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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Los Angeles Times

Afghan refugees coming to California struggle with PTSD

California's capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war. But life in the United States has proven a constant struggle. These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported. More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010. Many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of U.S. culture. Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for U.S. soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan, was shot in the face outside his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and suspected gang member has been charged and is awaiting trial. Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul. “I feel like I'm drowning here,” said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting. “I'm not mentally fixed.” Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal since the assault. Razmal's fate and his ability to support his family remain uncertain. The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said. Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States. Razmal's therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was “re-traumatized” by his shooting here. “People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, and when they enter they are in shock as they try to find their way around,” said Ghaffari, an Iranian marriage and family therapist in Sacramento who speaks the same Dari language as the Afghan refugees. She now counsels about 30 Afghans seeking help with mental health and domestic violence issues. “They feel isolated, don't have any clear direction,” she said. “Their dream shatters right away.”

Associated Press

www.latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-afghan-refugees-ptsd-sacramento-20170101-story.html

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Minimum Wages Will Rise in Nearly Two Dozen States in 2017

Twenty-two states, plus the District of Columbia, will see their minimum wages increase over the course of 2017.

Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed Trump pick 'giant middle finger' to workers 6:45 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog Millions of Americans are set to receive higher pay in the new year, despite the potential confirmation of a millionaire labor secretary who once opposed the Obama administration's efforts to raise the federal minimum wage. Twenty-two states, plus the District of Columbia, will see their minimum wages increase over the course of 2017, according to The Fairness Project, a nonprofit organization that supports progressive causes. In addition, dozens of cities will see similar hikes. The raises are owed in large part to a strategy adopted by the Obama administration to circumvent an obstructionist Republican Congress. Rather than give up on their domestic policy agenda, the president and his aides have aggressively used the bully pulpit to push cities and states toward adopting key proposals — including a higher minimum wage. Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed Minimum wage protests erupt across nation 0:29 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog The raises also reflect a galvanized grassroots effort that managed to convince an enormous number of voters of the need for higher pay. "Seventy percent of these raises came from ballot initiatives," Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, told NBC News. "So it's not so much that there's been a major shift from our elected officials… Rather, it's low-wage workers, it's their neighbors, it's folks in their communities who overwhelmingly voted to support ballot initiatives raising the minimum wage." States that are seeing raises due to ballot measures include: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and the District of Columbia. Sam Petulla / NBC News Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Vermont, meanwhile, have their lawmakers to thank for the minimum wage hikes. Some of the increases are small, amounting to only a few cents — as in Florida, where minimum wage will go from $8.05-an-hour to $8.10 on January 1. But workers' rights advocates insist any increase, no matter how tiny, makes a difference. "When you're talking about the types of decisions that minimum wage workers are making — trading off whether they'll pay their healthcare bill or their groceries -- any increase is significant," Schleifer said. The raises are especially notable when compared to the federal minimum wage, which has stayed constant at $7.25 since 2009. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for labor secretary, Andrew F. Puzder, opposed the Obama administration's efforts to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 — well below the $15 minimum wage that many advocates are calling for. "The new labor secretary has been opposed to the interests of workers on almost every level, including expanding overtime wages and raising the minimum wage," said Paul Sonn, general counsel and program director at the National Employment Law Project, a workers' rights group. Even if Puzder is confirmed, the movement to raise minimum wages at the state and local level will prevail, Sonn said. "This movement will only get stronger," he said.

Emma Margolin

www.nbcnews.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minimum-wages-will-rise-nearly-two-dozen-states-2017-n700831?cid=public-rss_20170105

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Los Angeles Times

Fire engulfs Long Beach apartment unit; man found dead

A man was found dead as a fire engulfed an apartment unit Sunday evening in Long Beach. The blaze started on the ground floor of a two-story garden-style apartment complex in the 5500 block of Dairy Avenue just before 7:30 p.m., Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Jake Heflin said. Firefighters discovered the body and the victim was declared dead at the scene. The unit in which the body was found sustained heavy smoke and fire damage, and the man’s identity was not immediately determined. The second-story unit on top of the ground floor unit sustained heavy smoke damage and displaced a family of five. The family’s father, a 28-year-old man, was sent to the hospital after he was forced to jump off a second-floor balcony, Heflin said. Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze. [email protected] Twitter: @ronlin

Rong-Gong Lin Ii

www.latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-long-beach-fire-man-dead-20170101-story.html

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Obama Boosted White House Technology; Trump Sees Risks

Obama Boosted White House Technology; Trump Sees Risks

As Barack Obama began preparing to leave office, the first smartphone-toting U.S. president ordered his team to upgrade the White House's aging technology for his successor. New computers were purchased and faster internet was installed. Not included in the modernization plans? A courier service. But that delivery method of a bygone era may be in for a comeback under Donald Trump. Despite his voracious use of Twitter, the president-elect appears to be leaning toward old tech to ensure the security of sensitive messages. "It's very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way because I'll tell you what, no computer is safe," Trump told reporters Saturday in response to questions about Russia's alleged hacking of Democrats during the presidential election. Trump, who doesn't email or surf the internet, said days earlier that computers "have complicated lives very greatly." Trump's skepticism of some technology marks a sharp contrast from the president he'll replace on Jan. 20. Obama, who was a youthful 47 years old when he took office, carries a specially outfitted Blackberry, emails with a small number of friends and aides, and has received some of his daily security briefings on an iPad. He celebrated technological innovations at an annual science fair, created the job of chief technology officer in the White House and viewed technology as key to making the sprawling federal government more efficient and responsive to the public. But technology has also been a burden for Obama. Online sign-ups for his health care law were crippled by massive technical issues, resulting in one of the most embarrassing episodes of his presidency. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden stole classified information that he leaked to journalists, revealing the Obama administration's bulk collection of millions of Americans' phone records, as well as U.S. spying on some friendly foreign leaders. Trump, 70, rarely uses a computer and sifts through stacks of newspapers, magazines and printed articles to read the news. He panned candidates' reliance on data and technology in presidential campaigns, preferring to make decisions in part based on the reaction from audiences at his rallies. While Trump's tweetstorms are already legendary, he utters some of his messages out loud and leaves the actual typing to aides. Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he expects Trump to continue using Twitter and other social media sites as president, casting it as an effective way to communicate with Americans. "Absolutely, you're going to see Twitter," Spicer said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." ''I think it freaks the mainstream media out — that he has this following of 45-plus million people that follow him on social media" and he "can have a direct conversation" with them. Trump has shown some interest in technology since winning the White House. Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel has been working with Trump's transition team and could serve as an adviser to the administration. Trump met with several Silicon Valley executives last month, telling them his administration was "here to help you folks do well." As Trump heads into the White House, some of the biggest questions surrounding his relationship with technology will involve security. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and a top aide to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the election, exposing the vulnerabilities of systems in Washington. Revelations that Clinton used a personal email and private internet server during her four years as Obama's secretary of state highlighted the lax practices that exist in government. As a candidate, Trump called for an immediate review of U.S. cyber defenses and vulnerabilities, though he has not detailed specific steps he plans to take to bolster cybersecurity and has not publicly accepted the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia was behind the election year hacking. Nor has Trump outlined any changes in the way he expects the White House to use technology for day-to-day work. Bruce Schneier, a technology security expert, said Trump was right to question the safeguards that exist for protecting his own communications as president. "If the Russian spies want to get at his data, no computer is probably safe," said Schneier, a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. "Everything is vulnerable." Of course, the courier system Trump suggests is hardly foolproof, either. After the U.S. killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, administration officials said they had gleaned crucial information on his whereabouts by tracking the al-Qaida leader's courier. ——— Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/obama-boosted-white-house-technology-trump-sees-risks-44499890

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Most residents evacuated by sinkhole could return in a week

The new public works commissioner in a suburban Detroit county is declaring all hands on deck to fix a broken sewer line that has created a major sinkhole and forced the evacuation of 22 homes.

The new public works commissioner in a suburban Detroit county is declaring "all hands on deck" to fix a broken sewer line that has created a major sinkhole and forced the evacuation of 22 homes. Former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller used her first day in office Sunday to urge Macomb County residents to reduce water consumption while crews create a bypass to get around the bad pipe. The short-term fix could take a month. During a news conference at the sinkhole site in Fraser, Miller said she doesn't have all the answers but promised "transparency." The sinkhole was discovered Dec. 24, just weeks after Miller was elected to lead the county's public works department. Three homes likely are beyond repair, though residents in 19 homes could return in a week.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/01/most-residents-evacuated-by-sinkhole-could-return-in-week.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

South Korea says woman tied to scandal arrested in Denmark

South Korean prosecutors said Monday the daughter of the confidante of disgraced President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark and authorities are working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal.

South Korean prosecutors said Monday the daughter of the confidante of disgraced President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark and authorities are working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal. Park was impeached last month by lawmakers amid public fury over prosecutors' allegations that the president conspired to allow her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government. Denmark police arrested Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, on the weekend on charges of staying their illegally. South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Chung because she didn't return home to answer questions about the scandal. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that Chung, a former member of the national equestrian team, allegedly took advantage of her mother's relationship with Park to get unwarranted favors from Seoul's Ewha Womans University.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/01/south-korea-says-woman-tied-to-scandal-arrested-in-denmark.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

ISIS claims responsibility for Istanbul nightclub shooting spree

The Islamic State said in a statement on Monday that it was responsible for a New Year’s shooting spree at an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, while authorities were still searching for the gunman.

The Islamic State said in a statement on Monday that it was responsible for a New Year’s shooting spree at an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, while authorities were still searching for the gunman. The terror group said through its Aamaq News Agency that the attack was carried out by a “heroic soldier of the caliphate who attacked the most famous nightclub where Christians were celebrating their pagan feast.” Turkish authorities believe that the gunman came from a Central Asian nation and is likely to either be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, Turkish media reported citing unnamed sources. Police had also established similarities with the high-casualty suicide bomb and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in June and was investigating whether the same ISIS cell could have carried out both attacks, the papers reported. The unidentified gunman, who is still at large, killed a policeman and another man outside the Reina club in the early hours of 2017 before entering and firing at about 600 revelers partying inside with an automatic rifle. "Unfortunately, (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters. Nearly two-thirds of the victims were foreigners, many from the Middle East, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. The report said the bodies of 25 foreign nationals killed in the attack would be delivered to their families later Monday. The mass shooting followed more than 30 violent acts over the past year in Turkey, which is a member of the NATO alliance and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. The country endured multiple bombings in 2016, including three in Istanbul alone that authorities blamed on IS, a failed coup attempt in July and renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including the "foreign guests." Among the dead were an 18-year-old Israeli woman, three Indians, three Lebanese, a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship and her Tunisian husband, two Jordanians, a Belgian national, a Kuwaiti citizen and a Canadian, according to those countries' governments and a diplomat. Jordan's Foreign Ministry earlier said three of its citizens had been killed, but revised that, saying there was confusion over the nationality of one victim. A U.S. State Department official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said one American man was among those wounded. Turkey's minister for family and social policies, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those injured. NTV news reported that the assailant was wearing a Santa Claus outfit when he entered the nightclub on the shore of Bosporus straight, on the European side of the city – a claim Prime Miniser Binali Yidirim denied. Sickening video from the scene shows what appeared to be a man dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera inside Reina shows a figure wearing different clothes and what could be a Santa Claus hat. Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the club and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued. Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack. Mehmet Dag, 22, said he was passing by the club when he saw a man shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the attacker then targeted security guards, gunning them down and entering the club. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion," Dag said. Turkish media said the local victims included a 22-year-old police officer and a 47-year-old travel agent, both of whom were shot outside the club. One was given a funeral Sunday in Istanbul, where his two sons joined the mourners gathered around the flag-draped casket, the private Dogan news agency reported. Ayhan Arik, a tourism company employee who had taken foreign guests to the nightclub, was shot in the head, the news agency said. On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub. The entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police also patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club. Crime scene investigators were seen inside the nightclub searching through mingled piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests. There were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where the dead were taken for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones. The Islamic State group claims to have cells in the country. Analysts think it was behind suicide bombings last January and March that targeted tourists on Istanbul's iconic Istiklal Street as well as the attack at Ataturk Airport in June, which killed 45 people. In December, ISIS released a video purportedly showing the killing of two Turkish soldiers and urged its supporters to "conquer" Istanbul. Turkey's jets regularly bomb the group in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab. Turkish authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the video. The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Turkey's leader, saying that "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations." "However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said. The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey. The U.N. Security Council condemned the "heinous and barbaric" assault in the "strongest terms." The Associated Press contributed to this report.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/02/isis-claims-responsibility-for-istanbul-nightclub-shooting-spree.html

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Gun-shaped cell phone case prompts police standoff

Alhambra police released this photo on their Facebook page, showing what appears to be an iPhone with a gun holder attachment, sitting in a car.

On Friday, Alhambra Police released this photo on their Facebook page, showing what appears to be an iPhone with a gun holder attachment, sitting in a car. Earlier that day, The Alhambra Fire Department responded to a possible medical emergency in an Albertson’s parking lot. After seeing someone unconscious or possibly sleeping in the seat, they noticed a device next to the driver, which looked like a gun next to the driver’s hand. Once officers arrived, they called in a special forces team, and shortly after a standoff, the person surrendered (he was sleeping), and they checked the device which ended up being a cell phone case. Although the situation ended peacefully, authorities were alarmed by the case looking like a gun. Alhambra Police wants to get the message out that folks should reconsider carrying items that look like weapons in public, since an incident like this could have easily ended tragically. Read more at FoxLa.com.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/01/gun-shaped-cell-phone-case-prompts-police-standoff.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Fed up with politics, Brazil cities swear in outsider mayors

Brazil's two biggest cities on Sunday inaugurated mayors who are political outsiders and whose victories underscored deep frustration with the political class and public corruption.

