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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at an "America's Next Top Model" audition at a New York hotel, police said. "American's Next Top Model" is hosted and produced by supermodel Tyra Banks. Six people were injured, and two of them sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said. Police said they didn't know what provoked the bedlam, which resulted in three people being charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot in connection to the incident at the Park Central New York hotel in Manhattan. The audition was shut down after the incident, authorities said. Calls to Park Central management were not immediately returned on Saturday. The "Top Model" competition, hosted and produced by supermodel Tyra Banks and aired by the CW network, is in its 12th cycle. | [
"Where can I watch the \"Top Model\" competition?",
"What show was it?",
"What type of treatment did the two people seek?",
"Who were arrested on Saturday?",
"What was the audition for?",
"How many people were arrested?",
"What audition is being held?",
"Who is it hosted by?"
] | [
[
"CW network,"
],
[
"\"America's Next Top"
],
[
"at a hospital,"
],
[
"Three people"
],
[
"\"America's Next Top"
],
[
"Three"
],
[
"\"America's Next Top"
],
[
"Tyra Banks."
]
] | Police: 3 people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at a TV show audition .
"America's Next Top Model" audition was being held at a New York hotel, police said .
Two people sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said .
"Top Model" competition is hosted by Tyra Banks and airs on CW network . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three years ago Tuesday, Leslie Marva Adams, an attractive, 40-year-old hair stylist from Atlanta, Georgia, chatted on the phone with her mother in the morning. Leslie Adams, 40, filed a restraining order against an old boyfriend and disappeared three years ago. It was the last conversation she would have with a family member. On the third anniversary of Adams' disappearance, her family is still waiting for answers. Her daughter, Cierra Burk, 19, clings to the belief that Adams is alive. "We will find her," Burk says. The family became concerned when Adams failed to show up for her sister's birthday party the day after she talked on the phone with her mother. Two days after the missed party, Adams was officially reported missing. At her apartment in suburban Lilburn, police found evidence suggesting foul play -- a 12-inch blood stain near her bed and a .45-caliber bullet casing. Adams' car was parked in her driveway and a handwritten note was found on her door. Investigators soon learned the note was from her sister, Roberta. It said, "Leslie, we're worried about you, please call me as soon as possible." Watch how the mystery began with a missed party » Adams had been having trouble with her ex-boyfriend, Billy Joe Cook, in the days leading up to her disappearance. She had accused him of stalking her and had filed a restraining order. In the court document, she alleged that Cook had verbally and physically abused her. She said she feared for her life. A temporary restraining order was granted by the court, but Adams vanished before a scheduled hearing on the matter. Phyllis Adams said her daughter told her in their final conversation that she had argued with Cook over the phone on the previous day. According to the temporary restraining order, Cook was not to have any contact with Adams. Police brought Cook in for questioning and learned he had spoken to Adams on the phone twice the day before she last spoke to her family. Although he was questioned extensively, police have not named Cook a suspect. Police say he was very cooperative and there is no evidence suggesting his involvement in her disappearance, although they have not ruled him or anyone else out as a potential suspect or person of interest. Just when they thought the trail had gone cold, police found what could be a lead in the case. In May 2007, clothing was recovered that could belong to the missing hair-dresser. Police found a pair of men's size 8 Reebok sneakers, size 10 capri pants, and a black sweater in the woods along I-85 in Franklin County, 90 miles from Adams' home in Atlanta. They also discovered human bones and a breast implant near the clothing. Police have sent the remains to a DNA testing lab and they have yet to be identified. The results are inconclusive, and police continue to collect DNA samples from Adams family members for future tests. Leslie Marva Adams is an African-American female who stands 5 feet 5 inches, weighs 130 pounds, and has breast implants. Family members fear the remains could be Leslie Adams, but they are still hopeful that she will be found alive and well. Burk, Adams' daughter, says she struggles with her emotions at this time of year. "I still believe she is alive and we will find her, but this time of year is very hard," she said, fighting the tears. "It's my aunt's birthday, the day my mom didn't show up and we never saw her again, so it's hard not to break down." Police and family urge anyone with information on the whereabouts of Leslie Adams to call the Gwinett County Police Department at (770) 513-5300. There is a $25,000 reward for information that helps locate Leslie Adams or leads to the arrest of the person responsible for her disappearance. | [
"When did Leslie Marva Adams disappear?",
"What was she due to attend",
"What are the police continuing to do?",
"Who disappeared three years ago",
"Who did Adam's take a restraining order out against",
"At what event did she fail to show up?",
"Who disappeared?",
"Who did Adams take out restraining order against?",
"What are police continuing with?"
] | [
[
"three years ago."
],
[
"sister's birthday party"
],
[
"collect DNA samples from Adams family members for future tests."
],
[
"Leslie Marva Adams,"
],
[
"an old boyfriend"
],
[
"her sister's birthday party"
],
[
"Leslie Adams,"
],
[
"Billy Joe Cook,"
],
[
"to collect DNA samples from Adams family members for future tests."
]
] | Atlanta hair stylist Leslie Marva Adams disappeared three years ago .
She failed to show up at her sister's birthday party .
Adams had taken out a restraining order against an ex-boyfriend .
Police continue with DNA tests to determine if skeletal remains are hers . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- To understand how close Kanye West and his mother, Donda, were, one only needs to listen to his music. Donda and Kanye West, here during her book tour, were very close. He regularly made reference to her in his lyrics, discussing everything from her insistence that he receive a college degree to her unshakeable support of him when he ultimately decided to pursue a rap career. Donda West, who died at 58 over the weekend, appeared to be as tough as she was loving. On "Can't Tell Me Nothing," a track from his latest album, "Graduation," he rhymes about his mother's attempt to discourage him from spending money on jewelry and "Louis V." On "Touch the Sky," from his 2005 album, "Late Registration," he recalls how his mother drove him from Chicago, Illinois, to New York in a U-Haul van. (Read the obituary of Donda West.) She was also the inspiration for the song "Hey Mama," from the same album. "I want to scream so loud for you/ because I'm so proud of you," he rhymes. "I know I act a fool/ but I promise you I'm going back to school/ I appreciate what you allowed for me and I just want you to be proud of me." Watch how Kanye West is mourning his mother » Donda West was indeed proud. She regularly attended her son's concerts and often could be found dancing and rapping his more radio-friendly lyrics. Watch Donda West talk about "Raising Kanye" » At the MTV Video Music Awards in September, she and a gaggle of girlfriends were perched in the VIP section at a party for Rolling Stone magazine. As Kanye West whipped the crowd into a frenzy with hits such as "Gold Digger" and "Through the Wire," his mom waved her hands in the air side to side and bobbed to the beats. When asked if her son would sell more records than 50 Cent (both rappers released their albums on September 11), she answered coyly. "Good music will win out," she said with a smile and a wink. (Her son's label is named Good Music.) Gallery: Donda and Kanye » "Graduation" would go on to trounce 50 Cent's "Curtis," debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and selling more than 950,000 copies in its first week of release. Long before her son became an international superstar, Donda West was an English professor at Chicago State University. She stepped down as chairwoman of the university's English department in 2004 to manage her son's burgeoning career full time. The two collaborated on a book, "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip Hop Star," which was released in May. And most recently, she became the CEO of Super Good, the parent company of Kanye West Enterprises. She also was the chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, which, interestingly enough, is focused on keeping students from dropping out of school. E-mail to a friend | [
"What was Donda West's former profession?",
"What was Donda West supportive of?",
"Who did Kanye West pay tribute to?",
"who supportive her son's career?",
"Who was supportive of her son's career?",
"Who paid tribute to his mother in songs?",
"What was the mother's profession?"
] | [
[
"English professor"
],
[
"Kanye"
],
[
"his mother"
],
[
"mother, Donda,"
],
[
"Donda West"
],
[
"Kanye West"
],
[
"English professor"
]
] | Hip-hop star Kanye West often paid tribute to his mother in his songs .
Donda West was supportive of her son's career, would dance to his beats .
Mom was former English professor, later managed son's career . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded a recall of ground beef from about 300,000 pounds to 21.7 million pounds, one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history. The recalled products are all ground beef patties with various brand names. In a statement, the Elizabeth, New Jersey, company said the hamburger patties may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium that can cause severe diarrhea and cramps, as well as other complications. A statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said 25 illnesses are under investigation in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The ground beef products being recalled have a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25, 2007, and September 25, 2008, Topps' statement said. Watch the latest on the beef recall » The packages also have the marking "Est. 9748" inside the USDA mark of inspection. Tuesday, the company announced a recall of about 331,000 pounds of hamburger meat, according to the USDA. "Because the health and safety of our consumers is our top priority, we are taking these expansive measures," said Vice President of Operations Geoffrey Livermore in the statement. "Topps is continuing to work with the USDA, state departments of health, retailers and distributors to ensure the safety of our consumers. Additionally, we have augmented our internal quality control procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers," Livermore said. This is the company's first recall in its 65 years of business, the statement said. Consumers who find the products at home are asked to cut off the UPC code and return it to Topps for a full refund, then dispose of the product immediately, Topps spokeswoman Michelle Williams said. The company said to avoid E. coli, consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling the beef. Topps set up a toll-free recall help line at (888) 734-0451. Williams said because the products may have been produced up to a year ago, many of them have already been safely consumed. Production in the ground beef area of the company's plant in Elizabeth has been shut down until all the investigations are complete, Williams said in a phone interview. "We're working with the USDA and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and conducting our own investigation," she added. The products, all ground beef patties and hamburgers with various brand names, were distributed mainly in the northeastern United States, but went to retailers in many other areas of the country as well, Williams said. While the sheer size of the recall is large, two other companies have been involved in larger recalls. In 2002, Pilgrim's Pride recalled more than 27 million pounds of poultry, and Hudson Foods recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef in 1997. E-mail to a friend | [
"Who makes the patties?",
"What might the patties contain?",
"What happened to the plant's grinding operation?",
"What kind of bacteria may be present?",
"What number of states reported illness?",
"What might the hamburger patties contain?",
"What company made the hamburger?",
"Where have cases of illness been recorded?"
] | [
[
"Topps Meat Co."
],
[
"E. coli O157:H7,"
],
[
"shut down until all the investigations are complete,"
],
[
"E. coli O157:H7,"
],
[
"Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio"
],
[
"E. coli O157:H7,"
],
[
"Topps Meat Co."
],
[
"Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania."
]
] | Topps Meat Co. hamburger patties may contain E. coli bacteria .
New Jersey plant's grinding operation shut down .
As many as 25 cases of illness recorded in eight states . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Twenty-four people, including eight children, were injured in an apparent gas explosion at a Harlem apartment building, the New York Fire Department said. The explosion blew out some of the windows in the five-story building. John Rodgers, a spokesman for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said Sunday that four of the eight children were from the same family. The conditions of all those injured were not immediately known. One child was in critical condition and the three others were in serious condition, New York Fire Department Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said. All four had burn injuries. One of the injured is an infant. A firefighter was also injured, but was in stable condition Saturday evening. He apparently was struck by falling debris, Scoppetta said. About 200 firefighters responded to the scene of the blast on West 119th Street in Harlem. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited the five-floor building after the explosion. The 4 p.m. ET blast blew some of the building's windows out, according to firefighters. Watch rescue workers tend to injured » Although the blast was still under investigation, Scoppetta said the cause appeared to be a gas leak. New York police said the blast was at the rear of the structure. Residents who assisted in pulling the injured out of the building said some kind of restaurant was being operated on the bottom floor of the building. Scoppetta refused comment on those reports, citing the ongoing investigation. An emergency room worker at Harlem Hospital Center said the facility received five to six people from the explosion about 4:30 p.m., but would not provide an update on their conditions. The building, which has 20 apartments, was evacuated, as were apartment buildings on both sides, Scoppetta said. Building inspectors will examine them to determine their structural integrity. E-mail to a friend CNN's Caleb Silver, Jim Acosta and Richard Davis contributed to this report. | [
"what is their condition",
"who was injured",
"About how many firefighters were present?",
"What kind of business was in the basement?",
"What number of children are in serious condition?",
"what was in the building"
] | [
[
"and the three others were in serious"
],
[
"Twenty-four people,"
],
[
"200"
],
[
"restaurant"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"some kind of restaurant"
]
] | NEW: Four of the eight injured children came from same family, hospital says .
One child in critical condition, three in serious condition with burn injuries .
About 200 firefighters were at the scene in Harlem .
Residents say some sort of restaurant was being operated in bottom of building . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two George Washington Bridge security guards photographed sleeping on the job have been fired, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Two George Washington Bridge guards were fired for their on-the-job siestas. A bicycle tour operator who commutes daily over the bridge from New Jersey to New York snapped photos of the two guards on different occasions, and the photos were published on a New Jersey local news Web site. In one set of photographs by commuter Joey Lepore, taken during a Wednesday rush hour at 7:15 a.m., a guard tilts his head downward and dozes. The other snoozer's on-the-clock siesta is more brazen: he uses his arm as a pillow as he dozes at 10:15 a.m. last Monday. Before releasing the photos, Lepore hesitated, knowing it would likely cost the guards their jobs. But ultimately he decided the security of thousands outweighed the job security of two. "If there's two people on this bridge who don't care about my safety and the safety of anybody who comes over this bridge, then I really don't have an obligation to withhold what I have," he said. Given the George Washington Bridge's iconic status and huge traffic volume, officials have long cited it as a potential terrorist target. Lepore said he was moved to photograph the slumbering sentries after witnessing the same guard napping on three occasions. "The first time I shrugged it off and said, 'I can't believe he's sleeping,'" said Lepore. "The second time I was very annoyed. Third time -- that's it." Lepore said he later approached the guard, told him he had caught him asleep at his post three times, and said he had the photos to prove it. The profusely apologetic guard vowed it would not happen again. Three weeks later, it did happen again, but this time with a different guard, according to Lepore. Instead of discreetly taking photos from a distance, an indignant Lepore marched up to the guard's booth and snapped away. The guard did not stir. The sleeping guards were employees of FJC Security, a security contractor used by the Port Authority, which operates the George Washington Bridge along with all other bridges leading into Manhattan. In a statement, the Port Authority sought to assure commuters it views security as an issue of utmost importance, and urged people to report holes they notice in its defenses. "The Port Authority takes the safety of its passengers and facilities very seriously and has spent more than $4 billion on security since 9/11. The Port Authority welcomes the public's vigilance on matters of safety and security and we encourage our customers to contact us if they encounter anything out of the ordinary," the agency said. Although the guards' names were not released, the Port Authority said in its statement, "The two guards have been fired by the security contractor, FJC Security." FJC Security did not respond to CNN's calls for comment. Fran Townsend, a CNN contributor and former Bush homeland security adviser, called the guards' naps a serious lapse. "It is unacceptable, particularly given the experience the Port Authority had with 9/11," she said, referring to the Port Authority's role as the operator of the World Trade Center. | [
"Who took pictures of the guards?",
"what did Jeoy Lepore say?",
"Who lost their job?",
"Who did guards work for?",
"Who did the guards work for?",
"Who took photos of a sleeping guard?"
] | [
[
"Joey Lepore,"
],
[
"\"If there's two people on this bridge who don't care about my safety and"
],
[
"Two George Washington Bridge security guards"
],
[
"FJC Security,"
],
[
"Port Authority of New York and New Jersey."
],
[
"A bicycle tour operator"
]
] | George Washington Bridge guards lose jobs after being caught napping on duty .
Joey Lepore says he took photos of one guard sleeping at post three times .
Guards worked for FJC Security, a security contractor used by the Port Authority . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two U.S. customs agents were arrested on charges they helped smuggle drugs and other contraband through New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The DEA says two customs officials at JFK International Airport helped smuggle drugs and contraband. Customs supervisor Walter Golembiowski and officer John Ajello face narcotics, bribery and conspiracy charges in the case, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Golembiowski and Ajello regularly solicited and accepted bribes to allow contraband to pass through undetected, the DEA said. Two airport workers and two others were also charged with importing counterfeit goods. Some of those items included Rolex, Cartier and Chanel watches and designer sunglasses, the DEA said. On several occasions, Golembiowski was captured on audio and video taking bribes to aid his co-conspirators in bringing in illegal drugs and counterfeit goods. "Smuggling any kind of illegal commodity raises troubling issues at a time of deep concern over national security," said Michael J. Garcia, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. "The threat is heightened when a government official accepts bribes to help smugglers breach our borders." The arrests came as a result of a lengthy sting operation by a state, local and federal task force. Prosecutors said numerous recorded meetings and phone calls captured the suspects talking about plans to smuggle hashish, ecstasy and other illegal items. The investigation has led to the indictment and prosecution of more than 20 people -- "from distributors to overseas sources of supply" -- and the seizure of more than 600 pounds of imported hashish and other drugs from the United States and France, according to the statement. | [
"What has led to the indictment and prosecution of more than 20 people?",
"Who was arrested on it?",
"what DEA says two agents?",
"Who accepted and solicited bribes?",
"Who smuggled illegal contraband and drugs?",
"Who accepted bribes?"
] | [
[
"The investigation"
],
[
"Two U.S. customs agents"
],
[
"customs officials at JFK International Airport helped smuggle drugs and contraband."
],
[
"Golembiowski"
],
[
"two customs officials at JFK International Airport"
],
[
"Golembiowski and Ajello"
]
] | DEA says two agents regularly accepted and solicited bribes .
They and four others allegedly smuggled illegal contraband and drugs .
Investigation has led to the indictment and prosecution of more than 20 people .
Arrests follow a lengthy investigation by state and federal authorities . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two additional suspects in the strangulation of an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor were arrested Friday, the Manhattan district attorney's office said. Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 birthday party. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies," his son says. Aljulah Cutts, 27, and his brother Hasib, 30, were taken into custody in Manhattan in connection with the death last week of Guido Felix Brinkmann, the district attorney's office said. A spokeswoman declined to specify what, if any, connection the men are suspected to have had to the victim or to a woman previously arrested in the case. Police also would not say what charges the two might face. The woman, Angela Murray, 30, of the Bronx, was arraigned Sunday on one count of murder in the second degree and three counts of robbery in the case. Brinkmann was found dead in the bedroom of his apartment July 30, his hands tied behind his back, police said. A safe was missing from the apartment, and his car had been stolen. Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, was held in the Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz camps during World War II. After the war, he and his wife, who also survived Auschwitz, came to America. In 1971, Brinkmann co-founded Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan, and later was the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, according to his son, Rick Brinkman, who uses a different spelling for his last name. Brinkmann's wife died last year. CNN's Jason Kessler and Chris Kokenes contributed to this report. | [
"Where was Brinkmann found?",
"What was missing from apartment?",
"Who was taken into custody?",
"What was Brinkmann's age?",
"What age was Brinkmann?",
"When was the woman arraigned?"
