Family: California veteran behind Houston shooting rampage

HOUSTON — The family of a "troubled" Army veteran from California says he was the gunman who killed one person and injured several others in a shooting at a Houston auto detail shop.

Family members identified 25-year-old Dionisio Garza III of Rancho Cucamonga, California, as the man who opened fire Sunday, killing 56-year-old Eugene Linscomb, a customer at the shop who had arrived moments earlier.
Garza was killed about an hour later by a SWAT officer.
Police have not released the suspect's name and say they don't know a motive for the shooting.
But Garza's family told KPRC TV in Houston (http://bit.ly/1TTZfUI ) that "something snapped" in him following two tours in Afghanistan.
Garza's family said his condition worsened in the weeks before he traveled to Houston to visit an Army friend.

Trump rails against scrutiny over delayed donations to veterans groups

Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he'd given away the last $1.5 million that other donors had entrusted to him four months earlier, when Trump held a televised benefit for veterans' charities.

But, at the same time, Trump blasted the news media -- in terms that were bitter, even for him -- for asking about how, and when, he was going to give this money away.

Trump called the media in general "dishonest" and "unfair," and referred to a particular TV reporter as a "sleaze." His complaints dominated an event that was supposed to be about Trump's own charity -- and provided new evidence that, even as the presumptive GOP front-runner, Trump is inclined to air his grievances and rivalries publicly.

“I wasn’t looking for the credit, but I had no choice but to do this because the press was saying I didn’t raise any money for them,” Trump said.

The donations Trump announced on Tuesday were related to a January 28 fundraiser he held in Des Moines, on a night when Trump skipped a GOP debate due to a feud with its host, Fox News. That night, Trump said he'd raised $6 million. Most of it came from other donors, but Trump said he would give $1 million of his own.

After that, however, Trump became reluctant to release details about what hTad become of the money. At times, too, his staff gave out false information: more than a week ago, Trump's campaign manager said that Trump had already given out his $1 million in personal gifts.

As  it turned out, he had not. Trump made his $1 million donation last Monday evening, after a day of inquiries on Twitter -- Trump's preferred social-media platform -- by The Washington Post.

On Tuesday, Trump was giving away donations that had originally come in from other people, and were routed through his Donald J. Trump Foundation. He said that, in all, the fundraiser had brought in $5.6 million -- but that more money would come in.

Trump detailed new gifts to more than a dozen veterans groups, most of them $75,000. By Tuesday afternoon,. several of them had confirmed to The Post on Tuesday that they had indeed received the checks. Trump said that all of the money had been paid out, except for a single check to one group waiting for IRS authorization.

But, even as Trump described these giftss, he would interrupt to blast the press again.

The press should be ashamed of themselves. And on behalf of the vets, the press should be ashamed of themselves," Trump said at one point. "Instead of being, like, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Trump,' or 'Trump did a good job,' You say, 'Well who got it? Who got it?...And it makes me look very bad."

The presumptive GOP nominee also hurled insults at reporters in the audience, whom he accused of liberal bias and of attempting to diminish his efforts.

"You're a sleaze because you know the facts, and you know the facts well,” Trump said in one instance, pointing at a reporter from ABC News.

By law, nonprofit charities like Trump's foundation are not supposed to participate in political campaigns. At this event, however, Trump described the nonprofit's gifts at what was clearly a campaign event -- at which he bashed his rivals, and talked up his poll numbers. He spoke from a podium that said "Make America Great Again," the slogan of his campaign.

Calif. gov Jerry Brown endorses Clinton

California Gov. Jerry Brown has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president ahead of next week's California primary, giving the Democratic front-runner a major ally as the race tightens.

Brown announced the endorsement Tuesday morning in a letter posted online, in which he called Clinton the only person who could beat presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
"Hillary Clinton has convincingly made the case that she knows how to get things done and has the tenacity and skill to advance the Democratic agenda," Brown wrote. "Hillary Clinton, with her long experience, especially as Secretary of State, has a firm grasp of the issues and will be prepared to lead our country on day one."
Brown praised Bernie Sanders’s campaign, adding that his populist message mirrored Brown’s 1992 presidential bid.
But he noted Clinton's strong lead in both total votes cast and delegates won.
"Clinton’s lead is insurmountable and Democrats have shown – by millions of votes – that they want her as their nominee," he said.
Brown said the stakes of the election couldn't be higher because of Trump's controversial stances.
"This is no time for Democrats to keep fighting each other. The general election has already begun."
The Clintons have a tumultuous past with Brown, who ran against Bill Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. The governor bashed Clinton as the "prince of sleaze" during that primary.
And after Brown needled Hillary Clinton on the debate stage during that primary, Clinton came to his wife's defense, declaring "You're not worth being on the same platform as my wife."
Sanders has focused his campaign entirely on California’s June 7 primary, raising the stakes in the state. He is trying to give Clinton an embarrassing loss in the state with the largest amount of delegates.
Clinton will almost assuredly lock up the nomination regardless of the margin in California — she needs just 73 more delegates, according to the Associated Press.
California alone awards 475, while primaries in five states also on June 7 award another 219.
But a loss in the Golden State would be a tough pill to swallow for the Clinton campaign and could embolden Sanders supporters to make a strong push during this summer's convention for their candidate or his message.
Clinton leads Sanders by 8 percentage points in California, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. But polls have varied wildly, with some showing Sanders within two points and others showing Clinton with a lead of 19 points.

Military deploys fighter jets in hunt for Avengers

There was panic in the creeks of Bayelsa State following sudden presence of fighter jets and surveillance aircrafts which hovered in some coastal communities in search of hideouts of the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
It was gathered that the military planes were sighted in some the communities in Southern Ijaw where most of the attacks on pipelines and killing of soldiers occurred recently.
A resident from Ondewari, a community in the council, said the sight and sounds of the jets caused tension in the area.
He said some residents were already getting ready to seek refuge in the mangrove following fears of possible bombardments when the jets disappeared.
“We noticed the jets in the morning. They were military jets. We were afraid and most people were thinking of taking cover when suddenly they flew away. We are still afraid that they may come back. We can’t forget the Odi experience”, he said.

But the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) immediately condemned the presence of the fighter jets in the creeks.
The IYC President, Mr. Udens Eradiri, after an emergency meeting of the council, in Yenagoa, said the jets were also sighted in some parts of the state capital and Gbaramatu in Delta State.
He urged the military to apply caution in their operations and warned against the strategy of intimidating Niger Delta residents.
Eradiri said the  crisis would not be resolved by deploying fighter jets adding that intelligence was a better strategy of dealing with the activities of the militants.
He said the council was happy with the President when he said in his May 29 broadcast that he would engage the stakeholders in the region to resolve the crisis.
He said: “Ijaw people are peaceful people. Ijaw people are not avengers. These jets flying around Yenagoa and Gbaramatu, the avengers are not in these places. We just hope that they were just passing. But if it is hovering around, it means that something is about to happen.
“The military should use more of intelligence so that you don’t go around destroying communities. We call on the military to withdraw its tactic of intimidation in Ijaw land.
“Jet fighters will not solve the problem. The economy is in a terrible  forecast and we must do everything to save it. We are at the receiving end of the activities of these militants. Why are we also being intimidated”.
He said the Niger Delta region was not interested in pipeline surveillance insisting that only true federalism would solve the problem in the region.