Brazil's two biggest cities on Sunday inaugurated mayors who are political outsiders and whose victories underscored deep frustration with the political class and public corruption. Joao Doria, a millionaire businessman who once hosted "The Apprentice Brazil," took the oath of office in the country's financial capital of Sao Paulo. He defeated an ally of the president as well as the incumbent. Evangelical bishop and senator Marcelo Crivella was also sworn in, as Rio de Janeiro's mayor. He also defeated an ally of the president. The victories of these unusual candidates speak to the depth of Brazilian discontent with politics. While many Brazilians have long dismissed their politicians as corrupt, an investigation into kickbacks at the state-run oil company Petrobras has revealed graft on a scale that has shocked even the most cynical. Arrests of politicians and businessmen seem to occur every week. In an absurd illustration of Brazil's rampant corruption, just 10 of 15 city councilmen were choosing an interim mayor for Foz de Iguacu on Sunday. The electoral court rejected the winner of the mayoral election in that city, the gateway to Iguacu Falls, because he was convicted of wrongdoing in office. Only 10 councilmen can vote on Sunday because the other five have been arrested on charges of corruption. A new mayoral election will be held in the coming months. After his swearing in, Doria, who ran on the fact that he wasn't a politician but a successful businessman, promised a "strict adherence to ethics in public management at all levels of executive power." He also spoke to voters' concerns about mismanagement by politicians, promising a better-run, cleaner, fairer Sao Paulo for all residents — a massive task in a city that is a symbol of the enormous inequalities found in Brazil, where a poor family might live in a hastily constructed shanty but millionaires commute by helicopter. "I am a manager, and I will put management first for the city of Sao Paulo," he said. Crivella faces an especially tough task in Rio, which is essentially broke and has struggled to pay police and other public servants, even as it tries to clamp down on rampant crime. Rio residents blame the economic problems on corruption, while others say the government overextended itself to host the 2016 Olympics. In one speech Sunday, Crivella said every department would have to show that it had sufficient funds in hand before announcing new spending. "Before this work is done, the order is the following: spending is prohibited," he said. Later, Crivella said he had already started making cuts, slashing in half the number of heads of departments in his administration, and that a further reduction in public sector jobs would follow. "We will have to do more with less," he said at a ceremony attended by many evangelical leaders, even some who opposed Crivella's candidacy, were present. In addition to its political implications, Crivella's election is also a sign of the rise of evangelicals in Brazil. Although Brazil is largely Roman Catholic, the evangelical community now accounts for one-fifth of the population of around 200 million. Revelations of widespread corruption throughout the past year have exacerbated an already uneasy political situation in Brazil, which is also in deep recession. The last president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in mid-2016 on charges she broke budget laws. Current President Michel Temer took over amid hopes he would push through reforms and rescue an economy in deep recession. But questions about Temer's legitimacy and that of his reform agenda have dogged him since he took office. More recently, he has been accused of abusing his power — an allegation he denies. Through it all, anger with politicians in Brazil has grown. Protests have drawn people from across the political spectrum seeking an outlet for their disgust. ___ Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo reported this story in Sao Paulo and AP writer Mauricio Savarese reported from Rio de Janeiro.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/01/fed-up-with-politics-brazil-cities-swear-in-outsider-mayors.html

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Aurora police investigating fatal New Year's Eve drive-by shooting

A 26-year old Aurora man was fatally shot in a New Year's Eve drive-by shooting on the city's near southeast side, police officials said Sunday. Police are seeking information on the death of Andrew Dockery of the 400 block of Jackson Street, Aurora. Dockery was standing outside when shots were fired just before 7 p.m. Dec. 31 from an unknown vehicle that was traveling eastbound in the 400 block of Melrose Avenue, according to a news release. Aurora police reported they do have information that the vehicle was being followed by a newer, gray Nissan Sentra or car of a similar model, and they are seeking information from the occupants of that vehicle. Both vehicles apparently had more than one occupant, police said, but witnesses could not provide descriptions of suspects. Investigators have yet to determine if the gray car was involved in the shooting. According to police, investigators believe the people in the other vehicle probably have information on what occurred, and they would like to talk with them. According to the release, police have no definite motive in the shooting. They said gang involvement has not been ruled out. An autopsy is pending at the Kane County Coroner's Office. Aurora police are seeking the public's assistance. Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police Investigations at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Calls to Crime Stoppers that lead to an arrest qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department's free app available from iTunes, the Android Market, or Amazon App Store. Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

Linda Girardi

www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-abn-aurora-fatal-shooting-st-0102-20170101-story.html

UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

23 dead after ferry carrying New Year's revelers catches fire in Indonesia

At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesia's capital, officials said. The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakarta's port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year's holiday, according to local media reports. Seply Madreta, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted around half the ship. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered. A search involving around 10 ships was underway to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement. Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ship left Muara Angke. Indonesia ferry Adi Weda / EPA Rescuers extinguish a fire as they look for bodies on a burned passenger boat at Muara Angke port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Rescuers extinguish a fire as they look for bodies on a burned passenger boat at Muara Angke port in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Adi Weda / EPA) (Adi Weda / EPA) The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferry's engine. TV footage showed people in the water with the ferry in flames in the background. A woman in the water can be heard screaming "Ya Allah! Ya Allah!" or "Oh God! Oh God!" Another woman told the TV station that she and other passengers were rescued by a small boat. Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services. Associated Press

Tribune News Services

www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-indonesia-ferry-fire-20170101-story.html

UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Car chase leads to 2017's first officer-involved shooting

A Chicago police officer responding to a car chase on the city's South Side shot a man who wouldn't comply, police superintendent Eddie Johnson announced Sunday. Around 2:20 a.m., officers in the 5th District tried to pull over a Hyundai that ignored a stop sign in the 1200 block of South State Street. Once the officers got out of their vehicle, the driver sped southbound and made his way onto the sidewalk. Police lost sight of the suspect after five blocks, but later saw him sideswipe several vehicles in traffic before crashing into another responding police car, Johnson said. Officers tried to arrest the man, who was still sitting in the driver's seat, but the man wouldn't comply and resisted arrest. A physical fight broke out outside the car when officers tried to restrain him, officials said. During the struggle, an officer discharged his service weapon twice, striking the suspect. The man in his 40s was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Police declined to identify the suspect, but said he had a warrant for his arrest. Three officers also were hospitalized. Johnson said they were all in good condition. The officer who shot the man has been placed on customary 30-day administrative leave, Johnson said. IPRA is expected to investigate, as is standard procedure, he said.

Tony Briscoe

www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/-ct-new-years-eve-police-shooting-20170101-story.html

UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Artificial intelligence isn't the scary future. It's the amazing present.

The year 2017 arrives and we humans are still in charge. Whew! The machines haven't taken over yet, but they are gaining on us. Google's DeepMind AlphaGo computer program recently beat the world champ at Go, a complex board game, while Japanese researchers plan to build the world's fastest supercomputer for use on artificial intelligence projects. It will do 130 quadrillion calculations per second, which is, um, really, really fast. Ask Siri for details. She can explain it better than we can. The essence of artificial intelligence is massive, intuitive computing power: machines so smart that they can learn and become even smarter. If that sounds creepy, you are overthinking the concept. The machines are becoming quicker and more nimble, not sentient. There is no impending threat to humanity from computers that become bored and plot our doom. HAL, the computer villain from "2001: A Space Odyssey," is fictional. Yet ... advances in the field of artificial intelligence occur at such a breakout pace they are redefining the relationship between man and machine. Computer scientist David Gelernter says the coming of computers with true humanlike reasoning remains decades in the future, but when the moment of "artificial general intelligence" arrives, the pause will be brief. Once artificial minds achieve the equivalence of the average human IQ of 100, the next step will be machines with an IQ of 500, and then 5,000. "We don't have the vaguest idea what an IQ of 5,000 would mean," Gelernter wrote in The Wall Street Journal. OK, that's a little bit creepy. A basic test of AI tolerance is your opinion of the self-driving car, which belonged to the sci-fi future a decade ago. Today you can hail one in Pittsburgh. Driverless vehicles rely in part on a form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning — algorithms that can make complex decisions in real-time based on accrued experience. Ford wants to have an autonomous truck on the roads by 2020. The great promise is that robot drivers will never make dumb mistakes at the wheel or fail a Breathalyzer test. But they could render obsolete entire professions: long-distance trucker, for example, or cabbie. Experts hoping to illustrate the potential of artificial intelligence without frightening people conjure the image of the know-it-all yet obsequious digital assistant. It will know where to buy the perfect gift, based on algorithms that understand the latest trends and your family's preferences. And oh, it noticed that you're walking funny. Is your back acting up again? At the hospital, it will analyze an MRI better than doctors can. The frontiers are limitless: analyzing stocks, managing energy use, discovering new drugs. "I think we're going to need artificial assistance to make the breakthroughs that society wants," Demis Hassabis, DeepMind's CEO, told Wired magazine. "Climate, economics, disease — they're just tremendously complicated interacting systems. It's just hard for humans to analyze all that data and make sense of it." You may already have benefited from artificial intelligence without realizing it. Several months ago, Google Translate upgraded to what it calls the Google Neural Machine Translation system. The program relies on a brainlike computational network that sifts through its database to arrive at a logical, nuanced meaning for any sentence in just about any language. Here is the old Google Translate struggling to turn a Japanese sentence of a Hemingway line back into English: "Whether the leopard had what the demand at that altitude, there is no that nobody explained." And the new Google Translate, firing its electronic neurons: "No one has ever explained what leopard wanted at that altitude." Missing an article ("the"), but otherwise perfect. Writing about Google Translate and Hemingway in a New York Times magazine article titled "The great AI awakening," journalist Gideon Lewis-Kraus pondered the significance of a machine that masters human language: It could be "the major inflection point" in the development of "true artificial intelligence." Be awed, but not afraid. Technically, computers may outthink us, but humans will always have the edge because we are more creative. After all, we built the machines. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

Editorial Board

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Texas Judge Halts Federal Transgender Protections

The judge wrote that said the rules intended to ban discrimination by doctors and hospitals "likely violate" the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge in Texas has ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor on Saturday granted a temporary injunction that stops federal health officials from enforcing rules that are intended to ban discrimination by doctors and hospitals against transgender persons. O'Connor wrote in a 46-page ruling that the rules "likely violate" the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. O'Connor is the same judge who sided with Republican-controlled states earlier this year over transgender protections in public schools sought by the Obama administration. That lawsuit centered on a federal directive requiring schools to let transgender students use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. The lawsuit in which O'Connor issued the injunction Saturday contends that the rules, which were finalized in May, could force doctors to help with gender transition contrary to their religious beliefs or medical judgment. Transgender rights advocates called that a far-fetched hypothetical, saying a person would not approach a doctor who lacked suitable experience and expertise. Joining Texas in the lawsuit were Wisconsin, Kentucky, Nebraska and Kansas, along with the Christian Medical and Dental Association and Franciscan Alliance, an Indiana-based network of religious hospitals. The Obama administration finalized the regulations around the time it issued its directive to public schools regarding transgender students. Thirteen states signed on to fight that directive, including three involved in the latest lawsuit, and won a temporary injunction in August from U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor.

The Associated Press

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Pipeline Protesters Deliver High-Flying Stunt During Vikings Game

Two people scaled U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and unfurled a banner demanding that the bank divest from the the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Two people protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline delivered a high-flying stunt and a message — "Divest" — during the Minnesota Vikings' game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Two protesters rappel from the rafters with a banner against the Dakota Access Pipeline during a game Sunday between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Brace Hemmelgarn / Reuters The incident began about 12:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET), about a half-hour after kickoff of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium, a Minneapolis police spokeswoman told NBC News. The protesters, who were not immediately identified, climbed the rafters and unfurled a massive white banner that said "Divest #NoDAPL," a reference to the movement against the $3.8 billion pipeline, NBC station KARE reported. At the top of the banner was the logo of U.S. Bank, which won a 20-year naming-rights deal on the facility last year, the Pioneer Press newspaper of St. Paul reported. The two people remained there until about 3 p.m., said Dave Schwartz, a KARE reporter who was covering the game. Video and photos showed two people with rapelling gear dangling high above the field. I'm over in the section now where the protesters are repelling. I'm told the fire department is on the way @kare11 pic.twitter.com/16jjYPR8Yt — Dave Schwartz (@Dave_Schwartz) January 1, 2017 The game didn't stop, but fans were seated below the banner were moved, the station reported. The protesters were taken to a hospital after they reached the ground, Schwartz said, adding that media weren't permitted to interview them. In a statement, the company that manages the stadium, SMG, said the people appeared to have climbed a guardrail and gained access to the stadium's ridge truss. "We immediately dispatched on-site Minneapolis police and fire departments to the scene and cleared the seating section below," the statement said, adding that the company's primary focus was fan safety and getting the two people down without incident. A U.S. Bank spokesman declined to comment. The protest comes a month and a half after the Army Corps of Engineers announced that more analysis and discussion was needed before it would allow Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the pipeline, to continue construction. The decision came amid the largest protest in modern American Indian history — a protest led by members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota. The tribe told NBC News on Sunday that it wasn't aware of the protest or its organizers. Divestment is part of the anti-pipeline movement's strategy, with activists using high-profile events to pressure banks to pull financing from the project.

Tim Stelloh

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http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/dakota-pipeline-protests/pipeline-protesters-deliver-high-flying-stunt-during-vikings-game-n702116?cid=public-rss_20170101

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Police Find Stolen Car, Seek Army Reservist Who Escaped

Police Find Stolen Car, Seek Army Reservist Who Escaped

Massachusetts state police say they've recovered a stolen car believed to have been used by a former Army reservist who was charged with stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center and escaped from a Rhode Island detention center. They say James Morales remains at large. U.S. marshals say the Cambridge, Massachusetts, native scaled a building and climbed over razor wire and was reported missing Saturday night. They believe he's wounded and bleeding from the razor wire. Police say they believe Morales fled to Attleboro, Massachusetts, and stole the car. They found the car Sunday afternoon. The FBI says Morales stole assault rifles and handguns from an armory in Worcester (WUS'-tur), Massachusetts, in 2015. Morales also faces child rape charges. Morales is black, bald, 6 feet tall and 175 pounds. He's 35 and has brown eyes and an eagle neck tattoo.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Brazil: Man Kills Ex-Wife, Relatives in New Year's Crime

Brazil: Man Kills Ex-Wife, Relatives in New Year's Crime

Brazilian military police say a man broke into a house where his ex-wife was ringing in the New Year and shot and killed at least a dozen people before committing suicide. Cpl. Marta Aurelia said Sunday that the man was carrying "several firearms." His ex-wife was among the dead, and the others included her family members. The crime took place in the southeastern city of Campinas. Aurelia said 13 people were killed but was not sure if that total included the gunman. A further three were wounded. Violence against women is prevalent in Brazil. In 2015, the government stiffened penalties for homicides of women or girls in which gender played a role. At the time, authorities said 15 women are killed daily in Brazil, often in situations of domestic violence.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Suicide Bombers Kill 9 South of Iraq's Capital

Suicide Bombers Kill 9 South of Iraq's Capital

Iraqi officials say a pair of suicide bombers detonated their explosives belts at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing nine people, including four members of the security forces. The police and hospital officials said the Sunday attack near the holy Shiite city of Najaf also wounded 22. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. It came one day after two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people at a Baghdad market. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State group. Baghdad has seen near-daily attacks blamed on Islamic militants since 2003.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Italy bomb squad expert loses eye, hand to exploding package

Police in Florence, Italy say a bomb squad officer lost an eye and had to have a hand amputated after a suspicious package he was examining exploded before dawn Sunday.

Police in Florence say a bomb squad officer lost an eye and had to have a hand amputated after a suspicious package he was examining exploded before dawn Sunday. Florence Police Chief Alberto Intini told reporters that the package left outside a shuttered bookshop with links to a group of extreme right activists, CasaPound, had caught the attention of a passing police patrol. The explosives squad was called to intervene, at about 5 a.m., and that's when the officer was gravely injured, police spokesman Cesare Taraschi said. The blast was under investigation. Italy occasionally sees explosions that authorities have blamed on political extremists. The country suffered bombings, slayings and kidnappings during a period of domestic terrorism in the 1970s and early 1980s. Mayor Dario Nardella says peaceful Florence "isn't represented by the horrors" of the blast. Florence Cardinal Giuseppe Betori decried criminals who wanted a "bloody passage from the old year to the new."