] | [
[
"dead in the bedroom of his apartment"
],
[
"A safe"
],
[
"Aljulah Cutts, 27, and his brother Hasib, 30,"
],
[
"89-year-old"
],
[
"89-year-old"
],
[
"Sunday"
]
] | Man, brother taken into custody in connection with Guido Felix Brinkmann's death .
Woman previously arrested in the case was arraigned Sunday .
Brinkmann, 89, was found strangled last week in his Manhattan apartment .
A safe was missing from the apartment, and Brinkmann's car had been stolen . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two customers are suing Wal-Mart for negligence after being injured in a mad rush for post-Thanksgiving bargains that left one store employee dead, the men's attorney said Tuesday.
A temporary worker at this Wal-Mart was crushed to death when shoppers rushed into the store last week.
Temporary Wal-Mart worker Jdimytai Damour, 34, was crushed to death as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a store on Long Island at 5 a.m. Friday.
Attorney Kenneth Mollins said Fritz Mesadieu and Jonathan Mesadieu were "literally carried from their position outside the store" and are now "suffering from pain in their neck and their back from being caught in that surge of people" that rushed into the Wal-Mart.
New York Newsday reported that the Mesadieus are father and son, ages 51 and 19.
The lawsuit alleges that the Mesadieus' injuries were a result of "carelessness, recklessness, negligence."
In a claim against the Nassau County police department, the men also contend that they "sustained monetary losses as a result of health care and legal expenses ... in the sum of $2 million."
"This is a tragic situation that could have and should have been avoided with the exercise of reasonable care. There are very simple measures that could have been put in place to avoid this, such as barriers along the line to spread people out, extra security and a better police presence," Mollins said.
He said his clients and others who were at the scene contend that the police "were there ... saw what was happening, and they left."
Calls seeking comment from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. were not immediately returned.
Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department said, "it's our policy that we don't comment on open litigations" and would not respond directly to Mollins and his clients' claim that officers left the scene.
He said it is "incumbent upon the store to provide security" but noted that there was no security force present when officers responded to an initial phone call after 3 a.m. Friday for an unknown disturbance at the site.
Smith said the officers noticed a lack of order with the crowd and began to organize them into a line, remaining on site for about 30 minutes until the crowd had become orderly.
Throughout the morning, officers went back to check on the crowd and continued to notice no disturbance, Smith said.
He said that there were no additional calls for assistance until about 5 a.m., when people began rushing the doors of the store and trampled Damour.
An autopsy showed that Damour died of asphyxiation after being trampled, Nassau County officials have said.
Video showed that as many as a dozen people were knocked to the floor in the stampede of people trying to get into the store. The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, said Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Michael Fleming.
CNN's Kristen Hamill contributed to this report | [
"Customers filed claim against who?",
"Who got injured?",
"Who was the store employee who was killed?",
"What were the police accused of?",
"What was the reason for this incident happening?",
"Men suffered from injuries due to what?",
"Who else did the customers file claims against?",
"Number of store employees that was killed in shopping sale?",
"How many people actually died in this incident?",
"How many store employees were killed?"
] | [
[
"Wal-Mart"
],
[
"Fritz Mesadieu and Jonathan Mesadieu"
],
[
"Jdimytai Damour,"
],
[
"\"carelessness, recklessness, negligence.\""
],
[
"post-Thanksgiving bargains"
],
[
"\"carelessness, recklessness, negligence.\""
],
[
"Nassau County police department,"
],
[
"one"
],
[
"one"
],
[
"one"
]
] | Men suffered injuries after being carried along in rush for bargains, suit claims .
Customers also filed claim against police, say they didn't maintain order .
One store employee killed in post-Thanksgiving rush for bargains . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two-year-old Tangena Hussain vanished three months ago in the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck, Michigan, and police say the trail has gone cold. Tangena Hussain, 2, has been missing since October 2 and police in Michigan are asking for the public's help. Tangena's mother called police on the evening of October 2, 2008, to report her daughter missing after frantically searching the area where she was last seen. The child's mother, Nilufa Begum, told police she had left the girl in the care of her boyfriend, Jamrul Hussain. Although Tangena and Hussain have the same last name, he is not her father. Begum told investigators her daughter was with Hussain all day while she worked at the Northland Mall. Hussain said he stopped at a gas station with Tangena while on the way to the mall to pick up Begum. They stopped at about 9 p.m. to buy gum and juice, he said. Hussain told police he left Tangena in the car for only a few moments and when he returned, the little girl was gone. He did not call police and did not conduct a search, but instead drove to the mall and picked up Begum, investigators said. When she saw Tangena was not with Hussain, Begum asked him where she was. His response was cryptic, she told police. He said he would take her to the place where her daughter was. Begum became alarmed as Hussain drove to a gas station where, he said, Tangena disappeared. They searched for Tangena together, while Begum called the police to report her daughter missing. A surveillance camera shows the boyfriend, Hussain, going into the gas station's store, police said. On the video, he makes some purchases and leaves within a few minutes. But there is no video of the area where Hussain parked his car, nor any video that could show whether the little girl had been there or how she might have disappeared. Police have not named a person of interest in the toddler's disappearance. When the media picked up the story, a teenager came forward, saying she recognized Hussain as the man who allegedly attacked her. During the investigation, police discovered that the young accuser, then 15, had been Hussain's prior girlfriend. Hussain, 24, was arrested and charged with two counts of having sex with a minor. He is free on bail while awaiting trial. "My client is innocent of the charges. He did not have sex with a minor child," said Hussain's lawyer, Shawn Patrick Smith. Tangena's parents said they just want answers. Her father, Mohammad Ahmed, lives in New York and added $5,000 to an existing Crimestopper's reward of $1,000. "We are praying that someone knows something that can help us find my daughter," Ahmed said. "How can a child disappear without someone seeing something? Something doesn't fit about [Hussain's] story." When questioned, Begun told police only she and Hussain saw Tangena in the week leading up to her October 2 disappearance. A Michigan Amber Alert was issued for Tangena at 5 a.m. the morning after she disappeared. But in the months since, police have hit a dead end. Police and family members are turning to the public for help. If anyone has seen Tangena Hussain or has any information regarding her whereabouts, please call the Detroit Police Department at 313-596-1240. Tangena is 3' 2" tall, weighs 34 lbs, has black short hair, brown eyes, and is of East Indian descent. She was last seen wearing white cargo pants, brown long-sleeved T-shirt with a cartoon picture on the front and gold sandals. The reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Tangena Hussain is $6,000. | [
"How much is the reward?",
"What is the name of the person?",
"What age was Tangena Hussain?",
"When was Tangena Hussain last seen?",
"how much is the reward which is offered?",
"When was the person last seen?",
"What number should you call?",
"What is the amount of the reward that is offered?"
] | [
[
"$1,000."
],
[
"Tangena Hussain,"
],
[
"Two-year-old"
],
[
"October 2"
],
[
"$1,000."
],
[
"October 2, 2008,"
],
[
"313-596-1240."
],
[
"$6,000."
]
] | Tangena Hussain last seen on October 2 .
Mother left child, age 2, in care of boyfriend .
Mom's boyfriend says child disappeared from car at gas station .
A $6,000 reward is offered. Call Detroit police at 313-596-1240 . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. authorities arrested six people Wednesday on suspicion of smuggling African elephant ivory worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, law enforcement officials said. Imports of African elephant ivory have been banned in the United States since 1976. The defendants arranged to have ivory from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Uganda shipped into the United States disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues, authorities said. "The defendants plundered precious natural resources for personal profit," U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell and other officials said in a statement. "Their illegal trade threatens the continued existence of an endangered species and will not be tolerated." Federal agents tracked at least eight shipments, including one worth an estimated $165,000. Federal agents used surveillance and shipping, phone and bank records to track the suspect shipments. Arrests were made in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security were involved in the law enforcement operation. One suspect told an undercover federal agent during a purchase that it was difficult to bring ivory into the United States, but easy to sell it at high prices, the government statement said. Two other suspects also are accused of paying a courier $15,000 to bring a shipment of ivory from Cameroon into the United States. The U.S. banned ivory imports in 1976, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora effectively outlawed trade in elephant tissue in 1989. Illegal trade in African elephant ivory is considered to be a major cause of the continuing decline of elephant populations in Africa. The defendants are expected to appear in court in New York on Wednesday. They face jail terms of up to 20 years if convicted. | [
"When did the ivory trade become illegal?",
"In what ways was ivory smuggled?",
"What was ivory reportedly disguised as?",
"How many states face federal smuggling charges?",
"When has trade in elephant ivory been illegal since?",
"Which for states do the six live in?",
"When was the ivory trade made illegal worldwide?",
"What was this ivory disguised as?",
"When was the ivory trade made illegal in the US?",
"Where was the ivory?",
"What was disguised as guitars and other items?",
"Which four states?",
"Who is the U.S. attorney?",
"How many people were charged in this case?",
"When was the ivory trade banned worldwide?",
"What was the ivory disguised as?",
"What charges are six people facing?"
] | [
[
"1976."
],
[
"disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues,"
],
[
"as wooden snakes, guitars and statues,"
],
[
"New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas."
],
[
"1976."
],
[
"New York, New Jersey, Virginia"
],
[
"1989."
],
[
"wooden snakes, guitars and statues,"
],
[
"1976."
],
[
"Cameroon,"
],
[
"African elephant ivory"
],
[
"New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas."
],
[
"Benton J. Campbell"
],
[
"six"
],
[
"1989."
],
[
"wooden snakes, guitars and statues,"
],
[
"suspicion of smuggling"
]
] | Six in four states face federal smuggling charges, U.S. attorney says .
Ivory reportedly disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues .
Elephant ivory trade illegal in U.S. since 1976, worldwide since 1989 . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- When singer-pianist Peter Cincotti showed up to speak to CNN in 2004, he was fresh-faced and impeccably dressed in a suit and shiny shoes.
Peter Cincotti rose to fame as a jazz pianist. His new album features pop songs.
Seated at a piano, and under the watchful eye of his very sweet mother Cynthia, Cincotti performed the standard "How High the Moon," showing off piano skills you'd expect from someone far beyond his 21 years.
His debut album had just topped the Billboard traditional jazz chart -- the youngest artist to claim such a feat.
Now 25, Cincotti is still fresh-faced, but he sings to a very different tune. Looking trendy in a fitted sweater, his hair a little looser, his personality more playful -- mom didn't come to this interview -- Peter has gone pop.
"He's this great jazz pianist," says producer David Foster, who worked on Cincotti's new album. "And he just turned the whole thing 180 and wrote these incredible pop songs."
To Cincotti, whose pop debut "East of Angel Town" was released last week on Warner Bros. Records, the switch isn't that big a deal.
"I'm a musician," he says. "I was just playing what I love then, and I'm playing what I love now." Watch Cincotti do what he loves »
Enlisting Foster to help navigate the transition was crafty: Foster is a 15-time Grammy winner with an undeniable knack for generating pop hits. He also has a reputation for getting his way in the studio. But Cincotti, a native New Yorker, didn't make things easy.
"He's a control freak, too, so we butted heads a lot," says Foster. "And he actually made me come to New York to make the record. And I don't like New York because I'm claustrophobic and I don't dig elevators. But he made me come here for three months. That's how much I loved his music."
Cincotti smiles when he recalls the expletive-ridden voicemail message Foster left him expressing his displeasure over having to vacate his Los Angeles base to work on the project.
"I saved that message," Cincotti says. "It's great."
Cincotti talked to CNN about new beginnings, old influences and playing piano in the fast lane. The following is an edited version of the interview.
CNN: What do you love about pop?
Peter Cincotti: To be honest I don't even categorize (my music) as that. It's just what I'm doing now. This is my first record that I've written everything. It's my first record of original material so the style changed and that's basically what I'm doing right now.
CNN: When a 25-year-old is writing songs, what experiences are you drawing on?
Cincotti: Well, this record is ... kind of like a debut, and I wanted to write about things that I never sang about before in songs. Things that either happened to me, personal experiences. And I didn't want to write a record of "I love you and you love me."
So a lot of the subject matter I think is a bit atypical of what's out there right now ... at least to me.
CNN: You've been playing the piano since you were how old?
Cincotti: I started when I was 3. My grandma bought me this ten-key toy piano, and she taught me how to play "Happy Birthday." It was my third birthday, and I sat down and I never stopped.
CNN: Which pianists have inspired you over the years?
Cincotti: There are so many. I'm still going through phases. I'll just listen to a certain musician. The first guy I remember ... I got my first cassette ... it was a Jerry Lee Lewis tape. I remember I was 5 years old and I went with my uncle to the record | [
"Whom did Native New Yorker insist come to N.Y. to produce?",
"Who is Peter Cincotti?",
"What did Cincotti start doing when he was 3 and who was his influence?",
"Who influenced Cincotti?",
"What kind of music does Cincotti play?"
] | [
[
"David Foster,"
],
[
"singer-pianist"
],
[
"Jerry Lee Lewis"
],
[
"Jerry Lee Lewis"
],
[
"jazz"
]
] | Peter Cincotti had hit jazz album, now has album of pop songs .
Native New Yorker insisted Angeleno David Foster come to N.Y. to produce .
Cincotti started playing piano when he was 3; an early influence was Jerry Lee Lewis . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- When stock markets are soaring, people think they're making money because they're geniuses. But when the market tanks -- which it always does, sooner or later -- people look for villains to blame for their losses.
Allan Sloan says the real lesson of the Madoff case is not to rely on others to protect your investments.
That brings us to Bernie Madoff, who has become the iconic symbol of the current horrible market and economic meltdown, even though he really had nothing to do with it.
Yes, Madoff sure seems to be a really, really bad guy who ruined lots and lots of lives and should probably be locked up for the rest of his natural days.
But Madoff's misdeeds -- or as our lawyers would prefer, his alleged misdeeds -- have nothing to do with the market meltdown that has sliced trillions of dollars from our collective net worth.
He's become the symbol of the current meltdown the same way that uber-tastemaker Martha Stewart became a face of the 2001-02 corporate crime wave, even though the misdeeds of which she was convicted -- misleading government investigators -- were less than penny-ante compared to the multi-billion dollar frauds that first built up and then destroyed giant companies such as Enron and WorldCom.
Along with Madoff, the Securities and Exchange Commission is being portrayed as the villain of the piece, having failed to catch him long ago when his alleged depredations must have been much smaller. Instead, it gave him a few wrist slaps until he confessed his misdeeds a month ago.
But, tips from Boston money manager Harry Markopoulos over the years notwithstanding, it's not at all surprising that the SEC missed Madoff. In fact, I'd have been amazed if the SEC had been the ones to catch him.
Why? I don't want to seem cynical or jaded, but after almost 40 years of covering business news, I've seen the same thing happen over and over because of the way regulators are trained. If someone runs a little bit out of the baseline by chiseling on numbers or playing some other game, regulators are pretty good at catching him (or her).
But if -- like Madoff -- you make up numbers from scratch and deal with huge sums, you're so far out of the baseline that regulators aren't looking for you there.
It's very hard for an SEC regulator to wrap his head around the idea that an establishment guy like Madoff -- a Nasdaq market pioneer and an occasional consultant to the SEC -- is capable of just making things up out of whole cloth. But, it would appear, he was.
And as an aside, it's easy to blame George W. Bush's anti-regulation policies for the SEC not catching Madoff. But Markopoulos' original tips reached the SEC when Bill Clinton was president.
Like newspapers, where I used to work, regulators get all sorts of tips coming across the transom. As in newspapers, I suspect, many of the tips end up ignored.
Markopoulos was right about Madoff's operation being a fraud. But his magnum opus -- an 18-page 2005 letter listing 29 "red flags" -- is quite dense and confusing, probably because he'd gotten frustrated after years of not being taken very seriously.
Unfortunately, the letter didn't list what would have been (in hindsight, naturally) the simplest tip-off: that this supposedly multi-billion dollar operation was audited by an obscure three-person accounting firm.
As Jim Heatherington, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, certified public accountant, pointed out to me after reading a Madoff column I wrote for Fortune, a simple database search shows that the firm hadn't had a peer review since 1990. That would -- or should -- have set off all sorts of alarm bells.
Back to the main event. Ponzi schemes, in which you pay existing investors not by making a profit but by getting money from new investors, have been around forever.
Like Madoff, a Jew who preyed on fellow Jews and Jewish charities such as Elie Wiesel's foundation, Ponzi | [
"Who is being blamed for the collapse?",
"What is the real lesson here?",
"What is the real lesson?",
"What do regulators rarely catch?",
"What does Allan Sloan think the real lesson for investors is?",
"Who is being blamed for collapse of stock market values?",
"Name of the person involved with the pyramid scheme?",
"What is Madoff being blamed for?",
"What is Madoff's first name?"
] | [
[
"Bernie Madoff,"
],
[
"not to rely on others to protect your investments."
],
[
"not to rely on others to protect your investments."
],
[
"huge sums,"
],
[
"not to rely on others to protect your investments."
],
[
"Bernie Madoff,"
],
[
"Bernie Madoff,"
],
[
"current horrible market and economic meltdown,"
],
[
"Bernie"
]
] | Allan Sloan: Madoff is being blamed for collapse of stock market values .
He says Madoff had nothing to do with it but escaped scrutiny for fraud .
Sloan says regulators rarely catch the biggest frauds .