UK detectives in Nigeria for Alison-Madueke’s case

As part of the ongoing probe and preparation for the arraignment of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, some investigators from the United Kingdom have visited Nigeria to gather evidence.
The ex-minister is under investigation over the missing $20billion oil cash, phoney crude oil lifting contracts,  $115million poll bribery money, the $1.092b Malabu oil deal and the N5.2billion ($25m)  oil cash paid by an Indian oil firm for an oil block
The UK team inspected the former minister’s multi-billion naira mansion, her £600,000 exotic wrist watch and gold and diamond jewelry which have been confiscated.
There were indications last night that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has also frozen Mrs Alison-Madueke’s bank accounts.

The commission may attach some assets of the ex-minister under the Interim Forfeiture Order in Sections 26 and 29 of the EFCC Act, The Nation learnt.
The UK investigators came into the country as part of the build-up to the trial of the ex-minister in London.
Mrs Alison-Madueke and four others were arrested in London on October 2, 2015 by the National Crime Agency( NCA).
The NCA said all the suspects were released on “conditional police bail, pending further investigation both in the UK and overseas”.
A source, who confirmed the visit said it was the “continuation of the London end of the investigation of the ex-minister.”
Besides restricting her movement to the UK, a London (Westminster Magistrate’s Court) on Marylebone Road had approved the seizure of $41,000 (£27,000) cash from Mrs Alison-Madueke.
“With the outcome of the fact-finding mission of the UK team, I think so far, the investigation has reached a convenient bend for the prosecution of the ex-minister,” the source said, pleading not to be named because of the “sensitivity” of the matter.
An EFCC source confirmed that the former minister’s accounts in some major banks had been frozen. “It is too early to disclose the amounts involved in order not to prejudice investigation. We are discovering more on daily basis as some complicit banks are now cooperating,” he said, adding:
“We are allowed by law to place suspicious accounts and assets under interim forfeiture until the court decides otherwise.
“We are collaborating with anti-graft agencies in other jurisdictions on her case.”
Sections 26 and 29 of the EFCC Act  on forfeiture read:  “Any property subject to forfeiture under this Act may be seized by the commission in the following circumstances- (a) the seizure is incidental to an arrest or search; or (b) in the case of property liable to forfeiture upon process issued by the Court following an application made by the Commission in accordance with the prescribed rules
“Whenever property is seized under any of the provisions of this Act, the Commission may-(a) place the property under seal; or (b) remove the property to a place designated by the Commission.
“Properties taken or detained under this section shall be deemed to be in custody of the Commission, subject only to an order of a court.”
There is an ongoing probe by the EFCC of Mrs Alison-Madueke’s involvement in a $115m (N23, 299,705,000billion) 2015 poll bribery scandal.
The anti-graft agency has quizzed Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo and the bank’s Head of Operations, Martin Izuogbe in connection with the scandal.
Four companies, according to investigation by the anti-graft agency, allegedly gave the following amount to the bank for use to bribe officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Northern Belt Gas Company Limited ($60m); Auctus Integrated($17,884,000); Midwestern Oil and Gas($9.5m); and Leno Laitan Adesanya ($1.85m).
“The ex-minister sent $25.77million(approximately $26m) to bring the total amount to $115million( N23, 299,705,000billion).
Mrs Alison- Madueke has twice in six months appeared before a London court to answer charges regarding the £27,000 money laundering and bribery allegation made against her by the NCA..
She will be returning to the court again in September, after the Westminster Magistrate court granted the request of the NCA on March 31, 2016 for another six months to enable the Agency gets more time to tighten its case.
Mrs Madueke will be on bail along with her mother Mrs Beatrice Agama who is the lead suspect; son, Ugonna Madeueke, family friend Ms Melanie Spencer, the wife of a Ghanaian oil tycoon, Kevin Okyere till when the court reconvenes in September to decide on a direction for the case.
It is typical of the NCA drawing its motivation from the Proceeds of Crime Act to always ask for more time for its investigations so it can build a water tight case.
The Proceeds of Crime Act says: “The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”) sets out the legislative scheme for the recovery of criminal assets with criminal confiscation being the most commonly used power.
“Confiscation occurs after a conviction has taken place. Other means of recovering the proceeds of crime, which do not require a conviction, are provided for in the Act, namely civil recovery, cash seizure and taxation powers. The investigation is now global extending to Nigeria and Switzerland where billionaire Business man Kola Aluko was questioned and home raided on the request of the NCA.
Aluko, who has Swiss nationality and owner of Atlantic Energy had some oil deals with NNPC while Madueke was in charge. He is believed to be a key figure in the money laundering network.
Atlantic Energy signed a lucrative strategic alliance in 2011 with NNPC while Madueke was in charge of Petroleum Ministry giving it rights to sell oil from four big blocks on behalf of Nigeria. Before the oil price crashed, Aluko said the commercial value of the contract was estimated at $7bn.

Lagos handles 4,035 rape, child abuse cases in one year

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said in the last one year it handled a total of 4, 035 cases ranging from rape, child abuse, sexual assault, sexual abuse, defilement, divorce, matrimonial issues and child’s custody and maintenance, just as it vowed not to shy away from prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence crime no matter how highly placed in the society.
The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who disclosed this during a press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa on the activities of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in the last one year, said government, through the agency, equally handled a total of 192 cases.
Out of the 192 cases, Kazeem said the government handled 89 domestic violence cases, 62 defilement cases, 18 rape cases, 6 attempted rape, 10 child neglect and 7 child abuse cases, while 92 cases are presently being heard in court.
Kazeem said that the State Government under the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has a zero tolerance for issues relating to domestic violence and child abuse and would not relent until the scourge is reduced to the barest minimum.
He said agencies of government, including DSVRT, Office of Public Defender (OPD) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), among others, have been mandated to ensure that while perpetrators of the act are brought to justice, victims of domestic violence are given succor towards their rehabilitation.

“As regards provision of shelter for victims, the Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Youth and Social Development as well as strategic partners NGOs have played key roles in ensuring that victims were evacuated to a safer environment of shelter homes.
“All the victims of sexual assault received medical attention from Mirabel Centre and State Hospitals, and so far, 50 of such cases were charged to court,” he said.
He said the essence of the press briefing today aside giving account of efforts of the State Government in the one year, it was also a means to send a strong message across that the government would not relent until the scourge is completely stamped out.
“As we all know the issues of gender violence, violence against children and all forms of inhuman treatment against the less privileged has been a very critical issue for Governor Ambode. Right from when he was sworn in, he had said that this issue was going to be something he would pursue with passion and diligence. He has since then given support to the DSVRT, OPD and all other related agencies including the Police Force to fight this scourge in other that it should be eliminated.
“Let me sound a note of warning here that no matter how highly placed you are in the society, if you commit any domestic violence crime, Lagos State will go after you and prosecute you in court,” the Attorney General said.
He assured that the State Government would continue to build on its recent efforts and step up its campaign efforts to put the issue of domestic violence on the front burner.
To this end, he said the DSVRT would on Friday, June 3, hold a free clinic for victims of domestic violence, rape at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, while they can seek counselling with trained professionals via their hotline on 08137960048.