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RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

3 Men Decapitated, 2 More Slain in Acapulco Over New Year's

3 Men Decapitated, 2 More Slain in Acapulco Over New Year's

At least five people were killed over the New Year's weekend in the resort city of Acapulco, including three men found decapitated in a central neighborhood, officials said Sunday. The three severed heads were found Saturday on a residential street on the roof of a car, with the bodies inside. The killings were confirmed by a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Later the same day, unknown gunmen opened fire at police who were assisting at the scene of a traffic accident in a tourist quarter near the beach, killing one officer. City government spokesman Jose Luis Mendez said it was not clear why the officers were attacked. Early Sunday, a taxi driver was gunned down in his cab on a road that leads out of the city. At least 35 people have been killed along Acapulco's touristy beach areas this year, something that rarely happened in the past, as drug gang violence plagues the city and the surrounding state of Guerrero. Also Sunday, another police officer was shot dead in Atoyac de Alvarez, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Acapulco. Municipal police reported the officer was riding a scooter when an unknown attacker approached and shot him several times in the chest.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Iran Says Turkmenistan Cuts of Gas Shipments Over Past Debts

Iran Says Turkmenistan Cuts of Gas Shipments Over Past Debts

Iran says Turkmenistan has cut off shipments of heating gas over past debts. The Iranian Oil Ministry's website reported the dispute Sunday, urging consumers to limit their use to guard against shortages. The website did not provide further details on the amount of the debts. Turkmenistan has been exporting gas to Iran under an agreement signed two decades ago, but occasionally raises its prices during the winter months. In 2006, it cut off shipments and demanded a nine-fold price increase. Iran eventually accepted the higher prices for a short period. Gas-rich Iran produces some 700 million cubic meters of gas per day, all of which is consumed by the domestic market. Turkmenistan exports some 10 million cubic meters of gas per day to Iran.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Waffle House waitress loses job after firing gun during robbery

A Georgia Waffle House waitress says she was fired for discharging her gun at three fleeing robbers.

A Waffle House waitress in Georgia says she was fired for shooting her gun at three fleeing robbers. Heather (Shorty) Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was only trying to defend herself and her co-workers, The Newnan Times-Herald reported Sunday. “I was in fear for my life, my co-workers’ lives, and I did what I thought was right,” she told the paper. Three men ate at Burkinshaw-Stanley’s Waffle House early Thursday. Instead of paying for their meal, the men gave the cashier a note threatening to shoot everyone if their demand for money from the register wasn’t met, the paper reported. Police said they left after another waitress gave them $200. Burkinshaw-Stanley said her gun was in her car. “I safely fired a round in the air in an attempt to scare the robbers who were in the process of getting in their vehicle, not knowing if they were retrieving their weapon to return to the Waffle House,” she said on GoFundMe. “My shot must have gotten their attention as they rapidly drove off.” The paper reports that Burkinshaw-Stanley was told she was fired on Friday. She had worked at the Waffle House for two years. A Waffle House spokesman declined to discuss the matter, the paper reported. Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was seeking donations because she is raising three kids and her husband is disabled.

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RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Iconic Hollywood Sign Vandalized in Apparent New Year's Prank

Iconic Hollywood Sign Vandalized in Apparent New Year's Prank

Los Angeles residents woke up to the new year with an oddly altered landmark. The iconic Hollywood sign, a cultural landmark since its creation in 1923, was altered to read "HOLLYWeeD" in an apparent New Year's Eve prank. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood division told ABC affiliate KABC in Los Angeles that a vandalism unit was dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident. Los Angeles police also notified the city department that patrols the park where the sign is located, KABC reported. Shelby Grad, an editor with the Los Angeles Times, tweeted out a brief history of the Hollywood sign being vandalized, noting that this is not the first time the letters have been changed to read "Hollyweed," and reported that the incident was in fact a replay of an incident that took place in 1983. This is not the first time the Hollywood Sign became the Hollyweed Sign. -- Happened in Dec. 1983 (Her-Ex) pic.twitter.com/dVxXyHt1bo — Shelby Grad (@shelbygrad) January 1, 2017 Grad wrote that the sign had also been vandalized to read "Go Navy" and "Cal Tech" in previous years. KABC other social media users had a laugh about the vandalism. One twitter user who photographed the vandalism captioned it by writing "2017 starting off strong." Another user posted the image and added the text "I think security took the night off last night in Hollywood." Marijuana was legalized for recreational use during California's November 8th elections.

Abc News;More Michael

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CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

A Look at the Major Attacks in Turkey Over the Past Year

A Look at the Major Attacks in Turkey Over the Past Year

A deadly New Year's assault on an Istanbul nightclub follows a long string of attacks in Turkey over the past year. A look at the most significant attacks: — Jan. 12, 2016, Istanbul: Suicide bomber kills 12 German tourists in historic district. Authorities say attacker was linked the Islamic State group. — Feb. 17, Ankara: A suicide car bomb apparently targeting military personnel kills 29 people in an attack claimed by TAK, an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party. —March 13, Ankara: Kurdish woman blows herself up in a car at a busy transport hub, killing 37 people in an attack claimed by TAK, also known as the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. — March 19, Istanbul: Turkish suicide bomber kills five people in the city's main pedestrian shopping street, Istiklal. Turkish officials say bomber was linked to IS. — March 31, Diyarbakir: Car bomb kills seven police officers and wounds 27 people, including 13 police. — April 12, Gaziantep: Syrian journalist dies from gunshot wounds from attack claimed by IS. — April 27, Bursa: Female suicide bomber wounds 13 in a historic district of Turkey's fourth largest city. — May 1, Gaziantep: Car bomb at the entrance of a police station kills two officers, 22 other people wounded. —May 10, Diyarbakir: Car bomb strikes police vehicle carrying officers escorting seven detained Kurdish militants, killing three people and wounding 45 others. — May 12, Istanbul: Car bomb targeting a military garrison explodes during rush hour, wounding eight people. — June 7, Istanbul: Car bomb hits a riot police bus during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36. A Kurdish militant group claims responsibility. — June 8, Midyat: Kurdish suicide car bomber kills five people and wounds 51, including 23 civilians, outside a police headquarters near Turkey-Syria border. — June 17, Istanbul: Car bomb explodes as a police vehicle passes by, killing 11 people. — June 28, Istanbul's Ataturk Airport: Three suicide bombers armed with assault rifles storm airport, killing 44 people and wounding nearly 150. — July 15: About 270 people die in military coup attempt. — Aug. 17, Van: Car bombing at a police station kills a police officer and two civilians; 53 civilians and 20 police officers wounded. — Aug. 18, Elazig: Car bomb at police headquarters kills at least five people and wounds more than 140. — Aug. 20, Gaziantep: Suicide bomber — possibly as young as 12 — kills at least 51 people at an outdoor Kurdish wedding party. IS suspected of directing attack. — Aug. 26, Cizre: Kurdish suicide bomber rams an explosives-laden truck into a police checkpoint, killing at least 11 officers and wounding 78 other people. — Sept, 12. Van: Car bomb wounds 50 people outside ruling party's municipal headquarters. — Oct. 6, Istanbul: Motorcycle bomb explodes near a police station, wounding at least 10 people. — Oct. 8, Ankara: Two suicide bombers blow themselves up after refusing to surrender to police. No one else was hurt. — Oct. 9, Hakkari province: Kurdish militants detonate car bomb outside a military checkpoint in the southeast, killing 10 soldiers and eight civilians. — Oct. 10, Dicle: A top local official of the ruling Justice and Development Party is killed when attackers open fire at a gas station he owned. — Nov. 4, Diyarbakir: Car bomb near a riot-police bus kills at least 11 people, including two police officers. A Kurdish militant group and IS both claim responsibility. — Nov. 24, Adana: Car bomb targeting a government building kills at least two people and wounds 33 others. — Dec. 10, Istanbul: A double bomb attack outside soccer stadium kills 44 people and wounds 149. —Dec. 17, Kayseri province: Suicide car bomber targeting a public bus transporting off-duty soldiers kills 13 troops and wounds 56 other people. —Dec. 19, Ankara: A Turkish riot policeman assassinates Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition. —Jan. 1, 2017, Istanbul. An assailant opens fire at a crowded nightclub during New Year's celebrations. Istanbul's governor says the attack killed at least 39 people and wounded 69 others.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Bangladesh Police Say Ruling Party Lawmaker Shot Dead

Bangladesh Police Say Ruling Party Lawmaker Shot Dead

A lawmaker from Bangladesh's ruling party has been shot dead by masked men in northern Bangladesh, police said Sunday. Local police chief Atiar Rahman said Manzurul Islam Liton, a national legislator from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, was shot at his home in Gaibandha district on Saturday evening. Rahman said family members told police that four masked men arrived on motorcycles, entered the house and shot Liton at close range before running away. He was declared dead by doctors at a local hospital. Police didn't immediately give any more details. Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation ruled by largely secular laws, has been experiencing threats in recent years from Islamist militants possibly inspired by the Islamic State group. Dozens of atheist and secular bloggers, writers, publishers, members of religious minority groups and foreigners have been attacked and killed in recent years. In a major attack last July, a group of young men killed 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, inside a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bangladeshi authorities said it was the work of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, a homegrown radical group, and have rejected any IS presence in the country. Since July, some 40 suspected Islamist militants have been killed in raids by security officials.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

1 of Chicago's bloodiest years ends with 764 homicides

One of the bloodiest years on record in Chicago ended with 762 homicides and more than 3,500 shooting incidents.

One of the bloodiest years on record in Chicago ended with 762 homicides and more than 3,500 shooting incidents. Police released crime statistics on Sunday that reveal rampant gun violence. Not only were nearly 200 more homicides and more than 1,000 more shooting incidents than there were in 2015, but the total number of homicides was the highest since 1997. The statistics also show that the bulk of the homicides were in five of the city's poorest neighborhoods on the South and West sides, where violent street gangs are most active. The police department has long lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city. Sunday's statistics show that the 8,300 illegal guns recovered in 2016 represents a 20 percent increase from the year before.

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RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Fed up With Politics, Brazil Cities Swear in Outsider Mayors

Fed up With Politics, Brazil Cities Swear in Outsider Mayors

Brazil's two biggest cities on Sunday inaugurated mayors who are political outsiders and whose victories underscored deep frustration with the political class and public corruption. Joao Doria, a millionaire businessman who once hosted "The Apprentice Brazil," took the oath of office in the country's financial capital of Sao Paulo. He defeated an ally of the president as well as the incumbent. Evangelical bishop and senator Marcelo Crivella was also sworn in, as Rio de Janeiro's mayor. He also defeated an ally of the president. The victories of these unusual candidates speak to the depth of Brazilian discontent with politics. While many Brazilians have long dismissed their politicians as corrupt, an investigation into kickbacks at the state-run oil company Petrobras has revealed graft on a scale that has shocked even the most cynical. Arrests of politicians and businessmen seem to occur every week. In an absurd illustration of Brazil's rampant corruption, just 10 of 15 city councilmen were choosing an interim mayor for Foz de Iguacu on Sunday. The electoral court rejected the winner of the mayoral election in that city, the gateway to Iguacu Falls, because he was convicted of wrongdoing in office. Only 10 councilmen can vote on Sunday because the other five have been arrested on charges of corruption. A new mayoral election will be held in the coming months. After his swearing in, Doria, who ran on the fact that he wasn't a politician but a successful businessman, promised a "strict adherence to ethics in public management at all levels of executive power." He also spoke to voters' concerns about mismanagement by politicians, promising a better-run, cleaner, fairer Sao Paulo for all residents — a massive task in a city that is a symbol of the enormous inequalities found in Brazil, where a poor family might live in a hastily constructed shanty but millionaires commute by helicopter. "I am a manager, and I will put management first for the city of Sao Paulo," he said. Crivella faces an especially tough task in Rio, which is essentially broke and has struggled to pay police and other public servants, even as it tries to clamp down on rampant crime. Rio residents blame the economic problems on corruption, while others say the government overextended itself to host the 2016 Olympics. In one speech Sunday, Crivella said every department would have to show that it had sufficient funds in hand before announcing new spending. "Before this work is done, the order is the following: spending is prohibited," he said. Later, Crivella said he had already started making cuts, slashing in half the number of heads of departments in his administration, and that a further reduction in public sector jobs would follow. "We will have to do more with less," he said at a ceremony attended by many evangelical leaders, even some who opposed Crivella's candidacy, were present. In addition to its political implications, Crivella's election is also a sign of the rise of evangelicals in Brazil. Although Brazil is largely Roman Catholic, the evangelical community now accounts for one-fifth of the population of around 200 million. Revelations of widespread corruption throughout the past year have exacerbated an already uneasy political situation in Brazil, which is also in deep recession. The last president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in mid-2016 on charges she broke budget laws. Current President Michel Temer took over amid hopes he would push through reforms and rescue an economy in deep recession. But questions about Temer's legitimacy and that of his reform agenda have dogged him since he took office. More recently, he has been accused of abusing his power — an allegation he denies. Through it all, anger with politicians in Brazil has grown. Protests have drawn people from across the political spectrum seeking an outlet for their disgust. ——— Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo reported this story in Sao Paulo and AP writer Mauricio Savarese reported from Rio de Janeiro.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Twin Suicide Attack on Syria's Coast Kills 2 Security Agents

Twin Suicide Attack on Syria's Coast Kills 2 Security Agents

Syria's state news agency SANA says two suicide attackers have blown themselves up in the coastal city of Tartus, killing two security officers. SANA reported Sunday that the two officers on patrol determined that two men walking on the city's corniche looked suspicious and approached them after midnight as residents were celebrating New Year's. The men then detonated explosive belts they were wearing, killing themselves and the two security men. Such attacks are not uncommon in government-held parts of Syria despite tight security measures taken by authorities. Tartus is home to a Russian naval base.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NPR

Coal Country Picked Trump. Now, They Want Him To Keep His Promises

Voters in coal country overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump. They liked his promises to create jobs, even if they didn't like his other rhetoric. Now, they're waiting to see if coal can make a comeback.

Coal Country Picked Trump. Now, They Want Him To Keep His Promises Enlarge this image toggle caption Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images From West Virginia to Wyoming, coal country overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump and his message that he will bring coal jobs back. Now, those same voters are eyeing his incoming administration closely, careful to see if he will keep his promises to revive the coal industry and get miners back to work. These hopes have become increasingly desperate as the industry has floundered. U.S. coal production in 2016 is projected to be at its lowest level since 1978, and over the past few years, the country has lost about 30,000 coal jobs. Despite Recent Production Boost, Wyoming Coal's Long-Term Outlook Is Dim Despite Recent Production Boost, Wyoming Coal's Long-Term Outlook Is Dim Listen · 4:00 4:00 That means hard times for places like Wyoming's mineral-rich Powder River Basin. Three of the region's four main coal producers were in bankruptcy in 2016. Two of them laid off hundreds of miners at once. Still, the community of Gillette, Wyo. — self-proclaimed as the Energy Capital of the Nation — is breathing a sigh of relief lately. Production has ticked back up past where it was at this time last year, and some mines are even hiring workers back. "I do believe that my friends and co-workers are safe for now," says coal miner Stacey Moeller. She believes that "for one more year, we're going to be coal miners." And Trump's win has buoyed her hopes, as well as those of investors. The day after the election, coal stock prices leaped and many in coal communities celebrated. For Moeller, a single mom and lifelong Democrat, the decision was complicated. "I did vote for Donald Trump," Moeller says. "It's really hard to even say that because I so dislike his rhetoric. But I voted for him on one singular issue, and that was coal." She's not alone. Dave Hathaway of Pennsylvania will be watching Trump, as well. Since the coal mine he worked in closed a year ago, he spent much of 2016 looking for work. The search gained urgency when his son Deacon was born in August. On Election Day, Hathaway made a choice he hopes will help his long-term job prospects. "I voted for Trump — I mean, a coal miner would be stupid not to," Hathaway says. He says he's had a hard time finding a job to replace the $80,000 he made working in the coal mines under Greene County, Pa., a few miles from the West Virginia border. Hathaway recently found a job at a nearby mine. While he thinks Trump's election means he'll have a better shot at keeping his new job, he didn't like a lot of things Trump said during the campaign. "He is a whacko; he's never going to stop being a whacko," Hathaway says. "But I mean, the things he did say — the good stuff — was good for the coal mining community. But we'll see what happens." That message clearly resonated in Greene County, where over the last four years a third of the coal mining jobs — like Dave Hathaway's — disappeared. Trump won the county by 40 points, eight years after Barack Obama basically tied John McCain there. Tom Crooks, vice president at R.G. Johnson, a construction firm that builds mine shafts, witnessed the decline of the coal industry firsthand. "Two years ago this week we had 145 employees," Crooks says. "Right now, we have 22." Pennsylvania Coal Miners Hope Trump Will Help Industry Coal Miners Hope Trump Will Help Struggling Industry Listen · 3:54 3:54 Crooks doesn't use the phrase "war on coal," but he does think federal regulations mounted by the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama have weighed down his industry. One example is the EPA's Clean Power Plan. That rule, which Trump has pledged to eliminate, limits the amount of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants. Instead, Crooks wants to see more government research into making coal as clean as possible. "Really, what's happened over the last eight years is the smart people stopped working on coal, in part because of the way the federal government and the state governments looked at us," Crooks says. "We just want them to start looking to coal as an option." Leigh Paterson is a reporter with Inside Energy, a public media collaboration focusing on America's energy issues. Reid Frazier is a reporter for The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh that covers the environment.