He says real lesson is to never rely on others to protect your investments . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- When the Emperors Club VIP said it was sending Kristen, a call girl it described as a "petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5 inches, and 105 pounds," Client 9 was pleased. Ashley Alexandra Dupre writes on her MySpace page: "I have been broke and homeless." "Great, OK, wonderful," he told the escort service's booking agent, according to a federal affidavit. Client 9, later revealed to be New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was caught arranging the liaison on a federal wiretap. It was the beginning of the end for him. For the woman at the heart of the prostitution scandal, it was just another step on what she calls an "odyssey" of degrading abuse and high aspirations. Court documents reportedly identified Ashley Youmans -- now known as Ashley Alexandra Dupre -- as Kristen, the high-priced prostitute who met with Spitzer at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on February 13. Dupre is a 22-year-old would-be singer from New Jersey, the New York Times reported Wednesday. She has not been charged with any crime. Watch a report from Dupre's apartment building » Dupre made a brief appearance Monday in U.S. Magistrate Court as a witness against four people charged with operating Emperor's Club VIP, the prostitution ring, the Times said. Spitzer announced his resignation Wednesday as governor of New York, two days after reports of his connection to the Emperors Club VIP emerged. Dupre told the Times she's mostly gone without sleep since the case became public. "I just don't want to be thought of as a monster," Dupre told the newspaper. She revealed little else in the interview, but her MySpace page offered some insight into her background. Dupre writes that she left home at 17 to begin "my odyssey to New York." "It was my decision, and I've never looked back," she writes. "Left my hometown. Left a broken family. Left abuse. Left an older brother who had already split. Left and learned what it was like to have everything, and lose it, again and again. "Learned what it was like to wake up one day and have the people you care about most gone. I have been alone. I have abused drugs. I have been broke and homeless. But, I survived, on my own. I am here, in NY because of my music." Watch Kyle Youmans describe his sister as "tough" » In her profile, Dupre says she moved to Manhattan to pursue her music career. "I am all about my music, and my music is all about me," she writes on her MySpace page. "It flows from what I've been through, what I've seen and how I feel." The page includes a picture of Dupre with the slogan "what destroys me, strengthens me." It also features a song titled "What we want" recorded by Dupre, with lyrics including "I know what you want, you got what I want, I know what you need, can you handle me?" On the MySpace page, Dupre lists singers Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Celine Dion, as well as her brother, as her influences. She also offers some advice for those experiencing hard times. "I made it. I'm still here and I love who I am. If I never went through the hard times, I would not be able to appreciate the good ones," Dupre writes. "Cliché, yes, but I know it's true. I have experienced just how hard it can be. I can honestly tell you to never dwell on the past, but build from it and keep moving forward." Her brother, Kyle Youmans, told CNN he would not comment on the case or how his sister earns money, but he said she is "the best sister you could have." "I'm sticking by my sister, doing everything so | [
"What did Dupre write on her MySpace page?",
"what new york times say?",
"What do the documents show?",
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"What does Dupre write about?",
"What did Dupre's brother say?",
"what does her brother think",
"what dupre writes on her myspace page?",
"Has she been charged?"
] | [
[
"\"I have been broke and homeless.\""
],
[
"Dupre is a 22-year-old would-be singer from"
],
[
"identified Ashley Youmans"
],
[
"Ashley Alexandra Dupre"
],
[
"any crime."
],
[
"liaison on a federal wiretap."
],
[
"Ashley Alexandra Dupre"
],
[
"\"I have been broke and homeless.\""
],
[
"she is \"the best sister you could have.\""
],
[
"she is \"the best sister you could have.\""
],
[
"\"I have been broke and homeless.\""
],
[
"not"
]
] | New York Times: Court documents identify the woman as Ashley Alexandra Dupre .
She has not been charged with any crime .
Dupre writes on her MySpace page that she abused drugs and has been homeless .
"She'll make it through," her brother says . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- While President Obama takes plenty of heat over his plans to overhaul domestic policies, critics have also taken aim at his foreign policy approach, particularly as it relates to human rights around the globe. Human Rights Watch advocacy director Tom Malinowski says Obama should have met with the Dalai Lama. Human Rights Watch advocacy director Tom Malinowski said Wednesday that while the administration appeared to have "gotten the balance right" on Myanmar, the military junta-ruled Asian nation formerly known as Burma, by starting a dialogue while maintaining sanctions, "China is a different matter." "And that's where we've seen the tension play out in the most acute way, with several signals that have been sent suggesting that the administration is putting human rights issues to one side," Malinowski said on CNN's "Amanpour." "And most recently, the, I think, symbolic mistake of the president declining to meet the Dalai Lama before his own visit to China later next month." Watch the discussion » The Tibetan spiritual leader, who fled to India in 1959 and established a government in exile there, visited the United States earlier this month. China considers Tibet a renegade province and accuses the Dalai Lama of inciting violence. The timing of a presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama is considered largely symbolic, and Malinowski said the president's delay "sent a message to the Chinese government that perhaps this isn't as high a priority for the United States as it has been in the past." Malinowski also criticized the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Maj. J. Scott Gration, who had suggested wooing the Sudanese government with "cookies" and "gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement" to change its attitude about Darfur, where genocide and famine have killed hundreds of thousands of people. "It's a really dumb thing to say," said Malinowski, who previously served in the administration of President Clinton. "Governments like this, they are not children, and they do not react to cookies and gold stars," he said. "They act on their interests, and historically, as you know from Bosnia, to all the places where we have successfully defeated this kind of violence, governments respond to pressure." Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, a candidate for re-election next year, has been indicted on war-crimes charges by the International Criminal Court. Despite Gration's comments, the Obama administration has not yet articulated a Sudan policy. But Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group and a former U.N. human rights commissioner, told "Amanpour" that talking rather than pressuring governments over human rights can be beneficial. "If you have a policy of engagement, which I think very much is the one put forward by the Obama administration, you may give an impression that you're softening," said Arbour, who is also a former war crimes prosecutor. "It's very easy to look tough, right? You don't talk to anybody, you repudiate everything, you slam all the doors and you accomplish nothing, or very little. And we have a lot of precedence for that. "When you have a policy of reinforcing diplomatic initiatives, engagement, it may look soft, because you have to put on the table a multiplicity of issues, not just a single one. But on balance, I think there's more chance on some of these ... all important initiatives than just by looking tough and achieving nothing." Arbour added, however, that the engagement approach to human rights abuses will not create fast change from the abusive regimes. Noting the glacial pace of transformation in Myanmar, where democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been held under house arrest for nearly two decades, Arbour said "it's going to be very slow." "You can't have 20 years of extremely adversarial, confrontational posturing, and then say, well, we're ready to talk and be friendly, and assume that the other | [
"what did human rights watch official say",
"An Ex UN official said what about Obama's strategy"
] | [
[
"Obama should have met with the Dalai Lama."
],
[
"\"gotten the balance right\""
]
] | Good start in Myanmar, China problematic, says Human Rights Watch official .
He also criticizes the U.S. special envoy to Sudan for "dumb" remarks .
Ex-U.N. official says Obama's strategy has more chance of accomplishment . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- With Sen. Hillary Clinton beside him, Sen. Barack Obama emphasized the challenges women in his family had overcome as he reached out to female voters at a fundraiser Thursday. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton appears together during a fundraiser in New York Thursday. The New York event was the third in which the former rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination have appeared together this week. In an attempt to close any remaining rifts with Clinton's backers, Obama has asked his supporters to help Clinton retire her roughly $22 million of campaign debt. Obama and Clinton have appeared together five times since Obama secured the Democratic presidential nomination in June. During the "Women for Obama" event, the Illinois senator recounted how his mother, a single mom who put herself through school, once had to "swallow her pride" and accept food stamps to feed her family. He also recalled how his grandmother worked her way from secretary to the vice president of a bank. "But I also saw how she ultimately hit a glass ceiling -- how men no more qualified than she was kept moving up the corporate ladder ahead of her," he said. Obama highlighted the struggles of his wife to balance the responsibilities of her job and parenting -- and admitted that he was somewhat complicit in the situation in which most of the parenting duties fall to his wife. Watch Obama talk about the women who shaped him » "As the son, grandson and husband of hard-working mothers, I don't accept an America that makes women choose between their kids and their careers," Obama said. "We take it for granted that women are the backbone of our families, but we too often ignore the fact that women are also the backbone of our middle class. "And we won't truly have an economy that puts the needs of the middle class first until we ensure that when it comes to pay and benefits at work, women are treated like equal partners," he said, urging a commitment to equal pay for women. He urged "standing up for paid leave, and paid sick leave, because no one should be punished for getting sick or dealing with a family crisis." Later on Thursday, Obama traveled to Fairfax, Virginia, to unveil a plan meant to increase women's economic security. The plan includes a tax credit of up to $1,000 for families, an increase in the minimum wage and tax cuts to help working women pay for child care, among other provisions. Clinton, who introduced Obama, urged her supporters to back the Illinois senator, saying, "It is critical that we join forces. The Democratic Party is a family -- sometimes dysfunctional." Watch Clinton make her case for Obama » "We shared this remarkable journey, and I could not be prouder to have this opportunity in front of so many of my friends and supporters to express my confidence in his candidacy and my commitment to ensuring that he will take the oath of office come next January 2009," she said. Obama, in turn, praised Clinton for her historic presidential run, saying, "While this campaign has shown us how far we have to go, we also know that because of what Hillary accomplished, my daughters and yours look at America and themselves a little differently today." Watch why Obama and Clinton are appearing together » Despite the public calls for unity, some of Clinton's supporters have been hesitant to fall in behind Obama. With Clinton's debt yet to be paid off, some of her supporters are balking at the idea of donating to Obama -- especially if he does not choose her to be his running mate. "I certainly know there are lots of people who are withholding their money," said Lynn Forester de Rothschild, one of Clinton's "Hill-raisers" who raised over $100,000 for the former first lady. Watch why some Clinton backers are balking » "This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him. I feel like he is an elitist | [
"What did Obama urge?",
"Who urges equal pay?",
"What did the Democratic nominee pledge?",
"Who does Sen. Clinton join?",
"Who joined Obama at the fundraiser?"
] | [
[
"\"standing up for paid leave, and paid sick leave, because no one should be punished for getting sick or dealing with a family crisis.\""
],
[
"Obama"
],
[
"commitment to equal pay for women."
],
[
"Barack Obama"
],
[
"Hillary Clinton"
]
] | Democratic nominee pledges to make it easier to balance work and family .
Obama urges equal pay, help with child and health care, paid sick leave .
Sen. Clinton joins Sen. Obama at "Women for Obama" fundraiser .
Many Clinton supporters still are not ready to back Obama . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- With strong sales and equally powerful praise, the July issue of Italian Vogue can be judged a resounding success. Chanel Iman is one of several models of color featured in the "Black Issue" of Italian Vogue. Dubbed the "Black Issue," the magazine celebrates models of color from the past and present, including Donyale Luna, Liya Kebede, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Chanel Iman. Within 72 hours, the magazine sold out in the United States and Great Britain. Blog posts and e-mails about the beauty and historical significance of the issue began to flow -- and industry insiders were equally pleased. Praising renowned photographer Steven Meisel, who shot most of the issue's fashion pictures, The New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn gushed, "I think they are some of the best he's done. ... They are crazily, softly beautiful, plainly the work of someone who knows women and fashion." See what all the fuss is about » Another 40,000 copies of the "Black Issue" were recently reprinted to meet the still strong demand. But will the all the hoopla translate into tangible change for black models in the fashion industry? Will more color be seen on the runway and in magazines? Many observers have their fingers crossed. "All the agents were happy about the issue because it gives us hope that other people will catch on and decide that it's OK to use more black girls," said Carlos Ojeda, an agent at New York Models. "It's OK to have more than just one, and she doesn't have to always be Naomi." "Italian Vogue is very influential around the world on an artistic level," said Constance White, style director at eBay. "That is the book that all the art directors, the photographers, any fashion editor looking for inspiration turns to ... and always has. It has always been the trendsetter, so hopefully people will look at it and say using black models is both relevant and right and will start doing it too." Bethann Hardison, a legendary model agent-manager, said she has noticed a shift in the industry since she began holding town hall meetings last September to address the lack of diversity in fashion. The packed-to-the-rafters events quickly became the talk of the industry, and Hardison is widely credited with sparking the current movement. "I started seeing more black models on the runway back in February," she said, pointing to the shows of designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Michael Kors as examples. "I have already seen change, and I know that I will continue to see change." Not all are nearly as optimistic, and fear the diversity issue will become as passe as the skinny-model debate of a few years ago. "I hate to sound cynical, but by January, I feel like it will be back to business as usual," Ojeda said. "I want to be hopeful and positive, but a part of me does not want to get my hopes up." "Let's see if Italian Vogue is going to be able to live up to the standards that they've now set," added one prominent New York-based stylist. "You can't have an issue with all black girls, pat yourself on the back and say 'that's it for the year.' " Hardison is working hard to make sure that doesn't happen. She's already scheduled another town hall meeting for September, and she's also planning a mixer to introduce fledgling models of color to industry players. "We just have to keep the bar high," Hardison said, "and keep showing beautiful women and pictures." Lola Ogunnaike is the entertainment correspondent for CNN's American Morning. | [
"What was a big success?",
"What do observers wonder?",
"What are observers wondering about ?",
"What name did latest Italian Vogue use?",
"What edition of vogue is being discussed",
"What was the focus of the issue",
"Did the issue sold well ?"
] | [
[
"the July issue of Italian Vogue"
],
[
"will the all the hoopla translate into tangible change for black models in the fashion industry?"
],
[
"will the all the hoopla translate into tangible change for black models in the fashion industry? Will more color be seen on the runway and in magazines?"
],
[
"\"Black Issue\""
],
[
"\"Black Issue\""
],
[
"models of color from the past and present,"
],
[
"out"
]
] | Italian Vogue recently ran "Black Issue" highlighting women of color .
Issue was huge success -- sold well, earned great reviews .
Observers wonder if impact will last . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- With the weekend arriving and a long day finally over, 8-year-old Cherrie Mahan stepped off her yellow school bus on a chilly Friday around 4 p.m. Cherrie Mahan's third-grade school photo was used on her missing child flyers. The bus stop was about 100 yards from her home in rural Winfield Township in western Pennsylvania. But Cherrie did not make it to the hilltop trailer she lived in with her parents. She was never seen again. Investigators say her disappearance after the four mile ride home from elementary school on February 22, 1985, remains a mystery. "It's like a black hole opened up and she fell in,'' said Cherrie's mother, Janice McKinney. She recalled that she and Cherrie's stepfather, Leroy, could hear the bus pulling up that day. Soon after Cherrie did not arrive, he went to the stop to look for her. ''He came flying back up because she wasn't there,'' McKinney said. Watch what the girl's mom has to say » Cherrie, an only child, would soon be celebrating her 33rd birthday, but in the minds of many, she will always remain a missing girl. "People still talk about it,'' said Trooper Frank Jendesky, the lead detective working on the case for the Pennsylvania State Police for the past 15 years. The driver and children riding the bus remember Cherrie getting off the bus with a few other students who lived nearby. One lingering detail has baffled investigators for years -- reports that a 1976 model van was following the school bus. The van, according to students, had a distinctive painted mural of a snow-capped mountain and skier wearing red and yellow clothes coming down the mountain. Despite many efforts, the van was never found and it remains unclear whether it holds a link to the puzzle. ''By now it's probably in a junkyard or somewhere,'' said Jendesky, who considers the case a kidnapping or abduction -- rather than a homicide -- because a body was not found. "It's the not knowing that kills you,'' McKinney said. ''Every day you wonder and you look at some girl who's 33 and you wonder, 'Is that her?' I look at little kids and wonder, 'Is that my grandchild?' '' Over the years, police conducted hundreds of interviews and cleared several persons of interest, while the case file grew to more than 4,000 pages. Among his biggest frustrations, Jendesky said: "The time lapse and a lot of the calls I've gotten over the years really had no relevance to the case.'' In the days before Amber Alerts and greater public awareness of crimes against children, McKinney said it took time before word of her daughter's disappearance became widespread. McKinney said Cherrie's case was included as a public service insert in a direct mail advertising campaign, one of the first times that approach was taken. Cherrie was especially close with McKinney's parents. She described how the girl would lovingly mimic her grandfather's daily morning walk in the garden with his hands cupped behind his back. Hanging in McKinney's dining room is a picture Cherrie drew of a rainbow, trees, birds and clouds. It says "Mom and Dad." "I have more memories of my daughter than most people get in a lifetime,'' McKinney said, remembering that Cherrie loved the children's character Strawberry Shortcake, enjoyed spelling and wanted to be an elementary schoolteacher. The day Cherrie went missing she was bringing home annual school pictures. That photo and the girl who never made it home with it became known to many on missing posters distributed across the nation. "She was one heck of a special kid,'' McKinney said. "And there's somebody out there that knows. And I hope that someday they have a conscience and they'll let us know. Because that's all I pray for, is to have an answer.'' Anyone with information on | [
"What year did the third-grader disappear?",
"What was the mural of on the van?",
"Whose flyer was the first sent by direct mail?",
"What type of image was depicted on the van?",
"When did the third grader disappear?",
"Whose missing person flyer was one of the first sent by mail?",
"When did the third-grader disappear?"
] | [
[
"1985,"
],
[
"a snow-capped mountain and skier wearing red and yellow clothes coming down the mountain."
],
[
"Cherrie Mahan's"
],
[
"distinctive painted mural of a snow-capped mountain and skier wearing red and yellow clothes"
],
[
"February 22, 1985,"
],
[
"Cherrie Mahan's"
],
[
"February 22, 1985,"
]
] | Third-grader disappeared in February 1985 .
Police looked for, but never found van with mural of skier .
Cherrie Mahan's missing person flyer was one of first sent by direct mail .
