct president ronald reagan ombs budget tables show bush raised debt limit seven times reagan 18 debtceiling votes although one didnt raise limit rather changed effective date reagan raised debt 18 trillion two terms office going 935 billion 28 trillion bush raised debt limit 53 trillion going 595 trillion 11315 trillion white house according house republicans various news reports requested debt limit raised 24 trillion figure matches presidents fy 2012 budget projects debt subject statutory limit year would 166 trillion nearly 24 trillion current 1429 trillion limit administration backed recent proposal senate majority leader harry reid would raise debt limit amount occasions debt limit raised one time anything close 24 trillion august 1978 april 1979 debt limit raised 398 billion 430 billion respectively president jimmy carter increases almost 14 trillion 13 trillion adjusted inflation november 1990 administration president george hw bush debt increased 915 billion thats nearly 16 trillion inflationadjusted figures may 2003 george w bushs presidency debt limit raised 984 billion roughly 12 trillion adjusted inflation corporate jets big oil seniors obama recycled wellworn misleading democratic talking point accused republicans favoring tax breaks oil companies owners private jets expense cuts medicare recipients obama americans regardless political party dont understand ask senior citizen pay medicare ask corporate jet owner oil companies give tax breaks companies dont get160 true gop lawmakers far rejected democratic proposals raise taxes anyone even oil companies jet owners housepassed republican budget called major reductions future growth medicare spending nobody get idea raising taxes one unpopular industry highflying corporate suits significantly reduce deficit according nonpartisan joint committee taxation repealing tax preferences oil gas industry called obamas fiscal 2012 budget proposal would yield 36 billion next decade eliminating tax breaks corporate jets would yield 3 billion period according sources quoted bloomberg news thats fourtenths 1 percent 95 trillion total deficits projected nonpartisan congressional budget office 10 years attacking oil companies jetset corporate executives may political appeal doesnt qualify serious deficitcutting raising 12 trillion added revenue president reportedly seeking require lot fundamental changes entitlements response presidents speech boehner claimed obama fundamental changes medicare medicaid social security boehner july 25 president adamant make fundamental changes entitlement programs obama proposed cuts entitlement programs bucking party process july 22 press conference obama said put 650 billion reductions 10 years table obama july 22 essentially offered speaker boehner trillion dollars cuts discretionary spending domestic defense offered additional 650 billion cuts entitlement programs medicare medicaid social security believed possible shape way preserved integrity system made available next generation affect current beneficiaries adverse way whether obama offered fundamental changes matter opinion obama open raising eligibility age medicare 65 67 exchange republicans agreeing raise taxes according huffington post fox news opinion piece bloomberg news jonathan alter also said obama endorsed meanstesting benefits would take persons income account distributing benefits reducing growth future social security payments part 650 billion spending cuts white house spokeswoman confirmed us specific measures obama proposed president open level entitlement changes many democrats house minority leader nancy pelosi said cuts entitlement programs shouldnt part deal debt ceiling democratic rep raul grijalva arizona told fox news long entitlement programs part cut program cant support blank checks boehner also accused president wanting blank check today thats true boehner sad truth president wanted blank check six months ago wants blank check today going happen true obama wanted blank check six months ago january treasury secretary timothy geithner formally asked congress raise debt ceiling letter congressional leaders urged quick action warning debt limit could reached early march didnt promise specific spending cuts offset higher debt ceiling neither white house administration first resisted republican calls cut spending exchange raising debt limit april white house still seeking separate two issues white house press secretary jay carney told reporters april 15 raising debt ceiling reducing deficit spending urgent theyre linked however boehner takes far claims president wants blank check today thats longer case carney explained july 14 white house press briefing administration offered somewhere 15 trillion 17 trillion cuts exchange raising debt ceiling july 21 new york times among many news outlets reporting boehner obama close 3 trillion package spending cuts entitlement changes new revenues day later talks broke dispute much raise taxes obama said sought 12 trillion new revenues boehner said president demanded 400 billion originally agreed upon barely bipartisan boehner portrayed house vote cut cap balance act 2011 way could lead viewers think received democratic support really boehner last week house passed plan bipartisan support called cut cap balance act boehner correct received bipartisan support received republican democratic votes received democratic votes five 193 democrats voted fact republicans voted bill democrats voted favor nine republicans voted including presidential candidates michele bachmann ron paul said go far enough bill passed 234190 senate voted 5146 along party lines table house bill effectively killing it160160 whos blame crisis boehner claimed current situation one obama created rejecting gop proposals raise debt ceiling exchange spending cuts takes two sides create impasse boehner president signs crisis atmosphere created simply disappear debt limit raised spending cut 1 trillion serious bipartisan committee congress begin hard necessary work dealing tough challenges nation faces boehner right obama could make debt ceiling issue go away least temporarily sign new bill boehner working housepassed cut cap balance act failed clear senate last week assumes course congress sends desk boehners new plan would increase debt ceiling nearly 1 trillion enough last early part 2012 exchange cutting deficit 12 trillion 10 years according news reports means would force another vote raising debt ceiling 2012 presidential election boehners plan would also establish joint congressional committee would tasked coming additional spending reductions republicans could easily make crisis disappear voting favor democratic proposals raise debt ceiling republicans demanded deep spending cuts without new revenues exchange raising nations debt limit democrats proposed reducing deficit combination spending cuts revenue increases republicans rejected idea tax hikes parties partly responsible current situation eugene kiely brooks jackson lori robertson dangelo gore correction july 27 article originally said debt limit raised 1978 1979 president gerald ford president jimmy carter office corrected error barthold thomas joint committee taxation memo john buckley aruna kalyanam kase jubboori 30 jul 2010 obama barack remarks white house press conference 22 jul 2011 stein sam obama offered raise medicare eligibility age part grand debt deal huffingtonpostcom 11 jul 2011 foxnewscom democrats balk obama offers raise medicare eligibility age deficitreduction talks 11 jul 2011 alter jonathan alter boehners response work political fiction bloombergcom 26 jul 2011 kim seung min nancy pelosi entitlement cuts politicocom 8 jul 2011 office management budget historical tablestable 73 statutory limits federal debt 1940current accessed 26 jul 2011 office management budget fiscal year 2012 budget 14 feb 2011 white house statement press secretary 25 jul 2011 desjardins lisa debt debate cheat sheet cnn 26 jul 2011 hirschfeld davis julie laura litvan republicans democrats push dueling plans bloomberg news 24 jul 2011 cut cap balance act 2011 fact sheet house republican conference 15 jul 2011 jackson david obama backs reid debt plan speak 9 pm usa today 25 jul 2011 sherman jake manu raju john boehner conference new plan perfect politico 25 jul 2011 depaul jennifer gop nixes raising debt limit pushes spending cuts fiscal times 1 jun 2011 oconnor patrick republicans reject tax increases debtreduction package wall street journal 26 jun 2011 sullivan andy republicans reject tax deal white house reuters 15 jul 2011 us congress joint committee taxation estimated budget effects revenue provisions contained presidents fiscal year 2012 budget proposal 17 mar 2011 rubin richard andrew zajac corporate jet tax gets six obama mentions 3 billion estimate bloomberg news 30 jun 2011 congressional budget office analysis presidents budgetary proposals fiscal year 2012 15 apr 2011 secretary geithner sends debt limit letter congress press release department treasury 6 jan 2011 boehner lays marker debt ceiling msnbc 6 jan 2011 press gaggle press secretary jay carney aboard air force one en route joint base andrews transcript white house 15 apr 2011160 press briefing press secretary jay carney transcript white house 14 jul 2011 hulse carl jackie calmes boehner obama nearing deal cuts taxes new york times 21 jul 2011 karl jonathan deal debt ceiling talks obama boehner break abc news 22 jul 2011 remarks president transcript white house press conference 22 jul 2011 boehner calls debt talks obama run time pbs newshour 22 jul 2011 us house hr 2560 cut cap balance act 2011 sent senate 20 jul 2011 us house hr 2560 roll call vote 606 19 jul 2011 bachmann statement cut cap balance vote press release rep michele bachmann 19 jul 2011 ron paul issues statement house cut cap balance act press release reuters 19 jul 2011 us senate hr 2560 roll call vote 116 22 jul 2011 miller sunlen cut cap balance killed senate reid cancels senates weekend session abc news 22 jul 2011 160
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<p>ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Albert Pujols also homered, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.</p>
<p>The victory was only the second in eight games for the defending AL West champion Angels, who returned home from Sunday night’s 10-inning loss at Kansas City out of a playoff spot for the first time since July 2. They still trail Houston by 3 1-2 games in the division race, and Toronto by a half-game for the second wild card spot.</p>
<p>Cron drove an 0-1 pitch into the right field seats for his ninth homer with one out against rookie Carlos Rodon (5-5), who allowed just four hits over eight innings and struck out five in the longest of his 17 big league starts.</p>
<p>Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Joe Smith got three outs in the eighth and Huston Street set down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth for his for his 28th save in 32 attempts.</p>
<p>Angels lefty Andrew Heaney allowed a run and five hits through six innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam with his 100th and final pitch. The rookie lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 10 starts this season, but remained winless in four starts after winning five of his first six.</p>
<p>Heaney, who hit Jose Abreu on the left foot in the third inning, plunked Tyler Saladino with another low pitch in the sixth to load the bases after two-out singles by Trayce Thompson and Alexei Ramirez. But Tyler Flowers was called out on strikes by umpire Ed Hickox on a 3-2 pitch.</p>
<p>Pujols opened the scoring with his 32nd home run of the season and 552nd of his career, on a full count leading off the second inning. It made Rodon the 355th different pitcher the three-time NL MVP has homered against.</p>
<p>Adam Eaton scored the tying run in the third on an error by second baseman Johnny Giavotella, who airmailed his throw to first base on what appeared to be a tailor-made, inning-ending double-play grounder to shortstop by Melky Cabrera with runners at first and second.</p>
<p>Abreu was hit again in the seventh, this time by Salas with two out, but the right-hander fanned Cabrera.</p>
<p>The Angels, 1 for 32 with runners in scoring position during the White Sox’s three-game sweep in Chicago last week, had two on and one out in the bottom half when Shane Victorino flied out and Kole Calhoun fouled out. It was the last time they got a runner as far as second base until Cron’s home run.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson, whose season is over due to bone spurs and bone chips in his elbow, is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He expects to be ready for Spring Training, following a recovery period lasting 2-3 months.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>White Sox: LHP John Danks (6-9) has given up five earned runs in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 4.97 to 4.58. The nine-year veteran hasn’t finished a season with an ERA under 4.00 since 2010, when he had a 3.72 mark and a career-high 15 victories — including a two-hit shutout against the Angels.</p>
<p>Angels: RHP Garrett Richards (11-9) already has equaled last season’s total of hits allowed (124) in 26 2-3 fewer innings, and has given up at least one home run in 11 of his last 16 starts. Last season he yielded just five homers in 26 starts spanning 168 2-3 innings.</p>
<p>ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Albert Pujols also homered, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.</p>
<p>The victory was only the second in eight games for the defending AL West champion Angels, who returned home from Sunday night’s 10-inning loss at Kansas City out of a playoff spot for the first time since July 2. They still trail Houston by 3 1-2 games in the division race, and Toronto by a half-game for the second wild card spot.</p>
<p>Cron drove an 0-1 pitch into the right field seats for his ninth homer with one out against rookie Carlos Rodon (5-5), who allowed just four hits over eight innings and struck out five in the longest of his 17 big league starts.</p>
<p>Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Joe Smith got three outs in the eighth and Huston Street set down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth for his for his 28th save in 32 attempts.</p>
<p>Angels lefty Andrew Heaney allowed a run and five hits through six innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam with his 100th and final pitch. The rookie lowered his ERA to 2.43 in 10 starts this season, but remained winless in four starts after winning five of his first six.</p>
<p>Heaney, who hit Jose Abreu on the left foot in the third inning, plunked Tyler Saladino with another low pitch in the sixth to load the bases after two-out singles by Trayce Thompson and Alexei Ramirez. But Tyler Flowers was called out on strikes by umpire Ed Hickox on a 3-2 pitch.</p>
<p>Pujols opened the scoring with his 32nd home run of the season and 552nd of his career, on a full count leading off the second inning. It made Rodon the 355th different pitcher the three-time NL MVP has homered against.</p>
<p>Adam Eaton scored the tying run in the third on an error by second baseman Johnny Giavotella, who airmailed his throw to first base on what appeared to be a tailor-made, inning-ending double-play grounder to shortstop by Melky Cabrera with runners at first and second.</p>
<p>Abreu was hit again in the seventh, this time by Salas with two out, but the right-hander fanned Cabrera.</p>
<p>The Angels, 1 for 32 with runners in scoring position during the White Sox’s three-game sweep in Chicago last week, had two on and one out in the bottom half when Shane Victorino flied out and Kole Calhoun fouled out. It was the last time they got a runner as far as second base until Cron’s home run.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson, whose season is over due to bone spurs and bone chips in his elbow, is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He expects to be ready for Spring Training, following a recovery period lasting 2-3 months.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>White Sox: LHP John Danks (6-9) has given up five earned runs in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 4.97 to 4.58. The nine-year veteran hasn’t finished a season with an ERA under 4.00 since 2010, when he had a 3.72 mark and a career-high 15 victories — including a two-hit shutout against the Angels.</p>
<p>Angels: RHP Garrett Richards (11-9) already has equaled last season’s total of hits allowed (124) in 26 2-3 fewer innings, and has given up at least one home run in 11 of his last 16 starts. Last season he yielded just five homers in 26 starts spanning 168 2-3 innings.</p>
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anaheim calif ap cj cron hit tiebreaking home run seventh inning albert pujols also homered leading los angeles angels 21 victory chicago white sox monday night victory second eight games defending al west champion angels returned home sunday nights 10inning loss kansas city playoff spot first time since july 2 still trail houston 3 12 games division race toronto halfgame second wild card spot cron drove 01 pitch right field seats ninth homer one rookie carlos rodon 55 allowed four hits eight innings struck five longest 17 big league starts fernando salas 31 pitched one inning victory joe smith got three outs eighth huston street set white sox 123 ninth 28th save 32 attempts angels lefty andrew heaney allowed run five hits six innings escaped basesloaded jam 100th final pitch rookie lowered era 243 10 starts season remained winless four starts winning five first six heaney hit jose abreu left foot third inning plunked tyler saladino another low pitch sixth load bases twoout singles trayce thompson alexei ramirez tyler flowers called strikes umpire ed hickox 32 pitch pujols opened scoring 32nd home run season 552nd career full count leading second inning made rodon 355th different pitcher threetime nl mvp homered adam eaton scored tying run third error second baseman johnny giavotella airmailed throw first base appeared tailormade inningending doubleplay grounder shortstop melky cabrera runners first second abreu hit seventh time salas two righthander fanned cabrera angels 1 32 runners scoring position white soxs threegame sweep chicago last week two one bottom half shane victorino flied kole calhoun fouled last time got runner far second base crons home run trainers room angels lhp cj wilson whose season due bone spurs bone chips elbow scheduled undergo surgery thursday kerlanjobe orthopaedic clinic los angeles expects ready spring training following recovery period lasting 23 months next white sox lhp john danks 69 given five earned runs 19 innings last three starts lowering era 497 458 nineyear veteran hasnt finished season era 400 since 2010 372 mark careerhigh 15 victories including twohit shutout angels angels rhp garrett richards 119 already equaled last seasons total hits allowed 124 26 23 fewer innings given least one home run 11 last 16 starts last season yielded five homers 26 starts spanning 168 23 innings anaheim calif ap cj cron hit tiebreaking home run seventh inning albert pujols also homered leading los angeles angels 21 victory chicago white sox monday night victory second eight games defending al west champion angels returned home sunday nights 10inning loss kansas city playoff spot first time since july 2 still trail houston 3 12 games division race toronto halfgame second wild card spot cron drove 01 pitch right field seats ninth homer one rookie carlos rodon 55 allowed four hits eight innings struck five longest 17 big league starts fernando salas 31 pitched one inning victory joe smith got three outs eighth huston street set white sox 123 ninth 28th save 32 attempts angels lefty andrew heaney allowed run five hits six innings escaped basesloaded jam 100th final pitch rookie lowered era 243 10 starts season remained winless four starts winning five first six heaney hit jose abreu left foot third inning plunked tyler saladino another low pitch sixth load bases twoout singles trayce thompson alexei ramirez tyler flowers called strikes umpire ed hickox 32 pitch pujols opened scoring 32nd home run season 552nd career full count leading second inning made rodon 355th different pitcher threetime nl mvp homered adam eaton scored tying run third error second baseman johnny giavotella airmailed throw first base appeared tailormade inningending doubleplay grounder shortstop melky cabrera runners first second abreu hit seventh time salas two righthander fanned cabrera angels 1 32 runners scoring position white soxs threegame sweep chicago last week two one bottom half shane victorino flied kole calhoun fouled last time got runner far second base crons home run trainers room angels lhp cj wilson whose season due bone spurs bone chips elbow scheduled undergo surgery thursday kerlanjobe orthopaedic clinic los angeles expects ready spring training following recovery period lasting 23 months next white sox lhp john danks 69 given five earned runs 19 innings last three starts lowering era 497 458 nineyear veteran hasnt finished season era 400 since 2010 372 mark careerhigh 15 victories including twohit shutout angels angels rhp garrett richards 119 already equaled last seasons total hits allowed 124 26 23 fewer innings given least one home run 11 last 16 starts last season yielded five homers 26 starts spanning 168 23 innings
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<p>Over the next few weeks, prep football fans are going to read a name most aren’t familiar with.</p>
<p>Lancy Fikany played at Fort Sumner from 1999 to 2002 and is the state record holder in several prominent categories, including career rushing yards.</p>
<p>But as the 2010 season hits its stride, Fikany will see his name slide down the list as some of those records — maybe all of them — are eclipsed by La Cueva’s Ronnie Daniels.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sometime between now and Dec. 4, Daniels’ remarkable prep career will end. The Journal on Wednesday sat down for a Q-and-A with the Bears’ friendly superstar, who is scheduled to graduate in December in order to get a head start on his college career at Texas Tech.</p>
<p>Journal: Do you ever get nervous before or during a game?</p>
<p>Daniels: Probably not. It’s just football. I do it every day. It comes easy.</p>
<p>Journal: What is your first football memory?</p>
<p>Daniels: I remember when I was little, I used to run around the field to score touchdowns. I used to run to one sideline, and then run all the way back to the other side, and that’s how I used to score.</p>
<p>Journal: How do you want people to remember you?</p>
<p>Daniels: As someone that was a good teammate, and did whatever he could to help win the state championship.</p>
<p>Journal: Do you ever get sick of reading or hearing about yourself?</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Daniels: Yeah. I get sick of it. But I kind of like it. It’s weird when people come up to you and say, “Did you read this?”</p>
<p>Journal: Speaking on behalf of local prep players, how do you view the UNM football program?</p>
<p>Daniels: They’re probably at the lowest point they can possibly be. But the program is going to get better, eventually. Hopefully, they can win a game soon. They’re not as bad as their record shows.</p>
<p>Journal: Did you ever seriously consider UNM?</p>
<p>Daniels: Yeah, I did. … I was open-minded about everything, about all the colleges that came at me. UNM, I considered because it was close to home.</p>
<p>Journal: I asked a La Cueva baseball player this once, and I want to ask you: Why is La Cueva so despised?</p>
<p>Daniels: Ever since we were little, we were always winning, like YAFL, like AYBL. I think it carries on throughout the years.</p>
<p>Journal: What running backs did you admire growing up and is there one you have tried to emulate?</p>
<p>Daniels: I loved Emmitt Smith, watching him play. I tried to take some things from him. My favorite one to watch is Adrian Peterson. Recently, I realized that my body type was like his — just kind of big, powerful. And I can use my speed.</p>
<p>Journal: Is there a running back around here you would pay to see?</p>
<p>Daniels: Thomas Knox (of Cleveland). I was talking to him the other day on Facebook. I want to get out and see him play again.</p>
<p>Journal: How many friends do you have on Facebook?</p>
<p>Daniels: (laughing) I don’t even know.</p>
<p>Journal: Hundreds?</p>
<p>Daniels: Yeah. I have a lot of friend requests I haven’t gotten to yet. It’s just hard.</p>
<p>Journal: You are playing defense full time now. What’s more satisfying, hitting somebody hard, or running over someone when you have the ball?</p>
<p>Daniels: Probably running over someone. But hitting someone on defense, that gets you fired up as well. I realized in some games this year that the better I play on defense, the better I would play on offense.</p>
<p>Journal: What would be worse? Eldorado winning a state championship, or La Cueva not winning state?</p>
<p>Daniels: Both (laughs). It wouldn’t burn me as much as a southern team winning, but I definitely wouldn’t want Eldorado to win.</p>
<p>Journal: Do other players talk trash to you?</p>
<p>Daniels: Yeah. All the time. … I’ve had players say that they don’t like me, but they respect me.</p>
<p>Journal: Are you a trash talker?</p>
<p>Daniels: It’s an emotional game. It’s football. You do get fired up for things. Most of the time, you don’t even know what you’re doing.</p>
<p>Journal: You’ll be starting from scratch next spring at Texas Tech. When’s the last time you remember having to prove you belong?</p>
<p>Daniels: My freshman year. I was supposed to be the JV quarterback and a varsity running back. I remember the first game, I was the second-string (varsity) running back and I had the opportunity to go in and play. I took advantage and made the most of it.</p>
<p>Journal: OK, you have a chance to score the winning touchdown in the state championship game. What team do you most want to see on the other side?</p>
<p>Daniels: There are three teams. Eldorado, because it’s a rival school. Las Cruces, because they’re one of the best teams in New Mexico. And Cleveland would just be a fun game, a fun atmosphere. I went to a game out there, it was pretty cool.</p>
<p>Journal: You know, if you stuck around and played basketball, La Cueva would have a great chance to threepeat. How tough a decision was it to leave early for Lubbock?</p>
<p>Daniels: It was kind of a hard choice, because I love playing basketball. But it wasn’t a hard choice when I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, and where I wanted to take it to the next level.</p>
<p>Journal: When I asked you a couple of weeks ago after the Mayfield game about breaking records, you said, “I want them all.” How important is that to you?</p>
<p>Daniels: I’m so close to achieving them. If I didn’t achieve them, I’d feel like I didn’t really try my hardest, that I didn’t put enough effort in.</p>
<p>Journal: Describe your four years at La Cueva.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>n POINTS SCORED, season</p>
<p>Record: 232, Brian</p>
<p>Beckham, Jal, 1985</p>
<p>Daniels: 120 through six games</p>
<p>n POINTS SCORED, career</p>
<p>Record: 607, Sal Gonzales, Gadsden, 1952-56</p>
<p>Daniels: 504</p>
<p>n TOUCHDOWNS, season</p>
<p>Record: 37, Jal’s Brian</p>
<p>Beckham (1985) and</p>
<p>Fort Sumner’s Lance Fikany (2002)</p>
<p>Daniels: 20 through six games</p>
<p>n TOUCHDOWNS, career</p>
<p>Record: 87, Fikany,</p>
<p>1999-2002</p>
<p>Daniels: 84 through</p>
<p>six games this season</p>
<p>n RUSHING YARDS, season</p>
<p>Record: 2,378, Fikany, 2002</p>
<p>Daniels: 1,318 through</p>
<p>six games</p>
<p>n RUSHING YARDS, career</p>
<p>Record: 5,711, Fikany</p>
<p>Daniels: 5,362 through</p>
<p>six games this season</p>
<p>n RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS, season</p>
<p>Record: 34, Fikany</p>
<p>Daniels: 19 through</p>
<p>six games</p>
<p>n RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS, career</p>
<p>Record: 83, Ronnie Daniels, 2007-current</p>
<p>(old record: 79, Fikany)Daniels: I remember my first game, against Cibola, and losing. But it was a good game. That was one of the funnest games I’ve played all my life, besides the Manzano (playoff) game (last November). I just can’t believe it’s over. It went so fast.</p>
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next weeks prep football fans going read name arent familiar lancy fikany played fort sumner 1999 2002 state record holder several prominent categories including career rushing yards 2010 season hits stride fikany see name slide list records maybe eclipsed la cuevas ronnie daniels advertisement sometime dec 4 daniels remarkable prep career end journal wednesday sat qanda bears friendly superstar scheduled graduate december order get head start college career texas tech journal ever get nervous game daniels probably football every day comes easy journal first football memory daniels remember little used run around field score touchdowns used run one sideline run way back side thats used score journal want people remember daniels someone good teammate whatever could help win state championship journal ever get sick reading hearing advertisement daniels yeah get sick kind like weird people come say read journal speaking behalf local prep players view unm football program daniels theyre probably lowest point possibly program going get better eventually hopefully win game soon theyre bad record shows journal ever seriously consider unm daniels yeah openminded everything colleges came unm considered close home journal asked la cueva baseball player want ask la cueva despised daniels ever since little always winning like yafl like aybl think carries throughout years journal running backs admire growing one tried emulate daniels loved emmitt smith watching play tried take things favorite one watch adrian peterson recently realized body type like kind big powerful use speed journal running back around would pay see daniels thomas knox cleveland talking day facebook want get see play journal many friends facebook daniels laughing dont even know journal hundreds daniels yeah lot friend requests havent gotten yet hard journal playing defense full time whats satisfying hitting somebody hard running someone ball daniels probably running someone hitting someone defense gets fired well realized games year better play defense better would play offense journal would worse eldorado winning state championship la cueva winning state daniels laughs wouldnt burn much southern team winning definitely wouldnt want eldorado win journal players talk trash daniels yeah time ive players say dont like respect journal trash talker daniels emotional game football get fired things time dont even know youre journal youll starting scratch next spring texas tech whens last time remember prove belong daniels freshman year supposed jv quarterback varsity running back remember first game secondstring varsity running back opportunity go play took advantage made journal ok chance score winning touchdown state championship game team want see side daniels three teams eldorado rival school las cruces theyre one best teams new mexico cleveland would fun game fun atmosphere went game pretty cool journal know stuck around played basketball la cueva would great chance threepeat tough decision leave early lubbock daniels kind hard choice love playing basketball wasnt hard choice figured wanted life wanted take next level journal asked couple weeks ago mayfield game breaking records said want important daniels im close achieving didnt achieve id feel like didnt really try hardest didnt put enough effort journal describe four years la cueva 160 160 n points scored season record 232 brian beckham jal 1985 daniels 120 six games n points scored career record 607 sal gonzales gadsden 195256 daniels 504 n touchdowns season record 37 jals brian beckham 1985 fort sumners lance fikany 2002 daniels 20 six games n touchdowns career record 87 fikany 19992002 daniels 84 six games season n rushing yards season record 2378 fikany 2002 daniels 1318 six games n rushing yards career record 5711 fikany daniels 5362 six games season n rushing touchdowns season record 34 fikany daniels 19 six games n rushing touchdowns career record 83 ronnie daniels 2007current old record 79 fikanydaniels remember first game cibola losing good game one funnest games ive played life besides manzano playoff game last november cant believe went fast
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<p>A new ad from Conservatives for Patients’ Rights says that a public health insurance plan now being proposed in Congress “could crush all your other choices, driving them out of existence, resulting in 119 million off their current insurance coverage.”</p>
<p>That’s misleading. The 119 million figure comes from an analysis of a plan that would mirror Medicare and be open to every individual and business that wanted it. But that’s not the type of public plan President Obama has proposed. Nor is such a plan gaining acceptance on Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>The author of the study says that while some have backed the Medicare-like proposal, using the 119 million number “overstates the impact of what now is being considered.”</p>
<p>The ad also falsely cites the New York Times as the source of a statement that what’s being proposed would leave no consumer choices and “government in control of your health care.” The Times didn’t say that at all. The newspaper was just quoting claims made by insurance companies and members of Congress.</p>
<p>The group Conservatives for Patients’ Rights is spending money on the airwaves again, this time warning Americans that the ability to buy health coverage through a public plan — an idea being debated on Capitol Hill — would leave them with “no choices in health insurance.” We <a href="" type="internal">wrote</a> about one of CPR’s ads in April. The <a href="http://www.cprights.org/2009/06/new-ad-bulldozes-government-run-insurance-plan.php" type="external">new TV spot</a> is a step up from the last effort, but still misleading.</p>
<p>The ad, which began airing this week on CNN and Fox News, asks viewers to “imagine” that a bulldozer is “the massive, government-run insurance plan some in Congress want.” Citing a <a href="http://www.lewin.com/content/publications/LewinCostandCoverageImpactsofPublicPlan-Alternative%20DesignOptions.pdf" type="external">study by the Lewin Group</a>, it says: “This government-run plan could crush all your other choices, driving them out of existence, resulting in 119 million off their current insurance coverage.”</p>
<p>CPR Ad: “Bulldozer”</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/3281debfead"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>Narrator: There are hundreds of choices in health care plans today. But imagine this is the massive, government-run insurance plan some in Congress want. This government-run plan could crush all your other choices, driving them out of existence, resulting in 119 million off their current insurance coverage, leaving no choices in health insurance and government in control of your health care.</p>
<p>CPR Chairman Rick Scott: It’s not too late. Protect your health care choice. Tell Congress to say no to a government-run plan.</p>
<p>The study does include the 119 million number, but “this government-run plan” that the ad refers to is one of six possibilities the Lewin Group analyzed, and the most extreme version of a public plan at that. The type of public plan necessary to cause 119 million people to move from private insurance to a considerably cheaper public option doesn’t appear to be gaining traction in Congress. And it isn’t what President Obama has proposed. It’s certainly true, as the ad says, that “some” legislators have backed a Medicare-like public plan that could undercut private insurers, but casual viewers could easily miss that qualification. As John Sheils, senior vice president of the Lewin Group, says of using the 119 million figure, “In a sense it overstates the impact of what now is being considered on the Hill. But at the same time, it would be really disingenuous for people to say, well, we never meant to do that.”</p>
<p>The Lewin Group is part of a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which owns the insurer United Healthcare. It says it operates with “editorial independence,” and we’ve often referred to its studies. This report, published April 6, looked at several options for a public plan, including one that would pay health care providers at Medicare-level rates (i.e., a plan that would pay doctors and hospitals less and have much cheaper premiums than private insurance) and be open to all individuals and all businesses. The Lewin Group said such a plan “would enroll about 131.2 million people (includes some uninsured who become covered). The number of people with private health insurance would decline by about 119.1 million people.” Attracted to a less costly insurance plan – premiums would be about 30 percent less than those offered by private insurers&#160;– businesses, and individuals, would make the switch first, then some private insurers could go out of business, not the other way around, as the ad says. But the study looked at several variations in how a public plan could be structured&#160;– at the low end, one type of plan would cause only 10.4 million to move off their current coverage.</p>
<p>The report prominently notes that the type of public plan President Obama proposed on the campaign trail would be available only to individuals, the self-employed and small employers&#160;– not to everyone – and therefore, wouldn’t pull anywhere near as many people off private insurance. The Lewin Group estimated that if payment rates were like Medicare, a detail Obama didn’t specify in his campaign proposal, 42.9 million would enroll in Obama’s type of public plan and 32 million would move off of private coverage. The numbers are lower for plans using different payment rates to medical providers.</p>
<p>The study finds that the more like Medicare a public plan is, the cheaper it would be and the more people and businesses it would attract. Medicare reimbursement rates are significantly lower than what private insurers pay health care providers. Conversely, a public plan that was modeled on private insurance&#160;– an idea being pushed by&#160;Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York – wouldn’t be that enticing and wouldn’t cause much of a shift in the way workers are covered. “That’s an area you might get 10 to 12 million,” moving off private insurance, Sheils says.</p>
<p>Sen. Ted Kennedy, meanwhile, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/health/policy/06health.html" type="external">has drafted</a> a health care proposal with a public plan that would pay providers at Medicare rates plus 10 percent. The Lewin Group study didn’t specifically look at that option, but it did analyze the effects of a plan paying rates midway between Medicare and private coverage. That would be close to Kennedy’s idea. (The Lewin Group study notes that Medicare payments to hospitals are 30 percent less than what private insurers pay and payments to doctors are 20 percent less.) Under the midpoint scenario, the number with private insurance would drop by between 21.5 million and 67.5 million, depending on who would be allowed to buy into the public plan.</p>
<p>Conservatives for Patients’ Right’s ad doesn’t make clear that the government would have to institute the most generous public plan in order to have the estimated 119 million move off of their current plans, according to the study.</p>
<p>One final point on the Lewin study: The ad may well give some the impression that the 119 million people that are “off their current insurance coverage” are simply losing their insurance plans altogether. That’s not the case, as all would still have coverage through their employer, who decided to switch to the cheaper, public alternative.</p>
<p>It’s also worth noting that this number comes from one analysis, and some researchers haven’t predicted such a damaging effect on the private insurance market from the introduction of a public plan. A <a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411762_public_insurance.pdf" type="external">2008 report by the Urban Institute</a> said in general terms: “We think that a public plan would not drive out private competitors. … Private plans that offer better services and greater access to providers, even at a somewhat higher cost than the public plans, would survive the competition in this environment. It is also conceivable that private plans offering a lower cost option—for example, lower premiums than the public plan, say by exploiting care management innovations, and network and payment rate limitations—could stake out a separate competitive niche in some markets.” The authors said there were constraints on the ability of the government to set very low payment rates.</p>
<p>New York Times Didn’t Actually Say That</p>
<p>The ad goes on to say the public plan would “leav[e] no choices in health insurance and government in control of your healthcare,” while citing the May 5 New York Times. But that’s not the Times‘ analysis of what a public plan would do.</p>
<p>We’ve seen this type of newspaper endorsement technique before in political ads, where the credibility of a publication is used to bolster the claims. In this case, the Times didn’t say that a public plan would leave “government in control of your healthcare.” Rather, a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/health/policy/05health.html" type="external">May 5 article</a> by reporter Robert Pear said that this was the view held by Republicans and insurance companies.</p>
<p>The article also mentioned a quote from Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, who said that a public plan could “put the private insurance industry out of business” because of the public plan’s “superiority.”</p>
<p>Interestingly, the May 5 article is about Schumer’s proposal to make a public plan closely resemble private ones. As Sheils told us, if that type of public plan is established, it would mean 10 million to 12 million wouldn’t keep their current insurance, according to Sheils’ analysis – not the 119 million figure the ad touts.</p>
<p>– by Lori Robertson</p>
<p>Sheils, John and Randy Haught. “ <a href="http://www.lewin.com/content/publications/LewinCostandCoverageImpactsofPublicPlan-Alternative%20DesignOptions.pdf" type="external">The Cost and Coverage Impacts of a Public Plan: Alternative Design Options</a>.” Lewin Group, 6 April 2009.</p>
<p>Pear, Robert. “ <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/health/policy/05health.html" type="external">Schumer Points to a Middle Ground on Government-Run Health Insurance</a>.” New York Times, 5 May 2009.</p>
<p>Sheils, John. Interview with FactCheck.org, 11 June 2009.</p>
<p>Holahan, John and Linda Blumberg. “ <a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411762_public_insurance.pdf" type="external">Can a Public Insurance Plan Increase Competition and Lower the Costs of Health Reform?</a>” Urban Institute, 2008.</p>
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new ad conservatives patients rights says public health insurance plan proposed congress could crush choices driving existence resulting 119 million current insurance coverage thats misleading 119 million figure comes analysis plan would mirror medicare open every individual business wanted thats type public plan president obama proposed plan gaining acceptance capitol hill author study says backed medicarelike proposal using 119 million number overstates impact considered ad also falsely cites new york times source statement whats proposed would leave consumer choices government control health care times didnt say newspaper quoting claims made insurance companies members congress group conservatives patients rights spending money airwaves time warning americans ability buy health coverage public plan idea debated capitol hill would leave choices health insurance wrote one cprs ads april new tv spot step last effort still misleading ad began airing week cnn fox news asks viewers imagine bulldozer massive governmentrun insurance plan congress want citing study lewin group says governmentrun plan could crush choices driving existence resulting 119 million current insurance coverage cpr ad bulldozer ltiframe stylewidth 500px height300px frameborder0 allowfullscreen srchttpsvideofactcheckorgplay3281debfeadgtltiframegt narrator hundreds choices health care plans today imagine massive governmentrun insurance plan congress want governmentrun plan could crush choices driving existence resulting 119 million current insurance coverage leaving choices health insurance government control health care cpr chairman rick scott late protect health care choice tell congress say governmentrun plan study include 119 million number governmentrun plan ad refers one six possibilities lewin group analyzed extreme version public plan type public plan necessary cause 119 million people move private insurance considerably cheaper public option doesnt appear gaining traction congress isnt president obama proposed certainly true ad says legislators backed medicarelike public plan could undercut private insurers casual viewers could easily miss qualification john sheils senior vice president lewin group says using 119 million figure sense overstates impact considered hill time would really disingenuous people say well never meant lewin group part subsidiary unitedhealth group owns insurer united healthcare says operates editorial independence weve often referred studies report published april 6 looked several options public plan including one would pay health care providers medicarelevel rates ie plan would pay doctors hospitals less much cheaper premiums private insurance open individuals businesses lewin group said plan would enroll 1312 million people includes uninsured become covered number people private health insurance would decline 1191 million people attracted less costly insurance plan premiums would 30 percent less offered private insurers160 businesses individuals would make switch first private insurers could go business way around ad says study looked several variations public plan could structured160 low end one type plan would cause 104 million move current coverage report prominently notes type public plan president obama proposed campaign trail would available individuals selfemployed small employers160 everyone therefore wouldnt pull anywhere near many people private insurance lewin group estimated payment rates like medicare detail obama didnt specify campaign proposal 429 million would enroll obamas type public plan 32 million would move private coverage numbers lower plans using different payment rates medical providers study finds like medicare public plan cheaper would people businesses would attract medicare reimbursement rates significantly lower private insurers pay health care providers conversely public plan modeled private insurance160 idea pushed by160sen charles e schumer new york wouldnt enticing wouldnt cause much shift way workers covered thats area might get 10 12 million moving private insurance sheils says sen ted kennedy meanwhile drafted health care proposal public plan would pay providers medicare rates plus 10 percent lewin group study didnt specifically look option analyze effects plan paying rates midway medicare private coverage would close kennedys idea lewin group study notes medicare payments hospitals 30 percent less private insurers pay payments doctors 20 percent less midpoint scenario number private insurance would drop 215 million 675 million depending would allowed buy public plan conservatives patients rights ad doesnt make clear government would institute generous public plan order estimated 119 million move current plans according study one final point lewin study ad may well give impression 119 million people current insurance coverage simply losing insurance plans altogether thats case would still coverage employer decided switch cheaper public alternative also worth noting number comes one analysis researchers havent predicted damaging effect private insurance market introduction public plan 2008 report urban institute said general terms think public plan would drive private competitors private plans offer better services greater access providers even somewhat higher cost public plans would survive competition environment also conceivable private plans offering lower cost optionfor example lower premiums public plan say exploiting care management innovations network payment rate limitationscould stake separate competitive niche markets authors said constraints ability government set low payment rates new york times didnt actually say ad goes say public plan would leave choices health insurance government control healthcare citing may 5 new york times thats times analysis public plan would weve seen type newspaper endorsement technique political ads credibility publication used bolster claims case times didnt say public plan would leave government control healthcare rather may 5 article reporter robert pear said view held republicans insurance companies article also mentioned quote democratic rep jan schakowsky illinois said public plan could put private insurance industry business public plans superiority interestingly may 5 article schumers proposal make public plan closely resemble private ones sheils told us type public plan established would mean 10 million 12 million wouldnt keep current insurance according sheils analysis 119 million figure ad touts lori robertson sheils john randy haught cost coverage impacts public plan alternative design options lewin group 6 april 2009 pear robert schumer points middle ground governmentrun health insurance new york times 5 may 2009 sheils john interview factcheckorg 11 june 2009 holahan john linda blumberg public insurance plan increase competition lower costs health reform urban institute 2008
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<p>GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney claim that the U.S. ambassador to Belgium “justified” and “downplayed” anti-Semitism and blamed it on “Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians.” We find that to be a one-sided interpretation of what was actually said.</p>
<p>Others may view Ambassador Howard Gutman’s remarks differently than the Republican candidates when seen in full context. Gutman — who is Jewish and whose father survived the Holocaust — said, for example, that the “hatred” and “violence” that some European Muslims exhibit toward Jews is “a serious problem” that “must be discussed and solutions explored.”</p>
<p>The target of the GOP candidates’ scorn is a recent speech in which he said that the growing anti-Semitism of European Muslims springs “largely” from the unresolved feud between Israel and the Palestinians, and is fueled both by Palestinian suicide bombers and by Israel’s settlements and retaliatory military strikes.</p>
<p>Some Jewish groups reacted by saying that Gutman was getting things backward, and that Muslim anti-Semitism is the cause of Israeli conflict, not the effect. Both Gutman and the White House later issued statements condemning anti-Semitism in any form.</p>
<p>So were Gutman’s original remarks soft on anti-Semitism? Here we offer a more complete account of what Gutman really said, so readers may draw their own conclusions.</p>
<p>On Dec. 4, Romney released <a href="http://www.mittromney.com/news/press/2011/12/romney-obama-should-fire-ambassador-belgium" type="external">this statement:</a></p>
<p>Romney, Dec. 4: President Obama must fire his ambassador to Belgium for rationalizing and downplaying anti-Semitism and linking it to Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. The ambassador’s comments demonstrate the Obama administration’s failure to understand the worldwide campaign to delegitimize Israel and its appalling penchant for undermining our close ally.</p>
<p>And in <a href="http://c-spanvideo.org/program/BachmannRem" type="external">remarks</a> to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Dec. 7, Bachmann said this (at about the 21:30 mark):</p>
<p>Bachmann, Dec. 7: He justified anti-Semitism because of Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians. And the president should fire him immediately for those irresponsible remarks.</p>
<p>There is certainly room for debate and discussion about the <a href="http://belgium.usembassy.gov/ambassador/speeches/anti-semitism.html" type="external">speech Gutman delivered</a> on Nov. 30 during a conference on fighting anti-Semitism in Europe. Gutman acknowledged that when, toward the beginning of his speech, he provocatively stated, “I likely will not just say fully what you expected and or maybe hoped to hear.”</p>
<p>Gutman unequivocally condemned the form of anti-Semitism he attributed to “classic bigotry,” calling that form “pernicious” and saying it “must be combated”:</p>
<p>Gutman: There is and has long been some amount of anti-Semitism, of hatred and violence against Jews, from a small sector of the population who hate others who may be different or perceived to be different, largely for the sake of hating. Those anti-Semites are people who hate not only Jews, but Muslims, gays, gypsies, and likely any who can be described as minorities or different. That hatred is of course pernicious and it must be combated.</p>
<p>But then he turned to what he said is a second, growing form of anti-Semitism that is “harder and more complex” to explain.</p>
<p>Gutman Nov. 30: What I do see as growing, as gaining much more attention in the newspapers and among politicians and communities, is a different phenomena … It is the problem within Europe of tension, hatred and sometimes even violence between some members of Muslim communities or Arab immigrant groups and Jews. It is a tension and perhaps hatred largely born of and reflecting the tension between Israel, the Palestinian Territories and neighboring Arab states in the Middle East over the continuing Israeli-Palestinian problem. It too is a serious problem. It too must be discussed and solutions explored.</p>
<p>What triggered objections from pro-Israel groups was Gutman’s statement that solving this problem “remains in the hands of government leaders in Israel” as well as in Palestinian territories and Arab countries in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Gutman: It is the area where every new settlement announced in Israel, every rocket shot over a border or suicide bomber on a bus, and every retaliatory military strike exacerbates the problem and provides a setback here in Europe for those fighting hatred and bigotry here in Europe.</p>
<p>This refers to actions both by Israelis (new settlements and retaliatory military strikes) as well as Palestinians (rockets shot over borders and suicide bombers). And his comments met with quick rebuke from several Jewish organizations.</p>
<p>American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ajc-criticizes-ambassador-gutmans-remarks-muslim-anti-semitism-150608356.html" type="external">wrote</a> to Gutman, saying that his speech “confuses cause and effect.” Muslim anti-Semitism “predates not just Israel’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza, but also the creation of the Jewish state itself,” Harris wrote.</p>
<p>“Your comments also seem to ignore a basic moral principle, namely, to never rationalize, let alone justify, bigotry or violence against innocents,” Harris wrote.</p>
<p>Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman also <a href="http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASInt_13/87_13.htm" type="external">wrote</a>to Gutman, stating: “This assessment of Muslim anti-Semitism, and your attempt to distinguish it from traditional or classical anti-Semitism, is not only wrongheaded but could undermine the important effort to combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe. When one tries to attribute this anti-Semitism to outside forces – in this case the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict – one not only misunderstands the role of anti-Semitism in that conflict, but provides an unacceptable rationale for inaction.”</p>
<p>In response to the criticism, Gutman released <a href="http://belgium.usembassy.gov/pr-120311.html" type="external">this statement</a>: “I strongly condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms. I deeply regret if my comments were taken the wrong way. My own personal history and that of my family is testimony to the salience of this issue and my continued commitment to combating anti-Semitism.”</p>
<p>The Obama administration issued <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/05/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-12511" type="external">a statement</a> saying it “condemns anti-Semitism in all its forms.” Asked about the flap, a <a href="" type="external">State Department spokesman</a> noted that Gutman released a statement “expressing regret if his remarks were taken out of context,” and said the Obama administration has “full confidence” in Gutman.</p>
<p>— Robert Farley</p>
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gop presidential candidates michele bachmann mitt romney claim us ambassador belgium justified downplayed antisemitism blamed israels actions toward palestinians find onesided interpretation actually said others may view ambassador howard gutmans remarks differently republican candidates seen full context gutman jewish whose father survived holocaust said example hatred violence european muslims exhibit toward jews serious problem must discussed solutions explored target gop candidates scorn recent speech said growing antisemitism european muslims springs largely unresolved feud israel palestinians fueled palestinian suicide bombers israels settlements retaliatory military strikes jewish groups reacted saying gutman getting things backward muslim antisemitism cause israeli conflict effect gutman white house later issued statements condemning antisemitism form gutmans original remarks soft antisemitism offer complete account gutman really said readers may draw conclusions dec 4 romney released statement romney dec 4 president obama must fire ambassador belgium rationalizing downplaying antisemitism linking israeli policy toward palestinians ambassadors comments demonstrate obama administrations failure understand worldwide campaign delegitimize israel appalling penchant undermining close ally remarks republican jewish coalition dec 7 bachmann said 2130 mark bachmann dec 7 justified antisemitism israels actions toward palestinians president fire immediately irresponsible remarks certainly room debate discussion speech gutman delivered nov 30 conference fighting antisemitism europe gutman acknowledged toward beginning speech provocatively stated likely say fully expected maybe hoped hear gutman unequivocally condemned form antisemitism attributed classic bigotry calling form pernicious saying must combated gutman long amount antisemitism hatred violence jews small sector population hate others may different perceived different largely sake hating antisemites people hate jews muslims gays gypsies likely described minorities different hatred course pernicious must combated turned said second growing form antisemitism harder complex explain gutman nov 30 see growing gaining much attention newspapers among politicians communities different phenomena problem within europe tension hatred sometimes even violence members muslim communities arab immigrant groups jews tension perhaps hatred largely born reflecting tension israel palestinian territories neighboring arab states middle east continuing israelipalestinian problem serious problem must discussed solutions explored triggered objections proisrael groups gutmans statement solving problem remains hands government leaders israel well palestinian territories arab countries middle east gutman area every new settlement announced israel every rocket shot border suicide bomber bus every retaliatory military strike exacerbates problem provides setback europe fighting hatred bigotry europe refers actions israelis new settlements retaliatory military strikes well palestinians rockets shot borders suicide bombers comments met quick rebuke several jewish organizations american jewish committee executive director david harris wrote gutman saying speech confuses cause effect muslim antisemitism predates israels presence west bank gaza also creation jewish state harris wrote comments also seem ignore basic moral principle namely never rationalize let alone justify bigotry violence innocents harris wrote antidefamation league national director abraham foxman also wroteto gutman stating assessment muslim antisemitism attempt distinguish traditional classical antisemitism wrongheaded could undermine important effort combat resurgence antisemitism europe one tries attribute antisemitism outside forces case ongoing arabisraeli conflict one misunderstands role antisemitism conflict provides unacceptable rationale inaction response criticism gutman released statement strongly condemn antisemitism forms deeply regret comments taken wrong way personal history family testimony salience issue continued commitment combating antisemitism obama administration issued statement saying condemns antisemitism forms asked flap state department spokesman noted gutman released statement expressing regret remarks taken context said obama administration full confidence gutman robert farley
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<p>North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper speaks at a news conference in his state offices in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday. Cooper announced Tuesday that his office won't defend the state's new law preventing local governments from prohibiting discrimination, calling it a "national embarrassment" that will encourage businesses to take jobs and millions of dollars out of the state. (Harry Lynch/The News &amp; Observer)</p>
<p>RALEIGH, N.C. - The North Carolina governor's race has suddenly become a referendum on discrimination.</p>
<p>Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, seeking re-election in what's anticipated to be one of the nation's most heated and expensive campaigns, is doubling down on a sweeping law he signed last week preventing local governments from protecting people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity when they use public accommodations such as hotels and restaurants. People also would have to use multi-stall bathrooms that match their birth certificates at state agencies and public schools and universities.</p>
<p>Attorney General Roy Cooper, the governor's Democratic challenger, announced Tuesday that his office won't defend this "national embarrassment" against a federal lawsuit filed by two transgender men, a lesbian law professor and civil rights groups.</p>
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<p>"We are here because the governor has signed statewide legislation that puts discrimination into the law," Cooper announced. Citing criticism from a growing list of major corporations and sports organizations, he said: "It will set North Carolina's economy back if we don't repeal it."</p>
<p>McCrory complained this week that a well-coordinated national campaign is "distorting the truth," and in a video Tuesday accused Cooper of "inventing conflict that simply doesn't exist" to justify his argument to refuse to defend the law.</p>
<p>People protest outside the North Carolina Executive Mansion in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday. North Carolina legislators decided to rein in local governments by approving a bill Wednesday that prevents cities and counties from passing their own anti-discrimination rules. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory later signed the legislation, which dealt a blow to the LGBT movement after success with protections in cities across the country. (Emery P. Dalesio/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>The CEOs of dozens of big technology, biotech and financial companies signed a letter released Tuesday by gay rights advocates urging state officials to overturn the law, which the governor signed just hours after it was introduced and approved by Republicans in a special session.</p>
<p>"Discrimination is wrong and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country. As companies that pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge you and the leadership of North Carolina's legislature to repeal this law in the upcoming legislative session," reads the letter, signed by IBM CEO Virginia Rometty, Apple head Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, among others.</p>
<p>The North Carolina Values Coalition, for its part, said hundreds of business owners support the state law, but many don't want to be named for fear of retaliation, a spokeswoman said.</p>
<p>Both campaigns are already using the law in fundraising pleas, and their supporters are reminding the public of each candidate's stand. With litigation expected to last months during this presidential election year, the fight is sure to rage on through November, touching on cultural and economic disputes as well as the pocketbooks of the swing state's voters.</p>
<p>The campaigns of McCrory and Cooper already have raised more than $13 million combined and the Republican Governors Association has reserved $4 million in ad time for the fall. Cooper has leveraged Democratic frustration over the Republicans' control of state government into a formidable campaign operation, outraising McCrory three reporting periods in a row.</p>
<p>The governor and his allies have sought to narrow the public debate to the use of bathrooms by transgender people. It could appeal to moderates and independents in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 650,000 people.</p>
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<p>McCrory said overturning Charlotte's anti-discrimination ordinance was a common-sense action to protect the privacy of people who expect to share restrooms and locker rooms only with people who have the same anatomy.</p>
<p>"We'll continue to frame and push the fact of the matter that this legislation and this case involves bathrooms: Can a male use a female bathroom and female locker room?" said Chris LaCivita, McCrory's chief campaign strategist.</p>
<p>Cooper, in contrast, is already talking about how the law could affect the public more broadly. It prevents cities from requiring local businesses to provide paid sick leave or raise wages beyond the state's minimum, now pegged at $7.25 per hour. It also prevents workers from suing in state courts alleging workplace discrimination over factors including race, religion, age or gender.</p>
<p>"Obviously the LGBT community is targeted, but also people who are discriminated against based on race and religion and other classes of people could likely have a harder time bringing actions to protect themselves," Cooper said Tuesday.</p>
<p>Cooper contrasted McCrory's signing with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's decision Monday to veto a "religious freedom" bill, also criticized by corporations, some of which threatened to take business elsewhere without the veto.</p>
<p>These are the kinds of wedge issues that bring outside donors into swing states whose voters could side with either party, said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University who is not related to the attorney general. "In some ways it works to nationalize the state election."</p>
<p>Framing the law as a "national embarrassment" helps Cooper "extend connections nationally and be able to raise money nationally," agreed Andrew Taylor, a professor at North Carolina State University.</p>
<p>Keeping the focus on bathrooms may help the Republicans for now. The longer voters pay attention to aspects of this law, the more likely it is to hurt McCrory, said Mac McCorkle, a Duke University professor and former consultant to two North Carolina Democratic governors.</p>
<p>"At some point the incumbent wants to turn the corner and start talking about what a great job he's been doing for North Carolina. And it's really hard to sell that to the people of North Carolina when there's so many questions about what went on," McCorkle said.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Emery P. Dalesio in Raleigh contributed to this report.</p>
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north carolina attorney general roy cooper speaks news conference state offices raleigh nc tuesday cooper announced tuesday office wont defend states new law preventing local governments prohibiting discrimination calling national embarrassment encourage businesses take jobs millions dollars state harry lynchthe news amp observer raleigh nc north carolina governors race suddenly become referendum discrimination republican gov pat mccrory seeking reelection whats anticipated one nations heated expensive campaigns doubling sweeping law signed last week preventing local governments protecting people basis sexual orientation gender identity use public accommodations hotels restaurants people also would use multistall bathrooms match birth certificates state agencies public schools universities attorney general roy cooper governors democratic challenger announced tuesday office wont defend national embarrassment federal lawsuit filed two transgender men lesbian law professor civil rights groups advertisement governor signed statewide legislation puts discrimination law cooper announced citing criticism growing list major corporations sports organizations said set north carolinas economy back dont repeal mccrory complained week wellcoordinated national campaign distorting truth video tuesday accused cooper inventing conflict simply doesnt exist justify argument refuse defend law people protest outside north carolina executive mansion raleigh nc thursday north carolina legislators decided rein local governments approving bill wednesday prevents cities counties passing antidiscrimination rules north carolina gov pat mccrory later signed legislation dealt blow lgbt movement success protections cities across country emery p dalesiothe associated press ceos dozens big technology biotech financial companies signed letter released tuesday gay rights advocates urging state officials overturn law governor signed hours introduced approved republicans special session discrimination wrong believe place north carolina anywhere country companies pride inclusive welcoming strongly urge leadership north carolinas legislature repeal law upcoming legislative session reads letter signed ibm ceo virginia rometty apple head tim cook mark zuckerberg facebook among others north carolina values coalition part said hundreds business owners support state law many dont want named fear retaliation spokeswoman said campaigns already using law fundraising pleas supporters reminding public candidates stand litigation expected last months presidential election year fight sure rage november touching cultural economic disputes well pocketbooks swing states voters campaigns mccrory cooper already raised 13 million combined republican governors association reserved 4 million ad time fall cooper leveraged democratic frustration republicans control state government formidable campaign operation outraising mccrory three reporting periods row governor allies sought narrow public debate use bathrooms transgender people could appeal moderates independents state registered democrats outnumber republicans 650000 people advertisement mccrory said overturning charlottes antidiscrimination ordinance commonsense action protect privacy people expect share restrooms locker rooms people anatomy well continue frame push fact matter legislation case involves bathrooms male use female bathroom female locker room said chris lacivita mccrorys chief campaign strategist cooper contrast already talking law could affect public broadly prevents cities requiring local businesses provide paid sick leave raise wages beyond states minimum pegged 725 per hour also prevents workers suing state courts alleging workplace discrimination factors including race religion age gender obviously lgbt community targeted also people discriminated based race religion classes people could likely harder time bringing actions protect cooper said tuesday cooper contrasted mccrorys signing georgia gov nathan deals decision monday veto religious freedom bill also criticized corporations threatened take business elsewhere without veto kinds wedge issues bring outside donors swing states whose voters could side either party said chris cooper political science professor western carolina university related attorney general ways works nationalize state election framing law national embarrassment helps cooper extend connections nationally able raise money nationally agreed andrew taylor professor north carolina state university keeping focus bathrooms may help republicans longer voters pay attention aspects law likely hurt mccrory said mac mccorkle duke university professor former consultant two north carolina democratic governors point incumbent wants turn corner start talking great job hes north carolina really hard sell people north carolina theres many questions went mccorkle said __ associated press writers bill barrow atlanta emery p dalesio raleigh contributed report
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<p>Jan 25 (Reuters) -</p>
<p>* GOLDMAN, BARCLAYS, SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN BUYING EQUITIES AND COMMODITIES DIVISION OF COMMERZBANK- HANDELSBLATT, CITING SOURCES‍​ Source text: <a href="http://bit.ly/2n8QwnI" type="external">bit.ly/2n8QwnI</a></p> Our Standards:
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<p>TEMPE, Ariz./SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Police in Arizona on Wednesday released a short video of a fatal collision between an Uber self-driving vehicle and a pedestrian, as investigators probe the accident that has put new focus on the safety of autonomous vehicles.</p>
<p>The video, taken from inside the Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle that Uber has used for testing, shows the vehicle driving along a dark road when an image of a woman walking a bicycle across the road suddenly appears in the headlights.</p>
<p>The woman, Elaine Herzberg, 49, later died from her injuries.</p>
<p>Police have released few details about the accident that occurred on Sunday night in Tempe, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, while the SUV was driving in autonomous mode. Uber suspended its self-driving testing in North America after the incident and federal safety regulators are conducting their own probe.</p>
<p>Fall-out from the accident could stall the development and testing of self-driving vehicles, which are designed to perform far better than human drivers and sharply reduce the number of motor vehicle fatalities that occur each year.</p>
<p>The video shows the vehicle traveling in the right-hand lane of a divided four-lane roadway. The vehicle’s headlights illuminate a woman directly in front of it who is crossing the SUV’s lane with her bike. The woman appears to be jaywalking as she is not in a crosswalk.</p>
<p>A photo released by safety regulators on Tuesday showed that the impact occurred on the right side of the vehicle.</p>
<p>The footage also shows a view of the vehicle’s interior and the driver at the wheel. The driver appears to be looking down, and not at the road, for two periods of about five seconds each. Just before the video stops, the driver looks upward toward the road and suddenly looks shocked.</p>
<p>“The video is disturbing and heartbreaking to watch, and our thoughts continue to be with Elaine’s loved ones,” Uber said in a statement. “Our cars remain grounded, and we’re assisting local, state and federal authorities in any way we can.”</p>
<p>The video is likely to be a key part of investigations of Uber’s self-driving car technology and whether it was ready for testing on public roads.</p>
<p>Although the exact specifics of Uber’s technology are not known, self-driving cars typically use a combination of sensors, including radar and light-based Lidar, to identify objects around the vehicle, including potential obstacles coming into range. While cameras do not perform well in the dark, radar and Lidar can work at night.</p>
<p>One question on regulators’ minds will be why the sensors did not pick up on the presence of Herzberg, who would ostensibly have already crossed three lanes of traffic before arriving in the path of the Uber vehicle.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>One self-driving car expert, Bryant Walker Smith, said his first impression was of “outrage” viewing the video.</p>
<p>“Although this video isn’t the full picture, it strongly suggests a failure by Uber’s automated driving system and a lack of due care by Uber’s driver (and by the victim),” said Smith, a professor of law at the University of South Carolina.</p>
<p>Another autonomous driving expert agreed with Smith’s assessment.</p>
<p>“The sensors should have detected the pedestrian in this case; the cameras were likely useless but both the radars and the Lidar must have picked up the pedestrian,” said Raj Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">Alphabet Inc</a> 1094.0 GOOGL.O Nasdaq -1.80 (-0.16%) GOOGL.O GM.N
<p>“Though no information is available, one would have to conclude based on this video alone, that there are problems in the Uber vehicle software that need to be rectified,” he said.</p>
<p>Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its systems.</p> OVERSIGHT?
<p>The video is likely to renew calls for more oversight in a nascent industry that lacks standardized testing or safety definitions. Lawmakers have had to juggle the need to encourage innovations that promise to dramatically improve safety on roads with current public safety concerns.</p>
<p>Companies including Uber, Alphabet’s Waymo ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">GOOGL.O</a>) and General Motors’s Cruise Automation ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GM.N" type="external">GM.N</a>) have been testing their self-driving technology in Arizona, which has welcomed the industry with a lighter regulatory touch than in states like California, for example.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Arizona transportation officials said they saw no immediate need to tighten rules on the testing of self-driving cars in the state.</p>
<p>Although some within the self-driving industry have suggested agreeing testing and safety standards for autonomous technology, there has been no concerted effort to do so.</p>
<p>Timothy Carone, an associate teaching professor at Notre Dame University’s Mendoza College of Business whose research specialties include artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, said the question is whether Uber did enough testing before sending robot cars out onto streets alongside humans.</p>
<p>“Did they jump the gun?” he said. “If their testing is found to be inefficient, that cannot be allowed to happen again because these systems have to be ready for road tests.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Paul Lienert and Nick Carey in Detroit; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Peter Cooney and Cynthia Osterman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Conor Lamb said on Wednesday that his Republican opponent in a U.S. House of Representatives special election on March 13 in Pennsylvania had conceded the race, cementing a stunning Democratic upset in a long-time Republican area that President Donald Trump handily won in 2016.</p> U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb is greeted by supporters during his election night rally in Pennsylvania's 18th U.S. Congressional district special election against Republican candidate and State Rep. Rick Saccone, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>“Just got off the phone with my opponent, @RickSaccone4PA, who congratulated me &amp; graciously conceded last Tuesday’s election,” Lamb said on Twitter.</p>
<p>There was no immediate response to a request for comment by Saccone.</p>
<p>In an ominous sign for Trump’s Republicans eight months before national midterm elections, Lamb, a moderate Democrat, led Rick Saccone, a conservative, by a fraction of a percentage point in the race for the southwestern Pennsylvania seat.</p>
<p>Trump won the district by almost 20 points in the presidential election. He campaigned for Saccone, who started the race well ahead of Lamb.</p>
<p>The earliest the final election result could be certified is March 26, but the final tally could be unknown for weeks.</p> U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb is greeted by supporters during his election night rally in Pennsylvania's 18th U.S. Congressional district special election against Republican candidate and State Rep. Rick Saccone, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>Lamb led Saccone by 627 votes unofficial, state returns showed last week; Lamb had 49.8 percent of the vote and Saccone 49.6 percent.</p>
<p>House Republicans had called the race unique, noting that Lamb, 33, a Marine Corps veteran, had distanced himself from his party’s leaders and staked out positions to the right of many Democrats.</p>
<p>The patchwork of small towns, farms and Pittsburgh suburbs that make up Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district has been so staunchly Republican that Democrats did not field candidates in the previous two House elections.</p>
<p>Come November, the district will cease to exist because boundaries have been redrawn. Both Lamb and Saccone were expected to run again, though in different districts.</p>
<p>The election, held to replace a Republican who resigned amid a scandal last year, was the latest forceful electoral showing for Democrats, who also won a governor’s race in Virginia and scored a U.S. Senate upset in conservative Alabama.</p>
<p>Lamb’s strong showing could buoy Democrats nationally as they seek to win control of the House from Republicans in the November elections. Democrats see 118 Republican-held districts in play. If they flip 24 seats, they could reclaim a House majority.</p>
<p>The Lamb win vindicates a strategy Democrats are using in some races to enlist candidates whose positions and ideologies are well suited to the district even while conflicting in significant ways with the positions of the Democratic leadership in Washington.</p>
<p>Reporting by Eric Walsh; editing by Grant McCool</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - The FBI has reminded parcel delivery companies in the United States to follow “established protocols” for handling suspicious packages following a bomb blast at a FedEx Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FDX.N" type="external">FDX.N</a>) sorting facility in Texas, an agency spokeswoman said on Wednesday.</p> Law enforcement personnel investigate the surroundings of a house linked to the bomber in Pflugerville, Texas, U.S., March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
<p>A three-week bombing spree, which sent a shiver through the Texas capital of Austin and rattled the rest of the country, raised fears about the possibility of other attackers via package delivery.</p>
<p>“In light of the bombings in Austin the FBI has reached out to our private-sector partners to remind them of established protocols of how to handle suspicious packages,” Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Lindsay Ram said by email.</p>
<p>There was no suggestion by the FBI that FedEx had not followed protocols to the letter.</p>
<p>Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday they had charged Mark Conditt of Pflugerville, Texas, with unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device before he blew himself up as police closed in on his vehicle.</p>
<p>FedEx, United Parcel Service Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=UPS.N" type="external">UPS.N</a>) and other couriers collect a vast amount of data on packages in their systems. Some of the information may have helped identify the man who carried out the bombings, a FedEx executive said.</p>
<p>FedEx Chief Operations Officer David Bronczek told employees in an internal memo seen by Reuters that the company provided “key evidence” to law enforcement officials on identifying the suspect.</p>
<p>The FBI’s Ram did not elaborate on whether the agency was concerned about other deadly packages that may have slipped into a mail network that handles roughly 40 million parcels daily in the United States.</p>
<p>FedEx was taking the extraordinary step of screening every package at the sorting facility outside Austin where a parcel bomb exploded on a conveyor belt on Tuesday. It was also x-raying entire trailers filled with packages at that location and other trailers with packages originating from central Texas, a FedEx manager said.</p>
<p>FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey declined to comment on package screening and on the evidence FedEx provided authorities.</p>
<p>Like FedEx, UPS shipping terms and conditions allow employees to open and inspect packages, and the companies train employees on how to respond if they see packages that look suspicious or may contain drugs.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FDX.N" type="external">FedEx Corp</a> 249.02 FDX.N New York Stock Exchange -2.97 (-1.18%) FDX.N UPS.N
<p>FedEx and UPS have so far not described steps they may take to expand screening.</p>
<p>UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said the company constantly evaluates and adjusts its security measures, but does not discuss them in order to maintain their effectiveness.</p>
<p>The United States Postal Service said in a statement that although it appeared none of the devices in Austin were sent through the U.S. mail, USPS reminded employees and customers to be observant about suspicious packages.</p>
<p>Inspectors in its Dangerous Mail Investigations Program “are trained to recognize the common characteristics of suspicious mail and are highly proficient in the use of state-of-the-art equipment to include portable X-ray machines,” the USPS said.</p>
<p>The FedEx manager said in-bound international shipments are screened by x-ray or bomb-sniffing dogs, and said the Texas blast could lead to changes in domestic security screening.</p>
<p>Airport-like security measures inside package sorting facilities and retail locations would be a costly and unnecessary step that would paralyze operations, particularly given the rarity of package bombs, said Satish Jindel, a founder of the delivery company that became FedEx Ground.</p>
<p>Reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Grant McCool</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - The Texas man who carried out a three-week bombing spree made a 25-minute video “confession” on his phone, which was recovered after he blew himself up on Wednesday as police were closing in to make an arrest, police said.</p>
<p>Officials identified the bomber as Mark Conditt, 23, an unemployed man from the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, who had been charged on Tuesday night with unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device.</p>
<p>“He does not at all mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate, but instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters.</p>
<p>Experts also removed explosive device components on Wednesday from Conditt’s home.</p>
<p>Hours earlier, police had tracked Conditt to a hotel about 20 miles (32 km) north of Austin. They were following his vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a device, killing himself, Manley told reporters near the scene.</p> Texas blast suspect Mark Anthony Conditt is seen in this undated handout photo released by Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, U.S. March 21, 2018. Austin Community College/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Police cautioned that he may have planted or mailed other bombs, asking the public to remain vigilant, but his death came as a relief to Austin, a fast-growing city of 1 million people. In addition to killing two people in the area, the bombings that had begun on March 2 injured at least five others.</p>
<p>Experts from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered bomb parts similar to those used in the attacks at Conditt’s home.</p> Slideshow (28 Images)
<p>“I wouldn’t call it a bomb-making factory, but there’s definitely components consistent with what we’ve seen in all these other devices,” Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the ATF’s Houston field division, told reporters.</p>
<p>Investigators detained two of Conditt’s roommates who lived at the home, the Austin Police Department said. One was questioned and released and the other was still being questioned. Police said their names would not be released because they were not under arrest.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-texas-blast-fbi/fbi-asks-delivery-companies-to-be-more-careful-handling-suspicious-packages-idUSKBN1GX2XB" type="external">FBI asks delivery companies to be more careful handling suspicious packages</a>
<a href="/article/us-texas-blast-fedex/fbi-reminds-couriers-on-suspicious-package-protocols-after-texas-bombings-idUSKBN1GX2AR" type="external">FBI reminds couriers on suspicious package protocols after Texas bombings</a>
<p>During his three-week campaign, the bomber left three parcels on doorsteps, activated another by trip wire, and sent at least two via FedEx, one of which blew up on a conveyer belt in a sorting facility on Tuesday. The other was recovered before it exploded.</p>
<p>FedEx said it had supplied investigators with “extensive evidence,” though officials have yet to publicly detail how or when they identified Conditt as the suspect. The criminal charge and arrest warrant were filed on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio, Texas, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Mark Hosenball in Washington, and Jonathan Allen and Gina Cherelus in New York; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Rosalba O'Brien</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 25 reuters goldman barclays sociÉtÉ gÉnÉrale expressed interest buying equities commodities division commerzbank handelsblatt citing sources source text bitly2n8qwni standards thomson reuters trust principles tempe arizsan francisco reuters police arizona wednesday released short video fatal collision uber selfdriving vehicle pedestrian investigators probe accident put new focus safety autonomous vehicles video taken inside volvo xc90 sport utility vehicle uber used testing shows vehicle driving along dark road image woman walking bicycle across road suddenly appears headlights woman elaine herzberg 49 later died injuries police released details accident occurred sunday night tempe arizona suburb phoenix suv driving autonomous mode uber suspended selfdriving testing north america incident federal safety regulators conducting probe fallout accident could stall development testing selfdriving vehicles designed perform far better human drivers sharply reduce number motor vehicle fatalities occur year video shows vehicle traveling righthand lane divided fourlane roadway vehicles headlights illuminate woman directly front crossing suvs lane bike woman appears jaywalking crosswalk photo released safety regulators tuesday showed impact occurred right side vehicle footage also shows view vehicles interior driver wheel driver appears looking road two periods five seconds video stops driver looks upward toward road suddenly looks shocked video disturbing heartbreaking watch thoughts continue elaines loved ones uber said statement cars remain grounded assisting local state federal authorities way video likely key part investigations ubers selfdriving car technology whether ready testing public roads although exact specifics ubers technology known selfdriving cars typically use combination sensors including radar lightbased lidar identify objects around vehicle including potential obstacles coming range cameras perform well dark radar lidar work night one question regulators minds sensors pick presence herzberg would ostensibly already crossed three lanes traffic arriving path uber vehicle slideshow 3 images one selfdriving car expert bryant walker smith said first impression outrage viewing video although video isnt full picture strongly suggests failure ubers automated driving system lack due care ubers driver victim said smith professor law university south carolina another autonomous driving expert agreed smiths assessment sensors detected pedestrian case cameras likely useless radars lidar must picked pedestrian said raj rajkumar professor carnegie mellon alphabet inc 10940 googlo nasdaq 180 016 googlo gmn though information available one would conclude based video alone problems uber vehicle software need rectified said uber immediately respond request comment systems oversight video likely renew calls oversight nascent industry lacks standardized testing safety definitions lawmakers juggle need encourage innovations promise dramatically improve safety roads current public safety concerns companies including uber alphabets waymo googlo general motorss cruise automation gmn testing selfdriving technology arizona welcomed industry lighter regulatory touch states like california example tuesday arizona transportation officials said saw immediate need tighten rules testing selfdriving cars state although within selfdriving industry suggested agreeing testing safety standards autonomous technology concerted effort timothy carone associate teaching professor notre dame universitys mendoza college business whose research specialties include artificial intelligence autonomous systems said question whether uber enough testing sending robot cars onto streets alongside humans jump gun said testing found inefficient allowed happen systems ready road tests additional reporting paul lienert nick carey detroit editing rosalba obrien peter cooney cynthia osterman standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters democrat conor lamb said wednesday republican opponent us house representatives special election march 13 pennsylvania conceded race cementing stunning democratic upset longtime republican area president donald trump handily 2016 us democratic congressional candidate conor lamb greeted supporters election night rally pennsylvanias 18th us congressional district special election republican candidate state rep rick saccone canonsburg pennsylvania march 13 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid got phone opponent ricksaccone4pa congratulated amp graciously conceded last tuesdays election lamb said twitter immediate response request comment saccone ominous sign trumps republicans eight months national midterm elections lamb moderate democrat led rick saccone conservative fraction percentage point race southwestern pennsylvania seat trump district almost 20 points presidential election campaigned saccone started race well ahead lamb earliest final election result could certified march 26 final tally could unknown weeks us democratic congressional candidate conor lamb greeted supporters election night rally pennsylvanias 18th us congressional district special election republican candidate state rep rick saccone canonsburg pennsylvania march 13 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid lamb led saccone 627 votes unofficial state returns showed last week lamb 498 percent vote saccone 496 percent house republicans called race unique noting lamb 33 marine corps veteran distanced partys leaders staked positions right many democrats patchwork small towns farms pittsburgh suburbs make pennsylvanias 18th congressional district staunchly republican democrats field candidates previous two house elections come november district cease exist boundaries redrawn lamb saccone expected run though different districts election held replace republican resigned amid scandal last year latest forceful electoral showing democrats also governors race virginia scored us senate upset conservative alabama lambs strong showing could buoy democrats nationally seek win control house republicans november elections democrats see 118 republicanheld districts play flip 24 seats could reclaim house majority lamb win vindicates strategy democrats using races enlist candidates whose positions ideologies well suited district even conflicting significant ways positions democratic leadership washington reporting eric walsh editing grant mccool standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters fbi reminded parcel delivery companies united states follow established protocols handling suspicious packages following bomb blast fedex corp fdxn sorting facility texas agency spokeswoman said wednesday law enforcement personnel investigate surroundings house linked bomber pflugerville texas us march 21 2018 reutersloren elliott threeweek bombing spree sent shiver texas capital austin rattled rest country raised fears possibility attackers via package delivery light bombings austin fbi reached privatesector partners remind established protocols handle suspicious packages federal bureau investigation spokeswoman lindsay ram said email suggestion fbi fedex followed protocols letter federal prosecutors said wednesday charged mark conditt pflugerville texas unlawful possession transfer destructive device blew police closed vehicle fedex united parcel service inc upsn couriers collect vast amount data packages systems information may helped identify man carried bombings fedex executive said fedex chief operations officer david bronczek told employees internal memo seen reuters company provided key evidence law enforcement officials identifying suspect fbis ram elaborate whether agency concerned deadly packages may slipped mail network handles roughly 40 million parcels daily united states fedex taking extraordinary step screening every package sorting facility outside austin parcel bomb exploded conveyor belt tuesday also xraying entire trailers filled packages location trailers packages originating central texas fedex manager said fedex spokesman jim mccluskey declined comment package screening evidence fedex provided authorities like fedex ups shipping terms conditions allow employees open inspect packages companies train employees respond see packages look suspicious may contain drugs fedex corp 24902 fdxn new york stock exchange 297 118 fdxn upsn fedex ups far described steps may take expand screening ups spokesman glenn zaccara said company constantly evaluates adjusts security measures discuss order maintain effectiveness united states postal service said statement although appeared none devices austin sent us mail usps reminded employees customers observant suspicious packages inspectors dangerous mail investigations program trained recognize common characteristics suspicious mail highly proficient use stateoftheart equipment include portable xray machines usps said fedex manager said inbound international shipments screened xray bombsniffing dogs said texas blast could lead changes domestic security screening airportlike security measures inside package sorting facilities retail locations would costly unnecessary step would paralyze operations particularly given rarity package bombs said satish jindel founder delivery company became fedex ground reporting eric johnson additional reporting mark hosenball editing lisa shumaker grant mccool standards thomson reuters trust principles pflugerville texas reuters texas man carried threeweek bombing spree made 25minute video confession phone recovered blew wednesday police closing make arrest police said officials identified bomber mark conditt 23 unemployed man austin suburb pflugerville charged tuesday night unlawful possession transfer destructive device mention anything terrorism mention anything hate instead outcry challenged young man talking challenges personal life austin police chief brian manley told reporters experts also removed explosive device components wednesday conditts home hours earlier police tracked conditt hotel 20 miles 32 km north austin following vehicle pulled side road detonated device killing manley told reporters near scene texas blast suspect mark anthony conditt seen undated handout photo released austin community college austin texas us march 21 2018 austin community collegehandout via reuters police cautioned may planted mailed bombs asking public remain vigilant death came relief austin fastgrowing city 1 million people addition killing two people area bombings begun march 2 injured least five others experts us federal bureau investigation fbi bureau alcohol tobacco firearms explosives atf discovered bomb parts similar used attacks conditts home slideshow 28 images wouldnt call bombmaking factory theres definitely components consistent weve seen devices fred milanowski special agent charge atfs houston field division told reporters investigators detained two conditts roommates lived home austin police department said one questioned released still questioned police said names would released arrest related coverage fbi asks delivery companies careful handling suspicious packages fbi reminds couriers suspicious package protocols texas bombings threeweek campaign bomber left three parcels doorsteps activated another trip wire sent least two via fedex one blew conveyer belt sorting facility tuesday recovered exploded fedex said supplied investigators extensive evidence though officials yet publicly detail identified conditt suspect criminal charge arrest warrant filed tuesday night reporting jonathan herskovitz additional reporting jim forsyth san antonio texas brendan obrien milwaukee mark hosenball washington jonathan allen gina cherelus new york writing daniel trotta editing jeffrey benkoe rosalba obrien standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>BEIJING (AP) - An oil tanker that caught fire after colliding with a freighter off China's east coast is at risk of exploding and sinking, Chinese state media reported Monday, as authorities from three countries struggled to find its 32 missing crew members and contain oil spewing from the blazing wreck.</p>
<p>State broadcaster China Central Television, citing Chinese officials, said none of the 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis who have been missing since the collision late Saturday had been found as of 8 a.m. Monday. Search and cleanup efforts have been hampered by fierce fires and poisonous gases that have engulfed the tanker and surrounding waters, CCTV reported.</p>
<p>The Panama-registered tanker Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal in the East China Sea, 257 kilometers (160 miles) off the coast of Shanghai, China's Ministry of Transport said.</p>
<p>China, South Korea and the U.S. have sent ships and planes to search for the Sanchi's crew, all of whom remain missing. The U.S. Navy, which sent a P-8A aircraft from Okinawa, Japan, to aid the search, said late Sunday that none of the missing crew had been found.</p>
<p>All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States to China, were rescued, the Chinese ministry said. The Crystal's crew members were all Chinese nationals.</p>
<p>It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collision.</p>
<p>Kwon Yong-deok, a Korea Coast Guard official, said thick black smoke was still billowing from the ship on Monday afternoon and bad weather was worsening visibility at the scene.</p>
<p>The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 metric tons (150,000 tons, or nearly 1 million barrels) of condensate, a type of ultra-light oil, according to Chinese authorities, who have dispatched three ships to clean the spill.</p>
<p>By comparison, the Exxon Valdez was carrying 1.26 million barrels of crude oil when it spilled 260,000 barrels into Prince William Sound off Alaska in 1989, badly damaging local ecology and the area's fishing-based economy.</p>
<p>But the size of the oil slick from the Sanchi - and the scale of the environmental toll - may be smaller. Unlike the thick crude that gushed out of the Valdez, much of the light, gassy condensate from the Sanchi may have evaporated or burned immediately, Kwon said.</p>
<p>The Sanchi's own fuel that leaked during the collision will be more difficult to clean, officials said.</p>
<p>South Korean petrochemical company Hanwha Total Co., a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and French oil giant Total, said in an email to the AP it had contracted the Sanchi to import Iranian condensate to South Korea.</p>
<p>A Hanwha Total spokesman, who asked not to be named citing office policies, said there is "little possibility" that condensate would leave traces in the ocean after it burned. He added the losses would be covered by an insurance company. The Sanchi's cargo was estimated to be worth more than $60 million.</p>
<p>The tanker has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according the U.N.-run International Maritime Organization. The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd., on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Co., a publicly traded company based in Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Co. describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.</p>
<p>An official in Iran's Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and confirmed that 30 of the tanker's 32 crew members were Iranians.</p>
<p>"We have no information on their fate," he said Sunday. "We cannot say all of them have died, because rescue teams are there and providing services."</p>
<p>It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Youkyung Lee in Seoul contributed to this report.</p>
<p>BEIJING (AP) - An oil tanker that caught fire after colliding with a freighter off China's east coast is at risk of exploding and sinking, Chinese state media reported Monday, as authorities from three countries struggled to find its 32 missing crew members and contain oil spewing from the blazing wreck.</p>
<p>State broadcaster China Central Television, citing Chinese officials, said none of the 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis who have been missing since the collision late Saturday had been found as of 8 a.m. Monday. Search and cleanup efforts have been hampered by fierce fires and poisonous gases that have engulfed the tanker and surrounding waters, CCTV reported.</p>
<p>The Panama-registered tanker Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal in the East China Sea, 257 kilometers (160 miles) off the coast of Shanghai, China's Ministry of Transport said.</p>
<p>China, South Korea and the U.S. have sent ships and planes to search for the Sanchi's crew, all of whom remain missing. The U.S. Navy, which sent a P-8A aircraft from Okinawa, Japan, to aid the search, said late Sunday that none of the missing crew had been found.</p>
<p>All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States to China, were rescued, the Chinese ministry said. The Crystal's crew members were all Chinese nationals.</p>
<p>It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collision.</p>
<p>Kwon Yong-deok, a Korea Coast Guard official, said thick black smoke was still billowing from the ship on Monday afternoon and bad weather was worsening visibility at the scene.</p>
<p>The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 metric tons (150,000 tons, or nearly 1 million barrels) of condensate, a type of ultra-light oil, according to Chinese authorities, who have dispatched three ships to clean the spill.</p>
<p>By comparison, the Exxon Valdez was carrying 1.26 million barrels of crude oil when it spilled 260,000 barrels into Prince William Sound off Alaska in 1989, badly damaging local ecology and the area's fishing-based economy.</p>
<p>But the size of the oil slick from the Sanchi - and the scale of the environmental toll - may be smaller. Unlike the thick crude that gushed out of the Valdez, much of the light, gassy condensate from the Sanchi may have evaporated or burned immediately, Kwon said.</p>
<p>The Sanchi's own fuel that leaked during the collision will be more difficult to clean, officials said.</p>
<p>South Korean petrochemical company Hanwha Total Co., a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and French oil giant Total, said in an email to the AP it had contracted the Sanchi to import Iranian condensate to South Korea.</p>
<p>A Hanwha Total spokesman, who asked not to be named citing office policies, said there is "little possibility" that condensate would leave traces in the ocean after it burned. He added the losses would be covered by an insurance company. The Sanchi's cargo was estimated to be worth more than $60 million.</p>
<p>The tanker has operated under five different names since it was built in 2008, according the U.N.-run International Maritime Organization. The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd., on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Co., a publicly traded company based in Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Co. describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.</p>
<p>An official in Iran's Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co. and confirmed that 30 of the tanker's 32 crew members were Iranians.</p>
<p>"We have no information on their fate," he said Sunday. "We cannot say all of them have died, because rescue teams are there and providing services."</p>
<p>It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Youkyung Lee in Seoul contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
beijing ap oil tanker caught fire colliding freighter chinas east coast risk exploding sinking chinese state media reported monday authorities three countries struggled find 32 missing crew members contain oil spewing blazing wreck state broadcaster china central television citing chinese officials said none 30 iranians two bangladeshis missing since collision late saturday found 8 monday search cleanup efforts hampered fierce fires poisonous gases engulfed tanker surrounding waters cctv reported panamaregistered tanker sanchi sailing iran south korea collided hong kongregistered freighter cf crystal east china sea 257 kilometers 160 miles coast shanghai chinas ministry transport said china south korea us sent ships planes search sanchis crew remain missing us navy sent p8a aircraft okinawa japan aid search said late sunday none missing crew found 21 crew members crystal carrying grain united states china rescued chinese ministry said crystals crew members chinese nationals wasnt immediately clear caused collision kwon yongdeok korea coast guard official said thick black smoke still billowing ship monday afternoon bad weather worsening visibility scene sanchi carrying 136000 metric tons 150000 tons nearly 1 million barrels condensate type ultralight oil according chinese authorities dispatched three ships clean spill comparison exxon valdez carrying 126 million barrels crude oil spilled 260000 barrels prince william sound alaska 1989 badly damaging local ecology areas fishingbased economy size oil slick sanchi scale environmental toll may smaller unlike thick crude gushed valdez much light gassy condensate sanchi may evaporated burned immediately kwon said sanchis fuel leaked collision difficult clean officials said south korean petrochemical company hanwha total co 5050 partnership seoulbased hanwha group french oil giant total said email ap contracted sanchi import iranian condensate south korea hanwha total spokesman asked named citing office policies said little possibility condensate would leave traces ocean burned added losses would covered insurance company sanchis cargo estimated worth 60 million tanker operated five different names since built 2008 according unrun international maritime organization imo listed registered owner hong kongbased bright shipping ltd behalf national iranian tanker co publicly traded company based tehran national iranian tanker co describes operating largest tanker fleet middle east official irans oil ministry spoke associated press condition anonymity authorized speak reporters said tanker owned national iranian tanker co confirmed 30 tankers 32 crew members iranians information fate said sunday say died rescue teams providing services second collision ship national iranian tanker co less year half august 2016 one tankers collided swiss container ship singapore strait damaging ships causing injuries oil spill ___ associated press writers amir vahdat tehran iran jon gambrell dubai united arab emirates youkyung lee seoul contributed report beijing ap oil tanker caught fire colliding freighter chinas east coast risk exploding sinking chinese state media reported monday authorities three countries struggled find 32 missing crew members contain oil spewing blazing wreck state broadcaster china central television citing chinese officials said none 30 iranians two bangladeshis missing since collision late saturday found 8 monday search cleanup efforts hampered fierce fires poisonous gases engulfed tanker surrounding waters cctv reported panamaregistered tanker sanchi sailing iran south korea collided hong kongregistered freighter cf crystal east china sea 257 kilometers 160 miles coast shanghai chinas ministry transport said china south korea us sent ships planes search sanchis crew remain missing us navy sent p8a aircraft okinawa japan aid search said late sunday none missing crew found 21 crew members crystal carrying grain united states china rescued chinese ministry said crystals crew members chinese nationals wasnt immediately clear caused collision kwon yongdeok korea coast guard official said thick black smoke still billowing ship monday afternoon bad weather worsening visibility scene sanchi carrying 136000 metric tons 150000 tons nearly 1 million barrels condensate type ultralight oil according chinese authorities dispatched three ships clean spill comparison exxon valdez carrying 126 million barrels crude oil spilled 260000 barrels prince william sound alaska 1989 badly damaging local ecology areas fishingbased economy size oil slick sanchi scale environmental toll may smaller unlike thick crude gushed valdez much light gassy condensate sanchi may evaporated burned immediately kwon said sanchis fuel leaked collision difficult clean officials said south korean petrochemical company hanwha total co 5050 partnership seoulbased hanwha group french oil giant total said email ap contracted sanchi import iranian condensate south korea hanwha total spokesman asked named citing office policies said little possibility condensate would leave traces ocean burned added losses would covered insurance company sanchis cargo estimated worth 60 million tanker operated five different names since built 2008 according unrun international maritime organization imo listed registered owner hong kongbased bright shipping ltd behalf national iranian tanker co publicly traded company based tehran national iranian tanker co describes operating largest tanker fleet middle east official irans oil ministry spoke associated press condition anonymity authorized speak reporters said tanker owned national iranian tanker co confirmed 30 tankers 32 crew members iranians information fate said sunday say died rescue teams providing services second collision ship national iranian tanker co less year half august 2016 one tankers collided swiss container ship singapore strait damaging ships causing injuries oil spill ___ associated press writers amir vahdat tehran iran jon gambrell dubai united arab emirates youkyung lee seoul contributed report
| 850 |
<p>DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Sunday called for a quick end to a Turkish incursion into northern Syria’s Afrin province, saying it may help “terrorist” groups, state news agency IRNA reported.</p>
<p>“Iran hopes that this operation will be ended immediately to prevent a deepening of the crisis in the border regions of Turkey and Syria,” it quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying. “A continued crisis in Afrin may boost ...terrorist groups in northern Syria.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by John Stonestreet</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was cancelling an agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants, bowing to right-wing pressure to scrap the deal.</p>
<p>The agency, the UNHCR, said it hoped Israel would reconsider the decision soon and offered to work with it to identify and “respond to the protection needs” of asylum seekers in the country.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s critics seized on his backtracking on the arrangement - under which thousands of other migrants would have won the right to remain in Israel - as a sign of political weakness. The prime minister is the subject of police investigations into suspected corruption, which he denies, in the greatest challenges to his career yet.</p>
<p>For the estimated 37,000 African migrants in Israel, most of them from Eritrea and Sudan, a whirlwind of announcements about their future has swept their status even deeper into limbo.</p>
<p>Outside a government complex in Tel Aviv where Netanyahu said he was scrapping the deal, several African men wrapped themselves in chains in a protest that put their sense of powerlessness on display.</p>
<p>On Monday Netanyahu announced live on television an arrangement with the UNHCR that would have relocated about 16,250 migrants to Western countries.</p>
<p>But the fact that thousands more would be allowed to stay raised an outcry from right-wing politicians and on social media from Netanyahu’s nationalist voter base, which wants the migrants expelled. He then posted on Facebook he was putting the agreement’s implementation on hold.</p> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
<p>By Tuesday, the deal was dead.</p>
<p>“I have listened carefully to the many comments on the agreement. As a result, and after I again weighed the advantages and disadvantages, I decided to cancel the deal,” a statement from the prime minister’s office quoted Netanyahu as saying.</p>
<p>He made the remarks at a meeting with representatives of residents of south Tel Aviv, a poor area that has attracted the largest migrant community and where many of its inhabitants want the Africans out.</p> African migrants and Israeli activists demonstrate in support of the new agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants, outside Israeli Prime Minister office in Jerusalem April 3, 2018. The placard in Hebrew reads "Not Playing with Human Life, Yes to the deal". REUTERS/Ammar Awad
<p>The fate of migrants who entered Israel illegally by trekking across a desert border with Egypt, has posed a moral dilemma for a state founded as a haven for Jews from persecution and a national home.</p>
<p>In a joint statement, Israeli human rights groups condemned the decision to cancel the agreement, accusing Netanyahu of playing “political games”. The groups said Israel is capable of absorbing all of the migrants, describing them as “asylum-seekers who came knocking on its door”.</p>
<p>Before announcing the deal, Israel had been moving ahead with plans to deport many of the Africans to Rwanda. But the Supreme Court intervened, freezing such deportations in March, and Netanyahu said Rwanda had buckled to international pressure and reneged on the deal.</p>
<p>“Despite legal restraints and international difficulties that are piling up, we will continue to act with determination to explore all of the options at our disposal to remove the infiltrators,” Netanyahu said in his statement on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - China appreciates North Korea’s “important efforts” to ease tension on the Korean peninsula, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi told the North’s foreign minister on Tuesday, hours after he called on all sides to stay focused on talks.</p> FILE PHOTO: China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a news conference after a meeting with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (not pictured) at the Government Guesthouse in Hanoi, Vietnam April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kham
<p>China has traditionally been secretive North Korea’s closest ally, though ties had been frayed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles and Beijing’s backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response.</p>
<p>But in late March Beijing vowed to uphold its friendship with its isolated neighbor and won a pledge from Kim to denuclearize the peninsula during a meeting with President Xi Jinping.</p> Related Coverage
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<p>China’s Foreign Ministry gave only hours notice that Wang, a State Councillor and China’s Foreign Minister, would meet North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho.</p>
<p>Wang told Ri that Xi and Kim had reached an important consensus on achieving a peaceful resolution to the peninsula nuclear issue during Kim’s visit to Beijing, his first known trip outside North Korea since he assumed power in 2011.</p>
<p>“China appreciates North Korea’s position working toward denuclearization of the peninsula and its important efforts to ease the situation on the peninsula, and supports meetings between the leaders of the North and South and between the North and the United States,” Wang said, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.</p>
<p>The ministry cited Ri as saying that North Korea would “maintain close strategic communications” with China on peninsula-related issues, and that the Kim-Xi meeting was an “important juncture” in the development of bilateral relations.</p> China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks with Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis during their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China April 3, 2018. Iwasaki Minoru/Pool via REUTERS
<p>North Korea’s official news agency KCNA had said that a delegation headed by Ri left on Tuesday to meet other foreign ministers in Azerbaijan and to visit Russia, but made no mention of China.</p> “DISRUPTIVE FACTORS”
<p>Earlier in the day, Wang said during a joint news briefing with visiting Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis that he hoped a planned meeting in May between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump would “increase mutual understanding”.</p>
<p>“But historical experience tells us that at the moment of easing of the situation on the peninsula and as first light dawns on peace and dialogue, frequently all manner of disruptive factors emerge,” Wang said.</p>
<p>“So we call on all sides to maintain focus, eliminate interference, and firmly follow the correct path of dialogue and negotiation.”</p>
<p>Cassis said that he would discuss with Wang the role that Switzerland could play in the strategic meetings between Kim and “some important partners on the international level”, but he did not elaborate.</p> China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis before their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, China April 3, 2018. Iwasaki Minoru/Pool via REUTERS
<p>A time and place have not been set for the Trump-Kim meeting to discuss denuclearization. North and South Korea will hold their first summit in more than a decade on April 27, South Korea has said.</p>
<p>Kim’s predecessors, grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il, both promised not to pursue nuclear weapons but secretly maintained programs to develop them, culminating in the North’s first nuclear test in 2006 under Kim Jong Il.</p>
<p>North Korea has said in previous, failed talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear programme that it could consider giving up its arsenal if the United States removed its troops from South Korea and withdrew its so-called nuclear umbrella of deterrence from South Korea and Japan.</p>
<p>Some analysts have said Trump’s willingness to meet Kim handed Pyongyang a diplomatic win, as the United States had insisted for years that any such summit be preceded by North Korean steps to denuclearize.</p>
<p>China had largely sat on the sidelines as North Korea improved relations with South Korea, raising worries in Beijing that it was no longer a central player in the North Korean issue.</p>
<p>The two Koreas have seen a significant thaw in ties since the North’s participation in the South’s Winter Olympics in February.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Un and his wife on Sunday made a surprise appearance at the first of two concerts performed by a South Korean art troupe this week in Pyongyang, titled “Spring is Coming”.</p>
<p>Kim proposed another concert in South Korea later this year with performers from the North in response to this week’s shows in Pyongyang by K-pop artists, South Korea’s Culture Minister Do Jong-whan told reporters in Seoul.</p>
<p>It was the first time a North Korean leader had attended a South Korean performance in the capital.</p>
<p>Reporting by Michael Martina and Heekyong Yang; Additional reporting by Christian Shepherd and Dominique Patton in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - London police investigated more murders than their New York counterparts did over the last two months, statistics show, as the British capital’s mayor vowed to fight a “violent scourge” on the streets.</p> Forensic investigators examine a car on Chalgrove Road, where a teenage girl was murdered, in Tottenham, Britain, April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
<p>There were 15 murders in London in February against 14 in New York, according to London’s Metropolitan Police Service and the New York Police Department. For March, 22 murders were investigated in London, with 21 reports in New York.</p>
<p>In the latest bloodshed, a 17-year-old girl died on Monday after she was found with gunshot wounds in Tottenham, north London, a day after a man was fatally stabbed in south London.</p>
<p>“The Mayor is deeply concerned by violent crime in the capital - every&#160;life lost to violent crime is a tragedy,” a spokeswoman for Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement on Tuesday.</p> Forensic investigators examine the pavement and carriageway on Chalgrove Road, where a teenage girl was murdered, in Tottenham, Britain, April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
<p>“Our city remains one of the safest in the world ... but Sadiq wants it to be even safer and is working hard to bring an end to this violent scourge.”</p>
<p>Including January’s figures, New York had still experienced more murders so far this year than London. The cities have a similar-sized population.</p>
<p>Gun violence is much less of a problem in Britain, which has strict gun control laws, than in the United States, and most British police are not equipped with firearms.</p>
<p>But British politicians and police are increasingly expressing concern about London’s rising murder rate, which is driven by a surge in knife crime. Of the 47 murders in London so far this year, 31 have been committed with knives.</p>
<p>Britain’s interior ministry said it was consulting on new laws to further restrict dangerous weapons, including banning online stores from delivering knives to residential addresses and making it an offence to possess certain weapons in public.</p>
<p>“This government is taking action to restrict access to offensive weapons as well as working to break the deadly cycle of violence and protect our children, families and communities,” a Home Office spokesman said.</p> Slideshow (5 Images)
<p>Khan, who has been in office since May 2016, is from the opposition Labour Party. Before him, Conservative Boris Johnson was mayor for eight years. The national government has been run by the Conservatives since 2010, with Prime Minister Theresa May previously serving as interior minister from 2010 to 2016.</p>
<p>Britain’s most senior officer, London police chief Cressida Dick, said gangs were using online platforms to glamorize violence, adding that disputes between young people could escalate within minutes on social media.</p>
<p>The Ben Kinsella Trust, an anti-knife crime charity named after a young victim, said social media amplified a range of other factors that have contributed to the crisis.</p>
<p>The charity’s CEO Patrick Green said there had been extra funding to tackle knife crime, which he welcomed, but added that the government needed to act with more urgency and that budget cuts affecting youth services had played a part.</p>
<p>“This has been a horrendous year. It’s looking like it’ll be worse that last year, which was worse than the year before,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>“The response so far has been too slow... It feels like we’re in a crisis and we need to respond in that way.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison and Estelle Shirbon</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said in a published interview that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land, another public sign of an apparent thawing in ties between the two countries.</p>
<p>Asked if he believes the Jewish people have a right to a nation state in at least part of their ancestral homeland, Mohammed bin Salman was quoted by U.S. magazine The Atlantic as saying:</p>
<p>“I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia - birthplace of Islam and site of its holiest shrines - does not officially recognize Israel. It has maintained for years that normalizing relations hinges on an Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war - territory Palestinians seek for a future state.</p>
<p>“We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people,” said Prince Mohammed, who is touring the United States to drum up investments and support for his efforts to contain Iranian influence.</p>
<p>Increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of interests we share with Israel and if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,” Prince Mohammed added.</p>
<p>The German foreign ministry welcomed his comments and ministry officials underscored the Saudi role in pushing for an Arab peace initiative as early as 2002.</p>
<p>“The prince’s comments are very close to the position of Germany and the EU: We need a two-state solution and serious negotiations to achieve that,” said one ministry official. “Israelis and Palestinians have a right to peaceful lives in their own country.”</p>
<p>Israeli-Palestinian peace talks envisaging a Palestinian state alongside Israel have been frozen since 2014.</p> FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is seen during a meeting with U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Levy/File Photo
<p>Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel last month, which an Israeli official hailed as historic following two years of efforts.</p>
<p>In November, an Israeli cabinet member disclosed covert contacts with Saudi Arabia, a rare acknowledgment of long-rumoured secret dealings which Riyadh still denies.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year. But Arab officials told Reuters at the time that Riyadh appears to be on board with a broader U.S. strategy for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan still in its early phases of development.</p>
<p>Reporting by Stephen Kalin in Riyadh and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
dubai reuters iran sunday called quick end turkish incursion northern syrias afrin province saying may help terrorist groups state news agency irna reported iran hopes operation ended immediately prevent deepening crisis border regions turkey syria quoted foreign ministry spokesman bahram qasemi saying continued crisis afrin may boost terrorist groups northern syria reporting dubai newsroom editing john stonestreet standards thomson reuters trust principles jerusalem reuters israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said tuesday cancelling agreement un refugee agency relocate thousands african migrants bowing rightwing pressure scrap deal agency unhcr said hoped israel would reconsider decision soon offered work identify respond protection needs asylum seekers country netanyahus critics seized backtracking arrangement thousands migrants would right remain israel sign political weakness prime minister subject police investigations suspected corruption denies greatest challenges career yet estimated 37000 african migrants israel eritrea sudan whirlwind announcements future swept status even deeper limbo outside government complex tel aviv netanyahu said scrapping deal several african men wrapped chains protest put sense powerlessness display monday netanyahu announced live television arrangement unhcr would relocated 16250 migrants western countries fact thousands would allowed stay raised outcry rightwing politicians social media netanyahus nationalist voter base wants migrants expelled posted facebook putting agreements implementation hold israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu speaks news conference prime ministers office jerusalem april 2 2018 reutersronen zvulun tuesday deal dead listened carefully many comments agreement result weighed advantages disadvantages decided cancel deal statement prime ministers office quoted netanyahu saying made remarks meeting representatives residents south tel aviv poor area attracted largest migrant community many inhabitants want africans african migrants israeli activists demonstrate support new agreement un refugee agency relocate thousands african migrants outside israeli prime minister office jerusalem april 3 2018 placard hebrew reads playing human life yes deal reutersammar awad fate migrants entered israel illegally trekking across desert border egypt posed moral dilemma state founded jews persecution national home joint statement israeli human rights groups condemned decision cancel agreement accusing netanyahu playing political games groups said israel capable absorbing migrants describing asylumseekers came knocking door announcing deal israel moving ahead plans deport many africans rwanda supreme court intervened freezing deportations march netanyahu said rwanda buckled international pressure reneged deal despite legal restraints international difficulties piling continue act determination explore options disposal remove infiltrators netanyahu said statement tuesday additional reporting stephanie nebehay geneva editing david stamp standards thomson reuters trust principles beijing reuters china appreciates north koreas important efforts ease tension korean peninsula senior chinese diplomat wang yi told norths foreign minister tuesday hours called sides stay focused talks file photo chinas state councilor foreign minister wang yi attends news conference meeting vietnams deputy prime minister foreign minister pham binh minh pictured government guesthouse hanoi vietnam april 1 2018 reuterskham china traditionally secretive north koreas closest ally though ties frayed north korean leader kim jong uns pursuit nuclear weapons missiles beijings backing tough un sanctions response late march beijing vowed uphold friendship isolated neighbor pledge kim denuclearize peninsula meeting president xi jinping related coverage top china diplomat wang yi says appreciates north koreas effort toward denuclearization chinese senior diplomat wang yi meets north korea foreign minister koreas target unified march asian games opening ceremony chinas foreign ministry gave hours notice wang state councillor chinas foreign minister would meet north korean foreign minister ri yong ho wang told ri xi kim reached important consensus achieving peaceful resolution peninsula nuclear issue kims visit beijing first known trip outside north korea since assumed power 2011 china appreciates north koreas position working toward denuclearization peninsula important efforts ease situation peninsula supports meetings leaders north south north united states wang said according chinese foreign ministry statement ministry cited ri saying north korea would maintain close strategic communications china peninsularelated issues kimxi meeting important juncture development bilateral relations chinas state councilor foreign minister wang yi speaks switzerlands foreign minister ignazio cassis meeting ministry foreign affairs beijing china april 3 2018 iwasaki minorupool via reuters north koreas official news agency kcna said delegation headed ri left tuesday meet foreign ministers azerbaijan visit russia made mention china disruptive factors earlier day wang said joint news briefing visiting swiss foreign minister ignazio cassis hoped planned meeting may kim us president donald trump would increase mutual understanding historical experience tells us moment easing situation peninsula first light dawns peace dialogue frequently manner disruptive factors emerge wang said call sides maintain focus eliminate interference firmly follow correct path dialogue negotiation cassis said would discuss wang role switzerland could play strategic meetings kim important partners international level elaborate chinas state councilor foreign minister wang yi shakes hands switzerlands foreign minister ignazio cassis meeting ministry foreign affairs beijing china april 3 2018 iwasaki minorupool via reuters time place set trumpkim meeting discuss denuclearization north south korea hold first summit decade april 27 south korea said kims predecessors grandfather kim il sung father kim jong il promised pursue nuclear weapons secretly maintained programs develop culminating norths first nuclear test 2006 kim jong il north korea said previous failed talks aimed dismantling nuclear programme could consider giving arsenal united states removed troops south korea withdrew socalled nuclear umbrella deterrence south korea japan analysts said trumps willingness meet kim handed pyongyang diplomatic win united states insisted years summit preceded north korean steps denuclearize china largely sat sidelines north korea improved relations south korea raising worries beijing longer central player north korean issue two koreas seen significant thaw ties since norths participation souths winter olympics february kim jong un wife sunday made surprise appearance first two concerts performed south korean art troupe week pyongyang titled spring coming kim proposed another concert south korea later year performers north response weeks shows pyongyang kpop artists south koreas culture minister jongwhan told reporters seoul first time north korean leader attended south korean performance capital reporting michael martina heekyong yang additional reporting christian shepherd dominique patton beijing editing nick macfie standards thomson reuters trust principles london reuters london police investigated murders new york counterparts last two months statistics show british capitals mayor vowed fight violent scourge streets forensic investigators examine car chalgrove road teenage girl murdered tottenham britain april 3 2018 reuterstoby melville 15 murders london february 14 new york according londons metropolitan police service new york police department march 22 murders investigated london 21 reports new york latest bloodshed 17yearold girl died monday found gunshot wounds tottenham north london day man fatally stabbed south london mayor deeply concerned violent crime capital every160life lost violent crime tragedy spokeswoman mayor sadiq khan said statement tuesday forensic investigators examine pavement carriageway chalgrove road teenage girl murdered tottenham britain april 3 2018 reuterstoby melville city remains one safest world sadiq wants even safer working hard bring end violent scourge including januarys figures new york still experienced murders far year london cities similarsized population gun violence much less problem britain strict gun control laws united states british police equipped firearms british politicians police increasingly expressing concern londons rising murder rate driven surge knife crime 47 murders london far year 31 committed knives britains interior ministry said consulting new laws restrict dangerous weapons including banning online stores delivering knives residential addresses making offence possess certain weapons public government taking action restrict access offensive weapons well working break deadly cycle violence protect children families communities home office spokesman said slideshow 5 images khan office since may 2016 opposition labour party conservative boris johnson mayor eight years national government run conservatives since 2010 prime minister theresa may previously serving interior minister 2010 2016 britains senior officer london police chief cressida dick said gangs using online platforms glamorize violence adding disputes young people could escalate within minutes social media ben kinsella trust antiknife crime charity named young victim said social media amplified range factors contributed crisis charitys ceo patrick green said extra funding tackle knife crime welcomed added government needed act urgency budget cuts affecting youth services played part horrendous year looking like itll worse last year worse year told reuters response far slow feels like crisis need respond way reporting alistair smout editing stephen addison estelle shirbon standards thomson reuters trust principles riyadh reuters saudi arabias crown prince said published interview israelis entitled live peacefully land another public sign apparent thawing ties two countries asked believes jewish people right nation state least part ancestral homeland mohammed bin salman quoted us magazine atlantic saying believe palestinians israelis right land peace agreement assure stability everyone normal relations saudi arabia birthplace islam site holiest shrines officially recognize israel maintained years normalizing relations hinges israeli withdrawal arab lands captured 1967 middle east war territory palestinians seek future state religious concerns fate holy mosque jerusalem rights palestinian people dont objection people said prince mohammed touring united states drum investments support efforts contain iranian influence increased tension tehran riyadh fueled speculation shared interests may push saudi arabia israel work together regard common iranian threat lot interests share israel peace would lot interest israel gulf cooperation council countries prince mohammed added german foreign ministry welcomed comments ministry officials underscored saudi role pushing arab peace initiative early 2002 princes comments close position germany eu need twostate solution serious negotiations achieve said one ministry official israelis palestinians right peaceful lives country israelipalestinian peace talks envisaging palestinian state alongside israel frozen since 2014 file photo saudi arabias crown prince mohammed bin salman al saud seen meeting un secretarygeneral antonio guterres united nations headquarters manhattan borough new york city new york us march 27 2018 reutersamir levyfile photo saudi arabia opened air space first time commercial flight israel last month israeli official hailed historic following two years efforts november israeli cabinet member disclosed covert contacts saudi arabia rare acknowledgment longrumoured secret dealings riyadh still denies saudi arabia condemned us president donald trumps move recognize jerusalem capital israel last year arab officials told reuters time riyadh appears board broader us strategy israelipalestinian peace plan still early phases development reporting stephen kalin riyadh sabine siebold berlin editing mark heinrich standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Frustrated over stagnant or declining federal highway funding, state officials are accelerating their drive for new taxes, tolls and fees to repair an aging road system whose historical reliance on fuel taxes no longer is providing enough money to cover its costs.</p>
<p>Figures compiled by The Associated Press show the total amount of money available to states from the Federal Highway Trust Fund has declined 3.5 percent during the five-year period ending in 2013, the latest year for which numbers were available. During that span, the amount of inflation-adjusted federal highway money dropped in all but two states.</p>
<p>The shortfall has led to rougher roads requiring more frequent, short-term repairs, suspect bridges and jammed commuter routes that simply have more vehicle than the roads were designed to carry.</p>
<p>In response, states are devising ways to fill the gap. Transportation funding increases could be on the agenda in as many as one-third of the state legislatures this year. That comes after roughly one-fourth of the states increased transportation taxes or fees during the past two years.</p>
<p>The state proposals stand in stark contrast to the inaction in Congress, where a temporary funding patch is scheduled to expire in May and lawmakers have been at odds over a long-term highway plan.</p>
<p>"You're seeing states all across the country that are looking to do something, because they realize you can't count on the federal government," said Missouri state Rep. Dave Hinson, a Republican who supports the idea of raising the state sales tax for road improvements.</p>
<p>The annual amount available to states from the Federal Highway Trust Fund has hovered around $40 billion since 2007. Even though total state and federal road funding exceeded the general rate of inflation over the past decade, the pace has tapered off in recent years as the amount coming from the federal government declined.</p>
<p>Roads, highways and their bridges form the basic framework of everyday life in America. They provide the crucial underpinning of daily commutes, the trucking industry's transfer of food, computers and other goods from seaports to suburban strip malls, and summertime trips to beach towns and mountain getaways. They also are generally an afterthought until they no longer are up to the task.</p>
<p>Governors, lawmakers, local elected officials and engineers across the country say that is where the country has arrived, with a decades-old highway infrastructure that is not receiving enough money to match its needs.</p>
<p>"A lot of those facilities are in need of really massive rehab, almost reconstruction from the ground up," said Jim Tyman, director of policy of at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.</p>
<p>The association estimates that annual road and bridge spending by all levels of government is falling $32 billion short of what is needed.</p>
<p>About 20 percent of the nation's 900,000 miles of interstates and major roads are in need of resurfacing or reconstruction, and a quarter of its 600,000 bridges are rated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to federal data analyzed by the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.</p>
<p>The flat federal funding is having an impact because states rely on federal dollars for an average of about half their capital expenses for roads and bridges, according to the association. The rest is covered with state money, which comes predominantly from fuel taxes.</p>
<p>Gasoline tax revenue has grown little since 2007, as vehicles have become more fuel-efficient and people cut back on driving.</p>
<p>To compensate, lawmakers in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wyoming passed gasoline tax increases during the past two years.</p>
<p>But about half the states have not raised their gasoline taxes in at least a decade, and the federal gas tax has remained at 18.4 cents a gallon since 1993. In Congress, Republican leaders have said there aren't enough votes to pass a gas tax hike.</p>
<p>Many states are now considering alternatives.</p>
<p>Virginia recently scrapped its per-gallon gasoline tax in favor of a new tax on the wholesale price of gas and a higher tax on other retail sales. The state also has turned to public-private partnerships, including a new $925 million express-lane project on Interstate 95 that was financed partly by private investors who have a long-term contract to collect tolls.</p>
<p>Lawmakers in Minnesota, Utah and Missouri also are expected to consider proposals this year that could levy a sales tax on fuel, allowing the states to reap more money when the price of gasoline rises. And Michigan voters will decide in May on a 1 percent general sales tax for transportation.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow David A. Lieb at: <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidALieb" type="external">https://twitter.com/DavidALieb</a></p>
<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Frustrated over stagnant or declining federal highway funding, state officials are accelerating their drive for new taxes, tolls and fees to repair an aging road system whose historical reliance on fuel taxes no longer is providing enough money to cover its costs.</p>
<p>Figures compiled by The Associated Press show the total amount of money available to states from the Federal Highway Trust Fund has declined 3.5 percent during the five-year period ending in 2013, the latest year for which numbers were available. During that span, the amount of inflation-adjusted federal highway money dropped in all but two states.</p>
<p>The shortfall has led to rougher roads requiring more frequent, short-term repairs, suspect bridges and jammed commuter routes that simply have more vehicle than the roads were designed to carry.</p>
<p>In response, states are devising ways to fill the gap. Transportation funding increases could be on the agenda in as many as one-third of the state legislatures this year. That comes after roughly one-fourth of the states increased transportation taxes or fees during the past two years.</p>
<p>The state proposals stand in stark contrast to the inaction in Congress, where a temporary funding patch is scheduled to expire in May and lawmakers have been at odds over a long-term highway plan.</p>
<p>"You're seeing states all across the country that are looking to do something, because they realize you can't count on the federal government," said Missouri state Rep. Dave Hinson, a Republican who supports the idea of raising the state sales tax for road improvements.</p>
<p>The annual amount available to states from the Federal Highway Trust Fund has hovered around $40 billion since 2007. Even though total state and federal road funding exceeded the general rate of inflation over the past decade, the pace has tapered off in recent years as the amount coming from the federal government declined.</p>
<p>Roads, highways and their bridges form the basic framework of everyday life in America. They provide the crucial underpinning of daily commutes, the trucking industry's transfer of food, computers and other goods from seaports to suburban strip malls, and summertime trips to beach towns and mountain getaways. They also are generally an afterthought until they no longer are up to the task.</p>
<p>Governors, lawmakers, local elected officials and engineers across the country say that is where the country has arrived, with a decades-old highway infrastructure that is not receiving enough money to match its needs.</p>
<p>"A lot of those facilities are in need of really massive rehab, almost reconstruction from the ground up," said Jim Tyman, director of policy of at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.</p>
<p>The association estimates that annual road and bridge spending by all levels of government is falling $32 billion short of what is needed.</p>
<p>About 20 percent of the nation's 900,000 miles of interstates and major roads are in need of resurfacing or reconstruction, and a quarter of its 600,000 bridges are rated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to federal data analyzed by the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.</p>
<p>The flat federal funding is having an impact because states rely on federal dollars for an average of about half their capital expenses for roads and bridges, according to the association. The rest is covered with state money, which comes predominantly from fuel taxes.</p>
<p>Gasoline tax revenue has grown little since 2007, as vehicles have become more fuel-efficient and people cut back on driving.</p>
<p>To compensate, lawmakers in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wyoming passed gasoline tax increases during the past two years.</p>
<p>But about half the states have not raised their gasoline taxes in at least a decade, and the federal gas tax has remained at 18.4 cents a gallon since 1993. In Congress, Republican leaders have said there aren't enough votes to pass a gas tax hike.</p>
<p>Many states are now considering alternatives.</p>
<p>Virginia recently scrapped its per-gallon gasoline tax in favor of a new tax on the wholesale price of gas and a higher tax on other retail sales. The state also has turned to public-private partnerships, including a new $925 million express-lane project on Interstate 95 that was financed partly by private investors who have a long-term contract to collect tolls.</p>
<p>Lawmakers in Minnesota, Utah and Missouri also are expected to consider proposals this year that could levy a sales tax on fuel, allowing the states to reap more money when the price of gasoline rises. And Michigan voters will decide in May on a 1 percent general sales tax for transportation.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow David A. Lieb at: <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidALieb" type="external">https://twitter.com/DavidALieb</a></p>
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jefferson city mo ap frustrated stagnant declining federal highway funding state officials accelerating drive new taxes tolls fees repair aging road system whose historical reliance fuel taxes longer providing enough money cover costs figures compiled associated press show total amount money available states federal highway trust fund declined 35 percent fiveyear period ending 2013 latest year numbers available span amount inflationadjusted federal highway money dropped two states shortfall led rougher roads requiring frequent shortterm repairs suspect bridges jammed commuter routes simply vehicle roads designed carry response states devising ways fill gap transportation funding increases could agenda many onethird state legislatures year comes roughly onefourth states increased transportation taxes fees past two years state proposals stand stark contrast inaction congress temporary funding patch scheduled expire may lawmakers odds longterm highway plan youre seeing states across country looking something realize cant count federal government said missouri state rep dave hinson republican supports idea raising state sales tax road improvements annual amount available states federal highway trust fund hovered around 40 billion since 2007 even though total state federal road funding exceeded general rate inflation past decade pace tapered recent years amount coming federal government declined roads highways bridges form basic framework everyday life america provide crucial underpinning daily commutes trucking industrys transfer food computers goods seaports suburban strip malls summertime trips beach towns mountain getaways also generally afterthought longer task governors lawmakers local elected officials engineers across country say country arrived decadesold highway infrastructure receiving enough money match needs lot facilities need really massive rehab almost reconstruction ground said jim tyman director policy american association state highway transportation officials association estimates annual road bridge spending levels government falling 32 billion short needed 20 percent nations 900000 miles interstates major roads need resurfacing reconstruction quarter 600000 bridges rated structurally deficient functionally obsolete according federal data analyzed american road amp transportation builders association flat federal funding impact states rely federal dollars average half capital expenses roads bridges according association rest covered state money comes predominantly fuel taxes gasoline tax revenue grown little since 2007 vehicles become fuelefficient people cut back driving compensate lawmakers maryland massachusetts new hampshire pennsylvania wyoming passed gasoline tax increases past two years half states raised gasoline taxes least decade federal gas tax remained 184 cents gallon since 1993 congress republican leaders said arent enough votes pass gas tax hike many states considering alternatives virginia recently scrapped pergallon gasoline tax favor new tax wholesale price gas higher tax retail sales state also turned publicprivate partnerships including new 925 million expresslane project interstate 95 financed partly private investors longterm contract collect tolls lawmakers minnesota utah missouri also expected consider proposals year could levy sales tax fuel allowing states reap money price gasoline rises michigan voters decide may 1 percent general sales tax transportation ___ follow david lieb httpstwittercomdavidalieb jefferson city mo ap frustrated stagnant declining federal highway funding state officials accelerating drive new taxes tolls fees repair aging road system whose historical reliance fuel taxes longer providing enough money cover costs figures compiled associated press show total amount money available states federal highway trust fund declined 35 percent fiveyear period ending 2013 latest year numbers available span amount inflationadjusted federal highway money dropped two states shortfall led rougher roads requiring frequent shortterm repairs suspect bridges jammed commuter routes simply vehicle roads designed carry response states devising ways fill gap transportation funding increases could agenda many onethird state legislatures year comes roughly onefourth states increased transportation taxes fees past two years state proposals stand stark contrast inaction congress temporary funding patch scheduled expire may lawmakers odds longterm highway plan youre seeing states across country looking something realize cant count federal government said missouri state rep dave hinson republican supports idea raising state sales tax road improvements annual amount available states federal highway trust fund hovered around 40 billion since 2007 even though total state federal road funding exceeded general rate inflation past decade pace tapered recent years amount coming federal government declined roads highways bridges form basic framework everyday life america provide crucial underpinning daily commutes trucking industrys transfer food computers goods seaports suburban strip malls summertime trips beach towns mountain getaways also generally afterthought longer task governors lawmakers local elected officials engineers across country say country arrived decadesold highway infrastructure receiving enough money match needs lot facilities need really massive rehab almost reconstruction ground said jim tyman director policy american association state highway transportation officials association estimates annual road bridge spending levels government falling 32 billion short needed 20 percent nations 900000 miles interstates major roads need resurfacing reconstruction quarter 600000 bridges rated structurally deficient functionally obsolete according federal data analyzed american road amp transportation builders association flat federal funding impact states rely federal dollars average half capital expenses roads bridges according association rest covered state money comes predominantly fuel taxes gasoline tax revenue grown little since 2007 vehicles become fuelefficient people cut back driving compensate lawmakers maryland massachusetts new hampshire pennsylvania wyoming passed gasoline tax increases past two years half states raised gasoline taxes least decade federal gas tax remained 184 cents gallon since 1993 congress republican leaders said arent enough votes pass gas tax hike many states considering alternatives virginia recently scrapped pergallon gasoline tax favor new tax wholesale price gas higher tax retail sales state also turned publicprivate partnerships including new 925 million expresslane project interstate 95 financed partly private investors longterm contract collect tolls lawmakers minnesota utah missouri also expected consider proposals year could levy sales tax fuel allowing states reap money price gasoline rises michigan voters decide may 1 percent general sales tax transportation ___ follow david lieb httpstwittercomdavidalieb
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<p>Pope Francis laughs as he meets the journalists aboard the papal airplane on the occasion of his visit to Quito, Ecuador, July 5, 2015. The Pontiff is visiting Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay during his Apostolic trip from July 5 to July 12. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)</p>
<p>GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - Latin America's first pope arrived in this port city on Monday for the first big event of a three-nation tour where he's set compassion for the weak and respect for the environment as central themes.</p>
<p>A crowd estimated at 1 million people, many singing hymns, awaited Francis on the packed dirt of Samanes Park for a late-morning Mass. Many had spent the night and some had walked for miles to reach the park on the city's northern outskirts.</p>
<p>The pontiff allowed several acolytes on the tarmac to take selfies with him. He was met by Mayor Jaime Negot, who gave him gold and silver keys to the silver, encrusted with topaz and pearls.</p>
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<p>Francis' was headed next to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy, where 2,000 invitees for the gathering included child cancer patients, residents of homes for the elderly abandoned by their families and some of Guayaquil's poorest people.</p>
<p>After the open-air Mass, a private lunch was planned a group of Jesuits.</p>
<p>Its highlight was a reunion with the Rev. Francisco Cortes, a priest affectionately known as "Padre Paquito," to whom the Argentina-born pope, then the Rev. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, entrusted his seminarians on study trips to Ecuador years ago.</p>
<p>In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Cortes couldn't fathom that Bergoglio remembered him, much less made a point of coming to have lunch.</p>
<p>"I don't know what to ask him," the soon-to-be 91-year-old Cortes said. "He said he wanted to see me and I'm amazed that he's coming. For the first time, I have known a pope."</p>
<p>The "pope of the poor" returned to Spanish-speaking South America for the first time as pontiff Sunday, stressing the need to protect the needy and the environment from exploitation and - in a nation whose president was booed as his vehicle followed the papal motorcade Sunday - to foster dialogue among all sectors of society.</p>
<p>Francis' only other trip back to his home ground after being elected pope was in 2013, when he visited Brazil, where Portuguese is the main language.</p>
<p>Children in native dress greeted Francis at Mariscal Sucre airport outside Ecuador's capital of Quito, the wind blowing off his skullcap and whipping his white cassock as he descended from the plane following a 13-hour flight from Rome.</p>
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<p>In a speech in front of President Rafael Correa, Francis signaled some key themes for the visit, which also takes him to Bolivia and later Paraguay: the need to care for society's most marginal, guarantee socially responsible development and defend the Earth against profit-at-all-cost development that he says harms the poor the most.</p>
<p>The environmental message - from a pope who last month issues a treatise staking the earth's preservation as a core mission - is particularly relevant for Ecuador, a Pacific nation of 15 million people that is home to one of the world's most species-diverse ecosystems but is also an OPEC country heavily dependent on oil. High crude prices allowed Correa to get take 1.3 million people out of poverty in his eight years in office.</p>
<p>But now that they've fallen, the generous social safety net Correa has woven is threatened. He's had to cut government spending and been buffeted for nearly a month by the most serious anti-government street protests of his tenure.</p>
<p>Along Francis' motorcade route into Quito, the throngs followed chants of adulation for the pontiff with jeers of "Correa out!" when the president's entourage followed.</p>
<p>Correa has also angered environmentalists and the nation's main indigenous group, CONAIE, by moving forward with oil drilling and mining projects in pristine Amazon forests.</p>
<p>Standing by Correa's side at the airport, Francis pledged that the Catholic Church's readiness to encourage respect for peoples' differences and foster "dialogue and full participation" so all are ensured a better future.</p>
<p>Correa, who spoke before Francis, echoed the pope's concerns about an "unjust and immoral" global economic system, accusing the world's rich countries of unfairly exploiting the developing world's resources without reciprocating with technology transfers.</p>
<p>Francis thanked Correa for his "consonance of thought."</p>
<p>"You've cited me too much," he said.</p>
<p>The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, estimated that 500,000 people lined the route that took Francis to the Vatican ambassador's residence.</p>
<p>Many in the crowd said they hoped the pope would have a calming effect on the country's tense political situation.</p>
<p>Former President Gustavo Noboa, who led the country through its worst political and economic crisis from 2000-2003, told the AP on Monday that Francis' visit is important for such a polarized country.</p>
<p>The 78-year-old Noboa, using a walker, stressed the importance of understanding Francis' message of "helping out one's neighbor, being humble and forgiving."</p>
<p>Francis chose to visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay specifically because they are among the poorest nations in a region that claims 40 percent of the world's Catholics.</p>
<p>He's skipping his homeland of Argentina, where as archbishop he ministered to the poorest slum-dwellers, to avoid papal entanglement in this year's presidential election.</p>
<p>Francis' stops later in the week include a violent Bolivian prison, a flood-prone Paraguayan shantytown and a meeting with grass-roots groups in Bolivia.</p>
<p>Crowds are expected to be huge.</p>
<p>While the countries themselves are small, they are fervently Catholic: 79 percent of the population is Catholic in Ecuador, 77 percent in Bolivia and 89 percent in Paraguay, according to the Pew Research Center.</p>
<p>Before leaving Rome, Francis did some hometown ministering, with Lombardi saying the pope welcomed 10 homeless people into the Vatican.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jacobo Garcia and Frank Bajak contributed to this report.</p>
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pope francis laughs meets journalists aboard papal airplane occasion visit quito ecuador july 5 2015 pontiff visiting ecuador bolivia paraguay apostolic trip july 5 july 12 ap photogregorio borgia guayaquil ecuador latin americas first pope arrived port city monday first big event threenation tour hes set compassion weak respect environment central themes crowd estimated 1 million people many singing hymns awaited francis packed dirt samanes park latemorning mass many spent night walked miles reach park citys northern outskirts pontiff allowed several acolytes tarmac take selfies met mayor jaime negot gave gold silver keys silver encrusted topaz pearls advertisement francis headed next shrine divine mercy 2000 invitees gathering included child cancer patients residents homes elderly abandoned families guayaquils poorest people openair mass private lunch planned group jesuits highlight reunion rev francisco cortes priest affectionately known padre paquito argentinaborn pope rev jorge mario bergoglio entrusted seminarians study trips ecuador years ago recent interview associated press cortes couldnt fathom bergoglio remembered much less made point coming lunch dont know ask soontobe 91yearold cortes said said wanted see im amazed hes coming first time known pope pope poor returned spanishspeaking south america first time pontiff sunday stressing need protect needy environment exploitation nation whose president booed vehicle followed papal motorcade sunday foster dialogue among sectors society francis trip back home ground elected pope 2013 visited brazil portuguese main language children native dress greeted francis mariscal sucre airport outside ecuadors capital quito wind blowing skullcap whipping white cassock descended plane following 13hour flight rome advertisement speech front president rafael correa francis signaled key themes visit also takes bolivia later paraguay need care societys marginal guarantee socially responsible development defend earth profitatallcost development says harms poor environmental message pope last month issues treatise staking earths preservation core mission particularly relevant ecuador pacific nation 15 million people home one worlds speciesdiverse ecosystems also opec country heavily dependent oil high crude prices allowed correa get take 13 million people poverty eight years office theyve fallen generous social safety net correa woven threatened hes cut government spending buffeted nearly month serious antigovernment street protests tenure along francis motorcade route quito throngs followed chants adulation pontiff jeers correa presidents entourage followed correa also angered environmentalists nations main indigenous group conaie moving forward oil drilling mining projects pristine amazon forests standing correas side airport francis pledged catholic churchs readiness encourage respect peoples differences foster dialogue full participation ensured better future correa spoke francis echoed popes concerns unjust immoral global economic system accusing worlds rich countries unfairly exploiting developing worlds resources without reciprocating technology transfers francis thanked correa consonance thought youve cited much said vatican spokesman rev federico lombardi estimated 500000 people lined route took francis vatican ambassadors residence many crowd said hoped pope would calming effect countrys tense political situation former president gustavo noboa led country worst political economic crisis 20002003 told ap monday francis visit important polarized country 78yearold noboa using walker stressed importance understanding francis message helping ones neighbor humble forgiving francis chose visit ecuador bolivia paraguay specifically among poorest nations region claims 40 percent worlds catholics hes skipping homeland argentina archbishop ministered poorest slumdwellers avoid papal entanglement years presidential election francis stops later week include violent bolivian prison floodprone paraguayan shantytown meeting grassroots groups bolivia crowds expected huge countries small fervently catholic 79 percent population catholic ecuador 77 percent bolivia 89 percent paraguay according pew research center leaving rome francis hometown ministering lombardi saying pope welcomed 10 homeless people vatican ___ associated press writers jacobo garcia frank bajak contributed report
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<p>The Albuquerque Museum’s new exhibit will occupy 9,338 square feet and will open in fall 2014.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2013 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>Imagine a museum exhibit that covers the history and uniqueness of Albuquerque with historical artifacts, videos, story-telling and an interactive map of the city. Oh, and visitors get a chance to videotape and share their own stories, as well.</p>
<p>That’s part of the $8.35 million project underway at the Albuquerque Museum of Art &amp; History, which includes a $4 million renovation and a $4 million interactive exhibit.</p>
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<p>The museum will launch the exhibit, “Only in Albuquerque,” in fall 2014.</p>
<p>“‘Only in Albuquerque’ is based on the theme that so many things happened in this region that could only have happened here,” said Deborah C. Slaney, curator of history at the museum. “I think the biggest strength will be that it is very people-oriented. In every section you can point and click to pick up stories.”</p>
<p>When she says “point and click,” she is referring to the interactive nature of the exhibit.</p>
<p>For example, one area features a massive map of the Albuquerque area on the floor.</p>
<p>“There will be a set of 10 or so spots on the map that you will be able to point your phone to and be able to find out more information,” said Elizabeth Becker, curator of education at the museum. “That could be a building or an event that happened at the site, but there’s still a lot of development of that component that’s underway.”</p>
<p>The front entrance of the Albuquerque Museum of Art &amp; History, where the exhibit “Only in Albuquerque” will open next fall. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>For those who do not have a smartphone or other technology on hand, “we will have some devices here that will be able to be rented,” Becker said. “We’re looking at what will be the best technology for that.”</p>
<p>A design team has already completed drawings and specs for the 9,338-square-foot exhibit (about one-third of the total museum space), and the City of Albuquerque has put out a request for proposals for a fabricator to do graphics and build the new spaces to display the many artifacts, Slaney said. The deadline for the request of proposals, which are being submitted online, is Dec. 4.</p>
<p>The museum, which sees 120,000 visitors annually and is located in Old Town, will remain open while the exhibit is being installed, said museum director Cathy L. Wright.</p>
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<p>Once finished, the exhibit is expected to remain up for at least a decade, “but it could easily go much longer,” Slaney said, adding that new artifacts will likely be added over that time.</p>
<p>Stories of the city</p>
<p>There are more than a half-dozen main areas to the exhibit.</p>
<p>First, visitors enter through a corridor called “Who We Are.”</p>
<p>A drawing of what the entrance to the “Only in Albuquerque” exhibit could look like once fabricators, whose budget will be $2.6 million, create the graphics and mounts for the show. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“That’s a really interesting corridor that has proposed images of both contemporary and historic Albuquerque,” said Becker.</p>
<p>“There is also an interactive there, where visitors can answer a few questions about where they’re from, how much of their family history they know,” she said. “That information may project on another screen graphically, so you immediately see your responses.”</p>
<p>The next stop will be the “Our Land” portion of the exhibit, which will focus on how geography and natural resources played a part in shaping Albuquerque.</p>
<p>“There’ll be some wonderful large-scale images of our landscape that surround you,” Becker said.</p>
<p>That is also where the interactive map is located.</p>
<p>From there, a story booth and four themed galleries round out the exhibit.</p>
<p>The four themes are Innovative, Resourceful, Spirited and Courageous, which, according to the museum’s press materials, are “the four characteristics of Albuquerque.”</p>
<p>The Resourceful Gallery will feature people who have created settlements and who took advantage of local natural resources.</p>
<p>A blanket made in the mid-1850s from Churro wool, commercial cotton thread and other materials, which was purchased by the museum, will also be a part of the exhibit. (Courtesy of Albuquerque Museum)</p>
<p>It will include depictions of early settlements, the building of Albuquerque as a city and conflict over resources, according to Slaney.</p>
<p>“That would feature things like the acequia system of sharing water, which was done in the Spanish era; it will move into how resources are used now, like recreation and open space … how we deal with resources in a contemporary sense,” she said.</p>
<p>The Innovative Gallery will hone in on stories and events of people who changed Albuquerque from a farming and barter economy to a market economy, and how it became a hub for shipping, tourism, transportation, research and development.</p>
<p>“Albuquerque is actually a crossroads, with people traveling in four directions for various commercial purposes, such as to the north for turquoise from the Cerrillos mines,” Slaney said. “There was also transport along the Camino Real and the Chihuahua Trail, transporting objects from Asia and the Philippines, and trade that arrived after the arrival of the railroad and how that changed the way freighters operated. The whole concept of Albuquerque as a crossroads is critical to that gallery.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Spirited gallery will explore stories depicting Albuquerque’s robust community spirit, “not spirit in the ‘rah-rah’ sense,” Slaney said. “It’s the spirit in the soul of Albuquerque’s people and what’s important to them.”</p>
<p>One example is food – the blend of Spanish, New Mexican and international cuisine, as well as green chile and bizcochitos – foods that people from elsewhere may have never heard of.</p>
<p>In that section, “we actually have hands-on components where children can crank a chile roaster,” Slaney said.</p>
<p>In the Courageous gallery, “our message is that, through a complexity of things, through conflict, and rising and falling economic fortunes, we have developed a tenacity, a way of getting through, that helps us to endure,” she said.</p>
<p>Among the visual stories there will be the Tiwa Rebellion, the Coronodo Entrada and the rebellion of 1540, she said.</p>
<p>Living through history</p>
<p>An offset lithograph of a Bombardero, circa 1943, is one of the artifacts to be included in the exhibit “Only in Albuquerque.” (Courtesy of Albuquerque Museum)</p>
<p>Another key element will be the “Only in Albuquerque” story booth, which offers visitors the opportunity to video-record personal anecdotes.</p>
<p>In the story booth, visitors will be asked to select among questions tied to each gallery. The Spirited category, for example, asks if the guest’s town has a special celebration and what food represents that person’s community. The Courageous portion asks the visitor to share a story about a difficult obstacle or injustice he or she has faced.</p>
<p>Before sharing their own story, visitors can get inspiration watching videos already recorded by other visitors. Then they record their story, play it back and and start over if needed.</p>
<p>“That eventually will be incorporated back into the exhibit,” Wright said. “We didn’t want people to come in and read stuff, we wanted them to be able to do stuff and have places in the exhibit to tell us about them.”</p>
<p>In addition to the interactive features, the exhibit will showcase rare artifacts specific to the Southwest, including a 47-star flag, of which not very many were made.</p>
<p>New Mexico became the 47th state in January 1912 and Arizona became the 48th state a month later in February 1912; few flags were made in the one-month interim, according to Slaney. “They quickly became obsolete,” she said.</p>
<p>Now there are only five or six in New Mexico and one of them, which had been in the attic of someone’s house in Nebraska, will be featured in the show.</p>
<p>“The real idea behind (the exhibit) is how people have lived through history,” Wright said. “It’s a different way of engaging people. This way, to me, it gives you more to think about … how history is relevant to your own life.”</p>
<p />
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albuquerque museums new exhibit occupy 9338 square feet open fall 2014 copyright 2013 albuquerque journal imagine museum exhibit covers history uniqueness albuquerque historical artifacts videos storytelling interactive map city oh visitors get chance videotape share stories well thats part 835 million project underway albuquerque museum art amp history includes 4 million renovation 4 million interactive exhibit advertisement museum launch exhibit albuquerque fall 2014 albuquerque based theme many things happened region could happened said deborah c slaney curator history museum think biggest strength peopleoriented every section point click pick stories says point click referring interactive nature exhibit example one area features massive map albuquerque area floor set 10 spots map able point phone able find information said elizabeth becker curator education museum could building event happened site theres still lot development component thats underway front entrance albuquerque museum art amp history exhibit albuquerque open next fall jim thompsonalbuquerque journal smartphone technology hand devices able rented becker said looking best technology design team already completed drawings specs 9338squarefoot exhibit onethird total museum space city albuquerque put request proposals fabricator graphics build new spaces display many artifacts slaney said deadline request proposals submitted online dec 4 museum sees 120000 visitors annually located old town remain open exhibit installed said museum director cathy l wright advertisement finished exhibit expected remain least decade could easily go much longer slaney said adding new artifacts likely added time stories city halfdozen main areas exhibit first visitors enter corridor called drawing entrance albuquerque exhibit could look like fabricators whose budget 26 million create graphics mounts show jim thompsonalbuquerque journal thats really interesting corridor proposed images contemporary historic albuquerque said becker also interactive visitors answer questions theyre much family history know said information may project another screen graphically immediately see responses next stop land portion exhibit focus geography natural resources played part shaping albuquerque therell wonderful largescale images landscape surround becker said also interactive map located story booth four themed galleries round exhibit four themes innovative resourceful spirited courageous according museums press materials four characteristics albuquerque resourceful gallery feature people created settlements took advantage local natural resources blanket made mid1850s churro wool commercial cotton thread materials purchased museum also part exhibit courtesy albuquerque museum include depictions early settlements building albuquerque city conflict resources according slaney would feature things like acequia system sharing water done spanish era move resources used like recreation open space deal resources contemporary sense said innovative gallery hone stories events people changed albuquerque farming barter economy market economy became hub shipping tourism transportation research development albuquerque actually crossroads people traveling four directions various commercial purposes north turquoise cerrillos mines slaney said also transport along camino real chihuahua trail transporting objects asia philippines trade arrived arrival railroad changed way freighters operated whole concept albuquerque crossroads critical gallery meanwhile spirited gallery explore stories depicting albuquerques robust community spirit spirit rahrah sense slaney said spirit soul albuquerques people whats important one example food blend spanish new mexican international cuisine well green chile bizcochitos foods people elsewhere may never heard section actually handson components children crank chile roaster slaney said courageous gallery message complexity things conflict rising falling economic fortunes developed tenacity way getting helps us endure said among visual stories tiwa rebellion coronodo entrada rebellion 1540 said living history offset lithograph bombardero circa 1943 one artifacts included exhibit albuquerque courtesy albuquerque museum another key element albuquerque story booth offers visitors opportunity videorecord personal anecdotes story booth visitors asked select among questions tied gallery spirited category example asks guests town special celebration food represents persons community courageous portion asks visitor share story difficult obstacle injustice faced sharing story visitors get inspiration watching videos already recorded visitors record story play back start needed eventually incorporated back exhibit wright said didnt want people come read stuff wanted able stuff places exhibit tell us addition interactive features exhibit showcase rare artifacts specific southwest including 47star flag many made new mexico became 47th state january 1912 arizona became 48th state month later february 1912 flags made onemonth interim according slaney quickly became obsolete said five six new mexico one attic someones house nebraska featured show real idea behind exhibit people lived history wright said different way engaging people way gives think history relevant life
| 700 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Pallinghurst Resources Ltd:</p>
<p>* JUPITER HAS ANNOUNCED INDICATIVE TERMS OF BUY- BACK PURSUANT TO WHICH IT INTENDS TO RETURN US$42 MILLION TO SHAREHOLDERS​</p>
<p>* ALL JUPITER SHAREHOLDERS ARE TO BE MADE AN EQUAL OFFER TO HAVE 5.82 PCT OF THEIR JUPITER SHARES REPURCHASED, AT A PRICE OF US$0.35 PER JUPITER SHARE​</p>
<p>* ‍PALLINGHURST OWNS APPROXIMATELY 18.4 PCT OF JUPITER AND STANDS TO RECEIVE ALMOST US$8 MILLION (ZAR94 MILLION) IN MARCH 2018​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Bengaluru Newsroom: +91 80 6749 1136)</p> Our Standards:
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<p>SAN JOSE (Reuters) - The center-left’s Carlos Alvarado Quesada decisively defeated a conservative Protestant singer in Costa Rica’s presidential runoff election on Sunday by promising to allow gay marriage, protecting the country’s reputation for tolerance.</p>
<p>A former minister and fiction writer, Quesada, 38, had 61 percent of the vote with results in from 95 percent of polling stations, a far bigger lead than predicted by opinion polls that foresaw a tight race.</p>
<p>“My commitment is to a government for everybody, in equality and liberty for a more prosperous future,” he told thousands of cheering supporters blowing horns and waving Costa Rica’s red, white and blue flag.</p>
<p>“There is much more that unites us than divides us.”</p>
<p>His rival, Alvarado Munoz, a 43-year-old former TV journalist known for religious dance songs, quickly conceded, sinking to his knees, arms raised, in front of supporters, some of them crying.</p>
<p>“We didn’t win the election,” he said, adding that he had congratulated his opponent in a telephone call and, in another sign of Costa Rica’s cordial politics, promised to help him resolve the country’s problems.</p>
<p>The election had exposed divisions in the Central American tourist destination known for laid-back beach culture and pristine rainforests, but where some rural communities remain socially conservative.</p> Carlos Alvarado Quesada, presidential candidate of the ruling Citizens' Action Party (PAC), waves to the media before casting his ballot during the presidential election at a polling station in San Jose, Costa Rica, April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas
<p>It could also reflect the mood elsewhere in Latin America, where elections are being held this year in several countries that have backed same sex unions, provoking a conservative reaction.</p>
<p>Alvarado Quesada, until recently a minister in the outgoing government, will be the youngest president in the modern history of Costa Rica when he takes office in May.</p>
<p>Also known for his student prog-rock band, he used the campaign to appeal to his country’s centrist streak. His vice presidential candidate, Epsy Campbell, will be the country’s first Afro-Costa Rican to serve in that role.</p> Slideshow (19 Images)
<p>Opponent Alvarado Munoz had vowed to restore what he called traditional values by preventing gay marriage and restricting women’s access to abortions.</p>
<p>The two men took opposing positions on a January decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, an influential regional body based in San Jose.</p>
<p>Fabricio, as supporters refer to Alvarado Munoz, called the ruling an affront to sovereignty. Threatening to remove the country from the court’s jurisdiction, he shot from the margins to win the first round of voting in February.</p>
<p>Quesada, by contrast, backed the court’s ruling. In the campaign’s final debate, he called his opponent’s comments homophobic.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Alire Garcia and Enrique Andres Pretel; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese business sentiment worsened for the first time in two years in the three months to March, a closely watched central bank survey showed on Monday, as rising raw materials and labor costs weigh on an otherwise steady economic recovery.</p> FILE PHOTO: A Japan Yen note is seen in this illustration photo taken June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
<p>A strong yen and simmering fears of a trade war, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, could further undermine corporate morale if threats of retaliation escalate, analysts say.</p>
<p>But few analysts expect the economic recovery to falter as business confidence remains at a decade-high level and companies plan to increase capital expenditure.</p>
<p>“Yen gains since late January have eroded manufacturers’ sentiment but solid global economic fundamentals helped offset the pain. Overall, you can say that business confidence held firm,” said Yuichiro Nagai, an economist at Barclays Securities.</p>
<p>“Fears of a global trade war have had a limited impact on business sentiment so far. But depending on development of U.S. trade policy, protectionism could weigh on the outlook.”</p>
<p>An index measuring big manufacturers’ confidence fell by 2 points to plus 24 in March, the Bank of Japan’s quarterly “tankan” survey showed, roughly matching a median market forecast of plus 25.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-japan-economy-pmi/japan-march-final-manufacturing-pmi-cools-slightly-overall-economy-still-solid-idUSKCN1H901Y" type="external">Japan March final manufacturing PMI cools slightly, overall economy still solid</a>
<p>Non-manufacturers’ sentiment worsened by 2 points to plus 23 against a median forecast of plus 24, deteriorating for the first time in six quarters.</p>
<p>Both big manufacturers and non-manufacturers forecast business conditions would sour three months ahead, the tankan showed, reflecting looming uncertainty over the fallout from Trump’s trade policy and a strong yen.</p>
<p>“This should not be taken as turning point for Japan’s economy although sentiment deteriorated slightly,” said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute. “Concerns are high over possible retaliation against U.S. tariffs, but the global economy remains in a gradual recovery which is good for Japan’s value-added exports.”</p>
<p>About 70 percent of companies replied to the survey by March 12, after Trump unveiled steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports but before his announcement of anti-China tariffs.</p>
<p>Big manufacturers expect the dollar to move around 109.66 yen on average during the year that began in April, much weaker than the current levels around 106 yen.</p>
<p>If the yen’s gains continue, manufacturers may be forced to cut their optimistic profit forecasts - a worry for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who is pursuing growth with reflationist policies.</p> LABOR SHORTAGES
<p>Labor shortages also weighed on sentiment, as economic recovery and a dwindling working-age population push the jobless rate to a near 25-year low.</p>
<p>A tankan index measuring capacity constraints showed that companies saw the job market at its tightest since 1991.</p>
<p>“Labor shortages are having a negative impact particularly on labor-intensive service-sector firms,” said Satoshi Osanai, senior economist at Daiwa Institute of Research.</p>
<p>He said rising wages could stoke a “virtuous growth cycle” of consumer spending, rising prices and increased investment if companies could pass on their higher costs to generate profit. “The key to making this happen is whether consumers are willing to spend their increased earnings, but so far there’s little sign of that happening.”</p>
<p>Slow wage growth and companies’ reluctance to raise prices have kept inflation well below the Bank of Japan’s elusive 2 percent target.</p>
<p>However, the tankan showed more companies were able to pass higher costs on to consumers, a hopeful sign for the central bank.</p>
<p>A tankan index measuring how big manufacturers saw output price moves stood at plus 4, the highest level since 2008, and showing price pressures continue to rise.</p>
<p>Some firms in the construction, restaurant and hotel industries complained that labor shortages were taking a toll on their businesses, a BOJ official briefing reporters on the data said.</p>
<p>Firms in the basic materials business such as those selling steel, nonferrous metals and textiles saw sentiment hurt by rising cost of raw materials, the official said.</p>
<p>The index measuring steelmakers’ sentiment fell 9 points, the biggest drop among big manufacturers, while confidence also slumped among producers of nonferrous metals and metal products.</p>
<p>Still, big firms plan to raise their capital spending by 2.3 percent in the current financial year from April, versus the median estimate for a 0.6 percent gain, the tankan showed.</p>
<p>The tankan’s sentiment indexes are derived by subtracting the number of respondents who say conditions are poor from those who say they are good. A positive reading means optimists outnumber pessimists.</p>
<p>Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Sam Holmes and Eric Meijer</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - 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> FILE PHOTO: A labourer works on coils of steel wire at a steel wholesale market in Beijing, China, January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Soo Hoo Zheyang/File Photo
<p>The tariffs, to take effect on Monday, were announced late on Sunday and match a list of potential tariffs on up to $3 billion in U.S. goods published by China on March 23.</p> FILE PHOTO: A butcher cuts a piece of pork at a market in Beijing, China, March 25, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo
<p>China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said it was suspending its obligations to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reduce tariffs on 120 U.S. goods, including fruit. The tariffs on those products will be raised by an extra 15 percent.</p>
<p>Eight other products, including pork, will now be subject to additional tariffs of 25 percent, it said, with the measures effective from April 2.</p>
<p>“China’s suspension of its tariff concessions is a legitimate action adopted under WTO rules to safeguard China’s interests,” the Chinese finance ministry said.</p>
<p>China has imposed the additional tariffs amid escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Washington, sparking fears of a full-blown trade spat between the world’s two biggest economies.</p> FILE PHOTO: Several-week-old pigs stand in a pen inside a barn at Paustian Enterprises in Walcott, Iowa, November 19, 2014. REUTERS/Daniel Acker/File Photo
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to impose tariffs of more than $50 billion on Chinese goods intended to punish Beijing over U.S. accusations that China systematically misappropriated American intellectual property - allegations Beijing denies.</p>
<p>China has repeatedly promised to open its economy further, but many foreign companies continue to complain of unfair treatment. China warned the United States on Thursday not to open a Pandora’s Box and spark a flurry of protectionist practices across the globe.</p>
<p>In a statement published on Monday morning, MOFCOM said the United States had “seriously violated” the principles of non-discrimination enshrined in World Trade Organization rules, and had also damaged China’s interests.</p>
<p>“China’s suspension of some of its obligations to the United States is its legitimate right as a member of the World Trade Organization,” it said, adding that differences between the world’s two largest economies should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Tony Munroe; Additional reporting by David Stanway in SHANGHAI and Stella Qiu in BEIJING; Editing by Eric Meijer &amp; Shri Navaratnam</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, were among the hundreds in Pyongyang on Sunday watching South Korean K-pop singers perform in the North for the first time in more than a decade as tensions between the old rivals thaw.</p> North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets South Korean K-pop singers in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang April 2, 2018. KCNA/via Reuters
<p>It was the first time a North Korean leader had attended a South Korean performance in the North’s capital. Kim was seen clapping in tune to some of the songs and took photographs with the performers after the show.</p>