Leigh Paterson;Reid Frazier

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LEFT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Thousands in Hong Kong march for pro-democracy lawmakers

Police in Hong Kong say nearly 5,000 people have marched in a New Year's Day protest against an attempt by the government to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers.

Police in Hong Kong say nearly 5,000 people have marched in a New Year's Day protest against an attempt by the government to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers. The Hong Kong government has started legal proceedings against the four recently elected legislators, who altered their swearing-in oaths to stage apparent protests against the Chinese government in Beijing. In November, the government won a similar challenge against two newly elected separatist lawmakers. Protesters on Sunday held placards in support of the four lawmakers. One of the legislators, Edward Yiu, said the government's legal move was destroying Hong Kong's democratic system. Police said around 4,800 people took part in the march. Organizers said more than 9,000 participated.

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/01/thousands-in-hong-kong-march-for-pro-democracy-lawmakers.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

19 States Increase Minimum Wage at the Start of 2017

19 States Increase Minimum Wage at the Start of 2017

Nineteen states are raising the minimum wage today in a shift that stands to lift the income of millions of workers. The minimum wage will be increased in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington to start 2017. Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Maryland will see wage increases in their states later on this year. Wages will be increased by different amounts in different states, and sometimes by different amounts within those states. New York state, for example, will see the minimum wage rise to $11 in New York City, $10 in downstate suburbs, and $9.70 elsewhere. Small businesses in the city will increase the wage to $10.50 for city employees, ABC station WABC-TV in New York reported. Alvin Major, a New York City fast-food worker, and 51-year-old father of four, told The Associated Press that the increase in pay will make a difference in people's lives. "The price of food has gone up. Rent has gone up. Everything has gone up," Major said. "This will make a difference for so many people." The federal government has not raised the federal minimum wage in over seven years, when it was raised from $6.55 to $7.25 on July 24, 2009. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a non-profit American think tank based in Washington, D.C. that "seeks to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions" through the publication of research and policy discussions, noted in a post published in July 2016 that the federal minimum wage, which is sets a floor at $7.25 per hour, would be much higher if it had kept up with a growing economy. "As the top line in the graph shows, had the minimum wage kept pace with rising productivity [from 1968], it would be nearly $19 per hour today. Not $7.25," EPI said in the post. Many business owners, however, oppose increasing the minimum wage on the grounds that in some cases it could make it hard for them to turn a profit. Some restaurant owners may consider reducing portion sizes or charging for side dishes that were once included in the price of a meal to absorb the increase, Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, told the AP about the decision. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who made raising the minimum wage a central issue of his campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2016, referred to the #Fightfor15 movement on Twitter today, a group that has advocated for a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour on behalf of employees who they argue are underpaid and struggling to survive, saying that "people everywhere" see justice in the movement to achieve higher pay for low wage workers. The #Fightfor15 started only 4 years ago. But huge progress has already been made because people everywhere see the justice of that idea. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 31, 2016 Sanders referred to "huge progress" in the battle to raise the wage to $15, which could be read as an oblique reference to the changes taking place today across America. "The #Fightfor15 started only 4 years ago. But huge progress has already been made because people everywhere see the justice of that idea," Sanders tweeted today. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Lone Gunman Kills Burundi's Environment Minister

Lone Gunman Kills Burundi's Environment Minister

Officials say Burundi's environment minister has been shot dead, in a country where political turmoil over president Pierre Nkurunziza's extended term has led to political killings. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said Sunday Emmanuel Niyonkuru was shot as he arrived home Saturday night. Nkurikiye says three people have been arrested including the minister's watchman and his security detail. In a tweet, president Nkurunziza confirmed the killing and said "this crime will not go unpunished." Burundi has faced widespread international criticism over the deadly political turmoil that followed Nkurunziza's pursuit of a third term last year, which many in the country called unconstitutional. Hundreds have been killed in streets protests, an attempted coup, rebel attacks and seemingly tit-for-tat killing between government and opposition supporters.

Abc News

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http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/lone-gunman-kills-burundis-environment-minister-44496846

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NPR

Navajo Leader Says Native Americans Worked 80 Years For National Monument

Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, speaks about the successful effort of five Southwestern Indian tribes to convince President Obama to create Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Navajo Leader Says Native Americans Worked 80 Years For National Monument Audio will be available later today. Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, speaks about the successful effort of five Southwestern Indian tribes to convince President Obama to create Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NPR

Cybersecurity Expert On Russian Sanctions Within Legal Boundaries

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Michael Sulmeyer, who directs the Cyber Security Project at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, about sanctions against Russia.

Cybersecurity Expert On Russian Sanctions Within Legal Boundaries NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Michael Sulmeyer, who directs the Cyber Security Project at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, about sanctions against Russia.

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LEFT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Turkey hunts gunman who killed 39 in 'horrific' nightclub attack on New Year's Eve

Turkish police are hunting for an assailant who — reportedly dressed as Santa Claus — opened fire at a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what authorities said was a terror attack. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests." The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul's popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside, Gov. Vasip Sahin said. "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants. Turkey is a member of NATO and a partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. The country is also facing renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast, and across the border in Syria and Iraq. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker has not been identified and is still at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," he said. Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. The minister said the lone attacker was believed to have left the club wearing different clothing. At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify the rest. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said. This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery. — Suleyman Soylu, Turkey interior minister Three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub, he said. "This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu said. Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the NTV report said. Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the suspect then targeted security, gunning them down and entering the club. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion." IPhone footage filmed by Dag and obtained by The Associated Press showed a police officer lying on the ground outside the club, and then a woman. Dag told the woman, who was lying on the floor face down in a pool of blood, "my sister, you will get better." He called for an ambulance. Footage showed ambulances and the lights of an Istanbul bridge when the sound of gunfire rang out inside the club. Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband, who was wounded in the attack. Turkey nightclub attack Tolga Bozoglu / EPA Relatives of victims are overcome by emotions as they mourn in front of the forensic medicine institute after a gun attack on Reina, a popular nightclub in Istanbul, on Jan. 1, 2017. Relatives of victims are overcome by emotions as they mourn in front of the forensic medicine institute after a gun attack on Reina, a popular nightclub in Istanbul, on Jan. 1, 2017. (Tolga Bozoglu / EPA) (Tolga Bozoglu / EPA) "Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds. The nightclub area remained sealed off on Sunday morning. Heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub where the entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club. Crime scene investigators were seen inside the club searching through piles of mingled chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests. And there were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where those shot dead were brought for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones. Major attacks carried out by Islamic State or Kurdish militants killed more than 180 people in Istanbul and Ankara alone in 2016. Turkey attack IHA via AP Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (IHA via AP) (IHA via AP) On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside a soccer stadium near the Reina nightclub killed 45 people and wounded some 150 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot police officer assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing -- an accusation the cleric has denied. "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace," said President Erdogan in a written statement Sunday. The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his Turkish counterpart a a telegram of condolences, saying "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations." "However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said. Turkey attack IHA via AP Medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (IHA via AP) (IHA via AP) The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey. The U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul reminded U.S. citizens "that extremist groups are continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks in areas where U.S. citizens and expatriates reside or frequent." European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted: "Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies." An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is often frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

Tribune News Services

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UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Man charged with firing handgun into air to celebrate New Year in Wadsworth

A Waukegan man was charged with unlawful use of a weapon early Sunday for allegedly firing a handgun into the air after stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve in Wadsworth, according the to Lake County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's officials said in a statement that deputies responded to a report of shots fired in the area of 14600 W. Wadsworth Road in Wadsworth just after 12 a.m., with callers indicating a man was shooting a handgun into the air. "As sheriff's deputies were responding, witnesses advised the offender entered a vehicle and left the scene," the statement added. "Sheriff's deputies located the offender's vehicle in the area of north Delany Road and west Wadsworth Road." Police report that after deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, they arrested Roberto Lara, 37, of the 2600 block of west Hendee Road in Waukegan. According to the statement, Lara "admitted to shooting into the air to celebrate the New Year," and deputies seized "several" firearms from him. The statement added that Lara was transported to Lake County Jail, where he was subsequently charged with a misdemeanor court of unlawful use of a weapon. Police report Lara was released from custody after posting bond and is due to appear in court on Jan. 17. Twitter @NewsSun

Chicago Tribune

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-wadsworth-shots-fired-arrest-st-0102-20170101-story.html

UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

New Subway Line, Awaited Since the 1920s, Is Set to Roll

New Subway Line, Awaited Since the 1920s, Is Set to Roll

It's been an on-again, off-again, "believe it when you see it" project since the Jazz Age. Construction started 45 years ago. But New Yorkers' long wait to take a subway under Manhattan's far Upper East Side ends Sunday, when a stretch of the new Second Avenue line opens to the public. A ceremonial first ride took place on Saturday night for an invitation-only crowd of dignitaries, about 90 minutes before the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square. Everyday New Yorkers get their first chance to ride at noon on New Year's Day, an opening date Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a priority in recent weeks. "You could say, 'You were late. It started a hundred years ago,'" Cuomo said Friday at a tour of one of the new stations. But, he added, "we wanted to make a new and different statement as we start this new year." That statement, he said, was: "Yes, we can do it. This is New York." The nearly 2-mile segment adds stations along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets and a new connection to an existing subway line at 63rd Street. Seen as crucial to alleviating congestion in the nation's biggest subway system, it is on a line expected to carry about 200,000 riders a day. The entire system transports about 5.6 million riders on an average weekday. The city's transportation board first envisioned a Second Avenue subway in 1929, but the stock market crash and the Great Depression derailed the plan. Ground was broken in 1972, but a fiscal crisis in the city slammed the brakes on the project again. The project finally got into high gear when major tunneling work began in 2007. The $4.4 billion section opening Sunday was initially supposed to be completed in 2013. Delays stemmed partly from concerns about construction noise. Next, the line is slated to expand north into East Harlem. No date has been set for starting that phase of construction. ——— Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

Abc News

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CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

At Least 39 Killed, 65 Injured in 'Cowardly Terror Attack' at Istanbul Nightclub, Gunman at Large

At Least 39 Killed, 65 Injured in 'Cowardly Terror Attack' at Istanbul Nightclub, Gunman at Large

An intense manhunt is underway in Turkey for a gunman who fired at a crowded Istanbul nightclub during its New Year's Eve celebrations early Sunday morning, killing at least 39 people and injuring at least another 65, said interior minister Suleyman Soylu. Of the 39 deceased victims, five Turkish nationals have been identified so far. At least 15 foreigners were killed, but their nationalities have not yet been revealed. Of the 69 people hospitalized, four are in critical condition and one is in very critical condition, Soylu said. The Associated Press The Associated Press The Associated Press At a press conference Sunday, Soylu said the attack was carried out by only one individual. Soylu said the assailant arrived wearing a jacket and pants, and is believed to have left wearing different clothing. There were local reports that he wore a Santa Claus costume, but that has not been confirmed. The attacker walked into Reina nightclub -- a see-and-be-seen hotspot popular with foreigners -- after midnight with a long-barreled weapon after killing a policeman and a civilian outside the venue and began spraying bullets, said Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin. There were between 400 and 500 party-goers inside the nightclub at the time of the attack. "Unfortunately [he] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters. And Soylu described the attack as "as a cowardly terror attack that targeted civilians. It happened when people were renewing their hopes for the New Year. This terror attack targeted unprotected people.” Soylu said authorities are aggressively searching for the gunman. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time." The Associated Press The Associated Press The Associated Press Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Sunday, "I vehemently condemn the terror attack ... Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace." The US was quick to condemn the attack. "The President was briefed by his National Security Team on the attack in Istanbul," President Barack Obama's principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement. "The President expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted." And Mark Toner, the US State Department's deputy spokesman said in a statement, "The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey ... We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities throughout the investigation ... We stand in solidarity with our NATO Ally Turkey in combating the ongoing threat of terrorism." Russian president Vladimir Putin sent Erdogan a telegram of condolences, according to the Kremlin, writing, "It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations. However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said. ABC News' Darren Reynolds, Devin Villacis and Engin Bas contributed to this report.

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CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

North Korea's Leader Hints at Long-Range Missile Test Launch

In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have 'reached the final stage.'

TOKYO — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang — the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage." Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6. A picture released by North Korean news agency, KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) on January 1, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering the new year message in Pyongyang. STRINGER / AFP - Getty Images Kim threatened in the address to boost his country's military capabilities further unless the U.S. ends war games with rival South Korea. But he also said efforts must be made to defuse the possibility of another Korean war and stressed the importance of building the economy under a five-year plan announced in May. "The political and military position of socialism should be further cemented as an invincible fortress," Kim said, according to an outline of the speech carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. "We should resolutely smash the enemies' despicable and vicious moves to dampen the pure and ardent desire of the people for the party and estrange the people from it." Related: Here's How Trump Vowed to Deal with 'Bad Dudes' Like Kim The address was shown on television mixing video with Kim speaking and stretches of audio only, as still photos were broadcast. It was less than 30 minutes long. South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" Kim's threat to proceed with a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and strengthen North Korea's nuclear-strike capabilities. It said that the international community will not tolerate North Korean efforts to develop nuclear weapons, and that the North will only face tougher sanctions and pressure if it continues to go down that path. Under Kim, who rose to power following his father's death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs, including two nuclear tests in 2016. It recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. Related: Kim Jong Un's Nuclear Ambitions to Challenge Trump U.N. resolutions call for an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests. Kim appears uninterested in complying. The year ahead could be a tumultuous one in north Asia, with Donald Trump set to become the new U.S. president on Jan. 20, and South Korea's politics in disarray over a scandal that brought the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Kim indicated there will be no change in the North's nuclear policy unless Washington makes a big, conciliatory first move, which, even with the advent of Trump, would seem unlikely. Trump has somewhat offhandedly suggested he would be willing to meet with Kim — but not in North Korea — and has at the same time indicated that he wants China to exert significantly more control over Pyongyang to get it to abandon its nuclear program. Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed Exclusive: North Korean Official Says Country Will "Strike" US if Necessary 2:04 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog Demands from Pyongyang for the U.S. to stop its joint military exercises with the South and enter into negotiations to sign a peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War have fallen on deaf ears in Washington for years amid an atmosphere of distrust and deepening hostility. Kim is in his early 30s and is now in his fifth year as the North's leader. His New Year addresses, and a marathon speech at the May ruling party congress, are a contrast with his enigmatic father, Kim Jong Il, who rarely spoke in public. But he has yet to meet a foreign head of state or travel outside of North Korea since assuming power, and remains one the world's most mysterious national leaders.