Know something? Call the Pennsylvania State Police at (724) 284-8100 . |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, in a rare interview Thursday, depicted himself as an African hero battling imperialism and foreign attempts to oust him rather than the widespread perception of a dictator clinging to power at the expense of the welfare of his people and country. Robert Mugabe says sanctions against his country are "unjustifiable." The 85-year-old Mugabe, the only leader of Zimbabwe since it became independent from Britain in 1980, rejected repeated assertions by CNN's Christiane Amanpour that his policies have driven the nation once known as Africa's breadbasket to virtual economic collapse. Instead, Mugabe accused Britain and the United States of seeking to oust him by imposing economic sanctions, the effects of which he said were worsened by years of drought. He denied that his country is in economic shambles, saying it grew enough food last year to feed all its people, and defended policies that have driven white farmers off their land as properly restoring that land to indigenous Africans. "The land reform is the best thing (that) could have ever have happened to an African country," said Mugabe, a former revolutionary leader who came to power when white-ruled Rhodesia became black-ruled Zimbabwe. "It has to do with national sovereignty." Watch Mugabe on his controversial land reform program » It was Mugabe's first interview with a Western television network in several years, and he appeared to get frustrated with some of Amanpour's direct questioning, repeatedly denying widely accepted evidence and reports on his nation's woes. Mugabe denied that his ZANU-PF party lost elections in 2008 that forced him to accept a power-sharing agreement with his chief rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, who now is prime minister. Violence surrounding the disputed election, much of it against opposition supporters, further damaged Zimbabwe's standing, but Mugabe rejected any blame on Thursday. "You don't leave power when imperialists dictate that you leave," he insisted. "There is regime change. Haven't you heard of (the) regime change program by Britain and the United States that is aimed at getting not just Robert Mugabe out of power but get Robert Mugabe and his party out of power?" He also waved off Amanpour's assertion that the power-sharing arrangement is not working, and that opposition political figures are continuing to get harassed and arrested. Watch Mugabe talk about power-sharing » Asked about Roy Bennett, a white opposition figure who has yet to be sworn in as agriculture minister a year after formation of the power-sharing government, Mugabe stammered before saying Bennett faces charges of "organizing arms of war" against Zimbabwe. He added that he's heard the prosecution lacks evidence in the case, but said he won't agree to swearing in Bennett until after any charges are dropped. Mugabe also denied any responsibility for harm to the nation from his economic policies, instead blaming what he called "unjustified" and "illegal" sanctions that he said were intended to bring regime change. "The sanctions must be lifted. We should have no interference from outside," Mugabe said. "The continued imperialist interference in our affairs is affecting our country adversely." When Amanpour challenged him by saying most of the sanctions were directed at individuals, rather than economic entities, Mugabe said she was wrong. "The U.S. sanctions are real sanctions, economic sanctions. Have you looked at them?" he said. "It's because of sanctions, mainly." Amanpour tried to push the point, saying outside observers blamed his policies and not sanctions. "Not everybody says so," Mugabe cut her off. "It's not true." He also rejected criticism from South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his role in the anti-apartheid struggle, who has accused Mugabe of turning Zimbabwe into a "basket case" and repressing his own people. "It's not a basket case at all," Mugabe said. He later called Tutu's comments "devilish talk" and added: "He doesn't know what he's talking | [
"What does Mugabe reject?",
"What did he call sanctions?",
"What did Mugabe call the sanctions?",
"Who interviewed Mugabe?",
"What does Mugabe call the sanctions?",
"Which broadcaster interviewed him?",
"What is the criticism against Mugabe?"
] | [
[
"assertions by CNN's Christiane Amanpour that his policies have driven the nation once known as Africa's breadbasket to virtual economic collapse."
],
[
"\"unjustifiable.\""
],
[
"\"unjustifiable.\""
],
[
"Christiane Amanpour"
],
[
"\"unjustifiable.\""
],
[
"Christiane Amanpour"
],
[
"turning Zimbabwe into a \"basket case\" and repressing his own people."
]
] | Mugabe rejects criticism that he has turned Zimbabwe into a "basket case"
CNN interview is Mugabe's first in years with a major Western network .
Mugabe calls sanctions "unjustified and illegal" |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Sunday that it is buying troubled Wall Street firm Bear Stearns, amid deepening fears that Bear's demise could have sent shockwaves across already shaky financial markets. The deal to buy Bear Stearns is worth an estimated $236 million. The deal values Bear Stearns at $236 million, or just $2 a share. Shares had closed at $30 on Friday, down 47 percent that day. "Effective immediately, JPMorgan Chase is guaranteeing the trading obligations of Bear Stearns and its subsidiaries and is providing management oversight for its operations," said a statement released Sunday by JPMorgan. Shareholders must approve the deal, which is expected to close by the end of June. JPMorgan is taking immediate responsibility for Bear's trading obligations and assuming "management oversight" of the firm's operations. The deal has already been approved by the Federal Reserve and other regulators, according to the statement. The Fed is providing special emergency financing for up to $30 billion in Bear Stearns assets. "JPMorgan stands behind Bear Stearns," said Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan. "Bear Stearns clients and counterparties should feel secure that JPMorgan is guaranteeing ... risk," he continued. The fast-track deal is expected to close by the end of June, the statement said. Bear Stearns was on the brink of financial collapse Friday when JPMorgan and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said they would provide the brokerage a short-term loan. Bear was dealing with a classic "run on the bank." The firm's short-term creditors refused to lend the firm any more money and simultaneously demanded repayment of outstanding debt. The one-two punch overwhelmed Bear's cash position. With the global credit crisis worsening, the Fed -- along with officials from the Treasury Department and other government agencies -- took the dramatic action to prevent the investment bank from going under and igniting widespread panic through the financial markets. Watch a discussion on the impact on global markets » Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Sunday that talks about how to rescue Bear had continued throughout the weekend. He defended the Fed's bailout on Friday as "the right decision" and said the Bush administration was ready to take other actions to bring stability to the financial markets. He would not say what might have happened had the government failed to step in. "I'm not going to speculate about what-ifs," he said. "I'm just going to say our clear priority right now -- our number one priority, everything we're doing in the economic arena -- is to minimize instability, minimize spillover into the real economy." Bear Stearns has approximately 14,000 employees worldwide. The deal marks an inglorious chapter for 85-year-old Bear Stearns, a storied Wall Street firm the unraveling of which has been fast and furious. Rumors that Bear Stearns was on the verge of collapse started buzzing around Wall Street trading desks last Monday. Chief Executive Alan Schwartz -- who took over as CEO in early January from longtime chief Jimmy Cayne -- appeared on television on Wednesday afternoon to reassure the markets that the firm was stable. But by Thursday night, Bear was in a severe crunch. Some firms that trade with it effectively stopped offering it credit because they feared that Bear was running short of short-term funding, or liquidity. "The past week has been an incredibly difficult time for Bear Stearns," said Alan Schwartz, president and CEO of Bear Stearns. "This transaction represents the best outcome for all of our constituencies based upon the current circumstances." White House spokesman Tony Fratto told CNN on Sunday that Paulson has briefed U.S. President George W. Bush on the Federal Reserve's role in helping to facilitate the purchase. "We appreciate the actions taken by the Federal Reserve this evening," said Fratto. "Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke are actively engaged in addressing issues affecting our financial markets. Secretary Paulson has kept the President briefed on recent developments." Shares of Bear Stearns opened last week at $69.75 and | [
"What is the US Fed financing?",
"When will the deal close?",
"who was facing run on the bank",
"What is \"run on the bank\"?",
"what is the us providing financing for",
"What did the shares close a on Friday?",
"What does the U.S. Fed do?",
"What kind of company is Bear Stearns ?"
] | [
[
"up to $30 billion in Bear Stearns assets."
],
[
"by the end of June."
],
[
"Bear Stearns"
],
[
"The firm's short-term creditors refused to lend the firm any more money and simultaneously demanded repayment of outstanding debt."
],
[
"Bear Stearns assets."
],
[
"$30"
],
[
"providing special emergency financing for up to $30 billion in Bear Stearns assets."
],
[
"Wall Street firm"
]
] | Acquisition values Bear Stearns shares at $2; shares closed Friday at $30 .
U.S. Fed providing financing for up to $30 billion in Bear Stearns assets .
Bear Stearns was facing "run on the bank" on Friday .
Deal, if approved by shareholders, will close in June . |
NEW YORK -- For more than 10 years, Mandy Hughes drifted in an out of what she calls the horrible, debilitating pain of Lyme disease. Mandy Hughes says the pain she suffered for more than 10 years was due to Lyme disease "It literally feels like you got into a severe accident, like you were hit by a Mack truck and you were allowed no medical attention," she says. After being bitten by a tick at 19, Hughes broke out in hives and suffered fever and chills so severe that she had to be hospitalized. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease and was sent home with two weeks' worth of the antibiotic tetracycline. She seemed to be cured. But over the years, the Lyme symptoms flared back -- crippling joint pain, muscle spasms, headaches and facial paralysis. She visited 15 doctors, yet they were unable to arrive at a diagnosis. Several thought she had multiple sclerosis. Others knew she was sick but didn't know why. Lyme had been ruled out. "Maybe it's psychological -- we don't really have an explanation," they told Hughes. "Your tests are coming back fine, Mandy." Watch a report on a 10-year battle with Lyme disease symptoms » The memory of one doctor's visit stays with her to this day. She went to see him with joint pain so severe, she said, her hands were curled into a palsy-like position. Yet the doctor seemed impatient with her. "You're obviously an attractive woman, and you're just trying to get attention," she recalls him saying. In 2005, Hughes went to see what some patients refer to as a "Lyme-literate" doctor -- one willing to diagnose chronic Lyme disease and prescribe a long-term regimen of intravenous as well as oral antibiotics. Within three months, she began to feel better. After 15 months, she was back on her feet, but had to abruptly halt treatment when her doctor was sued by an insurance company and stopped seeing patients. Learn more about Lyme disease » Hughes' story is featured in a new documentary called "Under Our Skin," which takes a look at the leaders of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, a national medical group that represents health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. The society's purpose, according to its Web site, is to improve health care in areas related to such diseases. In particular, the documentary takes aim at the 14-member panel that wrote the 2006 Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The guidelines question the existence of chronic Lyme disease and claim the post-treatment symptoms of some patients appear to be "more related to the aches and pains of daily living rather than to either Lyme disease or a tickborne coinfection." The guidelines list specific criteria for diagnosing Lyme -- such as an obvious tick bite, a characteristic bull's-eye rash at the site of the bite, facial paralysis and a positive blood test. Yet some Lyme specialists say many patients experiencing symptoms do not see or remember a tick bite. Only 70 to 80 percent get the rash at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The longer the disease goes undiagnosed, the harder it is to treat, some doctors say. "The disability associated with Lyme disease is worse than the disability that you might see with someone after a heart attack," said Brian Fallon, director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Patient advocates criticize the IDSA for recommending no more than a month's worth of antibiotics to treat Lyme. They say insurance companies use the guidelines to deny payment for long-term antibiotic therapy. But the IDSA says there are inherent risks from such treatment, including localized infection from the IV line and the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. One IDSA critic, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, conducted an antitrust investigation of the guideline process, saying the panel ignored or minimized other medical opinions regarding chronic Lyme disease. Blumenthal said the process was tainted by conflict of interest because | [
"Who was featured in the documentary?",
"What did Mandy Hughes suffer from?",
"Who suffered from Lyme disease for more than 10 years?",
"What did Mandy Hughes say?",
"Who suffered over a decade from effects of Lyme disease?",
"Who was featured in a documentary?"
] | [
[
"Mandy Hughes"
],
[
"Lyme disease."
],
[
"Mandy Hughes"
],
[
"the pain she suffered for more than 10 years was due to Lyme disease"
],
[
"Mandy Hughes"
],
[
"Mandy Hughes"
]
] | Mandy Hughes says she suffered from Lyme disease effects for more than 10 years .
Hughes featured in documentary that questions disease treatment guidelines .
There's a debate over whether the disease symptoms are mistaken for the disease . |
NEW YORK -- Talking excitedly and pacing the front of her classroom, Molly Greer engages her students. "What are different paces you can go when you're reading aloud? Christina?" Molly Greer, in her New York classroom, says she now wants to make teaching her career. "Low." "Okay, low or soft, yes." On the first day of school, most of the kids in Greer's eighth-grade class could not read at a sixth-grade level. With summer almost here, it's a totally different story for these kids, who according to their school are expected to read at or near grade level. "It is an incredible thing for these students." Greer graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin. She arrived at PS 212, the multicultural magnet school in the Bronx, New York, two years ago with a degree in political science and a desire to change the world. "When I found out about Teach For America," she said, "I realized that teaching would be such an incredible way to make an impact." Teach For America is like a local Peace Corps serving some of the country's poorest public schools in inner cities and in rural areas. It has grown every year since its inception in 1990, sending 20,000 college graduates into the nation's neediest classrooms for a two-year commitment. This year, amid a tight job market, it is more popular than ever. According to the organization's Web site, their teachers get paid the same salary and benefits as beginning teachers in their area and are paid by the local school district. About 35,000 college seniors applied for the 2009 school year, a 42 percent jump from last year. "We had less competition from Wall Street firms, banks and places like that. It just led a lot of students to really think about what they wanted to do and how they could make an impact," said Kevin Huffman, executive director of Teach For America. "Eleven percent of the entire Ivy League senior class applied to join, 20 percent of African-American seniors at Ivy League schools, 8 percent of the University of Michigan and University of North Carolina," Huffman said, "just an incredible outpouring of interest by people competing to teach in low-income communities." David Stanley went through the program and now recruits for Teach For America. He sees education as this generation's civil rights issue and says there is a direct correlation between the program's popularity and President Obama's call to service. "With Obama talking about the need for people with talent to go into public education, and the fact that people are still really frustrated that we live in a country where 90 percent of kids in low-income communities don't go to college, and that the best way we can predict the number of prisons we're going to have to build in 25 years is by looking at third-grade reading skills, and so at this particular moment in time, I think it's really about getting our very best and asking them to go to the root of the problem, and the root of the problem is education." This year, Teach For America will place its largest corps ever. About 4,100 high achievers from the nation's top colleges will head to classrooms in 34 regions across the country, teaching in places like Boston, Massachusetts; Dallas, Texas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and in more rural areas such as South Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta. But schools in Appalachia and elsewhere desperately need help. Huffman said, "Districts across the country are facing the same economic pinch that many businesses are facing. And there are just fewer positions across the country available for teachers." Which is why a teachers union says those positions should go to career teachers, not inexperienced recruits who may stay only the required two years. "It's very hard to justify laying off teachers who have given service to a school system and then turn around and bring in new teachers," argued | [
"Where does teach for america place college grads?",
"How many teachers will be placed across the US?",
"Who placed college grads as teachers?",
"How many teachers will be placed across United States?",
"Who runs Teach for America?"
] | [
[
"into the nation's neediest classrooms"
],
[
"4,100"
],
[
"Teach For America"
],
[
"About 4,100"
],
[
"Kevin Huffman,"
]
] | Teach For America places college grads as teachers in low-income schools .
Some question whether graduates are qualified to teach in tough classrooms .
Group will place more than 4,000 teachers across United States this year . |
NEW YORK -- There's no shortage of diners in New York City, but one of its most beloved will soon be taking up residence in Alabama. The Cheyenne Diner, which opened in 1940 in New York City, shut its doors in April 2008. The Cheyenne Diner, which first opened in 1940, was split in two Monday night to begin its move on a pair of flatbed trucks some 860 miles to its new home near Birmingham. The dining experience at the Cheyenne was typical of many similar New York eateries, where more often than not, you're guaranteed a hearty meal at a comfortable price. After taking a seat in a roomy booth or even at the counter, you check out the flimsy paper placemat with innocuous historical information or a simplified map of the Greek Isles. A busboy places a glass of ice water on your table. Then it's time to break out the reading glasses and flex those muscles to heft the always lengthy menu. While it may take you several minutes to sift through it, take comfort in knowing that you may actually burn some calories by lifting this bible of comfort food. Unlike the sometimes stuffy pretense of a formal restaurant, the diner experience is generally simple, while the food offerings are diverse -- from apple pie to baked ziti and everything in between. While never known as a bastion for fine dining, the Cheyenne saw brighter days before it unceremoniously closed on a chilly Sunday in April 2008. Originally known as the Market Diner until its moniker was changed in 1986, the pre-assembled restaurant stood as a rare classic definition of free-standing diners. Its streamlined, railcar-inspired design boasts a reverse-channel illuminated neon sign. Horizontal and vertical stainless steel strips border the colorful enamel panels and wrap-around windows on its facade. Celebrities from Jerry Lewis to David Letterman entered through its curved entryway lined with glass blocks. But, like a beloved baseball team whose owner has tossed in the towel, the Cheyenne is moving to a new town for a new life in a new home. The owner of the diner, George Papas, wanted to change the flavor of the block and replace the eatery with a multilevel condo building. Enter preservationist Michael Perlman, a 26-year-old patron saint of sorts for unwanted diners. Perlman found out that the Cheyenne was facing demolition and began to look for a guardian angel to save it. He connected with Alabama businessman Joel Owens, head of the investment group NAIC, who saw the Cheyenne for sale on a Web site devoted to the preservation of New York City structures and fell in love with its "gorgeous structure." "I like it better each time I see it," Owens said. "The barrel roof. The exterior facades are second to none. I think it's the most beautiful diner in the world." Owens and his business associate, Patti Miller, have a grand vision for the diner and eventually want to incorporate it as part of an entertainment and historic area outside of Birmingham. Once it's restored, which could take up to a year, the Cheyenne will become the first free-standing diner in Alabama, Owens said. A longtime collector of antique cars and Coca-Cola memorabilia, Owens is a firm believer in the lessons that can be learned from the past. "If you think about what's wrong with today, in order to fix the problems of today, you've got to look back... [to] when it was better," Owens said. "I think [the diner] is symbolic of the glory days. Technology and more money doesn't necessarily mean progress. We long for simpler times," he explained. "These types of buildings can be an instrument for our youth to learn from the past. Teenagers need a clean environment for entertainment, a 'hang out.'" The departure of the Cheyenne Diner brings back some bitter memories for aficionados of historic New York. The Moondance Diner encountered a similar fate in 2007, after it was put up for sale by developers who purchased | [
"When did the Cheyenne Diner open?",
"What celebrities were seen in the New York diner?",
"What year was the Cheyenne Diner opened?",
"What state will the Diner be moving to?",
"Where is The Cheyenne Diner located?",
"Where was the Diner originally opened?"
] | [
[
"1940"
],
[
"Jerry Lewis"
],
[
"1940"
],
[
"Alabama."