I’ll defend democracy for life –Tinubu

National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed to dedicate the rest of his life to the defence of democracy in Nigeria.
Tinubu said Nigeria must keep perfecting its democracy despite the daunting challenges.
The former governor of Lagos State said this in a statement to mark Democracy Day last Sunday.
He said the country needed an unrivalled fiscal policy to weather the economic storm.
“I have devoted most of my life to the struggle for Nigerian democracy. I would be more than happy to devote the rest of my days so that democracy can thrive and erase the unjust imbalances that have, for too long, been a heavy surcharge against the lives of most of our people.
“A great historic push and effort are mandated. Change takes boldness, perseverance and moral fortitude; profound change requires even more so. The task is hard, but, I neither fret nor worry. In my heart, I am comforted by the knowledge that we are so much better and stronger than the obstacle before us. We shall and must overcome it because it is in our nature, and it is for our best destiny to do so.”
The APC chieftain said for the Federal Government to accomplish its economic rescue plan, it must dedicate unprecedented amount for productive expenditure in the areas of transportation infrastructure, power generation, food, security and job creation.
“We have entered a period of stagflation where recession or shrinkage of the economy is accompanied by higher prices. Unfortunately, if we try to fight both at the same time, we fight neither effectively. Giving the rate of joblessness and poverty, it is more fitting to fight recession at this point than to focus on inflation.
“We can endure a bit more inflation, if it means more jobs and greater aggregate demand that can develop the velocity needed to free the economy of recession’s gravitational pull.
We must resist recession; it is harder to shake off once it takes grip of an economy. Restructuring our economy is the most complex challenge before us. We all must contribute, if we are to win.”

It’s all lies, Miltary never arrested our strike team- Avengers

New militant group responsible for the bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, on Tuesday, said claims by the Nigerian Military that no fewer than 10 of its suspected members were arrested on Sunday, was false.

 The Nigerian Army said it arrested 10 suspected militants and pipeline vandals in the Niger Delta region, on Sunday. The Commander, 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin City, Farouk Yahaya, while addressing journalists had said that the the Nigerian Army arrested 10 suspected militants and pipeline vandals in the Niger Delta region, on Sunday. Yahaya had said the suspects were arrested during a cordon and search exercise conducted in Oporozoa community and its environs in Delta State. However, Mr. Yahaya, a Brigadier General, said the arrested suspects may have links with the Niger Delta Avengers. He said guns, ammunition and other equipment were recovered from them. He said the operation was conducted professionally in line with the code of conduct and rules of engagement of the Nigerian Army. He said the Army is committed to tackling pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region. But in a tweet today, via its Twitter handle, @NDAvengers, the militant group said: “Our attention has been drawn to the arrest of 10Niger Delta Avengers boys by Nigerian Military. None of our Strike Team has been arrested. It’s all lies.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/its-all-lies-miltary-never-arrested-our-strike-team-avengers/

Amosun arrests couple for dumping refuse on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, on Sunday said he apprehended a couple for dumping refuse on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and handed them over to the police for prosecution. Amosun made this known during the 2016 Democracy Day event organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta‎.
He said the couple was caught while offloading the garbage from the booth of their Lexus SUV on their way to church.
“I was coming from Lagos to Abeokuta, when I saw this Lexus Jeep parked on the highway,” he said while giving details of the incident.
“The car was conveying the couple and their children to church. I thought the car had a fault, but I found out that the booth was opened. On moving closer, I was shocked to see the husband, a well-read man, removing out heap of refuse from the booth and dumping it on the highway, on their way to church, an indication that that had been their stock in trade.
“As soon as my convoy stopped, the couple took off, and I ordered my security to pursue them, they were pursued to Ojota in Lagos before they were arrested. As I am talking to you now, the suspect is in Ibara Police Station here in Abeokuta and would be taken to court on Tuesday (today).”

Richard Gasquet… the great French hope

Richard Gasquet stretches to return the ball to Kei Nishikori during their men’s fourth round match at the French Open in Paris…on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP.

In the contribution of the French language to the human lexicon, force majeure has remained for centuries. An anonymous sage once said, “of all sad words of prose and rhyme, the saddest are ‘it might have been.’”
The rain interruption of the match on Sunday between Richard Gasquet and Kei Nishikori did more than swing the momentum. It provided the possibility for the French to have a hope (l’espoi) in the greatest tournament on clay in the world.
As the organisers of the French Open announced the cancellation of play yesterday, Day 9, due to rain, we could review the Gasquet upset victory of the day. The cancellation notice further stated that the Federation Francaise de Tennis (FFT) would reimburse, upon request, tickets for the rained out day.
The Grand-Slam tournaments are run by the respective tennis associations in each home country: Tennis Australia, FFT, Tennis Association, and the United States Tennis Association respectively, on the authority of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) .
When play resumed after the rain delay on Day 8, Gasquet took four straight games to win the first set and was leading 5-1 in the second before Nishikori reduced the tally, yet conceded at 6/2 when Gasquet unleashed his lethal one-handed backhand down the line. The crowd went wild in support of the hometown hero. Also they booed when their man received a code violation for signaled coaching.
Nishikori took the third set. In the opening game of the fourth set, Gasquet broke his opponent’s serve; thereafter raising his fist to the partisan crowd chanting “Allez Richard.” With a second break of serve, the Frenchman served for the match and won four straight points on errors by the Japanese star.
In his interview after the match, Gasquet recalled how, in a fourth-round match some few years back, he was leading Warwinka two sets to love but lost. This time, he said he was motivated by the occasion and the home crowd.
“The rain interruption did me a lot of good because we (Coach Sergi Brugera and I) had a chat. I was down 2-4 because of wrong strategy. If I didn’t hit back against a player as good as Kei, there was no way to win. Winning the first set was great for the rest.”
Looking ahead to his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray, Gasquet said: “I need to play very offensive because if not, it will be difficult for me to win. Today, it was like a Davis Cup match. I admit it made a big difference for me. And of course it will be the same on Tuesday, but for sure I need to play a big match to beat Andy. We have played together very often. He’s always defeated me in the Grand slams but I’ll like to change the tide.”
He has won only three of his 10 previous matches against the Scot.With the withdrawal of Gail Monfills at the outset, and the injury-caused dropping out by Joe- Wilfred Tsonga, Monsieur Richard Gasquet would be carrying the French hope in the championships. As his compatriots say to him: “Bonne chance Richard”, we say “Vive La France!”