Associated Press

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CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Thanks to our mistakes with Iran, the North Korean threat to the US is at record levels

Well you know it’s the New Year when North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is threatening a new ballistic missile or nuclear test.

Well you know it’s the New Year when North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is threatening a new ballistic missile or nuclear test. This time, though, Kim Jong-un is saying the “Hermit Kingdom” is in the final stages of preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This would be Pyongyang’s first test of an ICBM. For years, right after Iran made news, we could always count on the North Korean dictator’s late father, Kim Jong-il, to try and grab headlines with the latest test of the Taepodong Missile, which usually failed on the launch pad or broke apart in pieces over the Pacific Ocean. The Taepodong Missile is North Korea’s version of Iran’s Shahab Missile. In recent years, new ballistic missile tests, additional nuclear tests, and the successful launch of the Unha-3 rocket, tell us a great deal about the current leadership situation in North Korea and the maturity and capability of their technology. In fact, North Korea conducted over 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016 and has conducted 7 nuclear tests in the last decade, with 2 of those also coming in 2016. So much for those Western reporters who wondered if Kim Jong-un would be different from his father. They pointed to his “western education,” love of the National Basketball Association, indifference towards politics and fondness for James Bond movies. Clearly, Kim Jong-un is a “chip off the old block” from both his father, and his grandfather and founder of the North Korean regime, Kim Il-sung. Most concerning to me in recent years has been North Korea’s ability to launch the long range Unha-3 rocket to successfully get 2 satellites in space. The Unha-3 uses the same delivery technology as the Taepodong-2 Missile and is believed to have a range of at least 6,200 miles, well within the range of California. Several observers believe Kim Jong-un’s threatened ICBM test could come on January 8th, the North Korean ruler’s birthday or on January 20th, the date of the U.S. Presidential Inaugural. President-elect Donald Trump will have to deal with many national security challenges when he becomes our 45th President on January 20th. These range from cyber attacks, radical Islam, securing our borders and rebuilding our military. The North Korean threat, with its combined nuclear and ballistic missile technology capability, must rank near the top. On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump called the Iranian nuclear deal “the stupidest deal of all time” and said his top priority would be to “dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.” With regards to North Korea, candidate Trump said he wanted China to get more involved to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. He’s been right about both Iran and China. As he now confronts the North Korean nuclear threat, it will be important for our new President to remember the real link between Iran and North Korea. In short, Iran has been the “great enabler” of the national security threat America faces today from North Korea. Consider the facts: As documented years ago by the Federation of American Scientists, Iran has been in bed with North Korea since the early 1980s and has helped fund North Korea’s missile development through oil and cash payments. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) confirms that Iran and North Korea entered into a scientific and technology agreement on September 1, 2012. OSINT further confirms that following the 2012 scientific and technology deal between Tehran and Pyongyang, Iran deployed technical staff to North Korea to help with joint nuclear and missile development efforts. Following Iran signing the Geneva interim agreement, senior North Korean officials met in Tehran in 2014 to discuss expansion of ties between the 2 countries. A number of meetings involving Iranian and North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile technology experts reportedly took place in 2015. U.S. Congressional testimony in 2016 revealed that Iran has conducted at least 8 ballistic missile tests since the Iran nuclear agreement was signed. Several years ago it was documented that North Korea and Iran were both using the same miniaturized warhead design that can be traced back to the infamous Pakistani scientist, Dr. A.Q. Khan. Yes, our new President is inheriting the most complex national security and foreign policy situation a U.S President has ever faced. With regards to the North Korean threat, though, he has a number of options. These include expediting the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea, beefing up America’s missile defenses on the West Coast, holding China accountable on the world stage and deploying a more extensive broadcast operation (using the Radio Free Europe model) consisting of TV, SatTV and radio, against North Korean broadcasts from locations in South Korea and Japan. We are now seeing the consequences of getting a nuclear deal with Iran just to get a deal. Allowing Iran to be at least $150 BN richer as a result of unfreezing its assets, makes the current North Korean threat our new President now faces much more difficult. Make no mistake, thanks to “enablers” like Iran, the North Korean threat is the greatest nuclear weapons challenge to the United States since the Cold War. Come January 20th, 2017 it will be time for America to act and lead once again. Van D. Hipp, Jr. is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army. He is the author of the newly released book, "The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It." All of the author's proceeds go to the National Guard Educational Foundation to fund scholarships for children of fallen Guardsmen. www.thenewterrorism.com Follow him on Twitter @VanHipp.

Van Hipp

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/06/thanks-to-our-mistakes-with-iran-north-korean-threat-to-us-is-at-record-levels.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Afghan Refugees Coming to California Struggle With PTSD

Afghan Refugees Coming to California Struggle With PTSD

California's capital has emerged as a leading destination for Afghan refugees who were awarded special visas because of their service to coalition forces in the war. But life in the United States for them has proven a constant struggle. These former translators, engineers and doctors awarded Special Immigrant Visas must start over in bug-infested, low-rent apartments with minimum-wage jobs while dealing with PTSD and other health problems, the Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/2hBy7yv). More than 2,000 such visa holders and their family members have settled in Sacramento since October 2010, and many of them say they are struggling with anxiety and depression that have developed or been greatly exacerbated by their struggles in the United States. They say they feel helpless and abandoned, lacking decent jobs, housing or an understanding of U.S. culture. One of them is Faisal Razmal, a former interpreter for U.S. soldiers battling the Taliban in Afghanistan who was shot in the face in front of his Sacramento apartment in August 2015 by an assailant wielding a flare gun. A neighborhood teenager and alleged member of a gang has been charged and is awaiting trial. Razmal, 28, who lost the sight in one eye after the attack, said he feels like he also lost a piece of his soul. "I feel like I'm drowning here," said Razmal, a father of two and whose wife is expecting. "I'm not mentally fixed." Before he was shot, Razmal worked as a security guard at a shopping center. Since then, he has tried working as a taxi driver, gas station attendant, security guard and dishwasher. But his limited vision and PTSD have compromised his ability to keep a job, said licensed clinical social worker Jason Swain, who has counseled Razmal 18 times since the assault. Razmal's fate and his ability to support his family remain uncertain. The state Department of Rehabilitation said a decision on his application for disability payments may take a year, Swain said. Razmal, who survived roadside bombs and firefights during the war, said he was never evaluated for PTSD in Afghanistan or the United States. Razmal's therapist, Homeyra Ghaffari, said she thinks he was already afflicted with PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan, and he was "re-traumatized" by his shooting here. "People hear about America and think it is a dreamland and everything is law and order and they are going to be absolutely safe, and when they enter they are in shock as they try to find their way around," said Ghaffari, an Iranian marriage and family therapist in Sacramento who speaks the same Dari language as the Afghan refugees. She now counsels about 30 Afghans seeking help with mental health and domestic violence issues. "They feel isolated, don't have any clear direction," she said. "Their dream shatters right away."

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-refugees-coming-california-struggle-ptsd-44502110

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Venezuela Military Trafficking Food as Country Goes Hungry

Venezuela Military Trafficking Food as Country Goes Hungry

When hunger drew tens of thousands of Venezuelans to the streets in protest last summer, President Nicolas Maduro turned to the military to manage the country's diminished food supply, putting generals in charge of everything from butter to rice. But instead of fighting hunger, the military is making money from it, an Associated Press investigation shows. That's what grocer Jose Campos found when he ran out of pantry staples this year. In the middle of the night, he would travel to an illegal market run by the military to buy pallets of corn flour — at 100 times the government-set price. "The military would be watching over whole bags of money," Campos said. "They always had what I needed." With much of the country on the verge of starvation and billions of dollars at stake, food trafficking has become one of the biggest businesses in Venezuela, the AP found. And from generals to foot soldiers, the military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, business owners and workers, including five former generals. As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it. The U.S. government has taken notice. Prosecutors have opened investigations against senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the military, for laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial system, according to four people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought. "Lately, food is a better business than drugs," said retired Gen. Cliver Alcala, who helped oversee Venezuela's border security. "The military is in charge of food management now, and they're not going to just take that on without getting their cut." "WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?" After opposition attempts to overthrow him, the late President Hugo Chavez began handing the military control over the food industry, creating a Food Ministry in 2004. His socialist-run government nationalized farms and food processing plants, then neglected them, and domestic production dried up. Oil-exporting Venezuela became dependent on food imports, but when the price of oil collapsed in 2014, the government no longer could afford all the country needed. Food rationing grew so severe that Venezuelans spent all day waiting in lines. Pediatric wards filled up with underweight children, and formerly middle class adults began picking through trash bins for scraps. When people responded with violent street protests, Maduro handed the generals control over the rest of food distribution, and the country's ports. The government now imports nearly all of Venezuela's food, according to Werner Gutierrez, the former dean of the agronomy school at the University of Zulia, and corruption is rampant, jacking up prices and leading to shortages. "If Venezuela paid market prices, we'd be able to double our imports and easily satisfy the country's food needs," Gutierrez said. "Instead, people are starving." One South American businessman said he paid millions in kickbacks to Venezuelan officials as the hunger crisis worsened, including $8 million to people who work for the current food minister, Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres. The businessman insisted on speaking anonymously because he did not want to acknowledge participating in corruption. Last July, he struggled to get Marco Torres's attention as a ship full of yellow corn waited to dock. "This boat has been waiting for 20 days," he wrote in text messages seen by AP. "What's the problem?" responded Marco Torres. Although money was not mentioned, the businessman understood that he needed to give more in kickbacks. In the end, he told the general, the boat had to pull out because costs caused by the delay were mounting. Bank documents from the businessman's country show that he was a big supplier, receiving at least $131 million in contracts from Venezuelan food ministers between 2012 and 2015. He explained that vendors like him can afford to pay off military officials because they build huge profit margins into what they bill the state. For example, his $52 million contract for the yellow corn was drawn up to be charged at more than double the market rate at the time, suggesting a potential overpayment of more than $20 million for that deal alone. The Food Ministry's annual report shows significant overpayments across the board, compared to market prices. And the prices the government pays for imported foods have been increasing in recent years, while global food prices remain stable. This spring, the opposition-controlled congress voted to censure Marco Torres for graft. Maduro vetoed it as an attempt to hurt the Food Ministry, and Marco Torres stayed on as minister. Internal budgets from the ministry obtained by AP show the overpayment continues. For example, the government budgeted for $118 million of yellow corn in July at $357 a ton, which would amount to an overpayment of more than $50 million relative to prices that month. "What's amazing about this is it's like a clean form of corruption," said Carabobo state lawmaker Neidy Rosal, who has denounced food-related government theft worth hundreds of millions of dollars. "It's like drug trafficking you can carry out in broad daylight." Marco Torres did not respond to several requests for comment by phone, email and hand-delivered letter. In the past, he has said that he will not be trapped in fights with a bourgeoisie opposition. "SCRAPING THE POT" By putting the military in charge of food, Maduro is trying to prevent soldiers from going hungry and being tempted to participate in an uprising against an increasingly unpopular government, said retired Gen. Antonio Rivero. Venezuela's military has a long history of coups against governments, and Maduro has arrested several officials for allegedly conspiring against him from within. "They gave absolute control to the military," Rivero said from exile in Miami. "That drained the feeling of rebellion from the armed forces, and allowed them to feed their families." However, it also opened the door to widespread graft and further squeezed the food supply. In large part due to concerns of corruption following the government's takeover of the food industry, the three largest global food traders — U.S.-based Archer Daniels Midland Co., Bunge Ltd. and Cargill — have stopped selling to the Venezuelan government. One major scam involves the strict currency controls that have been a hallmark of the administration. The government gives out a limited amount of coveted U.S. currency at a rate of 10 bolivars to the dollar. Almost everyone else has to buy dollars on the ever more expensive black market, currently at 3,000 bolivars to the dollar. The holders of licenses to import food are among the select few who get to buy dollars at the vastly cheaper rate. Alcala, the retired general, said some officials distribute these much-desired licenses to friends. The friends then use only a fraction of the dollars to import food, and share the rest with the officials. "We call it 'scraping the pot,' and it's the biggest scam going in Venezuela," Alcala said. In 2014, one general presented Maduro with a list of 300 companies suspected of simply pocketing the cheap dollars they obtained with their licenses and not importing anything. No action was ever taken and the general was forced into exile, accused of corruption himself. Some contracts go to companies that have no experience dealing in food or seem to exist only on paper. Financial documents obtained by AP show that Marco Torres gave Panama-registered company Atlas Systems International a $4.6 million contract to import pasta. Atlas has all the hallmarks of a shell company, including no known assets and the use of secretive shares to hide the identity of the company's true owners. Another government food supplier, J.A. Comercio de Generos Alimenticios, lists on its website a non-existent address on a narrow, partially paved street in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, Brazil. The two companies transferred more than $5.5 million in U.S. dollars in 2012 and 2013 to a Geneva account controlled by two young Venezuelans, according to bank and internal company documents seen by AP. The Venezuelans were Jesus Marquina Parra and Nestor Marquina Parra, brothers-in-law of the then-food minister, Gen. Carlos Osorio. Efforts to reach the brothers were unsuccessful. Osorio is no longer food minister, but has an even more important role in overseeing food. He was promoted in September to inspector general of the armed forces, with the mission of ensuring transparency in the military's management of the nation's food supply. Arturo Sanchez, a former supply chain manager at a multinational dairy company, recounted unpleasant encounters with Osorio. In one case, officers forced the company to buy fructose it didn't need because they wanted to unload merchandise he suspected was ill-gotten. Another time, he said, national guardsmen took four trucks of goods without paying. Sanchez fled to Florida in 2014. "I spent a year living in the U.S. not being able to sleep remembering all the risky situations I lived through," he said. Osorio did not respond to requests for comment. But in the past he threatened to sue opposition lawmakers for staining his honor with false accusations of corruption. He blamed an economic war for the food shortages. The Defense Ministry and presidential press office refused to answer repeated calls, emails and hand-delivered letters requesting comment. In the past, officials have accused the opposition of exaggerating the problem of corruption for political gain. They have said that the military's hierarchical structure makes it ideally suited to combat the real culprits: Right-wing businessmen trying to bring down the economy. From time to time, the government carries out raids of warehouses holding smuggled goods and arrests lower-ranking military officers accused of graft. For example, the night market in Carabobo state where Campos bought his corn flour was eventually shut down and 57 tons of smuggled food seized. Now Campos buys staples from intermediaries he suspects are working with the same military officials. In January, the government quietly arrested 40 state employees for stealing large quantities of food from open-air markets. One of those still in jail is a colonel who had been named by Osorio to serve as president of a state agency that imported food. "We have the moral fortitude and the discipline to take on this task of protecting what belongs to the people," the defense minister, Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, said in September. "The state has an obligation to root out corruption in all levels of public administration." "IT'S THE CUSTOMER WHO PAYS" And yet the corruption persists from the port to the markets, according to dozens of people working in Puerto Cabello, the town that handles the majority of Venezuela's food imports. Sometimes the officials who control access to the docks keep ships waiting until they are paid off, said a stevedore at the port, who spoke anonymously because he feared losing his job. The stevedore said clients give him envelopes of dollars to pass on to officials. He described visiting the sergeant in charge and making small talk while placing an envelope in the wastebasket. Then he slides the basket under the table and leaves. That night, his client's ships are allowed in, he said. After ships unload their cargo, customs officials take their share, according to four customs workers. They said that without a payment equivalent to a month's minimum wage, officials will not start the process of nationalizing goods. Bribes are also required for any missing paperwork, and can exceed $10,000 for a single shipping container, customs worker Aldemar Diaz said. "Sometimes you actually want to do it legally, but the officials will say, 'Don't bother,'" he said. Luis Pena, operations director at the Caracas-based import business Premier Foods, said he pays off a long roster of military officials for each shipment of food he brings in from small-scale companies in the U.S. "You have to pay for them to even look at your cargo now," he said. "It's an unbroken chain of bribery from when your ship comes in until the food is driven out in trucks." Worst of all, he added, is that he is forced to pay to skip a health inspection. Officials make him buy a health certificate and don't even open the containers to test a sample, he said. A version of this process also takes place on the border, said Alcala, the retired general who was once in charge of border control. He said officers allowed smugglers to pay bribes to bring in food without proper health and safety checks. This year, Venezuelans began posting photos and videos showing magnets pulling tiny iron shavings out of freshly opened bags of sugar smuggled in from Brazil. Pena said his contacts at the port have offered to illegally sell him government-imported staples like sugar and rice, complete with falsified papers and a military escort. "The military was supposed to step in and make sure the food got to the people, but it's been the exact opposite," said Pena, sitting in his warehouse. "They've made it into a business, and there's no one to appeal to. In the end, it's the customer who pays." If he tries to get through the process without bribes, he said, the food sits and spoils. Rotting food is a problem even as 90 percent of Venezuelans say they can't afford enough to eat. In some cases, partners buy food that is about to expire at a steep discount, then bill the government for the full price. The government has sometimes acknowledged that food it imported arrived already expired. The problem of rotting food got so bad at Puerto Cabello that it drew rebuke in the most recent state comptroller's report, which expressed particular dismay that thousands of tons of state-imported beans had been allowed to spoil. When the food is no longer usable, the military tries to get rid of it quietly. Puerto Cabello crane operator Daniel Arteaga watched one night last winter as workers at a state-run warehouse buried hundreds of containers of spoiled chicken and meat imported by the government. "All these refrigerated containers, and meanwhile people are waiting in food lines each week just to buy a single chicken," he said. Photos taken at the Puerto Cabello dump last year show men in green military fatigues helping bury beef and chicken. Residents at a slum down the hill said after the military visits the dump, they dig up animal feed, potatoes, even ham to give their children. The docks are hidden behind high concrete walls, and guards watch every entrance. AP gained rare access in November. The low-ranking military members assigned to guard the port can be seen collaborating with thieves to steal what little food comes in, according to eight people who work behind the walls. "You see people making off with whole sacks of flour or corn on their shoulders, and paying the guards on their way out," logistics coordinator Nicole Mendoza said. "You see the money changing hands, and you just lower your eyes and don't say anything." Lt. Miletsy Rodriguez, who is in charge of a group of national guardsmen running security at the port, said people are just looking to scapegoat the military. If her unit wasn't around, looting would be even more widespread, she said. "The majority of us are doing our best. And sooner or later we'll catch people who are not doing the job right," she said. BRIBES ON THE ROAD Just as bribes are needed to get food into the port, they are also required to move food out, truckers said. The roads near the port are lined with trucks waiting to be let in. Drivers sling hammocks in their wheel wells and sometimes wait several days in the thick tropical heat. Trucking bosses recently banded together to stop paying bribes to port officials, and the officials are now punishing them by delaying the movement of cargo onto vehicles, said Jose Petit, president of the Puerto Cabello trucking association. When the food is finally loaded onto the trucks, soldiers come by to take a cut. Photos and videos taken by truckers show officials taking sacks of sugar and coffee. As the trucks rattle off down the highway, hungry women in clothes that no longer fit chase after them to pick up anything that falls out. Billboards lining the highway feature a drawing of an enormous ant beside a nonworking phone number to denounce corruption, and the warning, "No to bachaqueros." That's what Venezuelans call people who make a living illegally reselling food, after the leafcutter ants that haul many times their weight through the jungles. On the roads, truck drivers face an obstacle course of military checkpoints, ostensibly set up to stop bachaqueros. Truckers say soldiers at about half the checkpoints demand bribes. Some invent infractions such as an insufficiently filled tire, and take cash along with sacks of pantry items, produce and even live chickens, the drivers said. "It used to be you'd go your whole route and not have to pay any anything. Now at every checkpoint, they ask for 10,000 bolivars," said trucker Henderson Rodriguez, who was waiting for a third day to get into the port to pick up a load of sugar. The surest way to move food through the network of checkpoints is to transport it under military guard. For a percentage of the product's value, military officers on the take will assign a moonlighting soldier to ride along in the truck, according to five store and restaurant owners. Sugar and flour are among the items most in demand because they have become virtually impossible to find legally, and some businesses, like bakeries, cannot function without them. A half dozen bakery owners across the country said in interviews that military officials regularly approach them with offers to sell supplies in exchange for a bribe. In the city of Valencia, bakery owner Jose Ferreira cuts two checks for each purchase of sugar: one for the official price of 2 cents a pound and one for the kickback of 60 cents of pound. He keeps copies of both checks in his books, seen by AP, in case the authorities ever come asking. "You make the legal payment, and then you pay the kickback," he said. "We have no other option; there's no substitute for sugar." The theft extends to the very end of the food supply chain, vendors said. At one market in Valencia, the military members who were appointed in August to stop contraband confiscated vendors' produce. They said the vendors did not have the right permits. The food was piled in an olive green cargo truck. In Puerto Cabello, hungry residents said it feels like corrupt soldiers are taking food off their children's plates. Pedro Contreras, 74, watched more than 100 trucks carrying corn rattle onto the highway, and walked stiffly into traffic to sweep up the kernels that had sifted out. He planned to pound them into corn flour that night to feed his family. "The military is getting fat while my grandchildren get skinny," he said. "All of Venezuela's food comes through here, but so little of it goes to us." ——— Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report. ——— EXTRA: AP correspondent Hannah Dreier has been living through chaos this year as Venezuela edges toward collapse. This interactive collects her tweets to show daily happenings around the country. ——— Hannah Dreier is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hannahdreier . Joshua Goodman is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman . More of AP's reporting on Venezuela's problems can be found at https://www.ap.org/explore/venezuela-undone .