],
[
"New York City,"
],
[
"New York City,"
]
] | The Cheyenne Diner, opened in 1940, moves to its new home by Birmingham .
Preservationist hooked up with Alabama businessman to save diner .
Businessman: Cheyenne will be the first free-standing diner in Alabama .
Celebrities from Jerry Lewis to David Letterman were seen in New York diner . |
NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- The most "far-flung and exotic fugitive investigation ever conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service" ended early Sunday with convicted child molester Alan Horowitz in custody on U.S. soil. Alan Horowitz was convicted in 1991 on 34 counts of child molestation. Officers from the U.S. Marshals service arrested the 60-year-old at Newark Liberty International Airport after a 15-hour flight from New Delhi, India. The ordained Orthodox rabbi and former child psychologist was arrested on May 22 at a seaside resort in Mahabalipuram, India, according to parole officer Robert Georgia. An agent from the Diplomatic Security Service escorted him aboard the Continental Airlines flight, authorities said. He is being held at a correctional facility in New Jersey and will appear before an extradition judge on July 16th before being taken to New York to face a parole violation charge there. He also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Watch Horowitz in custody at Newark airport » A number of Internet tipsters in India were responsible for alerting the Marshal's service to Horowitz's whereabouts, said U.S. Marshal Gary Mattison, who was assigned to track down Horowitz last year. Horowitz served 13 years of a 10-20 year sentence for child molestation and was released on parole in 2004, authorities said. In June 2006, he fled the country shortly after meeting with his parole officer, setting off the manhunt that involved the Indian police, agents from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Marshals, U.S. Marshals told CNN. Horowitz's 1991 conviction was on 34 counts of child molestation in Schenectady, New York. A dual citizen of the United States and Israel, Horowitz has also been convicted of "perverted sexual practices" in Maryland, where he was found guilty of abusing one of his patients, federal marshals said. During the 1980s, while he was living in Israel, he was the subject of a police investigation into charges he was sexually abusing his second wife's children, according to the U.S. Marshal service. He also faced another sexual misconduct investigation while living in North Carolina, authorities say. E-mail to a friend CNN's Katia Porzecanski contributed to this report. | [
"Who is an ordained rabbi?",
"Who was subject of investigations in U.S., Israel; had multiple convictions ?",
"What is the destination of the flight?",
"WWho is an ordained Orthodox rabbi and a former child psychologist ?",
"What is Horowitz's former occupation?",
"Where was the flight heading to?",
"What was Horowitz' former profession?"
] | [
[
"Alan Horowitz"
],
[
"Alan Horowitz"
],
[
"Newark Liberty International Airport"
],
[
"Alan Horowitz"
],
[
"child psychologist"
],
[
"Newark Liberty International Airport"
],
[
"child psychologist"
]
] | Horowitz is an ordained Orthodox rabbi and a former child psychologist .
He was escorted aboard the U.S.-bound flight by a U.S. agent, authorities say .
Horowitz was subject of investigations in U.S., Israel; had multiple convictions . |
NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (CNN) -- Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick will go to work for a construction company in Newport News, Virginia, after he leaves federal prison for bankrolling a dogfighting operation, his lawyer said Thursday.
Football player Michael Vick listens as his lawyers make the case for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The details emerged in a Chapter 11 confirmation hearing in Virginia Eastern Bankruptcy Court to determine how Vick, 28, will work his way out of bankruptcy.
Vick's lawyer, Michael Blumenthal, told the court that the embattled footballer will take the stand first thing Friday and explain how he intends to turn over a new leaf after spending nearly two years in prison on a federal conspiracy charge.
Vick's 23-month sentence ends in July, but he is expected to be released from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, in May and serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement, most likely in Virginia. He is a native of Newport News.
The sports agent who landed Vick's landmark 10-year, $140 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons also testified that he expects Vick will be back in the game as soon as September -- if the NFL reinstates him.
Vick is in great shape and could once again command millions of dollars if he returns to football, Joel Segal told the court.
The decision to reinstate Vick rests with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, with whom Segal said he had consulted.
Vick was suspended from the NFL after his conviction but remains under contract with the Falcons, Segal said, though he does not expect the Falcons to retain Vick's rights if he is reinstated.
Vick and many of his creditors are depending on a return to football as his main source of income. But Segal admitted that he has no way of knowing whether Vick will be reinstated, because the decision lies with Goodell.
In the meantime, Vick is ready to "get back in the community in a positive light" and demonstrate remorse for his actions, Segal said.
He has agreed to participate in a documentary about him that will net him $600,000, Segal said. He will also work 40 hours a week for W.M. Jordan, a construction company based in Newport News.
The employment is not part of the official 61-page agreement tentatively worked out between's Vick's lawyers and numerous creditors.
The parties involved in the hearing will continue to present evidence and testimony in an effort to convince the judge that Vick qualifies for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Attorneys and representatives from the creditors, including Bank of America, the Atlanta Falcons and the City of Newport News, to name a few, packed the courtroom Thursday as the hearing got under way.
Vick's mother sat in the gallery with his fiancée, who blew him a kiss during one break in the proceedings.
Among the terms included in Vick's plan of reorganization:
• Vick will retain the first $750,000 of his income.
• A percentage of his income above $750,000 will go to a trust fund.
CNN's Eric Fiegel contributed to this report. | [
"who is expecting chapter 11 confirmation?",
"Did he show remorse?",
"who will work for 40 hours a week?",
"What is the suspected player seeking from Virginia judge?",
"What community work does he have?",
"WHO EXPECTS VICK TO RETURN TO FOOTBALL?",
"When will Vick return to football?"
] | [
[
"Michael Vick"
],
[
"Vick is ready to \"get back in the community in a positive light\" and demonstrate"
],
[
"Michael Vick"
],
[
"Chapter 11 bankruptcy."
],
[
"for a construction"
],
[
"Joel Segal"
],
[
"as soon as September"
]
] | NEW: Agent Joe Segal expects Vick to return to football as soon as September .
NEW: Vick is ready to return to community in "positive light," show remorse .
Suspended player is seeking Chapter 11 confirmation from Virginia judge .
Vick will work 40 hours a week for Virginia-based W.M. Jordan, lawyer says . |
NHA TRANG, Vietnam -- Editor's note: Football fans Daniel and Clinton Rowling were in Vietnam late December when the country won a major tournament for the first time. The event sparked wild celebrations in the South East Asian nation but joy soon turned to carnage as five people died and dozens were injured in the celebrations. They share their story.
Celebration time: Five people were killed on Vietnamese roads as football joy got out of control.
After spending a month in Vietnam we can safely say that the Vietnamese are passionate about three things: Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho as the locals call him; football; and the tourist dollar.
Everywhere you look you see football. The locals proudly sport imitation merchandise of their favorite European team anywhere and everywhere they can. Other than on your person, the next best place to show your allegiance is on your motorbike through stickers. Some local football teams even play in the strips of their favorite club.
While we were in Vietnam the ASEAN cup was contested. It is the premier football contest in South East Asia. Every second year the countries of the region do battle for the crown. Up until 2008, the only winners of the cup had been Singapore and Thailand with three titles each (Indonesia has been the bridesmaid three times).
After pool play, the best of two finals series was played out between Thailand and Vietnam. Thanks to the close proximity, and some historical conflict, there is a strong rivalry between these two countries. The Thais played host to the Vietnamese in the first leg, where the visiting underdogs were winners, stunning the home crowd by winning the match 2-1.
The reverse leg was played in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. After unexpectedly winning the first final, local interest was even higher than normal.
We watched the game in the coastal city of Nha Trang. The locals flocked to their TV sets and the beer flowed freely. Each TV was like a magnet for thirsty football fans.
Do you have a great football tale to tell? Send us your story and you could be featured on Football Fanzone!
We quickly realized there was a pecking order and that the most hardcore fans had the best seats, whilst the "fair weather supporters" were relegated to the back benches. As foreigners we were at the very bottom of the pecking order. We were resigned to watching the match from the street kerb on small plastic seats half in the rain which refused to dampen the crowds' spirits.
Predictably Thailand took the lead and were up 1-0 (making it 2-2 on aggregate) and time was ticking away. Vietnam's tactic of playing breakaway "Kung fu" style football was looking largely ineffective against the more structured, controlled and dominant Thai approach. Still, the Vietnamese were doing enough to create the odd opportunity to gives the locals hope.
Still tied up on aggregate, and with the end of regular time looming, the Vietnamese were awarded a free kick. The unexpected happened. The kick came in and a Vietnamese player managed to find it with the crown of his head sending the ball to the back of the net and the locals through the roof.
Everyone jumped to their feet, there were hugs, high fives and toasts. As outsiders we sat stunned and could only watch the spectacle unfolding. With the game effectively over, the victors were overcome with emotion whilst the fans were overcome with energy.
The locals were eager to include us in celebrations, with the nominated English speaker communicating with us in his limited vocabulary. We replied with our full Vietnamese vocabulary of smiles, nods and numerous thumbs up.
The older men who had been doing the majority of the drinking were content sitting and enjoying each other's company, while the younger and more boisterous sections of the crowd had their own form of celebration and they swiftly brought the streets alive with a massive motorcycle posse.
Led by the rider with the biggest Vietnamese flag, they proceeded to lap the town honking their horns and generally getting excited. With the roads slick from a weeks worth of rain | [
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] | Daniel and Clinton Rowling in Vietnam when the country wins ASEAN Cup .
Vietnam defeated Thailand in Hanoi to claim the trophy for the first time .
In the post-match celebrations five people were killed and dozens injured . |
NIAGARA FALLS, New York (CNN) -- Thirty years ago this summer, America learned the name Love Canal. The working-class Niagara Falls neighborhood built atop tons of chemical waste became a synonym for environmental disaster. Lois Gibbs, who runs an environmental justice group, shows a photo of children from Love Canal protesting. Troubles at the local elementary school -- and health problems among its students, such as seizure disorders -- were among the first signs of a much larger problem that made news around the world and prompted federal Superfund legislation to clean up the most polluted sites in the United States. Despite the outcry over Love Canal, little has been done to make schoolchildren safer from hazardous or toxic waste, says Lois Gibbs, who headed the Love Canal Homeowners Association and now runs the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. "We should be farther along today than we are," said Gibbs, who started the nonprofit a year after her evacuation from Love Canal. The organization is dedicated to helping communities facing environmental threats. A 2005 study by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice looking at just four states -- Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Michigan -- found half a million children attending schools within half a mile of known toxic dumps. Gibbs points to New Bedford High School in Massachusetts as an example of children at risk. New Bedford High opened in 1972 on top of a former burn dump for PCBs, an industrial chemical linked to cancer and brain damage. PCB levels in the body build over time, raising health risks. "Like a lot of teachers there now, I figured, how bad could it be? I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005," said former New Bedford teacher Susan Dias, who is now cancer-free. She is returning to the classroom this fall but will not go back to New Bedford High. Former teacher Maria Quann also says New Bedford High made her ill. "I became very, very sick. My immune system shut down. I collapsed and was bedridden for several months," Quann said. Her health improved after she left the high school, she says, and she has now retired. Maureen Woolley, who worked in the cafeteria, says she compiled a list of 25 school employees who died of cancer. Three classrooms were closed last year because of high PCB levels, but the school has been scrubbed and a new ventilation system added. The rooms are expected to be open this fall. There have been no reports of students at the high school becoming sick as a result of the toxic waste. "I wouldn't have kids in the school if I didn't think it was safe. I would close the school," said Mayor Scott Lang, whose two sons attended New Bedford High. PCB levels inside the school now fall within federal guidelines, he says. Despite results of ongoing air-quality testing, teacher David Greene remains skeptical. "I do think there are areas of that school that continue to be dangerous," he said. Only seven states have laws preventing cities and towns from building schools on or near toxic waste, according to the Center for Health Environment and Justice. They are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Utah. "You can go most anyplace and build [a school] on top of a Superfund site," Gibbs said. "They can build a school anywhere they want, really. And that's the sad truth. I think at schools, very little has changed, and that's unfortunate." Even in states with laws, many are weak or poorly enforced, she says. In Massachusetts, state law prevents schools only from being built close to active waste dumps, which would not have prevented New Bedford High's construction three decades ago on a former dump site. In Niagara Falls, Gibbs' home was built three blocks from 20,000 tons of industrial waste placed in barrels and buried in a mile-long ditch by a plastics and chemical maker. The 99th Street Elementary was | [
"Where is the Love Canal?",
"What is the name of the canal built on top of chemical waste?",
"Which neighborhood is built atop tons of chemical waste?",
"Can you build a school near toxic waste?",
"What laws do few states have?",
"Where is Love Canal?",
"What is the neighborhood build on top of?",
"Where is Love Canal located?"
] | [
[
"Niagara Falls"
],
[
"Love"
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[
"Love Canal."
],
[
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[
"preventing cities and towns from building schools on or near toxic waste,"
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[
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[
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[
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] | Few states have laws preventing towns from building schools on or near toxic waste .
Even in states with laws, many are weak or poorly enforced, group says .
Love Canal is a Niagara Falls neighborhood built atop tons of chemical waste . |
NORCROSS, Georgia (CNN) -- Beneath seven flat-screen TVs and one large pulldown screen, members of the Racquet Club of the South gathered Monday to watch and celebrate one of their own. Members of the Racquet Club of the South erupt when Melanie Oudin beats Nadia Petrova. Melanie Oudin, 17, of Marietta, Georgia, has taken the tennis world by storm at the U.S. Open. The 70th-ranked female has upset some of the sport's biggest female stars, including Russian aces Elena Dementieva (No. 4 seed) and Maria Sharapova (No. 29 seed, who has been ranked No. 1 worldwide in the past). And on Monday, she beat 13th seed Nadia Petrova in three sets. Her latest win makes her the youngest American to make the quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999. "It's still so surreal," said Anne Keeton, player liaison at the club, before the match started. "She sort of wins no matter what happens. She's there going for it and not giving up." At this suburban club, co-owned and co-directed by Oudin's longtime coach, Brian de Villiers, articles about the local tennis phenom dot the walls. In the Grill, on a Bud Light message board above drink specials, are the words "Congratulations Melanie!" And a photo of her mixed in with other young players is posted near a downstairs fitness room. Blending in with others and not retreating to "a Melanie court" is part of what makes her special, Keeton said. When there was a flood on some indoor courts this year, she was down there squeegeeing with everyone else. "She so lovely and so accessible," Keeton said. "It couldn't happen to a nicer kid." The restaurant buzzed as tables filled with more than 80 onlookers who were courtside in spirit. They feasted on a spread laid out to mark the special occasion as the match started. Watch friends, family cheer Oudin on » When Petrova took the upper hand, and the first set, fans erupted into applause with each of Oudin's hard-earned points and offered encouragement like "There we go!" When she pumped her fist in celebration, they did the same. And when a play didn't go her way, they groaned in unison. Her skills were apparent from an early age, said Turhan Berne of Norcross, a coach and tournament director who's known Oudin since she was 9. He watched her rake in wins, beating older kids and snagging No. 1 junior rankings in the country and world. "But you know when I knew she was going to be something?" he said. "She would play with anybody her coach had her hit with. ... She always gave back. She's very grounded. Her parents and coach did a great job not letting her fame and success change her into a different person." As Oudin came back for the second set, the crowd held its collective breath. With every point she earned, they hooted, hollered and exchanged high-fives. They booed when they saw Petrova losing her cool, banging her racquet against the net after losing a big point. "C'mon, Melanie!" people screamed as the tiebreaker began in the second set. When Oudin took that set, they rose to their feet, screamed, did happy dances and shared hugs. "It's awesome," said Kathleen Brady of Norcross. "We are so glad her opponent double-faults." "Bless her heart," Lisa Wells chimed in with a laugh, offering the Southern tagline to downplay any insult. Earlier in the day, John Sklare joked that the young pro learned something from him. Over the winter, the Alpharetta psychologist often played on the indoor court beside her. "I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good -- and that's what we're all finding out now," he said. He spoke about what a "great kid" Oudin is but | [
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[
"17,"
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[
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[
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] | Melanie Oudin, 17, moves into quarterfinals with latest win .
Oudin caused hubbub when she beat former No. 1 Maria Sharapova on Saturday .
Oudin honed her skills at the Racquet Club of the South in Georgia .
Fellow members are as impressed by positive attitude as by her talent . |
NORFOLK, Virginia (CNN) -- Negotiators aboard a U.S. Navy warship are trying to secure the release of an American freighter captain who is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia, according to Maersk Line Ltd.
Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.
The crew aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge could see the lifeboat where pirates have been holding Capt. Richard Phillips since Wednesday, the company said in a written statement issued at 5 p.m. ET.
Phillips has not been hurt, the statement said.
Phillips, who has received provisions and batteries for his radio, has been in touch with the crews of the Alabama and the Bainbridge, the statement said.
The pirates are the same four men who hijacked Phillips' vessel, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, early Wednesday hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa.
The Alabama's 20-person crew later regained control of the ship, which is owned and operated by the Norfolk-based Maersk Line Ltd.
In a written statement, Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers noted that "there have been many questions about how the crew re-captured the ship and how the captain came to leave the ship."
But he would not clarify the matter.
"Our immediate focus has been to bring the current situation to a safe resolution," he said. "There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full de-briefing."
The U.S. Navy, which is in charge of the situation, requested the help of the FBI. FBI negotiators in the United States are in touch with the crew of the Bainbridge, which arrived on the scene earlier Thursday to assist, a senior U.S. defense official said.
According to Maersk's last communication with the Navy, the 28-foot lifeboat was disabled and "dead in the water," Speers said Thursday morning.
"We are encouraged that most of the crew is safe. They have been resilient and courageous throughout this crisis," Speers said. "But we will remain on watch, staffing our situation room and our family hot line until this situation is resolved and the captain is safely returned."
On Thursday, the Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa, Kenya, with an 18-person armed security detail on board, according to Joseph Murphy, the father of the ship's first officer. Maersk and U.S. military officials confirmed the cargo ship had left the area on Thursday, but would not say where it was heading, citing security concerns. See how pirate attacks have increased »
Gen. David Petraeus, chief of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that the Bainbridge would be getting backup shortly.