<p>“Our dear leader comrade said his heart swelled and he was moved by the sight of his people deepen their understanding of South Korean popular culture and cheer with sincerity,” the North’s KCNA state media said.</p>
<p>The North Korean audience clapped, cheered, sang along to some of the songs and later presented the South Korean performers with bouquets.</p>
<p>“(Kim Jong Un) showed much interest during the show and asked questions about the songs and lyrics,” Culture Minister Do Jong-whan told reporters after the show.</p>
<p>Sunday’s performance coincided with the start of annual joint South Korean-U.S. military drills, which have previously been met with denunciations and missile launches by the North, and were delayed and shortened this year in order not to overshadow the Olympic detente.</p>
<p>The recent thaw in relations, which could even lead to a summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in May, follows months of increased tensions after North Korea conducted missile launches and a nuclear test last year in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.</p>
<p>Sunday’s concert was held under the title “Spring is Coming” at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, performed by an elite lineup of South Korean artists including veteran vocalists Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, rock star Yoon Do-hyun and singer Baek Ji-young, as well as K-pop girl band Red Velvet.</p> North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju watch South Korean K-pop singers perform in a concert under the title "Spring is Coming" at the Pyongyang Taekwondo Hall in North Korea in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang April 2, 2018. KCNA/via Reuters
<p>Like the concert title, the performance had brought a “spring of peace” to the two Koreas, Kim was also cited as saying by the North’s central news agency, and expressed wishes for a “prosperous autumn”.</p>
<p>The North Korean leader’s face was slightly flushed in a group photograph with the performers distributed by North Korean state media. He was seen in another directly addressing members of Red Velvet, which commands more than 4.6 million followers on Instagram.</p>
<p>North Korean staff were spotted outside the performers’ dressing rooms using Japan-made electronic devices to serve coffee and cupcakes, including Western Lavazza and Coffee-mate products, according to a South Korean media pool report.</p> SIGNIFICANT THAW
<p>Sunday’s two-hour concert in Pyongyang, along with a separate taekwondo performance earlier in the day, came as South Korea’s engagement with North Korea has grown since Kim expressed his willingness for more contact between the two countries.</p>
<p>Athletes from North and South Korea marched under a unified peninsula flag at the opening ceremony at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February. The significant thaw in the inter-Korean relations has led them to set a date for their first summit in more than a decade on April 27.</p>
<p>The two Koreas are technically still at war after the 1950-1953 conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace agreement.</p>
<p>The South Korean delegation included artists, concert staff, taekwondo demonstrators, reporters and government officials. They traveled to Pyongyang on Saturday in a reciprocal cultural visit after North Korea sent performers to the South in February, the South’s Culture Ministry said.</p>
<p>In addition to the concert, a team of South Korean taekwondo demonstrators performed on Sunday at the Pyongyang Taekwondo Hall, drawing more than 2,300 North Koreans, including Choe Hwi, chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee.</p> Slideshow (5 Images) BANNED MEDIA
<p>The images of Kim posing and laughing with the young South Korean pop stars and applauding in the stands contrasts with reports from North Korean defectors who say he has overseen a crackdown on foreign media.</p>
<p>“North Korean refugees overwhelmingly and consistently report that it has become more dangerous to consume foreign media under Kim Jong Un’s crackdowns,” Sokeel Park, the South Korea country director for refugee aid organization Liberty in North Korea, said on Twitter.</p>
<p>A 2015 survey of North Korean refugees conducted by the U.S. government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors found that 77 percent of respondents said it had become more dangerous to listen to foreign radio under Kim.</p>
<p>South Korean movies were often reported to be especially taboo compared to Chinese films, according to a report by the InterMedia consultancy group, with North Koreans potentially facing prison time if caught.</p>
<p>Seohyun, an actress and vocalist with South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation, sang a North Korean pop song called “Blue Willow Tree”. She had performed with the North’s Samjiyon Orchestra in Seoul in February.</p> North Korea will take part in next two Olympics: IOC
<p>Cho Yong-pil, 68, sang a string of hits including “The Cafe in the Winter”, “Short Hair” and “Let’s Go on a Trip”. Cho staged a solo concert in Pyongyang in 2005 - the last concert by a South Korean artist in the North before Sunday’s performance.</p>
<p>The same South Korean singers will hold a joint concert with North Korean performers on Tuesday at the Ryukyung Chung Ju Yung Gymnasium, a joint project between the North and South named after Hyundai Group billionaire founder Chung Ju-yung, who had long advocated inter-Korean cultural and economic exchanges.</p>
<p>Kim had been planning to attend the Tuesday performance but decided to watch Sunday’s show due to “political schedules”, KCNA and South Korean officials there said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Christine Kim; Additional reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Louise Heavens, Peter Cooney and Paul Tait</p> Our Standards:
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jan 22 reuters pallinghurst resources ltd jupiter announced indicative terms buy back pursuant intends return us42 million shareholders jupiter shareholders made equal offer 582 pct jupiter shares repurchased price us035 per jupiter share pallinghurst owns approximately 184 pct jupiter stands receive almost us8 million zar94 million march 2018 source text eikon company coverage bengaluru newsroom 91 80 6749 1136 standards thomson reuters trust principles san jose reuters centerlefts carlos alvarado quesada decisively defeated conservative protestant singer costa ricas presidential runoff election sunday promising allow gay marriage protecting countrys reputation tolerance former minister fiction writer quesada 38 61 percent vote results 95 percent polling stations far bigger lead predicted opinion polls foresaw tight race commitment government everybody equality liberty prosperous future told thousands cheering supporters blowing horns waving costa ricas red white blue flag much unites us divides us rival alvarado munoz 43yearold former tv journalist known religious dance songs quickly conceded sinking knees arms raised front supporters crying didnt win election said adding congratulated opponent telephone call another sign costa ricas cordial politics promised help resolve countrys problems election exposed divisions central american tourist destination known laidback beach culture pristine rainforests rural communities remain socially conservative carlos alvarado quesada presidential candidate ruling citizens action party pac waves media casting ballot presidential election polling station san jose costa rica april 1 2018 reutersjose cabezas could also reflect mood elsewhere latin america elections held year several countries backed sex unions provoking conservative reaction alvarado quesada recently minister outgoing government youngest president modern history costa rica takes office may also known student progrock band used campaign appeal countrys centrist streak vice presidential candidate epsy campbell countrys first afrocosta rican serve role slideshow 19 images opponent alvarado munoz vowed restore called traditional values preventing gay marriage restricting womens access abortions two men took opposing positions january decision interamerican court human rights influential regional body based san jose fabricio supporters refer alvarado munoz called ruling affront sovereignty threatening remove country courts jurisdiction shot margins win first round voting february quesada contrast backed courts ruling campaigns final debate called opponents comments homophobic reporting david alire garcia enrique andres pretel editing frank jack daniel clarence fernandez standards thomson reuters trust principles tokyo reuters japanese business sentiment worsened first time two years three months march closely watched central bank survey showed monday rising raw materials labor costs weigh otherwise steady economic recovery file photo japan yen note seen illustration photo taken june 1 2017 reutersthomas whiteillustrationfile photo strong yen simmering fears trade war triggered us president donald trumps move impose tariffs chinese goods could undermine corporate morale threats retaliation escalate analysts say analysts expect economic recovery falter business confidence remains decadehigh level companies plan increase capital expenditure yen gains since late january eroded manufacturers sentiment solid global economic fundamentals helped offset pain overall say business confidence held firm said yuichiro nagai economist barclays securities fears global trade war limited impact business sentiment far depending development us trade policy protectionism could weigh outlook index measuring big manufacturers confidence fell 2 points plus 24 march bank japans quarterly tankan survey showed roughly matching median market forecast plus 25 related coverage japan march final manufacturing pmi cools slightly overall economy still solid nonmanufacturers sentiment worsened 2 points plus 23 median forecast plus 24 deteriorating first time six quarters big manufacturers nonmanufacturers forecast business conditions would sour three months ahead tankan showed reflecting looming uncertainty fallout trumps trade policy strong yen taken turning point japans economy although sentiment deteriorated slightly said takeshi minami chief economist norinchukin research institute concerns high possible retaliation us tariffs global economy remains gradual recovery good japans valueadded exports 70 percent companies replied survey march 12 trump unveiled steep tariffs steel aluminum imports announcement antichina tariffs big manufacturers expect dollar move around 10966 yen average year began april much weaker current levels around 106 yen yens gains continue manufacturers may forced cut optimistic profit forecasts worry prime minister shinzo abe pursuing growth reflationist policies labor shortages labor shortages also weighed sentiment economic recovery dwindling workingage population push jobless rate near 25year low tankan index measuring capacity constraints showed companies saw job market tightest since 1991 labor shortages negative impact particularly laborintensive servicesector firms said satoshi osanai senior economist daiwa institute research said rising wages could stoke virtuous growth cycle consumer spending rising prices increased investment companies could pass higher costs generate profit key making happen whether consumers willing spend increased earnings far theres little sign happening slow wage growth companies reluctance raise prices kept inflation well bank japans elusive 2 percent target however tankan showed companies able pass higher costs consumers hopeful sign central bank tankan index measuring big manufacturers saw output price moves stood plus 4 highest level since 2008 showing price pressures continue rise firms construction restaurant hotel industries complained labor shortages taking toll businesses boj official briefing reporters data said firms basic materials business selling steel nonferrous metals textiles saw sentiment hurt rising cost raw materials official said index measuring steelmakers sentiment fell 9 points biggest drop among big manufacturers confidence also slumped among producers nonferrous metals metal products still big firms plan raise capital spending 23 percent current financial year april versus median estimate 06 percent gain tankan showed tankans sentiment indexes derived subtracting number respondents say conditions poor say good positive reading means optimists outnumber pessimists reporting leika kihara tetsushi kajimoto editing sam holmes eric meijer standards thomson reuters trust principles beijing reuters 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 file photo labourer works coils steel wire steel wholesale market beijing china january 17 2012 reuterssoo hoo zheyangfile photo tariffs take effect monday announced late sunday match list potential tariffs 3 billion us goods published china march 23 file photo butcher cuts piece pork market beijing china march 25 2016 reutersjason leefile photo chinas ministry commerce mofcom said suspending obligations world trade organization wto reduce tariffs 120 us goods including fruit tariffs products raised extra 15 percent eight products including pork subject additional tariffs 25 percent said measures effective april 2 chinas suspension tariff concessions legitimate action adopted wto rules safeguard chinas interests chinese finance ministry said china imposed additional tariffs amid escalating trade tensions beijing washington sparking fears fullblown trade spat worlds two biggest economies file photo severalweekold pigs stand pen inside barn paustian enterprises walcott iowa november 19 2014 reutersdaniel ackerfile photo us president donald trump preparing impose tariffs 50 billion chinese goods intended punish beijing us accusations china systematically misappropriated american intellectual property allegations beijing denies china repeatedly promised open economy many foreign companies continue complain unfair treatment china warned united states thursday open pandoras box spark flurry protectionist practices across globe statement published monday morning mofcom said united states seriously violated principles nondiscrimination enshrined world trade organization rules also damaged chinas interests chinas suspension obligations united states legitimate right member world trade organization said adding differences worlds two largest economies resolved dialogue negotiation reporting ben blanchard tony munroe additional reporting david stanway shanghai stella qiu beijing editing eric meijer amp shri navaratnam standards thomson reuters trust principles seoul reuters north korean leader kim jong un wife ri sol ju among hundreds pyongyang sunday watching south korean kpop singers perform north first time decade tensions old rivals thaw north korean leader kim jong un meets south korean kpop singers photo released north koreas korean central news agency kcna pyongyang april 2 2018 kcnavia reuters first time north korean leader attended south korean performance norths capital kim seen clapping tune songs took photographs performers show dear leader comrade said heart swelled moved sight people deepen understanding south korean popular culture cheer sincerity norths kcna state media said north korean audience clapped cheered sang along songs later presented south korean performers bouquets kim jong un showed much interest show asked questions songs lyrics culture minister jongwhan told reporters show sundays performance coincided start annual joint south koreanus military drills previously met denunciations missile launches north delayed shortened year order overshadow olympic detente recent thaw relations could even lead summit kim us president donald trump may follows months increased tensions north korea conducted missile launches nuclear test last year defiance united nations security council sanctions sundays concert held title spring coming east pyongyang grand theatre performed elite lineup south korean artists including veteran vocalists cho yongpil lee sunhee rock star yoon dohyun singer baek jiyoung well kpop girl band red velvet north korean leader kim jong un wife ri sol ju watch south korean kpop singers perform concert title spring coming pyongyang taekwondo hall north korea photo released north koreas korean central news agency kcna pyongyang april 2 2018 kcnavia reuters like concert title performance brought spring peace two koreas kim also cited saying norths central news agency expressed wishes prosperous autumn north korean leaders face slightly flushed group photograph performers distributed north korean state media seen another directly addressing members red velvet commands 46 million followers instagram north korean staff spotted outside performers dressing rooms using japanmade electronic devices serve coffee cupcakes including western lavazza coffeemate products according south korean media pool report significant thaw sundays twohour concert pyongyang along separate taekwondo performance earlier day came south koreas engagement north korea grown since kim expressed willingness contact two countries athletes north south korea marched unified peninsula flag opening ceremony pyeongchang winter olympics february significant thaw interkorean relations led set date first summit decade april 27 two koreas technically still war 19501953 conflict ended ceasefire rather peace agreement south korean delegation included artists concert staff taekwondo demonstrators reporters government officials traveled pyongyang saturday reciprocal cultural visit north korea sent performers south february souths culture ministry said addition concert team south korean taekwondo demonstrators performed sunday pyongyang taekwondo hall drawing 2300 north koreans including choe hwi chairman national sports guidance committee slideshow 5 images banned media images kim posing laughing young south korean pop stars applauding stands contrasts reports north korean defectors say overseen crackdown foreign media north korean refugees overwhelmingly consistently report become dangerous consume foreign media kim jong uns crackdowns sokeel park south korea country director refugee aid organization liberty north korea said twitter 2015 survey north korean refugees conducted us governments broadcasting board governors found 77 percent respondents said become dangerous listen foreign radio kim south korean movies often reported especially taboo compared chinese films according report intermedia consultancy group north koreans potentially facing prison time caught seohyun actress vocalist south korean girl group girls generation sang north korean pop song called blue willow tree performed norths samjiyon orchestra seoul february north korea take part next two olympics ioc cho yongpil 68 sang string hits including cafe winter short hair lets go trip cho staged solo concert pyongyang 2005 last concert south korean artist north sundays performance south korean singers hold joint concert north korean performers tuesday ryukyung chung ju yung gymnasium joint project north south named hyundai group billionaire founder chung juyung long advocated interkorean cultural economic exchanges kim planning attend tuesday performance decided watch sundays show due political schedules kcna south korean officials said reporting heekyong yang christine kim additional reporting josh smith editing louise heavens peter cooney paul tait standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>FILE - This May 19, 2014 file photo shows press material displayed at the Justice Department in Washington before a press conference by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to announce charges of economic espionage and trade secret theft against five Chinese military officers, all hackers in an international cyber-espionage case. In the two weeks since the Obama administration accused them of hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets, the Chinese officers have yet to be placed on Interpol's public listing of international fugitives, and there is no evidence that China would even entertain a formal request by the U.S. to extradite them. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)</p>
<p>WASHINGTON - In the two weeks since the Obama administration, with fanfare, accused five Chinese military officers of hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets, they have yet to be placed on Interpol's public listing of international fugitives, and there is no evidence that China would even entertain a formal request by the U.S. to extradite them.</p>
<p>Short of the five men flying to the U.S. for a vacation, for example, there's no practical way they could be arrested outside China without help from foreign governments. It's also unclear whether the charges levied by the U.S. are accepted internationally as a crime. No country so far has publicly expressed support for the groundbreaking criminal charges.</p>
<p>The Obama administration described the unusual indictment on May 19 as a wakeup call for China to stop stealing U.S. trade secrets. The FBI published "wanted" posters with pictures of all five Chinese military officers. Attorney General Eric Holder said such hacking defendants "will be exposed for their criminal conduct and sought for apprehension and prosecution in an American court of law."</p>
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<p>Now, weeks later, that's looking less likely than ever, illustrating the complex legal and diplomatic issues posed by the unprecedented indictment. There may be no viable options for Holder to make good on his word.</p>
<p>"The next step needs to be us, here in the U.S., saying this is not just a U.S.-China issue," said Shawn Henry, former cyber director at the FBI and now president of CrowdStrike Services, a security technology company. "This is a China-versus-the-world issue."</p>
<p>So far, the U.S. does not appear to have the world on its side.</p>
<p>Neither officials in China nor the United States said they would comment on any efforts by American prosecutors to arrest the Chinese military officers. The White House and State Department directed inquiries to the Justice Department, where spokesman Marc Raimondi said, "Our investigation is active, and we are not going to comment on specific actions to locate the individuals charged in the indictment."</p>
<p>A federal grand jury charged the five Chinese military officials with hacking into five U.S. nuclear and technology companies' computer systems and a major steel workers union's system, conducting economic espionage and stealing confidential business information, sensitive trade secrets and internal communications for competitive advantage.</p>
<p>The U.S. and China have no extradition treaty. And China's laws preclude extraditing its own citizens to countries where there is no treaty.</p>
<p>China has denied the hacking allegations and wants the U.S. to revoke the indictment. A defense ministry spokesman, Geng Yansheng, said last week that the case ran counter to China-U.S. military cooperation and had damaged mutual trust. Citing the suspension of dialogue on computer security, Geng said further responses from China would depend on Washington's attitude and actions.</p>
<p>"The Chinese are obviously not going to extradite their officials to the U.S.," said John Bellinger, the former legal adviser to the State Department. For this reason, Bellinger, now a partner at the law firm Arnold and Porter, said he does not expect the U.S. to make the request. "To ask them to do something that they're obviously going to then deny makes (the U.S.) look ineffectual."</p>
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<p>The U.S. can ask Interpol, the international criminal police organization, to place defendants on its "red notice" list of wanted fugitives, which would alert the 190 member countries if the men were to travel outside of China. But the five Chinese military officers weren't added to Interpol's public list as recently as Monday, although there were 24 other Chinese citizens on that list wanted by the U.S. on charges that included fraud, sexual assault, arson and smuggling.</p>
<p>Raimondi, the Justice Department spokesman, would not say whether the U.S. had asked Interpol to assign red notices to the men. Interpol does not allow red notices in cases it considers political in nature, but a spokeswoman, Rachael Billington, declined to say whether Interpol considers economic espionage to be political.</p>
<p>"Whilst we could not comment on a hypothetical situation, requests for red notices are considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure that they comply with Interpol's rules on the processing of data," Billington said.</p>
<p>A former Interpol official said especially sensitive international cases are far more complex.</p>
<p>"In this kind of case, where it has a lot of attention around the world and involves superpowers, it's going to be more under a microscope about what they have," said Timothy Williams, former director of Interpol's national central bureau in Washington, and now the general manager of G4S Secure Solutions, a security consulting company.</p>
<p>Interpol sometimes circulates secret red notices, such as cases involving sealed indictments or arrest warrants. But listing the five Chinese men secretly on Interpol's list would not be effective in this case, since China is a member of Interpol and would see that the U.S. wants them detained if they were to travel outside China.</p>
<p>The Chinese defendants could argue they are immune from prosecution in the U.S. under international law. Such claims are so often contested that the issue is currently under review by a United Nations commission, said Tim Meyer, a law professor at the University of Georgia. Meyer expects the indictment of the five Chinese military officials to come up during the U.N. discussions.</p>
<p>"To be clear, this conduct is criminal," said John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security. "And it is not conduct that most responsible nations within the global economic community would tolerate."</p>
<p>But few countries want to upset China and suffer trade repercussions. The lack of support for the U.S. position could also be due to other countries committing the same practices as China.</p>
<p>"I have no comments on the U.S. action on China," said Joao Vale de Almeida, the European Union's ambassador to the U.S.</p>
<p>Still, the Obama administration says it is committed to bringing the five Chinese men to justice, and it says this case will be the first of many like it.</p>
<p>In a 2003 case, the U.S. charged a Cuban general and two pilots with murder in the shooting down of two civilian planes in 1996. Like China, the U.S. has no extradition treaty with Cuba. And, at the time, some questioned whether the indictment was politically-motivated.</p>
<p>Eleven years later, the former U.S. attorney in Miami in 2003, Marcos Jimenez, said the case against the Cuban military officials was still worth bringing, even if no one was ever prosecuted in the U.S.</p>
<p>"It's a message to the world that we're not going to tolerate these types of crimes," Jimenez said. "You can't just kill unarmed civilians in international air space. You can't just hack into our computer systems. These aren't things that we're just going to ignore and not prosecute."</p>
<p>That case has been stagnant since 2003.</p>
<p>""</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.</p>
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file may 19 2014 file photo shows press material displayed justice department washington press conference us attorney general eric holder announce charges economic espionage trade secret theft five chinese military officers hackers international cyberespionage case two weeks since obama administration accused hacking american companies steal trade secrets chinese officers yet placed interpols public listing international fugitives evidence china would even entertain formal request us extradite ap photocharles dharapak file washington two weeks since obama administration fanfare accused five chinese military officers hacking american companies steal trade secrets yet placed interpols public listing international fugitives evidence china would even entertain formal request us extradite short five men flying us vacation example theres practical way could arrested outside china without help foreign governments also unclear whether charges levied us accepted internationally crime country far publicly expressed support groundbreaking criminal charges obama administration described unusual indictment may 19 wakeup call china stop stealing us trade secrets fbi published wanted posters pictures five chinese military officers attorney general eric holder said hacking defendants exposed criminal conduct sought apprehension prosecution american court law advertisement weeks later thats looking less likely ever illustrating complex legal diplomatic issues posed unprecedented indictment may viable options holder make good word next step needs us us saying uschina issue said shawn henry former cyber director fbi president crowdstrike services security technology company chinaversustheworld issue far us appear world side neither officials china united states said would comment efforts american prosecutors arrest chinese military officers white house state department directed inquiries justice department spokesman marc raimondi said investigation active going comment specific actions locate individuals charged indictment federal grand jury charged five chinese military officials hacking five us nuclear technology companies computer systems major steel workers unions system conducting economic espionage stealing confidential business information sensitive trade secrets internal communications competitive advantage us china extradition treaty chinas laws preclude extraditing citizens countries treaty china denied hacking allegations wants us revoke indictment defense ministry spokesman geng yansheng said last week case ran counter chinaus military cooperation damaged mutual trust citing suspension dialogue computer security geng said responses china would depend washingtons attitude actions chinese obviously going extradite officials us said john bellinger former legal adviser state department reason bellinger partner law firm arnold porter said expect us make request ask something theyre obviously going deny makes us look ineffectual advertisement us ask interpol international criminal police organization place defendants red notice list wanted fugitives would alert 190 member countries men travel outside china five chinese military officers werent added interpols public list recently monday although 24 chinese citizens list wanted us charges included fraud sexual assault arson smuggling raimondi justice department spokesman would say whether us asked interpol assign red notices men interpol allow red notices cases considers political nature spokeswoman rachael billington declined say whether interpol considers economic espionage political whilst could comment hypothetical situation requests red notices considered casebycase basis ensure comply interpols rules processing data billington said former interpol official said especially sensitive international cases far complex kind case lot attention around world involves superpowers going microscope said timothy williams former director interpols national central bureau washington general manager g4s secure solutions security consulting company interpol sometimes circulates secret red notices cases involving sealed indictments arrest warrants listing five chinese men secretly interpols list would effective case since china member interpol would see us wants detained travel outside china chinese defendants could argue immune prosecution us international law claims often contested issue currently review united nations commission said tim meyer law professor university georgia meyer expects indictment five chinese military officials come un discussions clear conduct criminal said john carlin assistant attorney general national security conduct responsible nations within global economic community would tolerate countries want upset china suffer trade repercussions lack support us position could also due countries committing practices china comments us action china said joao vale de almeida european unions ambassador us still obama administration says committed bringing five chinese men justice says case first many like 2003 case us charged cuban general two pilots murder shooting two civilian planes 1996 like china us extradition treaty cuba time questioned whether indictment politicallymotivated eleven years later former us attorney miami 2003 marcos jimenez said case cuban military officials still worth bringing even one ever prosecuted us message world going tolerate types crimes jimenez said cant kill unarmed civilians international air space cant hack computer systems arent things going ignore prosecute case stagnant since 2003 associated press writer christopher bodeen beijing contributed report
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<p>He started the first rural drug court in the nation and has reaped awards for sending defendants to treatment rather than prison.</p>
<p>But Landrith is also involved in a more sinister byproduct of criminal justice reform.</p>
<p>Landrith started his own rehab work camp where defendants must work full-time for free at a Coca-Cola bottling plant and other companies, under threat of prison. They are required to say they’re unemployed and turn over their food stamps to the program, which state regulators say is fraud. Some of them even work on Landrith’s yard – for free.</p>
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<p>—-</p>
<p>This article was provided to The Associated Press by the nonprofit news outlet Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. To read – or publish – a full version of this investigation go to: https://www.revealnews.org/judgesrehab .</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“It was the worst experience of my life,” said Cody Evans, a former participant at Southern Oklahoma Addiction Recovery – also known as SOAR. “I’d rather go to prison.”</p>
<p>It’s the latest discovery in an ongoing investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting into rehab programs across the country that are little more than lucrative work camps for private industry.</p>
<p>Coca-Cola prohibits forced labor at its independent bottling plants. In response to Reveal’s reporting, the Ada Coca-Cola Bottling Co. said it would suspend use of the program.</p>
<p>“We take the concerns that have been raised seriously,” the company said in a statement. “We have participated in the SOAR program because of the good we have seen it can do for people in our community and are hopeful we can work with SOAR to revise the terms of the program.”</p>
<p>The involvement of one of Oklahoma’s most celebrated judges exposes just how pervasive this type of rehab model has become, implicating major corporations , powerful politicians and even those whose job is to uphold the law. And it lays bare a litany of ethical and legal problems that can arise in the process, including in programs started with the best of intentions.</p>
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<p>Many defendants sent to SOAR have not yet been convicted of crimes, making their forced labor a potential violation of the 13th Amendment ban on slavery and involuntary servitude, according to legal experts.</p>
<p>State ethics rules say a judge should not serve as an officer of an organization whose proceedings might come before him. Landrith currently is an unpaid SOAR board member and has sent at least nine defendants from his drug court to SOAR since 2010, state records show.</p>
<p>Landrith retired from the bench in 2014 but continues to volunteer as the drug court judge in Pontotoc County. He said he doesn’t consider it a violation of the rules to send men to the program.</p>
<p>He started SOAR in 2008, inspired by a similar program founded by a methamphetamine dealer who’d once come through his court. Amid a shortage of affordable treatment programs, it cost defendants and taxpayers nothing. All men in the program had to do was work.</p>
<p>“Labor conquers all,” Landrith said. “Some of those people have never worked a day in their life.”</p>
<p>Today, SOAR houses about 45 men who work at the bottling plant , a car wash owned by a board member , a roofing company, and a Leachco factory that makes pregnancy pillows sold at Babies R Us, Nordstrom and Bed Bath &amp; Beyond.</p>
<p>“It’s the best way to re-establish some kind of self-worth in those individuals,” said board President Duane Murray. “There’s nothing better, more therapeutic than getting up and doing what everybody else does on a regularly scheduled basis.”</p>
<p>Instead of paying the men, the companies pay SOAR, and don’t have to pay taxes or workers’ compensation insurance, the program said.</p>
<p>Kevin Lowe, the manager at Ultimate Carwashes, said the program benefits the men more than the business. Putting them to work is the only way most are able to afford treatment, he said.</p>
<p>“If that’s against the law, then shame on the law,” Lowe said. “I see men get their lives back and become fathers and husbands and contributing members of society again.”</p>
<p>In addition to working, the men are required to attend a group counseling session once a week and church services twice a week. If they complete the six-month program without breaking any rules, they’re eligible for a $500 stipend.</p>
<p>Reveal spoke with more than a dozen former participants. All but one said the program was more concerned with work than recovery. Justin Manion called it “a joke.” Dustin Barnes called the people who run SOAR “crooks.”</p>
<p>“This ain’t the place for you if you can’t work,” said Lee Purdy. “They tell you that when you first get there.”</p>
<p>Upon arrival, participants go straight to the local food stamp office, recalled Cody Theriac, who was ordered into the program by the Tulsa drug court. A SOAR employee told him to say he was unemployed, he said, even though a few days later he would be working full-time at LeachCo.</p>
<p>“Isn’t this fraud?” Theriac remembers asking at the time. “The whole time I thought, ‘If I don’t do what they said, I would go to prison.'”</p>
<p>SOAR confiscated all the men’s benefit cards, they said. Every few weeks, administrators would haul a group to the local Walmart, where they were forced to use their cards to buy food for the entire rehab, they said.</p>
<p>Debra Martin, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, said that was considered fraud. “It is against the law,” she said.</p>
<p>Some rehab programs are allowed to apply for special food stamps for clients and legally purchase food on their behalf. But SOAR is not one of these approved programs, Martin said.</p>
<p>Duane Murray, the president of SOAR’s board of directors said the rehab had worked out an arrangement with the department. Martin said the department was unaware of any such deal.</p>
<p>In recent months, two similar rehab programs have faced lawsuits alleging human trafficking and fraud.</p>
<p>Landrith said he expects SOAR also to get sued. If that happens, he said, most defendants going to work-based programs will probably end up going to prison.</p>
<p>“We started the SOAR program because there was no place to send anybody,” he said. “It’s still that way.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This article was provided to The Associated Press by the nonprofit news outlet Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. To read – or publish – a full version of this investigation go to: https://www.revealnews.org/judgesrehab . Amy Julia Harris can be reached at aharris@amyjharris and @shoeshine.</p>
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started first rural drug court nation reaped awards sending defendants treatment rather prison landrith also involved sinister byproduct criminal justice reform landrith started rehab work camp defendants must work fulltime free cocacola bottling plant companies threat prison required say theyre unemployed turn food stamps program state regulators say fraud even work landriths yard free advertisement article provided associated press nonprofit news outlet reveal center investigative reporting read publish full version investigation go httpswwwrevealnewsorgjudgesrehab worst experience life said cody evans former participant southern oklahoma addiction recovery also known soar id rather go prison latest discovery ongoing investigation reveal center investigative reporting rehab programs across country little lucrative work camps private industry cocacola prohibits forced labor independent bottling plants response reveals reporting ada cocacola bottling co said would suspend use program take concerns raised seriously company said statement participated soar program good seen people community hopeful work soar revise terms program involvement one oklahomas celebrated judges exposes pervasive type rehab model become implicating major corporations powerful politicians even whose job uphold law lays bare litany ethical legal problems arise process including programs started best intentions advertisement many defendants sent soar yet convicted crimes making forced labor potential violation 13th amendment ban slavery involuntary servitude according legal experts state ethics rules say judge serve officer organization whose proceedings might come landrith currently unpaid soar board member sent least nine defendants drug court soar since 2010 state records show landrith retired bench 2014 continues volunteer drug court judge pontotoc county said doesnt consider violation rules send men program started soar 2008 inspired similar program founded methamphetamine dealer whod come court amid shortage affordable treatment programs cost defendants taxpayers nothing men program work labor conquers landrith said people never worked day life today soar houses 45 men work bottling plant car wash owned board member roofing company leachco factory makes pregnancy pillows sold babies r us nordstrom bed bath amp beyond best way reestablish kind selfworth individuals said board president duane murray theres nothing better therapeutic getting everybody else regularly scheduled basis instead paying men companies pay soar dont pay taxes workers compensation insurance program said kevin lowe manager ultimate carwashes said program benefits men business putting work way able afford treatment said thats law shame law lowe said see men get lives back become fathers husbands contributing members society addition working men required attend group counseling session week church services twice week complete sixmonth program without breaking rules theyre eligible 500 stipend reveal spoke dozen former participants one said program concerned work recovery justin manion called joke dustin barnes called people run soar crooks aint place cant work said lee purdy tell first get upon arrival participants go straight local food stamp office recalled cody theriac ordered program tulsa drug court soar employee told say unemployed said even though days later would working fulltime leachco isnt fraud theriac remembers asking time whole time thought dont said would go prison soar confiscated mens benefit cards said every weeks administrators would haul group local walmart forced use cards buy food entire rehab said debra martin spokeswoman oklahoma department human services said considered fraud law said rehab programs allowed apply special food stamps clients legally purchase food behalf soar one approved programs martin said duane murray president soars board directors said rehab worked arrangement department martin said department unaware deal recent months two similar rehab programs faced lawsuits alleging human trafficking fraud landrith said expects soar also get sued happens said defendants going workbased programs probably end going prison started soar program place send anybody said still way ___ article provided associated press nonprofit news outlet reveal center investigative reporting read publish full version investigation go httpswwwrevealnewsorgjudgesrehab amy julia harris reached aharrisamyjharris shoeshine
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<p>As shoppers jam stores ahead of the December holidays, claims of racial profiling at department stores in New York have helped expose the wide latitude that laws in at least 27 states give retailers to hold and fine shoplifting suspects, even if a person hasn’t yet technically stolen anything, is wrongly accused or criminal charges are dropped.</p>
<p>“You must remember, these people are not police officers; they are store employees,” said Faruk Usar, the attorney for a 62-year-old Turkish woman who sued Macy’s, which some customers say bullied them into paying fines on the spot or harassed them with letters demanding payment. “When they are detained, they are not yet even in a real jail.”</p>
<p>Industrywide, more than $12 billion is lost to shoplifting each year. The laws, which vary on strictness and fine amounts, allow stores to try to recoup some losses. Under New York’s longstanding law, retailers may collect a penalty of five times the cost of the stolen merchandise, up to $500 per item, plus as much as $1,500 if the merchandise isn’t in a condition to be sold. A conviction is not necessary to bring a civil claim.</p>
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<p>Some customers say stores have harassed them into signing admissions of guilt in order to turn a profit — not just recoup a loss.</p>
<p>Retailers don’t divulge how much money they recoup but use it in part to offset security costs, said Barbara Staib, spokeswoman for the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. The total is a fraction of what they lose, she said.</p>
<p>“We tend to forget that retailers are the victims of crime when it comes to shoplifting,” she said.</p>
<p>But at least nine customers at the Macy’s store immortalized in “Miracle on 34th Street” say in lawsuits that the retailer is abusing the law, wrongly targeting minorities and holding customers for hours, years after it settled similar claims brought by the state attorney general by paying a $600,000 fine and changing practices. That agreement expired in 2008.</p>
<p>New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is again investigating claims against retailers. Last week, New York state stores agreed to post a customer “bill of rights” on their websites explicitly prohibiting profiling and unreasonable searches.</p>
<p>Usar’s client, Ayla Gursoy, was detained in 2010 after she carried two coats in her arms up several flights of stairs in the flagship store, according to her suit. Store security accused Gursoy, who speaks little English, of trying to steal. She was asked to sign a form admitting guilt and pay a fine. She refused, the police were called and she was arrested.</p>
<p>Gursoy and others say they were held for hours in Room 140, a bare room with two small, barred holding cells with wooden benches within the store.</p>
<p>Elina Kazan, a spokeswoman for Cincinnati-based Macy’s, said the company’s practices prohibit coercion when recovering fines.</p>
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<p>“Our policy of exercising our right to pursue a civil recovery payment is consistent with common practice in the retail industry and within the parameters of the law,” she said.</p>
<p>Many retailers detain suspected shoplifters, industry experts said, but few have dedicated jail cells and most don’t ask for payments on the spot like Macy’s.</p>
<p>Most of the accused receive letters in the mail demanding payment from a law firm like the one used by Macy’s, Palmer, Reifler &amp; Associates, of Orlando, Fla. That firm also represents Home Depot, Wal-Mart and many other stores and sends out about 115,000 letters per month.</p>
<p>“We are confident in our clients’ training processes and procedures for evaluating and investigating theft matters,” attorney Natt Reifler said.</p>
<p>Letters sent to Gursoy said that if she didn’t pay, she would be sued. One said she owed $400; the next said she owed $675 — the increase unexplained.</p>
<p>“We believe the whole purpose of her detention was to get the signature, to get the payments,” Usar said shortly before his client’s suit was settled in court Dec. 4. The terms were not disclosed. Her criminal charge was dismissed after no witness could testify.</p>
<p>In San Leandro, Calif., Jimin Chen accused Home Depot in a federal lawsuit of abusing the laws by shaking down customers to make an extra profit.</p>
<p>He said he was stopped in September by a security guard there who falsely accused him of trying to steal work gloves worth $3.99 that he had taken off the shelves and worn to load lumber into his cart. He said he was detained until he signed an admission of guilt.</p>
<p>Later, he started receiving letters demanding money; $350, then $675. Home Depot disputes the claims and has asked for dismissal.</p>
<p>Lawyers say that retailers rarely actually sue for the money, and they often suggest letter recipients don’t bother paying because refusing won’t affect their credit.</p>
<p>Generally, industry experts say, the laws allowing retailers to hold and fine suspected shoplifters are applied correctly.</p>
<p>“Retailers do a really good job of identifying where actual theft cases have occurred, and intervening and conducting investigations,” said Joseph LaRocca, who runs RetaiLPartners, an industry group aimed at building partnerships between retailers and law enforcement. “There are always exceptions, but by and large, there are few mistakes here.”</p>
<p>The racial profiling allegations started in New York this fall with a different retailer, Barneys New York, after two black customers said they were stopped while buying expensive merchandise. The retailer has said it does not profile, and neither customer was asked to sign a confession or pay a fine.</p>
<p>But the allegations grew to include Macy’s. Among those complaining was Rob Brown of the HBO show “Treme,” who said he was stopped after buying a $1,300 Movado watch for his mother this summer.</p>
<p>Brown, 29, said he too was taken to Room 140. There, he said in a federal suit filed by attorney Doug Wigdor, others being held were all “individuals of color.” He was released, he said, when people realized he was a celebrity.</p>
<p>Kazan, of Macy’s, said she couldn’t comment on pending litigation.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
shoppers jam stores ahead december holidays claims racial profiling department stores new york helped expose wide latitude laws least 27 states give retailers hold fine shoplifting suspects even person hasnt yet technically stolen anything wrongly accused criminal charges dropped must remember people police officers store employees said faruk usar attorney 62yearold turkish woman sued macys customers say bullied paying fines spot harassed letters demanding payment detained yet even real jail industrywide 12 billion lost shoplifting year laws vary strictness fine amounts allow stores try recoup losses new yorks longstanding law retailers may collect penalty five times cost stolen merchandise 500 per item plus much 1500 merchandise isnt condition sold conviction necessary bring civil claim advertisement customers say stores harassed signing admissions guilt order turn profit recoup loss retailers dont divulge much money recoup use part offset security costs said barbara staib spokeswoman national association shoplifting prevention total fraction lose said tend forget retailers victims crime comes shoplifting said least nine customers macys store immortalized miracle 34th street say lawsuits retailer abusing law wrongly targeting minorities holding customers hours years settled similar claims brought state attorney general paying 600000 fine changing practices agreement expired 2008 new york attorney general eric schneiderman investigating claims retailers last week new york state stores agreed post customer bill rights websites explicitly prohibiting profiling unreasonable searches usars client ayla gursoy detained 2010 carried two coats arms several flights stairs flagship store according suit store security accused gursoy speaks little english trying steal asked sign form admitting guilt pay fine refused police called arrested gursoy others say held hours room 140 bare room two small barred holding cells wooden benches within store elina kazan spokeswoman cincinnatibased macys said companys practices prohibit coercion recovering fines advertisement policy exercising right pursue civil recovery payment consistent common practice retail industry within parameters law said many retailers detain suspected shoplifters industry experts said dedicated jail cells dont ask payments spot like macys accused receive letters mail demanding payment law firm like one used macys palmer reifler amp associates orlando fla firm also represents home depot walmart many stores sends 115000 letters per month confident clients training processes procedures evaluating investigating theft matters attorney natt reifler said letters sent gursoy said didnt pay would sued one said owed 400 next said owed 675 increase unexplained believe whole purpose detention get signature get payments usar said shortly clients suit settled court dec 4 terms disclosed criminal charge dismissed witness could testify san leandro calif jimin chen accused home depot federal lawsuit abusing laws shaking customers make extra profit said stopped september security guard falsely accused trying steal work gloves worth 399 taken shelves worn load lumber cart said detained signed admission guilt later started receiving letters demanding money 350 675 home depot disputes claims asked dismissal lawyers say retailers rarely actually sue money often suggest letter recipients dont bother paying refusing wont affect credit generally industry experts say laws allowing retailers hold fine suspected shoplifters applied correctly retailers really good job identifying actual theft cases occurred intervening conducting investigations said joseph larocca runs retailpartners industry group aimed building partnerships retailers law enforcement always exceptions large mistakes racial profiling allegations started new york fall different retailer barneys new york two black customers said stopped buying expensive merchandise retailer said profile neither customer asked sign confession pay fine allegations grew include macys among complaining rob brown hbo show treme said stopped buying 1300 movado watch mother summer brown 29 said taken room 140 said federal suit filed attorney doug wigdor others held individuals color released said people realized celebrity kazan macys said couldnt comment pending litigation associated press news researcher rhonda shafner contributed report
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<p>The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the Republican health care bill has been released — so let the spinning begin.</p>
<p>Democrats overstate what the CBO said about the impact on those who now have health insurance, while the White House budget director oversells the impact on premiums.</p>
<p>In a video <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/" type="external">posted to his website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders/videos/10155725604777908/" type="external">Facebook</a>&#160;on March 13,&#160;Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed that the GOP legislation would “throw 24 million Americans off of the health insurance that they currently have,” including “14 million who will lose that health insurance next year.”</p>
<p>Reps.&#160;Richard Neal of Massachusetts and Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, ranking members of the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees, respectively, <a href="https://democrats-waysandmeans.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/neal-pallone-statement-cbo-report-house-gop-health-care-repeal-bill" type="external">said in a joint statement</a> that the bill “would rip away health insurance from 24 million Americans over the next decade.”</p>
<p>But those claims go too far.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/115th-congress-2017-2018/costestimate/americanhealthcareact.pdf" type="external">analysis by the CBO and Joint Committee on Taxation</a> did say that 24 million fewer Americans would be insured under the American Health Care Act than under current law in 2026, and that 14 million fewer would be insured next year. But not all of them would have their insurance ripped away or would be losing “insurance that they currently have.” The numbers represent a complicated mix of some losing insurance, some deciding not to have it, others gaining it and others not having insurance&#160;in the future.</p>
<p>Let’s go through the CBO numbers.</p>
<p>In 2018, “14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law,” most of that due to the American Health Care Act’s immediate elimination of the individual mandate to have insurance or pay a tax, CBO said. CBO doesn’t give specific numbers, but says that “[s]ome of those people would choose not to have insurance because they chose to be covered by insurance under current law only to avoid paying the penalties, and some people would forgo insurance in response to higher premiums.”</p>
<p>Six million of that 14 million reduction comes from a decrease in those insured in the nongroup market (including the ACA marketplaces), where those who don’t have employer or government insurance buy their own coverage. Five million comes from a reduction in Medicaid coverage, and 2 million is a decline in employer-based coverage.</p>
<p>So some people wouldn’t be thrown off insurance, but instead they’d make the decision not to have it. Others could be affected by higher premiums brought about by the GOP plan. CBO estimates premiums in the nongroup market would go up in 2018 and 2019, due to healthy people leaving that market since they are not required to have insurance. With fewer healthy people in the nongroup market, overall costs increase.</p>
<p>In subsequent years, circumstances change as the GOP plan’s age-based tax credits replace the Affordable Care Act’s income-based tax credits, beginning in 2020. The CBO expects the increase in premiums to be “more than offset” in 2020 by other factors, including more young people in the nongroup insurance pool.</p>
<p>Older and low-income Americans on the nongroup market could see substantially higher costs in future years under the GOP plan, as insurers would be allowed to charge older people more and the age-based tax credits wouldn’t be large enough to offset those premium increases. These factors mean that the makeup of the nongroup market — who buys coverage and who doesn’t — would be “significantly” different under the GOP plan than under current law, “particularly by income and age,” CBO said. By 2026, CBO estimates that 2 million fewer would have nongroup insurance under the Republican bill.</p>
<p>From 2018 to 2026, the further reduction in the number of the insured, compared with current law, “would stem in large part from changes in Medicaid enrollment,” CBO said.</p>
<p>By 2026, Medicaid enrollment would be 14 million lower under the GOP bill than under current law, and that’s due to the Republican changes to the Medicaid expansion and funding for the state-federal program for those with low incomes. “[S]ome states would discontinue their expansion of eligibility, some&#160;states that would have expanded eligibility in the future would choose not to do so, and per-enrollee spending in the program&#160;would be capped,” CBO said.</p>
<p>Certainly some of those who wouldn’t have Medicaid coverage under the Republican plan — but would have had it under the Affordable Care Act — could be described as having had their insurance taken away from them. The bill phases out the Medicaid expansion under the ACA beginning in 2020. It doesn’t eliminate that expanded coverage, with enhanced federal matching funds, for those who are enrolled before that time, but if those expansion enrollees have more than a month of a break in Medicaid coverage, they can’t re-enroll under the ACA terms.</p>
<p>The Commonwealth Fund has written about the problem of <a href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/in-the-literature/2015/jul/reducing-medicaid-churning" type="external">“churning”</a> in Medicaid, where people cycle in and out of coverage since eligibility is determined on monthly income. Seasonal work or changing jobs, for instance, can cause individuals to qualify some months but not others. The Commonwealth Fund <a href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/blog/2017/mar/why-millions-would-lose-coverage-under-affordable-care-act-repeal-bill" type="external">said</a> its survey data on gaps in coverage “indicate that millions of people with Medicaid will lose their coverage” under the GOP health care bill.</p>
<p>CBO agrees that this churn would occur, saying that it “projects that fewer than one-third of those enrolled as of December 31, 2019, would have maintained continuous eligibility two years later.”</p>
<p>Others who would not have Medicaid coverage under the GOP plan but would have it under current law are would-be future enrollees that CBO “projects would be made eligible as a result of state actions in the future under current law (that is, from additional states adopting the optional expansion of eligibility authorized by the ACA).” The CBO report (see Figure 1 on page 36) says that of the 14 million who wouldn’t have Medicaid coverage under the Republican bill in 2026, about 5 million would have been new enrollees from this future projected expansion.</p>
<p>And there are other complicating factors: CBO expects 7 million fewer people to have employer-provided coverage in 2026. That’s partly due to fewer employees signing up for coverage without an individual mandate enticing them to do so and partly due to fewer employers offering coverage because they no longer would face penalties for not providing it.</p>
<p>The continuous coverage provision of the Republican bill — which would allow insurers on the nongroup market to charge a 30 percent higher premium to those with a gap in coverage of more than 63 days — could induce about 1 million people to buy coverage in 2018 to avoid that charge in the future, CBO estimates. But in subsequent years, about 2 million fewer people would buy coverage because of this surcharge.</p>
<p>Here’s the CBO’s chart on the estimated changes in insurance coverage:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The CBO estimates clearly show that 24 million fewer Americans would have insurance under the GOP bill, compared with current law. But that’s a figure that involves fluctuations in coverage. Not all of them would&#160;lose insurance “that they currently have,” as Sanders said, and some would choose not to be covered.</p>
<p>The Democrats weren’t alone in spinning the CBO report.</p>
<p>Mick Mulvaney, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the CBO report confirmed the GOP philosophy that a free market would reduce premiums. “The numbers that I’ve seen in the first glance is that the CBO says that premiums will go down by at least 10 percent with this plan,” Mulvaney told reporters in a briefing shortly after CBO released its report.</p>
<p>Premiums, on the nongroup market, will not “go down” from what they are right now. They will just be lower than what they would be under the ACA, on average, by 2026.&#160;Also, Mulvaney ignores two other important points: Average premiums will sharply increase in the first two years, and older Americans will see substantial increases in the short- and long-run.</p>
<p>The CBO report says that in 2018 and 2019 “average premiums for single policyholders in the nongroup market would be 15 percent to 20 percent higher than under current law.” But, by 2026, average premiums “would be roughly 10 percent lower than the estimates under current law.”</p>
<p>As for older Americans, the GOP plan would allow insurers to charge them up to five times as much as younger people. Under the ACA, the ratio was 3:1. That “would directly change the premiums faced by different age groups,” CBO said.</p>
<p>For example, CBO said that premiums would be “20 percent to 25 percent higher for a 64-year-old” by 2026, even though average premiums would be 10 percent lower compared with current law.</p>
| false | 2 |
nonpartisan congressional budget offices analysis republican health care bill released let spinning begin democrats overstate cbo said impact health insurance white house budget director oversells impact premiums video posted website facebook160on march 13160sen bernie sanders claimed gop legislation would throw 24 million americans health insurance currently including 14 million lose health insurance next year reps160richard neal massachusetts frank pallone jr new jersey ranking members house ways means energy commerce committees respectively said joint statement bill would rip away health insurance 24 million americans next decade claims go far analysis cbo joint committee taxation say 24 million fewer americans would insured american health care act current law 2026 14 million fewer would insured next year would insurance ripped away would losing insurance currently numbers represent complicated mix losing insurance deciding others gaining others insurance160in future lets go cbo numbers 2018 14 million people would uninsured legislation current law due american health care acts immediate elimination individual mandate insurance pay tax cbo said cbo doesnt give specific numbers says people would choose insurance chose covered insurance current law avoid paying penalties people would forgo insurance response higher premiums six million 14 million reduction comes decrease insured nongroup market including aca marketplaces dont employer government insurance buy coverage five million comes reduction medicaid coverage 2 million decline employerbased coverage people wouldnt thrown insurance instead theyd make decision others could affected higher premiums brought gop plan cbo estimates premiums nongroup market would go 2018 2019 due healthy people leaving market since required insurance fewer healthy people nongroup market overall costs increase subsequent years circumstances change gop plans agebased tax credits replace affordable care acts incomebased tax credits beginning 2020 cbo expects increase premiums offset 2020 factors including young people nongroup insurance pool older lowincome americans nongroup market could see substantially higher costs future years gop plan insurers would allowed charge older people agebased tax credits wouldnt large enough offset premium increases factors mean makeup nongroup market buys coverage doesnt would significantly different gop plan current law particularly income age cbo said 2026 cbo estimates 2 million fewer would nongroup insurance republican bill 2018 2026 reduction number insured compared current law would stem large part changes medicaid enrollment cbo said 2026 medicaid enrollment would 14 million lower gop bill current law thats due republican changes medicaid expansion funding statefederal program low incomes states would discontinue expansion eligibility some160states would expanded eligibility future would choose perenrollee spending program160would capped cbo said certainly wouldnt medicaid coverage republican plan would affordable care act could described insurance taken away bill phases medicaid expansion aca beginning 2020 doesnt eliminate expanded coverage enhanced federal matching funds enrolled time expansion enrollees month break medicaid coverage cant reenroll aca terms commonwealth fund written problem churning medicaid people cycle coverage since eligibility determined monthly income seasonal work changing jobs instance cause individuals qualify months others commonwealth fund said survey data gaps coverage indicate millions people medicaid lose coverage gop health care bill cbo agrees churn would occur saying projects fewer onethird enrolled december 31 2019 would maintained continuous eligibility two years later others would medicaid coverage gop plan would current law wouldbe future enrollees cbo projects would made eligible result state actions future current law additional states adopting optional expansion eligibility authorized aca cbo report see figure 1 page 36 says 14 million wouldnt medicaid coverage republican bill 2026 5 million would new enrollees future projected expansion complicating factors cbo expects 7 million fewer people employerprovided coverage 2026 thats partly due fewer employees signing coverage without individual mandate enticing partly due fewer employers offering coverage longer would face penalties providing continuous coverage provision republican bill would allow insurers nongroup market charge 30 percent higher premium gap coverage 63 days could induce 1 million people buy coverage 2018 avoid charge future cbo estimates subsequent years 2 million fewer people would buy coverage surcharge heres cbos chart estimated changes insurance coverage cbo estimates clearly show 24 million fewer americans would insurance gop bill compared current law thats figure involves fluctuations coverage would160lose insurance currently sanders said would choose covered democrats werent alone spinning cbo report mick mulvaney director white house office management budget said cbo report confirmed gop philosophy free market would reduce premiums numbers ive seen first glance cbo says premiums go least 10 percent plan mulvaney told reporters briefing shortly cbo released report premiums nongroup market go right lower would aca average 2026160also mulvaney ignores two important points average premiums sharply increase first two years older americans see substantial increases short longrun cbo report says 2018 2019 average premiums single policyholders nongroup market would 15 percent 20 percent higher current law 2026 average premiums would roughly 10 percent lower estimates current law older americans gop plan would allow insurers charge five times much younger people aca ratio 31 would directly change premiums faced different age groups cbo said example cbo said premiums would 20 percent 25 percent higher 64yearold 2026 even though average premiums would 10 percent lower compared current law
| 827 |
<p>Jan 24 (Reuters) - Somnomed Ltd:</p> * ‍QTRLY REVENUES GREW BY 45% TO $18.5 MILLION​
<p>* ‍EXPECT GROUP REVENUES TO GROW BETWEEN 35% AND 40%, CLOSE TO $70 MILLION FOR FY</p> * HY GROUP NET EBITDA LOSS OF $3.4 MILLION
<p>* ‍EXPECTS NEGATIVE GROUP EBITDA OF $3.5 TO $4 MILLION​ FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 2017/18 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering vetoing Congress’ $1.3 trillion spending bill over immigration issues, including full funding for his proposed border wall and young ‘Dreamer’ immigrants.</p> U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in a forum called Generation Next at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
<p>“I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded,” Trump wrote on Twitter.</p>
<p>Reporting by Susan Heavey and Justin Mitchell; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) - At least one person was killed when a man took hostages in a supermarket in the southwestern French town of Trebes on Friday, the mayor told BFM TV. The station reported that the hostage-taker has claimed allegiance to Islamic State.</p>
<p>(Graphic: France hostages - <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2pCMp4m" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2pCMp4m</a>)</p>
<p>Mayor Eric Menassi also told LCI TV that the man had entered the shop screaming “Allahu Akbar, (God is greatest) I’ll kill you all”.</p>
<p>Another person was hurt but their condition was not known, Menassi said. The hostage-taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket and all other hostages had been freed, he added.</p>
<p>LCI TV said the second victim was also dead and that 12 people were injured.</p>
<p>“All the information we have as I speak lead us to think that this would be a terrorist act,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.</p> Police are seen at the scene of a hostage situation in a supermarket in Trebes, Aude, France March 23, 2018 in this picture obtained from a social media video. LA VIE A TREBES/via REUTERS
<p>More than 240 people have been killed in France in attacks since 2015 by assailants who pledged allegiance to, or were inspired by, Islamic State.</p>
<p>A police source had said earlier that eight people were being held hostage and that the hostage-taker had shot at a police officer.</p> Police are seen at the scene of a hostage situation in a supermarket in Trebes, Aude, France March 23, 2018 in this picture obtained from a social media video. LA VIE A TREBES/via REUTERS
<p>Reuters pictures showed police in helmets and body armor in positions around the Super-U supermarket.</p>
<p>The Paris prosecutor’s office said counter-terrorism prosecutors were investigating the incident but did not comment on the possible Islamic State allegiance.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-france-security-abdeslam/france-hostage-taker-wants-paris-attack-suspect-freed-bfm-tv-idUSKBN1GZ1U1" type="external">France hostage taker wants Paris attack suspect freed: BFM TV</a>
<a href="/article/us-france-security-spokesman/interior-ministry-spokesman-says-cannot-confirm-two-killed-in-france-hostage-situation-idUSKBN1GZ1RU" type="external">Interior ministry spokesman says cannot confirm two killed in France hostage situation</a>
<p>Earlier, the Interior Ministry had said security forces were carrying out an operation at a supermarket in southern France. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb was on his way.</p>
<p>“There is an ongoing situation ... in the town of Trebes, where shots have been heard and a man entrenched himself in a supermarket,” Philippe said. “It’s a serious situation.”</p>
<p>The UNSA police union also said on Twitter a police operation was underway after an individual had earlier shot at four officers in the Carcassone region, wounding one of them.</p>
<p>Reporting by Johanna Decorse in Toulouse, Leigh Thomas, Emmanuel Jarry and Bate Felix in Paris; Writing by Ingrid Melander and David Stamp; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders called on U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday to make permanent an EU exemption from U.S. metal import duties, saying they reserved the right to respond “in a proportionate manner” to protect the bloc’s interests.</p> Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker attend the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 23, 2018. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via Reuters
<p>The 40-day exemption granted by Washington was like U.S. President Donald Trump “putting a gun to our head”, Belgium’s prime minister complained. The EU’s trade chief demanded that the United States drop “artificial deadlines”.</p>
<p>Trump said on Thursday he would suspend tariffs for the EU, the United States’ biggest trading partner, as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. The tariffs are suspended until May 1 as discussions continue.</p>
<p>In a joint statement, EU heads of state and government, meeting for a summit in Brussels, said the measures could not be justified on national security grounds - the basis cited by Washington - and that the exemption should be permanent.</p>
<p>“The European Council regrets the decision by the United States to impose import tariffs on steel and aluminum,” they said. “Sector-wide protection in the U.S. is an inappropriate remedy for the real problems of overcapacity.”</p>
<p>The leaders also said they supported steps taken by the European Commission to respond to the U.S. measures “as appropriate and in a proportionate manner”.</p>
<p>Cecilia Malmstrom, the trade commissioner who negotiates on behalf of the 28 nations, said Europeans did not want to be penalized by actions prompted largely by accusations of Chinese dumping and said Washington and Brussels should be cooperating.</p>
<p>“The U.S. and EU should be tackling such issues together. We now look forward to pursuing a dialogue with the U.S. on trade issues of common concern, such as global steel overcapacity,” she said on Twitter.</p>
<p>“These discussions between allies and partners should not be subject to artificial deadlines.”</p> Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
<p>German industry, aware that Trump has warned he could raise duties on EU cars, welcomed the reprieve but said the threat of a trade war had not disappeared.</p>
<p>“We still have the threat of escalating global trade conflict. And U.s. President Donald Trump will demand a price for the tariff exclusion,” Thilo Brodtman, head of Germany’s VDMA engineering federation said in a statement.</p>
<p>European steelmakers group Eurofer said the danger to the EU market had not disappeared, with the exemption only temporary, and that the EU needed its own quotas or tariffs to stop steel otherwise bound for the United States from flooding into Europe.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Europe says it wants to avert a trade war but the European Commission has proposed a series of measures if the White House hits EU producers.</p>
<p>It would launch a challenge at the World Trade Organization, consider measures to prevent a surge of metal imports into Europe and impose import duties on U.S. products to “rebalance” EU-U.S. trade. Malmstrom said the EU was keeping its options open.</p>
<p>The counter-measures would include EU tariffs on U.S. orange juice, tobacco, bourbon and Harley-Davidson Inc motorcycles.</p>
<p>Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the EU did not want a trade war but would respond “firmly” if the president took “the wrong decision”.</p>
<p>Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel underlined the irritation among some EU leaders at Trump’s negotiating tactics.</p>
<p>“I have the impression that the U.S. leader wants to negotiate with the European Union by putting a gun to our head,” Michel said as he arrived at the EU summit.</p>
<p>“That’s a strange way to negotiate with an ally.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan in Frankfurt and Paul Carrel in Berlin; writing by Richard Lough; editing by Noah Barkin and Philip Blenkinsop</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Friday to “pull back from the brink” as President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods moved the world’s two largest economies closer to a trade war.</p>
<p>The escalating tensions sent shivers through financial markets as investors foresaw dire consequences for the global economy if trade barriers start going up.</p>
<p>Trump is planning to impose the tariffs for what he says is misappropriation of U.S. intellectual property. A probe was launched last year under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act.</p>
<p>“China doesn’t hope to be in a trade war, but is not afraid of engaging in one,” the Chinese commerce ministry responded in a statement.</p>
<p>“China hopes the United States will pull back from the brink, make prudent decisions, and avoid dragging bilateral trade relations to a dangerous place.”</p>
<p>In a presidential memorandum signed by Trump on Thursday, there will be a 30-day consultation period that only starts once a list of Chinese goods is published. That effectively creates room for potential talks to address Trump’s allegations on intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers.</p>
<p>Though the White House has said the planned tariffs were a response to China’s “economic aggression”, Trump said he views China as “a friend” and the two sides are in negotiations.</p>
<p>A Chinese commerce ministry official said both sides were in touch.</p>
<p>Still, it is unclear under what terms China and the U.S. are willing to talk, with Beijing adamant that the U.S. tariffs constitute a unilateral move that it rejects.</p>
<p>China has always said it will not hold talks with the U.S. within the framework of the Section 301 probe, Chen Fuli, director-general of the commerce ministry’s department of treaty and law, told reporters.</p>
<p>“Currently, we are not looking to get in a negotiation again,” a senior U.S. official told reporters in Beijing.</p>
<p>If China wants to avoid U.S. tariffs, it needs to start taking concrete action, the official said, adding that Washington has not given Beijing any to-do list to remedy trade ties.</p>
<p>(U.S. imports from China: <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2FMsz1Q" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2FMsz1Q</a>)</p>
<p>(U.S. trade in goods with China: <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2GcOZIH" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2GcOZIH</a>)</p> READY TO RETALIATE
<p>China showed readiness to retaliate by declaring plans to levy additional duties on up to $3 billion of U.S. imports including fruit and wine in response to U.S. import tariffs on steel and aluminum, which were due to go into effect on Friday.</p>
<p>The inevitable fall in demand from a full-blown trade war would spell trouble for all economies supplying the United States and China.</p>
<p>Feeling the chill, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 2.5 percent, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street. China’s main indexes tumbled the most in six weeks, skidding up to 3.6 percent.</p> FILE PHOTO - A worker checks steel wires at a warehouse in Dalian, Liaoning province, China May 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
<p>“Today’s (U.S.) tariffs amount to no more than a slap on the wrist for China,” Mark Williams, Chief Asia Economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note. “China won’t change its ways. Worries about escalation therefore won’t go away.”</p>
<p>Williams estimated that the $506 billion that China exported to the United States drove around 2.5 percent of its total gross domestic product, and the $50-60 billion targeted by the U.S. tariffs contributed just around 0.25 percent.</p>
<p>Trump, however, appears intent on fulfilling election promises to reduce the record U.S. trade deficit with China. A commentary published by the official Xinhua news agency said the United States had adopted a “Cold War mentality”, and “panic” over China’s economic rise was driving Washington’s confrontational approach.</p>
<p>U.S. multi-nationals at a business gathering in Shanghai were warned by Stephen Roach, a Yale University economist, “to prepare for the worst” and make contingency plans until calmer heads prevail.</p>
<p>Roach said he could foresee “the Chinese government moving to restrict, in some form or another, the financial as well as the supply chain activities of American companies operating in this country.”</p>
<p>Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China would not hold back in retaliating.</p> Slideshow (4 Images)
<p>“It’s impolite not to give as good as one gets,” Hua told reporters.</p> LOW HANGING FRUIT
<p>Alarm over Trump’s protectionist leanings mounted earlier this month after he imposed hefty import tariffs on steel and aluminum under Section 232 of the 1962 U.S. Trade Expansion Act, which allows safeguards based on “national security”.</p>
<p>On Friday, Trump gave Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Korea and the European Union temporary exemptions. China was not exempted even though it was a far smaller supplier than Canada or South Korea.</p>
<p>Also omitted from the exemption list was U.S. ally Japan, though a government spokesman said Tokyo would press to be included. And Finance Minister Taro Aso expressed empathy with Washington over protecting intellectual property.</p>
<p>China’s retaliation against the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum appeared restrained.</p> Related Coverage
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<a href="/article/us-usa-trade-china-pork/u-s-pork-to-feel-further-chill-from-china-tariff-threat-idUSKBN1GZ1FW" type="external">U.S. pork to feel further chill from China tariff threat</a>
<p>China has drawn a list of 128 U.S. products that could be hit with tariffs if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry said.</p>
<p>Without giving a timeframe, the commerce ministry said China was considering implementing measures in two stages: first a 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes, dried fruit and wine worth $977 million, and later, a 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and recycled aluminum.</p>
<p>U.S. wine exports to China last year were $79 million, according to the U.S. Wine Institute, which represents Californian wine makers.</p>
<p>Fruit growers in California, Florida, Michigan and Washington all stood to lose as China’s list also included close to 80 fruit and nut products. The U.S. exported $669 million of fruit, frozen juice and nuts to China last year, and it was the top supplier of apples, cherries, walnuts and almonds.</p>
<p>“With the restrained response, China hopes Trump can realize his errors and mend his ways,” said Xu Hongcai, deputy chief economist at the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, a Beijing think tank.</p>
<p>“If we really want to counter, the strongest response would be to target soybean and automobiles. China is drawing its bow but not firing. We still have some cards to play.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by John Ruwitch, Elias Glenn, Dominique Patton, Josephine Mason, Ben Blanchard, Christian Shepherd, Meng Meng, Tom Daly, Wang Jing and Lusha Zhang; Editing By Simon Cameron-Moore</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 24 reuters somnomed ltd qtrly revenues grew 45 185 million expect group revenues grow 35 40 close 70 million fy hy group net ebitda loss 34 million expects negative group ebitda 35 4 million financial year 201718 source text eikon company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trump said friday considering vetoing congress 13 trillion spending bill immigration issues including full funding proposed border wall young dreamer immigrants us president donald trump takes part forum called generation next eisenhower executive office building washington us march 22 2018 reutersleah millis considering veto omnibus spending bill based fact 800000 plus daca recipients totally abandoned democrats even mentioned bill border wall desperately needed national defense fully funded trump wrote twitter reporting susan heavey justin mitchell editing jeffrey benkoe standards thomson reuters trust principles toulouse france reuters least one person killed man took hostages supermarket southwestern french town trebes friday mayor told bfm tv station reported hostagetaker claimed allegiance islamic state graphic france hostages tmsnrtrs2pcmp4m mayor eric menassi also told lci tv man entered shop screaming allahu akbar god greatest ill kill another person hurt condition known menassi said hostagetaker alone one police officer supermarket hostages freed added lci tv said second victim also dead 12 people injured information speak lead us think would terrorist act prime minister edouard philippe said police seen scene hostage situation supermarket trebes aude france march 23 2018 picture obtained social media video la vie trebesvia reuters 240 people killed france attacks since 2015 assailants pledged allegiance inspired islamic state police source said earlier eight people held hostage hostagetaker shot police officer police seen scene hostage situation supermarket trebes aude france march 23 2018 picture obtained social media video la vie trebesvia reuters reuters pictures showed police helmets body armor positions around superu supermarket paris prosecutors office said counterterrorism prosecutors investigating incident comment possible islamic state allegiance related coverage france hostage taker wants paris attack suspect freed bfm tv interior ministry spokesman says confirm two killed france hostage situation earlier interior ministry said security forces carrying operation supermarket southern france interior minister gerard collomb way ongoing situation town trebes shots heard man entrenched supermarket philippe said serious situation unsa police union also said twitter police operation underway individual earlier shot four officers carcassone region wounding one reporting johanna decorse toulouse leigh thomas emmanuel jarry bate felix paris writing ingrid melander david stamp editing matthew mpoke bigg standards thomson reuters trust principles brussels reuters european union leaders called us president donald trump friday make permanent eu exemption us metal import duties saying reserved right respond proportionate manner protect blocs interests belgiums prime minister charles michel european commission president jeanclaude juncker attend european union leaders summit brussels belgium march 23 2018 olivier hosletpool via reuters 40day exemption granted washington like us president donald trump putting gun head belgiums prime minister complained eus trade chief demanded united states drop artificial deadlines trump said thursday would suspend tariffs eu united states biggest trading partner well argentina australia brazil canada mexico south korea tariffs suspended may 1 discussions continue joint statement eu heads state government meeting summit brussels said measures could justified national security grounds basis cited washington exemption permanent european council regrets decision united states impose import tariffs steel aluminum said sectorwide protection us inappropriate remedy real problems overcapacity leaders also said supported steps taken european commission respond us measures appropriate proportionate manner cecilia malmstrom trade commissioner negotiates behalf 28 nations said europeans want penalized actions prompted largely accusations chinese dumping said washington brussels cooperating us eu tackling issues together look forward pursuing dialogue us trade issues common concern global steel overcapacity said twitter discussions allies partners subject artificial deadlines britains prime minister theresa may leaves european union leaders summit brussels belgium march 23 2018 reutersfrancois lenoir german industry aware trump warned could raise duties eu cars welcomed reprieve said threat trade war disappeared still threat escalating global trade conflict us president donald trump demand price tariff exclusion thilo brodtman head germanys vdma engineering federation said statement european steelmakers group eurofer said danger eu market disappeared exemption temporary eu needed quotas tariffs stop steel otherwise bound united states flooding europe slideshow 3 images europe says wants avert trade war european commission proposed series measures white house hits eu producers would launch challenge world trade organization consider measures prevent surge metal imports europe impose import duties us products rebalance euus trade malmstrom said eu keeping options open countermeasures would include eu tariffs us orange juice tobacco bourbon harleydavidson inc motorcycles austrian chancellor sebastian kurz said eu want trade war would respond firmly president took wrong decision belgian prime minister charles michel underlined irritation among eu leaders trumps negotiating tactics impression us leader wants negotiate european union putting gun head michel said arrived eu summit thats strange way negotiate ally additional reporting georgina prodhan frankfurt paul carrel berlin writing richard lough editing noah barkin philip blenkinsop standards thomson reuters trust principles beijingshanghai reuters china urged united states friday pull back brink president donald trumps plans tariffs 60 billion chinese goods moved worlds two largest economies closer trade war escalating tensions sent shivers financial markets investors foresaw dire consequences global economy trade barriers start going trump planning impose tariffs says misappropriation us intellectual property probe launched last year section 301 1974 us trade act china doesnt hope trade war afraid engaging one chinese commerce ministry responded statement china hopes united states pull back brink make prudent decisions avoid dragging bilateral trade relations dangerous place presidential memorandum signed trump thursday 30day consultation period starts list chinese goods published effectively creates room potential talks address trumps allegations intellectual property theft forced technology transfers though white house said planned tariffs response chinas economic aggression trump said views china friend two sides negotiations chinese commerce ministry official said sides touch still unclear terms china us willing talk beijing adamant us tariffs constitute unilateral move rejects china always said hold talks us within framework section 301 probe chen fuli directorgeneral commerce ministrys department treaty law told reporters currently looking get negotiation senior us official told reporters beijing china wants avoid us tariffs needs start taking concrete action official said adding washington given beijing todo list remedy trade ties us imports china tmsnrtrs2fmsz1q us trade goods china tmsnrtrs2gcozih ready retaliate china showed readiness retaliate declaring plans levy additional duties 3 billion us imports including fruit wine response us import tariffs steel aluminum due go effect friday inevitable fall demand fullblown trade war would spell trouble economies supplying united states china feeling chill mscis broadest index asiapacific shares outside japan fell 25 percent tracking heavy losses wall street chinas main indexes tumbled six weeks skidding 36 percent file photo worker checks steel wires warehouse dalian liaoning province china may 15 2017 reutersstringer todays us tariffs amount slap wrist china mark williams chief asia economist capital economics wrote note china wont change ways worries escalation therefore wont go away williams estimated 506 billion china exported united states drove around 25 percent total gross domestic product 5060 billion targeted us tariffs contributed around 025 percent trump however appears intent fulfilling election promises reduce record us trade deficit china commentary published official xinhua news agency said united states adopted cold war mentality panic chinas economic rise driving washingtons confrontational approach us multinationals business gathering shanghai warned stephen roach yale university economist prepare worst make contingency plans calmer heads prevail roach said could foresee chinese government moving restrict form another financial well supply chain activities american companies operating country foreign ministry spokeswoman hua chunying said china would hold back retaliating slideshow 4 images impolite give good one gets hua told reporters low hanging fruit alarm trumps protectionist leanings mounted earlier month imposed hefty import tariffs steel aluminum section 232 1962 us trade expansion act allows safeguards based national security friday trump gave canada mexico argentina australia brazil south korea european union temporary exemptions china exempted even though far smaller supplier canada south korea also omitted exemption list us ally japan though government spokesman said tokyo would press included finance minister taro aso expressed empathy washington protecting intellectual property chinas retaliation us tariffs steel aluminum appeared restrained related coverage oh nuts china shoppers lament tariffs us almonds pistachio fruit eu complains trumps gun head tariffs us pork feel chill china tariff threat china drawn list 128 us products could hit tariffs two countries unable reach agreement trade issues ministry said without giving timeframe commerce ministry said china considering implementing measures two stages first 15 percent tariff 120 products including steel pipes dried fruit wine worth 977 million later 25 percent tariff 199 billion pork recycled aluminum us wine exports china last year 79 million according us wine institute represents californian wine makers fruit growers california florida michigan washington stood lose chinas list also included close 80 fruit nut products us exported 669 million fruit frozen juice nuts china last year top supplier apples cherries walnuts almonds restrained response china hopes trump realize errors mend ways said xu hongcai deputy chief economist china centre international economic exchanges beijing think tank really want counter strongest response would target soybean automobiles china drawing bow firing still cards play additional reporting john ruwitch elias glenn dominique patton josephine mason ben blanchard christian shepherd meng meng tom daly wang jing lusha zhang editing simon cameronmoore standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>SHERBROOKE, Quebec (AP) — Three men charged in a criminal negligence trial stemming from a 2013 derailment that killed 47 people in the Canadian province of Quebec have all been found not guilty.</p>
<p>The jury of eight men and four women reached the verdict Friday after nine days of deliberations.</p>
<p>A runaway train carrying crude oil from North Dakota derailed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec and exploded on July 6, 2013, levelling much of the downtown.</p>
<p>Engineer Tom Harding and former colleagues Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre each faced one count of criminal negligence causing the death of 47 people. They pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p>Labrie was the traffic controller and Demaitre was the manager of train operations.</p>
<p>The prosecution argued that Harding played a significant role in the accident because he didn’t apply a sufficient number of brakes or test them to ensure they worked properly after leaving the train for the night in nearby Nantes, Quebec.</p>
<p>That left the locomotive resting precariously on a slope 10 kilometers (6 miles) away from downtown Lac-Megantic.</p>
<p>The prosecution also blamed Labrie and Demaitre, arguing their responsibilities included taking the necessary steps to avoid injuries and loss of life the night before the derailment.</p>
<p>The prosecution claimed neither man checked with Harding to see how many handbrakes had been applied and whether tests had been conducted.</p>
<p>Tom Walsh, a lawyer for Harding, said his client was too emotional to speak but said he feels relieved.</p>
<p>“He always admitted his responsibility. His only claim was that the responsibility was not the equivalent of criminal negligence,” Walsh said.</p>
<p>“He’s very marked by this experience and he will always feel a tremendous moral responsibility and he will never be able to rid himself of that feeling.”</p>
<p>Walsh said a public inquiry would have been more appropriate so that all the circumstances of the tragedy could be determined.</p>
<p>Prosecutor Veronique Beauchamp said it is too early to say there will be an appeal.</p>
<p>“You’ll understand it is not necessarily the decision we were expecting but we respect the verdicts that were handed down and, especially, the work the jurors put in,” Beauchamp said.</p>
<p>A tearful Labrie said he just wants to go back to being anonymous.</p>
<p>“I’m certainly very relieved,” he said.</p>
<p>One of Harding’s lawyers said the rail disaster was an accident resulting from a perfect storm of unforeseeable events.</p>
<p>“We can’t hold people criminally responsible for not being perfect,” lawyer Charles Shearson told the court during the trial. Shearson said Harding admitted to not conducting a proper brake test and failing to apply a sufficient number of handbrakes, which would have prevented the train from moving after its engine was shut off.</p>
<p>He suggested that evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway didn’t require its employees to perform brake tests perfectly in line with the federal regulations.</p>
<p>SHERBROOKE, Quebec (AP) — Three men charged in a criminal negligence trial stemming from a 2013 derailment that killed 47 people in the Canadian province of Quebec have all been found not guilty.</p>
<p>The jury of eight men and four women reached the verdict Friday after nine days of deliberations.</p>
<p>A runaway train carrying crude oil from North Dakota derailed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec and exploded on July 6, 2013, levelling much of the downtown.</p>
<p>Engineer Tom Harding and former colleagues Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre each faced one count of criminal negligence causing the death of 47 people. They pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p>Labrie was the traffic controller and Demaitre was the manager of train operations.</p>
<p>The prosecution argued that Harding played a significant role in the accident because he didn’t apply a sufficient number of brakes or test them to ensure they worked properly after leaving the train for the night in nearby Nantes, Quebec.</p>
<p>That left the locomotive resting precariously on a slope 10 kilometers (6 miles) away from downtown Lac-Megantic.</p>
<p>The prosecution also blamed Labrie and Demaitre, arguing their responsibilities included taking the necessary steps to avoid injuries and loss of life the night before the derailment.</p>
<p>The prosecution claimed neither man checked with Harding to see how many handbrakes had been applied and whether tests had been conducted.</p>
<p>Tom Walsh, a lawyer for Harding, said his client was too emotional to speak but said he feels relieved.</p>
<p>“He always admitted his responsibility. His only claim was that the responsibility was not the equivalent of criminal negligence,” Walsh said.</p>
<p>“He’s very marked by this experience and he will always feel a tremendous moral responsibility and he will never be able to rid himself of that feeling.”</p>
<p>Walsh said a public inquiry would have been more appropriate so that all the circumstances of the tragedy could be determined.</p>
<p>Prosecutor Veronique Beauchamp said it is too early to say there will be an appeal.</p>
<p>“You’ll understand it is not necessarily the decision we were expecting but we respect the verdicts that were handed down and, especially, the work the jurors put in,” Beauchamp said.</p>
<p>A tearful Labrie said he just wants to go back to being anonymous.</p>
<p>“I’m certainly very relieved,” he said.</p>
<p>One of Harding’s lawyers said the rail disaster was an accident resulting from a perfect storm of unforeseeable events.</p>
<p>“We can’t hold people criminally responsible for not being perfect,” lawyer Charles Shearson told the court during the trial. Shearson said Harding admitted to not conducting a proper brake test and failing to apply a sufficient number of handbrakes, which would have prevented the train from moving after its engine was shut off.</p>
<p>He suggested that evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway didn’t require its employees to perform brake tests perfectly in line with the federal regulations.</p>
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sherbrooke quebec ap three men charged criminal negligence trial stemming 2013 derailment killed 47 people canadian province quebec found guilty jury eight men four women reached verdict friday nine days deliberations runaway train carrying crude oil north dakota derailed lacmegantic quebec exploded july 6 2013 levelling much downtown engineer tom harding former colleagues richard labrie jean demaitre faced one count criminal negligence causing death 47 people pleaded guilty labrie traffic controller demaitre manager train operations prosecution argued harding played significant role accident didnt apply sufficient number brakes test ensure worked properly leaving train night nearby nantes quebec left locomotive resting precariously slope 10 kilometers 6 miles away downtown lacmegantic prosecution also blamed labrie demaitre arguing responsibilities included taking necessary steps avoid injuries loss life night derailment prosecution claimed neither man checked harding see many handbrakes applied whether tests conducted tom walsh lawyer harding said client emotional speak said feels relieved always admitted responsibility claim responsibility equivalent criminal negligence walsh said hes marked experience always feel tremendous moral responsibility never able rid feeling walsh said public inquiry would appropriate circumstances tragedy could determined prosecutor veronique beauchamp said early say appeal youll understand necessarily decision expecting respect verdicts handed especially work jurors put beauchamp said tearful labrie said wants go back anonymous im certainly relieved said one hardings lawyers said rail disaster accident resulting perfect storm unforeseeable events cant hold people criminally responsible perfect lawyer charles shearson told court trial shearson said harding admitted conducting proper brake test failing apply sufficient number handbrakes would prevented train moving engine shut suggested evidence presented trial demonstrated montreal maine atlantic railway didnt require employees perform brake tests perfectly line federal regulations sherbrooke quebec ap three men charged criminal negligence trial stemming 2013 derailment killed 47 people canadian province quebec found guilty jury eight men four women reached verdict friday nine days deliberations runaway train carrying crude oil north dakota derailed lacmegantic quebec exploded july 6 2013 levelling much downtown engineer tom harding former colleagues richard labrie jean demaitre faced one count criminal negligence causing death 47 people pleaded guilty labrie traffic controller demaitre manager train operations prosecution argued harding played significant role accident didnt apply sufficient number brakes test ensure worked properly leaving train night nearby nantes quebec left locomotive resting precariously slope 10 kilometers 6 miles away downtown lacmegantic prosecution also blamed labrie demaitre arguing responsibilities included taking necessary steps avoid injuries loss life night derailment prosecution claimed neither man checked harding see many handbrakes applied whether tests conducted tom walsh lawyer harding said client emotional speak said feels relieved always admitted responsibility claim responsibility equivalent criminal negligence walsh said hes marked experience always feel tremendous moral responsibility never able rid feeling walsh said public inquiry would appropriate circumstances tragedy could determined prosecutor veronique beauchamp said early say appeal youll understand necessarily decision expecting respect verdicts handed especially work jurors put beauchamp said tearful labrie said wants go back anonymous im certainly relieved said one hardings lawyers said rail disaster accident resulting perfect storm unforeseeable events cant hold people criminally responsible perfect lawyer charles shearson told court trial shearson said harding admitted conducting proper brake test failing apply sufficient number handbrakes would prevented train moving engine shut suggested evidence presented trial demonstrated montreal maine atlantic railway didnt require employees perform brake tests perfectly line federal regulations
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<p>The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a New Mexico case in which a man sued Sandia Resort and Casino over what the tribe characterized as a malfunctioning slot machine that had displayed a $1.6 million jackpot.</p>
<p>Attorney Sam Bregman, who represents retired Albuquerque city worker Gary Hoffman, said Wednesday the Supreme Court’s refusal to take the case ends Hoffman’s legal battle.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>He said his client is disappointed.</p>
<p>“The law of the land in New Mexico is if someone’s not paid at a Native American casino, they have very little recourse,” Bregman said.</p>
<p>Sandia attorney David Mielke said the Supreme Court’s decision “was hardly a surprise, given the clear language” of the state gaming compact with tribes and federal law.</p>
<p>A state District Court had dismissed Hoffman’s lawsuit, and the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld that decision.</p>
<p>The rulings supported Sandia Pueblo’s position the tribe can’t be sued because of its sovereign immunity. The state Supreme Court declined to take the case.</p>
<p>Some immunity is waived under New Mexico’s tribal gaming compact but those instances are limited to personal liability, such as slip-and-fall lawsuits, and issues involving damage to property, Mielke has said.</p>
<p>Hoffman’s dispute started in 2006, when he thought he had won $1.6 million on a nickel slot machine at Sandia Pueblo’s casino just north of Albuquerque, only to be told by casino managers the machine had malfunctioned.</p>
<p>Bregman said Hoffman received $385 and two dinner passes.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mielke has said the particular slot machine offered a maximum payout of $2,500, and a disclaimer mounted on the front panel of the machine told gamblers that.</p>
<p>The Sandia casino “values its customers but that doesn’t mean someone playing a nickel slot machine is going to get a $1.6 million payout when a machine malfunctions,” he said Wednesday.</p>
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<p>Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:24</p>
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<p>The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a New Mexico case in which a man sued Sandia Resort and Casino over what the tribe characterized as a malfunctioning slot machine that had displayed a $1.6 million jackpot.</p>
<p>Attorney Sam Bregman, who represents retired Albuquerque city worker Gary Hoffman, said the Supreme Court’s refusal to take the case ends Hoffman’s legal battle.</p>
<p>He said his client is disappointed.</p>
<p>A state District Court had dismissed Hoffman’s lawsuit, and the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld that decision.</p>
<p>The rulings supported Sandia Pueblo’s position the tribe can’t be sued because of its sovereign immunity.</p>
<p>Sandia attorney David Mielke was not available for comment Wednesday.</p>
<p>But he has said there’s nothing to debate since sovereignty is an endowed right for tribes.</p>
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<p>Sunday, August 15, 2010</p>
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<p>A New Mexico attorney says Native American gambling casinos have become big business, such an expansive enterprise that he says they should be exempted from a cornerstone of Indian legal authority — tribal sovereignty.</p>
<p>Sam Bregman has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case where a client, retired Albuquerque city worker Gary Hoffman, sued Sandia Resort and Casino over what the tribe characterized as a malfunctioning slot machine that displayed a $1.6 million jackpot.</p>
<p>Bregman represented Hoffman in a lawsuit, but a state District Court judge dismissed it, and the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Both rulings supported Sandia Pueblo’s position that the tribe can’t be sued because of the tribe’s sovereign immunity.</p>
<p>Sandia attorney David Mielke said there’s nothing to debate.</p>
<p>Sovereignty is an endowed right for tribes, he said, going way back to an 1831 Supreme Court ruling involving the Cherokee Nation and Georgia, where justices determined Indian tribes hold the authority to govern themselves and negotiate agreements with other governments.</p>
<p>“You can’t take a tribe into a different jurisdiction. Each is recognized as a government,” Mielke said.</p>
<p>Applying similar reasoning, he added, “You can’t sue the state of New Mexico in Texas.”</p>
<p>After New Mexico’s Supreme Court declined to take the case, Bregman filed a request this summer asking the U.S. Supreme Court to look at it. Because the nation’s highest court chooses cases it will consider, there’s no guarantee the dispute will get that far.</p>
<p>Bregman’s argument is that tribal gambling has grown into a wealthy business across the United States, far removed from issues that he says are central to sovereignty, such as Indian water and land rights or tribal self-governance.</p>
<p>According to the National Indian Gaming Association, tribal casinos reported $26.2 billion in revenues in 2009. Meanwhile, Bregman said slot machine malfunctions have been reported at Indian casinos in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Florida and elsewhere.</p>
<p>“Tribes spend millions of dollars every year to lure non-Native Americans onto their grounds to gamble in a commercial casino environment,” Bregman said. “Then when someone feels they’ve been cheated, they say, ‘Sorry, you can’t sue us.’ “</p>
<p>Hoffman’s dispute started in 2006, when he thought he had won $1.6 million on a nickel slot machine at Sandia Pueblo’s casino just north of Albuquerque, only to be told by casino managers the machine had malfunctioned.</p>
<p>Bregman said Hoffman was given $385 and two dinner passes.</p>
<p>Mielke said the slot machine in question offered a maximum payout of $2,500 and gamblers were told so on a disclaimer mounted on the machine’s front panel. He called such malfunctions “very rare” but said slot machines are computers, and like any machine, they can break and work improperly.</p>
<p>Asked about Bregman’s sovereignty argument, Mielke said some immunity is waived under New Mexico’s tribal gaming compact but those instances are limited to personal liability, such as slip-and-fall lawsuits, and issues involving damage to property.</p>
<p>Mielke said Sandia hasn’t had another malfunction since Hoffman’s case. He said when a machine begins “acting up in your favor, people tend to continue playing.”</p>
<p>Bregman was skeptical, saying it’s improbable an Indian casino would ever inform gamblers they hadn’t really lost money.</p>
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<p>Wednesday, 24 February 2010 18:49</p>
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<p>Gary Hoffman still hopes to collect on a nearly $1.6 million jackpot from a nickel slot at Sandia Casino.</p>
<p>But a second New Mexico court has now told Hoffman, in effect, “Don’t bet on it.”</p>
<p>The New Mexico Court of Appeals, in a unanimous ruling, affirmed the District Court’s dismissal of Hoffman’s lawsuit based on the sovereign immunity of the Pueblo of Sandia, which owns and operates the casino.</p>
<p>The January ruling doesn’t augur well for another lawsuit challenging a similar “jackpot” that a different casino refused to pay based on the same rationale — machine malfunction.</p>
<p>Sam Bregman represents Hoffman, as well as Cathy Torres, who sued Ohkay Casino, Tsay Corporation and its chief executive over an apparent $2.5 million jackpot on a slot machine last July.</p>
<p>Bregman says he plans to ask the New Mexico Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals decision. And if he doesn’t get satisfaction there, Bregman said he intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.</p>
<p>The question, Bregman said, is whether “gambling on Indian lands is protected by tribal sovereignty. Obviously, we don’t think it is. We believe that when they cheat their customers, they (customers) ought to be able to have their day in court.”</p>
<p>But Sandia’s attorneys point out that in gaming compacts between the tribes and the state, the pueblo waived immunity and agreed to state jurisdiction “only in matters of physical harm to persons or property.”</p>
<p>“This is just incredibly well-settled law. The Court of Appeals just affirmed what has been settled law for decades,” said Shannon Bacon, one of the tribe’s attorneys.</p>
<p>“Condemning it as anachronistic” is not enough to undermine a principle recognized for nearly a century, Bacon and Paul Bardacke said in court briefs.</p>
<p>They say the compact provides for claims like Hoffman’s to be determined by the pueblo.</p>
<p>Hoffman did appeal the non-payment to the Sandia Gaming Commission, which affirmed the casino decision that Hoffman wasn’t entitled to any money. He then appealed to the 2nd Judicial District Court, alleging breach of contract and violation of the Unfair Practices Act. Judge Linda Vanzi granted Sandia’s motion to dismiss.</p>
<p>The opinion by Appeals Court Judge Celia Foy Castillo, joined by Judges Roderick Kennedy and Michael E. Vigil, also said sovereign immunity was well- established law.</p>
<p>“We have no authority to decline to follow precedent established by our superior courts,” Castillo wrote.</p>
<p>The court also rejected Hoffman’s complaint that there are no regulations, rules or procedures to ensure that Sandia gaming is conducted fairly and honestly.</p>
<p>The compact allows claims by casino patrons only for physical injury to individuals or property, and the nearly $1.6 million winning cannot be considered property, the court said.</p>
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160 us supreme court declined hear new mexico case man sued sandia resort casino tribe characterized malfunctioning slot machine displayed 16 million jackpot attorney sam bregman represents retired albuquerque city worker gary hoffman said wednesday supreme courts refusal take case ends hoffmans legal battle advertisement said client disappointed law land new mexico someones paid native american casino little recourse bregman said sandia attorney david mielke said supreme courts decision hardly surprise given clear language state gaming compact tribes federal law state district court dismissed hoffmans lawsuit new mexico court appeals upheld decision rulings supported sandia pueblos position tribe cant sued sovereign immunity state supreme court declined take case immunity waived new mexicos tribal gaming compact instances limited personal liability slipandfall lawsuits issues involving damage property mielke said hoffmans dispute started 2006 thought 16 million nickel slot machine sandia pueblos casino north albuquerque told casino managers machine malfunctioned bregman said hoffman received 385 two dinner passes advertisement mielke said particular slot machine offered maximum payout 2500 disclaimer mounted front panel machine told gamblers sandia casino values customers doesnt mean someone playing nickel slot machine going get 16 million payout machine malfunctions said wednesday 160 wednesday 06 october 2010 1524 160 us supreme court declined hear new mexico case man sued sandia resort casino tribe characterized malfunctioning slot machine displayed 16 million jackpot attorney sam bregman represents retired albuquerque city worker gary hoffman said supreme courts refusal take case ends hoffmans legal battle said client disappointed state district court dismissed hoffmans lawsuit new mexico court appeals upheld decision rulings supported sandia pueblos position tribe cant sued sovereign immunity sandia attorney david mielke available comment wednesday said theres nothing debate since sovereignty endowed right tribes 160 160 160 160 sunday august 15 2010 160 new mexico attorney says native american gambling casinos become big business expansive enterprise says exempted cornerstone indian legal authority tribal sovereignty sam bregman petitioned us supreme court hear case client retired albuquerque city worker gary hoffman sued sandia resort casino tribe characterized malfunctioning slot machine displayed 16 million jackpot bregman represented hoffman lawsuit state district court judge dismissed new mexico court appeals upheld decision rulings supported sandia pueblos position tribe cant sued tribes sovereign immunity sandia attorney david mielke said theres nothing debate sovereignty endowed right tribes said going way back 1831 supreme court ruling involving cherokee nation georgia justices determined indian tribes hold authority govern negotiate agreements governments cant take tribe different jurisdiction recognized government mielke said applying similar reasoning added cant sue state new mexico texas new mexicos supreme court declined take case bregman filed request summer asking us supreme court look nations highest court chooses cases consider theres guarantee dispute get far bregmans argument tribal gambling grown wealthy business across united states far removed issues says central sovereignty indian water land rights tribal selfgovernance according national indian gaming association tribal casinos reported 262 billion revenues 2009 meanwhile bregman said slot machine malfunctions reported indian casinos minnesota oklahoma florida elsewhere tribes spend millions dollars every year lure nonnative americans onto grounds gamble commercial casino environment bregman said someone feels theyve cheated say sorry cant sue us hoffmans dispute started 2006 thought 16 million nickel slot machine sandia pueblos casino north albuquerque told casino managers machine malfunctioned bregman said hoffman given 385 two dinner passes mielke said slot machine question offered maximum payout 2500 gamblers told disclaimer mounted machines front panel called malfunctions rare said slot machines computers like machine break work improperly asked bregmans sovereignty argument mielke said immunity waived new mexicos tribal gaming compact instances limited personal liability slipandfall lawsuits issues involving damage property mielke said sandia hasnt another malfunction since hoffmans case said machine begins acting favor people tend continue playing bregman skeptical saying improbable indian casino would ever inform gamblers hadnt really lost money 160 160 160 160 wednesday 24 february 2010 1849 160 gary hoffman still hopes collect nearly 16 million jackpot nickel slot sandia casino second new mexico court told hoffman effect dont bet new mexico court appeals unanimous ruling affirmed district courts dismissal hoffmans lawsuit based sovereign immunity pueblo sandia owns operates casino january ruling doesnt augur well another lawsuit challenging similar jackpot different casino refused pay based rationale machine malfunction sam bregman represents hoffman well cathy torres sued ohkay casino tsay corporation chief executive apparent 25 million jackpot slot machine last july bregman says plans ask new mexico supreme court review court appeals decision doesnt get satisfaction bregman said intends ask us supreme court weigh question bregman said whether gambling indian lands protected tribal sovereignty obviously dont think believe cheat customers customers ought able day court sandias attorneys point gaming compacts tribes state pueblo waived immunity agreed state jurisdiction matters physical harm persons property incredibly wellsettled law court appeals affirmed settled law decades said shannon bacon one tribes attorneys condemning anachronistic enough undermine principle recognized nearly century bacon paul bardacke said court briefs say compact provides claims like hoffmans determined pueblo hoffman appeal nonpayment sandia gaming commission affirmed casino decision hoffman wasnt entitled money appealed 2nd judicial district court alleging breach contract violation unfair practices act judge linda vanzi granted sandias motion dismiss opinion appeals court judge celia foy castillo joined judges roderick kennedy michael e vigil also said sovereign immunity well established law authority decline follow precedent established superior courts castillo wrote court also rejected hoffmans complaint regulations rules procedures ensure sandia gaming conducted fairly honestly compact allows claims casino patrons physical injury individuals property nearly 16 million winning considered property court said 160 160
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<p>At first, Disney-Pixar's latest, " <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlnPHQ3TLX8" type="external">Coco</a> ," sounds a lot like the 2014 Fox film "The Book of Life."</p>
<p>Both are animated features steeped in the aesthetics and customs of Day of the Dead: the Mexican tradition of creating elaborate altars, painted skulls and paths of marigolds to welcome the spirits of dead loved ones for a temporary visit to the world of the living. And both films focus on a young boy who follows his musical dreams at the risk of disappointing his family.</p>
<p>So it seemed like familiar territory, which made it all the more unexpected to find myself transported into a fabulously colorful, slightly psychedelic and entirely magical world where I was so wrapped up in the story about families connecting across generations that the tears on my cheek took me by surprise.</p>
<p>Pixar has always had a knack for tugging at the heartstrings of grown-ups while delighting younger viewers with good-natured characters and eye-popping visuals. Those elements are also at work here, but not since "Up" has an animated film delved so deeply into the web of relationships woven on the way to old age, nor has Pixar ever looked so closely at a specific cultural tradition.</p>
<p>The result is a rich experience for any audience: a story of family and culture, death and transcendence, all set to vibrant Latin music — including a new song by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("Frozen") — and awash in the brilliant colors and dazzling designs the imaginative talents at Disney and Pixar are known for.</p>
<p>"Coco" centers on Miguel (newcomer Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old with the heart of a musician born into a family of shoemakers who've banned music for generations. His great-great-grandfather was a guitarist who left his great-great-grandmother alone to raise their young daughter, Coco, and the Riveras forbade all music after that.</p>
<p>By the time Miguel comes along, Coco is the elderly matriarch of the family: a kind-faced collection of wrinkles who sits quietly in her room all day. Miguel feels disconnected from his family history and resentful that it would prevent him from being like his idol: Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), Mexico's most beloved musician.</p>
<p>As Miguel's family prepares for the Dia de Muertos holiday, stacking a colorful altar with food, flowers and family photos, he defiantly takes off in pursuit of music, hoping to compete in a neighborhood showcase that would confirm his talents. But his attempts to procure a guitar accidentally lead him across the golden bridge into the realm of the dead.</p>
<p>In this otherworldly place, Miguel uncovers a mystery, connects with a quirky guy named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), and meets generations of relatives he's only known through old photos. He encounters magical alebrijes, fantastical spirit animals that help guide the lost. And he realizes that his musical dream could be more meaningful than he thought — especially for Mama Coco — but he'll need his family's support to return to the land of the living.</p>
<p>With "Coco" (which is a bit of a misnomer, since it's really Miguel's journey), director Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 3") and screenwriter/co-director Adrian Molina have crafted a timeless and beautiful tale that's classically Pixar: playful, inventive and profound. It's a universal story of love and belonging set in a kaleidoscopic world of brilliant apparitions and lively, well-dressed skeletons.</p>
<p>The animation is exceptional: Realistic elements, like Mama Coco's gnarled, arthritic hands, look absolutely lifelike, while the spirit world is populated by buildings and bodies that defy gravity.</p>
<p>Like the multicolored, flying tiger-dragon that swoops through Miguel's adventure into the land of spirits, "Coco" is a thrilling and joyous vision, a celebration of life and the loving tradition of the Day of the Dead.</p>
<p>"Coco," a Disney-Pixar release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "thematic elements." Running time: 109 minutes. Four stars out of four.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MPAA definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/APSandy" type="external">www.twitter.com/APSandy</a> .</p>
<p>At first, Disney-Pixar's latest, " <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlnPHQ3TLX8" type="external">Coco</a> ," sounds a lot like the 2014 Fox film "The Book of Life."</p>
<p>Both are animated features steeped in the aesthetics and customs of Day of the Dead: the Mexican tradition of creating elaborate altars, painted skulls and paths of marigolds to welcome the spirits of dead loved ones for a temporary visit to the world of the living. And both films focus on a young boy who follows his musical dreams at the risk of disappointing his family.</p>
<p>So it seemed like familiar territory, which made it all the more unexpected to find myself transported into a fabulously colorful, slightly psychedelic and entirely magical world where I was so wrapped up in the story about families connecting across generations that the tears on my cheek took me by surprise.</p>
<p>Pixar has always had a knack for tugging at the heartstrings of grown-ups while delighting younger viewers with good-natured characters and eye-popping visuals. Those elements are also at work here, but not since "Up" has an animated film delved so deeply into the web of relationships woven on the way to old age, nor has Pixar ever looked so closely at a specific cultural tradition.</p>
<p>The result is a rich experience for any audience: a story of family and culture, death and transcendence, all set to vibrant Latin music — including a new song by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("Frozen") — and awash in the brilliant colors and dazzling designs the imaginative talents at Disney and Pixar are known for.</p>
<p>"Coco" centers on Miguel (newcomer Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old with the heart of a musician born into a family of shoemakers who've banned music for generations. His great-great-grandfather was a guitarist who left his great-great-grandmother alone to raise their young daughter, Coco, and the Riveras forbade all music after that.</p>
<p>By the time Miguel comes along, Coco is the elderly matriarch of the family: a kind-faced collection of wrinkles who sits quietly in her room all day. Miguel feels disconnected from his family history and resentful that it would prevent him from being like his idol: Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), Mexico's most beloved musician.</p>
<p>As Miguel's family prepares for the Dia de Muertos holiday, stacking a colorful altar with food, flowers and family photos, he defiantly takes off in pursuit of music, hoping to compete in a neighborhood showcase that would confirm his talents. But his attempts to procure a guitar accidentally lead him across the golden bridge into the realm of the dead.</p>
<p>In this otherworldly place, Miguel uncovers a mystery, connects with a quirky guy named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), and meets generations of relatives he's only known through old photos. He encounters magical alebrijes, fantastical spirit animals that help guide the lost. And he realizes that his musical dream could be more meaningful than he thought — especially for Mama Coco — but he'll need his family's support to return to the land of the living.</p>
<p>With "Coco" (which is a bit of a misnomer, since it's really Miguel's journey), director Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 3") and screenwriter/co-director Adrian Molina have crafted a timeless and beautiful tale that's classically Pixar: playful, inventive and profound. It's a universal story of love and belonging set in a kaleidoscopic world of brilliant apparitions and lively, well-dressed skeletons.</p>
<p>The animation is exceptional: Realistic elements, like Mama Coco's gnarled, arthritic hands, look absolutely lifelike, while the spirit world is populated by buildings and bodies that defy gravity.</p>
<p>Like the multicolored, flying tiger-dragon that swoops through Miguel's adventure into the land of spirits, "Coco" is a thrilling and joyous vision, a celebration of life and the loving tradition of the Day of the Dead.</p>
<p>"Coco," a Disney-Pixar release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "thematic elements." Running time: 109 minutes. Four stars out of four.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MPAA definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/APSandy" type="external">www.twitter.com/APSandy</a> .</p>
| false | 2 |
first disneypixars latest coco sounds lot like 2014 fox film book life animated features steeped aesthetics customs day dead mexican tradition creating elaborate altars painted skulls paths marigolds welcome spirits dead loved ones temporary visit world living films focus young boy follows musical dreams risk disappointing family seemed like familiar territory made unexpected find transported fabulously colorful slightly psychedelic entirely magical world wrapped story families connecting across generations tears cheek took surprise pixar always knack tugging heartstrings grownups delighting younger viewers goodnatured characters eyepopping visuals elements also work since animated film delved deeply web relationships woven way old age pixar ever looked closely specific cultural tradition result rich experience audience story family culture death transcendence set vibrant latin music including new song oscar winners kristen andersonlopez robert lopez frozen awash brilliant colors dazzling designs imaginative talents disney pixar known coco centers miguel newcomer anthony gonzalez 12yearold heart musician born family shoemakers whove banned music generations greatgreatgrandfather guitarist left greatgreatgrandmother alone raise young daughter coco riveras forbade music time miguel comes along coco elderly matriarch family kindfaced collection wrinkles sits quietly room day miguel feels disconnected family history resentful would prevent like idol ernesto de la cruz benjamin bratt mexicos beloved musician miguels family prepares dia de muertos holiday stacking colorful altar food flowers family photos defiantly takes pursuit music hoping compete neighborhood showcase would confirm talents attempts procure guitar accidentally lead across golden bridge realm dead otherworldly place miguel uncovers mystery connects quirky guy named hector gael garcia bernal meets generations relatives hes known old photos encounters magical alebrijes fantastical spirit animals help guide lost realizes musical dream could meaningful thought especially mama coco hell need familys support return land living coco bit misnomer since really miguels journey director lee unkrich toy story 3 screenwritercodirector adrian molina crafted timeless beautiful tale thats classically pixar playful inventive profound universal story love belonging set kaleidoscopic world brilliant apparitions lively welldressed skeletons animation exceptional realistic elements like mama cocos gnarled arthritic hands look absolutely lifelike spirit world populated buildings bodies defy gravity like multicolored flying tigerdragon swoops miguels adventure land spirits coco thrilling joyous vision celebration life loving tradition day dead coco disneypixar release rated pg motion picture association america thematic elements running time 109 minutes four stars four ___ mpaa definition pg parental guidance suggested material may suitable children ___ follow ap entertainment writer sandy cohen wwwtwittercomapsandy first disneypixars latest coco sounds lot like 2014 fox film book life animated features steeped aesthetics customs day dead mexican tradition creating elaborate altars painted skulls paths marigolds welcome spirits dead loved ones temporary visit world living films focus young boy follows musical dreams risk disappointing family seemed like familiar territory made unexpected find transported fabulously colorful slightly psychedelic entirely magical world wrapped story families connecting across generations tears cheek took surprise pixar always knack tugging heartstrings grownups delighting younger viewers goodnatured characters eyepopping visuals elements also work since animated film delved deeply web relationships woven way old age pixar ever looked closely specific cultural tradition result rich experience audience story family culture death transcendence set vibrant latin music including new song oscar winners kristen andersonlopez robert lopez frozen awash brilliant colors dazzling designs imaginative talents disney pixar known coco centers miguel newcomer anthony gonzalez 12yearold heart musician born family shoemakers whove banned music generations greatgreatgrandfather guitarist left greatgreatgrandmother alone raise young daughter coco riveras forbade music time miguel comes along coco elderly matriarch family kindfaced collection wrinkles sits quietly room day miguel feels disconnected family history resentful would prevent like idol ernesto de la cruz benjamin bratt mexicos beloved musician miguels family prepares dia de muertos holiday stacking colorful altar food flowers family photos defiantly takes pursuit music hoping compete neighborhood showcase would confirm talents attempts procure guitar accidentally lead across golden bridge realm dead otherworldly place miguel uncovers mystery connects quirky guy named hector gael garcia bernal meets generations relatives hes known old photos encounters magical alebrijes fantastical spirit animals help guide lost realizes musical dream could meaningful thought especially mama coco hell need familys support return land living coco bit misnomer since really miguels journey director lee unkrich toy story 3 screenwritercodirector adrian molina crafted timeless beautiful tale thats classically pixar playful inventive profound universal story love belonging set kaleidoscopic world brilliant apparitions lively welldressed skeletons animation exceptional realistic elements like mama cocos gnarled arthritic hands look absolutely lifelike spirit world populated buildings bodies defy gravity like multicolored flying tigerdragon swoops miguels adventure land spirits coco thrilling joyous vision celebration life loving tradition day dead coco disneypixar release rated pg motion picture association america thematic elements running time 109 minutes four stars four ___ mpaa definition pg parental guidance suggested material may suitable children ___ follow ap entertainment writer sandy cohen wwwtwittercomapsandy
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<p />
<p>At Bluewater Lake,</p>
<p>Steve Rezac of Albuquerque caught a 44-inch, 22 ½ -pound tiger muskie on Friday. He was using a crank bait. … On Saturday, Matthew Soto of Albuquerque caught a 41-inch tiger muskie. He was fishing near the dam and using celery.</p>
<p>At Navajo Lake, Jack Phelps of Aztec caught and released a 4 ½ -pound smallmouth bass on Saturday. He was using a senko. … On Sunday, Matt Peters of Las Cruces caught and released a 4 ¼ -pound largemouth bass. He was using a senko.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>AROUND THE STATE</p>
<p>ISLETA LAKES: Catch rates at both Sunrise and Turtle lakes have been very good for catfish. Best baits reported are garlic chicken liver, chicken blood, shrimp and worms. Fishing hours are 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. seven days a week. For more lake information, call 505-244-8102. Nathan DeWahe, Isleta Lakes &amp; RV Park</p>
<p>NOTES from GAME &amp; FISH: Fishing at NAVAJO LAKE was very good using senkos, crank baits, tubes, jerk baits and topwater lures for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using crank baits and jerk baits for northern pike. Fishing was good using worms and small jigs for perch.</p>
<p>Water flow on the SAN JUAN RIVER below Navajo Dam on Monday was 682 cfs. Trout fishing through the quality waters was good using midge clusters, small woolly buggers, Griffith’s gnats, San Juan worms, fluff baetis, parachute Adams and small bead-head pheasant tails. Fishing through the bait waters was good using jerk baits, Panther Martins, night crawlers, copper John Barrs and wooly buggers.</p>
<p>At MONASTERY LAKE, trout fishing was very good using worms, Pistol Petes, PowerBait and salmon eggs.</p>
<p>Water flow on the PECOS RIVER near the town of Pecos on Monday was 56 cfs. Trout fishing was very good using worms, PowerBait, salmon eggs, San Juan worms, bead-head pheasant tail nymphs and small streamers.</p>
<p>Water flow on the RED RIVER near the hatchery on Monday was 60 cfs. Fishing was good using poundmeisters, bead-head hares’ ears, elk hair caddis, copper John Barrs, spinners, night crawlers and salmon eggs for trout.</p>
<p>Stream flow on the CIMARRON RIVER below Eagle Nest on Monday was 31 cfs. Trout fishing was good using dry dropper combinations. Elk hair caddis and parachute Adams have been the popular dries</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>At ELEPHANT BUTTE, fishing was fair to good using shiners, shrimp, hot dogs, chicken liver and night crawlers for catfish.</p>
<p>Trout fishing on the RIO COSTILLA was good using elk hair caddis, bead-head pheasant tails, bead-head hares’ ears and worms.</p>
<p>Water flow on the RIO GRANDE near the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday was 281 cfs. Trout fishing was good using streamers, poundmeisters, copper John Barrs, spinners and night crawlers.</p>
<p>Trout fishing at CHARETTE LAKES was good as several anglers caught limits. Boaters did well trolling Christmas tree-worm combinations while bank anglers did best using PowerBait.</p>
<p>At EAGLE NEST LAKE, perch fishing was good using worms from the bank and from boats. Fishing for trout was fair trolling Platte River specials, Arnies and Panther Martins tipped with PowerBait.</p>
<p>Monday morning water flows on the CHAMA RIVER below El Vado and Abiquiu were 605 cfs and 570 cfs respectively. Fishing below El Vado was good using night crawlers, PowerBait, Rapalas, Panther Martins and weighted wooly buggers for a mixed bag of rainbow and brown trout.</p>
<p>Fishing at CONCHAS LAKE was fair trolling crank baits for white bass.</p>
<p>At ABIQUIU LAKE, fishing was good trolling crank baits and bottom-bouncer night crawler rigs for walleye.</p>
<p>Trout fishing at STORRIE LAKE was fair to good using garlic PowerBait, worms and spinners.</p>
<p>At BLUEWATER LAKE, fishing was fair using jerk baits, swim baits, spinners, streamers and topwater lures for tiger musky.</p>
<p>Fishing at COCHITI LAKE was fair using crank baits and jerk baits for white bass.</p>
<p>At UTE LAKE, heavy rains in the area may have contributed to light fishing pressure. The only reports received were from anglers fishing for white bass. They reported action as slow to fair at best and the best results came from trolling crank baits.</p>
<p>Fishing on the RIO CEBOLLA was very good using elk hair caddis, small brassies, small bead-head hares’ ears, beetles, salmon eggs and worms. Fishing on the RIO LAS VACAS was fair to good using worms, elk hair caddis, ants and parachute Adams. Fishing on the JEMEZ and RIO GUADALUPE was slow.</p>
<p>At FENTON LAKE, trout fishing was slow. The moss and weeds in the lake are still quite thick but are starting to die off.</p>
<p>Anglers at BRANTLEY LAKE are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.</p>
<p>At CANJILON LAKES, trout fishing on the upper lake was good for anglers using Pistol Petes and worms.</p>
<p />
| false | 2 |
bluewater lake steve rezac albuquerque caught 44inch 22 ½ pound tiger muskie friday using crank bait saturday matthew soto albuquerque caught 41inch tiger muskie fishing near dam using celery navajo lake jack phelps aztec caught released 4 ½ pound smallmouth bass saturday using senko sunday matt peters las cruces caught released 4 ¼ pound largemouth bass using senko advertisement around state isleta lakes catch rates sunrise turtle lakes good catfish best baits reported garlic chicken liver chicken blood shrimp worms fishing hours 630 am7 pm seven days week lake information call 5052448102 nathan dewahe isleta lakes amp rv park notes game amp fish fishing navajo lake good using senkos crank baits tubes jerk baits topwater lures smallmouth bass largemouth bass fishing good using crank baits jerk baits northern pike fishing good using worms small jigs perch water flow san juan river navajo dam monday 682 cfs trout fishing quality waters good using midge clusters small woolly buggers griffiths gnats san juan worms fluff baetis parachute adams small beadhead pheasant tails fishing bait waters good using jerk baits panther martins night crawlers copper john barrs wooly buggers monastery lake trout fishing good using worms pistol petes powerbait salmon eggs water flow pecos river near town pecos monday 56 cfs trout fishing good using worms powerbait salmon eggs san juan worms beadhead pheasant tail nymphs small streamers water flow red river near hatchery monday 60 cfs fishing good using poundmeisters beadhead hares ears elk hair caddis copper john barrs spinners night crawlers salmon eggs trout stream flow cimarron river eagle nest monday 31 cfs trout fishing good using dry dropper combinations elk hair caddis parachute adams popular dries advertisement elephant butte fishing fair good using shiners shrimp hot dogs chicken liver night crawlers catfish trout fishing rio costilla good using elk hair caddis beadhead pheasant tails beadhead hares ears worms water flow rio grande near taos junction bridge monday 281 cfs trout fishing good using streamers poundmeisters copper john barrs spinners night crawlers trout fishing charette lakes good several anglers caught limits boaters well trolling christmas treeworm combinations bank anglers best using powerbait eagle nest lake perch fishing good using worms bank boats fishing trout fair trolling platte river specials arnies panther martins tipped powerbait monday morning water flows chama river el vado abiquiu 605 cfs 570 cfs respectively fishing el vado good using night crawlers powerbait rapalas panther martins weighted wooly buggers mixed bag rainbow brown trout fishing conchas lake fair trolling crank baits white bass abiquiu lake fishing good trolling crank baits bottombouncer night crawler rigs walleye trout fishing storrie lake fair good using garlic powerbait worms spinners bluewater lake fishing fair using jerk baits swim baits spinners streamers topwater lures tiger musky fishing cochiti lake fair using crank baits jerk baits white bass ute lake heavy rains area may contributed light fishing pressure reports received anglers fishing white bass reported action slow fair best best results came trolling crank baits fishing rio cebolla good using elk hair caddis small brassies small beadhead hares ears beetles salmon eggs worms fishing rio las vacas fair good using worms elk hair caddis ants parachute adams fishing jemez rio guadalupe slow fenton lake trout fishing slow moss weeds lake still quite thick starting die anglers brantley lake practice catchandrelease fish high levels ddt found several fish canjilon lakes trout fishing upper lake good anglers using pistol petes worms
| 565 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Philippine National Bank:</p>
<p>* BOARD APPROVES ISSUANCE OF UP TO PESO 20 BILLION LONG TERM NEGOTIABLE CERTIFICATES OF TIME DEPOSIT ‍​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: ([email protected])</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) start-up Singulato Motors plans to invest 15 billion yuan ($2.39 billion) in eastern China’s Suzhou over the next five years, the official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.</p>
<p>A partnership between the company and the Suzhou city government covers research and development, production and industrial investment in the NEV industry, according to Xinhua, which said the announcement was made on Saturday.</p>
<p>Singulato Motors will set up a global research and development center in the city and will employ about 2,000 to 3,000 researchers in next five years to focus on advanced technologies like autonomous driving.</p>
<p>The two sides will also establish an industrial investment fund worth 10 billion yuan to nurture more start-ups in the sector, Xinhua added.</p>
<p>Singulato Motors, established in December 2014, covers businesses including NEVs, intelligent vehicle systems, and car networking services based on big data and cloud computing, according to its official website.</p>
<p>China began promoting electric cars in 2009 and aims to become a dominant global producer as it bids to curb vehicle emissions, boost energy security and promote high-tech industries.</p>
<p>A total of 777,000 NEVs were sold last year in China, the most anywhere, and the government aims to bring annual sales and output of NEVs to 2 million by 2020.</p>
<p>China’s finance ministry will also extend a tax rebate on purchases of NEVs until the end of 2020, a boost for hybrid and electric carmakers.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Se Young Lee; Editing by Kim Coghill</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HONG KONG (Reuters) - Gambling revenue in the Chinese territory of Macau posted a 22 percent gain for the month of March, due to sustained demand for gambling in the country’s only legal casino hub.</p> Casinos are seen in a general view of Macau, China October 8, 2015. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
<p>This is the 20th consecutive month of gains, cementing a roaring recovery in the former Portuguese colony, after revenues plunged to five-year lows due to slowing economic growth and a widespread crackdown on corruption starting in 2014.</p>
<p>Figures from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination bureau on Sunday showed revenues rose 22.2 percent to 26 billion patacas ($3.2 billion) versus analyst expectations of 13 percent to 18 percent growth.</p>
<p>However, revenues still remain far off the highs reached in 2014, hovering only around monthly tolls seen in 2012, data from Thomson Reuters Datastream showed.</p>
<p>Reporting by Kane Wu; writing by Farah Master; Editing by Christian Schmollinger</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey’s exports reached a record $15.1 billion in March, economy minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Sunday during a televised interview on private broadcaster CNNTurk.</p> FILE PHOTO: Turkey's Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
<p>“We reached the highest number in our history in exports, $15.1 billion,” Zeybekci said.</p>
<p>The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) also said in a statement on Sunday that the country’s exports rose 11.5 percent year-on-year in March to exceed $15 billion for the first time.</p>
<p>It said exports in the last 12 months had risen 10.5 percent to around $160 billion.</p>
<p>Data from Turkey’s official statistics institute on Friday showed exports stood at $13.18 billion in February. They also showed Turkey’s trade deficit had widened 54.2 percent year-on-year to $5.76 billion.</p>
<p>TIM President Mehmet Buyukeksi said the assembly was aiming for exports to exceed $170 billion at the end of the year.</p>
<p>Zeybekci also said he expected tourism revenues to reach $51-52 billion in 2018 from around $26 billion in 2017.</p>
<p>Tourism, a major source of funding to plug Turkey’s persistent current account deficit, is recovering from a sharp downturn caused by bomb attacks, diplomatic disputes and a failed coup.</p>
<p>Foreign arrivals surged over 27 percent in 2017 to 32.4 million, largely boosted by Russian tourists after Turkey patched up a rift with Moscow, concerns over security eased and the sector offered discounts to attract customers.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Behiye Selin Taner; Editing by Mark Potter</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>
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jan 22 reuters philippine national bank board approves issuance peso 20 billion long term negotiable certificates time deposit source text eikon company coverage bangalorenewsroomthomsonreuterscom standards thomson reuters trust principles beijing reuters chinese new energy vehicle nev startup singulato motors plans invest 15 billion yuan 239 billion eastern chinas suzhou next five years official news agency xinhua reported sunday partnership company suzhou city government covers research development production industrial investment nev industry according xinhua said announcement made saturday singulato motors set global research development center city employ 2000 3000 researchers next five years focus advanced technologies like autonomous driving two sides also establish industrial investment fund worth 10 billion yuan nurture startups sector xinhua added singulato motors established december 2014 covers businesses including nevs intelligent vehicle systems car networking services based big data cloud computing according official website china began promoting electric cars 2009 aims become dominant global producer bids curb vehicle emissions boost energy security promote hightech industries total 777000 nevs sold last year china anywhere government aims bring annual sales output nevs 2 million 2020 chinas finance ministry also extend tax rebate purchases nevs end 2020 boost hybrid electric carmakers reporting lusha zhang se young lee editing kim coghill standards thomson reuters trust principles hong kong reuters gambling revenue chinese territory macau posted 22 percent gain month march due sustained demand gambling countrys legal casino hub casinos seen general view macau china october 8 2015 reutersbobby yip 20th consecutive month gains cementing roaring recovery former portuguese colony revenues plunged fiveyear lows due slowing economic growth widespread crackdown corruption starting 2014 figures macaus gaming inspection coordination bureau sunday showed revenues rose 222 percent 26 billion patacas 32 billion versus analyst expectations 13 percent 18 percent growth however revenues still remain far highs reached 2014 hovering around monthly tolls seen 2012 data thomson reuters datastream showed reporting kane wu writing farah master editing christian schmollinger standards thomson reuters trust principles istanbul reuters turkeys exports reached record 151 billion march economy minister nihat zeybekci said sunday televised interview private broadcaster cnnturk file photo turkeys economy minister nihat zeybekci speaks interview reuters ankara turkey june 7 2016 reutersumit bektas reached highest number history exports 151 billion zeybekci said turkish exporters assembly tim also said statement sunday countrys exports rose 115 percent yearonyear march exceed 15 billion first time said exports last 12 months risen 105 percent around 160 billion data turkeys official statistics institute friday showed exports stood 1318 billion february also showed turkeys trade deficit widened 542 percent yearonyear 576 billion tim president mehmet buyukeksi said assembly aiming exports exceed 170 billion end year zeybekci also said expected tourism revenues reach 5152 billion 2018 around 26 billion 2017 tourism major source funding plug turkeys persistent current account deficit recovering sharp downturn caused bomb attacks diplomatic disputes failed coup foreign arrivals surged 27 percent 2017 324 million largely boosted russian tourists turkey patched rift moscow concerns security eased sector offered discounts attract customers reporting ali kucukgocmen behiye selin taner editing mark potter 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
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<p>LAS CRUCES — Las Cruces residents and elected officials gathered Thursday evening to brainstorm ways to help the public schools cope with ongoing budget constraints that could worsen, depending on the final outcome of a state budget impasse.</p>
<p>One parent volunteered at Las Cruces Public Schools to help reduce the district’s paper use — and thereby some costs — by creating digital lunch menus. And a school board member raised the idea of a plastic bag surcharge, which could generate revenue for local governments that could be routed to the district. Yet another proposal was to consider a local tax to fund early childhood education. Another resident suggested schools rely on willing retirees who’d form a committee to find ways to assist schools.</p>
<p>Resident Brooke Roberson, a mother of two children who attend LCPS, encouraged district officials to look for ways to cut paper use overall because of the tight budget circumstances. Every bit of conservation helps, she said. And, if teachers can’t cut back any further, she said the district should consider asking parents to help supply paper.</p>
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<p>“You have thousands of parents like me,” she said. “If the school needs paper, we’ll buy it.”</p>
<p>About 65 people attended a town hall discussion hosted by Mayor Ken Miyagishima at Las Cruces City Hall over the future of public schools’ funding.</p>
<p>Another attendee cautioned that if LCPS officials should decide to ask parents to supply paper, they should make it optional because a lot of families already face difficult financial situations.</p>
<p>‘Some great ideas’</p>
<p>Miyagishima said there’s a lot of concern in the community about the state’s poor budget situation and its impact on schools. Declining oil and gas revenues shouldn’t mean that schools suffer, he said, and the town hall was meant to generate ideas about how the schools might weather the budget cuts and prevent future ones.</p>
<p>“Some residents have some great ideas,” he said.</p>
<p>The Las Cruces City Council doesn’t have oversight over the school district, which is governed by its own elected board. Miyagishima said the city was “here more, really, for moral support.”</p>
<p>Bruce Hartman, president of NEA-Las Cruces, the district’s teachers’ union, asked whether Miyagishima was considering a proposal to route local government funding to schools.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>State Sen. Bill Soules, who also attended, responded to the question, saying there is a state law aimed at ensuring that districts across the state, regardless of whether they’re in poor or wealthy areas, receive equitable funding. That law in a way penalizes localities that pass taxes to supplement their school district’s spending on teachers. It is a fair law because it promotes equity, he said, but there is a down side.</p>
<p>“The problem is what we have is shared poverty because we don’t put enough money into the (entire) system,” he said.</p>
<p>However, the law wouldn’t prevent local spending on early childhood education, which is prior to kindergarten, Soules said.</p>
<p>Crystal Valdez, chief financial officer for LCPS, said there are certain ways people can help the school district financially, such as by making donations up to $5,000 to a designated school. However, “it can’t be used for salaries,” she said. Valdez said donations by residents have helped.</p>
<p>“The community has been wonderful during this tumultuous year,” she said.</p>
<p>Plastic bag proposal</p>
<p>LCPS board member Ray Jaramillo discussed a proposal he developed in recent weeks that would entail local governments considering passing a surcharge on plastic bags in retail stores. He contends it’s not a tax because residents wouldn’t have to pay it if they opted to use reusable grocery bags, instead of plastic bags. Plus, he said the money would be routed to the schools in a grant format, bypassing the state law that hinders local funding going to school districts.</p>
<p>“This is not a tax; this is a fee,” he said. “If you bring your own bags, you don’t have to pay this.”</p>
<p>LCPS Superintendent Greg Ewing told attendees the district is budgeting conservatively in light of the ongoing uncertainty. He’s planning to curtail school administration and freeze some teaching vacancies for a total of $2.7 million in savings.</p>
<p>“But we don’t know what’s going to happen when the Legislature goes back into session,” he said, noting that deeper cuts could result in harsher impacts to the district. “We’re certainly willing to listen to any ideas you have.”</p>
<p>Soules and state Rep. Joanne Ferrary, both D-Las Cruces, rehashed the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s battle with Republican Gov. Susana Martinez over the 2017-18 state budget — and the education funding it contains. More than 40 percent of the state budget goes toward public schools, Soules said. And when higher education is factored in, education accounts for more than half of state spending.</p>
<p>“When we’ve got a negative budget situation, that’s where everybody wants to make cuts,” he said.</p>
<p>‘Stormy day’ in New Mexico</p>
<p>LCPS spokeswoman and administrator Jo Galván asked lawmakers why the Legislature doesn’t consider using revenue from a large-scale permanent fund to help the state get through difficult financial times.</p>
<p>Soules said there are billions of dollars in that fund, but leaders in some legislative committees are opposed to tapping into it.</p>
<p>Ferrary said “some of the fear is we’ll deplete that fund,” but she and other lawmakers believe it’s time to use a portion of that revenue.</p>
<p>“It is a rainy day, a stormy day, in New Mexico,” she told attendees.</p>
<p>Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, [email protected] or @AlbaSoular on Twitter.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)</p>
<p>Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at <a href="http://www.lcsun-news.com" type="external">www.lcsun-news.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.</p>
<p>_____</p>
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las cruces las cruces residents elected officials gathered thursday evening brainstorm ways help public schools cope ongoing budget constraints could worsen depending final outcome state budget impasse one parent volunteered las cruces public schools help reduce districts paper use thereby costs creating digital lunch menus school board member raised idea plastic bag surcharge could generate revenue local governments could routed district yet another proposal consider local tax fund early childhood education another resident suggested schools rely willing retirees whod form committee find ways assist schools resident brooke roberson mother two children attend lcps encouraged district officials look ways cut paper use overall tight budget circumstances every bit conservation helps said teachers cant cut back said district consider asking parents help supply paper advertisement thousands parents like said school needs paper well buy 65 people attended town hall discussion hosted mayor ken miyagishima las cruces city hall future public schools funding another attendee cautioned lcps officials decide ask parents supply paper make optional lot families already face difficult financial situations great ideas miyagishima said theres lot concern community states poor budget situation impact schools declining oil gas revenues shouldnt mean schools suffer said town hall meant generate ideas schools might weather budget cuts prevent future ones residents great ideas said las cruces city council doesnt oversight school district governed elected board miyagishima said city really moral support bruce hartman president nealas cruces districts teachers union asked whether miyagishima considering proposal route local government funding schools advertisement state sen bill soules also attended responded question saying state law aimed ensuring districts across state regardless whether theyre poor wealthy areas receive equitable funding law way penalizes localities pass taxes supplement school districts spending teachers fair law promotes equity said side problem shared poverty dont put enough money entire system said however law wouldnt prevent local spending early childhood education prior kindergarten soules said crystal valdez chief financial officer lcps said certain ways people help school district financially making donations 5000 designated school however cant used salaries said valdez said donations residents helped community wonderful tumultuous year said plastic bag proposal lcps board member ray jaramillo discussed proposal developed recent weeks would entail local governments considering passing surcharge plastic bags retail stores contends tax residents wouldnt pay opted use reusable grocery bags instead plastic bags plus said money would routed schools grant format bypassing state law hinders local funding going school districts tax fee said bring bags dont pay lcps superintendent greg ewing told attendees district budgeting conservatively light ongoing uncertainty hes planning curtail school administration freeze teaching vacancies total 27 million savings dont know whats going happen legislature goes back session said noting deeper cuts could result harsher impacts district certainly willing listen ideas soules state rep joanne ferrary dlas cruces rehashed democraticcontrolled legislatures battle republican gov susana martinez 201718 state budget education funding contains 40 percent state budget goes toward public schools soules said higher education factored education accounts half state spending weve got negative budget situation thats everybody wants make cuts said stormy day new mexico lcps spokeswoman administrator jo galván asked lawmakers legislature doesnt consider using revenue largescale permanent fund help state get difficult financial times soules said billions dollars fund leaders legislative committees opposed tapping ferrary said fear well deplete fund lawmakers believe time use portion revenue rainy day stormy day new mexico told attendees diana alba soular may reached 5755415443 dalbalcsunnewscom albasoular twitter 2017 las cruces sunnews las cruces nm visit las cruces sunnews las cruces nm wwwlcsunnewscom distributed tribune content agency llc _____
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<p>Kemba Walker had 26 points and nine assists to lead the host Charlotte Hornets past the Sacramento Kings 112-107 on Monday night.</p>
<p>Dwight Howard, Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams had 14 points apiece for the Hornets, who have won three of their past four games. Howard also finished with a game-high 16 rebounds.</p>
<p>Charlotte bounced back from a disappointing 106-105 loss to the Miami Heat where it blew a five-point lead in the final 34 seconds Saturday night.</p>
<p>Skal Labissiere had 23 points off the bench for the Kings, who have lost eight consecutive games. De’Aaron Fox scored 16 points and Willie Cauley-Stein added 11 for Sacramento.</p>
<p>The Kings trimmed a 12-point halftime deficit lead to 73-66 on a free throw by Cauley-Stein with 5:57 left in the third quarter. Charlotte struggled setting its offense and had three consecutive turnovers.</p>
<p>However, the Hornets recovered, and a 3-pointer by Frank Kaminsky provided an 82-68 margin, forcing Sacramento to call a full timeout with 2:50 left. Kaminsky finished with 10 points off the bench.</p>
<p>A 3-pointer by Jeremy Lamb (18 points) gave Charlotte a 92-75 lead heading into the final period.</p>
<p>The Kings rallied and pulled to within 101-92 on a 19-foot jumper by Cauley-Stein with 4:58 left in the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic cut the margin to 105-102 with 1:25 remaining.</p>
<p>From there, Howard made a pair of free throws and had a tip-in to seal the win.</p>
<p>Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who averages 10.4 points per game, missed the game with a foot injury. Treveon Graham got his first start of the season in his place and scored just three points in 21 minutes.</p>
<p>The Kings entered the game with the NBA’s worst 3-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 38.4 percent. The Hornets took advantage and went 16-of-40 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.</p>
<p>—Field Level Media</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is hoping to emerge as a surprise contender at next week’s U.S. Masters following a string of consistent performances over the last two months.</p> Mar 24, 2018; Austin, TX, USA; Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand plays against Charles Howell III of the United States during the fourth round of the WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament at Austin Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
<p>The 28-year-old has been in blistering form since winning the World Super 6 Perth title in February and Richard Mille Brunei Championships earlier this month.</p>
<p>With momentum on his side, Aphibarnrat recorded a tied-fifth finish in the WGC-Mexico Championships before being beaten in last week’s WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas in the quarter finals by eventual winner Bubba Watson.</p>
<p>His performances in the last four months of the season saw him jump from 160th in the world into the top 50 and the result at Texas moved him up to a career-high 29th.</p>
<p>“The way I fought to qualify for the Masters is amazing. Now I want to show the world an Asian can surprise and contend in a major,” he told the Asian Tour website.</p>
<p>“I’ve been comfortable with the way I’ve been playing. I’m feeling very confident and I’ve putted very well lately. I look forward to playing in Augusta. I will try to go earlier and try and feel comfortable on the greens.”</p>
<p>It will be Aphibarnrat’s second appearance at the Augusta National after securing a credible tied-15th on his Masters debut in 2016, his best result at a major so far.</p>
<p>“The goal now is to try and stay inside the top 30 and hopefully earn a PGA Tour card,” he said.</p>
<p>“I will give it my best at The Masters because I have such good memories there. Augusta is a golf course which suits my game and I’ve been playing very well so hopefully it will be another week which I will remember.”</p>
<p>The Masters will be played from April 5-8.</p>
<p>Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan Fenton</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Australian cricket supremo James Sutherland had harsh words on Tuesday for the test trio being sent home after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, saying they faced “significant” sanctions, but there was one term he refused to use - ‘cheat’.</p> Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft arrives at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
<p>Pressed at a packed news conference, Sutherland would only say the disgraced players - captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft - had broken the rules.</p>
<p>Contrary to Australian media reports, coach Darren Lehmann was not involved in the plot, hatched during the lunch break on Saturday, to scuff up the ball with a small piece of improvised sand paper and had no prior knowledge of it, Sutherland said.</p>
<p>Lehmann, a no-nonsense former player under whom Australia’s test side has gained a reputation for pushing the limits of sporting acceptability, would continue in his position under his current contract, Cricket Australia’s CEO added.</p> Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft arrives at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
<p>“It’s not a good day for Australian cricket,” said Sutherland, who flew into South Africa on Tuesday morning to sort out the imbroglio sparked by Saturday’s incident. “It was not in the laws of the game and not in the spirit of the game.”</p>
<p>Smith and Warner have been stripped of their leadership positions and all three will now leave the tour in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, which has shaken the sport and cut to the quick Australia’s “play hard but fair” psyche.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old Bancroft was caught on camera shoving the sticky yellow tape, which he used to pick up rough granules off the pitch, into the front of his trousers when he believed he had been spotted by the umpires during the third test.</p>
<p>Echoing comments from the London-based Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), guardians of the ‘spirit of cricket’ gentleman’s code that is supposed to guide the ethos of game, Sutherland said Australia and others must take a long look in the mirror.</p>
<p>“Winning is important but not at the expense of the laws or the spirit of the game,” Sutherland said.</p> Slideshow (10 Images) TROUBLED SERIES
<p>While the four-match series, which South Africa lead 2-1 heading into the final test starting on Friday in South Africa’s commercial capital, has produced sensational cricket, it has been marred by on- and off-field altercations between players.</p>
<p>In the first test in Durban, Warner become involved in an off-field fracas with South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, and in the following game fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was cited for nudging Smith with his shoulder after capturing his wicket.</p>
<p>Initially banned for two games, Rabada was cleared on appeal in time for the crunch Cape Town test, with the series level.</p>
<p>Tim Paine, appointed as the new Australia captain in place of Smith, faces a huge task in picking up his shattered side, not least after the 322-run drubbing they received in Cape Town at the hands of Rabada and veteran paceman Morne Morkel.</p>
<p>The squad has been bolstered by batsmen Matthew Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns, but they will barely have time to acclimatize before Friday’s fourth test in Johannesburg.</p>
<p>Australia’s pre-meditated attempt to tamper with the ball, and thus make it swing more in the air, has drawn condemnation from around the world, with ball-tampering a serious breach of the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct.</p>
<p>However, the damage done to sports-mad Australia’s esteem is arguably far greater, with everybody from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull down piling in to express their outrage.</p>
<p>Australian media are speculating that the three players could receive lengthy bans, of particular concern to Warner, who at the age of 31 is in the latter stages of his career.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson and Nick Said in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - A British Volvo Ocean Race crew member who fell overboard in the Southern Ocean is presumed lost at sea, organizers said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>John Fisher, 47, had been competing with Hong Kong entry Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag on leg seven of the race from Auckland to Itajai in Brazil and was reported missing in extremely rough seas on Monday.</p>
<p>The 65-foot yacht’s location was some 1,400 nautical miles west of Cape Horn, and 1,200 miles from the nearest safe landfall in South America. The nearest competitors were 200 miles away downwind.</p>
<p>Fisher, a Sydney-Hobart veteran who was born in Southampton but based in Adelaide, had been on watch and was wearing appropriate survival gear.</p>
<p>“Given the cold water temperature and the extreme sea state, along with the time that has now passed since he went overboard, we must now presume that John has been lost at sea,” race president Richard Brisius said in a statement.</p>
<p>“The crew is, of course, emotionally and physically drained after what they have just experienced. Our sole focus now is to provide all the support and assistance that we can to the team,” he added.</p>
<p>Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag had carried out a search for several hours before heading in a north-easterly direction with the weather deteriorating and conditions challenging.</p>
<p>A ship had been diverted to the scene but remained more than a day away.</p>
<p>The 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race started from Alicante, Spain, on Oct. 22 and covers 45,000 nautical miles (83,000 km) around the world, featuring a total of 12 host ports. It ends in The Hague, Netherlands, at the end of June.</p>
<p>There has already been one fatal accident involving the race, with Vestas 11th Hour Racing withdrawing from the fourth leg in January after a collision with a fishing boat on the approach to Hong Kong.</p>
<p>One member of the fishing vessel’s crew died after being taken to hospital by helicopter.</p>
<p>Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by John O'Brien</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - The New York Yacht Club will compete as “American Magic” in challenging for the next America’s Cup in New Zealand in 2021, they announced on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The name, adopted by the club and Bella Mente Quantum Racing Association, harks back to the 19th century origins of the oldest trophy in international sport.</p>
<p>“America” was the first boat to win the Cup in 1851, and “Magic” the first to defend it in 1870. The New York Yacht Club was founded in 1844.</p>
<p>“American Magic builds on the legacy of those two yachts,” said Philip Lotz, commodore of the New York Yacht Club, in a statement.</p>
<p>“The name embodies the mission of our campaign, which is to win the Cup and in the process build the foundation for a stronger competitive sailing culture in the United States.”</p>
<p>The team expects to establish its primary base in Newport, Rhode island.</p>
<p>The 36th edition of the America’s Cup is set to be sailed off Auckland in fully foiling 75-foot monohull boats, a departure from the catamarans used during the 2017 competition in Bermuda.</p>
<p>New Zealand crushed Oracle Team USA last June with a stunning 7-1 victory in Bermuda’s Great Sound.</p>
<p>Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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kemba walker 26 points nine assists lead host charlotte hornets past sacramento kings 112107 monday night dwight howard nicolas batum marvin williams 14 points apiece hornets three past four games howard also finished gamehigh 16 rebounds charlotte bounced back disappointing 106105 loss miami heat blew fivepoint lead final 34 seconds saturday night skal labissiere 23 points bench kings lost eight consecutive games deaaron fox scored 16 points willie cauleystein added 11 sacramento kings trimmed 12point halftime deficit lead 7366 free throw cauleystein 557 left third quarter charlotte struggled setting offense three consecutive turnovers however hornets recovered 3pointer frank kaminsky provided 8268 margin forcing sacramento call full timeout 250 left kaminsky finished 10 points bench 3pointer jeremy lamb 18 points gave charlotte 9275 lead heading final period kings rallied pulled within 10192 19foot jumper cauleystein 458 left game backtoback 3pointers buddy hield bogdan bogdanovic cut margin 105102 125 remaining howard made pair free throws tipin seal win hornets forward michael kiddgilchrist averages 104 points per game missed game foot injury treveon graham got first start season place scored three points 21 minutes kings entered game nbas worst 3point percentage defense allowing opponents shoot 384 percent hornets took advantage went 16of40 40 percent beyond arc field level media standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters thailands kiradech aphibarnrat hoping emerge surprise contender next weeks us masters following string consistent performances last two months mar 24 2018 austin tx usa kiradech aphibarnrat thailand plays charles howell iii united states fourth round wgc dell technologies match play golf tournament austin country club mandatory credit erich schlegelusa today sports 28yearold blistering form since winning world super 6 perth title february richard mille brunei championships earlier month momentum side aphibarnrat recorded tiedfifth finish wgcmexico championships beaten last weeks wgcdell match play texas quarter finals eventual winner bubba watson performances last four months season saw jump 160th world top 50 result texas moved careerhigh 29th way fought qualify masters amazing want show world asian surprise contend major told asian tour website ive comfortable way ive playing im feeling confident ive putted well lately look forward playing augusta try go earlier try feel comfortable greens aphibarnrats second appearance augusta national securing credible tied15th masters debut 2016 best result major far goal try stay inside top 30 hopefully earn pga tour card said give best masters good memories augusta golf course suits game ive playing well hopefully another week remember masters played april 58 reporting hardik vyas bengaluru editing susan fenton standards thomson reuters trust principles johannesburg reuters australian cricket supremo james sutherland harsh words tuesday test trio sent home balltampering scandal cape town saying faced significant sanctions one term refused use cheat australian cricketer cameron bancroft arrives cape town international airport south africa march 27 2018 reuterssumaya hisham pressed packed news conference sutherland would say disgraced players captain steve smith vicecaptain david warner opener cameron bancroft broken rules contrary australian media reports coach darren lehmann involved plot hatched lunch break saturday scuff ball small piece improvised sand paper prior knowledge sutherland said lehmann nononsense former player australias test side gained reputation pushing limits sporting acceptability would continue position current contract cricket australias ceo added australian cricketer cameron bancroft arrives cape town international airport south africa march 27 2018 reuterssumaya hisham good day australian cricket said sutherland flew south africa tuesday morning sort imbroglio sparked saturdays incident laws game spirit game smith warner stripped leadership positions three leave tour wake balltampering scandal shaken sport cut quick australias play hard fair psyche 25yearold bancroft caught camera shoving sticky yellow tape used pick rough granules pitch front trousers believed spotted umpires third test echoing comments londonbased marylebone cricket club mcc guardians spirit cricket gentlemans code supposed guide ethos game sutherland said australia others must take long look mirror winning important expense laws spirit game sutherland said slideshow 10 images troubled series fourmatch series south africa lead 21 heading final test starting friday south africas commercial capital produced sensational cricket marred offfield altercations players first test durban warner become involved offfield fracas south africa wicketkeeper quinton de kock following game fast bowler kagiso rabada cited nudging smith shoulder capturing wicket initially banned two games rabada cleared appeal time crunch cape town test series level tim paine appointed new australia captain place smith faces huge task picking shattered side least 322run drubbing received cape town hands rabada veteran paceman morne morkel squad bolstered batsmen matthew renshaw glenn maxwell joe burns barely time acclimatize fridays fourth test johannesburg australias premeditated attempt tamper ball thus make swing air drawn condemnation around world balltampering serious breach international cricket councils code conduct however damage done sportsmad australias esteem arguably far greater everybody prime minister malcolm turnbull piling express outrage australian media speculating three players could receive lengthy bans particular concern warner age 31 latter stages career additional reporting mark gleeson nick said cape town editing ken ferris standards thomson reuters trust principles london reuters british volvo ocean race crew member fell overboard southern ocean presumed lost sea organizers said tuesday john fisher 47 competing hong kong entry team sun hung kaiscallywag leg seven race auckland itajai brazil reported missing extremely rough seas monday 65foot yachts location 1400 nautical miles west cape horn 1200 miles nearest safe landfall south america nearest competitors 200 miles away downwind fisher sydneyhobart veteran born southampton based adelaide watch wearing appropriate survival gear given cold water temperature extreme sea state along time passed since went overboard must presume john lost sea race president richard brisius said statement crew course emotionally physically drained experienced sole focus provide support assistance team added team sun hung kaiscallywag carried search several hours heading northeasterly direction weather deteriorating conditions challenging ship diverted scene remained day away 201718 volvo ocean race started alicante spain oct 22 covers 45000 nautical miles 83000 km around world featuring total 12 host ports ends hague netherlands end june already one fatal accident involving race vestas 11th hour racing withdrawing fourth leg january collision fishing boat approach hong kong one member fishing vessels crew died taken hospital helicopter reporting alan baldwin editing john obrien standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters new york yacht club compete american magic challenging next americas cup new zealand 2021 announced tuesday name adopted club bella mente quantum racing association harks back 19th century origins oldest trophy international sport america first boat win cup 1851 magic first defend 1870 new york yacht club founded 1844 american magic builds legacy two yachts said philip lotz commodore new york yacht club statement name embodies mission campaign win cup process build foundation stronger competitive sailing culture united states team expects establish primary base newport rhode island 36th edition americas cup set sailed auckland fully foiling 75foot monohull boats departure catamarans used 2017 competition bermuda new zealand crushed oracle team usa last june stunning 71 victory bermudas great sound reporting alan baldwin london editing ed osmond standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The Vatican was so concerned about the fallout from Chile’s most notorious pedophile priest that it planned to ask three Chilean bishops accused of knowing about his decades-long crimes to resign and take a year’s sabbatical — a revelation that comes just days before Pope Francis makes his first visit to Chile as pope.</p>
<p>A confidential 2015 letter from Francis, obtained by The Associated Press, details the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the Vatican and Chile’s bishops to deal with the prelates connected to the disgraced Rev. Fernando Karadima. And it reveals the bishops’ concern about Francis naming a Karadima protege, Bishop Juan Barros, to the helm of the diocese of Osorno — an appointment that roiled the diocese, with hundreds of priests and lay Catholics staging protests against him.</p>
<p>Those protests are expected to greet Francis during his visit to Chile, which begins Monday.</p>
<p>Chile’s Catholic Church was thrown into crisis in 2010 when former parishioners publicly accused Karadima of sexually abusing them when they were minors, starting in the 1980s — accusations they had made years earlier to Chilean church leaders but that were ignored. The scandal grew as Chilean prosecutors and Vatican investigators took testimony from the victims, who accused Barros and other Karadima proteges of having witnessed the abuse and doing nothing about it.</p>
<p>A confidential 2015 letter from Pope Francis obtained by The Associated Press</p>
<p>In his Jan. 31, 2015, letter, written in response to Chilean church leaders’ complaints about the Barros appointment, Francis revealed for the first time that he knew that the issue was controversial and that his ambassador in Chile had tried to find a way to contain the damage well before the case made headlines.</p>
<p>“Thank you for having openly demonstrated the concern that you have about the appointment of Monsignor Juan Barros,” Francis wrote in the letter, addressed to the executive committee of the Chilean bishops’ conference. “I understand what you’re telling me and I’m aware that the situation of the church in Chile is difficult due to the trials you’ve had to undergo.”</p>
<p>Francis told the committee that his ambassador, Monsignor Ivo Scapolo, had asked Barros to resign in 2014 as bishop to Chile’s armed forces, a high-profile post, and had “encouraged him to take a sabbatical year before assuming any other pastoral responsibility as a bishop.”</p>
<p>Barros was told a similar exit strategy had been planned for two other Karadima-trained bishops, but was asked not to share the information, the pope wrote. He said the plan went awry when Barros named the two others in his letter stepping down as military bishop — a development that posed “a serious problem,” and “blocked any eventual path, in the sense of offering a year of sabbatical,” to remove the three from the eye of the storm roiling the Chilean church.</p>
<p>In the end, Francis went through with the appointment of Barros as bishop of Osorno, 600 miles (900 kilometers) south of Santiago.</p>
<p>Barros had been a protege of Karadima, a charismatic preacher who ministered to Chile’s elite in a posh suburb of Santiago, where his El Bosque parish community produced dozens of priestly vocations and five bishops, Barros among them. Chile’s church leadership for years had ignored complaints about Karadima’s sexual abuse of minors and only took action after victims went public with their claims in 2010.</p>
<p>Karadima was sanctioned in 2011 by the Vatican, which removed him from all pastoral duties and sentenced him to a lifetime of penance and prayer for his crimes. Chilean prosecutors investigated Karadima as well but dropped the charges because the statute of limitations had expired. The judge handling the case stressed that it didn’t collapse for lack of proof.</p>
<p>Some of Karadima’s victims say Barros and other Karadima-trained bishops witnessed and tolerated Karadima’s abuse and then kept quiet about it. Francis’ appointment of Barros has thus been a stain on his oft-repeated “zero tolerance” for abuse, with even members of his own sexual abuse advisory commission criticizing it.</p>
<p>Francis has since defended Barros, saying the Osorno opposition to him was “stupid,” unfounded and coming from the left. After the uproar over the appointment, the Vatican took the unusual step of defending it publicly by saying the Vatican’s bishops office had “carefully” examined Barros’ record and found no “objective reason” to block the nomination.</p>
<p>The Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, declined to comment on the pope’s 2015 letter, and calls and emails placed to members of the Chilean bishops’ conference about the letter were not returned.</p>
<p>Asked about the planned protests by Osorno parishioners during Francis’ trip to Chile, Burke said the Vatican had “maximum respect” for their right to do so. But he said no papal meetings were planned with the Osorno group, which had formally requested to meet with the pope in July but were told by Vatican organizers that his schedule was already final, some six months before the trip.</p>
<p>Barros said he knew nothing of the pope’s letter and repeated his position that he knew nothing of Karadima’s crimes. “I never knew anything about, nor ever imagined the serious abuses which that priest committed against the victims,” he told the AP.</p>
<p>“I have never approved of nor participated in such serious dishonest acts and I have never been convicted by any tribunal of such things,” Barros added.</p>
<p>Juan Carlos Cruz, who says Karadima sexually abused him when he was a teenager in the 1980s, told the AP that Barros and the other bishops Karadima trained were well aware of the abuse and even witnessed it. He said two of the bishops kissed Karadima “and put their heads on his shoulder and touched him, for 37 years, but now they have forgotten.”</p>
<p>The Karadima scandal has contributed to a severe crisis in the Chilean church, including a dramatic drop in new seminarians, a 20 percent decline in the number of people identifying themselves as Catholics and a growth in evangelical churches. Francis is expected to offer encouragement to the church and Chilean Catholics during his visit.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the online database on the abuse crisis, BishopAccountaiblity.org, released research showing at least 78 priests or members of religious orders had been credibly abused or convicted of sexually abusing minors in Chile, but that the number was likely far higher. Chile has about 2,300 priests.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Winfield reported from Vatican City.</p>
<p>SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The Vatican was so concerned about the fallout from Chile’s most notorious pedophile priest that it planned to ask three Chilean bishops accused of knowing about his decades-long crimes to resign and take a year’s sabbatical — a revelation that comes just days before Pope Francis makes his first visit to Chile as pope.</p>
<p>A confidential 2015 letter from Francis, obtained by The Associated Press, details the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the Vatican and Chile’s bishops to deal with the prelates connected to the disgraced Rev. Fernando Karadima. And it reveals the bishops’ concern about Francis naming a Karadima protege, Bishop Juan Barros, to the helm of the diocese of Osorno — an appointment that roiled the diocese, with hundreds of priests and lay Catholics staging protests against him.</p>
<p>Those protests are expected to greet Francis during his visit to Chile, which begins Monday.</p>
<p>Chile’s Catholic Church was thrown into crisis in 2010 when former parishioners publicly accused Karadima of sexually abusing them when they were minors, starting in the 1980s — accusations they had made years earlier to Chilean church leaders but that were ignored. The scandal grew as Chilean prosecutors and Vatican investigators took testimony from the victims, who accused Barros and other Karadima proteges of having witnessed the abuse and doing nothing about it.</p>
<p>A confidential 2015 letter from Pope Francis obtained by The Associated Press</p>
<p>In his Jan. 31, 2015, letter, written in response to Chilean church leaders’ complaints about the Barros appointment, Francis revealed for the first time that he knew that the issue was controversial and that his ambassador in Chile had tried to find a way to contain the damage well before the case made headlines.</p>
<p>“Thank you for having openly demonstrated the concern that you have about the appointment of Monsignor Juan Barros,” Francis wrote in the letter, addressed to the executive committee of the Chilean bishops’ conference. “I understand what you’re telling me and I’m aware that the situation of the church in Chile is difficult due to the trials you’ve had to undergo.”</p>
<p>Francis told the committee that his ambassador, Monsignor Ivo Scapolo, had asked Barros to resign in 2014 as bishop to Chile’s armed forces, a high-profile post, and had “encouraged him to take a sabbatical year before assuming any other pastoral responsibility as a bishop.”</p>
<p>Barros was told a similar exit strategy had been planned for two other Karadima-trained bishops, but was asked not to share the information, the pope wrote. He said the plan went awry when Barros named the two others in his letter stepping down as military bishop — a development that posed “a serious problem,” and “blocked any eventual path, in the sense of offering a year of sabbatical,” to remove the three from the eye of the storm roiling the Chilean church.</p>
<p>In the end, Francis went through with the appointment of Barros as bishop of Osorno, 600 miles (900 kilometers) south of Santiago.</p>
<p>Barros had been a protege of Karadima, a charismatic preacher who ministered to Chile’s elite in a posh suburb of Santiago, where his El Bosque parish community produced dozens of priestly vocations and five bishops, Barros among them. Chile’s church leadership for years had ignored complaints about Karadima’s sexual abuse of minors and only took action after victims went public with their claims in 2010.</p>
<p>Karadima was sanctioned in 2011 by the Vatican, which removed him from all pastoral duties and sentenced him to a lifetime of penance and prayer for his crimes. Chilean prosecutors investigated Karadima as well but dropped the charges because the statute of limitations had expired. The judge handling the case stressed that it didn’t collapse for lack of proof.</p>
<p>Some of Karadima’s victims say Barros and other Karadima-trained bishops witnessed and tolerated Karadima’s abuse and then kept quiet about it. Francis’ appointment of Barros has thus been a stain on his oft-repeated “zero tolerance” for abuse, with even members of his own sexual abuse advisory commission criticizing it.</p>
<p>Francis has since defended Barros, saying the Osorno opposition to him was “stupid,” unfounded and coming from the left. After the uproar over the appointment, the Vatican took the unusual step of defending it publicly by saying the Vatican’s bishops office had “carefully” examined Barros’ record and found no “objective reason” to block the nomination.</p>
<p>The Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, declined to comment on the pope’s 2015 letter, and calls and emails placed to members of the Chilean bishops’ conference about the letter were not returned.</p>
<p>Asked about the planned protests by Osorno parishioners during Francis’ trip to Chile, Burke said the Vatican had “maximum respect” for their right to do so. But he said no papal meetings were planned with the Osorno group, which had formally requested to meet with the pope in July but were told by Vatican organizers that his schedule was already final, some six months before the trip.</p>