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuela-military-trafficking-food-country-hungry-44497872

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Manhunt on for Istanbul nightclub shooter

Police on Sunday were hunting a Santa Claus-clad killer who opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding nearly 70 others, according to Istanbul's governor and Turkey's state-run news agency.

Police on Sunday were hunting a Santa Claus-clad killer who opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding nearly 70 others, according to Istanbul's governor and Turkey's state-run news agency. At least one policeman was stationed outside of the Reina nightclub when the attack occurred, but the gunman shot him and a civilian outside the club before entering and firing on people partying inside, Gov. Vasip Sahin said. "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters. At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals and others were reported to be from Lebanon, Morocco, Israel, Libya and Saudi Arabia. Expand / Contract Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX2X3I4 "This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu said. The owner of the nightclub initially said "American intelligence" had issued a warning at least a week before the attacks, however, the U.S. Embassy said no specific warning was given. The attack occurred shortly after midnight in the club where an estimated 600 people celebrated New Year's Eve. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent. The club is located close to recent suicide attacks that killed dozens near a soccer stadium. The nightclub area remained sealed off on Sunday morning. Media reports said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, at 1:15 a.m., dressed in a Santa Claus costume. Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said. Later in the evening, President Barack Obama expressed condolences for the attack and directed his team to offer U.S. help to Turkish authorities, the White House said. The White House condemned the incident calling it a "horrific terrorist attack." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests." "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace," the Turkish president said in a written statement on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his Turkish counterpart a telegram of condolences, saying "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations." "However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin added. Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Anadolu reported. Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups. "Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/01/manhunt-on-for-istanbul-nightclub-shooter.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Trump expresses doubts about online security

President-elect Donald Trump says that no computer is safe when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new skepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations.

President-elect Donald Trump says that "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new skepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations. Trump rarely uses email or computers, despite his frequent tweeting. "You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way. Because I'll tell you what: No computer is safe," Trump told reporters during his annual New Year's Eve bash. "I don't care what they say." Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking. President Barack Obama earlier this week ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the U.S. said were really spies. The Russian government has denied the allegations. Trump, who has said that he plans to meet with intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations, said he wants U.S. officials "to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge." He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the U.S. invasion, and declared himself an expert in the area. "I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else," he said. He added, cryptically, that he also knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation." Trump made the comments during his annual New Year's Eve bash at his Mar-a-Lago club. Hundreds of guests gathered in the club's grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. Reporters were invited to watch as guests arrived. Earlier in the day, Trump ditched his press pool, traveling to play golf at one of his clubs without a pool of journalists on hand to ensure the public has knowledge of his whereabouts. A member of Trump's golf club in Jupiter, Florida, posted a photo on Twitter of Trump on the greens Saturday morning and said about 25 U.S. Secret Service agents accompanied the president-elect. Reporters had not been advised of the visit to the club. Transition aide Stephanie Grisham confirmed that Trump had made a "last-minute trip" to Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, which is about a half-hour drive from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has been spending the holidays. He returned to the estate at midafternoon. Grisham said that she and other aides weren't aware of the trip and "appreciate everyone's understanding." "We are in the home stretch of this transition period and don't anticipate any additional situations like this between now and inauguration," she said in a statement. Before he went golfing Saturday, Trump tweeted an unusual New Year's message to friends and foes: "Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!" With the arrival of 2017, another New Year's message moved on Trump's Twitter account at about midnight. This one was decidedly more upbeat, addressed to all Americans, and including an abbreviation for his campaign slogan: Make America Great Again. "To all Americans- HappyNewYear & many blessings to you all! Looking forward to a wonderful & prosperous 2017 as we work together to #MAGA."

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/01/trump-expresses-doubts-about-online-security.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NPR

Trump's Responses In U.S.-Russia Dispute Roil Congress, Intelligence Community

Weeks from Inauguration Day, there's a growing rift between how President Obama, some senators and some in the intelligence community view Russia, and how Trump tweets about Russia and its leader.

Trump's Responses In U.S.-Russia Dispute Roil Congress, Intelligence Community Weeks from Inauguration Day, there's a growing rift between how President Obama, some senators and some in the intelligence community view Russia, and how Trump tweets about Russia and its leader.

Mara Liasson;Ailsa Chang

www.npr.org

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/01/507760137/trumps-responses-in-u-s-russia-dispute-causes-schisms-in-congress-intelligence-c?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=politics

LEFT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Judge's Rejection of Jury's Execution Recommendation Is Rare

Judge's Rejection of Jury's Execution Recommendation Is Rare

A recent decision by a Cleveland judge to overrule a jury's death sentence recommendation for a triple killer highlights how rare such judicial decisions are. Research by The Associated Press found just eight additional examples of judicial overrides since Ohio's current death penalty law took effect in 1981. That's compared with more than 320 death sentences handed down during the same time period. Overriding death sentences can be politically risky for judges, who are elected in Ohio and many other states, said Doug Berman, an Ohio State University law professor and sentencing expert. Many cases with strong evidence against capital punishment for a defendant are resolved with plea bargains before ever reaching a jury, he added. Those cases typically involve pretrial research turning up strong mitigating evidence — a horrific childhood or mental disabilities, for example — that outweigh what are called aggravating circumstances, such as the brutality of the crime. "It's relatively rare a case will get to a jury verdict if it looks like there's a pretty significant possibility that the mitigators will outweigh the aggravators," Berman said. Cuyahoga County Judge Joan Synenberg cited defendant Douglas Shine Jr.'s prolonged physical and psychological abuse as a child, mental health problems and years of incarceration in sentencing him to life in prison with no chance for parole on Dec. 19 instead of accepting a jury's recommendation for the death penalty. Testimony during the trial's death penalty phase showed that Shine's early childhood was chaotic and "characterized by persistent neglect and physical and psychological abuse," Synenberg said. She noted that Shine lived in youth detention facilities from age 10 to 16 followed by two years in an adult prison. Prosecutors said Shine walked into a Warrensville Heights barber shop in February 2015, pulled two guns from beneath his coat and opened fire, killing three people and wounding two men and a woman. "Unfortunately, the court gave more weight to the self-serving, unsubstantiated statements of an unrepentant, malingering mass murderer than to the overwhelming evidence that he was fully capable of planning and carrying out this diabolical attack on a crowded barbershop filled with men, women and children," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty said following Synenberg's ruling. Highlights of the eight other cases in Ohio in which judges have thrown out a jury's death sentence since the state enacted a new capital punishment law in 1981: 1983 — A jury's death sentence for Drewey Kiser, of Williamsport, convicted of fatally shooting Don Writsel during a robbery, was overridden by Judge Nicholas Holmes Jr. of Ross County Common Pleas Court. Holmes cited Kiser's age, 23; the defendant's lack of a significant criminal history; mental illness; and alcoholism. Holmes also pointed out that a death sentence would not have been proportional to the three other death sentences in Ohio at the time. 1987 — A jury's death sentence for Alonzo Wright, of Cleveland, convicted of fatally shooting Grover Lang during a robbery, was overridden by Judge Frank J. Gorman of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Gorman cited the victim's decision to rush Wright, which apparently led to the shooting, instead of obeying Wright's request for money. 1988 — A jury's death sentence for John Parsons, of Worthington, convicted of shooting a man as he fled from his burning home, was overridden by Judge Dale Crawford of Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Crawford cited Parsons' background and lack of a prior criminal record and said a death sentence would not be equivalent to five other death sentences imposed in Franklin County up to that time. 1989 — A jury's death sentence for Eddie Robertson, of Dayton, convicted of fatally shooting Stephanie Hiatt in a 1988 robbery, was overridden by Judge William MacMillan Jr. of Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. MacMillan cited Robertson's lack of a significant criminal history, his relative youth (30), his pursuit of education beyond high school and the lack of an advance plan to kill anyone. MacMillan said it appeared Robertson shot Hiatt on the spur of the moment, fearing she recognized him. 1999 — A jury's death sentence for Gregory Crawford, of Valley City, convicted of beating Gene Palmer to death during a robbery, was overridden by Judge Mark Wiest of Wayne County Common Pleas Court. Wiest cited Palmer's age (37), his good behavior in jail, Crawford's strong relationship with his family, his work completing his high school degree and his religious conversion. 2000 — A jury's death sentence for Christopher Fuller, of Hamilton, convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter after trying to rape her, was overridden by Judge Matthew Crehan of Butler County Common Pleas Court. Crehan cited Fuller's job supporting his family, his military service, his lack of a prior criminal record and the remorse he showed over the girl's death. 2002 — A jury's death sentence for Brian Siler of Nankin in Ashland County, convicted of shooting his estranged wife, Barbara Siler, was overridden by Judge Jeffrey Runyan of Ashland County Common Pleas Court. Runyan cited a number of factors in Siler's defense, including the absence of a criminal background and active participation in church and the community. Runyan also questioned the burglary charge against Brian Siler — an added count that made the crime a capital case — pointing out that he'd broken into his own home. Runyan then questioned whether the death sentence was an attempt by the community to avoid responsibility for failing to do more to prevent Barbara Siler's death. 2010 — A jury's death sentence for Charles Cunningham in Clark County, convicted of aggravated murder in the fatal shooting of an ex-girlfriend, Jessica Serna (the mother of two of Cunningham's children), was overridden by Judge Richard O'Neill. Cunningham was also convicted of killing Serna's friend, Heidi Shook, but not sentenced to death for her slaying. O'Neill said there was "a fine line" between the evidence that Cunningham killed Serna "with prior calculation and design," an element necessary for a death sentence, and whether he shot her "on the spur of the moment" out of frustration with his unsuccessful attempts to re-establish a relationship.