Saudi Arabia offers more oil to Asian clients ahead of OPEC meeting

Saudi Arabia is offering extra crude to customers in Asia, a sign the world’s largest oil exporter does not intend to cut output as it battles for market share with other top producers.
Saudi’s offers of more oil come after it recently completed maintenance programmes that had reduced supplies from some fields during the second quarter, traders said. The kingdom will also soon increase its Arab Extra Light crude output in an expansion of the Shaybah oilfield.
But some Asian refiners said they are not rushing to buy more Arab Extra Light after Aramco raised the oil’s official selling price (OSP) by 80 cents a barrel in June, making it more expensive relative to similar Abu Dhabi grades.
In a market that still has the most growth potential and in which many producers, including Iran, Iraq and Russia, are trying to increase sales, that does not portend well for Saudi Arabia as it begins to bring new output online in June.
“It will be challenging (for Saudi Arabia). One of the things that will come into play is whether they will start cutting OSPs to attract customers and keep volumes intact,” said Sushant Gupta, downstream oil analyst at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie in Singapore.
State oil company Saudi Aramco plans to ramp up output from the Shaybah field over the next two weeks to 1 million barrels per day (bpd), fully utilizing its expanded capacity, Saudi media reported on Thursday, quoting the company’s chief executive.
This month, Saudi Aramco has asked at least two Asian refiners if they will lift more oil in June on top of contract volumes, two trading sources familiar with the matter said.
However, “their latest OSP is not attractive to refineries,” a trader with an Asian refiner said, adding that grades from the United Arab Emirates, of quality similar to Arab Extra Light, were more competitively priced.
A second trader with an Asian refiner said: “Refining margins are so-so, so I don’t think there is a big drive to take more prompt oil.”
Complex refining margins in Singapore have risen slightly from five-year lows touched earlier in May, with ample fuel supplies continuing to cap refiners’ profits.
Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on any offers made to Asian refiners.Iran and Iraq have also said they will increase output, slimming hopes that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will agree to any long-term plan to curtail supplies when it meets in Vienna next week.
Russia’s oil shipments to China hit a record in April, as it took the top spot as largest crude exporter – ahead of Saudi Arabia – to the world’s No.1 energy consumer for the second time this year.
Iran said on Sunday it aims to raise its exports to 2.2 million bpd by mid-summer after it cut June prices to Asia to the biggest discounts to Saudi and Iraqi oil since 2007-2008.
Iraq said its exports have hit an all-time high of 3.9 million bpd on increased output from southern fields, and that it is still on track to triple production by 2020.

Fresh concerns as mobile phones, long driving hours cause cancer

Contrary to earlier report published last week that gave mobile phones a clean bill of health, a major trial backed by the United States (U.S.) Government has found a link between mobile phones and cancer.
The peer-reviewed study published in DailyMailUK found rats exposed to the type of radio waves emitted by mobile phones were more likely to develop tumours in their brains and hearts.
British scientists last week stressed that extensive research on humans has found no evidence that mobile phones pose health risks – and said the new research is not strong enough to raise concerns.
But the authors of the study, led by the US National Toxicology Programme, said: “Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to radiofrequency radiation could have broad implications for public health.”
The £17million trial involved exposing 2,500 rats to radio waves for nine hours a day, every day for two years. The researchers found ‘low incidences’ of tumours in rats exposed to the radiation.
Ron Melnick, a former National Toxicology Programme researcher who worked on early stages of the study before his retirement, told the Wall Street Journal: “Where people were saying there’s no risk, I think this ends that kind of statement.”
But Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University said: “It’s good that the U.S. National Toxicology Program is researching these issues.
“But these partial findings don’t cause me any real concern about health risks from mobile phone use.
Dr. Rodney Croft, director of the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, said: “At present, and particularly given a range of uncertainties regarding its results, the report does not provide reason to move from the current scientific consensus that mobile phone-like exposure does not impact health.”
Several studies had shown that mobile phones emit radiation energy in the form of radio waves and tissues closest to the phone can absorb this energy – but despite many studies investigating the issue, none have found evidence that this contributes to cancer risk.
The closest scientists have come to highlighting a link was when the International Agency for Research on Cancer said, in 2011, that the devices could ‘possibly’ cause cancer in humans.
But even then they said there was not enough evidence to come to a clear conclusion. Meanwhile, experts are now warning people who drive long distances that they need to consider protecting themselves from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation – when they are inside their cars.
While windscreens, made from special laminated glass, typically score well on sun safety tests, usually offering about SPF 50, other windows in cars do not need to meet the same safety standards and may score lower than SPF 20.
Dr. Jayne Weiss, Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, said: “Windshields provide excellent protection against UV light, which is associated with risk for skin cancer and cataracts, but a car’s side windows do not.
Previous studies in the US have demonstrated that left-sided skin cancer is more common in those with the disease who spend more time driving.
Experts advise that the use of UV-A-blocking films, some types of window tinting, sunblock and sunglasses can enhance the amount of UV-A blockage from side windows.

Messi absent as his tax fraud trial opens in Spain

The trial of Argentina star Lionel Messi in tax fraud charges opened Tuesday in Spain in his absence just days before Argentina’s first match in the Copa America tournament against Chile.
Messi, 28, and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, are accused of using a chain of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on 4.16 million euros ($4.7 million) of Messi’s income earned through the sale of his image rights from 2007-09.
They have been charged with three counts of tax fraud.
Dozens of journalists, from Spain and abroad were on hand at a Barcelona court for the start of the trial which is expected to last until Thursday when Messi and his father will take the stand.
Messi had planned to be in Barcelona for the start of the trial but a lower back injury he suffered during a friendly against Honduras last week prevented him from doing so, defence lawyer Javier Sanchez-Vera said at the start of the proceedings.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a jail sentence of 22-and-a-half months for Messi and his father if they are found guilty, plus fines equivalent to the amount that was allegedly defrauded.
But any such sentence would likely be suspended as it is common in Spain for first offences carrying a sentence of less than two years.
The first day of the trial will be dedicated to preliminary legal questions and witness testimony.
– ‘Dad handled the cash’ –
The Barcelona striker and his defence team have argued that the player’s father handled his finances without reporting to him, and that the striker was not aware of any wrongdoing.
“My dad handled the cash,” Messi said in September 2013 when he was questioned by a judge investigating the case at a court in Gavia, a town on the outskirts of Barcelona where the footballer lives.
He reportedly told the judge at that hearing that he never looks at the contracts he signs.
“I signed things, but I never look at the contracts. I don’t know what I sign,” Messi said according to the El Periodico daily, which got access to his September 2013 statement to the judge.
According to the alleged statement published by the Barcelona daily, the judge showed him several sponsorship contracts that he signed, but he did not remember them.
“This is something that my dad manages. And I trust him. I devote myself to playing football,” he reportedly said.
“I do what he tells me to do.”
After winning a league and Cup double with Barcelona, the five-time World Player of the Year is due to join his Argentina teammates for the Copa America in the United States.
Argentina take on defending champions Chile in their first game of the tournament at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, in California on June 6.

Saudi intercepts missile from Yemen

Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Monday night, the military coalition supporting the Yemeni government against rebels said.

It was the second missile launch from Yemen since UN-brokered peace talks began in Kuwait on April 21 between the Huthi Shiite rebels and the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition in March last year began air strikes and other military aid in support of Yemeni forces resisting the Huthis who had seized much of the country and are backed by Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran.
Fighting has continued despite a ceasefire that paved the way for the talks in Kuwait.
The Huthi rebels are allied with elite troops loyal to Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The missile launches are designed to “sabotage efforts of the international community to make the peace negotiations a success,” the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia has deployed Patriot missile batteries to counter tactical ballistic missiles which have been fired occasionally during the war.
The coalition warns that it could retaliate if such strikes continue.