<p>Barros said he knew nothing of the pope’s letter and repeated his position that he knew nothing of Karadima’s crimes. “I never knew anything about, nor ever imagined the serious abuses which that priest committed against the victims,” he told the AP.</p>
<p>“I have never approved of nor participated in such serious dishonest acts and I have never been convicted by any tribunal of such things,” Barros added.</p>
<p>Juan Carlos Cruz, who says Karadima sexually abused him when he was a teenager in the 1980s, told the AP that Barros and the other bishops Karadima trained were well aware of the abuse and even witnessed it. He said two of the bishops kissed Karadima “and put their heads on his shoulder and touched him, for 37 years, but now they have forgotten.”</p>
<p>The Karadima scandal has contributed to a severe crisis in the Chilean church, including a dramatic drop in new seminarians, a 20 percent decline in the number of people identifying themselves as Catholics and a growth in evangelical churches. Francis is expected to offer encouragement to the church and Chilean Catholics during his visit.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the online database on the abuse crisis, BishopAccountaiblity.org, released research showing at least 78 priests or members of religious orders had been credibly abused or convicted of sexually abusing minors in Chile, but that the number was likely far higher. Chile has about 2,300 priests.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Winfield reported from Vatican City.</p>
| false | 2 |
santiago chile ap vatican concerned fallout chiles notorious pedophile priest planned ask three chilean bishops accused knowing decadeslong crimes resign take years sabbatical revelation comes days pope francis makes first visit chile pope confidential 2015 letter francis obtained associated press details behindthescenes maneuvering vatican chiles bishops deal prelates connected disgraced rev fernando karadima reveals bishops concern francis naming karadima protege bishop juan barros helm diocese osorno appointment roiled diocese hundreds priests lay catholics staging protests protests expected greet francis visit chile begins monday chiles catholic church thrown crisis 2010 former parishioners publicly accused karadima sexually abusing minors starting 1980s accusations made years earlier chilean church leaders ignored scandal grew chilean prosecutors vatican investigators took testimony victims accused barros karadima proteges witnessed abuse nothing confidential 2015 letter pope francis obtained associated press jan 31 2015 letter written response chilean church leaders complaints barros appointment francis revealed first time knew issue controversial ambassador chile tried find way contain damage well case made headlines thank openly demonstrated concern appointment monsignor juan barros francis wrote letter addressed executive committee chilean bishops conference understand youre telling im aware situation church chile difficult due trials youve undergo francis told committee ambassador monsignor ivo scapolo asked barros resign 2014 bishop chiles armed forces highprofile post encouraged take sabbatical year assuming pastoral responsibility bishop barros told similar exit strategy planned two karadimatrained bishops asked share information pope wrote said plan went awry barros named two others letter stepping military bishop development posed serious problem blocked eventual path sense offering year sabbatical remove three eye storm roiling chilean church end francis went appointment barros bishop osorno 600 miles 900 kilometers south santiago barros protege karadima charismatic preacher ministered chiles elite posh suburb santiago el bosque parish community produced dozens priestly vocations five bishops barros among chiles church leadership years ignored complaints karadimas sexual abuse minors took action victims went public claims 2010 karadima sanctioned 2011 vatican removed pastoral duties sentenced lifetime penance prayer crimes chilean prosecutors investigated karadima well dropped charges statute limitations expired judge handling case stressed didnt collapse lack proof karadimas victims say barros karadimatrained bishops witnessed tolerated karadimas abuse kept quiet francis appointment barros thus stain oftrepeated zero tolerance abuse even members sexual abuse advisory commission criticizing francis since defended barros saying osorno opposition stupid unfounded coming left uproar appointment vatican took unusual step defending publicly saying vaticans bishops office carefully examined barros record found objective reason block nomination vatican spokesman greg burke declined comment popes 2015 letter calls emails placed members chilean bishops conference letter returned asked planned protests osorno parishioners francis trip chile burke said vatican maximum respect right said papal meetings planned osorno group formally requested meet pope july told vatican organizers schedule already final six months trip barros said knew nothing popes letter repeated position knew nothing karadimas crimes never knew anything ever imagined serious abuses priest committed victims told ap never approved participated serious dishonest acts never convicted tribunal things barros added juan carlos cruz says karadima sexually abused teenager 1980s told ap barros bishops karadima trained well aware abuse even witnessed said two bishops kissed karadima put heads shoulder touched 37 years forgotten karadima scandal contributed severe crisis chilean church including dramatic drop new seminarians 20 percent decline number people identifying catholics growth evangelical churches francis expected offer encouragement church chilean catholics visit wednesday online database abuse crisis bishopaccountaiblityorg released research showing least 78 priests members religious orders credibly abused convicted sexually abusing minors chile number likely far higher chile 2300 priests ___ winfield reported vatican city santiago chile ap vatican concerned fallout chiles notorious pedophile priest planned ask three chilean bishops accused knowing decadeslong crimes resign take years sabbatical revelation comes days pope francis makes first visit chile pope confidential 2015 letter francis obtained associated press details behindthescenes maneuvering vatican chiles bishops deal prelates connected disgraced rev fernando karadima reveals bishops concern francis naming karadima protege bishop juan barros helm diocese osorno appointment roiled diocese hundreds priests lay catholics staging protests protests expected greet francis visit chile begins monday chiles catholic church thrown crisis 2010 former parishioners publicly accused karadima sexually abusing minors starting 1980s accusations made years earlier chilean church leaders ignored scandal grew chilean prosecutors vatican investigators took testimony victims accused barros karadima proteges witnessed abuse nothing confidential 2015 letter pope francis obtained associated press jan 31 2015 letter written response chilean church leaders complaints barros appointment francis revealed first time knew issue controversial ambassador chile tried find way contain damage well case made headlines thank openly demonstrated concern appointment monsignor juan barros francis wrote letter addressed executive committee chilean bishops conference understand youre telling im aware situation church chile difficult due trials youve undergo francis told committee ambassador monsignor ivo scapolo asked barros resign 2014 bishop chiles armed forces highprofile post encouraged take sabbatical year assuming pastoral responsibility bishop barros told similar exit strategy planned two karadimatrained bishops asked share information pope wrote said plan went awry barros named two others letter stepping military bishop development posed serious problem blocked eventual path sense offering year sabbatical remove three eye storm roiling chilean church end francis went appointment barros bishop osorno 600 miles 900 kilometers south santiago barros protege karadima charismatic preacher ministered chiles elite posh suburb santiago el bosque parish community produced dozens priestly vocations five bishops barros among chiles church leadership years ignored complaints karadimas sexual abuse minors took action victims went public claims 2010 karadima sanctioned 2011 vatican removed pastoral duties sentenced lifetime penance prayer crimes chilean prosecutors investigated karadima well dropped charges statute limitations expired judge handling case stressed didnt collapse lack proof karadimas victims say barros karadimatrained bishops witnessed tolerated karadimas abuse kept quiet francis appointment barros thus stain oftrepeated zero tolerance abuse even members sexual abuse advisory commission criticizing francis since defended barros saying osorno opposition stupid unfounded coming left uproar appointment vatican took unusual step defending publicly saying vaticans bishops office carefully examined barros record found objective reason block nomination vatican spokesman greg burke declined comment popes 2015 letter calls emails placed members chilean bishops conference letter returned asked planned protests osorno parishioners francis trip chile burke said vatican maximum respect right said papal meetings planned osorno group formally requested meet pope july told vatican organizers schedule already final six months trip barros said knew nothing popes letter repeated position knew nothing karadimas crimes never knew anything ever imagined serious abuses priest committed victims told ap never approved participated serious dishonest acts never convicted tribunal things barros added juan carlos cruz says karadima sexually abused teenager 1980s told ap barros bishops karadima trained well aware abuse even witnessed said two bishops kissed karadima put heads shoulder touched 37 years forgotten karadima scandal contributed severe crisis chilean church including dramatic drop new seminarians 20 percent decline number people identifying catholics growth evangelical churches francis expected offer encouragement church chilean catholics visit wednesday online database abuse crisis bishopaccountaiblityorg released research showing least 78 priests members religious orders credibly abused convicted sexually abusing minors chile number likely far higher chile 2300 priests ___ winfield reported vatican city
| 1,174 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Orient Victory Travel Group Company Ltd :</p>
<p>* ‍ANNOUNCES TRANSACTION IN RELATION TO ACQUISITIONS OF 40% EQUITY INTEREST IN EACH OF GREAT ASCENT AND YIERSAN​</p>
<p>* GREAT ASCENT AGREEMENT FOR RMB75 MILLION AND YIERSAN AGREEMENT FOR RMB50 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia summoned a slew of senior Western diplomats on Friday to tell them how many of their embassy officials it was expelling in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.</p>
<p>Moscow said on Thursday it was expelling 60 U.S. diplomats and would eject scores from other countries that had joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.</p>
<p>Britain and Russia have already expelled 23 of each other’s diplomats over the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two, but Laurie Bristow, Britain’s ambassador, was summoned again on Friday.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Bristow had been told London had just one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-diplomats-reaction/russias-response-to-expulsion-of-diplomats-is-regrettable-says-britain-idUSKBN1H6197" type="external">Russia's response to expulsion of diplomats is 'regrettable', says Britain</a>
<a href="/article/us-georgia-russia/georgia-expels-one-russian-diplomat-over-uk-nerve-agent-attack-idUSKBN1H61BC" type="external">Georgia expels one Russian diplomat over UK nerve agent attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-diplomats-expulsions-c/putin-discussed-spy-row-retaliation-with-security-officials-kremlin-idUSKBN1H616U" type="external">Putin discussed spy row retaliation with security officials: Kremlin</a>
<p>It was not immediately clear if that meant a serious cut in staff numbers. A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said Russia’s response was regrettable and that Moscow was in flagrant breach of international law over the killing of the former spy.</p>
<p>The poisoning, in southern England, has united much of the West in taking action against what it regards as the hostile policies of President Vladimir Putin. This includes U.S. President Donald Trump, who Putin had hoped would improve ties.</p>
<p>Russia rejects Britain’s accusation it stood behind the attack and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.</p>
<p>The hospital where she is being treated said on Thursday that Yulia Skripal was getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack. Her father remains in a critical but stable condition.</p>
<p>The BBC, citing “separate sources”, reported on Friday that Yulia was “conscious and talking”.</p> EXPULSIONS
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday it was summoning the representatives of a “raft of countries” that had taken what it called unfriendly action against Russia in solidarity with Britain because of the Skripal affair.</p>
<p>“The envoys will be handed protest notes and told about the Russian side’s retaliatory measures,” the ministry said.</p>
<p>Embassy officials from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Belgium, Ukraine, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic were all seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry building in Moscow.</p>
<p>The United States and a range of Western countries are expelling around 130 Russian diplomats and Moscow has said its own measures will precisely mirror those actions.</p> The Russian foreign ministry building is reflected in an ambassadors' car in Moscow, Russia March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>Among those nations whose diplomats were shown the door were the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Poland and Lithuania.</p>
<p>Emerging from the Russian Foreign Ministry building, German ambassador Rudiger von Fritsch said Russia had questions to answer about the poisoning of Skripal, but that Berlin remained open to dialogue with Moscow.</p>
<p>The U.S State Department said after Russia announced the expulsions on Thursday evening, that it reserved the right to respond further, saying the list of diplomats designated for expulsion by Russia showed Moscow was not interested in diplomacy. &#160;</p>
<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, disagreed with that assessment, saying that Putin still favored mending ties with other countries, including with the United States.</p> Slideshow (11 Images)
<p>Putin discussed Russia’s package of retaliatory measures with the Security Council on Friday.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Maria Kiselyova, Maxim Rodionov and Christian Lowe in Moscow, by Toby Sterling in The Hague, by Elisabeth O'Leary in London, Steve Scherer in Rome and Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Edmund Blair</p> Our Standards:
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<p>RIGA/TALLINN/PRAGUE (Reuters) - Russia is expelling diplomats from Latvia, Estonia and the Czech Republic in a widely expected response to similar moves by the three countries in the wake of the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain.</p>
<p>Russia was expelling three Czech diplomats and one each from the two Baltic countries, the foreign ministries of the three countries said separately on Friday.</p>
<p>“Of course, we expected such a step from Russia and it doesn’t come as a surprise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t solve the situation, but deepens the tension,” a spokesman at the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Gederts Gelzis, David Mardiste and Jan Lopatka; Writing by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Edmund Blair</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia has ordered a Russian diplomat to leave the country within a week, joining governments in the United States and across Europe in censuring Russia over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain.</p>
<p>Georgia and Russia severed diplomatic ties after a brief war in August 2008 over the breakaway South Ossetia region, but Russian diplomats have a presence there, operating out of a Russian interests section in the Swiss embassy.</p>
<p>“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the use of chemical weapons on the territory of the United Kingdom that caused grave human suffering to three individuals and posed serious threat to the life and health of others,” the ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.</p>
<p>Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. A British policeman who attended the scene of the poisoning, in the English city of Salisbury, was hospitalized. He has since been discharged.</p>
<p>Reporting by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Edmund Blair</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>GAZA-ISRAEL BORDER (Reuters) - At least seven 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> Israeli soldiers shoot tear gas from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, as Palestinians protest on the Gaza side of the border, March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
<p>One of the dead was aged 16 and most of the casualties were struck by gunfire, according to Palestinian medics who estimated the number of wounded at around 500 by mid-afternoon.</p>
<p>The Israeli military said that its troops had used “riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators” and that some of the demonstrators were “rolling burning tires and hurling stones” at the border fence and at soldiers.</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 used a drone in at least one location to drop tear gas.</p>
<p>The Palestinian protest marked “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>The demonstrators demanded 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> Israeli soldiers are seen next to the border fence on the Israeli side of the border with the northern Gaza Strip, Israel, March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
<p>Tensions ran high at the start of the long-planned tent protest that began on Good Friday and the start of the Jewish Passover and is scheduled to last for six weeks. Israeli security forces are customarily on a state of high alert during holidays, with tighter restrictions on movement of Palestinians.</p>
<p>There were also small protests in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But the main focus was Gaza, from which Israeli soldiers and settlers withdrew in 2005 after 38 years. The Gaza Strip is now ruled by the Islamist Hamas group and blockaded by Israel.</p>
<p>Gaza officials said tens of thousands of protesters gathered at five locations along the 65-km (40-mile), largely desert frontier with Israel. The Israeli military estimate was 17,000.</p>
<p>Families brought their children to camps just a few hundred metres (yards) from the border fence, with football fields marked out in the sand, and scout bands playing.</p>
<p>But hundreds of Palestinian youths ignored calls from the organisers and from the Israeli military to keep away, increasing the risk of confrontation with Israeli troops who had taken up positions on the other side of the fence.</p>
<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 and earth-moving vehicles piled up dirt mounds to stop any attempt to breach the barrier.</p>
<p>Major General Eyal Zamir, head of Israel’s Southern Command, said his forces had identified “attempts to carry out terror attacks under the camouflage of riots”.</p> Slideshow (15 Images)
<p>Hamas, which seeks Israel’s destruction, had earlier urged protesters to adhere to the “peaceful nature” of the protest.</p> “MARCH OF RETURN”
<p>In Gaza, an impoverished, densely populated enclave, 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>Eighty-year-old Mansi Nassar walked towards the sensitive frontier with the aid of his cane, disregarding entreaties to remain 700 metres (2,300 feet) from the barrier.</p>
<p>“I was born in Beit Darras inside Palestine and I will accept no less than returning to it,” he said, referring to his former home village just south of the modern Israeli city of Ashdod. The village no longer exists.</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 have been frozen since 2014.</p>
<p>The protest is scheduled to culminate on May 15, the day Palestinians commemorate what they call the “Nakba,” or “Catastrophe” when the Israeli state was created.</p>
<p>The protest organisers include Hamas and representatives of other Palestinian factions.</p>
<p>Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke at one tent encampment on Friday, saying that Gazans were demanding a “return to Palestine, all of Palestine. No concessions and no recognition of the Zionist entity (Israel) in any inch of the land”.</p>
<p>Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Ori Lewis and Stephen Farrell; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 22 reuters orient victory travel group company ltd announces transaction relation acquisitions 40 equity interest great ascent yiersan great ascent agreement rmb75 million yiersan agreement rmb50 million source text eikon company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles moscow reuters russia summoned slew senior western diplomats friday tell many embassy officials expelling worsening standoff west poisoning former russian spy daughter britain moscow said thursday expelling 60 us diplomats would eject scores countries joined london washington censuring moscow poisoning sergei skripal daughter yulia britain russia already expelled 23 others diplomats first known use militarygrade nerve agent european soil since world war two laurie bristow britains ambassador summoned friday russian foreign ministry said statement bristow told london one month cut diplomatic contingent russia size russian mission britain related coverage russias response expulsion diplomats regrettable says britain georgia expels one russian diplomat uk nerve agent attack putin discussed spy row retaliation security officials kremlin immediately clear meant serious cut staff numbers spokeswoman british foreign office said russias response regrettable moscow flagrant breach international law killing former spy poisoning southern england united much west taking action regards hostile policies president vladimir putin includes us president donald trump putin hoped would improve ties russia rejects britains accusation stood behind attack cast allegations part elaborate western plot sabotage eastwest relations isolate moscow hospital treated said thursday yulia skripal getting better spending three weeks critical condition due nerve toxin attack father remains critical stable condition bbc citing separate sources reported friday yulia conscious talking expulsions russian foreign ministry said statement friday summoning representatives raft countries taken called unfriendly action russia solidarity britain skripal affair envoys handed protest notes told russian sides retaliatory measures ministry said embassy officials france germany italy poland netherlands croatia belgium ukraine sweden australia canada czech republic seen arriving official cars foreign ministry building moscow united states range western countries expelling around 130 russian diplomats moscow said measures precisely mirror actions russian foreign ministry building reflected ambassadors car moscow russia march 30 2018 reutersmaxim shemetov among nations whose diplomats shown door netherlands italy finland poland lithuania emerging russian foreign ministry building german ambassador rudiger von fritsch said russia questions answer poisoning skripal berlin remained open dialogue moscow us state department said russia announced expulsions thursday evening reserved right respond saying list diplomats designated expulsion russia showed moscow interested diplomacy 160 kremlin spokesman dmitry peskov conference call reporters friday disagreed assessment saying putin still favored mending ties countries including united states slideshow 11 images putin discussed russias package retaliatory measures security council friday additional reporting maria kiselyova maxim rodionov christian lowe moscow toby sterling hague elisabeth oleary london steve scherer rome jussi rosendahl helsinki writing andrew osborn editing edmund blair standards thomson reuters trust principles rigatallinnprague reuters russia expelling diplomats latvia estonia czech republic widely expected response similar moves three countries wake poisoning former russian double agent britain russia expelling three czech diplomats one two baltic countries foreign ministries three countries said separately friday course expected step russia doesnt come surprise unfortunately doesnt solve situation deepens tension spokesman latvian foreign ministry said reporting gederts gelzis david mardiste jan lopatka writing niklas pollard editing edmund blair standards thomson reuters trust principles tbilisi reuters georgia ordered russian diplomat leave country within week joining governments united states across europe censuring russia nerve agent attack former russian spy britain georgia russia severed diplomatic ties brief war august 2008 breakaway south ossetia region russian diplomats presence operating russian interests section swiss embassy ministry foreign affairs condemns use chemical weapons territory united kingdom caused grave human suffering three individuals posed serious threat life health others ministry said statement late thursday russia denied involvement poisoning former spy sergei skripal daughter yulia british policeman attended scene poisoning english city salisbury hospitalized since discharged reporting margarita antidze editing edmund blair standards thomson reuters trust principles gazaisrael border reuters least seven palestinians killed hundreds injured israeli security forces confronting one largest palestinian demonstrations along israelgaza border recent years gaza medical officials said israeli soldiers shoot tear gas israeli side israelgaza border palestinians protest gaza side border march 30 2018 reutersamir cohen one dead aged 16 casualties struck gunfire according palestinian medics estimated number wounded around 500 midafternoon israeli military said troops used riot dispersal means firing towards main instigators demonstrators rolling burning tires hurling stones border fence soldiers palestinian health officials said israeli forces used mostly gunfire protesters addition tear gas rubber bullets witnesses said military used drone least one location drop tear gas palestinian protest marked land day annual commemoration deaths six arab citizens israel killed israeli security forces demonstrations government land confiscations northern israel 1976 demonstrators demanded palestinian refugees allowed right return towns villages families fled driven state israel created 1948 israeli soldiers seen next border fence israeli side border northern gaza strip israel march 30 2018 reutersamir cohen tensions ran high start longplanned tent protest began good friday start jewish passover scheduled last six weeks israeli security forces customarily state high alert holidays tighter restrictions movement palestinians also small protests israelioccupied west bank main focus gaza israeli soldiers settlers withdrew 2005 38 years gaza strip ruled islamist hamas group blockaded israel gaza officials said tens thousands protesters gathered five locations along 65km 40mile largely desert frontier israel israeli military estimate 17000 families brought children camps hundred metres yards border fence football fields marked sand scout bands playing hundreds palestinian youths ignored calls organisers israeli military keep away increasing risk confrontation israeli troops taken positions side fence statement israeli military accused hamas cynically exploiting women children sending security fence endangering lives military said 100 army sharpshooters deployed area earthmoving vehicles piled dirt mounds stop attempt breach barrier major general eyal zamir head israels southern command said forces identified attempts carry terror attacks camouflage riots slideshow 15 images hamas seeks israels destruction earlier urged protesters adhere peaceful nature protest march return gaza impoverished densely populated enclave protest dubbed march return tents bore names refugees original villages israel written arabic hebrew alike eightyyearold mansi nassar walked towards sensitive frontier aid cane disregarding entreaties remain 700 metres 2300 feet barrier born beit darras inside palestine accept less returning said referring former home village south modern israeli city ashdod village longer exists 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 frozen since 2014 protest scheduled culminate may 15 day palestinians commemorate call nakba catastrophe israeli state created protest organisers include hamas representatives palestinian factions hamas leader ismail haniyeh spoke one tent encampment friday saying gazans demanding return palestine palestine concessions recognition zionist entity israel inch land reporting nidal almughrabi writing ori lewis stephen farrell editing mark heinrich standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Dripping sweat and chugging water in the lobby of the Blissful Spirits Hot Yoga studios in northeast Albuquerque last month, Anthony Mathis said he had found a new love — or at least a new appreciation — for the wonders of yoga.</p>
<p>Entering his junior year with the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team — one that almost didn’t happen as he had planned to transfer before the hiring of head coach Paul Weir changed his mind — Mathis had tried yoga in eighth grade and “didn’t like it at all.”</p>
<p>Now, as he’s trying to break through from the role of deep reserve into regular contributor for the Lobos, Mathis is thankful a return trip to the 105-degree studios of Blissful Spirits was part of the team’s offseason regimen.</p>
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<p>“Personally, for me, this hot yoga helps a lot because it helps with the flexibility, and I’m kind of stiff in the hips,” said Mathis, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Oregon. “And it’s something we all get to do together. … I think it’s all good just to change things up around here, but it’s all with real specific reasons to help us be better players and a better team, too.”</p>
<p>The increased flexibility and recovery time benefits the hot yoga brings is a big reason it was a mandatory offseason ritual for the Lobos — and just another of many changes Weir has implemented since being hired in April.</p>
<p>New Mexico basketball player Sam Logwood does hot yoga with instructor Stephanie Alvarado in July. New Lobos coach Paul Weir believes hot yoga will benefit his players in physically and mentally. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>The changes aren’t just about the physical aspects of the game or specific on-court strategies. Those who know Weir would tell you his approach is probably every bit as much about building the mental and spiritual aspects of a player and team as anything else.</p>
<p>He places inspirational quotes around the locker room and basketball offices. He wants his team to meditate. He sometimes asks people what book they’ve read lately. He wants those around him to continue to learn and tries to set an example. Weir has four degrees and is working on his dissertation for his first doctorate.</p>
<p>Weir is exploring purchasing sleep pods for his players. Each morning, players down protein shakes or smoothies specific to their needs or what the team is trying to do on that day.</p>
<p>“The physical endurance that they’re about to go through with this (up-tempo style of play the Lobos will use this season), they need that kind of cleansing of the mind,” Weir said. “Just getting a healthy mind and body is very important for them to get out and compete the way we want them to compete. …</p>
<p>“Part of the increased workload that we’re asking these guys to do also requires them to start really taking care of their bodies. That’s what I told them the first day that I got here: ‘What we’re going to put your bodies through is only going to work if you start treating your bodies properly from a nutrition standpoint, a sleep standpoint and a recovery standpoint.'”</p>
<p>And the hot yoga helps in another way, he believes.</p>
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<p>“It’s also some time just to relax, clear the mind. The phones are off. You can breath. Things kids today just don’t get a lot of,” said Weir.</p>
<p>With those kids-these-days in mind, such an approach must be received with some rolls of the eyes and skepticism among his team of teenagers and early 20-somethings.</p>
<p>“It was definitely different,” junior forward Connor MacDougall said. “A culture shock maybe, but I don’t think there was really any eye rolling or questioning about it. … It kind of just adds to his personality. He’s an on the go guy. We say he’s kind of funky. We’re getting a kick out it. We come in and it’s something new every day.”</p>
<p>Senior forward Joe Furstinger, another returning Lobo who considered transferring before Weir arrived, acknowledged that some of the out of the box things Weir has asked the team to do have caught him off guard.</p>
<p>“A little bit,” Furstinger said. “He’s really into the mental side of things. He’s brought in different things to do like meditation and this yoga. … But all the things we’re doing has helped with us bonding together real quick.”</p>
<p>Weir is quick to credit new strength and conditioning coach Tyler Stuart, who came to UNM from the University of Florida, for much of the team’s physical gains this offseason, saying it was easily one of the best hires he’s made as he enters his second season as a collegiate head coach.</p>
<p>“He’s been killing us,” Mathis said of Stuart in July, after just about a month on the job. “But that’s what I need, personally. I need to get a lot stronger. He’s been getting me right, so I’m looking forward to keep working all summer.”</p>
<p>Weir doesn’t know what may come next in terms of his pushing the boundaries in exploring how to strengthen the Lobos’ bodies and minds.</p>
<p>And that’s by design. He doesn’t want them, or himself, to lock into one way of thinking.</p>
<p>Will any of it work? Those questions aren’t answered in hot yoga studios in August, and Weir has not said if the sessions will continue into the season. But he hopes it’s a start.</p>
<p>“I feel really good about the foundational changes that we’ve made,” Weir said. “I don’t know what that’s going to lead to come November or January, but I just feel like over time, we’re putting in some strong building blocks for the program.”</p>
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dripping sweat chugging water lobby blissful spirits hot yoga studios northeast albuquerque last month anthony mathis said found new love least new appreciation wonders yoga entering junior year university new mexico mens basketball team one almost didnt happen planned transfer hiring head coach paul weir changed mind mathis tried yoga eighth grade didnt like hes trying break role deep reserve regular contributor lobos mathis thankful return trip 105degree studios blissful spirits part teams offseason regimen advertisement personally hot yoga helps lot helps flexibility im kind stiff hips said mathis 6foot3 shooting guard oregon something get together think good change things around real specific reasons help us better players better team increased flexibility recovery time benefits hot yoga brings big reason mandatory offseason ritual lobos another many changes weir implemented since hired april new mexico basketball player sam logwood hot yoga instructor stephanie alvarado july new lobos coach paul weir believes hot yoga benefit players physically mentally jim thompsonalbuquerque journal changes arent physical aspects game specific oncourt strategies know weir would tell approach probably every bit much building mental spiritual aspects player team anything else places inspirational quotes around locker room basketball offices wants team meditate sometimes asks people book theyve read lately wants around continue learn tries set example weir four degrees working dissertation first doctorate weir exploring purchasing sleep pods players morning players protein shakes smoothies specific needs team trying day physical endurance theyre go uptempo style play lobos use season need kind cleansing mind weir said getting healthy mind body important get compete way want compete part increased workload asking guys also requires start really taking care bodies thats told first day got going put bodies going work start treating bodies properly nutrition standpoint sleep standpoint recovery standpoint hot yoga helps another way believes advertisement also time relax clear mind phones breath things kids today dont get lot said weir kidsthesedays mind approach must received rolls eyes skepticism among team teenagers early 20somethings definitely different junior forward connor macdougall said culture shock maybe dont think really eye rolling questioning kind adds personality hes go guy say hes kind funky getting kick come something new every day senior forward joe furstinger another returning lobo considered transferring weir arrived acknowledged box things weir asked team caught guard little bit furstinger said hes really mental side things hes brought different things like meditation yoga things helped us bonding together real quick weir quick credit new strength conditioning coach tyler stuart came unm university florida much teams physical gains offseason saying easily one best hires hes made enters second season collegiate head coach hes killing us mathis said stuart july month job thats need personally need get lot stronger hes getting right im looking forward keep working summer weir doesnt know may come next terms pushing boundaries exploring strengthen lobos bodies minds thats design doesnt want lock one way thinking work questions arent answered hot yoga studios august weir said sessions continue season hopes start feel really good foundational changes weve made weir said dont know thats going lead come november january feel like time putting strong building blocks program
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<p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - TJ Rodriguez is 36 and cannot walk without a walker, but horse riding helps him build his strength.</p> FILE PHOTO: A handicapped child embraces a horse after a session of equine-assisted therapy at the Mounted Police Unit in Mexico City May 15, 2013. Mexico City's Minister of Public Security (SSPDF) runs a free equine-assisted therapy program to help hundreds of children with autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, emotional disturbances, eating disorders and substance abuse, according to local media. Picture taken May 15, 2013. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo
<p>So when his birthdays come around, family members help fund his riding lessons, along with other enormous disability-related costs that are a part of the daily routine.</p>
<p>The lessons "are expensive and not covered by Medicaid," said his brother, Chris Rodriguez, director of public policy for the National Disability Institute. The family pools its money in what is known as an ABLE Account, which is a tax-advantaged investment account designed for individuals with disabilities.</p>
<p>Although seriously disabled people get government benefits through Medicaid and Social Security disability programs, they often incur thousands of dollars in expenses that the programs do not cover. Families might be funding the travel to and from doctor appointments. People with autism or Down syndrome may need special training so they can work.</p>
<p>"Just by living with a disability, people have expenses others don't have," said Chris Rodriguez.&#160; "They may have to modify their home so they can live there, or they may need to replace a broken wheelchair or a hearing aid."</p>
<p>Coming up with the out-of-pocket cash is difficult, in part, because the government programs have strict limits on how many assets beneficiaries can have. An individual is not allowed to have more than $2,000 in a checking or saving account at any one time.</p>
<p>ABLE accounts, allowed since 2014, act like Roth IRAs or 529 college savings plans, in that people contribute after-tax money and do not pay taxes on growth if they withdraw it to cover disability-related expenses. There is no age-limit on using the funds, so they can be a valuable tool for long-term planning. But to qualify for an account, an individual has to experience a disability prior to their 26th birthday.</p>
<p>And now families who saved money in a 529 college savings plan can convert that fund into an ABLE. That can be a relief for parents who started saving for a baby and then later discovered autism or another disability that loaded the family with expenses.</p>
<p>Parents, or family members together, can put a total of $15,000 into an ABLE each year. To make sure that SSI and Medicaid coverage is not cut back, families must observe limits on the accounts. Only up to $100,000 in assets held in plans are specifically excluded from the income and asset tests used to determine eligibility.&#160;</p>
<p>These accounts help alleviate some worries for parents who fret about how their adult children will handle huge costs after parents die, said Rob Wrubel, a Colorado Springs, Colorado financial planner and author of "Financial Freedom for Special Needs Families."</p>
<p>"When parents come into my office, they are extremely nervous about the future," said Wrubel. "Will my child have a roof over their head, will they have friends, who will be there to replace the feeding tube?&#160; The concerns never go away."</p>
<p>Wrubel often advises parents to set up a special needs trust to provide for children after parents die, and he is starting to suggest ABLE accounts too that can give disabled adults control over some money.</p>
<p>With ABLE Accounts so new, only about 15,000 have been opened and the average contains less than $3,400, said Rodriguez. Yet, he estimates about 7 million people may be eligible to have an account.</p>
<p>The ABLE National Resource Center provides a tool ( <a href="http://ablenrc.org/state_compare/" type="external">ablenrc.org/state_compare/</a>) to search states and compare plans. Although all states have 529 plans, not all offer ABLE Accounts and those that do differ on fees, investment choices and state tax rules. Yet, if your state does not offer the accounts you can use another state's.</p>
<p>Still, be aware, notes attorney James Canup, of Richmond, Virginia, that if there is money left in an ABLE account after a disabled person dies, governments can take it to cover some of the individual's Medicaid costs.</p>
<p>"Some states do not claw back the funds, but the federal government says they can," said Canup.</p>
<p>Editing by Beth Pinsker and Cynthia Osterman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">SBUX.O</a>) Chief Executive Kevin Johnson hopes to meet with the two black men arrested at one of its Philadelphia cafes last week to apologize for the incident, which has sparked accusations of racial profiling at the coffee chain.</p>
<p>The men, who had not made a purchase, were handcuffed and arrested for trespassing on Thursday after a store manager called 911 and reported them for refusing to leave. Witnesses said the men were calmly sitting in the cafe and in a widely viewed video, some patrons asked police whether they were targeted because they are black.</p>
<p>Police released the men, who were not charged.</p>
<p>"The circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible ... they were wrong," Johnson told ABC's Good Morning America on Monday, amid protests and calls for a boycott on social media.</p> Slideshow (16 Images)
<p>The female manager who reported the men to police has left the company, a Starbucks representative said.</p>
<p>The incident came at a time when the company is grappling with flat traffic and lackluster sales growth at its more than 14,000 U.S. cafes. It is a high-profile public relations test for Johnson, a former technology executive who took the helm at Starbucks roughly a year ago.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">Starbucks Corp</a> 59.8748 SBUX.O Nasdaq +0.44 (+0.75%) SBUX.O
<p>Johnson, who was interviewed from Philadelphia, said it was "completely inappropriate to engage the police." He added that Starbucks would conduct training to prevent unconscious bias.</p>
<p>Representatives for the two men could not immediately be reached.</p>
<p>Protesters crowded the store that was the scene of the arrest on Monday morning. It was closed at around midday. More protests and a news conference are expected in the afternoon.</p>
<p>The Reverend Mark Tyler, part of an interfaith group organizing a protest on Monday afternoon, said he had not heard reports of similar issues at other area Starbucks. Still, he said, "the idea of black people being unwanted in downtown Philadelphia is not new ... this is the underbelly of gentrification."</p>
<p>Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; editing by Susan Thomas and Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - A gang-related dispute sparked an overnight riot in a South Carolina prison that killed seven inmates, the deadliest U.S. prison riot since 1993, state officials and prison safety experts said on Monday.</p>
<p>Another 17 people were wounded in an eight-hour long series of fights that spread through three dorms at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, said Bryan Stirling, director of the state Department of Corrections.</p>
<p>"This was all about territory. This was about contraband, this was about cellphones," Stirling told a news conference. "These folks are fighting over real money and real territory while they are incarcerated."</p>
<p>It was the deadliest U.S. prison riot since 1993, when nine inmates and one corrections officer died at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, said Steve Martin, a prisons expert and now the federal monitor for the consent decree involving New York City's Rikers Island jail complex.</p>
<p>All seven deaths were the result of stabbing injuries, said Lee County Coroner Larry Logan.</p>
<p>Forty-four guards were on duty at the 1,583-inmate prison when violence erupted Sunday evening, Stirling said. Prison staff called in reinforcements and did not move into the first unit until four hours after the fighting began, a delay that he said was necessary to ensure the guards' safety.</p>
<p>For months, South Carolina officials have said that prisoners used smuggled cellphones to manage crimes outside the prisons. Governor Henry McMaster on Monday said he would renew his request to federal officials to allow him to block cell signals on prison property.</p> A guard leaves the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, Lee County, South Carolina, U.S., April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill
<p>The State newspaper showed video it said was taken by inmates with smuggled phones that depicted trails of blood and dead bodies in the prison. Reuters could not immediately confirm that the video was authentic and Stirling declined to do so.</p>
<p>The state has about 5,000 prison employees in 22 institutions, but "security staff numbers continue to lag behind the authorized strength," the department's fiscal 2017 Accountability Report said, without giving numbers.</p>
<p>Martin said staff shortages could have been a contributing factor in the riot.</p> Slideshow (4 Images)
<p>"When high-security inmates start engaging each other and there aren't enough staff, it's hard to stop it," Martin said in a phone interview.</p>
<p>State officials identified the slain inmates as Raymond Scott, 28, who was serving a 20-year sentence for crimes including assault and battery; Michael Milledge, 44, serving 25 years for drug trafficking; Damonte Rivera, 24, serving life for murder; Eddie Gaskins, 32, serving 10 years for domestic violence; Joshua Jenkins, 33, serving 15 years for manslaughter; Corey Scott, 38, serving 22 years for kidnapping; and Cornelius McClary, 33, serving 25 years for burglary.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Jeffrey Benkoe, Susan Thomas, Jonathan Oatis and Steve Orlofsky</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The parents of two children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre have sued conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for defamation, accusing him and his website InfoWars of engaging in a campaign of "false, cruel, and dangerous assertions."</p> Alex Jones from Infowars.com speaks during a rally in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump near the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
<p>The two lawsuits filed on Monday in Travis County, Texas, where Jones resides, are likely the first defamation cases concerning Sandy Hook brought against Jones, who has called the shooting a hoax, said Mark Bankston, a Houston-based lawyer for the parents.</p>
<p>The parents decided to sue more than five years after the attacks because they had concluded Jones has no intention of leaving them alone, Bankston said.</p>
<p>"He needs to held accountable," Bankston said in a phone interview. "The strategy of ignoring him didn't work, He didn't go away."</p>
<p>Jones and a lawyer for him named in the lawsuits did not respond to requests to comment. Jones? InfoWars media site and affiliated Free Speech Systems were also named as defendants.</p>
<p>A gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, in an attack that ranks among the five deadliest mass shootings by a single gunman in U.S. history.</p>
<p>InfoWars founder Jones has questioned what he calls the "official story" of Sandy Hook and suggested a political cover-up took place. Although his theory has been discredited, people who believe Jones have harassed and taunted families of the victims.</p>
<p>The suits filed by Leonard Pozner, Veronique De La Rosa and Neil Heslin seek at least $1 million in damages. Each claims Jones repeatedly asserted the Sandy Hook shooting was staged and the parents were liars and frauds who helped in a cover-up.</p>
<p>"Defendants' defamatory statements were knowingly false or made with reckless disregard for the truth," one lawsuit said.</p>
<p>In March, Jones was named as one of several defendants in a lawsuit filed by a Virginia man who claimed he was defamed by false stories in which he was accused of helping stage unrest last summer in Charlottesville, Virginia, as part of an effort to undermine U.S. President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Brennan Gilmore, 38, said in that lawsuit that Jones and InfoWars published stories that damaged his reputation and led to threats against him.</p>
<p>In a video Jones prepared in response to the lawsuit, he rejected the accusation that any of the InfoWars content about Gilmore was knowingly false, and predicted any jury would acquit him.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Tom Brown</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took an unnecessary charter flight in June that cost taxpayers over $12,000, the Interior Department's internal watchdog said on Monday - travel linked to his visit to a professional hockey team in Nevada.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke testifies in front of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
<p>The report from the department's Office of Inspector General came amid mounting pressure on Trump Cabinet officials over their ethics and spending habits while in office.</p>
<p>"We determined that Zinke's use of chartered flights in fiscal year (FY) 2017 generally followed relevant law, policy, rules, and regulations," the report said.</p>
<p>"We found, however, that a $12,375 chartered flight he took in June 2017 after speaking at the developmental camp for the Golden Knights, a professional hockey team based in Las Vegas, Nevada, could have been avoided," it added.</p>
<p>The National Hockey League team is owned by Bill Foley, a donor to Zinke's congressional campaigns. The Interior Department has said Zinke's speech did not violate any laws, rules or regulations.</p>
<p>Zinke has defended his use of noncommercial aircraft as necessary for reaching the remote parts of the country that his department oversees.</p>
<p>He has also taken heat for other spending, including the repair of a door in his office that cost nearly $140,000.</p>
<p>Other Cabinet members have also been scrutinized.</p>
<p>The U.S. Government Accountability office on Monday said the Environmental Protection Agency violated spending laws when it installed a $43,000 soundproof booth for agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.</p>
<p>Writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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chicago reuters tj rodriguez 36 walk without walker horse riding helps build strength file photo handicapped child embraces horse session equineassisted therapy mounted police unit mexico city may 15 2013 mexico citys minister public security sspdf runs free equineassisted therapy program help hundreds children autism cerebral palsy traumatic brain injury stroke emotional disturbances eating disorders substance abuse according local media picture taken may 15 2013 reuterstomas bravo birthdays come around family members help fund riding lessons along enormous disabilityrelated costs part daily routine lessons expensive covered medicaid said brother chris rodriguez director public policy national disability institute family pools money known able account taxadvantaged investment account designed individuals disabilities although seriously disabled people get government benefits medicaid social security disability programs often incur thousands dollars expenses programs cover families might funding travel doctor appointments people autism syndrome may need special training work living disability people expenses others dont said chris rodriguez160 may modify home live may need replace broken wheelchair hearing aid coming outofpocket cash difficult part government programs strict limits many assets beneficiaries individual allowed 2000 checking saving account one time able accounts allowed since 2014 act like roth iras 529 college savings plans people contribute aftertax money pay taxes growth withdraw cover disabilityrelated expenses agelimit using funds valuable tool longterm planning qualify account individual experience disability prior 26th birthday families saved money 529 college savings plan convert fund able relief parents started saving baby later discovered autism another disability loaded family expenses parents family members together put total 15000 able year make sure ssi medicaid coverage cut back families must observe limits accounts 100000 assets held plans specifically excluded income asset tests used determine eligibility160 accounts help alleviate worries parents fret adult children handle huge costs parents die said rob wrubel colorado springs colorado financial planner author financial freedom special needs families parents come office extremely nervous future said wrubel child roof head friends replace feeding tube160 concerns never go away wrubel often advises parents set special needs trust provide children parents die starting suggest able accounts give disabled adults control money able accounts new 15000 opened average contains less 3400 said rodriguez yet estimates 7 million people may eligible account able national resource center provides tool ablenrcorgstate_compare search states compare plans although states 529 plans offer able accounts differ fees investment choices state tax rules yet state offer accounts use another states still aware notes attorney james canup richmond virginia money left able account disabled person dies governments take cover individuals medicaid costs states claw back funds federal government says said canup editing beth pinsker cynthia osterman standards thomson reuters trust principles los angeles reuters starbucks corp sbuxo chief executive kevin johnson hopes meet two black men arrested one philadelphia cafes last week apologize incident sparked accusations racial profiling coffee chain men made purchase handcuffed arrested trespassing thursday store manager called 911 reported refusing leave witnesses said men calmly sitting cafe widely viewed video patrons asked police whether targeted black police released men charged circumstances surrounding incident outcome store thursday reprehensible wrong johnson told abcs good morning america monday amid protests calls boycott social media slideshow 16 images female manager reported men police left company starbucks representative said incident came time company grappling flat traffic lackluster sales growth 14000 us cafes highprofile public relations test johnson former technology executive took helm starbucks roughly year ago starbucks corp 598748 sbuxo nasdaq 044 075 sbuxo johnson interviewed philadelphia said completely inappropriate engage police added starbucks would conduct training prevent unconscious bias representatives two men could immediately reached protesters crowded store scene arrest monday morning closed around midday protests news conference expected afternoon reverend mark tyler part interfaith group organizing protest monday afternoon said heard reports similar issues area starbucks still said idea black people unwanted downtown philadelphia new underbelly gentrification reporting lisa baertlein los angeles editing susan thomas jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters gangrelated dispute sparked overnight riot south carolina prison killed seven inmates deadliest us prison riot since 1993 state officials prison safety experts said monday another 17 people wounded eighthour long series fights spread three dorms lee correctional institution bishopville south carolina said bryan stirling director state department corrections territory contraband cellphones stirling told news conference folks fighting real money real territory incarcerated deadliest us prison riot since 1993 nine inmates one corrections officer died southern ohio correctional facility lucasville said steve martin prisons expert federal monitor consent decree involving new york citys rikers island jail complex seven deaths result stabbing injuries said lee county coroner larry logan fortyfour guards duty 1583inmate prison violence erupted sunday evening stirling said prison staff called reinforcements move first unit four hours fighting began delay said necessary ensure guards safety months south carolina officials said prisoners used smuggled cellphones manage crimes outside prisons governor henry mcmaster monday said would renew request federal officials allow block cell signals prison property guard leaves lee correctional institution bishopville lee county south carolina us april 16 2018 reutersrandall hill state newspaper showed video said taken inmates smuggled phones depicted trails blood dead bodies prison reuters could immediately confirm video authentic stirling declined state 5000 prison employees 22 institutions security staff numbers continue lag behind authorized strength departments fiscal 2017 accountability report said without giving numbers martin said staff shortages could contributing factor riot slideshow 4 images highsecurity inmates start engaging arent enough staff hard stop martin said phone interview state officials identified slain inmates raymond scott 28 serving 20year sentence crimes including assault battery michael milledge 44 serving 25 years drug trafficking damonte rivera 24 serving life murder eddie gaskins 32 serving 10 years domestic violence joshua jenkins 33 serving 15 years manslaughter corey scott 38 serving 22 years kidnapping cornelius mcclary 33 serving 25 years burglary reporting ian simpson washington rich mckay atlanta writing scott malone editing chizu nomiyama jeffrey benkoe susan thomas jonathan oatis steve orlofsky standards thomson reuters trust principles austin texas reuters parents two children killed 2012 sandy hook school massacre sued conspiracy theorist alex jones defamation accusing website infowars engaging campaign false cruel dangerous assertions alex jones infowarscom speaks rally support republican presidential candidate donald trump near republican national convention cleveland ohio us july 18 2016 reuterslucas jackson two lawsuits filed monday travis county texas jones resides likely first defamation cases concerning sandy hook brought jones called shooting hoax said mark bankston houstonbased lawyer parents parents decided sue five years attacks concluded jones intention leaving alone bankston said needs held accountable bankston said phone interview strategy ignoring didnt work didnt go away jones lawyer named lawsuits respond requests comment jones infowars media site affiliated free speech systems also named defendants gunman killed 20 children six adults sandy hook elementary school newtown connecticut dec 14 2012 attack ranks among five deadliest mass shootings single gunman us history infowars founder jones questioned calls official story sandy hook suggested political coverup took place although theory discredited people believe jones harassed taunted families victims suits filed leonard pozner veronique de la rosa neil heslin seek least 1 million damages claims jones repeatedly asserted sandy hook shooting staged parents liars frauds helped coverup defendants defamatory statements knowingly false made reckless disregard truth one lawsuit said march jones named one several defendants lawsuit filed virginia man claimed defamed false stories accused helping stage unrest last summer charlottesville virginia part effort undermine us president donald trump brennan gilmore 38 said lawsuit jones infowars published stories damaged reputation led threats video jones prepared response lawsuit rejected accusation infowars content gilmore knowingly false predicted jury would acquit reporting jon herskovitz editing tom brown standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters us interior secretary ryan zinke took unnecessary charter flight june cost taxpayers 12000 interior departments internal watchdog said monday travel linked visit professional hockey team nevada file photo us secretary interior ryan zinke testifies front senate committee energy natural resources capitol hill washington us march 13 2018 reuterseric thayer report departments office inspector general came amid mounting pressure trump cabinet officials ethics spending habits office determined zinkes use chartered flights fiscal year fy 2017 generally followed relevant law policy rules regulations report said found however 12375 chartered flight took june 2017 speaking developmental camp golden knights professional hockey team based las vegas nevada could avoided added national hockey league team owned bill foley donor zinkes congressional campaigns interior department said zinkes speech violate laws rules regulations zinke defended use noncommercial aircraft necessary reaching remote parts country department oversees also taken heat spending including repair door office cost nearly 140000 cabinet members also scrutinized us government accountability office monday said environmental protection agency violated spending laws installed 43000 soundproof booth agency administrator scott pruitt writing richard valdmanis editing jonathan oatis standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Power Up grant winners from Albuquerque, Belen, Rio Rancho and Corrales pose for a photo. (Courtesy of PNM)</p>
<p>“We are proud to partner with these organizations who are working to build stronger communities,” said Diane Harrison Ogawa, executive director of the PNM Resources Foundation, in a news release.</p>
<p>Projects include building youth sports fields, increasing wheelchair accessibility and creating gathering space for communities. Nonprofits from all over New Mexico submitted more than 100 applications.</p>
<p>The selected $50,000 grant projects are as follows:</p>
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<p>• Commonweal Conservancy Inc. in Santa Fe to support the Amphitheater at the Galisteo Basin Preserve for community gatherings.</p>
<p>• Kirtland Youth Association in Kirtland to support playing fields for youth sports in Kirtland and surrounding communities.</p>
<p>• New Mexico BioPark Society in Albuquerque for sheltered public space that is ADA accessible at Tingley Beach for events, gatherings and education programming.</p>
<p>• Santa Fe Chamber Opportunities Fund Inc. in Santa Fe to support three parklets that will provide shade, meeting places, greenery and beautify a one-mile stretch of St. Michaels Drive.</p>
<p>The PNM Power Up $15,000 grants were awarded to the following projects:</p>
<p>• Animal Humane New Mexico in Albuquerque for a neighborhood park in the Trumbull neighborhood on the Animal Humane’s four-acre campus.</p>
<p>With its $15,000 grant, Animal Humane in Albuquerque will create a neighborhood park on the agency’s four-acre campus. (Courtesy of Animal Humane New Mexico)</p>
<p>• East Central Ministries to support a collaborative neighborhood effort for vacant lot revitalization and green-space creation.</p>
<p>• Enlace Comunitario for green-space creation through a public art mural in Albuquerque’s gateway neighborhood, near the Albuquerque Sunport.</p>
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<p>• Media Arts Collaborative Charter School for vacant lot revitalization and creation of a community park through student-driven planning and implementation.</p>
<p>• The New Mexico Water Collaborative for creation of an urban green space detention pond utilizing recycled wastewater, planting and installation.</p>
<p>• Partnership for Community Action for The Power-Up Kids’ project in the South Valley of Albuquerque to create an interactive open space where children and families can learn through interactive play structures.</p>
<p>• UNM Foundation Highland Project for a collaborative effort with Highland High School students to develop colorful public artwork for vacant lots.</p>
<p>• Belen MainStreet for a pocket park in a vacant lot.</p>
<p>⋄&#160; Corrales MainStreet for a pocket park adjacent to the village of Corrales visitor’s center.</p>
<p>• Amistad y Resolana in Las Vegas, N.M., for revitalization and beautification through a community mural project.</p>
<p>• Southwest Regional Housing and Community Development Corp. in Lordsburg for repair and restoration of Lordsburg’s fountain to include landscaping, creating a meaningful public space.</p>
<p>• Spirit of Hidalgo in Lordsburg for development of a vacant lot in the town square.</p>
<p>• Galloping Grace Youth Ranch in Rio Rancho for development of a Sustainable Urban Agricultural Education Center for youth to explore the outdoors and enrich the community.</p>
<p>• Friends of Smokey-Capitan in Ruidoso for a LED message sign at the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce to announce community events and promote public safety.</p>
<p>• Dreamcatcher Educational Foundation in Santa Fe for development of a sustainability park at the South Campus of Santa Fe High School, including a trail and public education stations.</p>
<p>• The Nature Conservancy of New Mexico for a pedestrian and bike trial connection between municipal open space trails, including interpretative signage.</p>
<p>• Gila Chapter of the Native Plant Society in Silver City for an outdoor classroom and public art space.</p>
<p>• Partnership for Responsible Business in Silver City for a parklet at the Office of Sustainability, a town-owned property that was once a fueling station.</p>
<p>• The Volunteer Center of Grant County for Community Resiliency and Food Security Trail (CRAFT), parklet and Power Up outdoor classroom.</p>
<p>• Keep Alvin Beautiful in Alvin, Texas, to beautify entryway to the city’s historic downtown across the main street from the historic 1907 trail depot.</p>
<p>In 1983, PNM shareholders created the PNM Foundation as a separate, nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation governed by a board of trustees comprised of PNM employees.</p>
<p>In 2005, with the acquisition of First Choice Power and Texas-New Mexico Power Co., the foundation expanded its scope to include parts of Texas. No customer funds are part of the PNM Resources Foundation endowment.</p>
<p>For more information visit <a href="http://PNM.com" type="external">PNM.com</a></p>
<p>7-Eleven supports Special Olympics</p>
<p>7-Eleven New Mexico employees earlier this summer invested time and energy to raise $25,000 for Special Olympics New Mexico.</p>
<p>Special Olympics athlete Phil With, right, receives a $25,000 check from 7-Eleven Regional Manager Eric Corley, raised through this year’s Torch Icon fundraising campaign.</p>
<p>The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Mexico received a check for $25,000 from its community partner 7-Eleven from its annual campaign selling torch icons to its patrons.</p>
<p>For six weeks throughout April and May, 7-Eleven employees helped LETR “fuel the flame” by selling torch icons for $1 to its patrons and raising awareness of local Special Olympics athletes. Last year, the campaign raised $16,303. This year, the 7-Eleven and LETR partnership celebrated its third consecutive record-breaking torch icon campaign for Special Olympics New Mexico’s athletes and sports program.</p>
<p>“Every 7-Eleven employee and patron of those stores need to know that by selling and purchasing those icons, New Mexico’s children and adults with intellectual disabilities are being given the chance to leave the sidelines of life and experience the joy of sport, and all that goes with it,” said Special Olympics New Mexico Executive Director Randy Mascorella in a news release. “It’s not fun going through life being teased and excluded. 7-Eleven and their patrons continue to make possible what every person with an intellectual disability hopes for – the chance to have friends and be included.”</p>
<p>Since 2011, 7-Eleven has raised more than $70,000 for Special Olympics New Mexico.</p>
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power grant winners albuquerque belen rio rancho corrales pose photo courtesy pnm proud partner organizations working build stronger communities said diane harrison ogawa executive director pnm resources foundation news release projects include building youth sports fields increasing wheelchair accessibility creating gathering space communities nonprofits new mexico submitted 100 applications selected 50000 grant projects follows advertisement commonweal conservancy inc santa fe support amphitheater galisteo basin preserve community gatherings kirtland youth association kirtland support playing fields youth sports kirtland surrounding communities new mexico biopark society albuquerque sheltered public space ada accessible tingley beach events gatherings education programming santa fe chamber opportunities fund inc santa fe support three parklets provide shade meeting places greenery beautify onemile stretch st michaels drive pnm power 15000 grants awarded following projects animal humane new mexico albuquerque neighborhood park trumbull neighborhood animal humanes fouracre campus 15000 grant animal humane albuquerque create neighborhood park agencys fouracre campus courtesy animal humane new mexico east central ministries support collaborative neighborhood effort vacant lot revitalization greenspace creation enlace comunitario greenspace creation public art mural albuquerques gateway neighborhood near albuquerque sunport advertisement media arts collaborative charter school vacant lot revitalization creation community park studentdriven planning implementation new mexico water collaborative creation urban green space detention pond utilizing recycled wastewater planting installation partnership community action powerup kids project south valley albuquerque create interactive open space children families learn interactive play structures unm foundation highland project collaborative effort highland high school students develop colorful public artwork vacant lots belen mainstreet pocket park vacant lot 160 corrales mainstreet pocket park adjacent village corrales visitors center amistad resolana las vegas nm revitalization beautification community mural project southwest regional housing community development corp lordsburg repair restoration lordsburgs fountain include landscaping creating meaningful public space spirit hidalgo lordsburg development vacant lot town square galloping grace youth ranch rio rancho development sustainable urban agricultural education center youth explore outdoors enrich community friends smokeycapitan ruidoso led message sign ruidoso chamber commerce announce community events promote public safety dreamcatcher educational foundation santa fe development sustainability park south campus santa fe high school including trail public education stations nature conservancy new mexico pedestrian bike trial connection municipal open space trails including interpretative signage gila chapter native plant society silver city outdoor classroom public art space partnership responsible business silver city parklet office sustainability townowned property fueling station volunteer center grant county community resiliency food security trail craft parklet power outdoor classroom keep alvin beautiful alvin texas beautify entryway citys historic downtown across main street historic 1907 trail depot 1983 pnm shareholders created pnm foundation separate nonprofit taxexempt corporation governed board trustees comprised pnm employees 2005 acquisition first choice power texasnew mexico power co foundation expanded scope include parts texas customer funds part pnm resources foundation endowment information visit pnmcom 7eleven supports special olympics 7eleven new mexico employees earlier summer invested time energy raise 25000 special olympics new mexico special olympics athlete phil right receives 25000 check 7eleven regional manager eric corley raised years torch icon fundraising campaign law enforcement torch run special olympics new mexico received check 25000 community partner 7eleven annual campaign selling torch icons patrons six weeks throughout april may 7eleven employees helped letr fuel flame selling torch icons 1 patrons raising awareness local special olympics athletes last year campaign raised 16303 year 7eleven letr partnership celebrated third consecutive recordbreaking torch icon campaign special olympics new mexicos athletes sports program every 7eleven employee patron stores need know selling purchasing icons new mexicos children adults intellectual disabilities given chance leave sidelines life experience joy sport goes said special olympics new mexico executive director randy mascorella news release fun going life teased excluded 7eleven patrons continue make possible every person intellectual disability hopes chance friends included since 2011 7eleven raised 70000 special olympics new mexico
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<p>But later that day, the principal of Southwest Edgecombe High in Pinetops, North Carolina, told him he would be giving a different address, a five-sentence paragraph prepared by the school administrators. He gave him no explanation.</p>
<p>“I felt robbed of a chance to say my own words,” Marvin, 18, told The Washington Post. His mother, classmates and teachers urged him to give his speech anyway.</p>
<p>When he stepped onto the stage at the end of the commencement ceremony Friday, he opened up a folder under the podium containing the school’s prepared remarks:</p>
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<p>—</p>
<p>I would like to thank all of our friends and family for being here tonight. I would also like to address my fellow graduates one last time before we leave this gym. Although we may all never be in the same room at the same time again, we will always share the memories that we created within these walls. And no matter what we all do after graduation, never forget that this is one place that we all have in common, this place is home. Congratulations graduates, we did it!</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>But instead of delivering those words, he took out his cellphone and read a copy of his original speech, with his friends in the audience nodding to him in encouragement.</p>
<p>Sitting behind Marvin, the principal, Craig Harris, immediately turned to another staff member, whispering with a look of disapproval, video footage shows.</p>
<p>After the applause and final procession, all of the students lined up to receive their official diplomas. But one folder in the stack was missing: Marvin’s. His senior adviser informed him the principal had removed the diploma because Marvin had read the wrong speech.</p>
<p>“All my friends were outside with their big yellow folders taking pictures and I was still inside, trying to get my diploma,” Marvin said. “I was really hurt and embarrassed, basically humiliated.”</p>
<p>The teenager and his mother, Jokita Wright, accused the school of not only censoring a student’s words but then retaliating against him by withholding his diploma. The mother complained to the principal, who explained to her that her son had missed a deadline to submit the speech to the school. Marvin says he never knew about it.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Marvin did not receive his diploma for another two days, when the principal dropped it off at his home at the request of the superintendent. The principal handed him the diploma, saying only, “If your mom has any questions just give me a call.” Then he left.</p>
<p>Edgecombe County Schools Superintendent John Farrelly called Marvin on Monday to apologize for the way the school handled the situation on commencement day.</p>
<p>“I have communicated with the family to apologize on behalf of the school,” Farrelly said in a statement to the Wilson Times. “The diploma never should have been taken from the student.”</p>
<p>Farrelly said he did not have any problems with the content of the teenager’s speech but was concerned about Marvin’s use of a cellphone and the decision to change course at the last minute.</p>
<p>“There is an expectation that is communicated to all graduation speakers that the prepared and practiced speech is the speech to be delivered during the ceremony,” Farrelly said. “That was made extremely clear to the speakers. The student did not follow those expectations.”</p>
<p>In the fall, when Marvin was elected senior class president, his adviser informed him he would have to write a graduation speech. He says he wasn’t given any guidance, so he sought out tips from the previous year’s senior class president, and listened to numerous commencement speeches online for ideas.</p>
<p>His English teacher told him she approved of the speech. Marvin even left a copy of the remarks on his principal’s desk for review on commencement day.</p>
<p>Still, administrators insisted he should read the address they prepared.</p>
<p>But Marvin gave the speech he wanted to give, recounting memories he shared with his classmates through elementary, middle and high school. Though he stumbled a few times – distracted by the conversations taking place behind him and struggling to read from his phone – Marvin’s speech was welcomed with cheers and laughs from the audience.</p>
<p>In his approximately five-minute address, he thanked God, the family members of the graduates, the school’s faculty and his mom – who was watching in the bleachers in tears.</p>
<p>“This is it,” Marvin said. “We have finally made it.”</p>
<p>He talked about playing at recess in elementary school, dealing with the “transition period” of middle school, when “things didn’t work out in our favor.”</p>
<p>Finally, he talked about his senior year.</p>
<p>“Everything seemed different,” he said. “Teachers became mentors, friends became family, and Southwest Edgecombe High became home.”</p>
<p>“I am no expert in this journey we call life, but we all have the ability to make a difference and to be that change the world needs,” he continued. “The past 13 years have equipped us for a time as this to stand bold in who we are. So I say to my classmates, cherish these last few minutes we spend here and the memories we have created and get ready for the journey ahead.”</p>
<p>Marvin was his mother’s last child to graduate high school. His relatives drove to watch him speak and receive his diploma. While she’s glad he gave an address in his own words, Jokita Wright wished her son could have left the school that day with the diploma he rightfully earned, she said.</p>
<p>“He can’t get that day back,” his mother said. “That was a special moment for me, it was a special moment for him.”</p>
<p>Luckily, Marvin received the diploma just in time for the day he needed it most. On Monday, he officially committed to entering the U.S. Navy, after which he hopes to study pediatric surgery.</p>
<p>The high school graduate will report for duty on Oct. 10.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>God is continuing to bless me.</p>
<p>Posted by Marvin Wright on Monday, June 12, 2017</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Video: On June 9, North Carolina high school senior Marvin Wright had his diploma withheld after he refused to read a speech written by his school’s administrators. The class president eventually received an apology from the superintendent. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)</p>
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later day principal southwest edgecombe high pinetops north carolina told would giving different address fivesentence paragraph prepared school administrators gave explanation felt robbed chance say words marvin 18 told washington post mother classmates teachers urged give speech anyway stepped onto stage end commencement ceremony friday opened folder podium containing schools prepared remarks advertisement would like thank friends family tonight would also like address fellow graduates one last time leave gym although may never room time always share memories created within walls matter graduation never forget one place common place home congratulations graduates instead delivering words took cellphone read copy original speech friends audience nodding encouragement sitting behind marvin principal craig harris immediately turned another staff member whispering look disapproval video footage shows applause final procession students lined receive official diplomas one folder stack missing marvins senior adviser informed principal removed diploma marvin read wrong speech friends outside big yellow folders taking pictures still inside trying get diploma marvin said really hurt embarrassed basically humiliated teenager mother jokita wright accused school censoring students words retaliating withholding diploma mother complained principal explained son missed deadline submit speech school marvin says never knew advertisement marvin receive diploma another two days principal dropped home request superintendent principal handed diploma saying mom questions give call left edgecombe county schools superintendent john farrelly called marvin monday apologize way school handled situation commencement day communicated family apologize behalf school farrelly said statement wilson times diploma never taken student farrelly said problems content teenagers speech concerned marvins use cellphone decision change course last minute expectation communicated graduation speakers prepared practiced speech speech delivered ceremony farrelly said made extremely clear speakers student follow expectations fall marvin elected senior class president adviser informed would write graduation speech says wasnt given guidance sought tips previous years senior class president listened numerous commencement speeches online ideas english teacher told approved speech marvin even left copy remarks principals desk review commencement day still administrators insisted read address prepared marvin gave speech wanted give recounting memories shared classmates elementary middle high school though stumbled times distracted conversations taking place behind struggling read phone marvins speech welcomed cheers laughs audience approximately fiveminute address thanked god family members graduates schools faculty mom watching bleachers tears marvin said finally made talked playing recess elementary school dealing transition period middle school things didnt work favor finally talked senior year everything seemed different said teachers became mentors friends became family southwest edgecombe high became home expert journey call life ability make difference change world needs continued past 13 years equipped us time stand bold say classmates cherish last minutes spend memories created get ready journey ahead marvin mothers last child graduate high school relatives drove watch speak receive diploma shes glad gave address words jokita wright wished son could left school day diploma rightfully earned said cant get day back mother said special moment special moment luckily marvin received diploma time day needed monday officially committed entering us navy hopes study pediatric surgery high school graduate report duty oct 10 god continuing bless posted marvin wright monday june 12 2017 video june 9 north carolina high school senior marvin wright diploma withheld refused read speech written schools administrators class president eventually received apology superintendent amber fergusonthe washington post url httpwapost2scoc3a embed code
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<p>Jan 24 (Reuters) - Shimao Property:</p> * ISSUANCE OF US$500 MILLION 5.20% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2025
<p>* ESTIMATED NET PROCEEDS OF NOTES ISSUE US$495 MILLION​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Friday to “pull back from the brink” as President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods brought the world’s two largest economies closer to a trade war.</p>
<p>Trump is planning to impose the tariffs over what his administration says is misappropriation of U.S. intellectual property. A probe was launched last year under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act.</p>
<p>“China doesn’t hope to be in a trade war, but is not afraid of engaging in one,” the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday.</p>
<p>“China hopes the United States will pull back from the brink, make prudent decisions, and avoid dragging bilateral trade relations to a dangerous place.”</p>
<p>In a presidential memorandum signed by Trump on Thursday, there will be a 30-day consultation period that only starts once a list of Chinese goods is published.</p>
<p>That effectively creates room for potential talks to address Trump’s allegations on intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers.</p>
<p>Trump said he views the Chinese as “a friend”, and both sides are in the midst of negotiations.</p>
<p>The prospect of a full-blown trade war between the United States and China has sent shivers through economies supplying them, as a fall in demand would be inescapable.</p> FILE PHOTO - A worker checks steel wires at a warehouse in Dalian, Liaoning province, China May 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
<p>Feeling the chill, stock markets fell, but perceived safe havens such as government bonds gained.</p>
<p>Alarm mounted earlier this month after Trump imposed hefty import tariffs on steel and aluminum this month under Section 232 of the 1962 U.S. Trade Expansion Act, which allows safeguards based on “national security”, though that measure had not just targeted Chinese imports.</p>
<p>In a separate statement, the Chinese commerce ministry unveiled plans to levy duties on up to $3 billion of U.S. imports in response to the steel and aluminum tariffs, which will go into effect on Friday.</p>
<p>China was considering levying an additional 15 percent tariff on U.S. products including dried fruit, wine and steel pipes and an extra 25 percent duty on pork products and recycled aluminum.</p>
<p>China has assembled a list of 128 U.S. products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry said.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-trade-china-relations/china-urges-u-s-against-taking-trade-relations-to-dangerous-place-idUSKBN1GZ05X" type="external">China urges U.S. against taking trade relations to 'dangerous place'</a>
<a href="/article/us-usa-trade-japan/japans-aso-says-closely-watching-u-s-tariff-moves-against-china-idUSKBN1GZ004" type="external">Japan's Aso says closely watching U.S. tariff moves against China</a>
<a href="/article/us-usa-trade-eu/eu-leaders-receive-positive-news-on-trump-tariffs-idUSKBN1GY02V" type="external">EU leaders receive positive news on Trump tariffs</a>
<p>The commerce ministry said China would implement the measures in two stages: first the 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes and wine worth $977 million, and later, the higher 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and aluminum.</p>
<p>“We intend to impose tariffs on certain U.S. imports to balance out the losses caused to Chinese interests by the U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum,” the ministry said.</p>
<p>The ministry added it would take legal action under the framework of the World Trade Organization to maintain the stability of global trading rules. It added, however, it hoped it could resolve issues with the U.S. through dialogue.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ryan Woo and Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Wang Jing and Lusha Zhang; Editing By Simon Cameron-Moore</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Steve Wynn, the former chief executive of Wynn Resorts Ltd, is selling all his remaining 8 million shares in the firm in a dramatic exit of the casino and hotel enterprise he founded over 16 years ago.</p> Steve Wynn, Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
<p>In a surprise move, Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment said it has agreed to buy 5.3 million shares of Wynn Resorts at $175 per share, giving them around a 5 percent stake in the operator which has resorts in Las Vegas and Macau.</p>
<p>Galaxy is one of six licensed operators in the world’s largest gambling hub of Macau and competes with Wynn along with Sands China, MGM China and Melco Resorts.</p>
<p>The casino mogul’s share sale comes a week after Wynn Resorts said Steve and Elaine Wynn, who has a 9.26 percent stake, had scrapped a shareholder agreement that prevented them from selling their stakes.</p>
<p>Steve Wynn resigned as CEO of the Las Vegas-based company last month, following claims he subjected women who worked for him to unwanted advances. He has denied the accusations.</p>
<p>In a joint statement by Galaxy and Wynn on Wednesday, Galaxy Vice Chairman Francis Lui said it was a unique opportunity to “acquire an investment in a globally recognized entertainment corporation with exceptionally high quality assets and a significant development pipeline.”</p>
<p>A Galaxy spokeswoman could not comment further on whether Galaxy would look to increase its holding in the future.</p>
<p>Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox said Galaxy shared many of the same core “operating philosophies and values.”</p>
<p>The announcement also follows the settlement two weeks ago of long standing litigation between Wynn Resorts and Universal Entertainment Corporation.</p> An exterior view Wynn hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Steve Marcus WYNN IMPACT
<p>Wynn, who started in Las Vegas casinos in the 1960s, created some of Las Vegas’ most iconic landmarks – the Mirage, Bellagio and Treasure Island.</p>
<p>He was forced to sell his multi-billion dollar operation Mirage Resorts to tycoon Kirk Kerkorian in a hostile takeover in 2000. Kerkorian then created MGM Mirage and Wynn went on to create Wynn Resorts with his ex-wife in 2002.</p>
<p>The 76 year old businessman, whose signature denotes the company’s logo, had built two lavish resorts in the former Portuguese colony of Macau where only six firms have licenses to operate casinos.</p>
<p>Vitaly Umansky, analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in Hong Kong, said the implications of the Galaxy’s investment goes beyond what looks like a passive move at this stage.</p>
<p>“Wynn and Galaxy may be looking at collaborating on future development opportunities in Asia, with Japan being the critical development initiative.”</p>
<p>Galaxy’s octogenarian founder Lui Che Woo, one of Asia’s wealthiest billionaires, has a net wealth of $22 billion according to Forbes. Lui who started his career in construction has grown his casino company into one of Macau’s biggest operators over the past decade.</p>
<p>“There are other large gaming companies who do not have a presence in Macau, but who desperately want to be in Macau, and we would not be surprised to see them angling for a seat at the acquisition table too,” said Grant Govertsen, analyst at Union Gaming in Macau.</p>
<p>While Galaxy has been primarily focused on Macau with its three casinos, it this week received a license to operate a roughly $500 million resort in Boracay, the Philippines most famous holiday island.</p>
<p>Wynn, which operates a resort on Cotai and Macau’s main peninsula, focuses on premium and VIP customers, while Galaxy targets both the high end segment and the broader mass. Both companies have reported strong earnings growth in the fourth quarter with Galaxy posting a 67 percent surge in 2017 profit.</p>
<p>Shares in Wynn Macau and Galaxy dropped 3.9 percent and 2.9 percent respectively on Friday against the benchmark Hang Seng Index which was down 3.1 percent.</p>
<p>Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong and Philip George in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to replace his national security adviser H.R. McMaster on Thursday was the latest high-level departure from the Trump administration.</p> FILE PHOTO: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster speaks at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
<p>Here is a partial list of officials who have been fired or quit since Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017, as well as people nominated by him for a position who did not take the job.</p> 2018
<p>H.R. McMaster - The national security adviser was replaced on March 22 with John Bolton, according to a tweet sent by the president.</p>
<p>Rex Tillerson - The secretary of state was fired by Trump on March 13 after a number of public rifts between the two over North Korea, Russia and Iran.</p>
<p>Gary Cohn - The director of the National Economic Council and former Goldman Sachs Group Inc president said on March 5 he will resign in a few weeks. His decision came after he lost a fight to try to stop Trump from imposing import tariffs on steel and aluminum.</p>
<p>Hope Hicks - The White House communications director, one of Trump’s longest-serving and most trusted aides, resigned on Feb. 28. She was the fourth person to hold the post since Trump became president.</p>
<p>Rob Porter - The White House staff secretary, a senior adviser in charge of much of the documentation that went to Trump for his signature, resigned in early February following accusations of domestic abuse from two former wives.</p> 2017
<p>Richard Cordray - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first director resigned in November. Trump designated White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as acting director, but Cordray named a deputy director as his replacement, triggering a political and legal battle. Four days later, a federal court ruled in Trump’s favor.</p>
<p>Tom Price - The Health and Human Services secretary resigned under pressure from Trump on Sept. 29 in an uproar over Price’s use of costly private charter planes for government business.</p>
<p>Stephen Bannon - Trump’s chief strategist, who had been a driving force behind the president’s anti-globalization and pro-nationalist agenda that helped propel him to election victory, was fired by Trump in mid-August. He had repeatedly clashed with more moderate factions in the White House.</p>
<p>Reince Priebus - The former chairman of the Republican National Committee was replaced by John Kelly as Trump’s chief of staff in July. Trump lost confidence in Priebus after major legislative items failed to be approved by Congress.</p>
<p>Anthony Scaramucci - The White House communications director was fired by Trump in July after just 10 days on the job, following profanity-laced comments to The New Yorker magazine.</p>
<p>Walter Shaub - The head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, who clashed with Trump and his administration, stepped down in July before his five-year term was to end.</p>
<p>Michael Short - Senior White House assistant press secretary, resigned in July.</p>
<p>Sean Spicer - Resigned as White House press secretary in July, ending a turbulent tenure after Trump named Scaramucci as White House communications director.</p>
<p>James Comey - The Federal Bureau of Investigation director, who was leading a probe into possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia to influence the election outcome, was fired by Trump in May.</p>
<p>James Donovan - A Goldman Sachs banker nominated by Trump as deputy Treasury secretary, withdrew his name in May.</p>
<p>Michael Dubke - Resigned as White House communications director in May.</p>
<p>Mark Green - Trump’s nominee for Army secretary withdrew his name from consideration in May.</p>
<p>Todd Ricketts - The co-owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and Trump’s choice for deputy secretary of commerce withdrew from consideration in April.</p>
<p>Katie Walsh - The deputy White House chief of staff was transferred to the outside, pro-Trump group America First Policies in March, according to Politico.</p>
<p>Philip Bilden - A private equity executive and former military intelligence officer picked by Trump for secretary of the Navy, Bilden withdrew from consideration in February because of government conflict-of-interest rules.</p>
<p>Michael Flynn - Resigned in February as Trump’s national security adviser after disclosures that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office and had misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.</p>
<p>Gerrit Lansing - The White House chief digital officer stepped down in February after failing to pass an FBI background check, according to Politico.</p>
<p>Robin Townley - An aide to Flynn, Townley was rejected in February after he was denied security clearance to serve on the U.S. National Security Council, according to Politico.</p>
<p>Vincent Viola - The Army veteran and former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange was nominated by Trump to be secretary of the Army, but withdrew his name from consideration in February.</p>
<p>Caroline Wiles - Trump’s director of scheduling, resigned in February after failing a background check.</p>
<p>Sally Yates - Trump fired the acting U.S. attorney general in January after she ordered Justice Department lawyers not to enforce Trump’s immigration ban.</p>
<p>Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Writing by Lindsay Dunsmuir and Jason Lange; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Toni Reinhold</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump shook up his foreign policy team again on Thursday, replacing H.R. McMaster as national security adviser with John Bolton, a hawk who has advocated using military force against North Korea and Iran.</p>
<p>The move, announced in a tweet and a White House statement, came little more than a week after Trump fired Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and nominated Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.</p>
<p>The shake-up shows Trump, in office for 14 months, surrounding himself with advisers more likely to agree with his views and taking his foreign policy in a more hawkish direction.</p>
<p>What it means for a prospective summit meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is unclear. The meeting is supposed to happen by the end of May, but an exact time and place have yet to be settled on.</p>
<p>Bolton’s appointment could doom the already endangered Iran nuclear deal. It could also lead to friction with Trump on how tough to be on Russia, with the president still holding out hope for improved ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p>
<p>The news of Bolton’s appointment followed a meeting he had with Trump in the Oval Office. Even Bolton was caught by surprise. “I didn’t really expect an announcement this afternoon, but it’s obviously a great honor,” he told Fox News after the announcement. “I’m still getting used to it.”</p>
<p>Bolton, 69, is a Fox News analyst who contemplated a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. He is a familiar figure in Washington, with a walrus-like moustache and hard-charging views on many global challenges.</p>
<p>Some members of Congress immediately questioned his selection for the critical position in the White House.</p>
<p>“This is not a wise choice. Mr. Bolton does not have the temperament or judgment to be an effective national security adviser,” Democratic Senator Jack Reed said in a statement.</p>
<p>Bolton tweeted on Jan. 11 that time was running out on stopping North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. He said: “We’ve got to look at the very unattractive choice of using military force to deny them that capability.”</p>
<p>At a time when Trump has threatened to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, unless Europe agrees to change it, Bolton has tweeted that the deal “needs to be abrogated.”</p>
<p>He has also called for “effective countermeasures to the cyber war that Russia is engaging.”</p> ‘STRONG SIGNAL’
<p>Elliott Abrams, a senior foreign policy aide to former Republican President George W. Bush, praised Trump’s choice, saying Bolton “proved when we were both in the Bush administration that he is an excellent and forceful bureaucrat.”</p> FILE PHOTO -- Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton (L) speaks in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S. February 24, 2017, and White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster joins the daily briefing in Washington, U.S. July 31, 2017, in this combination photograph. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts, Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
<p>Whether Bolton, who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for Bush, will be able to swallow his own views has been debated by foreign policy experts since he appeared on Trump’s radar. His hiring does not require U.S. Senate confirmation.</p>
<p>Bolton said in the Fox News interview that his past statements on various issues were behind him and he would be an honest broker ensuring the president sees all the options available to him.</p>
<p>“The important thing is what the president says and the advice I give him,” he said.</p>
<p>Still, analysts said Bolton’s views would be influential.</p>
<p>“Bolton has long been an advocate for pre-emptive military action against North Korea, and his appointment as National Security Adviser is a strong signal that President Trump remains open to these options,” said Abraham Denmark, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under former President Barack Obama.</p> Slideshow (7 Images)
<p>“We should also expect an even more confrontational approach to China - a trade war may just be the beginning of a broader geopolitical competition,” he said.</p>
<p>Bonnie Glaser, Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, said: “Bolton has long supported regime change in North Korea and closer ties with Taiwan. Fasten your seat belts.”</p>
<p>As the State Department’s top arms control official under Bush, Bolton was a leading advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq - which was later found to have been based on bogus and exaggerated intelligence about President Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism.</p> ‘MUTUALLY AGREED’
<p>McMaster, hired early in Trump’s presidency to replace scandal-tarred Michael Flynn as national security adviser, had widely been expected to leave soon. Trump found McMaster’s style grating. The two had frequently clashed in meetings and Trump had been looking for a replacement, advisers said.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-trump-bolton-asia/north-korea-hawk-boltons-appointment-as-white-house-adviser-fans-worries-in-asia-idUSKBN1GZ0CO" type="external">North Korea hawk Bolton's appointment as White House adviser fans worries in Asia</a>
<a href="/article/us-usa-trump-bolton-role/for-super-hawk-bolton-surrender-is-not-an-option-idUSKBN1GZ09C" type="external">For super-hawk Bolton, 'Surrender is Not An Option'</a>
<a href="/article/us-usa-trump-bolton-tweets-factbox/factbox-want-to-know-how-bolton-will-advise-trump-read-his-tweets-idUSKBN1GY3E3" type="external">Factbox: Want to know how Bolton will advise Trump? Read his tweets</a>
<p>The White House said Trump and McMaster had “mutually agreed” that he would leave. “I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job &amp; will always remain my friend,” Trump’s tweet said.</p>
<p>“The two have been discussing this for some time. The timeline was expedited as they both felt it was important to have the new team in place, instead of constant speculation. This was not related to any one moment or incident, rather it was the result of ongoing conversations between the two,” a senior White House official said.</p>
<p>The announcement came a day after Trump was angered by a leak of information from his presidential briefing papers that said he was advised specifically not to congratulate Putin on his disputed election victory. Trump told reporters he had congratulated Putin.</p>
<p>McMaster, 55, is to stay on until mid-April. He said in a statement he was also requesting retirement from the U.S. Army, in which he holds the rank of three-star general.</p>
<p>White House Chief of Staff John Kelly had been hoping to entice McMaster into another military assignment in order to qualify as a four-star general.</p>
<p>Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by by Warren Strobel, Yara Bayoumy and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 24 reuters shimao property issuance us500 million 520 senior notes due 2025 estimated net proceeds notes issue us495 million source text eikon company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles beijingshanghai reuters china urged united states friday pull back brink president donald trumps plans tariffs 60 billion chinese goods brought worlds two largest economies closer trade war trump planning impose tariffs administration says misappropriation us intellectual property probe launched last year section 301 1974 us trade act china doesnt hope trade war afraid engaging one chinese commerce ministry said statement friday china hopes united states pull back brink make prudent decisions avoid dragging bilateral trade relations dangerous place presidential memorandum signed trump thursday 30day consultation period starts list chinese goods published effectively creates room potential talks address trumps allegations intellectual property theft forced technology transfers trump said views chinese friend sides midst negotiations prospect fullblown trade war united states china sent shivers economies supplying fall demand would inescapable file photo worker checks steel wires warehouse dalian liaoning province china may 15 2017 reutersstringer feeling chill stock markets fell perceived safe havens government bonds gained alarm mounted earlier month trump imposed hefty import tariffs steel aluminum month section 232 1962 us trade expansion act allows safeguards based national security though measure targeted chinese imports separate statement chinese commerce ministry unveiled plans levy duties 3 billion us imports response steel aluminum tariffs go effect friday china considering levying additional 15 percent tariff us products including dried fruit wine steel pipes extra 25 percent duty pork products recycled aluminum china assembled list 128 us products total could targeted two countries unable reach agreement trade issues ministry said related coverage china urges us taking trade relations dangerous place japans aso says closely watching us tariff moves china eu leaders receive positive news trump tariffs commerce ministry said china would implement measures two stages first 15 percent tariff 120 products including steel pipes wine worth 977 million later higher 25 percent tariff 199 billion pork aluminum intend impose tariffs certain us imports balance losses caused chinese interests us tariffs imported steel aluminum ministry said ministry added would take legal action framework world trade organization maintain stability global trading rules added however hoped could resolve issues us dialogue reporting ryan woo adam jourdan additional reporting wang jing lusha zhang editing simon cameronmoore standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters steve wynn former chief executive wynn resorts ltd selling remaining 8 million shares firm dramatic exit casino hotel enterprise founded 16 years ago steve wynn chairman ceo wynn resorts speaks milken institute global conference beverly hills california us may 3 2017 reutersmike blake surprise move macau casino operator galaxy entertainment said agreed buy 53 million shares wynn resorts 175 per share giving around 5 percent stake operator resorts las vegas macau galaxy one six licensed operators worlds largest gambling hub macau competes wynn along sands china mgm china melco resorts casino moguls share sale comes week wynn resorts said steve elaine wynn 926 percent stake scrapped shareholder agreement prevented selling stakes steve wynn resigned ceo las vegasbased company last month following claims subjected women worked unwanted advances denied accusations joint statement galaxy wynn wednesday galaxy vice chairman francis lui said unique opportunity acquire investment globally recognized entertainment corporation exceptionally high quality assets significant development pipeline galaxy spokeswoman could comment whether galaxy would look increase holding future wynn resorts ceo matt maddox said galaxy shared many core operating philosophies values announcement also follows settlement two weeks ago long standing litigation wynn resorts universal entertainment corporation exterior view wynn hotelcasino las vegas nevada us february 7 2018 reuterssteve marcus wynn impact wynn started las vegas casinos 1960s created las vegas iconic landmarks mirage bellagio treasure island forced sell multibillion dollar operation mirage resorts tycoon kirk kerkorian hostile takeover 2000 kerkorian created mgm mirage wynn went create wynn resorts exwife 2002 76 year old businessman whose signature denotes companys logo built two lavish resorts former portuguese colony macau six firms licenses operate casinos vitaly umansky analyst sanford c bernstein hong kong said implications galaxys investment goes beyond looks like passive move stage wynn galaxy may looking collaborating future development opportunities asia japan critical development initiative galaxys octogenarian founder lui che woo one asias wealthiest billionaires net wealth 22 billion according forbes lui started career construction grown casino company one macaus biggest operators past decade large gaming companies presence macau desperately want macau would surprised see angling seat acquisition table said grant govertsen analyst union gaming macau galaxy primarily focused macau three casinos week received license operate roughly 500 million resort boracay philippines famous holiday island wynn operates resort cotai macaus main peninsula focuses premium vip customers galaxy targets high end segment broader mass companies reported strong earnings growth fourth quarter galaxy posting 67 percent surge 2017 profit shares wynn macau galaxy dropped 39 percent 29 percent respectively friday benchmark hang seng index 31 percent reporting farah master hong kong philip george bengaluru editing shri navaratnam standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trumps decision replace national security adviser hr mcmaster thursday latest highlevel departure trump administration file photo national security adviser hr mcmaster speaks united states holocaust memorial museum washington us march 15 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermidfile photo partial list officials fired quit since trump took office jan 20 2017 well people nominated position take job 2018 hr mcmaster national security adviser replaced march 22 john bolton according tweet sent president rex tillerson secretary state fired trump march 13 number public rifts two north korea russia iran gary cohn director national economic council former goldman sachs group inc president said march 5 resign weeks decision came lost fight try stop trump imposing import tariffs steel aluminum hope hicks white house communications director one trumps longestserving trusted aides resigned feb 28 fourth person hold post since trump became president rob porter white house staff secretary senior adviser charge much documentation went trump signature resigned early february following accusations domestic abuse two former wives 2017 richard cordray consumer financial protection bureaus first director resigned november trump designated white house budget director mick mulvaney acting director cordray named deputy director replacement triggering political legal battle four days later federal court ruled trumps favor tom price health human services secretary resigned pressure trump sept 29 uproar prices use costly private charter planes government business stephen bannon trumps chief strategist driving force behind presidents antiglobalization pronationalist agenda helped propel election victory fired trump midaugust repeatedly clashed moderate factions white house reince priebus former chairman republican national committee replaced john kelly trumps chief staff july trump lost confidence priebus major legislative items failed approved congress anthony scaramucci white house communications director fired trump july 10 days job following profanitylaced comments new yorker magazine walter shaub head us office government ethics clashed trump administration stepped july fiveyear term end michael short senior white house assistant press secretary resigned july sean spicer resigned white house press secretary july ending turbulent tenure trump named scaramucci white house communications director james comey federal bureau investigation director leading probe possible collusion trump 2016 presidential campaign russia influence election outcome fired trump may james donovan goldman sachs banker nominated trump deputy treasury secretary withdrew name may michael dubke resigned white house communications director may mark green trumps nominee army secretary withdrew name consideration may todd ricketts coowner chicago cubs baseball team trumps choice deputy secretary commerce withdrew consideration april katie walsh deputy white house chief staff transferred outside protrump group america first policies march according politico philip bilden private equity executive former military intelligence officer picked trump secretary navy bilden withdrew consideration february government conflictofinterest rules michael flynn resigned february trumps national security adviser disclosures discussed us sanctions russia russian ambassador united states trump took office misled vice president mike pence conversations gerrit lansing white house chief digital officer stepped february failing pass fbi background check according politico robin townley aide flynn townley rejected february denied security clearance serve us national security council according politico vincent viola army veteran former chairman new york mercantile exchange nominated trump secretary army withdrew name consideration february caroline wiles trumps director scheduling resigned february failing background check sally yates trump fired acting us attorney general january ordered justice department lawyers enforce trumps immigration ban reporting washington newsroom writing lindsay dunsmuir jason lange editing kevin drawbaugh toni reinhold standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trump shook foreign policy team thursday replacing hr mcmaster national security adviser john bolton hawk advocated using military force north korea iran move announced tweet white house statement came little week trump fired rex tillerson secretary state nominated central intelligence agency director mike pompeo replace shakeup shows trump office 14 months surrounding advisers likely agree views taking foreign policy hawkish direction means prospective summit meeting trump north korean leader kim jong un unclear meeting supposed happen end may exact time place yet settled boltons appointment could doom already endangered iran nuclear deal could also lead friction trump tough russia president still holding hope improved ties russian president vladimir putin news boltons appointment followed meeting trump oval office even bolton caught surprise didnt really expect announcement afternoon obviously great honor told fox news announcement im still getting used bolton 69 fox news analyst contemplated run republican presidential nomination 2016 familiar figure washington walruslike moustache hardcharging views many global challenges members congress immediately questioned selection critical position white house wise choice mr bolton temperament judgment effective national security adviser democratic senator jack reed said statement bolton tweeted jan 11 time running stopping north koreas nuclear weapons program said weve got look unattractive choice using military force deny capability time trump threatened withdraw united states 2015 iran nuclear deal unless europe agrees change bolton tweeted deal needs abrogated also called effective countermeasures cyber war russia engaging strong signal elliott abrams senior foreign policy aide former republican president george w bush praised trumps choice saying bolton proved bush administration excellent forceful bureaucrat file photo former us ambassador united nations john bolton l speaks oxon hill maryland us february 24 2017 white house national security advisor hr mcmaster joins daily briefing washington us july 31 2017 combination photograph reutersjoshua roberts jonathan ernstfile photo whether bolton us ambassador united nations bush able swallow views debated foreign policy experts since appeared trumps radar hiring require us senate confirmation bolton said fox news interview past statements various issues behind would honest broker ensuring president sees options available important thing president says advice give said still analysts said boltons views would influential bolton long advocate preemptive military action north korea appointment national security adviser strong signal president trump remains open options said abraham denmark deputy assistant secretary defense east asia former president barack obama slideshow 7 images also expect even confrontational approach china trade war may beginning broader geopolitical competition said bonnie glaser asia expert center strategic international studies think tank washington said bolton long supported regime change north korea closer ties taiwan fasten seat belts state departments top arms control official bush bolton leading advocate 2003 invasion iraq later found based bogus exaggerated intelligence president saddam husseins weapons mass destruction ties terrorism mutually agreed mcmaster hired early trumps presidency replace scandaltarred michael flynn national security adviser widely expected leave soon trump found mcmasters style grating two frequently clashed meetings trump looking replacement advisers said related coverage north korea hawk boltons appointment white house adviser fans worries asia superhawk bolton surrender option factbox want know bolton advise trump read tweets white house said trump mcmaster mutually agreed would leave thankful service general hr mcmaster done outstanding job amp always remain friend trumps tweet said two discussing time timeline expedited felt important new team place instead constant speculation related one moment incident rather result ongoing conversations two senior white house official said announcement came day trump angered leak information presidential briefing papers said advised specifically congratulate putin disputed election victory trump told reporters congratulated putin mcmaster 55 stay midapril said statement also requesting retirement us army holds rank threestar general white house chief staff john kelly hoping entice mcmaster another military assignment order qualify fourstar general reporting steve holland additional reporting warren strobel yara bayoumy david brunnstrom editing kevin drawbaugh peter cooney standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />It only took two days for a Senate candidate to air a TV ad distorting the Affordable Care Act’s effect on the labor market in a way that the Congressional Budget Office (and fact-checkers) warned would be wrong.</p>
<p>The ad from Republican Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Senate candidate, accuses his Democratic opponent, Sen. Kay Hagan, of supporting a health care law that would cause more than 2 million to “lose their jobs.” On the screen, it states, “Congressional Budget Office estimates 2 million lost jobs due to Obamacare.”</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/f37dabc75a9"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>This has been a popular Republican talking point, but it’s inaccurate. As <a href="" type="internal">we wrote</a> on the day the report was released, the CBO said more than 2 million people will decide not to work, or will decide to work less, due to the law – not that they will “lose their jobs.”</p>
<p>The report estimated a reduction in full-time-equivalent employment of about 2.3 million by 2021. But the drop is “almost entirely” due to a reduction in “the amount of labor that workers choose to supply,” CBO said (see pages 117-127).</p>
<p>The report specifically noted that the reduction in the workforce is not due to “an increase in unemployment (that is, more workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment (such as part-time workers who would prefer to work more hours per week).” The law will give some Americans the ability to voluntarily leave their jobs or cut back their hours without fear of losing health insurance.</p>
<p>When a number of Republicans claimed that the new CBO report confirmed that the health care law would “kill” more than 2 million jobs, fact-checkers were quick to point out the inaccuracy. (See <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-anti-obamacare-chorus-off-key-210529054--finance.html" type="external">AP</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/02/04/no-cbo-did-not-say-obamacare-will-kill-2-million-jobs/" type="external">The Washington Post Fact Checker</a>, <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/feb/05/john-boehner/john-boehner-says-obamacare-expected-destroy-23-mi/" type="external">PolitiFact</a>, and of course, <a href="" type="internal">our report</a>). Still, the Republican talking point endured.</p>
<p>In a congressional budget hearing the day after the report was issued, <a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4484067" type="external">CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf explained why</a> claims just like the one aired the following day in the Tillis ad would be wrong.</p>
<p>Elmendorf, Feb. 5: The reason that we don’t use the term “lost jobs” is there’s a critical difference between people who would like to work and can’t find a job or have a job that is lost for reasons beyond their control and people who choose not to work.</p>
<p>If somebody comes up to you and says, “Well, the boss said I’m being laid off because we don’t have enough business to pay me,” that person feels bad about that, we sympathize with them for having lost their job. If somebody comes to you and says, “I’ve decided to retire or I’ve decided to stay home and spend more time with my family or I’ve decided to spend more time doing my hobby,” they don’t feel bad about it, they feel good about it, and we don’t sympathize. We say congratulations. And we don’t say they’ve lost their job because they have chosen to leave that job.</p>
<p>In that same hearing, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan again clarified that it wasn’t a matter of employers “laying people off.”</p>
<p>Ryan, Feb. 5: So just to understand this, it’s not that employers are laying people off, it’s that people aren’t working in the workforce, aren’t supplying labor to the equivalent of 2.5 million jobs in 2024. And as a result, that lower workforce participation rate, that less labor supply, lowers economic growth.</p>
<p>Elmendorf: Yes. That’s right, Mr. Chairman.</p>
<p>Elmendorf went on to explain that part of the reason for the contracting of the labor force was due to the ACA subsidies providing a “disincentive” for some low-income people to work, or to work more hours, lest they lose health care subsidies.</p>
<p>Ryan said it was that built-in disincentive for some to work due to the ACA that he found troubling — because that equates to a disincentive to “get on the ladder of life, to begin working, getting the dignity of work, getting more opportunities, rising their income, joining the middle class.”</p>
<p>We take no position on the merits of a smaller workforce in the future due to the ACA, or people deciding to work less in order to keep government subsidies. But it is simply incorrect to claim the CBO report concluded that millions would “lose their jobs” due to the ACA.</p>
<p>To read our fuller story on this issue, see our Feb. 4 piece, “ <a href="" type="internal">The ACA: Losing Jobs vs. Choosing Not to Work</a>.”</p>
<p>Other Republicans who have misused the CBO report:</p>
<p>Sid Dinsdale of Nebraska, candidate for U.S. Senate, April 19: The largest expansion of government overreach. Taking control of one-sixth of our economy. Putting government between doctors and patients. Higher taxes and two-and-a-half million lost jobs. (Source: <a href="" type="internal">Sid Dinsdale for U.S. Senate TV ad</a>.)</p>
<p>Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Feb. 4: [T]he Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) Budget and Economic Outlook found that the President’s health care law would eliminate 2.3 million American jobs in 2021 — 1.5 million more than the previous estimate of 800,000 jobs lost. (Source: <a href="http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/ranking/release/?id=1bee5efe-9022-42e7-b8be-a4f70376d670" type="external">Press release on Senate Committee on Finance website</a>)</p>
<p>Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana, Feb. 4: According to the report, the President’s health care law will reduce labor force compensation and push as many as 2.3 million people out of the workforce over the next seven years. That is unacceptable. (Source: <a href="http://messer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-luke-messer-responds-to-cbo-report" type="external">Messer’s congressional website</a>)</p>
<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Feb. 4: The CBO report is certainly not pretty if you’re interested in creating jobs in America. As we all know they estimate up to 2 million fewer jobs will be created as a result of ObamaCare. Honestly, it’s not a surprising report. All the anecdotes you hear all across the country are that premiums are going up and jobs are being lost. (Source: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/special-report-bret-baier/2014/02/05/all-star-panel-analysis-cbo-report-obamacare-impact" type="external">Fox News</a>)</p>
<p>Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey, Feb. 4: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the President’s healthcare law will slow economic growth over the next decade, costing the Nation about 2.3 million jobs and contributing to a $1 trillion increase in projected deficits. (Source: <a href="http://lance.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=29&amp;itemid=1021" type="external">Lance’s congressional website</a>)</p>
<p>Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, Feb. 4: This morning, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a report showing that the Affordable Care Act could cost the nation 2.5 million jobs and increases the federal deficit by $1 trillion over the next ten years. (Source: <a href="https://pitts.house.gov/press-release/cbo-confirms-obamacare-costs-jobs-and-adds-deficit" type="external">Pitts’ congressional website</a>)</p>
<p>&#160;— Robert Farley</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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took two days senate candidate air tv ad distorting affordable care acts effect labor market way congressional budget office factcheckers warned would wrong ad republican thom tillis north carolina senate candidate accuses democratic opponent sen kay hagan supporting health care law would cause 2 million lose jobs screen states congressional budget office estimates 2 million lost jobs due obamacare ltiframe stylewidth 500px height300px frameborder0 allowfullscreen srchttpsvideofactcheckorgplayf37dabc75a9gtltiframegt popular republican talking point inaccurate wrote day report released cbo said 2 million people decide work decide work less due law lose jobs report estimated reduction fulltimeequivalent employment 23 million 2021 drop almost entirely due reduction amount labor workers choose supply cbo said see pages 117127 report specifically noted reduction workforce due increase unemployment workers seeking finding jobs underemployment parttime workers would prefer work hours per week law give americans ability voluntarily leave jobs cut back hours without fear losing health insurance number republicans claimed new cbo report confirmed health care law would kill 2 million jobs factcheckers quick point inaccuracy see ap washington post fact checker politifact course report still republican talking point endured congressional budget hearing day report issued cbo director douglas elmendorf explained claims like one aired following day tillis ad would wrong elmendorf feb 5 reason dont use term lost jobs theres critical difference people would like work cant find job job lost reasons beyond control people choose work somebody comes says well boss said im laid dont enough business pay person feels bad sympathize lost job somebody comes says ive decided retire ive decided stay home spend time family ive decided spend time hobby dont feel bad feel good dont sympathize say congratulations dont say theyve lost job chosen leave job hearing republican rep paul ryan clarified wasnt matter employers laying people ryan feb 5 understand employers laying people people arent working workforce arent supplying labor equivalent 25 million jobs 2024 result lower workforce participation rate less labor supply lowers economic growth elmendorf yes thats right mr chairman elmendorf went explain part reason contracting labor force due aca subsidies providing disincentive lowincome people work work hours lest lose health care subsidies ryan said builtin disincentive work due aca found troubling equates disincentive get ladder life begin working getting dignity work getting opportunities rising income joining middle class take position merits smaller workforce future due aca people deciding work less order keep government subsidies simply incorrect claim cbo report concluded millions would lose jobs due aca read fuller story issue see feb 4 piece aca losing jobs vs choosing work republicans misused cbo report sid dinsdale nebraska candidate us senate april 19 largest expansion government overreach taking control onesixth economy putting government doctors patients higher taxes twoandahalf million lost jobs source sid dinsdale us senate tv ad sen orrin hatch utah feb 4 congressional budget offices cbo budget economic outlook found presidents health care law would eliminate 23 million american jobs 2021 15 million previous estimate 800000 jobs lost source press release senate committee finance website rep luke messer indiana feb 4 according report presidents health care law reduce labor force compensation push many 23 million people workforce next seven years unacceptable source messers congressional website senate minority leader mitch mcconnell kentucky feb 4 cbo report certainly pretty youre interested creating jobs america know estimate 2 million fewer jobs created result obamacare honestly surprising report anecdotes hear across country premiums going jobs lost source fox news rep leonard lance new jersey feb 4 nonpartisan congressional budget office projects presidents healthcare law slow economic growth next decade costing nation 23 million jobs contributing 1 trillion increase projected deficits source lances congressional website rep joe pitts pennsylvania feb 4 morning nonpartisan congressional budget office released report showing affordable care act could cost nation 25 million jobs increases federal deficit 1 trillion next ten years source pitts congressional website 160 robert farley 160
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<p>SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Ekblad helped the Panthers get a big win and spoil former coach Gerard Gallant's return to Florida.</p>
<p>Ekblad scored 40 seconds into overtime to give the Panthers a 4-3 victory over Gallant's new team, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Friday night.</p>
<p>Ekblad grabbed a rebound off a shot by Aleksander Barkov in the high slot and fired it past Malcolm Subban into the net.</p>
<p>"One of their players batted it out (of the net) and right on my stick," Ekblad said. "Got lucky it sat nice and didn't bounce over."</p>
<p>Gallant, fired by the Panthers in November 2016, was hired to coach the expansion Golden Knights last April. Making his first visit back since his dismissal, Gallant got a standing ovation during a scoreboard video tribute in the first period. Gallant acknowledged the tribute with a wave of his hand.</p>
<p>"I don't get too emotional," Gallant said. "I enjoyed my time here, we had a good run, and the fans treated me well."</p>
<p>Barkov scored his league-leading fifth short-handed goal of the season and had two assists. Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie McGinn also scored and James Reimer stopped 33 shots.</p>
<p>"It was a good start for the second half of the season," Barkov said. "We got a lucky bounce right on Ekblad's stick. He's not going to miss from that spot."</p>
<p>William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and James Neal and David Perron also scored for Vegas. Subban finished with 22 saves.</p>
<p>Dadonov broke a 2-2 tie when he poked in a rebound at 3:35 of the third. Barkov's shot from the high slot bounced off Subban's glove out to Dadonov to the right of the crease and he pushed the puck into the net. Dadonov has three goals in the past two games.</p>
<p>Neal tied the score at 3 with 2:09 left in the third when he roofed a shot past Reimer from in front.</p>
<p>"It was good to get that tying goal, and then in the overtime I liked our chances," Neal said. "It was a tough loss but we'll be better next game."</p>
<p>With the score tied 1-1 in the first, Barkov put the Panthers ahead on his short-handed goal. Vincent Trocheck's shot was blocked as he rushed the net but Barkov was able to poke in the rebound from the corner of the net with 4:05 left. The Panthers lead the NHL with nine short-handed goals.</p>
<p>The Golden Knight tied the score on Karlsson's goal at 6:57 of the second. Shea Theodore made a nice feed across to Karlsson, who swept the puck past Reimer. Karlsson leads Vegas with 25 goals.</p>
<p>"We were fighting back the whole game," Karlsson said. "We managed to tie it up twice. It could have gone either way."</p>
<p>McGinn gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead on his goal 3:15 in. Subban tried to clear the puck from in front but McGinn corralled the loose puck and put it into the net.</p>
<p>Perron tied the score with 5:38 left in the first as he took a cross-ice pass from Erik Haula, tipped by Brad Hunt, and fired the puck past Reimer.</p>
<p>NOTES: Neal has scored 20 or more goals for 10 consecutive seasons. ... Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith each played for the Panthers last season. ... The Panthers honored original owner H. Wayne Huizenga by retiring jersey No. 37 in a pregame ceremony on Friday night. Huizenga's lucky number is 37 and was also the year he was born. ... Panthers D Keith Yandle played his 677th straight game, the longest active streak in the NHL. Yandle has not missed a game since March 22, 2009, when he was with the Phoenix Coyotes.</p>
<p>UP NEXT:</p>
<p>Golden Knights: Visit Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.</p>
<p>Panthers: Visit Nashville Predators on Saturday.</p>
<p>SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Ekblad helped the Panthers get a big win and spoil former coach Gerard Gallant's return to Florida.</p>
<p>Ekblad scored 40 seconds into overtime to give the Panthers a 4-3 victory over Gallant's new team, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Friday night.</p>
<p>Ekblad grabbed a rebound off a shot by Aleksander Barkov in the high slot and fired it past Malcolm Subban into the net.</p>
<p>"One of their players batted it out (of the net) and right on my stick," Ekblad said. "Got lucky it sat nice and didn't bounce over."</p>
<p>Gallant, fired by the Panthers in November 2016, was hired to coach the expansion Golden Knights last April. Making his first visit back since his dismissal, Gallant got a standing ovation during a scoreboard video tribute in the first period. Gallant acknowledged the tribute with a wave of his hand.</p>
<p>"I don't get too emotional," Gallant said. "I enjoyed my time here, we had a good run, and the fans treated me well."</p>
<p>Barkov scored his league-leading fifth short-handed goal of the season and had two assists. Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie McGinn also scored and James Reimer stopped 33 shots.</p>
<p>"It was a good start for the second half of the season," Barkov said. "We got a lucky bounce right on Ekblad's stick. He's not going to miss from that spot."</p>
<p>William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and James Neal and David Perron also scored for Vegas. Subban finished with 22 saves.</p>
<p>Dadonov broke a 2-2 tie when he poked in a rebound at 3:35 of the third. Barkov's shot from the high slot bounced off Subban's glove out to Dadonov to the right of the crease and he pushed the puck into the net. Dadonov has three goals in the past two games.</p>
<p>Neal tied the score at 3 with 2:09 left in the third when he roofed a shot past Reimer from in front.</p>
<p>"It was good to get that tying goal, and then in the overtime I liked our chances," Neal said. "It was a tough loss but we'll be better next game."</p>
<p>With the score tied 1-1 in the first, Barkov put the Panthers ahead on his short-handed goal. Vincent Trocheck's shot was blocked as he rushed the net but Barkov was able to poke in the rebound from the corner of the net with 4:05 left. The Panthers lead the NHL with nine short-handed goals.</p>
<p>The Golden Knight tied the score on Karlsson's goal at 6:57 of the second. Shea Theodore made a nice feed across to Karlsson, who swept the puck past Reimer. Karlsson leads Vegas with 25 goals.</p>
<p>"We were fighting back the whole game," Karlsson said. "We managed to tie it up twice. It could have gone either way."</p>
<p>McGinn gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead on his goal 3:15 in. Subban tried to clear the puck from in front but McGinn corralled the loose puck and put it into the net.</p>
<p>Perron tied the score with 5:38 left in the first as he took a cross-ice pass from Erik Haula, tipped by Brad Hunt, and fired the puck past Reimer.</p>
<p>NOTES: Neal has scored 20 or more goals for 10 consecutive seasons. ... Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith each played for the Panthers last season. ... The Panthers honored original owner H. Wayne Huizenga by retiring jersey No. 37 in a pregame ceremony on Friday night. Huizenga's lucky number is 37 and was also the year he was born. ... Panthers D Keith Yandle played his 677th straight game, the longest active streak in the NHL. Yandle has not missed a game since March 22, 2009, when he was with the Phoenix Coyotes.</p>
<p>UP NEXT:</p>
<p>Golden Knights: Visit Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.</p>
<p>Panthers: Visit Nashville Predators on Saturday.</p>
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sunrise fla ap aaron ekblad helped panthers get big win spoil former coach gerard gallants return florida ekblad scored 40 seconds overtime give panthers 43 victory gallants new team vegas golden knights friday night ekblad grabbed rebound shot aleksander barkov high slot fired past malcolm subban net one players batted net right stick ekblad said got lucky sat nice didnt bounce gallant fired panthers november 2016 hired coach expansion golden knights last april making first visit back since dismissal gallant got standing ovation scoreboard video tribute first period gallant acknowledged tribute wave hand dont get emotional gallant said enjoyed time good run fans treated well barkov scored leagueleading fifth shorthanded goal season two assists evgenii dadonov jamie mcginn also scored james reimer stopped 33 shots good start second half season barkov said got lucky bounce right ekblads stick hes going miss spot william karlsson goal assist james neal david perron also scored vegas subban finished 22 saves dadonov broke 22 tie poked rebound 335 third barkovs shot high slot bounced subbans glove dadonov right crease pushed puck net dadonov three goals past two games neal tied score 3 209 left third roofed shot past reimer front good get tying goal overtime liked chances neal said tough loss well better next game score tied 11 first barkov put panthers ahead shorthanded goal vincent trochecks shot blocked rushed net barkov able poke rebound corner net 405 left panthers lead nhl nine shorthanded goals golden knight tied score karlssons goal 657 second shea theodore made nice feed across karlsson swept puck past reimer karlsson leads vegas 25 goals fighting back whole game karlsson said managed tie twice could gone either way mcginn gave panthers 10 lead goal 315 subban tried clear puck front mcginn corralled loose puck put net perron tied score 538 left first took crossice pass erik haula tipped brad hunt fired puck past reimer notes neal scored 20 goals 10 consecutive seasons golden knights forwards jonathan marchessault reilly smith played panthers last season panthers honored original owner h wayne huizenga retiring jersey 37 pregame ceremony friday night huizengas lucky number 37 also year born panthers keith yandle played 677th straight game longest active streak nhl yandle missed game since march 22 2009 phoenix coyotes next golden knights visit carolina hurricanes sunday panthers visit nashville predators saturday sunrise fla ap aaron ekblad helped panthers get big win spoil former coach gerard gallants return florida ekblad scored 40 seconds overtime give panthers 43 victory gallants new team vegas golden knights friday night ekblad grabbed rebound shot aleksander barkov high slot fired past malcolm subban net one players batted net right stick ekblad said got lucky sat nice didnt bounce gallant fired panthers november 2016 hired coach expansion golden knights last april making first visit back since dismissal gallant got standing ovation scoreboard video tribute first period gallant acknowledged tribute wave hand dont get emotional gallant said enjoyed time good run fans treated well barkov scored leagueleading fifth shorthanded goal season two assists evgenii dadonov jamie mcginn also scored james reimer stopped 33 shots good start second half season barkov said got lucky bounce right ekblads stick hes going miss spot william karlsson goal assist james neal david perron also scored vegas subban finished 22 saves dadonov broke 22 tie poked rebound 335 third barkovs shot high slot bounced subbans glove dadonov right crease pushed puck net dadonov three goals past two games neal tied score 3 209 left third roofed shot past reimer front good get tying goal overtime liked chances neal said tough loss well better next game score tied 11 first barkov put panthers ahead shorthanded goal vincent trochecks shot blocked rushed net barkov able poke rebound corner net 405 left panthers lead nhl nine shorthanded goals golden knight tied score karlssons goal 657 second shea theodore made nice feed across karlsson swept puck past reimer karlsson leads vegas 25 goals fighting back whole game karlsson said managed tie twice could gone either way mcginn gave panthers 10 lead goal 315 subban tried clear puck front mcginn corralled loose puck put net perron tied score 538 left first took crossice pass erik haula tipped brad hunt fired puck past reimer notes neal scored 20 goals 10 consecutive seasons golden knights forwards jonathan marchessault reilly smith played panthers last season panthers honored original owner h wayne huizenga retiring jersey 37 pregame ceremony friday night huizengas lucky number 37 also year born panthers keith yandle played 677th straight game longest active streak nhl yandle missed game since march 22 2009 phoenix coyotes next golden knights visit carolina hurricanes sunday panthers visit nashville predators saturday
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<p>Americans clearly want a different kind of politics. Repeated sampling by respected pollsters like <a href="http://www.people-press.org/question-search/" type="external">Pew</a> and <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/151943/record-high-americans-identify-independents.aspx" type="external">Gallup</a> is unequivocal: nearly 90% of Americans are dissatisfied with Congress, half or more want a viable third party, and near 40% say they are political independents. On blogs and social networks, citizen-writers clamor for independent and minor-party candidates to be included in debates, and to get universal ballot access.</p>
<p>Two points are vital to the discussion on a potential new American politics:</p>
<p>The first point can be quickly addressed: Indy and 3rd party presidential runs haven’t worked—and aren’t likely to. Finding a candidate with national appeal, and then building a national campaign are too daunting. And in the antagonistic congressional environment of recent years, even a president with party congressional support has been severely limited in his ability to govern. An independent or 3rd party presidential candidate is almost certainly unelectable and, if elected, would have difficulty governing with no party support in Congress.</p>
<p>Congressional runs, on the other hand, have potential for success if mounted in winnable districts, with the right candidates, strategies and execution. (See the author’s earlier article: “ <a href="" type="internal">A Political Marketplace is Developing for Independent Candidates</a>”). And even a few elected Congressional independents would have the potential to exercise some political power, especially in a closely divided House or Senate.</p>
<p>The second point in this discussion is that electing independents is preferable to electing minor-party candidates.</p>
<p>Fewer than 1% of Americans regularly identify themselves as members of a minor party. Greens and Libertarians often net higher than 1% vote totals in elections, but few people declare themselves as members of a minor party.</p>
<p>Compare that with independents. Though people use the label in different ways, there is an existing “Independent” brand and 35-40% of Americans identify with it. If the goal is political change, it may be better to start with brand-recognition at 40% rather than half a percent.</p>
<p>Granted, there’s a problem as well as a benefit with the independent brand: independent candidates have a reputation for poor election performance, especially at the national level. However, that reputation applies equally to minor parties. Every presidential election offers dozens of lesser-known candidates, some serious, some not. Some run as independents, some as party candidates, but none of them do well. In the sixteen presidential elections since WWII, only 104 of nearly 8600 electoral votes <a href="http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/historical.html" type="external">have been cast</a> for someone other than the two parties’ candidates.</p>
<p>Beyond branding, two benefits of an independent candidacy over a minor-party candidacy are: fewer ideological limits, and access to broader constituencies. Parties have positions in people’s minds. A voter hearing “Green Party” will likely think immediately of environmental issues, hearing “Libertarian,” she may think of small government, or marijuana legalization.</p>
<p>Suppose a candidate, or a citizen’s group has determined that environment, small government, full employment, and increased educational spending are all important issues in a particular congressional district. No party exists to address all those issues. An independent candidate, though, isn’t bound by party ideology, so she can openly support all of those ideas, and use the positions to set her apart from any party candidate. She won’t be constrained by a party, and won’t have to soft-pedal one or more of the positions to protect a party candidate who might be running for a different office in the same media market. She can build part of her constituency from parents and educators, part from environmentalists, and part from conservatives. It’s her personal constituency; if it works for her district, it doesn’t have to work anywhere else.</p>
<p>In some ways, independents will also be more resilient in campaigns. Individuals are harder to attack than parties. A national PAC might assault the Green or the Libertarian Party with a scurrilous attack, and if it gains traction, it will immediately mar any candidate who runs under that party label. But an independent could escape the attack, even though his positions might closely parallel the party.</p>
<p>A final advantage is that once elected, independents can cooperate on matters of procedure and governance without cooperating on policy. For example, independents from the right and left might work together, and with a few major-party House members, to change an obstructionist House rule. Then all of them could turn right around and use the new rule to take vastly different tax measures to floor debate and votes. All would be served by the new rule because their measures would be heard.</p>
<p>It might be tempting to think that party power must be fought with party power—what works for the Democrats and Republicans is also the best way to work against them. But that means building the same kind of national juggernauts, and doing it without access to the levers of governance that the parties control. That approach has been extraordinarily difficult to execute. By sidestepping the party power fight, political independents can access many of the advantages of scale, without its disadvantages. Today, citizens working in communities across the nation can cooperate through websites and social media, learn effective political strategies, and help each other succeed, all without building mammoth national efforts.</p>
<p>Nationally, third party presidential candidates have been emerging and failing almost continuously for more than six decades. A different kind of opportunity presents itself today. Community-by-community, district-by-district, voters can analyze local needs, identify where party candidates fail to meet those needs, find and develop independent candidates who can meet them, and put those candidates in Congress. Even a few successful elections could profoundly impact the nation’s political culture.</p>
<p>Are there difficult challenges in that approach? Of course there are. If it were easy, it would have been done by now. But it is doable.</p>
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americans clearly want different kind politics repeated sampling respected pollsters like pew gallup unequivocal nearly 90 americans dissatisfied congress half want viable third party near 40 say political independents blogs social networks citizenwriters clamor independent minorparty candidates included debates get universal ballot access two points vital discussion potential new american politics first point quickly addressed indy 3rd party presidential runs havent workedand arent likely finding candidate national appeal building national campaign daunting antagonistic congressional environment recent years even president party congressional support severely limited ability govern independent 3rd party presidential candidate almost certainly unelectable elected would difficulty governing party support congress congressional runs hand potential success mounted winnable districts right candidates strategies execution see authors earlier article political marketplace developing independent candidates even elected congressional independents would potential exercise political power especially closely divided house senate second point discussion electing independents preferable electing minorparty candidates fewer 1 americans regularly identify members minor party greens libertarians often net higher 1 vote totals elections people declare members minor party compare independents though people use label different ways existing independent brand 3540 americans identify goal political change may better start brandrecognition 40 rather half percent granted theres problem well benefit independent brand independent candidates reputation poor election performance especially national level however reputation applies equally minor parties every presidential election offers dozens lesserknown candidates serious run independents party candidates none well sixteen presidential elections since wwii 104 nearly 8600 electoral votes cast someone two parties candidates beyond branding two benefits independent candidacy minorparty candidacy fewer ideological limits access broader constituencies parties positions peoples minds voter hearing green party likely think immediately environmental issues hearing libertarian may think small government marijuana legalization suppose candidate citizens group determined environment small government full employment increased educational spending important issues particular congressional district party exists address issues independent candidate though isnt bound party ideology openly support ideas use positions set apart party candidate wont constrained party wont softpedal one positions protect party candidate might running different office media market build part constituency parents educators part environmentalists part conservatives personal constituency works district doesnt work anywhere else ways independents also resilient campaigns individuals harder attack parties national pac might assault green libertarian party scurrilous attack gains traction immediately mar candidate runs party label independent could escape attack even though positions might closely parallel party final advantage elected independents cooperate matters procedure governance without cooperating policy example independents right left might work together majorparty house members change obstructionist house rule could turn right around use new rule take vastly different tax measures floor debate votes would served new rule measures would heard might tempting think party power must fought party powerwhat works democrats republicans also best way work means building kind national juggernauts without access levers governance parties control approach extraordinarily difficult execute sidestepping party power fight political independents access many advantages scale without disadvantages today citizens working communities across nation cooperate websites social media learn effective political strategies help succeed without building mammoth national efforts nationally third party presidential candidates emerging failing almost continuously six decades different kind opportunity presents today communitybycommunity districtbydistrict voters analyze local needs identify party candidates fail meet needs find develop independent candidates meet put candidates congress even successful elections could profoundly impact nations political culture difficult challenges approach course easy would done doable
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<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon defended the team’s offseason spending, saying more moves are likely before opening day and during the season.</p>
<p>“Being top five in payroll, I don’t think that won us a World Series,” he said Tuesday during a media gathering. “So we’re set out to make the playoffs and do well ... try to win the World Series, not try and be at the top five in payroll.”</p>
<p>New York started last season at $157 million for its 40-man roster and cut it to $149 million as the team faded from contention following a series of injuries. Two years after reaching the World Series, the Mets went 70-92 for their worst record since 2009.</p>
<p>This year’s payroll projects to be in the $140 million range after the New York gave outfielder Jay Bruce a $39 million, three-year contract and reliever Anthony Swarzak a $14 million, two-year deal.</p>
<p>“I get what the fan perception is. It’s not something that’s lost on any of us,” Wilpon said. “I understand the fan base’s frustration and we have the same frustration.”</p>
<p>New York lost pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler to injuries last year along with closer Jeurys Familia and slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. After the season, the Mets fired manager Terry Collins, pitching coach Dan Warthen and head athletic trainer Ray Ramirez.</p>
<p>Cleveland pitching coach Mickey Callaway took over as New York’s manager and Dave Eiland as pitching coach.</p>
<p>Jim Cavallini’s hiring as the Mets’ director of performance and sports science was announced Tuesday. He had spent eight years with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, most recently as its director of performance at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.</p>
<p>Syndergaard was limited to seven starts and 30 1/3 innings last year, when he refused a medical scan and then tore the latissimus dorsi behind his right arm on April 30. He had bulked up the previous offseason.</p>
<p>“That became kind of the signature for the entire 2017 season. So, yeah, it had an impact. It wasn’t the only factor,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. “We needed to take a new look at how we were handling all of those injuries. And it’s not just the number of injuries, it’s how quickly players are coming back.”</p>
<p>New York had 22 players combine for 1,489 days on the disabled list. That was the seventh-most days lost behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (a big league-high 1,774), San Diego, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston and the Los Angeles Angels, according to Major League Baseball.</p>
<p>“One of the things I think has already changed is the way in which our pitchers have approached the offseason,” Alderson said. “Given the fact that we’ve had some of injuries with our pitchers, I think something a little more scripted was in order.”</p>
<p>David Wright, the Mets’ 35-year-old captain and third baseman, remains a health concern. He was on the disabled list from April 15 to Aug. 24, 2015, when he strained his right hamstring and then developed spinal stenosis. He returned as the Mets won their first NL pennant since 2000 but has not played for them since May 27, 2016. Dr. Robert Watkins operated that June 16 to repair a herniated disk in Wright’s neck. After Wright’s rehabilitation was slowed by shoulder pain last year, Wright had surgery Sept. 5 to repair his right rotator cuff, and Watkins performed a laminotomy in early October in which a bony layer over the spinal canal was removed to treat nerve compression.</p>
<p>“We will assess him for baseball activity when he arrives in St. Lucie, which I believe will be around the first of February,” Alderson said. “At this point he hasn’t been hitting, he hasn’t been doing any baseball activity.”</p>
<p>A seven-time All-Star, Wright is guaranteed $47 million by the Mets over the next three seasons. Wilpon said insurance reimburses 75 percent annually after a deductible is met.</p>
<p>“You can never fully dismiss the fact that David may be back. On the other hand you can’t fully presume that he is,” Alderson said.</p>
<p>Harvey, coming back from surgery in July 2016 to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, was on the DL from June 15 to Sept. 2 last year because of a stress injury to the scapula bone in his right shoulder and finished 5-7 with a career-worst 6.70 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance.</p>
<p>“One of the hurdles he’ll have to overcome this year is mental in getting his confidence back,” Alderson said.</p>
<p>NOTES: New York agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Ty Kelly. ... Alderson said the team had preliminary talks on a long-term contract with RHP Jacob deGrom before agreeing to a $7.4 million, one-year deal this month. ... Brian Chicklo was promoted to head trainer from assistant trainer and moved Joseph Golia to assistant trainer from minor league medical coordinator. Alderson said additional trainers had been hired in the minor league system.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more AP baseball coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball</a></p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon defended the team’s offseason spending, saying more moves are likely before opening day and during the season.</p>
<p>“Being top five in payroll, I don’t think that won us a World Series,” he said Tuesday during a media gathering. “So we’re set out to make the playoffs and do well ... try to win the World Series, not try and be at the top five in payroll.”</p>
<p>New York started last season at $157 million for its 40-man roster and cut it to $149 million as the team faded from contention following a series of injuries. Two years after reaching the World Series, the Mets went 70-92 for their worst record since 2009.</p>
<p>This year’s payroll projects to be in the $140 million range after the New York gave outfielder Jay Bruce a $39 million, three-year contract and reliever Anthony Swarzak a $14 million, two-year deal.</p>
<p>“I get what the fan perception is. It’s not something that’s lost on any of us,” Wilpon said. “I understand the fan base’s frustration and we have the same frustration.”</p>
<p>New York lost pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler to injuries last year along with closer Jeurys Familia and slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. After the season, the Mets fired manager Terry Collins, pitching coach Dan Warthen and head athletic trainer Ray Ramirez.</p>
<p>Cleveland pitching coach Mickey Callaway took over as New York’s manager and Dave Eiland as pitching coach.</p>
<p>Jim Cavallini’s hiring as the Mets’ director of performance and sports science was announced Tuesday. He had spent eight years with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, most recently as its director of performance at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.</p>
<p>Syndergaard was limited to seven starts and 30 1/3 innings last year, when he refused a medical scan and then tore the latissimus dorsi behind his right arm on April 30. He had bulked up the previous offseason.</p>
<p>“That became kind of the signature for the entire 2017 season. So, yeah, it had an impact. It wasn’t the only factor,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. “We needed to take a new look at how we were handling all of those injuries. And it’s not just the number of injuries, it’s how quickly players are coming back.”</p>
<p>New York had 22 players combine for 1,489 days on the disabled list. That was the seventh-most days lost behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (a big league-high 1,774), San Diego, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston and the Los Angeles Angels, according to Major League Baseball.</p>
<p>“One of the things I think has already changed is the way in which our pitchers have approached the offseason,” Alderson said. “Given the fact that we’ve had some of injuries with our pitchers, I think something a little more scripted was in order.”</p>
<p>David Wright, the Mets’ 35-year-old captain and third baseman, remains a health concern. He was on the disabled list from April 15 to Aug. 24, 2015, when he strained his right hamstring and then developed spinal stenosis. He returned as the Mets won their first NL pennant since 2000 but has not played for them since May 27, 2016. Dr. Robert Watkins operated that June 16 to repair a herniated disk in Wright’s neck. After Wright’s rehabilitation was slowed by shoulder pain last year, Wright had surgery Sept. 5 to repair his right rotator cuff, and Watkins performed a laminotomy in early October in which a bony layer over the spinal canal was removed to treat nerve compression.</p>
<p>“We will assess him for baseball activity when he arrives in St. Lucie, which I believe will be around the first of February,” Alderson said. “At this point he hasn’t been hitting, he hasn’t been doing any baseball activity.”</p>
<p>A seven-time All-Star, Wright is guaranteed $47 million by the Mets over the next three seasons. Wilpon said insurance reimburses 75 percent annually after a deductible is met.</p>
<p>“You can never fully dismiss the fact that David may be back. On the other hand you can’t fully presume that he is,” Alderson said.</p>
<p>Harvey, coming back from surgery in July 2016 to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, was on the DL from June 15 to Sept. 2 last year because of a stress injury to the scapula bone in his right shoulder and finished 5-7 with a career-worst 6.70 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance.</p>
<p>“One of the hurdles he’ll have to overcome this year is mental in getting his confidence back,” Alderson said.</p>
<p>NOTES: New York agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Ty Kelly. ... Alderson said the team had preliminary talks on a long-term contract with RHP Jacob deGrom before agreeing to a $7.4 million, one-year deal this month. ... Brian Chicklo was promoted to head trainer from assistant trainer and moved Joseph Golia to assistant trainer from minor league medical coordinator. Alderson said additional trainers had been hired in the minor league system.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more AP baseball coverage: <a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball</a></p>
| false | 2 |
new york ap mets chief operating officer jeff wilpon defended teams offseason spending saying moves likely opening day season top five payroll dont think us world series said tuesday media gathering set make playoffs well try win world series try top five payroll new york started last season 157 million 40man roster cut 149 million team faded contention following series injuries two years reaching world series mets went 7092 worst record since 2009 years payroll projects 140 million range new york gave outfielder jay bruce 39 million threeyear contract reliever anthony swarzak 14 million twoyear deal get fan perception something thats lost us wilpon said understand fan bases frustration frustration new york lost pitchers noah syndergaard matt harvey steven matz zack wheeler injuries last year along closer jeurys familia slugging outfielder yoenis cespedes season mets fired manager terry collins pitching coach dan warthen head athletic trainer ray ramirez cleveland pitching coach mickey callaway took new yorks manager dave eiland pitching coach jim cavallinis hiring mets director performance sports science announced tuesday spent eight years us army special operations command recently director performance fort bragg north carolina syndergaard limited seven starts 30 13 innings last year refused medical scan tore latissimus dorsi behind right arm april 30 bulked previous offseason became kind signature entire 2017 season yeah impact wasnt factor mets general manager sandy alderson said needed take new look handling injuries number injuries quickly players coming back new york 22 players combine 1489 days disabled list seventhmost days lost behind los angeles dodgers big leaguehigh 1774 san diego tampa bay toronto boston los angeles angels according major league baseball one things think already changed way pitchers approached offseason alderson said given fact weve injuries pitchers think something little scripted order david wright mets 35yearold captain third baseman remains health concern disabled list april 15 aug 24 2015 strained right hamstring developed spinal stenosis returned mets first nl pennant since 2000 played since may 27 2016 dr robert watkins operated june 16 repair herniated disk wrights neck wrights rehabilitation slowed shoulder pain last year wright surgery sept 5 repair right rotator cuff watkins performed laminotomy early october bony layer spinal canal removed treat nerve compression assess baseball activity arrives st lucie believe around first february alderson said point hasnt hitting hasnt baseball activity seventime allstar wright guaranteed 47 million mets next three seasons wilpon said insurance reimburses 75 percent annually deductible met never fully dismiss fact david may back hand cant fully presume alderson said harvey coming back surgery july 2016 correct thoracic outlet syndrome dl june 15 sept 2 last year stress injury scapula bone right shoulder finished 57 careerworst 670 era 18 starts one relief appearance one hurdles hell overcome year mental getting confidence back alderson said notes new york agreed minor league contract infielder ty kelly alderson said team preliminary talks longterm contract rhp jacob degrom agreeing 74 million oneyear deal month brian chicklo promoted head trainer assistant trainer moved joseph golia assistant trainer minor league medical coordinator alderson said additional trainers hired minor league system ___ ap baseball coverage httpsapnewscomtagmlbbaseball new york ap mets chief operating officer jeff wilpon defended teams offseason spending saying moves likely opening day season top five payroll dont think us world series said tuesday media gathering set make playoffs well try win world series try top five payroll new york started last season 157 million 40man roster cut 149 million team faded contention following series injuries two years reaching world series mets went 7092 worst record since 2009 years payroll projects 140 million range new york gave outfielder jay bruce 39 million threeyear contract reliever anthony swarzak 14 million twoyear deal get fan perception something thats lost us wilpon said understand fan bases frustration frustration new york lost pitchers noah syndergaard matt harvey steven matz zack wheeler injuries last year along closer jeurys familia slugging outfielder yoenis cespedes season mets fired manager terry collins pitching coach dan warthen head athletic trainer ray ramirez cleveland pitching coach mickey callaway took new yorks manager dave eiland pitching coach jim cavallinis hiring mets director performance sports science announced tuesday spent eight years us army special operations command recently director performance fort bragg north carolina syndergaard limited seven starts 30 13 innings last year refused medical scan tore latissimus dorsi behind right arm april 30 bulked previous offseason became kind signature entire 2017 season yeah impact wasnt factor mets general manager sandy alderson said needed take new look handling injuries number injuries quickly players coming back new york 22 players combine 1489 days disabled list seventhmost days lost behind los angeles dodgers big leaguehigh 1774 san diego tampa bay toronto boston los angeles angels according major league baseball one things think already changed way pitchers approached offseason alderson said given fact weve injuries pitchers think something little scripted order david wright mets 35yearold captain third baseman remains health concern disabled list april 15 aug 24 2015 strained right hamstring developed spinal stenosis returned mets first nl pennant since 2000 played since may 27 2016 dr robert watkins operated june 16 repair herniated disk wrights neck wrights rehabilitation slowed shoulder pain last year wright surgery sept 5 repair right rotator cuff watkins performed laminotomy early october bony layer spinal canal removed treat nerve compression assess baseball activity arrives st lucie believe around first february alderson said point hasnt hitting hasnt baseball activity seventime allstar wright guaranteed 47 million mets next three seasons wilpon said insurance reimburses 75 percent annually deductible met never fully dismiss fact david may back hand cant fully presume alderson said harvey coming back surgery july 2016 correct thoracic outlet syndrome dl june 15 sept 2 last year stress injury scapula bone right shoulder finished 57 careerworst 670 era 18 starts one relief appearance one hurdles hell overcome year mental getting confidence back alderson said notes new york agreed minor league contract infielder ty kelly alderson said team preliminary talks longterm contract rhp jacob degrom agreeing 74 million oneyear deal month brian chicklo promoted head trainer assistant trainer moved joseph golia assistant trainer minor league medical coordinator alderson said additional trainers hired minor league system ___ ap baseball coverage httpsapnewscomtagmlbbaseball
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<p>Army Master Sgt. Pedro “Pete” Dagucon of Albuquerque shakes hands with an unidentified officer during his retirement ceremony in 1965. Dagucon, a Philippine Scout during World War II, survived the Bataan Death March, a POW camp and the Korean war before moving to Albuquerque in 1954. The Bronze Star recipient died in 1987. (courtesy of P. Dagucon family)</p>
<p>Christina Brady, left, and Micaela Dagucon, medical students at UNM, will march Sunday in the 24th Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range in honor of their relatives, who survived the Bataan Death March in 1942. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s doubtful that William Brady, a civilian attorney working for the U.S. military in the Philippines during World War II, and Pedro Dagucon, a Philippine Scout defending his homeland from the Japanese, ever crossed paths during the horrific march they and an estimated 78,000 other prisoners of war endured in April 1942.</p>
<p>Other than surviving the Bataan Death March and POW camps – and eventually making the United States their home – the two had little in common.</p>
<p>Until four years ago.</p>
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<p>In one of those inexplicable twists of fate, Christina Brady and Micaela Dagucon – the great-granddaughter and granddaughter, respectively, of William and Pedro, met during an anatomy class at the University of New Mexico in 2009 and soon became best friends. In May, both will graduate from medical school and head to surgical residencies.</p>
<p>Christina Brady, left, and Micaela Dagucon, medical students at UNM, will march Sunday in the 24th Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range in honor of their relatives, who survived the Bataan Death March in 1942. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>Micaela, 28, will be doing her residency at the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in hopes of becoming a general surgeon. She’s a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and, after her residency, will spend four years on active duty, followed by four years in the Reserves.</p>
<p>Christina, 27, found out Friday that her residency will be at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio.</p>
<p>She plans to become an orthopedic surgeon.</p>
<p>But before all of that happens, they have something important to do this weekend: As a memorial to their grandfather and great-grandfather, Micaela and Christina will march in the 24th Bataan Memorial Death March on Sunday at White Sands Missile Range – a grueling 26.2-mile desert course considered by many to be one of the toughest marathons in the nation.</p>
<p>Micaela said she first heard about the memorial march from a colleague at UNM who said he was making his third march this weekend.</p>
<p>“After hearing about it, I thought it would be an amazing thing to be involved in because my grandfather was in the Death March, and it would be a great memorial to him,” Micaela said Thursday.</p>
<p>“One of my family members endured this and lived, so I think it (the memorial march) is something I can do to show that I appreciate what he did,” Christina said. “It’s something I feel I need to experience.”</p>
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<p>Surprisingly, Micaela and Christina didn’t realize their Bataan connection until a few months ago when Micaela mentioned that she was considering competing in the memorial march,</p>
<p>“After I told Christina about it, she said that her great-grandfather had been in the Death March,” Micaela said. “So we decided, hey, we should do this.”</p>
<p>The memorial march honors the men who defended the Philippines from the invading Japanese army during World War II. After three months of battle, the under-equipped and poorly trained U.S. and Filipino troops were ordered to surrender.</p>
<p>Army Master Sgt. Pedro “Pete” Dagucon of Albuquerque shakes hands with an unidentified officer during his retirement ceremony in 1965. Dagucon, a Philippine Scout during World War II, survived the Bataan Death March, a POW camp and the Korean war before moving to Albuquerque in 1954. The Bronze Star recipient died in 1987. (courtesy of P. Dagucon family)</p>
<p>In April 1942, Japanese captors marched about 78,000 prisoners of war – 12,000 Americans and 66,000 Filipinos – for six days on the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon to a prisoner-of-war camp known as Camp O’Donnell.</p>
<p>Many were denied food, water or medical care, and some were bayoneted, shot or beheaded along the 65-mile route. An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Filipino and 600 to 650 American prisoners of war died during the march.</p>
<p>Among the prisoners were some 1,800 soldiers from New Mexico, many with the National Guard’s 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiments. Only about half of them survived the war.</p>
<p>Most of what Micaela and Christina know about their grandfather and great-grandfather comes from family stories.</p>
<p>Pedro “Pete” Dagucon was a member of the Philippine Scouts, units comprising native Filipinos under the command of American officers.</p>
<p>After surviving the Death March, Pete spent the rest of the war in various POW camps.</p>
<p>Family history includes stories about Micaela’s grandmother, Petronila, sneaking food and water to Filipino and American POW camps in the Philippines. The Japanese captors, she said, would sometimes turn a blind eye to Petronila’s efforts, but strictly forbade her from giving water or food to the American prisoners.</p>
<p>Her grandmother even cooked the family’s prized fighting cocks to feed to the prisoners.</p>
<p>“You hear about the horrific things these people went through … and it’s hard to hear that one of my family members had to go through it,” Micaela said.</p>
<p>While training for the upcoming march, she would think about her grandfather when she was tempted to slow down or take a break.</p>
<p>“I’d think, ‘This isn’t that hard compared to what he had to go through, so I can run a little farther.’ He’s a big inspiration.”</p>
<p>Pete also served in the Korean war, and he and Petronila immigrated to the United States around 1954, settling in Albuquerque. Pete spent 30 years in the Army, retiring as a master sergeant. He died in 1987.</p>
<p>William Brady was working as a civilian attorney for the U.S. military in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and, shortly afterward, the Philippines, pulling the United States into the war.</p>
<p>Taken captive by the Japanese, Brady survived the Death March and was sent to a labor camp in Japan until the war’s end.</p>
<p>Christina’s great-grandmother and other family managed to escape from the Philippines, not knowing William’s fate. After he was liberated, he learned his family had moved to Texas and he soon joined them.</p>
<p>William Brady died in 1978, about six years before Christina was born.</p>
<p>Christina’s father, William H. Brady, is an Albuquerque physician.</p>
<p>On Sunday – nearly 71 years since their forefathers made their infamous march – Christina and Micaela will join more than 5,500 other marchers at White Sands. — This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
| false | 2 |
army master sgt pedro pete dagucon albuquerque shakes hands unidentified officer retirement ceremony 1965 dagucon philippine scout world war ii survived bataan death march pow camp korean war moving albuquerque 1954 bronze star recipient died 1987 courtesy p dagucon family christina brady left micaela dagucon medical students unm march sunday 24th bataan memorial death march white sands missile range honor relatives survived bataan death march 1942 marla brosealbuquerque journal albuquerque nm doubtful william brady civilian attorney working us military philippines world war ii pedro dagucon philippine scout defending homeland japanese ever crossed paths horrific march estimated 78000 prisoners war endured april 1942 surviving bataan death march pow camps eventually making united states home two little common four years ago advertisement one inexplicable twists fate christina brady micaela dagucon greatgranddaughter granddaughter respectively william pedro met anatomy class university new mexico 2009 soon became best friends may graduate medical school head surgical residencies christina brady left micaela dagucon medical students unm march sunday 24th bataan memorial death march white sands missile range honor relatives survived bataan death march 1942 marla brosealbuquerque journal micaela 28 residency san antonio military medical center fort sam houston texas hopes becoming general surgeon shes second lieutenant us air force residency spend four years active duty followed four years reserves christina 27 found friday residency university texas health sciences center san antonio plans become orthopedic surgeon happens something important weekend memorial grandfather greatgrandfather micaela christina march 24th bataan memorial death march sunday white sands missile range grueling 262mile desert course considered many one toughest marathons nation micaela said first heard memorial march colleague unm said making third march weekend hearing thought would amazing thing involved grandfather death march would great memorial micaela said thursday one family members endured lived think memorial march something show appreciate christina said something feel need experience advertisement surprisingly micaela christina didnt realize bataan connection months ago micaela mentioned considering competing memorial march told christina said greatgrandfather death march micaela said decided hey memorial march honors men defended philippines invading japanese army world war ii three months battle underequipped poorly trained us filipino troops ordered surrender army master sgt pedro pete dagucon albuquerque shakes hands unidentified officer retirement ceremony 1965 dagucon philippine scout world war ii survived bataan death march pow camp korean war moving albuquerque 1954 bronze star recipient died 1987 courtesy p dagucon family april 1942 japanese captors marched 78000 prisoners war 12000 americans 66000 filipinos six days bataan peninsula philippine island luzon prisonerofwar camp known camp odonnell many denied food water medical care bayoneted shot beheaded along 65mile route estimated 5000 10000 filipino 600 650 american prisoners war died march among prisoners 1800 soldiers new mexico many national guards 200th 515th coast artillery regiments half survived war micaela christina know grandfather greatgrandfather comes family stories pedro pete dagucon member philippine scouts units comprising native filipinos command american officers surviving death march pete spent rest war various pow camps family history includes stories micaelas grandmother petronila sneaking food water filipino american pow camps philippines japanese captors said would sometimes turn blind eye petronilas efforts strictly forbade giving water food american prisoners grandmother even cooked familys prized fighting cocks feed prisoners hear horrific things people went hard hear one family members go micaela said training upcoming march would think grandfather tempted slow take break id think isnt hard compared go run little farther hes big inspiration pete also served korean war petronila immigrated united states around 1954 settling albuquerque pete spent 30 years army retiring master sergeant died 1987 william brady working civilian attorney us military philippines japanese attacked pearl harbor shortly afterward philippines pulling united states war taken captive japanese brady survived death march sent labor camp japan wars end christinas greatgrandmother family managed escape philippines knowing williams fate liberated learned family moved texas soon joined william brady died 1978 six years christina born christinas father william h brady albuquerque physician sunday nearly 71 years since forefathers made infamous march christina micaela join 5500 marchers white sands article appeared page c1 albuquerque journal
| 671 |
<p>Jan 18 (Reuters) - Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc:</p>
<p>* ARROWHEAD PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES PRICING OF UNDERWRITTEN PUBLIC OFFERING OF COMMON STOCK</p>
<p>* SAYS PUBLIC OFFERING OF 10.0 MILLION COMMON SHARES PRICED AT $5.25PER SHARE Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said an attack on Syria by the United States, France and Britain on Saturday was a crime and would not achieve any gains.</p> FILE PHOTO - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gestures as he delivers a speech in Mashad, Iran, March 21, 2018. Leader.ir/Handout via REUTERS
<p>“Today’s dawn attack on Syria is a crime. I clearly declare that the president of the United States, the president of France and the British prime minister are criminals,” Khamenei said in a speech, according to his Twitter account.</p>
<p>“They will not benefit (from the attack) as they went to Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan in the past years and committed such crimes and did not gain any benefits,” Khamenei said.</p>
<p>Iran - the dominant Shi’ite Muslim power which is in rivalry with Saudi Arabia and the United States’ other Sunni Arab friends - has fought decades of sectarian proxy wars in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.</p>
<p>Iran’s pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani also warned that the U.S.-led missile attack on Syria would lead to further destruction in the Middle East, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.</p>
<p>“Such attacks will have no result but more destruction ... the Americans want to justify their presence in the region by such attacks,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by Tasnim.</p>
<p>Rouhani signaled that Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would grow.</p>
<p>“The Syrian nation will continue to resist against foreign aggression ...Iran has always helped and will continue to support oppressed nations in the region and around the globe,” Rouhani said.</p>
<p>Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said: “The Syrian people will certainly answer these attacks and the people of the world should condemn this aggression,” Fars news agency reported.</p>
<p>An official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Islamic Republic’s most powerful arm, said the fallout from the attacks will be at Washington’s expense.</p>
<p>“With this attack ... the situation will become more complex, and this will surely be at the expense of the United States, which will be responsible for the aftermath of upcoming regional events that will certainly not be in their interest,” Yadollah Javani, the Guards’ deputy head for political affairs, told Fars news agency.</p>
<p>“The resistance front will be strengthened and it will have more capacity to act against (U.S.) acts of intervention. Americans should expect the consequences of their actions,” Javani said.</p>
<p>Iran often refers to regional countries and forces opposed to Israel and the United States as a “resistance front”.</p>
<p>“Undoubtedly, the United States and its allies, which took military action against Syria despite the absence of any proven evidence ... will assume responsibility for the regional and trans-regional consequences of this adventurism,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media.</p>
<p>“Iran is opposed to the use of chemical weapons on the basis of religious, legal and ethical standards, while at the same time it ... strongly condemns (using this) as an excuse to commit aggression against a sovereign state,” it said.</p>
<p>Iran has been Assad’s most supportive ally against insurgents throughout the conflict. Iran-backed militias helped his army stem rebel advances and, following Russia’s entry into the war in 2015, turn the tide decisively in Assad’s favor.</p>
<p>Analyst Hossein Sheikholeslam, a former Iranian ambassador to Damascus, told state television the attacks would help unite Syrians behind the government.</p>
<p>“These attacks will stabilize the Syrian government... and unite the different tribes in Syria as Syrians become aware of their honor and come to the defense of the independence, territorial integrity and the government of their country,” Sheikholeslam said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Dubai newsroom; writing by Samia Nakhoul and Parisa Hafezi; editing by Jason Neely</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S., British and French forces struck Syria with more than 100 missiles on Saturday in the first coordinated Western strikes against the Damascus government, targeting what they said were chemical weapons sites in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump announced the military action from the White House, saying the three allies had “marshaled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality”.</p>
<p>Later he tweeted: “Mission accomplished”.</p>
<p>The bombing represents a major escalation in the West’s confrontation with Assad’s superpower ally Russia, but is unlikely to alter the course of a multi-sided war that has killed at least half a million people in the past seven years.</p>
<p>That in turn raises the question of where Western countries go from here, after a volley of strikes denounced by Damascus and Moscow as at once both reckless and pointless.</p>
<p>By morning, the Western countries said their bombing was over for now. Syria released video of the wreckage of a bombed-out research lab, but also of President Bashar al-Assad arriving at work as usual, with the caption “Morning of resilience”.</p>
<p>There were no immediate reports of casualties. Damascus’s allies saying the buildings hit had been evacuated in advance.</p>
<p>Russia had promised to respond to any attack on its ally, and said on Saturday that Syrian air defenses had intercepted 71 of the missiles fired.</p>
<p>But the Pentagon said the United States had “deconfliction” contacts with Russia before and after the strikes, that Syrian air defense systems had been largely ineffective and there was no indication that Russian systems had been employed.</p> Related Coverage
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<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. She authorized British action after intelligence showed Assad’s government was to blame for gassing the Damascus suburb of Douma a week ago, she said.</p>
<p>In a speech, she gave a vivid description of the victims of the alleged chemical strike that killed scores, huddling in basements as gas rained down. She said Russia had thwarted diplomatic efforts to halt Assad’s use of poison gas, leaving no option but force.</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron said the strikes had been limited so far to Syria’s chemical weapons facilities. Paris released a dossier that it said showed Damascus was to blame for the poison gas attack on Douma, the last town holding out in a rebel-held swathe of territory near Damascus that government forces have recaptured this year.</p>
<p>“ONE-TIME SHOT”</p>
<p>Washington described its 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>U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the strikes a “one-time shot”, although Trump raised the prospect of further strikes if Assad’s government again used chemical weapons.</p>
<p>“We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents,” the U.S. president said in a televised address.</p>
<p>The Pentagon said there had been chemical weapons agents at one of the targets, and that, although there were other parts to Syria’s chemical weapons system, the strikes had significantly crippled its ability to produce such weapons.</p>
<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss what Moscow decried as an unjustified attack on a sovereign state. Diplomats said the meeting would take place in New York at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT).</p>
<p>Syrian state media called the attack a “flagrant violation of international law”. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called it a crime and the Western leaders criminals.</p>
<p>Inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW were due to try to visit Douma later on Saturday to inspect the site of the suspected gas attack on April 7. 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>But despite responding outwardly with fury to Saturday’s attack, Damascus and its allies also made clear that they considered it a one-off, unlikely to meaningfully harm 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>“If it is finished, and there is no second round, it will be considered limited,” the official said.</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>At least six loud explosions were heard in Damascus and smoke rose over the city, according to a Reuters witness. A second witness said the Barzah district of Damascus was hit.</p>
<p>A scientific research lab in Barzah appeared to have been completely destroyed, according to footage from Syrian state TV station al-Ikhbariya. Smoke rose from piles of rubble, and a bus parked outside was heavily damaged.</p>
<p>But the Western intervention has virtually no chance of altering the military balance of power at a time when Assad is in his strongest position since the war’s early months.</p> ASSAD STRONG
<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 entire war.</p>
<p>Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has let Assad 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>The Western powers were at pains on Saturday to avert any further escalation, including any unexpected conflict with their superpower rival Russia. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said the Russians “were warned beforehand”, to avert conflict.</p> A missile is seen crossing over Damascus, Syria April 14, 2018. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
<p>The combined U.S., British and French assault involved more missiles, but appears to have struck more limited targets, than a similar strike Trump ordered a year ago in retaliation for an earlier suspected chemical weapons attack. That strike had effectively no impact on the war.</p>
<p>Mattis said the United States conducted the strikes on the basis of conclusive evidence that chlorine gas had been used in the April 7 attack. Evidence that the nerve agent sarin was also used was inconclusive, he said.</p>
<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>A U.S. official familiar with the military planning said there could be more air strikes if the intelligence indicates Assad had not stopped making, importing, storing or using chemical weapons, including chlorine. The official said this could require a more sustained U.S. air and naval presence.</p> EXIT SYRIA?