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judges-rejection-jurys-execution-recommendation-rare-44498865

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NPR

Shots - Health News

In 2016, scientists combined the genes of three people in an effort to make a baby free of an inherited disease. But the process doesn't wipe out all faulty mitochondria, and could pose new risks.

Unexpected Risks Found In Editing Genes To Prevent Inherited Disorders Enlarge this image toggle caption Getty Images/Science Photo Library Getty Images/Science Photo Library In September, reproductive endocrinologist John Zhang and his team at the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City captured the world's attention when they announced the birth of a child to a mother carrying a fatal genetic defect. Using a technique called mitochondrial replacement therapy, the researchers combined DNA from two women and one man to bypass the defect and produce a healthy baby boy — one with, quite literally, three genetic parents. It was heralded as a stunning technological leap for in vitro fertilization, albeit one that the team was forced to perform in Mexico, because the technique has not been approved in the United States. The technique is spreading quickly, gaining official approval this month from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority in the U.K. The move will allow clinics to apply for permission there to carry out the treatment, with the first patients expected to be seen as early as next year. But for all the accolades, the method also has scientists concerned that the fatally flawed mitochondria can resurface to threaten a child's health. Earlier this month, a study published in Nature by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, head of the Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, suggested that in roughly 15 percent of cases, the mitochondrial replacement could fail and allow fatal defects to return, or even increase a child's vulnerability to new ailments. The findings confirmed the suspicions of many researchers, and the conclusions drawn by Mitalipov and his team were unequivocal: The potential for conflicts between transplanted and original mitochondrial genomes is real, and more sophisticated matching of donor and recipient eggs — pairing mothers whose mitochondria share genetic similarities, for example — is needed to avoid potential tragedies. "This study shows the potential as well as the risks of gene therapy in the germline," Mitalipov says. This is especially true of mitochondria, because its genomes are so different than the genomes in the nucleus of cells. Slight variations between mitochondrial genomes, he adds, "turn out to matter a great deal." Mitochondria are the energy powerhouses inside our cells, and they carry their own DNA, separate from our nuclear genome. The danger lies in the fact that mitochondria are in some ways like aliens inside our cells. Two billion years ago they were free-floating bacteria basking in the primordial soup. Then one such microbe merged with another free-floating bacterium, and over evolutionary time, the two formed a complete cell. The bacteria eventually evolved into mitochondria, migrating most of their genes to the cell nucleus and keeping just a few dozen, largely to help them produce energy. Today, our nuclear genome contains around 20,000 genes, while a scant 37 genes reside in the mitochondria. And yet the two genomes are intensely symbiotic: 99 percent of the proteins that mitochondria import are actually made in the nucleus. Mitochondria also still divide and replicate like the bacteria they once were, and that constant replication means that mutations arise 10 to 30 times more often in mitochondrial genes than in the nucleus. If too many mitochondria become dysfunctional, the entire cell suffers and serious health problems can result. Faulty mitochondria are implicated in genetic diseases, as well as many chronic conditions from infertility to cancer, cardiac disease and neurodegenerative diseases. That's because when mitochondria falter, the energy system of the cell itself is compromised. A three-parent baby could solve the problem by overriding faulty mitochondria, but it also raises the stakes, because the procedure does not completely replace the defective mitochondria with healthy ones. When the mother's nucleus is transferred, it's like a plant dug up out of ground — a bit of the original soil (in this case, the mother's mitochondria) is still clinging to the roots. That creates a situation that never happens in nature: Two different mitochondrial genomes from two different women are forced to live inside the same cell. In most cases, a tiny percentage (usually less than 2 percent) of the diseased mitochondria remain — but that tiny percentage can really matter. In his new study, Mitalipov crafted three-parent embryos from the eggs of three mothers carrying mutant mitochondrial DNA and from the eggs of 11 healthy women. The embryos were then tweaked to become embryonic stem cells that could live forever, so they could be multiplied and studied. In three cases, the original maternal mitochondrial DNA returned. "That original, maternal mitochondrial DNA took over," Mitalipov says, "and it was pretty drastic. There was less than 1 percent of the original maternal mitochondrial DNA present after replacement with donor DNA and before fertilization, and yet it took over the whole cell later." Mitalipov warns that this reversal might not only occur in the embryonic stem cells; it could also occur in the womb at some point during the development of a baby. Complicating things further, Mitalipov found that some mitochondrial DNA stimulates cells to divide more rapidly, which would mean that a cells containing the maternal mitochondrial DNA could eventually dominate as the embryo developed. Some mitochondrial genomes replicate much faster than others, says University of California molecular biologist Patrick O'Farrell, who called Mitalipov's research both impressive and in keeping with his own thinking on the matter. A diseased mitochondrial genome could behave like a super-replicating bully, O'Farrell says, re-emerging and having a large impact on the three-parent baby at any time. It could also affect that child's future offspring. "The diseased genome might stage a sneak comeback to afflict subsequent generations," O'Farrell says. On the other hand, he says, the super-replicators could act as "superheroes," if they carry healthy, fit DNA that is able to out-compete a mutant genome. The nuclear genes donated by a father could also influence the behavior of the mitochondria in ways we cannot yet predict, O'Farrell says. For example, the father might introduce new genes that favor the replication rate of a defective bully genome. Or the father might introduce genes that help a "wimpy" healthy genome survive and thrive. Mitalipov's proposed solution to the problem is to match the mitochondria of the mother and the donor, since not all mitochondria are alike. Human mitochondria all over the earth are in a sense a billion or more clones of their original mother, passed down in endless biblical begats from mother to child. Yet, even as clones, they have diverged over time into lineages with different characteristics. These are called haplotypes. O'Farrell mentions blood types as a comparison. Just as you would not want to transfuse blood type A into someone with blood type B, you might not want to mix different lineages. And while he says he thinks the idea of matching lineages is brilliant, he suggests going a step further. "I say let's ... try to get a match with the dominating genome so that the defective genome will ultimately be completely displaced." In fact, he adds, the ideal would be to look for one superhero genome, the fastest replicator of all – one that could displace any diseased genome. To find out which branches are super replicators, O'Farrell hopes to collaborate with other laboratories and test the competitive strength of different haplotypes. Earlier this year, O'Farrell's laboratory published work showing that competition between closely related genomes tends to favor the most beneficial, while matchups between distantly related genomes favor super replicators with negative or even lethal consequences. There are, he says, at least 10 major lineages that would be distinct enough to be highly relevant. Mitalipov says that most of the time, matching haplotypes should ensure successful mitochondrial transfers. However, he cautions that even then, tiny differences in the region of the mitochondrial genome that controls replication speed could cause an unexpected surprise. Even in mitochondria from the same haplotype, there could be a single change in a gene that could cause a conflict, he says. In his study, Mitalipov zeroes in on the region that appears responsible for replication speed. In order to find out a mother's haplotype, he says, full sequencing is necessary, and this region from the donor's egg should also be looked at to be sure it matches the mother's. Today, it costs a few hundred dollars to sequence a woman's mitochondrial genome. But battles between mitochondrial genomes are only one part of the emerging story. Some research suggests that nuclear genes evolve to sync well with a mitochondrial haplotype, and that when the pairing is suddenly switched, health might be compromised. Research in fruit flies and in tiny sea creatures called cephalopods shows that when the "mitonuclear" partnership diverges too much, infertility and poor health can result. In some cases, however, the divergent pairs are above average and can actually lead to better health. Swapping as little as 0.2 percent of mitochondrial DNA in laboratory animals "can have profound effects on the function of cells, organs, and even the whole organism, and these effects manifest late in life," according to mitochondrial biologist Patrick Chinnery of the University of Cambridge, writing in November in The New England Journal of Medicine. Because of all these unknowns, a U.S. panel recommended last February that mitochondrial replacement therapy, if approved, implant only male embryos so that the human-altered mitochondrial germline would not be passed down through the generations. Most scientists approve of this advice, but biologist Damian Dowling of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has reservations about even this solution. His own research in fruit flies shows that males may actually be more vulnerable than females to impaired health from mitochondrial replacement. Since females pass on mitochondria, natural selection will help daughters sift out any mutations that might be harmful to them, and keep their nuclear and mitochondrial genes well matched. Males aren't so lucky: If mutations don't harm females but do harm males, the males may have to suffer impaired fertility and go to their graves earlier. This is known as the "mother's curse" — a term coined by geneticist Neil Gemmell of the University of Otago in New Zealand to describe the biological baggage that mothers unwittingly pass down to their male babies. The bottom line, according to biologist David Rand of Brown University, who studies mitochondrial genomes, is that when you swap mitochondria, the reaction is "highly unpredictable." And that's why many experts are calling for caution even amid all the excitement following the three-parent Mexico trial — though there is reason to believe they aren't being heard. A three-person baby has now been born in China, and two more may soon be born in Ukraine, according to Nature News. Zhang, meanwhile, continues to encourage potential patients in Mexico: "We have received interest both locally and abroad," he says, "and we invite people to learn more about the treatment." Doug Wallace, head of the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is among those calling for a more methodical approach to the technique, though he says he doesn't think there's any way to put the brakes on now. "I think what's happened is we're going to see more and more trials and some families are going to be exceedingly fortunate — and perhaps some will be an unfortunate part of the learning set." Research on mitochondria has to catch up, Wallace says, and while matching haplotypes is a good idea, it isn't so easy to do in practice. "Finding women to be egg donors is going to be a major limitation," he says — especially when you'd first have to survey a large group to find compatible mitochondrial DNA. Still, for women desperate to conceive a healthy child this may seem reasonable. Wallace adds that mitochondrial replacement therapy might find favor even outside those seeking to avoid passing on fatal genetic mutations — such as older women simply facing reduced fertility. "There's no proof that's the case," he says, but if it came to pass, that could mean a therapy that might change the DNA of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of babies conceived by this method. That would have a real impact on the long-term future of society, Wallace adds, and we don't yet fully understand all of the implications. "I think it's an exciting possibility," he says, "but also a little disconcerting." Jill Neimark is an award-winning science journalist and an author of adult and children's books. Her most recent book is "The Hugging Tree: A Story About Resilience." A version of this article originally appeared at Undark, a digital science magazine published by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT.

Jill Neimark

www.npr.org

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/01/01/507244429/unexpected-risks-found-in-editing-genes-to-prevent-inherited-disorders?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=health

LEFT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Cologne Police Detain 100s of 'African' Men Over New Year

Cologne Police Detain 100s of 'African' Men Over New Year

Police in Cologne say they've detained hundreds of men "seemingly of African descent" as part of operations to prevent a repeat of the attacks seen in the German city a year ago. Cologne police say the men were detained at two main train stations so that officers could question them and check their identities. Authorities fielded over 1,500 officers across Cologne for New Year's celebrations in response to criticism that they failed to stop hundreds of robberies and sexual assaults — blamed largely on men of North African origin — last year. Some revelers this year complained on Twitter that police appeared to be detaining people based on their appearance alone. By early Sunday police had received reports of two women being sexually assaulted in Cologne. One man was arrested.

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cologne-police-detain-100s-african-men-year-44496375

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Fox News

Potential homebuyer discovers mummified body entombed in garage

Detroit police opened an investigation last week after mummified remains were found in the garage of an occupied home.

Detroit police opened an investigation last week after mummified remains were found in the garage of an occupied home. A would-be homebuyer made the shocking discovery Thursday, Fox 2 Detroit reported. The body was entombed in the backseat of a dust-covered Plymouth that was 25 or 26-years-old, the Detroit News reported. It appears the body had been there for years and was beyond the decomposition stage, the paper reported, citing a spokesman for the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. The house had been rented to a family that never used the detached garage. A police spokesman told the paper the property owner told the family “basically don’t go in the garage, don’t put anything in the garage.” He said investigators would be contacting the property owner. It's unclear to cops at this point who the dead person is or how he or she died and when. There may be answers when the autopsy is performed this week. The examination will include a Michigan University anthropologist, the News reported. Fox 2 also reported that police want to interview the property owner and to track down records that would show who lived in the house in the past and who registered the car. In addition, the station reported, that the car was seized as evidence. Click here for more from Fox 2 Detroit.

www.foxnews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/01/potential-homebuyer-discovers-mummified-body-entombed-in-garage.html

RIGHT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Most Residents Evacuated by Sinkhole Could Return in a Week

Most Residents Evacuated by Sinkhole Could Return in a Week

The new public works commissioner in a suburban Detroit county is declaring "all hands on deck" to fix a broken sewer line that has created a major sinkhole and forced the evacuation of 22 homes. Former U.S. Rep. Candice Miller used her first day in office Sunday to urge Macomb County residents to reduce water consumption while crews create a bypass to get around the bad pipe. The short-term fix could take a month. During a news conference at the sinkhole site in Fraser, Miller said she doesn't have all the answers but promised "transparency." The sinkhole was discovered Dec. 24, just weeks after Miller was elected to lead the county's public works department. Three homes likely are beyond repair, though residents in 19 homes could return in a week.