Buhari to visit Niger Delta Thursday

President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to visit restive Niger Delta region, recently rocked by series of attacks on oil facilities with the Niger Delta Avengers claiming responsibilities.
The visit will be Buhari’s first to the South-South region since becoming the president on May 29, 2015. He was scheduled to visit Cross Rivers but the trip was cancelled.
A media aide to Buhari said the president would travel to Ogoniland in Rivers state to flag off a long-awaited clean-up of the area, which has been affected by oil spills.
“All things being equal, the president will be in Ogoniland on Thursday for the historic clean up of the area,” the aide told AFP.
In August 2011, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report said Ogoniland may require the world’s biggest-ever clean-up.
Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has carried out several attacks on key pipelines and facilities operated by Shell and Chevron, causing oil production to slump to 1.4 million bpd from 2.2 million.
Buhari had pledged in his address on the occasion of his first anniversary as the president to ‘re-engineeer’ the amnesty programme for repentant former militants and engage leaders from the region in productive dialogue to proffer solutions to the region’s many problems and stem down the spate of attacks on oil installations.
He said, “On the Niger Delta, we are committed to implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report and are advancing clean-up operations. I believe the way forward is to take a sustainable approach to address the issues that affect the delta communities.
“Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this. The recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations will not distract us from engaging leaders in the region in addressing Niger Delta problems. If the militants and vandals are testing our resolve, they are much mistaken. We shall apprehend the perpetrators and their sponsors and bring them to justice.”
He also pleaded with the leadership of the National Assembly on Monday to see to the quick passage of the Niger-Delta Development Commission Budget Bill.

Taliban kill 16 bus passengers in northern Afghanistan

The Taliban killed at least 16 people Tuesday and kidnapped dozens of others after pulling them off buses in northern Afghanistan, officials said, the latest assault since the insurgents named a new leader last week.

The Taliban have so far not commented on the incident in Aliabad district in the volatile province of Kunduz, where the insurgents briefly overran the provincial capital in a stunning military victory last year.
Up to 200 passengers were travelling in four buses towards Kabul on Tuesday morning when they were stopped by the Taliban gunmen, with some killed on the side of the road at point-blank range, officials said.
“The Taliban shot dead 16 passengers and they are still holding more than 30 others,” said Sayed Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the governor of Kunduz.
Police commander Shir Aziz Kamawal gave a death toll of 17. The identities of the passengers have not been confirmed.
“They (Taliban) have released some passengers but are holding many others. None of the passengers were wearing military uniform but some may have been former police,” he said.
Residents of insurgency-prone Aliabad told AFP the Taliban were holding an informal court in a local mosque, scrutinising the ID documents of the passengers and interrogating them for any government links.
Highways around Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous, with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers.
Civilians are increasingly caught in the crosshairs of Afghanistan’s worsening conflict as the Taliban step up their annual spring offensive, launched in April against the Western-backed Kabul government.
Tuesday’s incident comes a day after the Taliban overran multiple police checkpoints in Helmand, the first major assault in the opium-rich southern province since the leadership transition.
The Taliban last Wednesday announced Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader, elevating a low-profile religious figure in a swift power transition after officially confirming the death of Mullah Mansour in a US drone strike.
The drone attack, the first known American assault on a top Afghan Taliban leader on Pakistani soil, sent shockwaves through the insurgent movement, which had seen a resurgence under Mansour.
He was killed just nine months after being formally appointed leader following a bitter power struggle upon the confirmation of the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar.
US President Barack Obama, who authorised the drone strikes, said Mansour had rejected efforts “to seriously engage in peace talks”, asserting that direct negotiations with the Afghan government were the only way to end the attritional conflict.
The US killing of Mansour showed that Washington has at least for now abandoned hopes of reviving the direct peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban, which broke down last summer.
Observers say Akhundzada, who is seen as more of a spiritual figurehead than a military commander, will emulate Mansour in shunning peace talks with the Afghan government.

Reus out, Schweinsteiger in Germany’s Euro 2016 squad

Marco Reus endured more injury heartache with Germany on Tuesday — his 27th birthday — as he was cut from their final Euro 2016 squad, two years after missing the World Cup.

A groin injury means Reus joins Julian Brandt, Sebastian Rudy and Karim Bellarabi to make up the four names cut as Germany announced their final 23-man squad while injured captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, who tore his knee ligaments in March, is included.
Reus, Borussia Dortmund’s fleet-footed winger, missed out on Germany’s 2014 World Cup win after tearing ankle ligaments in a warm-up friendly international just before the squad flew to Brazil.
Now an injury on club duty has scuppered his bid to be fit for the finals in France.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has opted not to take Reus, but both Borussia Dortmund’s Bayern Munich-bound centre-back Mats Hummels and Manchester United midfielder Schweinsteiger are included even though both are carrying injuries.
“The medical department have confirmed that Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mats Hummels will be fit to play at the tournament,” explained Loew at Germany’s pre-Euro training camp in Ascona, Switzerland.
“The prognosis for him (Reus) wasn’t good, so for medical reasons we had to strike him off the list.
“Of course, it’s bitterly disappointing for both him and for us.”
Reus’ former Dortmund team-mate Mario Goetze, whose goal won the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina, tweeted: “Happy Birthday, Marco, but we are all really sad. Unbelievable. That hurts me.”.
Midfielder Sami Khedira says the decision to leave Reus at home was the correct one, evn though it was hard on the player.
“Marco has had the problem with his pubic bone for a long time,” said the Juventus star.
“You have to weigh up whether it makes sense, but at the moment he can’t do more than run straight.”
Loew has included two promising 20-year-olds in Dortmund defensive midfielder Julian Weigl and Schalke forward Leroy Sane, who both made their debuts in Sunday’s 3-1 friendly defeat to Slovakia.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Brandt, 20, who also won his first cap against Slovakia, misses out, while his club colleague and fellow winger Bellarabi, who has won 10 caps, is ruled out with injury.
Hoffenheim midfielder Rudy completes the quartet to be left at home as Germany now turn their attentions to their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday in Gelsenkirchen against Hungary.
The Germans open their Group C campaign against Ukraine in Lille on June 12 before also playing Poland and Northern Ireland.
Germany’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona/ESP)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Emre Can (Liverpool/ENG), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia/ESP), Antonio Ruediger (AS Roma/ITA)
Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Sami Khedira (Juventus/ITA), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/ESP), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/ENG), Leroy Sane (Schalke 04), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United/ENG), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Fiorentina/ITA), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray/TUR), Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich), Andre Schuerrle (Wolfsburg)

The White House made me a poster child for beating the odds. Then I dropped out of college.