<p>The U.S., British and French leaders all face domestic political issues surrounding the decision to use force in Syria.</p>
<p>Trump has been leery of U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, and is eager to withdraw roughly 2,000 troops in Syria taking part in the campaign against Islamic State.</p>
<p>“America does not seek an indefinite presence in Syria, under no circumstances,” Trump said in his address.</p>
<p>Trump has tried to build good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A prosecutor is investigating whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow in illegal efforts to help him get elected, an investigation Trump calls a witch hunt.</p> Slideshow (16 Images)
<p>In Britain, May’s decision to strike without consulting parliament overturns an arrangement in place since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Her predecessor David Cameron was politically hurt when he lost a parliamentary vote on whether to bomb Syria.</p>
<p>Britain has led international condemnation of Russia, persuading more than 20 countries to expel Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England last month. May made clear that case was part of her calculus in ordering Saturday’s strikes.</p>
<p>She argued on Saturday it was necessary to act quickly without waiting for parliament’s approval. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn accused her of following Trump, hugely unpopular in Britain, into battle without waiting for the evidence.</p>
<p>In France, Macron has long threatened to use force against Assad if he uses chemical weapons, and had faced criticism over what opponents described as an empty threat.</p>
<p>To view a graphic on an overview of chemical warfare, click: <a href="http://tmsnrt.rs/2pKDWOY" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2pKDWOY</a></p>
<p>Reporting by Steve Holland and Tom Perry,; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, Tim Ahmann, Eric Beech, Lesley Wroughton, Lucia Mutikani, Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle, Matt Spetalnick and John Walcott in Washington; Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall in Beirut; 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 Peter Graff and Kevin Liffey; Editing by Angus MacSwan</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria has criticized air strikes carried out by the United States, France and Britain against Syria, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said on Saturday.</p>
<p>U.S., British and French forces struck Syria with more than 100 missiles on Saturday, targeting what they called chemical weapons sites in retaliation for a poison gas attack.</p>
<p>“Algeria can only regret the strikes,” Ouyahia told reporters.</p>
<p>He added that it was necessary to wait for the findings of an investigation into the alleged chemical attack before taking any steps.</p>
<p>Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Writing by Ulf Laessing</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Saturday it overwhelmed and evaded Syrian air defenses overnight to strike every target at the heart of Syria’s chemical weapons program, in a multi-pronged attack from the air and sea alongside British and French allies.</p> The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land attack missile April 14, 2018. U.S. Navy/Lt. j.g Matthew Daniels/Handout via REUTERS.
<p>Although the operation was secretly unfolding for hours before the first impact, it only took minutes from the first to the last detonation from 105 precision-guided missile strikes on three Syrian chemical weapons targets, officials said.</p>
<p>Marine Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, rejected assertions from Russia and Syria that scores of the Western missiles were shot down.</p>
<p>He said Russian air defenses did not fire, while Syrian air defenses were completely ineffective against an attack from multiple directions involving not just U.S., British and French aircraft but also U.S. naval destroyers, a cruiser and French frigate and even a U.S. submarine.</p>
<p>The Syrian air defenses not only missed the incoming missiles but they kept firing even after the last U.S., British and French strikes were complete. Some of those more than 40 Syrian missile interceptors, he suggested, might have hit civilian targets.</p>
<p>“When you shoot iron into the sky without guidance, it will inevitably fall to earth,” McKenzie told reporters.</p>
<p>Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White warned that Russia was actively attempting to sow confusion about the attack.</p>
<p>“The Russian disinformation campaign has already begun. There has been a 2,000 percent increase in Russian trolls in the last 24 hours,” White said.</p>
<p>The prime target of the operation was the Barza Research and Development Center in the greater Damascus area, which McKenzie noted was “one of the most heavily defended aerospace areas in the world.”</p>
<p>Barza took the brunt of the fire, with 57 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 19 Joint Air to Surface Stand-off missiles.</p>
<p>Though some of Syria’s chemical weapons infrastructure was still left, “I think we’ve dealt them a severe blow,” McKenzie said, adding it would set the program back for years.</p>
<p>Despite severely damaging the infrastructure with the strikes, McKenzie said the Pentagon would not rule out that the Assad government still had capability to use such weapons again.</p>
<p>“There’s still a residual element of the Syrian program that’s out there,” he said.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to say that they’re going to be unable to continue to conduct a chemical attack in the future. I suspect, however, they’ll think long and hard about it.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu; writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 18 reuters arrowhead pharmaceuticals inc arrowhead pharmaceuticals announces pricing underwritten public offering common stock says public offering 100 million common shares priced 525per share source text eikon company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles ankara reuters irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei said attack syria united states france britain saturday crime would achieve gains file photo irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei gestures delivers speech mashad iran march 21 2018 leaderirhandout via reuters todays dawn attack syria crime clearly declare president united states president france british prime minister criminals khamenei said speech according twitter account benefit attack went iraq syria afghanistan past years committed crimes gain benefits khamenei said iran dominant shiite muslim power rivalry saudi arabia united states sunni arab friends fought decades sectarian proxy wars syria lebanon iraq yemen irans pragmatist president hassan rouhani also warned usled missile attack syria would lead destruction middle east semiofficial tasnim news agency reported attacks result destruction americans want justify presence region attacks rouhani quoted saying tasnim rouhani signaled irans support syrian president bashar alassad would grow syrian nation continue resist foreign aggression iran always helped continue support oppressed nations region around globe rouhani said iranian defense minister hossein dehghan said syrian people certainly answer attacks people world condemn aggression fars news agency reported official irans revolutionary guards corps irgc islamic republics powerful arm said fallout attacks washingtons expense attack situation become complex surely expense united states responsible aftermath upcoming regional events certainly interest yadollah javani guards deputy head political affairs told fars news agency resistance front strengthened capacity act us acts intervention americans expect consequences actions javani said iran often refers regional countries forces opposed israel united states resistance front undoubtedly united states allies took military action syria despite absence proven evidence assume responsibility regional transregional consequences adventurism irans foreign ministry said statement carried state media iran opposed use chemical weapons basis religious legal ethical standards time strongly condemns using excuse commit aggression sovereign state said iran assads supportive ally insurgents throughout conflict iranbacked militias helped army stem rebel advances following russias entry war 2015 turn tide decisively assads favor analyst hossein sheikholeslam former iranian ambassador damascus told state television attacks would help unite syrians behind government attacks stabilize syrian government unite different tribes syria syrians become aware honor come defense independence territorial integrity government country sheikholeslam said reporting parisa hafezi dubai newsroom writing samia nakhoul parisa hafezi editing jason neely standards thomson reuters trust principles washingtonbeirut reuters us british french forces struck syria 100 missiles saturday first coordinated western strikes damascus government targeting said chemical weapons sites retaliation suspected poison gas attack us president donald trump announced military action white house saying three allies marshaled righteous power barbarism brutality later tweeted mission accomplished bombing represents major escalation wests confrontation assads superpower ally russia unlikely alter course multisided war killed least half million people past seven years turn raises question western countries go volley strikes denounced damascus moscow reckless pointless morning western countries said bombing syria released video wreckage bombedout research lab also president bashar alassad arriving work usual caption morning resilience immediate reports casualties damascuss allies saying buildings hit evacuated advance russia promised respond attack ally said saturday syrian air defenses intercepted 71 missiles fired pentagon said united states deconfliction contacts russia strikes syrian air defense systems largely ineffective indication russian systems employed related coverage trump mission accomplished perfectly executed syria strike syria strike reduces research center smoking rubble un security council meet saturday russias request diplomats british prime minister theresa may described strike limited targeted intention toppling assad intervening widely war authorized british action intelligence showed assads government blame gassing damascus suburb douma week ago said speech gave vivid description victims alleged chemical strike killed scores huddling basements gas rained said russia thwarted diplomatic efforts halt assads use poison gas leaving option force french president emmanuel macron said strikes limited far syrias chemical weapons facilities paris released dossier said showed damascus blame poison gas attack douma last town holding rebelheld swathe territory near damascus government forces recaptured year onetime shot washington described 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 us defense secretary jim mattis called strikes onetime shot although trump raised prospect strikes assads government used chemical weapons prepared sustain response syrian regime stops use prohibited chemical agents us president said televised address pentagon said chemical weapons agents one targets although parts syrias chemical weapons system strikes significantly crippled ability produce weapons russian president vladimir putin called meeting un security council discuss moscow decried unjustified attack sovereign state diplomats said meeting would take place new york 11 1500 gmt syrian state media called attack flagrant violation international law irans supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei called crime western leaders criminals inspectors global chemical weapons watchdog opcw due try visit douma later saturday inspect site suspected gas attack april 7 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 despite responding outwardly fury saturdays attack damascus allies also made clear considered oneoff unlikely meaningfully harm assad senior official regional alliance backs damascus told reuters sites targeted evacuated days ago thanks warning russia finished second round considered limited official said dmitry belik russian member parliament damascus witnessed strikes told reuters attack psychological nature rather practical luckily substantial losses damages least six loud explosions heard damascus smoke rose city according reuters witness second witness said barzah district damascus hit scientific research lab barzah appeared completely destroyed according footage syrian state tv station alikhbariya smoke rose piles rubble bus parked outside heavily damaged western intervention virtually chance altering military balance power time assad strongest position since wars early months assad strong 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 entire war russian iranian military help past three years let 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 western powers pains saturday avert escalation including unexpected conflict superpower rival russia french defense minister florence parly said russians warned beforehand avert conflict missile seen crossing damascus syria april 14 2018 sanahandout via reuters combined us british french assault involved missiles appears struck limited targets similar strike trump ordered year ago retaliation earlier suspected chemical weapons attack strike effectively impact war mattis said united states conducted strikes basis conclusive evidence chlorine gas used april 7 attack evidence nerve agent sarin also used inconclusive said 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 us official familiar military planning said could air strikes intelligence indicates assad stopped making importing storing using chemical weapons including chlorine official said could require sustained us air naval presence exit syria us british french leaders face domestic political issues surrounding decision use force syria trump leery us military involvement middle east eager withdraw roughly 2000 troops syria taking part campaign islamic state america seek indefinite presence syria circumstances trump said address trump tried build good relations russian president vladimir putin prosecutor investigating whether trumps campaign colluded moscow illegal efforts help get elected investigation trump calls witch hunt slideshow 16 images britain mays decision strike without consulting parliament overturns arrangement place since 2003 invasion iraq predecessor david cameron politically hurt lost parliamentary vote whether bomb syria britain led international condemnation russia persuading 20 countries expel russian diplomats response nerve agent attack former russian spy england last month may made clear case part calculus ordering saturdays strikes argued saturday necessary act quickly without waiting parliaments approval opposition leader jeremy corbyn accused following trump hugely unpopular britain battle without waiting evidence france macron long threatened use force assad uses chemical weapons faced criticism opponents described empty threat view graphic overview chemical warfare click tmsnrtrs2pkdwoy reporting steve holland tom perry additional reporting phil stewart tim ahmann eric beech lesley wroughton lucia mutikani idrees ali patricia zengerle matt spetalnick john walcott washington samia nakhoul tom perry laila bassam ellen francis angus mcdowall beirut michael holden guy faulconbridge london jeanbaptiste vey geert de clerq matthias blamont paris polina ivanova moscow writing peter graff kevin liffey editing angus macswan standards thomson reuters trust principles algiers reuters algeria criticized air strikes carried united states france britain syria prime minister ahmed ouyahia said saturday us british french forces struck syria 100 missiles saturday targeting called chemical weapons sites retaliation poison gas attack algeria regret strikes ouyahia told reporters added necessary wait findings investigation alleged chemical attack taking steps reporting hamid ould ahmed writing ulf laessing standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters united states said saturday overwhelmed evaded syrian air defenses overnight strike every target heart syrias chemical weapons program multipronged attack air sea alongside british french allies us navy guidedmissile cruiser uss monterey fires tomahawk land attack missile april 14 2018 us navylt jg matthew danielshandout via reuters although operation secretly unfolding hours first impact took minutes first last detonation 105 precisionguided missile strikes three syrian chemical weapons targets officials said marine lieutenant general kenneth mckenzie director joint staff rejected assertions russia syria scores western missiles shot said russian air defenses fire syrian air defenses completely ineffective attack multiple directions involving us british french aircraft also us naval destroyers cruiser french frigate even us submarine syrian air defenses missed incoming missiles kept firing even last us british french strikes complete 40 syrian missile interceptors suggested might hit civilian targets shoot iron sky without guidance inevitably fall earth mckenzie told reporters pentagon spokeswoman dana white warned russia actively attempting sow confusion attack russian disinformation campaign already begun 2000 percent increase russian trolls last 24 hours white said prime target operation barza research development center greater damascus area mckenzie noted one heavily defended aerospace areas world barza took brunt fire 57 tomahawk cruise missiles 19 joint air surface standoff missiles though syrias chemical weapons infrastructure still left think weve dealt severe blow mckenzie said adding would set program back years despite severely damaging infrastructure strikes mckenzie said pentagon would rule assad government still capability use weapons theres still residual element syrian program thats said im going say theyre going unable continue conduct chemical attack future suspect however theyll think long hard reporting phil stewart idrees ali doina chiacu writing jeff mason editing david gregorio standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>Jan 23 (Reuters) - BANK VOZROZHDENIE PAO:</p>
<p>* SAYS ROSSIYA BANK DIVESTS ITS 9.68% STAKE IN BANK VOZROZHDENIE Source text: <a href="http://bit.ly/2F5DwGH" type="external">bit.ly/2F5DwGH</a> Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)</p> Our Standards:
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<p>WASHINGTON/PARKLAND, Fla. (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Americans galvanized by last month’s Florida school massacre rallied on Saturday at nationwide March For Our Lives protests led by students demanding tighter gun laws.</p>
<p>Carrying signs with slogans including “If they choose guns over our kids, vote them out,” protesters in Washington jammed Pennsylvania Avenue as students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 people were killed called on lawmakers and President Donald Trump to confront the issue.</p>
<p>The massive rallies aim to break a legislative gridlock that has long stymied efforts to increase restrictions on firearms sales in a nation where mass shootings like the one on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have become frighteningly common.</p>
<p>“Politicians: either represent the people or get out. Stand with us or beware, the voters are coming,” Cameron Kasky, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, told the crowd.</p>
<p>Another Parkland survivor, David Hogg, said the sun was shining on a new day. “You can hear the people in power shaking,” he said to loud applause.</p>
<p>“We’re going to make sure the best people get in our elections to run not as politicians, but as Americans. Because this - this - is not cutting it,” he said, pointing at the white-domed Capitol. “We can and we will change the world!”</p>
<p>Television images showed youthful marchers filling streets in cities across the United States including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and New York.</p>
<p>More than 800 demonstrations were set to take place in the United States and around the world, according to coordinators, with sister events taking place as far afield as London, Mauritius and Stockholm.</p>
<p>Organizers want the U.S. Congress, many of whose members are up for re-election in November, to ban the sale of assault weapons like the one used in the Florida rampage and to tighten background checks for gun buyers. On the other side of the debate, gun rights advocates cite constitutional guarantees of the right to bear arms.</p>
<p>In Los Angeles, marcher Carly Dutcher, a high school freshman from Studio City, California, said she was shocked when a theater teacher showed her and her classmates how they could pull a tampon dispenser off a bathroom wall and use it to battle a school shooter.</p>
<p>“Regardless if I can vote or not, it (gun violence) is the most important issue affecting me and the most important issue in the country right now,” Dutcher said.</p> Participants hold up signs as students and gun control advocates hold the "March for Our Lives" event demanding gun control after recent school shootings at a rally in Washington, U.S., March 24, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis ‘THIS IS THE NORM FOR US’
<p>At a rally near New York’s Central Park, a moment of silence was held for the Parkland victims. The accused gunman, 19-year-old former Marjory Stoneman student Nikolas Cruz, faces the death penalty if convicted on multiple murder charges.</p>
<p>Pop star Paul McCartney was among the marchers, telling CNN he had a personal stake in gun control. “One of my best friends was shot not far from here,” he said, referring to Beatles bandmate John Lennon, who was gunned down near the park in 1980.</p>
<p>Jack Graziano, a 16-year-old junior from Long Island’s Massapequa High School, said he wanted gun violence to end so his own children would not have to suffer it.</p>
<p>“Anybody who’s in high school right now has been growing up on school violence,” he said. “As awful as it sounds, this is the norm for us.”</p> Slideshow (30 Images)
<p>Taking aim at the National Rifle Association gun lobby, teenagers chanted, “Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids have you killed today?”</p>
<p>The youthful U.S. organizers have won kudos and cash from dozens of celebrities, with singer Demi Lovato and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda among those performing in Washington.</p>
<p>“Trainwreck” star Amy Schumer is set to appear at the Los Angeles rally. Actor George Clooney and his human rights attorney wife, Amal, have donated $500,000 and said they would be at the Washington rally.</p>
<p>On Friday, Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes modest improvements to background checks for gun sales and grants to help schools prevent gun violence.</p>
<p>Democrats and nonpartisan groups hope to register at least 25,000 first-time voters at the rallies, potentially a boost for Democrats, who generally favor stricter gun controls.</p>
<p>White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said the administration applauded “the many courageous young Americans” exercising their free-speech rights on Saturday.</p>
<p>“Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the president’s,” said Walters, noting that on Friday the Justice Department proposed rule changes that would effectively ban “bump stock” devices that let semi-automatic weapons fire like a machine gun.</p>
<p>Former president Barack Obama said on Twitter that he and his wife Michelle were inspired by all the young people who made the marches happen.</p>
<p>“Keep at it. You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change,” Obama said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ian Simpson, Lacey Johnson, Katanga Johnson and Lauren Young in Washington, Alice Popovici in New York, Phoenix Tso in Los Angeles, and Jim Oliphant in West Palm Beach; Editing by Daniel Wallis and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PARIS (Reuters) - France was in mourning on Saturday for a French security officer who died from gunshot wounds after voluntarily taking the place of a female hostage during a supermarket siege by an Islamist militant.</p>
<p>Arnaud Beltrame, 44, a gendarme who once served in Iraq, had been raced to hospital fighting for his life after being shot by the gunman during the siege at the Super U store in the southwestern town of Trebes near the Pyrenees mountains.</p>
<p>His actions were described as heroic by politicians across the political spectrum and calls for a national tribute increased on social media networks.</p>
<p>“He fell as a hero, giving up his life to halt the murderous outfit of a jihadist terrorist,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement shortly before dawn on Saturday.</p>
<p>Friday’s attacker was identified by authorities as Redouane Lakdim, a 25-year-old Moroccan-born French national from the city of Carcassonne, not far from Trebes, the tranquil town of about 5,000 people where he struck on Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>Lakdim was known to authorities for drug-dealing and other petty crimes, but had also been under surveillance by security services in 2016-2017 for links to the radical Salafist movement, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said on Friday.</p>
<p>The attacker, whose rampage began when he fired on a group of police joggers and also shot the occupants of a car he stole, killed three people and injured 16 others on Friday, according to a government readout.</p>
<p>Beltrame’s death took the number killed to four.</p>
<p>He was part of a team of gendarmes who were among the first to arrive at the supermarket scene. Most of the people in the supermarket escaped after hiding in a cold storage room and then fleeing through an emergency exit.</p>
<p>He offered to trade places with a hostage the attacker was still holding, whereafter he took her place and left his mobile phone on a table, line open. When shots rang out, elite police stormed the building to kill the assailant. Police sources said Beltrame was shot three times.</p>
<p>Politicians from the left and right called Beltrame a “hero” on Twitter, including opposition leader Laurent Wauquiez, far-right National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen and Olivier Faure, set to become the next Socialist party head.</p>
<p>#ArnaudBeltrame was a trending topic on the social network where people expressed their respect and gratitude for the officer, and thoughts for his wife. Several cities, the National Assembly and police stations lowered their flags in his honor.</p>
<p>The Grand Mosque of Paris, the largest in the country, said the Muslim community joined in mourning for a man who had “fallen heroically under the bullets of the terrorist Redouane Lakdim in the exercise of his mission.”</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Theresa May hailed Beltrame’s courage and sacrifice on Twitter, saying they would never be forgotten.</p> Flowers and messages in tribute to victim are seen in front of the Gendarmerie of Carcassonne, the day after a hostage situation in Trebes, France March 24, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau ARRESTS
<p>Police arrested two people as part of the investigation into the attack, one of them a woman connected to Lakdim, on Friday and a 17-year-old man said to be one of his friends overnight, judicial sources said.</p>
<p>Searches at the attacker’s home showed notes referring to Islamic State that appeared to be a will, as well as a phone and a computer, judicial sources said.</p>
<p>Investigators also found three improvised explosive devices, a 7.65 millimeter handgun and a hunting knife in the supermarket, the source said.</p> Slideshow (6 Images)
<p>The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. Macron said security services were checking the claim.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump condemned “the violent actions of the attacker and anyone who would provide him support.”</p>
<p>“We are with you @EmmanuelMacron!” he added on Twitter.</p>
<p>More than 240 people have been killed in France in attacks since 2015 by assailants who either pledged allegiance to Islamic State or were inspired by the ultra-hardline group.</p>
<p>France is part of a group of countries whose warplanes have been bombing Islamic State strongholds in Iraq and Syria, where in recent months IS has lost much of a self-proclaimed “caliphate” of territory it seized in 2014.</p>
<p>One multiple attack by Islamist gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015 while another killed close to 90 when a man ran a truck into partying crowds in the Riviera seaside city of Nice in July 2016.</p>
<p>Beltrame was a qualified parachutist who served in Iraq in 2005. He also worked as part of the elite Republican Guard that protects the presidential Elysee Place offices and residence in Paris, Macron said.</p>
<p>Friday’s assault was the first deadly Islamist attack in France since October 2017, when a man stabbed two young women to death in the port city of Marseille before soldiers killed him.</p>
<p>Several attacks over the past year or more have targeted police and soldiers deployed in big numbers to protect civilians and patrol sensitive spots such as airports and train stations.</p>
<p>The news of Beltrame’s death was first announced by France’s interior minister, who said in a Twitter post: “Dead for his country. France will never forget his heroism, bravery and sacrifice.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Helen Popper</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army on Saturday paused its bombardment of Douma, the last rebel bastion near Damascus, a war monitor said, as insurgents prepared to leave the rest of their former enclave of eastern Ghouta.</p> Syrian army soldiers fire tracer bullets into the air to celebrate their victory outside Harasta in eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki
<p>Buses that will carry thousands of fighters, along with their families and other civilians, into exile in northwestern Syria began entering the southern part of eastern Ghouta.</p>
<p>It follows the departure of thousands of others on Friday from the town of Harasta in a similar deal for insurgents to depart with light weapons in return for surrendering their territory.</p>
<p>The buses queued at a crossing point before moving into the enclave along a road on the former front lines that had been cleared of barricades, debris and unexploded ordnance.</p>
<p>Some captives held by the insurgents were released and state television showed them leaving in a minibus.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-civilians/russia-says-over-105000-civilians-have-left-syrias-eastern-ghouta-ria-idUSKBN1H00BQ" type="external">Russia says over 105,000 civilians have left Syria's Eastern Ghouta: RIA</a>
<p>The army was advancing into towns the rebels had retreated from in preparation for their exit, state television said. It broadcast pictures of the massive trenches and other fortifications the rebels were leaving behind.</p>
<p>It means only Douma is left of the opposition’s eastern Ghouta enclave which a month ago the United Nations said was home to 400,000 people and constituted the rebels’ main stronghold near Damascus.</p>
<p>The army offensive to capture it, heralded by one of the heaviest bombardments in the seven-year conflict with warplanes, helicopters and artillery, has killed more than 1,600 people, said the war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Residents and rights groups have accused the government of using weapons that kill indiscriminately - inaccurate barrel bombs dropped from helicopters, chlorine gas and incendiary material that sets raging fires.</p>
<p>Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his close ally Russia, which has helped his air campaign, have denied using all those weapons and say their offensive was needed to end the rule of Islamist militants over civilians.</p> Buses are seen entering into rebels Harasta area in eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria March 23, 2018. REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki EVACUATION
<p>About 7,000 fighters, along with family members and other civilians who do not wish to come back under Assad’s rule, were to leave the towns of Zamalka, Arbin, Ein Terma and Jobar starting on Saturday, rebels and state media said.</p>
<p>They will go to Idlib province in the northwest - the destination for many such “evacuations” after sieges and ground offensives forced numerous rebel enclaves to surrender in the past two years.</p>
<p>It will not mean an end to their experience of war. Syrian military and Russian air raids on Idlib have increased in the past week, killing dozens of people.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Idlib is also unsettled by fighting between the rebel groups. On Saturday, an explosion at a headquarters for al Qaeda’s former affiliate killed at least seven people and injured 25 others.</p>
<p>The Britain-based Observatory said there were also negotiations with the Jaish al-Islam rebel group that controls Douma to release prisoners.</p>
<p>Russia will guarantee that civilians who remain in the areas recaptured by Assad will not be prosecuted, rebels said on Friday. However, rights groups have said some men were forcibly conscripted after fleeing the fighting.</p>
<p>Wael Alwan, spokesman for the Failaq al-Rahman group that was dominant in Zamalka, Arbin, Ein Terma and Jobar, was quoted by al-Hadath television on Saturday as saying he did not trust Russia’s guarantees.</p>
<p>A Russian military webcam at the al-Wafideen crossing point near Douma showed small groups of civilians continuing to flee the danger of further bombardment into government territory on Saturday, carrying children and sacks of belongings.</p>
<p>Russia’s military said on Saturday more than 105,000 people had left eastern Ghouta, including over 700 on Saturday.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands have fled their homes in the past week as the bombardment of Douma intensified and refugees from other parts of Ghouta found the basement bomb shelters already too full to take them.</p>
<p>Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Dale Hudson</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - It might be called Cappuccino Catholicism.</p> Casey Kretsch, 20, from Minnesota, a pilgrim attending the World Meeting of Families, signs a poster drawing of Pope Francis, by artist Mark Gaines, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Makela
<p>Young Catholics told their Church elders on Saturday that the faith should be spread in the places where they like to hang out, such as coffee bars.</p>
<p>“We would like the Church to meet us in the various places in which she currently has little or no presence,” reads part of a 12-page document written by some 300 young Catholic delegates from around the world, who met for a week at the Vatican.</p>
<p>“The Church should try to find creative new ways to encounter people where they are comfortable and where they naturally socialize: bars, coffee shops, parks, gyms, stadiums and any other popular cultural centers,” it said.</p>
<p>The delegates met in Rome to share their ideas and concerns with Vatican officials ahead of a synod, or meeting of bishops, in October, on the theme of “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”.</p>
<p>At a news conference presenting the paper, which will feed into a larger working document to be used by the bishops, participants said they wanted their Church to be more open and transparent and less severe.</p>
<p>The document called for a greater role for women in the Church, which bars them from the priesthood.</p> FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis uses a tablet to register for Panama 2019 World Youth Day during the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, Feb. 11, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
<p>“What are the places where women can flourish within the Church and society? The Church can approach these problems with real discussion and open-mindedness to different ideas and experiences,” it said.</p>
<p>“If it is difficult for young people to feel a sense of belonging and leadership in the Church, it is much more so for young women,” the document said.</p> FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis is greeted by youth as he arrives to lead his Wednesday General Audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, Feb. 14, 2018. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria/File Photo
<p>They said they wanted to “encourage the Church to deepen its understanding of the role of women and to empower</p>
<p>young women ...”</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Catholic women led by former Irish president Mary McAleese, demanded a greater decision-making role for women in the Church, urging the pope to tear down its “walls of misogyny”.</p>
<p>The document said the 1.2 billion-member Church “oftentimes appears as too severe and is often associated with excessive moralism”. It called for a Church that is “welcoming and merciful ... and which loves everyone, even those who are not</p>
<p>following the perceived standards”.</p>
<p>Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Bolton</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
jan 23 reuters bank vozrozhdenie pao says rossiya bank divests 968 stake bank vozrozhdenie source text bitly2f5dwgh company coverage gdynia newsroom standards thomson reuters trust principles washingtonparkland fla reuters hundreds thousands americans galvanized last months florida school massacre rallied saturday nationwide march lives protests led students demanding tighter gun laws carrying signs slogans including choose guns kids vote protesters washington jammed pennsylvania avenue students parkland florida high school 17 people killed called lawmakers president donald trump confront issue massive rallies aim break legislative gridlock long stymied efforts increase restrictions firearms sales nation mass shootings like one feb 14 marjory stoneman douglas high school become frighteningly common politicians either represent people get stand us beware voters coming cameron kasky 17yearold junior high school told crowd another parkland survivor david hogg said sun shining new day hear people power shaking said loud applause going make sure best people get elections run politicians americans cutting said pointing whitedomed capitol change world television images showed youthful marchers filling streets cities across united states including atlanta baltimore boston chicago los angeles miami minneapolis new york 800 demonstrations set take place united states around world according coordinators sister events taking place far afield london mauritius stockholm organizers want us congress many whose members reelection november ban sale assault weapons like one used florida rampage tighten background checks gun buyers side debate gun rights advocates cite constitutional guarantees right bear arms los angeles marcher carly dutcher high school freshman studio city california said shocked theater teacher showed classmates could pull tampon dispenser bathroom wall use battle school shooter regardless vote gun violence important issue affecting important issue country right dutcher said participants hold signs students gun control advocates hold march lives event demanding gun control recent school shootings rally washington us march 24 2018 reutersleah millis norm us rally near new yorks central park moment silence held parkland victims accused gunman 19yearold former marjory stoneman student nikolas cruz faces death penalty convicted multiple murder charges pop star paul mccartney among marchers telling cnn personal stake gun control one best friends shot far said referring beatles bandmate john lennon gunned near park 1980 jack graziano 16yearold junior long islands massapequa high school said wanted gun violence end children would suffer anybody whos high school right growing school violence said awful sounds norm us slideshow 30 images taking aim national rifle association gun lobby teenagers chanted hey hey nra many kids killed today youthful us organizers kudos cash dozens celebrities singer demi lovato hamilton creator linmanuel miranda among performing washington trainwreck star amy schumer set appear los angeles rally actor george clooney human rights attorney wife amal donated 500000 said would washington rally friday trump signed 13 trillion spending bill includes modest improvements background checks gun sales grants help schools prevent gun violence democrats nonpartisan groups hope register least 25000 firsttime voters rallies potentially boost democrats generally favor stricter gun controls white house deputy press secretary lindsay walters said administration applauded many courageous young americans exercising freespeech rights saturday keeping children safe top priority presidents said walters noting friday justice department proposed rule changes would effectively ban bump stock devices let semiautomatic weapons fire like machine gun former president barack obama said twitter wife michelle inspired young people made marches happen keep youre leading us forward nothing stand way millions voices calling change obama said reporting ian simpson lacey johnson katanga johnson lauren young washington alice popovici new york phoenix tso los angeles jim oliphant west palm beach editing daniel wallis james dalgleish standards thomson reuters trust principles paris reuters france mourning saturday french security officer died gunshot wounds voluntarily taking place female hostage supermarket siege islamist militant arnaud beltrame 44 gendarme served iraq raced hospital fighting life shot gunman siege super u store southwestern town trebes near pyrenees mountains actions described heroic politicians across political spectrum calls national tribute increased social media networks fell hero giving life halt murderous outfit jihadist terrorist president emmanuel macron said statement shortly dawn saturday fridays attacker identified authorities redouane lakdim 25yearold moroccanborn french national city carcassonne far trebes tranquil town 5000 people struck friday afternoon lakdim known authorities drugdealing petty crimes also surveillance security services 20162017 links radical salafist movement paris prosecutor francois molins said friday attacker whose rampage began fired group police joggers also shot occupants car stole killed three people injured 16 others friday according government readout beltrames death took number killed four part team gendarmes among first arrive supermarket scene people supermarket escaped hiding cold storage room fleeing emergency exit offered trade places hostage attacker still holding whereafter took place left mobile phone table line open shots rang elite police stormed building kill assailant police sources said beltrame shot three times politicians left right called beltrame hero twitter including opposition leader laurent wauquiez farright national rally party leader marine le pen olivier faure set become next socialist party head arnaudbeltrame trending topic social network people expressed respect gratitude officer thoughts wife several cities national assembly police stations lowered flags honor grand mosque paris largest country said muslim community joined mourning man fallen heroically bullets terrorist redouane lakdim exercise mission british prime minister theresa may hailed beltrames courage sacrifice twitter saying would never forgotten flowers messages tribute victim seen front gendarmerie carcassonne day hostage situation trebes france march 24 2018 reutersregis duvignau arrests police arrested two people part investigation attack one woman connected lakdim friday 17yearold man said one friends overnight judicial sources said searches attackers home showed notes referring islamic state appeared well phone computer judicial sources said investigators also found three improvised explosive devices 765 millimeter handgun hunting knife supermarket source said slideshow 6 images islamic state militant group claimed responsibility attack macron said security services checking claim us president donald trump condemned violent actions attacker anyone would provide support emmanuelmacron added twitter 240 people killed france attacks since 2015 assailants either pledged allegiance islamic state inspired ultrahardline group france part group countries whose warplanes bombing islamic state strongholds iraq syria recent months lost much selfproclaimed caliphate territory seized 2014 one multiple attack islamist gunmen suicide bombers killed 130 people paris november 2015 another killed close 90 man ran truck partying crowds riviera seaside city nice july 2016 beltrame qualified parachutist served iraq 2005 also worked part elite republican guard protects presidential elysee place offices residence paris macron said fridays assault first deadly islamist attack france since october 2017 man stabbed two young women death port city marseille soldiers killed several attacks past year targeted police soldiers deployed big numbers protect civilians patrol sensitive spots airports train stations news beltrames death first announced frances interior minister said twitter post dead country france never forget heroism bravery sacrifice additional reporting emmanuel jarry editing mark heinrich helen popper standards thomson reuters trust principles beirut reuters syrian army saturday paused bombardment douma last rebel bastion near damascus war monitor said insurgents prepared leave rest former enclave eastern ghouta syrian army soldiers fire tracer bullets air celebrate victory outside harasta eastern ghouta damascus syria march 23 2018 reutersomar sanadiki buses carry thousands fighters along families civilians exile northwestern syria began entering southern part eastern ghouta follows departure thousands others friday town harasta similar deal insurgents depart light weapons return surrendering territory buses queued crossing point moving enclave along road former front lines cleared barricades debris unexploded ordnance captives held insurgents released state television showed leaving minibus related coverage russia says 105000 civilians left syrias eastern ghouta ria army advancing towns rebels retreated preparation exit state television said broadcast pictures massive trenches fortifications rebels leaving behind means douma left oppositions eastern ghouta enclave month ago united nations said home 400000 people constituted rebels main stronghold near damascus army offensive capture heralded one heaviest bombardments sevenyear conflict warplanes helicopters artillery killed 1600 people said war monitor syrian observatory human rights residents rights groups accused government using weapons kill indiscriminately inaccurate barrel bombs dropped helicopters chlorine gas incendiary material sets raging fires syrian president bashar alassad close ally russia helped air campaign denied using weapons say offensive needed end rule islamist militants civilians buses seen entering rebels harasta area eastern ghouta damascus syria march 23 2018 reuters omar sanadiki evacuation 7000 fighters along family members civilians wish come back assads rule leave towns zamalka arbin ein terma jobar starting saturday rebels state media said go idlib province northwest destination many evacuations sieges ground offensives forced numerous rebel enclaves surrender past two years mean end experience war syrian military russian air raids idlib increased past week killing dozens people slideshow 2 images idlib also unsettled fighting rebel groups saturday explosion headquarters al qaedas former affiliate killed least seven people injured 25 others britainbased observatory said also negotiations jaish alislam rebel group controls douma release prisoners russia guarantee civilians remain areas recaptured assad prosecuted rebels said friday however rights groups said men forcibly conscripted fleeing fighting wael alwan spokesman failaq alrahman group dominant zamalka arbin ein terma jobar quoted alhadath television saturday saying trust russias guarantees russian military webcam alwafideen crossing point near douma showed small groups civilians continuing flee danger bombardment government territory saturday carrying children sacks belongings russias military said saturday 105000 people left eastern ghouta including 700 saturday tens thousands fled homes past week bombardment douma intensified refugees parts ghouta found basement bomb shelters already full take reporting angus mcdowall editing mark heinrich dale hudson standards thomson reuters trust principles vatican city reuters might called cappuccino catholicism casey kretsch 20 minnesota pilgrim attending world meeting families signs poster drawing pope francis artist mark gaines philadelphia pennsylvania september 23 2015 reutersmark makela young catholics told church elders saturday faith spread places like hang coffee bars would like church meet us various places currently little presence reads part 12page document written 300 young catholic delegates around world met week vatican church try find creative new ways encounter people comfortable naturally socialize bars coffee shops parks gyms stadiums popular cultural centers said delegates met rome share ideas concerns vatican officials ahead synod meeting bishops october theme young people faith vocational discernment news conference presenting paper feed larger working document used bishops participants said wanted church open transparent less severe document called greater role women church bars priesthood file photo pope francis uses tablet register panama 2019 world youth day angelus prayer saint peters square vatican feb 11 2018 reutersmax rossifile photo places women flourish within church society church approach problems real discussion openmindedness different ideas experiences said difficult young people feel sense belonging leadership church much young women document said file photo pope francis greeted youth arrives lead wednesday general audience saint peters square vatican feb 14 2018 reutersalberto lingriafile photo said wanted encourage church deepen understanding role women empower young women earlier month catholic women led former irish president mary mcaleese demanded greater decisionmaking role women church urging pope tear walls misogyny document said 12 billionmember church oftentimes appears severe often associated excessive moralism called church welcoming merciful loves everyone even following perceived standards reporting philip pullella editing andrew bolton standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>NEW YORK (AP) - The latest on developments in financial markets (All times local):</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>U.S. stocks wobbled and finished mostly lower on Wall Street as technology companies including chipmakers dropped.</p>
<p>Industrial companies were weighed down by steep losses in airlines Wednesday.</p>
<p>United Continental plunged 11 percent after saying it would ramp up passenger capacity to compete with lower-priced airlines. Delta fell 5 percent and American Airlines sank 6 percent.</p>
<p>The dollar, already at three-year lows, got even weaker after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good for U.S. exporters. Gold and silver prices rose.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index slipped 1 point 2,837.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 41 points, or 0.2 percent, to 26,252. The Nasdaq composite fell 45 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,415.</p>
<p>Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.65 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:45 a.m.</p>
<p>Stocks are mostly lower as losses for Texas Instruments and other chipmakers, as well as Apple, pull technology companies lower.</p>
<p>The dollar is weaker Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good for U.S. exporters. Gold and silver prices jumped.</p>
<p>Airlines are falling sharply after United Continental said it plans to ramp up capacity.</p>
<p>United plunged 12 percent, Delta dropped 7 percent and American Airlines sank 7.6 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index was little changed at 2,839.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 64 points, or 0.2 percent, to 26,274. The Nasdaq composite fell 34 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,425</p>
<p>Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.65 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:35 a.m.</p>
<p>Health care and consumer-focused companies are rising in early trading as stocks look to extend their winning streak to a fourth day.</p>
<p>Medical device, drug and infant formula maker Abbott Laboratories climbed 3.6 percent Wednesday after reporting a strong fourth quarter.</p>
<p>United Continental plunged 8.6 percent after saying it will ramp up flights at a faster pace over the next three years.</p>
<p>The dollar weakened further after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good because it helps U.S. exporters. Gold climbed 1.2 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index gained 7 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,846.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 97 points, or 0.4 percent, to 26,307. The Nasdaq composite picked up 13 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,473.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - The latest on developments in financial markets (All times local):</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>U.S. stocks wobbled and finished mostly lower on Wall Street as technology companies including chipmakers dropped.</p>
<p>Industrial companies were weighed down by steep losses in airlines Wednesday.</p>
<p>United Continental plunged 11 percent after saying it would ramp up passenger capacity to compete with lower-priced airlines. Delta fell 5 percent and American Airlines sank 6 percent.</p>
<p>The dollar, already at three-year lows, got even weaker after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good for U.S. exporters. Gold and silver prices rose.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index slipped 1 point 2,837.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 41 points, or 0.2 percent, to 26,252. The Nasdaq composite fell 45 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,415.</p>
<p>Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.65 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:45 a.m.</p>
<p>Stocks are mostly lower as losses for Texas Instruments and other chipmakers, as well as Apple, pull technology companies lower.</p>
<p>The dollar is weaker Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good for U.S. exporters. Gold and silver prices jumped.</p>
<p>Airlines are falling sharply after United Continental said it plans to ramp up capacity.</p>
<p>United plunged 12 percent, Delta dropped 7 percent and American Airlines sank 7.6 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index was little changed at 2,839.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 64 points, or 0.2 percent, to 26,274. The Nasdaq composite fell 34 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,425</p>
<p>Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.65 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:35 a.m.</p>
<p>Health care and consumer-focused companies are rising in early trading as stocks look to extend their winning streak to a fourth day.</p>
<p>Medical device, drug and infant formula maker Abbott Laboratories climbed 3.6 percent Wednesday after reporting a strong fourth quarter.</p>
<p>United Continental plunged 8.6 percent after saying it will ramp up flights at a faster pace over the next three years.</p>
<p>The dollar weakened further after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the declining dollar is good because it helps U.S. exporters. Gold climbed 1.2 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index gained 7 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,846.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average added 97 points, or 0.4 percent, to 26,307. The Nasdaq composite picked up 13 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,473.</p>
| false | 2 |
new york ap latest developments financial markets times local 4 pm us stocks wobbled finished mostly lower wall street technology companies including chipmakers dropped industrial companies weighed steep losses airlines wednesday united continental plunged 11 percent saying would ramp passenger capacity compete lowerpriced airlines delta fell 5 percent american airlines sank 6 percent dollar already threeyear lows got even weaker treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good us exporters gold silver prices rose standard amp poors 500 index slipped 1 point 2837 dow jones industrial average added 41 points 02 percent 26252 nasdaq composite fell 45 points 06 percent 7415 bond prices fell yield 10year treasury rose 265 percent ___ 1145 stocks mostly lower losses texas instruments chipmakers well apple pull technology companies lower dollar weaker wednesday treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good us exporters gold silver prices jumped airlines falling sharply united continental said plans ramp capacity united plunged 12 percent delta dropped 7 percent american airlines sank 76 percent standard amp poors 500 index little changed 2839 dow jones industrial average added 64 points 02 percent 26274 nasdaq composite fell 34 points 05 percent 7425 bond prices fell yield 10year treasury rose 265 percent ___ 935 health care consumerfocused companies rising early trading stocks look extend winning streak fourth day medical device drug infant formula maker abbott laboratories climbed 36 percent wednesday reporting strong fourth quarter united continental plunged 86 percent saying ramp flights faster pace next three years dollar weakened treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good helps us exporters gold climbed 12 percent standard amp poors 500 index gained 7 points 03 percent 2846 dow jones industrial average added 97 points 04 percent 26307 nasdaq composite picked 13 points 02 percent 7473 new york ap latest developments financial markets times local 4 pm us stocks wobbled finished mostly lower wall street technology companies including chipmakers dropped industrial companies weighed steep losses airlines wednesday united continental plunged 11 percent saying would ramp passenger capacity compete lowerpriced airlines delta fell 5 percent american airlines sank 6 percent dollar already threeyear lows got even weaker treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good us exporters gold silver prices rose standard amp poors 500 index slipped 1 point 2837 dow jones industrial average added 41 points 02 percent 26252 nasdaq composite fell 45 points 06 percent 7415 bond prices fell yield 10year treasury rose 265 percent ___ 1145 stocks mostly lower losses texas instruments chipmakers well apple pull technology companies lower dollar weaker wednesday treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good us exporters gold silver prices jumped airlines falling sharply united continental said plans ramp capacity united plunged 12 percent delta dropped 7 percent american airlines sank 76 percent standard amp poors 500 index little changed 2839 dow jones industrial average added 64 points 02 percent 26274 nasdaq composite fell 34 points 05 percent 7425 bond prices fell yield 10year treasury rose 265 percent ___ 935 health care consumerfocused companies rising early trading stocks look extend winning streak fourth day medical device drug infant formula maker abbott laboratories climbed 36 percent wednesday reporting strong fourth quarter united continental plunged 86 percent saying ramp flights faster pace next three years dollar weakened treasury secretary steven mnuchin said declining dollar good helps us exporters gold climbed 12 percent standard amp poors 500 index gained 7 points 03 percent 2846 dow jones industrial average added 97 points 04 percent 26307 nasdaq composite picked 13 points 02 percent 7473
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<p>French soldiers patrol in Gare De Lyon railway station in Paris, France, on Tuesday. Authorities are tightening security at airports and on the streets of European cities after attacks on the Brussels airport and subways system. (Francois Mori/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>STOCKHOLM - Paris, Copenhagen, Brussels. In just over a year three European capitals have been ravaged by bombs and gunfire.</p>
<p>After each attack life slowly returns to normal. But it's a new normal for Europe, where terror alerts are always on high and where people in cities so far spared major violence assume it's a matter of when, not if.</p>
<p>"With each atrocity that occurs we change," said Ian Duncan, a Scottish member of the European Parliament in Brussels. "We become less open. We pull down barriers and close doors. But it is a direction we are following now."</p>
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<p>The carnage in Brussels on Tuesday came as Europe was still reeling from the November attacks by Islamic militants in Paris that killed 130 people. In the following months France and Belgium have looked like countries at least partially at war, with soldiers in the streets, lockdowns and deadly shootouts with militants.</p>
<p>The rest of Europe has watched with trepidation.</p>
<p>"These were attacks in Belgium. They could just as well be attacks in Britain or France or Germany or elsewhere in Europe," British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC on Tuesday. He said Britain's threat level remains "severe," meaning an attack is considered highly likely.</p>
<p>The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks at the Brussels airport and in the city's subway that left dozens dead and scores more wounded.</p>
<p>French President Francois Hollande said the attacks targeted all of Europe and he warned of a long "war" ahead.</p>
<p>Though people in Western Europe have dealt with the threat of violence from Muslim extremists as well as homegrown nationalist and revolutionary movements for decades, the idea that a "war" is playing out in their streets is hard to imagine. But the recent frequency and scale of attacks have made some Europeans feel that it's just something they have to get used to.</p>
<p>"Five years ago you didn't think about it so much," said Francesca Cervellini, a 20-year-old Italian tourist as she passed by the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. "It didn't happen so often before. Now it's everyday life. It's normal."</p>
<p>German police officers guard a terminal of the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, during tighter security measures Tuesday after various explosions hit the Belgian capital Brussels. (Michael Probst/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>In Moscow, security has been tightened notably at everyday locations in the wake of a series of attacks in the past 15 years. There are metal detectors at the entrances to all subway stations, all passenger rail stations do luggage scans, most indoor shopping centers have metal detectors and glowering guards. Airports do luggage scans at the entrance.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In Western Europe people are more reluctant to trade civil liberties and an open society for more security. But after each attack that equation changes, at least temporarily, said Catherine Muller, of the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, England.</p>
<p>"Terrorism is one of the risks people normally overestimate because it is very scary and has a strong emotional effect," said Muller.</p>
<p>While those fears are perfectly understandable, she said, it's important to remember that "no matter what policies or laws are in place, there's not going to be 100 percent security."</p>
<p>In Germany the fear of terrorism is less acute than in France or Belgium, but the risk of such attacks is something far-right and nationalist groups focus on a lot, especially in connection with the influx of migrants from the Middle East.</p>
<p>There haven't been any attacks by Islamic extremists in Germany since Arid Uka shot dead two American servicemen at Frankfurt airport in 2011. However there have been several attempted attacks that failed or were foiled.</p>
<p>German mainstream politicians have also been at pains to point out that Germany is a target for Islamic extremists and it's probably a matter of when, not if, such an attack happens.</p>
<p>A man walks by solidarity messages written in chalk outside the stock exchange in Brussels on Tuesday. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>Even in small countries on Europe's periphery the same fears are palpable.</p>
<p>Denmark witnessed an attack in February last year, when a gunman, apparently inspired by the Charlie Hebdo shooting massacre in Paris a few weeks earlier, opened fire against a free-speech seminar and outside a synagogue.</p>
<p>Sweden hasn't seen an attack since a suicide bomber blew himself up in Stockholm in December 2010, but failed to kill anyone else. But reports of hundreds of extremists from Sweden joining Islamic State fighters in Syria and last year's unprecedented influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have sparked concerns that an attack will happen sooner or later.</p>
<p>"It could happen tomorrow or in a year or in five years," said Dani Amouri, a 23-year-old Stockholm resident who left Lebanon five years ago. "In Sweden, Denmark, Germany, everywhere. There is no peace in the world anymore. Not even in Europe."</p>
<p>Duncan, who represents the Scottish Conservatives in the European Parliament, was supposed to give visitors from Scotland a tour of the European Parliament on Tuesday. Instead they had to stay in their hotels.</p>
<p>He said the violence made him think about what, if anything, one can do to be more vigilant when moving in public places without overreacting.</p>
<p>"It's not like a film where you can see the villain approaching," Duncan said. "Is it someone carrying a backpack? Is it someone who doesn't look like me? I can't tell you what I should try to avoid."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers James Heintz in Moscow and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.</p>
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french soldiers patrol gare de lyon railway station paris france tuesday authorities tightening security airports streets european cities attacks brussels airport subways system francois morithe associated press stockholm paris copenhagen brussels year three european capitals ravaged bombs gunfire attack life slowly returns normal new normal europe terror alerts always high people cities far spared major violence assume matter atrocity occurs change said ian duncan scottish member european parliament brussels become less open pull barriers close doors direction following advertisement carnage brussels tuesday came europe still reeling november attacks islamic militants paris killed 130 people following months france belgium looked like countries least partially war soldiers streets lockdowns deadly shootouts militants rest europe watched trepidation attacks belgium could well attacks britain france germany elsewhere europe british prime minister david cameron told bbc tuesday said britains threat level remains severe meaning attack considered highly likely islamic state group claimed responsibility attacks brussels airport citys subway left dozens dead scores wounded french president francois hollande said attacks targeted europe warned long war ahead though people western europe dealt threat violence muslim extremists well homegrown nationalist revolutionary movements decades idea war playing streets hard imagine recent frequency scale attacks made europeans feel something get used five years ago didnt think much said francesca cervellini 20yearold italian tourist passed swedish parliament stockholm didnt happen often everyday life normal german police officers guard terminal airport frankfurt germany tighter security measures tuesday various explosions hit belgian capital brussels michael probstthe associated press moscow security tightened notably everyday locations wake series attacks past 15 years metal detectors entrances subway stations passenger rail stations luggage scans indoor shopping centers metal detectors glowering guards airports luggage scans entrance advertisement western europe people reluctant trade civil liberties open society security attack equation changes least temporarily said catherine muller institute development studies brighton england terrorism one risks people normally overestimate scary strong emotional effect said muller fears perfectly understandable said important remember matter policies laws place theres going 100 percent security germany fear terrorism less acute france belgium risk attacks something farright nationalist groups focus lot especially connection influx migrants middle east havent attacks islamic extremists germany since arid uka shot dead two american servicemen frankfurt airport 2011 however several attempted attacks failed foiled german mainstream politicians also pains point germany target islamic extremists probably matter attack happens man walks solidarity messages written chalk outside stock exchange brussels tuesday geert vanden wijngaertthe associated press even small countries europes periphery fears palpable denmark witnessed attack february last year gunman apparently inspired charlie hebdo shooting massacre paris weeks earlier opened fire freespeech seminar outside synagogue sweden hasnt seen attack since suicide bomber blew stockholm december 2010 failed kill anyone else reports hundreds extremists sweden joining islamic state fighters syria last years unprecedented influx migrants middle east africa sparked concerns attack happen sooner later could happen tomorrow year five years said dani amouri 23yearold stockholm resident left lebanon five years ago sweden denmark germany everywhere peace world anymore even europe duncan represents scottish conservatives european parliament supposed give visitors scotland tour european parliament tuesday instead stay hotels said violence made think anything one vigilant moving public places without overreacting like film see villain approaching duncan said someone carrying backpack someone doesnt look like cant tell try avoid ___ associated press writers james heintz moscow frank jordans berlin contributed report
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<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would use U.S. military forces to protect the border with Mexico until a long-promised wall is completed and “proper security” is in place.</p> U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the Easter service at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>Trump, who earlier threatened to halt U.S. foreign aid to Honduras and other countries unless they stopped a “caravan” of Central American migrants headed to the United States, called use of the military at the southern border “a big step.”</p>
<p>Trump has railed against more than 1,200 Central American migrants on a 2,000-mile (3,200-km) journey from the Mexico-Guatemalan border, and reiterated threats to derail the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) if they are not stopped.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-immigration-caravan/mexico-throws-bureaucracy-at-migrant-caravan-dispersal-begins-idUSKCN1HA2D0" type="external">Mexico throws bureaucracy at migrant caravan, dispersal begins</a>
<a href="/article/us-usa-immigration-military/trump-to-meet-with-mattis-to-discuss-military-protecting-u-s-border-with-mexico-idUSKCN1HA2DE" type="external">Trump to meet with Mattis to discuss military protecting U.S. border with Mexico</a>
<p>“We will be doing things with Mexico, and they have to do it, otherwise I’m not going to do with the NAFTA deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He said if the “caravan” reaches the U.S. border “our laws are so weak and so pathetic ... it’s like we have no border.”</p>
<p>Mexican officials stepped up efforts on Tuesday to process the dwindling group and determine whether they had the right to stay in Mexico or be returned to their countries of origin. Mexico has said such “caravans” of mostly Central Americans, including many escaping violence in Honduras, have occurred since 2010.</p>
<p>“Until we can have a wall and proper security we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” Trump said. He said he would be meeting soon with U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis and others to discuss the idea.</p>
<p>In a post on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, Trump said the caravan “heading to our ‘Weak Laws’ Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!”</p>
<p>Some members of Congress said they were uncomfortable with the idea of using the military at the border. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said Trump should have to ask for approval from Congress.</p>
<p>“I think we should put that new law to a vote in the Senate as soon as possible,” he said on Twitter. “I predict fewer than 20 votes.”</p>
<p>Republican Representative Francis Rooney, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, said there was a risk of increased violence. “These people should be stopped at the border and vetted out, just the normal process, and we should have plenty of agents down there to do that,” Rooney told CNN.</p>
<p>U.S. presidents have ordered National Guard forces to the border in the past. Under President George W. Bush, National Guard forces from all 54 U.S. states and territories were used between 2006 and 2008 for things like border-related intelligence analysis but did not have a direct law enforcement role, according to the Pentagon.</p>
<p>On Monday, the Republican president railed against Democrats over immigration and again pressed U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation to build his long-promised border wall between the United States and Mexico.</p>
<p>Despite months of efforts, no immigration deal has emerged in the Republican-led Congress, where lawmakers are not expected to pass much major legislation ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.</p>
<p>Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Phil Stewart; writing by John Whitesides; editing by Bernadette Baum and Grant McCool</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Dutch son-in-law of one of Russia’s richest men was sentenced on Tuesday to 30 days in prison and fined $20,000 for lying to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators about contacts with an official in President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.</p> Alex van der Zwaan goes through security at the U.S. District Court after arriving for his sentencing in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
<p>Alex van der Zwaan, a lawyer who once worked closely with Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was also sentenced to two months of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson. He told the court he was sorry for what he did.</p>
<p>He pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 as Mueller intensified his investigation into potential collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. It marked the first sentencing of anyone in Mueller’s ongoing probe.</p>
<p>In pleading guilty, he admitted he lied to FBI agents about previous communications with Rick Gates, a Manafort protege who held a senior position in the Trump campaign, and that he also withheld and deleted emails.</p>
<p>“What I did was wrong. I apologize to this court, and I apologize to my wife,” van der Zwaan said at the sentencing hearing.</p>
<p>Van der Zwaan’s attorney, William Jay Schwartz, asked the judge to impose only a fine and allow his client to leave the country, saying he had already been punished enough and should receive credit for returning to the United States last year after lying to Mueller’s investigators to correct the record.</p>
<p>Since his return in December 2017, his lawyer said, van der Zwaan has been walled up in a residential hotel in Washington and unable to return to London, where his wife is undergoing a difficult first pregnancy.</p>
<p>“He is literally in limbo,” Schwartz said.</p>
<p>Van der Zwaan, 33, is married to the daughter of prominent Russian billionaire German Khan, founder of the privately owned Alfa Bank. Van der Zwaan previously worked for the law firm Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom.</p>
<p>Van der Zwaan’s apology and Schwartz’s explanations for his client’s actions appeared to ring hollow for the judge.</p>
<p>“This was more than a mistake. It was more than a lapse or misguided moment,” Jackson said.</p>
<p>The judge added that she was disappointed he did not write a letter to the court on his own behalf to express remorse, and said it would not deter others if she merely let him “write a check and walk away.”</p>
<p>Van der Zwaan worked closely with Manafort and Gates in 2012, before their involvement in the Trump campaign, when they were serving as political consultants for Ukraine’s former pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych on a report about former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.</p>
<p>Mueller has secured two indictments against Manafort arising from his lobbying for the pro-Russian Ukrainian Party of Regions, with charges ranging from failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to launder money, to bank fraud and filing false tax returns. Manafort has pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p>Gates pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 to conspiring to defraud the United States and lying to Mueller’s office, and is now cooperating with the probe.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Will Dunham; Editing by Will Dunham and Susan Heavey</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TULSA, Okla./OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma teachers walked out of classes for a second straight day on Tuesday, closing schools in the state’s two biggest cities, as they demanded higher state spending on public education in the latest U.S. labor action by educators.</p> Teachers arrive at the the state Capitol for 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
<p>Hundreds of teachers crowded into the state capital, Oklahoma City, chanting “fund our schools” and “we’re not leaving” as they lobbied lawmakers to pass a tax package that would raise another $200 million for the state school budget. Teachers, parents and students staged sympathy rallies around the state.</p>
<p>The protests reflected rising discontent after years of sluggish or declining public school spending in Oklahoma, which ranked 47th among the 50 U.S. states in per-student expenditure, and 48th in average teacher salaries in 2016, according to the National Education Association.</p>
<p>The Oklahoman newspaper listed about 70 schools or districts that were shuttered on Tuesday. The walkouts follow a two-week job action in West Virginia that led lawmakers last month to vote to raise teachers’ pay. Educators in Kentucky also staged walkouts against years of stagnant or reduced budgets by a Republican-controlled legislature and most returned to their classrooms or scheduled spring break holidays on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Teachers in Arizona have threatened similar job actions.</p>
<p>Frederick Smitherman, 48, who teaches eighth grade at Will Rogers Early College Junior High School in Tulsa, joined teachers, parents and students in a satellite protest on Tuesday.</p>
<p>“We all pay taxes and expect our legislators to do what we voted them in to do,” Smitherman said. “What else are teachers supposed to do besides yell and scream? We can vote them out but voting one out just brings a bad one in instead. My hope is that this doesn’t fall on deaf ears.”</p>
<p>Monday’s walkout by up to 30,000 educators in Oklahoma forced the cancellation of classes for some 500,000 of the state’s 700,000 public school students, according to teachers’ union officials, who estimated that a similar number of teachers took part in Tuesday’s action.</p>
<p>Oklahoma’s first major tax hike in a quarter century was approved by legislators last week and signed into law by Governor Mary Fallin - a $450 million revenue package intended to raise teachers’ salaries by about $6,100 a year and avert a strike.</p>
<p>Teachers said that package fell short and demanded lawmakers reverse spending cuts that have forced some districts to impose four-day school weeks. The $200 million package they were lobbying for on Tuesday would increase hotel and capital gains taxes.</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
<p>“Lawmakers have left significant funding on the table – funding that has bipartisan support but is being held up for political reasons,” the Oklahoma Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, said in a statement.</p>
<p>Oklahoma secondary school teachers had an annual mean wage of $42,460 as of May 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The minimum salary for a first-year teacher was $31,600, state data showed.</p>
<p>The Oklahoma strikes on Monday coincided with a second day of walkouts by several thousand teachers in Kentucky after legislators there passed a bill imposing new limits on the state’s underfunded public employee pension system.</p>
<p>Poppy Kelley, 47, a French teacher at Thomas Edison Preparatory High School in Tulsa with 23 years of teaching experience, said boosts in spending were needed for school facilities, books and supplies as well as teacher salaries.</p> Oklahoma teachers prepare for walkout
<p>“Oklahoma kids for a decade are so used to not having enough or having to make do that they don’t know what ‘enough’ looks like,” Kelley said. “They want textbooks. They want chairs. They want tables that don’t have a bent leg. They want proper technology in the classrooms.”</p>
<p>(This version of the story corrects the spelling of last name to “Kelley,” in paragraphs 14-15)</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas and Jonathan Allen in New York; writing by Scott Malone; editing by Bernadette Baum and Bill Trott</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wanted to “get out” of Syria and promised decisions soon, clashing with top advisors who spoke almost simultaneously about the hard work needed to defeat Islamic State.</p> U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis, Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid and Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
<p>The remarks demonstrated how Trump appears increasingly willing to publicly push back against his top military advisors and those tied to the fight against the militant group, who see a long-term U.S. role in both Iraq and Syria.</p>
<p>“Our primary mission in terms of that was getting rid of ISIS. We’ve almost completed that task and we’ll be making a decision very quickly in coordination with others, as to what we’ll do,” Trump told a news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.</p>
<p>“I want to get out. I want to bring our troops home.”</p>
<p>The United States has about 2,000 forces in Syria who are battling the group. U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, estimated that more than 90 percent of the group’s territory had been taken back from the militants by U.S.-backed forces.</p>
<p>But Votel, speaking on Tuesday at an event near the U.S. State Department, said that although the threat from Islamic State had diminished, “it is not gone.”</p>
<p>Brett McGurk, the special U.S. envoy for the global coalition against Islamic State, speaking at the same event as Votel, suggested the U.S. fight against Islamic State was not near complete.</p>
<p>“We are in Syria to fight ISIS. That is our mission and our mission isn’t over and we are going to complete that mission,” McGurk said.</p>
<p>McGurk acknowledged a review was underway to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars were well spent, when asked about media reports that Trump had ordered the State Department to freeze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria.</p>
<p>Votel said he saw a U.S. military role in stabilization efforts in Syria.</p>
<p>“The hard part, I think, is in front of us, and that is stabilizing these areas, consolidating our gains, getting people back into their homes,” Votel said.</p>
<p>“There is a military role in this. Certainly in the stabilization phase.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Lesley Wroughton, and Lisa Lambert; Editing by James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 21 reuters amwal international investment receives mandatory offer shuaa capital acquire 100 percent least 75 percent stake co talks reach initial agreement source bitly2dtyepl company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters president donald trump said tuesday would use us military forces protect border mexico longpromised wall completed proper security place us president donald trump arrives easter service bethesdabythesea episcopal church palm beach florida us april 1 2018 reutersyuri gripas trump earlier threatened halt us foreign aid honduras countries unless stopped caravan central american migrants headed united states called use military southern border big step trump railed 1200 central american migrants 2000mile 3200km journey mexicoguatemalan border reiterated threats derail north american free trade agreement nafta stopped related coverage mexico throws bureaucracy migrant caravan dispersal begins trump meet mattis discuss military protecting us border mexico things mexico otherwise im going nafta deal trump told reporters white house said caravan reaches us border laws weak pathetic like border mexican officials stepped efforts tuesday process dwindling group determine whether right stay mexico returned countries origin mexico said caravans mostly central americans including many escaping violence honduras occurred since 2010 wall proper security going guarding border military trump said said would meeting soon us defense secretary mattis others discuss idea post twitter earlier tuesday trump said caravan heading weak laws border better stopped gets cash cow nafta play foreign aid honduras countries allow happen congress must act members congress said uncomfortable idea using military border democratic senator brian schatz said trump ask approval congress think put new law vote senate soon possible said twitter predict fewer 20 votes republican representative francis rooney member foreign affairs committee us house representatives said risk increased violence people stopped border vetted normal process plenty agents rooney told cnn us presidents ordered national guard forces border past president george w bush national guard forces 54 us states territories used 2006 2008 things like borderrelated intelligence analysis direct law enforcement role according pentagon monday republican president railed democrats immigration pressed us lawmakers pass legislation build longpromised border wall united states mexico despite months efforts immigration deal emerged republicanled congress lawmakers expected pass much major legislation ahead novembers midterm congressional elections reporting steve holland additional reporting susan heavey phil stewart writing john whitesides editing bernadette baum grant mccool standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters dutch soninlaw one russias richest men sentenced tuesday 30 days prison fined 20000 lying special counsel robert muellers investigators contacts official president donald trumps 2016 campaign alex van der zwaan goes security us district court arriving sentencing washington dc us april 3 2018 reutersleah millis alex van der zwaan lawyer worked closely trumps former campaign chairman paul manafort also sentenced two months supervised release us district court judge amy berman jackson told court sorry pleaded guilty feb 20 mueller intensified investigation potential collusion trumps presidential campaign russia marked first sentencing anyone muellers ongoing probe pleading guilty admitted lied fbi agents previous communications rick gates manafort protege held senior position trump campaign also withheld deleted emails wrong apologize court apologize wife van der zwaan said sentencing hearing van der zwaans attorney william jay schwartz asked judge impose fine allow client leave country saying already punished enough receive credit returning united states last year lying muellers investigators correct record since return december 2017 lawyer said van der zwaan walled residential hotel washington unable return london wife undergoing difficult first pregnancy literally limbo schwartz said van der zwaan 33 married daughter prominent russian billionaire german khan founder privately owned alfa bank van der zwaan previously worked law firm skadden arps slate meagher flom van der zwaans apology schwartzs explanations clients actions appeared ring hollow judge mistake lapse misguided moment jackson said judge added disappointed write letter court behalf express remorse said would deter others merely let write check walk away van der zwaan worked closely manafort gates 2012 involvement trump campaign serving political consultants ukraines former prorussia president viktor yanukovych report former ukrainian prime minister yulia tymoshenko mueller secured two indictments manafort arising lobbying prorussian ukrainian party regions charges ranging failing register foreign agent conspiring launder money bank fraud filing false tax returns manafort pleaded guilty gates pleaded guilty feb 23 conspiring defraud united states lying muellers office cooperating probe reporting sarah n lynch editing dunham editing dunham susan heavey standards thomson reuters trust principles tulsa oklaoklahoma city reuters oklahoma teachers walked classes second straight day tuesday closing schools states two biggest cities demanded higher state spending public education latest us labor action educators teachers arrive state capitol second day teacher walkout demand higher pay funding education oklahoma city oklahoma us april 3 2018 reutersnick oxford hundreds teachers crowded state capital oklahoma city chanting fund schools leaving lobbied lawmakers pass tax package would raise another 200 million state school budget teachers parents students staged sympathy rallies around state protests reflected rising discontent years sluggish declining public school spending oklahoma ranked 47th among 50 us states perstudent expenditure 48th average teacher salaries 2016 according national education association oklahoman newspaper listed 70 schools districts shuttered tuesday walkouts follow twoweek job action west virginia led lawmakers last month vote raise teachers pay educators kentucky also staged walkouts years stagnant reduced budgets republicancontrolled legislature returned classrooms scheduled spring break holidays tuesday teachers arizona threatened similar job actions frederick smitherman 48 teaches eighth grade rogers early college junior high school tulsa joined teachers parents students satellite protest tuesday pay taxes expect legislators voted smitherman said else teachers supposed besides yell scream vote voting one brings bad one instead hope doesnt fall deaf ears mondays walkout 30000 educators oklahoma forced cancellation classes 500000 states 700000 public school students according teachers union officials estimated similar number teachers took part tuesdays action oklahomas first major tax hike quarter century approved legislators last week signed law governor mary fallin 450 million revenue package intended raise teachers salaries 6100 year avert strike teachers said package fell short demanded lawmakers reverse spending cuts forced districts impose fourday school weeks 200 million package lobbying tuesday would increase hotel capital gains taxes 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 oxford lawmakers left significant funding table funding bipartisan support held political reasons oklahoma education association states largest teachers union said statement oklahoma secondary school teachers annual mean wage 42460 may 2016 according us bureau labor statistics minimum salary firstyear teacher 31600 state data showed oklahoma strikes monday coincided second day walkouts several thousand teachers kentucky legislators passed bill imposing new limits states underfunded public employee pension system poppy kelley 47 french teacher thomas edison preparatory high school tulsa 23 years teaching experience said boosts spending needed school facilities books supplies well teacher salaries oklahoma teachers prepare walkout oklahoma kids decade used enough make dont know enough looks like kelley said want textbooks want chairs want tables dont bent leg want proper technology classrooms version story corrects spelling last name kelley paragraphs 1415 additional reporting jon herskovitz austin texas jonathan allen new york writing scott malone editing bernadette baum bill trott standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trump said tuesday wanted get syria promised decisions soon clashing top advisors spoke almost simultaneously hard work needed defeat islamic state us president donald trump speaks joint news conference latvias president raimonds vejonis estonias president kersti kaljulaid lithuanias president dalia grybauskaite white house washington us april 3 2018 reuterscarlos barria remarks demonstrated trump appears increasingly willing publicly push back top military advisors tied fight militant group see longterm us role iraq syria primary mission terms getting rid isis weve almost completed task well making decision quickly coordination others well trump told news conference using acronym islamic state want get want bring troops home united states 2000 forces syria battling group us army general joseph votel oversees us forces middle east head central command estimated 90 percent groups territory taken back militants usbacked forces votel speaking tuesday event near us state department said although threat islamic state diminished gone brett mcgurk special us envoy global coalition islamic state speaking event votel suggested us fight islamic state near complete syria fight isis mission mission isnt going complete mission mcgurk said mcgurk acknowledged review underway ensure us taxpayer dollars well spent asked media reports trump ordered state department freeze 200 million funds recovery efforts syria votel said saw us military role stabilization efforts syria hard part think front us stabilizing areas consolidating gains getting people back homes votel said military role certainly stabilization phase reporting phil stewart idrees ali lesley wroughton lisa lambert editing james dalgleish standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2013 file photo, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. For months Donald Trump has dominated the political scene like no other. But listen to endangered Senate Republicans as they campaign for re-election and you might not even know he exists. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)</p>
<p>WASHINGTON - For months Donald Trump has dominated the political scene like no other. But listen to endangered Senate Republicans as they campaign for re-election and you might not even know he exists.</p>
<p>In Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey chaired a hearing in Scranton on opioid abuse, a major issue in his state and others. In Ohio, Rob Portman delivered remarks to the City Club of Cleveland about criminal justice reform. In Wisconsin, Ron Johnson boasted of his fight against a federal clean water rule opposed by local farmers. In each case the presidential race was an afterthought if that.</p>
<p>These efforts and others during the Senate's just-completed spring recess illustrate a strategy born of necessity as Republicans work feverishly to hang onto their narrow Senate majority in November. From Nevada to New Hampshire, GOP candidates and imperiled incumbents are blowing off questions about Trump, the presidential race and the Supreme Court as they try to box out a national political atmosphere increasingly unfavorable to their candidacies, focusing relentlessly instead on local issues in their states.</p>
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<p>GOP senators should campaign "like they're running for sheriff," said Ward Baker, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. That means that when asked about the latest eyebrow-raising pronouncement from Trump, candidates will voice their disagreement, then immediately move on. They will note that they are running for Senate, not president, and start talking about, say, water quality in Lake Erie (a perennial focus for Portman).</p>
<p>"The key part is going to be making sure your identity is separate from the top of the ticket, and that people know you for you, and know your record, and that's separate from whatever else is going on," said Brian Walsh, a veteran GOP strategist and former Senate communications director.</p>
<p>Democrats scoff at the suggestion the GOP strategy can succeed in a political environment focused overwhelmingly on national issues and dominated by Trump, whose disparaging comments about women, minorities and others have him struggling in the polls with key voter blocs. Even if the unpredictable businessman doesn't end up as the Republicans' presidential nominee, Democrats insist that the other leading option, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, will leave Republicans arguably worse off because Cruz's unyielding brand of conservatism could alienate independents who might be open to Trump.</p>
<p>"It shows you the trouble Republicans are in that they are running away from their national candidates and party platform. But it won't work," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is in line to become majority leader if the Democrats succeed in retaking Senate control. "If there was ever an election where national issues are going to dominate, it's this one."</p>
<p>Indeed the strategy of trying to keep individual races local in the face of a hostile national environment is nothing new, and officials on both sides acknowledge it has its limits. Just two years ago Democrats were taking much the same approach as they contended with President Barack Obama's low approval ratings amid a host of unfavorable national and international developments, from the Ebola epidemic to Islamic State attacks overseas. It didn't work, and their Senate majority got washed away in a devastating nine-seat loss, giving Republicans a 54-46 edge.</p>
<p>This time the imperative for Senate Republicans to keep it local is even more urgent, given the potential for a GOP wipeout on the presidential level. Even many Republicans, talking privately, predict that a Trump or Cruz candidacy will spell certain defeat for their party. And if that does loom, a Republican Senate would stand as the last line of defense against a Democratic president and his or her Supreme Court nominees - an argument that strategists on both sides anticipate could lead GOP donors to shift their spending from the presidential race to Senate campaigns in months to come.</p>
<p>Republican Senate campaign officials insist that they can beat the national political tide, arguing they've been preparing to do so since the day after the 2014 elections. The GOP was always going to be at a disadvantage in this year's Senate races, since the party is defending more than twice as many seats as Democrats, including seven in states Obama won in 2012. Led by Baker, a former Marine, party officials are working methodically from their military-themed headquarters near the Capitol, where staffers start arriving before 4 a.m. to execute a game plan that includes making individual, direct contact with as many voters as possible, even in states traditionally considered safe for the GOP like Alabama.</p>
<p>They have contacted 1.5 million voters in Ohio so far, and almost a million in Alabama ahead of the March 1 primary, officials said.</p>
<p>Yet Democrats argue the GOP efforts are being drowned out by the national focus on Trump, Cruz and the presidential race, and no amount of effort by Republican senators can change the subject.</p>
<p>Since most Republicans have pledged to support the eventual GOP nominee, Democrats say there's no way Republicans can escape Trump or Cruz, and Democratic candidates won't let them if they try. In Illinois, where GOP Sen. Mark Kirk faces an uphill fight for his seat, Democrat Tammy Duckworth released a video featuring ominous music, Trump making a series of provocative statements and Kirk saying repeatedly of Trump: "If he was the nominee I certainly would" support him.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Sara Burnett contributed from Chicago.</p>
| false | 2 |
file nov 14 2013 file photo sen pat toomey rpa speaks capitol hill washington months donald trump dominated political scene like listen endangered senate republicans campaign reelection might even know exists ap photojacquelyn martin file washington months donald trump dominated political scene like listen endangered senate republicans campaign reelection might even know exists pennsylvania pat toomey chaired hearing scranton opioid abuse major issue state others ohio rob portman delivered remarks city club cleveland criminal justice reform wisconsin ron johnson boasted fight federal clean water rule opposed local farmers case presidential race afterthought efforts others senates justcompleted spring recess illustrate strategy born necessity republicans work feverishly hang onto narrow senate majority november nevada new hampshire gop candidates imperiled incumbents blowing questions trump presidential race supreme court try box national political atmosphere increasingly unfavorable candidacies focusing relentlessly instead local issues states advertisement gop senators campaign like theyre running sheriff said ward baker executive director national republican senatorial committee campaign arm senate gop means asked latest eyebrowraising pronouncement trump candidates voice disagreement immediately move note running senate president start talking say water quality lake erie perennial focus portman key part going making sure identity separate top ticket people know know record thats separate whatever else going said brian walsh veteran gop strategist former senate communications director democrats scoff suggestion gop strategy succeed political environment focused overwhelmingly national issues dominated trump whose disparaging comments women minorities others struggling polls key voter blocs even unpredictable businessman doesnt end republicans presidential nominee democrats insist leading option sen ted cruz texas leave republicans arguably worse cruzs unyielding brand conservatism could alienate independents might open trump shows trouble republicans running away national candidates party platform wont work said sen chuck schumer dny line become majority leader democrats succeed retaking senate control ever election national issues going dominate one indeed strategy trying keep individual races local face hostile national environment nothing new officials sides acknowledge limits two years ago democrats taking much approach contended president barack obamas low approval ratings amid host unfavorable national international developments ebola epidemic islamic state attacks overseas didnt work senate majority got washed away devastating nineseat loss giving republicans 5446 edge time imperative senate republicans keep local even urgent given potential gop wipeout presidential level even many republicans talking privately predict trump cruz candidacy spell certain defeat party loom republican senate would stand last line defense democratic president supreme court nominees argument strategists sides anticipate could lead gop donors shift spending presidential race senate campaigns months come republican senate campaign officials insist beat national political tide arguing theyve preparing since day 2014 elections gop always going disadvantage years senate races since party defending twice many seats democrats including seven states obama 2012 led baker former marine party officials working methodically militarythemed headquarters near capitol staffers start arriving 4 execute game plan includes making individual direct contact many voters possible even states traditionally considered safe gop like alabama contacted 15 million voters ohio far almost million alabama ahead march 1 primary officials said yet democrats argue gop efforts drowned national focus trump cruz presidential race amount effort republican senators change subject since republicans pledged support eventual gop nominee democrats say theres way republicans escape trump cruz democratic candidates wont let try illinois gop sen mark kirk faces uphill fight seat democrat tammy duckworth released video featuring ominous music trump making series provocative statements kirk saying repeatedly trump nominee certainly would support ___ associated press writer sara burnett contributed chicago
| 574 |
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - In a story Jan. 3 about the death of Mormon church President Thomas S. Monson, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Monson became the youngest apostle ever when he was named to the post in 1963 at the age of 36. He was the youngest apostle since 1910.</p>
<p>A corrected version of the story is below:</p>
<p>Church president was familiar face to generations of Mormons</p>
<p>The Mormon church president started as the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36, making him a face of the faith for decades</p>
<p>By BRADY MCCOMBS</p>
<p>Associated Press</p>
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - For more than 50 years, Thomas S. Monson served in top leadership councils for the Mormon church - making him a well-known face and personality to multiple generations of Mormons.</p>
<p>A church bishop at the age of 22, the Salt Lake City native became the youngest church apostle in a half century when he was named to the post in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008.</p>
<p>Tuesday night, 90-year-old Monson died at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins.</p>
<p>As president of the nearly 16-million member faith, Monson was considered a prophet who led the church through revelation from God in collaboration with two top counselors and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.</p>
<p>The next president was not immediately named, but the job is expected to go to the next longest-tenured member of the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson, per church protocol.</p>
<p>Monson's presidency was marked by his noticeably low profile during a time of intense publicity for the church, including the 2008 and 2012 campaigns of Mormon Mitt Romney for President. Monson's most public acts were appearances at church conferences and devotionals as well as dedications of church temples.</p>
<p>Monson will also be remembered for his emphasis on humanitarian work; leading the faith's involvement in the passage of gay marriage ban in California in 2008; continuing the church's push to be more transparent about its past; and lowering the minimum age for missionaries.</p>
<p>Mormons considered Monson a warm, caring, endearing and approachable leader, said Patrick Mason, associate professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University in California. He was known for dropping everything to make hospital visits to people in need. His speeches at the faith's twice-yearly conferences often focused on parables of human struggles resolved through faith.</p>
<p>He put an emphasis on the humanitarian ethic of Mormons, evidenced by his expansion of the church's disaster relief programs around the world, said Armand Mauss, a retired professor of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University.</p>
<p>Monson often credited his mother, Gladys Condie Monson, for fostering his compassion. He said that during his childhood in the Depression of the 1930s their house in Salt Lake City was known to hobos riding the railroads as a place to get a meal and a kind word.</p>
<p>"President Monson always seemed more interested in what we do with our religion rather than in what we believe," Mauss said.</p>
<p>A World War II veteran, Monson served in the Navy and spent a year overseas before returning to get a business degree at the University of Utah and a master's degree in business administration from the church-owned Brigham Young University.</p>
<p>Before being tabbed to join the faith's church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Monson worked for the church's secular businesses, primarily in advertising, printing and publishing including the Deseret Morning News.</p>
<p>Monson married Frances Beverly Johnson in 1948. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Frances died in 2013 at the age of 85.</p>
<p>Throughout his life, Monson was an avid fisherman who also raised homing pigeons, specifically, roller pigeons who twirled as they flew. He was known for his love of show tunes, Boy Scouts and the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>Monson's legacy will be tied to the church's efforts to hold tight to its opposition of same-sex marriage while encouraging members to be more open and compassionate toward gays and lesbians as acceptance for LGBT people increased across the county.</p>
<p>At Monson's urging, Mormons were vigorous campaign donors and volunteers in support of a measure to ban gay marriage in California in 2008. That prompted a backlash against the church that included vandalism of church buildings, protest marches and demonstrations outside church temples nationwide.</p>
<p>In subsequent years, the church began utilizing a softer tone on the issue. In 2015, the church backed an anti-discrimination law in Utah that gave unprecedented protections for gay and transgender people while also protecting religious freedoms.</p>
<p>But the faith came under fire again in the fall of 2015 when it banned baptisms for children living with gay parents, and instituted a requirement that those children disavow homosexual relationships before being allowed to serve a mission. The changes were designed to avoid putting children in a tug-of-war between their parents and church teachings, leaders said.</p>
<p>The revisions triggered anger, confusion and sadness for a growing faction of LGBT-supportive Mormons who were buoyed in recent years by church leaders' calls for more love and understanding for LGBT members.</p>
<p>One of the most memorable moments of Monson's tenure came in October 2012, when he announced at church conference that the minimum age to depart on missions was being lowered to 19 from 21 for women; and to 18 from 19 for men. The change triggered a historic influx of missionaries, and proved a milestone change for women by allowing many more to serve.</p>
<p>Taking the lead from the previous president, Gordon B. Hinckley, Monson also continued the church's push toward being more open about some of the most sensitive aspect of the faith's history and doctrine. A renovated church history museum reopened in 2015 with an exhibit acknowledging the faith's early polygamous practices, a year after the church published an essay that for the first time chronicled founder Joseph Smith's plural wives.</p>
<p>Other church essays issued during Monson's tenure addressed other sensitive topics: sacred undergarments worn by devout members; a past ban on black men in the lay clergy; and the misconception that Mormons are taught they will get their own planet in the afterlife.</p>
<p>The growth and globalization of the church continued under Monson, with membership swelling to nearly 15.9 million, with more than half outside the United States.</p>
<p>The Mormon church was founded in 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, who claimed he was visited by God and Jesus while praying in a grove of trees and was called to found the church. Members are known as Mormons because of the keystone scripture, the Book of Mormon.</p>
<p>Mormons believe they are called to share the word of God, specifically their own message of the restored Gospel, through their missionaries. There were 71,000 church missionaries serving around the world at the end of 2016.</p>
<p>Like his predecessors, Monson traveled the world, visiting countless countries to give speeches, dedicate temples and preach to Latter-day Saints. Under his watch, 27 new temples were planned or built.</p>
<p>Monson chose five new members to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a top-governing body that sets policy and runs the worldwide faith's business operations. All five were white and from Utah - a fact that disappointed some Mormons who wanted to see a minority or person from outside the U.S. selected to acknowledge the globalization of the church.</p>
<p>The man expected to take Monson's seat, the 93-year-old Nelson, has been a church apostle since April 1984. Out of respect for Monson, his appointment will not be officially named until after his funeral services.</p>
<p>In keeping with tradition, Nelson will choose two new counselors from the Quorum of the Twelve who will join him to form a three-person "presidency" that is the top of the church's governing hierarchy. Monson's two counselors were Henry Eyring and Dieter Uchtdorf. They will go back to being regular members of the Quorum unless they are chosen again.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Michelle A. Monroe in Phoenix contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that Russell M. Nelson has been a church apostle since April 1984, not 1970.</p>
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - In a story Jan. 3 about the death of Mormon church President Thomas S. Monson, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Monson became the youngest apostle ever when he was named to the post in 1963 at the age of 36. He was the youngest apostle since 1910.</p>
<p>A corrected version of the story is below:</p>
<p>Church president was familiar face to generations of Mormons</p>
<p>The Mormon church president started as the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36, making him a face of the faith for decades</p>
<p>By BRADY MCCOMBS</p>
<p>Associated Press</p>
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - For more than 50 years, Thomas S. Monson served in top leadership councils for the Mormon church - making him a well-known face and personality to multiple generations of Mormons.</p>
<p>A church bishop at the age of 22, the Salt Lake City native became the youngest church apostle in a half century when he was named to the post in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008.</p>
<p>Tuesday night, 90-year-old Monson died at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins.</p>
<p>As president of the nearly 16-million member faith, Monson was considered a prophet who led the church through revelation from God in collaboration with two top counselors and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.</p>
<p>The next president was not immediately named, but the job is expected to go to the next longest-tenured member of the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson, per church protocol.</p>
<p>Monson's presidency was marked by his noticeably low profile during a time of intense publicity for the church, including the 2008 and 2012 campaigns of Mormon Mitt Romney for President. Monson's most public acts were appearances at church conferences and devotionals as well as dedications of church temples.</p>
<p>Monson will also be remembered for his emphasis on humanitarian work; leading the faith's involvement in the passage of gay marriage ban in California in 2008; continuing the church's push to be more transparent about its past; and lowering the minimum age for missionaries.</p>
<p>Mormons considered Monson a warm, caring, endearing and approachable leader, said Patrick Mason, associate professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University in California. He was known for dropping everything to make hospital visits to people in need. His speeches at the faith's twice-yearly conferences often focused on parables of human struggles resolved through faith.</p>
<p>He put an emphasis on the humanitarian ethic of Mormons, evidenced by his expansion of the church's disaster relief programs around the world, said Armand Mauss, a retired professor of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University.</p>
<p>Monson often credited his mother, Gladys Condie Monson, for fostering his compassion. He said that during his childhood in the Depression of the 1930s their house in Salt Lake City was known to hobos riding the railroads as a place to get a meal and a kind word.</p>
<p>"President Monson always seemed more interested in what we do with our religion rather than in what we believe," Mauss said.</p>
<p>A World War II veteran, Monson served in the Navy and spent a year overseas before returning to get a business degree at the University of Utah and a master's degree in business administration from the church-owned Brigham Young University.</p>
<p>Before being tabbed to join the faith's church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Monson worked for the church's secular businesses, primarily in advertising, printing and publishing including the Deseret Morning News.</p>
<p>Monson married Frances Beverly Johnson in 1948. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Frances died in 2013 at the age of 85.</p>
<p>Throughout his life, Monson was an avid fisherman who also raised homing pigeons, specifically, roller pigeons who twirled as they flew. He was known for his love of show tunes, Boy Scouts and the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>Monson's legacy will be tied to the church's efforts to hold tight to its opposition of same-sex marriage while encouraging members to be more open and compassionate toward gays and lesbians as acceptance for LGBT people increased across the county.</p>
<p>At Monson's urging, Mormons were vigorous campaign donors and volunteers in support of a measure to ban gay marriage in California in 2008. That prompted a backlash against the church that included vandalism of church buildings, protest marches and demonstrations outside church temples nationwide.</p>
<p>In subsequent years, the church began utilizing a softer tone on the issue. In 2015, the church backed an anti-discrimination law in Utah that gave unprecedented protections for gay and transgender people while also protecting religious freedoms.</p>
<p>But the faith came under fire again in the fall of 2015 when it banned baptisms for children living with gay parents, and instituted a requirement that those children disavow homosexual relationships before being allowed to serve a mission. The changes were designed to avoid putting children in a tug-of-war between their parents and church teachings, leaders said.</p>
<p>The revisions triggered anger, confusion and sadness for a growing faction of LGBT-supportive Mormons who were buoyed in recent years by church leaders' calls for more love and understanding for LGBT members.</p>
<p>One of the most memorable moments of Monson's tenure came in October 2012, when he announced at church conference that the minimum age to depart on missions was being lowered to 19 from 21 for women; and to 18 from 19 for men. The change triggered a historic influx of missionaries, and proved a milestone change for women by allowing many more to serve.</p>
<p>Taking the lead from the previous president, Gordon B. Hinckley, Monson also continued the church's push toward being more open about some of the most sensitive aspect of the faith's history and doctrine. A renovated church history museum reopened in 2015 with an exhibit acknowledging the faith's early polygamous practices, a year after the church published an essay that for the first time chronicled founder Joseph Smith's plural wives.</p>
<p>Other church essays issued during Monson's tenure addressed other sensitive topics: sacred undergarments worn by devout members; a past ban on black men in the lay clergy; and the misconception that Mormons are taught they will get their own planet in the afterlife.</p>
<p>The growth and globalization of the church continued under Monson, with membership swelling to nearly 15.9 million, with more than half outside the United States.</p>
<p>The Mormon church was founded in 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, who claimed he was visited by God and Jesus while praying in a grove of trees and was called to found the church. Members are known as Mormons because of the keystone scripture, the Book of Mormon.</p>
<p>Mormons believe they are called to share the word of God, specifically their own message of the restored Gospel, through their missionaries. There were 71,000 church missionaries serving around the world at the end of 2016.</p>
<p>Like his predecessors, Monson traveled the world, visiting countless countries to give speeches, dedicate temples and preach to Latter-day Saints. Under his watch, 27 new temples were planned or built.</p>
<p>Monson chose five new members to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a top-governing body that sets policy and runs the worldwide faith's business operations. All five were white and from Utah - a fact that disappointed some Mormons who wanted to see a minority or person from outside the U.S. selected to acknowledge the globalization of the church.</p>
<p>The man expected to take Monson's seat, the 93-year-old Nelson, has been a church apostle since April 1984. Out of respect for Monson, his appointment will not be officially named until after his funeral services.</p>
<p>In keeping with tradition, Nelson will choose two new counselors from the Quorum of the Twelve who will join him to form a three-person "presidency" that is the top of the church's governing hierarchy. Monson's two counselors were Henry Eyring and Dieter Uchtdorf. They will go back to being regular members of the Quorum unless they are chosen again.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Michelle A. Monroe in Phoenix contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that Russell M. Nelson has been a church apostle since April 1984, not 1970.</p>
| false | 2 |
salt lake city ap story jan 3 death mormon church president thomas monson associated press reported erroneously monson became youngest apostle ever named post 1963 age 36 youngest apostle since 1910 corrected version story church president familiar face generations mormons mormon church president started youngest church apostle ever 1963 age 36 making face faith decades brady mccombs associated press salt lake city ap 50 years thomas monson served top leadership councils mormon church making wellknown face personality multiple generations mormons church bishop age 22 salt lake city native became youngest church apostle half century named post 1963 age 36 served counselor three church presidents assuming role top leader church jesus christ latterday saints february 2008 tuesday night 90yearold monson died home salt lake city according church spokesman eric hawkins president nearly 16million member faith monson considered prophet led church revelation god collaboration two top counselors members quorum twelve apostles next president immediately named job expected go next longesttenured member churchs governing quorum twelve apostles russell nelson per church protocol monsons presidency marked noticeably low profile time intense publicity church including 2008 2012 campaigns mormon mitt romney president monsons public acts appearances church conferences devotionals well dedications church temples monson also remembered emphasis humanitarian work leading faiths involvement passage gay marriage ban california 2008 continuing churchs push transparent past lowering minimum age missionaries mormons considered monson warm caring endearing approachable leader said patrick mason associate professor religion claremont graduate university california known dropping everything make hospital visits people need speeches faiths twiceyearly conferences often focused parables human struggles resolved faith put emphasis humanitarian ethic mormons evidenced expansion churchs disaster relief programs around world said armand mauss retired professor sociology religious studies washington state university monson often credited mother gladys condie monson fostering compassion said childhood depression 1930s house salt lake city known hobos riding railroads place get meal kind word president monson always seemed interested religion rather believe mauss said world war ii veteran monson served navy spent year overseas returning get business degree university utah masters degree business administration churchowned brigham young university tabbed join faiths churchs governing quorum twelve apostles monson worked churchs secular businesses primarily advertising printing publishing including deseret morning news monson married frances beverly johnson 1948 couple three children eight grandchildren 11 greatgrandchildren frances died 2013 age 85 throughout life monson avid fisherman also raised homing pigeons specifically roller pigeons twirled flew known love show tunes boy scouts utah jazz monsons legacy tied churchs efforts hold tight opposition samesex marriage encouraging members open compassionate toward gays lesbians acceptance lgbt people increased across county monsons urging mormons vigorous campaign donors volunteers support measure ban gay marriage california 2008 prompted backlash church included vandalism church buildings protest marches demonstrations outside church temples nationwide subsequent years church began utilizing softer tone issue 2015 church backed antidiscrimination law utah gave unprecedented protections gay transgender people also protecting religious freedoms faith came fire fall 2015 banned baptisms children living gay parents instituted requirement children disavow homosexual relationships allowed serve mission changes designed avoid putting children tugofwar parents church teachings leaders said revisions triggered anger confusion sadness growing faction lgbtsupportive mormons buoyed recent years church leaders calls love understanding lgbt members one memorable moments monsons tenure came october 2012 announced church conference minimum age depart missions lowered 19 21 women 18 19 men change triggered historic influx missionaries proved milestone change women allowing many serve taking lead previous president gordon b hinckley monson also continued churchs push toward open sensitive aspect faiths history doctrine renovated church history museum reopened 2015 exhibit acknowledging faiths early polygamous practices year church published essay first time chronicled founder joseph smiths plural wives church essays issued monsons tenure addressed sensitive topics sacred undergarments worn devout members past ban black men lay clergy misconception mormons taught get planet afterlife growth globalization church continued monson membership swelling nearly 159 million half outside united states mormon church founded 1830 upstate new york joseph smith claimed visited god jesus praying grove trees called found church members known mormons keystone scripture book mormon mormons believe called share word god specifically message restored gospel missionaries 71000 church missionaries serving around world end 2016 like predecessors monson traveled world visiting countless countries give speeches dedicate temples preach latterday saints watch 27 new temples planned built monson chose five new members quorum twelve apostles topgoverning body sets policy runs worldwide faiths business operations five white utah fact disappointed mormons wanted see minority person outside us selected acknowledge globalization church man expected take monsons seat 93yearold nelson church apostle since april 1984 respect monson appointment officially named funeral services keeping tradition nelson choose two new counselors quorum twelve join form threeperson presidency top churchs governing hierarchy monsons two counselors henry eyring dieter uchtdorf go back regular members quorum unless chosen ___ associated press writer michelle monroe phoenix contributed report ___ story corrected show russell nelson church apostle since april 1984 1970 salt lake city ap story jan 3 death mormon church president thomas monson associated press reported erroneously monson became youngest apostle ever named post 1963 age 36 youngest apostle since 1910 corrected version story church president familiar face generations mormons mormon church president started youngest church apostle ever 1963 age 36 making face faith decades brady mccombs associated press salt lake city ap 50 years thomas monson served top leadership councils mormon church making wellknown face personality multiple generations mormons church bishop age 22 salt lake city native became youngest church apostle half century named post 1963 age 36 served counselor three church presidents assuming role top leader church jesus christ latterday saints february 2008 tuesday night 90yearold monson died home salt lake city according church spokesman eric hawkins president nearly 16million member faith monson considered prophet led church revelation god collaboration two top counselors members quorum twelve apostles next president immediately named job expected go next longesttenured member churchs governing quorum twelve apostles russell nelson per church protocol monsons presidency marked noticeably low profile time intense publicity church including 2008 2012 campaigns mormon mitt romney president monsons public acts appearances church conferences devotionals well dedications church temples monson also remembered emphasis humanitarian work leading faiths involvement passage gay marriage ban california 2008 continuing churchs push transparent past lowering minimum age missionaries mormons considered monson warm caring endearing approachable leader said patrick mason associate professor religion claremont graduate university california known dropping everything make hospital visits people need speeches faiths twiceyearly conferences often focused parables human struggles resolved faith put emphasis humanitarian ethic mormons evidenced expansion churchs disaster relief programs around world said armand mauss retired professor sociology religious studies washington state university monson often credited mother gladys condie monson fostering compassion said childhood depression 1930s house salt lake city known hobos riding railroads place get meal kind word president monson always seemed interested religion rather believe mauss said world war ii veteran monson served navy spent year overseas returning get business degree university utah masters degree business administration churchowned brigham young university tabbed join faiths churchs governing quorum twelve apostles monson worked churchs secular businesses primarily advertising printing publishing including deseret morning news monson married frances beverly johnson 1948 couple three children eight grandchildren 11 greatgrandchildren frances died 2013 age 85 throughout life monson avid fisherman also raised homing pigeons specifically roller pigeons twirled flew known love show tunes boy scouts utah jazz monsons legacy tied churchs efforts hold tight opposition samesex marriage encouraging members open compassionate toward gays lesbians acceptance lgbt people increased across county monsons urging mormons vigorous campaign donors volunteers support measure ban gay marriage california 2008 prompted backlash church included vandalism church buildings protest marches demonstrations outside church temples nationwide subsequent years church began utilizing softer tone issue 2015 church backed antidiscrimination law utah gave unprecedented protections gay transgender people also protecting religious freedoms faith came fire fall 2015 banned baptisms children living gay parents instituted requirement children disavow homosexual relationships allowed serve mission changes designed avoid putting children tugofwar parents church teachings leaders said revisions triggered anger confusion sadness growing faction lgbtsupportive mormons buoyed recent years church leaders calls love understanding lgbt members one memorable moments monsons tenure came october 2012 announced church conference minimum age depart missions lowered 19 21 women 18 19 men change triggered historic influx missionaries proved milestone change women allowing many serve taking lead previous president gordon b hinckley monson also continued churchs push toward open sensitive aspect faiths history doctrine renovated church history museum reopened 2015 exhibit acknowledging faiths early polygamous practices year church published essay first time chronicled founder joseph smiths plural wives church essays issued monsons tenure addressed sensitive topics sacred undergarments worn devout members past ban black men lay clergy misconception mormons taught get planet afterlife growth globalization church continued monson membership swelling nearly 159 million half outside united states mormon church founded 1830 upstate new york joseph smith claimed visited god jesus praying grove trees called found church members known mormons keystone scripture book mormon mormons believe called share word god specifically message restored gospel missionaries 71000 church missionaries serving around world end 2016 like predecessors monson traveled world visiting countless countries give speeches dedicate temples preach latterday saints watch 27 new temples planned built monson chose five new members quorum twelve apostles topgoverning body sets policy runs worldwide faiths business operations five white utah fact disappointed mormons wanted see minority person outside us selected acknowledge globalization church man expected take monsons seat 93yearold nelson church apostle since april 1984 respect monson appointment officially named funeral services keeping tradition nelson choose two new counselors quorum twelve join form threeperson presidency top churchs governing hierarchy monsons two counselors henry eyring dieter uchtdorf go back regular members quorum unless chosen ___ associated press writer michelle monroe phoenix contributed report ___ story corrected show russell nelson church apostle since april 1984 1970
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<p>Athalia Jones speaks at an OASIS Albuquerque panel discussion about Home Circle, a black women’s group she belongs to that has been active in Albuquerque for 100 years. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — When Athalia Jones showed up for her 99th birthday party at the Center for Spiritual Living last month, assistant minister Andrew Groves asked her how she was.</p>
<p>“Every time I see her,” he said of the petite and bespectacled Jones, “when I ask how she is, she says, ‘I am so happy to be here.’ That’s just who she is – just happiness to be wherever she is, happiness to be on the planet, and I think that’s a mutual thing: she brings that out in everyone.”</p>
<p>The party there was one of three birthday celebrations for Jones, one of the oldest living black New Mexicans, the oldest living black graduate of the University of New Mexico and a member of the black women’s organization, Home Circle, which celebrated its 100th year of service this year.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Jones was born in Roswell, went to high school and college in Albuquerque, lived in California with her husband for more than half a century, and then, 15 years ago, came home to New Mexico. She drives wherever she needs to go in her ’91 Chevy.</p>
<p>“It runs so good, it makes me speed!” she said a few days before her milestone birthday during an interview in the library of the retirement complex in which she lives near Morris and Montgomery. “I have to watch that, because I’d be mad if I got a ticket!”</p>
<p>In the library of her apartment complex near Montgomery and Morris NE, staunch Dodgers fan Athalia Jones asked her niece, the morning after a key game of the World Series, “Did you see what the Royals did to San Francisco? I couldn’t even look at it!” (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>Homesteading</p>
<p>Jones is part of New Mexico history, and a key piece of that dates back to the Federal Homestead Act of 1862, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln and called one of the most important pieces of legislation in U.S. history.</p>
<p>It enabled more than 100,000 people to stake a claim in lands in the west, as it called for the turning over of vast amounts of public land to private citizens.</p>
<p>Ten percent of U.S. land – 270 million acres – was settled under the act, according to “Black Heritage in New Mexico,” a booklet compiled by the City of Albuquerque’s office of Diversity and Human Rights.</p>
<p>For an $18 filing fee, homesteaders could get 160 acres of land once they turned 21. They were then expected to live, farm and build a home on the land within five years, and, if successful, they were eligible to own it.</p>
<p>Clusters of homesteading households started to turn into black communities. The most famous one in New Mexico was called Blackdom, a town developed at the end of the 19th century about 18 miles southwest of Roswell.</p>
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<p>In the early 1900s some 25 families – about 300 people, including the state’s first black lawyer – lived in Blackdom on about 15,000 acres of land, many farming cotton, cantaloupe, onions, alfalfa and sugar beets.</p>
<p>One of its residents was Crutcher Eubank, who’d walked there from Kentucky after seeing an ad about the town, according to the booklet. In 1908, he was able to claim ownership of a parcel of land on which he’d built a small house and raised horses, cows and chickens, and grew corn and beans. He and his wife had 11 children. Unable to make a living homesteading, he’d walk 16 miles to Roswell every day to farm for a white farmer.</p>
<p>He moved his family to Roswell around the time of Blackdom’s demise due to an outbreak of worms, an alkali buildup in the soil and the water table lowering, which caused the artesian wells to dry up and made it hard to farm.</p>
<p>Members of Home Circle, active since 1914, have raised funds for scholarships and provided fellow members with friendship and community. (Courtesy of Rita Powdrell)</p>
<p>The descendant</p>
<p>One of Eubank’s 11 children, Mary, was the mother of Athalia Jones, whose family still owns the 160 acres of land in Blackdom.</p>
<p>Jones, the third of four siblings, lived in Roswell until her family – her mom a homemaker and her dad a janitor – moved to Albuquerque when she was in elementary school.</p>
<p>Throughout her school years, most of her classmates were white. She was one of three black students in her graduating class at Albuquerque High School, where she liked, but struggled with, her English class. “I had to write a poem,” she remembered. “Oh, I had a time writing a poem! Couldn’t get nothin’ to rhyme.”</p>
<p>There wasn’t much mixing among her white classmates. “We just kind of ignored them,” she said. “We can ignore them just as well as they ignore us.”</p>
<p>As for the teachers there, she said: “I don’t think I had any problems with them, because I didn’t have much to say to them.”</p>
<p>After high school, she worked at a drugstore. When asked if she was a cashier she said, “A cashier? Are you kidding? We didn’t get to be cashiers.” Her job was clearing the counter.</p>
<p>When she began college at the University of New Mexico shortly thereafter, she studied chemistry, biology and home economics. One day, a UNM psychology professor made a derogatory comment about black students. “I don’t remember what he said, but I didn’t like it. I finally just quit the class. The other professors had no comment about skin color; they treated me with respect, just like I treated them, ‘cept for that old goat.”</p>
<p>Black students weren’t allowed to live in dorms at the time, so she lived in the homes of local families.</p>
<p>She graduated in 1941 with a bachelor’s in education, a degree she wasn’t keen on using. “I just didn’t want to teach, period. I’m not comfortable around little children – I don’t know what to say to them.”</p>
<p>That’s likely why she didn’t have children, she said. “It was probably just as well. It wasn’t meant to be.”</p>
<p>The year she graduated from college, she married James Jones, a man she’d met at a tea gathering. The attraction: “Tall and dark, and he was nice to his mother. Any man that’s nice to his mother is nice to you, and he was.”</p>
<p>Rita Powdrell, left, a local historian, organized the panel discussion, at which Athalia Jones (in white shirt) and other longtime members of Home Circle described to an audience of about 20 people the value that being in the group held for them. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>Joining the Circle</p>
<p>Being married qualified her to join Home Circle, which she did in the early 1940s. One draw for her: “There were so few of us in the state of New Mexico that the women needed a social outlet.”</p>
<p>But it was much more than that, according to Rita Powdrell, a local historian and long-standing member of Home Circle. “Women’s clubs were a part of a voice of resistance,” Powdrell said, referring to the first half of the 20th century. They gave black women a way to come together because many white women’s groups at that time were not open to them, she added.</p>
<p>Powdrell spoke last month about Home Circle, along with Jones and other longtime members before 20 guests at an OASIS Albuquerque panel discussion on the importance of the group.</p>
<p>Members said that being in Home Circle provided social sanctuary, raised money for soldiers sent overseas and for college scholarships, and wrote letters challenging state law that had allowed school districts to segregate schools.</p>
<p>Jones moved away from New Mexico when her husband’s brother, who lived in Los Angeles, suggested they move out there some time after they got married in 1941.</p>
<p>Athalia Jones wasn’t much for the beach, visiting only a handful of times during the 60 years they would live in L.A. But she and her husband traveled extensively when away from their jobs – hers as a clerical worker and his as an asphalt plant foreman. They cruised the Panama Canal and the Mexican Riviera, and flew to many countries in Europe, including to Italy, where she picked up a leather jacket she still has.</p>
<p>Her husband passed away in 1985, and by 2000, Jones was ready to come back to New Mexico, to be closer to family. Since returning, she’s rejoined Home Circle. “When I came back, I was surprised how much work they’d done while I was gone.”</p>
<p>Holding meetings in people’s homes, they’ve planned fashion shows and bake sales to raise funds; they’ve bought gifts to put into gift baskets for needy families, and they’ve taught each other to knit, crochet and embroider.</p>
<p>Besides going to Home Circle meetings, she said, “I come and go as I please.”</p>
<p>And there’s been a lot of it, according to her niece, Brenda Phillips. “Until four years ago, she would just go on tours by herself,” she said. “She’d just book them and go. We would just drop her off at the airport.” Now that she’s no longer up for solo trips, she enjoys watching the Dodgers and “Jeopardy!” on TV and enjoying her free time.</p>
<p>“Mrs. Jones is an independent spirit who has always followed her own path,” is what’s written about her in the program celebrating Home Circle’s 100 years at OASIS Albuquerque. “She is having the time of her life, driving to church every Sunday and to the grocery store every two weeks.”</p>
<p />
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athalia jones speaks oasis albuquerque panel discussion home circle black womens group belongs active albuquerque 100 years dean hansonalbuquerque journal albuquerque nm athalia jones showed 99th birthday party center spiritual living last month assistant minister andrew groves asked every time see said petite bespectacled jones ask says happy thats happiness wherever happiness planet think thats mutual thing brings everyone party one three birthday celebrations jones one oldest living black new mexicans oldest living black graduate university new mexico member black womens organization home circle celebrated 100th year service year advertisement jones born roswell went high school college albuquerque lived california husband half century 15 years ago came home new mexico drives wherever needs go 91 chevy runs good makes speed said days milestone birthday interview library retirement complex lives near morris montgomery watch id mad got ticket library apartment complex near montgomery morris ne staunch dodgers fan athalia jones asked niece morning key game world series see royals san francisco couldnt even look dean hansonalbuquerque journal homesteading jones part new mexico history key piece dates back federal homestead act 1862 signed law president abraham lincoln called one important pieces legislation us history enabled 100000 people stake claim lands west called turning vast amounts public land private citizens ten percent us land 270 million acres settled act according black heritage new mexico booklet compiled city albuquerques office diversity human rights 18 filing fee homesteaders could get 160 acres land turned 21 expected live farm build home land within five years successful eligible clusters homesteading households started turn black communities famous one new mexico called blackdom town developed end 19th century 18 miles southwest roswell advertisement early 1900s 25 families 300 people including states first black lawyer lived blackdom 15000 acres land many farming cotton cantaloupe onions alfalfa sugar beets one residents crutcher eubank whod walked kentucky seeing ad town according booklet 1908 able claim ownership parcel land hed built small house raised horses cows chickens grew corn beans wife 11 children unable make living homesteading hed walk 16 miles roswell every day farm white farmer moved family roswell around time blackdoms demise due outbreak worms alkali buildup soil water table lowering caused artesian wells dry made hard farm members home circle active since 1914 raised funds scholarships provided fellow members friendship community courtesy rita powdrell descendant one eubanks 11 children mary mother athalia jones whose family still owns 160 acres land blackdom jones third four siblings lived roswell family mom homemaker dad janitor moved albuquerque elementary school throughout school years classmates white one three black students graduating class albuquerque high school liked struggled english class write poem remembered oh time writing poem couldnt get nothin rhyme wasnt much mixing among white classmates kind ignored said ignore well ignore us teachers said dont think problems didnt much say high school worked drugstore asked cashier said cashier kidding didnt get cashiers job clearing counter began college university new mexico shortly thereafter studied chemistry biology home economics one day unm psychology professor made derogatory comment black students dont remember said didnt like finally quit class professors comment skin color treated respect like treated cept old goat black students werent allowed live dorms time lived homes local families graduated 1941 bachelors education degree wasnt keen using didnt want teach period im comfortable around little children dont know say thats likely didnt children said probably well wasnt meant year graduated college married james jones man shed met tea gathering attraction tall dark nice mother man thats nice mother nice rita powdrell left local historian organized panel discussion athalia jones white shirt longtime members home circle described audience 20 people value group held dean hansonalbuquerque journal joining circle married qualified join home circle early 1940s one draw us state new mexico women needed social outlet much according rita powdrell local historian longstanding member home circle womens clubs part voice resistance powdrell said referring first half 20th century gave black women way come together many white womens groups time open added powdrell spoke last month home circle along jones longtime members 20 guests oasis albuquerque panel discussion importance group members said home circle provided social sanctuary raised money soldiers sent overseas college scholarships wrote letters challenging state law allowed school districts segregate schools jones moved away new mexico husbands brother lived los angeles suggested move time got married 1941 athalia jones wasnt much beach visiting handful times 60 years would live la husband traveled extensively away jobs clerical worker asphalt plant foreman cruised panama canal mexican riviera flew many countries europe including italy picked leather jacket still husband passed away 1985 2000 jones ready come back new mexico closer family since returning shes rejoined home circle came back surprised much work theyd done gone holding meetings peoples homes theyve planned fashion shows bake sales raise funds theyve bought gifts put gift baskets needy families theyve taught knit crochet embroider besides going home circle meetings said come go please theres lot according niece brenda phillips four years ago would go tours said shed book go would drop airport shes longer solo trips enjoys watching dodgers jeopardy tv enjoying free time mrs jones independent spirit always followed path whats written program celebrating home circles 100 years oasis albuquerque time life driving church every sunday grocery store every two weeks
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<p>ABOARD AIR FORCE TWO (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence plans to use his attendance at the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month to try to counter what he sees as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s effort to “hijack” the games with a propaganda campaign, a White House official said on Tuesday.</p> U.S. Vice President Mike Pence seen during a visit to the Knesset, Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Ariel Schalit/Pool
<p>Pence will be present at the games not just for ceremonial purposes but to try to offset the “charade” he expects the North Koreans to put on when they send a team and also march in the opening ceremony with their South Korean counterparts, according to the official traveling with the vice president and speaking on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>“He has grave concerns that Kim will hijack the messaging around the Olympics,” the official told reporters aboard Pence’s plane as he returned to the United States from a trip to the Middle East. “The North Koreans have been master manipulators in the past. It’s a murderous state.”</p>
<p>Pence will conduct media interviews during his visit to South Korea, the official said.</p>
<p>“He’s going to root on our Olympians, and he’s excited about that. He’s going to ensure that from a messaging standpoint that it isn’t turned into two weeks of propaganda,” the official said.</p>
<p>The South Korean government earlier on Tuesday rejected criticism that the games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile program.</p>
<p>Following recent North-South talks that led to an agreement for North Korea to send a delegation to the Olympics, some opposition politicians and conservatives have criticized Pyongyang’s participation in the games in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump and top advisers have publicly welcomed the recent talks between the Koreas, but U.S. officials have said privately that Pyongyang might be trying to drive a wedge between allies Washington and Seoul.</p>
<p>Tensions between North Korea and the United States have run high over Pyongyang’s efforts to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.</p>
<p>Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Cynthia Osterman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PARIS (Reuters) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy went on prime time television on Thursday to reject accusations of illicit Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign and said they were making his life “hell”.</p>
<p>The 63-year-old, who held power from 2007 to 2012, was told by investigators on Wednesday after two days of questioning in police custody that he was formally suspected of passive corruption, an offence that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in jail.</p>
<p>At issue is a murky affair of Libyan spies, arms dealers and allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi provided Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign with millions of euros shipped to Paris in suitcases - allegations Sarkozy has always denied.</p>
<p>“There’s not even the smallest inkling of proof,” Sarkozy, visibly upset, said in a 25-minute evening news interview.</p>
<p>“Do you want to know the figure the police who questioned me calculated regarding the sum believed to have circulated during my 2007 campaign? Thirty-eight thousand euros - which for a campaign that cost 21 million euros represents 0.0018 percent: This is a very far cry from the crazy amounts of 50 million euros,” he said.</p>
<p>Sarkozy, who came under fire for giving Gaddafi a red-carpet reception in Paris in late 2007, said his problems began in March 2011 after he hosted Libyan rebels and went on to become one of the main advocates of a NATO-led campaign that resulted in the dictator’s overthrow and killing by rebels in 2011.</p>
<p>He also denounced what he described as lies from one of his main accusers, a Franco-Lebanese businessman who has described himself among other things as a “middleman in the shadows” on liaison between Paris and Libyan secret service chiefs.</p>
<p>Le Figaro newspaper published a lengthy account of what it said was a verbatim declaration by Sarkozy to magistrates.</p> FILE PHOTO: Nicolas Sarkozy, former head of the Les Republicains political party, attends a Les Republicains (LR) public meeting in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, October 1, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
<p>“This calumny has made my life a living hell since March 11, 2011,” Sarkozy states, according to the newspaper.</p>
<p>“I’ve paid a heavy price for this affair. Put it this way: I lost the presidential election of 2012 by 1.5 percentage points. The controversy initiated by Gaddafi and his henchmen cost me that 1.5 percent”.</p>
<p>Sarkozy tried to stage a comeback in 2016 in the Republican presidential primary but there is no sign that he would attempt another return to politics.</p> Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the judiciary police offices in Nanterre, near Paris, France, March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe ACCUSATIONS
<p>The accusations prompted the opening of a judicial inquiry in 2013 which snowballed this week when Sarkozy was called in for interrogation and, on Wednesday evening, formally placed under investigation as a suspect in the affair.</p>
<p>In France, being “placed under investigation” is a step that judicial investigators can take if they have serious grounds for suspecting an offence. It often but not always leads to trial.</p>
<p>Sarkozy, who was called “president bling bling” by many due to his flashy style, has been dogged for years by accusations of wrongdoing. He is challenging an order to stand trial on charges of illicit spending overruns during his failed 2012 campaign.</p>
<p>One of the many factors that played in 40-year-old Emmanuel Macron’s presidential election win in May 2017 was a promise of a clean break with traditional French politics, often marred by accusations of corruption.</p>
<p>Sarkozy’s immediate predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was tried and convicted in 2011 of misusing public funds to keep political friends in phantom jobs - making him the first French head of state to be convicted of a crime since Nazi collaborator Marshall Philippe Petain in 1945.</p>
<p>Reporting by Brian Love and Emmanuel Jarry, Additional reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SEOUL (Reuters) - Once rejected by North Korea as “human scum,” U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest pick for national security adviser has called for regime change in North Korea, prompting worries in Asia ahead of a historic summit between Washington and Pyongyang.</p>
<p>Trump announced in a tweet he was replacing H.R. McMaster with John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has advocated the use of military force against North Korea and Iran and has previously been rejected as a negotiating partner by Pyongyang.</p>
<p>“This is worrisome news,” said Kim Hack-yong, conservative lawmaker and head of the national defense committee of South Korea’s parliament. “North Korea and the United States need to have dialogue but this only fuels worries over whether the talks will ever happen.”</p>
<p>At Seoul’s presidential Blue House, which has been forced to navigate between the unpredictable personalities of leaders in both Pyongyang and Washington, officials were circumspect.</p>
<p>“Our stance is that if a new road opens, we have to go that path,” a senior Blue House official told reporters. “Bolton has much knowledge on the issues regarding the Korean peninsula and most of all, we know him to be one of the U.S. president’s aides who is trusted.”</p>
<p>He said Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s National Security Office head, had not yet spoken with Bolton and that Chung’s reaction to McMaster’s dismissal was “not bad”.</p>
<p>Another administrative official in Seoul expressed regret over the loss of camaraderie McMaster had built with his South Korean counterpart as they had tackled North Korea’s nuclear issue together.</p>
<p>Both officials requested not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.</p> “A ROCKY PATH”
<p>Bolton had described Trump’s plan to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “diplomatic shock and awe” and said it would be an opportunity to deliver a threat of military action.</p>
<p>“I think this session between the two leaders could well be a fairly brief session where Trump says, ‘Tell me you have begun total denuclearization, because we’re not going to have protracted negotiations. You can tell me right now or we’ll start thinking of something else’”, he told Washington’s WMAL radio station.</p>
<p>Former South Korean intelligence official Nam Sung-wook said Trump may not even get the opportunity to deliver that message.</p>
<p>“Bolton being tapped for this position makes for a very difficult situation where the U.S.-North Korea summit may not even happen,” he said. “It’s going to be a rocky path even before the summit.”</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>The meeting is supposed to happen by the end of May, but an exact time and place have yet to be settled on.</p>
<p>Pyongyang had no immediate comment about Bolton, whose</p>
<p>criticism of then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Pyongyang’s human rights record in 2003 spurred state media to call him “human scum and bloodsucker.”</p>
<p>North Korean officials would not recognize him as a representative of the U.S. government or talk with him because of his “political vulgarity and psychopathological condition”, state media said at the time.</p> HOPES AND WORRIES IN ASIA
<p>Bolton’s appointment came 10 days after Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, another moderating influence, replacing him with CIA director Mike Pompeo.</p>
<p>His appointment will further diminish hope for China and the United States to see eye-to-eye on security issues, according to Shi Yinhong, an expert on China-U.S. relations at Renmin University in Beijing.</p>
<p>“What security cooperation with China can there be? Nuclear weapons, North Korea, Taiwan, South China Sea, cyberspace … Where is there hope for cooperation?” Shi said.</p>
<p>“Trump and Xi Jinping have spoken in public of the logic of cooperation, but with the negative direction of trade and security cooperation, these words seem more and more empty.”</p>
<p>Zhao Tong, an expert on North Korea and nuclear disarmament at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, said Bolton’s previous calls for China to pursue regime change in North Korea, as well as for a reunification of the peninsula under the South Korean government, was “very unrealistic”.</p>
<p>“His views on strategic security issues will reinforce the Chinese convictions that it needs to build up its hard power,” Zhao said.</p>
<p>Tokyo expressed hopes communication with Washington would go on as normal, with one Japanese government official saying he was “very optimistic” Japan would be able to get along with Bolton as he has many friends inside the Japanese government.</p>
<p>Narushige Michishita, a professor at Tokyo’s Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, said Bolton’s toughness could present a hurdle in dealing with Pyongyang.</p>
<p>“The problem is that he doesn’t have any flexibility. That’s a negative concern that I have,” Michishita said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Christine Kim; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang and Josh Smith in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd in BEIJING and Linda Sieg in TOKYO; Editing by Bill Tarrant</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer carried out a “freedom of navigation” operation on Friday, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials told Reuters, a move likely to anger Beijing.</p> FILE PHOTO: The warship USS Mustin sails near the port in Sihanoukville, 223 km (139 miles) west of Phnom Penh, October 11, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer
<p>Friday’s operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters.</p>
<p>The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS Mustin traveled close to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands and carried out maneuvering operations. China has territorial disputes with its neighbors over the area.</p>
<p>Neither China’s Foreign nor Defence Ministries immediately responded to a request for comment.</p>
<p>In the past, Beijing has reacted angrily to such moves, saying they are provocative.</p>
<p>The U.S. military has a longstanding position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and they are separate from political considerations.</p>
<p>However, the latest operation, the first since January, comes just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump lit a slow-burning fuse when he signed a presidential memorandum that will target up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts once a list is published.</p>
<p>The United States has criticized China’s construction of islands and build-up of military facilities in the sea, and is concerned they could be used to restrict free nautical movement.</p>
<p>China’s claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The U.S. military put countering China and Russia at the center of a new national defense strategy recently unveiled.</p>
<p>China’s navy will carry out combat drills in the South China Sea, the military’s official newspaper said on Friday, describing the move as part of regular annual exercises.</p> Related Video
<p>Taiwan’s defense ministry said this week it had shadowed a Chinese aircraft carrier group traversing the Taiwan Strait in a southwesterly direction - meaning into the disputed South China Sea - in what Taiwan judged to be a drill.</p>
<p>The United States has been pushing allies to carry out freedom of navigation operations as well.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Britain said one of its warships would pass through the South China Sea to assert freedom-of-navigation rights.</p>
<p>Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting to Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Larry King and Alison Williams</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday Britain and the European Union had made significant progress in Brexit talks and that she was looking forward to talks on their future economic partnership.</p> Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
<p>At a summit in Brussels, May also welcomed a move by the United States to exempt the EU from steel tariffs and said she would work with the other 27 leaders to make the exemptions permanent.</p>
<p>“We’ve made good progress on withdrawal agreement but also I’m looking for a new dynamic in the next stage of the negotiations so that we can ensure that we do develop, that we work together to develop, a strong future economic and security partnership which I believe is in the interest of the UK and the European Union,” she told reporters.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jan Strupczewski, writing by Elizabeth Piper</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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aboard air force two reuters us vice president mike pence plans use attendance winter olympics south korea next month try counter sees north korean leader kim jong uns effort hijack games propaganda campaign white house official said tuesday us vice president mike pence seen visit knesset israeli parliament jerusalem january 22 2018 reutersariel schalitpool pence present games ceremonial purposes try offset charade expects north koreans put send team also march opening ceremony south korean counterparts according official traveling vice president speaking condition anonymity grave concerns kim hijack messaging around olympics official told reporters aboard pences plane returned united states trip middle east north koreans master manipulators past murderous state pence conduct media interviews visit south korea official said hes going root olympians hes excited hes going ensure messaging standpoint isnt turned two weeks propaganda official said south korean government earlier tuesday rejected criticism games hijacked north korea saying event help defuse tensions pyongyangs nuclear missile program following recent northsouth talks led agreement north korea send delegation olympics opposition politicians conservatives criticized pyongyangs participation games south korean alpine resort town pyeongchang us president donald trump top advisers publicly welcomed recent talks koreas us officials said privately pyongyang might trying drive wedge allies washington seoul tensions north korea united states run high pyongyangs efforts develop nucleartipped missile capable hitting united states writing matt spetalnick editing cynthia osterman standards thomson reuters trust principles paris reuters former french president nicolas sarkozy went prime time television thursday reject accusations illicit libyan funding 2007 election campaign said making life hell 63yearold held power 2007 2012 told investigators wednesday two days questioning police custody formally suspected passive corruption offence carries sentence 10 years jail issue murky affair libyan spies arms dealers allegations late libyan leader muammar gaddafi provided sarkozys 2007 election campaign millions euros shipped paris suitcases allegations sarkozy always denied theres even smallest inkling proof sarkozy visibly upset said 25minute evening news interview want know figure police questioned calculated regarding sum believed circulated 2007 campaign thirtyeight thousand euros campaign cost 21 million euros represents 00018 percent far cry crazy amounts 50 million euros said sarkozy came fire giving gaddafi redcarpet reception paris late 2007 said problems began march 2011 hosted libyan rebels went become one main advocates natoled campaign resulted dictators overthrow killing rebels 2011 also denounced described lies one main accusers francolebanese businessman described among things middleman shadows liaison paris libyan secret service chiefs le figaro newspaper published lengthy account said verbatim declaration sarkozy magistrates file photo nicolas sarkozy former head les republicains political party attends les republicains lr public meeting les sables dolonne france october 1 2016 reutersstephane mahefile photo calumny made life living hell since march 11 2011 sarkozy states according newspaper ive paid heavy price affair put way lost presidential election 2012 15 percentage points controversy initiated gaddafi henchmen cost 15 percent sarkozy tried stage comeback 2016 republican presidential primary sign would attempt another return politics former french president nicolas sarkozy leaves judiciary police offices nanterre near paris france march 21 2018 reutersstephane mahe accusations accusations prompted opening judicial inquiry 2013 snowballed week sarkozy called interrogation wednesday evening formally placed investigation suspect affair france placed investigation step judicial investigators take serious grounds suspecting offence often always leads trial sarkozy called president bling bling many due flashy style dogged years accusations wrongdoing challenging order stand trial charges illicit spending overruns failed 2012 campaign one many factors played 40yearold emmanuel macrons presidential election win may 2017 promise clean break traditional french politics often marred accusations corruption sarkozys immediate predecessor jacques chirac tried convicted 2011 misusing public funds keep political friends phantom jobs making first french head state convicted crime since nazi collaborator marshall philippe petain 1945 reporting brian love emmanuel jarry additional reporting leigh thomas editing matthew mpoke bigg standards thomson reuters trust principles seoul reuters rejected north korea human scum us president donald trumps latest pick national security adviser called regime change north korea prompting worries asia ahead historic summit washington pyongyang trump announced tweet replacing hr mcmaster john bolton former us ambassador united nations advocated use military force north korea iran previously rejected negotiating partner pyongyang worrisome news said kim hackyong conservative lawmaker head national defense committee south koreas parliament north korea united states need dialogue fuels worries whether talks ever happen seouls presidential blue house forced navigate unpredictable personalities leaders pyongyang washington officials circumspect stance new road opens go path senior blue house official told reporters bolton much knowledge issues regarding korean peninsula know one us presidents aides trusted said chung euiyong south koreas national security office head yet spoken bolton chungs reaction mcmasters dismissal bad another administrative official seoul expressed regret loss camaraderie mcmaster built south korean counterpart tackled north koreas nuclear issue together officials requested named due sensitivity issue rocky path bolton described trumps plan meet north korean leader kim jong un diplomatic shock awe said would opportunity deliver threat military action think session two leaders could well fairly brief session trump says tell begun total denuclearization going protracted negotiations tell right well start thinking something else told washingtons wmal radio station former south korean intelligence official nam sungwook said trump may even get opportunity deliver message bolton tapped position makes difficult situation usnorth korea summit may even happen said going rocky path even summit 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 meeting supposed happen end may exact time place yet settled pyongyang immediate comment bolton whose criticism thennorth korean leader kim jong il pyongyangs human rights record 2003 spurred state media call human scum bloodsucker north korean officials would recognize representative us government talk political vulgarity psychopathological condition state media said time hopes worries asia boltons appointment came 10 days trump fired secretary state rex tillerson another moderating influence replacing cia director mike pompeo appointment diminish hope china united states see eyetoeye security issues according shi yinhong expert chinaus relations renmin university beijing security cooperation china nuclear weapons north korea taiwan south china sea cyberspace hope cooperation shi said trump xi jinping spoken public logic cooperation negative direction trade security cooperation words seem empty zhao tong expert north korea nuclear disarmament carnegietsinghua center beijing said boltons previous calls china pursue regime change north korea well reunification peninsula south korean government unrealistic views strategic security issues reinforce chinese convictions needs build hard power zhao said tokyo expressed hopes communication washington would go normal one japanese government official saying optimistic japan would able get along bolton many friends inside japanese government narushige michishita professor tokyos graduate institute policy studies said boltons toughness could present hurdle dealing pyongyang problem doesnt flexibility thats negative concern michishita said reporting christine kim additional reporting heekyong yang josh smith seoul christian shepherd beijing linda sieg tokyo editing bill tarrant standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us navy destroyer carried freedom navigation operation friday coming within 12 nautical miles artificial island built china south china sea us officials told reuters move likely anger beijing file photo warship uss mustin sails near port sihanoukville 223 km 139 miles west phnom penh october 11 2008 reutersstringer fridays operation latest attempt counter washington sees beijings efforts limit freedom navigation strategic waters officials speaking condition anonymity said uss mustin traveled close mischief reef spratly islands carried maneuvering operations china territorial disputes neighbors area neither chinas foreign defence ministries immediately responded request comment past beijing reacted angrily moves saying provocative us military longstanding position operations carried throughout world including areas claimed allies separate political considerations however latest operation first since january comes day us president donald trump lit slowburning fuse signed presidential memorandum target 60 billion chinese goods tariffs 30day consultation period starts list published united states criticized chinas construction islands buildup military facilities sea concerned could used restrict free nautical movement chinas claims south china sea 5 trillion shipborne trade passes year contested brunei malaysia philippines taiwan vietnam us military put countering china russia center new national defense strategy recently unveiled chinas navy carry combat drills south china sea militarys official newspaper said friday describing move part regular annual exercises related video taiwans defense ministry said week shadowed chinese aircraft carrier group traversing taiwan strait southwesterly direction meaning disputed south china sea taiwan judged drill united states pushing allies carry freedom navigation operations well earlier year britain said one warships would pass south china sea assert freedomofnavigation rights reporting idrees ali additional reporting ben blanchard beijing editing larry king alison williams standards thomson reuters trust principles brussels reuters prime minister theresa may said friday britain european union made significant progress brexit talks looking forward talks future economic partnership britains prime minister theresa may leaves european union leaders summit brussels belgium march 23 2018 reutersfrancois lenoir summit brussels may also welcomed move united states exempt eu steel tariffs said would work 27 leaders make exemptions permanent weve made good progress withdrawal agreement also im looking new dynamic next stage negotiations ensure develop work together develop strong future economic security partnership believe interest uk european union told reporters reporting jan strupczewski writing elizabeth piper standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>LONDON — The Latest on British Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on Brexit (all times local):</p>
<p>7:50 p.m.</p>
<p>The Obama administration says it hopes leaders of the U.K. and European Union will engage in a process that prevents “economic disruptions.”</p>
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<p>In his final daily press briefing Tuesday before the change in administrations, White House press secretary Josh Earnest called on these “critically important American allies” to engage with each other in a way “that’s as transparent as possible, prevent any sort of economic disruptions, from misunderstandings or from surprises.”</p>
<p>Earnest says a proposal by British Prime Minister Theresa May to have her country leave the single market is “certainly going to make these kinds of conversations more complicated.” But he adds it’s ultimately up to the British people who voted last June to leave the bloc.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>7:40 p.m.</p>
<p>The leader of Britain’s right-wing U.K. Independence Party says he is “broadly impressed” by British Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on Brexit but added she isn’t moving quickly enough toward exiting the country from the European Union.</p>
<p>Paul Nuttall, speaking to The Associated Press at the European Parliament in France’s eastern city of Strasbourg, said Tuesday he was pleased with May’s decision to “definitely” leave the single market, because this “was pretty much a red line for my party UKIP.”</p>
<p>But the Euroskeptic politician said “our concern is … what we are going to get is slow-motion Brexit.” Nuttall insisted “what we want to see is a quick Brexit” that lets Britain sign trade deals across the globe.</p>
<p>May on Tuesday said Britain will make a clean break from the EU and leave its single market of around 500 million people in order to regain control of its borders and laws.</p>
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<p>___</p>
<p>7:15 p.m.</p>
<p>French far-right leader Marine Le Pen of the National Front is lauding as “a courageous speech respecting the will of British people” the road that British Prime Minister Theresa May has set out for the negotiations to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>The candidate for the French presidential election next May told the Associated Press that “in France, we do not know this kind of respect.”</p>
<p>British voters chose in June to leave the 28-nation bloc. Le Pen said the French government had shown no such respect in 2005 when French voters rejected a proposed EU constitution.</p>
<p>Le Pen praised May, saying being “a political leader who respects the will of people is, to me, totally respectable.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>7:10 p.m.</p>
<p>Spain’s prime minister hopes the Brexit negotiations will mean a “minimal disruption” for the European Union — and once they are over, the bloc can focus “on the real problems” that affect citizens like health care, immigration, security and youth employment.</p>
<p>Speaking Tuesday to reporters at the end of a conference with the leaders of Spain’s regional governments, Mariano Rajoy said “Europe is our past, present and future.” He asked for British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government to be clear about the model of relationship it seeks for the new U.K.-EU relations.</p>
<p>Rajoy says “we are ready to have an intense and good understanding in the future.” He added that “all possibilities are open” as long as the four freedoms of movement –services, goods, capitals and people — are not negotiated separately with Britain.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>5:20 p.m.</p>
<p>A senior German lawmaker says Britain has to find a way to trade with the European Union even after it leaves the bloc.</p>
<p>Juergen Hardt, who speaks for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party on foreign policy matters, says he believes “the British government has no real alternative to the European common market, at least none that they can come up with overnight.”</p>
<p>Hardt says U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech Tuesday, in which she declared Britain’s intention to leave the EU’s single market in goods and services, appeared to be an attempt “to retake the initiative and sovereignty over the Brexit process.”</p>
<p>He told The Associated Press that “whether or not the plan will work, for Britain to remain as politically and economically powerful despite a relatively hard exit from the European Union as it was inside the European Union, remains to be seen.”</p>
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<p>5:15 p.m.</p>
<p>Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says he’s surprised that the British government is pursuing a strategy that will see the country leave the European Union’s single market.</p>
<p>Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Stiglitz said “political wisdom” pointed to the government trying to “soften” Brexit and to “achieve the softest version.”</p>
<p>He said he’s a “little surprised” by the path outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May earlier “because it’s so clear that so many people in the U.K. really didn’t want a Brexit at all, let alone a hard Brexit.” In last June’s referendum, 48 percent backed Britain remaining within the EU.</p>
<p>Stiglitz, who is a professor at Columbia University, said there are echoes in the Brexit strategy being pursued to what’s going on in the U.S.</p>
<p>Donald Trump, Stiglitz said, didn’t even get a majority of the popular vote in last November’s presidential election, “yet is acting as if he had a mandate.”</p>
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<p>3:40 p.m.</p>
<p>European Union President Donald Tusk has called British Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on Brexit “at least a more realistic announcement” than the months of waffling and unclear messages that have come after Britain’s June 23 vote to leave the bloc.</p>
<p>Tusk called the divorce proceedings between Britain and the EU a “sad process, surrealistic times” in a Twitter posting Tuesday. And he insisted that the 27 other EU nations will be “united and ready to negotiate” when May triggers the Brexit talks at the end of March.</p>
<p>May on Tuesday said Britain will make a clean break from the EU and leave its single market of around 500 million people in order to regain control of its borders and laws.</p>
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<p>2 p.m.</p>
<p>Anthony Scaramucci, who is set to join the Donald Trump administration when it takes power on Friday, says a trade deal between the United States and Britain can be forged much quicker than the time it usually takes for trade deals.</p>
<p>Asked by The Associated Press at the World Economic Forum whether a deal can be negotiated in time for Britain’s exit from the European Union, which is expected sometime in the spring of 2019, Scaramucci says it would be wrong to “take the typical political rubric that you’ve seen and map that out.”</p>
<p>Trump, he says is a “hard charger” and has got a group of people around him that are “very result-oriented.”</p>
<p>Trade deals have traditionally taken years to cobble together, because of diverging interests.</p>
<p>Scaramucci also says that Trump’s message for the EU to stay together following last year’s Brexit vote is “don’t command top-down from Brussels what should be going on in Manchester or Rome.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:50 p.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech outlining Britain’s exit strategy from the European Union has been criticized by opposition figures.</p>
<p>Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, said that May appeared to want to have her cake and eat it when she said she wanted to leave the European single market but still have access to it.</p>
<p>Corbyn told the BBC that “I’m not quite sure how that is going to go down in Europe.”</p>
<p>Tim Farron, who leads the opposition Liberal Democrats, said that May was proposing an “extreme version” of Brexit that would damage Britain’s economy.</p>
<p>Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that although businesses now have a clearer sense of May’s priorities, they still know “little more about the likely outcome of the Brexit negotiations than they did yesterday.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:15 p.m.</p>
<p>Germany’s foreign minister has welcomed a speech by British Prime Minister Theresa May laying out her plans for the U.K.’s departure from the European Union.</p>
<p>Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the speech has “created a little bit more clarity about the British plans” and noted May’s willingness to engage in a constructive and positive partnership with the EU.</p>
<p>Steinmeier said in a statement Tuesday that the other 27 countries, too, want “good, close and trusting relations” with Britain and will aim for constructive negotiations.</p>
<p>But he insisted that talks about the so-called Brexit won’t begin until London has formally notified the EU of its wish to leave the bloc.</p>
<p>Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet with her ministers for the first time Wednesday to discuss Germany’s position on Brexit.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1 p.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain’s Parliament will be able to vote on the final divorce deal reached between the U.K. and European Union.</p>
<p>May confirmed that her government will put the final agreement to a vote in both houses of Parliament before it comes into force.</p>
<p>However, she did not address what would happen should there be a vote against the agreement.</p>
<p>May has said she will trigger the formal process to leave the trade bloc by the end of March. The Supreme Court is expected later this month to rule on whether Parliament must have a say in the matter.</p>
<p>Britain will have two years to negotiate a deal after that.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:40 p.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain will ensure control of immigration from Europe as it exits the EU — though she pledged to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the U.K. as soon as possible.</p>
<p>May said that while Britain remains an open and tolerant country and wants to continue attracting the best talent, immigration has put pressure on public services like schools and health care.</p>
<p>May says that Brexit must mean controlling the number of Europeans arriving from Britain. She vowed to guarantee the rights of Europeans already living and working in Britain — as well as those of Britons living in Europe. But she didn’t provide details on either of those points.</p>
<p>Questioned on what Britain’s future immigration policy would look like, May said details had yet to be worked out.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:20 p.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain will leave the EU’s single market — but will “seek greatest possible access to it” — as it exits the trade bloc.</p>
<p>May says her plans for Brexit cannot allow the U.K. to remain in the single market of the bloc because that would mean “not leaving the EU at all.”</p>
<p>May said she wanted Britain to be part of a customs union agreement with the other EU states, and remove as many trade barriers as possible. She did not provide details, but said she had an “open mind” on how to do it.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:15 p.m.</p>
<p>The pound is rallying on British Prime Minister Theresa May’s focus on keeping Britain open to global trade.</p>
<p>Though her speech Tuesday indicates that Britain will leave the European Union’s single market, she stressed her government’s desire to make the country open to new trade opportunities in the global economy.</p>
<p>May added that Britain will seek a free trade deal with the EU after leaving it. Such deals, however, typically take years to negotiate.</p>
<p>The pound, which has been recovering Tuesday from steep losses earlier in the week, rallied to trade 1.9 percent higher at $1.2271. On Monday, it was as low as $1.20, the weakest level since October and near a 31-year low.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:05 p.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May says that Britain plans to make a clean break from the European Union and not opt for “anything that leaves us half-in, half-out.”</p>
<p>In a major speech Tuesday, May said Britain won’t “hold on to bits of membership,” nor seek associate or partial membership of the bloc.</p>
<p>She says Britain will forge a “new and equal partnership” with Europe.</p>
<p>Britons voted to leave the EU in a referendum in June.</p>
<p>Setting out her vision for Britain, May said she wanted her country to emerge “stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than before.”</p>
<p>She also said that Britain’s parliament will get to vote on a final Brexit deal.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:15 a.m.</p>
<p>Anthony Scaramucci, who is part of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, says global elites have to get out of their comfort zones and listen to the people if they don’t understand how Trump was elected or why Britain voted to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>At a panel at the World Economic Forum, financier Scaramucci said the richest top 3 percent of the world benefited from the massive stimulus measures enacted by global central banks since the financial crisis and are basically back to where they were in 2007. The remaining people, he said, are “struggling.”</p>