Abc News

abcnews.go.com

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/residents-evacuated-sinkhole-return-week-44500312

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Los Angeles Times

Utah may lower the legal alcohol limit to .05% -- a first in the nation

If a tough new proposal in Utah becomes law, just a few drinks — or even a few swigs — could put you over the limit for drunk driving. An effort is underway in the state to lower the legal blood-alcohol concentration for driving to .05 — a first in the nation. Currently, all 50 states have a .08 cap, eschewing suggestions from the National Transportation Safety Board to redefine what constitutes drunk driving. But state Rep. Norman Thurston, a Republican from Provo who plans to introduce a bill on the issue in the upcoming legislative session, wants that to change in 2017. “Impairment starts with the first drink, and we want to establish this state as one where you just simply do not drink and drive,” said Thurston, noting he worked with officials from the Utah Highway Patrol while drafting the legislation. “This is all about safety.” Impairment starts with the first drink, and we want to establish this state as one where you just simply do not drink and drive. — Norman Thurston, Utah state representative And the safety concern is timely. Deaths related to drunk driving nearly doubled in Utah between 2013 and 2014, increasing from 23 to 45. Conversely, drunk driving fatalities nationally have fallen by a third in the last three decades, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationally, 28 people die every day in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver, according to the agency. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chart shows how a blood-alcohol concentration of .05 — about three drinks in one hour for a 160-pound man — causes, among other things, altered coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects and difficulty steering a motor vehicle. For men weighing less than 160 pounds and for women, it takes even fewer drinks to reach the .05 threshold. If Utah makes the change, it will join several countries in Europe — such as Austria, France and Germany — that have blood-alcohol limits of .05. (In Poland, it’s .02). In 2013, the NTSB released a report recommending that states lower to .05 the limit at which people can be prosecuted for drunk driving. While the national board characterized its proposal as a way to prevent drunk driving deaths, restaurant industry groups pushed back, questioning the effectiveness of such a change. The American Beverage Institute portrayed it as “criminalizing perfectly responsible behavior.” That’s the same argument coming from some detractors of the proposed legislation in Utah. “Why not focus on reducing the speed limit, or limiting texting while driving?” said Connor Boyack, president of the libertarian-leaning Libertas Institute, located outside Salt Lake City. “Those are real factors in causing traffic deaths.… This would just criminalize people not causing any problems.” Art Brown, president of the Utah chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told the local Fox affiliate the group would not support Thurston’s proposal. Instead, he said, the group prefers to focus on interlock devices prohibiting people from driving drunk. "MADD's position is we really emphasize interlocks and getting those on people and staying .08," Brown said. The state has long had a fraught relationship with alcohol. Mormons, who are forbidden from drinking liquor, make up nearly 60% of the population. Even so, annual liquor sales have increased, up from $367.2 million in 2014 to $396.4 million in 2015. The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control oversees all licensing and runs the state’s liquor stores. A state audit released in September found the number of liquor stores in Utah so inadequate that adding 19 would just keep up with demand. Moreover, efforts are afoot to repeal a state law that requires cocktails made at bars and restaurants be prepared out of patrons’ sight. In Utah, alcohol is not a major cause of fatal automobile crashes. Drunk driving was a contributing factor in about 13% of fatal crashes last year, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office. By contrast, speed played a role in 37% of deaths, and no seat belt use was a factor in 31%. Still, Diane Christensen, a member of the Provo Landmarks Commission and Thurston’s neighbor, lauded the effort. In 1979, as her older brother walked along a street in downtown Salt Lake City after a concert, he was hit and killed by a drunk driver. “I just have never got over it after all these years,” said Christensen, who said she would testify in support of the measure, if needed, as it makes its way through legislative committees in the months ahead. Thurston, who is Mormon and does not drink, says he takes no pride in Utah possibly becoming the first state in the country to lower the blood-alcohol concentration limit to .05. “In fact, I wish we were the 50th state to do it,” he said. “This is something that should have happened a long time ago.” [email protected] Twitter: @kurtisalee ALSO Russian malware found at Vermont electric utility This Congress filled the fewest judgeships since 1952. That leaves a big opening for Trump In a policy shift, New York Police Department will allow beards and turbans for religious officers

Kurtis Lee

www.latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-utah-alcohol-limit-20161231-story.html

LEFT

2017-01-01 00:00:00

Chicago Tribune

Claiming mandate, GOP Congress lays plans to propel sweeping conservative agenda

For six years, since they took back the House of Representatives, Republicans have added to a pile of legislation that moldered outside the White House. In their thwarted agenda, financial regulations were to be unspooled. Business taxes were to be slashed. Planned Parenthood would be stripped of federal funds. The Affordable Care Act was teed up for repeal - dozens of times. When the 115th Congress begins this week, with Republicans firmly in charge of the House and Senate, much of that legislation will form the basis of the most ambitious conservative policy agenda since the 1920s. And rather than a Democratic president standing in the way, a soon-to-be-inaugurated Donald Trump seems ready to sign much of it into law. The dynamic reflects just how ready Congress is to push through a conservative makeover of government, and how little Trump's unpredictable, attention-grabbing style matters to the Republican game plan. That plan was long in the making. Almost the entire agenda has already been vetted, promoted and worked over by Republicans and think tanks that look at the White House less for leadership and more for signing ceremonies. In 2012, Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist described the ideal president as "a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen" and "sign the legislation that has already been prepared." In 2015, when Senate Republicans used procedural maneuvers to undermine a potential Democratic filibuster and vote to repeal the health-care law, it did not matter that the Obama White House stopped them: As the conservative advocacy group Heritage Action put it, the process was "a trial run for 2017, when we will hopefully have a President willing to sign a full repeal bill." "What I told our committees a year ago was: Assume you get the White House and Congress," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., told CNBC in a post-election interview last month. "Come 2018, what do you want to have accomplished?" Negotiations with the incoming Trump administration, he said, were mostly "on timeline, on an execution strategy." Few presidential candidates have dominated the coverage of an election like Trump did in 2016. In the campaign's final stretch, Republican candidates often got less attention for their records in Congress than for their positions on Trump's controversial statements. The irony, as Democrats realized after the election, was that congressional Republicans were poised to have more influence over the national agenda in 2017 than congressional Democrats did after the 2008 election that put Obama in the White House with his party in control on Capitol Hill. While the Democratic majority in 2009 was larger than the GOP advantage this year, the Democrats were hamstrung in ways they came to regret. Responding to the Great Recession, they spent the transition and first month of 2009 on a $831 billion stimulus package, with Obama aides openly hoping that they could pass it with bipartisan supermajorities. Every House Republican and all but three Senate Republicans opposed it, and within 20 days of inauguration, the first tea party protests had broken out against it. Protesters twinned their opposition to the stimulus with opposition to the bank bailouts, which had bipartisan backing. Since November, Republicans have pre-empted any problems like this by making no attempt to frame their agenda as bipartisan. In his first news conference after the election, Ryan said that voters had delivered a mandate for "unified Republican government." Eight years earlier, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had said only that Americans "voted in large numbers for change," and said the White House would be driving the agenda. This year's agenda from House and Senate Republicans has clarity that was often lacking from Trump's own campaign. Senate Republicans favor using a procedure known as "budget reconciliation," in which measures can be passed with a simple 51-vote majority rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes, to tackle the ACA and to undo much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform. As part of undoing the financial overhaul law, some GOP leaders have begun planning strategies for how to effectively kill the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, whether by giving Congress control over its budget or finding cause to replace its director, Richard Cordray, with a weaker board. "I'd like to repeal the whole thing, period," Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby said of Dodd-Frank in a December interview with the Wall Street Journal. The reconciliation process is also likely to be used to pass tax reform, which both Trump and congressional Republicans want to use to lower rates and end the estate tax. Republicans also are examining ways to undo many of the regulations and other orders enacted by Obama and his administration, including ones issued in the weeks since Trump's victory and designed to solidify the Democratic president's environmental legacy. GOP leaders have cited the 21-year old Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to cast simple majority votes of disapproval for regulations, as a way to block anything the administration has ordered since June 2016. Since its passage, the CRA has been used only once. But in December, the conservative House Freedom Caucus began compiling a list of more than 200 regulations it views as vulnerable to a disapproval vote. They include "burdensome" school lunch standards, tobacco regulations, laws that set higher wages for contractors, and elements of the Paris climate-change agreement.

David Weigel

www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-congress-conservative-agenda-20170101-story.html

UNDEFINED

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Pope Francis in New Year Address Says Terrorism Casts Bloodstain over World

The pope also said isolation caused by modern communication "is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for ... pity and compassion."

Pope Francis urged leaders to work together to fight the "plague of terrorism", saying in his New Year's address Sunday that a bloodstain was covering the world as it started 2017. Speaking to some 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square for his traditional noon address, Francis departed from his prepared text to condemn the Istanbul nightclub attack that killed at least 39 people. "Unfortunately, violence has stricken even in this night of good wishes and hope. Pained, I express my closeness to the Turkish people. I pray for the many victims and for the wounded and for the entire nation in mourning," he said. Pope Francis leads a mass on New Year's Day at Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican REMO CASILLI / Reuters "I ask the Lord to sustain all men of good will to courageously roll up their sleeves to confront the plague of terrorism and this stain of blood that is covering the world with a shadow of fear and a sense of loss," he said. He said 2017 will be what people make of it. "The year will be good in the measure that each one of us, with the help of God, seeks to do good day after day," he told the crowd on a cold morning. Speaking on the day the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church marks its World Day of Peace, he said peace was constructed by saying 'no' to hate and violence and 'yes' to brotherhood and reconciliation. Francis earlier said Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, where in a homily he said the lack of physical contact among people brought on by modern means of virtual communication "is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion."

www.nbcnews.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-new-year-address-says-terrorism-casts-bloodstain-over-n702001?cid=public-rss_20170101

CENTER

2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Istanbul Nightclub Attack: Manhunt Launched for Terrorist Who Killed 39

The Istanbul nightclub attack suspect killed revelers while dressed in a Santa Claus costume, according to reports. He was still on the run Sunday.

Play Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed At Least 35 Killed in Attack on Istanbul Nightclub 2:03 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog ISTANBUL — A terrorist was on the run Sunday after opening fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people. The suspect killed a policeman and a civilian outside the venue before entering and firing on revelers inside, reportedly while dressed in a Santa Claus costume. "Efforts to find the terrorist are continuing," Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters. "God willing he will be caught in a short period of time. This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery." An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from the deadly Reina nightclub attack. Reuters Fifteen of the dead were foreigners, according to Health Minister Recep Akdag, and four of the 65 wounded were in a critical condition. Israel's foreign ministry said an Israeli was wounded and another was still missing. Police on Sunday guarded the scene the attack —the Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy district, close to the Bosphorus strait. Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker was armed with a long-barreled weapon and "rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," according to the Andalou press agency. News channel NTV said the assailant was dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, but that report could not immediately be confirmed by NBC News. Some of the survivors jumped into the icy water to escape the attack and were rescued by maritime police.

Alastair Jamieson;Aziz Akyavas

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Governor: 35 Killed in Attack on Istanbul Nightclub

The governor said there was one attacker in the shooting in Istanbul's Ortakoy, and he called the incident terrorism related.

Thirty-five people were killed after a gunman opened fire on an Istanbul night club during New Year's celebrations, in an attack the governor called an act of terrorism. Forty others were wounded in the attack targeting the popular Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said according to CNN Turk. Ambulances transport wounded people after a gun attack on Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul near by the Bosphorus, early morning in Istanbul, Turkey on Jan. 1, 2017. STR / EPA The attacker killed a police officer and a civilian before entering the club early Sunday, Sahin said according to state media Anadolu Agency. "He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the New Year," Sahin said according to Anadolu Agency. The attacker was carrying a "long barreled weapon," Sahin said. He did not say which group if any was suspected in the attack, and it did not appear that any group has immediately claimed responsibility. Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, state news agency Anadolu reported. Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by ISIS or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people. Earlier this month two bombings near a stadium in the city killed 38 people, mostly police officers, and injured 155 others. A Turkey-based Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility for that attack.

Phil Helsel;The Associated Press

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

NBC News

Cologne Police Detain 100s of 'African' Men Over New Year

Some revelers complained on Twitter that police appeared to be detaining people based on their appearance alone.

BERLIN — Police in Cologne say they've detained hundreds of men "seemingly of African descent" as part of operations to prevent a repeat of the attacks seen in the German city a year ago. Cologne police say the men were detained at two main train stations so that officers could question them and check their identities. Authorities fielded over 1,500 officers across Cologne for New Year's celebrations in response to criticism that they failed to stop hundreds of robberies and sexual assaults — blamed largely on men of North African origin — last year. Related: Cologne Police: Roving Packs Sexually Assaulted Dozens on New Year's Eve 2015 Some revelers this year complained on Twitter that authorities appeared to be detaining people based on their appearance alone — a claim that Cologne Police Chief Juergen Mathies denied. "I reject this negative criticism," Mathies told reporters Sunday. "The clear aim was to prevent similar events to previous year." By early Sunday police had received reports of two women being sexually assaulted in Cologne. One man was arrested.

The Associated Press

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Officer Killed, Inmates Escape in Attack on Bahrain Prison

Officer Killed, Inmates Escape in Attack on Bahrain Prison

Police in Bahrain say an attack on a prison in the tiny island nation has killed one police officer and freed prisoners held on terrorism charges. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said on Twitter that the attack Sunday on Jaw prison had sparked a security lockdown in the area. The Interior Ministry did not say how many prisoners were freed. Bahrain, a small island off the coast of Saudi Arabia, hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base. The nation has seen low-level unrest since its Arab Spring protests. The kingdom launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent in April. Jaw prison has held both those facing terror charges and political prisoners.

Abc News

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Impeached S. Korean Leader Rejects Accusations Against Her

Impeached S. Korean Leader Rejects Accusations Against Her

Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye vehemently rejected accusations Sunday that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her. In a meeting with a selected group of reporters, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also refuted allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament voted on Dec. 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in recent weeks. In her meeting with reporters, Park denied the accusations, saying she was "totally framed," according to Yonhap. "The matter is under investigation, so I can't make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favors to someone, not even by a bit," Yonhap quoted Park as saying. The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated. On Friday, the court said Park cannot be forced to testify at her impeachment trial, which is about to enter its argument phase. Park's downfall came after state prosecutors in November accused her of colluding with her friend to bully companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations controlled by Choi and also allowing Choi to interfere with government decisions from the shadows. They have now handed over the investigation to a special prosecution team that has been focusing on proving bribery suspicions between Park and the Samsung Group, which is suspected of sponsoring Choi in exchange for government favors. A former health ministry official was arrested on Saturday over suspicions that he forced the National Pension Service to support a merger between two Samsung affiliates last year. The deal shaved the fund's stake in one of the companies by an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, but allowed Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong to promote a father-to-son succession of leadership and increase the group's corporate wealth. Investigators are trying to confirm whether Park instructed government officials to help the merger go through and then had them press Samsung to provide Choi money and favors.

Abc News

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2017-01-01 00:00:00

ABC News

Most Residents Evacuated by Sinkhole Could Return in a Week

Most Residents Evacuated by Sinkhole Could Return in a Week

Most residents evacuated from 22 homes after a sinkhole developed in suburban Detroit should return in a week, officials said Sunday as a former congresswoman took charge on her first day as Macomb County public works commissioner and declared "all hands on deck." Candice Miller said it probably will take a month to build a temporary bypass to get around the sewer line that failed and caused the sinkhole in Fraser. The sinkhole was discovered on Dec. 24. Three homes likely are beyond repair. Miller publicly appealed to more than 300,000 residents in 11 communities to reduce toilet flushes and take brief showers to ease pressure on the broken line. "We are going to solve this problem ... I don't know how much it's going to cost, and I don't know what the final fix will be. It will most likely be some sort of lining that will be necessary in this pipe," Miller told reporters, speaking over the roar of heavy machinery. Residents evacuated from 19 of the 22 homes, mostly because utilities had to be shut off, should be able to return by Jan. 9, Fraser Mayor Joe Nichols said. Miller, a former Michigan secretary of state, served 14 years in Congress before running this year for public works commissioner in Macomb County. She said she's reaching out to federal and state governments for financial help. Gov. Rick Snyder plans to visit the site. "It's all hands on deck. We want everyone involved in this thing," said Miller, a Republican. County Executive Mark Hackel, a Democrat and the county's top elected official, repeatedly expressed confidence in Miller. He said residents affected by the sinkhole definitely "need to be made whole." It's unclear how that will happen. Miller defeated longtime public works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco, who didn't tour the sinkhole site during his last week in office. "There has been zero transition. ... I was never contacted by the former commissioner," Miller said. ——— Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap

Abc News

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