It's winter 2014, the last day of my first semester at the University of Hartford. Finals are finished. Most of my friends have gone home. Grades have just been posted.
Before even checking, I knew that I had failed all my classes. With a GPA that didn't even reach 1.0, I also knew that I wouldn't be able to return next semester.
I had to tell my mother. I had to tell her that I felt like a huge disappointment. I had to tell her that, even though I was the first person in my family to go to college, I couldn't even make it past one semester.
She answered the phone. I hesitated. I choked up. I asked her how she was doing, joked around, talked about everything except me. But the faltering in my voice gave me away.
My mother asked what was wrong. Before I could tell her, I started to cry. And then it all came out: how moving away from home and studying subjects I wasn't passionate about had taken a toll on me. That the transition to college did not seem rough at the onset, but that looking back, I can see how much stress it put me through. I was a first-generation college student. Everything was new and nobody had really prepared me for it. So many people — my family, my friends, my high school teachers — had such high expectations for me. I had failed.
My mother handled the news the way any loving mother would: She tried to keep my spirits up. She told me not to beat myself up, that there was nothing I could do at this point but learn from the experience and try again next year, whether that was at Hartford or back in New York City at community college.
But even though she was kind, I knew she was upset. I had failed her. I had failed myself.
Two days later, I was back home in the Bronx, completely devastated. I didn't know where my life would go from here. I only knew that I wouldn't be returning to Hartford. Beyond that, the future was murky. I didn't know if I'd go to community college, or if I'd be able to get a job. I was cooking a lot; just focusing on food seemed to ease my mind and distract me from the recent events in my life.
I was making rice when the phone rang that afternoon.
"Hello, is this Anthony?"
"Yes, who is this?" I figured it was someone from Hartford, closing out any remaining business.
"Anthony, this is the Office of the First Lady of the United States. We'd like to invite you to attend the State of the Union address next week with the First Lady. Are you available and interested?"
I nearly dropped my phone into the still-cooking rice.
After the call ended I went into a frenzy. I couldn't believe that out of hundreds of millions of Americans, I was selected to sit with the first lady. Everything that had happened just few days earlier suddenly felt irrelevant.
I couldn't wait to tell my mother. Just like two days before, I cried. This time, it was because of the enormous smile on her face. Barack Obama was the first president she had ever voted for, and now her son would be honored by him at the most important annual speech he gave. I could tell she was proud. I was so glad that all of her years of sacrifice were proving fruitful.
The call wasn't completely random. I had first met the first lady months earlier, the summer after my high school graduation. I was invited to attend the opening summit of her Reach Higher program, an initiative to inspire every student in America to pursue educations beyond high school. I had been selected through a nonprofit organization called iMentor, which provided me an adult mentor, Jack, throughout high school, and had helped me apply and get into college. The attendees of the summit included myself and nine other students — mostly first-generation college students — and nonprofit leaders and philanthropists.
The first lady began the summit by telling me and the other nine students that the struggle never ends. Not even for the president. Pushing past what is expected of you is only the beginning, she said. Facing obstacles in life, and overcoming them, is the only proof needed that anything is possible.
All of us attending that day had stories of pushing past the norm and reaching higher than our expectations through education. We did not let our circumstances distract us from our goals. We all had the opportunity to share our stories, one by one. Even the first lady shared her own story of the challenges she faced when attending college. I was excited to tell my story.
I told the first lady and the rest of the teens how I grew up poor. My mom lived on welfare and my alcoholic father was absent from my life. These events shaped me. As a kid, I experienced things in the projects of the South Bronx that most kids shouldn't ever have to see and go through. Poverty, drug abuse, my friends dying. All before I was 16.
I told the story of how my freshman year of high school ended with me getting news of my best friend, Johnny Moore, being shot and killed. His mom had asked him to go to the convenience store one night, and he got caught up in a feud that had nothing to do with him. I started my sophomore year with an emptiness in my heart. I couldn't wrap my head around not being able to see my best friend, someone who helped shape who I am today.
Halfway through the year, my mother got news that we were being evicted. We were forced to move into a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, miles away from my home. During our multi-month stay at the shelter, I had to wake up at before 4:30 every morning to make it to school on time. I would often get back home close to midnight because of track practice at night.
Despite all this, I told the group, I pushed through because I knew that I had to stay strong and focused. Not just for me. But for my family and friends who depended on me to set an example. I finished my story, the first lady listening to every word.
The weeks leading up to the State of the Union were filled with happiness and anticipation. The doubts that I held because of the failures of my first semester at college had been evaporated by the validation of the White House. If the first lady thought I was good enough to sit next to her, then obviously I was good enough to succeed in the world.
The day before my mom and I headed down to Washington, the White House announced all of the guests invited to sit in the box seats with the first lady of the United States: the astronaut Scott Kelly. Various military veterans. The president of CVS. And me.
Within 10 minutes of the announcement, I was flooded with emails and phone calls from media outlets wanting to learn more about my history and why I was a guest. I did a brief interview with the New York Daily News — they focused on my journey from being a homeless teen in the Bronx to the White House. They called me tenacious. I was a success story.
The next morning, I woke up to so many phone calls, emails, and messages that I didn't know what to do. I was completely overwhelmed. At first, the attention felt good — I was becoming famous. But then I became overwhelmed. I felt like I was lying to the press. They didn't know my real story, how I was about to fail out of college. I felt like I didn't deserve the attention.
On the night of the speech, we arrived at the Capitol and took our seats. The first lady of the United States was introduced. I couldn't hold back my smile. It was still breathtaking that such an iconic and historic family saw me as a representative of something they believed in.
I gave her a hug, and wished her happy birthday, as I knew she had turned 51 only a few days earlier. She smiled and told me that it was nice to see me.
As the speech began, I engaged in hushed conversation with the first lady as I tried to understand everything around me. I mentioned to her that it seemed like the Republicans and Democrats were completely divided. She laughed, and explained that for certain parts of the speech, the left side would stand to applaud, while the rest of the room stayed silent and seated. She pointed out the Supreme Court justices and the members of the Cabinet to me.
At one point, when the president announced a plan to make community college free, I quickly stood up and clapped, belatedly noticing that I stood up before her. She smiled at me. "Usually, everyone follows my lead, but tonight, I'll follow yours," she said.
After the speech, we went into a separate room to take pictures with President Obama. When I got to him, he shook my hand firmly. He told me that his wife talked about me frequently, and was inspired by my ability to push past the obstacles in my life. He urged me to keep up the hard work.
For those few days in Washington, it felt like there was nothing else in the world. The whole experience was amazing — an incredible opportunity and validation, I thought, for the hardships I had overcome in my life.
But when my mother and I returned home, I had to face the facts. Even though I had attended the State of the Union, even though the first lady and the president of the United States knew who I was, I was still right back where I had been before the phone call from the White House. I wasn't in school. I didn't have a job. My mother was still struggling week after week, living paycheck to paycheck. For a moment, I'd believed that the trip would change not only my life, but my family's life as well.
But it didn't. I still had to figure out what I was going to do with myself.
A few days after returning from Washington, the president of the University of Hartford emailed me. Although the White House had not informed him or the school that I would be attending the State of the Union, he had followed my trip from afar. The university had received a lot of attention and praise from my visit. He asked me to come in for a meeting.
At the meeting, the university president and various other school officials asked about attending the speech, and I told them all about the incredible opportunity.
Then they showed me my grades. They told me they would give me one more chance, but that this semester, I would need to excel. They offered support and guidance — they wanted me to succeed.
Although I was excited and grateful, part of me felt used. If it hadn't been for the State of the Union, a student like me would never have had the opportunity to sit down with president of the university. I would have been forced to drop out.
I appreciated the second chance, but I found it hard to get back into the groove of school. I hadn't changed as a student: The only difference was that people suddenly wanted to reach out and help "Anthony, the kid who met the president." They thought I was killing it at school. Why else would I have been at the State of the Union? But I continued to struggle.
It's not that they weren't coming from a good place, or that I didn't appreciate the support: My second semester at Hartford let me grow and helped me better understand myself and the world around me. I made friends who I keep close to this day. But once again, I wasn't able to handle the academic stress.
When the summer rolled around, I had another meeting with the school. They told me that I could not come back in the fall. They suggested that I look into community college. Months after attending the State of the Union with the first lady as a shining success story, I was a college dropout.
I returned home that summer, languishing, lazy, trying to figure out my next steps. In June, the White House invited me to come to DC again to be an official ambassador for the Reach Higher initiative. I didn't know what to do: How could I be an ambassador for the program if I wasn't currently attending college? But I did not tell them about the latest with my situation. I decided to attend.
The White House thought that our first convening was so inspiring that they wanted to hold a second, larger convening with 450 students. The same 10 students who had sat around telling stories with the first lady would now attempt to inspire everyone in the room.
The theme was called "Beating the Odds" and centered on the obstacles we had all overcome to attend college. Seeing so many kids look at me as someone who beat the odds and getting such admiration was difficult for me. I wanted to tell them how messed up everything was. But I just couldn't get the words out because I knew that if I did, I wouldn't have that same impact. The same kid who had sat next to the first lady as an example of how anybody could beat the odds and attend college was no longer even in college. I was distracted the whole day. I felt like a fraud.
It took me a few months to get back on my feet after returning home. I tried to work past my internal shame and frustration. For a while, I sat around doing nothing.
Now, nearly a year later, I'm starting to make progress. I now attend LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City. I also work almost 40 hours per week at Birch, a coffee shop in Manhattan. I am enjoying it, and getting back on track.
But this is not a story of how I overcame everything to reach success. This is just me telling the truth. This is me finally letting go of all the pain and weight I hold in my heart of not wanting to disappoint anybody.
Even as I have refocused and straightened out my life, things aren't always going smoothly. I still struggle with communicating with people who care about me, and have moments where I just disappear and go off the grid. And even though I'm doing better, the hardships are still there. My mom recently lost her job. It's hard to work full time and go to school full time. But I'm willing to make this sacrifice because I truly want to be a leader who people can look up to for my honesty. I don't want to hide things anymore, like I did at the summit.
I have learned so much over the ups and downs of the past year. I have learned that people can see your worth even before you can. I have learned that people are always willing to help, because everyone goes through hardships. I have learned not to be embarrassed or ashamed about who I am, or the hardships I've faced. As the first lady told me, it is only through pain and overcoming obstacles that we can grow.
I am more than any one event in my life. I am more than a former homeless kid. I am more than a success story that sat next to the first lady at the State of the Union. I am more than a former college dropout. I am the sum total of all the events and decisions of my life. And I know that everything that has happened to me will only make me stronger.
Anthony Mendez was born and bred in the Bronx, where he still lives. He currently works for Birch Coffee and attends LaGuardia Community College. 
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Katie Couric Apologizes for ‘Misleading’ Gun Documentary