<p>To those among the global elites who don’t understand that post-crisis phenomenon, Scaramucci had a message: “Go to the prairie lands of the United States, or perhaps places in Great Britain or places in Europe. You know the places. Listen to the people. We have to as a collective group of people come up with the right policies.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:25 a.m.</p>
<p>The chairman and CEO of Bank of America says major companies like his need clear rules before deciding how much business to maintain in Britain after it quits the European Union.</p>
<p>Brian Moynihan and other top bankers and executives gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos are eagerly awaiting details about the U.K. exit plans from British Prime Minister Theresa May in a speech Tuesday.</p>
<p>Moynihan, speaking to The Associated Press, said Bank of America is working on “all kinds of scenarios” to possibly shift activities out of London after the so-called Brexit, but insisted “it’s still not clear what that would do, or wouldn’t do.”</p>
<p>He said: “It’s still premature to say what anybody’s going to do until you have one set of rules. London will be an important part of our company no matter what happens with the British economy.”</p>
<p>Noting a mass sense of “dislocation” in the British and U.S. electorate because of fast technological change, he said, “The No. 1 job for the leader of any enterprise, whether civil political or business, is to be responsive to the people they serve.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:05 a.m.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to make a speech that will signal that Britain will make a clean break from the European Union and not seek to remain “half-in, half-out.”</p>
<p>In her most detailed address on the U.K.’s exit strategy, May will say that Britain doesn’t want “partial membership of the European Union” or “to hold on to bits of membership as we leave.”</p>
<p>Advance excerpts suggest May’s speech will disappoint businesses and voters who want the country to stay in the bloc’s single market.</p>
<p>It’s likely to be another shock for the pound, which hit a three-month low below $1.20 Monday. It traded slightly above that level early Tuesday.</p>
<p>Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said he was “expecting a wild ride for the pound today.”</p>
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london latest british prime minister theresa mays speech brexit times local 750 pm obama administration says hopes leaders uk european union engage process prevents economic disruptions advertisement final daily press briefing tuesday change administrations white house press secretary josh earnest called critically important american allies engage way thats transparent possible prevent sort economic disruptions misunderstandings surprises earnest says proposal british prime minister theresa may country leave single market certainly going make kinds conversations complicated adds ultimately british people voted last june leave bloc ___ 740 pm leader britains rightwing uk independence party says broadly impressed british prime minister theresa mays speech brexit added isnt moving quickly enough toward exiting country european union paul nuttall speaking associated press european parliament frances eastern city strasbourg said tuesday pleased mays decision definitely leave single market pretty much red line party ukip euroskeptic politician said concern going get slowmotion brexit nuttall insisted want see quick brexit lets britain sign trade deals across globe may tuesday said britain make clean break eu leave single market around 500 million people order regain control borders laws advertisement ___ 715 pm french farright leader marine le pen national front lauding courageous speech respecting british people road british prime minister theresa may set negotiations leave european union candidate french presidential election next may told associated press france know kind respect british voters chose june leave 28nation bloc le pen said french government shown respect 2005 french voters rejected proposed eu constitution le pen praised may saying political leader respects people totally respectable ___ 710 pm spains prime minister hopes brexit negotiations mean minimal disruption european union bloc focus real problems affect citizens like health care immigration security youth employment speaking tuesday reporters end conference leaders spains regional governments mariano rajoy said europe past present future asked british prime minister theresa mays government clear model relationship seeks new ukeu relations rajoy says ready intense good understanding future added possibilities open long four freedoms movement services goods capitals people negotiated separately britain ___ 520 pm senior german lawmaker says britain find way trade european union even leaves bloc juergen hardt speaks chancellor angela merkels party foreign policy matters says believes british government real alternative european common market least none come overnight hardt says uk prime minister theresa mays speech tuesday declared britains intention leave eus single market goods services appeared attempt retake initiative sovereignty brexit process told associated press whether plan work britain remain politically economically powerful despite relatively hard exit european union inside european union remains seen ___ 515 pm nobel prizewinning economist joseph stiglitz says hes surprised british government pursuing strategy see country leave european unions single market speaking sidelines world economic forum stiglitz said political wisdom pointed government trying soften brexit achieve softest version said hes little surprised path outlined prime minister theresa may earlier clear many people uk really didnt want brexit let alone hard brexit last junes referendum 48 percent backed britain remaining within eu stiglitz professor columbia university said echoes brexit strategy pursued whats going us donald trump stiglitz said didnt even get majority popular vote last novembers presidential election yet acting mandate ___ 340 pm european union president donald tusk called british prime minister theresa mays speech brexit least realistic announcement months waffling unclear messages come britains june 23 vote leave bloc tusk called divorce proceedings britain eu sad process surrealistic times twitter posting tuesday insisted 27 eu nations united ready negotiate may triggers brexit talks end march may tuesday said britain make clean break eu leave single market around 500 million people order regain control borders laws ___ 2 pm anthony scaramucci set join donald trump administration takes power friday says trade deal united states britain forged much quicker time usually takes trade deals asked associated press world economic forum whether deal negotiated time britains exit european union expected sometime spring 2019 scaramucci says would wrong take typical political rubric youve seen map trump says hard charger got group people around resultoriented trade deals traditionally taken years cobble together diverging interests scaramucci also says trumps message eu stay together following last years brexit vote dont command topdown brussels going manchester rome ___ 150 pm prime minister theresa mays speech outlining britains exit strategy european union criticized opposition figures jeremy corbyn leader opposition labour party said may appeared want cake eat said wanted leave european single market still access corbyn told bbc im quite sure going go europe tim farron leads opposition liberal democrats said may proposing extreme version brexit would damage britains economy adam marshall director general british chambers commerce said although businesses clearer sense mays priorities still know little likely outcome brexit negotiations yesterday ___ 115 pm germanys foreign minister welcomed speech british prime minister theresa may laying plans uks departure european union frankwalter steinmeier says speech created little bit clarity british plans noted mays willingness engage constructive positive partnership eu steinmeier said statement tuesday 27 countries want good close trusting relations britain aim constructive negotiations insisted talks socalled brexit wont begin london formally notified eu wish leave bloc chancellor angela merkel due meet ministers first time wednesday discuss germanys position brexit ___ 1 pm prime minister theresa may says britains parliament able vote final divorce deal reached uk european union may confirmed government put final agreement vote houses parliament comes force however address would happen vote agreement may said trigger formal process leave trade bloc end march supreme court expected later month rule whether parliament must say matter britain two years negotiate deal ___ 1240 pm prime minister theresa may says britain ensure control immigration europe exits eu though pledged guarantee rights eu citizens living uk soon possible may said britain remains open tolerant country wants continue attracting best talent immigration put pressure public services like schools health care may says brexit must mean controlling number europeans arriving britain vowed guarantee rights europeans already living working britain well britons living europe didnt provide details either points questioned britains future immigration policy would look like may said details yet worked ___ 1220 pm prime minister theresa may says britain leave eus single market seek greatest possible access exits trade bloc may says plans brexit allow uk remain single market bloc would mean leaving eu may said wanted britain part customs union agreement eu states remove many trade barriers possible provide details said open mind ___ 1215 pm pound rallying british prime minister theresa mays focus keeping britain open global trade though speech tuesday indicates britain leave european unions single market stressed governments desire make country open new trade opportunities global economy may added britain seek free trade deal eu leaving deals however typically take years negotiate pound recovering tuesday steep losses earlier week rallied trade 19 percent higher 12271 monday low 120 weakest level since october near 31year low ___ 1205 pm prime minister theresa may says britain plans make clean break european union opt anything leaves us halfin halfout major speech tuesday may said britain wont hold bits membership seek associate partial membership bloc says britain forge new equal partnership europe britons voted leave eu referendum june setting vision britain may said wanted country emerge stronger fairer united outwardlooking also said britains parliament get vote final brexit deal ___ 1115 anthony scaramucci part presidentelect donald trumps transition team says global elites get comfort zones listen people dont understand trump elected britain voted leave european union panel world economic forum financier scaramucci said richest top 3 percent world benefited massive stimulus measures enacted global central banks since financial crisis basically back 2007 remaining people said struggling among global elites dont understand postcrisis phenomenon scaramucci message go prairie lands united states perhaps places great britain places europe know places listen people collective group people come right policies ___ 1025 chairman ceo bank america says major companies like need clear rules deciding much business maintain britain quits european union brian moynihan top bankers executives gathered world economic forum davos eagerly awaiting details uk exit plans british prime minister theresa may speech tuesday moynihan speaking associated press said bank america working kinds scenarios possibly shift activities london socalled brexit insisted still clear would wouldnt said still premature say anybodys going one set rules london important part company matter happens british economy noting mass sense dislocation british us electorate fast technological change said 1 job leader enterprise whether civil political business responsive people serve ___ 905 prime minister theresa may preparing make speech signal britain make clean break european union seek remain halfin halfout detailed address uks exit strategy may say britain doesnt want partial membership european union hold bits membership leave advance excerpts suggest mays speech disappoint businesses voters want country stay blocs single market likely another shock pound hit threemonth low 120 monday traded slightly level early tuesday neil wilson senior market analyst etx capital said expecting wild ride pound today
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<p>NEW YORK — The cloud of steroids hovers above Hall of Fame voting, much as it shrouded baseball in the 1990s and early 2000s.</p>
<p>Tim Raines, in his 10th and final year of eligibility, appears likely to gain election along with Jeff Bagwell when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting is announced Wednesday night. Ivan Rodriguez, eligible for the first time, and Trevor Hoffman also could make it.</p>
<p>But along with focusing on the electees, many will study the vote totals of tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.</p>
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<p>Bonds, a seven-time MVP who holds the season and career home run records, received 36.2 percent in his initial appearance, in 2013, and 44.3 percent last year. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, has risen from 37.6 percent in 2013 to 45.2 percent last year.</p>
<p>This year, Bonds was on 64 percent of the 242 ballots obtained by Ryan Thibodaux and posted on his Hall of Fame vote-tracker, and Clemens was on 63.2 percent. That is just over half the expected total, so both project likely to fall short of the 75 percent needed.</p>
<p>But they are gaining momentum.</p>
<p>Peter Gammons of the MLB Network, who joined the BBWAA in 1972, voted for Bonds and Clemens for the first time. He differentiates between players suspected of steroids use before the start of testing with penalties in 2004 and those suspended for drug violations.</p>
<p>“I judge players by their eras and who they played against,” he said Tuesday. “Clemens and Bonds, they were the best pitcher, player of their eras. And while I wrestled with it, I just decided that how do I know who did and who didn’t? … I finally just decided, you know what, they’re so great that they should be in the Hall of Fame because it’s a museum of baseball history.”</p>
<p>The election of former Commissioner Bud Selig by a veterans committee in November affected the decisions of some because he presided over the era. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago also voted for the pair for the first time.</p>
<p>“I was hoping that Bonds and Clemens maybe would speak up a little more, talk about what they had done, why they had done it, their feelings on the integrity of the game, their feelings on the Hall of Fame,” Miles said. “With the veterans committee electing Bud Selig to the Hall of Fame, I thought it was high time that the standouts from the so-called Steroid Era should join him up on the stage this July.”</p>
<p>Bonds was indicted on charges he lied to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied using PEDs, but a jury failed to reach a verdict on three counts he made false statements and convicted him on one obstruction of justice count, finding he gave an evasive answer. The conviction was overturned appeal in 2015.</p>
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<p>Clemens was acquitted on one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements to Congress and two counts of perjury, all stemming from his denials of drug use.</p>
<p>Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz thinks just the passage of time and change in voting pool leads to a difference perspective.</p>
<p>“Writers come and go. New writers are given the opportunity to vote that may not have covered an era 20 years ago,” he said. “When it is strictly circumstance and evidence that you do not know or don’t have firsthand and you’re just following the rumor-ville, then that’s a difficult proposition to put in a writer, to be judge and jury.”</p>
<p>Manny Ramirez, however, appears to be viewed differently. Suspended twice for drug violations after testing with penalties began in 2004, he was tracking at 24.8 percent in his first ballot appearance. Sammy Sosa, also alleged by some to have used steroids, was tracking at 9.5 percent.</p>
<p>Raines, fifth in career stolen bases, received 24.3 percent of the vote in his first ballot appearance in 2008. He jumped from 55 percent in 2015 to 69.8 percent last year and was on 88.8 percent of the vote-tracker’s ballots this year, set to join Andre Dawson and Gary Carter as the only members of the Hall representing Montreal. Raines spent 13 of 23 big league seasons with the Expos, who left Canada to become the Washington Nationals for the 2005 season.</p>
<p>“If I get in, that’s the team I deserve to go in for, regardless if they no longer have a team,” Raines said last week. “That was the team I played with and I’m real comfortable with that.”</p>
<p>Bagwell, on the ballot for the seventh time, has increased from 41.7 percent in 2011 to 71.6 percent last year, falling 15 votes short when Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected. Bagwell was tracking at 88 percent this year.</p>
<p>“I just want to get it over with,” Bagwell said. “This is the first year I’ve kind of been keeping track of it and just kind of looking. So I’m excited about it.”</p>
<p>Rodriguez was tracking at 78.9 percent in his first ballot appearance, but the vote-tracker’s percentages have been higher than the final totals in recent years. Vladimir Guerrero, also on the ballot for the first time, was tracking at 71.5 percent.</p>
<p>Hoffman, on 67.3 percent of the ballots in his first appearance last year, was tracking at 72.7 percent. Only five pitchers who were primarily relievers are in the Hall: Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter and Rich Gossage.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken and AP freelance writer Sean Farrell contributed to this report.</p>
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new york cloud steroids hovers hall fame voting much shrouded baseball 1990s early 2000s tim raines 10th final year eligibility appears likely gain election along jeff bagwell baseball writers association america voting announced wednesday night ivan rodriguez eligible first time trevor hoffman also could make along focusing electees many study vote totals tainted stars barry bonds roger clemens advertisement bonds seventime mvp holds season career home run records received 362 percent initial appearance 2013 443 percent last year clemens seventime cy young award winner risen 376 percent 2013 452 percent last year year bonds 64 percent 242 ballots obtained ryan thibodaux posted hall fame votetracker clemens 632 percent half expected total project likely fall short 75 percent needed gaining momentum peter gammons mlb network joined bbwaa 1972 voted bonds clemens first time differentiates players suspected steroids use start testing penalties 2004 suspended drug violations judge players eras played said tuesday clemens bonds best pitcher player eras wrestled decided know didnt finally decided know theyre great hall fame museum baseball history election former commissioner bud selig veterans committee november affected decisions presided era bruce miles daily herald suburban chicago also voted pair first time hoping bonds clemens maybe would speak little talk done done feelings integrity game feelings hall fame miles said veterans committee electing bud selig hall fame thought high time standouts socalled steroid era join stage july bonds indicted charges lied grand jury 2003 denied using peds jury failed reach verdict three counts made false statements convicted one obstruction justice count finding gave evasive answer conviction overturned appeal 2015 advertisement clemens acquitted one count obstruction congress three counts making false statements congress two counts perjury stemming denials drug use hall fame pitcher john smoltz thinks passage time change voting pool leads difference perspective writers come go new writers given opportunity vote may covered era 20 years ago said strictly circumstance evidence know dont firsthand youre following rumorville thats difficult proposition put writer judge jury manny ramirez however appears viewed differently suspended twice drug violations testing penalties began 2004 tracking 248 percent first ballot appearance sammy sosa also alleged used steroids tracking 95 percent raines fifth career stolen bases received 243 percent vote first ballot appearance 2008 jumped 55 percent 2015 698 percent last year 888 percent votetrackers ballots year set join andre dawson gary carter members hall representing montreal raines spent 13 23 big league seasons expos left canada become washington nationals 2005 season get thats team deserve go regardless longer team raines said last week team played im real comfortable bagwell ballot seventh time increased 417 percent 2011 716 percent last year falling 15 votes short ken griffey jr mike piazza elected bagwell tracking 88 percent year want get bagwell said first year ive kind keeping track kind looking im excited rodriguez tracking 789 percent first ballot appearance votetrackers percentages higher final totals recent years vladimir guerrero also ballot first time tracking 715 percent hoffman 673 percent ballots first appearance last year tracking 727 percent five pitchers primarily relievers hall hoyt wilhelm rollie fingers dennis eckersley bruce sutter rich gossage ___ ap sports writer kristie rieken ap freelance writer sean farrell contributed report
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<p>Trains have since grown much longer, seemingly stretching to the horizon and often taking 20 minutes to pass through a crossing. And crews have been reduced in size — to five people in the 1970s and two in 1991. Now U.S. railroads want to put a single person in charge of today’s huge locomotives, taking another step toward a future in which the nation’s rail-cargo system increasingly could resemble toy train sets — highly mechanized networks run by computers or distant controllers.</p>
<p>For the moment, freight trains generally have two people aboard — an engineer who drives the train and a conductor who oversees the long line of cars. Railroad executives want to reduce that to a lone engineer, saying advances in safety systems, including a new automatic braking system under development, could minimize risks.</p>
<p>But labor groups and people who live near rail lines are skeptical.</p>
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<p>“These trains are 7,000 tons going 50 mph. You have to have two people,” said J.P. Wright, an engineer for CSX railroad in Louisville, Kentucky. “It’s mindboggling to me that the railroads would go this far with it.”</p>
<p>The mayor of the Chicago suburb of Barrington asks how one person could split a stopped train to allow traffic and first responders through in the event of an emergency.</p>
<p>“There may be technology to compensate for some of it, but I would have questions,” Karen Darch said.</p>
<p>The one-person crew idea is being pitched at a time when railroads are working to increase train length because delivering more cars usually is more profitable, and they’re working to expand capacity to handle even more freight as the economy improves.</p>
<p>Federal regulators have pushed back against the proposal, saying they may require two-person crews.</p>
<p>The Association of American Railroads trade group says accident data does not support requiring two-person crews. It has opposed any effort by the government to prohibit one-person trains.</p>
<p>During a cross-country rail journey, the engineer is at the train’s controls. The conductor is responsible for the cars behind the locomotive, communicating with dispatchers and providing a second set of monitoring eyes.</p>
<p>Labor groups and regulators argue single-person crews, even with the new braking system called “positive train control,” would make trains more prone to accidents.</p>
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<p>“We’re transporting chlorine through your town in the middle of the night completely fatigued with the possibility that the computer is going to make a mistake,” said Wright, a third-generation railroader and co-chairman of the advocacy group Railroad Workers United.</p>
<p>The National Transportation Safety Board says more than two dozen train crashes since 2004 could have been prevented by positive train control, which was required by a 2008 law approved after a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train near Los Angeles, killing 25 and injuring more than 100.</p>
<p>The system is aimed at preventing human error by using GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train position and speed. It can stop trains from colliding, derailing because of excessive speed, entering track under maintenance or traveling the wrong direction because of switching mistakes.</p>
<p>Congress set a 2015 deadline for having the system in place, but it won’t be ready by then. Railroads blame technical challenges and problems getting regulatory approval for thousands of antennas needed to make it work.</p>
<p>The major railroads appear committed to making one-person crews a reality. They declared in 2004 that they wanted to negotiate a nationwide pact for one-person crews, but courts ruled each railroad had to negotiate individually with its unions.</p>
<p>The BNSF railroad tried and failed earlier this fall to get one-person crews approved by one of its unions. The proposal is getting more attention now because of BNSF’s effort and a recent string of fiery rail crashes.</p>
<p>Darch initially became concerned about how increasing train traffic was blocking her city’s four crossings. She helped form a rail-safety group after a 2009 derailment of ethanol tankers killed a woman at a crossing in nearby Cherry Valley, Illinois.</p>
<p>Normally, the conductor can uncouple cars to allow police, fire trucks and ambulances through. But if only one person is aboard, that sole crew member cannot leave the locomotive without manually setting brakes all along the train to ensure it does not roll away.</p>
<p>The Federal Railroad Administration has promised to propose a rule next year requiring at least two people to operate a train.</p>
<p>“We believe safety is greatly enhanced with the use of a multiple-person crew,” administration spokesman Kevin Thompson said.</p>
<p>However, railroad companies argue having a second person in the locomotive does not dramatically improve safety.</p>
<p>“In many cases, that second crew member will be redundant,” said Frank Wilner, who has written six books on the rail industry and previously worked for the Association of American Railroads, the federal Surface Transportation Board and one of the major rail unions.</p>
<p>If railroads can successfully implement the braking system and stop trains remotely, the advances might open the door to one day operating trains entirely by remote control or with robots. Existing remote-control systems are limited to use in rail yards.</p>
<p>The safety system clearly would add another layer of protection against accidents, said Allan Zarembski, an industry veteran who now leads the railroad engineering and safety program at the University of Delaware. But it’s not clear whether positive train control adds enough security to eliminate a crew member.</p>
<p>“It’s a question of how much of a degree of safety do you want?” Zarembski said.</p>
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trains since grown much longer seemingly stretching horizon often taking 20 minutes pass crossing crews reduced size five people 1970s two 1991 us railroads want put single person charge todays huge locomotives taking another step toward future nations railcargo system increasingly could resemble toy train sets highly mechanized networks run computers distant controllers moment freight trains generally two people aboard engineer drives train conductor oversees long line cars railroad executives want reduce lone engineer saying advances safety systems including new automatic braking system development could minimize risks labor groups people live near rail lines skeptical advertisement trains 7000 tons going 50 mph two people said jp wright engineer csx railroad louisville kentucky mindboggling railroads would go far mayor chicago suburb barrington asks one person could split stopped train allow traffic first responders event emergency may technology compensate would questions karen darch said oneperson crew idea pitched time railroads working increase train length delivering cars usually profitable theyre working expand capacity handle even freight economy improves federal regulators pushed back proposal saying may require twoperson crews association american railroads trade group says accident data support requiring twoperson crews opposed effort government prohibit oneperson trains crosscountry rail journey engineer trains controls conductor responsible cars behind locomotive communicating dispatchers providing second set monitoring eyes labor groups regulators argue singleperson crews even new braking system called positive train control would make trains prone accidents advertisement transporting chlorine town middle night completely fatigued possibility computer going make mistake said wright thirdgeneration railroader cochairman advocacy group railroad workers united national transportation safety board says two dozen train crashes since 2004 could prevented positive train control required 2008 law approved commuter train collided headon freight train near los angeles killing 25 injuring 100 system aimed preventing human error using gps wireless radio computers monitor train position speed stop trains colliding derailing excessive speed entering track maintenance traveling wrong direction switching mistakes congress set 2015 deadline system place wont ready railroads blame technical challenges problems getting regulatory approval thousands antennas needed make work major railroads appear committed making oneperson crews reality declared 2004 wanted negotiate nationwide pact oneperson crews courts ruled railroad negotiate individually unions bnsf railroad tried failed earlier fall get oneperson crews approved one unions proposal getting attention bnsfs effort recent string fiery rail crashes darch initially became concerned increasing train traffic blocking citys four crossings helped form railsafety group 2009 derailment ethanol tankers killed woman crossing nearby cherry valley illinois normally conductor uncouple cars allow police fire trucks ambulances one person aboard sole crew member leave locomotive without manually setting brakes along train ensure roll away federal railroad administration promised propose rule next year requiring least two people operate train believe safety greatly enhanced use multipleperson crew administration spokesman kevin thompson said however railroad companies argue second person locomotive dramatically improve safety many cases second crew member redundant said frank wilner written six books rail industry previously worked association american railroads federal surface transportation board one major rail unions railroads successfully implement braking system stop trains remotely advances might open door one day operating trains entirely remote control robots existing remotecontrol systems limited use rail yards safety system clearly would add another layer protection accidents said allan zarembski industry veteran leads railroad engineering safety program university delaware clear whether positive train control adds enough security eliminate crew member question much degree safety want zarembski said
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<p>Edie Testa, center, greets Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz following his rally in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pa., on Wednesday. (Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News)</p>
<p>Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is close to ensuring that Donald Trump cannot win the GOP nomination on a second ballot at the party's July convention in Cleveland, scooping up scores of delegates who have pledged to vote for him instead of the front-runner if given the chance.</p>
<p>The push by Cruz means that it is more essential than ever for Trump to clinch the nomination by winning a majority of delegates to avoid a contested and drawn-out convention fight, which Trump seems almost certain to lose.</p>
<p>The GOP race now rests on two cliffhangers: Can Trump lock up the nomination before Cleveland? If not, can Cruz cobble together enough delegates to win a second convention vote if Trump fails in the first?</p>
<p>Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tosses his notes as he speaks during a Suffolk County Republican Committee fundraising reception in Patchogue, N.Y., on Thursday. (Mary Altaffer/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>Trump's path to amassing the 1,237 delegates he needs to win outright has only gotten narrower after losing to Cruz in Wisconsin and other recent contests, and it would require him to perform better in the remaining states than he has to this point.</p>
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<p>In addition, based on the delegate selections made by states and territories, Cruz is poised to pick up at least 130 more votes on a second ballot, according to a Washington Post analysis. That tally surpasses 170 delegates under less conservative assumptions - a number that could make it impossible for Trump to emerge victorious.</p>
<p>That is why the race centers on the fevered hunt for delegates across the country. The intensity of the fight has sparked another round of caustic rhetoric - including allegations from party leaders that Trump supporters are making death threats.</p>
<p>"It's unfortunate politics has reached a new low. These type of threats have no place in politics," said Kyle Babcock, a Republican delegate from Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. He received an email from a Trump supporter who warned, "Think before you take a step down the wrong path."</p>
<p>Cruz's chances rest on exploiting a wrinkle in the GOP rule book: that delegates assigned to vote for Trump at the convention do not actually have to be Trump supporters. Cruz is particularly focused on getting loyalists elected to delegate positions even in states that the senator from Texas lost.</p>
<p>On Wednesday in Indiana, for example, Republican leaders were finalizing a delegate slate that will include party activists unlikely to vote for Trump in the state's primary next month. Cruz also is poised to sweep Wyoming's 26 delegates this weekend in a state where Trump's campaign did not seriously compete. In Arkansas, Cruz supporters are exploring ways to topple Trump when delegates are chosen next month. And Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has refused to release 171 delegates he won when he was in the race, signaling that he may contribute to the anti-Trump push in Cleveland.</p>
<p>Cruz said this week that he thinks the odds of a contested convention are "very high."</p>
<p>"In Cleveland, I believe we will have an enormous advantage," he told radio talk-show host Glenn Beck.</p>
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<p>Trump has a commanding lead in total delegates and the overall vote total, but he has complained that Republican leaders are conspiring against him in a bid to silence his supporters.</p>
<p>"The RNC should be ashamed of itself for allowing this to happen," Trump said Tuesday night while campaigning in Rome, N.Y.</p>
<p>Paul Manafort, a senior adviser to Trump, said in an interview that he is confident Cruz will never have a chance to convert Trump delegates.</p>
<p>"Just because [Cruz] has won some delegates in a state where we have the delegates voting for us is not relevant until and unless there's a second ballot," Manafort said. "There's not going to be a second ballot."</p>
<p>As the battle for delegates has intensified, so too have emotions. Craig Dunn, who was elected Saturday as a Republican delegate from Indiana's 4th Congressional District, said he has received several threatening phone calls and emails after criticizing Trump in recent news reports.</p>
<p>"When they reference burials and your family in the same email, and telling you that you're being watched, that's concerning," he said.</p>
<p>In Colorado, Republicans are planning a rally Friday to call attention to threats made against GOP chairman Steve House. He said his office received 3,000 phone calls "with many being the trashiest you can imagine" after a state party convention last weekend awarded all 34 delegates to Cruz.</p>
<p>"Shame on the people who think somehow that it is right to threaten me and my family over not liking the outcome of an election," he wrote on Facebook.</p>
<p>Cruz told Beck on Tuesday that threats made by Trump supporters, including those made by the businessman's longtime confidant Roger Stone, are "the tactic of union thugs. That is violence. It is oppressive."</p>
<p>Stone recently told an interviewer that Trump supporters would track down delegates at their hotel rooms in Cleveland if they break away from Trump.</p>
<p>Manafort said that "it's certainly not part of our policy" to threaten violence but accused "abusive" Cruz supporters of confronting Trump's backers at party meetings nationwide.</p>
<p>When the presidential nomination vote is held at the convention, 95 percent of the delegates will be bound to the results in their states for the first vote, giving Trump his best shot at securing a majority.</p>
<p>But if Trump falls short, the convention will cast a second ballot in which more than 1,800 delegates from 31 states - nearly 60 percent of the total - will be unbound and allowed to vote however they want. By the third round, 80 percent of the delegates would be free, sparking a potential free-for-all that could continue for several more rounds.</p>
<p>That is the crux of the state-by-state battle that is playing out over the next two months as Republicans gather at the precinct, county, congressional district and statewide levels to choose convention delegates.</p>
<p>"If we go into a contested convention, we're going to have a ton of delegates, Donald is going to have a ton of delegates, and it's going to be a battle in Cleveland to see who can earn a majority of the delegates that were elected by the people," Cruz told a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday.</p>
<p>He predicted that the first ballot "will be the highest vote total Donald Trump receives. And on a subsequent ballot, we're going to win the nomination."</p>
<p>If Cruz prevails, it will be because of what supporters are doing for him nationwide with what they say is little direct input from his campaign headquarters.</p>
<p>In Arkansas, Republicans will not meet until next month to finalize their delegate slate, but state lawmakers who probably will win a position are talking about voting for Cruz on the second ballot.</p>
<p>"For the vast majority of Cruz voters, Rubio was their second choice, and for the vast majority of Rubio supporters, Cruz was their second choice. So when you're going to pick delegates, it just makes sense that we would work together," said state Sen. Bart Hester, who backed Rubio.</p>
<p>In Iowa, Cruz won 11 of the 12 delegates assigned last weekend - meaning that he probably will have their support in later rounds of balloting. That same day in South Carolina, Cruz secured three of the six delegate slots assigned by two congressional districts that Trump had easily won.</p>
<p>"There's nothing underhanded going on," said Elliott Kelley, one of the Cruz supporters who won in South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District. "Delegates are being appointed from the local level. The Trump team just doesn't have people involved at the local level and they're not getting delegates."</p>
<p>Cruz supporters also won two of the three delegate slots from Virginia's southernmost congressional district even though Trump won there handily. One of those Cruz supporters is Kyle Kilgore, 22, who said he would vote for Trump on the first ballot as required.</p>
<p>"I would have a hard time voting for Trump on the second ballot," he said.</p>
<p>In Indiana, Dunn will be required to initially vote for whoever wins his congressional district in May. If Trump fails in the first round, Dunn said he probably will vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich on a second ballot.</p>
<p>"I'll be looking for the candidate who I think has the best chance of beating Hillary Clinton in November," Dunn said. "And if the person I want doesn't get it, I won't take my marbles and go home; I will support the nominee of the Republican Party."</p>
<p>Alice Crites, Jose A. DelReal, Sean Sullivan and Katie Zezima contributed to this report.</p>
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edie testa center greets republican presidential candidate ted cruz following rally millcreek township erie county pa wednesday christopher milletteerie timesnews republican presidential candidate ted cruz close ensuring donald trump win gop nomination second ballot partys july convention cleveland scooping scores delegates pledged vote instead frontrunner given chance push cruz means essential ever trump clinch nomination winning majority delegates avoid contested drawnout convention fight trump seems almost certain lose gop race rests two cliffhangers trump lock nomination cleveland cruz cobble together enough delegates win second convention vote trump fails first republican presidential candidate donald trump tosses notes speaks suffolk county republican committee fundraising reception patchogue ny thursday mary altafferthe associated press trumps path amassing 1237 delegates needs win outright gotten narrower losing cruz wisconsin recent contests would require perform better remaining states point advertisement addition based delegate selections made states territories cruz poised pick least 130 votes second ballot according washington post analysis tally surpasses 170 delegates less conservative assumptions number could make impossible trump emerge victorious race centers fevered hunt delegates across country intensity fight sparked another round caustic rhetoric including allegations party leaders trump supporters making death threats unfortunate politics reached new low type threats place politics said kyle babcock republican delegate indianas 3rd congressional district received email trump supporter warned think take step wrong path cruzs chances rest exploiting wrinkle gop rule book delegates assigned vote trump convention actually trump supporters cruz particularly focused getting loyalists elected delegate positions even states senator texas lost wednesday indiana example republican leaders finalizing delegate slate include party activists unlikely vote trump states primary next month cruz also poised sweep wyomings 26 delegates weekend state trumps campaign seriously compete arkansas cruz supporters exploring ways topple trump delegates chosen next month sen marco rubio rfla refused release 171 delegates race signaling may contribute antitrump push cleveland cruz said week thinks odds contested convention high cleveland believe enormous advantage told radio talkshow host glenn beck advertisement trump commanding lead total delegates overall vote total complained republican leaders conspiring bid silence supporters rnc ashamed allowing happen trump said tuesday night campaigning rome ny paul manafort senior adviser trump said interview confident cruz never chance convert trump delegates cruz delegates state delegates voting us relevant unless theres second ballot manafort said theres going second ballot battle delegates intensified emotions craig dunn elected saturday republican delegate indianas 4th congressional district said received several threatening phone calls emails criticizing trump recent news reports reference burials family email telling youre watched thats concerning said colorado republicans planning rally friday call attention threats made gop chairman steve house said office received 3000 phone calls many trashiest imagine state party convention last weekend awarded 34 delegates cruz shame people think somehow right threaten family liking outcome election wrote facebook cruz told beck tuesday threats made trump supporters including made businessmans longtime confidant roger stone tactic union thugs violence oppressive stone recently told interviewer trump supporters would track delegates hotel rooms cleveland break away trump manafort said certainly part policy threaten violence accused abusive cruz supporters confronting trumps backers party meetings nationwide presidential nomination vote held convention 95 percent delegates bound results states first vote giving trump best shot securing majority trump falls short convention cast second ballot 1800 delegates 31 states nearly 60 percent total unbound allowed vote however want third round 80 percent delegates would free sparking potential freeforall could continue several rounds crux statebystate battle playing next two months republicans gather precinct county congressional district statewide levels choose convention delegates go contested convention going ton delegates donald going ton delegates going battle cleveland see earn majority delegates elected people cruz told meeting republican jewish coalition las vegas saturday predicted first ballot highest vote total donald trump receives subsequent ballot going win nomination cruz prevails supporters nationwide say little direct input campaign headquarters arkansas republicans meet next month finalize delegate slate state lawmakers probably win position talking voting cruz second ballot vast majority cruz voters rubio second choice vast majority rubio supporters cruz second choice youre going pick delegates makes sense would work together said state sen bart hester backed rubio iowa cruz 11 12 delegates assigned last weekend meaning probably support later rounds balloting day south carolina cruz secured three six delegate slots assigned two congressional districts trump easily theres nothing underhanded going said elliott kelley one cruz supporters south carolinas 3rd congressional district delegates appointed local level trump team doesnt people involved local level theyre getting delegates cruz supporters also two three delegate slots virginias southernmost congressional district even though trump handily one cruz supporters kyle kilgore 22 said would vote trump first ballot required would hard time voting trump second ballot said indiana dunn required initially vote whoever wins congressional district may trump fails first round dunn said probably vote ohio gov john kasich second ballot ill looking candidate think best chance beating hillary clinton november dunn said person want doesnt get wont take marbles go home support nominee republican party alice crites jose delreal sean sullivan katie zezima contributed report
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<p>The drumbeat of news on how the long arm of the Kremlin reached into the American election process last year has become a bit overwhelming for many in the nation’s capital with ties to Russia. Longtime observers note that the allegations of hacking and collusion, and the accompanying barrage of headlines, are unlike anything seen here since before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.</p>
<p>As questions about Russia’s role grow, some here say they are unfairly bearing the brunt of American suspicion. And the spy jokes are getting old.</p>
<p>“When you turn on the TV it’s always Russia, Russia, Russia on every program,” says Igor Efimov, chair of the biomedical engineering department at George Washington University. “This constant everyday thinking that somehow 140 million people are evil is just not appropriate in my opinion.”</p>
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<p>Efimov, 53, a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Russia in 1992, is a Democrat who voted for Clinton. But he is unhappy that questions about possible collusion in 2016 between Donald Trump’s campaign and Vladimir Putin’s Russia are being used to delegitimize the new president before anything has been proven. And he resents more that all Russians are being painted with the same brush.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what’s behind the allegations, whether or not Russia was involved,” Efimov says. “It could be, but again, I’d like to see the facts first. I am a scientist and I usually base my opinion on facts, not on somebody said so. But if it’s true, which is fully possible, this allegation still doesn’t mean that the whole community is guilty.”</p>
<p>Diplomats and bankers are getting most of the attention in the showdown over Russia. Email hackers too, of course. But in Washington’s Russian and Russian-American community, which is not enormous, there are also teachers and truck drivers, hairdressers and hockey stars. Now, even they are starting to hear questions.</p>
<p>Lily Rozhkova was a journalist in Russia before she moved to the United States in 1999. Most of her friends in Washington are Russian, and the relationship between the two countries has become the first thing they talk about when they all get together.</p>
<p>“We do worry about this,” she says. “We’re just trying to stay optimistic and hope that they just work on the situation and don’t make our worst fears happen.”</p>
<p>Rozhkova, 44, is a green-card holder who works at a real estate office in Virginia. She remembers that when President Barack Obama booted out 35 Russian diplomats and their families in December as a penalty for Russian interference in the election she heard jokes from American friends and colleagues.</p>
<p>“They said, ‘Are you a spy? Do you work with KGB?’ And I told them there’s been no KGB for years,” she said, with a laugh. “They were just making a joke, but that was all.”</p>
<p>As the news churns and allegations grow, however, Rozhkova says the talk is occasionally more serious.</p>
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<p>“I would say they are starting to mention Russia more in the past couple of months,” she says. “Before the election, it was more of a joke, but right now the more they hear from TV and media, it’s like this joke, they’re starting to believe it might be true.”</p>
<p>At Mari Vanna, a bustling downtown Washington restaurant favored by Russian expats including Alexander Ovechkin, the star forward for the Washington Capitals, talk about Russia is often in the air. But Tatiana Mis, 27, the restaurant’s manager, says she hasn’t noticed an uptick in apprehension about U.S.-Russia relations.</p>
<p>Sitting next to the bar, where you can choose from 16 flavors of vodka or spend $130 for an ounce of Royal Osetra Black Caviar, Mis, who is from Belarus, points out that the jokes about Russian spies have always been made.</p>
<p>“When I’m talking in Russian on the phone in a grocery store, people will look at me differently,” she says. “But that’s normal. I don’t think they’re saying, ‘Oh she’s spying.’ Everyone’s very nice.”</p>
<p>For Father Victor Potapov, the experience is different. The rector of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Northwest Washington says that “being a Russian American now is almost on par with being a Russian American during the Cold War.”</p>
<p>Potapov, 68, came to the United States in 1950 when he was 2 years old. Growing up in Cleveland, his parents were fervent anti-Communists who always told their son to remind his American friends that there was a big difference between the Soviet regime and the Russian people.</p>
<p>So Potapov was thrilled when the Soviet Union collapsed and a new relationship emerged between the United States and a reborn Russia. Now that relationship is being strained in ways that worry him, at least in the short term. He thinks the issue of election meddling has been overblown and that there has been a lot of misunderstanding about Russia’s role.</p>
<p>“I’m always happy when there’s an American commentator who comes around and says, ‘Wait a minute guys, let’s stop and soberly discuss what’s going on.’ We can’t see a KGB agent behind every bush,” he says. “We’re delighted when there are people out there who write sober articles instead of alarming everybody.”</p>
<p>Potapov’s church is home to 500 families who attend services in Russian and celebrate Russian heritage and traditions. He says he tries to keep politics out of parish life. He knows some in his parish strongly support Putin and Trump and others oppose both men just as vehemently.</p>
<p>“But we all get along,” Potapov said. And that’s what he wants for America and Russia as well. “If only we could get along, what a wonderful world it would be.”</p>
<p>For now though, the effect of all the coverage is making many Russians wary and others are just clamming up altogether.</p>
<p>“The hysteria about Russia in mass media makes people sensitive to this issue and some are not comfortable to publicly talk about it,” says Efimov. “Some fear for their jobs. This is really sad in a democracy.”</p>
<p>Sign up for the Today’s WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.</p>
| false | 2 |
drumbeat news long arm kremlin reached american election process last year become bit overwhelming many nations capital ties russia longtime observers note allegations hacking collusion accompanying barrage headlines unlike anything seen since soviet union collapsed 1991 questions russias role grow say unfairly bearing brunt american suspicion spy jokes getting old turn tv always russia russia russia every program says igor efimov chair biomedical engineering department george washington university constant everyday thinking somehow 140 million people evil appropriate opinion advertisement efimov 53 us citizen emigrated russia 1992 democrat voted clinton unhappy questions possible collusion 2016 donald trumps campaign vladimir putins russia used delegitimize new president anything proven resents russians painted brush dont know whats behind allegations whether russia involved efimov says could id like see facts first scientist usually base opinion facts somebody said true fully possible allegation still doesnt mean whole community guilty diplomats bankers getting attention showdown russia email hackers course washingtons russian russianamerican community enormous also teachers truck drivers hairdressers hockey stars even starting hear questions lily rozhkova journalist russia moved united states 1999 friends washington russian relationship two countries become first thing talk get together worry says trying stay optimistic hope work situation dont make worst fears happen rozhkova 44 greencard holder works real estate office virginia remembers president barack obama booted 35 russian diplomats families december penalty russian interference election heard jokes american friends colleagues said spy work kgb told theres kgb years said laugh making joke news churns allegations grow however rozhkova says talk occasionally serious advertisement would say starting mention russia past couple months says election joke right hear tv media like joke theyre starting believe might true mari vanna bustling downtown washington restaurant favored russian expats including alexander ovechkin star forward washington capitals talk russia often air tatiana mis 27 restaurants manager says hasnt noticed uptick apprehension usrussia relations sitting next bar choose 16 flavors vodka spend 130 ounce royal osetra black caviar mis belarus points jokes russian spies always made im talking russian phone grocery store people look differently says thats normal dont think theyre saying oh shes spying everyones nice father victor potapov experience different rector russian orthodox cathedral st john baptist northwest washington says russian american almost par russian american cold war potapov 68 came united states 1950 2 years old growing cleveland parents fervent anticommunists always told son remind american friends big difference soviet regime russian people potapov thrilled soviet union collapsed new relationship emerged united states reborn russia relationship strained ways worry least short term thinks issue election meddling overblown lot misunderstanding russias role im always happy theres american commentator comes around says wait minute guys lets stop soberly discuss whats going cant see kgb agent behind every bush says delighted people write sober articles instead alarming everybody potapovs church home 500 families attend services russian celebrate russian heritage traditions says tries keep politics parish life knows parish strongly support putin trump others oppose men vehemently get along potapov said thats wants america russia well could get along wonderful world would though effect coverage making many russians wary others clamming altogether hysteria russia mass media makes people sensitive issue comfortable publicly talk says efimov fear jobs really sad democracy sign todays worldview newsletter washington post
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<p>DETROIT (AP) — An indoor cycling track in Detroit is expected to draw bike riders from other cold-weather states and across the U.S. while giving inner-city youth the opportunity to participate for free in the fast-moving and growing sport.</p>
<p>The Lexus Velodrome, which will have its grand opening Monday, is in an inflatable, climate-controlled dome a few miles north of a new professional hockey and basketball arena and close to a site proposed for a professional soccer stadium.</p>
<p>It joins a training facility in Colorado Springs and a venue in Los Angeles as the only indoor velodromes in the U.S.</p>
<p>"It is great to have an indoor training resource in the winter time," said Joan Hanscom, 50, a competitive cyclist from Colorado Springs. "Otherwise, if you're looking to be fit and ready for your spring racing season you're really limited to riding a trainer in your house or in a gym and that's not as much fun."</p>
<p>The velodrome diversifies Detroit's sports offerings and continues to push the story of the city's turnaround, said Kris Smith, Detroit Sports Commission director.</p>
<p>Bicycling is gaining popularity in the Motor City. A $21 million project linking 20 miles of walking, running and biking paths was completed in 2016. The city also is looking to add protected bike lanes along some of its busier streets.</p>
<p>An organization that rents out bikes surpassed 100,000 rides in about five months last year.</p>
<p>"It's very important to understand who is riding the bikes now ... millennials who are looking to be more active, do more things, get out of their cars and go for a bike ride," Smith said.</p>
<p>A weekly ride called Slow Roll Detroit often attracts 3,000 or more cyclists on Monday evenings during the summer. Another annual event draws even more riders on tours of the city, while a cyclocross race and the inaugural Detroit Cycling Championship also were held last year.</p>
<p>Those and other events "could potentially put Detroit on the international map for cycling events," Smith added.</p>
<p>An anonymous donor with a penchant for cycling put up $5 million for Detroit's velodrome project, said Dale Hughes, who designed and built it. He also runs the nonprofit Detroit Fitness Foundation which operates the velodrome.</p>
<p>Hughes, 68, declined to name the donor who contacted him about 2½ years ago.</p>
<p>"I said 'where do you want to build this' and he said 'Detroit,'" Hughes said. "He grew up in Metro Detroit and wanted to give back to the city by doing something special for the kids of Detroit."</p>
<p>The velodrome offers "a lot of potential for kids in Detroit who don't have as many opportunities," Hughes said. "If they are willing to sweat a little bit, I think we can turn out some champions."</p>
<p>The city owns the land, but the foundation has a 12-year concessions license and operating agreement.</p>
<p>No taxpayer money was used in the building or for its operations, Hughes said. Operations will be paid through user fees, donations, events and corporate sponsorships, like the one with Lexus. Programs will be free for children and teens.</p>
<p>Only specially designed direct-drive bikes can be used on the wooden, tenth-of-a-mile oval track, which has steep banks that allow riders to maintain speeds that can top 40 mph during competitions.</p>
<p>Hughes has designed and built about two dozen velodromes around the globe. Locally, he's also built an outdoor track in Rochester Hills, north of Detroit.</p>
<p>T.J. Hill first cycled on a velodrome in 1952. On Thursday, he pedaled around the Lexus Velodrome track.</p>
<p>"My fingers don't like the cold weather," said Hill, 85, who lives in suburban Detroit. "I've cycled quite a bit in the cold weather and just suffered. I'm going to cycle more now (in the winter) that I can come here."</p>
<p>Other cities, like Minneapolis, also are considering indoor velodromes, said Bob Williams, velodrome director at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.</p>
<p>"Anywhere in the United States it's a big deal," Williams added. "Indoors is really the way things have to go for speed events. Even in good climates it's too windy or too hot to establish high speed and make it convenient for training."</p>
<p>DETROIT (AP) — An indoor cycling track in Detroit is expected to draw bike riders from other cold-weather states and across the U.S. while giving inner-city youth the opportunity to participate for free in the fast-moving and growing sport.</p>
<p>The Lexus Velodrome, which will have its grand opening Monday, is in an inflatable, climate-controlled dome a few miles north of a new professional hockey and basketball arena and close to a site proposed for a professional soccer stadium.</p>
<p>It joins a training facility in Colorado Springs and a venue in Los Angeles as the only indoor velodromes in the U.S.</p>
<p>"It is great to have an indoor training resource in the winter time," said Joan Hanscom, 50, a competitive cyclist from Colorado Springs. "Otherwise, if you're looking to be fit and ready for your spring racing season you're really limited to riding a trainer in your house or in a gym and that's not as much fun."</p>
<p>The velodrome diversifies Detroit's sports offerings and continues to push the story of the city's turnaround, said Kris Smith, Detroit Sports Commission director.</p>
<p>Bicycling is gaining popularity in the Motor City. A $21 million project linking 20 miles of walking, running and biking paths was completed in 2016. The city also is looking to add protected bike lanes along some of its busier streets.</p>
<p>An organization that rents out bikes surpassed 100,000 rides in about five months last year.</p>
<p>"It's very important to understand who is riding the bikes now ... millennials who are looking to be more active, do more things, get out of their cars and go for a bike ride," Smith said.</p>
<p>A weekly ride called Slow Roll Detroit often attracts 3,000 or more cyclists on Monday evenings during the summer. Another annual event draws even more riders on tours of the city, while a cyclocross race and the inaugural Detroit Cycling Championship also were held last year.</p>
<p>Those and other events "could potentially put Detroit on the international map for cycling events," Smith added.</p>
<p>An anonymous donor with a penchant for cycling put up $5 million for Detroit's velodrome project, said Dale Hughes, who designed and built it. He also runs the nonprofit Detroit Fitness Foundation which operates the velodrome.</p>
<p>Hughes, 68, declined to name the donor who contacted him about 2½ years ago.</p>
<p>"I said 'where do you want to build this' and he said 'Detroit,'" Hughes said. "He grew up in Metro Detroit and wanted to give back to the city by doing something special for the kids of Detroit."</p>
<p>The velodrome offers "a lot of potential for kids in Detroit who don't have as many opportunities," Hughes said. "If they are willing to sweat a little bit, I think we can turn out some champions."</p>
<p>The city owns the land, but the foundation has a 12-year concessions license and operating agreement.</p>
<p>No taxpayer money was used in the building or for its operations, Hughes said. Operations will be paid through user fees, donations, events and corporate sponsorships, like the one with Lexus. Programs will be free for children and teens.</p>
<p>Only specially designed direct-drive bikes can be used on the wooden, tenth-of-a-mile oval track, which has steep banks that allow riders to maintain speeds that can top 40 mph during competitions.</p>
<p>Hughes has designed and built about two dozen velodromes around the globe. Locally, he's also built an outdoor track in Rochester Hills, north of Detroit.</p>
<p>T.J. Hill first cycled on a velodrome in 1952. On Thursday, he pedaled around the Lexus Velodrome track.</p>
<p>"My fingers don't like the cold weather," said Hill, 85, who lives in suburban Detroit. "I've cycled quite a bit in the cold weather and just suffered. I'm going to cycle more now (in the winter) that I can come here."</p>
<p>Other cities, like Minneapolis, also are considering indoor velodromes, said Bob Williams, velodrome director at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.</p>
<p>"Anywhere in the United States it's a big deal," Williams added. "Indoors is really the way things have to go for speed events. Even in good climates it's too windy or too hot to establish high speed and make it convenient for training."</p>
| false | 2 |
detroit ap indoor cycling track detroit expected draw bike riders coldweather states across us giving innercity youth opportunity participate free fastmoving growing sport lexus velodrome grand opening monday inflatable climatecontrolled dome miles north new professional hockey basketball arena close site proposed professional soccer stadium joins training facility colorado springs venue los angeles indoor velodromes us great indoor training resource winter time said joan hanscom 50 competitive cyclist colorado springs otherwise youre looking fit ready spring racing season youre really limited riding trainer house gym thats much fun velodrome diversifies detroits sports offerings continues push story citys turnaround said kris smith detroit sports commission director bicycling gaining popularity motor city 21 million project linking 20 miles walking running biking paths completed 2016 city also looking add protected bike lanes along busier streets organization rents bikes surpassed 100000 rides five months last year important understand riding bikes millennials looking active things get cars go bike ride smith said weekly ride called slow roll detroit often attracts 3000 cyclists monday evenings summer another annual event draws even riders tours city cyclocross race inaugural detroit cycling championship also held last year events could potentially put detroit international map cycling events smith added anonymous donor penchant cycling put 5 million detroits velodrome project said dale hughes designed built also runs nonprofit detroit fitness foundation operates velodrome hughes 68 declined name donor contacted 2½ years ago said want build said detroit hughes said grew metro detroit wanted give back city something special kids detroit velodrome offers lot potential kids detroit dont many opportunities hughes said willing sweat little bit think turn champions city owns land foundation 12year concessions license operating agreement taxpayer money used building operations hughes said operations paid user fees donations events corporate sponsorships like one lexus programs free children teens specially designed directdrive bikes used wooden tenthofamile oval track steep banks allow riders maintain speeds top 40 mph competitions hughes designed built two dozen velodromes around globe locally hes also built outdoor track rochester hills north detroit tj hill first cycled velodrome 1952 thursday pedaled around lexus velodrome track fingers dont like cold weather said hill 85 lives suburban detroit ive cycled quite bit cold weather suffered im going cycle winter come cities like minneapolis also considering indoor velodromes said bob williams velodrome director national sports center blaine minnesota anywhere united states big deal williams added indoors really way things go speed events even good climates windy hot establish high speed make convenient training detroit ap indoor cycling track detroit expected draw bike riders coldweather states across us giving innercity youth opportunity participate free fastmoving growing sport lexus velodrome grand opening monday inflatable climatecontrolled dome miles north new professional hockey basketball arena close site proposed professional soccer stadium joins training facility colorado springs venue los angeles indoor velodromes us great indoor training resource winter time said joan hanscom 50 competitive cyclist colorado springs otherwise youre looking fit ready spring racing season youre really limited riding trainer house gym thats much fun velodrome diversifies detroits sports offerings continues push story citys turnaround said kris smith detroit sports commission director bicycling gaining popularity motor city 21 million project linking 20 miles walking running biking paths completed 2016 city also looking add protected bike lanes along busier streets organization rents bikes surpassed 100000 rides five months last year important understand riding bikes millennials looking active things get cars go bike ride smith said weekly ride called slow roll detroit often attracts 3000 cyclists monday evenings summer another annual event draws even riders tours city cyclocross race inaugural detroit cycling championship also held last year events could potentially put detroit international map cycling events smith added anonymous donor penchant cycling put 5 million detroits velodrome project said dale hughes designed built also runs nonprofit detroit fitness foundation operates velodrome hughes 68 declined name donor contacted 2½ years ago said want build said detroit hughes said grew metro detroit wanted give back city something special kids detroit velodrome offers lot potential kids detroit dont many opportunities hughes said willing sweat little bit think turn champions city owns land foundation 12year concessions license operating agreement taxpayer money used building operations hughes said operations paid user fees donations events corporate sponsorships like one lexus programs free children teens specially designed directdrive bikes used wooden tenthofamile oval track steep banks allow riders maintain speeds top 40 mph competitions hughes designed built two dozen velodromes around globe locally hes also built outdoor track rochester hills north detroit tj hill first cycled velodrome 1952 thursday pedaled around lexus velodrome track fingers dont like cold weather said hill 85 lives suburban detroit ive cycled quite bit cold weather suffered im going cycle winter come cities like minneapolis also considering indoor velodromes said bob williams velodrome director national sports center blaine minnesota anywhere united states big deal williams added indoors really way things go speed events even good climates windy hot establish high speed make convenient training
| 822 |
<p>Jan 18 (Reuters) - EGYPTIAN EXCHANGE:</p>
<p>* SAYS MOON CAPITAL PARTNERS MASTER FUND BUYS 3.7 MILLION SHARES OF GLOBAL TELECOM FOR EGP 26 MILLION ‍​ Source: ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2rjz6ds" type="external">bit.ly/2rjz6ds</a>) Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Electric Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GE.N" type="external">GE.N</a>) said on Friday it took a $4.24 billion equity charge and reduced earnings for the last two years by 30 cents a share, figures in line with expectations the company set earlier this year when it said it would comply with new accounting standards.</p> FILE PHOTO: The General Electric logo is pictured on the General Electric offshore wind turbine plant in Montoir-de-Bretagne, near Saint-Nazaire, western France, November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
<p>The maker of power plants, jet engines, medical devices and other industrial goods had estimated the after-tax, non-cash impact would be about $4.2 billion, plus reduced earnings for 2016 and 2017 of about 29 cents a share.</p>
<p>The accounting change prompted GE to recast two years of past financial statements to reflect lower income and asset values under the new standard, and those will be reflected when GE reports first-quarter results on April 20.</p>
<p>The value of GE’s contract assets are being written down, but that does not change the value of the long-term contracts GE has, nor does it affect GE’s cash flow or earnings estimates for 2018, GE said.</p>
<p>The adjustments appear within expectations, Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau said. “Now the focus moves to next Friday’s earnings.”</p>
<p>The figures suggest GE executives have gotten to the bottom of some accounting issues and bolster confidence in Chief Executive Officer John Flannery after a series of financial surprises, including underestimating the impact of insurance policies that prompted a $6.2 billion charge in the fourth quarter, analysts said.</p>
<p>GE shares were down 1 percent at $13.35 in aftermarket trading after rising 2.4 percent on Friday.</p>
<p>The new accounting standard governs how companies estimate and recognize revenue from long-term contracts, and is designed to make a company’s cash flow more closely match its income, accounting experts and analysts said.</p>
<p>The prior standard allowed companies to recognize future revenue from such agreements more quickly. The new standard shifts revenue to later in the contract duration, analysts said.</p>
<p>Companies typically use the cost of providing services as a basis for estimating future revenue from the contracts, but the process can lead to over- or under-estimating the value of the contracts as assets on the balance sheet, experts say.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GE.N" type="external">General Electric Co</a> 13.5 GE.N New York Stock Exchange +0.32 (+2.43%) GE.N
<p>GE’s contract asset tally has soared 70 percent to $28.8 billion in 2017, from $16.9 billion in 2014, most of it in its power and aviation units. The majority of the total reflects revenue GE has already booked but for which it has not billed customers, which creates the gap between profit and cash flow, according to GE’s regulatory filings.</p>
<p>GE also made adjustments for new accounting standards for pensions, cash flow and taxes on Friday.</p>
<p>GE’s accounting is under scrutiny after earnings swung to a loss last year and GE said its 2018 results would be at the low end of its forecasted range of between $1.00 and $1.07 a share.</p>
<p>The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into GE’s accounting for contract assets, raising investor concern but GE has said it is not overly concerned about the investigation.</p>
<p>GE said in February that it expects to make the adjustments as it switches to the new accounting standards for contracts.</p>
<p>GE said it chose to restate 2016 and 2017 earnings, a more exacting standard under the new rules, because it will allow investors to compare 2018 results with the prior years.</p>
<p>Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Bill Rigby and Clive McKeef</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services on Saturday recommended investors vote against the re-election of five Equifax Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=EFX.N" type="external">EFX.N</a>) directors who served on the company’s audit and technology committees prior to a 2017 data breach.</p> Credit reporting company Equifax Inc. corporate offices are pictured in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., September 8, 2017. REUTERS/Tami Chappell
<p>The Atlanta-based consumer credit company last fall said hackers had stolen personally identifiable information of U.S., British and Canadian consumers, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license and credit card numbers. Over time, Equifax has increased the number affected to more than 147 million people.</p>
<p>ISS said in a report to shareholders sent to Reuters by a spokesman that the company’s reputation and shareholder value had been damaged by the extent of the breach and the company’s slow response to it, placing a cloud over the company.</p>
<p>In response, it recommended against voting for directors Mark L. Feidler, G. Thomas Hough, John A. McKinley, Elane B. Stock and Mark B. Templeton, who served on the two committees with relevant oversight duties. It recommended votes in support of the remaining five director candidates at the company, including Siri S. Marshall, head of the governance committee.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=EFX.N" type="external">Equifax Inc</a> 116.0 EFX.N New York Stock Exchange -0.91 (-0.78%) EFX.N
<p>An Equifax spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the recommendations.</p>
<p>Equifax has said breach-related costs could reach $439 million through year-end, potentially making it the most costly U.S. hack yet disclosed. The company has lost 19 percent of its market value since the massive cybertheft was disclosed. Its shares traded at $116 on Friday. [L2N1QK1Q1]</p>
<p>The credit reporting company is facing 100s of lawsuits by consumers, financial institutions and even the city of Chicago relating to the cybersecurity breach. The company disputes the claims and has said it intends to defend against them.</p>
<p>ISS also recommended “cautionary support” for the company’s say-on-pay resolution, noting the compensation committee’s decision to not pay annual incentives, steps to adjust incentive metrics and strengthen clawback provisions. However, it said there are ongoing questions about former Chief Executive Richard F. Smith’s pay and “the issue warrants continued monitoring.”</p>
<p>It also recommended a vote in favor of a shareholder resolution seeking a report on political contributions by the company, saying holders would benefit from more disclosure of the company’s political spending, payments to trade groups, its management of related risks.</p>
<p>The company’s annual general meeting is scheduled for May 3.</p>
<p>Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Alistair Bell</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Saturday he would press for “reasonable results” in the next round of pay talks with more than two million public sector workers, but he rejected the Verdi union’s demand for a six percent increase.</p> FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Justice Minister Katarina Barley and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer react as they pose for a group photo at the German government guesthouse Meseberg Palace in Meseberg, Germany, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
<p>Wage talks are due to resume on Sunday after 150,000 public sector employees staged warning strikes and walkouts last week that left thousands of passengers stranded at airports, and hit hospitals, childcare centres and waste depots.</p>
<p>Seehofer, the federal government’s top negotiator in the talks, underscored the importance of public sector workers and said it was “self-evident” that they should benefit from the country’s economic growth.</p>
<p>However, he said Verdi’s demand was unreasonable.</p>
<p>“It is and remains clear that the union demand for a six percent increase is too high for one year,” he said in a statement issued by his ministry. “We will continue the negotiations in such a way that we can quickly achieve reasonable results.”</p>
<p>Verdi said 17,000 people participated in walkouts on Friday, bringing the total for the week’s labour actions to 150,000.</p>
<p>Verdi leader Frank Bsirske said last week he expected a breakthrough in the third round of talks that will begin on Sunday in Potsdam, near Berlin. He said public sector workers should benefit from surging German tax revenues.</p>
<p>The federal government and municipalities have rejected the union’s demands, but the head of the VKA association of local employer organisations last week said he expected an agreement to emerge from the next round of talks.</p>
<p>In the industrial sector, 3.9 million workers agreed on a pay and flexible working hours deal in February that amounted to a roughly 4 percent rise per year for 2018 and 2019. Inflation edged up to 1.5 percent in March.</p>
<p>Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is in solid shape, with buoyant tax revenues and a record budget surplus. Falling unemployment, inflation-busting pay rises and low borrowing costs are fuelling a consumer-led upswing.</p>
<p>The European Central Bank (ECB) is keeping a close eye on the German pay talks for any sign that wage growth is picking up, potentially lifting inflation and giving the ECB added leeway to start winding down its massive stimulus programme.</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Helen Popper</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Tesla Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TSLA.O" type="external">TSLA.O</a>) will be profitable in the third and fourth quarters of this year and will not have to raise any money from investors, billionaire Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Friday, driving shares in the electric carmaker higher.</p> FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk, founder, CEO and lead designer at SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla, speaks at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
<p>Tesla has already sought this month to play down widespread Wall Street speculation that it would need to return to capital markets this year to raise more funds for the money-losing company as it ramps up production of the Model 3 sedan seen as crucial to its long-term profitability.</p>
<p>The Silicon Valley car maker, which has consistently fallen short of promised production targets and is fighting bad publicity over a fatal crash of a car using its Autopilot system, said 10 days ago it would have positive cash flow from the third quarter.</p>
<p>Musk went further on Friday in a tweeted response to a story in The Economist which cited estimates Tesla would need $2.5 billion to $3 billion this year in additional funding.</p>
<p>“The Economist used to be boring, but smart with a wicked dry wit. Now it’s just boring (sigh). Tesla will be profitable &amp; cash flow+ in Q3 &amp; Q4, so obv no need to raise money,” Musk wrote.</p>
<p>Tesla shares, which have gained nearly 10 percent since disclosing the Model 3 production numbers on April 3, were up 1.8 percent in afternoon trading on Wall Street.</p>
<p>Musk’s claim about profit and cash flow hinges on a rapid rise in production of the Model 3 sedan, Tesla’s latest vehicle to have experienced production delays. That has postponed revenue from reaching Tesla’s bottom line from cars being delivered to customers.</p>
<p>An unprecedented level of robots used in the Model 3’s final assembly, in a break with automotive manufacturing norms, has added complexity and delays, which Musk acknowledged on Friday.</p>
<p>“Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake,” Musk tweeted. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.”</p>
<p>Thomson Reuters consensus of analyst estimates predicts Tesla’s free cash flow to be negative well into 2019, thanks in part to heavy investments. Only one of 19 analysts covering the stock see positive adjusted earnings per share in the third quarter, with that number growing to four for the fourth quarter.</p> FILE PHOTO: A Tesla dealership is seen in West Drayton, just outside London, Britain, February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
<p>Wall Street brokerage Jefferies, which provided the funding estimate cited by The Economist, said in a note last week it expects refinancing risk to remain high for Tesla until it can consistently produce 10,000 Model 3s a week.</p>
<p>The company again missed its own 2,500 target for weekly production at the end of the first quarter, and analysts and fund managers doubt Tesla’s ability to keep production growing to a promised 5,000 Model 3s per week in three months time.</p>
<p>Musk in July said Tesla was going through “manufacturing hell” in ramping up production of the Model 3.</p>
<p>He told “CBS News” in an interview that aired Friday the company “got complacent” and “put too much new technology into the Model 3 all at once.” Part of the interview took place in a Tesla Model 3 Musk was driving with Autopilot activated at times.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TSLA.O" type="external">Tesla Inc</a> 300.34 TSLA.O Nasdaq +6.26 (+2.13%) TSLA.O
<p>Musk told CBS Tesla is currently producing 2,000 Model 3 cars a week.</p>
<p>Last month, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Tesla’s credit rating to B3 from B2, reflecting “the significant shortfall in the production rate of the company’s Model 3.”</p>
<p>Moody’s added that its negative outlook for Tesla “reflects the likelihood that Tesla will have to undertake a large, near-term capital raise in order to refund maturing obligations and avoid a liquidity shortfall.”</p>
<p>On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board said that after a series of public disclosures by Tesla it had taken the unusual step of revoking Tesla’s status as a formal party to its investigation of a March 23 crash in California that killed a driver who was using Autopilot. The NTSB is also investigating two other Tesla crashes.</p>
<p>Tesla lashed out at the NTSB and said it planned to complain to Congress.</p>
<p>Asked by CBS if there was a defect with Autopilot, Musk responded: “The system worked as described, which is that it is a hands-on system. It is not a self-driving system.”</p>
<p>At one point during the interview, Musk did not have his hands on the wheel and the car beeped at him to retake the wheel.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru and David Shepardson in Washington; additional reporting by Dan Burns and Alexandria Sage; editing by Phil Berlowitz</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
jan 18 reuters egyptian exchange says moon capital partners master fund buys 37 million shares global telecom egp 26 million source bitly2rjz6ds company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters general electric co gen said friday took 424 billion equity charge reduced earnings last two years 30 cents share figures line expectations company set earlier year said would comply new accounting standards file photo general electric logo pictured general electric offshore wind turbine plant montoirdebretagne near saintnazaire western france november 21 2016 reutersstephane mahefile photo maker power plants jet engines medical devices industrial goods estimated aftertax noncash impact would 42 billion plus reduced earnings 2016 2017 29 cents share accounting change prompted ge recast two years past financial statements reflect lower income asset values new standard reflected ge reports firstquarter results april 20 value ges contract assets written change value longterm contracts ge affect ges cash flow earnings estimates 2018 ge said adjustments appear within expectations edward jones analyst jeff windau said focus moves next fridays earnings figures suggest ge executives gotten bottom accounting issues bolster confidence chief executive officer john flannery series financial surprises including underestimating impact insurance policies prompted 62 billion charge fourth quarter analysts said ge shares 1 percent 1335 aftermarket trading rising 24 percent friday new accounting standard governs companies estimate recognize revenue longterm contracts designed make companys cash flow closely match income accounting experts analysts said prior standard allowed companies recognize future revenue agreements quickly new standard shifts revenue later contract duration analysts said companies typically use cost providing services basis estimating future revenue contracts process lead underestimating value contracts assets balance sheet experts say general electric co 135 gen new york stock exchange 032 243 gen ges contract asset tally soared 70 percent 288 billion 2017 169 billion 2014 power aviation units majority total reflects revenue ge already booked billed customers creates gap profit cash flow according ges regulatory filings ge also made adjustments new accounting standards pensions cash flow taxes friday ges accounting scrutiny earnings swung loss last year ge said 2018 results would low end forecasted range 100 107 share us securities exchange commission looking ges accounting contract assets raising investor concern ge said overly concerned investigation ge said february expects make adjustments switches new accounting standards contracts ge said chose restate 2016 2017 earnings exacting standard new rules allow investors compare 2018 results prior years reporting alwyn scott editing bill rigby clive mckeef standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters proxy adviser institutional shareholder services saturday recommended investors vote reelection five equifax inc efxn directors served companys audit technology committees prior 2017 data breach credit reporting company equifax inc corporate offices pictured atlanta georgia us september 8 2017 reuterstami chappell atlantabased consumer credit company last fall said hackers stolen personally identifiable information us british canadian consumers including names social security numbers birth dates addresses drivers license credit card numbers time equifax increased number affected 147 million people iss said report shareholders sent reuters spokesman companys reputation shareholder value damaged extent breach companys slow response placing cloud company response recommended voting directors mark l feidler g thomas hough john mckinley elane b stock mark b templeton served two committees relevant oversight duties recommended votes support remaining five director candidates company including siri marshall head governance committee equifax inc 1160 efxn new york stock exchange 091 078 efxn equifax spokeswoman immediately respond request comment recommendations equifax said breachrelated costs could reach 439 million yearend potentially making costly us hack yet disclosed company lost 19 percent market value since massive cybertheft disclosed shares traded 116 friday l2n1qk1q1 credit reporting company facing 100s lawsuits consumers financial institutions even city chicago relating cybersecurity breach company disputes claims said intends defend iss also recommended cautionary support companys sayonpay resolution noting compensation committees decision pay annual incentives steps adjust incentive metrics strengthen clawback provisions however said ongoing questions former chief executive richard f smiths pay issue warrants continued monitoring also recommended vote favor shareholder resolution seeking report political contributions company saying holders would benefit disclosure companys political spending payments trade groups management related risks companys annual general meeting scheduled may 3 reporting gary mcwilliams editing alistair bell standards thomson reuters trust principles berlin reuters german interior minister horst seehofer said saturday would press reasonable results next round pay talks two million public sector workers rejected verdi unions demand six percent increase file photo german chancellor angela merkel justice minister katarina barley interior minister horst seehofer react pose group photo german government guesthouse meseberg palace meseberg germany april 10 2018 reutersfabrizio bensch wage talks due resume sunday 150000 public sector employees staged warning strikes walkouts last week left thousands passengers stranded airports hit hospitals childcare centres waste depots seehofer federal governments top negotiator talks underscored importance public sector workers said selfevident benefit countrys economic growth however said verdis demand unreasonable remains clear union demand six percent increase high one year said statement issued ministry continue negotiations way quickly achieve reasonable results verdi said 17000 people participated walkouts friday bringing total weeks labour actions 150000 verdi leader frank bsirske said last week expected breakthrough third round talks begin sunday potsdam near berlin said public sector workers benefit surging german tax revenues federal government municipalities rejected unions demands head vka association local employer organisations last week said expected agreement emerge next round talks industrial sector 39 million workers agreed pay flexible working hours deal february amounted roughly 4 percent rise per year 2018 2019 inflation edged 15 percent march germany europes biggest economy solid shape buoyant tax revenues record budget surplus falling unemployment inflationbusting pay rises low borrowing costs fuelling consumerled upswing european central bank ecb keeping close eye german pay talks sign wage growth picking potentially lifting inflation giving ecb added leeway start winding massive stimulus programme reporting andrea shalal editing helen popper standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters tesla inc tslao profitable third fourth quarters year raise money investors billionaire chief executive elon musk said friday driving shares electric carmaker higher file photo elon musk founder ceo lead designer spacex cofounder tesla speaks international space station research development conference washington us july 19 2017 reutersaaron p bernstein tesla already sought month play widespread wall street speculation would need return capital markets year raise funds moneylosing company ramps production model 3 sedan seen crucial longterm profitability silicon valley car maker consistently fallen short promised production targets fighting bad publicity fatal crash car using autopilot system said 10 days ago would positive cash flow third quarter musk went friday tweeted response story economist cited estimates tesla would need 25 billion 3 billion year additional funding economist used boring smart wicked dry wit boring sigh tesla profitable amp cash flow q3 amp q4 obv need raise money musk wrote tesla shares gained nearly 10 percent since disclosing model 3 production numbers april 3 18 percent afternoon trading wall street musks claim profit cash flow hinges rapid rise production model 3 sedan teslas latest vehicle experienced production delays postponed revenue reaching teslas bottom line cars delivered customers unprecedented level robots used model 3s final assembly break automotive manufacturing norms added complexity delays musk acknowledged friday excessive automation tesla mistake musk tweeted precise mistake humans underrated thomson reuters consensus analyst estimates predicts teslas free cash flow negative well 2019 thanks part heavy investments one 19 analysts covering stock see positive adjusted earnings per share third quarter number growing four fourth quarter file photo tesla dealership seen west drayton outside london britain february 7 2018 reutershannah mckayfile photo wall street brokerage jefferies provided funding estimate cited economist said note last week expects refinancing risk remain high tesla consistently produce 10000 model 3s week company missed 2500 target weekly production end first quarter analysts fund managers doubt teslas ability keep production growing promised 5000 model 3s per week three months time musk july said tesla going manufacturing hell ramping production model 3 told cbs news interview aired friday company got complacent put much new technology model 3 part interview took place tesla model 3 musk driving autopilot activated times tesla inc 30034 tslao nasdaq 626 213 tslao musk told cbs tesla currently producing 2000 model 3 cars week last month moodys investors service downgraded teslas credit rating b3 b2 reflecting significant shortfall production rate companys model 3 moodys added negative outlook tesla reflects likelihood tesla undertake large nearterm capital raise order refund maturing obligations avoid liquidity shortfall thursday national transportation safety board said series public disclosures tesla taken unusual step revoking teslas status formal party investigation march 23 crash california killed driver using autopilot ntsb also investigating two tesla crashes tesla lashed ntsb said planned complain congress asked cbs defect autopilot musk responded system worked described handson system selfdriving system one point interview musk hands wheel car beeped retake wheel reporting sonam rai bengaluru david shepardson washington additional reporting dan burns alexandria sage editing phil berlowitz standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>FILE - In this Wednesday, April 25, 2012, file photo, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke arrives for a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington. The tumultuous Ben Bernanke era at the Federal Reserve moves toward its close with the final policy meeting of his eight-year tenure scheduled for the last week of January 2014. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)</p>
<p>WASHINGTON&#160; - The Federal Reserve is expected Wednesday to further reduce its stimulus for the U.S. economy even though that prospect has unsettled global financial markets.</p>
<p>The Fed announced last month that it would pare its monthly bond purchases from $85 billion to $75 billion. And it said that if the economy kept improving, it would likely further slow its bond buying at future meetings. The Fed's bond purchases have been intended to keep long-term loan rates low to spur spending and economic growth.</p>
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<p>Most economists expect a string of $10 billion monthly reductions in bond purchases to be announced at each Fed meeting this year, concluding with a final $15 billion cut in December.</p>
<p>The two-day Fed meeting that ends Wednesday will be the last to be presided over by Ben Bernanke, who is stepping down after eight years as chairman and will be succeeded next week by Vice Chair Janet Yellen. She is expected to stick closely with Bernanke's policies.</p>
<p>Last month, along with the modest trim in its bond purchases, the Fed made clear it plans to keep short-term rates historically low "well past" the time the unemployment rate dips below 6.5 percent. The rate is now 6.7 percent.</p>
<p>Managing a slowdown in the Fed's bond purchases without roiling markets will pose a tough early test for Yellen. Investors have been nervous in part because a pullback in Fed bond buying will likely mean higher rates. Borrowing could weaken as a result.</p>
<p>Many also fear that higher U.S. rates will lead some bond investors to move cash out of emerging markets and into the United States to seek higher returns. That fear has depressed currency values and roiled stock markets in a number of developing countries.</p>
<p>The Turkish central bank held an emergency meeting Tuesday and announced it was raising a key rate from 7.75 percent to 12 percent to try to reduce inflation and boost its currency, the lira, which had fallen to a record low.</p>
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<p>The Fed decided in December to start trimming the bond purchases mainly because of evidence the U.S. economy is strengthening and needs less support from the Fed.</p>
<p>Turmoil in overseas markets has battered the currencies of Turkey, Argentina and other emerging economies. Those economies had previously enjoyed an inflow of investor money.</p>
<p>"Now, those countries are having to deal with a reversal of those flows," said David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors and the author of a new book on the Fed.</p>
<p>Jones see the market turbulence as a "perfect illustration of the tricky transition that Yellen will have to manage" as the Fed winds down the programs it put in place after the financial crisis erupted in 2008. Still, he doesn't think the Fed will diverge from the pace of its bond-buying reductions unless market turmoil begins to slow the U.S. economic recovery.</p>
<p>Bernanke is ending his tumultuous eight-year tenure at the Fed amid tentative signs of a stronger U.S. economy. Employers created only 74,000 jobs in December, far below the 214,000 average of the previous four months. But many analysts think the lackluster December total marked a temporary pause or a statistical aberration.</p>
<p>Throughout 2013, the Fed bought $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds to try to keep long-term rates down to stimulate borrowing by businesses and consumers.</p>
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<p>Bernanke's first mention of a pullback in bond purchases, in mid-2013, triggered a mini-panic in the stock market. Afterward, the Fed stepped up its efforts to assure investors that a pullback in purchases didn't mean the Fed would soon raise the short-term rates it controls.</p>
<p>Since the recession ended in June 2009, economic growth has remained subpar. Analysts are forecasting a brighter 2014, in part because the federal government will impose less drag this year.</p>
<p>One other reason no surprise is expected from the Fed this week is that it's undergoing a leadership transition. When Yellen takes over next week, she'll become the first woman to lead the Fed in its 100-year history.</p>
<p>Even before she takes over, the central bank will have four new voters from among 11 Fed regional bank presidents whose votes rotate each year.</p>
<p>Kansas City Fed President Esther George dissented seven times last year over her concern that the Fed's bond buying could destabilize financial markets and unleash high inflation. George doesn't have a vote this year. But two others who do - Charles Plosser, head of the Philadelphia Fed bank, and Richard Fisher, head of the Dallas Fed bank - are, like George, considered inflation "hawks." Plosser and Fisher might dissent if they feel the Fed isn't moving fast enough to pare its bond purchases.</p>
<p>The two other new voters are Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota, who has favored keeping rates low, and Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, a moderate who backed Bernanke's policies.</p>
<p>Pianalto plans to step down this year. And President Barack Obama has nominated two new members to the Fed's board. If confirmed by the Senate, Stanley Fischer, former head of the Bank of Israel and a one of Bernanke's former college professors, would become vice chair. And Lael Brainard, a top Treasury official in Obama's first term, would become a Fed governor. Both are viewed as supporters of the Bernanke-Yellen approach to rates.</p>
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file wednesday april 25 2012 file photo federal reserve chairman ben bernanke arrives news conference federal reserve washington tumultuous ben bernanke era federal reserve moves toward close final policy meeting eightyear tenure scheduled last week january 2014 ap photosusan walsh file washington160 federal reserve expected wednesday reduce stimulus us economy even though prospect unsettled global financial markets fed announced last month would pare monthly bond purchases 85 billion 75 billion said economy kept improving would likely slow bond buying future meetings feds bond purchases intended keep longterm loan rates low spur spending economic growth advertisement economists expect string 10 billion monthly reductions bond purchases announced fed meeting year concluding final 15 billion cut december twoday fed meeting ends wednesday last presided ben bernanke stepping eight years chairman succeeded next week vice chair janet yellen expected stick closely bernankes policies last month along modest trim bond purchases fed made clear plans keep shortterm rates historically low well past time unemployment rate dips 65 percent rate 67 percent managing slowdown feds bond purchases without roiling markets pose tough early test yellen investors nervous part pullback fed bond buying likely mean higher rates borrowing could weaken result many also fear higher us rates lead bond investors move cash emerging markets united states seek higher returns fear depressed currency values roiled stock markets number developing countries turkish central bank held emergency meeting tuesday announced raising key rate 775 percent 12 percent try reduce inflation boost currency lira fallen record low advertisement fed decided december start trimming bond purchases mainly evidence us economy strengthening needs less support fed turmoil overseas markets battered currencies turkey argentina emerging economies economies previously enjoyed inflow investor money countries deal reversal flows said david jones chief economist dmj advisors author new book fed jones see market turbulence perfect illustration tricky transition yellen manage fed winds programs put place financial crisis erupted 2008 still doesnt think fed diverge pace bondbuying reductions unless market turmoil begins slow us economic recovery bernanke ending tumultuous eightyear tenure fed amid tentative signs stronger us economy employers created 74000 jobs december far 214000 average previous four months many analysts think lackluster december total marked temporary pause statistical aberration throughout 2013 fed bought 85 billion month treasury mortgage bonds try keep longterm rates stimulate borrowing businesses consumers advertisement bernankes first mention pullback bond purchases mid2013 triggered minipanic stock market afterward fed stepped efforts assure investors pullback purchases didnt mean fed would soon raise shortterm rates controls since recession ended june 2009 economic growth remained subpar analysts forecasting brighter 2014 part federal government impose less drag year one reason surprise expected fed week undergoing leadership transition yellen takes next week shell become first woman lead fed 100year history even takes central bank four new voters among 11 fed regional bank presidents whose votes rotate year kansas city fed president esther george dissented seven times last year concern feds bond buying could destabilize financial markets unleash high inflation george doesnt vote year two others charles plosser head philadelphia fed bank richard fisher head dallas fed bank like george considered inflation hawks plosser fisher might dissent feel fed isnt moving fast enough pare bond purchases two new voters minneapolis fed president narayana kocherlakota favored keeping rates low cleveland fed president sandra pianalto moderate backed bernankes policies pianalto plans step year president barack obama nominated two new members feds board confirmed senate stanley fischer former head bank israel one bernankes former college professors would become vice chair lael brainard top treasury official obamas first term would become fed governor viewed supporters bernankeyellen approach rates
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<p />
<p>His grandfather built canoes and his father tended the land. With fewer than 150 people on the remote Pacific island it was a close community, he says, with few signs of the former U.S. nuclear testing program other than the concrete bunkers he was told to avoid and the sunken ships in the lagoon.</p>
<p>But in 1978, when Kelen was 10, officials evacuated everybody. It turned out they’d been premature in declaring the Marshall Islands atoll safe again for humans. Radiation levels were still dangerously high.</p>
<p>More than 70 years after the first tests, the atoll remains contaminated today. It’s part of a troubling nuclear legacy that continues to affect islands and people across the Pacific long after the U.S., Britain and France stopped their testing programs there.</p>
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<p>As nuclear tensions rise in the Asia-Pacific region, Kelen and others are reflecting on that legacy anew.</p>
<p>North Korea has discussed testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific after earlier firing a missile over Japan and threatening Guam. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” if provoked and called leader Kim Jong Un “Rocket Man.” The dictator has responded by calling Trump a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”</p>
<p>Kelen says that if the threats do escalate to a nuclear test or even an attack, “it would be a huge, huge disaster.”</p>
<p>The 49-year-old says he has no idea if his exposure to radiation during the four years he lived on Bikini as a boy has affected his health. He says scientists used to test him and his family regularly, but stopped within a couple of years of them leaving the atoll.</p>
<p>Scientists have calculated that about 1.6 percent of all cancers developed by Marshallese people exposed to radiation can be attributed to the nuclear tests. For some islanders who were close to the blasts, the rate rises to 55 percent.</p>
<p>The nuclear tests exacted an enormous social toll on Bikini residents and their children, who are now scattered across the Marshall Islands and beyond and have been left without a homeland. Kelen says they’ve lost the ancestral land that’s central to their identity.</p>
<p>“Ninety percent of Bikinians have never seen Bikini. It’s a legend; it’s a fairy tale,” he said. “They know more about Hawaii and the U.S. mainland than Bikini.”</p>
<p>The U.S. government first asked Bikini residents to leave temporarily in 1946. It then conducted a series of tests over a dozen years, including detonating a massive hydrogen bomb hundreds of times more powerful than the nuclear bombs the U.S. dropped on Japan during World War II.</p>
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<p>The inhabitants were moved to other islands that proved inhospitable. Kelen’s family eventually ended up in Majuro, the capital. He says his parents always planned to return to Bikini but got to spend just four years there before being told to leave again. Kelen’s father died two years ago and his mother, now 93, is too old to travel.</p>
<p>“They told us we were relocated from Bikini for the good of mankind, to bring peace to the world. But I think nuclear is the same as climate change,” Kelen said. “It benefits the big countries and ruins the small countries.”</p>
<p>Bikini residents have received some compensation from the United States. But many people, including Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, say it’s not enough.</p>
<p>Heine said in a speech this year that the removal of the Bikini residents produced “inconsolable grief, terror and righteous anger” that hadn’t diminished in the seven decades since, and had been exacerbated by the U.S. being dishonest about the extent of the radiation and its effects.</p>
<p>Five thousand kilometers (3,000 miles) away in Tahiti, French Polynesia, Roland Oldham is also grappling with nuclear testing’s legacy.</p>
<p>He is president of Moruroa e tatou, an organization that represents victims of French tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls. The nuclear tests lasted 30 years, ending in 1996, the year the United Nations adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.</p>
<p>Studies have shown that people in the region during the tests had an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer. But information on radiation exposure remains classified, making it hard to estimate the risks.</p>
<p>Oldham says those who worked directly on the testing program suffered high rates of cancer and other health problems. He says it’s difficult to get good statistics on the health effects on the broader community because of the continuing secrecy.</p>
<p>Much of the later testing was carried out underground, but some radiation has leaked. Oldham fears the problem could get much worse because parts of the atolls are in danger of subsiding.</p>
<p>Oldham, 66, says he sailed around Moruroa while completing his military service with the French Navy in 1970. He says he never saw or felt anything, and doesn’t know if he was exposed to radiation or the extent of that exposure.</p>
<p>Oldham says the heated rhetoric between the leaders of North Korea and the United States has made much of the Pacific vulnerable at the moment because of U.S. military bases in places like Guam, Japan and South Korea.</p>
<p>“The day the two guys throw a punch at each other,” he said, “the whole area will be suffering.”</p>
<p>He says he worries that mankind is headed toward its own destruction by nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>“At some stage I want to be sick, when I observe the things happening in front of my eyes,” he said. “What a world. What a crazy mess.”</p>
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grandfather built canoes father tended land fewer 150 people remote pacific island close community says signs former us nuclear testing program concrete bunkers told avoid sunken ships lagoon 1978 kelen 10 officials evacuated everybody turned theyd premature declaring marshall islands atoll safe humans radiation levels still dangerously high 70 years first tests atoll remains contaminated today part troubling nuclear legacy continues affect islands people across pacific long us britain france stopped testing programs advertisement nuclear tensions rise asiapacific region kelen others reflecting legacy anew north korea discussed testing hydrogen bomb pacific earlier firing missile japan threatening guam us president donald trump threatened totally destroy north korea provoked called leader kim jong un rocket man dictator responded calling trump mentally deranged us dotard kelen says threats escalate nuclear test even attack would huge huge disaster 49yearold says idea exposure radiation four years lived bikini boy affected health says scientists used test family regularly stopped within couple years leaving atoll scientists calculated 16 percent cancers developed marshallese people exposed radiation attributed nuclear tests islanders close blasts rate rises 55 percent nuclear tests exacted enormous social toll bikini residents children scattered across marshall islands beyond left without homeland kelen says theyve lost ancestral land thats central identity ninety percent bikinians never seen bikini legend fairy tale said know hawaii us mainland bikini us government first asked bikini residents leave temporarily 1946 conducted series tests dozen years including detonating massive hydrogen bomb hundreds times powerful nuclear bombs us dropped japan world war ii advertisement inhabitants moved islands proved inhospitable kelens family eventually ended majuro capital says parents always planned return bikini got spend four years told leave kelens father died two years ago mother 93 old travel told us relocated bikini good mankind bring peace world think nuclear climate change kelen said benefits big countries ruins small countries bikini residents received compensation united states many people including marshall islands president hilda heine say enough heine said speech year removal bikini residents produced inconsolable grief terror righteous anger hadnt diminished seven decades since exacerbated us dishonest extent radiation effects five thousand kilometers 3000 miles away tahiti french polynesia roland oldham also grappling nuclear testings legacy president moruroa e tatou organization represents victims french tests moruroa fangataufa atolls nuclear tests lasted 30 years ending 1996 year united nations adopted comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty studies shown people region tests increased risk developing thyroid cancer information radiation exposure remains classified making hard estimate risks oldham says worked directly testing program suffered high rates cancer health problems says difficult get good statistics health effects broader community continuing secrecy much later testing carried underground radiation leaked oldham fears problem could get much worse parts atolls danger subsiding oldham 66 says sailed around moruroa completing military service french navy 1970 says never saw felt anything doesnt know exposed radiation extent exposure oldham says heated rhetoric leaders north korea united states made much pacific vulnerable moment us military bases places like guam japan south korea day two guys throw punch said whole area suffering says worries mankind headed toward destruction nuclear weapons stage want sick observe things happening front eyes said world crazy mess
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<p>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Angel Villanueva waded into the dirty brown water of the Guaire River, the putrid channel snaking through Venezuela's capital, where he hoped to scavenge for a bit of treasure.</p>
<p>He raked his hands across the bottom of the shallow waterway, turning his face away from the foul smell. Then he stood up, letting gravel and rocks fall through his fingers, scanning for an earring backing, lost rings or any other bits of precious metal to cash in for food.</p>
<p>Scavenging alongside two others, Villanueva, 26, kept an eye on the dark clouds buffeting the mountains that surround Caracas. They could burst at any time, leaving him minutes to get out — or be washed away to his death.</p>
<p>"Working in the Guaire isn't easy," he said, talking over the roar of traffic on a nearby highway. "When it provides, it provides. When it takes, it takes your life."</p>
<p>Images of poor Venezuelans eating from garbage piles in Caracas have come to symbolize the deepening economic crisis in what was once one of Latin America's wealthiest countries. Less visible are the young men and boys who comb the Guaire's dirty waters for any sliver of metal that might help feed their families.</p>
<p>They appear at times to be playing, shirtless and laughing in groups. The sun reflects off their rounded backs as they bend, scoop up rocks and toss them aside with a splash.</p>
<p>The water is notoriously filthy — a drain for rainwater from the streets and sewers, along with industrial waste and an occasional treasure.</p>
<p>"As long as I can remember, the Guaire was this open sewage," said Alejandro Velasco, a native of Caracas and professor of Latin American history at New York University. "It certainly seems to reflect the depth and extent of the desperation that this particular crisis has spawned."</p>
<p>Nearly two decades of socialist rule in which food and oil production have plummeted amid poor management of state resources and a drop in world crude prices have driven many Venezuelans into desperation.</p>
<p>Each morning, scavengers stream down to the Guaire from hillside barrios. Some wrap their fingertips in tape to protect from cuts and infections, ignoring any potential long-term health effects from standing in foul water for hours each day.</p>
<p>Calls to clean up the river and the millions already spent have had no result.</p>
<p>The late President Hugo Chavez acknowledged the river's filthy state in 2005 and pledged a full cleanup. "I will invite you all to go for a swim in the Guaire — soon," he vowed on television.</p>
<p>The Inter-American Development Bank in 2012 stepped up with a $300 million loan, launching an ambitious project to build wastewater plants and treat sewage that goes into the river.</p>
<p>Nearly six years later, the water remains filthy, the cleanup project achieving a fraction of its goal. Bank officials declined to comment on the project and Venezuelan government leaders have also been silent on when it might be cleaned.</p>
<p>Some stretches of the river smell of sewage while others emit a toxic odor reminiscent of fuel, a stench that stays in your nose for hours after leaving its banks.</p>
<p>The Guaire again drew attention in mid-2017 when residents protesting President Nicolas Maduro's rule waded across the river to escape choking tear gas fired by riot officers.</p>
<p>Most days, the river scavengers go unnoticed by other Caracas residents as they speed overhead on an elevated highway, blocked from view by concrete barriers.</p>
<p>A woman pushing a baby stroller across an overpass on a rare vantage point looked down at dozens in the water.</p>
<p>"What a shame for our country," she said.</p>
<p>Villanueva lives with his father, a retired military man, in one of the poorest and most dangerous barrios in Caracas. He still struggles with his mother's death from a stroke. She had urged him to go to college.</p>
<p>Villanueva wanted to earn money, but he could only land a series of low-paying state jobs, such as sweeping the streets. The minimum wage for public employees in Venezuela is less than $7 a month at the black market exchange rate.</p>
<p>Food has become increasingly hard to find or afford. An estimated 75 percent of Venezuelans lost an average of 19 pounds (8.7 kilograms) last year, according to one recent survey.</p>
<p>Villanueva first waded into the river six months ago, invited by a friend. His first day's work cashed in at $20, and he was hooked, despite jibes back in his neighborhood from those who tell him to stay away because he smells like the Guaire.</p>
<p>Another scavenger working with Villanueva wears a plastic pill bottle strung around his neck, holding his finds. He pours into his palm broken links of a keychain and an old coin, possibly worth something in Bolivar Plaza, where vendors offer cash for gold.</p>
<p>Villanueva doesn't know anybody who has died from rising water, but stories abound of others washed away never to be found. Villanueva says gathering clouds and more trash than normal being washed from banks upriver tell him that the water is rising, and he has less than 15 minutes to get out.</p>
<p>He dreams of leaving Venezuela to find a better job. But for now he is taking his chances scavenging in the Guaire.</p>
<p>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Angel Villanueva waded into the dirty brown water of the Guaire River, the putrid channel snaking through Venezuela's capital, where he hoped to scavenge for a bit of treasure.</p>
<p>He raked his hands across the bottom of the shallow waterway, turning his face away from the foul smell. Then he stood up, letting gravel and rocks fall through his fingers, scanning for an earring backing, lost rings or any other bits of precious metal to cash in for food.</p>
<p>Scavenging alongside two others, Villanueva, 26, kept an eye on the dark clouds buffeting the mountains that surround Caracas. They could burst at any time, leaving him minutes to get out — or be washed away to his death.</p>
<p>"Working in the Guaire isn't easy," he said, talking over the roar of traffic on a nearby highway. "When it provides, it provides. When it takes, it takes your life."</p>
<p>Images of poor Venezuelans eating from garbage piles in Caracas have come to symbolize the deepening economic crisis in what was once one of Latin America's wealthiest countries. Less visible are the young men and boys who comb the Guaire's dirty waters for any sliver of metal that might help feed their families.</p>
<p>They appear at times to be playing, shirtless and laughing in groups. The sun reflects off their rounded backs as they bend, scoop up rocks and toss them aside with a splash.</p>
<p>The water is notoriously filthy — a drain for rainwater from the streets and sewers, along with industrial waste and an occasional treasure.</p>
<p>"As long as I can remember, the Guaire was this open sewage," said Alejandro Velasco, a native of Caracas and professor of Latin American history at New York University. "It certainly seems to reflect the depth and extent of the desperation that this particular crisis has spawned."</p>
<p>Nearly two decades of socialist rule in which food and oil production have plummeted amid poor management of state resources and a drop in world crude prices have driven many Venezuelans into desperation.</p>
<p>Each morning, scavengers stream down to the Guaire from hillside barrios. Some wrap their fingertips in tape to protect from cuts and infections, ignoring any potential long-term health effects from standing in foul water for hours each day.</p>
<p>Calls to clean up the river and the millions already spent have had no result.</p>
<p>The late President Hugo Chavez acknowledged the river's filthy state in 2005 and pledged a full cleanup. "I will invite you all to go for a swim in the Guaire — soon," he vowed on television.</p>
<p>The Inter-American Development Bank in 2012 stepped up with a $300 million loan, launching an ambitious project to build wastewater plants and treat sewage that goes into the river.</p>
<p>Nearly six years later, the water remains filthy, the cleanup project achieving a fraction of its goal. Bank officials declined to comment on the project and Venezuelan government leaders have also been silent on when it might be cleaned.</p>
<p>Some stretches of the river smell of sewage while others emit a toxic odor reminiscent of fuel, a stench that stays in your nose for hours after leaving its banks.</p>
<p>The Guaire again drew attention in mid-2017 when residents protesting President Nicolas Maduro's rule waded across the river to escape choking tear gas fired by riot officers.</p>
<p>Most days, the river scavengers go unnoticed by other Caracas residents as they speed overhead on an elevated highway, blocked from view by concrete barriers.</p>
<p>A woman pushing a baby stroller across an overpass on a rare vantage point looked down at dozens in the water.</p>
<p>"What a shame for our country," she said.</p>
<p>Villanueva lives with his father, a retired military man, in one of the poorest and most dangerous barrios in Caracas. He still struggles with his mother's death from a stroke. She had urged him to go to college.</p>
<p>Villanueva wanted to earn money, but he could only land a series of low-paying state jobs, such as sweeping the streets. The minimum wage for public employees in Venezuela is less than $7 a month at the black market exchange rate.</p>
<p>Food has become increasingly hard to find or afford. An estimated 75 percent of Venezuelans lost an average of 19 pounds (8.7 kilograms) last year, according to one recent survey.</p>
<p>Villanueva first waded into the river six months ago, invited by a friend. His first day's work cashed in at $20, and he was hooked, despite jibes back in his neighborhood from those who tell him to stay away because he smells like the Guaire.</p>
<p>Another scavenger working with Villanueva wears a plastic pill bottle strung around his neck, holding his finds. He pours into his palm broken links of a keychain and an old coin, possibly worth something in Bolivar Plaza, where vendors offer cash for gold.</p>
<p>Villanueva doesn't know anybody who has died from rising water, but stories abound of others washed away never to be found. Villanueva says gathering clouds and more trash than normal being washed from banks upriver tell him that the water is rising, and he has less than 15 minutes to get out.</p>
<p>He dreams of leaving Venezuela to find a better job. But for now he is taking his chances scavenging in the Guaire.</p>
| false | 2 |
caracas venezuela ap angel villanueva waded dirty brown water guaire river putrid channel snaking venezuelas capital hoped scavenge bit treasure raked hands across bottom shallow waterway turning face away foul smell stood letting gravel rocks fall fingers scanning earring backing lost rings bits precious metal cash food scavenging alongside two others villanueva 26 kept eye dark clouds buffeting mountains surround caracas could burst time leaving minutes get washed away death working guaire isnt easy said talking roar traffic nearby highway provides provides takes takes life images poor venezuelans eating garbage piles caracas come symbolize deepening economic crisis one latin americas wealthiest countries less visible young men boys comb guaires dirty waters sliver metal might help feed families appear times playing shirtless laughing groups sun reflects rounded backs bend scoop rocks toss aside splash water notoriously filthy drain rainwater streets sewers along industrial waste occasional treasure long remember guaire open sewage said alejandro velasco native caracas professor latin american history new york university certainly seems reflect depth extent desperation particular crisis spawned nearly two decades socialist rule food oil production plummeted amid poor management state resources drop world crude prices driven many venezuelans desperation morning scavengers stream guaire hillside barrios wrap fingertips tape protect cuts infections ignoring potential longterm health effects standing foul water hours day calls clean river millions already spent result late president hugo chavez acknowledged rivers filthy state 2005 pledged full cleanup invite go swim guaire soon vowed television interamerican development bank 2012 stepped 300 million loan launching ambitious project build wastewater plants treat sewage goes river nearly six years later water remains filthy cleanup project achieving fraction goal bank officials declined comment project venezuelan government leaders also silent might cleaned stretches river smell sewage others emit toxic odor reminiscent fuel stench stays nose hours leaving banks guaire drew attention mid2017 residents protesting president nicolas maduros rule waded across river escape choking tear gas fired riot officers days river scavengers go unnoticed caracas residents speed overhead elevated highway blocked view concrete barriers woman pushing baby stroller across overpass rare vantage point looked dozens water shame country said villanueva lives father retired military man one poorest dangerous barrios caracas still struggles mothers death stroke urged go college villanueva wanted earn money could land series lowpaying state jobs sweeping streets minimum wage public employees venezuela less 7 month black market exchange rate food become increasingly hard find afford estimated 75 percent venezuelans lost average 19 pounds 87 kilograms last year according one recent survey villanueva first waded river six months ago invited friend first days work cashed 20 hooked despite jibes back neighborhood tell stay away smells like guaire another scavenger working villanueva wears plastic pill bottle strung around neck holding finds pours palm broken links keychain old coin possibly worth something bolivar plaza vendors offer cash gold villanueva doesnt know anybody died rising water stories abound others washed away never found villanueva says gathering clouds trash normal washed banks upriver tell water rising less 15 minutes get dreams leaving venezuela find better job taking chances scavenging guaire caracas venezuela ap angel villanueva waded dirty brown water guaire river putrid channel snaking venezuelas capital hoped scavenge bit treasure raked hands across bottom shallow waterway turning face away foul smell stood letting gravel rocks fall fingers scanning earring backing lost rings bits precious metal cash food scavenging alongside two others villanueva 26 kept eye dark clouds buffeting mountains surround caracas could burst time leaving minutes get washed away death working guaire isnt easy said talking roar traffic nearby highway provides provides takes takes life images poor venezuelans eating garbage piles caracas come symbolize deepening economic crisis one latin americas wealthiest countries less visible young men boys comb guaires dirty waters sliver metal might help feed families appear times playing shirtless laughing groups sun reflects rounded backs bend scoop rocks toss aside splash water notoriously filthy drain rainwater streets sewers along industrial waste occasional treasure long remember guaire open sewage said alejandro velasco native caracas professor latin american history new york university certainly seems reflect depth extent desperation particular crisis spawned nearly two decades socialist rule food oil production plummeted amid poor management state resources drop world crude prices driven many venezuelans desperation morning scavengers stream guaire hillside barrios wrap fingertips tape protect cuts infections ignoring potential longterm health effects standing foul water hours day calls clean river millions already spent result late president hugo chavez acknowledged rivers filthy state 2005 pledged full cleanup invite go swim guaire soon vowed television interamerican development bank 2012 stepped 300 million loan launching ambitious project build wastewater plants treat sewage goes river nearly six years later water remains filthy cleanup project achieving fraction goal bank officials declined comment project venezuelan government leaders also silent might cleaned stretches river smell sewage others emit toxic odor reminiscent fuel stench stays nose hours leaving banks guaire drew attention mid2017 residents protesting president nicolas maduros rule waded across river escape choking tear gas fired riot officers days river scavengers go unnoticed caracas residents speed overhead elevated highway blocked view concrete barriers woman pushing baby stroller across overpass rare vantage point looked dozens water shame country said villanueva lives father retired military man one poorest dangerous barrios caracas still struggles mothers death stroke urged go college villanueva wanted earn money could land series lowpaying state jobs sweeping streets minimum wage public employees venezuela less 7 month black market exchange rate food become increasingly hard find afford estimated 75 percent venezuelans lost average 19 pounds 87 kilograms last year according one recent survey villanueva first waded river six months ago invited friend first days work cashed 20 hooked despite jibes back neighborhood tell stay away smells like guaire another scavenger working villanueva wears plastic pill bottle strung around neck holding finds pours palm broken links keychain old coin possibly worth something bolivar plaza vendors offer cash gold villanueva doesnt know anybody died rising water stories abound others washed away never found villanueva says gathering clouds trash normal washed banks upriver tell water rising less 15 minutes get dreams leaving venezuela find better job taking chances scavenging guaire
| 1,016 |
<p>PERRY COUNTY, Ohio (AP) — Two-thirds of Appalachia's coal industry jobs have disappeared since the 1990s. Now the region is hoping tourism will help rebuild its economy by tapping into history and its rugged natural beauty.</p>
<p>A Shawnee, Ohio, event re-enacted a Prohibition rally outside the real-life former speakeasy. In Corbin, Kentucky, they're constructing an elk-viewing area on a former mountaintop mine. Virginia's Crooked Road traces country music history. Ohio's Winding Road takes visitors back to the birth of the U.S. labor movement.</p>
<p>"We'd like to promote Appalachia as an exotic, interesting place, not the Godforsaken place that we usually get in the national press," said Todd Christensen, executive director of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation.</p>
<p>AUTHENTIC STORIES</p>
<p>For Ohio activist John Winnenberg, the rebirth goes deeper. As eastern Ohio has endured boom-and-bust cycles — of timber, coal, clay and, lately, oil-and-gas extraction — residents have internalized a sense of futility and abandonment that's hard to shake, he says. That mentality could fade if locals succeed in building their own tourism-based economy. "We've been owned before," said Winnenberg, director of The Winding Road initiative centered in historic Shawnee. "We don't want to be owned again."</p>
<p>The promise of a new future for coal country is not new. Billions of dollars have been spent closing, reclaiming, reforesting and redeveloping abandoned mine land since the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act passed 40 years ago.</p>
<p>What's fresh is the new energy among baby boomers and millennials alike, who seem to enjoy the Rust Belt chic of enjoying a drink or overnight stay in a place full of authentic stories built on sweat and strife.</p>
<p>In Nelsonville, Ohio, Sunday Creek Coal Co. was among dozens of companies that thrived in eastern Ohio during mining's heyday, 1850 to 1940. Vestiges of that era — opera houses, speakeasies, union halls, railroad depots — are being preserved and promoted for tours, lodging and quirky events like the re-enactment of a Prohibition rally.</p>
<p>"It's not creating tourism just for other people. We're going for ourselves as well," said Winnenberg.</p>
<p>ECOTOURISM</p>
<p>The Corbin, Kentucky-based Appalachian Wildlife Foundation is developing an ecology education site on Kentucky's first mountaintop removal coal mine.</p>
<p>"Capitalizing on the wildlife of the region for conservation, based on our work, turned into a tourist attraction," said board chairman Frank Allen.</p>
<p>A wildlife center rich with elk, deer, bear and more than 260 species of birds will open in 2019 while mining operations continue nearby. An economic impact study predicts the 19-square-mile tract of former mine land will attract 638,000 annual visitors, generate $124 million in annual spending by its fifth year and create 2,300 jobs.</p>
<p>"The mining has created phenomenal elk habitat. Elk are, by nature, prairie animals, and the grassland habitat that's created when the coal mines are restored is very conducive to the elk," Allen said. "It's kind of the ultimate irony: The 'evil' mountaintop removal process and, all of the sudden, it's created the ideal habitat for wildlife."</p>
<p>The Monday Creek Restoration Project in New Straitsville, Ohio, gave locals their first look at a clear-running stream in generations, according to project manager Nate Schlater.</p>
<p>"The stream where a lot of my work has been focused, Monday Creek, was a dead stream, declared possibly unrecoverable in 1994," he said. "Today, there's 36 species of fish living in the stream, it's nearing achieving EPA warm water habitat status. People are now fishing in the stream. My grandkids are catching fish where there's never been a fish in my lifetime."</p>
<p>CHANGING ECONOMIES AND MINDS</p>
<p>Coal country overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump, who pledged to reverse coal's decline, but just 1,200 new mining jobs have been created across the region since January. That can't make up for the hemorrhage of the past: In Southwest Virginia, mining employment plunged 45 percent from 1990 to 2014.</p>
<p>Even those with good coal jobs sometimes feel they need backup plans. Rodney Embrey loves his job in communications at the Buckhingham mine in Corning, Ohio, but he's also started a lucrative side business with a friend selling antiques. Their store is in a building once slated for demolition as an eyesore. "It was a dry goods store when it opened up" in 1905, he said, an era he and others call "the boom."</p>
<p>The new economy appears to be attracting jobs, tourists and even new residents to the Virginia region that's furthest along in its efforts. One study there found that arts, entertainment, recreation and related fields added over 5,000 jobs between the year 2000 and 2014. The region's professional, scientific, education and health sectors also grew by double-digit percentages in 15 years, the study found, as millennials in tech and other location-flexible industries select the region for its down-home charm and outdoor recreation.</p>
<p>"We've lost many, many more jobs to coal losses than we've attracted," Christensen said. "But what we're also finding is that communities that have embraced the creative economy have seen an influx of 25- to 34-year-old college-educated people moving in. We can't say it's related, but there's a correlation."</p>
<p>He added that visitors often come in with a "stereotype of what they think they'll find. ... Nine times out of ten, they leave with a different perspective than what they brought."</p>
<p>PERRY COUNTY, Ohio (AP) — Two-thirds of Appalachia's coal industry jobs have disappeared since the 1990s. Now the region is hoping tourism will help rebuild its economy by tapping into history and its rugged natural beauty.</p>
<p>A Shawnee, Ohio, event re-enacted a Prohibition rally outside the real-life former speakeasy. In Corbin, Kentucky, they're constructing an elk-viewing area on a former mountaintop mine. Virginia's Crooked Road traces country music history. Ohio's Winding Road takes visitors back to the birth of the U.S. labor movement.</p>
<p>"We'd like to promote Appalachia as an exotic, interesting place, not the Godforsaken place that we usually get in the national press," said Todd Christensen, executive director of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation.</p>
<p>AUTHENTIC STORIES</p>
<p>For Ohio activist John Winnenberg, the rebirth goes deeper. As eastern Ohio has endured boom-and-bust cycles — of timber, coal, clay and, lately, oil-and-gas extraction — residents have internalized a sense of futility and abandonment that's hard to shake, he says. That mentality could fade if locals succeed in building their own tourism-based economy. "We've been owned before," said Winnenberg, director of The Winding Road initiative centered in historic Shawnee. "We don't want to be owned again."</p>
<p>The promise of a new future for coal country is not new. Billions of dollars have been spent closing, reclaiming, reforesting and redeveloping abandoned mine land since the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act passed 40 years ago.</p>
<p>What's fresh is the new energy among baby boomers and millennials alike, who seem to enjoy the Rust Belt chic of enjoying a drink or overnight stay in a place full of authentic stories built on sweat and strife.</p>
<p>In Nelsonville, Ohio, Sunday Creek Coal Co. was among dozens of companies that thrived in eastern Ohio during mining's heyday, 1850 to 1940. Vestiges of that era — opera houses, speakeasies, union halls, railroad depots — are being preserved and promoted for tours, lodging and quirky events like the re-enactment of a Prohibition rally.</p>
<p>"It's not creating tourism just for other people. We're going for ourselves as well," said Winnenberg.</p>
<p>ECOTOURISM</p>
<p>The Corbin, Kentucky-based Appalachian Wildlife Foundation is developing an ecology education site on Kentucky's first mountaintop removal coal mine.</p>
<p>"Capitalizing on the wildlife of the region for conservation, based on our work, turned into a tourist attraction," said board chairman Frank Allen.</p>
<p>A wildlife center rich with elk, deer, bear and more than 260 species of birds will open in 2019 while mining operations continue nearby. An economic impact study predicts the 19-square-mile tract of former mine land will attract 638,000 annual visitors, generate $124 million in annual spending by its fifth year and create 2,300 jobs.</p>
<p>"The mining has created phenomenal elk habitat. Elk are, by nature, prairie animals, and the grassland habitat that's created when the coal mines are restored is very conducive to the elk," Allen said. "It's kind of the ultimate irony: The 'evil' mountaintop removal process and, all of the sudden, it's created the ideal habitat for wildlife."</p>
<p>The Monday Creek Restoration Project in New Straitsville, Ohio, gave locals their first look at a clear-running stream in generations, according to project manager Nate Schlater.</p>
<p>"The stream where a lot of my work has been focused, Monday Creek, was a dead stream, declared possibly unrecoverable in 1994," he said. "Today, there's 36 species of fish living in the stream, it's nearing achieving EPA warm water habitat status. People are now fishing in the stream. My grandkids are catching fish where there's never been a fish in my lifetime."</p>
<p>CHANGING ECONOMIES AND MINDS</p>
<p>Coal country overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump, who pledged to reverse coal's decline, but just 1,200 new mining jobs have been created across the region since January. That can't make up for the hemorrhage of the past: In Southwest Virginia, mining employment plunged 45 percent from 1990 to 2014.</p>
<p>Even those with good coal jobs sometimes feel they need backup plans. Rodney Embrey loves his job in communications at the Buckhingham mine in Corning, Ohio, but he's also started a lucrative side business with a friend selling antiques. Their store is in a building once slated for demolition as an eyesore. "It was a dry goods store when it opened up" in 1905, he said, an era he and others call "the boom."</p>
<p>The new economy appears to be attracting jobs, tourists and even new residents to the Virginia region that's furthest along in its efforts. One study there found that arts, entertainment, recreation and related fields added over 5,000 jobs between the year 2000 and 2014. The region's professional, scientific, education and health sectors also grew by double-digit percentages in 15 years, the study found, as millennials in tech and other location-flexible industries select the region for its down-home charm and outdoor recreation.</p>
<p>"We've lost many, many more jobs to coal losses than we've attracted," Christensen said. "But what we're also finding is that communities that have embraced the creative economy have seen an influx of 25- to 34-year-old college-educated people moving in. We can't say it's related, but there's a correlation."</p>
<p>He added that visitors often come in with a "stereotype of what they think they'll find. ... Nine times out of ten, they leave with a different perspective than what they brought."</p>
| false | 2 |
perry county ohio ap twothirds appalachias coal industry jobs disappeared since 1990s region hoping tourism help rebuild economy tapping history rugged natural beauty shawnee ohio event reenacted prohibition rally outside reallife former speakeasy corbin kentucky theyre constructing elkviewing area former mountaintop mine virginias crooked road traces country music history ohios winding road takes visitors back birth us labor movement wed like promote appalachia exotic interesting place godforsaken place usually get national press said todd christensen executive director southwest virginia cultural heritage foundation authentic stories ohio activist john winnenberg rebirth goes deeper eastern ohio endured boomandbust cycles timber coal clay lately oilandgas extraction residents internalized sense futility abandonment thats hard shake says mentality could fade locals succeed building tourismbased economy weve owned said winnenberg director winding road initiative centered historic shawnee dont want owned promise new future coal country new billions dollars spent closing reclaiming reforesting redeveloping abandoned mine land since federal mine safety health act passed 40 years ago whats fresh new energy among baby boomers millennials alike seem enjoy rust belt chic enjoying drink overnight stay place full authentic stories built sweat strife nelsonville ohio sunday creek coal co among dozens companies thrived eastern ohio minings heyday 1850 1940 vestiges era opera houses speakeasies union halls railroad depots preserved promoted tours lodging quirky events like reenactment prohibition rally creating tourism people going well said winnenberg ecotourism corbin kentuckybased appalachian wildlife foundation developing ecology education site kentuckys first mountaintop removal coal mine capitalizing wildlife region conservation based work turned tourist attraction said board chairman frank allen wildlife center rich elk deer bear 260 species birds open 2019 mining operations continue nearby economic impact study predicts 19squaremile tract former mine land attract 638000 annual visitors generate 124 million annual spending fifth year create 2300 jobs mining created phenomenal elk habitat elk nature prairie animals grassland habitat thats created coal mines restored conducive elk allen said kind ultimate irony evil mountaintop removal process sudden created ideal habitat wildlife monday creek restoration project new straitsville ohio gave locals first look clearrunning stream generations according project manager nate schlater stream lot work focused monday creek dead stream declared possibly unrecoverable 1994 said today theres 36 species fish living stream nearing achieving epa warm water habitat status people fishing stream grandkids catching fish theres never fish lifetime changing economies minds coal country overwhelmingly supported president donald trump pledged reverse coals decline 1200 new mining jobs created across region since january cant make hemorrhage past southwest virginia mining employment plunged 45 percent 1990 2014 even good coal jobs sometimes feel need backup plans rodney embrey loves job communications buckhingham mine corning ohio hes also started lucrative side business friend selling antiques store building slated demolition eyesore dry goods store opened 1905 said era others call boom new economy appears attracting jobs tourists even new residents virginia region thats furthest along efforts one study found arts entertainment recreation related fields added 5000 jobs year 2000 2014 regions professional scientific education health sectors also grew doubledigit percentages 15 years study found millennials tech locationflexible industries select region downhome charm outdoor recreation weve lost many many jobs coal losses weve attracted christensen said also finding communities embraced creative economy seen influx 25 34yearold collegeeducated people moving cant say related theres correlation added visitors often come stereotype think theyll find nine times ten leave different perspective brought perry county ohio ap twothirds appalachias coal industry jobs disappeared since 1990s region hoping tourism help rebuild economy tapping history rugged natural beauty shawnee ohio event reenacted prohibition rally outside reallife former speakeasy corbin kentucky theyre constructing elkviewing area former mountaintop mine virginias crooked road traces country music history ohios winding road takes visitors back birth us labor movement wed like promote appalachia exotic interesting place godforsaken place usually get national press said todd christensen executive director southwest virginia cultural heritage foundation authentic stories ohio activist john winnenberg rebirth goes deeper eastern ohio endured boomandbust cycles timber coal clay lately oilandgas extraction residents internalized sense futility abandonment thats hard shake says mentality could fade locals succeed building tourismbased economy weve owned said winnenberg director winding road initiative centered historic shawnee dont want owned promise new future coal country new billions dollars spent closing reclaiming reforesting redeveloping abandoned mine land since federal mine safety health act passed 40 years ago whats fresh new energy among baby boomers millennials alike seem enjoy rust belt chic enjoying drink overnight stay place full authentic stories built sweat strife nelsonville ohio sunday creek coal co among dozens companies thrived eastern ohio minings heyday 1850 1940 vestiges era opera houses speakeasies union halls railroad depots preserved promoted tours lodging quirky events like reenactment prohibition rally creating tourism people going well said winnenberg ecotourism corbin kentuckybased appalachian wildlife foundation developing ecology education site kentuckys first mountaintop removal coal mine capitalizing wildlife region conservation based work turned tourist attraction said board chairman frank allen wildlife center rich elk deer bear 260 species birds open 2019 mining operations continue nearby economic impact study predicts 19squaremile tract former mine land attract 638000 annual visitors generate 124 million annual spending fifth year create 2300 jobs mining created phenomenal elk habitat elk nature prairie animals grassland habitat thats created coal mines restored conducive elk allen said kind ultimate irony evil mountaintop removal process sudden created ideal habitat wildlife monday creek restoration project new straitsville ohio gave locals first look clearrunning stream generations according project manager nate schlater stream lot work focused monday creek dead stream declared possibly unrecoverable 1994 said today theres 36 species fish living stream nearing achieving epa warm water habitat status people fishing stream grandkids catching fish theres never fish lifetime changing economies minds coal country overwhelmingly supported president donald trump pledged reverse coals decline 1200 new mining jobs created across region since january cant make hemorrhage past southwest virginia mining employment plunged 45 percent 1990 2014 even good coal jobs sometimes feel need backup plans rodney embrey loves job communications buckhingham mine corning ohio hes also started lucrative side business friend selling antiques store building slated demolition eyesore dry goods store opened 1905 said era others call boom new economy appears attracting jobs tourists even new residents virginia region thats furthest along efforts one study found arts entertainment recreation related fields added 5000 jobs year 2000 2014 regions professional scientific education health sectors also grew doubledigit percentages 15 years study found millennials tech locationflexible industries select region downhome charm outdoor recreation weve lost many many jobs coal losses weve attracted christensen said also finding communities embraced creative economy seen influx 25 34yearold collegeeducated people moving cant say related theres correlation added visitors often come stereotype think theyll find nine times ten leave different perspective brought
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<p />
<p>The assault on Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, is bringing American forces into their most significant role in Iraq in years, in terms of numbers and presence on the front lines.</p>
<p>The lead-up to the assault has already brought some U.S. forces into combat with the militants. Special forces carry out raids alongside Iraqi troops inside IS-held territory around Mosul. And now as Iraqi forces prepare for the operation to retake the city, those raids have increased in frequency, according to a coalition official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media.</p>
<p>The U.S. has also sent Apache helicopters to aid in the Mosul fight, according to the Pentagon, a step that was not taken when Iraqi forces retook the western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has steadily grown over the past two years to now nearly 6,000 service members, up from almost none following the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq. The latest group, numbering nearly 600, began to deploy in September to Qayara air base, the facility 30 miles south of Mosul that is to be the main staging ground for the assault on the city. Trucks have been rolling in the base for weeks with supplies and equipment, preparing it so coalition warplanes will be able to operate there.</p>
<p>“You’ve got to look at Mosul as the crown jewel right now,” said Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, the head of U.S ground forces in Iraq, regarding the build-up of forces. The deployments have “all been targeted to assist in the Mosul attack.”</p>
<p>Besides the hundreds of special forces, most of the American personnel operate back from the front lines, coordinating coalition airstrikes, tracking Iraqi ground troops, sharing intelligence and helping plan operations.</p>
<p>Snow, from Nashville, Tennessee, with the 101st Airborne Division, is advising Iraqi officers carrying out the Mosul operation. His father was also with the 101st in Mosul in 2003. Now on Snow’s Iraq deployment, he carries the same American flag his father kept with him on all of his tours and his father’s good luck charm: a St. Michael prayer card.</p>
<p>“I know my father never thought I would be coming to Iraq,” Snow said</p>
<p>U.S. presence at bases closer to Mosul in the lead up to operation is “essential” to the advise-and-assist mission, said U.S. Army Col. Brett Sylvia, the commanding officer at Camp Swift, a small coalition base outside Makhmour, some 73 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Mosul.</p>
<p>“If you’re not there, then you don’t have a voice,” Sylvia said, standing in front of the bank of televisions and desktop monitors that he says constitutes the forward edge of the battle for his men.</p>
<p>As of last week, there were 4,565 U.S. troops in Iraq, according to the Pentagon. That doesn’t include another 1,500 troops considered there “on temporary duty,” whose number changes daily, according to the U.S. officials</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>U.S. troop levels in Iraq peaked at 157,800 during the 2008 surge under then-President George W. Bush, according to the Pentagon. More than 140,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq when President Barack Obama took office in 2009. Obama drew down the forces until the complete withdrawal of late 2011 removed all combat troops from the country, leaving behind only a few hundred U.S. trainers, mainly civilians, to assist Iraqi security forces.</p>
<p>U.S. forces began returning after the Islamic State group overran Mosul in the summer of 2014 and blitzed across much of northern, central and western Iraq, joining it to territory it holds in Syria. Weeks later, President Barack Obama announced the start of the air campaign against the Islamic State. At the time, he underlined that he will not allow the U.S. “to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq.”</p>
<p>But the U.S. role has steadily grown as Iraqi and Kurdish forces continue to rely heavily on coalition airpower and support in taking back the territory the militant group overran in 2014.</p>
<p>Over the past year, three American service members have been killed by IS in Iraq, revealing the increasingly active role of U.S. forces in a fight the Pentagon initially refused to describe as combat.</p>
<p>In October 2015, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler was killed as he and dozens of other U.S. special forces participated in a raid alongside Iraqi Kurdish forces to free IS-held prisoners.</p>
<p>At the time, Defense secretary Ash Carter said it hadn’t been part of the plan for U.S. forces to engage in combat during that raid and that Wheeler had “rushed to help” when the Kurdish fighters he was with came under attack.</p>
<p>Months later, Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin was killed when IS fighters attacked a fire base near Camp Swift.</p>
<p>By the time of the third American death — Navy SEAL Charles Keating, who was killed in May — Carter immediately described it as a combat death. “He was in a firefight and he died in combat,” he said.</p>
<p>Carter noted that while the coalition’s overall approach is to enable local forces, “that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to do any fighting at all.”</p>
<p>Iraqi commanders say despite months of training, their men are still almost entirely dependent on coalition airpower and intelligence to retake territory.</p>
<p>“If we didn’t have airstrikes we wouldn’t be able to advance,” Iraqi Army Capt. Riad Ghafil with the Nineveh Operation Command admitted.</p>
<p>On a recent day at the Basmaya base outside Baghdad, Snow attended a graduation ceremony for 1,000 Iraqi soldiers who finished training and will be deployed in the north against IS. About halfway through the long series of speeches, the graduates began falling out of formation and slipping away from the ceremony to escape the midday sun. Coalition trainers at the event shook their heads in dismay, explaining that discipline was one of the skills the course focused on.</p>
<p>Throughout the steady intensification of the U.S. war in Iraq over the past two years, coalition and U.S. officials maintained that ultimately a lasting solution will only come from political change and reconciliation among Iraqi Shiites, Sunnis and other communities. But Iraqi political leadership has repeatedly failed to meet benchmarks for political reconciliation.</p>
<p>At Camp Swift, Sylvia said that after his last tour in Baghdad in 2008 he said he never thought he’d be back again. He said he hopes the U.S. doesn’t fully withdraw from Iraq a second time.</p>
<p>“I would like us to have a long-term, engaging relationship with our Iraqi partners,” he said.</p>
<p>“I think there is some admission (among some Iraqis) that it was a mistake for us to leave.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Balint Szlanko and Salar Salim in Camp Swift, Iraq, and Lolita Baldor in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.</p>
| false | 2 |
assault mosul iraqs second largest city bringing american forces significant role iraq years terms numbers presence front lines leadup assault already brought us forces combat militants special forces carry raids alongside iraqi troops inside isheld territory around mosul iraqi forces prepare operation retake city raids increased frequency according coalition official spoke condition anonymity authorized brief media us also sent apache helicopters aid mosul fight according pentagon step taken iraqi forces retook western cities ramadi fallujah advertisement number us troops iraq steadily grown past two years nearly 6000 service members almost none following 2011 withdrawal iraq latest group numbering nearly 600 began deploy september qayara air base facility 30 miles south mosul main staging ground assault city trucks rolling base weeks supplies equipment preparing coalition warplanes able operate youve got look mosul crown jewel right said maj gen gary volesky head us ground forces iraq regarding buildup forces deployments targeted assist mosul attack besides hundreds special forces american personnel operate back front lines coordinating coalition airstrikes tracking iraqi ground troops sharing intelligence helping plan operations snow nashville tennessee 101st airborne division advising iraqi officers carrying mosul operation father also 101st mosul 2003 snows iraq deployment carries american flag father kept tours fathers good luck charm st michael prayer card know father never thought would coming iraq snow said us presence bases closer mosul lead operation essential adviseandassist mission said us army col brett sylvia commanding officer camp swift small coalition base outside makhmour 73 kilometers 45 miles southeast mosul youre dont voice sylvia said standing front bank televisions desktop monitors says constitutes forward edge battle men last week 4565 us troops iraq according pentagon doesnt include another 1500 troops considered temporary duty whose number changes daily according us officials advertisement us troop levels iraq peaked 157800 2008 surge thenpresident george w bush according pentagon 140000 us troops iraq president barack obama took office 2009 obama drew forces complete withdrawal late 2011 removed combat troops country leaving behind hundred us trainers mainly civilians assist iraqi security forces us forces began returning islamic state group overran mosul summer 2014 blitzed across much northern central western iraq joining territory holds syria weeks later president barack obama announced start air campaign islamic state time underlined allow us dragged fighting another war iraq us role steadily grown iraqi kurdish forces continue rely heavily coalition airpower support taking back territory militant group overran 2014 past year three american service members killed iraq revealing increasingly active role us forces fight pentagon initially refused describe combat october 2015 master sgt joshua wheeler killed dozens us special forces participated raid alongside iraqi kurdish forces free isheld prisoners time defense secretary ash carter said hadnt part plan us forces engage combat raid wheeler rushed help kurdish fighters came attack months later marine staff sgt louis cardin killed fighters attacked fire base near camp swift time third american death navy seal charles keating killed may carter immediately described combat death firefight died combat said carter noted coalitions overall approach enable local forces doesnt mean arent going fighting iraqi commanders say despite months training men still almost entirely dependent coalition airpower intelligence retake territory didnt airstrikes wouldnt able advance iraqi army capt riad ghafil nineveh operation command admitted recent day basmaya base outside baghdad snow attended graduation ceremony 1000 iraqi soldiers finished training deployed north halfway long series speeches graduates began falling formation slipping away ceremony escape midday sun coalition trainers event shook heads dismay explaining discipline one skills course focused throughout steady intensification us war iraq past two years coalition us officials maintained ultimately lasting solution come political change reconciliation among iraqi shiites sunnis communities iraqi political leadership repeatedly failed meet benchmarks political reconciliation camp swift sylvia said last tour baghdad 2008 said never thought hed back said hopes us doesnt fully withdraw iraq second time would like us longterm engaging relationship iraqi partners said think admission among iraqis mistake us leave ___ associated press writers balint szlanko salar salim camp swift iraq lolita baldor washington dc contributed report
| 667 |
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saudi Arabia is hosting a world chess tournament for the first time on Tuesday nearly two years after the country's top cleric issued a religious edict against playing the board game. Politics have also interfered, with players from Israel and Qatar missing the tournament due to regional tensions.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, said in early 2016 that chess is "forbidden" in Islam because it wastes time and can lead to rivalry among players. Similarly, top Iranian clerics have also decried the game, saying it can lead to gambling, which is not permissible in Islam.</p>
<p>The mufti's comments at the time led to an outcry on social media by young Saudis who defended the game as intellectually stimulating. Muslims, who introduced chess to Europe, have been playing the game since the 7th century in Persia.</p>
<p>Despite the mufti's past criticism, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed for greater social openings, including lifting a ban on women driving that goes into effect next year, allowing concerts and movies, and easing rules on gender segregation.</p>
<p>The chess tournament, however, has also been hit by regional politics. Israelis say Saudi Arabia ignored requests by Israeli players to obtain visas to participate in the tournament. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, players from Qatar and Iran, which have strained ties with Saudi Arabia, have been granted visas to participate in the tournament. However, Qatari players will not compete in the championship because Qatar's chess federation said organizers demanded that the players not display the Qatari flag during the competition.</p>
<p>A statement issued by the World Chess Federation said that visas for players from Iran and Qatar were secured. It made no mention of Israeli players.</p>
<p>"The fact that players from Iran and Qatar may decide not to participate, after consulting their own authorities, is clearly their own individual decision," the statement said.</p>
<p>The statement added that Saudi authorities had proposed that for security reasons the Qatari players should play under the organization's flag, but that the issue was resolved and the Qatar Chess Association was informed that their players would play under their own flag.</p>
<p>The tournament, called the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, runs until Saturday. It includes around 240 players - both men and women - from 70 countries. There are 16 players from Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>The world's top three chess players from Norway, Armenia and Azerbaijan are participating in the tournament. There is also a women's chess tournament taking place alongside the open championship.</p>
<p>Women are reportedly being allowed to wear dark blue or black formal trousers and high-necked blouses, avoiding Saudi rules of dress that require female residents and most visitors to wear loose-fitting, long robes known as "abayas." Most Saudi women also cover their hair and face with veils.</p>
<p>James Dorsey, a Mideast scholar and senior fellow at the University of Singapore, said the kingdom was granted hosting rights by the World Chess Federation with a $1.5 million check that amounts to four times the federation's standard annual fee.</p>
<p>"Literally everything involving Saudi Arabia's hosting of a chess tournament is political," he wrote in an analysis of the tournament. "Saudi Arabia's visa policy is political as is the kingdom's willingness to concede on women's dress."</p>
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saudi Arabia is hosting a world chess tournament for the first time on Tuesday nearly two years after the country's top cleric issued a religious edict against playing the board game. Politics have also interfered, with players from Israel and Qatar missing the tournament due to regional tensions.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, said in early 2016 that chess is "forbidden" in Islam because it wastes time and can lead to rivalry among players. Similarly, top Iranian clerics have also decried the game, saying it can lead to gambling, which is not permissible in Islam.</p>
<p>The mufti's comments at the time led to an outcry on social media by young Saudis who defended the game as intellectually stimulating. Muslims, who introduced chess to Europe, have been playing the game since the 7th century in Persia.</p>
<p>Despite the mufti's past criticism, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed for greater social openings, including lifting a ban on women driving that goes into effect next year, allowing concerts and movies, and easing rules on gender segregation.</p>
<p>The chess tournament, however, has also been hit by regional politics. Israelis say Saudi Arabia ignored requests by Israeli players to obtain visas to participate in the tournament. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, players from Qatar and Iran, which have strained ties with Saudi Arabia, have been granted visas to participate in the tournament. However, Qatari players will not compete in the championship because Qatar's chess federation said organizers demanded that the players not display the Qatari flag during the competition.</p>
<p>A statement issued by the World Chess Federation said that visas for players from Iran and Qatar were secured. It made no mention of Israeli players.</p>
<p>"The fact that players from Iran and Qatar may decide not to participate, after consulting their own authorities, is clearly their own individual decision," the statement said.</p>
<p>The statement added that Saudi authorities had proposed that for security reasons the Qatari players should play under the organization's flag, but that the issue was resolved and the Qatar Chess Association was informed that their players would play under their own flag.</p>
<p>The tournament, called the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, runs until Saturday. It includes around 240 players - both men and women - from 70 countries. There are 16 players from Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>The world's top three chess players from Norway, Armenia and Azerbaijan are participating in the tournament. There is also a women's chess tournament taking place alongside the open championship.</p>
<p>Women are reportedly being allowed to wear dark blue or black formal trousers and high-necked blouses, avoiding Saudi rules of dress that require female residents and most visitors to wear loose-fitting, long robes known as "abayas." Most Saudi women also cover their hair and face with veils.</p>
<p>James Dorsey, a Mideast scholar and senior fellow at the University of Singapore, said the kingdom was granted hosting rights by the World Chess Federation with a $1.5 million check that amounts to four times the federation's standard annual fee.</p>
<p>"Literally everything involving Saudi Arabia's hosting of a chess tournament is political," he wrote in an analysis of the tournament. "Saudi Arabia's visa policy is political as is the kingdom's willingness to concede on women's dress."</p>
| false | 2 |
dubai united arab emirates ap saudi arabia hosting world chess tournament first time tuesday nearly two years countrys top cleric issued religious edict playing board game politics also interfered players israel qatar missing tournament due regional tensions saudi arabias top cleric grand mufti sheikh abdulaziz al sheikh said early 2016 chess forbidden islam wastes time lead rivalry among players similarly top iranian clerics also decried game saying lead gambling permissible islam muftis comments time led outcry social media young saudis defended game intellectually stimulating muslims introduced chess europe playing game since 7th century persia despite muftis past criticism saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman pushed greater social openings including lifting ban women driving goes effect next year allowing concerts movies easing rules gender segregation chess tournament however also hit regional politics israelis say saudi arabia ignored requests israeli players obtain visas participate tournament israel saudi arabia diplomatic relations meanwhile players qatar iran strained ties saudi arabia granted visas participate tournament however qatari players compete championship qatars chess federation said organizers demanded players display qatari flag competition statement issued world chess federation said visas players iran qatar secured made mention israeli players fact players iran qatar may decide participate consulting authorities clearly individual decision statement said statement added saudi authorities proposed security reasons qatari players play organizations flag issue resolved qatar chess association informed players would play flag tournament called king salman world rapid blitz chess championships runs saturday includes around 240 players men women 70 countries 16 players saudi arabia worlds top three chess players norway armenia azerbaijan participating tournament also womens chess tournament taking place alongside open championship women reportedly allowed wear dark blue black formal trousers highnecked blouses avoiding saudi rules dress require female residents visitors wear loosefitting long robes known abayas saudi women also cover hair face veils james dorsey mideast scholar senior fellow university singapore said kingdom granted hosting rights world chess federation 15 million check amounts four times federations standard annual fee literally everything involving saudi arabias hosting chess tournament political wrote analysis tournament saudi arabias visa policy political kingdoms willingness concede womens dress dubai united arab emirates ap saudi arabia hosting world chess tournament first time tuesday nearly two years countrys top cleric issued religious edict playing board game politics also interfered players israel qatar missing tournament due regional tensions saudi arabias top cleric grand mufti sheikh abdulaziz al sheikh said early 2016 chess forbidden islam wastes time lead rivalry among players similarly top iranian clerics also decried game saying lead gambling permissible islam muftis comments time led outcry social media young saudis defended game intellectually stimulating muslims introduced chess europe playing game since 7th century persia despite muftis past criticism saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman pushed greater social openings including lifting ban women driving goes effect next year allowing concerts movies easing rules gender segregation chess tournament however also hit regional politics israelis say saudi arabia ignored requests israeli players obtain visas participate tournament israel saudi arabia diplomatic relations meanwhile players qatar iran strained ties saudi arabia granted visas participate tournament however qatari players compete championship qatars chess federation said organizers demanded players display qatari flag competition statement issued world chess federation said visas players iran qatar secured made mention israeli players fact players iran qatar may decide participate consulting authorities clearly individual decision statement said statement added saudi authorities proposed security reasons qatari players play organizations flag issue resolved qatar chess association informed players would play flag tournament called king salman world rapid blitz chess championships runs saturday includes around 240 players men women 70 countries 16 players saudi arabia worlds top three chess players norway armenia azerbaijan participating tournament also womens chess tournament taking place alongside open championship women reportedly allowed wear dark blue black formal trousers highnecked blouses avoiding saudi rules dress require female residents visitors wear loosefitting long robes known abayas saudi women also cover hair face veils james dorsey mideast scholar senior fellow university singapore said kingdom granted hosting rights world chess federation 15 million check amounts four times federations standard annual fee literally everything involving saudi arabias hosting chess tournament political wrote analysis tournament saudi arabias visa policy political kingdoms willingness concede womens dress
| 698 |
<p>Hackers hounded the Democratic Party into the final days of the 2016 election, breaking into a server carrying critical voter data, according to a book published Tuesday.</p>
<p>The breach of the Democratic National Committee captured national attention when it was <a href="https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/bears-midst-intrusion-democratic-national-committee/" type="external">revealed</a> by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike in June 2016. But a <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/" type="external">tell-all account</a> of the hacking by former interim DNC chief Donna Brazile reveals that the intrusions continued for months afterward and compromised some of the DNC's most closely guarded information.</p>
<p>"The intruders had been sitting in our voter data files for months," Brazile wrote in her book, "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House."</p>
<p>Voter data files are among a political party's most closely guarded secrets, guiding campaigners' ground game and showing them whose doorbells to ring or whose numbers to call. Brazile said the hackers had not only copied data from the voter data files but "also could have manipulated what was there."</p>
<p>The intrusion wasn't found until Oct. 21, just over two weeks before the vote, when malicious software was discovered on a backup server codenamed Raider.</p>
<p>"Any malicious entity that gained access to Raider essentially had the keys to our whole digital kingdom," Brazile wrote.</p>
<p>The DNC and CrowdStrike did not immediately return messages seeking comment.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Recent AP reporting</a> has shown how hackers closely aligned with the Kremlin launched a sweeping digital assault against the Democratic Party, sending more than 400 password-stealing messages to 130 campaign staffers, DNC employees and Democratic operatives throughout the country between March and May of 2016.</p>
<p>Brazile's account largely picks up where the AP left off, explaining how a team of between five and 10 Silicon Valley volunteers set up shop at the DNC in early autumn and fought off renewed attempts to break into the organization.</p>
<p>Brazile's book doesn't explicit identify the hackers involved, but Mike Murray, one of the volunteers, told The Associated Press he believed it was Fancy Bear — one of the two groups of hackers identified by CrowdStrike in June.</p>
<p>Murray, whose day job is working for mobile security firm Lookout, said the reappearance of hackers on the DNC's network shows that clearing digital intruders from a network is "easier said than done."</p>
<p>"Chemotherapy doesn't always get all the cancer cells," he said.</p>
<p>Brazile's book also provides new details about the fear that swept through Democratic ranks in the wake of the hacking, revealing for example that the DNC was swept for listening devices — twice — in September and October 2016.</p>
<p>So concerned was Brazile about bugs that she said she had orchids removed from the chair's office for fear that something had been planted in the pots.</p>
<p>By October, she said nearly $2 million had been spent remediating the hack. And while Brazile echoed previous reassurances from officials that there was no evidence that vote tallies had been tampered with, she said Americans need to do more to protect their elections.</p>
<p>"To this day it is astonishing to me that we do not treat this as a national emergency," she said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>"Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House" <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/" type="external">https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Satter can be reached at: <a href="http://raphaelsatter.com" type="external">http://raphaelsatter.com</a></p>
<p>Hackers hounded the Democratic Party into the final days of the 2016 election, breaking into a server carrying critical voter data, according to a book published Tuesday.</p>
<p>The breach of the Democratic National Committee captured national attention when it was <a href="https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/bears-midst-intrusion-democratic-national-committee/" type="external">revealed</a> by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike in June 2016. But a <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/" type="external">tell-all account</a> of the hacking by former interim DNC chief Donna Brazile reveals that the intrusions continued for months afterward and compromised some of the DNC's most closely guarded information.</p>
<p>"The intruders had been sitting in our voter data files for months," Brazile wrote in her book, "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House."</p>
<p>Voter data files are among a political party's most closely guarded secrets, guiding campaigners' ground game and showing them whose doorbells to ring or whose numbers to call. Brazile said the hackers had not only copied data from the voter data files but "also could have manipulated what was there."</p>
<p>The intrusion wasn't found until Oct. 21, just over two weeks before the vote, when malicious software was discovered on a backup server codenamed Raider.</p>
<p>"Any malicious entity that gained access to Raider essentially had the keys to our whole digital kingdom," Brazile wrote.</p>
<p>The DNC and CrowdStrike did not immediately return messages seeking comment.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Recent AP reporting</a> has shown how hackers closely aligned with the Kremlin launched a sweeping digital assault against the Democratic Party, sending more than 400 password-stealing messages to 130 campaign staffers, DNC employees and Democratic operatives throughout the country between March and May of 2016.</p>
<p>Brazile's account largely picks up where the AP left off, explaining how a team of between five and 10 Silicon Valley volunteers set up shop at the DNC in early autumn and fought off renewed attempts to break into the organization.</p>
<p>Brazile's book doesn't explicit identify the hackers involved, but Mike Murray, one of the volunteers, told The Associated Press he believed it was Fancy Bear — one of the two groups of hackers identified by CrowdStrike in June.</p>
<p>Murray, whose day job is working for mobile security firm Lookout, said the reappearance of hackers on the DNC's network shows that clearing digital intruders from a network is "easier said than done."</p>
<p>"Chemotherapy doesn't always get all the cancer cells," he said.</p>
<p>Brazile's book also provides new details about the fear that swept through Democratic ranks in the wake of the hacking, revealing for example that the DNC was swept for listening devices — twice — in September and October 2016.</p>
<p>So concerned was Brazile about bugs that she said she had orchids removed from the chair's office for fear that something had been planted in the pots.</p>
<p>By October, she said nearly $2 million had been spent remediating the hack. And while Brazile echoed previous reassurances from officials that there was no evidence that vote tallies had been tampered with, she said Americans need to do more to protect their elections.</p>
<p>"To this day it is astonishing to me that we do not treat this as a national emergency," she said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>"Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House" <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/" type="external">https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/donna-brazile/hacks/9780316478519/</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Satter can be reached at: <a href="http://raphaelsatter.com" type="external">http://raphaelsatter.com</a></p>
| false | 2 |
hackers hounded democratic party final days 2016 election breaking server carrying critical voter data according book published tuesday breach democratic national committee captured national attention revealed cybersecurity firm crowdstrike june 2016 tellall account hacking former interim dnc chief donna brazile reveals intrusions continued months afterward compromised dncs closely guarded information intruders sitting voter data files months brazile wrote book hacks inside story breakins breakdowns put donald trump white house voter data files among political partys closely guarded secrets guiding campaigners ground game showing whose doorbells ring whose numbers call brazile said hackers copied data voter data files also could manipulated intrusion wasnt found oct 21 two weeks vote malicious software discovered backup server codenamed raider malicious entity gained access raider essentially keys whole digital kingdom brazile wrote dnc crowdstrike immediately return messages seeking comment recent ap reporting shown hackers closely aligned kremlin launched sweeping digital assault democratic party sending 400 passwordstealing messages 130 campaign staffers dnc employees democratic operatives throughout country march may 2016 braziles account largely picks ap left explaining team five 10 silicon valley volunteers set shop dnc early autumn fought renewed attempts break organization braziles book doesnt explicit identify hackers involved mike murray one volunteers told associated press believed fancy bear one two groups hackers identified crowdstrike june murray whose day job working mobile security firm lookout said reappearance hackers dncs network shows clearing digital intruders network easier said done chemotherapy doesnt always get cancer cells said braziles book also provides new details fear swept democratic ranks wake hacking revealing example dnc swept listening devices twice september october 2016 concerned brazile bugs said orchids removed chairs office fear something planted pots october said nearly 2 million spent remediating hack brazile echoed previous reassurances officials evidence vote tallies tampered said americans need protect elections day astonishing treat national emergency said ___ online hacks inside story breakins breakdowns put donald trump white house httpswwwhachettebookgroupcomtitlesdonnabrazilehacks9780316478519 ___ satter reached httpraphaelsattercom hackers hounded democratic party final days 2016 election breaking server carrying critical voter data according book published tuesday breach democratic national committee captured national attention revealed cybersecurity firm crowdstrike june 2016 tellall account hacking former interim dnc chief donna brazile reveals intrusions continued months afterward compromised dncs closely guarded information intruders sitting voter data files months brazile wrote book hacks inside story breakins breakdowns put donald trump white house voter data files among political partys closely guarded secrets guiding campaigners ground game showing whose doorbells ring whose numbers call brazile said hackers copied data voter data files also could manipulated intrusion wasnt found oct 21 two weeks vote malicious software discovered backup server codenamed raider malicious entity gained access raider essentially keys whole digital kingdom brazile wrote dnc crowdstrike immediately return messages seeking comment recent ap reporting shown hackers closely aligned kremlin launched sweeping digital assault democratic party sending 400 passwordstealing messages 130 campaign staffers dnc employees democratic operatives throughout country march may 2016 braziles account largely picks ap left explaining team five 10 silicon valley volunteers set shop dnc early autumn fought renewed attempts break organization braziles book doesnt explicit identify hackers involved mike murray one volunteers told associated press believed fancy bear one two groups hackers identified crowdstrike june murray whose day job working mobile security firm lookout said reappearance hackers dncs network shows clearing digital intruders network easier said done chemotherapy doesnt always get cancer cells said braziles book also provides new details fear swept democratic ranks wake hacking revealing example dnc swept listening devices twice september october 2016 concerned brazile bugs said orchids removed chairs office fear something planted pots october said nearly 2 million spent remediating hack brazile echoed previous reassurances officials evidence vote tallies tampered said americans need protect elections day astonishing treat national emergency said ___ online hacks inside story breakins breakdowns put donald trump white house httpswwwhachettebookgroupcomtitlesdonnabrazilehacks9780316478519 ___ satter reached httpraphaelsattercom