"I can tell you, there are definitely going to be more ships in that area in the next 24 or 48 hours, because there are two more sailing to it right now," he said.
"Needless to say, we want to ensure we have all the capacity that may be needed over the course of the coming days."
Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, told CNN's Barbara Starr in Bahrain that, "We have been moving forces in that direction."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama had been staying apprised of the situation.
"Obviously, his main concern is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship, and he will continue to receive those updates," he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an international coalition of countries is working to address the piracy threat, but the area in question is immense.
"I think the ocean area we're referring to is three times the size of Texas," she told reporters. iReport.com: 'Stop the pirates, Obama!'
Referring to continuing problems with piracy in those waters, she said instability in Somalia has contributed to the flourishing of "an old scourge."
The Alabama was loaded with food aid when the pirates hijacked it Wednesday, 350 miles | [
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[
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[
"FBI."
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] | NEW: Backup heading to scene of standoff, Gen. David Petraeus says .
Maersk Alabama leaves scene with armed detail as negotiations for captain continue .
FBI assists in negotiations with pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips in lifeboat .
U.S. Navy warned that pirates increasing range of operations . |
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Ron Hassell stares at one really worn-out brown leather loafer. Ron Hassell has seen his share of heels. And soles. His grandfather taught him the shoe-repair trade. "This is a shoe I don't want to tackle," he grimaces as his finger traces holes on the bottom. "I tried to talk the guy out of fixing it, believe it or not." The cobbler grabs a tool to rip off the entire sole. "Some guys get a favorite pair of shoes. ... as you can tell, this guy wore this one to death." He brings one of the shoes to a grinder that files down the last of the old sole and heel. "It'll look brand new when I'm done," Hassell says. Hassell's shoe repair business, tucked into the corner of a three-story building in downtown North Attleborough, Massachusetts, is a trade and a tradition. The shop he now owns, North Shoe Repair, once belonged to his grandfather, who taught him everything he knows about being a cobbler. "He was one of the best," Ron says, and he knows this because that's what all the salesmen -- the ones who sold products to all the local shoe repair shops -- would tell him. There are not a lot of cobblers left in the area, but Hassell's business has been steady and has even picked up in the last year. He sees the economy as one reason. It's far more economical to spend $12.50 on a pair of $125 shoes than to buy new ones. Hassell, however, sees another reason for being busy. With few young people entering the trade, customers seek out cobblers when theirs retire. "I used to be the youngest that I knew of, because I started when I was twenty. Of course I'm close to fifty now, and I'm still probably one of the youngest around here." Watch the craftsman at work » He continues to work on the really beat-up pair he didn't want to face. He uses special cutting and sewing machines to attach new leather to the bottom. Glue is pasted onto parts and the grinding machine is visited several times, both to sand off rough edges and later to polish them to a shine. He'll go back and forth to the various shoes that have been brought in and stop to wait on people bringing in his next challenge to repair. His customers seem satisfied with the results they get, and some have been loyal to his business for years. "I came when his grandfather was here," says Inez Cavallaro, who had come to the shop to pick up a pair of sandals Hassell had fixed. "I hope he always stays here, because he's great. "He has done some magical things for me." The comments don't go unnoticed by Hassell. "You know, what's pretty cool is, customers, they get pretty happy. You get that all the time, and it makes you feel good." Using an old shoe brush to polish what had started the day as a hopeless pair of old shoes, Hassell puts the final touches on what now look like shoes just bought from a store. "Better than I thought they were going to come out," he says, looking them over one last time. Hassell says he enjoys his craft because he knows what he does is appreciated. As one customer leaves his shop and says goodbye, she stops in the door and turns around. She looks back at Hassell and says, "Don't go out of business, now!" As long as he can, that's something Ron Hassell has no intention of doing. | [
"What trade was in the article?",
"What did one worker say helped his business?",
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] | [
[
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[
"special cutting and sewing machines"
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[
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[
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[
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[
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]
] | Shoe-repair business is a trade and a tradition in small Massachusetts shop .
Repairman cites economic downturn as factor in current uptick in his trade .
It's far more economical to have shoes repaired rather than buying new ones .
Some customers have been coming to shoe-repair shop for years . |
NYON, Switzerland -- Celtic have been fined $50,800 by UEFA and AC Milan's Dida has been banned for two matches after the incident which saw a pitch-invading supporter approach the Brazilian goalkeeper in last week's Champions League match at Celtic Park.
Dida's theatrical over-reaction has resulted in UEFA suspending him for two matches.
The incident occurred when the Scottish side beat Milan 2-1 in Glasgow. A fan ran onto the field in the 90th minute, soon after the home side scored their winning goal, and made what appeared to be minimal contact with Dida.
The Milan goalkeeper turned to chase the supporter before dropping to the ground. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and replaced.
Dida's theatrical over-reaction has cost him severely -- but Celtic may choose not to complain about their own punishment, with half of their fine suspended for two years.
UEFA did have the power to change the result of the match, although that was always unlikely.
UEFA's control and disciplinary body found Celtic guilty of charges of "lack of organisation and improper conduct of supporters", while Dida was found to have breached UEFA's "principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship".
Milan have pledged to appeal against the punishment, which as it stands means he will miss the club's Champions League games against Shakhtar Donetsk.
"It's a suspension that is absolutely excessive," said Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa. "It seems to us a very, very unbalanced sentence. It turns Dida into the protagonist of the incident, whereas the protagonist was someone else, and that's not right from a logical point of view."
Celtic acted swiftly to punish the 27-year-old supporter, who turned himself in and has since admitted a breach of the peace in court and will be sentenced next month.
The club banned the fan for life from all their matches, home and away.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "As a club we feel this penalty is proportionate to the incident in question and a fair outcome." E-mail to a friend | [
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[
"AC Milan's Dida"
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] | AC Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida is suspended by UEFA for two matches .
Dida was banned for his over-reacting to being touched by a Celtic supporter .
Celtic have been fined $50,800 for allowing the fan to run onto the field of play . |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- Al-Shabaab, a hard-line Somali rebel group that is on the U.S. government's terror watch list, has threatened to attack neighboring Kenya, according to an online audio recording.
On an Al-Shabaab Web site, men chant in Kiswahili, the national language of Kenya, saying, "We will reach Nairobi. When we arrive, we will hit until we kill." A taped message in Arabic follows, thought to be by Abu Zubeyr, Al-Shabaab's commander in Somalia. The speaker of the message threatens those he calls infidels, throughout the world.
It would not be the first threat by Al-Shabaab toward Kenya. Many analysts say Kenya is vulnerable to attack by the Islamic group, which is trying to overthrow the weak transitional government.
The threat follows heightened tensions between the Kenyan government and Somalis living in Kenya over the past month. Kenya recently rounded up and arrested several hundred Somali immigrants and refugees living in a mostly Somali neighborhood. And earlier this month, Muslim protesters clashed with police after Friday prayers, leading to one death and extensive property damage.
Muslim human-rights groups in Kenya have called for protests in support of cleric Abdulah Ibrahim el-Faisal, whom Kenya declared an unwanted person and deported earlier this month. The Jamaican-born Muslim cleric was previously jailed in Britain for inciting murder and racial hatred. But Kenya's efforts to deport him failed. He was then arrested on return to Kenya, further outraging some Muslim leaders.
Alfred Mutua, Kenya's government spokesman, has since said that el-Faisal has successfully been deported. However, the government has given mixed signals as to whether he has actually left. | [
"what groups are involved",
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[
"Muslim human-rights"
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[
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"to attack by the Islamic group,"
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[
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] | Group says it will hit Nairobi "until we kill"
Kenya is vulnerable to attack by the Islamic group, analysts say .
Threat follows heightened tensions between Kenya and Somalis living in the country . |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- An English tourist kidnapped from a remote Kenyan resort is being held by Somali pirates in a remote corner of the lawless country, according to experts and security analysts in Nairobi.
"Gangs from Southern Somalia took her up the coast and then moved her several times," said Andrew Mwangura, a piracy expert and maritime editor of Somalia Report, an independent online publication.
Judith Tebbutt was abducted by armed men from a remote safari lodge near to the Somali border earlier this month.
Her husband, David Tebbutt, was killed in the attack when he resisted, according to Kenyan police.
Details of the incident are still sketchy and the British government has asked journalists not to reveal the exact location of Tebbutt to avoid abduction attempts from rival gangs.
Initially, it was feared that al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked militant group, had conducted the operation as a revenge attack against the British nationals.
But a security analyst based in Nairobi, who tracks piracy operations but is not authorized to speak to the media, also believes this is the work of pirates.
"This is not the work of al-Shabaab," he said, "this is the work of Southern armed gangs and pirates."
No ransom demands have been made yet, says Mwangura.
But if Somali pirates carried out the operation, it represents a marked departure in tactics.
For years, pirates have attacked commercial ships in the busy shipping lanes between Europe and Asia. A cargo ship has insurance, and after months of negotiations pirates can often clear several million U.S. dollars.
Some analysts believe that Somali pirates are now moving onto land because it's getting harder out at sea.
"Their inability to operate freely in the their waters is forcing them onto land," says Andrews Atta-Asamoah, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies. "It's significant if you place it in the context of the struggle against piracy. Since the whole push against piracy by international navies, the pirates have been looking for new territory and new frontiers."
Atta-Asamoah says that Kenya is a natural target because if its porous border with Somalia and a high number of foreign visitors and workers.
The Kenyan government, prompted by their reliance on tourism for foreign exchange, says they are making every effort to secure the border with Somalia.
Others say that, rather than a trend, this is a one-time attack caused by a more prosaic fact: the weather.
Monsoon rains off the coast of Somalia at this time of year makes operating offshore difficult.
"This incident is a special case," says Mwangura. | [
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"Where do they think Judith is being held?",
"Who was taken earlier this month",
"Where was Tebbutt taken from?",
"Who was taken from a Kenyan lodge?"
] | [
[
"remote corner of the lawless country,"
],
[
"pirates."
],
[
"Somalia"
],
[
"Southern armed gangs and pirates.\""
],
[
"a remote safari lodge near to the Somali border"
],
[
"in a remote corner of the lawless country,"
],
[
"Judith Tebbutt"
],
[
"a remote safari lodge near to the Somali border"
],
[
"Judith Tebbutt"
]
] | Judith Tebbutt was taken from a Kenyan lodge earlier this month .
Officials believe she is being held in a remote corner of Somalia .
One analyst believes this is the work of Somali pirates . |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- An English tourist kidnapped from a remote Kenyan resort is being held by pirates in a remote corner of Somalia, according to experts and security analysts in Nairobi.
"Gangs from Southern Somalia took her up the coast and then moved her several times," said Andrew Mwangura, a piracy expert and maritime editor of Somalia Report, an independent online publication.
Judith Tebbutt was abducted by armed men from a remote safari lodge near to the Somali border earlier this month.
Her husband, David Tebbutt, was killed in the attack when he resisted, according to Kenyan police.
A Kenyan man has been charged in connection with the attack, a lawyer familiar with the case told CNN Monday.
Ali Babitu Kololo, who worked at the luxury resort in Kiwayu where the attack took place, was charged with robbery with violence and abducting with the intention to murder, according to a lawyer present at the hearing at the Lamu law courts.
Kololo pleaded not guilty to both counts.
A second man, Issa Sheck Saadi, is expected to appear in court at a later date.
Details of the incident are still sketchy and the British government has asked journalists not to reveal the exact location of Tebbutt to avoid abduction attempts from rival gangs.
Initially, it was feared that al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked militant group, had conducted the operation as a revenge attack against the British nationals.
But a security analyst based in Nairobi, who tracks piracy operations but is not authorized to speak to the media, also believes this is the work of pirates.
"This is not the work of al-Shabaab," he said, "this is the work of southern armed gangs and pirates."
No ransom demands have been made yet, says Mwangura.
But if Somali pirates carried out the operation, it represents a marked departure in tactics.
For years, pirates have attacked commercial ships in the busy shipping lanes between Europe and Asia. A cargo ship has insurance, and after months of negotiations pirates can often clear several million U.S. dollars.
Some analysts believe that Somali pirates are now moving onto land because it's getting harder out at sea.
"Their inability to operate freely in the waters is forcing them onto land," says Andrews Atta-Asamoah, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies. "It's significant if you place it in the context of the struggle against piracy. Since the whole push against piracy by international navies, the pirates have been looking for new territory and new frontiers."
Atta-Asamoah says that Kenya is a natural target because if its porous border with Somalia and a high number of foreign visitors and workers.
The Kenyan government, prompted by their reliance on tourism for foreign exchange, says they are making every effort to secure the border with Somalia.
Others say that, rather than a trend, this is a one-time attack caused by a more prosaic fact: the weather.
Monsoon rains off the coast of Somalia at this time of year makes operating offshore difficult.
"This incident is a special case," says Mwangura. | [
"Where was she taken from ?",
"who is charged in connection with the attacks",
"Who are probably behind the kidnapping?",
"Who was taken from a Kenyan lodge?",
"Where do officials believe Tebbutt is being held?",
"Where is she being held?",
"what was the believes of the analyst",
"Whats the name of the woman kidnapped?"
] | [
[
"a remote Kenyan resort"
],
[
"pirates"
],
[
"pirates."
],
[
"English tourist"
],
[
"Somalia,"
],
[
"Somalia,"
],
[
"this is the work of pirates."
],
[
"Judith Tebbutt"
]
] | NEW: A Kenyan man is charged in connection with the attacks .
Judith Tebbutt was taken from a Kenyan lodge earlier this month .
Officials believe she is being held in a remote corner of Somalia .
Analyst believes this is the work of Somali pirates . |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- Conflicting accounts emerged Thursday over whether the extremist group Al-Shabaab has signaled a desire to negotiate with Kenya amid a Kenyan military offensive targeting the group.
"They want to talk," said a Kenyan official who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
A spokesman for the Kenyan government, however, disputed that account and said Kenya wouldn't talk with Al-Shabaab even if the group did want to negotiate.
"Al-Shabaab has not contacted Kenya in any way," said the spokesman, Alfred Mutua. "There are no plans whatsoever for Kenya to negotiate with Al-Shabaab. Kenya does not negotiate with outlawed groups."
He said Kenyan troops have enjoyed success since crossing the border into Somalia to pursue Al-Shabaab, which the United States and several Western nations view as a terrorist organization.
"They are running scared. I think they are busy running for their lives," Mutua said. "They don't have time to talk."
Kenyan troops struck several Al-Shabaab training sites in Somalia early Thursday, a military spokesman said. The militant group, which includes many rival factions with different leaders, operates from Somalia.
The group's leaders were said to be reaching out for possible negotiations two weeks after Kenyan troops stormed into Somalia to hunt for Al-Shabaab, which Kenya blames for recent kidnappings of foreigners in the nation.
But Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali, Al-Shabaab's second-in-command who is also known as Abu Mansur, told supporters protesting in Mogadishu against the Kenyan incursion that if Kenya struck targets in Somalia, the militant group would strike back.
Kenya has said its forces aim to take the Somali port city of Kismayo, described by the United Nations as a key stronghold and source of cash for Al-Shabaab. The United Nations estimates the group collects up to $50 million a year from businesses in Kismayo, about half of its annual income.
Robow urged what he said were Al-Shabaab-trained fighters in Kenya to take action in return, with the Kenyan port of Mombasa a target.
''Carry out attacks with heavy losses on Kenya," Robow said. "If Kenya closes the sea port in Kismayo, attack its banks, its port, its foreign guests and wherever there is a high-value target."
Kenyan officials have declared self-defense justifies crossing the border with Somalia, saying a recent spate of abductions threatened its security and constituted an attack. Kidnappers have seized two aid workers and two European tourists in the past month.
"We have looked at what is going on ... and decided that unless we move in now, Al-Shabaab is not diminishing, it is becoming bigger and bigger," Mutua said.
The war on terror cannot be won without dismantling the group's power, he said.
Efforts to flush out the terror group will take a "couple of months, if that," Mutua said, adding that "weeks" would be a more ideal time frame.
Analysts and diplomats have raised concerns over the incursion, saying it gives the terror group a reason to strike Kenya.
"If there is anything we have learned in the last couple of decades is that foreign intervention, especially military intervention, doesn't work in Somalia," said Rashid Abdi, an analyst for International Crisis Group. "I definitely understand Kenya's anxiety about the terror threat emanating from Somalia ... but I think there is more that Kenya could have done inside the country."
While noting Kenya's "right to defend itself," the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said it was not part of the decision to send troops to Somalia.
"The United States did not encourage the Kenyan government to act nor did Kenya seek our views," said Katya Thomas, the embassy's press officer. "We note that Kenya has a right to defend itself against threats to its security and its citizens."
Somali President Sharif Ahmed thanked Kenya on Wednesday for helping battle the | [
"who are kenyan forces pursuing in Somalia",
"Who said its militants will strike Kenyan?",
"Who entered Somalia two weeks ago?",
"when did kenyan forces enter somalia",
"What does a government spokesman deny?",
"Who wants to talk according to a Kenyan offical"
] | [
[
"Al-Shabaab"
],
[
"Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali,"
],
[
"Kenyan troops"
],
[
"early Thursday,"
],
[
"\"Al-Shabaab has not contacted Kenya in any way,\""
],
[
"extremist group Al-Shabaab"
]
] | NEW: An Al-Shabaab commander says its militants will strike Kenyan targets in return .
A Kenyan government spokesman denies Al-Shabaab overture .
Another Kenyan official said Al-Shabaab wants to talk .
Kenyan forces entered Somalia two weeks ago to pursue Al-Shabaab . |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- Islamic militants have moved fighters to the Somali border town of Afmado in an effort to combat Kenyan forces who have entered Somalia, the militant group Al-Shabaab said Tuesday.
The group said it viewed the Kenyan forces crossing of the joint border as "an affront to Somalia's territorial sovereignty."
This move of fighters, which started Monday, comes after the militant group had threatened to "come into Kenya" if Kenyan forces did not leave Somalia.