has apologized for the “Under the Gun” documentary that aired on EPIX, saying she regrets the editing process that was “misleading.”
The documentary came under scrutiny when it first seemed like a group of gun rights activists were stumped by her question about background checks, taking eight seconds to respond: “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from walking into, say, a licensed gun dealer and purchasing a gun?”
Audio recordings revealed they, in fact, responded right away

In a statement posted on the “Under the Gun” documentary’s website, Couric took responsibility and expressed regret for the editing process.
“As executive producer of ‘Under the Gun,’ a documentary film that explores the epidemic of gun violence, I take responsibility for a decision that misrepresented an exchange I had with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL),” she wrote. “My question to the VCDL regarding the ability of convicted felons and those on the terror watch list to legally obtain a gun, was followed by an extended pause, making the participants appear to be speechless.
“When I screened an early version of the film with the director, Stephanie Soechtig, I questioned her and the editor about the pause and was told that a ‘beat’ was added for, as she described it, ‘dramatic effect,’ to give the audience a moment to consider the question. When VCDL members recently pointed out that they had in fact immediately answered this question, I went back and reviewed it and agree that those eight seconds do not accurately represent their response….I regret that those eight seconds were misleading and that I did not raise my initial concerns more vigorously.”
Couric also posted a message on Twitter, saying, “After speaking with Under the Gun director and reviewing editing process, I wanted to respond.”
The website also posted a full transcript of Couric’s exchange with members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL).
Couric had originally expressed support of Soechtig, saying, “I am very proud of the film.”
When the criticism first surfaced, Soechtig issued a statement saying, “There are a wide range of views expressed in the film. My intention was to provide a pause for the viewer to have a moment to consider this important question before presenting the facts on Americans’ opinions on background checks. I never intended to make anyone look bad and I apologize if anyone felt that way.”

Trump aide defends bringing up judge's 'Mexican' heritage

Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson on Monday defended the presumptive GOP presidential nominee for calling a California judge overseeing a fraud case against Trump University a "Mexican" and a "hater."
On Friday, Judge Gonzalo Curiel rejected arguments from Trump and called for documents related to the not-defunct university to be unsealed. In an interview on CNN, Pierson pointed to his membership in a Latino lawyers group in California to show he is anti-Trump.
"I think what's really interesting about this particular judge - as Mr. Trump refers to him as a 'Trump hater' - is he even mentions on his judicial questionnaire that he was a La Raza Lawyers Association member," Pierson said.
"This is an organization that has been out there organizing anti-Trump protesters with the Mexican flags - they are pushing it. The signs have been very apparent. And so Mr. Trump is just stating the obvious."
At a rally earlier this week, Trump said Curiel should not have scheduled a trial for the suit against Trump University in November.
"The trial is going to take place sometime in November. There should be no trial. This should have been dismissed on summary judgment easily, everybody says it. But I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump, a hater. He's a hater," Trump said.
"The judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great. I think that's fine."
When CNN host Alisyn Camerota pointed out that Curiel was born in America, Pierson continued to link the judge with protests taking place outside Tump rallies. She said she doesn't know if the judge is Mexican or not, but people need to identify who is protesting and what they are doing.
"Well, it's because of what we see outside of these rallies, these anti-Trump rallies, these criminal rallies, these criminal protesters out there defacing property and attacking police officers," Pierson said.
"They're doing so under the guise of an anti-Trump protest, with their Mexican flags, and La Raza and this judge is connected to that."

Secret Service protects Sanders as audience members rush stage

Members of Bernie Sanders's Secret Service team surrounded him as audience members at a rally on Monday tried to rush the stage, according to multiple reports.

At least three people were led away by security at the Oakland, Calif., event, held eight days before the state's June 7 presidential primary.
The Vermont senator, who is trailing Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, was unharmed when agents leaped on the stage and pulled him away from his microphone as the unidentified attendees pushed through audience barriers.


Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said, "It was handled professionally by the Secret Service," according to CNN.
A protester also tried to jump onto Sanders's stage in March during a rally in Ohio.
Sanders was spotted later Monday in Oakland at Game 7 of the Golden State Warrior's Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Zoos aren’t your babysitter’: Parenting critics flay mom after gorilla shot to protect her preschooler

Parent shaming, or witch hunt on social media?” wondered the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Social media turns ugly after zoo episode.”

That about summed it up Monday.

Three days after her 4-year-old son plummeted 20 feet into the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla exhibit, after animal rights activists blamed her alleged poor parenting for the death of a beloved, endangered ape named Harambe, then called on child protective services to investigate her, the boy’s mother became the Internet’s most reviled mom.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the toddler who tumbled into the Gorilla World exhibit Saturday afternoon, nor have they identified his parents. But the Internet doesn’t care about these sorts of formalities.