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<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>A corrected version of the story is below:</p>
<p>Trump’s election leaves American Muslims reeling and scared</p>
<p>American Muslims say they are numb and frightened by the election of Donald Trump as president</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>By RACHEL ZOLL AND DEEPTI HAJELA</p>
<p>Associated Press</p>
<p>On the morning after the election, Alia Ali had a sickening feeling as she headed to her job as a secretary at a New York City public school, her hijab in place as usual. Ali is a Muslim who lives and works in one of the most diverse places in the U.S., and yet the ascension of Donald Trump to the White House left her wondering how other Americans really viewed her.</p>
<p>“Half of America voted one way and half of America voted the other, and you’re like, ‘Which half am I looking at?'” she said. “You become almost like strangers to the people you’ve worked with. Is this person racist? Do they like me? Do they not like me? Because that’s what this election has done.”</p>
<p>American Muslims are reeling following the election of Trump, whose campaign was rife with anti-Muslim rhetoric and proposals that included banning Muslims from entering the country and heightened surveillance of mosques across the nation. Now, among many of the 3.3 million Muslims living in the U.S., there is significant fear, along with some reports of harassment; one hijab-wearing student at San Jose State University said her headscarf was grabbed and she was briefly choked by an assailant after Trump’s election victory.</p>
<p>“There are lots and lots of people who aren’t going out of the house,” said Eboo Patel, a Muslim who heads the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based organization that works with colleges and government officials to build interreligious relationships.</p>
<p>At New York University late last week, hundreds of people sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a grand staircase of a student center to express solidarity after the word “Trump!” was scrawled on the door of a Muslim prayer space at the school. Students spoke of friends who wore headscarves or other traditional clothing and were afraid to take public transportation home for fear of being harassed.</p>
<p>Sana Mayat, a 21-year-old senior who wears the hijab, said the election made her realize “there was a large part of this country that didn’t want me here.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“There is an intense state of anxiety about the future,” said Rami Nashashibi, a parent of three and executive director of Chicago’s Inner-City Muslim Action Network, which has been inundated with calls seeking support since Election Day. “I grappled with the conversation I had to have with my children.”</p>
<p>The outcome was especially bitter following an unprecedented voter registration drive by American Muslims, including get-out-the-vote sermons at mosques and the creation of a political action committee, Emerge USA, to mobilize Arabs and Muslims.</p>
<p>Enas Almadhwahi, a 28-year-old Yemeni immigrant who has been in the U.S. since 2008, became a citizen this year and voted for the first time. To mark the occasion, she brought her 7-year-old daughter, along with some co-workers.</p>
<p>“At that moment, I was so happy,” said Almadhwahi, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works at an Arab-American community organization. The next day, when she told her daughter Trump had won, the girl cried. A friend had told the little girl that if Trump won, it would mean they couldn’t talk anymore.</p>
<p>“Everything feels like it’s upside down,” Almadhwahi said. “I still like to hope Trump will change his words about Muslims.”</p>
<p>Trump’s policy plans remain a mystery, but his administration could radically reshape the Justice Department, which has been an ally under President Barack Obama in protecting Muslim civil rights. Trump could also repeal a key Obama program that prevents the deportation of some immigrants, including Muslims, living in the country illegally.</p>
<p>Muslims had far from a perfect relationship with the Obama administration. For years, the president kept the community largely at arms-length, sending surrogates to meet with them amid a stubborn misapprehension, fueled in part by his critics, that Obama, a Christian, was secretly Muslim. Many U.S. Muslim leaders were uncomfortable with his foreign policy in Iraq and elsewhere, and objected to his program to fight extremism at home, saying the focus on Muslims ignored other threats from right-wing, anti-government extremists.</p>
<p>Still, Muslim leaders had built solid ties with many government officials. Now, they face not only the loss of those connections, but potentially a closed door to their concerns.</p>
<p>“The friends we have are going to be fewer,” said Farhana Khera, president of the California-based civil rights group Muslim Advocates, which has represented clients suing over the New York Police Department’s surveillance of American Muslims. “I think we’ll be very much in a defensive posture.”</p>
<p>Since the election, mosques and Muslim groups have organized community meetings and conference calls focused on how to move forward. The Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America, the largest communal Muslim group in the U.S., issued a statement inviting Trump to engage with the community, saying “many American Muslims are traumatized by the result of the election and the fear of what is to come.” The group said there was no immediate response from Trump’s office.</p>
<p>Sheik Omar Suleiman, resident scholar at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an anti-defamation group, distributed suggested sermons for juma, or Friday prayers at mosques, stressing Quranic verses about remaining strong in the face of hardships.</p>
<p>“Have hope in the people because Allah may turn their hearts toward you,” was among the verses they cited.</p>
<p>Faisal R. Khan, founder of a youth advocacy and peace organization near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, attended four Trump campaign rallies over the last year, in part to protest but also to speak with the Republican’s supporters. Khan lived years ago in the Midwest, where he knew people who had grown resentful over losing Rust Belt jobs, and said he understands what drew so many working-class whites to the president-elect.</p>
<p>Khan has created a Facebook page called “Talk To Me America,” hoping to start a conversation that can combat anti-Muslim bias.</p>
<p>“Peaceful protest is good, but at a certain point, we have to sit down and talk,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. We’re all Americans.”</p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Zoll is the AP religion reporter.</p>
| false | 2 |
corrected version story trumps election leaves american muslims reeling scared american muslims say numb frightened election donald trump president advertisement rachel zoll deepti hajela associated press morning election alia ali sickening feeling headed job secretary new york city public school hijab place usual ali muslim lives works one diverse places us yet ascension donald trump white house left wondering americans really viewed half america voted one way half america voted youre like half looking said become almost like strangers people youve worked person racist like like thats election done american muslims reeling following election trump whose campaign rife antimuslim rhetoric proposals included banning muslims entering country heightened surveillance mosques across nation among many 33 million muslims living us significant fear along reports harassment one hijabwearing student san jose state university said headscarf grabbed briefly choked assailant trumps election victory lots lots people arent going house said eboo patel muslim heads interfaith youth core chicagobased organization works colleges government officials build interreligious relationships new york university late last week hundreds people sat shouldertoshoulder grand staircase student center express solidarity word trump scrawled door muslim prayer space school students spoke friends wore headscarves traditional clothing afraid take public transportation home fear harassed sana mayat 21yearold senior wears hijab said election made realize large part country didnt want advertisement intense state anxiety future said rami nashashibi parent three executive director chicagos innercity muslim action network inundated calls seeking support since election day grappled conversation children outcome especially bitter following unprecedented voter registration drive american muslims including getoutthevote sermons mosques creation political action committee emerge usa mobilize arabs muslims enas almadhwahi 28yearold yemeni immigrant us since 2008 became citizen year voted first time mark occasion brought 7yearold daughter along coworkers moment happy said almadhwahi lives brooklyn new york works arabamerican community organization next day told daughter trump girl cried friend told little girl trump would mean couldnt talk anymore everything feels like upside almadhwahi said still like hope trump change words muslims trumps policy plans remain mystery administration could radically reshape justice department ally president barack obama protecting muslim civil rights trump could also repeal key obama program prevents deportation immigrants including muslims living country illegally muslims far perfect relationship obama administration years president kept community largely armslength sending surrogates meet amid stubborn misapprehension fueled part critics obama christian secretly muslim many us muslim leaders uncomfortable foreign policy iraq elsewhere objected program fight extremism home saying focus muslims ignored threats rightwing antigovernment extremists still muslim leaders built solid ties many government officials face loss connections potentially closed door concerns friends going fewer said farhana khera president californiabased civil rights group muslim advocates represented clients suing new york police departments surveillance american muslims think well much defensive posture since election mosques muslim groups organized community meetings conference calls focused move forward indianabased islamic society north america largest communal muslim group us issued statement inviting trump engage community saying many american muslims traumatized result election fear come group said immediate response trumps office sheik omar suleiman resident scholar valley ranch islamic center irving texas council americanislamic relations antidefamation group distributed suggested sermons juma friday prayers mosques stressing quranic verses remaining strong face hardships hope people allah may turn hearts toward among verses cited faisal r khan founder youth advocacy peace organization near chapel hill north carolina attended four trump campaign rallies last year part protest also speak republicans supporters khan lived years ago midwest knew people grown resentful losing rust belt jobs said understands drew many workingclass whites presidentelect khan created facebook page called talk america hoping start conversation combat antimuslim bias peaceful protest good certain point sit talk said end day human beings americans ____ zoll ap religion reporter
| 614 |
<p>Two misleading Bush ads accusing Kerry of supporting tax increases on gasoline and middle-class parents were running heavily last week. According to the Campaign Media Analysis&#160;Group of TNS Media Intelligence, which tracks TV ads in the top 100 markets, the two Bush ads accounted for nearly half of the estimated $16 million spent by Bush and the Republican National Committee during that week alone.</p>
<p>Both ads repeat claims we’ve repeatedly disputed here. They both&#160;attempt to portray Kerry as eager to raise taxes on middle-income taxpayers, which Kerry has said consistently he won’t do. One ad characterizes Kerry’s votes against proposed tax cuts as votes to “raise taxes,” an outright falsehood.</p>
<p>A Bush ad called “Thinking Mom”&#160;ran at saturation levels last week in 42 cities at an estimated cost of $2.5 million. A parallel&#160;ad called “Clockwork”&#160;ran even more heavily, in 44 cities at an estimated cost of &#160;$5.4 million. Together the two ads aired 9,118 times on stations monitored by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG.</p>
<p>Bush-Cheney ’04 Ad: “Thinking Mom”</p>
<p>Announcer:&#160;And we’ll be checking traffic on . . .</p>
<p>Woman: 5:30, gotta get groceries, we’re gonna be late.</p>
<p>Announcer: John Kerry and the liberals in Congress have voted to raise gas taxes ten times.</p>
<p>Woman: Ten times? Gas prices are high enough already.</p>
<p>Announcer: They’ve also raised taxes on senior’s Social Security benefits. And raised taxes on middle class parents 18 times. No relief there from the Marriage Penalty.</p>
<p>Woman: More taxes because I’m married? What were they thinking?</p>
<p>Announcer: . . . 350 times. Higher taxes from the liberals in Congress and John Kerry.</p>
<p>Bush: I’m George W. Bush and I approve this message.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;Bush Ad: “Clockwork”</p>
<p>Announcer: They voted to raise our gas taxes ten times. And raised taxes on Social Security benefits. Higher taxes on middle class parents 18 times. John Kerry and the liberals in Congress’s record on the economy: &#160;higher taxes 350 times. An average of once every three weeks for 20 years. Like clockwork. John Kerry and the liberals in Congress on the economy. Troubling.</p>
<p>Bush: I’m George W. Bush and I approve this message.</p>
<p>Both ads make statements about Kerry that are misleading or downright false on several counts:</p>
<p>Gasoline taxes: It’s false to say Kerry voted “to raise gas taxes ten times” as stated in the “Thinking Mom” ad.&#160;Even the Bush campaign’s own list of votes doesn’t back that up. There has been only&#160;one increase&#160;— more than a decade ago — when the&#160;federal gasoline tax went up&#160;just over four cents per gallon as part of Clinton’s 1993 package of tax increases and spending cuts.</p>
<p>The Bush campaign&#160; <a href="http://www.georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/Read.aspx?ID=3741" type="external">lists</a> ten votes Kerry cast,&#160;five of them on the measure that resulted in that&#160;1993&#160;increase. Four others were against Republican proposals to repeal&#160;that same 4.3-cent&#160;increase&#160;after it was already in place —&#160;so it’s false to say those were votes to “raise” the tax. The same goes for the tenth vote, which was&#160;against temporarily suspending the 18.4-cent federal gasoline gas tax altogether during a&#160;spike in prices in 2000.</p>
<p>Social Security benefits:&#160;Kerry did vote to increase the amount of Social Security benefits subject to taxation, as stated in both ads, but&#160; not for all seniors. That was also as a part of the 1993 Clinton economic package. The increase was only for those with over $44,000 a year for a married couple.&#160;That increase&#160;currently affects just over 8 million taxpayers, a fraction of the&#160;47 million who get Social Security benefits. And all the proceeds from the increase go to shore up the&#160;Medicare Trust Fund, something the ad fails to mention.</p>
<p>Middle Class Parents: Another falsehood in the “Mom” ad is the claim that Kerry has “raised taxes on middle-class parents 18 times.&#160;No relief there from the marriage penalty.”&#160;It’s true Kerry often opposed Republican proposals in the past, usually&#160;on grounds that they granted more relief to upper-income taxpayers than he would like. And some of those proposals included giving married couples a break, as well as&#160;granting or increasing tax credits&#160;for dependent children.&#160;But those votes wouldn’t have resulted in raising taxes above what they were at the time.</p>
<p>Furthermore,&#160;during the Democratic primary contests Kerry fiercely defended keeping&#160;the so-called “marriage penalty” relief and&#160;increased child tax credits when other Democratic candidates would have repealed&#160;them along with the rest of Bush’s&#160;cuts. Kerry also would retain Bush’s lower rates for low- and middle-income taxpayers.</p>
<p>Kerry&#160;said consistently he wouldn’t raise taxes on anyone making less than $200,000 a year. In an interview on the PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer Kerry stated:</p>
<p>Kerry: I don’t want to roll back the marriage penalty, I don’t want to roll back the child-care [sic] credit, I don’t want to punish people who got a $300 break at the 10 percent and 15 percent (rate), so I don’t take that back.</p>
<p>That was more than a year ago — July 14, 2003 — and Kerry’s position hasn’t changed since.</p>
<p>The “Clockwork” ad falls short of an outright falsehood on this point. It&#160;says Kerry supported&#160;“higher taxes on middle class parents 18 times.” Bush officials argue that voting against a tax cut is voting for “higher” taxes — meaning higher than the alternative, not higher than people are actually paying.&#160;Still, we find the “Clockwork” ad&#160;to be&#160;misleading.</p>
<p>350 times:&#160;Both these&#160;ads&#160;repeat&#160;the misleading claim that Kerry has voted for “higher taxes” 350 times. See our original&#160; <a href="" type="internal">article</a> from last March for details on why that’s wrong.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/legacy-119-1"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/legacy-119-2"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>US Department of Health and Human Services, “ <a href="http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2005.pdf" type="external">2004 Annual Report</a>&#160;of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds,” Table I.C1.-Medicare Data for Calendar Year 2003 Washington DC 24 March 2004: p3.</p>
<p>MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” transcript #7663, 2 July 2003.</p>
| false | 2 |
two misleading bush ads accusing kerry supporting tax increases gasoline middleclass parents running heavily last week according campaign media analysis160group tns media intelligence tracks tv ads top 100 markets two bush ads accounted nearly half estimated 16 million spent bush republican national committee week alone ads repeat claims weve repeatedly disputed both160attempt portray kerry eager raise taxes middleincome taxpayers kerry said consistently wont one ad characterizes kerrys votes proposed tax cuts votes raise taxes outright falsehood bush ad called thinking mom160ran saturation levels last week 42 cities estimated cost 25 million parallel160ad called clockwork160ran even heavily 44 cities estimated cost 16054 million together two ads aired 9118 times stations monitored tns media intelligencecmag bushcheney 04 ad thinking mom announcer160and well checking traffic woman 530 got ta get groceries gon na late announcer john kerry liberals congress voted raise gas taxes ten times woman ten times gas prices high enough already announcer theyve also raised taxes seniors social security benefits raised taxes middle class parents 18 times relief marriage penalty woman taxes im married thinking announcer 350 times higher taxes liberals congress john kerry bush im george w bush approve message 160bush ad clockwork announcer voted raise gas taxes ten times raised taxes social security benefits higher taxes middle class parents 18 times john kerry liberals congresss record economy 160higher taxes 350 times average every three weeks 20 years like clockwork john kerry liberals congress economy troubling bush im george w bush approve message ads make statements kerry misleading downright false several counts gasoline taxes false say kerry voted raise gas taxes ten times stated thinking mom ad160even bush campaigns list votes doesnt back only160one increase160 decade ago the160federal gasoline tax went up160just four cents per gallon part clintons 1993 package tax increases spending cuts bush campaign160 lists ten votes kerry cast160five measure resulted that1601993160increase four others republican proposals repeal160that 43cent160increase160after already place 160so false say votes raise tax goes tenth vote was160against temporarily suspending 184cent federal gasoline gas tax altogether a160spike prices 2000 social security benefits160kerry vote increase amount social security benefits subject taxation stated ads but160 seniors also part 1993 clinton economic package increase 44000 year married couple160that increase160currently affects 8 million taxpayers fraction the16047 million get social security benefits proceeds increase go shore the160medicare trust fund something ad fails mention middle class parents another falsehood mom ad claim kerry raised taxes middleclass parents 18 times160no relief marriage penalty160its true kerry often opposed republican proposals past usually160on grounds granted relief upperincome taxpayers would like proposals included giving married couples break well as160granting increasing tax credits160for dependent children160but votes wouldnt resulted raising taxes time furthermore160during democratic primary contests kerry fiercely defended keeping160the socalled marriage penalty relief and160increased child tax credits democratic candidates would repealed160them along rest bushs160cuts kerry also would retain bushs lower rates low middleincome taxpayers kerry160said consistently wouldnt raise taxes anyone making less 200000 year interview pbs newshour jim lehrer kerry stated kerry dont want roll back marriage penalty dont want roll back childcare sic credit dont want punish people got 300 break 10 percent 15 percent rate dont take back year ago july 14 2003 kerrys position hasnt changed since clockwork ad falls short outright falsehood point it160says kerry supported160higher taxes middle class parents 18 times bush officials argue voting tax cut voting higher taxes meaning higher alternative higher people actually paying160still find clockwork ad160to be160misleading 350 times160both these160ads160repeat160the misleading claim kerry voted higher taxes 350 times see original160 article last march details thats wrong 160 ltiframe stylewidth 500px height300px frameborder0 allowfullscreen srchttpsvideofactcheckorgplaylegacy1191gtltiframegt ltiframe stylewidth 500px height300px frameborder0 allowfullscreen srchttpsvideofactcheckorgplaylegacy1192gtltiframegt 160 us department health human services 2004 annual report160of boards trustees federal hospital insurance federal supplementary medical insurance trust funds table ic1medicare data calendar year 2003 washington dc 24 march 2004 p3 macneillehrer productions newshour jim lehrer transcript 7663 2 july 2003
| 635 |
<p>After decades of hope and high promise, this was the year scientists really showed they could doctor DNA to successfully treat diseases. Gene therapies to treat cancer and even pull off the biblical-sounding feat of helping the blind to see were approved by U.S. regulators, establishing gene manipulation as a new mode of medicine.</p>
<p>Almost 20 years ago, a teen's death in a gene experiment put a chill on what had been a field full of outsized expectations. Now, a series of jaw-dropping successes have renewed hopes that some one-time fixes of DNA, the chemical code that governs life, might turn out to be cures.</p>
<p>"I am totally willing to use the 'C' word," said the National Institutes of Health's director, Dr. Francis Collins.</p>
<p>Gene therapy aims to treat the root cause of a problem by deleting, adding or altering DNA, rather than just treating symptoms that result from the genetic flaw.</p>
<p>(AP Video/Kathy Young)</p>
<p>The advent of gene editing — a more precise and long-lasting way to do gene therapy — may expand the number and types of diseases that can be treated. In November, California scientists tried editing a gene inside someone's body for the <a href="" type="internal">first time</a> , using a tool called zinc finger nucleases for a man with a metabolic disease. It's like a cut-and-paste operation to place a new gene in a specific spot. Tests of another editing tool called CRISPR, to genetically alter human cells in the lab, may start next year.</p>
<p>"There are a few times in our lives when science astonishes us. This is one of those times," Dr. Matthew Porteus, a Stanford University gene editing expert, told a Senate panel discussing this technology last month.</p>
<p>It's a common path for trail-blazing science — success initially seems within reach, setbacks send researchers back to the lab, new understandings emerge over years, and studies ultimately reveal what is safe and effective.</p>
<p>Here is a look at what's been achieved and what lies ahead.</p>
<p>A STRING OF FIRSTS</p>
<p>The year started with no gene therapies sold in the U.S. and only a couple elsewhere. Then the Food and Drug Administration approved the first CAR-T cell therapies, which alter a patient's own blood cells to turn them into specialized <a href="" type="internal">cancer killers</a> . They're only for certain types of leukemia and lymphoma now, but more are in the works for other blood cancers.</p>
<p>Last week, the FDA approved Luxturna, the first gene therapy for an inherited disease, a form of blindness. People with it can't make a protein needed by the retina, tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into signals to the brain, enabling sight. The therapy injects a modified virus containing a corrective gene into the retina so the cells can make the protein.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Children</a> who received the treatment told what it was like to gain vision.</p>
<p>(AP Video/Kathy Young)</p>
<p>"Oh yikes, colors. Colors are super fun," said 13-year-old Caroline Carper of Little Rock, Arkansas. "And the sunshine is blinding."</p>
<p>Gene therapies also showed some promise against a variety of diseases including <a href="" type="internal">hemophilia</a> , a blood clotting problem; "bubble boy" disease, where a flawed immune system leaves patients vulnerable to fatal infections, and sickle cell disease, a serious and painful blood disorder common among black people.</p>
<p>It's not all good news, though. The therapies don't work for everyone. They're shockingly expensive. And no one knows how long some results will last, though scientists say the aim is a one-time repair that gets at the root cause.</p>
<p>"The whole promise ... is to cure diseases. It's based on the rationale of fixing the problem," not just improving treatment, said Dr. Carl June, a University of Pennsylvania scientist who pioneered CAR-T therapy.</p>
<p>A NEW FRONTIER: GENE EDITING</p>
<p>In mid-November, Brian Madeux, a 44-year-old Phoenix man with a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome, had just become the first person to try an experimental gene editing treatment.</p>
<p>"I believe in science," he texted The Associated Press after doctors sent viruses containing a corrective gene and an editing tool through an IV into his body. The hope is that the gene and the editing tool would enter some of his liver cells and insert the instructions needed to start making an enzyme he lacks.</p>
<p>It's not known yet if it worked. Sangamo Therapeutics is testing its therapy in several studies, and independent monitors will help decide when results are released.</p>
<p>"It's a pretty exciting milestone," Collins said, because it shows a way to treat more diseases than ones that can be addressed now by altering blood cells in the lab or injecting genes into the eye.</p>
<p>"You can imagine having a scalable approach to thousands of genetic diseases," he said.</p>
<p>WHAT'S NEXT</p>
<p>Top of Collins' list: muscular dystrophy and sickle cell.</p>
<p>There's been so much progress that the NIH has modified an oversight panel that just a few years ago reviewed every gene therapy experiment in the U.S. Most are considered safe enough to go ahead without the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee's review. The panel hasn't even met for a year.</p>
<p>When the panel was formed decades ago, "there was a lot of concern that a graduate student could take some of this home and create a monster in his basement," said one panel member, Boston scientist Dr. Howard Kaufman.</p>
<p>Those fears have eased, he said.</p>
<p>"There's no monsters that have materialized from this."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP" type="external">@MMarchioneAP</a> .</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This Associated Press <a href="" type="internal">series</a> was produced in <a href="https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2017/ap-and-howard-hughes-medical-institute-collaborate-to-enhance-science-journalism" type="external">partnership</a> with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>
<p>After decades of hope and high promise, this was the year scientists really showed they could doctor DNA to successfully treat diseases. Gene therapies to treat cancer and even pull off the biblical-sounding feat of helping the blind to see were approved by U.S. regulators, establishing gene manipulation as a new mode of medicine.</p>
<p>Almost 20 years ago, a teen's death in a gene experiment put a chill on what had been a field full of outsized expectations. Now, a series of jaw-dropping successes have renewed hopes that some one-time fixes of DNA, the chemical code that governs life, might turn out to be cures.</p>
<p>"I am totally willing to use the 'C' word," said the National Institutes of Health's director, Dr. Francis Collins.</p>
<p>Gene therapy aims to treat the root cause of a problem by deleting, adding or altering DNA, rather than just treating symptoms that result from the genetic flaw.</p>
<p>(AP Video/Kathy Young)</p>
<p>The advent of gene editing — a more precise and long-lasting way to do gene therapy — may expand the number and types of diseases that can be treated. In November, California scientists tried editing a gene inside someone's body for the <a href="" type="internal">first time</a> , using a tool called zinc finger nucleases for a man with a metabolic disease. It's like a cut-and-paste operation to place a new gene in a specific spot. Tests of another editing tool called CRISPR, to genetically alter human cells in the lab, may start next year.</p>
<p>"There are a few times in our lives when science astonishes us. This is one of those times," Dr. Matthew Porteus, a Stanford University gene editing expert, told a Senate panel discussing this technology last month.</p>
<p>It's a common path for trail-blazing science — success initially seems within reach, setbacks send researchers back to the lab, new understandings emerge over years, and studies ultimately reveal what is safe and effective.</p>
<p>Here is a look at what's been achieved and what lies ahead.</p>
<p>A STRING OF FIRSTS</p>
<p>The year started with no gene therapies sold in the U.S. and only a couple elsewhere. Then the Food and Drug Administration approved the first CAR-T cell therapies, which alter a patient's own blood cells to turn them into specialized <a href="" type="internal">cancer killers</a> . They're only for certain types of leukemia and lymphoma now, but more are in the works for other blood cancers.</p>
<p>Last week, the FDA approved Luxturna, the first gene therapy for an inherited disease, a form of blindness. People with it can't make a protein needed by the retina, tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into signals to the brain, enabling sight. The therapy injects a modified virus containing a corrective gene into the retina so the cells can make the protein.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Children</a> who received the treatment told what it was like to gain vision.</p>
<p>(AP Video/Kathy Young)</p>
<p>"Oh yikes, colors. Colors are super fun," said 13-year-old Caroline Carper of Little Rock, Arkansas. "And the sunshine is blinding."</p>
<p>Gene therapies also showed some promise against a variety of diseases including <a href="" type="internal">hemophilia</a> , a blood clotting problem; "bubble boy" disease, where a flawed immune system leaves patients vulnerable to fatal infections, and sickle cell disease, a serious and painful blood disorder common among black people.</p>
<p>It's not all good news, though. The therapies don't work for everyone. They're shockingly expensive. And no one knows how long some results will last, though scientists say the aim is a one-time repair that gets at the root cause.</p>
<p>"The whole promise ... is to cure diseases. It's based on the rationale of fixing the problem," not just improving treatment, said Dr. Carl June, a University of Pennsylvania scientist who pioneered CAR-T therapy.</p>
<p>A NEW FRONTIER: GENE EDITING</p>
<p>In mid-November, Brian Madeux, a 44-year-old Phoenix man with a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome, had just become the first person to try an experimental gene editing treatment.</p>
<p>"I believe in science," he texted The Associated Press after doctors sent viruses containing a corrective gene and an editing tool through an IV into his body. The hope is that the gene and the editing tool would enter some of his liver cells and insert the instructions needed to start making an enzyme he lacks.</p>
<p>It's not known yet if it worked. Sangamo Therapeutics is testing its therapy in several studies, and independent monitors will help decide when results are released.</p>
<p>"It's a pretty exciting milestone," Collins said, because it shows a way to treat more diseases than ones that can be addressed now by altering blood cells in the lab or injecting genes into the eye.</p>
<p>"You can imagine having a scalable approach to thousands of genetic diseases," he said.</p>
<p>WHAT'S NEXT</p>
<p>Top of Collins' list: muscular dystrophy and sickle cell.</p>
<p>There's been so much progress that the NIH has modified an oversight panel that just a few years ago reviewed every gene therapy experiment in the U.S. Most are considered safe enough to go ahead without the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee's review. The panel hasn't even met for a year.</p>
<p>When the panel was formed decades ago, "there was a lot of concern that a graduate student could take some of this home and create a monster in his basement," said one panel member, Boston scientist Dr. Howard Kaufman.</p>
<p>Those fears have eased, he said.</p>
<p>"There's no monsters that have materialized from this."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP" type="external">@MMarchioneAP</a> .</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This Associated Press <a href="" type="internal">series</a> was produced in <a href="https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2017/ap-and-howard-hughes-medical-institute-collaborate-to-enhance-science-journalism" type="external">partnership</a> with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>
| false | 2 |
decades hope high promise year scientists really showed could doctor dna successfully treat diseases gene therapies treat cancer even pull biblicalsounding feat helping blind see approved us regulators establishing gene manipulation new mode medicine almost 20 years ago teens death gene experiment put chill field full outsized expectations series jawdropping successes renewed hopes onetime fixes dna chemical code governs life might turn cures totally willing use c word said national institutes healths director dr francis collins gene therapy aims treat root cause problem deleting adding altering dna rather treating symptoms result genetic flaw ap videokathy young advent gene editing precise longlasting way gene therapy may expand number types diseases treated november california scientists tried editing gene inside someones body first time using tool called zinc finger nucleases man metabolic disease like cutandpaste operation place new gene specific spot tests another editing tool called crispr genetically alter human cells lab may start next year times lives science astonishes us one times dr matthew porteus stanford university gene editing expert told senate panel discussing technology last month common path trailblazing science success initially seems within reach setbacks send researchers back lab new understandings emerge years studies ultimately reveal safe effective look whats achieved lies ahead string firsts year started gene therapies sold us couple elsewhere food drug administration approved first cart cell therapies alter patients blood cells turn specialized cancer killers theyre certain types leukemia lymphoma works blood cancers last week fda approved luxturna first gene therapy inherited disease form blindness people cant make protein needed retina tissue back eye converts light signals brain enabling sight therapy injects modified virus containing corrective gene retina cells make protein children received treatment told like gain vision ap videokathy young oh yikes colors colors super fun said 13yearold caroline carper little rock arkansas sunshine blinding gene therapies also showed promise variety diseases including hemophilia blood clotting problem bubble boy disease flawed immune system leaves patients vulnerable fatal infections sickle cell disease serious painful blood disorder common among black people good news though therapies dont work everyone theyre shockingly expensive one knows long results last though scientists say aim onetime repair gets root cause whole promise cure diseases based rationale fixing problem improving treatment said dr carl june university pennsylvania scientist pioneered cart therapy new frontier gene editing midnovember brian madeux 44yearold phoenix man metabolic disease called hunter syndrome become first person try experimental gene editing treatment believe science texted associated press doctors sent viruses containing corrective gene editing tool iv body hope gene editing tool would enter liver cells insert instructions needed start making enzyme lacks known yet worked sangamo therapeutics testing therapy several studies independent monitors help decide results released pretty exciting milestone collins said shows way treat diseases ones addressed altering blood cells lab injecting genes eye imagine scalable approach thousands genetic diseases said whats next top collins list muscular dystrophy sickle cell theres much progress nih modified oversight panel years ago reviewed every gene therapy experiment us considered safe enough go ahead without recombinant dna advisory committees review panel hasnt even met year panel formed decades ago lot concern graduate student could take home create monster basement said one panel member boston scientist dr howard kaufman fears eased said theres monsters materialized ___ marilynn marchione followed twitter mmarchioneap ___ associated press series produced partnership howard hughes medical institutes department science education ap solely responsible content decades hope high promise year scientists really showed could doctor dna successfully treat diseases gene therapies treat cancer even pull biblicalsounding feat helping blind see approved us regulators establishing gene manipulation new mode medicine almost 20 years ago teens death gene experiment put chill field full outsized expectations series jawdropping successes renewed hopes onetime fixes dna chemical code governs life might turn cures totally willing use c word said national institutes healths director dr francis collins gene therapy aims treat root cause problem deleting adding altering dna rather treating symptoms result genetic flaw ap videokathy young advent gene editing precise longlasting way gene therapy may expand number types diseases treated november california scientists tried editing gene inside someones body first time using tool called zinc finger nucleases man metabolic disease like cutandpaste operation place new gene specific spot tests another editing tool called crispr genetically alter human cells lab may start next year times lives science astonishes us one times dr matthew porteus stanford university gene editing expert told senate panel discussing technology last month common path trailblazing science success initially seems within reach setbacks send researchers back lab new understandings emerge years studies ultimately reveal safe effective look whats achieved lies ahead string firsts year started gene therapies sold us couple elsewhere food drug administration approved first cart cell therapies alter patients blood cells turn specialized cancer killers theyre certain types leukemia lymphoma works blood cancers last week fda approved luxturna first gene therapy inherited disease form blindness people cant make protein needed retina tissue back eye converts light signals brain enabling sight therapy injects modified virus containing corrective gene retina cells make protein children received treatment told like gain vision ap videokathy young oh yikes colors colors super fun said 13yearold caroline carper little rock arkansas sunshine blinding gene therapies also showed promise variety diseases including hemophilia blood clotting problem bubble boy disease flawed immune system leaves patients vulnerable fatal infections sickle cell disease serious painful blood disorder common among black people good news though therapies dont work everyone theyre shockingly expensive one knows long results last though scientists say aim onetime repair gets root cause whole promise cure diseases based rationale fixing problem improving treatment said dr carl june university pennsylvania scientist pioneered cart therapy new frontier gene editing midnovember brian madeux 44yearold phoenix man metabolic disease called hunter syndrome become first person try experimental gene editing treatment believe science texted associated press doctors sent viruses containing corrective gene editing tool iv body hope gene editing tool would enter liver cells insert instructions needed start making enzyme lacks known yet worked sangamo therapeutics testing therapy several studies independent monitors help decide results released pretty exciting milestone collins said shows way treat diseases ones addressed altering blood cells lab injecting genes eye imagine scalable approach thousands genetic diseases said whats next top collins list muscular dystrophy sickle cell theres much progress nih modified oversight panel years ago reviewed every gene therapy experiment us considered safe enough go ahead without recombinant dna advisory committees review panel hasnt even met year panel formed decades ago lot concern graduate student could take home create monster basement said one panel member boston scientist dr howard kaufman fears eased said theres monsters materialized ___ marilynn marchione followed twitter mmarchioneap ___ associated press series produced partnership howard hughes medical institutes department science education ap solely responsible content
| 1,126 |
<p>Q: Did the Supreme Court rule that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally can’t sue anyone if they feel they’ve been mistreated?</p>
<p>A: No. That claim was made in a bogus story published on satirical and fake news websites.</p>
<p />
<p>The Supreme Court has not ruled that “illegal aliens … do not, in effect, possess the right to sue anyone in case they feel abused or mistreated.”</p>
<p>Versions of that bogus claim were made in posts on at least 12 websites in May and June. Facebook users flagged one of the posts, published on <a href="http://www.dailyinsidernews.com/illegal-immigration/sc-major-reversal-illegal-immigrant/" type="external">DailyInsiderNews.com</a>, as potentially fake news.</p>
<p>Daily Insider News, June 10: Today [the Supreme Court] came out with a major decision about the illegal aliens, ruling that they do not, in effect, possess the right to sue anyone in case they feel abused or mistreated. President Trump wins this decision by a simple 5-4 majority voting [sic] along partisan lines.</p>
<p>According to the The Politcal [sic] Tribune,&#160;&#160;the right-leaning Court one more time showed the United States that those illegal immigrants are first and foremost, illegal, hence should not have the same rights as natural born, or naturalized U.S. citizens.</p>
<p>That implies if somebody’s arrested, and appears to be illegal, he does not have the right to a federal nor a private attorney, nor to a speedy trial in America.</p>
<p>Daily Insider News attributed the story to the <a href="http://www.thepoliticaltribune.com/2017/06/10/breaking-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-an-amazing-present-and-a-win-over-illegal-aliens/" type="external">Political Tribune</a>, which picked it up from <a href="http://www.consnation.com/2017/05/supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-huge-win-illegals/" type="external">Conservative Nation</a>, which sourced it to <a href="http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/supreme-court-reversal-trump-win-illegals/" type="external">USA Politics Today</a>.</p>
<p>It’s bogus. None of the <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/terms/ot2016/" type="external">Supreme Court’s rulings</a> this term&#160;support the story’s claims. Many of the websites that ran the story are repeat fake news offenders.</p>
<p>We’ve previously debunked posts on <a href="" type="internal">USAPoliticsToday.com</a>, <a href="" type="internal">ConsNation.com</a> and <a href="" type="internal">WashingtonFeed.com</a>, to name a few. And <a href="http://freedomcrossroads.us/scotus-strikes-down-liberal-9th-circuit-court-in-huge-trump-win/" type="external">FreedomCrossroads.us</a>, which also posted the story, is a satirical website. Its “ <a href="http://freedomcrossroads.us/sample-page/" type="external">about us</a>” page says, “Freedom Crossroads uses facts that don’t exist and relies more on imagination than the truth. In fact, there is likely no truth at all in what you will read here.”</p>
<p>Some believed the made-up story, but others saw through it. One commenter on liberty-courier.com — which ran the story under the headline “ <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:74SeSFhb0BoJ:www.liberty-courier.com/breaking-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-huge-win-illegals/+&amp;cd=1&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us" type="external">BREAKING: Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a> — wrote: “Notice that there is no case cited, a dead giveaway that the story is fake. When have you ever seen a legitimate story on a SCOTUS ruling that doesn’t name the case? Or at least touch on the points argued? The headline calls it a reversal. Reversal of what? We aren’t told. No sources are cited.” All good points that we have made in “ <a href="" type="internal">How to Spot Fake News</a>.”</p>
<p>A visitor on scout.com posted the fake story on the&#160; <a href="http://www.scout.com/college/ohio-state/forums/3159-the-nut-house/15550120-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-a-huge-win-over-illegals" type="external">Ohio State University sports page</a>&#160;and was challenged by another reader to produce evidence. That “evidence” turned out to be a Feb. 21 <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/02/21/515625917/supreme-court-to-decide-if-mexican-nationals-may-sue-for-border-shooting" type="external">NPR article</a> that said the Supreme Court will rule — not has ruled — on whether Mexican nationals have the right to sue a U.S. border agent who shot and killed an unarmed 15-year-old Mexican boy on Mexico’s side of the U.S. border fence.</p>
<p>And the Supreme Court still hasn’t issued a ruling. On June 26, the Supreme Court <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/26/533968647/supreme-court-sends-cross-border-shooting-case-back-to-lower-court" type="external">sent the case back</a> to an appeals court, which made a mistake in its earlier decision, the high court ruled.</p>
<p>Immigrants in the U.S. illegally do have the right to file lawsuits if they feel they’ve been mistreated, legal experts told us.</p>
<p>In an email to FactCheck.org, <a href="https://www.law.upenn.edu/cf/faculty/paoletti/" type="external">Sarah Paoletti</a>, a practice professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the <a href="https://www.law.upenn.edu/clinic/transnational/" type="external">Transnational Legal Clinic</a>, wrote, “All immigrants, regardless of their legal status within the country, are entitled to equal access to the courts and the right to petition before the courts if their rights have been violated or are being threatened in any way. U.S. federal and state law does not grant the right to sue or the right to defend oneself in court based on citizenship status.”</p>
<p>In Zadvydas v. Davis, Justice Stephen Breyer <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-7791.ZO.html" type="external">wrote in his 2001 majority opinion</a> that “once an alien enters the country, the legal circumstance changes, for the Due Process Clause applies to all ‘persons’ within the United States, including aliens, whether their presence is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or permanent.”</p>
<p>Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations <a href="http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/factcheck-org-to-work-with-facebook-on-exposing-viral-fake-news/" type="external">working with Facebook</a>&#160;to help identify and label viral fake news stories flagged by readers on the social media network.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://www.dailyinsidernews.com/illegal-immigration/sc-major-reversal-illegal-immigrant/" type="external">Supreme Court Moves With Major Reversal On Illegal Immigrant ‘Rights’</a>.” DailyInsiderNews.com. 10 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Warren, Alexander. “ <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:74SeSFhb0BoJ:www.liberty-courier.com/breaking-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-huge-win-illegals/+&amp;cd=1&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us" type="external">BREAKING: Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” Liberty-courier.com. 3 May 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://www.consnation.com/2017/05/supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-huge-win-illegals/" type="external">Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” Consnation.com. 2 May 2017.</p>
<p>Strouse, Aaron. “ <a href="http://www.thepoliticaltribune.com/2017/06/10/breaking-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-an-amazing-present-and-a-win-over-illegal-aliens/" type="external">BREAKING: Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump An AMAZING Present And A Win Over Illegal Aliens</a>.” ThePoliticalTribune.com. 10 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://usadailypost.us/2017/05/07/supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-huge-win-illegals/" type="external">Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” UsaDailyPost.com. 7 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://washingtonfeed.com/breaking-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-a-huge-win-over-illegals.html" type="external">BREAKING: Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals</a>.” WashingtonFeed.com. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Conservative Army. “ <a href="http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/supreme-court-reversal-trump-win-illegals/" type="external">Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” UsaPoliticsToday.com. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>D.K. “ <a href="http://maganewsblog.com/supreme-court-ruling-another-win-trump/" type="external">Supreme Court Ruling Is Another Win For Trump</a>.” Maganewsblog.com. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://americafans.com/index.php/huge-win-illegals-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump/" type="external">A HUGE Win Over Illegals-Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump</a>.” Americafans.com. 13 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Truth Dealer. “ <a href="http://freedomcrossroads.us/scotus-strikes-down-liberal-9th-circuit-court-in-huge-trump-win/" type="external">SCOTUS Strikes Down Liberal 9th Circuit Court In HUGE Trump Win</a>.” FreedomCrossroads.us. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://americainformer.com/supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-a-huge-win-over-illegals/" type="external">Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” Americaninformer.com. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Locke, John. “ <a href="http://www.americanjournalreview.com/supreme-court-moves-with-major-reversal-on-illegal-immigrant-rights/" type="external">Supreme Court Moves With Major Reversal On Illegal Immigrant ‘Rights.</a>‘” Americanjournalreview.com. 10 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Jmesser1982. “ <a href="http://www.scout.com/college/ohio-state/forums/3159-the-nut-house/15550120-supreme-court-reversal-gives-trump-a-huge-win-over-illegals" type="external">Supreme Court Reversal Gives Trump A HUGE Win Over Illegals!</a>” Scout.com. 3 May 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/terms/ot2016/" type="external">October Term 2016</a>.” Scotusblog.com. Accessed 29 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Totenberg, Nina. “ <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/02/21/515625917/supreme-court-to-decide-if-mexican-nationals-may-sue-for-border-shooting" type="external">Supreme Court To Decide If Mexican Nationals May Sue For Border Shooting</a>.” NPR. 21 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>Burnett, John, and Kennedy, Merrit. “ <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/26/533968647/supreme-court-sends-cross-border-shooting-case-back-to-lower-court" type="external">Supreme Court Sends Cross-Border Shooting Case Back To Lower Court.</a>” NPR. 26 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Schaedel, Sydney. “ <a href="" type="internal">Clinton Foundation Not Shutting Down</a>.” FactCheck.org. 13 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Schaedel, Sydney. “ <a href="" type="internal">John McCain Still a Republican</a>.” FactCheck.org. 10 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://freedomcrossroads.us/sample-page/" type="external">About Us</a>.” Freedomcrossroads.us. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://www.consnation.com/disclaimer/" type="external">Disclaimer</a>.” Consnation.com. Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Paoletti, Sarah, practice law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Email sent to FactCheck.org on 29 Jun 2017.</p>
<p>Legal Information Institute. “ <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-7791.ZS.html" type="external">Zadvydas v. Davis.</a>” Accessed 27 Jun 2017.</p>
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q supreme court rule immigrants living us illegally cant sue anyone feel theyve mistreated claim made bogus story published satirical fake news websites supreme court ruled illegal aliens effect possess right sue anyone case feel abused mistreated versions bogus claim made posts least 12 websites may june facebook users flagged one posts published dailyinsidernewscom potentially fake news daily insider news june 10 today supreme court came major decision illegal aliens ruling effect possess right sue anyone case feel abused mistreated president trump wins decision simple 54 majority voting sic along partisan lines according politcal sic tribune160160the rightleaning court one time showed united states illegal immigrants first foremost illegal hence rights natural born naturalized us citizens implies somebodys arrested appears illegal right federal private attorney speedy trial america daily insider news attributed story political tribune picked conservative nation sourced usa politics today bogus none supreme courts rulings term160support storys claims many websites ran story repeat fake news offenders weve previously debunked posts usapoliticstodaycom consnationcom washingtonfeedcom name freedomcrossroadsus also posted story satirical website us page says freedom crossroads uses facts dont exist relies imagination truth fact likely truth read believed madeup story others saw one commenter libertycouriercom ran story headline breaking supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals wrote notice case cited dead giveaway story fake ever seen legitimate story scotus ruling doesnt name case least touch points argued headline calls reversal reversal arent told sources cited good points made spot fake news visitor scoutcom posted fake story the160 ohio state university sports page160and challenged another reader produce evidence evidence turned feb 21 npr article said supreme court rule ruled whether mexican nationals right sue us border agent shot killed unarmed 15yearold mexican boy mexicos side us border fence supreme court still hasnt issued ruling june 26 supreme court sent case back appeals court made mistake earlier decision high court ruled immigrants us illegally right file lawsuits feel theyve mistreated legal experts told us email factcheckorg sarah paoletti practice professor law university pennsylvania director transnational legal clinic wrote immigrants regardless legal status within country entitled equal access courts right petition courts rights violated threatened way us federal state law grant right sue right defend oneself court based citizenship status zadvydas v davis justice stephen breyer wrote 2001 majority opinion alien enters country legal circumstance changes due process clause applies persons within united states including aliens whether presence lawful unlawful temporary permanent editors note factcheckorg one several organizations working facebook160to help identify label viral fake news stories flagged readers social media network supreme court moves major reversal illegal immigrant rights dailyinsidernewscom 10 jun 2017 warren alexander breaking supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals libertycouriercom 3 may 2017 supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals consnationcom 2 may 2017 strouse aaron breaking supreme court reversal gives trump amazing present win illegal aliens thepoliticaltribunecom 10 jun 2017 supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals usadailypostcom 7 jun 2017 breaking supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals washingtonfeedcom accessed 27 jun 2017 conservative army supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals usapoliticstodaycom accessed 27 jun 2017 dk supreme court ruling another win trump maganewsblogcom accessed 27 jun 2017 huge win illegalssupreme court reversal gives trump americafanscom 13 jun 2017 truth dealer scotus strikes liberal 9th circuit court huge trump win freedomcrossroadsus accessed 27 jun 2017 supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals americaninformercom accessed 27 jun 2017 locke john supreme court moves major reversal illegal immigrant rights americanjournalreviewcom 10 jun 2017 jmesser1982 supreme court reversal gives trump huge win illegals scoutcom 3 may 2017 october term 2016 scotusblogcom accessed 29 jun 2017 totenberg nina supreme court decide mexican nationals may sue border shooting npr 21 feb 2017 burnett john kennedy merrit supreme court sends crossborder shooting case back lower court npr 26 jun 2017 schaedel sydney clinton foundation shutting factcheckorg 13 jun 2017 schaedel sydney john mccain still republican factcheckorg 10 jun 2017 us freedomcrossroadsus accessed 27 jun 2017 disclaimer consnationcom accessed 27 jun 2017 paoletti sarah practice law professor university pennsylvania law school email sent factcheckorg 29 jun 2017 legal information institute zadvydas v davis accessed 27 jun 2017
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<p>Knee-deep in snow in the Sandia foothills, Raymond VanBuskirk watched in fascination as big flocks of dark-eyed juncos - small brown and gray birds - dropped like feathered balls from higher elevations.</p>
<p>Raymond VanBuskirk, an ardent Albuquerque birder, searches for birds Friday at the Rio Grande Nature Center, one of his favorite birding sites. VanBuskirk has led the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Albuquerque area for several years. Despite cold weather and lots of snow during the Dec. 27 count, VanBuskirk said the number of bird species tallied was close to average. (Dean Hanson/Journal)</p>
<p>The juncos were on a mission, looking for a meal.</p>
<p>"Juncos, hundreds strong, overhead," VanBuskirk recalled. "It really was impressive. Juncos feed on the ground and the snow covered their food (mostly grass seeds) up higher on the slopes."</p>
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<p>There was plenty of snow. This was Dec. 27, the day after a brute of a storm pummeled the Sandias with 30 inches of snow. It was also the day of the annual Audubon Christmas bird count for the Albuquerque area.</p>
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<p>VanBuskirk, 26, has been a birder since he was 7. He is a former president of the Central New Mexico Audubon Society and makes his living leading birding and nature tours in places such as Belize, Costa Rica and Guatemala.</p>
<p>VanBuskirk has been in charge of the Albuquerque count for about five years. He said that, despite Dec. 27's harsh weather, which greatly reduced the number of volunteers working the count, 116 species were recorded, about average for the Albuquerque tally.</p>
<p>"The average number over the last five years is 118 to 120 species," VanBuskirk said. "We got 122 species in 2014 and the all-time record is 123 more than 10 years ago. If we had had more eyes, we might have broken a record this time."</p>
<p>Nick Pederson, leader of the Dec. 26 Christmas count in the Sandia Mountains, said he and 40 volunteers got a good half day of counting done before the big storm rolled in around noon on that day. He said the count tallied 72 species, which is above average.</p>
<p>"The 25-year average for this count is 63," he said. "We have been pushing that up with better participation and knowing where to look. The peak number is 81 species in 2012."</p>
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<p>Numbers for both the Albuquerque and Sandia Mountains counts last month are still being crunched, but the figures VanBuskirk and Pederson have so far indicate an active, bird-filled winter in and around Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Bird count history</p>
<p>The Christmas bird count, started in December 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman, is an annual census of birds in the Western Hemisphere. Conducted by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society, each of the nearly 2,500 counts done each year must take place on a single day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.</p>
<p>More than 30 Audubon Christmas bird counts are done throughout New Mexico. Pederson also led the Jan. 3 count in the Peloncillo Mountains of Hidalgo County.</p>
<p>Each count area is a circle 15 miles in diameter. The Albuquerque circle is bordered roughly by the Rio Grande Zoo to the south, the Corrales bosque on the north, the Petroglyph National Monument on the west and the Sandia foothills on the east.</p>
<p>Over the past few years, VanBuskirk has been able to depend on 90 to more than 100 volunteers for the Albuquerque count. But last month, due to the snow and treacherous driving conditions, only 27 turned out.</p>
<p>A Canada goose swims on the pond at the Rio Grande Nature Center. Frozen water on some ponds made finding waterfowl more of a challenge than usual during last month's Albuquerque-area Christmas bird count. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)</p>
<p>"There was snow everywhere in the count circle," VanBuskirk said during an interview on a recent rainy day at a Nob Hill coffee shop. "Many of the ponds were frozen over, which usually means lower numbers of waterfowl. There were zero snow geese and just one Ross' goose. We didn't find any greater white-fronted geese this year and we find five or so most years."</p>
<p>But they did find some vagrants, birds not usually discovered in the Albuquerque count.</p>
<p>"The most interesting being a Harris' sparrow," VanBuskirk said. "It only breeds in Canada and spends winter in north-central Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. They generally don't come this far west. We also found an American tree sparrow, which is usually only found from Las Vegas north in New Mexico, and a golden-crowned sparrow, which is a West Coast bird."</p>
<p>And there were sandhill cranes, more than a thousand of them. Count numbers were still trickling in, but VanBuskirk said it looks as if the sandhill numbers will fall significantly short of the 2,554 cranes recorded in the December 2014 Albuquerque count.</p>
<p>That, however, was an exceptionally large number. VanBuskirk said the average number of sandhills in the Albuquerque count from 2005 through 2014 is 1,306.</p>
<p>"My initial thought is that the individual numbers (of all the bird species) will be down for 2015, but that's probably a result of fewer people on the count," he said.</p>
<p>The snow actually aided in some aspects of the count, VanBuskirk said, forcing grassland birds, which usually lurk in the grass, to move to the roadsides and other open areas in search of food, thus making them easier to see.</p>
<p>"We had a higher number of eastern meadowlarks than usual," he said. "We counted three. In 2014, we didn't find any eastern meadowlarks."</p>
<p>Sandia Mountains</p>
<p>The center point of the Sandia Mountains Christmas count circle is San Antonito, 10 miles northeast of Tijeras.</p>
<p>"It contains most of the Sandias, coming down to the foothills and the residential areas," Pederson said.</p>
<p>A sandhill crane joins some Canada geese in a search for food in a South Valley field. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)</p>
<p>Pederson, 32, a wildlife biologist with the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, has been leading the Sandias count since 2010 and taking part in it since 1999 or 2000.</p>
<p>He said the most intriguing thing he saw on last month's count was not anything with feathers, but the snowstorm rumbling into the area about midway through the day. "Seeing that front blow in was pretty impressive," Pederson said. "Seeing the weather go from calm and pretty nice to snow plastering your face was pretty entertaining, I guess."</p>
<p>He said the morning portion of last month's count was beautiful enough to allow volunteers to get into the mountains before daylight so they could look for owls.</p>
<p>"We did pretty well on owls," he said. "We got a great horned owl and a western screech owl, which we usually record on the count, and we got one northern pygmy owl and two northern saw-whet owls, which are more difficult to detect."</p>
<p>Pederson said a ring-necked duck was part of the count, only the third time that bird has been part of the Sandia Mountains tally.</p>
<p>"We don't usually get ducks because there is not a lot of water in our count area and what we have is usually frozen," he said. "This time, we did not get all three species of rosy finches, but I think that's because the (bird) feeders at the Crest House were not full. And we missed pinyon jays this year. Other than that, I did not notice a lot of holes."</p>
<p>He said he has noticed some species that are staying farther north than they once did and are sticking around in the Sandias during the winter.</p>
<p>"Species that have sort of moved in are cactus wrens and black-throated sparrows," he said. "Rock wrens are breeding here and black-chinned sparrows are becoming a little more regular."</p>
<p>Pederson said only California, Texas and Arizona are home to more bird species, recorded year-round and over time, than New Mexico, which claims 542.</p>
<p>"That's because of the size of the state and the varied habitat, ranging from alpine tundra to lowland Chihuahuan desert down by Carlsbad and everything in between," he said.</p>
<p>VanBuskirk said a lot of people don't realize the birding potential of New Mexico.</p>
<p>"Any time of year here is great for birding," he said.</p>
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kneedeep snow sandia foothills raymond vanbuskirk watched fascination big flocks darkeyed juncos small brown gray birds dropped like feathered balls higher elevations raymond vanbuskirk ardent albuquerque birder searches birds friday rio grande nature center one favorite birding sites vanbuskirk led annual audubon christmas bird count albuquerque area several years despite cold weather lots snow dec 27 count vanbuskirk said number bird species tallied close average dean hansonjournal juncos mission looking meal juncos hundreds strong overhead vanbuskirk recalled really impressive juncos feed ground snow covered food mostly grass seeds higher slopes advertisement plenty snow dec 27 day brute storm pummeled sandias 30 inches snow also day annual audubon christmas bird count albuquerque area 160 160 vanbuskirk 26 birder since 7 former president central new mexico audubon society makes living leading birding nature tours places belize costa rica guatemala vanbuskirk charge albuquerque count five years said despite dec 27s harsh weather greatly reduced number volunteers working count 116 species recorded average albuquerque tally average number last five years 118 120 species vanbuskirk said got 122 species 2014 alltime record 123 10 years ago eyes might broken record time nick pederson leader dec 26 christmas count sandia mountains said 40 volunteers got good half day counting done big storm rolled around noon day said count tallied 72 species average 25year average count 63 said pushing better participation knowing look peak number 81 species 2012 advertisement numbers albuquerque sandia mountains counts last month still crunched figures vanbuskirk pederson far indicate active birdfilled winter around albuquerque bird count history christmas bird count started december 1900 ornithologist frank chapman annual census birds western hemisphere conducted volunteer birdwatchers administered national audubon society nearly 2500 counts done year must take place single day dec 14 jan 5 30 audubon christmas bird counts done throughout new mexico pederson also led jan 3 count peloncillo mountains hidalgo county count area circle 15 miles diameter albuquerque circle bordered roughly rio grande zoo south corrales bosque north petroglyph national monument west sandia foothills east past years vanbuskirk able depend 90 100 volunteers albuquerque count last month due snow treacherous driving conditions 27 turned canada goose swims pond rio grande nature center frozen water ponds made finding waterfowl challenge usual last months albuquerquearea christmas bird count adolphe pierrelouisjournal snow everywhere count circle vanbuskirk said interview recent rainy day nob hill coffee shop many ponds frozen usually means lower numbers waterfowl zero snow geese one ross goose didnt find greater whitefronted geese year find five years find vagrants birds usually discovered albuquerque count interesting harris sparrow vanbuskirk said breeds canada spends winter northcentral texas kansas oklahoma nebraska generally dont come far west also found american tree sparrow usually found las vegas north new mexico goldencrowned sparrow west coast bird sandhill cranes thousand count numbers still trickling vanbuskirk said looks sandhill numbers fall significantly short 2554 cranes recorded december 2014 albuquerque count however exceptionally large number vanbuskirk said average number sandhills albuquerque count 2005 2014 1306 initial thought individual numbers bird species 2015 thats probably result fewer people count said snow actually aided aspects count vanbuskirk said forcing grassland birds usually lurk grass move roadsides open areas search food thus making easier see higher number eastern meadowlarks usual said counted three 2014 didnt find eastern meadowlarks sandia mountains center point sandia mountains christmas count circle san antonito 10 miles northeast tijeras contains sandias coming foothills residential areas pederson said sandhill crane joins canada geese search food south valley field adolphe pierrelouisjournal pederson 32 wildlife biologist albuquerque environmental health department leading sandias count since 2010 taking part since 1999 2000 said intriguing thing saw last months count anything feathers snowstorm rumbling area midway day seeing front blow pretty impressive pederson said seeing weather go calm pretty nice snow plastering face pretty entertaining guess said morning portion last months count beautiful enough allow volunteers get mountains daylight could look owls pretty well owls said got great horned owl western screech owl usually record count got one northern pygmy owl two northern sawwhet owls difficult detect pederson said ringnecked duck part count third time bird part sandia mountains tally dont usually get ducks lot water count area usually frozen said time get three species rosy finches think thats bird feeders crest house full missed pinyon jays year notice lot holes said noticed species staying farther north sticking around sandias winter species sort moved cactus wrens blackthroated sparrows said rock wrens breeding blackchinned sparrows becoming little regular pederson said california texas arizona home bird species recorded yearround time new mexico claims 542 thats size state varied habitat ranging alpine tundra lowland chihuahuan desert carlsbad everything said vanbuskirk said lot people dont realize birding potential new mexico time year great birding said
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<p>It was the City Council which, nearly a decade ago, put an amendment before voters to switch to a ranked-choice election system. The measure was approved by a wide margin in 2008.</p>
<p>Now, though, the city – as represented by a slim 5-4 majority among today’s city councilors and mayor – has argued in court that ranked-choice voting, or RCV, is unconstitutional.</p>
<p>“If the legislature wanted to propose a constitutional amendment authorizing RCV, the legislature could have done so, but they chose not to do it,” the city says in a filing.</p>
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<p>The city attorney’s office notes that the New Mexico Constitution uses the term “runoff election” but provides no definition for it.</p>
<p>More from ABQJournal.com</p>
<p>Biggest issue could be the need to educate voters on new process… continue reading »</p>
<p>So the city turns to Black’s Law Dictionary, where a runoff is defined this way: “An election held after a general election, in which the two candidates who received the most votes – neither of whom received a majority – run against each other so that a winner can be determined.”</p>
<p>In addition, the city says federal election code addresses “runoff elections” by referring to elections “held after” primary or general elections.</p>
<p>“This process (RCV) is clearly different from a runoff election and can produce different results,” the city maintains.</p>
<p>Ranked-choice voting is intended to provide a winner who gets support from a majority of voters, but with an “instant runoff” instead of a separate runoff election.</p>
<p>RCV comes into play in races with more than two candidates. Voters rank the candidates – a first choice, a second choice, a third choice and so on. That part, a voter’s job at the polls, is relatively easy to explain.</p>
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<p>RCV vote counting can be harder to understand. If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes in an initial count, the last-place candidate is eliminated. The second-choice votes on ballots for the last-place candidate are then counted toward the first-place totals of the remaining candidates. The process is repeated until someone gets enough votes to win, theoretically a majority.</p>
<p>One problem that could provide grounds for a legal challenge is that RCV doesn’t always assure that the winner gets support from a majority of all voters who cast ballots. That can happen when, for instance, some voters just pick a first choice and don’t rank other candidates.</p>
<p>But RCV supporters can argue that, similarly, winners of standard runoff elections rarely get enough votes to equal a majority of those who voted in the first election, as turnout drops off.</p>
<p>City’s RCV history</p>
<p>Even back when the city was first considering adopting RCV, there were differing legal opinions about its constitutionality.</p>
<p>Prior to 2001, it wasn’t an issue. The law in New Mexico used to be that an election was won by a plurality of votes – whoever gets the most votes wins, with no requirement for a majority.</p>
<p>That year, the state Legislature considered a resolution to define RCV, which ultimately failed, a point the city now argues was a rejection of RCV as a “runoff election” method, even though RCV is often referred to as “instant runoff.”</p>
<p>Two years later, the Legislature introduced an amendment allowing municipalities to hold runoff elections and voters statewide approved the change to the constitution in 2004.</p>
<p>Santa Fe, a home rule city with its own charter, contemplated RCV during this era. A 2001 email from then-city attorney Bruce Thompson in response to a councilor’s inquiry questioned whether RCV really was a runoff election.</p>
<p>He warned that including provisions for instant runoffs in the charter could result in litigation “which could create incredible confusion over who actually won the election.”</p>
<p>But the city’s position changed when Frank Katz became city attorney in 2006. He said the state Constitution “makes no restrictions on the type of runoff election.”</p>
<p>“There is no basis to conclude that a runoff that is achieved through expressing one’s second, (or third) choice at the time of the initial election would be treated differently from allowing that second (or third) choice to be made some weeks later at a separate election,” he wrote.</p>
<p>With that in mind, the city decided to put a question on the ballot in 2008 asking voters if RCV should be adopted, with the proviso that RCV would be used whenever appropriate vote-counting software was available at reasonable cost. Sixty-five percent of voters said “yes.”</p>
<p>Judge Thomson last month agreed with RCV supporters that since appropriate software was certified in September by the Secretary of State’s Office, it’s now “available” under terms of the 2008 charter amendment and should be used in the March city elections. Santa Fe would be the first jurisdiction in New Mexico to use RCV.</p>
<p>Unless the Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional, that is.</p>
<p>Thomson briefly addressed the city’s arguments in his written order dated Nov. 30. “The New Mexico Constitution grants home rule municipalities the right to amend their charter to allow for runoff election,” he wrote, adding that the city failed to cite any provision in statute or the Constitution “that limits, restricts or prohibits conducting runoff elections using instant runoff, also known as ranked choice.”</p>
<p>The judge wrote that it’s apparent that the city’s charter review commission, in recommending that the ranked-choice question be placed on the ballot for the 2008 municipal election, considered the benefits of RCV over having two separate elections.</p>
<p>Proponents says RCV prevents underdog “spoilers” from tilting a race, allows voters to choose their real favorites instead of “the lesser of two evils” and discourages negative campaigning, as candidates must angle for potential second- or even third-place votes from among opponents’ supporters that could help win a majority after the initial round of vote-counting.</p>
<p>To the high court, again</p>
<p>Now it’s up to the Supreme Court, if it decides to hear the case.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court has dealt with this matter once already under a separate filing. The group of Santa Fe voters who brought the lawsuit that Thomson acted on previously filed an emergency petition before the high court. In August, they sought an order mandating the use of ranked-choice voting in 2018, arguing that the city had a nondiscretionary duty to implement RCV under the 2008 charter change. That petition was denied.</p>
<p>But within a week, the software capable of handling a ranked-choice election was certified by the Secretary of State’s office, prompting the RCV supporters to file a new petition in district court, which came before Judge Thomson.</p>
<p>One argument for taking the case back to the Supreme Court is to get a guarantee that the legality of RCV election results won’t be challenged.</p>
<p>City Councilor Ron Trujillo – one of three councilors running for mayor – said he wanted the city to appeal Thompson’s decision so the city can have clarity.</p>
<p>“I voted for it, so we’d have a definitive answer,” he said after the council decided in executive session to pursue an appeal. “We need to do this election right and make sure everything is covered. This is too important of an election. We have to get it right.”</p>
<p>The other councilors running for mayor are Peter Ives, who also favored an appeal, and Joseph Maestas, who voted against it. They will be on the March ballot with school board member Kate Noble and entrepreneur Alan Webber.</p>
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city council nearly decade ago put amendment voters switch rankedchoice election system measure approved wide margin 2008 though city represented slim 54 majority among todays city councilors mayor argued court rankedchoice voting rcv unconstitutional legislature wanted propose constitutional amendment authorizing rcv legislature could done chose city says filing advertisement city attorneys office notes new mexico constitution uses term runoff election provides definition abqjournalcom biggest issue could need educate voters new process continue reading city turns blacks law dictionary runoff defined way election held general election two candidates received votes neither received majority run winner determined addition city says federal election code addresses runoff elections referring elections held primary general elections process rcv clearly different runoff election produce different results city maintains rankedchoice voting intended provide winner gets support majority voters instant runoff instead separate runoff election rcv comes play races two candidates voters rank candidates first choice second choice third choice part voters job polls relatively easy explain advertisement rcv vote counting harder understand candidate gets majority firstchoice votes initial count lastplace candidate eliminated secondchoice votes ballots lastplace candidate counted toward firstplace totals remaining candidates process repeated someone gets enough votes win theoretically majority one problem could provide grounds legal challenge rcv doesnt always assure winner gets support majority voters cast ballots happen instance voters pick first choice dont rank candidates rcv supporters argue similarly winners standard runoff elections rarely get enough votes equal majority voted first election turnout drops citys rcv history even back city first considering adopting rcv differing legal opinions constitutionality prior 2001 wasnt issue law new mexico used election plurality votes whoever gets votes wins requirement majority year state legislature considered resolution define rcv ultimately failed point city argues rejection rcv runoff election method even though rcv often referred instant runoff two years later legislature introduced amendment allowing municipalities hold runoff elections voters statewide approved change constitution 2004 santa fe home rule city charter contemplated rcv era 2001 email thencity attorney bruce thompson response councilors inquiry questioned whether rcv really runoff election warned including provisions instant runoffs charter could result litigation could create incredible confusion actually election citys position changed frank katz became city attorney 2006 said state constitution makes restrictions type runoff election basis conclude runoff achieved expressing ones second third choice time initial election would treated differently allowing second third choice made weeks later separate election wrote mind city decided put question ballot 2008 asking voters rcv adopted proviso rcv would used whenever appropriate votecounting software available reasonable cost sixtyfive percent voters said yes judge thomson last month agreed rcv supporters since appropriate software certified september secretary states office available terms 2008 charter amendment used march city elections santa fe would first jurisdiction new mexico use rcv unless supreme court rules unconstitutional thomson briefly addressed citys arguments written order dated nov 30 new mexico constitution grants home rule municipalities right amend charter allow runoff election wrote adding city failed cite provision statute constitution limits restricts prohibits conducting runoff elections using instant runoff also known ranked choice judge wrote apparent citys charter review commission recommending rankedchoice question placed ballot 2008 municipal election considered benefits rcv two separate elections proponents says rcv prevents underdog spoilers tilting race allows voters choose real favorites instead lesser two evils discourages negative campaigning candidates must angle potential second even thirdplace votes among opponents supporters could help win majority initial round votecounting high court supreme court decides hear case supreme court dealt matter already separate filing group santa fe voters brought lawsuit thomson acted previously filed emergency petition high court august sought order mandating use rankedchoice voting 2018 arguing city nondiscretionary duty implement rcv 2008 charter change petition denied within week software capable handling rankedchoice election certified secretary states office prompting rcv supporters file new petition district court came judge thomson one argument taking case back supreme court get guarantee legality rcv election results wont challenged city councilor ron trujillo one three councilors running mayor said wanted city appeal thompsons decision city clarity voted wed definitive answer said council decided executive session pursue appeal need election right make sure everything covered important election get right councilors running mayor peter ives also favored appeal joseph maestas voted march ballot school board member kate noble entrepreneur alan webber
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<p>Donald Dean Brewer and his wife Sherri Lynn Brewer, both 64, were found guilty by a jury in April of 16 counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud and major fraud against the United States, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said the Brewers, former owners of Brewer Jeep and Brewer Mitsubishi in Clovis, and James McKinney of San Antonio, Texas, created a sham subcontracting business in 2003 that provided no useful service but forced overcharges on prime contractors, according to court records. McKinney also was convicted.</p>
<p>In late June, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery spared the Brewers a prison sentence, choosing instead to impose lifetime supervision and requiring the couple to write a letter admitting their crimes and have it published in the Clovis News Journal.</p>
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<p>The couple also was ordered to pay restitution and and be stripped of all assets and equities except for one automobile, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>Biery’s ruling, filed Monday in San Antonio, indicated that the letter presented by the Brewers’ counsel was unacceptable.</p>
<p>“If necessary, the Court will refresh defendants’ memories as to the specific evidence of their lies and misdeeds shown by the evidence in the record,” the judge wrote.</p>
<p>If the letter is not approved by the court, warrants would be issued for the Brewers to return to San Antonio for revocation of probation proceedings and federal prison sentencing, Biery wrote.</p>
<p>6:47am 7/2/13 — Apology ordered for Clovis pair</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>A federal judge’s unusual sentence means a Clovis couple convicted of bilking the government of more than $6.4 million will have to write a letter admitting their crimes and have it published in the <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/2013/06/30/federal-judge-gives-clovis-couple-unusual-sentence/" type="external">Clovis News Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery handed down the sentence Friday in San Antonio, Texas, to Donald Dean Brewer and his wife, Sherri Lynn Brewer, according to the San Antonio Express-News.</p>
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<p>“There has not been a full and forthcoming acceptance of responsibility. There’s been minimization,” Biery told the Brewers. “You are going to write a letter to be published in the Clovis newspaper … It better be a real strong confessional. It better say, ‘I am a liar. I am a thief. I betrayed my friends. I betrayed the United States.'”</p>
<p>According to the Express-News, Biery acknowledged it was an unusual sentence and was probably illegal under federal statute, and the Brewers’ lawyers said they would have to confer with their clients regarding any appeal, the News Journal reported.</p>
<p>The judge also sentenced the Brewers to five years probation on each of 13 counts of wire fraud and four counts of major fraud, and they were ordered to pay restitution, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>A federal jury convicted the Brewers and co-defendant James McKinney on April 24.</p>
<p>6:24am 11/24/11 — Clovis Couple Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud</p>
<p>By ABQnews Staff</p>
<p>A Clovis couple accused of defrauding the Air Force of $6.4 million have pleaded not guilty to all charges, their attorney, Terree Bowers of Los Angeles, told the <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/news/federal-45815-couple-accused.html" type="external">Clovis News Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Donald Dean Brewer, 62, and his wife, Sherri Lynn Brewer, 62, were released on their own recognizance following a hearing Monday in federal court in Lubbock, Bowers told the News Journal.</p>
<p>The Brewers and 60-year-old James McKinney of San Antonio, Texas, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, 12 counts of wire fraud and four counts of major fraud for allegedly bilking the government by means of a sham subcontracting business, the paper reported.</p>
<p>But Bowers said the Brewers are innocent and “intend to fight this vigorously,” the News Journal said.</p>
<p>The Brewers are former owners of Brewer Jeep and Brewer Mitsubishi of Clovis, according to the paper.</p>
<p>12:46pm 11/4/11 — Lawyer: Couple Accused of Fraud Saved Government Money</p>
<p>By Robin Fornoff/Clovis News Journal</p>
<p>CLOVIS — A lawyer for a former Clovis car dealer and his wife, accused of defrauding the Air Force of $6.4 million, said Thursday his clients have actually saved the government money.</p>
<p>The Associated Press reported Donald Dean Brewer, 62, and his wife, Sherri Lynn Brewer, 62, of Clovis were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday along with James McKinney, 60, of San Antonio, Texas.</p>
<p>All three are charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, 12 counts of wire fraud and four counts of major fraud.</p>
<p>The 17-count indictment accuses the three of creating a sham subcontracting business — Enterprise and Deployment — to bilk the government.</p>
<p>But Washington, D.C., attorney Craig King said the Brewers didn’t do anything wrong.</p>
<p>“The facts will show,” King said, “that Enterprise and Deployment took what had been an incredibly chaotic and expensive cabling project and managed this project in such a way that, for the first time in the history of the project, it came in on budget and on time.”</p>
<p>The Brewers are the former owners of Brewer Jeep and Brewer Mitsubishi in Clovis.</p>
<p>The indictment centers around two companies, KARTA Technologies Inc. and Ark Systems Inc., providing computer technology for medical systems and based at Brooks City Air Force Base in San Antonio. Donald Brewer was a program manager for KARTA.</p>
<p>King said Enterprise and Deployment was created to help stop waste.</p>
<p>“These guys put together a little company that took on a project that had for years not been well performed … over budget … over cost,” said King.</p>
<p>“E&amp;D actually received numerous commendations for their outstanding work,” King said. “It is shocking that the government has chosen to indict under such circumstances.”</p>
<p>King said he hasn’t yet seen the indictment. He said it is his understanding the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio bases its case against the Brewers “on the proposition that no value was added by E&amp;D’s participation.”</p>
<p>“That,” said King, “is ridiculous.”</p>
<p>The San Antonio Express News was reporting the indictment alleges the Brewers and McKinney tainted $33.5 million in contracts by overcharging the Air Force more than $6.4 million between 2002 and 2008. The newspaper said the indictment charges the trio with inflating billings for contracts to install cabling and electronics for information and telephone systems at government medical facilities worldwide.</p>
<p>McKinney was released on unsecured bond following a hearing Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Nowak and is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 10.</p>
<p>The Brewers have yet to appear in court. Sherri Brewer, contacted at home Thursday, declined comment and referred all questions to King.</p>
<p>————</p>
<p>Distributed by MCT Information Services</p>
<p>Nov. 3, 2011 6:27 a.m. — Clovis Couple Accused of Defrauding Air Force</p>
<p>By The Associated Press</p>
<p>SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A federal grand jury in Texas has indicted three people in a $6.5 million fraud investigation linked to Air Force services and alleged overcharges.</p>
<p>Prosecutors in San Antonio say a 17-count indictment returned Wednesday names 60-year-old James McKinney of San Antonio, 62-year-old Donald Dean Brewer and his wife, 62-year-old Sherri Lynn Brewer. The Brewers are from Clovis.</p>
<p>All three are charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, 12 counts of wire fraud and four counts of major fraud against the government.</p>
<p>The indictment says Donald Brewer was employed by KARTA Technologies Inc. as the medical systems infrastructure modernization program manager at Brooks City-Base in San Antonio. McKinney served as a vice president with Ark Systems Inc.</p>
<p>The indictment alleges the trio and others created a sham subcontracting business.</p>
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donald dean brewer wife sherri lynn brewer 64 found guilty jury april 16 counts conspiracy defraud united states wire fraud major fraud united states news journal said prosecutors said brewers former owners brewer jeep brewer mitsubishi clovis james mckinney san antonio texas created sham subcontracting business 2003 provided useful service forced overcharges prime contractors according court records mckinney also convicted late june us district judge fred biery spared brewers prison sentence choosing instead impose lifetime supervision requiring couple write letter admitting crimes published clovis news journal advertisement couple also ordered pay restitution stripped assets equities except one automobile news journal said bierys ruling filed monday san antonio indicated letter presented brewers counsel unacceptable necessary court refresh defendants memories specific evidence lies misdeeds shown evidence record judge wrote letter approved court warrants would issued brewers return san antonio revocation probation proceedings federal prison sentencing biery wrote 647am 7213 apology ordered clovis pair abqnews staff federal judges unusual sentence means clovis couple convicted bilking government 64 million write letter admitting crimes published clovis news journal chief us district judge fred biery handed sentence friday san antonio texas donald dean brewer wife sherri lynn brewer according san antonio expressnews advertisement full forthcoming acceptance responsibility theres minimization biery told brewers going write letter published clovis newspaper better real strong confessional better say liar thief betrayed friends betrayed united states according expressnews biery acknowledged unusual sentence probably illegal federal statute brewers lawyers said would confer clients regarding appeal news journal reported judge also sentenced brewers five years probation 13 counts wire fraud four counts major fraud ordered pay restitution news journal said federal jury convicted brewers codefendant james mckinney april 24 624am 112411 clovis couple pleads guilty fraud abqnews staff clovis couple accused defrauding air force 64 million pleaded guilty charges attorney terree bowers los angeles told clovis news journal donald dean brewer 62 wife sherri lynn brewer 62 released recognizance following hearing monday federal court lubbock bowers told news journal brewers 60yearold james mckinney san antonio texas charged conspiracy defraud government 12 counts wire fraud four counts major fraud allegedly bilking government means sham subcontracting business paper reported bowers said brewers innocent intend fight vigorously news journal said brewers former owners brewer jeep brewer mitsubishi clovis according paper 1246pm 11411 lawyer couple accused fraud saved government money robin fornoffclovis news journal clovis lawyer former clovis car dealer wife accused defrauding air force 64 million said thursday clients actually saved government money associated press reported donald dean brewer 62 wife sherri lynn brewer 62 clovis indicted federal grand jury wednesday along james mckinney 60 san antonio texas three charged conspiracy defraud government 12 counts wire fraud four counts major fraud 17count indictment accuses three creating sham subcontracting business enterprise deployment bilk government washington dc attorney craig king said brewers didnt anything wrong facts show king said enterprise deployment took incredibly chaotic expensive cabling project managed project way first time history project came budget time brewers former owners brewer jeep brewer mitsubishi clovis indictment centers around two companies karta technologies inc ark systems inc providing computer technology medical systems based brooks city air force base san antonio donald brewer program manager karta king said enterprise deployment created help stop waste guys put together little company took project years well performed budget cost said king eampd actually received numerous commendations outstanding work king said shocking government chosen indict circumstances king said hasnt yet seen indictment said understanding us attorneys office san antonio bases case brewers proposition value added eampds participation said king ridiculous san antonio express news reporting indictment alleges brewers mckinney tainted 335 million contracts overcharging air force 64 million 2002 2008 newspaper said indictment charges trio inflating billings contracts install cabling electronics information telephone systems government medical facilities worldwide mckinney released unsecured bond following hearing thursday us magistrate judge nancy nowak scheduled arraignment nov 10 brewers yet appear court sherri brewer contacted home thursday declined comment referred questions king distributed mct information services nov 3 2011 627 clovis couple accused defrauding air force associated press san antonio texas federal grand jury texas indicted three people 65 million fraud investigation linked air force services alleged overcharges prosecutors san antonio say 17count indictment returned wednesday names 60yearold james mckinney san antonio 62yearold donald dean brewer wife 62yearold sherri lynn brewer brewers clovis three charged conspiracy defraud government 12 counts wire fraud four counts major fraud government indictment says donald brewer employed karta technologies inc medical systems infrastructure modernization program manager brooks citybase san antonio mckinney served vice president ark systems inc indictment alleges trio others created sham subcontracting business
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<p>CAIRO (Reuters) - Vice President Mike Pence told Egypt’s leader on Saturday the United States would support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians if the two sides agreed to it, seeking to reassure a key Arab ally over President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.</p> Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) shakes hands with with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt January 20, 2018. REUTERS/ Khaled Desouki/Pool
<p>Pence was in Egypt on the first leg of a three-country tour that includes stops in Jordan and Israel.</p>
<p>It is the highest-level visit by a U.S. official to the region since December, when Trump upended decades of U.S. policy on Jerusalem in a move opposed by Arab leaders including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.</p>
<p>“We heard President al-Sisi out,” Pence told reporters after their meeting, saying the Egyptian leader described his objection to Trump’s decision as a “disagreement between friends.”</p>
<p>Pence said he assured Sisi that the United States was committed to preserving the status quo of holy sites in Jerusalem and had come to no final resolution on boundaries for the two parties.</p>
<p>“My perception was that he was encouraged by that message,” Pence said.</p> Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt January 20, 2018. REUTERS/ Khaled Desouki/Pool
<p>The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that Sisi noted that only negotiations based on a two-state solution could bring an end to the conflict, “and Egypt would spare no effort to support this.”</p>
<p>Pence said he also pressed Sisi about two Americans who have been imprisoned in Egypt since 2013, as well as for reform of Egypt’s restrictive laws on non-governmental organizations.</p>
<p>In his meeting with Egypt’s president, Pence pledged firm U.S. backing in the nation’s fight against Islamist militants and said ties between the two countries had never been stronger after a period of “drifting apart.”</p>
<p>“We stand shoulder to shoulder with you in Egypt in the fight against terrorism,” Pence told Sisi.</p>
<p>Egypt has faced security problems, including attacks by Islamic State militants in the North Sinai region. Trump has made the fight against Islamic State a top priority.</p>
<p>Though Pence intends to discuss counterterrorism issues throughout the trip, the Jerusalem decision remains a hot topic. Trump’s announcement, which also set in motion the process of moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, prompted Palestinians to reject the United States as a peace broker.</p>
<p>From Cairo, Pence headed to Jordan, where he will meet with King Abdullah, a close U.S. ally. Abdullah warned against declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying it would have a dangerous impact on regional stability and obstruct U.S. efforts to resume peace talks.</p>
<p>Many people in Jordan are descendants of Palestinian refugees whose families left after the creation of Israel in 1948.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Pence will end his trip in Israel, where he will be warmly welcomed following Trump’s designation. He plans to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, address the Israeli legislature and visit the Western Wall.</p>
<p>Pence is not scheduled to meet Palestinian leaders. They were incensed by Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, which upended the longstanding U.S. position that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians must determine the city’s status.</p>
<p>“The United States of America is deeply committed to restarting the peace process in the Middle East,” Pence told reporters.</p>
<p>The Trump administration’s announcement on Thursday that it was withholding about half the aid it was set to give a United Nations relief agency that serves the Palestinians raised questions about fledgling U.S. efforts to revive peace talks and further undermined Arabs’ faith that the United States can act as an impartial arbitrator.</p>
<p>Pence also plans to visit U.S. troops while he is in the region.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alistair Bell and Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wanted to “get out” of Syria but offered no timetable, as his advisers warned of the hard work left to defeat Islamic State and stabilize areas recaptured from the hardline militant group.</p>
<p>Trump told a news conference the United States would “not rest until ISIS is gone,” using an acronym for the militant group. But he also suggested that victory was imminent.</p>
<p>The Pentagon and State Department have held that a longer term U.S. effort would be needed to ensure that Islamic State’s defeat is a lasting one.</p>
<p>“It’s time,” Trump told reporters, when asked if he was inclined to withdraw U.S. forces.</p>
<p>“We were very successful against (Islamic State). We’ll be successful against anybody militarily. But sometimes it’s time to come back home, and we’re thinking about that very seriously.”</p>
<p>The United States is waging near-daily air strikes in Syria and has deployed about 2,000 troops on the ground, including U.S. special operations forces whose advising has helped Kurdish militia and other U.S.-backed fighters capture territory from Islamic State.</p>
<p>U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. troops in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, estimated on Tuesday that more than 90 percent of the group’s territory in Syria had been taken back from the militants since 2014.</p>
<p>Trump estimated the percentage of territory recaptured in Iraq and Syria at “almost 100 percent,” a figure that U.S. officials say is correct - it is about 98 percent - but does not highlight the work left in Syria.</p>
<p>The big hurdle, in the U.S. military’s view, is seizing Islamic State-held territory around the Syrian town of Abu Kamal.</p>
<p>That effort that has been slowed as U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters shift their focus away from Islamic State toward a Turkish offensive against Kurdish allies elsewhere in Syria’s complex, multi-pronged civil war, now in its eighth year.</p>
<p>Brett McGurk, the special U.S. envoy for the global coalition against Islamic State, speaking alongside Votel at an event in Washington on Tuesday, said the U.S. fight against Islamic State was not over.</p>
<p>“We are in Syria to fight ISIS. That is our mission and our mission isn’t over and we are going to complete that mission,” McGurk said.</p>
<p>OBAMA DO-OVER</p>
<p>Experts were divided about the significance of Trump’s simultaneous musings about withdrawal and his assurance that the United States will not depart until Islamic State is defeated.</p>
<p>The militant group is widely expected to revert to guerilla tactics once the last remnants of its once self-styled “caliphate” are captured by U.S.-backed forces.</p>
<p>Jon Alterman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said a precipitous U.S. withdrawal would undermine U.S. leverage in talks to end Syria’s civil war.</p> A U.S. fighter stands near a military vehicle, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said
<p>“The principal consequence is the United States surrenders the little influence it has over the future of Syria,” he said.</p>
<p>Experts warn an abrupt U.S. withdrawal could benefit Russia and Iran, U.S. rivals who could extend their influence in Syria.</p>
<p>Trump noted that U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, Iran’s arch-rival, was interested in his decision, adding: “Well, you know, you want us to stay, maybe you’re going to have to pay.”</p>
<p>Trump has previously lambasted his predecessor, Barack Obama, for his withdrawal from Iraq that preceded an unraveling of the Iraqi armed forces, which eventually collapsed in the face of Islamic State’s advance into the country in 2014.</p>
<p>It was unclear what Trump’s vision of a post-war U.S. role in Syria would look like. But his recent decision to freeze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria suggests resistance to a broad U.S. ground effort.</p>
<p>McGurk acknowledged a review was underway to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars were well spent.</p> U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis, Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid and Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
<p>Votel said he saw a U.S. military role in stabilization efforts in Syria.</p>
<p>“The hard part, I think, is in front of us, and that is stabilizing these areas, consolidating our gains, getting people back into their homes,” Votel said, adding “there is a military role in this.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Arshad Mohammed, David Brunnstrom, Lesley Wroughton, and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Mary Milliken, James Dalgleish and Tom Brown</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said in a published interview that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land, another public sign of an apparent thawing in ties between the two countries.</p>
<p>Asked if he believes the Jewish people have a right to a nation state in at least part of their ancestral homeland, Mohammed bin Salman was quoted by U.S. magazine The Atlantic as saying:</p>
<p>“I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia - birthplace of Islam and site of its holiest shrines - does not officially recognize Israel. It has maintained for years that normalizing relations hinges on an Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war - territory Palestinians seek for a future state.</p>
<p>“We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people,” said Prince Mohammed, who is touring the United States to drum up investments and support for his efforts to contain Iranian influence.</p>
<p>Increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of interests we share with Israel and if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,” Prince Mohammed added.</p>
<p>The German foreign ministry welcomed his comments and ministry officials underscored the Saudi role in pushing for an Arab peace initiative as early as 2002.</p>
<p>“The prince’s comments are very close to the position of Germany and the EU: We need a two-state solution and serious negotiations to achieve that,” said one ministry official. “Israelis and Palestinians have a right to peaceful lives in their own country.”</p>
<p>Israeli-Palestinian peace talks envisaging a Palestinian state alongside Israel have been frozen since 2014.</p> FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is seen during a meeting with U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Levy/File Photo
<p>Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel last month, which an Israeli official hailed as historic following two years of efforts.</p>
<p>In November, an Israeli cabinet member disclosed covert contacts with Saudi Arabia, a rare acknowledgment of long-rumoured secret dealings which Riyadh still denies.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year. But Arab officials told Reuters at the time that Riyadh appears to be on board with a broader U.S. strategy for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan still in its early phases of development.</p>
<p>Reporting by Stephen Kalin in Riyadh and Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Monday approved a law against “fake news” that would allow for prison of up to six years for offenders, shrugging off critics who say it was aimed at curbing dissent and free speech ahead of a general election.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government secured a simple majority in parliament to pass the Anti-Fake News 2018 bill, which sets out fines of up to 500,000 ringgit ($123,000) and a maximum six years in jail. The first draft of the bill had proposed jail of up to 10 years.</p>
<p>The government said the law would not impinge on freedom of speech and cases under it would be handled through an independent court process.</p>
<p>“This law aims to protect the public from the spread of fake news, while allowing freedom of speech as provided for under the constitution,” Law Minister Azalina Othman Said told parliament.</p>
<p>The law defines fake news as “news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false” and includes features, visuals and audio recordings.</p>
<p>It covers digital publications and social media and will apply to offenders who maliciously spread “fake news” inside and outside Malaysia, including foreigners, if Malaysia or a Malaysian citizen were affected.</p>
<p>Co-opted by U.S. President Donald Trump, the term “fake news” has quickly become part of the standard repertoire of leaders in authoritarian countries to describe media reports and organizations critical of them.</p>
<p>The U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, had earlier on Monday urged the government not to rush the legislation through parliament.</p>
<p>“I urge the government to reconsider the bill and open it up to regular and genuine public scrutiny before taking any further steps,” David Kaye said in a Twitter post.</p> Commuters walk past an advertisement discouraging the dissemination of fake news at a train station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 28, 2018. Picture taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer OTHERS CONSIDER LAWS
<p>Other countries in Southeast Asia, including Singapore and the Philippines, are considering how to tackle “fake news” but human rights activists fear that laws against it could be used to stifle free speech.</p>
<p>Malaysia is among the first few countries to introduce a law against it. Germany approved a plan last year to fine social media networks if they fail to remove hateful postings.</p>
<p>Malaysia already has an arsenal of laws, including a colonial-era Sedition Act, that have been used to clamp down on unfavorable news and social media posts.</p>
<p>News reports and social media posts on a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) have hounded Prime Minister Najib, who faces arguably his toughest contest in a general election this year that could be called in days.</p> Commuters walk past an advertisement discouraging the dissemination of fake news at a train station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 28, 2018. Picture taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
<p>Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with losses at the fund.</p>
<p>A deputy minister was quoted in media last month as saying any news on 1MDB not verified by the government was “fake”.</p>
<p>Lim Kit Siang, a senior opposition lawmaker with the Democratic Action Party, described the bill as a “Save Najib from 1MDB Scandal Bill” which would criminalize news on the affair.</p>
<p>Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Robert Birsel</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was cancelling an agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants, bowing to right-wing pressure to scrap the deal.</p>
<p>The agency, the UNHCR, said it hoped Israel would reconsider the decision soon and offered to work with it to identify and “respond to the protection needs” of asylum seekers in the country.</p>
<p>Netanyahu’s critics seized on his backtracking on the arrangement - under which thousands of other migrants would have won the right to remain in Israel - as a sign of political weakness. The prime minister is the subject of police investigations into suspected corruption, which he denies.</p>
<p>For the estimated 37,000 African migrants in Israel, most of them from Eritrea and Sudan, a whirlwind of announcements about their future has swept their status even deeper into limbo.</p>
<p>Outside a government complex in Tel Aviv where Netanyahu said he was scrapping the deal, several African men wrapped themselves in chains in a protest that put their sense of powerlessness on display.</p>
<p>On Monday Netanyahu announced an arrangement with the UNHCR that would have relocated about 16,250 migrants to Western countries.</p>
<p>But the fact that thousands more would be allowed to stay raised an outcry from right-wing politicians and on social media from Netanyahu’s nationalist voter base, which wants the migrants expelled. He then posted on Facebook he was putting the agreement’s implementation on hold.</p>
<p>By Tuesday, the deal was dead.</p>
<p>“I have listened carefully to the many comments on the agreement. As a result, and after I again weighed the advantages and disadvantages, I decided to cancel the deal,” a statement from the prime minister’s office quoted Netanyahu as saying.</p>
<p>He made the remarks at a meeting with representatives of residents of south Tel Aviv, a poor area that has attracted the largest migrant community and where many of its inhabitants want the Africans out.</p>
<p>The fate of migrants who entered Israel illegally by trekking across a desert border with Egypt, has posed a moral dilemma for a state founded as a haven for Jews from persecution and a national home.</p>
<p>In a statement, Israeli human rights groups condemned the decision to cancel the agreement, accusing Netanyahu of playing “political games”. The groups said Israel is capable of absorbing all of the migrants, describing them as “asylum-seekers who came knocking on its door”.</p>
<p>Before announcing the deal, Israel had been moving ahead with plans to deport many of the Africans to Rwanda. But the Supreme Court intervened, freezing such deportations in March, and Netanyahu said Rwanda had buckled to international pressure and reneged on the deal.</p> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
<p>“Despite legal restraints and international difficulties that are piling up, we will continue to act with determination to explore all of the options at our disposal to remove the infiltrators,” Netanyahu said in his statement on Tuesday.</p> NETANYAHU BLAMES NGO
<p>Netanyahu blamed the New Israel Fund (NIF), a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, for causing the deal with Rwanda to be scuppered, saying that through European states, it had persuaded the African nation to refuse to take in the migrants.</p>
<p>In a Facebook post in Hebrew, he added that “for decades, the Fund contributes to anti-Zionist, pro-Palestinian organizations” and called for a parliamentary committee to investigate it.</p>
<p>The NIF denied Netanyahu’s allegation and said on its Facebook page that it had not influenced Rwanda’s decision and that he had “once again resorted to lies about the New Israel Fund in order to score cheap political points.”</p> African migrants and Israeli activists demonstrate in support of the new agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants, outside Israeli Prime Minister office in Jerusalem April 3, 2018. The placard in Hebrew reads "Not Playing with Human Life, Yes to the deal". REUTERS/Ammar Awad
<p>“The New Israel Fund had nothing to do with Rwanda’s decision to refuse to participate in the Prime Minister’s cruel mass deportation plan.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Ori Lewis and by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by David Stamp and Richard Balmforth</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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cairo reuters vice president mike pence told egypts leader saturday united states would support twostate solution israelis palestinians two sides agreed seeking reassure key arab ally president donald trumps decision recognize jerusalem israels capital egyptian president abdel fattah alsisi r shakes hands us vice president mike pence meeting presidential palace cairo egypt january 20 2018 reuters khaled desoukipool pence egypt first leg threecountry tour includes stops jordan israel highestlevel visit us official region since december trump upended decades us policy jerusalem move opposed arab leaders including egypts president abdel fattah alsisi heard president alsisi pence told reporters meeting saying egyptian leader described objection trumps decision disagreement friends pence said assured sisi united states committed preserving status quo holy sites jerusalem come final resolution boundaries two parties perception encouraged message pence said egyptian president abdel fattah alsisi meets us vice president mike pence presidential palace cairo egypt january 20 2018 reuters khaled desoukipool egyptian presidency said statement sisi noted negotiations based twostate solution could bring end conflict egypt would spare effort support pence said also pressed sisi two americans imprisoned egypt since 2013 well reform egypts restrictive laws nongovernmental organizations meeting egypts president pence pledged firm us backing nations fight islamist militants said ties two countries never stronger period drifting apart stand shoulder shoulder egypt fight terrorism pence told sisi egypt faced security problems including attacks islamic state militants north sinai region trump made fight islamic state top priority though pence intends discuss counterterrorism issues throughout trip jerusalem decision remains hot topic trumps announcement also set motion process moving us embassy jerusalem tel aviv prompted palestinians reject united states peace broker cairo pence headed jordan meet king abdullah close us ally abdullah warned declaring jerusalem israels capital saying would dangerous impact regional stability obstruct us efforts resume peace talks many people jordan descendants palestinian refugees whose families left creation israel 1948 slideshow 3 images pence end trip israel warmly welcomed following trumps designation plans meet prime minister benjamin netanyahu address israeli legislature visit western wall pence scheduled meet palestinian leaders incensed trumps decision jerusalem upended longstanding us position negotiations israel palestinians must determine citys status united states america deeply committed restarting peace process middle east pence told reporters trump administrations announcement thursday withholding half aid set give united nations relief agency serves palestinians raised questions fledgling us efforts revive peace talks undermined arabs faith united states act impartial arbitrator pence also plans visit us troops region additional reporting matt spetalnick editing alistair bell daniel wallis standards thomson reuters trust principles washington reuters us president donald trump said tuesday wanted get syria offered timetable advisers warned hard work left defeat islamic state stabilize areas recaptured hardline militant group trump told news conference united states would rest isis gone using acronym militant group also suggested victory imminent pentagon state department held longer term us effort would needed ensure islamic states defeat lasting one time trump told reporters asked inclined withdraw us forces successful islamic state well successful anybody militarily sometimes time come back home thinking seriously united states waging neardaily air strikes syria deployed 2000 troops ground including us special operations forces whose advising helped kurdish militia usbacked fighters capture territory islamic state us army general joseph votel oversees us troops middle east head central command estimated tuesday 90 percent groups territory syria taken back militants since 2014 trump estimated percentage territory recaptured iraq syria almost 100 percent figure us officials say correct 98 percent highlight work left syria big hurdle us militarys view seizing islamic stateheld territory around syrian town abu kamal effort slowed usbacked kurdish fighters shift focus away islamic state toward turkish offensive kurdish allies elsewhere syrias complex multipronged civil war eighth year brett mcgurk special us envoy global coalition islamic state speaking alongside votel event washington tuesday said us fight islamic state syria fight isis mission mission isnt going complete mission mcgurk said obama doover experts divided significance trumps simultaneous musings withdrawal assurance united states depart islamic state defeated militant group widely expected revert guerilla tactics last remnants selfstyled caliphate captured usbacked forces jon alterman center strategic international studies thinktank said precipitous us withdrawal would undermine us leverage talks end syrias civil war us fighter stands near military vehicle north raqqa city syria november 6 2016 reutersrodi said principal consequence united states surrenders little influence future syria said experts warn abrupt us withdrawal could benefit russia iran us rivals could extend influence syria trump noted us ally saudi arabia irans archrival interested decision adding well know want us stay maybe youre going pay trump previously lambasted predecessor barack obama withdrawal iraq preceded unraveling iraqi armed forces eventually collapsed face islamic states advance country 2014 unclear trumps vision postwar us role syria would look like recent decision freeze 200 million funds recovery efforts syria suggests resistance broad us ground effort mcgurk acknowledged review underway ensure us taxpayer dollars well spent us president donald trump speaks joint news conference latvias president raimonds vejonis estonias president kersti kaljulaid lithuanias president dalia grybauskaite white house washington us april 3 2018 reuterscarlos barria votel said saw us military role stabilization efforts syria hard part think front us stabilizing areas consolidating gains getting people back homes votel said adding military role reporting phil stewart idrees ali arshad mohammed david brunnstrom lesley wroughton lisa lambert editing mary milliken james dalgleish tom brown standards thomson reuters trust principles riyadh reuters saudi arabias crown prince said published interview israelis entitled live peacefully land another public sign apparent thawing ties two countries asked believes jewish people right nation state least part ancestral homeland mohammed bin salman quoted us magazine atlantic saying believe palestinians israelis right land peace agreement assure stability everyone normal relations saudi arabia birthplace islam site holiest shrines officially recognize israel maintained years normalizing relations hinges israeli withdrawal arab lands captured 1967 middle east war territory palestinians seek future state religious concerns fate holy mosque jerusalem rights palestinian people dont objection people said prince mohammed touring united states drum investments support efforts contain iranian influence increased tension tehran riyadh fueled speculation shared interests may push saudi arabia israel work together regard common iranian threat lot interests share israel peace would lot interest israel gulf cooperation council countries prince mohammed added german foreign ministry welcomed comments ministry officials underscored saudi role pushing arab peace initiative early 2002 princes comments close position germany eu need twostate solution serious negotiations achieve said one ministry official israelis palestinians right peaceful lives country israelipalestinian peace talks envisaging palestinian state alongside israel frozen since 2014 file photo saudi arabias crown prince mohammed bin salman al saud seen meeting un secretarygeneral antonio guterres united nations headquarters manhattan borough new york city new york us march 27 2018 reutersamir levyfile photo saudi arabia opened air space first time commercial flight israel last month israeli official hailed historic following two years efforts november israeli cabinet member disclosed covert contacts saudi arabia rare acknowledgment longrumoured secret dealings riyadh still denies saudi arabia condemned us president donald trumps move recognize jerusalem capital israel last year arab officials told reuters time riyadh appears board broader us strategy israelipalestinian peace plan still early phases development reporting stephen kalin riyadh sabine siebold berlin editing mark heinrich standards thomson reuters trust principles kuala lumpur reuters malaysia monday approved law fake news would allow prison six years offenders shrugging critics say aimed curbing dissent free speech ahead general election prime minister najib razaks government secured simple majority parliament pass antifake news 2018 bill sets fines 500000 ringgit 123000 maximum six years jail first draft bill proposed jail 10 years government said law would impinge freedom speech cases would handled independent court process law aims protect public spread fake news allowing freedom speech provided constitution law minister azalina othman said told parliament law defines fake news news information data reports wholly partly false includes features visuals audio recordings covers digital publications social media apply offenders maliciously spread fake news inside outside malaysia including foreigners malaysia malaysian citizen affected coopted us president donald trump term fake news quickly become part standard repertoire leaders authoritarian countries describe media reports organizations critical un special rapporteur freedom opinion expression david kaye earlier monday urged government rush legislation parliament urge government reconsider bill open regular genuine public scrutiny taking steps david kaye said twitter post commuters walk past advertisement discouraging dissemination fake news train station kuala lumpur malaysia march 28 2018 picture taken march 28 2018 reutersstringer others consider laws countries southeast asia including singapore philippines considering tackle fake news human rights activists fear laws could used stifle free speech malaysia among first countries introduce law germany approved plan last year fine social media networks fail remove hateful postings malaysia already arsenal laws including colonialera sedition act used clamp unfavorable news social media posts news reports social media posts multibillion dollar scandal state fund 1malaysia development berhad 1mdb hounded prime minister najib faces arguably toughest contest general election year could called days commuters walk past advertisement discouraging dissemination fake news train station kuala lumpur malaysia march 28 2018 picture taken march 28 2018 reutersstringer najib denied wrongdoing connection losses fund deputy minister quoted media last month saying news 1mdb verified government fake lim kit siang senior opposition lawmaker democratic action party described bill save najib 1mdb scandal bill would criminalize news affair reporting joseph sipalan writing praveen menon editing robert birsel standards thomson reuters trust principles jerusalem reuters israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said tuesday cancelling agreement un refugee agency relocate thousands african migrants bowing rightwing pressure scrap deal agency unhcr said hoped israel would reconsider decision soon offered work identify respond protection needs asylum seekers country netanyahus critics seized backtracking arrangement thousands migrants would right remain israel sign political weakness prime minister subject police investigations suspected corruption denies estimated 37000 african migrants israel eritrea sudan whirlwind announcements future swept status even deeper limbo outside government complex tel aviv netanyahu said scrapping deal several african men wrapped chains protest put sense powerlessness display monday netanyahu announced arrangement unhcr would relocated 16250 migrants western countries fact thousands would allowed stay raised outcry rightwing politicians social media netanyahus nationalist voter base wants migrants expelled posted facebook putting agreements implementation hold tuesday deal dead listened carefully many comments agreement result weighed advantages disadvantages decided cancel deal statement prime ministers office quoted netanyahu saying made remarks meeting representatives residents south tel aviv poor area attracted largest migrant community many inhabitants want africans fate migrants entered israel illegally trekking across desert border egypt posed moral dilemma state founded jews persecution national home statement israeli human rights groups condemned decision cancel agreement accusing netanyahu playing political games groups said israel capable absorbing migrants describing asylumseekers came knocking door announcing deal israel moving ahead plans deport many africans rwanda supreme court intervened freezing deportations march netanyahu said rwanda buckled international pressure reneged deal israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu speaks news conference prime ministers office jerusalem april 2 2018 reutersronen zvulun despite legal restraints international difficulties piling continue act determination explore options disposal remove infiltrators netanyahu said statement tuesday netanyahu blames ngo netanyahu blamed new israel fund nif usbased nongovernmental organization causing deal rwanda scuppered saying european states persuaded african nation refuse take migrants facebook post hebrew added decades fund contributes antizionist propalestinian organizations called parliamentary committee investigate nif denied netanyahus allegation said facebook page influenced rwandas decision resorted lies new israel fund order score cheap political points african migrants israeli activists demonstrate support new agreement un refugee agency relocate thousands african migrants outside israeli prime minister office jerusalem april 3 2018 placard hebrew reads playing human life yes deal reutersammar awad new israel fund nothing rwandas decision refuse participate prime ministers cruel mass deportation plan additional reporting ori lewis stephanie nebehay geneva editing david stamp richard balmforth standards thomson reuters trust principles
| 1,956 |
<p>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union imposed economic and travel sanctions Monday on seven senior Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses or breaching the rule of law in the crisis-ridden country.</p>
<p>The move comes after U.S. authorities levied sanctions against dozens of Venezuela’s leaders, including President Nicolas Maduro, and was adopted “as the political, social and economic situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate,” EU headquarters said in a statement.</p>
<p>The targeted officials rejected the sanctions announced the same day that students at a university in the capital of Caracas clashed with police.</p>
<p>The most prominent official on the European list is Diosdado Cabello, the head of Venezuela’s ruling socialist party who is considered to be the nation’s second most powerful leader. Cabello has not been targeted by U.S. sanctions.</p>
<p>Other officials on the list include: Tarek William Saab, Venezuela’s attorney general; interior minister Nestor Luis Reverol; Supreme Court president Maikel Jose Moreno; National Guard Cmdr. Antonio Jose Benavides; elections chief Tibisay Lucena Ramirez; and head of the national intelligence agency Gustavo Enrique Gonzalez.</p>
<p>The EU officials said those sanctioned “are involved in the non-respect of democratic principles or the rule of law as well as in the violation of human rights.” They will have their assets frozen and be banned from traveling in Europe.</p>
<p>In a broadcast on state television, communications minister Jorge Rodriguez rejected the sanctions by the “elite” in Europe against Venezuelans he called honorable and decent “patriots.”</p>
<p>“Venezuelan democracy is solid,” he said. “There’s no country that exercises it as fully as Venezuela.”</p>
<p>Venezuela was once one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries, sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves. Mismanagement and a recent drop in global oil prices have left it in a deepening economic and political crisis, marked by shortages of food and medicine.</p>
<p>The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned 51 Venezuelan officials, including four current and former military officers, in an attempt to weaken Maduro’s grip on power.</p>
<p>Dozens of students at Central University of Venezuela threw stones and gasoline bombs Monday at police in riot gear, who returned the aggression firing rubber bullets and tear gas.</p>
<p>A student who covered his face said they were protesting the death of Oscar Perez, a rebel police officer who called for an uprising against Maduro’s government. Perez, 36, was killed a week earlier with six others in a clash with government security forces.</p>
<p>“The politicians abandoned us,” the masked student said. “They literally left us here and we have to fight for what we truly believe — for the conviction of our country’s freedom.”</p>
<p>BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union imposed economic and travel sanctions Monday on seven senior Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses or breaching the rule of law in the crisis-ridden country.</p>
<p>The move comes after U.S. authorities levied sanctions against dozens of Venezuela’s leaders, including President Nicolas Maduro, and was adopted “as the political, social and economic situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate,” EU headquarters said in a statement.</p>
<p>The targeted officials rejected the sanctions announced the same day that students at a university in the capital of Caracas clashed with police.</p>
<p>The most prominent official on the European list is Diosdado Cabello, the head of Venezuela’s ruling socialist party who is considered to be the nation’s second most powerful leader. Cabello has not been targeted by U.S. sanctions.</p>
<p>Other officials on the list include: Tarek William Saab, Venezuela’s attorney general; interior minister Nestor Luis Reverol; Supreme Court president Maikel Jose Moreno; National Guard Cmdr. Antonio Jose Benavides; elections chief Tibisay Lucena Ramirez; and head of the national intelligence agency Gustavo Enrique Gonzalez.</p>
<p>The EU officials said those sanctioned “are involved in the non-respect of democratic principles or the rule of law as well as in the violation of human rights.” They will have their assets frozen and be banned from traveling in Europe.</p>
<p>In a broadcast on state television, communications minister Jorge Rodriguez rejected the sanctions by the “elite” in Europe against Venezuelans he called honorable and decent “patriots.”</p>
<p>“Venezuelan democracy is solid,” he said. “There’s no country that exercises it as fully as Venezuela.”</p>
<p>Venezuela was once one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries, sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves. Mismanagement and a recent drop in global oil prices have left it in a deepening economic and political crisis, marked by shortages of food and medicine.</p>
<p>The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned 51 Venezuelan officials, including four current and former military officers, in an attempt to weaken Maduro’s grip on power.</p>
<p>Dozens of students at Central University of Venezuela threw stones and gasoline bombs Monday at police in riot gear, who returned the aggression firing rubber bullets and tear gas.</p>
<p>A student who covered his face said they were protesting the death of Oscar Perez, a rebel police officer who called for an uprising against Maduro’s government. Perez, 36, was killed a week earlier with six others in a clash with government security forces.</p>
<p>“The politicians abandoned us,” the masked student said. “They literally left us here and we have to fight for what we truly believe — for the conviction of our country’s freedom.”</p>
| false | 2 |
brussels ap european union imposed economic travel sanctions monday seven senior venezuelan officials accused human rights abuses breaching rule law crisisridden country move comes us authorities levied sanctions dozens venezuelas leaders including president nicolas maduro adopted political social economic situation venezuela continues deteriorate eu headquarters said statement targeted officials rejected sanctions announced day students university capital caracas clashed police prominent official european list diosdado cabello head venezuelas ruling socialist party considered nations second powerful leader cabello targeted us sanctions officials list include tarek william saab venezuelas attorney general interior minister nestor luis reverol supreme court president maikel jose moreno national guard cmdr antonio jose benavides elections chief tibisay lucena ramirez head national intelligence agency gustavo enrique gonzalez eu officials said sanctioned involved nonrespect democratic principles rule law well violation human rights assets frozen banned traveling europe broadcast state television communications minister jorge rodriguez rejected sanctions elite europe venezuelans called honorable decent patriots venezuelan democracy solid said theres country exercises fully venezuela venezuela one latin americas wealthiest countries sitting atop worlds largest oil reserves mismanagement recent drop global oil prices left deepening economic political crisis marked shortages food medicine us treasury department sanctioned 51 venezuelan officials including four current former military officers attempt weaken maduros grip power dozens students central university venezuela threw stones gasoline bombs monday police riot gear returned aggression firing rubber bullets tear gas student covered face said protesting death oscar perez rebel police officer called uprising maduros government perez 36 killed week earlier six others clash government security forces politicians abandoned us masked student said literally left us fight truly believe conviction countrys freedom brussels ap european union imposed economic travel sanctions monday seven senior venezuelan officials accused human rights abuses breaching rule law crisisridden country move comes us authorities levied sanctions dozens venezuelas leaders including president nicolas maduro adopted political social economic situation venezuela continues deteriorate eu headquarters said statement targeted officials rejected sanctions announced day students university capital caracas clashed police prominent official european list diosdado cabello head venezuelas ruling socialist party considered nations second powerful leader cabello targeted us sanctions officials list include tarek william saab venezuelas attorney general interior minister nestor luis reverol supreme court president maikel jose moreno national guard cmdr antonio jose benavides elections chief tibisay lucena ramirez head national intelligence agency gustavo enrique gonzalez eu officials said sanctioned involved nonrespect democratic principles rule law well violation human rights assets frozen banned traveling europe broadcast state television communications minister jorge rodriguez rejected sanctions elite europe venezuelans called honorable decent patriots venezuelan democracy solid said theres country exercises fully venezuela venezuela one latin americas wealthiest countries sitting atop worlds largest oil reserves mismanagement recent drop global oil prices left deepening economic political crisis marked shortages food medicine us treasury department sanctioned 51 venezuelan officials including four current former military officers attempt weaken maduros grip power dozens students central university venezuela threw stones gasoline bombs monday police riot gear returned aggression firing rubber bullets tear gas student covered face said protesting death oscar perez rebel police officer called uprising maduros government perez 36 killed week earlier six others clash government security forces politicians abandoned us masked student said literally left us fight truly believe conviction countrys freedom
| 534 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - Bizcof Telecom Co Ltd:</p>
<p>* SHARES TO HALT TRADE FROM JAN 22 - SHENZHEN STOCK EXCHANGE Source text in Chinese: <a href="http://bit.ly/2DV3cGM" type="external">bit.ly/2DV3cGM</a> Further company coverage: (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Apple Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AAPL.O" type="external">AAPL.O</a>) is planning to use its own chips in Mac computers beginning as early as 2020, replacing processors from Intel, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.</p> FILE PHOTO: A man is reflected in a Apple store logo in San Francisco, California, U.S., August 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/File Photo
<p>Intel shares were down 8.9 percent at $47.45.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AAPL.O" type="external">Apple Inc</a> 165.27 AAPL.O Nasdaq -2.51 (-1.50%) AAPL.O
<p>The initiative, code named Kalamata, is still in early developmental stages but comes as part of a bigger strategy to make Apple’s family of devices work more similarly and seamlessly together, according to the report.</p>
<p>Apple and Intel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Spotify’s direct listing piles risks upon risks. The music-streaming service’s market debut was unusual already – but it comes as specific fears over Facebook and Amazon are spilling over into wider tech valuations.</p> Spotify CEO Daniel Ek speaks during a media event in New York, U.S., May 20, 2015. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
<p>On Tuesday the Swedish firm will allow current owners to sell stock directly to new investors. Traditionally, companies conducting initial public offerings ask investment bankers to play matchmaker, set an inaugural price, and buy shares to stabilize the stock if needed on the stock’s opening day. With Spotify, both the price and the number of shares are up for grabs. Almost all the shares could trade on day one – or very few could.</p>
<p>That raises the potential for the stock to whipsaw as it searches for a natural settling point. Meanwhile, the broader tech market is swinging. Facebook has lost nearly $90 billion in equity since mid-March after reports about leaked member data. Amazon is in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump who believes the e-commerce giant is ruining the United States Postal Service. Shares in Jeff Bezos’ firm fell some 6 percent on Monday.</p>
<p>Those alone shouldn’t trouble Spotify founder and Chief Executive Daniel Ek. But the wider unease might. Netflix, which like Spotify depends on subscriptions for revenue, declined some 5 percent on Monday.</p>
<p>Investors may still have an appetite for the new. Renaissance Capital figures the 44 IPOs in the United States during the first three months of 2018 made for the best quarter in three years by proceeds, raising nearly $16 billion. The technology sector raised over two times the amount of any other. Online-storage firm Dropbox is up some 40 percent since its public debut on March 23, even though it too has started to lose some ground.</p>
<p>It’s admirable that Ek is forgoing an IPO. By doing so he is allowing for his employees to sell shares without the constraints of a lockup period that can artificially prop up a company’s value. Instead Spotify is attempting to get at its true worth faster.&#160;The trouble is the market uncertainties are likely to add up to a heap of volatility.</p> Breakingviews
<p>Reuters Breakingviews is the world's leading source of agenda-setting financial insight. As the Reuters brand for financial commentary, we dissect the big business and economic stories as they break around the world every day. A global team of about 30 correspondents in New York, London, Hong Kong and other major cities provides expert analysis in real time.</p>
<p>Sign up for a free trial of our full service at <a href="https://www.breakingviews.com/trial" type="external">https://www.breakingviews.com/trial</a> and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/breakingviews" type="external">@Breakingviews</a> and at <a href="https://www.breakingviews.com" type="external">www.breakingviews.com</a>. All opinions expressed are those of the authors.</p>
<p>MUMBAI (Reuters) - SoftBank Group is investing $400 million in India’s Paytm E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd. in a funding round that will value the online retailer at roughly $1.9 billion, a regulatory filing showed on Monday.</p> FILE PHOTO: An advertisement of Paytm, a digital wallet company, is pictured at a road side stall in Kolkata, India, January 25, 2017. Picture taken January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
<p>Alibaba, an existing investor in Paytm E-Commerce, is also putting in $45 million in the round, the filing showed.</p> FILE PHOTO: People walk behind the logo of SoftBank Corp in Tokyo December 18, 2014. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo
<p>SoftBank, which is among major investors in India’s fast-growing e-commerce sector and already owns a stake in Paytm’s parent, confirmed investing in Paytm Mall, the brand name under which Paytm E-Commerce operates an online market place.</p>
<p>“We believe Paytm Mall’s offline-to-online operating model, combined with the strength of the Paytm ecosystem, is uniquely positioned to enable India’s 15 million offline retail shops to participate in India’s e-commerce boom,” SoftBank said in a statement on Monday.</p>
<p>In a separate statement, Amit Sinha, chief operating officer of Paytm Mall said the company would deploy the latest investment from SoftBank and Alibaba to beef up its technology and build superior logistics among other things.</p>
<p>A filing with India’s Registrar of Companies showed SoftBank units will get a 21.1 percent stake in Paytm E-Commerce after the investment which would come in four tranches.</p> FILE PHOTO: A sign of Alibaba Group is seen during the fourth World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China, December 3, 2017. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
<p>Alibaba.Com Singapore E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd, which currently owns 36.3 percent of the Indian e-retailer, will remain the single-largest shareholder of Paytm E-Commerce but with a relatively smaller stake of just over 30 percent after its latest investment is completed in four tranches.</p>
<p>Paytm E-Commerce competes with Amazon.com Inc’s Indian unit and home-grown Flipkart. A group company of Paytm’s parent One97 Communications Ltd runs India’s biggest digital wallet services and also has a stake in a payments bank.</p>
<p>SoftBank's Vision Fund took roughly a <a href="" type="internal">here</a> of Flipkart last year for $2.5 billion.</p>
<p>The Japanese group is also one of the biggest investors <a href="" type="internal">here</a> in another Indian e-tailer Snapdeal.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Adrian Croft</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TORONTO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailer Hudson’s Bay Co on Sunday disclosed that it was the victim of a security breach that compromised data on payment cards used at Saks and Lord &amp; Taylor stores in North America.</p> The Lord &amp; Taylor flagship store building is seen along Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
<p>One cyber security firm said that it has evidence that millions of cards may have been compromised, which would make the breach one of the largest involving payment cards over the past year, but added that it was too soon to confirm whether that was the case.</p>
<p>Toronto-based Hudson’s Bay said in a statement that it had “taken steps to contain” the breach but did not say it had succeeded in confirming that its network was secure. It also did not say when the breach had begun or how many payment card numbers were taken.</p>
<p>“Once we have more clarity around the facts, we will notify our customers quickly and will offer those impacted free identity protection services, including credit and web monitoring,” the statement said.</p>
<p>A company spokeswoman declined to elaborate.</p>
<p>The breach comes as Hudson’s Bay struggles to improve its financial performance as a tough retail environment has weighed on sales and margins. Last June, it launched a transformation plan to cut costs and is working to monetize the value of its substantial real estate holdings.</p>
<p>Hudson’s Bay disclosed the incident after New York-based cyber security firm Gemini Advisory reported on its blog that Saks and Lord &amp; Taylor had been hacked by a well-known criminal group known as JokerStash.</p>
<p>JokerStash, which sells stolen data on the criminal underground, on Wednesday said that it planned to release more than 5 million stolen credit cards, according to Gemini Chief Technology Officer Dmitry Chorine.</p>
<p>The hacking group has so far released about 125,000 payment cards, about 75 percent of which appear to have been taken from the Hudson’s Bay units, Chorine told Reuters by telephone.</p>
<p>The bulk of the 5 million card numbers that JokerStash said it plans to release are likely from Saks and Lord &amp; Taylor, but it is too early to say for sure, Chorine said.</p> FILE PHOTO: The outside of the Saks Fifth Avenue store is seen in New York October 8, 2009. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
<p>“It’s hard to assess at the moment, primarily because hackers have not released the entire cards in one batch,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>Alex Holden, chief information security officer with cyber security firm Hold Security, confirmed that the 125,000 cards had been released by JokerStash but said it was too soon to estimate how many had been taken from Hudson’s Bay.</p>
<p>If in fact millions of records were stolen, the breach would be one of the largest involving payment cards in the past year, but it would still be far smaller than any of the biggest thefts on record, which occurred a decade ago.</p>
<p>Hackers stole more than 130 million credit cards from credit-card processor Heartland Payment Systems, convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc and grocer Hannaford Brothers Co, from 2006 to 2008, according to U.S. federal investigators.</p>
<p>Cyber criminals stole some 40 million payment cards in a 2013 hack on Target Corp and 56 million from Home Depot Inc in 2014.</p>
<p>Hudson’s Bay said there is no indication its recent breach involved online sales at Saks and Lord &amp; Taylor outlets or its Hudson’s Bay, Home Outfitters and HBC Europe units.</p>
<p>The company said that customers will not be liable for fraudulent charges resulting from the breach.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jim Finkle in Toronto and David Henry in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby and Steve Orlofsky</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
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jan 22 reuters bizcof telecom co ltd shares halt trade jan 22 shenzhen stock exchange source text chinese bitly2dv3cgm company coverage reporting hong kong newsroom standards thomson reuters trust principles reuters apple inc aaplo planning use chips mac computers beginning early 2020 replacing processors intel bloomberg reported monday citing people familiar matter file photo man reflected apple store logo san francisco california us august 21 2017 reuterskevin coombsfile photo intel shares 89 percent 4745 apple inc 16527 aaplo nasdaq 251 150 aaplo initiative code named kalamata still early developmental stages comes part bigger strategy make apples family devices work similarly seamlessly together according report apple intel immediately respond requests comment reporting arjun panchadar bengaluru editing shounak dasgupta standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters breakingviews spotifys direct listing piles risks upon risks musicstreaming services market debut unusual already comes specific fears facebook amazon spilling wider tech valuations spotify ceo daniel ek speaks media event new york us may 20 2015 reutersshannon stapletonfile photo tuesday swedish firm allow current owners sell stock directly new investors traditionally companies conducting initial public offerings ask investment bankers play matchmaker set inaugural price buy shares stabilize stock needed stocks opening day spotify price number shares grabs almost shares could trade day one could raises potential stock whipsaw searches natural settling point meanwhile broader tech market swinging facebook lost nearly 90 billion equity since midmarch reports leaked member data amazon crosshairs president donald trump believes ecommerce giant ruining united states postal service shares jeff bezos firm fell 6 percent monday alone shouldnt trouble spotify founder chief executive daniel ek wider unease might netflix like spotify depends subscriptions revenue declined 5 percent monday investors may still appetite new renaissance capital figures 44 ipos united states first three months 2018 made best quarter three years proceeds raising nearly 16 billion technology sector raised two times amount onlinestorage firm dropbox 40 percent since public debut march 23 even though started lose ground admirable ek forgoing ipo allowing employees sell shares without constraints lockup period artificially prop companys value instead spotify attempting get true worth faster160the trouble market uncertainties likely add heap volatility breakingviews reuters breakingviews worlds leading source agendasetting financial insight reuters brand financial commentary dissect big business economic stories break around world every day global team 30 correspondents new york london hong kong major cities provides expert analysis real time sign free trial full service httpswwwbreakingviewscomtrial follow us twitter breakingviews wwwbreakingviewscom opinions expressed authors mumbai reuters softbank group investing 400 million indias paytm ecommerce pvt ltd funding round value online retailer roughly 19 billion regulatory filing showed monday file photo advertisement paytm digital wallet company pictured road side stall kolkata india january 25 2017 picture taken january 25 2017 reutersrupak de chowdhuri alibaba existing investor paytm ecommerce also putting 45 million round filing showed file photo people walk behind logo softbank corp tokyo december 18 2014 reuterstoru hanaifile photo softbank among major investors indias fastgrowing ecommerce sector already owns stake paytms parent confirmed investing paytm mall brand name paytm ecommerce operates online market place believe paytm malls offlinetoonline operating model combined strength paytm ecosystem uniquely positioned enable indias 15 million offline retail shops participate indias ecommerce boom softbank said statement monday separate statement amit sinha chief operating officer paytm mall said company would deploy latest investment softbank alibaba beef technology build superior logistics among things filing indias registrar companies showed softbank units get 211 percent stake paytm ecommerce investment would come four tranches file photo sign alibaba group seen fourth world internet conference wuzhen zhejiang province china december 3 2017 reutersaly songfile photo alibabacom singapore ecommerce pvt ltd currently owns 363 percent indian eretailer remain singlelargest shareholder paytm ecommerce relatively smaller stake 30 percent latest investment completed four tranches paytm ecommerce competes amazoncom incs indian unit homegrown flipkart group company paytms parent one97 communications ltd runs indias biggest digital wallet services also stake payments bank softbanks vision fund took roughly flipkart last year 25 billion japanese group also one biggest investors another indian etailer snapdeal reporting sankalp phartiyal devidutta tripathy editing adrian croft standards thomson reuters trust principles torontonew york reuters retailer hudsons bay co sunday disclosed victim security breach compromised data payment cards used saks lord amp taylor stores north america lord amp taylor flagship store building seen along fifth avenue manhattan borough new york city us october 24 2017 reutersshannon stapleton one cyber security firm said evidence millions cards may compromised would make breach one largest involving payment cards past year added soon confirm whether case torontobased hudsons bay said statement taken steps contain breach say succeeded confirming network secure also say breach begun many payment card numbers taken clarity around facts notify customers quickly offer impacted free identity protection services including credit web monitoring statement said company spokeswoman declined elaborate breach comes hudsons bay struggles improve financial performance tough retail environment weighed sales margins last june launched transformation plan cut costs working monetize value substantial real estate holdings hudsons bay disclosed incident new yorkbased cyber security firm gemini advisory reported blog saks lord amp taylor hacked wellknown criminal group known jokerstash jokerstash sells stolen data criminal underground wednesday said planned release 5 million stolen credit cards according gemini chief technology officer dmitry chorine hacking group far released 125000 payment cards 75 percent appear taken hudsons bay units chorine told reuters telephone bulk 5 million card numbers jokerstash said plans release likely saks lord amp taylor early say sure chorine said file photo outside saks fifth avenue store seen new york october 8 2009 reutersshannon stapletonfile photo hard assess moment primarily hackers released entire cards one batch told reuters alex holden chief information security officer cyber security firm hold security confirmed 125000 cards released jokerstash said soon estimate many taken hudsons bay fact millions records stolen breach would one largest involving payment cards past year would still far smaller biggest thefts record occurred decade ago hackers stole 130 million credit cards creditcard processor heartland payment systems convenience store operator 7eleven inc grocer hannaford brothers co 2006 2008 according us federal investigators cyber criminals stole 40 million payment cards 2013 hack target corp 56 million home depot inc 2014 hudsons bay said indication recent breach involved online sales saks lord amp taylor outlets hudsons bay home outfitters hbc europe units company said customers liable fraudulent charges resulting breach reporting jim finkle toronto david henry new york editing bill rigby steve orlofsky standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2005, file photo, U.S. Southern District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, left, joins with Filemon B. Vela, Jr. and Blanca Vela for the Pledge of Allegiance during the United States Courthouse naming ceremony in Brownsville, Texas. Hanen temporarily blocked President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, giving a coalition of 26 states time to pursue a lawsuit that aims to permanently stop the orders. (AP Photo/The Brownsville Herald, Brad Doherty, File)</p>
<p>HOUSTON — The White House promised an appeal Tuesday after a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration and gave a coalition of 26 states time to pursue a lawsuit aiming to permanently stop the orders.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s decision late Monday puts on hold Obama’s orders that could spare from deportation as many as five million people who are in the U.S. illegally.</p>
<p>Hanen wrote in a memorandum accompanying his order that the lawsuit should go forward. Without a preliminary injunction, he said, the states would “suffer irreparable harm in this case.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The genie would be impossible to put back into the bottle,” he wrote, adding that he agreed that legalizing the presence of millions of people is a “virtually irreversible” action.</p>
<p>In a statement early Tuesday, the White House defended the executive orders issued in November as within the president’s legal authority, saying the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress have said federal officials can establish priorities in enforcing immigration laws.</p>
<p>“The district court’s decision wrongly prevents these lawful, commonsense policies from taking effect and the Department of Justice has indicated that it will appeal that decision,” the statement said.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Justice will appeal the ruling, the White House said. The appeal will be heard by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.</p>
<p>The first of Obama’s orders — to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children — was set to start taking effect Wednesday. The other major part of Obama’s order, which extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years, was not expected to begin until May 19.</p>
<p>Joaquin Guerra, political director of Texas Organizing Project, called the ruling a “temporary setback.”</p>
<p>“We will continue getting immigrants ready to apply for administrative relief,” he said in a statement. The nonprofit says it promotes social and economic equality for low to moderate income Texans.</p>
<p>The coalition of states, led by Texas and made up of mostly conservative states in the South and Midwest, argues that Obama has violated the “Take Care Clause” of the U.S. Constitution, which they say limits the scope of presidential power, and that his executive actions would be difficult to undo once immigrants started to apply for deferred action. They also say Obama’s order would force increased investment in law enforcement, health care and education.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>House Speaker John Boehner said Monday’s ruling wasn’t a surprise and underscores that Obama acted beyond his authority.</p>
<p>Boehner said he hopes that Senate Democrats will relent in their opposition to a Homeland Security Department spending bill that overturns Obama’s action. The department’s funding expires Feb. 27 and Congress has only a few legislative days to act.</p>
<p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision a “victory for the rule of law in America” in a statement late Monday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who led the state into the lawsuit when he was the state’s attorney general, said Hanen’s decision “rightly stops the President’s overreach in its tracks.”</p>
<p>Hanen, who’s been on the federal court since 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush, regularly handles border cases but wasn’t known for being outspoken on immigration until a 2013 case. In that case, Hanen suggested that Homeland Security should be arresting parents living in the U.S. illegally who induce their children to cross the border.</p>
<p>Congressional Republicans have vowed to block Obama’s actions by cutting off Homeland Security Department spending for the program. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled House passed a $39.7 billion spending bill to fund the department through the end of the budget year, but attached language to undo Obama’s executive actions. The fate of that House-passed bill is unclear as Republicans in the Senate do not have the 60-vote majority needed to advance most legislation.</p>
<p>Among those supporting Obama’s executive order is a group of 12 mostly liberal states, including Washington and California, as well as the District of Columbia. They filed a motion with Hanen in support of Obama, arguing the directives will substantially benefit states and will further the public interest.</p>
<p>A group of law enforcement officials, including the Major Cities Chiefs Association and more than 20 police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country, also filed a motion in support, arguing the executive action will improve public safety by encouraging cooperation between police and individuals with concerns about their immigration status.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/juanlozano70" type="external">www.twitter.com/juanlozano70</a></p>
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file nov 14 2005 file photo us southern district judge andrew hanen left joins filemon b vela jr blanca vela pledge allegiance united states courthouse naming ceremony brownsville texas hanen temporarily blocked president barack obamas executive action immigration monday feb 16 2015 giving coalition 26 states time pursue lawsuit aims permanently stop orders ap photothe brownsville herald brad doherty file houston white house promised appeal tuesday federal judge texas temporarily blocked president barack obamas executive action immigration gave coalition 26 states time pursue lawsuit aiming permanently stop orders us district judge andrew hanens decision late monday puts hold obamas orders could spare deportation many five million people us illegally hanen wrote memorandum accompanying order lawsuit go forward without preliminary injunction said states would suffer irreparable harm case advertisement genie would impossible put back bottle wrote adding agreed legalizing presence millions people virtually irreversible action statement early tuesday white house defended executive orders issued november within presidents legal authority saying us supreme court congress said federal officials establish priorities enforcing immigration laws district courts decision wrongly prevents lawful commonsense policies taking effect department justice indicated appeal decision statement said us department justice appeal ruling white house said appeal heard 5th us circuit court appeals new orleans first obamas orders expand program protects young immigrants deportation brought us illegally children set start taking effect wednesday major part obamas order extends deportation protections parents us citizens permanent residents country years expected begin may 19 joaquin guerra political director texas organizing project called ruling temporary setback continue getting immigrants ready apply administrative relief said statement nonprofit says promotes social economic equality low moderate income texans coalition states led texas made mostly conservative states south midwest argues obama violated take care clause us constitution say limits scope presidential power executive actions would difficult undo immigrants started apply deferred action also say obamas order would force increased investment law enforcement health care education advertisement house speaker john boehner said mondays ruling wasnt surprise underscores obama acted beyond authority boehner said hopes senate democrats relent opposition homeland security department spending bill overturns obamas action departments funding expires feb 27 congress legislative days act texas attorney general ken paxton called decision victory rule law america statement late monday texas gov greg abbott led state lawsuit states attorney general said hanens decision rightly stops presidents overreach tracks hanen whos federal court since 2002 nominated president george w bush regularly handles border cases wasnt known outspoken immigration 2013 case case hanen suggested homeland security arresting parents living us illegally induce children cross border congressional republicans vowed block obamas actions cutting homeland security department spending program earlier year republicancontrolled house passed 397 billion spending bill fund department end budget year attached language undo obamas executive actions fate housepassed bill unclear republicans senate 60vote majority needed advance legislation among supporting obamas executive order group 12 mostly liberal states including washington california well district columbia filed motion hanen support obama arguing directives substantially benefit states public interest group law enforcement officials including major cities chiefs association 20 police chiefs sheriffs across country also filed motion support arguing executive action improve public safety encouraging cooperation police individuals concerns immigration status follow juan lozano twitter wwwtwittercomjuanlozano70
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<p>ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Chris Holtmann figured an off-night from Keita Bates-Diop was inevitable. So, too, is the Ohio State coach’s first Big Ten loss.</p>
<p>But it did not coincide with his star player’s first subpar performance in weeks.</p>
<p>Holtmann became the first coach in 95 years to win his first seven Big Ten games as No. 22 Ohio State defeated Northwestern 71-65 on Wednesday night. Holtmann is the third Big Ten coach to win his first seven conference games, joining Wisconsin’s Walter Meanwell (1911-12) and Iowa’s Sam Barry (1922-23). Holtmann replaced Thad Matta, the program’s all-time wins leader, this season.</p>
<p>“It really does not mean anything,” Holtmann said. “I think that’s a reflection on the players as much as anything. We’ve got a group that really likes each other. And it’s easy to like each other when you’re on the streak that we’re on right now, but I sensed that they even liked each other when we had some rough spots earlier in the year.”</p>
<p>C.J. Jackson had 12 points and eight assists, Micah Potter scored 13 points off the bench and Bates-Diop, the Big Ten’s leading scorer and reigning two-time player of the week, had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Buckeyes (16-4, 7-0), who won their sixth straight overall.</p>
<p>Vic Law scored 14 points and Scottie Lindsey had 13 for Northwestern (11-9, 2-5) as the Wildcats suffered their second straight double-digit loss.</p>
<p>Picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten in a preseason media poll, the Buckeyes have been the story of the conference so far this season. Coming off successive routs of then-No. 1 Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers, Ohio State led Northwestern by as many as 15 in the second half before holding off a late Wildcats charge.</p>
<p>Northwestern got within three at 68-65 on a 3-pointer by Lindsey with 43 seconds left, but Jackson sealed the victory from the foul line.</p>
<p>“Obviously I’m disappointed in the result of the game, but I was actually very proud of my team tonight,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “I loved our fight. If you would have said to me we were going to hold them to 70 points and hold Keita to 10 points, I would have probably lived with that result.”</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Ohio State: While winning has become routine for the Buckeyes, pulling out close games has not. This was the smallest margin of Ohio State’s 16 victories, 14 of which were by double digits.</p>
<p>“We didn’t always play our best, but man, this is one we’ll feel good about,” Holtmann said. “You’re playing on a team’s home court, they’re probably going to make shots, they’re probably going to make a run.”</p>
<p>Northwestern: With four starters back from the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, the Wildcats have fallen far short of expectations and are going to have turn things around in a hurry to make a case for another invitation to the dance.</p>
<p>ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE?</p>
<p>Holtmann praised the overall play of Bates-Diop, who was averaging 20.3 points overall and 23.3 in Big Ten play before going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line against Northwestern.</p>
<p>“No one in the country, that I’ve seen, has went through the kind of stretch that he’s had in terms of efficiency,” Holtmann said. “It’s unbelievable, and I hope we have a full appreciation for how good he’s been in this stretch. And he’s going to have a night or two where it doesn’t go his way. But the fact that he stayed in there and competed, I’m so proud of him.”</p>
<p>LATE SCRATCH</p>
<p>Northwestern forward Aaron Falzon was removed from the starting lineup a few minutes before tip with a back injury. Falzon, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, averages 6.8 points. His replacement, Gavin Skelly, had 11.</p>
<p>MAJOR DROUGHT</p>
<p>Northwestern did not make a shot from the perimeter in the final 14:14 of the first half. The Wildcats missed 12 straight jump shots during that stretch as Ohio State turned a 12-6 deficit into a 33-25 halftime lead.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Ohio State: The Buckeyes host Minnesota on Saturday.</p>
<p>Northwestern: The Wildcats host Penn State on Saturday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Chris Holtmann figured an off-night from Keita Bates-Diop was inevitable. So, too, is the Ohio State coach’s first Big Ten loss.</p>
<p>But it did not coincide with his star player’s first subpar performance in weeks.</p>
<p>Holtmann became the first coach in 95 years to win his first seven Big Ten games as No. 22 Ohio State defeated Northwestern 71-65 on Wednesday night. Holtmann is the third Big Ten coach to win his first seven conference games, joining Wisconsin’s Walter Meanwell (1911-12) and Iowa’s Sam Barry (1922-23). Holtmann replaced Thad Matta, the program’s all-time wins leader, this season.</p>
<p>“It really does not mean anything,” Holtmann said. “I think that’s a reflection on the players as much as anything. We’ve got a group that really likes each other. And it’s easy to like each other when you’re on the streak that we’re on right now, but I sensed that they even liked each other when we had some rough spots earlier in the year.”</p>
<p>C.J. Jackson had 12 points and eight assists, Micah Potter scored 13 points off the bench and Bates-Diop, the Big Ten’s leading scorer and reigning two-time player of the week, had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Buckeyes (16-4, 7-0), who won their sixth straight overall.</p>
<p>Vic Law scored 14 points and Scottie Lindsey had 13 for Northwestern (11-9, 2-5) as the Wildcats suffered their second straight double-digit loss.</p>
<p>Picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten in a preseason media poll, the Buckeyes have been the story of the conference so far this season. Coming off successive routs of then-No. 1 Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers, Ohio State led Northwestern by as many as 15 in the second half before holding off a late Wildcats charge.</p>
<p>Northwestern got within three at 68-65 on a 3-pointer by Lindsey with 43 seconds left, but Jackson sealed the victory from the foul line.</p>
<p>“Obviously I’m disappointed in the result of the game, but I was actually very proud of my team tonight,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “I loved our fight. If you would have said to me we were going to hold them to 70 points and hold Keita to 10 points, I would have probably lived with that result.”</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Ohio State: While winning has become routine for the Buckeyes, pulling out close games has not. This was the smallest margin of Ohio State’s 16 victories, 14 of which were by double digits.</p>
<p>“We didn’t always play our best, but man, this is one we’ll feel good about,” Holtmann said. “You’re playing on a team’s home court, they’re probably going to make shots, they’re probably going to make a run.”</p>
<p>Northwestern: With four starters back from the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, the Wildcats have fallen far short of expectations and are going to have turn things around in a hurry to make a case for another invitation to the dance.</p>
<p>ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE?</p>
<p>Holtmann praised the overall play of Bates-Diop, who was averaging 20.3 points overall and 23.3 in Big Ten play before going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line against Northwestern.</p>
<p>“No one in the country, that I’ve seen, has went through the kind of stretch that he’s had in terms of efficiency,” Holtmann said. “It’s unbelievable, and I hope we have a full appreciation for how good he’s been in this stretch. And he’s going to have a night or two where it doesn’t go his way. But the fact that he stayed in there and competed, I’m so proud of him.”</p>
<p>LATE SCRATCH</p>
<p>Northwestern forward Aaron Falzon was removed from the starting lineup a few minutes before tip with a back injury. Falzon, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, averages 6.8 points. His replacement, Gavin Skelly, had 11.</p>
<p>MAJOR DROUGHT</p>
<p>Northwestern did not make a shot from the perimeter in the final 14:14 of the first half. The Wildcats missed 12 straight jump shots during that stretch as Ohio State turned a 12-6 deficit into a 33-25 halftime lead.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Ohio State: The Buckeyes host Minnesota on Saturday.</p>
<p>Northwestern: The Wildcats host Penn State on Saturday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
| false | 2 |
rosemont ill ap chris holtmann figured offnight keita batesdiop inevitable ohio state coachs first big ten loss coincide star players first subpar performance weeks holtmann became first coach 95 years win first seven big ten games 22 ohio state defeated northwestern 7165 wednesday night holtmann third big ten coach win first seven conference games joining wisconsins walter meanwell 191112 iowas sam barry 192223 holtmann replaced thad matta programs alltime wins leader season really mean anything holtmann said think thats reflection players much anything weve got group really likes easy like youre streak right sensed even liked rough spots earlier year cj jackson 12 points eight assists micah potter scored 13 points bench batesdiop big tens leading scorer reigning twotime player week 10 points eight rebounds buckeyes 164 70 sixth straight overall vic law scored 14 points scottie lindsey 13 northwestern 119 25 wildcats suffered second straight doubledigit loss picked finish 11th big ten preseason media poll buckeyes story conference far season coming successive routs thenno 1 michigan state maryland rutgers ohio state led northwestern many 15 second half holding late wildcats charge northwestern got within three 6865 3pointer lindsey 43 seconds left jackson sealed victory foul line obviously im disappointed result game actually proud team tonight northwestern coach chris collins said loved fight would said going hold 70 points hold keita 10 points would probably lived result big picture ohio state winning become routine buckeyes pulling close games smallest margin ohio states 16 victories 14 double digits didnt always play best man one well feel good holtmann said youre playing teams home court theyre probably going make shots theyre probably going make run northwestern four starters back programs first ncaa tournament appearance wildcats fallen far short expectations going turn things around hurry make case another invitation dance allamerica candidate holtmann praised overall play batesdiop averaging 203 points overall 233 big ten play going 4 12 field 2 4 line northwestern one country ive seen went kind stretch hes terms efficiency holtmann said unbelievable hope full appreciation good hes stretch hes going night two doesnt go way fact stayed competed im proud late scratch northwestern forward aaron falzon removed starting lineup minutes tip back injury falzon 6foot8 sophomore averages 68 points replacement gavin skelly 11 major drought northwestern make shot perimeter final 1414 first half wildcats missed 12 straight jump shots stretch ohio state turned 126 deficit 3325 halftime lead next ohio state buckeyes host minnesota saturday northwestern wildcats host penn state saturday ___ ap college basketball wwwcollegebasketballaporg httpstwittercomap_top25 rosemont ill ap chris holtmann figured offnight keita batesdiop inevitable ohio state coachs first big ten loss coincide star players first subpar performance weeks holtmann became first coach 95 years win first seven big ten games 22 ohio state defeated northwestern 7165 wednesday night holtmann third big ten coach win first seven conference games joining wisconsins walter meanwell 191112 iowas sam barry 192223 holtmann replaced thad matta programs alltime wins leader season really mean anything holtmann said think thats reflection players much anything weve got group really likes easy like youre streak right sensed even liked rough spots earlier year cj jackson 12 points eight assists micah potter scored 13 points bench batesdiop big tens leading scorer reigning twotime player week 10 points eight rebounds buckeyes 164 70 sixth straight overall vic law scored 14 points scottie lindsey 13 northwestern 119 25 wildcats suffered second straight doubledigit loss picked finish 11th big ten preseason media poll buckeyes story conference far season coming successive routs thenno 1 michigan state maryland rutgers ohio state led northwestern many 15 second half holding late wildcats charge northwestern got within three 6865 3pointer lindsey 43 seconds left jackson sealed victory foul line obviously im disappointed result game actually proud team tonight northwestern coach chris collins said loved fight would said going hold 70 points hold keita 10 points would probably lived result big picture ohio state winning become routine buckeyes pulling close games smallest margin ohio states 16 victories 14 double digits didnt always play best man one well feel good holtmann said youre playing teams home court theyre probably going make shots theyre probably going make run northwestern four starters back programs first ncaa tournament appearance wildcats fallen far short expectations going turn things around hurry make case another invitation dance allamerica candidate holtmann praised overall play batesdiop averaging 203 points overall 233 big ten play going 4 12 field 2 4 line northwestern one country ive seen went kind stretch hes terms efficiency holtmann said unbelievable hope full appreciation good hes stretch hes going night two doesnt go way fact stayed competed im proud late scratch northwestern forward aaron falzon removed starting lineup minutes tip back injury falzon 6foot8 sophomore averages 68 points replacement gavin skelly 11 major drought northwestern make shot perimeter final 1414 first half wildcats missed 12 straight jump shots stretch ohio state turned 126 deficit 3325 halftime lead next ohio state buckeyes host minnesota saturday northwestern wildcats host penn state saturday ___ ap college basketball wwwcollegebasketballaporg httpstwittercomap_top25
| 836 |
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — A lack of command stunted Jeremy Hellickson's Arizona debut, not to mention his birthday.</p>
<p>Hellickson struggled to hit his spots all night, allowing three runs in four-plus innings of the Diamondbacks' 5-2 loss the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.</p>
<p>"I really didn't have command of anything tonight," said Hellickson, who turned 28 on Wednesday. "I probably threw a handful of pitches where I wanted. Then when I did get a head of guys I made a lot of bad two-strike pitches. I just fell behind way too many guys.</p>
<p>Chris Heston (1-0) got off to an inauspicious start, but stayed steady in his second big league start, winning for the first time in the majors after going winless in three appearances last season.</p>
<p>Jean Machi and Sergio Romo followed with a pair of scoreless innings each and Santiago Casilla worked around a single in the ninth inning for his second save.</p>
<p>The Giants, who entered the season with plenty of offensive questions, gave him plenty of support, banging out 14 hits against the Diamondbacks to finish with 37 in the three-game series.</p>
<p>Nori Aoki had three hits, including a run-scoring double off Hellickson (0-1), and Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer for the Giants.</p>
<p>"Good at-bats, they were using the whole field," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Good to see the guys get some confidence going."</p>
<p>Arizona knocked around Ryan Vogelsong in a 7-6 win Tuesday night, but went down quietly against Heston and the Giants' relievers.</p>
<p>The Diamondbacks went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, needing miscues by the Giants to score its two runs in losing their ninth straight series to San Francisco at Chase Field.</p>
<p>"We were in every game," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "We lost the first one by one and this one by three. If we give up a lot of hits, we give up a lot of hits, as long as we don't give up a lot of runs."</p>
<p>The Giants slid Heston into the rotation after right-hander Matt Cain went on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon in his throwing arm.</p>
<p>The Diamondbacks scored a run off Heston without a hit in the first inning, when leadoff hitter A.J. Pollock was hit by a pitch, reached third on a throwing error by Heston on a pickoff move and scored on Chris Owings' groundout.</p>
<p>Arizona tacked on another run in the sixth inning after Goldschmidt doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on catcher Hector Sanchez's passed ball.</p>
<p>Heston allowed two unearned runs on three hits and struck out five.</p>
<p>"What a job he did; good for Chris," Bochy said. "He was a little amped up that first inning, threw it away, but settled down and really did a nice job."</p>
<p>Hellickson arrived in Arizona in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, hoping to bounce back from a difficult 2014 season in which he started on the disabled list and went 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA.</p>