"Kenyan troops have entered 100 kilometers into Somalia, and their planes are bombarding and killing residents," Sheikh Ali Mahmud Ragi, spokesman for Al-Shabaab, said in an online message posted on a jihadist website this week. "We shall come into Kenya if you do not go back."
In response, the Kenyan and Somali governments issued a joint communique declaring Al-Shabaab "a common enemy to both countries." They pledged to work together to stabilize Somalia and cooperate in security and military operations.
Kenyan forces crossed into Somalia to pursue Al-Shabaab fighters after the recent abductions of tourists and aid workers in Kenya heightened tensions in East Africa. Kenya invoked the U.N. charter allowing military action in self-defense against its largely lawless neighbor.
The abductions are part of a "recent spate of blatant attacks" that are part of "a changed strategy by Al-Shabaab calculated to terrorize civilians," the communique said.
"If you are attacked by an enemy, you have to pursue that enemy through hot pursuit and to try (to) hit wherever that enemy is," said Kenyan Defense Minister Yusuf Haji in a news conference that aired Sunday on CNN affiliate NTV.
Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, has been fighting to impose its interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, on Somalia. The group issued a statement Tuesday, however, denying responsibility for the abductions.
"These are mere suppositions unfounded in any solid evidence," the statement said. "Kenyan authorities have been seeking justification for an aggressive incursion on to Somali territory."
On September 11, armed bandits broke into a beachfront cottage where Britons Judith and David Tebbutt, both in their 50s, were staying. David Tebbutt was shot dead while trying to resist the attack. His wife was grabbed and spirited away on a speedboat, and is believed to have been taken into Somalia.
On October 1, pirates made another cross-border raid, this time snatching a French woman in her 60s from a holiday home on Manda Island where she lived part of the year.
Earlier this month, gunmen abducted two Spanish workers from the medical charity Doctors Without Borders from the Dadaab refugee complex, about 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) from the Somali border.
Kenya announced its new tactics days after African Union forces claimed victory against Al-Shabaab in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The military said last week it had taken the remaining Al-Shabaab strongholds in the far northeast of the city.
"The challenge is now to protect civilians from the sort of terror attack we saw last week, as they attempt to rebuild their lives," said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia. He was referring to a suicide truck bombing in Mogadishu this month that left dozens dead. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. Other Al-Shabaab attacks that week led to the deaths of at least 10 civilians.
Federal and African Union forces have battled Al-Shabaab in the impoverished and chaotic nation for years. Many analysts believe the military push has severely affected Al-Shabaab, along with targeted strikes against organization members and the weakening of al Qaeda.
Al-Shabaab said in August it was withdrawing from Mogadishu, and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, now controls most districts of the capital, the U.N. office has said.
However, the group still poses a threat, Ankunda has said. | [
"Who is Al-Shabaab linked to?",
"Which governments pledged cooperation",
"Which countries troops were moved",
"What 2 governements are involved?",
"Against who is the fight",
"what are the kenyan and somali governments pledging",
"what does al-shabaab deny"
] | [
[
"al Qaeda,"
],
[
"Kenyan and Somali"
],
[
"Islamic militants"
],
[
"Kenyan and Somali"
],
[
"Al-Shabaab"
],
[
"military"
],
[
"responsibility for the abductions."
]
] | NEW: Kenyan and Somali governments pledging cooperation in Al-Shabaab fight .
NEW: Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, denies role in recent abductions .
The move of Kenyan troops comes after threats from Al-Shabaab to enter Kenya . |
Naoma, West Virginia (CNN) -- Crews planned to pump nitrogen into a West Virginia coal mine as the search resumed early Friday for four miners who may be trapped after a deadly explosion earlier in the week.
Kevin Stricklin of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) said crews would neutralize potentially explosive air in the Upper Big Branch coal mine with nitrogen, allowing rescuers to go back in and remain there even if an explosive mixture builds again in the air.
The hope, though slim, is that the four missing miners were able to survive by entering one of the chambers, which were stocked with enough food, water and air to keep 15 miners alive for four days.
"We committed to the families that we wanted to get into the chambers within 96 hours and we're trying to everything in our power to do that without taking a chance on the rescue teams, and I think this is the way to do it," Stricklin said.
Officials said the rescue teams will make "a mad dash" to one of the mine's two airtight rescue chambers.
"The rescue teams have taken four breathing apparatuses with them," Stricklin said. "In the best case scenario, we would find four survivors. Once they get in there, we'll put oxygen masks on the survivors and bring them out."
At least 25 miners died in Monday afternoon's explosion in West Virginia, while four others remain missing and two were injured.
Rescuers -- 32 of them working in four teams -- got within 500 feet of one of the rescue chambers before having to turn back Thursday, said J. Christopher Adkins, chief operating officer of Massey Energy, the mine's owner.
They were pulled back after it was determined that noxious gas levels were high enough to cause another blast. The readings showed potentially explosive levels of methane and hydrogen and high levels of carbon monoxide.
Stricklin said air samples were tested at regular intervals Thursday night and that rising barometric pressure in the wake of a cold front that moved through the region had helped reduce the chances of another blast.
Rescuers had been using high-pressure fans to pull the toxic air through 1,100-foot holes to the surface Thursday.
One of the four unaccounted-for miners and 18 of the dead were working in an area where longwall cutting was taking place. The technique uses a large grinder to extract the coal. It creates large amounts of coal dust and methane, both of which are explosive.
The other three missing miners are believed to be about 2,000 feet away in a new development area of the mine.
Authorities have acknowledged it is unlikely the four missing men are alive, but they refuse to give up hope.
Officials hope to determine whether either rescue chamber has deployed by lowering a camera through the second hole.
"If they're deployed, more than likely someone's in them," said West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said. "That means we have a chance of that miracle."
But he added: "If they're not deployed, we know that our chances are diminished tremendously."
In an interview with CNN, Manchin noted that the mine was outfitted with gas sensors to alert mine personnel when levels become danger.
"In gaseous mines, you want to monitor and you want to have good ventilation," he said. "If that has worked before, whenever the levels got out of control they pulled them out and stopped, why did it not happen this time?"
The cause of the explosion is unknown, and state and federal officials have pledged a full investigation.
The White House announced Thursday that President Obama will meet next week with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and an MSHA official to hear their initial assessment of the cause of the blast and their recommendations on steps the federal government should take to improve safety.
CNN's Rachel Streitfeld and Samira J. Simone contributed to this report. | [
"how many miners are traped",
"What will be pumped into the mine?",
"What do rescuers hold onto hope of finding?",
"what is pumped into mine",
"For what reason will crews to pump nitrogen in the West Virginia coal mine?",
"Where is the mine located?",
"What was the cause of the explosion?"
] | [
[
"four"
],
[
"nitrogen"
],
[
"four miners"
],
[
"nitrogen"
],
[
"neutralize potentially explosive air"
],
[
"West Virginia"
],
[
"unknown,"
]
] | NEW: Crews to pump nitrogen in West Virginia coal mine to flush out toxic gas .
Rescuers hold onto hope of finding four miners trapped in blast .
Cause of Monday's explosion unknown; state and federal officials plan full investigation . |
Naoma, West Virginia (CNN) -- Staking out for news at the site of the mine explosion here, I remembered what I miss most about Appalachia -- the people.
Their stories are what drew me up here in 2006 as a correspondent for the Associated Press. Their hardships, struggles, passions, faith and quirks shaped hard-hitting stories about a region that few give much thought to these days.
I covered a mine disaster back then, too -- the explosion at Kentucky Darby Mine No. 1 that killed five coal miners -- and found myself marveling at the strength of the families and the community. And, despite their pain, they were hospitable, allowing a green reporter without a signal to use their living room phone, rest on their front steps and ask a few questions about their fears and worries.
I left after more than two years of sharing their stories, and hoped to return someday to catch up with my mountain neighbors and the families who allowed me to walk into their homes and share their lives with the world.
Instead, I returned for tragedy.
Not much has changed this time around as I help cover the latest disaster for CNN -- this time four miners unaccounted for and at least 25 dead.
I'm still amazed by the teachers who have allowed us reporters to use their classrooms as impromptu work areas, the nearby residents who insist on making sure we eat during the long days, the miners who bravely re-enter the mines just a day after losing some of their closest friends, and the victims' families, who remain patient as they wait for news.
I don't know how they do it, how they stay so composed, so strong in the face of such a horrific disaster felt miles away. And through it all, they accept our presence with a dignified grace. I can't imagine them handling it any other way. | [
"Simone covered a mining disaster in which year?",
"when was the mining disaster",
"where was it reported from",
"the people of where are as kind as they are tough, according to the reporter?",
"what has changed"
] | [
[
"2006"
],
[
"2006"
],
[
"Appalachia"
],
[
"Appalachia"
],
[
"Not much"
]
] | CNN's Samira J. Simone reflects on the toughness and hospitality of mining families .
Simone covered a mining disaster in 2006, and reported this week from West Virginia .
Not much has changed; the people of Appalachia are as kind as they are tough, she writes . |
Naoma, West Virginia (CNN) -- West Virginia's governor on Tuesday named a former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration to lead a state investigation into last week's coal mine explosion that left 29 miners dead.
Davitt McAteer has overseen investigations into two previous mine accidents, the Sago disaster that killed 12 miners in 2006 and the fire at the Aracoma Alma No. 2 mine that left two workers dead. The West Virginia native served as the Clinton administration's assistant labor secretary for mine safety in the 1990s and is vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University.
"Davitt has the experience and knowledge to lead what will be a complex and extensive investigation into this horrible accident," Gov. Joe Manchin said in announcing McAteer's appointment. "We made tremendous progress in 2006 immediately following the Sago and Aracoma accidents, and I fully expect that we will learn even more from this and make dramatic changes to protect our miners."
The last bodies were recovered early Tuesday from the Upper Big Branch mine, the scene of the fatal explosion April 5. McAteer was critical of the mine's owner, Virginia-based Massey Energy, in the days after the blast.
"Some companies, and this appears to be one, take the approach that these violations are simply a cost of doing business -- it's cheaper for us to mine in an unsafe way or in a way that risks people's lives than it is for us to comply with the statutes, comply with the laws," McAteer said last week.
There was no immediate response from Massey Energy to McAteer's appointment, but Massey CEO Don Blankenship said last week that its safety history is among the best in the industry.
The Montcoal, West Virginia, mine received 458 citations from federal inspectors in 2009, and more than 50 of those were for problems that the operators knew about but had not corrected, according to federal mine safety records. Inspectors cited the operators more than 100 times in the first quarter of 2010, including six times for "unwarrantable failure" to correct violations.
Massey subsidiary Aracoma Coal pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges and paid a record $4.2 million in fines and civil penalties in connection with the January 2006 fire that McAteer investigated.
Manchin said the state owes an explanation for last week's disaster to the families of the men who died in the Upper Big Branch mine, "And we owe it to them and every coal miner working today to do everything humanly possible to prevent this from happening again."
Managers of two pension funds have called on Massey's board to oust Blankenship, who has been critical of mining regulations in the past.
"Massey's cavalier attitude toward risk and callous disregard for the safety of its employees has exacted a horrible cost on dozens of hard-working miners and their loved ones," New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a written statement Monday. He said Blankenship "must step down and make room for more responsible leadership at Massey."
New York's state pension fund, which DiNapoli manages, has about $14 million worth of Massey stock -- a tiny fraction of the company's estimated $4.3 billion market capitalization. But his call was echoed by the CtW Investment Group, which manages pension funds for about 6 million union workers. CtW blamed Blankenship's "confrontational approach to regulatory compliance" and the failure of the company's board of directors to challenge him for the disaster.
"Under Chairman and CEO Blankenship's domineering leadership, Massey Energy placed short-term production and profit goals ahead of prudent risk management, with devastating consequences for the corporation, its shareholders and employees," the fund wrote in a letter to the board. "In light of these consequences, the urgent need for new leadership is apparent."
The company has not commented on calls for Blankeship's ouster, but said safety "has been and will continue to be our top priority every day."
"We do not condone any violation of Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations, and we strive to be in compliance with all regulations at all times," it said in a written | [
"How many miners were killed in last week's explosion",
"Who is leading the investigation",
"What appointment received David McAteer?",
"How many miners were killed?",
"Who was named to lead the investigation?"
] | [
[
"29"
],
[
"Davitt McAteer"
],
[
"lead a state investigation into last week's coal mine explosion"
],
[
"12"
],
[
"Davitt McAteer"
]
] | 29 miners were killed in an explosion last week .
Davitt McAteer named by West Virginia governor to lead investigation .
Mining disaster was the worst in the United States since 1972 . |
Napa Valley, California (CNN) -- It is the quintessential Napa Valley experience. Passengers aboard sleek antique rail cars pay more than $100 for a four-course meal, not including the wine. A recent lunch aboard the train included steak, lobster cakes and local greens. During their three-hour journey winding through Napa Valley, passengers can choose from more than 100 wines to complement their meal. The Napa Valley Wine Train has been shuttling passengers through one of the country's most famous valleys for more than two decades, but now it's under fire because of Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and John McCain. They ranked the wine train as No. 11 on their list of the 100 most "wasteful" and "silly" stimulus projects, leading some to call it the Stimulus Waste Express. When Melodie Hilton, who handles public relations for the wine train, learned about that nickname, she was less than pleased. Hilton said the report temporarily affected business. She said through a smile, "it's never fun to wake up and find that you're an object of national scorn." But CNN found that scorn undeserved. In fact, CNN confirmed that not a single stimulus dollar is being spent on the wine train itself. The stimulus money is really being used for a massive flood-control project for the valley. The train's tracks happen to be in the way, so they have to be moved. It is a simple fix, but it's not cheap. To make it happen, $54 million is being used to build a flood wall at the wine train depot, elevate the tracks and move them 33 feet, and raise four bridges. How did the wine train end up on the list of wasteful projects? "The person who did the research for the senators didn't do a thorough job," Hilton said, "and I think if they did a thorough job, we wouldn't have been on the list at all." Barry Martin is the spokesman for the Napa River Flood Control Project. He called the senators' report "deliberate deception" and a way to score "political points." Martin says this is not a "frivolous project" or a waste of stimulus dollars. "This is perfectly fitting into what stimulus is intended to do. People are on the job working today who might not be otherwise," Martin said. Coburn's spokesman said the whole project is a "misplaced priority." He also criticized it for being a "no-bid" project, meaning only one contractor was considered. Just how many people are employed on the project is ambiguous. Martin says that at least 600 jobs have been created for the whole thing. And those people, he says, will stay on the job two to three years. The Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the flood control initiative, said that every $1 million spent creates about 20 jobs but said it didn't have an exact figure of jobs for the project. And the contractor, Suulutaaq, had reported just 12 jobs created to the White House. A spokeswoman said the company expects that 200 people will be employed over the life of the project. Regardless, the goal is to prevent Napa from flooding every few years, as it does now. In 1986, a flood cost the city $100 million. In 2005, flood damage hit $115 million. Hilton, who has lived through the floods in Napa Valley and recalls neighborhoods under feet of water, wrote a letter to McCain: "Since you have thrown down the gauntlet, and made accusations, I would like to demand satisfaction! ... Talk to the officials behind this project; learn what is really going on. It is your right and your responsibility." "We all have the same goal," she later said. "Nobody appreciates waste. If he came out and explored this, I don't think this would have been on the list." CNN's Susan Chun contributed to this report. | [
"CNN found stimulus funds are not used for the train but instead is used for what?",
"According to us senators who received stimulus money?",
"What did they find that the money is for?",
"who received stimulus money?",
"Who called the project, \"misplaces priority\"?",
"whose spokesman calls project \"misplaced priority\"?",
"Sen. Tom Coburn's spokesman calls the project what?"
] | [
[
"a massive flood-control project"
],
[
"Napa Valley Wine Train"
],
[
"massive flood-control project"
],
[
"Napa Valley Wine Train"
],
[
"Coburn's spokesman"
],
[
"Coburn's"
],
[
"Stimulus Waste Express."
]
] | U.S. senators claimed Wine Train received stimulus money .
CNN found stimulus funds are not used for the train; money is for flood-control project .
Sen. Tom Coburn's spokesman calls project "misplaced priority"
The latest on the controversy over the wine train on tonight's "AC 360°," 10 ET . |
Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) -- Tennessee is living up to its Volunteer State moniker as residents grapple with the aftermath of deadly flooding that left widespread damage and an untold number of displaced residents in its wake.
Neighbors are rescuing neighbors. Strangers are chipping in to clean up devastated homes and businesses. Although many have lost everything tangible, their optimism remains intact.
"I'm alive," Ronnie Coleman said. "Everything else, the rest of my life, if I have to fight cancer or whatever -- hey, man, it's going to be a piece of cake to what I went through."
After two days of torrential rain, Coleman waded through chest-high water this weekend at his home in the Whites Creek suburb of Nashville -- a daunting task for a man who can't swim.
His neighbor, Willie Mae Stricklandjordan, whose every belonging was ruined in the flooding, described what happened when Whites Creek overflowed: "The water just gushed in -- and it had a force to it."
Another neighbor, Evelyn Pearlbell, said she had to be rescued.
"They put this rope around me and pulled me through this water," she said. "Scary. Phew, I was so scared."
As of Friday morning, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said that 21 people had died, one from natural causes. Davidson County was hit the hardest, with 10 fatalities.
The federal government has declared 27 counties major disaster areas, the agency said.
Aid and supplies were flowing in to Tennessee, including 167 truckloads of water. Country singers, who hold Music City USA dear, pledged monetary donations, and some converged on Nashville to help with the cleanup.
Reports of rescues emerged from the Coast Guard, local rescue teams and average citizens as helicopters and boats canvassed the region for survivors.
Nashville's police and fire departments were going door-to-door, making sure homes were evacuated. They tied yellow caution tape to the doors of places that had been cleared.
Ben Perkins said he and his son, Will, searched for survivors for about seven hours in Bellevue on Sunday, rescuing people from the River Plantation subdivision and from stranded cars on a nearby highway.
They initially took their boat to Will's great-grandmother's house, but she had been rescued, so Perkins began looking for others in need. Will manned a cellular phone, acting as a "control center" during the 15 to 18 rescue trips, his father said.
"Tennessee's come together. Nashville's come together," Perkins said. "There's a lot of devastation. There's going to be a lot of need for donations."