A mob of online parenting critics mobilized over the holiday weekend, lambasting a nameless figure they were convinced had neglected her child inside the zoo Saturday and was to blame for the events that transpired. Then on Sunday, a woman claiming to be the toddler’s mother took to Facebook in a desperate attempt to defend herself.

“God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him. My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes… no broken bones or internal injuries,” the woman wrote on Facebook, according to People magazine. “As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids.”

She added: “Accidents happen…”

While some news outlets named the woman, others, including the Washington Post, unable to verify that she was in fact the mother in question, are not.

People wasted little time responding to the woman’s Facebook post with hateful comments, forcing the her to eventually remove it altogether, People Magazine reported. They then found the Facebook page for a preschool where a woman by the same name works, records show. They blasted that next, according to news reports, forcing the school to delete its page, too.

Other women who share her name on social media received threatening messages intended for her, attacks that called her “scum,” “a really bad mother” and a “f****** killer.”

“that animal is more important than your s*** kid,” one man messaged.

Another woman wrote: “u should’ve been shot.”

At times, the barrage of insults were racially charged, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer.

By Monday, the threats grew so intense that Cincinnati police felt compelled to act.

“Even though they’re not direct death threats, we’re going to reach out to the mother and let her know what’s going on, if she doesn’t know already,” police spokesman Lt. Steve Saunders told the Enquirer. “We’re going to keep her in the loop. We’re going to err on the side of safety for her and her family.”

The mother found some sympathetic advocates, including the zoo director and several witnesses who said the woman was keeping a watchful eye on her children at the exhibit and, when she realized her son had fallen in with the 17-year-old, 400-pound silverback gorilla, tried to jump in after him.

A witness named Deidre Lykins described what she saw and heard in a long post on Facebook, which has been shared nearly 43,000 times:

I was taking a pic of the female gorilla, when my eldest son yells, “what is he doing? ” I looked down, and to my surprise, there was a small child that had apparently, literally “flopped” over the railing, where there was then about 3 feet of ground that the child quickly crawled through! ! I assumed the woman next to me was the mother, getting ready to grab him until she says, “Whose kid is this? ” None of us actually thought he’d go over the nearly 15 foot drop, but he was crawling so fast through the bushes before myself or husband could grab him, he went over! The crowed got a little frantic and the mother was calling for her son. Actually, just prior to him going over, but she couldn’t see him crawling through the bushes! She said “He was right here! I took a pic and his hand was in my back pocket and then gone!” As she could find him nowhere, she lookes to my husband (already over the railing talking to the child) and asks, “Sir, is he wearing green shorts? ” My husband reluctantly had to tell her yes, when she then nearly had a break down! They are both wanting to go over into the 15 foot drop, when I forbade my husband to do so, and attempted to calm the mother by calling 911 and assure her help was on the way.

“The mother was not negligent and the zoo did an awesome job handling the situation!” Lykins wrote.

The incident began Saturday afternoon, when the boy crawled through a barrier, past some bushes and over the edge of a moat in the gorilla enclosure. In the moments before he fell, a witness heard the boy tell his mother he wanted to jump in with the gorillas, reported NBC affiliate WLWT-TV.

Video footage shot by horrified visitors shows Harambe straddling the boy in the far left corner of the enclosure. At first, he appears to be standing guard, like he is protecting the boy, but he becomes agitated by visitors’ chaotic response to the fall and suddenly snatches the boy’s leg, violently dragging him through the foot of water that covers the floor of the enclosure. The dragging pauses momentarily, and the boy seems to try and scoot away from the gorilla, but as quickly as he did before, Harambe latches onto the child’s foot again and drags him to the opposite end of the enclosure.

Minutes later, visitors heard the crack of a gunshot.

On Sunday, the zoo wrote a lengthy statement on Facebook explaining why they chose to shoot the 17-year-old gorilla rather than tranquilize him. They said the child’s life was in danger, and when the zookeepers called for the gorillas to exit the enclosure, Harambe did not obey like the two other females inside. Tranquilizing the ape, they wrote, would have put the child at greater risk because it takes minutes for the drug to take effect and the dart could have agitated him further.

At a news conference Monday, Zoo Director Thane Maynard further defended the zoo’s decision to fatally shoot the gorilla, whose nickname was “handsome Harambe.”

“We’re talking about an animal that I’ve seen crush a coconut with one hand,” Maynard said, noting that the stress of the situation had made the gorilla’s behavior even more erratic. “The child was being dragged around, his head was banging on concrete. This was not a gentle thing.”

The director also addressed suggestions that the zoo was to blame for the fall since the barriers didn’t successfully keep the child out. Maynard told reporters the facility is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and that the enclosure barriers exceed recommendations, Fox News 8 in Cleveland reported.

“You can lock your car, you can lock your house, but if someone really wants to, they can get in,” Maynard said at the news conference. “Do you know any 4-year-olds? They can climb over anything.”

But despite Maynard’s words and law enforcement’s decision not to press any charges against the woman, critics continued to assault her parenting.

During interviews in which they defended the zoo’s lethal response to the situation, two well-known wildlife experts and TV personalities, Jack Hanna and Jeff Corwin, attacked her parenting.

“Zoos aren’t your baby sitter,” Corwin told Fox 25 News. “Take a break from the cell phone and the selfie stick and the texting. Connect with your children. Be responsible for your children. I don’t think this happened in seconds or minutes. I think this took time, for this kid, for this little boy to find himself in this situation. And ultimately, it’s the gorilla that has paid that price.”

Corwin emphasized that the loss of Harambe is especially devestating because his species is on the “precipice of extinction.”

“No amount of money or biology or science can ever bring back what was lost with the death of this gorilla,” he said.

In an interview on CBS This Morning, Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, said he agreed “1,000 percent” with the zoo’s decision to shoot the gorilla. But he, too, spoke on the importance of parental supervision at zoos, comparing the locations to parks and malls.

“Just watch your kids. … I’m sure that the mother here did the best she could. I guess maybe she was doing something else, I don’t know, I wasn’t there,” he said.

By Tuesday morning, a Facebook group called Justice for Harambe had amassed 109,544 likes and described its purpose as a page to raise awareness about “Harambe’s murder” and to “see charges brought against those responsible.” A separate Change.org petition asking child protective services to investigate the mother had been signed more than 293,000 times and a second petition, calling for the passage of a “Harambe’s law” that would hold any negligent party criminally and financially responsible if an endangered animal dies due to human error, had been signed nearly 100,000 times.

 

Ariz. woman, missing after online date, found slain

TONOPAH, Ariz. -- A missing Arizona woman was found slain in a shallow grave last week, and authorities have arrested a man with whom she went on an online date, reports CBS affiliate KPHO.
25-year-old Angela Russo had been missing since April 19, after reportedly meeting her suspected killer for a date in West Phoenix. Lashawn Johnson, who was already in jail on unrelated charges, was charged with her murder on Sunday, the station reports.
Russo's body was found buried in the desert in Tonopah, about 50 miles west of Phoenix. Her car was reportedly found burned nearby.
Russo's mother Diana Schalow told the station her daughter met Johnson on an online dating site. She said she was devastated to learn of her daughter's death and was hoping the search would "end differently."
"It does actually give us a slight bit of closure," Schalow said. "You go to sleep with different pain but at least, we've gone searching for her so many times."
Russo's cause of death hasn't yet been released.