<p>Hellickson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but Francisco scored two runs off him in the inning on consecutive run-scoring doubles by Aoki and Matt Duffy. Brandon Crawford added a run-scoring single to make it 3-1.</p>
<p>"I felt really good," said Hellickson, who allowed nine hits in 4 1-3 innings. "I just had no command of anything."</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Giants: RHP Tim Hudson will make the first start in the final season of his 17-year career at San Diego on Thursday. The 39-year-old had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle during the offseason, but had a decent spring, going 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA.</p>
<p>Diamondbacks: Arizona has a day off before RHP Chase Anderson makes his 2015 debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.</p>
<p>TRAINING ROOM</p>
<p>Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was held out of the lineup after straining his groin Tuesday night, but is not expected to go on the DL. He was able to take a few swings in a batting cage on Wednesday and (manager Bruce) Bochy said he should be available this week. ... RHP Jake Peavy's stiff lower back loosened overnight and is still on schedule to start Sunday against San Diego.</p>
<p>Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin, who underwent Tommy John last season, is expected to go on rehab assignment in May and possibly return by early June.</p>
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — A lack of command stunted Jeremy Hellickson's Arizona debut, not to mention his birthday.</p>
<p>Hellickson struggled to hit his spots all night, allowing three runs in four-plus innings of the Diamondbacks' 5-2 loss the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.</p>
<p>"I really didn't have command of anything tonight," said Hellickson, who turned 28 on Wednesday. "I probably threw a handful of pitches where I wanted. Then when I did get a head of guys I made a lot of bad two-strike pitches. I just fell behind way too many guys.</p>
<p>Chris Heston (1-0) got off to an inauspicious start, but stayed steady in his second big league start, winning for the first time in the majors after going winless in three appearances last season.</p>
<p>Jean Machi and Sergio Romo followed with a pair of scoreless innings each and Santiago Casilla worked around a single in the ninth inning for his second save.</p>
<p>The Giants, who entered the season with plenty of offensive questions, gave him plenty of support, banging out 14 hits against the Diamondbacks to finish with 37 in the three-game series.</p>
<p>Nori Aoki had three hits, including a run-scoring double off Hellickson (0-1), and Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer for the Giants.</p>
<p>"Good at-bats, they were using the whole field," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Good to see the guys get some confidence going."</p>
<p>Arizona knocked around Ryan Vogelsong in a 7-6 win Tuesday night, but went down quietly against Heston and the Giants' relievers.</p>
<p>The Diamondbacks went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, needing miscues by the Giants to score its two runs in losing their ninth straight series to San Francisco at Chase Field.</p>
<p>"We were in every game," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "We lost the first one by one and this one by three. If we give up a lot of hits, we give up a lot of hits, as long as we don't give up a lot of runs."</p>
<p>The Giants slid Heston into the rotation after right-hander Matt Cain went on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon in his throwing arm.</p>
<p>The Diamondbacks scored a run off Heston without a hit in the first inning, when leadoff hitter A.J. Pollock was hit by a pitch, reached third on a throwing error by Heston on a pickoff move and scored on Chris Owings' groundout.</p>
<p>Arizona tacked on another run in the sixth inning after Goldschmidt doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on catcher Hector Sanchez's passed ball.</p>
<p>Heston allowed two unearned runs on three hits and struck out five.</p>
<p>"What a job he did; good for Chris," Bochy said. "He was a little amped up that first inning, threw it away, but settled down and really did a nice job."</p>
<p>Hellickson arrived in Arizona in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, hoping to bounce back from a difficult 2014 season in which he started on the disabled list and went 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA.</p>
<p>Hellickson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but Francisco scored two runs off him in the inning on consecutive run-scoring doubles by Aoki and Matt Duffy. Brandon Crawford added a run-scoring single to make it 3-1.</p>
<p>"I felt really good," said Hellickson, who allowed nine hits in 4 1-3 innings. "I just had no command of anything."</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Giants: RHP Tim Hudson will make the first start in the final season of his 17-year career at San Diego on Thursday. The 39-year-old had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle during the offseason, but had a decent spring, going 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA.</p>
<p>Diamondbacks: Arizona has a day off before RHP Chase Anderson makes his 2015 debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.</p>
<p>TRAINING ROOM</p>
<p>Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was held out of the lineup after straining his groin Tuesday night, but is not expected to go on the DL. He was able to take a few swings in a batting cage on Wednesday and (manager Bruce) Bochy said he should be available this week. ... RHP Jake Peavy's stiff lower back loosened overnight and is still on schedule to start Sunday against San Diego.</p>
<p>Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin, who underwent Tommy John last season, is expected to go on rehab assignment in May and possibly return by early June.</p>
| false | 2 |
phoenix ap lack command stunted jeremy hellicksons arizona debut mention birthday hellickson struggled hit spots night allowing three runs fourplus innings diamondbacks 52 loss san francisco giants wednesday really didnt command anything tonight said hellickson turned 28 wednesday probably threw handful pitches wanted get head guys made lot bad twostrike pitches fell behind way many guys chris heston 10 got inauspicious start stayed steady second big league start winning first time majors going winless three appearances last season jean machi sergio romo followed pair scoreless innings santiago casilla worked around single ninth inning second save giants entered season plenty offensive questions gave plenty support banging 14 hits diamondbacks finish 37 threegame series nori aoki three hits including runscoring double hellickson 01 casey mcgehee hit tworun homer giants good atbats using whole field giants manager bruce bochy said good see guys get confidence going arizona knocked around ryan vogelsong 76 win tuesday night went quietly heston giants relievers diamondbacks went 0 8 runners scoring position needing miscues giants score two runs losing ninth straight series san francisco chase field every game arizona manager chip hale said lost first one one one three give lot hits give lot hits long dont give lot runs giants slid heston rotation righthander matt cain went disabled list strained flexor tendon throwing arm diamondbacks scored run heston without hit first inning leadoff hitter aj pollock hit pitch reached third throwing error heston pickoff move scored chris owings groundout arizona tacked another run sixth inning goldschmidt doubled advanced third wild pitch scored catcher hector sanchezs passed ball heston allowed two unearned runs three hits struck five job good chris bochy said little amped first inning threw away settled really nice job hellickson arrived arizona offseason trade tampa bay hoping bounce back difficult 2014 season started disabled list went 15 452 era hellickson escaped basesloaded jam first inning francisco scored two runs inning consecutive runscoring doubles aoki matt duffy brandon crawford added runscoring single make 31 felt really good said hellickson allowed nine hits 4 13 innings command anything next giants rhp tim hudson make first start final season 17year career san diego thursday 39yearold surgery remove bone spurs right ankle offseason decent spring going 11 332 era diamondbacks arizona day rhp chase anderson makes 2015 debut los angeles dodgers friday training room giants 1b brandon belt held lineup straining groin tuesday night expected go dl able take swings batting cage wednesday manager bruce bochy said available week rhp jake peavys stiff lower back loosened overnight still schedule start sunday san diego diamondbacks lhp patrick corbin underwent tommy john last season expected go rehab assignment may possibly return early june phoenix ap lack command stunted jeremy hellicksons arizona debut mention birthday hellickson struggled hit spots night allowing three runs fourplus innings diamondbacks 52 loss san francisco giants wednesday really didnt command anything tonight said hellickson turned 28 wednesday probably threw handful pitches wanted get head guys made lot bad twostrike pitches fell behind way many guys chris heston 10 got inauspicious start stayed steady second big league start winning first time majors going winless three appearances last season jean machi sergio romo followed pair scoreless innings santiago casilla worked around single ninth inning second save giants entered season plenty offensive questions gave plenty support banging 14 hits diamondbacks finish 37 threegame series nori aoki three hits including runscoring double hellickson 01 casey mcgehee hit tworun homer giants good atbats using whole field giants manager bruce bochy said good see guys get confidence going arizona knocked around ryan vogelsong 76 win tuesday night went quietly heston giants relievers diamondbacks went 0 8 runners scoring position needing miscues giants score two runs losing ninth straight series san francisco chase field every game arizona manager chip hale said lost first one one one three give lot hits give lot hits long dont give lot runs giants slid heston rotation righthander matt cain went disabled list strained flexor tendon throwing arm diamondbacks scored run heston without hit first inning leadoff hitter aj pollock hit pitch reached third throwing error heston pickoff move scored chris owings groundout arizona tacked another run sixth inning goldschmidt doubled advanced third wild pitch scored catcher hector sanchezs passed ball heston allowed two unearned runs three hits struck five job good chris bochy said little amped first inning threw away settled really nice job hellickson arrived arizona offseason trade tampa bay hoping bounce back difficult 2014 season started disabled list went 15 452 era hellickson escaped basesloaded jam first inning francisco scored two runs inning consecutive runscoring doubles aoki matt duffy brandon crawford added runscoring single make 31 felt really good said hellickson allowed nine hits 4 13 innings command anything next giants rhp tim hudson make first start final season 17year career san diego thursday 39yearold surgery remove bone spurs right ankle offseason decent spring going 11 332 era diamondbacks arizona day rhp chase anderson makes 2015 debut los angeles dodgers friday training room giants 1b brandon belt held lineup straining groin tuesday night expected go dl able take swings batting cage wednesday manager bruce bochy said available week rhp jake peavys stiff lower back loosened overnight still schedule start sunday san diego diamondbacks lhp patrick corbin underwent tommy john last season expected go rehab assignment may possibly return early june
| 884 |
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California man was sentenced to life in federal prison Tuesday for buying Filipino children for sex and pornography in what prosecutors called one of most “lurid, willful, and disturbing” child exploitation cases in the nation.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge John Mendez said he was sickened by the crimes committed by Michael Carey Clemans, 57, of Sacramento.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said he gave detailed instructions on how young girls should be posed, how their hair should be cut, whether they should wear makeup or have their bodies oiled.</p>
<p>“His true plan was to find young girls, virgins, and then go have sex with them,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andre Espinosa said. “A 57-year-old man doesn’t have sex with a 7-year-old girl — he rapes her.”</p>
<p>The sentence came after defense attorney Daniel Olmos argued that the judge should consider Clemans’ cooperation in helping authorities catch his co-conspirators.</p>
<p>But Mendez agreed with prosecutors, saying the “unthinkable, inexcusable” crimes outweighed the assistance.</p>
<p>“He has taken away the childhood of those victims,” Mendez said.</p>
<p>Clemans was an Army veteran with no criminal record who lived in Bangkok for two years while working as a pilot for a small airline. He later returned to Sacramento and lived with his mother while traveling to the Philippines several times.</p>
<p>He had “another side to his life,” Mendez said. “Mr. Clemans is a dangerous man. A danger particularly to children.”</p>
<p>Authorities said Clemans began conspiring with a woman in the Philippines in 2014 to produce child pornography and obtain girls.</p>
<p>He sent the woman, Lyan Tandeg, nearly $6,000 for equipment she used to photograph naked children so he could decide which ones he would rape when he traveled to the country, authorities said.</p>
<p>He directed her to find orphans, victims of typhoons and other vulnerable victims. He paid a co-conspirator, Shellina Atad, to obtain temporary custody of Filipino children and produce child pornography, authorities said.</p>
<p>Investigators found three of the children who posed for the pornographic photos, including one called “Angel,” when they were 7, 9, and 10.</p>
<p>Prosecutors brought them from the Philippines to Sacramento to testify at Clemans’ trial.</p>
<p>Tandeg and Atad were arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 15-year prison terms in the Philippines, according to court documents.</p>
<p>At one point, authorities said Clemans was communicating with more than 50 child pornography providers and obtained more than 27,000 child pornography images.</p>
<p>The internet and ease of global banking make it extremely easy for child pornographers to communicate, buy and sell children and pornography, and hide their identities, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in highlighting 40 central California convictions over the last four years that brought sentences of 15 years or more.</p>
<p>“The internet is borderless,” said Ryan Spradlin, special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations office in San Francisco. “An image on the web of a child being sexually abused can be seen by anyone anywhere in the world.”</p>
<p>Olmos acknowledged the “abhorrent” crimes but argued that Clemans should receive some sentencing consideration because he had a clean criminal record, accepted responsibility and let investigators use his online accounts to set up his co-conspirators for prosecution.</p>
<p>A jury found Clemans guilty in September of buying children, conspiracy and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, producing and receiving child pornography.</p>
<p>Olmos said Clemans will appeal his life sentence. Clemans stood seemingly emotionless during the hearing, but Mendez let him hug his parents and other family members before he was led away.</p>
<p>“Thank you for your support and love,” he told his mother. “I’ll see you on the other side.”</p>
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California man was sentenced to life in federal prison Tuesday for buying Filipino children for sex and pornography in what prosecutors called one of most “lurid, willful, and disturbing” child exploitation cases in the nation.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge John Mendez said he was sickened by the crimes committed by Michael Carey Clemans, 57, of Sacramento.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said he gave detailed instructions on how young girls should be posed, how their hair should be cut, whether they should wear makeup or have their bodies oiled.</p>
<p>“His true plan was to find young girls, virgins, and then go have sex with them,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andre Espinosa said. “A 57-year-old man doesn’t have sex with a 7-year-old girl — he rapes her.”</p>
<p>The sentence came after defense attorney Daniel Olmos argued that the judge should consider Clemans’ cooperation in helping authorities catch his co-conspirators.</p>
<p>But Mendez agreed with prosecutors, saying the “unthinkable, inexcusable” crimes outweighed the assistance.</p>
<p>“He has taken away the childhood of those victims,” Mendez said.</p>
<p>Clemans was an Army veteran with no criminal record who lived in Bangkok for two years while working as a pilot for a small airline. He later returned to Sacramento and lived with his mother while traveling to the Philippines several times.</p>
<p>He had “another side to his life,” Mendez said. “Mr. Clemans is a dangerous man. A danger particularly to children.”</p>
<p>Authorities said Clemans began conspiring with a woman in the Philippines in 2014 to produce child pornography and obtain girls.</p>
<p>He sent the woman, Lyan Tandeg, nearly $6,000 for equipment she used to photograph naked children so he could decide which ones he would rape when he traveled to the country, authorities said.</p>
<p>He directed her to find orphans, victims of typhoons and other vulnerable victims. He paid a co-conspirator, Shellina Atad, to obtain temporary custody of Filipino children and produce child pornography, authorities said.</p>
<p>Investigators found three of the children who posed for the pornographic photos, including one called “Angel,” when they were 7, 9, and 10.</p>
<p>Prosecutors brought them from the Philippines to Sacramento to testify at Clemans’ trial.</p>
<p>Tandeg and Atad were arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 15-year prison terms in the Philippines, according to court documents.</p>
<p>At one point, authorities said Clemans was communicating with more than 50 child pornography providers and obtained more than 27,000 child pornography images.</p>
<p>The internet and ease of global banking make it extremely easy for child pornographers to communicate, buy and sell children and pornography, and hide their identities, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in highlighting 40 central California convictions over the last four years that brought sentences of 15 years or more.</p>
<p>“The internet is borderless,” said Ryan Spradlin, special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations office in San Francisco. “An image on the web of a child being sexually abused can be seen by anyone anywhere in the world.”</p>
<p>Olmos acknowledged the “abhorrent” crimes but argued that Clemans should receive some sentencing consideration because he had a clean criminal record, accepted responsibility and let investigators use his online accounts to set up his co-conspirators for prosecution.</p>
<p>A jury found Clemans guilty in September of buying children, conspiracy and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, producing and receiving child pornography.</p>
<p>Olmos said Clemans will appeal his life sentence. Clemans stood seemingly emotionless during the hearing, but Mendez let him hug his parents and other family members before he was led away.</p>
<p>“Thank you for your support and love,” he told his mother. “I’ll see you on the other side.”</p>
| false | 2 |
sacramento calif ap california man sentenced life federal prison tuesday buying filipino children sex pornography prosecutors called one lurid willful disturbing child exploitation cases nation us district judge john mendez said sickened crimes committed michael carey clemans 57 sacramento prosecutors said gave detailed instructions young girls posed hair cut whether wear makeup bodies oiled true plan find young girls virgins go sex assistant us attorney andre espinosa said 57yearold man doesnt sex 7yearold girl rapes sentence came defense attorney daniel olmos argued judge consider clemans cooperation helping authorities catch coconspirators mendez agreed prosecutors saying unthinkable inexcusable crimes outweighed assistance taken away childhood victims mendez said clemans army veteran criminal record lived bangkok two years working pilot small airline later returned sacramento lived mother traveling philippines several times another side life mendez said mr clemans dangerous man danger particularly children authorities said clemans began conspiring woman philippines 2014 produce child pornography obtain girls sent woman lyan tandeg nearly 6000 equipment used photograph naked children could decide ones would rape traveled country authorities said directed find orphans victims typhoons vulnerable victims paid coconspirator shellina atad obtain temporary custody filipino children produce child pornography authorities said investigators found three children posed pornographic photos including one called angel 7 9 10 prosecutors brought philippines sacramento testify clemans trial tandeg atad arrested 2015 sentenced 15year prison terms philippines according court documents one point authorities said clemans communicating 50 child pornography providers obtained 27000 child pornography images internet ease global banking make extremely easy child pornographers communicate buy sell children pornography hide identities us attorney mcgregor scott said highlighting 40 central california convictions last four years brought sentences 15 years internet borderless said ryan spradlin special agent charge us homeland security investigations office san francisco image web child sexually abused seen anyone anywhere world olmos acknowledged abhorrent crimes argued clemans receive sentencing consideration clean criminal record accepted responsibility let investigators use online accounts set coconspirators prosecution jury found clemans guilty september buying children conspiracy traveling intent engage illicit sexual conduct previously pleaded guilty conspiracy producing receiving child pornography olmos said clemans appeal life sentence clemans stood seemingly emotionless hearing mendez let hug parents family members led away thank support love told mother ill see side sacramento calif ap california man sentenced life federal prison tuesday buying filipino children sex pornography prosecutors called one lurid willful disturbing child exploitation cases nation us district judge john mendez said sickened crimes committed michael carey clemans 57 sacramento prosecutors said gave detailed instructions young girls posed hair cut whether wear makeup bodies oiled true plan find young girls virgins go sex assistant us attorney andre espinosa said 57yearold man doesnt sex 7yearold girl rapes sentence came defense attorney daniel olmos argued judge consider clemans cooperation helping authorities catch coconspirators mendez agreed prosecutors saying unthinkable inexcusable crimes outweighed assistance taken away childhood victims mendez said clemans army veteran criminal record lived bangkok two years working pilot small airline later returned sacramento lived mother traveling philippines several times another side life mendez said mr clemans dangerous man danger particularly children authorities said clemans began conspiring woman philippines 2014 produce child pornography obtain girls sent woman lyan tandeg nearly 6000 equipment used photograph naked children could decide ones would rape traveled country authorities said directed find orphans victims typhoons vulnerable victims paid coconspirator shellina atad obtain temporary custody filipino children produce child pornography authorities said investigators found three children posed pornographic photos including one called angel 7 9 10 prosecutors brought philippines sacramento testify clemans trial tandeg atad arrested 2015 sentenced 15year prison terms philippines according court documents one point authorities said clemans communicating 50 child pornography providers obtained 27000 child pornography images internet ease global banking make extremely easy child pornographers communicate buy sell children pornography hide identities us attorney mcgregor scott said highlighting 40 central california convictions last four years brought sentences 15 years internet borderless said ryan spradlin special agent charge us homeland security investigations office san francisco image web child sexually abused seen anyone anywhere world olmos acknowledged abhorrent crimes argued clemans receive sentencing consideration clean criminal record accepted responsibility let investigators use online accounts set coconspirators prosecution jury found clemans guilty september buying children conspiracy traveling intent engage illicit sexual conduct previously pleaded guilty conspiracy producing receiving child pornography olmos said clemans appeal life sentence clemans stood seemingly emotionless hearing mendez let hug parents family members led away thank support love told mother ill see side
| 738 |
<p>LONDON (AP) — The euro surged to three-year highs against the dollar Friday amid hopes for a new coalition government in Germany and signs that the European Central Bank is preparing to rein in its stimulus sooner than many had been predicting. Stock markets were steady as traders paused for breath following more records on Wall Street.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 0.1 percent to 13,196 while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.2 percent to 7,777. France's CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent to 5,502. Wall Street was poised to open higher, with Dow futures and the broader S&amp;P 500 futures up 0.2 percent.</p>
<p>MARKET CALM: Global equity markets settled after some turmoil earlier in the week sparked by a news report that China might slow or halt purchases of U.S. Treasurys, which Beijing later challenged. Treasury yields dipped, easing fears of a bear market for bonds, while the S&amp;P 500 index clocked its seventh gain in eight days to close at a record high.</p>
<p>GERMAN TALKS: Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats took a big step toward forming a new German government. The 28-page deal reached in a marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 24 hours at the end of nearly a week of talks was enough for leaders of Merkel's two-party Union bloc and the Social Democrats to recommend moving on to formal coalition negotiations. But Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz will have to work hard to persuade a party congress Jan. 21 to endorse that move.</p>
<p>ECB TURNS HAWKISH: On Thursday, an account of the European Central Bank's last meeting showed its top officials may revise the outlook for their massive monetary stimulus program early this year. That's quicker than many people thought.</p>
<p>EURO FLIES: The combination of developments in Germany and at the ECB has sent the euro currency flying. It's up another 0.8 percent at $1.2113, just shy of its earlier high of $1.2138, its highest level since the end of 2014.</p>
<p>ANALYST TAKE: "Merkel is one of the biggest proponents of the eurozone project, and her ability to remain in power will be key to ensuring stability as we go forward," said Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG. "While a deal is not across the line, the sands seem to be shifting in favor of a positive, stable resolution which is expected to remove a significant degree of uncertainty for euro traders."</p>
<p>ASIAN SCORECARD: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.2 percent to close at 23,653.82, pressured by the yen's recent strength, while South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.3 percent to 2,496.42. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 0.9 percent to 31,412.54 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 percent to 3,428.94. Australia's S&amp;P/ASX 200 gained less than 0.1 percent to 6,070.10. Shares were higher in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.</p>
<p>ENERGY: Oil futures eased. Benchmark U.S. crude slipped 37 cents to $63.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 14 cents to $69.12 per barrel.</p>
<p>LONDON (AP) — The euro surged to three-year highs against the dollar Friday amid hopes for a new coalition government in Germany and signs that the European Central Bank is preparing to rein in its stimulus sooner than many had been predicting. Stock markets were steady as traders paused for breath following more records on Wall Street.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 0.1 percent to 13,196 while Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.2 percent to 7,777. France's CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent to 5,502. Wall Street was poised to open higher, with Dow futures and the broader S&amp;P 500 futures up 0.2 percent.</p>
<p>MARKET CALM: Global equity markets settled after some turmoil earlier in the week sparked by a news report that China might slow or halt purchases of U.S. Treasurys, which Beijing later challenged. Treasury yields dipped, easing fears of a bear market for bonds, while the S&amp;P 500 index clocked its seventh gain in eight days to close at a record high.</p>
<p>GERMAN TALKS: Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats took a big step toward forming a new German government. The 28-page deal reached in a marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 24 hours at the end of nearly a week of talks was enough for leaders of Merkel's two-party Union bloc and the Social Democrats to recommend moving on to formal coalition negotiations. But Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz will have to work hard to persuade a party congress Jan. 21 to endorse that move.</p>
<p>ECB TURNS HAWKISH: On Thursday, an account of the European Central Bank's last meeting showed its top officials may revise the outlook for their massive monetary stimulus program early this year. That's quicker than many people thought.</p>
<p>EURO FLIES: The combination of developments in Germany and at the ECB has sent the euro currency flying. It's up another 0.8 percent at $1.2113, just shy of its earlier high of $1.2138, its highest level since the end of 2014.</p>
<p>ANALYST TAKE: "Merkel is one of the biggest proponents of the eurozone project, and her ability to remain in power will be key to ensuring stability as we go forward," said Joshua Mahony, market analyst at IG. "While a deal is not across the line, the sands seem to be shifting in favor of a positive, stable resolution which is expected to remove a significant degree of uncertainty for euro traders."</p>
<p>ASIAN SCORECARD: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.2 percent to close at 23,653.82, pressured by the yen's recent strength, while South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.3 percent to 2,496.42. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 0.9 percent to 31,412.54 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.1 percent to 3,428.94. Australia's S&amp;P/ASX 200 gained less than 0.1 percent to 6,070.10. Shares were higher in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.</p>
<p>ENERGY: Oil futures eased. Benchmark U.S. crude slipped 37 cents to $63.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 14 cents to $69.12 per barrel.</p>
| false | 2 |
london ap euro surged threeyear highs dollar friday amid hopes new coalition government germany signs european central bank preparing rein stimulus sooner many predicting stock markets steady traders paused breath following records wall street keeping score europe germanys dax fell 01 percent 13196 britains ftse 100 rose 02 percent 7777 frances cac 40 rose 03 percent 5502 wall street poised open higher dow futures broader sampp 500 futures 02 percent market calm global equity markets settled turmoil earlier week sparked news report china might slow halt purchases us treasurys beijing later challenged treasury yields dipped easing fears bear market bonds sampp 500 index clocked seventh gain eight days close record high german talks chancellor angela merkels conservatives centerleft social democrats took big step toward forming new german government 28page deal reached marathon negotiating session lasted 24 hours end nearly week talks enough leaders merkels twoparty union bloc social democrats recommend moving formal coalition negotiations social democrat leader martin schulz work hard persuade party congress jan 21 endorse move ecb turns hawkish thursday account european central banks last meeting showed top officials may revise outlook massive monetary stimulus program early year thats quicker many people thought euro flies combination developments germany ecb sent euro currency flying another 08 percent 12113 shy earlier high 12138 highest level since end 2014 analyst take merkel one biggest proponents eurozone project ability remain power key ensuring stability go forward said joshua mahony market analyst ig deal across line sands seem shifting favor positive stable resolution expected remove significant degree uncertainty euro traders asian scorecard japans benchmark nikkei 225 index lost 02 percent close 2365382 pressured yens recent strength south koreas kospi advanced 03 percent 249642 hong kongs hang seng surged 09 percent 3141254 shanghai composite index added 01 percent 342894 australias samppasx 200 gained less 01 percent 607010 shares higher southeast asia taiwan energy oil futures eased benchmark us crude slipped 37 cents 6355 barrel electronic trading new york mercantile exchange brent crude international standard lost 14 cents 6912 per barrel london ap euro surged threeyear highs dollar friday amid hopes new coalition government germany signs european central bank preparing rein stimulus sooner many predicting stock markets steady traders paused breath following records wall street keeping score europe germanys dax fell 01 percent 13196 britains ftse 100 rose 02 percent 7777 frances cac 40 rose 03 percent 5502 wall street poised open higher dow futures broader sampp 500 futures 02 percent market calm global equity markets settled turmoil earlier week sparked news report china might slow halt purchases us treasurys beijing later challenged treasury yields dipped easing fears bear market bonds sampp 500 index clocked seventh gain eight days close record high german talks chancellor angela merkels conservatives centerleft social democrats took big step toward forming new german government 28page deal reached marathon negotiating session lasted 24 hours end nearly week talks enough leaders merkels twoparty union bloc social democrats recommend moving formal coalition negotiations social democrat leader martin schulz work hard persuade party congress jan 21 endorse move ecb turns hawkish thursday account european central banks last meeting showed top officials may revise outlook massive monetary stimulus program early year thats quicker many people thought euro flies combination developments germany ecb sent euro currency flying another 08 percent 12113 shy earlier high 12138 highest level since end 2014 analyst take merkel one biggest proponents eurozone project ability remain power key ensuring stability go forward said joshua mahony market analyst ig deal across line sands seem shifting favor positive stable resolution expected remove significant degree uncertainty euro traders asian scorecard japans benchmark nikkei 225 index lost 02 percent close 2365382 pressured yens recent strength south koreas kospi advanced 03 percent 249642 hong kongs hang seng surged 09 percent 3141254 shanghai composite index added 01 percent 342894 australias samppasx 200 gained less 01 percent 607010 shares higher southeast asia taiwan energy oil futures eased benchmark us crude slipped 37 cents 6355 barrel electronic trading new york mercantile exchange brent crude international standard lost 14 cents 6912 per barrel
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<p>As a school for journalists, The Poynter Institute has long been associated with standard setting and "benchmarking excellence."&#160;In partnership&#160;with the National Press Photographer's Association 2003 Best of Photojournalism &amp; Photojournalism on the Web Awards judging committee, Poynter is proud to present this year's award winners. Over five days, judges&#160;evaluated nearly 27,000 digital images and 75 websites. Entries were submitted in 37 categories, resulting in 97&#160;awards.&#160;The judges did not&#160;present awards in the Sports Picture Story and Sports Photographer of the Year categories. Judges applied the journalistic measures of relevance, impact, integrity, photographic content and creativity in the still categories. New criteria of presentation quality, navigation, mastery of the technology and tools were&#160;used for online medium. We offer sincere thanks to all of the volunteers, and to Poynter's web and Information Technology teams, who did such an extraordinary job facilitating the NPPA Best of Photojournalism judging. --Kenny IrbyClick here to view a <a href="" type="internal">complete list of winners</a></p>
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<p>Andrew DeVigal recently accepted a tenure-track faculty position in the School of Journalism at San Francisco State University.&#160; He has been a visiting professional and was a Poynter Fellow in 2000, teaching and directing seminars in the area of New Media and Visual Journalism, and is now a frequent visiting faculty. He helped lead the Stanford-Poynter Project, research studying how users read online news using an Eye Tracking System.&#160; Formerly he was an interface designer for Knight-Ridder New Media in San Jose, designing many of the early verticals offered by Real Cities, a producer for chicagotribune.com, shaping the look and format of the original Internet version. In his other life, DeVigal was an informational graphic artist for the Chicago Tribune and the Contra Costa Times. DeVigal has also redesigned several online publications including the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union website, timesunion.com. His work can also be appreciated from the design of Handelsblatt Interaktiv, Germany's financial daily, which was redesigned by Mario Garcia Media Group.</p>
<p>Alan Dorow began his career over 20 years ago by working as a photographer and designer at newspapers in Florida and Arizona. A graduate of Indiana University, he worked in New York for 10 years as a freelance photographer and photo editor at the New York Times Magazine. While spending a year working as a visiting professor at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1992, he developed a keen interest in new media technologies, and went on to form Tango Interactive, a multimedia development company, in 1995. In 1996, he started Story Line, an online publication featuring photography and video in new media format. Story Line became Journal E a year later, and went on to win numerous awards and recognitions, including two first place awards in the New Media category of Pictures of the Year and a recognition for Web Site of the Week by Communication Arts. Journal E recently became Musarium, and continues to publish high-quality online stories. He currently works as the publisher of Musarium and as the principal of Tango Interactive in Silver Spring, Md., where he lives with his wife Lauren and six-year-old daughter Sabrina.</p>
<p>Beth A. Keiser is a 1988 graduate of the University of Miami with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in marketing. While at the University, Beth began working for the school newspaper, the "Hurricane," as a photographer and with much encouragement and support of the school's photo department was able to do an internship in photography at the Miami Herald in 1988. After graduation, she freelanced for the Miami Herald and the Associated Press for two years before becoming full-time staff with the Herald in the Broward County bureau. After four years with the Herald, she left the paper and went to work for the Associated Press in Chicago, Ill., and then in New York City. At the Associated Press she covered many events, including the Olympics in Sydney, Australia and Nagano, Japan as well as witnessing history at the Oklahoma City Bombing, the funeral of Princess Diana, presidential campaigns and the coverage of the World Trade Center attacks for more than a year. In September of 2002, Beth resigned from the AP and is currently a photographer in New York City.</p>
<p>Jean-François Leroy is a journalist who is passionate about photography. He collaborated at Photo-Reporter, Le Photographe, Photo-Revue and Photo Magazine. At the same time, he reports for the agency Sipa-Press. In 1988, he becomes Dominique Isserman’s agent. In 1989, with Yann Arthus-Bertrand, he created “ 3 days in France,” an operation that painted the portrait of France in 1989, 150 years after the invention of photography. Since September 1989, he has run Visa pour l’image, an international photojournalism festival. In 1997, he became associated with Hachette-Filipacchi through the société Image-Evidence, which he is one of the managers of.</p>
<p>Michael Sargent is currently Vice President for News Services / Getty Images and joined Getty Images in May 2001. He now runs their news operation, after a 17-year stint at AFP (Agence France-Presse). Mike has 27 years of experience in the news industry, 11 of them in management. His news career began as a photojournalist, working on the staffs of five different major daily newspapers in North Carolina and Florida. In 1984, he joined AFP to work in Washington, D.C., at the start of their international photo service.&#160; Shortly thereafter, he was assigned to cover the Reagan White House, and in 1988, he was recruited at the close of the Reagan administration to work as a White House photographer for George Bush Senior. Within a year, he returned to AFP in the role of Chief Photographer for the Americas and later served as the region’s Deputy Photo Director. In 1999 he became the Photo Director for AFP in the Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, until being recruited by Getty in 2001.&#160;&#160;&#160; Robert Seale has been a staff photographer at The Sporting News since 1996. In addition to covering major sporting events throughout the&#160; U.S., he spends about half of his time shooting location portraits for the magazine. During his tenure at TSN, his photographs have appeared on more than 100 covers of the 117-year-old magazine. Prior to his position with The Sporting News, Robert was a staff photographer at The Houston Post and The Augusta Chronicle.&#160; He is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, Karen Warren, who is a photographer at The Houston Chronicle.&#160; Horacio Villalobos is Director of Photography of Diario Popular in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He began his photojournalism career in 1965 in La Plata Buenos Aires for the newspaper El Dia. Villalobos did his post-graduate studies at the University of Missouri in 1974-75, as the recipient of the first photojournalism scholarship given by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). He received several international photojournalism awards, among them from the IAPA in 1973. Beginning in 1972 - and for more than 25 years - Villalobos has done photographic work for Time, Newsweek and Business Week magazines, among others; United Press International and The Associated Press. He has covered everything from wars and violent revolutions to World Cup football and the Olympics in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceana. He began his career at Diario Popular, a Buenos Aires daily with national circulation, in 1976 and has been the newspapers’ director of photography since 1982. He has been a lecturer for the IAPA since 1980, and a teacher of seminars given by the Association of Journalistic Entities of Argentina.</p>
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school journalists poynter institute long associated standard setting benchmarking excellence160in partnership160with national press photographers association 2003 best photojournalism amp photojournalism web awards judging committee poynter proud present years award winners five days judges160evaluated nearly 27000 digital images 75 websites entries submitted 37 categories resulting 97160awards160the judges not160present awards sports picture story sports photographer year categories judges applied journalistic measures relevance impact integrity photographic content creativity still categories new criteria presentation quality navigation mastery technology tools were160used online medium offer sincere thanks volunteers poynters web information technology teams extraordinary job facilitating nppa best photojournalism judging kenny irbyclick view complete list winners andrew devigal recently accepted tenuretrack faculty position school journalism san francisco state university160 visiting professional poynter fellow 2000 teaching directing seminars area new media visual journalism frequent visiting faculty helped lead stanfordpoynter project research studying users read online news using eye tracking system160 formerly interface designer knightridder new media san jose designing many early verticals offered real cities producer chicagotribunecom shaping look format original internet version life devigal informational graphic artist chicago tribune contra costa times devigal also redesigned several online publications including albany ny times union website timesunioncom work also appreciated design handelsblatt interaktiv germanys financial daily redesigned mario garcia media group alan dorow began career 20 years ago working photographer designer newspapers florida arizona graduate indiana university worked new york 10 years freelance photographer photo editor new york times magazine spending year working visiting professor rochester institute technology 1992 developed keen interest new media technologies went form tango interactive multimedia development company 1995 1996 started story line online publication featuring photography video new media format story line became journal e year later went win numerous awards recognitions including two first place awards new media category pictures year recognition web site week communication arts journal e recently became musarium continues publish highquality online stories currently works publisher musarium principal tango interactive silver spring md lives wife lauren sixyearold daughter sabrina beth keiser 1988 graduate university miami bs psychology minor marketing university beth began working school newspaper hurricane photographer much encouragement support schools photo department able internship photography miami herald 1988 graduation freelanced miami herald associated press two years becoming fulltime staff herald broward county bureau four years herald left paper went work associated press chicago ill new york city associated press covered many events including olympics sydney australia nagano japan well witnessing history oklahoma city bombing funeral princess diana presidential campaigns coverage world trade center attacks year september 2002 beth resigned ap currently photographer new york city jeanfrançois leroy journalist passionate photography collaborated photoreporter le photographe photorevue photo magazine time reports agency sipapress 1988 becomes dominique issermans agent 1989 yann arthusbertrand created 3 days france operation painted portrait france 1989 150 years invention photography since september 1989 run visa pour limage international photojournalism festival 1997 became associated hachettefilipacchi société imageevidence one managers michael sargent currently vice president news services getty images joined getty images may 2001 runs news operation 17year stint afp agence francepresse mike 27 years experience news industry 11 management news career began photojournalist working staffs five different major daily newspapers north carolina florida 1984 joined afp work washington dc start international photo service160 shortly thereafter assigned cover reagan white house 1988 recruited close reagan administration work white house photographer george bush senior within year returned afp role chief photographer americas later served regions deputy photo director 1999 became photo director afp asiapacific hong kong recruited getty 2001160160160 robert seale staff photographer sporting news since 1996 addition covering major sporting events throughout the160 us spends half time shooting location portraits magazine tenure tsn photographs appeared 100 covers 117yearold magazine prior position sporting news robert staff photographer houston post augusta chronicle160 graduate stephen f austin state university nacogdoches texas lives houston texas wife karen warren photographer houston chronicle160 horacio villalobos director photography diario popular buenos aires argentina began photojournalism career 1965 la plata buenos aires newspaper el dia villalobos postgraduate studies university missouri 197475 recipient first photojournalism scholarship given inter american press association iapa received several international photojournalism awards among iapa 1973 beginning 1972 25 years villalobos done photographic work time newsweek business week magazines among others united press international associated press covered everything wars violent revolutions world cup football olympics americas europe asia oceana began career diario popular buenos aires daily national circulation 1976 newspapers director photography since 1982 lecturer iapa since 1980 teacher seminars given association journalistic entities argentina
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<p>BOSTON (AP) — What should have been a fairly routine administrative exercise — setting a date for this year’s primary election in Massachusetts — is turning into a major political headache for state Secretary William Galvin.</p>
<p>The primary is normally held seven weeks before the November general election, which would be Sept. 18.</p>
<p>But this year, that day also marks the start of Yom Kippur. Setting the primary for that date would clash with a state law requiring the primary to be moved when it conflicts with a religious holiday.</p>
<p>Backing up a week to Sept. 11 doesn’t help, either, because that would fall on Rosh Hashanah.</p>
<p>That presented Galvin, who oversees state elections, with a potentially dicey decision. The longtime Democratic officeholder decided to crowdsource the decision by making a public appeal for suggestions from voters, candidates or anyone else with an interest.</p>
<p>This week, Galvin announced a decision: He set the date for Tuesday, Sept. 4, the day after Labor Day. That immediately drew the ire of voting advocacy groups like the Massachusetts League of Women Voters and Galvin’s Democratic primary challenger Josh Zakim, a Boston city councilor.</p>
<p>Galvin offered an olive branch of sorts, proposing legislation that would allow five days of early voting prior to the primary. Galvin said after consulting with Senate President Harriette Chandler and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, both fellow Democrats, he will seek funding for local election officials to conduct early primary voting.</p>
<p>“Given the interest we are already seeing in the primaries and the successful implementation of early voting in the 2016 state election, I believe offering early voting for the state primaries would provide a greater opportunity for voter participation,” Galvin said in a written statement announcing the decision.</p>
<p>The first to jump on Galvin’s Sept. 4 date was Zakim.</p>
<p>“It is outrageous and unprecedented to schedule a statewide primary for the day after Labor Day, when people are just returning from their summer vacations and haven’t had time to focus on the upcoming election,” he said. “Scheduling an early voting period during the last week of August is equally ridiculous.”</p>
<p>Zakim said there were “any number of dates” that Galvin could have picked instead of a date that Zakim said would end up depressing the vote.</p>
<p>Zakim said he recommended weekend voting, saying it would make it easier for working people and young people to get to the polls despite busy work and school schedules.</p>
<p>The League of Women Voters was only slightly less critical.</p>
<p>The league said it was pleased Galvin had embraced their idea of extending early voting to the state primary after it proved enormously popular during the 2016 general election.</p>
<p>But the league also said the Tuesday after Labor Day was a poor choice — in part because the early voting period would fall during the waning days of August, when few people are in campaign mode.</p>
<p>“Voting on the day after Labor Day will prove challenging for voters in the commonwealth, especially for families preparing children for the start of school, and for candidates who are eager to get their message out to voters,” the group said.</p>
<p>The group urged Galvin to roll out what they called “a robust public relations campaign” to make voters aware of the date of the primary and of options for early and absentee voting.</p>
<p>Other states facing the same dilemma have found dates other than the Tuesday after Labor Day to schedule their primaries.</p>
<p>In Rhode Island, officials decided to move the primary elections to Wednesday, Sept. 12, to avoid conflicting with Rosh Hashanah. The state’s primary is generally set for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in September, which is Sept. 11 this year.</p>
<p>Delaware decided to move the 2018 primary election date from Sept. 11 to Sept. 6, a Thursday.</p>
<p>In New York, a state lawmaker last year announced legislation to change the scheduled Sept. 11 primary to Sept. 13 to avoid conflicts with Rosh Hashanah and the ceremonies remembering the Sept. 11 attacks.</p>
<p>New Hampshire has also scheduled its primary for Sept. 11.</p>
<p>BOSTON (AP) — What should have been a fairly routine administrative exercise — setting a date for this year’s primary election in Massachusetts — is turning into a major political headache for state Secretary William Galvin.</p>
<p>The primary is normally held seven weeks before the November general election, which would be Sept. 18.</p>
<p>But this year, that day also marks the start of Yom Kippur. Setting the primary for that date would clash with a state law requiring the primary to be moved when it conflicts with a religious holiday.</p>
<p>Backing up a week to Sept. 11 doesn’t help, either, because that would fall on Rosh Hashanah.</p>
<p>That presented Galvin, who oversees state elections, with a potentially dicey decision. The longtime Democratic officeholder decided to crowdsource the decision by making a public appeal for suggestions from voters, candidates or anyone else with an interest.</p>
<p>This week, Galvin announced a decision: He set the date for Tuesday, Sept. 4, the day after Labor Day. That immediately drew the ire of voting advocacy groups like the Massachusetts League of Women Voters and Galvin’s Democratic primary challenger Josh Zakim, a Boston city councilor.</p>
<p>Galvin offered an olive branch of sorts, proposing legislation that would allow five days of early voting prior to the primary. Galvin said after consulting with Senate President Harriette Chandler and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, both fellow Democrats, he will seek funding for local election officials to conduct early primary voting.</p>
<p>“Given the interest we are already seeing in the primaries and the successful implementation of early voting in the 2016 state election, I believe offering early voting for the state primaries would provide a greater opportunity for voter participation,” Galvin said in a written statement announcing the decision.</p>
<p>The first to jump on Galvin’s Sept. 4 date was Zakim.</p>
<p>“It is outrageous and unprecedented to schedule a statewide primary for the day after Labor Day, when people are just returning from their summer vacations and haven’t had time to focus on the upcoming election,” he said. “Scheduling an early voting period during the last week of August is equally ridiculous.”</p>
<p>Zakim said there were “any number of dates” that Galvin could have picked instead of a date that Zakim said would end up depressing the vote.</p>
<p>Zakim said he recommended weekend voting, saying it would make it easier for working people and young people to get to the polls despite busy work and school schedules.</p>
<p>The League of Women Voters was only slightly less critical.</p>
<p>The league said it was pleased Galvin had embraced their idea of extending early voting to the state primary after it proved enormously popular during the 2016 general election.</p>
<p>But the league also said the Tuesday after Labor Day was a poor choice — in part because the early voting period would fall during the waning days of August, when few people are in campaign mode.</p>
<p>“Voting on the day after Labor Day will prove challenging for voters in the commonwealth, especially for families preparing children for the start of school, and for candidates who are eager to get their message out to voters,” the group said.</p>
<p>The group urged Galvin to roll out what they called “a robust public relations campaign” to make voters aware of the date of the primary and of options for early and absentee voting.</p>
<p>Other states facing the same dilemma have found dates other than the Tuesday after Labor Day to schedule their primaries.</p>
<p>In Rhode Island, officials decided to move the primary elections to Wednesday, Sept. 12, to avoid conflicting with Rosh Hashanah. The state’s primary is generally set for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in September, which is Sept. 11 this year.</p>
<p>Delaware decided to move the 2018 primary election date from Sept. 11 to Sept. 6, a Thursday.</p>
<p>In New York, a state lawmaker last year announced legislation to change the scheduled Sept. 11 primary to Sept. 13 to avoid conflicts with Rosh Hashanah and the ceremonies remembering the Sept. 11 attacks.</p>
<p>New Hampshire has also scheduled its primary for Sept. 11.</p>
| false | 2 |
boston ap fairly routine administrative exercise setting date years primary election massachusetts turning major political headache state secretary william galvin primary normally held seven weeks november general election would sept 18 year day also marks start yom kippur setting primary date would clash state law requiring primary moved conflicts religious holiday backing week sept 11 doesnt help either would fall rosh hashanah presented galvin oversees state elections potentially dicey decision longtime democratic officeholder decided crowdsource decision making public appeal suggestions voters candidates anyone else interest week galvin announced decision set date tuesday sept 4 day labor day immediately drew ire voting advocacy groups like massachusetts league women voters galvins democratic primary challenger josh zakim boston city councilor galvin offered olive branch sorts proposing legislation would allow five days early voting prior primary galvin said consulting senate president harriette chandler speaker house robert deleo fellow democrats seek funding local election officials conduct early primary voting given interest already seeing primaries successful implementation early voting 2016 state election believe offering early voting state primaries would provide greater opportunity voter participation galvin said written statement announcing decision first jump galvins sept 4 date zakim outrageous unprecedented schedule statewide primary day labor day people returning summer vacations havent time focus upcoming election said scheduling early voting period last week august equally ridiculous zakim said number dates galvin could picked instead date zakim said would end depressing vote zakim said recommended weekend voting saying would make easier working people young people get polls despite busy work school schedules league women voters slightly less critical league said pleased galvin embraced idea extending early voting state primary proved enormously popular 2016 general election league also said tuesday labor day poor choice part early voting period would fall waning days august people campaign mode voting day labor day prove challenging voters commonwealth especially families preparing children start school candidates eager get message voters group said group urged galvin roll called robust public relations campaign make voters aware date primary options early absentee voting states facing dilemma found dates tuesday labor day schedule primaries rhode island officials decided move primary elections wednesday sept 12 avoid conflicting rosh hashanah states primary generally set first tuesday first monday september sept 11 year delaware decided move 2018 primary election date sept 11 sept 6 thursday new york state lawmaker last year announced legislation change scheduled sept 11 primary sept 13 avoid conflicts rosh hashanah ceremonies remembering sept 11 attacks new hampshire also scheduled primary sept 11 boston ap fairly routine administrative exercise setting date years primary election massachusetts turning major political headache state secretary william galvin primary normally held seven weeks november general election would sept 18 year day also marks start yom kippur setting primary date would clash state law requiring primary moved conflicts religious holiday backing week sept 11 doesnt help either would fall rosh hashanah presented galvin oversees state elections potentially dicey decision longtime democratic officeholder decided crowdsource decision making public appeal suggestions voters candidates anyone else interest week galvin announced decision set date tuesday sept 4 day labor day immediately drew ire voting advocacy groups like massachusetts league women voters galvins democratic primary challenger josh zakim boston city councilor galvin offered olive branch sorts proposing legislation would allow five days early voting prior primary galvin said consulting senate president harriette chandler speaker house robert deleo fellow democrats seek funding local election officials conduct early primary voting given interest already seeing primaries successful implementation early voting 2016 state election believe offering early voting state primaries would provide greater opportunity voter participation galvin said written statement announcing decision first jump galvins sept 4 date zakim outrageous unprecedented schedule statewide primary day labor day people returning summer vacations havent time focus upcoming election said scheduling early voting period last week august equally ridiculous zakim said number dates galvin could picked instead date zakim said would end depressing vote zakim said recommended weekend voting saying would make easier working people young people get polls despite busy work school schedules league women voters slightly less critical league said pleased galvin embraced idea extending early voting state primary proved enormously popular 2016 general election league also said tuesday labor day poor choice part early voting period would fall waning days august people campaign mode voting day labor day prove challenging voters commonwealth especially families preparing children start school candidates eager get message voters group said group urged galvin roll called robust public relations campaign make voters aware date primary options early absentee voting states facing dilemma found dates tuesday labor day schedule primaries rhode island officials decided move primary elections wednesday sept 12 avoid conflicting rosh hashanah states primary generally set first tuesday first monday september sept 11 year delaware decided move 2018 primary election date sept 11 sept 6 thursday new york state lawmaker last year announced legislation change scheduled sept 11 primary sept 13 avoid conflicts rosh hashanah ceremonies remembering sept 11 attacks new hampshire also scheduled primary sept 11
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<p>Gov. Susana Martinez, January 23, 2014</p>
<p>I know of one "bad list" anchored by the Land of Enchantment that we can escape through less politics and more facts and fairness.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />As I write this, our lawmakers are considering legislation to address judicial salaries, court caseloads and retirement benefits. Those who believe anything and everything bad about the courts may want to turn to the sports page; your minds are made up, and I don't want to upset you.</p>
<p>Those who remember fifth-grade civics will recall that the courts are an equal branch of our constitutional government and an essential partner in assuring our freedom. You may not know, however, that the entire annual "tab" for operating the court system amounts to about 2.5 percent of the state's budget. That's a fact.</p>
<p>Another fact is that New Mexico judges are the lowest paid in the entire United States. It's a fact, too, that we contribute more of those low salaries to our retirement fund than our neighboring colleagues, while our state's contributions are the lowest in the region.</p>
<p>Finally, it also is a simple fact that the courts are increasingly swamped by growing caseloads. Here in the 2nd Judicial District Court, which covers the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County area, our caseload stands at nearly triple the recommended level, upward of 1,600 active cases.</p>
<p>The Legislature is considering these three issues:</p>
<p>First, the courts have presented a unified budget with a 4.5 percent overall increase, which is supported by the Legislative Finance Committee. Judges would receive a pay increase of about 5 percent, with 60 percent of that going toward increased retirement contributions.</p>
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<p>That salary increase would bring us closer to parity with surrounding states like Oklahoma and Utah. It's a fact that, even with a 4.5 percent increase, the cost of the entire judiciary would remain around 2.5 percent of the state's budget.</p>
<p>The executive branch has proposed no budget increase for the judiciary. Given cost-of-living increases and rising medical care costs and deductibles, the executive's proposal would amount to a budget cut. A budget cut for the judiciary is not supportable under the facts; it's just politics.</p>
<p>Second, the Legislature is considering adding five judges statewide to address burgeoning caseloads. There would be one new judge here in the 2nd Judicial District. A nonpartisan evaluation by the Center for State Courts recommended at least five new judges, and that was nearly a decade ago.</p>
<p>The executive branch has vetoed new judges several times now, even though caseloads have continued to increase and every objective analysis indicates additional judges are necessary to a viable judiciary where cases actually get decided, not warehoused. Denying new judgeships is not supportable under the facts; it's just politics.</p>
<p>Third, pending bills will change our retirement plan to increase the required term of service, raise the minimum retirement age, increase our contributions to the plan, lessen or remove cost-of-living increases and decrease survivor benefits.</p>
<p>New Mexico judges still would continue to contribute more than judges in neighboring states, and the state's contributions to judicial retirement would remain the lowest in the region.</p>
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<p>Members of the judiciary are giving their support to meaningful pension reform, despite significant reductions in available benefits, because there is no factual support for refusing to enact measures that will be fair to both the judges and the citizens of New Mexico; it's just politics.</p>
<p>In response to a discussion last year on similar issues, an anonymous reader reminded me that "the average New Mexican only makes about $40,000 a year with no pension." The "average New Mexican," the census indicates, is a 26-year-old male with a high-school diploma.</p>
<p>Call me arrogant, if you will, but judges are not the "average New Mexican." The minimum qualifications for our jobs require us to be 35 years old and have a doctorate level degree and professional license, as well as a decade of exemplary professional experience.</p>
<p>A look at compensation for similar responsible government professionals is more informative than a comparison with the "average New Mexican." The deputy director of the State Investment Council earns $227,508. The superintendent of the Santa Fe Schools earns $171,000. The utilities manager for Los Alamos earns $164,920. Even the manager of the Spaceport gets $126,250.</p>
<p>As a district court judge, I earn $112,747. The "average New Mexican" is no more qualified to be a judge than they are to run the state's investments, supervise a school system, or manage the Spaceport.</p>
<p>Even the most conservative of our legislators has said it's fiscally appropriate to address poor judicial compensation, overloaded dockets and retirement solvency issues.</p>
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<p>A pending bill, jointly sponsored by Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe, and Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, would divert funds from the legislators' retirement fund to support judicial retirement programs with no taxpayer cost. That's leadership, not politics.</p>
<p>As a simple matter of fact, denying reasonable funding for judicial operations and reasonable compensation for our judges is just politics. And "that's why we're at the bottom of all the bad lists," right?</p>
<p>Alan M. Malott is a Judge of the 2nd Judicial District Court. Before joining the court, he practiced law throughout New Mexico for 30 years and was a nationally certified Civil Trial Specialist. If you have questions, contact Judge Malott at PO Box 8305, Albuquerque, NM 87198 or e-mail to: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Opinions expressed here are solely those of Judge Alan M. Malott individually and not those of the court.</p>
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gov susana martinez january 23 2014 know one bad list anchored land enchantment escape less politics facts fairness advertisement write lawmakers considering legislation address judicial salaries court caseloads retirement benefits believe anything everything bad courts may want turn sports page minds made dont want upset remember fifthgrade civics recall courts equal branch constitutional government essential partner assuring freedom may know however entire annual tab operating court system amounts 25 percent states budget thats fact another fact new mexico judges lowest paid entire united states fact contribute low salaries retirement fund neighboring colleagues states contributions lowest region finally also simple fact courts increasingly swamped growing caseloads 2nd judicial district court covers albuquerquebernalillo county area caseload stands nearly triple recommended level upward 1600 active cases legislature considering three issues first courts presented unified budget 45 percent overall increase supported legislative finance committee judges would receive pay increase 5 percent 60 percent going toward increased retirement contributions advertisement salary increase would bring us closer parity surrounding states like oklahoma utah fact even 45 percent increase cost entire judiciary would remain around 25 percent states budget executive branch proposed budget increase judiciary given costofliving increases rising medical care costs deductibles executives proposal would amount budget cut budget cut judiciary supportable facts politics second legislature considering adding five judges statewide address burgeoning caseloads would one new judge 2nd judicial district nonpartisan evaluation center state courts recommended least five new judges nearly decade ago executive branch vetoed new judges several times even though caseloads continued increase every objective analysis indicates additional judges necessary viable judiciary cases actually get decided warehoused denying new judgeships supportable facts politics third pending bills change retirement plan increase required term service raise minimum retirement age increase contributions plan lessen remove costofliving increases decrease survivor benefits new mexico judges still would continue contribute judges neighboring states states contributions judicial retirement would remain lowest region advertisement members judiciary giving support meaningful pension reform despite significant reductions available benefits factual support refusing enact measures fair judges citizens new mexico politics response discussion last year similar issues anonymous reader reminded average new mexican makes 40000 year pension average new mexican census indicates 26yearold male highschool diploma call arrogant judges average new mexican minimum qualifications jobs require us 35 years old doctorate level degree professional license well decade exemplary professional experience look compensation similar responsible government professionals informative comparison average new mexican deputy director state investment council earns 227508 superintendent santa fe schools earns 171000 utilities manager los alamos earns 164920 even manager spaceport gets 126250 district court judge earn 112747 average new mexican qualified judge run states investments supervise school system manage spaceport even conservative legislators said fiscally appropriate address poor judicial compensation overloaded dockets retirement solvency issues advertisement pending bill jointly sponsored rep luciano lucky varela dsanta fe sen stuart ingle rportales would divert funds legislators retirement fund support judicial retirement programs taxpayer cost thats leadership politics simple matter fact denying reasonable funding judicial operations reasonable compensation judges politics thats bottom bad lists right alan malott judge 2nd judicial district court joining court practiced law throughout new mexico 30 years nationally certified civil trial specialist questions contact judge malott po box 8305 albuquerque nm 87198 email alanmalottlawcom opinions expressed solely judge alan malott individually court 160
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<p>As the names of the parties imply, it’s an oil and gas case.</p>
<p>The simple question is: What does it mean to commence a drilling operation? It’s a question the Court of Appeals has addressed twice in the past 17 years, giving two completely different answers.</p>
<p>Back in 1999, in a case called Johnson v. Yates Petroleum Corp., the court construed an oil and gas lease that would expire after three years unless the operator “engaged in drilling.” In the 36th month, Yates Petroleum staked the location of the well, applied for a permit to drill, and arranged for a bulldozer to begin clearing the brush and leveling the ground.</p>
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<p>But the drilling rig itself didn’t arrive at the site until several weeks after the deadline had passed. The well proved a productive one – otherwise there would have been no lawsuit about dividing the profits.</p>
<p>The court held that, by preparing the site and obtaining the permit, Yates was “engaged in drilling” within the meaning of the contract. After examining cases from other oil-producing states, the court announced this general rule: “it appears that any activities in preparation for, or incidental to, drilling a well are sufficient” to qualify as the commencement of drilling. It didn’t matter that the drill bit didn’t touch the ground until the term was up.</p>
<p>Boiled down, Johnson held that the time-consuming, expensive, heavily regulated and frequently frustrating activity of drilling commences when the operator demonstrates by concrete actions its commitment to proceed. That general holding captured the intent of the parties while providing a flexible, easily administered rule.</p>
<p>But that was then. The new case, decided just last month, involved a joint operating agreement rather than a lease. As with most oil and gas disputes, the details were Byzantine (I’m sparing you most of them), but the point of contention was straightforward: Which of the signatories to the agreement was entitled to profit from a successful well?</p>
<p>The legal question was whether the operator, Echo Production, had “actually commence[d]” operations before the expiration of a certain 120-day period.</p>
<p>The list of things Echo did before the deadline closely paralleled the things Yates Petroleum had done. First, Echo surveyed and staked the site. Second, it hired a contractor to drill the well.</p>
<p>Third, it applied for a drilling permit. However, it didn’t bulldoze the brush or level the site before time expired.</p>
<p>Under the standard announced in Johnson – “any activities in preparation for, or incidental to, drilling a well” – Echo had plainly commenced drilling operations. The trial court duly entered summary judgment in Echo’s favor. But on appeal, the Court of Appeals held that the trial court erred when it followed Johnson.</p>
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<p>Echo’s act of applying for a drilling permit cut no ice, the Court of Appeals held, because, while it submitted the application on time, the state’s Oil Conservation Division didn’t grant the permit until after the deadline. In the earlier case, the division granted the permit in three days, while in the later case, it took 13 days. The Court of Appeals made Echo responsible for the extra days.</p>
<p>The contract didn’t say that Echo was required to submit its application two weeks before the deadline. But that requirement was effectively imposed by the Court of Appeals as a supplementary, unwritten contract clause.</p>
<p>Echo’s site preparation, all that staking and surveying, didn’t count as evidence of commencement, either, according to the Court of Appeals.</p>
<p>The court pointed out that Echo completed the work on Nov. 30, while the 120-day period began on Dec. 1. If Echo had waited just one day longer, the opinion implies, the result might have been different. Unfortunately, the opinion doesn’t explain why site work counts only if it starts one day rather than another.</p>
<p>Nor does it point to any language in the contract drawing that all-important distinction.</p>
<p>The Court of Appeals equally found no significance in the fact that Echo contracted with a driller, without explaining why not. The opinion repeatedly emphasizes the lack of on-site activity during the 120-day period, seemingly imposing an inflexible requirement that someone actually go to the site and start bothering the chamisa and sagebrush. Yet signing a contract to drill seems like a more definitive commitment to drilling than hacking down bushes.</p>
<p>It seems highly desirable that a standard-form contract used in an industry central to New Mexico’s economy should be given a definite meaning by our courts. But the Court of Appeals replaced the relatively clear-cut rule of Johnson with the bland statement that “each case requires an individual analysis of the actions taken by the proposed driller” – without providing standards to guide the analysis. That’s the embrace of uncertainty as a principle. But why?</p>
<p>One of Echo’s lawyers told me the company plans to ask the state Supreme Court to review the decision. So, while its case is on life support, it’s not dead yet.</p>
<p>One other feature of the opinion deserves comment. It uses 27 paragraphs to cover ground Johnson covered in 13.</p>
<p>It provides half a dozen statements of its holding, none of which entirely agrees with any of the others. Such wandering verbosity makes it unfortunately typical of recent New Mexico appellate opinions. Our Supreme Court routinely rattles on at even greater length. All writers know how difficult it is to achieve both concision and precision. Sometimes it seems our judges have stopped trying.</p>
<p>Joel Jacobsen is an author and has recently retired from a 29-year legal career. If there are topics you would like to see covered in future columns, please write him at [email protected]</p>
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names parties imply oil gas case simple question mean commence drilling operation question court appeals addressed twice past 17 years giving two completely different answers back 1999 case called johnson v yates petroleum corp court construed oil gas lease would expire three years unless operator engaged drilling 36th month yates petroleum staked location well applied permit drill arranged bulldozer begin clearing brush leveling ground advertisement drilling rig didnt arrive site several weeks deadline passed well proved productive one otherwise would lawsuit dividing profits court held preparing site obtaining permit yates engaged drilling within meaning contract examining cases oilproducing states court announced general rule appears activities preparation incidental drilling well sufficient qualify commencement drilling didnt matter drill bit didnt touch ground term boiled johnson held timeconsuming expensive heavily regulated frequently frustrating activity drilling commences operator demonstrates concrete actions commitment proceed general holding captured intent parties providing flexible easily administered rule new case decided last month involved joint operating agreement rather lease oil gas disputes details byzantine im sparing point contention straightforward signatories agreement entitled profit successful well legal question whether operator echo production actually commenced operations expiration certain 120day period list things echo deadline closely paralleled things yates petroleum done first echo surveyed staked site second hired contractor drill well third applied drilling permit however didnt bulldoze brush level site time expired standard announced johnson activities preparation incidental drilling well echo plainly commenced drilling operations trial court duly entered summary judgment echos favor appeal court appeals held trial court erred followed johnson advertisement echos act applying drilling permit cut ice court appeals held submitted application time states oil conservation division didnt grant permit deadline earlier case division granted permit three days later case took 13 days court appeals made echo responsible extra days contract didnt say echo required submit application two weeks deadline requirement effectively imposed court appeals supplementary unwritten contract clause echos site preparation staking surveying didnt count evidence commencement either according court appeals court pointed echo completed work nov 30 120day period began dec 1 echo waited one day longer opinion implies result might different unfortunately opinion doesnt explain site work counts starts one day rather another point language contract drawing allimportant distinction court appeals equally found significance fact echo contracted driller without explaining opinion repeatedly emphasizes lack onsite activity 120day period seemingly imposing inflexible requirement someone actually go site start bothering chamisa sagebrush yet signing contract drill seems like definitive commitment drilling hacking bushes seems highly desirable standardform contract used industry central new mexicos economy given definite meaning courts court appeals replaced relatively clearcut rule johnson bland statement case requires individual analysis actions taken proposed driller without providing standards guide analysis thats embrace uncertainty principle one echos lawyers told company plans ask state supreme court review decision case life support dead yet one feature opinion deserves comment uses 27 paragraphs cover ground johnson covered 13 provides half dozen statements holding none entirely agrees others wandering verbosity makes unfortunately typical recent new mexico appellate opinions supreme court routinely rattles even greater length writers know difficult achieve concision precision sometimes seems judges stopped trying joel jacobsen author recently retired 29year legal career topics would like see covered future columns please write legalcolumntipsgmailcom 160
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<p />
<p>By Edward Jay Epstein</p>
<p>Knopf. 350 pp. $27.95</p>
<p>—</p>
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<p>A catastrophic data breach. Russian complicity. Blundering institutions. Distrust of government. Reading Edward Jay Epstein’s gripping and devastatingly even-handed account of Edward Snowden, “How America Lost Its Secrets,” provides a Faulknerian reminder, during these days ringing with the same themes, that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.”</p>
<p>Epstein’s revelations hit hard and don’t stop. Snowden could not have acted alone, since he didn’t have access to the secret compartments from which he took the most sensitive documents. Vladimir Putin personally authorized Snowden’s exfiltration from Hong Kong to Moscow. Snowden turned over to journalists only 58,000 of the 1.7 million documents he “touched,” the vast bulk of which had nothing to do with domestic surveillance but rather covered America’s overseas spy network, including its most sensitive sources and methods.</p>
<p>Epstein struggles to paint a factual portrait of Snowden without it feeling like an ad hominem attack: high school dropout, described by a classmate as having a high-pitched voice, liking the Magic card game, playing fantasy video games, owning two cats and using the online moniker Wolfking Awesomefox. Snowden washed out of Army training in 2004, worked briefly as a security guard at the University of Maryland and then got a job as, of all things, a CIA telecommunications support officer. Two years later, he received an unfavorable evaluation from his superior and was forced to resign. He then went to work for Dell as a National Security Agency contractor in 2009. As a system administrator, he had both the privileges to access vast amounts of data and the mandate to transfer it to backup servers – the perfect cover for a whistleblower or a spy.</p>
<p>On June 9, 2013, a video of Snowden was posted on the website of the Guardian. Shot in a Hong Kong hotel room, the disclosure begins with “My name is Ed Snowden,” and goes on to detail how the NSA was spying on U.S. citizens. Snowden comes across as calm, compelling and articulate. Overnight, he became a global celebrity and, to much of the world (including many Americans), the lead standard-bearer for data privacy and personal freedom in the digital age.</p>
<p>Most of the public debate since that summer has been over whether Snowden is a hero or a traitor, a whistleblower or a spy. Epstein’s answer is both – but more spy than whistleblower. And the case he builds, especially in light of disclosures since the U.S. election in November, is damning.</p>
<p>Since 9/11, the United States has changed in so many ways that it is already hard to remember the world where we could carry water bottles through airport security and where small-town police departments didn’t look like armored cavalry units. But changes like these are only the visible tip of a much bigger, and largely digital, iceberg. In some ways, Snowden’s disclosures of NSA surveillance, including a warrant issued under the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act ordering Verizon to turn over all its billing records for 90 days to the NSA, and details of an Internet-monitoring program code-named PRISM, were beneficial. As Epstein writes, the disclosures “accomplished a salutary service in alerting both the public and government to the potential danger of a surveillance leviathan” and “revealed a bureaucratic mission creep that badly needed to be brought under closer oversight by Congress.”</p>
<p>What Snowden exposed, however, wasn’t a rogue operation. It was a series of programs authorized by presidents of both parties and Congress, and approved by no fewer than 15 federal judges. Epstein cites the current NSA director, Adm.Mike Rogers, and numerous others, including former NSA directors Mike McConnell, Michael Hayden and Keith Alexander, and former CIA acting director Michael Morell, laying out the crippling effects of Snowden’s revelations: “lost capability,” “impact on our ability to do our mission for the next twenty to thirty years,” “sources dried up; tactics were changed.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, concluded, “I think it’s an act of treason.”</p>
<p>The real scoundrel in Epstein’s telling is neither Snowden nor the security leviathan he checked; it’s the muscle-bound bureaucracy of the government and its contractors that allowed this breach to happen in the first place.</p>
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<p>The 9/11 Commission concluded that one reason U.S. intelligence agencies failed to “connect the dots” before the 2001 attack was the existence of security-inspired “stove-piping” between, and within, the agencies. Much of that was stripped away in the following years, perhaps improving coordination, but with the unintended consequence of magnifying the risk of any particular breach, whether by a foreign spy or a disgruntled insider.</p>
<p>Whatever his ultimate motives, that Snowden maintained access to government secrets as long as he did was a colossal failure of the system. Five months after being forced out of the CIA, he was working on sensitive systems inside the NSA, first as an employee of Dell and later of Booz Allen Hamilton. Epstein reports that Snowden was able to keep his security clearance because the CIA had instituted a policy several years earlier that allowed voluntarily departing officers to maintain their clearances for two years after leaving. The grace period was intended to make it easier for them to find jobs among defense and intelligence contractors. When his CIA clearance finally expired in February 2011, Snowden applied – successfully – to renew it. Since 1996, the background investigations required to obtain a clearance had been outsourced to a private firm compensated according to the number of investigations it completed. The picture that emerges is of a self-dealing bureaucracy and a web of private contractors performing core government functions, more akin to Blackwater employees carrying guns and pulling triggers than to contract employees dishing out grits in a mess hall.</p>
<p>But the bigger problem is more subtle.</p>
<p>Epstein points out a culture clash that will be central to this era of national security policy: libertarian hackers in one corner, animated by a belief that information will be free; privacy advocates in another, convinced that privacy and security are zero-sum; and the national security establishment in a third, united by a conviction that some information is so important that it must remain secret (and that secrecy is even possible). The differences in perspective between Washington and Silicon Valley were neatly encapsulated in the recent, bruising debate over encryption technology. The wonks see the world in normative terms: We don’t want terrorists to have easy access to encrypted communications, so the government should regulate or outlaw the technology. The geeks, on the other hand, see the world in positive terms: Encryption technology is possible, and therefore people will use it, so the government better learn to live in that world.</p>
<p>The challenge arises where these worlds intersect – at the nexus of technology, security, privacy and civil liberties where the NSA operates. Will the government, with its salary caps and background checks, be able to compete for the best talent in fields like cybersecurity? And even if it succeeds in hiring and retaining skilled technical talent, can it coexist with a culture of secrecy? Morell makes the point that the NSA had moved in the direction of fostering a culture of openness, reflecting the talent pool from whence its young civilians came: “The idea was to spread knowledge and learn from the successes of others, but it created enormous security vulnerability.”</p>
<p>In this winter of rattled confidence in government, Epstein’s welcome reappraisal of the most destructive data breach in the history of U.S. intelligence brings nothing to mind so much as the Roman poet Juvenal’s timeless question: “Who will guard the guards themselves?”</p>
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<p>Fick is chief executive of the cybersecurity software company Endgame and a Marine Corps veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. He is the author of “One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer.”</p>
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edward jay epstein knopf 350 pp 2795 advertisement catastrophic data breach russian complicity blundering institutions distrust government reading edward jay epsteins gripping devastatingly evenhanded account edward snowden america lost secrets provides faulknerian reminder days ringing themes past never dead even past epsteins revelations hit hard dont stop snowden could acted alone since didnt access secret compartments took sensitive documents vladimir putin personally authorized snowdens exfiltration hong kong moscow snowden turned journalists 58000 17 million documents touched vast bulk nothing domestic surveillance rather covered americas overseas spy network including sensitive sources methods epstein struggles paint factual portrait snowden without feeling like ad hominem attack high school dropout described classmate highpitched voice liking magic card game playing fantasy video games owning two cats using online moniker wolfking awesomefox snowden washed army training 2004 worked briefly security guard university maryland got job things cia telecommunications support officer two years later received unfavorable evaluation superior forced resign went work dell national security agency contractor 2009 system administrator privileges access vast amounts data mandate transfer backup servers perfect cover whistleblower spy june 9 2013 video snowden posted website guardian shot hong kong hotel room disclosure begins name ed snowden goes detail nsa spying us citizens snowden comes across calm compelling articulate overnight became global celebrity much world including many americans lead standardbearer data privacy personal freedom digital age public debate since summer whether snowden hero traitor whistleblower spy epsteins answer spy whistleblower case builds especially light disclosures since us election november damning since 911 united states changed many ways already hard remember world could carry water bottles airport security smalltown police departments didnt look like armored cavalry units changes like visible tip much bigger largely digital iceberg ways snowdens disclosures nsa surveillance including warrant issued federal intelligence surveillance act ordering verizon turn billing records 90 days nsa details internetmonitoring program codenamed prism beneficial epstein writes disclosures accomplished salutary service alerting public government potential danger surveillance leviathan revealed bureaucratic mission creep badly needed brought closer oversight congress snowden exposed however wasnt rogue operation series programs authorized presidents parties congress approved fewer 15 federal judges epstein cites current nsa director admmike rogers numerous others including former nsa directors mike mcconnell michael hayden keith alexander former cia acting director michael morell laying crippling effects snowdens revelations lost capability impact ability mission next twenty thirty years sources dried tactics changed sen dianne feinstein dcalif chairman senate intelligence committee concluded think act treason real scoundrel epsteins telling neither snowden security leviathan checked musclebound bureaucracy government contractors allowed breach happen first place advertisement 911 commission concluded one reason us intelligence agencies failed connect dots 2001 attack existence securityinspired stovepiping within agencies much stripped away following years perhaps improving coordination unintended consequence magnifying risk particular breach whether foreign spy disgruntled insider whatever ultimate motives snowden maintained access government secrets long colossal failure system five months forced cia working sensitive systems inside nsa first employee dell later booz allen hamilton epstein reports snowden able keep security clearance cia instituted policy several years earlier allowed voluntarily departing officers maintain clearances two years leaving grace period intended make easier find jobs among defense intelligence contractors cia clearance finally expired february 2011 snowden applied successfully renew since 1996 background investigations required obtain clearance outsourced private firm compensated according number investigations completed picture emerges selfdealing bureaucracy web private contractors performing core government functions akin blackwater employees carrying guns pulling triggers contract employees dishing grits mess hall bigger problem subtle epstein points culture clash central era national security policy libertarian hackers one corner animated belief information free privacy advocates another convinced privacy security zerosum national security establishment third united conviction information important must remain secret secrecy even possible differences perspective washington silicon valley neatly encapsulated recent bruising debate encryption technology wonks see world normative terms dont want terrorists easy access encrypted communications government regulate outlaw technology geeks hand see world positive terms encryption technology possible therefore people use government better learn live world challenge arises worlds intersect nexus technology security privacy civil liberties nsa operates government salary caps background checks able compete best talent fields like cybersecurity even succeeds hiring retaining skilled technical talent coexist culture secrecy morell makes point nsa moved direction fostering culture openness reflecting talent pool whence young civilians came idea spread knowledge learn successes others created enormous security vulnerability winter rattled confidence government epsteins welcome reappraisal destructive data breach history us intelligence brings nothing mind much roman poet juvenals timeless question guard guards fick chief executive cybersecurity software company endgame marine corps veteran afghanistan iraq author one bullet away making marine officer
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<p>AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of protesters opposing Texas’ tough new anti-“sanctuary cities” law launched a raucous demonstration from the public gallery in the Texas House on Monday, briefly halting work and prompting lawmakers on the floor below to scuffle — and even threaten gun violence — as tense divides over hardline immigration policies boiled over.</p>
<p>Activists wearing red T-shirts reading “Lucha,” or “Fight,” quietly filled hundreds of gallery seats as proceedings began. After about 40 minutes, they began to cheer, drowning out the lawmakers below. Protesters also blew whistles and chanted: “Here to stay!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, SB4 has got to go,” referring to the bill that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law this month.</p>
<p>Some unfurled banners reading: “See you in court!” and “See you at the polls!”</p>
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<p>State House leadership stopped the session and asked state troopers to clear the gallery. The demonstration continued for about 20 minutes as officers led people out of the chamber peacefully in small groups. There were no reports of arrests.</p>
<p>Texas’ new law is reminiscent of a 2010 Arizona “show your papers” measure that allowed police to inquire about a person’s immigration status during routine interactions such as traffic stops. It was eventually struck down in court.</p>
<p>A legislative session that began in January concluded Monday, and the day was supposed to be reserved for goofy group photos and sappy goodbyes. Lawmakers are constitutionally barred from approving most legislation on the last day.</p>
<p>But even after the protest ended, tensions remained high. Rep. Ramon Romero, a Democrat from Fort Worth, said he was standing with fellow Democratic Rep. Cesar Blanco of El Paso when Republican colleague Matt Rinaldi came over and said: “This is BS. That’s why I called ICE.”</p>
<p>Rinaldi, of Irving in suburban Dallas, and Blanco then began shouting at each other. A scuffle nearly ensued before other lawmakers separated the two.</p>
<p>Later, a group of Democratic lawmakers held a press conference to accuse Rinaldi of threatening to “put a bullet in the head” of someone on the House floor during a second near scuffle. They said the comment was made in the direction of Democratic Rep. Poncho Nevarez, from the border town of Eagle Pass.</p>
<p>In a subsequent Facebook statement, Rinaldi admitted saying he’d called federal authorities and threatened to shoot Nevarez — but said his life was in danger, not the other way around.</p>
<p>“Nevarez threatened my life on the House floor after I called ICE on several illegal immigrants who held signs in the gallery which said ‘I am illegal and here to stay,'” Rinaldi wrote. He said Democrats were encouraging protesters to ignore police instructions and, “When I told the Democrats I called ICE, Representative Ramon Romero physically assaulted me, and other Democrats were held back by colleagues.”</p>
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<p>Rinaldi said Nevarez later “told me that he would ‘get me on the way to my car.'” Rinaldi said he responded by making it clear “I would shoot him in self-defense,” adding that he is currently under Texas Department of Public Safety protection.</p>
<p>Texas’ new law requires police chiefs and sheriffs — under the threat of jail and removal from office — to comply with federal requests to hold criminal suspects for possible deportation.</p>
<p>Police also can ask the immigration status of anyone they stop. The bill was viewed as a crackdown on Austin and other “sanctuary cities,” a term that has no legal meaning but describes parts of the country where police are not tasked with helping enforce federal immigration law.</p>
<p>Monday’s protest was organized by activists who canvassed over Memorial Day weekend in Austin. They informed anxious immigrants about the rights they retain despite the law and urged grassroots resistance against it.</p>
<p>Abril Gallardo rode 15 hours in a van to Austin to urge fellow Hispanics to fight back.</p>
<p>“Fear motivated me to get involved,” said Gallardo, a 26-year-old Mexican native who entered the U.S. illegally at age 12.</p>
<p>Texas cities and immigrant rights’ groups have challenged the legality of the law, hopeful for a legal victory like the one in Arizona, but that could take months to have any effect.</p>
<p>But even as some vowed to fight, others have begun fleeing the state. Their ranks are still too small to quantify, but a larger exodus — similar to what occurred in Arizona — could have a profound effect on the Texas economy. The state has more than 1 million immigrants illegally in the country, according to the Migration Policy Institute.</p>
<p>Some are abandoning Texas for more liberal states, where they feel safer — even if it means relinquishing lives they’ve spent years building.</p>
<p>Jose, a 43-year-old Mexican living in the U.S. illegally since 2001, and his wife Holly left Austin for Seattle in January in anticipation of Texas’ immigration crackdown. That meant parting with Jose’s grown son, their community of friends and their beloved home of eight years.</p>
<p>“I felt like we ripped our roots up and threw ourselves across the country,” said Holly, a 40-year-old Kentucky native who wanted to protect her husband.</p>
<p>Holly said as soon as Donald Trump was elected president, she and her husband began preparing to move. They expected Texas would “follow Trump’s agenda trying to force local law enforcement to do immigration’s job.” And when they heard Texas had approved a crackdown on “sanctuary cities” she said they “finalized the decision.”</p>
| false | 2 |
austin texas hundreds protesters opposing texas tough new antisanctuary cities law launched raucous demonstration public gallery texas house monday briefly halting work prompting lawmakers floor scuffle even threaten gun violence tense divides hardline immigration policies boiled activists wearing red tshirts reading lucha fight quietly filled hundreds gallery seats proceedings began 40 minutes began cheer drowning lawmakers protesters also blew whistles chanted stay hey hey ho ho sb4 got go referring bill gov greg abbott signed law month unfurled banners reading see court see polls advertisement state house leadership stopped session asked state troopers clear gallery demonstration continued 20 minutes officers led people chamber peacefully small groups reports arrests texas new law reminiscent 2010 arizona show papers measure allowed police inquire persons immigration status routine interactions traffic stops eventually struck court legislative session began january concluded monday day supposed reserved goofy group photos sappy goodbyes lawmakers constitutionally barred approving legislation last day even protest ended tensions remained high rep ramon romero democrat fort worth said standing fellow democratic rep cesar blanco el paso republican colleague matt rinaldi came said bs thats called ice rinaldi irving suburban dallas blanco began shouting scuffle nearly ensued lawmakers separated two later group democratic lawmakers held press conference accuse rinaldi threatening put bullet head someone house floor second near scuffle said comment made direction democratic rep poncho nevarez border town eagle pass subsequent facebook statement rinaldi admitted saying hed called federal authorities threatened shoot nevarez said life danger way around nevarez threatened life house floor called ice several illegal immigrants held signs gallery said illegal stay rinaldi wrote said democrats encouraging protesters ignore police instructions told democrats called ice representative ramon romero physically assaulted democrats held back colleagues advertisement rinaldi said nevarez later told would get way car rinaldi said responded making clear would shoot selfdefense adding currently texas department public safety protection texas new law requires police chiefs sheriffs threat jail removal office comply federal requests hold criminal suspects possible deportation police also ask immigration status anyone stop bill viewed crackdown austin sanctuary cities term legal meaning describes parts country police tasked helping enforce federal immigration law mondays protest organized activists canvassed memorial day weekend austin informed anxious immigrants rights retain despite law urged grassroots resistance abril gallardo rode 15 hours van austin urge fellow hispanics fight back fear motivated get involved said gallardo 26yearold mexican native entered us illegally age 12 texas cities immigrant rights groups challenged legality law hopeful legal victory like one arizona could take months effect even vowed fight others begun fleeing state ranks still small quantify larger exodus similar occurred arizona could profound effect texas economy state 1 million immigrants illegally country according migration policy institute abandoning texas liberal states feel safer even means relinquishing lives theyve spent years building jose 43yearold mexican living us illegally since 2001 wife holly left austin seattle january anticipation texas immigration crackdown meant parting joses grown son community friends beloved home eight years felt like ripped roots threw across country said holly 40yearold kentucky native wanted protect husband holly said soon donald trump elected president husband began preparing move expected texas would follow trumps agenda trying force local law enforcement immigrations job heard texas approved crackdown sanctuary cities said finalized decision
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<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>“It was long and painful and awful,” said Aimee Wriglesworth, who believes the cancer resulted from exposure to toxic fumes in Iraq. Yet the 28-year-old widow from Bristow, Virginia, seized a chance to recount the ordeal and its aftermath to a researcher, hoping that input from her and her 6-year-old daughter might be useful to other grieving military families.</p>
<p>“To be able to study what we felt and what we’re going through — maybe this will help people down the line,” Wriglesworth said.</p>
<p>By the hundreds, other widows, widowers, parents, siblings and children are sharing accounts of their grief as part of the largest study ever of America’s military families as they go through bereavement. About 2,000 people have participated over the past three years, and one-on-one interviews will continue through February.</p>
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<p>The federally funded project is being conducted by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Maryland-based Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The study is open to families of the more than 19,000 service members from all branches of the military who have died on active duty since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, regardless of whether the death resulted from combat, accident, illness, suicide or other causes.</p>
<p>“We’ve been impressed by how many people who’ve had this experience really want to let us know about it,” said the leader of the study, Dr. Stephen Cozza. “They want to talk about what happened — to provide information that will help them and people like them in the future.”</p>
<p>A wedding photo of Army widow Aimee Wriglesworth, and her late husband, Chad, on display in her home in Bristow, Va., on Dec. 16. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>Aimee Wriglesworth is hopeful that the study will provide new insight on how best to support young families like hers.</p>
<p>“A lot of things that are helping us now come from Vietnam, Korea, World War II,” she said of existing assistance programs. “But now it’s a whole new world of military losses. Studying us is really important.”</p>
<p>About half of the participants are providing saliva samples that will be used for genetic research, aimed at determining if certain genetic makeups correlate with the duration of the grieving process and the levels of stress and depression experienced as it unfolds. Some previous research has suggested that a certain gene variation is associated with greater risk of “complicated grief,” especially in women.</p>
<p>Cozza said a final report isn’t expected until 2017, and he is encouraging more survivors to sign up for interviews before the cutoff date in late February.</p>
<p>“Our interest is understanding what these families need,” he said. “Recognizing the need will allow us to make better policy recommendations as to what sort of services would be appropriate for them.”</p>
<p>The questionnaires and face-to-face interviews are being handled by eight field researchers based in regions spanning the country.</p>
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<p>Jill Harrington, the senior field researcher, said the team members are experienced in dealing with grief and well-versed in military culture.</p>
<p>“For the families of the fallen, whoever they talk to, they want to be able to trust,” Harrington said. “We have a highly trained group of folks who know how to listen and how to be patient.”</p>
<p>While bereaved military families share much in common with other grieving families, there are distinctive aspects to many military deaths. Whether in combat, or by accident or suicide, they often occur suddenly, and many of the deceased are in their 20s or 30s.</p>
<p>“These are young families — a lot of single parents raising kids alone,” said Harrington. “When someone dies young, there’s a loss of the future. How do you live with that loss in your life?”</p>
<p>Some insight on that question will be provided by the roughly 100 children, ages 6 to 18, who are participating in the study. Most are the sons or daughters of deceased service members; a few are younger siblings.</p>
<p>“Many of these children, when their parent died, were very young and didn’t know them well,” said Cozza. According to preliminary findings, he said, a factor helping them weather the loss was having pride in their departed parent’s military service.</p>
<p>The web site for the study encourages bereaved parents to let their children participate, while acknowledging that the one-on-one interviews, lasting 90 minutes to three hours, cover sensitive matters.</p>
<p>“The field researchers are trained to recognize when a child is upset and will periodically ask your child if he/she is okay to continue,” the web site says. “If your child becomes upset, he/she can decide to stop the interview at any time.”</p>
<p>A stuffed bear wears the dog tags of the late Army Major Chad Wriglesworth on the chair where he died in Bristow, Va. Wriglesworth died of cancer after returning from deployment in Afghanistan. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>Among the children taking part is Aimee Wriglesworth’s daughter, Savannah, who was 5 when her father died at home on Nov. 20, 2013. Family photos from the preceding days show Savannah cuddling up with him as he lay stricken in bed.</p>
<p>Chad Wriglesworth initially joined the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq in 2008. He transferred to the Army in 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.</p>
<p>According to his wife, he began reporting lumps on various parts of his body starting in 2011 and was diagnosed in 2012 with Stage 4 melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. The military, without being more specific, ruled that the major’s death occurred in the line of duty; his wife believes the cancer was caused by his exposure to toxic fumes from open-air “burn pits” in Iraq that were used to destroy waste at U.S. bases.</p>
<p>Another study participant is Ryan Manion Borek, whose brother, Marine Lt. Travis Manion, was killed in combat in Iraq in 2007. Borek now heads a foundation named after her brother, which seeks to assist veterans, as well as families of fallen service members.</p>
<p>Borek expressed hope that the study’s findings will reflect the wide range of ways in which survivors respond to the deaths of their loved ones.</p>
<p>“We don’t all fit into the same box,” she said. “That’s the beauty of doing a study like this — we can begin to understand all the different ways people are dealing with their loss.”</p>
<p>A video produced by the research team conveys the breadth of the study, featuring brief interviews with some of the survivors who decided to participate.</p>
<p>They include a Marine Corps officer, Lisa Doring, whose Marine husband died in a helicopter crash near their base in Iraq; a mother whose only son, an Army private, was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan; and a couple whose son, serving in the Coast Guard, committed suicide after what they described as sustained bullying and harassment.</p>
<p>Of all the active-duty deaths in the period being studied, about 13 percent were suicides. Accidents accounted for 35 percent, combat 30 percent, illness 15 percent and homicide 3 percent, according to Cozza.</p>
<p>One of the major partners for the study is the Arlington, Virginia-based support group known as TAPS — the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. It was founded in 1994 by Bonnie Carroll two years after her husband, a brigadier general, died in an Army plane crash.</p>
<p>Carroll said she was heartened that the study encompassed all types of deaths, even including service members responsible for murder-suicides.</p>
<p>“Regardless of how the person died, at some point in their life they stepped forward to raise their right hand and say ‘I will protect this nation,'” Carroll said.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>National Military Family Bereavement Study: <a href="http://www.militarysurvivorstudy.org/" type="external">http://www.militarysurvivorstudy.org/</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| false | 2 |
long painful awful said aimee wriglesworth believes cancer resulted exposure toxic fumes iraq yet 28yearold widow bristow virginia seized chance recount ordeal aftermath researcher hoping input 6yearold daughter might useful grieving military families able study felt going maybe help people line wriglesworth said hundreds widows widowers parents siblings children sharing accounts grief part largest study ever americas military families go bereavement 2000 people participated past three years oneonone interviews continue february advertisement federally funded project conducted center study traumatic stress marylandbased uniformed services university health sciences study open families 19000 service members branches military died active duty since terror attacks sept 11 2001 regardless whether death resulted combat accident illness suicide causes weve impressed many people whove experience really want let us know said leader study dr stephen cozza want talk happened provide information help people like future wedding photo army widow aimee wriglesworth late husband chad display home bristow va dec 16 steve helberthe associated press aimee wriglesworth hopeful study provide new insight best support young families like lot things helping us come vietnam korea world war ii said existing assistance programs whole new world military losses studying us really important half participants providing saliva samples used genetic research aimed determining certain genetic makeups correlate duration grieving process levels stress depression experienced unfolds previous research suggested certain gene variation associated greater risk complicated grief especially women cozza said final report isnt expected 2017 encouraging survivors sign interviews cutoff date late february interest understanding families need said recognizing need allow us make better policy recommendations sort services would appropriate questionnaires facetoface interviews handled eight field researchers based regions spanning country advertisement jill harrington senior field researcher said team members experienced dealing grief wellversed military culture families fallen whoever talk want able trust harrington said highly trained group folks know listen patient bereaved military families share much common grieving families distinctive aspects many military deaths whether combat accident suicide often occur suddenly many deceased 20s 30s young families lot single parents raising kids alone said harrington someone dies young theres loss future live loss life insight question provided roughly 100 children ages 6 18 participating study sons daughters deceased service members younger siblings many children parent died young didnt know well said cozza according preliminary findings said factor helping weather loss pride departed parents military service web site study encourages bereaved parents let children participate acknowledging oneonone interviews lasting 90 minutes three hours cover sensitive matters field researchers trained recognize child upset periodically ask child heshe okay continue web site says child becomes upset heshe decide stop interview time stuffed bear wears dog tags late army major chad wriglesworth chair died bristow va wriglesworth died cancer returning deployment afghanistan steve helberthe associated press among children taking part aimee wriglesworths daughter savannah 5 father died home nov 20 2013 family photos preceding days show savannah cuddling lay stricken bed chad wriglesworth initially joined air force deployed iraq 2008 transferred army 2009 deployed afghanistan 2011 according wife began reporting lumps various parts body starting 2011 diagnosed 2012 stage 4 melanoma deadly form skin cancer military without specific ruled majors death occurred line duty wife believes cancer caused exposure toxic fumes openair burn pits iraq used destroy waste us bases another study participant ryan manion borek whose brother marine lt travis manion killed combat iraq 2007 borek heads foundation named brother seeks assist veterans well families fallen service members borek expressed hope studys findings reflect wide range ways survivors respond deaths loved ones dont fit box said thats beauty study like begin understand different ways people dealing loss video produced research team conveys breadth study featuring brief interviews survivors decided participate include marine corps officer lisa doring whose marine husband died helicopter crash near base iraq mother whose son army private killed friendly fire afghanistan couple whose son serving coast guard committed suicide described sustained bullying harassment activeduty deaths period studied 13 percent suicides accidents accounted 35 percent combat 30 percent illness 15 percent homicide 3 percent according cozza one major partners study arlington virginiabased support group known taps tragedy assistance program survivors founded 1994 bonnie carroll two years husband brigadier general died army plane crash carroll said heartened study encompassed types deaths even including service members responsible murdersuicides regardless person died point life stepped forward raise right hand say protect nation carroll said national military family bereavement study httpwwwmilitarysurvivorstudyorg 160
| 727 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s fair game. It’s ancient history.</p>
<p>It’s political. It’s personal.</p>
<p>Like it or not, the long-running drama of Hillary Clinton’s marriage — her husband’s infidelity and how she dealt with it — is back as a subtext in this year’s presidential race.</p>
<p>The issue has a sharper edge this time: Voters are processing old events in an era of heightened concern about sexual assault and after Republican Donald Trump characterized candidate Clinton as an “enabler” of her husband’s indiscretions and alleged that she had helped to discredit his accusers.</p>
<p>Both Clintons have uttered an identical “I have no response” when questioned separately about the matter.</p>
<p>And plenty of Americans are right there with them on that: Bring up Bill’s behavior and Hillary’s coping techniques and they suddenly become monosyllabic and start glancing around for the exits.</p>
<p>But Hillary Clinton has plopped the question squarely in Americans’ laps not long before the Iowa caucuses on Monday open voting in the 2016 campaign.</p>
<p>“I’m going to let the American voters decide what’s relevant and what’s not relevant,” she said when asked about Trump’s accusations during a recent Democratic debate.</p>
<p>Interviews with dozens of potential voters around the country reveal strong and opposing views about how — and whether — Clinton should be measured by the way she dealt with her husband’s behavior.</p>
<p>“The personal stuff is irrelevant,” pronounces Brian Brown, a 56-year-old former professor and Democrat from Antrim, New Hampshire, who’s having coffee with a friend at Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>“I don’t like how she swept it under the rug, but then again, you don’t know what goes on behind the scenes,” says Jeff Daignault, a 46-year-old independent from Largo, Florida, who’s having lunch at a highway rest area.</p>
<p>“Hillary was an accomplice,” says Amy Stricker, a 57-year-old conservative from Rochester Hills, Michigan, who’s eating a sandwich in Denver, Colorado, on her way to visit family in the state.</p>
<p>Judith Hoffman, a 64-year-attorney from Columbus who plans to vote in Ohio’s Republican primary but isn’t sure whom she’ll support, pauses to consider whether Clinton’s handling of her husband’s behavior diminishes her standing as an advocate for women.</p>
<p>“I don’t know that anyone can be responsible for another person,” she says. But then she concludes that her gut reaction to the question is “yes,” it does mar Clinton’s reputation as a champion of women.</p>
<p>Clinton’s campaign rejects the notion that she was actively involved in aggressive efforts by her husband’s presidential campaign and the Clinton White House to discredit the president’s accusers.</p>
<p>“These are attempts to draw Hillary Clinton into decades-old allegations through fabrications that are unsubstantiated,” campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said Wednesday. “Hillary Clinton has spent her whole life standing up for women, and charges to the contrary are grossly unfair and untrue.”</p>
<p>Allegations of womanizing, extramarital affairs and abuse have trickled out over the course of Bill Clinton’s political life, including a wave of what his campaign referred to as “bimbo eruptions” when he first ran for president in 1992 and still more allegations of misbehavior after investigators in 1997 started looking into Clinton’s sexual encounters with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.</p>
<p>For much of that tumultuous time, Hillary Clinton’s stood by her husband publicly and cast his accusers as part of a “vast right-wing conspiracy.”</p>
<p>Writings about the Clinton White House years suggest she was more active behind the scenes, helping to drive political and legal strategy to defend her husband during the Lewinsky investigation, for example. Her friend Diane Blair wrote in her diary that the first lady had called Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony tune.”</p>
<p>It’s no small matter for Clinton, who draws a lopsided share of her support from female voters and for decades has made advocacy for women a big part of her persona.</p>
<p>Clinton herself has made the treatment of sexual assault victims a key issue this campaign.</p>
<p>“I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault,” Clinton said in one of her campaign ads last year. “Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have a right to be heard and you have a right to believed.”</p>
<p>When a young woman asked Clinton in New Hampshire whether that message also applies to those who accused her husband of sexual impropriety, though, her answer was more convoluted.</p>
<p>“Everybody should be believed at first until they are disbelieved based on evidence,” she said.</p>
<p>It’s tricky territory for her, Republican presidential contender Rand Paul suggested when the matter was raised at the latest GOP debate. “I don’t blame Hillary Clinton at all for this,” he said, meaning Bill’s past. But “she can’t be a champion of women’s rights at the same time she’s got this that is always lurking out there, this type of behavior.”</p>
<p>Looking back now on the Clinton drama of the 1990s, Kay Sherman, a 70-year-old Republican from St. Petersburg, Florida, says she doesn’t want to judge the former first lady on how she handled a tough situation.</p>
<p>Still, she says, Clinton “could have stood up for women more.” Her actions, Sherman says, “kind of said to women, ‘It’s OK.’”</p>
<p>“It will probably come up in the campaign,” says Sherman. “I’d rather it not, though.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Terra Ceia, Florida; Ann Sanner in Columbus, Ohio; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Emily Swanson in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" type="external">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s fair game. It’s ancient history.</p>
<p>It’s political. It’s personal.</p>
<p>Like it or not, the long-running drama of Hillary Clinton’s marriage — her husband’s infidelity and how she dealt with it — is back as a subtext in this year’s presidential race.</p>
<p>The issue has a sharper edge this time: Voters are processing old events in an era of heightened concern about sexual assault and after Republican Donald Trump characterized candidate Clinton as an “enabler” of her husband’s indiscretions and alleged that she had helped to discredit his accusers.</p>
<p>Both Clintons have uttered an identical “I have no response” when questioned separately about the matter.</p>
<p>And plenty of Americans are right there with them on that: Bring up Bill’s behavior and Hillary’s coping techniques and they suddenly become monosyllabic and start glancing around for the exits.</p>
<p>But Hillary Clinton has plopped the question squarely in Americans’ laps not long before the Iowa caucuses on Monday open voting in the 2016 campaign.</p>
<p>“I’m going to let the American voters decide what’s relevant and what’s not relevant,” she said when asked about Trump’s accusations during a recent Democratic debate.</p>
<p>Interviews with dozens of potential voters around the country reveal strong and opposing views about how — and whether — Clinton should be measured by the way she dealt with her husband’s behavior.</p>
<p>“The personal stuff is irrelevant,” pronounces Brian Brown, a 56-year-old former professor and Democrat from Antrim, New Hampshire, who’s having coffee with a friend at Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>“I don’t like how she swept it under the rug, but then again, you don’t know what goes on behind the scenes,” says Jeff Daignault, a 46-year-old independent from Largo, Florida, who’s having lunch at a highway rest area.</p>
<p>“Hillary was an accomplice,” says Amy Stricker, a 57-year-old conservative from Rochester Hills, Michigan, who’s eating a sandwich in Denver, Colorado, on her way to visit family in the state.</p>
<p>Judith Hoffman, a 64-year-attorney from Columbus who plans to vote in Ohio’s Republican primary but isn’t sure whom she’ll support, pauses to consider whether Clinton’s handling of her husband’s behavior diminishes her standing as an advocate for women.</p>
<p>“I don’t know that anyone can be responsible for another person,” she says. But then she concludes that her gut reaction to the question is “yes,” it does mar Clinton’s reputation as a champion of women.</p>
<p>Clinton’s campaign rejects the notion that she was actively involved in aggressive efforts by her husband’s presidential campaign and the Clinton White House to discredit the president’s accusers.</p>
<p>“These are attempts to draw Hillary Clinton into decades-old allegations through fabrications that are unsubstantiated,” campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said Wednesday. “Hillary Clinton has spent her whole life standing up for women, and charges to the contrary are grossly unfair and untrue.”</p>
<p>Allegations of womanizing, extramarital affairs and abuse have trickled out over the course of Bill Clinton’s political life, including a wave of what his campaign referred to as “bimbo eruptions” when he first ran for president in 1992 and still more allegations of misbehavior after investigators in 1997 started looking into Clinton’s sexual encounters with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.</p>
<p>For much of that tumultuous time, Hillary Clinton’s stood by her husband publicly and cast his accusers as part of a “vast right-wing conspiracy.”</p>
<p>Writings about the Clinton White House years suggest she was more active behind the scenes, helping to drive political and legal strategy to defend her husband during the Lewinsky investigation, for example. Her friend Diane Blair wrote in her diary that the first lady had called Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony tune.”</p>
<p>It’s no small matter for Clinton, who draws a lopsided share of her support from female voters and for decades has made advocacy for women a big part of her persona.</p>
<p>Clinton herself has made the treatment of sexual assault victims a key issue this campaign.</p>
<p>“I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault,” Clinton said in one of her campaign ads last year. “Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have a right to be heard and you have a right to believed.”</p>
<p>When a young woman asked Clinton in New Hampshire whether that message also applies to those who accused her husband of sexual impropriety, though, her answer was more convoluted.</p>
<p>“Everybody should be believed at first until they are disbelieved based on evidence,” she said.</p>
<p>It’s tricky territory for her, Republican presidential contender Rand Paul suggested when the matter was raised at the latest GOP debate. “I don’t blame Hillary Clinton at all for this,” he said, meaning Bill’s past. But “she can’t be a champion of women’s rights at the same time she’s got this that is always lurking out there, this type of behavior.”</p>
<p>Looking back now on the Clinton drama of the 1990s, Kay Sherman, a 70-year-old Republican from St. Petersburg, Florida, says she doesn’t want to judge the former first lady on how she handled a tough situation.</p>
<p>Still, she says, Clinton “could have stood up for women more.” Her actions, Sherman says, “kind of said to women, ‘It’s OK.’”</p>
<p>“It will probably come up in the campaign,” says Sherman. “I’d rather it not, though.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Terra Ceia, Florida; Ann Sanner in Columbus, Ohio; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Emily Swanson in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" type="external">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a></p>
| false | 2 |
washington ap fair game ancient history political personal like longrunning drama hillary clintons marriage husbands infidelity dealt back subtext years presidential race issue sharper edge time voters processing old events era heightened concern sexual assault republican donald trump characterized candidate clinton enabler husbands indiscretions alleged helped discredit accusers clintons uttered identical response questioned separately matter plenty americans right bring bills behavior hillarys coping techniques suddenly become monosyllabic start glancing around exits hillary clinton plopped question squarely americans laps long iowa caucuses monday open voting 2016 campaign im going let american voters decide whats relevant whats relevant said asked trumps accusations recent democratic debate interviews dozens potential voters around country reveal strong opposing views whether clinton measured way dealt husbands behavior personal stuff irrelevant pronounces brian brown 56yearold former professor democrat antrim new hampshire whos coffee friend dunkin donuts dont like swept rug dont know goes behind scenes says jeff daignault 46yearold independent largo florida whos lunch highway rest area hillary accomplice says amy stricker 57yearold conservative rochester hills michigan whos eating sandwich denver colorado way visit family state judith hoffman 64yearattorney columbus plans vote ohios republican primary isnt sure shell support pauses consider whether clintons handling husbands behavior diminishes standing advocate women dont know anyone responsible another person says concludes gut reaction question yes mar clintons reputation champion women clintons campaign rejects notion actively involved aggressive efforts husbands presidential campaign clinton white house discredit presidents accusers attempts draw hillary clinton decadesold allegations fabrications unsubstantiated campaign spokesman brian fallon said wednesday hillary clinton spent whole life standing women charges contrary grossly unfair untrue allegations womanizing extramarital affairs abuse trickled course bill clintons political life including wave campaign referred bimbo eruptions first ran president 1992 still allegations misbehavior investigators 1997 started looking clintons sexual encounters white house intern monica lewinsky much tumultuous time hillary clintons stood husband publicly cast accusers part vast rightwing conspiracy writings clinton white house years suggest active behind scenes helping drive political legal strategy defend husband lewinsky investigation example friend diane blair wrote diary first lady called lewinsky narcissistic loony tune small matter clinton draws lopsided share support female voters decades made advocacy women big part persona clinton made treatment sexual assault victims key issue campaign want send message every survivor sexual assault clinton said one campaign ads last year dont let anyone silence voice right heard right believed young woman asked clinton new hampshire whether message also applies accused husband sexual impropriety though answer convoluted everybody believed first disbelieved based evidence said tricky territory republican presidential contender rand paul suggested matter raised latest gop debate dont blame hillary clinton said meaning bills past cant champion womens rights time shes got always lurking type behavior looking back clinton drama 1990s kay sherman 70yearold republican st petersburg florida says doesnt want judge former first lady handled tough situation still says clinton could stood women actions sherman says kind said women ok probably come campaign says sherman id rather though ___ associated press writers tamara lush terra ceia florida ann sanner columbus ohio holly ramer concord new hampshire kristen wyatt denver emily swanson washington contributed report ___ follow nancy benac twitter httptwittercomnbenac washington ap fair game ancient history political personal like longrunning drama hillary clintons marriage husbands infidelity dealt back subtext years presidential race issue sharper edge time voters processing old events era heightened concern sexual assault republican donald trump characterized candidate clinton enabler husbands indiscretions alleged helped discredit accusers clintons uttered identical response questioned separately matter plenty americans right bring bills behavior hillarys coping techniques suddenly become monosyllabic start glancing around exits hillary clinton plopped question squarely americans laps long iowa caucuses monday open voting 2016 campaign im going let american voters decide whats relevant whats relevant said asked trumps accusations recent democratic debate interviews dozens potential voters around country reveal strong opposing views whether clinton measured way dealt husbands behavior personal stuff irrelevant pronounces brian brown 56yearold former professor democrat antrim new hampshire whos coffee friend dunkin donuts dont like swept rug dont know goes behind scenes says jeff daignault 46yearold independent largo florida whos lunch highway rest area hillary accomplice says amy stricker 57yearold conservative rochester hills michigan whos eating sandwich denver colorado way visit family state judith hoffman 64yearattorney columbus plans vote ohios republican primary isnt sure shell support pauses consider whether clintons handling husbands behavior diminishes standing advocate women dont know anyone responsible another person says concludes gut reaction question yes mar clintons reputation champion women clintons campaign rejects notion actively involved aggressive efforts husbands presidential campaign clinton white house discredit presidents accusers attempts draw hillary clinton decadesold allegations fabrications unsubstantiated campaign spokesman brian fallon said wednesday hillary clinton spent whole life standing women charges contrary grossly unfair untrue allegations womanizing extramarital affairs abuse trickled course bill clintons political life including wave campaign referred bimbo eruptions first ran president 1992 still allegations misbehavior investigators 1997 started looking clintons sexual encounters white house intern monica lewinsky much tumultuous time hillary clintons stood husband publicly cast accusers part vast rightwing conspiracy writings clinton white house years suggest active behind scenes helping drive political legal strategy defend husband lewinsky investigation example friend diane blair wrote diary first lady called lewinsky narcissistic loony tune small matter clinton draws lopsided share support female voters decades made advocacy women big part persona clinton made treatment sexual assault victims key issue campaign want send message every survivor sexual assault clinton said one campaign ads last year dont let anyone silence voice right heard right believed young woman asked clinton new hampshire whether message also applies accused husband sexual impropriety though answer convoluted everybody believed first disbelieved based evidence said tricky territory republican presidential contender rand paul suggested matter raised latest gop debate dont blame hillary clinton said meaning bills past cant champion womens rights time shes got always lurking type behavior looking back clinton drama 1990s kay sherman 70yearold republican st petersburg florida says doesnt want judge former first lady handled tough situation still says clinton could stood women actions sherman says kind said women ok probably come campaign says sherman id rather though ___ associated press writers tamara lush terra ceia florida ann sanner columbus ohio holly ramer concord new hampshire kristen wyatt denver emily swanson washington contributed report ___ follow nancy benac twitter httptwittercomnbenac
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<p>Below is the official transcript from the&#160;Jill Stein and Gary Johnson Debate, hosted by IVN on Google Plus Hangouts, October 18, 2012.</p>
<p>—–</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Welcome to the IVN Presidential debate. My name is Steve Peace I’m co-chair of the independent voter project. We’re joined by Governor Gary Johnson who is in Laramie Wyoming, he’s the Libertarian Party candidate for President of the United States, and by Dr. Jill Stein, she’s joining us from Seattle Washington, she’s the Green Party candidate for president. Both candidates will introduce themselves and their platforms prior to the debate questions being submitted. They’re coming from independent-minded voters on Facebook, Twitter and Google. The questions will cover multiple issues in domestic and foreign policy. The order for answering questions was determined by a coin toss, and Governor Johnson won that toss. He will introduce himself first and then Dr. Stein will take the first question. We will then alternate the order throughout the questions. Governor Johnson we’ll start with your opening statement.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – And Steve I have three minutes for this opening statement?</p>
<p>Steve Peace – You do.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well I think the country is in deep trouble. We can’t bury our heads in the sand over the fact that we’re in deep trouble. So where I’m different I think from everybody else is let’s not bomb Iran. I think that if we bomb Iran we’re going to find ourselves with another 100 million enemies to this country than we wouldn’t otherwise have. Let’s get out of Afghanistan tomorrow, bring the troops home. I think that marriage equality is a constitutionally guaranteed right. I would propose ending the drug wars, legalize marijuana now. I think we’re actually on a tipping point on marijuana. It’s on the ballot in Colorado. I think it’s going to pass. Perhaps it will be the first of 50 states that will actually legalize marijuana. I would have never signed the Patriot Act allowing for Homeland Security. I think it’s incredibly redundant. I would look to eliminate TSA as a federal agency. Leave it to the airports, to the airlines, municipalities, states. I think that we need to balance the federal budget now. So I am promising to submit a balanced budget to congress in the year 2013. That would be a 1.4 trillion dollar reduction in federal spending and to do that you got to start off talking about Medicaid, Medicare, military spending. The debate a couple of weeks ago between Obama and Romney was all about who’s going to spend more money on Medicare when Medicare is a program that you and I are paying 30 dollars into and getting a 100-dollar benefit. By extension we’re paying in 30,000 dollars, we’re getting 100,000-dollar benefit. It’s absolutely unsustainable. I am proposing to eliminate income tax, corporate tax, abolish the IRS, and replace all of that with one federal consumption tax. In this case I am embracing the Fair Tax, which I think is the answer to American exports. It ends up being cost neutral over a very short amount of time. Since we’re bleeding out all existing federal taxes out of goods and services, it’s the answer when it comes to our exports. In a zero corporate tax rate environment if the private sector doesn’t create tens of millions of jobs, I don’t know what it takes to create tens of millions of jobs. I also see manufacturing jobs flocking back to the United States in a zero corporate tax rate environment. Immigration. Immigration let’s not build a fence across the border. Let’s make it as easy as possible to let someone who wants to come into this country and work, to get a work visa. Not a green card, not citizenship, but a work visa. It would entail a background check and a social security card that applicable taxes would get paid. Now if we adopt the Fair Tax, taxes wont be an issue at all. Because whether you’re a visitor to the United States, an illegal immigrant, legal immigrant, U.S. citizen, nobody is going to be able to avoid paying one federal consumption tax. And then so much of border issues have to do with border violence. Legalize marijuana; arguably 75 percent of the border violence with Mexico goes away. For the 11 million illegal immigrants that are here right now, let’s set up a grace period where we can document those 11 million illegal immigrants. Let’s not talk about deporting, breaking up families. And I get back to no criminals working in this country either. &#160;That should be the real basis for issuing visas. So there’s my opening statement.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you very much Governor. Dr. Stein, three minutes.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – …</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Doctor you need to unmute yourself. You’re on mute and we’ll start over.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Can you hear me now?</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – There we go</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Very good. Very innovative introduction.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Ok great. Alright sorry about that. We were trying to reduce the feedback with the headset but it seemed to cause us to mute. Back on now so first a big thank you to the Independent Voter Network for creating this very important dialogue and a big thank you to Gary Johnson and your campaign. I think that there are so many really critical ways in which we are completely in agreement and on the same page on the war, on the importance of our civil liberties and protecting the freedoms on which this country was founded, the importance of ending the drug wars, stopping the Wall Street bailouts. I think these are really fundamental points of agreement that I know for many people overshadow the areas of our disagreement which have more to do with economic and social policy. But I think agreeing on basic principles of freedom and democracy are really a very important point of intersection between our two parties, our campaigns and so many of the people out there who are independent voters. So with that said, I’m going to focus on what the key agenda is for our campaign and we believe the American people. We see that fundamentally we are at a breaking point, for people for the planet for the economy, and for our democracy. But that we can actually change this breaking point into a tipping point in this election at a time when so many people are breaking away from politics as usual. &#160;And we’re advancing really critical solutions that so many people are supporting in poll after poll. &#160;These are good road-tested solutions, which in fact are affordable and which are within our reach now. We are calling for, to start with, a Green New Deal to create jobs now. Not simply more tax breaks for the wealthy, which is what the democratic and republican parties are calling for. We’re instead like the vast majority of the American public is saying, not tax breaks but actual jobs. We’re calling for jobs like we created during the New Deal that got us out of the Great Depression. Four million jobs created within the first weeks, eight weeks actually of the New Deal. So there’s no excuse for us to sit in this chronic, relentless recession that we’re still in. We’re calling for creating those jobs directly, not through a stimulus package that the president passed, which provided largely tax breaks and tax breaks don’t create jobs. We are calling in fact for direct job creation at the level of our communities in the areas of the green economy in particular. Because we have two crises, not only the economic and jobless crisis but also a crisis of climate. We can solve them both in one fell swoop through the Green New Deal which provides those resources for communities to create jobs to become sustainable not only ecologically but also socially and economically so we’re calling for jobs in clean renewable energy, and conservation in local sustainable agriculture, public transportation, in clean manufacturing, as well as hiring back the hundreds of thousands of teachers who have been laid off. Hiring childcare, afterschool, homecare, affordable housing construction, violence and drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation. A broad spectrum, and the point is communities decide, not a Washington-driven, cookie cutter program. Rather it puts national resources into the hands of communities to create the jobs that they need. We’re calling for healthcare…</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you Dr. Stein you’re a little over time.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay thank you.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Let’s go into the questions, we do want to get to the questions from all our friends on Google plus, on Facebook and on Twitter. You get the very first question. You basically have about three minutes to answer. If you reserve some time, we’ll keep track of that and we’ll allow you rebuttal time if you reserve that in the three minutes. So if you use two minutes the Governor then has a two-minute response you will have reserved minute for rebuttal. Otherwise, if you use up all of your three minutes then we’ll just listen to the Governor’s response. Ok, we’ll try to be as flexible as we can and stay on schedule.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Is there a time signal on the screen somewhere that I can see.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – You should be getting it on the left hand side of your screen. You should have the little notification, you’ll get a thirty second…</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay we’ve got it now, thank you.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Okay? Great. So our first general category question comes from Allie in Wisconsin. And it is for you Dr. Stein. Four years after President Obama’s 2008 campaign of hope and change some have argued that we’ve definitely learned that enacting reforms are more difficult than simply campaigning for them. Knowing how difficult it’s been for President Obama, how do you plan to get Congress on board with your platform?</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Great, so first let me say that President Obama was drinking the Kool-Aid in a big way. He was funded by Wall Street. He was funded by health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He was funded by fossil fuels. So you know it was very hard for him to then turn around and bite the hand that was feeding him. So we got exactly what one would have expected had you been looking at his funders, so that is a burden shall we say that my campaign does not carry. We don’t take money that comes with strings attached. That means we don’t take money from corporations, from lobbyists, from PAC’s or super PAC’s. We don’t believe in one-dollar one vote we believe in one-person one vote. So we actually have the ability to do what we say and to say as we do. So with that said we come to this with the ability to actually carry through that agenda that we have promised to uphold. Specifically, the President, if she wanted to, could be not simply a commander in chief but could also be an organizer in chief. The President has an incredible ability to go on primetime T.V., to send out email blasts, to go on public service radio announcements and basically inform everyday people about the key bills that are coming up. The main reasons why they should or shouldn’t pass and turn people loose to talk to their elected officials and to actually instruct them to represent them. People may remember when the SOPA and PIPA bills were going. They were considered a slam dunk, there was not way that ordinary people were going to stop them and word got out on the internet that bills were in the works that would enable corporations to censor the internet. And people got on the horn and within two weeks that bill was stopped in its tracks</p>
<p>[Gary Johnson’s computer dies]</p>
<p>This should be the rule and not the exception for how Washington works. When everyday people are flying blind we have a democracy that is not informed then it’s not empowered. People need to know what’s going on and have the ability to weigh in, in a concise and time-effective manner to say, ‘yes we want healthcare as a human right. We want to legalize marijuana. We want to end debt for students instead of bailing out the banks for the fourth time, which is what the Obama administration is doing right now through the FED through the third quantitative easing. They’re spending forty billion dollars a month bailing out Wall Street Banks yet again. We would be on the horn telling people ‘let’s change that.’ Let’s instead of bailing out Wall Street let’s bail out the students so we can put everyday people back in charge of our democracy, as we should be.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you Dr. Stein. Governor, the doctor used all of her time so you’ll have two minutes for a rebuttal.</p>
<p>Dr. Stein – We’re not getting the feed here.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Okay, we’ve got a technical issue over in the Governor’s shop so Dr. Stein, I’ll give you another question and we’ll circle back. The tax rate on capital gains and dividends is set to go from 15 percent to the general income tax rate on January first. How would you address this issue once in office?</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – So let me first say that that’s only occurring at very high levels of income. So it’s a very tiny percentage of voters. The very richest voters in fact, I believe it’s the top two percent. People with incomes over 250,000 dollars who are going to face that increase. I believe that is where the Bush tax cuts applied if I’m not mistaken. I don’t believe that, let me just think it through for a minute. That’s my understanding that the increase in capital gains and dividends is going to apply only at high levels of income. Let me say further that capital gains and dividend taxes generally applies to the top ten percent because that’s who it is who can afford to make these investments. So whether it’s applying just to the top two percent or not this is a tax that hits people who are of great means and who have benefited enormously from the changes in the economy over the past several decades. So that the tax burden has shrunk across all categories of taxes for the wealthiest at the same time that income has surged for the very wealthiest. In fact things are so unequal now that the top 1 percent actually has 40 percent of all the resources of all the wealth in this country, but the lower half, one out of every two people, the poorest people out there, share among them only one percent. That’s like having a hundred people in the room, a hundred loaves of bread, forty of those loaves are in the hand of just one person. And the skinniest fifty people in the room have only one loaf of bread to share among them. So let me just say as an overarching statement that we badly need to correct the extraordinary, obscene economic inequality that everyday people are facing right now. No one is hit harder with that in fact than young people. The younger generation right now who has, they’re facing a 50 percent unemployment rate and are carrying around extraordinarily high debt burdens on top of it. So young people are getting hit with these disparities in the same way very much that elders are facing them and are relying on their Medicare and their social security to keep them out of poverty. So as a general, broad statement I think Americans don’t like vast inequalities, and that’s what we have in this country right now. Greater than just about any other developed country, in fact we’re in the category of the undeveloped countries, the banana republics, the dictatorships right now. We’re in that category with economic inequality. We need to fix that, and we’re calling for fixing that through a Green New Deal and also fixing that by ending some of the incredible, unfair, tax breaks that have been given to the wealthiest members of society. That includes these drastic cuts in capital gains and in dividends.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Doctor let me go off script here for a minute while they’re working on the technical issues in Laramie. You had an interesting experience this week at the officially sponsored Republican and Democratic debates. Would you like to comment a little on that? The process for the televised debates and the efforts that your campaign and the others have made to have the opportunity to participate.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Yes. And I want to thank Gary Johnson’s campaign as well. His campaign, like ours has been fighting to try to open up these debates. The debates are controlled by the commission, so called, commission on Presidential Debates, but it really should be called the Commission to Censor the Presidential Debates because it is a private corporation, controlled by Democratic and Republican parties whose express purpose is to limit the debates and that means not just limiting the candidates it means limiting the American voter. It means preventing the American voter from understanding what their choices really are for candidates, but also for policies. And the American public is diverse. You know, there are over three hundred million people out there. There’s no reason in the world to try to squeeze three hundred diverse people into two pigeon holes which are both bought and paid for by the same corporate interests that are driving us into climate change, that are driving us into these healthcare boondoggles like Obamacare or Romneycare whichever you call it, that really deliver goods for the health insurance and the pharmaceutical companies, but not for the everyday people. So I went to protest that debate, was arrested at the entrance not even to the debate hall, just the entrance of Hofstra University where I and my running mate, Cheri Honkala, were not allowed even to pass. We were arrested, but not only were we arrested, we were put into very tight, plastic handcuff restraints. We were then taken to a secret, undisclosed location, a black site, where we were handcuffed to metal chairs for eight hours until after 11 pm, we were arrested shortly after 2 pm, and no one was… Our staff actually did quite a bit of sleuthing of their own. They were finally able to override the intelligence of Homeland Security and the Secret Service doesn’t say all that much about the effectiveness of Homeland Security and the Secret Service that my untrained campaign was able to get around their black out and actually find me at that site. They were then told they would be arrested if they stayed on site, even when they were back at the debate site. They were told they would be arrested if they stayed at the entrance for simply being a member of the Green Party</p>
<p>Steve Peace – I’d like to go back to your discussion about the makeup of the commission, but just another technical issue if I can. I’ve just been slipped a note. You have some ear buds there doctor, I believe. The technical folks need you to put the ear buds in to cut down on the echo effect. This cutting edge technology here you know, we’re experimenting. Sounds good now I’m told. Doctor? We’re back, we’ve got the mute issue over there again so maybe even put in the ear bud guys. Ah we have the Governor back coming on here I see.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – … Right now. Great. I need my headphones? You don’t have to have em. Alright.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Hello Governor.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Hi.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – So we’ve just ventured into a discussion while we lost you, on the Presidential debates that were hosted by the official commission, the last two debates. The doctor credited your campaign with working with theirs in terms of making efforts to get involved and discussed the difficulty in working with the commission. So I wanted to give you a little opportunity to comment on your efforts to participate in the televised debates.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well just that we have filed suit. We filed suit in California, we filed suit in Washington D.C. We put emergency clauses on these suits so hope to get them ruled on and of course if we’re successful the Green Party will also be successful. But the Presidential Debate Commission made up of Republicans and Democrats with really no interest whatsoever in seeing a third party on the stage so very difficult and getting on the ballot in all the states is very difficult. Right now I’m on the ballot in 49 states, one of those states I’m an official write in candidate, Michigan. And Oklahoma has excluded us from being on the ballot, so it looks like Oklahoma will be the only state that we’re not on the ballot. And I might add that Americans elect made us their candidate, made me their candidate, made me their nominee in Oklahoma, which I was very proud of and their courts threw that out. It’s just a stacked deck, whether it’s the debate commission or whether its ballot access. You name it, it is a system that is made up of the two parties, the interests that be and its really hard not to crack.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – We have a question from Jack on Twitter. Dr. Stein has suggested that all student debt should be forgiven and education should be free from kindergarten through college. Governor, how would you address rising student loan debt and education costs.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well I think the main reason for high education costs are guaranteed government student loans. That’s a real catch 22. That students right now, young people facing college their faced with this, with these insurmountable costs really for tuition. Just throw out a number 15,000 dollars a semester. Well, you know, kids are determining whether or not they want to go to school, young people are determining whether or not they want to pay that much, that amount of money. Most of them recognizing they cant afford it, but then there’s the obvious, guaranteed government student loans. If guaranteed students loans did not exist, I suggest that the cost of higher education dramatically decrease. That is the reason for the high cost of college tuition. I really think also that in individual states, that states can come up with some very innovative programs. As governor of New Mexico I actually signed legislation that allowed for lottery scholarships. We enacted a lottery in New Mexico with all of the proceeds going to education, to higher education. And when I was Governor, every graduate from high school in New Mexico basically got free college tuition through these lottery scholarships. Now there was minimum requirements and those minimum requirements I believe were like a C, C+ grades.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Dr. Stein, a couple minutes for rebuttal.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – ….</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – It’s gone off again, its frozen.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Dr. Stein you need to unmute.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Can you hear?</p>
<p>Steve Peace – There you go. Perfect.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay. You can hear now. For some reason it doesn’t – you have to leave these on while you – can you, they can’t hear me when I put these on. Wait, let me. We’re having to switch technology when I’m talking and when I’m listening, but you’re hearing me now.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – All is well at this point.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Alright good. So I’ll just say in Massachusetts we have free public higher education. It was part of the University of Massachusetts system we had it for many many years. The price slowly crept up, but it was free. Even before we had government loans it was free. It became unfree when the state decided that they had higher priorities than young people. And higher priorities than our economy, which really requires educated workers to have a productive economy. In particular it was healthcare costs that were climbing and that were devouring bigger sections of the budget at the same time that larger tax breaks were being provided for the very wealthy. Now those are two drains on the economy that can be fixed. For one thing we should be moving to a Medicare for all system, which greatly reduces the costs of healthcare. This is how every other developed nation provides comprehensive healthcare at half the cost per person of what it costs in this country. We can ensure that we’re not dragging down our budgets with the likes of Obamacare or Romneycare but in fact move to a Medicare for all which eliminates the massive red tape and bureaucracy that is now gobbling up 30 percent of every healthcare dollar. Back on the issue of student loans I just want to underscore I should say on free public higher education, that it pays for itself. We know this from the G.I. Bill, following the Second World War. Because we the taxpayers, paid for the education of returning soldiers to go to college and what we knew, cause it was carefully studied, was for every dollar that taxpayers invested in higher education, seven dollars was returned in economic benefits. Including more than enough tax revenue from those students who had good jobs because they were educated. That money came back into the tax base and more than paid for the costs of higher education.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor you have about more than thirty seconds left for your rebuttal.</p>
<p>[Gov. Gary Johnson’s connection dies]</p>
<p>Well we lost the connection to Wyoming again so Dr. Stein let me go to Mason’s question from Facebook. You’re Green New Deal focuses on eliminating the use of fossil fuels in place of renewable energy. How would you plan for the transition from fossil fuels to renewables and how long do you think that transition would take?</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – You know in my view that transition should be only as long…</p>
<p>[Gov. Gary Johnson comes back online]</p>
<p>…as is required if we do everything that is humanly possible to make this happen as quickly as possible. What the science tells us is that it will actually, we are coming very close to climate tipping points. For anyone who’s been looking around you’ll notice that in the last year, you know we’ve had the hottest year on record. We have had protracted drought in 60 percent of the continental U.S. We have had record forest fires and forest destruction from those fires as well. The Arctic is at 25 percent of what it was just a couple decades ago. It is way ahead of schedule. The science has been far too optimistic, we have a climate emergency on our hands and it’s very critical that we move ahead with all due speed. That same science that told us the Arctic would be here for another couple decades. That same science has said that if we haven’t substantial progress by 2020, essentially that our goose is cooked. Because if the climate does proceed to melt down, the reality is that it doesn’t just like change and get a couple degrees warmer it goes into a perpetual state of warming and this is not compatible either with an economy or with civilization as we know it including the melting of the glaciers and the ice caps and so on.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor, you want to weigh in here on the doctor’s Green New Deal Proposal?</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I’m sorry, is that for me Steve?</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Yeah, you have a two-minute rebuttal to Dr. Stein’s New Green Deal proposal. The question was how would you transition from a fossil fuel environment into the green energy production.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I’m getting terrific feedback here. I can’t even hear myself.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Bear with us here folks. There we go. It’s kind of like operating mission control here you know. Trying to land on the moon in 1960.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Look I think we need free market approaches when it comes to energy. That as consumers we are demanding cleaner energy, were going to get cleaner energy. The best indicator of a good environment is a good economy and as consumers, like I say we are demanding cleaner energy, fifty years from today we will have cleaner energy. Just as we have cleaner energy today than fifty years ago. I’m talking about carbon emission and the fact that we’re all demanding less carbon emission. I do think that we have to have a balanced approach, a free market approach to all of this so natural gas figures into this. Oil figures into this, bauching in the United States will be a huge contributor to our energy independence. Renewables play a roll in all of this, nuclear plays a roll in all of this, but I would be opposed to cap and trade legislation which I think would really devastate the economy.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor the next question is for you. Mike on Facebook asks, there’s been a great deal of focus on the middle class in this election cycle and some would argue that the poor have been left out of the discussion. What are some of the immediate actions that you would take to address poverty in America?</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – What I think government can create is a level playing field for all of us. Something that does not exist today. Crony capitalism is alive and well. Individuals, groups, corporations sell loopholes, excuse me…. I’m getting this horrible feedback Steve, I’m sorry. Individuals, groups, corporations buy loopholes both parties have their hand out to sell loopholes. I think that by eliminating income tax, corporate tax, abolishing the IRS, replacing that with one federal consumption tax, I think that really creates a level playing field for all of us. I think it’s a fallacy to think that government is going to be able to cure everyone’s ills. But I don’t think it’s a fallacy that government can be fair to all. I do base that on my experience as Governor of New Mexico where we put issues first, politics last and I think everybody saw it, the notion of… I may have vetoed more legislation than the other forty-nine governors in the country combined. What I saw was a lot of corporatist legislation. I saw legislation labeled the Competitive Telecommunications Bill, lower prices for all, better, more competition, lower prices.&#160; The reality was that it was a corporately sponsored piece of legislation that would have actually reduced competition in telecommunications. Back to what government is capable of doing, creating equal opportunity for all, that’s I would argue all that government can do. I’ll just get back also to the fact that I think the biggest threat to the United States right now is the fact that we’re borrowing and printing money to the tune of forty-three cents out of every dollar that we spend. If we don’t balance the federal budget now I believe we are going to find ourselves in a monetary collapse and a monetary collapse, very simply is when the dollars we have in our pockets don’t buy a thing because of the accompanying inflation that comes along with borrowing and printing money to the tune of 43 cents out of every dollar we spend. Jill Stein talks about the melting polar ice caps, you know what? A monetary collapse, when the shelves are bare because our dollars don’t buy anything, which by the way Russia experienced at the end of the eighties, that’s going to be an ugly situation. We’re going to be burning furniture to keep warm unless we actually get our fiscal house in order.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Dr. Stein.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – …</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I can’t hear her.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Doctor you need to unmute yourself again.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Let me take these things, how about now? Okay. Alright. Learning as we go here. Yeah, so I wanted to agree with the Governor that we cant just solve the problem of the polar ice caps and the climate without also solving the problem of the economy. The two have to be solved together. We can’t save the people without the planet, and we cant save the planet without an economy that works for people. But this is one of the real benefits of the Green New Deal, because for every dollar spent in the new Green Economy you actually create three times as many jobs if you’re hiring people to do weatherization, to do conservation, to insulate our homes, businesses, schools, and government buildings. We can put, effectively millions of people to work on weatherization, so we can both solve the climate problem, while we solve the jobs problem. They both have to happen. Speaking to the question that the previous questioner asked about how do the poor figure into this. You know, what low income and poor people need especially are jobs. Jobs that pay living wages, and that’s what the Green New Deal calls for. It provides national resources to create jobs at the community level that both put people back to work while they jumpstart the green economy, a localized economy not this phony economy of high finance. Not this toxic economy of dirty energy and toxic nuclear power that makes us sick and poisons our air, water and food, but rather jobs that make our communities healthy at the same time that they make our environment healthy, stop climate change. And the other advantage of the green economy and the Green New Deal is that it also makes wars for oil obsolete. Which means instead of spending a trillion dollars a year, which is what we’re spending now on this bloated massive, military industrial security complex. Instead we can put half of that, hundreds of billions of dollars back into our economy ensuring that the poor have jobs. Ensuring that we transition to Medicare for all so that everyone has healthcare. Finally that everyone has equal access to public higher education, which is what poor and low income people need above all in order to have a level playing field to start out, secure, in the economic world.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – I’m going to combine a question from Brady on Facebook and from Todd in Virginia and doctor Johnson, I’m sorry, doctor Johnson.&#160; There you go, there’s a proposal for you, Dr. Johnson, Governor Stein, how does that work? Brady asks, what regulations are needed to prevent Wall Street and financial sectors from incurring another meltdown. Todd asks, he points out that neither of the past two administrations prosecuted any individuals responsible for that mortgage meltdown. What regulations do you think are necessary and how would you deal with white-collar crime, Governor.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well first of all I don’t think it was an issue of regulation, it was an issue of allowing these institutions that made incredibly bad decisions to just fail. I would not have bailed any of these institutions out. I’m not doing this in a vacuum I have a lot of really terrific free-market economists that, to a person, agree that there would not have been a systematic collapse. Let me pose for you, what happened after Enron. Sarbanes-Oxley came out, really as a result of Enron, which ended up to be fraud. They passed a regulation, a law, that required mark to market accounting. Now I will tell you, when I saw this I thought, holy cow, if this isn’t a regulation that is absolutely needed, makes total sense, I don’t know a regulation that could qualify for, this is something that we need. Well, in the meltdown of 2008, in a multi-trillion dollar mortgage derivatives market, mortgage market, multi trillion, three trillion dollar market, on December 20th there was one 190,000 dollar trade that went off at five cents on the dollar when these securities were yielding five cents on the dollar. My point is that because of this everyone, all the financial institutions had to mark their assets at the market and that was the collapse. So why there have not been prosecutions, I would love to get at the root of that and I will tell you that as the Governor of New Mexico one of the things I relished was being able to get people at the table who were in the know to really give the down and dirty on why we haven’t done these prosecutions. I will also say that I think what we want to do is elect a leader. We want to elect a leader that’s going to be very transparent. Look I’m going to go after these prosecutions, but if, for whatever the reasons are that were not prosecuting, I don’t think any of us really understand why there haven’t been any prosecutions. I really cant tell you because I think that there were a bundling of these assets done in a way that was fraudulent, really criminal.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Dr. Stein I’m judging from your description of your experience at the debates the other day that you can shed some light on what’s going on in the prosecutorial arena. You gotta unmute again. Unmute.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay how about now.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – There you go.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay we’re getting faster at this. Yeah, I mean, the prosecutions are not happening. Even Ronald Reagan prosecuted over a thousand [clears throat] corporate executives responsible for the S&amp;L crash. That was tiny compared to the crash that we have now. I think its pretty clear why they’re not being prosecuted because they’re all over the Whitehouse and because Barack Obama and the Whitehouse are in bed with Wall Street. Timothy Geithner, you know, he’s running the treasury department and he looked the other way as head of the FED, as head of the New York FED while all of this waste, fraud, and abuse was going on. You know, its no surprise that the Wall Street-run Whitehouse is not prosecuting Wall Street. The same is true for the head of the Department of Justice who in fact has many clients at his private company in which he worked and will work again someday. They have many clients that are at Goldman Sachs and the other companies that not only, you know, crashed the economy, they created predatory lending to start with. They targeted vulnerable people, they sold them fraudulent mortgages, they bundled those mortgages into fraudulent securities, and then they peddled those securities on unsuspecting buyers, many of whom were their own clients. When the whole house of cards came crashing down, they demanded to be bailed out, which they were. I want to differ a little bit from the Governor, it was not only the bailouts that created this problem, we had a real problem even before the bailouts happened, which was that the economy did come crashing down because those fraudulent mortgages that had been bundled into securities were then bet on. The reason they were bet on was because the protections that had been passed after the Great Depression had been repealed. This is an excellent case and point of where regulations were protecting the American public. Those regulations were repealed under Bill Clinton and Larry Summers, who was the architect of the Wall Street crash. He ended the Glass-Steagall law that separated the commercial and investment banks and he also enabled the reckless gambling and the speculation on the derivatives. This didn’t happen by accident, we’ve been here before, we’ve learned you cannot allow so much economic power to concentrate into the hands of a few but that’s what both Democrats and Republicans have been bringing us for quite some time. That’s what we’ll fix in my administration.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Doctor we’ll stay with you here. We have a foreign policy question from Alex on Google plus. Is there a point in which, in a humanitarian crisis such as in Syria, that does, despite both of your general opposition to intervention in foreign countries, merit unilateral action by the United States in order to prevent atrocities?</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – You know, we’re seeing blowback in Libya now. You know, where some of the groups that came into power were armed by us. The interventions breed very unpredictable and violent results. It’s clear now in Syria for example, that many of the arms flowing into Syria, are flowing into the hands of groups that are our sworn enemies. When you depose one government violently, and put weapons of violence into the hands of whoever, you know, that this is not a solution. That this is not what peace and security looks like. We’ve been taught over the last ten years with trillions of dollars spent on Iraq and Afghanistan, which are additional cases and point. Where it was so intensively argued by Democrats and Republicans and the media that there was compelling need for intervention, yet look where we’ve gone. Even in Afghanistan where the strongest case was made that we had to go in and deal with al-Qaeda, we have a mess on our hands. We find ourselves in exactly the same position that the Russians were in a couple decades ago. This is a very dangerous territory to get into. Unilateral intervention in areas we don’t belong and where we don’t have good understanding of the culture and what’s going on. We don’t have trusting relationships with the people. This is an argument made, fundamentally by the weapons industry, which would love to keep selling more arms, which in fact is profiting from the sale of arms into every hotspot around the world. This is basically pouring gasoline on the fires of religious, ethnic, and national conflict around the world. We should not be entering into such conflicts unilaterally, unless there are unique circumstances, which we have not seen in decades.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor, your response.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I do not think that we should intervene militarily. There are no real humanitarian wars that we should engage ourselves in. Now as Governor of New Mexico and in my life I’ve learned to never say never. I don’t think that any of us want to sit by and watch some holocaust or some atrocities going down. I’ll borrow from a Supreme Court justice that was asked, ‘What is your definition of pornography?’ He said, ‘You know I really don’t have a definition of pornography other than to say when I see it I know what it is.’ In this case I don’t think any of us want to watch a holocaust occurring but I don’t want to apply a definition here or a course of action that for the most part is what we’ve been doing forever, is militarily intervening. In Syria right now, we are funding the insurgents. The insurgents are jihadists. Did not we learn from Afghanistan where we funded Osama Bin Laden? There is no end to our military interventions and the unintended consequences that go along with these military interventions. I would just suggest that we have hundreds of millions of enemies to this country that but for these military interventions would otherwise not exist. Drones take out the target, but drones also kill innocent civilians in these countries and these innocent civilians that die are friends and family of others that vow vengeance on the United States, up to and including giving their own lives if need be to bring about that vengeance.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you Governor. One last question and then we’ll move to the summaries.&#160; This is a question that’s going to be I think of particular to folks who are tuning in to this Google plus hangout. Linda on twitter asks, “New technology is creating many questions regarding the government’s role in our individual lives. Where do you draw the line between personal privacy and national security?” Governor?</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well I would have never so, as Governor of New Mexico I vetoed 750 bills. I had thousands of line item vetoes. Only two were overturned so it made a difference when it came to billions of dollars worth of spending, made a difference when it came to government telling us what we should or shouldn’t do in the bedroom. So how would it have worked had I been President of the United States after 9/11? I would have never established the Department of Homeland Security. I would have never established TSA. I would have left airport security to the airports, to the airlines, to municipalities, to the states. I would have never signed the National Defense Authorization Act allowing for you and I as U.S. citizens to be arrested and detained without being charged. I think this is why we have fought wars. So our civil liberties are being eroded. I would also like to point out that the ACLU gave a report card on all the presidential candidates during this last cycle. Jill Stein was not included in this analysis, but twenty-four liberty torches was a perfect score. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, zero liberty torches out of twenty-four. Newt Gingrich, four liberty torches out of twenty-four. Barack Obama, sixteen liberty torches out of twenty-four. Ron Paul, eighteen liberty torches out of twenty-four. Gary Johnson, twenty-one liberty torches out of twenty-four. I had the best grade when it came to civil liberties. Our civil liberties are being eroded. We have a growing police state in this country. It needs to be rolled back significantly.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Dr. Stein, I’ll pass the torch to you. There you go</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Alright, okay you’re hearing me. Okay great. Yeah, so I want to largely agree with the Governor here and also agree with Benjamin Franklin when he said that, ‘If we sacrifice liberty and freedom in the name of security we will wind up losing both.’ These were the experience of the founding fathers and mothers of this country and I think that very much applies today. That if we allow our rights to privacy, our right to protest, for freedom of the press, to petition government for redress of grievances. If we allow these personal rights and liberties to be encroached on we’re in great danger. And in fact this whole question of national security. If we didn’t have this kind of hyped up, brute force policy of militarism, a foreign policy based on securing oil resources, and fighting to secure them, and dropping bombs on weddings and funerals in pursuit of these drone wars. If we didn’t have such a foreign policy there would be no need for, hyped up national security. Remember al-Qaeda’s, you know, whole cause was to get Americans out of Saudi Arabia and out of their holy lands. If we were not on foreign soil securing oil to start with, we wouldn’t have this threat to our national security. Therein lies the real answer to our security issues. In fact we can strengthen our national security at the same time that we strengthen our personal liberties, develop a green economy here at home through the Green New Deal which will address the climate crisis as well as the jobs crisis while enabling us to downsize the military, bring our troops back from over 1000 bases in over 140 countries around the world. This is the biggest challenge to our national security, that and the climate threat and the economic threat. We can take care of all of that without sacrificing our personal liberties.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Okay, you’ve got the time. We’ve got three more questions here. We go to a quick lightning round for thirty-second answers. I know you both have busy schedules. Can we do that and then go to the close?</p>
<p>[Dr. Stein nods yes]</p>
<p>We seem to have the technology on a roll now.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Very good.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor, when and why should the United States consider drone strikes overseas?</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – Well I would never say never, but I would suggest that these drone strikes make us the villain of the world as opposed to the beacon on the hill as opposed to the country that’s always stood up against the bully. We’ve become the bully and I think these drone strikes symbolize that.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Doctor?</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Okay. I want to agree with the Governor on that. I can think of no circumstances where a technology with extremely high rates of civilian kill, a technology that essentially sentences people to death without even knowing who they are, let alone what their crime is and entitling them, you know, to a trial by jury. This is a very dehumanized, draconian form of warfare that has an unavoidable, high civilian casualty rate. These are basically war crimes waiting to happen with drones. I think we should be leading the charge for an international convention to ban the use of drones as a weapon of war and as a mode of spying on civilians. I think we should be in the business of banning drones, not expanding them in what’s effectively a new, and very expensive, and deadly arms race.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Staying with you Dr. Stein, Deon on Google Plus would like to know what role you believe the federal government should play in improving k through twelve public education.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – So in public education I think we need to throw in the towel as quickly as possible in this race to the top and the no child behind programs which are effectively privatization programs. I think we know what works in education. Its not teaching kids like you think they’re rats and you gotta just do rote memorization. That’s not how kids work. You need to teach to the whole student for lifetime learning. We need to lower class size, lower the ratio of students to teachers. We need to end poverty, because it’s poverty, which interferes with education. Above all, poverty, health problems, community violence, and homelessness. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to educate a child. The Green New Deal is a program to eliminate poverty and it will essentially allow us to bring kids to school who are ready to learn.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Governor.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I would abolish the federal Department of Education. Established in 1979, under Jimmy Carter. I don’t think there is anything that would suggest that the Department of Education has been value-added since 1979. The federal government gives each state about 11 cents out of every school dollar that every state spends, but it comes with 16 cents worth of strings attached. Federal government says, here’s 11 cents and you have to do A, B, C, D. Well A, B, C, D, costs 16 cents. So it really is a negative to take federal dollars I think federal government needs to get out of the educational business completely. Give it up to the states, fifty laboratories of innovation and best practice. And I think that’s exactly what we will have. We’ll have some fabulous success that will get emulated, we’ll also have some horrible failure that will get avoided, but if we have fifty different laboratories working on this as opposed to Washington-knows-best, Washington-top-down-has-all-the-answers, they don’t.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you to both of you for your responses and the discussions on the issues and we’d like to thank our followers who submitted the questions. We’ve come to the end of the question period and an opportunity for two minutes for each of the candidates to give closing statement and you’re certainly welcome to address any issues that the questions didn’t touch upon. And we’ll start with two minutes to Governor, excuse me, to Governor Johnson.</p>
<p>Gov. Gary Johnson – I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think that I could do a really good job as President of the United States. So I want to ask everybody out there to just check me out, Gary Johnson 2012 dot com. I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life. I started a one-man handyman business in Albuquerque in 1974. Actually grew that business to employ over 1000 people. It’s amazing what can happen when you show up on time and what you do, and what you say you’ll do, you do. It’s amazing how far you can get with that. I sold that business in 1999, nobody lost their job. They’re doing better than ever. It allows me to have a full time job, a full-time unpaid job running for President of the United States. I was a two-term Governor of New Mexico. I came into politics completely outside of politics. The Republican Party was inclusive in New Mexico, they said, ‘hey you can go out, you can make your case. You can go to all the meet-ups. You can take part in all the debates and the discussions, but you just need to know that you’ll never win. That it’s not possible to come from completely outside of politics and get elected Governor in a state that’s two to one democrat.’ Well I got elected and it was based on what I had to say. I’d like to think, which was, ‘Hey smaller government is a good thing. Keep government out of the bedroom. And then, how about a common sense, business approach to state government. Best product, best service, lowest price.’ In that context I vetoed 750 bills only two were overturned. It made a difference when it came to billions of dollars worth of spending. It made a difference when it came to government telling you or I what we could or couldn’t do in the bedroom. I think the biggest indicator of how all that came, went down was in a state that was two to one Democrat, in a state where I made a name for myself really being a penny-pincher, I got re-elected by a bigger margin the second time than the first time, which I just think speaks volumes to the fact, people really do appreciate good stewardship of tax dollars. We need to balance the federal budget now or we’re going to find ourselves in a monetary collapse. Let’s eliminate income tax, corporate tax. Let’s abolish the IRS. Let’s reboot the American economy for the next 100 years. Let’s bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Let’s create tens of millions of jobs because of that environment that we have more, that we do have the capability of creating.</p>
<p>Steve Peace – Thank you Governor. Dr. Stein.</p>
<p>Dr. Jill Stein – Great. Okay so thanks to everyone for being a part of this very interesting discussion and I also just wanted to take this opportunity to invite Governor Johnson to participate in a debate on Monday night with Democracy Now. I think that he brings really important issues to the table, that badly need to be heard. I think we need to diversify the discussion in this election. He brings a really important part of that diversity to the table and really important experience. So I just wanted to thank you. Not to mention that we agree I think on so many critical things. On peace, freedom, ending the drug wars and the bailouts, and you know the more that these ideas are pushed forward this election, the better. I’ll just say a quick word about myself. I come to this as a mother and a medical doctor, basically. When people say ‘what kind of medicine are you practicing?’ I say ‘now I’m practicing political medicine because it’s the mother of all illnesses and we’ve got to fix this one if we’re going to fix everything else that ails us.’ Specifically I got into this as a mom of young kids and a medical doctor seeing the healthcare system falling apart, but also seeing this epidemic of new diseases descending on our kids. Which, you know, I think is cause for great consternation not only cause they’re getting sick with things they never had before, not just them but they’re indicators of how we’re all getting sick, everything from asthma to cancers, learning disabilities, autism, diabetes, obesity. These are epidemics that we didn’t used to have. As a, I said to myself, ‘I don’t feel good just giving people….</p>
<p>[Dr. Stein’s connection dies]</p>
<p>Steve Peace – So we, lost the connection there. Dr. Stein thank you for your presentation if you jump back on, we’ll hook you back in. Governor, thank you</p>
<p>Gov. Johnson – Thank you Steve</p>
<p>Steve Peace – For those that participated in this Google plus hang out. Thank you for participating. Thank you for your questions and we urge you to turn to IVN.us for unfiltered political news about these candidates and more on November 6th. Thank you and goodnight.</p>
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official transcript the160jill stein gary johnson debate hosted ivn google plus hangouts october 18 2012 steve peace welcome ivn presidential debate name steve peace im cochair independent voter project joined governor gary johnson laramie wyoming hes libertarian party candidate president united states dr jill stein shes joining us seattle washington shes green party candidate president candidates introduce platforms prior debate questions submitted theyre coming independentminded voters facebook twitter google questions cover multiple issues domestic foreign policy order answering questions determined coin toss governor johnson toss introduce first dr stein take first question alternate order throughout questions governor johnson well start opening statement gov gary johnson steve three minutes opening statement steve peace gov gary johnson well think country deep trouble cant bury heads sand fact deep trouble im different think everybody else lets bomb iran think bomb iran going find another 100 million enemies country wouldnt otherwise lets get afghanistan tomorrow bring troops home think marriage equality constitutionally guaranteed right would propose ending drug wars legalize marijuana think actually tipping point marijuana ballot colorado think going pass perhaps first 50 states actually legalize marijuana would never signed patriot act allowing homeland security think incredibly redundant would look eliminate tsa federal agency leave airports airlines municipalities states think need balance federal budget promising submit balanced budget congress year 2013 would 14 trillion dollar reduction federal spending got start talking medicaid medicare military spending debate couple weeks ago obama romney whos going spend money medicare medicare program paying 30 dollars getting 100dollar benefit extension paying 30000 dollars getting 100000dollar benefit absolutely unsustainable proposing eliminate income tax corporate tax abolish irs replace one federal consumption tax case embracing fair tax think answer american exports ends cost neutral short amount time since bleeding existing federal taxes goods services answer comes exports zero corporate tax rate environment private sector doesnt create tens millions jobs dont know takes create tens millions jobs also see manufacturing jobs flocking back united states zero corporate tax rate environment immigration immigration lets build fence across border lets make easy possible let someone wants come country work get work visa green card citizenship work visa would entail background check social security card applicable taxes would get paid adopt fair tax taxes wont issue whether youre visitor united states illegal immigrant legal immigrant us citizen nobody going able avoid paying one federal consumption tax much border issues border violence legalize marijuana arguably 75 percent border violence mexico goes away 11 million illegal immigrants right lets set grace period document 11 million illegal immigrants lets talk deporting breaking families get back criminals working country either 160that real basis issuing visas theres opening statement steve peace thank much governor dr stein three minutes dr jill stein steve peace doctor need unmute youre mute well start dr jill stein hear gov gary johnson go steve peace good innovative introduction dr jill stein ok great alright sorry trying reduce feedback headset seemed cause us mute back first big thank independent voter network creating important dialogue big thank gary johnson campaign think many really critical ways completely agreement page war importance civil liberties protecting freedoms country founded importance ending drug wars stopping wall street bailouts think really fundamental points agreement know many people overshadow areas disagreement economic social policy think agreeing basic principles freedom democracy really important point intersection two parties campaigns many people independent voters said im going focus key agenda campaign believe american people see fundamentally breaking point people planet economy democracy actually change breaking point tipping point election time many people breaking away politics usual 160and advancing really critical solutions many people supporting poll poll 160these good roadtested solutions fact affordable within reach calling start green new deal create jobs simply tax breaks wealthy democratic republican parties calling instead like vast majority american public saying tax breaks actual jobs calling jobs like created new deal got us great depression four million jobs created within first weeks eight weeks actually new deal theres excuse us sit chronic relentless recession still calling creating jobs directly stimulus package president passed provided largely tax breaks tax breaks dont create jobs calling fact direct job creation level communities areas green economy particular two crises economic jobless crisis also crisis climate solve one fell swoop green new deal provides resources communities create jobs become sustainable ecologically also socially economically calling jobs clean renewable energy conservation local sustainable agriculture public transportation clean manufacturing well hiring back hundreds thousands teachers laid hiring childcare afterschool homecare affordable housing construction violence drug abuse prevention rehabilitation broad spectrum point communities decide washingtondriven cookie cutter program rather puts national resources hands communities create jobs need calling healthcare steve peace thank dr stein youre little time dr jill stein okay thank steve peace lets go questions want get questions friends google plus facebook twitter get first question basically three minutes answer reserve time well keep track well allow rebuttal time reserve three minutes use two minutes governor twominute response reserved minute rebuttal otherwise use three minutes well listen governors response ok well try flexible stay schedule dr jill stein time signal screen somewhere see steve peace getting left hand side screen little notification youll get thirty second dr jill stein okay weve got thank steve peace okay great first general category question comes allie wisconsin dr stein four years president obamas 2008 campaign hope change argued weve definitely learned enacting reforms difficult simply campaigning knowing difficult president obama plan get congress board platform dr jill stein great first let say president obama drinking koolaid big way funded wall street funded health insurance pharmaceutical companies funded fossil fuels know hard turn around bite hand feeding got exactly one would expected looking funders burden shall say campaign carry dont take money comes strings attached means dont take money corporations lobbyists pacs super pacs dont believe onedollar one vote believe oneperson one vote actually ability say say said come ability actually carry agenda promised uphold specifically president wanted could simply commander chief could also organizer chief president incredible ability go primetime tv send email blasts go public service radio announcements basically inform everyday people key bills coming main reasons shouldnt pass turn people loose talk elected officials actually instruct represent people may remember sopa pipa bills going considered slam dunk way ordinary people going stop word got internet bills works would enable corporations censor internet people got horn within two weeks bill stopped tracks gary johnsons computer dies rule exception washington works everyday people flying blind democracy informed empowered people need know whats going ability weigh concise timeeffective manner say yes want healthcare human right want legalize marijuana want end debt students instead bailing banks fourth time obama administration right fed third quantitative easing theyre spending forty billion dollars month bailing wall street banks yet would horn telling people lets change lets instead bailing wall street lets bail students put everyday people back charge democracy steve peace thank dr stein governor doctor used time youll two minutes rebuttal dr stein getting feed steve peace okay weve got technical issue governors shop dr stein ill give another question well circle back tax rate capital gains dividends set go 15 percent general income tax rate january first would address issue office dr jill stein let first say thats occurring high levels income tiny percentage voters richest voters fact believe top two percent people incomes 250000 dollars going face increase believe bush tax cuts applied im mistaken dont believe let think minute thats understanding increase capital gains dividends going apply high levels income let say capital gains dividend taxes generally applies top ten percent thats afford make investments whether applying top two percent tax hits people great means benefited enormously changes economy past several decades tax burden shrunk across categories taxes wealthiest time income surged wealthiest fact things unequal top 1 percent actually 40 percent resources wealth country lower half one every two people poorest people share among one percent thats like hundred people room hundred loaves bread forty loaves hand one person skinniest fifty people room one loaf bread share among let say overarching statement badly need correct extraordinary obscene economic inequality everyday people facing right one hit harder fact young people younger generation right theyre facing 50 percent unemployment rate carrying around extraordinarily high debt burdens top young people getting hit disparities way much elders facing relying medicare social security keep poverty general broad statement think americans dont like vast inequalities thats country right greater developed country fact category undeveloped countries banana republics dictatorships right category economic inequality need fix calling fixing green new deal also fixing ending incredible unfair tax breaks given wealthiest members society includes drastic cuts capital gains dividends steve peace doctor let go script minute theyre working technical issues laramie interesting experience week officially sponsored republican democratic debates would like comment little process televised debates efforts campaign others made opportunity participate dr jill stein yes want thank gary johnsons campaign well campaign like fighting try open debates debates controlled commission called commission presidential debates really called commission censor presidential debates private corporation controlled democratic republican parties whose express purpose limit debates means limiting candidates means limiting american voter means preventing american voter understanding choices really candidates also policies american public diverse know three hundred million people theres reason world try squeeze three hundred diverse people two pigeon holes bought paid corporate interests driving us climate change driving us healthcare boondoggles like obamacare romneycare whichever call really deliver goods health insurance pharmaceutical companies everyday people went protest debate arrested entrance even debate hall entrance hofstra university running mate cheri honkala allowed even pass arrested arrested put tight plastic handcuff restraints taken secret undisclosed location black site handcuffed metal chairs eight hours 11 pm arrested shortly 2 pm one staff actually quite bit sleuthing finally able override intelligence homeland security secret service doesnt say much effectiveness homeland security secret service untrained campaign able get around black actually find site told would arrested stayed site even back debate site told would arrested stayed entrance simply member green party steve peace id like go back discussion makeup commission another technical issue ive slipped note ear buds doctor believe technical folks need put ear buds cut echo effect cutting edge technology know experimenting sounds good im told doctor back weve got mute issue maybe even put ear bud guys ah governor back coming see gov gary johnson right great need headphones dont em alright steve peace hello governor gov gary johnson hi steve peace weve ventured discussion lost presidential debates hosted official commission last two debates doctor credited campaign working terms making efforts get involved discussed difficulty working commission wanted give little opportunity comment efforts participate televised debates gov gary johnson well filed suit filed suit california filed suit washington dc put emergency clauses suits hope get ruled course successful green party also successful presidential debate commission made republicans democrats really interest whatsoever seeing third party stage difficult getting ballot states difficult right im ballot 49 states one states im official write candidate michigan oklahoma excluded us ballot looks like oklahoma state ballot might add americans elect made us candidate made candidate made nominee oklahoma proud courts threw stacked deck whether debate commission whether ballot access name system made two parties interests really hard crack steve peace question jack twitter dr stein suggested student debt forgiven education free kindergarten college governor would address rising student loan debt education costs gov gary johnson well think main reason high education costs guaranteed government student loans thats real catch 22 students right young people facing college faced insurmountable costs really tuition throw number 15000 dollars semester well know kids determining whether want go school young people determining whether want pay much amount money recognizing cant afford theres obvious guaranteed government student loans guaranteed students loans exist suggest cost higher education dramatically decrease reason high cost college tuition really think also individual states states come innovative programs governor new mexico actually signed legislation allowed lottery scholarships enacted lottery new mexico proceeds going education higher education governor every graduate high school new mexico basically got free college tuition lottery scholarships minimum requirements minimum requirements believe like c c grades steve peace dr stein couple minutes rebuttal dr jill stein gov gary johnson gone frozen steve peace dr stein need unmute dr jill stein hear steve peace go perfect dr jill stein okay hear reason doesnt leave cant hear put wait let switch technology im talking im listening youre hearing steve peace well point dr jill stein alright good ill say massachusetts free public higher education part university massachusetts system many many years price slowly crept free even government loans free became unfree state decided higher priorities young people higher priorities economy really requires educated workers productive economy particular healthcare costs climbing devouring bigger sections budget time larger tax breaks provided wealthy two drains economy fixed one thing moving medicare system greatly reduces costs healthcare every developed nation provides comprehensive healthcare half cost per person costs country ensure dragging budgets likes obamacare romneycare fact move medicare eliminates massive red tape bureaucracy gobbling 30 percent every healthcare dollar back issue student loans want underscore say free public higher education pays know gi bill following second world war taxpayers paid education returning soldiers go college knew cause carefully studied every dollar taxpayers invested higher education seven dollars returned economic benefits including enough tax revenue students good jobs educated money came back tax base paid costs higher education steve peace governor thirty seconds left rebuttal gov gary johnsons connection dies well lost connection wyoming dr stein let go masons question facebook youre green new deal focuses eliminating use fossil fuels place renewable energy would plan transition fossil fuels renewables long think transition would take dr jill stein know view transition long gov gary johnson comes back online required everything humanly possible make happen quickly possible science tells us actually coming close climate tipping points anyone whos looking around youll notice last year know weve hottest year record protracted drought 60 percent continental us record forest fires forest destruction fires well arctic 25 percent couple decades ago way ahead schedule science far optimistic climate emergency hands critical move ahead due speed science told us arctic would another couple decades science said havent substantial progress 2020 essentially goose cooked climate proceed melt reality doesnt like change get couple degrees warmer goes perpetual state warming compatible either economy civilization know including melting glaciers ice caps steve peace governor want weigh doctors green new deal proposal gov gary johnson im sorry steve steve peace yeah twominute rebuttal dr steins new green deal proposal question would transition fossil fuel environment green energy production gov gary johnson im getting terrific feedback cant even hear steve peace bear us folks go kind like operating mission control know trying land moon 1960 gov gary johnson look think need free market approaches comes energy consumers demanding cleaner energy going get cleaner energy best indicator good environment good economy consumers like say demanding cleaner energy fifty years today cleaner energy cleaner energy today fifty years ago im talking carbon emission fact demanding less carbon emission think balanced approach free market approach natural gas figures oil figures bauching united states huge contributor energy independence renewables play roll nuclear plays roll would opposed cap trade legislation think would really devastate economy steve peace governor next question mike facebook asks theres great deal focus middle class election cycle would argue poor left discussion immediate actions would take address poverty america gov gary johnson think government create level playing field us something exist today crony capitalism alive well individuals groups corporations sell loopholes excuse im getting horrible feedback steve im sorry individuals groups corporations buy loopholes parties hand sell loopholes think eliminating income tax corporate tax abolishing irs replacing one federal consumption tax think really creates level playing field us think fallacy think government going able cure everyones ills dont think fallacy government fair base experience governor new mexico put issues first politics last think everybody saw notion may vetoed legislation fortynine governors country combined saw lot corporatist legislation saw legislation labeled competitive telecommunications bill lower prices better competition lower prices160 reality corporately sponsored piece legislation would actually reduced competition telecommunications back government capable creating equal opportunity thats would argue government ill get back also fact think biggest threat united states right fact borrowing printing money tune fortythree cents every dollar spend dont balance federal budget believe going find monetary collapse monetary collapse simply dollars pockets dont buy thing accompanying inflation comes along borrowing printing money tune 43 cents every dollar spend jill stein talks melting polar ice caps know monetary collapse shelves bare dollars dont buy anything way russia experienced end eighties thats going ugly situation going burning furniture keep warm unless actually get fiscal house order steve peace dr stein dr jill stein gov gary johnson cant hear steve peace doctor need unmute dr jill stein let take things okay alright learning go yeah wanted agree governor cant solve problem polar ice caps climate without also solving problem economy two solved together cant save people without planet cant save planet without economy works people one real benefits green new deal every dollar spent new green economy actually create three times many jobs youre hiring people weatherization conservation insulate homes businesses schools government buildings put effectively millions people work weatherization solve climate problem solve jobs problem happen speaking question previous questioner asked poor figure know low income poor people need especially jobs jobs pay living wages thats green new deal calls provides national resources create jobs community level put people back work jumpstart green economy localized economy phony economy high finance toxic economy dirty energy toxic nuclear power makes us sick poisons air water food rather jobs make communities healthy time make environment healthy stop climate change advantage green economy green new deal also makes wars oil obsolete means instead spending trillion dollars year spending bloated massive military industrial security complex instead put half hundreds billions dollars back economy ensuring poor jobs ensuring transition medicare everyone healthcare finally everyone equal access public higher education poor low income people need order level playing field start secure economic world steve peace im going combine question brady facebook todd virginia doctor johnson im sorry doctor johnson160 go theres proposal dr johnson governor stein work brady asks regulations needed prevent wall street financial sectors incurring another meltdown todd asks points neither past two administrations prosecuted individuals responsible mortgage meltdown regulations think necessary would deal whitecollar crime governor gov gary johnson well first dont think issue regulation issue allowing institutions made incredibly bad decisions fail would bailed institutions im vacuum lot really terrific freemarket economists person agree would systematic collapse let pose happened enron sarbanesoxley came really result enron ended fraud passed regulation law required mark market accounting tell saw thought holy cow isnt regulation absolutely needed makes total sense dont know regulation could qualify something need well meltdown 2008 multitrillion dollar mortgage derivatives market mortgage market multi trillion three trillion dollar market december 20th one 190000 dollar trade went five cents dollar securities yielding five cents dollar point everyone financial institutions mark assets market collapse prosecutions would love get root tell governor new mexico one things relished able get people table know really give dirty havent done prosecutions also say think want elect leader want elect leader thats going transparent look im going go prosecutions whatever reasons prosecuting dont think us really understand havent prosecutions really cant tell think bundling assets done way fraudulent really criminal steve peace dr stein im judging description experience debates day shed light whats going prosecutorial arena got ta unmute unmute dr jill stein okay steve peace go dr jill stein okay getting faster yeah mean prosecutions happening even ronald reagan prosecuted thousand clears throat corporate executives responsible sampl crash tiny compared crash think pretty clear theyre prosecuted theyre whitehouse barack obama whitehouse bed wall street timothy geithner know hes running treasury department looked way head fed head new york fed waste fraud abuse going know surprise wall streetrun whitehouse prosecuting wall street true head department justice fact many clients private company worked work someday many clients goldman sachs companies know crashed economy created predatory lending start targeted vulnerable people sold fraudulent mortgages bundled mortgages fraudulent securities peddled securities unsuspecting buyers many clients whole house cards came crashing demanded bailed want differ little bit governor bailouts created problem real problem even bailouts happened economy come crashing fraudulent mortgages bundled securities bet reason bet protections passed great depression repealed excellent case point regulations protecting american public regulations repealed bill clinton larry summers architect wall street crash ended glasssteagall law separated commercial investment banks also enabled reckless gambling speculation derivatives didnt happen accident weve weve learned allow much economic power concentrate hands thats democrats republicans bringing us quite time thats well fix administration steve peace doctor well stay foreign policy question alex google plus point humanitarian crisis syria despite general opposition intervention foreign countries merit unilateral action united states order prevent atrocities dr jill stein know seeing blowback libya know groups came power armed us interventions breed unpredictable violent results clear syria example many arms flowing syria flowing hands groups sworn enemies depose one government violently put weapons violence hands whoever know solution peace security looks like weve taught last ten years trillions dollars spent iraq afghanistan additional cases point intensively argued democrats republicans media compelling need intervention yet look weve gone even afghanistan strongest case made go deal alqaeda mess hands find exactly position russians couple decades ago dangerous territory get unilateral intervention areas dont belong dont good understanding culture whats going dont trusting relationships people argument made fundamentally weapons industry would love keep selling arms fact profiting sale arms every hotspot around world basically pouring gasoline fires religious ethnic national conflict around world entering conflicts unilaterally unless unique circumstances seen decades steve peace governor response gov gary johnson think intervene militarily real humanitarian wars engage governor new mexico life ive learned never say never dont think us want sit watch holocaust atrocities going ill borrow supreme court justice asked definition pornography said know really dont definition pornography say see know case dont think us want watch holocaust occurring dont want apply definition course action part weve forever militarily intervening syria right funding insurgents insurgents jihadists learn afghanistan funded osama bin laden end military interventions unintended consequences go along military interventions would suggest hundreds millions enemies country military interventions would otherwise exist drones take target drones also kill innocent civilians countries innocent civilians die friends family others vow vengeance united states including giving lives need bring vengeance steve peace thank governor one last question well move summaries160 question thats going think particular folks tuning google plus hangout linda twitter asks new technology creating many questions regarding governments role individual lives draw line personal privacy national security governor gov gary johnson well would never governor new mexico vetoed 750 bills thousands line item vetoes two overturned made difference came billions dollars worth spending made difference came government telling us shouldnt bedroom would worked president united states 911 would never established department homeland security would never established tsa would left airport security airports airlines municipalities states would never signed national defense authorization act allowing us citizens arrested detained without charged think fought wars civil liberties eroded would also like point aclu gave report card presidential candidates last cycle jill stein included analysis twentyfour liberty torches perfect score mitt romney rick santorum zero liberty torches twentyfour newt gingrich four liberty torches twentyfour barack obama sixteen liberty torches twentyfour ron paul eighteen liberty torches twentyfour gary johnson twentyone liberty torches twentyfour best grade came civil liberties civil liberties eroded growing police state country needs rolled back significantly steve peace dr stein ill pass torch go dr jill stein alright okay youre hearing okay great yeah want largely agree governor also agree benjamin franklin said sacrifice liberty freedom name security wind losing experience founding fathers mothers country think much applies today allow rights privacy right protest freedom press petition government redress grievances allow personal rights liberties encroached great danger fact whole question national security didnt kind hyped brute force policy militarism foreign policy based securing oil resources fighting secure dropping bombs weddings funerals pursuit drone wars didnt foreign policy would need hyped national security remember alqaedas know whole cause get americans saudi arabia holy lands foreign soil securing oil start wouldnt threat national security therein lies real answer security issues fact strengthen national security time strengthen personal liberties develop green economy home green new deal address climate crisis well jobs crisis enabling us downsize military bring troops back 1000 bases 140 countries around world biggest challenge national security climate threat economic threat take care without sacrificing personal liberties steve peace okay youve got time weve got three questions go quick lightning round thirtysecond answers know busy schedules go close dr stein nods yes seem technology roll gov gary johnson good steve peace governor united states consider drone strikes overseas gov gary johnson well would never say never would suggest drone strikes make us villain world opposed beacon hill opposed country thats always stood bully weve become bully think drone strikes symbolize steve peace doctor dr jill stein okay want agree governor think circumstances technology extremely high rates civilian kill technology essentially sentences people death without even knowing let alone crime entitling know trial jury dehumanized draconian form warfare unavoidable high civilian casualty rate basically war crimes waiting happen drones think leading charge international convention ban use drones weapon war mode spying civilians think business banning drones expanding whats effectively new expensive deadly arms race steve peace staying dr stein deon google plus would like know role believe federal government play improving k twelve public education dr jill stein public education think need throw towel quickly possible race top child behind programs effectively privatization programs think know works education teaching kids like think theyre rats got ta rote memorization thats kids work need teach whole student lifetime learning need lower class size lower ratio students teachers need end poverty poverty interferes education poverty health problems community violence homelessness takes village raise child takes village educate child green new deal program eliminate poverty essentially allow us bring kids school ready learn steve peace governor gov gary johnson would abolish federal department education established 1979 jimmy carter dont think anything would suggest department education valueadded since 1979 federal government gives state 11 cents every school dollar every state spends comes 16 cents worth strings attached federal government says heres 11 cents b c well b c costs 16 cents really negative take federal dollars think federal government needs get educational business completely give states fifty laboratories innovation best practice think thats exactly well fabulous success get emulated well also horrible failure get avoided fifty different laboratories working opposed washingtonknowsbest washingtontopdownhasalltheanswers dont steve peace thank responses discussions issues wed like thank followers submitted questions weve come end question period opportunity two minutes candidates give closing statement youre certainly welcome address issues questions didnt touch upon well start two minutes governor excuse governor johnson gov gary johnson wouldnt didnt think could really good job president united states want ask everybody check gary johnson 2012 dot com ive entrepreneur entire life started oneman handyman business albuquerque 1974 actually grew business employ 1000 people amazing happen show time say youll amazing far get sold business 1999 nobody lost job theyre better ever allows full time job fulltime unpaid job running president united states twoterm governor new mexico came politics completely outside politics republican party inclusive new mexico said hey go make case go meetups take part debates discussions need know youll never win possible come completely outside politics get elected governor state thats two one democrat well got elected based say id like think hey smaller government good thing keep government bedroom common sense business approach state government best product best service lowest price context vetoed 750 bills two overturned made difference came billions dollars worth spending made difference came government telling could couldnt bedroom think biggest indicator came went state two one democrat state made name really pennypincher got reelected bigger margin second time first time think speaks volumes fact people really appreciate good stewardship tax dollars need balance federal budget going find monetary collapse lets eliminate income tax corporate tax lets abolish irs lets reboot american economy next 100 years lets bring manufacturing jobs back united states lets create tens millions jobs environment capability creating steve peace thank governor dr stein dr jill stein great okay thanks everyone part interesting discussion also wanted take opportunity invite governor johnson participate debate monday night democracy think brings really important issues table badly need heard think need diversify discussion election brings really important part diversity table really important experience wanted thank mention agree think many critical things peace freedom ending drug wars bailouts know ideas pushed forward election better ill say quick word come mother medical doctor basically people say kind medicine practicing say im practicing political medicine mother illnesses weve got fix one going fix everything else ails us specifically got mom young kids medical doctor seeing healthcare system falling apart also seeing epidemic new diseases descending kids know think cause great consternation cause theyre getting sick things never theyre indicators getting sick everything asthma cancers learning disabilities autism diabetes obesity epidemics didnt used said dont feel good giving people dr steins connection dies steve peace lost connection dr stein thank presentation jump back well hook back governor thank gov johnson thank steve steve peace participated google plus hang thank participating thank questions urge turn ivnus unfiltered political news candidates november 6th thank goodnight 160 160 160 160
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<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s transport ministry confirmed a media report on Monday that the KBA automotive watchdog detected illicit emission-control software in Audi’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NSUG.DE" type="external">NSUG.DE</a>) latest Euro-6 diesel models and ordered a recall of the vehicles.</p> FILE PHOTO: The Audi booth displays the company logo at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
<p>Some 127,000 vehicles from Audi, a unit of Volkswagen ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=VOWG_p.DE" type="external">VOWG_p.DE</a>), are affected worldwide including 77,600 vehicles are registered in Germany, a spokeswoman for the German transport ministry said during a regular news conference.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NSUG.DE" type="external">Audi AG</a> 768.0 NSUG.DE Xetra +0.00 (+0.00%) NSUG.DE VOWG_p.DE
<p>Newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported that road transport authority KBA had told Audi to respond by Feb. 2 on how it plans to update vehicle software controlling emissions, making sure the cars are unable to illegally manipulate emission controls.</p>
<p>Audi said in a statement on Sunday that the models had been included in a voluntary recall of 850,000 diesel vehicles with V6 and V8 TDI engines announced in July.</p>
<p>Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Joseph Nasr</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> Ziyavudin Magomedov, the co-owner of Russia's Summa investment and trading group that was involved in construction of a soccer World Cup venue in Kaliningrad, 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 construction of a soccer World Cup venue in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.</p>
<p>The hearing in Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court was held to decide whether Magomedov and his associates should be detained pending trial.</p>
<p>The judge, Maria Sizintseva, said they 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> Slideshow (4 Images) MUSCULAR STATE
<p>Invited to speak from a metal 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>
<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>
<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>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>
<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 businesspeople 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>
<p>NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian police have launched a preliminary investigation into the husband of ICICI Bank’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ICBK.NS" type="external">ICBK.NS</a>) chief executive, as well as officials at the lender and at Videocon Group ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=VEDI.NS" type="external">VEDI.NS</a>), two sources said on Saturday, to assess whether there was any wrongdoing in lending practices.</p> Videocon Group Chairman Venugopal Dhoot poses for a picture at the company corporate office in Mumbai January 7, 2015. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
<p>Reports in many Indian media outlets in the past week have alleged that Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot invested 640 million rupees ($9.83 million) in Nu Power Renewables, a firm owned by Deepak Kochhar, the husband of ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, after Videocon secured a loan from a consortium of banks, including ICICI.</p>
<p>ICICI, India’s third-largest lender, has backed its CEO and said its board had “come to the conclusion that there is no question of any quid pro quo/nepotism/conflict of interest as is being alleged in various rumors”.</p>
<p>India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched a preliminary inquiry about two months ago to assess whether “nepotism” or “criminality” were involved, the two sources told Reuters, declining to be named. The investigation was ongoing, one source said.</p> ICICI Bank's Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar speaks during a news conference at the bank's headquarters in Mumbai February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
<p>ICICI Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Deepak Kochhar and Dhoot declined to comment.</p>
<p>In 2012, a consortium of more than 20 banks and other financial institutions approved loans of 400 billion rupees ($6.14 billion) to Videocon for debt consolidation, and an oil and gas capital expenditure program.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ICBK.NS" type="external">ICICI Bank Ltd</a> 278.35 ICBK.NS National Stock Exchange of India -5.55 (-1.95%) ICBK.NS VEDI.NS PNBK.NS
<p>Of this, ICICI Bank provided 32.5 billion rupees after its own credit panel approved the loan, ICICI Bank said in a statement earlier this week, that it was “important to note that Ms. Chanda Kochhar was not the chairperson of this committee”.</p>
<p>India’s banking sector has been on edge in recent weeks after state-run Punjab National Bank ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=PNBK.NS" type="external">PNBK.NS</a>) said that it had discovered that bank officials had issued nearly $2 billion of fraudulent loan guarantees. The case has stunned financial markets and led to heightened levels of investor concern around any wrongdoing at Indian banks.</p>
<p>It also comes at a time when Indian banks are struggling to tackle problems of record levels of bad loans on their books.</p>
<p>Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Aditya Kalra; Writing by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alison Williams</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>(Reuters) - Intercontinental Exchange Inc’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ICE.N" type="external">ICE.N</a>) New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is in talks to buy the Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX), the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, a month-and-a-half after U.S. regulators blocked the sale of CHX to China-based investors.</p> Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ICE.N" type="external">Intercontinental Exchange Inc</a> 72.52 ICE.N New York Stock Exchange +1.07 (+1.50%) ICE.N
<p>NYSE may pay about $70 million for CHX, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>CHX declined to comment while NYSE did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.</p>
<p>CHX said earlier in March it was looking for new potential buyers after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission killed a roughly $25 million deal in February, ending a two-year effort by the exchange to sell itself to a consortium led by China’s Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group and its U.S. affiliate North American Casin Holdings.</p>
<p>The politically sensitive deal was originally approved by the SEC staff, but the agency’s commissioners, led by Jay Clayton, an appointee of U.S. President Donald Trump, stayed the decision pending their own review nL2N1QO1D0.</p>
<p>Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri and Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
berlin reuters germanys transport ministry confirmed media report monday kba automotive watchdog detected illicit emissioncontrol software audis nsugde latest euro6 diesel models ordered recall vehicles file photo audi booth displays company logo north american international auto show detroit michigan us january 16 2018 reutersjonathan ernst 127000 vehicles audi unit volkswagen vowg_pde affected worldwide including 77600 vehicles registered germany spokeswoman german transport ministry said regular news conference audi ag 7680 nsugde xetra 000 000 nsugde vowg_pde newspaper bild sonntag reported road transport authority kba told audi respond feb 2 plans update vehicle software controlling emissions making sure cars unable illegally manipulate emission controls audi said statement sunday models included voluntary recall 850000 diesel vehicles v6 v8 tdi engines announced july reporting michael nienaber editing joseph nasr standards thomson reuters trust principles moscow reuters russian authorities saturday arrested billionaire ziyavudin magomedov charges embezzling 35 million one highestprofile prosecutions russian tycoon years ziyavudin magomedov coowner russias summa investment trading group involved construction soccer world cup venue kaliningrad 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 hearing moscows tverskoy district court held decide whether magomedov associates detained pending 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 slideshow 4 images muscular state invited speak metal cage courtroom magomedov dressed darkblue jogging suit said categorically disagree charges presented prosecution case stand scrutiny said needed treatment united states medical problem offered put 35 million bail im willing pull together money one thoughts might go run magomedov said novorossiyskiy morskoy torgovyi port pao 7765 nmtpmm moscow interbank currency exchange 019 233 nmtpmm trnf_pmm feshmm 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 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 businesspeople 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 new delhi reuters indian police launched preliminary investigation husband icici banks icbkns chief executive well officials lender videocon group vedins two sources said saturday assess whether wrongdoing lending practices videocon group chairman venugopal dhoot poses picture company corporate office mumbai january 7 2015 reutersdanish siddiqui reports many indian media outlets past week alleged videocon group chairman venugopal dhoot invested 640 million rupees 983 million nu power renewables firm owned deepak kochhar husband icici bank ceo chanda kochhar videocon secured loan consortium banks including icici icici indias thirdlargest lender backed ceo said board come conclusion question quid pro quonepotismconflict interest alleged various rumors indias central bureau investigation cbi launched preliminary inquiry two months ago assess whether nepotism criminality involved two sources told reuters declining named investigation ongoing one source said icici banks chief executive officer chanda kochhar speaks news conference banks headquarters mumbai february 10 2015 reutersdanish siddiqui icici bank immediately respond request comment deepak kochhar dhoot declined comment 2012 consortium 20 banks financial institutions approved loans 400 billion rupees 614 billion videocon debt consolidation oil gas capital expenditure program icici bank ltd 27835 icbkns national stock exchange india 555 195 icbkns vedins pnbkns icici bank provided 325 billion rupees credit panel approved loan icici bank said statement earlier week important note ms chanda kochhar chairperson committee indias banking sector edge recent weeks staterun punjab national bank pnbkns said discovered bank officials issued nearly 2 billion fraudulent loan guarantees case stunned financial markets led heightened levels investor concern around wrongdoing indian banks also comes time indian banks struggling tackle problems record levels bad loans books reporting krishna n das aditya kalra writing sankalp phartiyal editing raju gopalakrishnan alison williams 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 reuters intercontinental exchange incs icen new york stock exchange nyse talks buy chicago stock exchange chx wall street journal reported friday monthandahalf us regulators blocked sale chx chinabased investors traders work floor new york stock exchange nyse new york us march 26 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid intercontinental exchange inc 7252 icen new york stock exchange 107 150 icen nyse may pay 70 million chx journal reported citing people familiar matter chx declined comment nyse respond request comment outside regular business hours chx said earlier march looking new potential buyers us securities exchange commission killed roughly 25 million deal february ending twoyear effort exchange sell consortium led chinas chongqing casin enterprise group us affiliate north american casin holdings politically sensitive deal originally approved sec staff agencys commissioners led jay clayton appointee us president donald trump stayed decision pending review nl2n1qo1d0 reporting kanishka singh bengaluru editing amrutha gayathri sandra maler standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p>BARCELONA, Spain — A van veered onto a promenade and barreled down the busy walkway in central Barcelona on Thursday, swerving back and forth as it mowed down pedestrians and turned a picturesque tourist destination into a bloody killing zone. Thirteen people were killed and 100 were injured, 15 of them seriously, in what authorities called a terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Two people were arrested but the van driver, who fled on foot, remained at large. Early Friday morning, police killed five suspects engaged in an attack that injured six people in a seaside resort town and that the government for Spain’s Catalonia region said was connected to the Barcelona killings.</p>
<p>The late afternoon attack in the city’s Las Ramblas district left victims sprawled in the historic street, spattered with blood or writhing in pain from broken limbs. Others were ushered inside shops by officers with their guns drawn or fled in panic, screaming and carrying young children in their arms.</p>
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<p>“It was clearly a terror attack, intended to kill as many people as possible,” Josep Lluis Trapero, a senior police official for Catalonia told reporters late Thursday.</p>
<p>The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, saying in a statement on its Aamaq news agency that the attack was carried out by “soldiers of the Islamic State” in response to the extremist group’s calls for followers to target countries participating in the coalition trying to drive it from Syria and Iraq.</p>
<p>Early Friday, Catalan police said they shot and killed five suspects in response to a terrorist attack in the seaside resort town of Cambrils, south of Barcelona. They said the suspects carried bomb belts, which were detonated by a police bomb squad.</p>
<p>Media reports said a car crashed into a police vehicle and nearby civilians and police shot the attackers, one brandishing a knife. Police did not immediately say how the attack was carried out. A police officer and five civilians were injured and two were in serious condition.</p>
<p>Police are working on the theory that the Cambrils and Barcelona attacks are connected, as well as a Wednesday night explosion in the town of Alcanar in which one person was killed.</p>
<p>Catalan Interior Minister Joaquin Forn told local radio RAC1 early Friday that the Cambrils attack “follows the same trail” as the Barcelona attack. “There is a connection.”</p>
<p>He did not explain what connected the attacks but confirmed that the driver in the Barcelona attack remains at large.</p>
<p>The Catalan regional government said citizens from 24 countries were among the people killed and injured during the Barcelona van attack.</p>
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<p>Authorities said the dead included a Belgian and a Greek woman was among the injured. Australia confirmed three of its citizens were injured; two others were Taiwanese and one was from Hong Kong, according to their governments. Germany was investigating whether its citizens were among the dead or injured.</p>
<p>Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called the killings a “savage terrorist attack” and said Spaniards “are not just united in mourning, but especially in the firm determination to beat those who want to rob us of our values and our way of life.”</p>
<p>After the afternoon attack, Las Ramblas went into lockdown. Swarms of officers brandishing hand guns and automatic weapons launched a manhunt in the downtown district, ordering stores and cafes and public transport to shut down.</p>
<p>Several hours later authorities reported two arrests, one a Spanish national from Melilla, a Spanish-run Mediterranean seafront enclave in North Africa, and the other a Moroccan. They declined to identify them.</p>
<p>Trapero said neither of them was the van’s driver, who remained at large after abandoning the van and fleeing on foot. The arrests took place in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll and in Alcanar, where a gas explosion in a house is being investigated for a possible connection.</p>
<p>Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and other news outlets named one of the detained as Driss Oukabir, a French citizen of Moroccan origin. RTVE reported said Oukabir went to police in Ripoll to report that his identity documents had been stolen. Various Spanish media said the IDs with his name were found in the attack van and that he claimed his brother might have stolen them.</p>
<p>Media outlets ran photographs of Oukabir they said police had issued to identify one of the suspects. The regional police told the Associated Press that they had not distributed the photograph. They refused to say if he was one of the two detained.</p>
<p>Barcelona is the latest European city where attackers used a vehicle as a weapon of terror against a popular tourist destination, after other deadly attacks in France, Germany, Sweden and Britain.</p>
<p>“London, Brussels, Paris and some other European cities have had the same experience. It’s been Barcelona’s turn today,” Carles Puigdemont, president of Catalonia’s government.</p>
<p>Thursday’s bloodshed was Spain’s deadliest attack since 2004, when al-Qaida-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coordinated assaults on Madrid’s commuter trains. In the years since, Spanish authorities have arrested nearly 200 jihadists. The only deadly attacks were bombings claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA that killed five people over the past decade but it declared a cease-fire in 2011.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, Spaniards know the absurd and irrational pain that terrorism causes. We have received blows like this in recent years, but we also that terrorists can be beaten,” Rajoy said.</p>
<p>During the search for the perpetrators, troopers shot and killed a man who was in a vehicle that hit two officers at a traffic blockade on the outskirts of Barcelona. But Trapero said the driver’s actions were not linked to the van attack.</p>
<p>Las Ramblas cuts through the center of Barcelona and is one of the city’s top tourist destinations. It is a wide avenue of stalls and shops with a pedestrian-only walkway in the center while cars can travel on either side.</p>
<p>A taxi driver who witnessed the attack, Oscar Cano, said the white van suddenly jumped the curb and sped down the central pedestrian area at a high speed for about 500 yards (457 meters), veering from side to side as it targeted people.</p>
<p>“I heard a lot of people screaming and then I saw the van going down the boulevard,” another witness, Miguel Angel Rizo, told The Associated Press. “You could see all the bodies lying through Las Ramblas. It was brutal. A very tough image to see.”</p>
<p>Jordi Laparra, a 55-year-old physical education teacher and Barcelona resident, said it initially looked like a terrible traffic accident.</p>
<p>“At first I thought it was an accident, as the van crashed into 10 people or so and seemed to get stuck. But then he maneuvered left and accelerated full speed down the Ramblas and I realized it was a terrorist attack,” Laparra said. “He zigzagged from side to side into the kiosks, pinning as many people as he could, so they had no escape.”</p>
<p>Carol Augustin, a manager at La Palau Moja, an 18th-century former palace on Las Ramblas that now houses offices and a tourism center, said the van passed in front of the building.</p>
<p>“People started screaming and running into the office. It was such a chaotic situation. There were families with children,” she said.</p>
<p>Dutch visitor Tamara Jurgen said she and a friend were inside a clothing store steps from the scene and were kept inside until it was safe to leave.</p>
<p>“We were downstairs when it happened and everyone was screaming and running. We had to run up to the roof and throw our bags over a wall,” Jurgen said. “We were all together along this wall and we were scared we were going to have to jump.”</p>
<p>Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau announced a minute of silence to be held Friday in Barcelona’s main square “to show that we are not scared.” The prime minister announced three days of national mourning.</p>
<p>Leaders around the world offered their support and condolences to Barcelona after the attack.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump tweeted that the U.S. condemned the attack and “will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough &amp; strong, we love you!”</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. “stands with Spain against terror” while French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “All my thoughts and solidarity from France for the victims of the tragic attack in Barcelona. We will remain united and determined.”</p>
<p>Spain has been on a security alert one step below the maximum since June 2015 following attacks elsewhere in Europe and Africa.</p>
<p>Cars, trucks and vans have been the weapon of choice in multiple extremist attacks in Europe in the last year.</p>
<p>The deadliest targeted Bastille Day revelers in Nice, France, in July 2016, killing 86 people. In December 2016, 12 people died after a driver used a hijacked truck to drive into a Christmas market in Berlin.</p>
<p>Multiple attacks occurred in London this year. A man in a rented SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people before he ran onto the grounds of Parliament and stabbed an unarmed police officer to death in March.</p>
<p>Four other men drove onto the sidewalk of London Bridge, unleashing a rampage with knives that killed eight people in June. Another man also drove into pedestrians leaving a London mosque later in June.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Hatton reported from Lisbon. Associated Press writers Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Albert Stumm in Barcelona and Alan Clendenning in Phoenix also contributed to this report.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>This version corrects that the van veered onto a promenade, not a sidewalk.</p>
| false | 2 |
barcelona spain van veered onto promenade barreled busy walkway central barcelona thursday swerving back forth mowed pedestrians turned picturesque tourist destination bloody killing zone thirteen people killed 100 injured 15 seriously authorities called terrorist attack two people arrested van driver fled foot remained large early friday morning police killed five suspects engaged attack injured six people seaside resort town government spains catalonia region said connected barcelona killings late afternoon attack citys las ramblas district left victims sprawled historic street spattered blood writhing pain broken limbs others ushered inside shops officers guns drawn fled panic screaming carrying young children arms advertisement clearly terror attack intended kill many people possible josep lluis trapero senior police official catalonia told reporters late thursday islamic state group claimed responsibility saying statement aamaq news agency attack carried soldiers islamic state response extremist groups calls followers target countries participating coalition trying drive syria iraq early friday catalan police said shot killed five suspects response terrorist attack seaside resort town cambrils south barcelona said suspects carried bomb belts detonated police bomb squad media reports said car crashed police vehicle nearby civilians police shot attackers one brandishing knife police immediately say attack carried police officer five civilians injured two serious condition police working theory cambrils barcelona attacks connected well wednesday night explosion town alcanar one person killed catalan interior minister joaquin forn told local radio rac1 early friday cambrils attack follows trail barcelona attack connection explain connected attacks confirmed driver barcelona attack remains large catalan regional government said citizens 24 countries among people killed injured barcelona van attack advertisement authorities said dead included belgian greek woman among injured australia confirmed three citizens injured two others taiwanese one hong kong according governments germany investigating whether citizens among dead injured spanish prime minister mariano rajoy called killings savage terrorist attack said spaniards united mourning especially firm determination beat want rob us values way life afternoon attack las ramblas went lockdown swarms officers brandishing hand guns automatic weapons launched manhunt downtown district ordering stores cafes public transport shut several hours later authorities reported two arrests one spanish national melilla spanishrun mediterranean seafront enclave north africa moroccan declined identify trapero said neither vans driver remained large abandoning van fleeing foot arrests took place northern catalan town ripoll alcanar gas explosion house investigated possible connection spanish public broadcaster rtve news outlets named one detained driss oukabir french citizen moroccan origin rtve reported said oukabir went police ripoll report identity documents stolen various spanish media said ids name found attack van claimed brother might stolen media outlets ran photographs oukabir said police issued identify one suspects regional police told associated press distributed photograph refused say one two detained barcelona latest european city attackers used vehicle weapon terror popular tourist destination deadly attacks france germany sweden britain london brussels paris european cities experience barcelonas turn today carles puigdemont president catalonias government thursdays bloodshed spains deadliest attack since 2004 alqaidainspired bombers killed 192 people coordinated assaults madrids commuter trains years since spanish authorities arrested nearly 200 jihadists deadly attacks bombings claimed basque separatist group eta killed five people past decade declared ceasefire 2011 unfortunately spaniards know absurd irrational pain terrorism causes received blows like recent years also terrorists beaten rajoy said search perpetrators troopers shot killed man vehicle hit two officers traffic blockade outskirts barcelona trapero said drivers actions linked van attack las ramblas cuts center barcelona one citys top tourist destinations wide avenue stalls shops pedestrianonly walkway center cars travel either side taxi driver witnessed attack oscar cano said white van suddenly jumped curb sped central pedestrian area high speed 500 yards 457 meters veering side side targeted people heard lot people screaming saw van going boulevard another witness miguel angel rizo told associated press could see bodies lying las ramblas brutal tough image see jordi laparra 55yearold physical education teacher barcelona resident said initially looked like terrible traffic accident first thought accident van crashed 10 people seemed get stuck maneuvered left accelerated full speed ramblas realized terrorist attack laparra said zigzagged side side kiosks pinning many people could escape carol augustin manager la palau moja 18thcentury former palace las ramblas houses offices tourism center said van passed front building people started screaming running office chaotic situation families children said dutch visitor tamara jurgen said friend inside clothing store steps scene kept inside safe leave downstairs happened everyone screaming running run roof throw bags wall jurgen said together along wall scared going jump barcelona mayor ada colau announced minute silence held friday barcelonas main square show scared prime minister announced three days national mourning leaders around world offered support condolences barcelona attack president donald trump tweeted us condemned attack whatever necessary help tough amp strong love british prime minister theresa may said uk stands spain terror french president emmanuel macron tweeted thoughts solidarity france victims tragic attack barcelona remain united determined spain security alert one step maximum since june 2015 following attacks elsewhere europe africa cars trucks vans weapon choice multiple extremist attacks europe last year deadliest targeted bastille day revelers nice france july 2016 killing 86 people december 2016 12 people died driver used hijacked truck drive christmas market berlin multiple attacks occurred london year man rented suv plowed pedestrians westminster bridge killing four people ran onto grounds parliament stabbed unarmed police officer death march four men drove onto sidewalk london bridge unleashing rampage knives killed eight people june another man also drove pedestrians leaving london mosque later june ___ hatton reported lisbon associated press writers ciaran giles madrid albert stumm barcelona alan clendenning phoenix also contributed report __ version corrects van veered onto promenade sidewalk
| 931 |
<p>ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Saban saved his best for No. 6.</p>
<p>He's won plenty of national titles with better players than everyone else.</p>
<p>This time, it was all about the coach.</p>
<p>If there was ever any doubt that Saban will go down as the greatest ever to prowl a college sideline, it was totally erased with the championship that pulled him even with the Bear.</p>
<p>In a most un-Saban-like move, he switched quarterbacks at halftime of the national championship game, the kind of desperate ploy you might expect from a brash young up-and-comer, not a 66-year-old all about the methodical process — covering every base, accounting for every scenario, winning over and over again without a lot of drama.</p>
<p>Tua Tagovailoa, a ukulele-playing, left-handed freshman from Hawaii, took the field at the start of the third quarter with Alabama trailing 13-0 and doing absolutely nothing on offense. The Tide had accounted for just four first downs and 97 yards with two-year starter Jalen Hurts taking the snaps, but it was a bold decision nonetheless by the wily ol' coach.</p>
<p>After all, this was the biggest game of the season, and Hurts was the one who led Alabama there for the second year in a row. He's a proven winner, having lost only two out of 28 games coming into Monday night, and it certainly would've been the safe bet to stick with him a little longer.</p>
<p>But Saban — who refuses to let the game pass him by even as coaches young enough to be his sons keep attempting to take him down (including former assistant Kirby Smart, who now coaches Georgia) — switched to Tagovailoa without hesitation.</p>
<p>It might go down as the greatest decision in a career filled with them.</p>
<p>Tagovailoa completed 14 of 24 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, the last of them <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/walk-alabama-beats-georgia-ot-national-title" type="external">a 41-yard strike in overtime to DeVonta Smith that gave Alabama a 26-23 victory over Georgia</a> on Monday night.</p>
<p>"We've had this in our mind that, if we were struggling offensively, that we would give Tua an opportunity, even in the last game," Saban said. "No disrespect to Jalen, but ... I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did."</p>
<p>The Tide rallied from a pair of 13-point deficits, and managed to pull it together after Andy Pappanastos shanked a 36-yard field goal try that would've won the game on the final play of regulation. Georgia went on offense first in overtime and, after Jake Fromm took a huge sack, the Bulldogs settled for Ricardo Blankenship's 51-yard field goal.</p>
<p>Alabama's offense took the field and immediately fell into a huge hole. Georgia sniffed out a screen pass, Tagovailoa couldn't pick up his next option and Georgia dumped the youngster for a 16-yard loss.</p>
<p>One play later, the Tide was national champions.</p>
<p>With the poise of a veteran, Tagovailoa looked to his right, causing the Georgia safeties to slide toward that side of the field. Then he swung the other way, launching a pass to Smith streaking down the left sideline. He ran right by cornerback Malkom Parrish, who clearly thought he had help from safety Dominick Sanders, and hauled in a pass that was delivered in stride as he glided all alone into the end zone.</p>
<p>Saban has now won five national titles in his 11 years at Alabama, and his first season doesn't really count since he had to rebuild a program that had become a laughingstock under a string of mediocre coaches. When you throw in a BCS title from his time at LSU (albeit a shared title, since Southern Cal was voted No. 1 in The Associated Press poll), he's matched Bryant for the most championships by any coach.</p>
<p>And, really, Saban has the edge.</p>
<p>One of Bryant's titles comes with a huge asterisk. In 1973, the Tide finished No. 1 in the coaches' poll, which was finalized before the bowls. Alabama went on to lose to No. 2 Notre Dame 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl, giving the AP title to the Fighting Irish.</p>
<p>Let's be honest, nobody outside of Tuscaloosa and the Bryant family views that team as the best in the land.</p>
<p>Another feather in Saban's cap is the way he's won his championships. During the 2011 season, the Crimson Tide stifled LSU 21-0 with one of the great defensive performances in college football history. Two years ago, Alabama needed a dynamic offense and great special teams play to pull out a 45-40 victory over Clemson.</p>
<p>This time, he had to make a change right in the middle of the game at the most prominent position on the field.</p>
<p>That's a new one, even for Saban.</p>
<p>"Somebody tried to give me a game ball," he said. "It has to be a team ball."</p>
<p>Saban shows no signs of slowing down or giving the least bit of thought to retirement. He'll celebrate this title like he did all the other ones, for about 24 hours before he gets back to work in pursuit of No. 7.</p>
<p>"Every team wants to be successful," he said. "The message to the team tonight after this game was I hope you take something from this game and the resiliency that you showed in this game and it helps you be more successful in life.</p>
<p>"It's not just about winning the championship," Saban added, no doubt remembering a final-second loss to Clemson in last year's title game. "I know that's what you all write about and what you talk about and all that. We like winning, and we hate losing. But there's more to it than that."</p>
<p>Winning sure makes it a lot more fun, though.</p>
<p>As Smith hauled in the title-clinching pass, Saban ripped off his headset, threw his arms in the air and let out a bit of a scream.</p>
<p>For once in his life, he seemed caught off guard.</p>
<p>It only lasted a moment.</p>
<p>"I couldn't believe it," Saban said, shaking his head and repeating himself.</p>
<p>"I could not believe it."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963" type="external">www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963</a> . His work can be found at <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more AP college football coverage: <a href="http://www.collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">www.collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Saban saved his best for No. 6.</p>
<p>He's won plenty of national titles with better players than everyone else.</p>
<p>This time, it was all about the coach.</p>
<p>If there was ever any doubt that Saban will go down as the greatest ever to prowl a college sideline, it was totally erased with the championship that pulled him even with the Bear.</p>
<p>In a most un-Saban-like move, he switched quarterbacks at halftime of the national championship game, the kind of desperate ploy you might expect from a brash young up-and-comer, not a 66-year-old all about the methodical process — covering every base, accounting for every scenario, winning over and over again without a lot of drama.</p>
<p>Tua Tagovailoa, a ukulele-playing, left-handed freshman from Hawaii, took the field at the start of the third quarter with Alabama trailing 13-0 and doing absolutely nothing on offense. The Tide had accounted for just four first downs and 97 yards with two-year starter Jalen Hurts taking the snaps, but it was a bold decision nonetheless by the wily ol' coach.</p>
<p>After all, this was the biggest game of the season, and Hurts was the one who led Alabama there for the second year in a row. He's a proven winner, having lost only two out of 28 games coming into Monday night, and it certainly would've been the safe bet to stick with him a little longer.</p>
<p>But Saban — who refuses to let the game pass him by even as coaches young enough to be his sons keep attempting to take him down (including former assistant Kirby Smart, who now coaches Georgia) — switched to Tagovailoa without hesitation.</p>
<p>It might go down as the greatest decision in a career filled with them.</p>
<p>Tagovailoa completed 14 of 24 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, the last of them <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/walk-alabama-beats-georgia-ot-national-title" type="external">a 41-yard strike in overtime to DeVonta Smith that gave Alabama a 26-23 victory over Georgia</a> on Monday night.</p>
<p>"We've had this in our mind that, if we were struggling offensively, that we would give Tua an opportunity, even in the last game," Saban said. "No disrespect to Jalen, but ... I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did."</p>
<p>The Tide rallied from a pair of 13-point deficits, and managed to pull it together after Andy Pappanastos shanked a 36-yard field goal try that would've won the game on the final play of regulation. Georgia went on offense first in overtime and, after Jake Fromm took a huge sack, the Bulldogs settled for Ricardo Blankenship's 51-yard field goal.</p>
<p>Alabama's offense took the field and immediately fell into a huge hole. Georgia sniffed out a screen pass, Tagovailoa couldn't pick up his next option and Georgia dumped the youngster for a 16-yard loss.</p>
<p>One play later, the Tide was national champions.</p>
<p>With the poise of a veteran, Tagovailoa looked to his right, causing the Georgia safeties to slide toward that side of the field. Then he swung the other way, launching a pass to Smith streaking down the left sideline. He ran right by cornerback Malkom Parrish, who clearly thought he had help from safety Dominick Sanders, and hauled in a pass that was delivered in stride as he glided all alone into the end zone.</p>
<p>Saban has now won five national titles in his 11 years at Alabama, and his first season doesn't really count since he had to rebuild a program that had become a laughingstock under a string of mediocre coaches. When you throw in a BCS title from his time at LSU (albeit a shared title, since Southern Cal was voted No. 1 in The Associated Press poll), he's matched Bryant for the most championships by any coach.</p>
<p>And, really, Saban has the edge.</p>
<p>One of Bryant's titles comes with a huge asterisk. In 1973, the Tide finished No. 1 in the coaches' poll, which was finalized before the bowls. Alabama went on to lose to No. 2 Notre Dame 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl, giving the AP title to the Fighting Irish.</p>
<p>Let's be honest, nobody outside of Tuscaloosa and the Bryant family views that team as the best in the land.</p>
<p>Another feather in Saban's cap is the way he's won his championships. During the 2011 season, the Crimson Tide stifled LSU 21-0 with one of the great defensive performances in college football history. Two years ago, Alabama needed a dynamic offense and great special teams play to pull out a 45-40 victory over Clemson.</p>
<p>This time, he had to make a change right in the middle of the game at the most prominent position on the field.</p>
<p>That's a new one, even for Saban.</p>
<p>"Somebody tried to give me a game ball," he said. "It has to be a team ball."</p>
<p>Saban shows no signs of slowing down or giving the least bit of thought to retirement. He'll celebrate this title like he did all the other ones, for about 24 hours before he gets back to work in pursuit of No. 7.</p>
<p>"Every team wants to be successful," he said. "The message to the team tonight after this game was I hope you take something from this game and the resiliency that you showed in this game and it helps you be more successful in life.</p>
<p>"It's not just about winning the championship," Saban added, no doubt remembering a final-second loss to Clemson in last year's title game. "I know that's what you all write about and what you talk about and all that. We like winning, and we hate losing. But there's more to it than that."</p>
<p>Winning sure makes it a lot more fun, though.</p>
<p>As Smith hauled in the title-clinching pass, Saban ripped off his headset, threw his arms in the air and let out a bit of a scream.</p>
<p>For once in his life, he seemed caught off guard.</p>
<p>It only lasted a moment.</p>
<p>"I couldn't believe it," Saban said, shaking his head and repeating himself.</p>
<p>"I could not believe it."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963" type="external">www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963</a> . His work can be found at <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more AP college football coverage: <a href="http://www.collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">www.collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
| false | 2 |
atlanta ap nick saban saved best 6 hes plenty national titles better players everyone else time coach ever doubt saban go greatest ever prowl college sideline totally erased championship pulled even bear unsabanlike move switched quarterbacks halftime national championship game kind desperate ploy might expect brash young upandcomer 66yearold methodical process covering every base accounting every scenario winning without lot drama tua tagovailoa ukuleleplaying lefthanded freshman hawaii took field start third quarter alabama trailing 130 absolutely nothing offense tide accounted four first downs 97 yards twoyear starter jalen hurts taking snaps bold decision nonetheless wily ol coach biggest game season hurts one led alabama second year row hes proven winner lost two 28 games coming monday night certainly wouldve safe bet stick little longer saban refuses let game pass even coaches young enough sons keep attempting take including former assistant kirby smart coaches georgia switched tagovailoa without hesitation might go greatest decision career filled tagovailoa completed 14 24 passes 166 yards three touchdowns last 41yard strike overtime devonta smith gave alabama 2623 victory georgia monday night weve mind struggling offensively would give tua opportunity even last game saban said disrespect jalen thought tua would give us better chance spark certainly tide rallied pair 13point deficits managed pull together andy pappanastos shanked 36yard field goal try wouldve game final play regulation georgia went offense first overtime jake fromm took huge sack bulldogs settled ricardo blankenships 51yard field goal alabamas offense took field immediately fell huge hole georgia sniffed screen pass tagovailoa couldnt pick next option georgia dumped youngster 16yard loss one play later tide national champions poise veteran tagovailoa looked right causing georgia safeties slide toward side field swung way launching pass smith streaking left sideline ran right cornerback malkom parrish clearly thought help safety dominick sanders hauled pass delivered stride glided alone end zone saban five national titles 11 years alabama first season doesnt really count since rebuild program become laughingstock string mediocre coaches throw bcs title time lsu albeit shared title since southern cal voted 1 associated press poll hes matched bryant championships coach really saban edge one bryants titles comes huge asterisk 1973 tide finished 1 coaches poll finalized bowls alabama went lose 2 notre dame 2423 sugar bowl giving ap title fighting irish lets honest nobody outside tuscaloosa bryant family views team best land another feather sabans cap way hes championships 2011 season crimson tide stifled lsu 210 one great defensive performances college football history two years ago alabama needed dynamic offense great special teams play pull 4540 victory clemson time make change right middle game prominent position field thats new one even saban somebody tried give game ball said team ball saban shows signs slowing giving least bit thought retirement hell celebrate title like ones 24 hours gets back work pursuit 7 every team wants successful said message team tonight game hope take something game resiliency showed game helps successful life winning championship saban added doubt remembering finalsecond loss clemson last years title game know thats write talk like winning hate losing theres winning sure makes lot fun though smith hauled titleclinching pass saban ripped headset threw arms air let bit scream life seemed caught guard lasted moment couldnt believe saban said shaking head repeating could believe ___ follow paul newberry twitter wwwtwittercompnewberry1963 work found httpsapnewscomsearchpaul20newberry ___ ap college football coverage wwwcollegefootballaporg wwwtwittercomap_top25 atlanta ap nick saban saved best 6 hes plenty national titles better players everyone else time coach ever doubt saban go greatest ever prowl college sideline totally erased championship pulled even bear unsabanlike move switched quarterbacks halftime national championship game kind desperate ploy might expect brash young upandcomer 66yearold methodical process covering every base accounting every scenario winning without lot drama tua tagovailoa ukuleleplaying lefthanded freshman hawaii took field start third quarter alabama trailing 130 absolutely nothing offense tide accounted four first downs 97 yards twoyear starter jalen hurts taking snaps bold decision nonetheless wily ol coach biggest game season hurts one led alabama second year row hes proven winner lost two 28 games coming monday night certainly wouldve safe bet stick little longer saban refuses let game pass even coaches young enough sons keep attempting take including former assistant kirby smart coaches georgia switched tagovailoa without hesitation might go greatest decision career filled tagovailoa completed 14 24 passes 166 yards three touchdowns last 41yard strike overtime devonta smith gave alabama 2623 victory georgia monday night weve mind struggling offensively would give tua opportunity even last game saban said disrespect jalen thought tua would give us better chance spark certainly tide rallied pair 13point deficits managed pull together andy pappanastos shanked 36yard field goal try wouldve game final play regulation georgia went offense first overtime jake fromm took huge sack bulldogs settled ricardo blankenships 51yard field goal alabamas offense took field immediately fell huge hole georgia sniffed screen pass tagovailoa couldnt pick next option georgia dumped youngster 16yard loss one play later tide national champions poise veteran tagovailoa looked right causing georgia safeties slide toward side field swung way launching pass smith streaking left sideline ran right cornerback malkom parrish clearly thought help safety dominick sanders hauled pass delivered stride glided alone end zone saban five national titles 11 years alabama first season doesnt really count since rebuild program become laughingstock string mediocre coaches throw bcs title time lsu albeit shared title since southern cal voted 1 associated press poll hes matched bryant championships coach really saban edge one bryants titles comes huge asterisk 1973 tide finished 1 coaches poll finalized bowls alabama went lose 2 notre dame 2423 sugar bowl giving ap title fighting irish lets honest nobody outside tuscaloosa bryant family views team best land another feather sabans cap way hes championships 2011 season crimson tide stifled lsu 210 one great defensive performances college football history two years ago alabama needed dynamic offense great special teams play pull 4540 victory clemson time make change right middle game prominent position field thats new one even saban somebody tried give game ball said team ball saban shows signs slowing giving least bit thought retirement hell celebrate title like ones 24 hours gets back work pursuit 7 every team wants successful said message team tonight game hope take something game resiliency showed game helps successful life winning championship saban added doubt remembering finalsecond loss clemson last years title game know thats write talk like winning hate losing theres winning sure makes lot fun though smith hauled titleclinching pass saban ripped headset threw arms air let bit scream life seemed caught guard lasted moment couldnt believe saban said shaking head repeating could believe ___ follow paul newberry twitter wwwtwittercompnewberry1963 work found httpsapnewscomsearchpaul20newberry ___ ap college football coverage wwwcollegefootballaporg wwwtwittercomap_top25
| 1,114 |
<p>LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first time they met, the New York Rangers were introduced to an expansion Vegas Golden Knights team that was riddled with goaltender injuries and just 10 games into the season.</p>
<p>That was on Oct. 31, when New York erased rallied from two goals down to beat fourth-string goalie Max Lagace in a 6-4 victory. On Sunday night, the Rangers met a matured Golden Knights team that was looking to get even.</p>
<p>William Karlsson scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period to lift Vegas to a 2-1 victory over New York in front of a season-high 18,234 in attendance.</p>
<p>"At the beginning (of the season) we were having some collapses in the third, and that's not happening anymore," Karlsson said. "I think we're a better team than we were at the start. I think we're more complete. We have a solid four lines and our D pairs are great. Obviously, the goaltending has been awesome, too. We're just a more complete team now."</p>
<p>James Neal also scored his 18th goal of the season, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots to improve to 9-2-1.</p>
<p>Now at the halfway point of their inaugural campaign, the Golden Knights own the top home record in the league, moving to 18-2-1 in the first 21 contests at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is 9-0-1 in its last 10 at home, including seven straight wins.</p>
<p>"We're beating good hockey teams and we're playing good hockey," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "Tonight, we played a real good Ranger team. ... We stayed patient, we found a way to score late in the hockey game and win a big game."</p>
<p>Behind excellent puck movement on the game-winner, defenseman Deryk Engelland found Jonathan Marchessault with a blueline-to-blueline pass. Marchessault then pushed the puck forward to Reilly Smith, who found Karlsson at the right dot for a one-timer for his team-high 22nd of the season.</p>
<p>"Obviously I have Marchessault and Smith on my wings, so with them it's been really great," Karlsson said. "I have to thank them a lot. They've been great, and it's so easy to play with them."</p>
<p>Fleury turned in another spectacular performance, allowing two or fewer goals for the fifth consecutive time, while coming up with several big saves down the stretch.</p>
<p>"Our defensive players have been great, blocking shots and helping me out with rebounds and letting me see the puck. It's a good team effort," Fleury said. "Those are the kinds of games we're going to see later on in the season toward the end. We're finding ways to win those games. It's important, it's good for the confidence and it's good to know we can do that."</p>
<p>Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers and Ondrej Pavelec, making his 10th appearance of the season, finished with 32 saves.</p>
<p>"It's tough. We lost a game we wanted to win before the break, but we battled hard," Pavelec said. "I think we played a good third period and had some chances. But you can't be happy because we lost ... and that's all that matters."</p>
<p>Since the start of last season, New York is 14-7-0 in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Rangers, who lead the NHL in road wins since the start of last season with 34, were coming off a shootout victory at Arizona on Saturday night, when Henrik Lundqvist stopped 38 of 39 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and all three attempts in the shootout.</p>
<p>New York got on the board first when Zibanejad got his 13th of the season with a wrist shot that beat Fleury on the glove side.</p>
<p>Less than four minutes later, Neal capitalized on a turnover in the attacking zone, to the right of Pavelec, beating him top shelf with a wrist shot that tied the score.</p>
<p>Both teams now enter their bye weeks, and despite the loss, the Rangers enter the break 7-4-3 in their last 14 games.</p>
<p>For the Western Conference leaders, Gallant said it's time off his players have been talking about.</p>
<p>"We're ready for a week off, the guys are looking forward to it," Gallant said. "We push them all the time. They competed, they battled hard and we're at the halfway mark tonight, and the team's played really well. We gotta have a good break and get away from hockey for a while, come back on Friday and get back to practice and get ready for Saturday's game."</p>
<p>NOTES: Rangers C Mats Zuccarello is just one assist away from 200 in his NHL career. ... Engelland remains one point away from 100. ... Karlsson leads Vegas with 22 goals, Marchessault is tops with 40 points and tied with David Perron with a team-high 24 assists.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Rangers: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday.</p>
<p>Golden Knights: Host Edmonton on Saturday night.</p>
<p>LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first time they met, the New York Rangers were introduced to an expansion Vegas Golden Knights team that was riddled with goaltender injuries and just 10 games into the season.</p>
<p>That was on Oct. 31, when New York erased rallied from two goals down to beat fourth-string goalie Max Lagace in a 6-4 victory. On Sunday night, the Rangers met a matured Golden Knights team that was looking to get even.</p>
<p>William Karlsson scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period to lift Vegas to a 2-1 victory over New York in front of a season-high 18,234 in attendance.</p>
<p>"At the beginning (of the season) we were having some collapses in the third, and that's not happening anymore," Karlsson said. "I think we're a better team than we were at the start. I think we're more complete. We have a solid four lines and our D pairs are great. Obviously, the goaltending has been awesome, too. We're just a more complete team now."</p>
<p>James Neal also scored his 18th goal of the season, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots to improve to 9-2-1.</p>
<p>Now at the halfway point of their inaugural campaign, the Golden Knights own the top home record in the league, moving to 18-2-1 in the first 21 contests at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is 9-0-1 in its last 10 at home, including seven straight wins.</p>
<p>"We're beating good hockey teams and we're playing good hockey," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "Tonight, we played a real good Ranger team. ... We stayed patient, we found a way to score late in the hockey game and win a big game."</p>
<p>Behind excellent puck movement on the game-winner, defenseman Deryk Engelland found Jonathan Marchessault with a blueline-to-blueline pass. Marchessault then pushed the puck forward to Reilly Smith, who found Karlsson at the right dot for a one-timer for his team-high 22nd of the season.</p>
<p>"Obviously I have Marchessault and Smith on my wings, so with them it's been really great," Karlsson said. "I have to thank them a lot. They've been great, and it's so easy to play with them."</p>
<p>Fleury turned in another spectacular performance, allowing two or fewer goals for the fifth consecutive time, while coming up with several big saves down the stretch.</p>
<p>"Our defensive players have been great, blocking shots and helping me out with rebounds and letting me see the puck. It's a good team effort," Fleury said. "Those are the kinds of games we're going to see later on in the season toward the end. We're finding ways to win those games. It's important, it's good for the confidence and it's good to know we can do that."</p>
<p>Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers and Ondrej Pavelec, making his 10th appearance of the season, finished with 32 saves.</p>
<p>"It's tough. We lost a game we wanted to win before the break, but we battled hard," Pavelec said. "I think we played a good third period and had some chances. But you can't be happy because we lost ... and that's all that matters."</p>
<p>Since the start of last season, New York is 14-7-0 in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Rangers, who lead the NHL in road wins since the start of last season with 34, were coming off a shootout victory at Arizona on Saturday night, when Henrik Lundqvist stopped 38 of 39 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and all three attempts in the shootout.</p>
<p>New York got on the board first when Zibanejad got his 13th of the season with a wrist shot that beat Fleury on the glove side.</p>
<p>Less than four minutes later, Neal capitalized on a turnover in the attacking zone, to the right of Pavelec, beating him top shelf with a wrist shot that tied the score.</p>
<p>Both teams now enter their bye weeks, and despite the loss, the Rangers enter the break 7-4-3 in their last 14 games.</p>
<p>For the Western Conference leaders, Gallant said it's time off his players have been talking about.</p>
<p>"We're ready for a week off, the guys are looking forward to it," Gallant said. "We push them all the time. They competed, they battled hard and we're at the halfway mark tonight, and the team's played really well. We gotta have a good break and get away from hockey for a while, come back on Friday and get back to practice and get ready for Saturday's game."</p>
<p>NOTES: Rangers C Mats Zuccarello is just one assist away from 200 in his NHL career. ... Engelland remains one point away from 100. ... Karlsson leads Vegas with 22 goals, Marchessault is tops with 40 points and tied with David Perron with a team-high 24 assists.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Rangers: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday.</p>
<p>Golden Knights: Host Edmonton on Saturday night.</p>
| false | 2 |
las vegas ap first time met new york rangers introduced expansion vegas golden knights team riddled goaltender injuries 10 games season oct 31 new york erased rallied two goals beat fourthstring goalie max lagace 64 victory sunday night rangers met matured golden knights team looking get even william karlsson scored tiebreaking goal midway third period lift vegas 21 victory new york front seasonhigh 18234 attendance beginning season collapses third thats happening anymore karlsson said think better team start think complete solid four lines pairs great obviously goaltending awesome complete team james neal also scored 18th goal season marcandre fleury stopped 28 shots improve 921 halfway point inaugural campaign golden knights top home record league moving 1821 first 21 contests tmobile arena vegas 901 last 10 home including seven straight wins beating good hockey teams playing good hockey vegas coach gerard gallant said tonight played real good ranger team stayed patient found way score late hockey game win big game behind excellent puck movement gamewinner defenseman deryk engelland found jonathan marchessault bluelinetoblueline pass marchessault pushed puck forward reilly smith found karlsson right dot onetimer teamhigh 22nd season obviously marchessault smith wings really great karlsson said thank lot theyve great easy play fleury turned another spectacular performance allowing two fewer goals fifth consecutive time coming several big saves stretch defensive players great blocking shots helping rebounds letting see puck good team effort fleury said kinds games going see later season toward end finding ways win games important good confidence good know mika zibanejad scored rangers ondrej pavelec making 10th appearance season finished 32 saves tough lost game wanted win break battled hard pavelec said think played good third period chances cant happy lost thats matters since start last season new york 1470 second game backtoback set rangers lead nhl road wins since start last season 34 coming shootout victory arizona saturday night henrik lundqvist stopped 38 39 shots faced regulation overtime three attempts shootout new york got board first zibanejad got 13th season wrist shot beat fleury glove side less four minutes later neal capitalized turnover attacking zone right pavelec beating top shelf wrist shot tied score teams enter bye weeks despite loss rangers enter break 743 last 14 games western conference leaders gallant said time players talking ready week guys looking forward gallant said push time competed battled hard halfway mark tonight teams played really well got ta good break get away hockey come back friday get back practice get ready saturdays game notes rangers c mats zuccarello one assist away 200 nhl career engelland remains one point away 100 karlsson leads vegas 22 goals marchessault tops 40 points tied david perron teamhigh 24 assists next rangers host new york islanders saturday golden knights host edmonton saturday night las vegas ap first time met new york rangers introduced expansion vegas golden knights team riddled goaltender injuries 10 games season oct 31 new york erased rallied two goals beat fourthstring goalie max lagace 64 victory sunday night rangers met matured golden knights team looking get even william karlsson scored tiebreaking goal midway third period lift vegas 21 victory new york front seasonhigh 18234 attendance beginning season collapses third thats happening anymore karlsson said think better team start think complete solid four lines pairs great obviously goaltending awesome complete team james neal also scored 18th goal season marcandre fleury stopped 28 shots improve 921 halfway point inaugural campaign golden knights top home record league moving 1821 first 21 contests tmobile arena vegas 901 last 10 home including seven straight wins beating good hockey teams playing good hockey vegas coach gerard gallant said tonight played real good ranger team stayed patient found way score late hockey game win big game behind excellent puck movement gamewinner defenseman deryk engelland found jonathan marchessault bluelinetoblueline pass marchessault pushed puck forward reilly smith found karlsson right dot onetimer teamhigh 22nd season obviously marchessault smith wings really great karlsson said thank lot theyve great easy play fleury turned another spectacular performance allowing two fewer goals fifth consecutive time coming several big saves stretch defensive players great blocking shots helping rebounds letting see puck good team effort fleury said kinds games going see later season toward end finding ways win games important good confidence good know mika zibanejad scored rangers ondrej pavelec making 10th appearance season finished 32 saves tough lost game wanted win break battled hard pavelec said think played good third period chances cant happy lost thats matters since start last season new york 1470 second game backtoback set rangers lead nhl road wins since start last season 34 coming shootout victory arizona saturday night henrik lundqvist stopped 38 39 shots faced regulation overtime three attempts shootout new york got board first zibanejad got 13th season wrist shot beat fleury glove side less four minutes later neal capitalized turnover attacking zone right pavelec beating top shelf wrist shot tied score teams enter bye weeks despite loss rangers enter break 743 last 14 games western conference leaders gallant said time players talking ready week guys looking forward gallant said push time competed battled hard halfway mark tonight teams played really well got ta good break get away hockey come back friday get back practice get ready saturdays game notes rangers c mats zuccarello one assist away 200 nhl career engelland remains one point away 100 karlsson leads vegas 22 goals marchessault tops 40 points tied david perron teamhigh 24 assists next rangers host new york islanders saturday golden knights host edmonton saturday night
| 914 |
<p>BOSTON (AP) — Marcus Smart helped complete a furious comeback for Boston on two plays he never touched the ball.</p>
<p>Smart drew an offensive foul on James Harden with 7.3 seconds left, getting the ball back in time for Al Horford to sink a hook shot with 3.7 seconds left, and the Celtics rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat Houston 99-98 on Thursday night.</p>
<p>“It just shows the value of Marcus Smart to our group and what he does for our team. It all started with him in the second half,” Horford said. “It was just a domino effect. That’s how special he is. And when he plays at that level we’re just a different team.”</p>
<p>After Horford’s shot, Smart did it again when he drew another foul on Harden and the Rockets ran out of time.</p>
<p>Kyrie Irving scored 26 and Jayson Tatum finished with 19 for the Celtics, who held Houston to just nine field goals in the second half while tying the largest comeback in the NBA this season.</p>
<p>“I’ve had a few comebacks, but this is a special one. From just how we started, it was just so ugly,” Irving said. “They came out firing. We just had to battle back. It took a lot. It took everybody.”</p>
<p>Smart and Terry Rozier had 13 points apiece and Horford finished with nine points and eight rebounds.</p>
<p>Tatum made a layup with seven seconds left to pull the Celtics within 98-97, then Smart had position on Harden for an offensive foul that gave Boston the ball. Horford converted from the lane to put Boston up for the first time in a game Houston had led throughout and dominated until midway through the third quarter.</p>
<p>Harden finished with 34 points and 10 assists. Eric Gordon scored 24 points for Houston, which shot 25 percent in the second half and lost its fourth straight.</p>
<p>“It was the tale of two halves,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We were kind of like them in the first half and they were like us in the second.”</p>
<p>The Rockets had one last chance after Horford’s go-ahead hook shot, but Harden was called for another offensive foul and time expired after Horford missed his second free throw.</p>
<p>Houston opened the game on a 12-0 run and led 62-38 at halftime. After committing six turnovers in the first half, Houston had seven in the third quarter and Boston capitalized by outscoring the Rockets 31-16. Irving scored 12 in the third quarter as Boston picked up its defense, holding Houston to just four field goals in the period.</p>
<p>Boston got within a point a couple times in the fourth, but couldn’t quite catch the Rockets until the final seconds.</p>
<p>After Smart drove for a layup and pulled Boston within 96-95 with 13.5 seconds left, Harden drew a foul and made both free throws to put the lead back at three. Rather than going for the 3-pointer, Boston went to Tatum for another layup, then Smart took an offensive foul by Harden on the inbounds play.</p>
<p>“You know they were going to deny the ball and we knew that,” Gordon said. “We always have all the guards try to go after the ball, but it’s just tough to play basketball toward the end of the game like that when things are going the other way.”</p>
<p>Houston’s lead was in the 20s for nearly all of the second quarter and much of the third before Boston pulled back within range on a 12-0 run.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Rockets: Veteran swingman Gerald Green, who signed a free-agent deal with the Rockets earlier Thursday, finished with two rebounds and no points in 11 minutes. ... The Rockets’ 62 points in the first half were the most scored on the Celtics in the first two periods of a game this season. ... Houston point guard Chris Paul missed his third straight game with a groin strain and the Rockets fell to 10-7 without him. ... The Rockets were also without center Clint Capela, who has a right orbital fracture.</p>
<p>Celtics: Were just 5 of 19 in the first quarter while scoring 12 points, the second-lowest total for a quarter by the Celtics this season. ... Boston committed eight turnovers in the first quarter.</p>
<p>2-MAN CREW</p>
<p>Referee Mark Lindsay missed the game with a sore back, leaving Tony Brothers and Gediminas Petraitis to officiate the game on their own.</p>
<p>There were plenty of disputed calls throughout, including one that got Boston coach Brad Stevens and Marcus Morris technicals with 1:56 left in the third.</p>
<p>Harden was the most vocal about the officials being down a man for the entire game.</p>
<p>“You can’t have two officials in a professional game,” Harden said. “There was a lot of no-calls that needed to be called because it changed the dynamic of the game. You got fast-break points, no calls, turnovers or whatever the case may be. This is a professional game on national TV. It can’t happen.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Rockets: Wrap up a three-game road trip Friday at Washington.</p>
<p>Celtics: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.</p>
<p>BOSTON (AP) — Marcus Smart helped complete a furious comeback for Boston on two plays he never touched the ball.</p>
<p>Smart drew an offensive foul on James Harden with 7.3 seconds left, getting the ball back in time for Al Horford to sink a hook shot with 3.7 seconds left, and the Celtics rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat Houston 99-98 on Thursday night.</p>
<p>“It just shows the value of Marcus Smart to our group and what he does for our team. It all started with him in the second half,” Horford said. “It was just a domino effect. That’s how special he is. And when he plays at that level we’re just a different team.”</p>
<p>After Horford’s shot, Smart did it again when he drew another foul on Harden and the Rockets ran out of time.</p>
<p>Kyrie Irving scored 26 and Jayson Tatum finished with 19 for the Celtics, who held Houston to just nine field goals in the second half while tying the largest comeback in the NBA this season.</p>
<p>“I’ve had a few comebacks, but this is a special one. From just how we started, it was just so ugly,” Irving said. “They came out firing. We just had to battle back. It took a lot. It took everybody.”</p>
<p>Smart and Terry Rozier had 13 points apiece and Horford finished with nine points and eight rebounds.</p>
<p>Tatum made a layup with seven seconds left to pull the Celtics within 98-97, then Smart had position on Harden for an offensive foul that gave Boston the ball. Horford converted from the lane to put Boston up for the first time in a game Houston had led throughout and dominated until midway through the third quarter.</p>
<p>Harden finished with 34 points and 10 assists. Eric Gordon scored 24 points for Houston, which shot 25 percent in the second half and lost its fourth straight.</p>
<p>“It was the tale of two halves,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We were kind of like them in the first half and they were like us in the second.”</p>
<p>The Rockets had one last chance after Horford’s go-ahead hook shot, but Harden was called for another offensive foul and time expired after Horford missed his second free throw.</p>
<p>Houston opened the game on a 12-0 run and led 62-38 at halftime. After committing six turnovers in the first half, Houston had seven in the third quarter and Boston capitalized by outscoring the Rockets 31-16. Irving scored 12 in the third quarter as Boston picked up its defense, holding Houston to just four field goals in the period.</p>
<p>Boston got within a point a couple times in the fourth, but couldn’t quite catch the Rockets until the final seconds.</p>
<p>After Smart drove for a layup and pulled Boston within 96-95 with 13.5 seconds left, Harden drew a foul and made both free throws to put the lead back at three. Rather than going for the 3-pointer, Boston went to Tatum for another layup, then Smart took an offensive foul by Harden on the inbounds play.</p>
<p>“You know they were going to deny the ball and we knew that,” Gordon said. “We always have all the guards try to go after the ball, but it’s just tough to play basketball toward the end of the game like that when things are going the other way.”</p>
<p>Houston’s lead was in the 20s for nearly all of the second quarter and much of the third before Boston pulled back within range on a 12-0 run.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Rockets: Veteran swingman Gerald Green, who signed a free-agent deal with the Rockets earlier Thursday, finished with two rebounds and no points in 11 minutes. ... The Rockets’ 62 points in the first half were the most scored on the Celtics in the first two periods of a game this season. ... Houston point guard Chris Paul missed his third straight game with a groin strain and the Rockets fell to 10-7 without him. ... The Rockets were also without center Clint Capela, who has a right orbital fracture.</p>
<p>Celtics: Were just 5 of 19 in the first quarter while scoring 12 points, the second-lowest total for a quarter by the Celtics this season. ... Boston committed eight turnovers in the first quarter.</p>
<p>2-MAN CREW</p>
<p>Referee Mark Lindsay missed the game with a sore back, leaving Tony Brothers and Gediminas Petraitis to officiate the game on their own.</p>
<p>There were plenty of disputed calls throughout, including one that got Boston coach Brad Stevens and Marcus Morris technicals with 1:56 left in the third.</p>
<p>Harden was the most vocal about the officials being down a man for the entire game.</p>
<p>“You can’t have two officials in a professional game,” Harden said. “There was a lot of no-calls that needed to be called because it changed the dynamic of the game. You got fast-break points, no calls, turnovers or whatever the case may be. This is a professional game on national TV. It can’t happen.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Rockets: Wrap up a three-game road trip Friday at Washington.</p>
<p>Celtics: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.</p>
| false | 2 |
boston ap marcus smart helped complete furious comeback boston two plays never touched ball smart drew offensive foul james harden 73 seconds left getting ball back time al horford sink hook shot 37 seconds left celtics rallied 26point deficit beat houston 9998 thursday night shows value marcus smart group team started second half horford said domino effect thats special plays level different team horfords shot smart drew another foul harden rockets ran time kyrie irving scored 26 jayson tatum finished 19 celtics held houston nine field goals second half tying largest comeback nba season ive comebacks special one started ugly irving said came firing battle back took lot took everybody smart terry rozier 13 points apiece horford finished nine points eight rebounds tatum made layup seven seconds left pull celtics within 9897 smart position harden offensive foul gave boston ball horford converted lane put boston first time game houston led throughout dominated midway third quarter harden finished 34 points 10 assists eric gordon scored 24 points houston shot 25 percent second half lost fourth straight tale two halves houston coach mike dantoni said kind like first half like us second rockets one last chance horfords goahead hook shot harden called another offensive foul time expired horford missed second free throw houston opened game 120 run led 6238 halftime committing six turnovers first half houston seven third quarter boston capitalized outscoring rockets 3116 irving scored 12 third quarter boston picked defense holding houston four field goals period boston got within point couple times fourth couldnt quite catch rockets final seconds smart drove layup pulled boston within 9695 135 seconds left harden drew foul made free throws put lead back three rather going 3pointer boston went tatum another layup smart took offensive foul harden inbounds play know going deny ball knew gordon said always guards try go ball tough play basketball toward end game like things going way houstons lead 20s nearly second quarter much third boston pulled back within range 120 run tipins rockets veteran swingman gerald green signed freeagent deal rockets earlier thursday finished two rebounds points 11 minutes rockets 62 points first half scored celtics first two periods game season houston point guard chris paul missed third straight game groin strain rockets fell 107 without rockets also without center clint capela right orbital fracture celtics 5 19 first quarter scoring 12 points secondlowest total quarter celtics season boston committed eight turnovers first quarter 2man crew referee mark lindsay missed game sore back leaving tony brothers gediminas petraitis officiate game plenty disputed calls throughout including one got boston coach brad stevens marcus morris technicals 156 left third harden vocal officials man entire game cant two officials professional game harden said lot nocalls needed called changed dynamic game got fastbreak points calls turnovers whatever case may professional game national tv cant happen next rockets wrap threegame road trip friday washington celtics host brooklyn sunday boston ap marcus smart helped complete furious comeback boston two plays never touched ball smart drew offensive foul james harden 73 seconds left getting ball back time al horford sink hook shot 37 seconds left celtics rallied 26point deficit beat houston 9998 thursday night shows value marcus smart group team started second half horford said domino effect thats special plays level different team horfords shot smart drew another foul harden rockets ran time kyrie irving scored 26 jayson tatum finished 19 celtics held houston nine field goals second half tying largest comeback nba season ive comebacks special one started ugly irving said came firing battle back took lot took everybody smart terry rozier 13 points apiece horford finished nine points eight rebounds tatum made layup seven seconds left pull celtics within 9897 smart position harden offensive foul gave boston ball horford converted lane put boston first time game houston led throughout dominated midway third quarter harden finished 34 points 10 assists eric gordon scored 24 points houston shot 25 percent second half lost fourth straight tale two halves houston coach mike dantoni said kind like first half like us second rockets one last chance horfords goahead hook shot harden called another offensive foul time expired horford missed second free throw houston opened game 120 run led 6238 halftime committing six turnovers first half houston seven third quarter boston capitalized outscoring rockets 3116 irving scored 12 third quarter boston picked defense holding houston four field goals period boston got within point couple times fourth couldnt quite catch rockets final seconds smart drove layup pulled boston within 9695 135 seconds left harden drew foul made free throws put lead back three rather going 3pointer boston went tatum another layup smart took offensive foul harden inbounds play know going deny ball knew gordon said always guards try go ball tough play basketball toward end game like things going way houstons lead 20s nearly second quarter much third boston pulled back within range 120 run tipins rockets veteran swingman gerald green signed freeagent deal rockets earlier thursday finished two rebounds points 11 minutes rockets 62 points first half scored celtics first two periods game season houston point guard chris paul missed third straight game groin strain rockets fell 107 without rockets also without center clint capela right orbital fracture celtics 5 19 first quarter scoring 12 points secondlowest total quarter celtics season boston committed eight turnovers first quarter 2man crew referee mark lindsay missed game sore back leaving tony brothers gediminas petraitis officiate game plenty disputed calls throughout including one got boston coach brad stevens marcus morris technicals 156 left third harden vocal officials man entire game cant two officials professional game harden said lot nocalls needed called changed dynamic game got fastbreak points calls turnovers whatever case may professional game national tv cant happen next rockets wrap threegame road trip friday washington celtics host brooklyn sunday
| 966 |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - New Home Company Inc:</p>
<p>* NEW HOME COMPANY INC FILES FOR MIXED SHELF OF UP TO $450 MILLION - SEC FILING</p>
<p>* NEW HOME COMPANY INC - IN ADDITION, SELLING STOCKHOLDERS MAY OFFER AND SELL UP TO 6.4 MILLION SHARES OF CO’S COMMON STOCK</p>
<p>* NEW HOME COMPANY INC SAYS IT WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF CO'S COMMON STOCK BY SELLING STOCKHOLDERS Source text: ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2Dz7SnV" type="external">bit.ly/2Dz7SnV</a>) Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tesla Inc shares fell sharply again on Wednesday, reeling from a credit downgrade of the electric car maker by Moody’s Investors Service, federal probes of a fatal crash and concerns about Model 3 production.</p>
<p>Shares tumbled 9 percent before ending down 7.7 percent at $257.78. On Tuesday, Tesla tumbled 8.2 percent to its lowest close in almost a year after the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened a field investigation into a fatal crash and vehicle fire in California on March 23.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, a second federal regulator, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), said it was sending a team to California to investigate the crash.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-tesla-stock-options/extreme-bearish-options-on-tesla-making-money-as-stock-dives-idUSKBN1H434B" type="external">Extreme bearish options on Tesla making money as stock dives</a>
<a href="/article/us-tesla-crash/u-s-auto-safety-agency-to-probe-fatal-tesla-california-crash-idUSKBN1H42X1" type="external">U.S. auto safety agency to probe fatal Tesla California crash</a>
<p>Late on Tuesday, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Tesla’s credit rating to B3 from B2, citing “the significant shortfall in the production rate of the company’s Model 3 electric vehicle.” It also noted “liquidity pressures due to its large negative free cash flow and the pending maturities of convertible bonds.”</p>
<p>Tesla has $230 million in convertible bonds maturing in November 2018 and $920 million in March 2019.</p>
<p>Moody’s said its negative outlook “reflects the likelihood that Tesla will have to undertake a large, near-term capital raise in order to refund maturing obligations and avoid a liquidity shortfall.”</p>
<p>It said Tesla’s weekly production target is now 2,500 Model 3 vehicles by the end of March, down sharply from its year-earlier target of 5,000 per week by the end of 2017. Tesla’s weekly target for the end of June is 5,000.</p>
<p>Tesla declined to comment on the downgrade. The company plans to provide an update on Model 3 production next week.</p>
<p>Tesla shares have experienced big swings in the past, as worries about losses have vied with enthusiasm for Chief Executive Elon Musk’s ambitious plans.</p>
<p>The sell-off has left Tesla’s stock market value at $44 billion, below General Motors Co’s $49 billion. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla has at times had a larger market value than GM, the largest U.S. automaker by vehicle sales.</p> A Tesla dealership is seen in West Drayton, just outside London, Britain, February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
<p>Since the end of February, the median analyst price target for Tesla has dipped by $10 to $356, about 37 percent higher than Wednesday’s price, according to Thomson Reuters data. Nomura Securities analyst Romit Shah has the highest Tesla price target, $500, or nearly double the current price. All the targets were set before the March 23 crash.</p>
<p>In last week’s accident in which the Tesla struck a highway median, it was unclear if the vehicle’s automated control system called Autopilot was driving, the NTSB and police said.</p>
<p>The 38-year-old driver of the Tesla died at a nearby hospital shortly after the crash.</p>
<p>Late Tuesday, Tesla said in a blog post it does “not yet know what happened in the moments leading up to the crash,” but added that data shows Tesla owners have driven the same stretch of highway with Autopilot engaged “roughly 85,000 times ... and there has never been an accident that we know of.” The statement did not say if the crashed vehicle was in Autopilot mode.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Alexandria Sage and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Dan Grebler and David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell about 1 percent on Wednesday after data showed U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose 1.6 million barrels last week, weighing on market sentiment.</p> FILE PHOTO: An oil well pump jack is seen at an oil field supply yard near Denver, Colorado, U.S., February 2, 2015. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo
<p>Brent June crude futures LCOc2 settled 70 cents lower at $68.76 per barrel, while the front month May contract LCOc1, which expires on Thursday, fell 58 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $69.53 a barrel.</p>
<p>West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures for May delivery fell 87 cents to $64.38 a barrel, a 1.3-percent loss.</p>
<p>U.S. crude stockpiles USOILC=ECI rose as net imports USOICI=ECI soared by 1.1 million barrels per day, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.</p>
<p>Stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub for U.S crude futures USOICC=ECI also rose 1.8 million barrels, EIA said.</p>
<p>“Oil supplies at Cushing, Oklahoma are starting to replenish, which is bearish for prices, but they have a long way to go to near normal levels of supply,” said John Kilduff, partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital LLC in New York.</p>
<p>U.S. crude production also inched up last week to fresh record high at 10.433 million bpd. Output has risen by nearly 25 percent in the last two years to over 10 million bpd C-OUT-T-EIA, taking it past top exporter Saudi Arabia and within reach of the biggest producer, Russia, which pumps around 11 million bpd.</p>
<p>U.S. crude’s discount to Brent WTCLc1-LCOc1 widened to as much as $5.22, the biggest since Jan. 24.</p>
<p>“Costs in the U.S. are getting to be a little bit less expensive to drill and that’s one of the aspects that is potentially driving the spread between Brent and WTI,” Mark Watkins, a regional investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management said from Salt Lake City, Utah.</p>
<p>Average breakeven prices to drill a new well in the U.S. range from $47 to $55 per barrel depending on the region, according to a Wednesday survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.</p>
<p>Brent prices have risen in seven out of the last nine months and have increased by more than 4 percent so far this year. Prices have also had three consecutive quarters of gains, the longest stretch since late 2010 and early 2011, after production curbs led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries since last year.</p>
<p>Wednesday’s price falls came despite Saudi Arabia saying it was working with Russia on a long-term pact that could extend controls over world crude supplies by major exporters for many years.</p>
<p>Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Reuters on Tuesday that Riyadh and Moscow were considering greatly extending the short-term alliance on oil curbs that began in January 2017 after a crash in crude prices, with a partnership to manage supplies potentially growing “to a 10-to-20-year agreement.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; editing by Marguerita Choy</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(This version of the March 27 story corrects to “Minneapolis” from “Helena, Montana” in paragraph 3)</p>
<p>By Sruthi Shankar and Sweta Singh</p>
<p>(Reuters) - The S&amp;P 500 and the Dow rose on Tuesday, led by gains in industrial and consumer staple shares, while weakness in technology stocks dragged down the Nasdaq.</p>
<p>Stocks have been volatile in the session after the main U.S. indexes notched their best day in 2-1/2 years on Monday on waning concerns of a trade war between the United States and China.</p>
<p>“Right now, the biggest driver in the market seems to be around the trade news and it is looking more like some of these tariff discussions are negotiations rather than strong protectionist measures,” said Lisa Erickson, head of traditional investments at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.</p>
<p>“But there’s going to be continued volatility in the short term and a lot of it will depend on how the fundamental news flow comes out.”</p>
<p>U.S. stocks suffered their worst declines of the year last week after President Donald Trump moved to impose tariffs on Chinese imports of up to $60 billion.</p>
<p>But the sentiment has improved after reports that the countries were willing to renegotiate tariffs and trade imbalances.</p>
<p>At 13:00 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> was up 0.67 percent at 24,365.61 and the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> rose 0.29 percent to 2,666.16.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> fell 0.33 percent at 7,196.70.</p> Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) dropped 2.3 percent as it continued to be weighed down by data privacy issues. The company faces an investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to explain how it allowed data of 50 million users get into the hands of a political consultancy.</p>
<p>“Tech and FANG are still trying to figure out what the way forward is, and the market is dealing with the aftermath of a massive rally. It’s hard to maintain that kind of momentum,” said Michael Antonelli, managing director, institutional sales trading at Robert W. Baird in Milwaukee.</p>
<p>Another weak spot in the tech space was Nvidia ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NVDA.O" type="external">NVDA.O</a>), which fell 2.8 percent after the company temporarily suspended self-driving tests across the globe.</p>
<p>Tesla ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TSLA.O" type="external">TSLA.O</a>) shares dropped nearly 4 percent after the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board opened a field investigation of a fatal Tesla crash and major vehicle fire near Mountain View, California, last week.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">Dow Jones &amp; Company Inc</a> 23848.42 .DJI Dow Jones Indexes -9.29 (-0.04%) .DJI .SPX .IXIC FB.O NVDA.O
<p>Twitter ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TWTR.N" type="external">TWTR.N</a>) fell more than 7 percent after short-seller Citron Research said it was short on the stock, adding that the company was “most vulnerable” to privacy regulations.</p>
<p>Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE for a 1.38-to-1 ratio and for a 1.20-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Sweta Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fund managers have begun to ditch so-called FANG stocks that powered the U.S. stock market to record highs in January and are slowly rotating into commodity-related shares and other value stocks which typically outperform in late-cycle recoveries.</p>
<p>Portfolio managers holding shares of Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Netflix Inc, and Google-parent Alphabet Inc say they are increasingly concerned that the data scandal that has sent shares of Facebook down nearly 15 percent year-to-date will spill over into all of the FANG stocks, imperiling the broad market’s momentum at a time when there are no clear companies or sectors to take their place.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, an index which tracks the FANG stocks along with six other mega-cap technology stocks tumbled 6.3 percent, the biggest decline since September 2014.</p>
<p>Facebook rose as much as 1.5 percent in early trading Wednesday before falling into the red, one day after sources told Reuters that chief executive Mark Zuckerberg plans to testify before Congress. Amazon.com dropped 4 percent, while Netflix fell 5 percent. Google-parent Alphabet was slightly positive.</p>
<p>“There are legitimate concerns over the business models of these companies, and I expect that they will be ironed out in legislation” that will likely eat into their profit margins, said Michael Cuggino, a portfolio manager of the $17-billion Permanent Portfolio funds.</p>
<p>Cuggino, who would not say whether he was selling any of his shares in Facebook, said that commodity and industrial stocks look more attractive now given rising inflation and continued global economic growth.</p>
<p>Each FANG company rose more than 33 percent last year, helping power the S&amp;P 500 to a nearly 20-percent gain. Yet those gains have left the broad S&amp;P 500 trading at a high trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 21.7, leaving it overpriced despite a boost to margins from the Republican-led corporate tax cut at the end of 2017.</p>
<p>“Rising volatility and changing market leadership are now pointing towards the possible conclusion that the stock market peaked in late January 2018,” said Douglas Kass, president of Seabreeze Capital Management.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 is now down 2.2 percent for the year, and down nearly 10 percent below the high of 2872.87 it reached on Jan. 26.</p> A specialist trader works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid UNFRIENDED
<p>Fund managers say that the high valuation of FANG stocks and the likelihood of regulation are pushing them into traditional value stocks like energy and defense companies.</p>
<p>Connor Browne, a portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, said that he sold his shares of Netflix and Amazon.com last year after both companies blew through his price targets. He used those gains instead to increase positions in energy stocks such as pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners LP and crude oil shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group Inc that stand to benefit from the recovery in the price of oil.</p>
<p>“We noticed that in all of this excitement over the FANGs taking over the world, there are parts of the economy that seem really out of favor and offer more compelling opportunities,” he said.</p>
<p>Even after the selloff, FANG stocks continue to trade at higher valuations than the broad market. Netflix trades at a P/E of 210 and Amazon.com trades at a P/E of 327. Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet, both of which have been directly linked with privacy concerns, now trade at valuations near 52-week lows.</p> A 3D-printed Facebook logo and Like are seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration photo, March 20, 2018. Picture taken March 20. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
<p>The overhang of increased government oversight has sunk the fortunes of large technology companies in the past. Microsoft Corp reached a settlement in an antitrust case with the Department of Justice in 2002 that lasted until 2011, contributing to a long period of underperformance that kept the stock below the high it reached in 1999 until 2016. Since then, the stock is up nearly 60 percent on the strength of its cloud-based services.</p>
<p>Margaret Patel, a senior portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Funds, said that she has been adding to defense stocks like Raytheon Co that should benefit from increasing military spending in both the U.S. and overseas. At the same time, she is increasing her exposure of non-FANG technology stocks like Adobe Systems Inc and Microsoft that have been hurt by the recent sell-off in the sector.</p>
<p>“It’s very hard to see another sector that still has all the fundamental drivers for growing much faster than any other sector,” she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| false | 2 |
jan 22 reuters new home company inc new home company inc files mixed shelf 450 million sec filing new home company inc addition selling stockholders may offer sell 64 million shares cos common stock new home company inc says receive proceeds sale cos common stock selling stockholders source text bitly2dz7snv company coverage standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters tesla inc shares fell sharply wednesday reeling credit downgrade electric car maker moodys investors service federal probes fatal crash concerns model 3 production shares tumbled 9 percent ending 77 percent 25778 tuesday tesla tumbled 82 percent lowest close almost year us national transportation safety board ntsb opened field investigation fatal crash vehicle fire california march 23 wednesday second federal regulator national highway transportation safety administration nhtsa said sending team california investigate crash related coverage extreme bearish options tesla making money stock dives us auto safety agency probe fatal tesla california crash late tuesday moodys investors service downgraded teslas credit rating b3 b2 citing significant shortfall production rate companys model 3 electric vehicle also noted liquidity pressures due large negative free cash flow pending maturities convertible bonds tesla 230 million convertible bonds maturing november 2018 920 million march 2019 moodys said negative outlook reflects likelihood tesla undertake large nearterm capital raise order refund maturing obligations avoid liquidity shortfall said teslas weekly production target 2500 model 3 vehicles end march sharply yearearlier target 5000 per week end 2017 teslas weekly target end june 5000 tesla declined comment downgrade company plans provide update model 3 production next week tesla shares experienced big swings past worries losses vied enthusiasm chief executive elon musks ambitious plans selloff left teslas stock market value 44 billion general motors cos 49 billion palo alto californiabased tesla times larger market value gm largest us automaker vehicle sales tesla dealership seen west drayton outside london britain february 7 2018 reutershannah mckay since end february median analyst price target tesla dipped 10 356 37 percent higher wednesdays price according thomson reuters data nomura securities analyst romit shah highest tesla price target 500 nearly double current price targets set march 23 crash last weeks accident tesla struck highway median unclear vehicles automated control system called autopilot driving ntsb police said 38yearold driver tesla died nearby hospital shortly crash late tuesday tesla said blog post yet know happened moments leading crash added data shows tesla owners driven stretch highway autopilot engaged roughly 85000 times never accident know statement say crashed vehicle autopilot mode reporting david shepardson washington alexandria sage noel randewich san francisco editing dan grebler david gregorio standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters oil prices fell 1 percent wednesday data showed us crude inventories unexpectedly rose 16 million barrels last week weighing market sentiment file photo oil well pump jack seen oil field supply yard near denver colorado us february 2 2015 reutersrick wilkingfile photo brent june crude futures lcoc2 settled 70 cents lower 6876 per barrel front month may contract lcoc1 expires thursday fell 58 cents 08 percent settle 6953 barrel west texas intermediate wti crude clc1 futures may delivery fell 87 cents 6438 barrel 13percent loss us crude stockpiles usoilceci rose net imports usoicieci soared 11 million barrels per day according data us energy information administration stocks cushing oklahoma delivery hub us crude futures usoicceci also rose 18 million barrels eia said oil supplies cushing oklahoma starting replenish bearish prices long way go near normal levels supply said john kilduff partner energy hedge fund capital llc new york us crude production also inched last week fresh record high 10433 million bpd output risen nearly 25 percent last two years 10 million bpd coutteia taking past top exporter saudi arabia within reach biggest producer russia pumps around 11 million bpd us crudes discount brent wtclc1lcoc1 widened much 522 biggest since jan 24 costs us getting little bit less expensive drill thats one aspects potentially driving spread brent wti mark watkins regional investment strategist us bank wealth management said salt lake city utah average breakeven prices drill new well us range 47 55 per barrel depending region according wednesday survey federal reserve bank dallas brent prices risen seven last nine months increased 4 percent far year prices also three consecutive quarters gains longest stretch since late 2010 early 2011 production curbs led organization petroleum exporting countries since last year wednesdays price falls came despite saudi arabia saying working russia longterm pact could extend controls world crude supplies major exporters many years saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman told reuters tuesday riyadh moscow considering greatly extending shortterm alliance oil curbs began january 2017 crash crude prices partnership manage supplies potentially growing 10to20year agreement additional reporting amanda cooper london henning gloystein singapore editing marguerita choy standards thomson reuters trust principles version march 27 story corrects minneapolis helena montana paragraph 3 sruthi shankar sweta singh reuters sampp 500 dow rose tuesday led gains industrial consumer staple shares weakness technology stocks dragged nasdaq stocks volatile session main us indexes notched best day 212 years monday waning concerns trade war united states china right biggest driver market seems around trade news looking like tariff discussions negotiations rather strong protectionist measures said lisa erickson head traditional investments us bank wealth management minneapolis theres going continued volatility short term lot depend fundamental news flow comes us stocks suffered worst declines year last week president donald trump moved impose tariffs chinese imports 60 billion sentiment improved reports countries willing renegotiate tariffs trade imbalances 1300 pm et dow jones industrial average dji 067 percent 2436561 sampp 500 spx rose 029 percent 266616 nasdaq composite ixic fell 033 percent 719670 traders work floor new york stock exchange nyse new york us march 26 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid facebook fbo dropped 23 percent continued weighed data privacy issues company faces investigation us federal trade commission explain allowed data 50 million users get hands political consultancy tech fang still trying figure way forward market dealing aftermath massive rally hard maintain kind momentum said michael antonelli managing director institutional sales trading robert w baird milwaukee another weak spot tech space nvidia nvdao fell 28 percent company temporarily suspended selfdriving tests across globe tesla tslao shares dropped nearly 4 percent us national transportation safety board opened field investigation fatal tesla crash major vehicle fire near mountain view california last week dow jones amp company inc 2384842 dji dow jones indexes 929 004 dji spx ixic fbo nvdao twitter twtrn fell 7 percent shortseller citron research said short stock adding company vulnerable privacy regulations advancing issues outnumbered decliners nyse 138to1 ratio 120to1 ratio nasdaq reporting sruthi shankar sweta singh bengaluru editing anil dsilva standards thomson reuters trust principles new york reuters fund managers begun ditch socalled fang stocks powered us stock market record highs january slowly rotating commodityrelated shares value stocks typically outperform latecycle recoveries portfolio managers holding shares facebook inc amazoncom inc netflix inc googleparent alphabet inc say increasingly concerned data scandal sent shares facebook nearly 15 percent yeartodate spill fang stocks imperiling broad markets momentum time clear companies sectors take place tuesday index tracks fang stocks along six megacap technology stocks tumbled 63 percent biggest decline since september 2014 facebook rose much 15 percent early trading wednesday falling red one day sources told reuters chief executive mark zuckerberg plans testify congress amazoncom dropped 4 percent netflix fell 5 percent googleparent alphabet slightly positive legitimate concerns business models companies expect ironed legislation likely eat profit margins said michael cuggino portfolio manager 17billion permanent portfolio funds cuggino would say whether selling shares facebook said commodity industrial stocks look attractive given rising inflation continued global economic growth fang company rose 33 percent last year helping power sampp 500 nearly 20percent gain yet gains left broad sampp 500 trading high trailing pricetoearnings ratio 217 leaving overpriced despite boost margins republicanled corporate tax cut end 2017 rising volatility changing market leadership pointing towards possible conclusion stock market peaked late january 2018 said douglas kass president seabreeze capital management sampp 500 22 percent year nearly 10 percent high 287287 reached jan 26 specialist trader works post floor new york stock exchange nyse new york us march 22 2018 reutersbrendan mcdermid unfriended fund managers say high valuation fang stocks likelihood regulation pushing traditional value stocks like energy defense companies connor browne portfolio manager thornburg investment management said sold shares netflix amazoncom last year companies blew price targets used gains instead increase positions energy stocks pipeline operator enterprise products partners lp crude oil shipping company overseas shipholding group inc stand benefit recovery price oil noticed excitement fangs taking world parts economy seem really favor offer compelling opportunities said even selloff fang stocks continue trade higher valuations broad market netflix trades pe 210 amazoncom trades pe 327 facebook googleparent alphabet directly linked privacy concerns trade valuations near 52week lows 3dprinted facebook logo like seen front displayed stock graph illustration photo march 20 2018 picture taken march 20 reutersdado ruvic overhang increased government oversight sunk fortunes large technology companies past microsoft corp reached settlement antitrust case department justice 2002 lasted 2011 contributing long period underperformance kept stock high reached 1999 2016 since stock nearly 60 percent strength cloudbased services margaret patel senior portfolio manager wells fargo funds said adding defense stocks like raytheon co benefit increasing military spending us overseas time increasing exposure nonfang technology stocks like adobe systems inc microsoft hurt recent selloff sector hard see another sector still fundamental drivers growing much faster sector said reporting david randall editing jennifer ablan nick zieminski standards thomson reuters trust principles
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<p />
<p>The closing line in almost every email response: “I wish I had better news.”</p>
<p>Recreational use of marijuana is now legal in California, but the new law states that employers still have the right to maintain a drug- and alcohol-free workplace and can keep policies that prohibit the use of cannabis by employees and prospective workers.</p>
<p>Employment lawyers say most companies they’ve spoken with plan to maintain their current drug screening procedures, which prohibit cannabis.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The problem that California employers will have … is you have a state law that allows uses for recreational purposes, but of course you still have the federal law that makes it illegal,” said Michael Kalt, partner at law firm Wilson Turner Kosmo and government affairs director for the state council of the Society for Human Resource Management organization.</p>
<p>Employer drug testing first gained steam during the Ronald Reagan administration, which required federal employees to get screened as part of the president’s campaign against drugs. Other employers soon followed.</p>
<p>A standard drug screening today for federal workers will test for five different substances — cocaine, amphetamines, PCP, opiates and marijuana, said Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions, which handles drug testing for many employers.</p>
<p>But advocates and even drug-testing experts say marijuana poses unusual challenges for a job applicant. Marijuana can show up in urine or saliva tests several days after use, and those concentrations found aren’t necessarily indicative of usage patterns, Sample said. There’s also no clear consensus on how much marijuana is considered too much to drive safely.</p>
<p>“In the case of alcohol, we have a roadside test,” said Mark A.R. Kleiman, professor of public policy at New York University. “Not true for cannabis.”</p>
<p>Even medical marijuana, legal in California since 1996, is not exempted under employer drug testing policies. In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that because marijuana is still considered illegal under federal law, employers do not have to accommodate their employees’ medical marijuana use, even if it is during non-work hours.</p>
<p>California NORML, the cannabis advocacy group, is currently lobbying for legislation to change that, said Komp, the group’s deputy director.</p>
<p>“The situation is more extreme and urgent for medical patients who don’t have the option of using it or not,” she said.</p>
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<p>Later, the group will push to exempt recreational marijuana use from employer drug screenings as well, Komp said.</p>
<p>Until then, employees should be familiar with their companies’ drug policies and not just assume that procedures have changed, said Tamar Todd, director of legal affairs at Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group and major backer of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana use in California.</p>
<p>Employment lawyers are telling companies to update their employee handbooks to clarify that drug screenings will still test for marijuana.</p>
<p>Companies in “safety-sensitive” transportation industries, such as trucking, as well as fields that deal with heavy machinery, like construction firms, are especially unlikely to loosen policies, as well as businesses that contract with the federal government, lawyers said.</p>
<p>(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)</p>
<p>Aerospace giant Boeing Co. said in a statement that its policies on marijuana usage are not affected by state laws that have legalized marijuana, citing its work with the government.</p>
<p>“As a federal contractor, The Boeing Company’s Drug Free Workplace policy is based on federal standards which define marijuana as an illegal drug,” the company said. “Therefore use of marijuana by Boeing employees is prohibited.”</p>
<p>The company, which employs about 14,000 people in California, said it conducts pre-employment drug screenings and can also test employees after accidents, based on “reasonable suspicion” or randomly when it is required by Department of Transportation regulations or contract.</p>
<p>Boeing said it has not experienced “significant differences” in attracting or hiring job candidates in other locations where marijuana has been legalized, such as Washington state. Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes division is based in Seattle.</p>
<p>But that has been a problem for some companies in pot-legal states.</p>
<p>Bob Funk, chief executive of staffing agency Express Employment Professionals, said finding skilled workers such as electricians and welders is already a nationwide problem and is further compounded by alcohol or marijuana tests.</p>
<p>Screening for marijuana has always been an issue, he said, but it has become “more acute because of the legalization of it.”</p>
<p>“We’re having a challenge finding those good people in those states,” Funk said.</p>
<p>Though Quest Diagnostics has gotten some inquiries from companies in Washington or Colorado that were interested in changing their employee drug tests, only a “handful” of those ended up doing so, Sample said.</p>
<p>One cannabis company in Colorado eliminated its drug policy all together. Open Vape once had a “boilerplate” human resources policy on drugs, though without any references to marijuana, said Chris Driessen, company president.</p>
<p>But after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana sales in 2014, Open Vape decided to take another look at its policy.</p>
<p>“It didn’t really reflect our values as a company,” Driessen said.</p>
<p>The company replaced it with a strict impairment policy, in which employees that are impaired in any way — whether that’s because of drugs, sickness or lack of sleep — are encouraged to go home and return when they’re rested.</p>
<p>“It does not vilify or demonize any form of drug use,” Driessen said. “If there continues to be an issue, then we certainly do address that and intervene, but we try in every way possible to intervene and reach out, than discipline and escalate the HR process.”</p>
<p>He said the company occasionally has had to step in and “bring people back into the flock,” but that there has not been a major disciplinary infraction.</p>
<p>Though it’s unlikely that all companies will eliminate drug policies, legal experts and advocates say loosened drug screening for marijuana is already happening in some industries.</p>
<p>“Certainly in California, there’s a recognition in some sectors that there are a lot of marijuana users … who are highly valued employees,” said Todd of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Employers have learned you’re going to really diminish your work pool if you toss those people aside (whose) job performance is not impacted” by cannabis use off the job.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2016 Los Angeles Times</p>
<p>Visit the Los Angeles Times at <a href="http://www.latimes.com" type="external">www.latimes.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p>PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):</p>
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closing line almost every email response wish better news recreational use marijuana legal california new law states employers still right maintain drug alcoholfree workplace keep policies prohibit use cannabis employees prospective workers employment lawyers say companies theyve spoken plan maintain current drug screening procedures prohibit cannabis advertisement problem california employers state law allows uses recreational purposes course still federal law makes illegal said michael kalt partner law firm wilson turner kosmo government affairs director state council society human resource management organization employer drug testing first gained steam ronald reagan administration required federal employees get screened part presidents campaign drugs employers soon followed standard drug screening today federal workers test five different substances cocaine amphetamines pcp opiates marijuana said barry sample senior director science technology quest diagnostics employer solutions handles drug testing many employers advocates even drugtesting experts say marijuana poses unusual challenges job applicant marijuana show urine saliva tests several days use concentrations found arent necessarily indicative usage patterns sample said theres also clear consensus much marijuana considered much drive safely case alcohol roadside test said mark ar kleiman professor public policy new york university true cannabis even medical marijuana legal california since 1996 exempted employer drug testing policies 2008 california supreme court ruled marijuana still considered illegal federal law employers accommodate employees medical marijuana use even nonwork hours california norml cannabis advocacy group currently lobbying legislation change said komp groups deputy director situation extreme urgent medical patients dont option using said advertisement later group push exempt recreational marijuana use employer drug screenings well komp said employees familiar companies drug policies assume procedures changed said tamar todd director legal affairs drug policy alliance advocacy group major backer proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana use california employment lawyers telling companies update employee handbooks clarify drug screenings still test marijuana companies safetysensitive transportation industries trucking well fields deal heavy machinery like construction firms especially unlikely loosen policies well businesses contract federal government lawyers said editors story end aerospace giant boeing co said statement policies marijuana usage affected state laws legalized marijuana citing work government federal contractor boeing companys drug free workplace policy based federal standards define marijuana illegal drug company said therefore use marijuana boeing employees prohibited company employs 14000 people california said conducts preemployment drug screenings also test employees accidents based reasonable suspicion randomly required department transportation regulations contract boeing said experienced significant differences attracting hiring job candidates locations marijuana legalized washington state boeings commercial airplanes division based seattle problem companies potlegal states bob funk chief executive staffing agency express employment professionals said finding skilled workers electricians welders already nationwide problem compounded alcohol marijuana tests screening marijuana always issue said become acute legalization challenge finding good people states funk said though quest diagnostics gotten inquiries companies washington colorado interested changing employee drug tests handful ended sample said one cannabis company colorado eliminated drug policy together open vape boilerplate human resources policy drugs though without references marijuana said chris driessen company president colorado legalized recreational marijuana sales 2014 open vape decided take another look policy didnt really reflect values company driessen said company replaced strict impairment policy employees impaired way whether thats drugs sickness lack sleep encouraged go home return theyre rested vilify demonize form drug use driessen said continues issue certainly address intervene try every way possible intervene reach discipline escalate hr process said company occasionally step bring people back flock major disciplinary infraction though unlikely companies eliminate drug policies legal experts advocates say loosened drug screening marijuana already happening industries certainly california theres recognition sectors lot marijuana users highly valued employees said todd drug policy alliance employers learned youre going really diminish work pool toss people aside whose job performance impacted cannabis use job 2016 los angeles times visit los angeles times wwwlatimescom distributed tribune content agency llc photo help images contact 3122224194 _____
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Even in the middle of the day, in the hours after school before the spring sun sets, there is an eerie loneliness, a fear that catches in the throat here along the stretch of concrete and sand of the Amole del Norte Arroyo.</p>
<p>Two boys, best friends, died here, bullets to their heads.</p>
<p>It happened a year ago last Friday on the backside of this modest Southwest Heights neighborhood, and still there have been no arrests and very little information released to the public.</p>
<p>So, here is what we know: Jeremy Trujillo and Samuel Gutierrez had been friends as long as anybody can remember. Trujillo, 16, was the outdoorsman, the kid with visions of owning a business someday that could benefit his family. Gutierrez, 17, was the jokester, the kid who liked to look good and dress well.</p>
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<p>They had often taken the arroyo bike path on their way to and from Robert F. Kennedy High School two miles north from their neighborhood of brown stucco, pitched roof homes on Desert Breeze SW near Unser and Arenal.</p>
<p>It was just before 2 p.m. March 22, 2012, when they were gunned down on the bike path.</p>
<p>Witnesses say they heard perhaps as many as eight gunshots before finding the boys – one lying just off the bike path, the other face-up at the bottom of the arroyo behind the homes on Desert Breeze near Purple Cone SW.</p>
<p>The boys’ last seconds alive were captured on a surveillance video from a nearby home security system. In the video, they are two boys with backpacks walking on the bike path. Just before they walk out of range of the camera, they appear to stop behind a cinder block wall that separates the path from the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Their killers are also believed to be on that video. In the minutes before Trujillo and Gutierrez come into view, two individuals wearing hoodies and riding bikes are captured by the camera facing the arroyo and another facing Desert Breeze. The bicyclists appear to circle the neighborhood, and, at one point, pass the boys without incident on the bike path next to the arroyo. Seconds later, the bicyclists double back toward the boys. Although much of what occurs next is obstructed by the cinder block wall, one bicyclist can be seen raising an object in his hand. Then, one of the boys slumps to the ground.</p>
<p>Albuquerque police released the video to the public but offered little further information. A Crime Stoppers was issued in November.</p>
<p>Neighbors wondered whether the homicides were connected with a brawl that had occurred among a large group of youths at the nearby Desert Springs Park the day before. Others pointed to a particular house in the neighborhood that might yield clues to the suspects’ identities.</p>
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<p>Then nothing happened.</p>
<p>“We continue to receive tips, but nothing that has led to results,” APD spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said last week. “Unfortunately, the video did not result in any Crime Stoppers tips.”</p>
<p>The unavoidable question is why, after a year, the homicides of Trujillo and Gutierrez remain unsolved.</p>
<p>Neighbors, friends and family members of the boys railed about the lack of outrage over the deaths of two boys on a bike path in broad daylight. There were no news conferences, no police task force assigned – as had occurred when three teenage boys were gunned down in 1999 on a road in the East Mountains – no daily coverage for months, (though the Journal wrote three stories on the arroyo shooting case).</p>
<p>It was as if the public and the police had simply accepted that the boys’ deaths were connected to the stereotypes of West Side gangs and drugs and violence, though no such behavior has ever publicly been tied to the boys.</p>
<p>A cross and many flowers and trinkets adorn the spot where Jeremy Trujillo, 16, was gunned down along the Amole del Norte Arroyo. Trujillo and best friend Samuel Gutierrez, 17, were both shot and killed March 22, 2012, but so far no arrests have been made. (JOLINE GUTIERREZ KRUEGER/JOURNAL)</p>
<p>But reporters at the time said their job had been made more difficult by family members too shaken to speak and neighbors so angry with the intrusion that several TV reporters were pelted with rocks and warned by police to leave the area.</p>
<p>Too, the boys were killed in a bloody week that saw not one but two APD officer-involved fatal shootings, a separate shooting death and a double shooting at a South Valley restaurant parking lot in which both victims survived.</p>
<p>Still, none of that is excuse enough. The time for complacency is long over.</p>
<p>We should demand that those who know something about who killed Trujillo and Gutierrez – two best friends, two boys, come forward – and start talking. We should question why we care about some teenagers’ deaths and not others. We should demand that police rededicate themselves to solving this case. We should never forget what happened at the Amole del Norte Arroyo, nor should we allow it to happen again.</p>
<p>As I walked along that bike path last week, it’s hard to forget. The wind howls, the bike path is empty. The arroyo is patched with white and light gray paint, evidence of the efforts to erase unsightly graffiti.</p>
<p>But in the place where two boys died, letters are scrawled large in blue spray paint across the arroyo walls and left untouched. It’s hard to make out what it says. RIP, perhaps. Names, perhaps.</p>
<p>On either side of the bike path are two memorials, one for each boy, both adorned with brightly colored fabric flowers, glittery Christmas trees, teddy bears, solar lights, failed attempts at growing sod and handmade wooden crosses painted blue and carved with their names.</p>
<p>Where’s the outrage? It starts here.</p>
<p>It’s time it goes further than that.</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a> or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to ABQjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.</p>
<p>— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
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albuquerque nm even middle day hours school spring sun sets eerie loneliness fear catches throat along stretch concrete sand amole del norte arroyo two boys best friends died bullets heads happened year ago last friday backside modest southwest heights neighborhood still arrests little information released public know jeremy trujillo samuel gutierrez friends long anybody remember trujillo 16 outdoorsman kid visions owning business someday could benefit family gutierrez 17 jokester kid liked look good dress well advertisement often taken arroyo bike path way robert f kennedy high school two miles north neighborhood brown stucco pitched roof homes desert breeze sw near unser arenal 2 pm march 22 2012 gunned bike path witnesses say heard perhaps many eight gunshots finding boys one lying bike path faceup bottom arroyo behind homes desert breeze near purple cone sw boys last seconds alive captured surveillance video nearby home security system video two boys backpacks walking bike path walk range camera appear stop behind cinder block wall separates path neighborhood killers also believed video minutes trujillo gutierrez come view two individuals wearing hoodies riding bikes captured camera facing arroyo another facing desert breeze bicyclists appear circle neighborhood one point pass boys without incident bike path next arroyo seconds later bicyclists double back toward boys although much occurs next obstructed cinder block wall one bicyclist seen raising object hand one boys slumps ground albuquerque police released video public offered little information crime stoppers issued november neighbors wondered whether homicides connected brawl occurred among large group youths nearby desert springs park day others pointed particular house neighborhood might yield clues suspects identities advertisement nothing happened continue receive tips nothing led results apd spokeswoman tasia martinez said last week unfortunately video result crime stoppers tips unavoidable question year homicides trujillo gutierrez remain unsolved neighbors friends family members boys railed lack outrage deaths two boys bike path broad daylight news conferences police task force assigned occurred three teenage boys gunned 1999 road east mountains daily coverage months though journal wrote three stories arroyo shooting case public police simply accepted boys deaths connected stereotypes west side gangs drugs violence though behavior ever publicly tied boys cross many flowers trinkets adorn spot jeremy trujillo 16 gunned along amole del norte arroyo trujillo best friend samuel gutierrez 17 shot killed march 22 2012 far arrests made joline gutierrez kruegerjournal reporters time said job made difficult family members shaken speak neighbors angry intrusion several tv reporters pelted rocks warned police leave area boys killed bloody week saw one two apd officerinvolved fatal shootings separate shooting death double shooting south valley restaurant parking lot victims survived still none excuse enough time complacency long demand know something killed trujillo gutierrez two best friends two boys come forward start talking question care teenagers deaths others demand police rededicate solving case never forget happened amole del norte arroyo allow happen walked along bike path last week hard forget wind howls bike path empty arroyo patched white light gray paint evidence efforts erase unsightly graffiti place two boys died letters scrawled large blue spray paint across arroyo walls left untouched hard make says rip perhaps names perhaps either side bike path two memorials one boy adorned brightly colored fabric flowers glittery christmas trees teddy bears solar lights failed attempts growing sod handmade wooden crosses painted blue carved names wheres outrage starts time goes upfront daily frontpage news opinion column comment directly joline 8233603 jkruegerabqjournalcom follow twitter jolinegkg go abqjournalcomlettersnew submit letter editor article appeared page a1 albuquerque journal
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<p>LIMA, Peru (AP) — Pope Francis’ top adviser on clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked the pontiff for having accused Chilean victims of slander, saying Saturday that his words were “a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse.”</p>
<p>Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, said he couldn’t explain why Francis “chose the particular words he used.” He said such expressions had the effect of abandoning victims and relegating them to “discredited exile.”</p>
<p>In an extraordinary effort at damage control, O’Malley insisted in a statement that Francis “fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones.”</p>
<p>Francis set off a national uproar upon leaving Chile on Thursday when he accused victims of the country’s most notorious pedophile priest of having slandered another bishop, Juan Barros. The victims say Barros knew of the abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima but did nothing to stop it — a charge Barros denies.</p>
<p>“The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I’ll speak,” Francis told Chilean journalists in the northern city of Iquique. “There is not one shred of proof against him. It’s all calumny. Is that clear?”</p>
<p>The remarks shocked Chileans, drew immediate outrage from victims and their advocates and once again raised the question of whether the 81-year-old Argentine Jesuit “gets it” about sex abuse.</p>
<p>The Karadima scandal has devastated the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile, and Francis’ comments will likely haunt it for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>O’Malley’s carefully worded critique was remarkable since it is rare for a cardinal to publicly rebuke the pope in such terms. But Francis’ remarks were so potentially toxic to the Vatican’s yearslong effort to turn the tide on decades of clerical sex abuse and cover-up that he clearly felt he had to respond.</p>
<p>O’Malley headed Francis’ much-touted committee for the protection of minors until it lapsed last month after its initial three-year mandate expired. Francis has not named new members, and the committee’s future remains unclear.</p>
<p>O’Malley, who took over as Boston archbishop from the disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law after the sex abuse scandal exploded there in 2002, was traveling to Peru on Saturday to meet with the pope. His spokesman said the trip was previously scheduled. Francis leaves Sunday to return to Rome.</p>
<p>“It is understandable that Pope Francis’ statements ... were a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or any other perpetrator,” O’Malley said in the statement. “Words that convey the message ‘if you cannot prove your claims then you will not be believed’ abandon those who have suffered reprehensible criminal violations of their human dignity and relegate survivors to discredited exile.”</p>
<p>Francis’ comments were all the more problematic because Karadima’s victims were deemed so credible by the Vatican that it sentenced him to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” in 2011 based on their testimony. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.</p>
<p>Those same victims accused Barros of witnessing the abuse. Yet Francis said he considered their accusations “all calumny” and that he wouldn’t believe them without proof.</p>
<p>Catholic officials for years sought to discredit victims by accusing them of slandering and attacking the church with their claims. But many in the church and the Vatican had come to acknowledge that victims usually told the truth and that the church had wrongly sought to protect its own by demonizing and discrediting the most vulnerable of its flock.</p>
<p>O’Malley said he couldn’t fully address the Barros case because he didn’t know the details and wasn’t involved. But he insisted the pope “gets it” and is committed to “zero tolerance” for abuse.</p>
<p>“Accompanying the Holy Father at numerous meetings with survivors I have witnessed his pain of knowing the depth and breadth of the wounds inflicted on those who were abused and that the process of recovery can take a lifetime,” he said.</p>
<p>Karadima’s victims reported to church authorities as early as 2002 that he would kiss and fondle them in the swank Santiago parish he ran. But only when they went public with their accusations in 2010 did the Vatican launch an investigation that led to his removal from ministry.</p>
<p>The emeritus archbishop of Santiago subsequently apologized for having refused to believe the victims from the start.</p>
<p>Francis reopened the wounds of the scandal in 2015 when he named Barros, a protege of Karadima, as bishop of the southern diocese of Osorno.</p>
<p>His appointment outraged Chileans, badly divided the Osorno diocese and further undermined the church’s credibility in the country.</p>
<p>As recently as 2014, the Vatican was prepared to ask Barros and two other Karadima-trained bishops to resign and take a year sabbatical, according to a January 2015 letter from Francis to Chilean bishops that was obtained by The Associated Press. The plan fell apart, however, and Francis named Barros to head the Osorno diocese.</p>
<p>LIMA, Peru (AP) — Pope Francis’ top adviser on clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked the pontiff for having accused Chilean victims of slander, saying Saturday that his words were “a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse.”</p>
<p>Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, said he couldn’t explain why Francis “chose the particular words he used.” He said such expressions had the effect of abandoning victims and relegating them to “discredited exile.”</p>
<p>In an extraordinary effort at damage control, O’Malley insisted in a statement that Francis “fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones.”</p>
<p>Francis set off a national uproar upon leaving Chile on Thursday when he accused victims of the country’s most notorious pedophile priest of having slandered another bishop, Juan Barros. The victims say Barros knew of the abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima but did nothing to stop it — a charge Barros denies.</p>
<p>“The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I’ll speak,” Francis told Chilean journalists in the northern city of Iquique. “There is not one shred of proof against him. It’s all calumny. Is that clear?”</p>
<p>The remarks shocked Chileans, drew immediate outrage from victims and their advocates and once again raised the question of whether the 81-year-old Argentine Jesuit “gets it” about sex abuse.</p>
<p>The Karadima scandal has devastated the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile, and Francis’ comments will likely haunt it for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>O’Malley’s carefully worded critique was remarkable since it is rare for a cardinal to publicly rebuke the pope in such terms. But Francis’ remarks were so potentially toxic to the Vatican’s yearslong effort to turn the tide on decades of clerical sex abuse and cover-up that he clearly felt he had to respond.</p>
<p>O’Malley headed Francis’ much-touted committee for the protection of minors until it lapsed last month after its initial three-year mandate expired. Francis has not named new members, and the committee’s future remains unclear.</p>
<p>O’Malley, who took over as Boston archbishop from the disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law after the sex abuse scandal exploded there in 2002, was traveling to Peru on Saturday to meet with the pope. His spokesman said the trip was previously scheduled. Francis leaves Sunday to return to Rome.</p>
<p>“It is understandable that Pope Francis’ statements ... were a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or any other perpetrator,” O’Malley said in the statement. “Words that convey the message ‘if you cannot prove your claims then you will not be believed’ abandon those who have suffered reprehensible criminal violations of their human dignity and relegate survivors to discredited exile.”</p>
<p>Francis’ comments were all the more problematic because Karadima’s victims were deemed so credible by the Vatican that it sentenced him to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” in 2011 based on their testimony. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.</p>
<p>Those same victims accused Barros of witnessing the abuse. Yet Francis said he considered their accusations “all calumny” and that he wouldn’t believe them without proof.</p>
<p>Catholic officials for years sought to discredit victims by accusing them of slandering and attacking the church with their claims. But many in the church and the Vatican had come to acknowledge that victims usually told the truth and that the church had wrongly sought to protect its own by demonizing and discrediting the most vulnerable of its flock.</p>
<p>O’Malley said he couldn’t fully address the Barros case because he didn’t know the details and wasn’t involved. But he insisted the pope “gets it” and is committed to “zero tolerance” for abuse.</p>
<p>“Accompanying the Holy Father at numerous meetings with survivors I have witnessed his pain of knowing the depth and breadth of the wounds inflicted on those who were abused and that the process of recovery can take a lifetime,” he said.</p>
<p>Karadima’s victims reported to church authorities as early as 2002 that he would kiss and fondle them in the swank Santiago parish he ran. But only when they went public with their accusations in 2010 did the Vatican launch an investigation that led to his removal from ministry.</p>
<p>The emeritus archbishop of Santiago subsequently apologized for having refused to believe the victims from the start.</p>
<p>Francis reopened the wounds of the scandal in 2015 when he named Barros, a protege of Karadima, as bishop of the southern diocese of Osorno.</p>
<p>His appointment outraged Chileans, badly divided the Osorno diocese and further undermined the church’s credibility in the country.</p>
<p>As recently as 2014, the Vatican was prepared to ask Barros and two other Karadima-trained bishops to resign and take a year sabbatical, according to a January 2015 letter from Francis to Chilean bishops that was obtained by The Associated Press. The plan fell apart, however, and Francis named Barros to head the Osorno diocese.</p>
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lima peru ap pope francis top adviser clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked pontiff accused chilean victims slander saying saturday words source great pain survivors sexual abuse cardinal sean omalley archbishop boston said couldnt explain francis chose particular words used said expressions effect abandoning victims relegating discredited exile extraordinary effort damage control omalley insisted statement francis fully recognizes egregious failures church clergy abused children devastating impact crimes survivors loved ones francis set national uproar upon leaving chile thursday accused victims countrys notorious pedophile priest slandered another bishop juan barros victims say barros knew abuse rev fernando karadima nothing stop charge barros denies day bring proof bishop barros ill speak francis told chilean journalists northern city iquique one shred proof calumny clear remarks shocked chileans drew immediate outrage victims advocates raised question whether 81yearold argentine jesuit gets sex abuse karadima scandal devastated credibility roman catholic church chile francis comments likely haunt foreseeable future omalleys carefully worded critique remarkable since rare cardinal publicly rebuke pope terms francis remarks potentially toxic vaticans yearslong effort turn tide decades clerical sex abuse coverup clearly felt respond omalley headed francis muchtouted committee protection minors lapsed last month initial threeyear mandate expired francis named new members committees future remains unclear omalley took boston archbishop disgraced cardinal bernard law sex abuse scandal exploded 2002 traveling peru saturday meet pope spokesman said trip previously scheduled francis leaves sunday return rome understandable pope francis statements source great pain survivors sexual abuse clergy perpetrator omalley said statement words convey message prove claims believed abandon suffered reprehensible criminal violations human dignity relegate survivors discredited exile francis comments problematic karadimas victims deemed credible vatican sentenced lifetime penance prayer 2011 based testimony chilean judge also found victims credible saying drop charges karadima much time passed proof crimes wasnt lacking victims accused barros witnessing abuse yet francis said considered accusations calumny wouldnt believe without proof catholic officials years sought discredit victims accusing slandering attacking church claims many church vatican come acknowledge victims usually told truth church wrongly sought protect demonizing discrediting vulnerable flock omalley said couldnt fully address barros case didnt know details wasnt involved insisted pope gets committed zero tolerance abuse accompanying holy father numerous meetings survivors witnessed pain knowing depth breadth wounds inflicted abused process recovery take lifetime said karadimas victims reported church authorities early 2002 would kiss fondle swank santiago parish ran went public accusations 2010 vatican launch investigation led removal ministry emeritus archbishop santiago subsequently apologized refused believe victims start francis reopened wounds scandal 2015 named barros protege karadima bishop southern diocese osorno appointment outraged chileans badly divided osorno diocese undermined churchs credibility country recently 2014 vatican prepared ask barros two karadimatrained bishops resign take year sabbatical according january 2015 letter francis chilean bishops obtained associated press plan fell apart however francis named barros head osorno diocese lima peru ap pope francis top adviser clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked pontiff accused chilean victims slander saying saturday words source great pain survivors sexual abuse cardinal sean omalley archbishop boston said couldnt explain francis chose particular words used said expressions effect abandoning victims relegating discredited exile extraordinary effort damage control omalley insisted statement francis fully recognizes egregious failures church clergy abused children devastating impact crimes survivors loved ones francis set national uproar upon leaving chile thursday accused victims countrys notorious pedophile priest slandered another bishop juan barros victims say barros knew abuse rev fernando karadima nothing stop charge barros denies day bring proof bishop barros ill speak francis told chilean journalists northern city iquique one shred proof calumny clear remarks shocked chileans drew immediate outrage victims advocates raised question whether 81yearold argentine jesuit gets sex abuse karadima scandal devastated credibility roman catholic church chile francis comments likely haunt foreseeable future omalleys carefully worded critique remarkable since rare cardinal publicly rebuke pope terms francis remarks potentially toxic vaticans yearslong effort turn tide decades clerical sex abuse coverup clearly felt respond omalley headed francis muchtouted committee protection minors lapsed last month initial threeyear mandate expired francis named new members committees future remains unclear omalley took boston archbishop disgraced cardinal bernard law sex abuse scandal exploded 2002 traveling peru saturday meet pope spokesman said trip previously scheduled francis leaves sunday return rome understandable pope francis statements source great pain survivors sexual abuse clergy perpetrator omalley said statement words convey message prove claims believed abandon suffered reprehensible criminal violations human dignity relegate survivors discredited exile francis comments problematic karadimas victims deemed credible vatican sentenced lifetime penance prayer 2011 based testimony chilean judge also found victims credible saying drop charges karadima much time passed proof crimes wasnt lacking victims accused barros witnessing abuse yet francis said considered accusations calumny wouldnt believe without proof catholic officials years sought discredit victims accusing slandering attacking church claims many church vatican come acknowledge victims usually told truth church wrongly sought protect demonizing discrediting vulnerable flock omalley said couldnt fully address barros case didnt know details wasnt involved insisted pope gets committed zero tolerance abuse accompanying holy father numerous meetings survivors witnessed pain knowing depth breadth wounds inflicted abused process recovery take lifetime said karadimas victims reported church authorities early 2002 would kiss fondle swank santiago parish ran went public accusations 2010 vatican launch investigation led removal ministry emeritus archbishop santiago subsequently apologized refused believe victims start francis reopened wounds scandal 2015 named barros protege karadima bishop southern diocese osorno appointment outraged chileans badly divided osorno diocese undermined churchs credibility country recently 2014 vatican prepared ask barros two karadimatrained bishops resign take year sabbatical according january 2015 letter francis chilean bishops obtained associated press plan fell apart however francis named barros head osorno diocese
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