Even with all the rescue operations, many residents had close calls.
Betty Belle Nicks had to cling to a tree and then swim to the rooftop of her new home for refuge. Three small dogs made it to the roof and were saved, but Thursday night, she was looking for her yellow Labrador retriever, Ben, who swam away.
"If we could find Ben, it'd be the best wedding gift in the world," said Nicks, who was married last week.
Jamye Howell was driving his Jeep through Hendersonville on Sunday when he drove over a bridge and through what he thought was a puddle -- just "water standing on the road," he told CNN affiliate WZTV.
"Immediately, water was flowing in the car, and there was water flowing up on the windshield instantly," said Andrea Silvia, who was in the car with Howell.
"We decided that we needed to get out on top of the car and hope for the best," Howell told WZTV.
The two swam about a mile to safety, they told the station.
As the water continued to recede and rescue tales emerged Friday, many were struck by the devastation the flooding had wrought. Others still searched for loved ones, holding out hope that they may still be alive after almost a week.
In Pegram, cadaver dogs searched Thursday along the Harpeth River for | [
"When was the woman married?",
"How many dead?",
"what caused the deaths",
"what type of disaster happened"
] | [
[
"last week."
],
[
"21"
],
[
"deadly flooding"
],
[
"deadly flooding"
]
] | Tennessee officials say more than 21 dead, 27 counties labeled disaster areas .
Woman who was married only last week clings to tree, swims to rooftop for refuge .
Couple in Hendersonville tells station they escaped car, swam a mile to safety .
Mother pleads to God for help finding son, who was swept away in a car . |
New Delhi (CNN) -- In India, milk is used in holy ceremonies, it is offered to the gods, poured over deities and generally considered the healthiest of drinks.
But a first-of-its-kind government survey reveals that a stunning 68.4% of milk sold in India does not meet basic government standards.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India tested milk across the country. It took 1,791 samples -- and of of those, 1,226 were found to be "non-conforming."
In seven Indian states, 100% of the samples failed to meet standards.
Some samples contained water and milk powders; others included potentially toxic ingredients.
"We found about 14% of the samples which found traces of detergent," said V.N. Gaur, the chief executive officer of the food safety authority.
In lesser percentages, the tests also found hydrogen peroxide and urea -- a substance found in fertilizer and urine.
"There is a problem and they need to face it head-on and they have to kind of really take some strict action against those people who are violating simple consumer rights of getting a clean glass of milk," said Savvy Soumya Misra, the food safety and toxins deputy program manager with the Center for Science and Environment.
Doctors say ingested over long periods of time, chemicals like detergent can eat away the lining of intestines, stomach and affect the liver and the kidneys.
Just adding water to the milk can pose a real danger in India where waterborne illnesses are commonplace.
"What you get is diarrhea. Vomiting. What we call gastroenteritis," said Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, a senior consultant for internal medicine at Delhi's Apollo hospital said. "You can get something like cholera. You can have jaundice. There are infections like typhoid fever, which are all part of water-borne infections in this part of the world."
At a dairy on the outskirts of India's capital, a worker dilution is widely practiced -- but that his plant does not participate.
"A lot of people do it. They add water and take the milk and sell it," Ram Prasad said. "They add water because it increases the quantity of milk and there is more to sell."
The milk industry in India is a chaotic mix of producers and sellers.
Milk comes to the market in many different ways. It can be carried in on the heads of farmers in pails, put in containers which are strapped to a train or a bicycle, or delivered in a massive milk truck.
In many places, including the capital, fresh milk is still delivered to homes.
The sources also vary: from a family with three cows, to farms with more than 30 cows and buffaloes, to huge dairy plants.
Government authorities say 70% of the milk on the market comes from small to medium farms that operate in, what is known, as the "unorganized sector."
In the government test, less than a third of the milk samples came from large producers.
While India has strict regulations in place to ensure milk safety, consumer advocates say enforcement is so lax it's laughable.
"Well it does reflect that there is a need to strengthen our implementation machinery, Gaur said. "That need is definitely underlined by this study."
But, he said, his office has been granted new powers recently and it plans on more surveys. He expects there will be better enforcement in the coming weeks, months and years.
Food safety watchdog groups say milk dilution has been around for decades.
They hope the milk survey will mean good news for consumers because -- for the first time -- the government itself has revealed the true scope of the problem and pledged to do something about it.
CNN's Sumnima Das contributed to this report. | [
"What was the survey looking for?",
"How many states fail standards?",
"What percentage of samples failed to meet standards?",
"What animal did the milk come from?",
"the survey found traces of what?",
"What is milk diluted with?",
"What do watchdog groups hope for?"
] | [
[
"milk safety,"
],
[
"seven"
],
[
"68.4%"
],
[
"cows,"
],
[
"detergent,\""
],
[
"water"
],
[
"the milk survey will mean good news"
]
] | In seven Indian states, 100% of the samples failed to meet standards .
In most case, the milk is diluted with water and milk powder .
In some case, the survey found traces of detergent .
Watchdog groups hope the survey will prompt the government to get tough . |
New Delhi (CNN) -- India is in the fast lane. The trillion-plus-dollar economy, Asia's largest after Japan and China, is set to host the world's fastest sport this weekend.
The subcontinent's inaugural Grand Prix comes barely a year after India earned international scorn for all the chaos and corruption allegations that plagued the 2010 Commonwealth Games staged in New Delhi.
That event was marred by a host of problems including athletes' alarm over the shoddy construction and condition of their quarters, while a pedestrian bridge leading to the main Jawarhalal Nehru Stadium collapsed two days before the competitors were due to arrive.
In April this year, India's federal police arrested the Games' chief organizer, Suresh Kalmadi, for suspected corruption.
Kalmadi, who was involved in bringing F1 to India through his former role at the Indian Olympic Association, was jailed for allegedly buying a time, scoring and result system from a Swiss company at inflated costs. He was also suspended by the political party with which he was an MP.
But promoters of India's first F1 race hope their $400 million project will repair the damage done to the country's reputation. "The world's perception of India is going to change after the Grand Prix and people will forget what happened because of the Commonwealth Games," said Jaiprakash Gaur, founding chairman of Jaypee Group that built the Buddh International Circuit.
A few weeks ago, a fleet of Mercedes-Benz cars whizzed media crews around the 5.125-kilometer circuit, giving them a glimpse of what Indian businesses lauded as a stirring example of their competence.
"Corporate India is completely capable, and they are capable of executing projects of world class, which has been demonstrated by the F1 track, which looks certainly as one of the best in the world," said Ajay Sharma, a senior director with the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
"This is great news for the country because the investors are also now excited that this is the country where, you know, all the happening things are happening," he told CNN.
Sharma's lobby group predicts that investments in the motorsport infrastructure could potentially fuel overall economic prosperity by some $10 billion over the next decade. It says the arrival of global sporting bodies -- themselves seeking a foothold in emerging markets -- is an ideal opportunity for international brand-building by Indian businesses.
However, not everyone is as excited about the event when so many Indians live in abject poverty.
"The contrast between the rich and the poor is very large in India," said Arun Kumar, a professor at the Center of Economic Studies and Planning at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.
"Here, about 40% of our people live in extreme poverty without even basic facilities. In a sense, it sounds very cruel that the nation is spending a large amount of its wealth on such sports."
The track complex, complete with stands and team enclosures painted in the colors of India's flag, was built by private developers on land acquired from farmers, who later alleged they were short-changed for their properties.
Last week, the country's Supreme Court froze 25% of ticket revenue after a litigant challenged government tax waivers on the race.
Critics are questioning the taste of putting up such high-octane shows in a country where a quarter of its billion-plus people still lives on less than a dollar a day.
With organizers struggling to sell out the event, ticket prices for Sunday's race have already been slashed. The most expensive has dropped from $715 to about $300, and the cheapest from about $120 to $60. But even the lowest amount is equivalent to the monthly wages of tens of thousands of Indians.
"What do we consider to be a nation? A nation means having a concern for all citizens. In this day and age when advertising has become so large, expectations have risen and these lavish displays only increase discontent," Kumar said.
"And the ruling elite in the country is backing such displays, which shows it's | [
"What have been slashed for sunday?",
"Where is the formula one race being held?",
"what did have been slashed to attract more local supporters?",
"Who host formula one race?"
] | [
[
"ticket prices"
],
[
"India"
],
[
"ticket prices for Sunday's race"
],
[
"India"
]
] | India hosts a Formula One race for the first time this weekend, near Delhi .
Organizers hoping to overcome the legacy of the 2010 Commonwealth Games .
Venue was built on land bought from farmers, who have been unhappy with deal .
Ticket prices for Sunday's race have been slashed to attract more local supporters . |
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- An explosion Saturday at an eatery in the western Indian city of Pune killed at least nine people and injured 33 others, authorities said.
"It appears to be a bomb blast, and bombs obviously are related to terrorism," said U.K. Bansal, special secretary for security in India's Interior Ministry.
Four of the dead were not from India, he told CNN.
Home Secretary G.K. Pillai told reporters that the explosives were packed in a bag noticed by a waiter at the popular eatery called the German Bakery. The explosion occurred about 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday.
Rajendra Sonawane, joint police commissioner for the city, said the blast struck the German Bakery in Pune's Koregaon Park, sister network CNN-IBN reported.
Initially, authorities thought a cooking gas cylinder had exploded at the bakery, but all cylinders were accounted for, according to CNN-IBN.
An anti-terrorism squad is assisting in the investigation, Chandra Iyengar, home secretary for Maharashtra state, told CNN. However, he wouldn't confirm the blast as a terrorist attack.
The German Bakery is frequented by tourists. It's near the Osho Ashram, a commune founded by the late Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who returned to India from the United States in the 1980s.
CNN's Harmeet Singh contributed to this report. | [
"What did a waiter notice according to the Home Secretary?",
"were all of the dead from india?",
"Where did an explosion kill 8 and injure 33?",
"how many people were injured",
"how many people died",
"where were explosives noticed?",
"who noticed the bag"
] | [
[
"the explosives were packed in a bag"
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"not"
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[
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],
[
"33"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"in a bag"
],
[
"a waiter"
]
] | NEW: Explosives packed in bag noticed by waiter, home secretary says .
NEW: Four of the dead not from India, security official says .
At least eight people killed and 33 injured in explosion in Pune .
Shop, known as the German Bakery, is frequented by tourists . |
New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Seventeen people died after drinking a toxic, illegal home-brewed liquor over the New Years weekend in southern India, authorities said Monday.
At least 18 people were also poisoned by what authorities have described as contaminated moonshine in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district, P.V.S. Ramkrishna, the district police chief, said.
Police in India have been cracking down recently on businesses selling the illegally-made alcohol, Ramkrishna said.
In December, authorities arrested 10 people for making contaminated moonshine that left at least 168 people dead in the Indian state of West Bengal. Hundreds more were sickened by it, authorities said.
Moonshine is not uncommon in poverty-stricken communities in India because it is cheap to make. | [
"What is not uncommon in poverty-stricken India?",
"What country is poverty-stricken?",
"Who has been cracking down illegal sales of moonshine?",
"Who has been cracking down on moonshine?",
"What has the police been cracking down on?",
"What is not uncommon?",
"Where is moonshine not uncommon?",
"What kind communities are they?",
"What type of communities is moonshine found in?"
] | [
[
"Moonshine"
],
[
"India"
],
[
"Police in India"
],
[
"Police in India"
],
[
"businesses selling the illegally-made alcohol,"
],
[
"Moonshine"
],
[
"in poverty-stricken communities in India"
],
[
"poverty-stricken"
],
[
"poverty-stricken"
]
] | Moonshine is not uncommon in poverty-stricken communities in India .
Police in India have been cracking down on the sales of the illegal brew . |
New Haven, Connecticut (CNN) -- The lone survivor of a deadly home invasion wrapped up his testimony Tuesday afternoon after taking the stand against the second man charged with brutally killing his wife and two daughters.
With relatives packed shoulder to shoulder in the two rows closest to the jury, Dr. William Petit testified in detail about the tragic events at his Cheshire, Connecticut, home on July 23, 2007, beginning with him being awakened by being hit by a bat.
After his hands and feet were tied and a cloth was thrown over his head, he said, he heard a voice say, "If he moves, shoot him." Some of the evidence presented in court Tuesday included a handgun and photos of the rope used to bind Petit. The jury also saw pictures of his bloody head injuries.
Petit told the court that while he was tied to a pole in the basement, he could hear "loud thuds" and "moaning," likely from his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit. Shortly before hearing his wife, Petit was told by one of the intruders, "Don't worry. It'll all be over in a few minutes." Petit said that's when he knew "I had to get out."
Petit managed to escape but could not summon help in time to save his family.
He described his eldest daughter, Hayley, as captain of her varsity basketball team, a crew participant and soccer player, and Dartmouth-bound. His younger daughter, Michaela, was a piano player, a flute player, into sports and a member of a Brownies troop, he said.
Joshua Komisarjevsky, 31, faces 17 charges in connection with the brutal home invasion. The first defendant to stand trial in the case, Steven Hayes, was sentenced to death in December after being convicted on 16 of the 17 charges filed against him.
Testimony in the trial began Monday, with witnesses describing the final moments of Petit's wife and daughters inside their burning home and the futile attempts to save them.
Prosecutors declined to give an opening statement to start the trial. But they did introduce tapes from two 911 calls, a bank teller who claimed the mother tried to withdraw $15,000 as ransom and a police officer who found Petit fighting for life outside his family's burning home.
Prosecutors allege that Hayes and Komisarjevsky went into the Petit home, beat and tied up Petit, raped and strangled his wife, molested one of their daughters and set the house on fire before attempting to flee.
The two daughters, who were both tied to their beds, died of smoke inhalation. William Petit managed to escape.
Entering the New Haven court on Monday, the first day of the trial, Petit succinctly told reporters, "I just hope justice is served." Several other members of the victims' family packed the courtroom, many of them wearing pins that Judge Jon C. Blue allowed over defense lawyers' objections that they might sway the jury.
While he didn't present a comprehensive statement, New Haven State's Attorney Michael Dearington briefly spoke to jurors Monday, explaining that prosecutors believe the jury will be able to listen to the evidence and render a decision. As allowed by law, Dearington said, Komisarjevsky is charged both as a principal and an accessory.
Komisarjevsky's defense attorney, Walter Bansley, told jurors that his client never intended to kill anyone, that his sole purpose in breaking into the Petit home was to steal.
Bansley said Komisarjevsky did not have a weapon. He told jurors that in order to convict Komisarjevsky of capital murder, they must determine he intended to kill someone.
It was Hayes, Bansley said, who raped and strangled Hawke-Petit, poured gasoline in the house and lit a match. Komisarjevsky was a willing participant in the break-in and theft but not the murders, according to Bansley, who recounted mounting dissension between Hayes and Komisarjevsky as the home invasion progressed that morning.
Hayes felt that the Petits needed to be killed, Bansley claimed, but Komisarjevsky refused to kill anyone.
Bansley did allude to a " | [
"What was he charged with?",
"How many charges Joshua is facing?",
"Who was killed in February 2007?",
"What did he describe?",
"What did Dr. William Petit described?",
"Who was killed?"
] | [
[
"brutally killing his wife and two daughters."
],
[
"17"
],
[
"Jennifer Hawke-Petit."
],
[
"the tragic events"
],
[
"the tragic events at his Cheshire, Connecticut, home on July 23, 2007,"
],
[
"wife and two daughters."
]
] | Dr. William Petit describes the details of the deadly home invasion .
Petit's wife and two daughters were killed in the February 2007 incident .
Joshua Komisarjevsky faces 17 charges, including murder and arson . |
New Orleans (CNN) -- Two people were killed and more than 50 others injured Thursday in a 40-car pileup that shut down Interstate 10 in eastern New Orleans, authorities said.
Both eastbound and westbound lanes were closed following the crashes, which began about 4 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), said Garry Flot, New Orleans police spokesman. It was unknown how long the interstate would be closed, he said.
Twenty-two people were transported to hospitals with minor to critical injuries. Another 37 complained of minor injuries at the scene but refused medical care, Flot said.
One firefighter suffered a cut on his face while performing his duties at the scene, Flot said. He was taken to a local hospital for stitches.
The area was experiencing heavy fog at the time the crashes occurred, according to CNN meteorologists.
CNN's Sara Pratley contributed to this report. | [
"What were the driving conditions?",
"I-10 where shut down?",
"When did the crashes begin?",
"What was shut down?"
] | [
[
"heavy fog"
],
[
"eastern New Orleans,"
],
[
"about 4 a.m. local time"
],
[
"Interstate 10"
]
] | The crashes began occurring about 4 a.m. local time .
Heavy fog was in the area at the time .
I-10 is shut down in both directions . |
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- A mechanical problem prevented BP from inserting a tube into a ruptured pipe that would help siphon off oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, BP official Doug Suttles said Saturday.
Suttles said the device was hoisted back to the surface Friday for readjustments and the company expects to have it working by Saturday night. The plan is for the mile-long tube to collect the oil and send it to a surface vessel.
Millions of gallons of crude have gushed into the Gulf since the fiery explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig more than three weeks ago.
Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production, cautioned that the method is designed to contain the flow, not stop it.
The tactic was dealt a setback Friday night when the frame holding the insertion tube shifted and prevented the surface vessel from connecting to it, Suttles said.
Meanwhile, Suttles said the application of underwater dispersants -- a tactic approved for use Friday -- "appears" to be working.
"The oil in the immediate vicinity of the well and the ships and rigs working in the area is diminished from previous observations," he said after flying over the area Saturday.
He did not provide further details.
What are oil dispersants?
The Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the decision to use subsea dispersants is an "important step" at reducing potential damage from the spill, because dispersant can be more effective underwater than on the ocean's surface.
Oil dispersants are chemicals that can break the oil down into small drops and prevent it from reaching the surface or the shore. Dispersants are generally less harmful than the oil itself, which is highly toxic, and they biodegrade more quickly, the Coast Guard said.
The underwater gusher began after an April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon. The explosion and subsequent fire caused the Deepwater Horizon to sink two days later, prompting oil to begin spilling from the well. BP was leasing the rig from Transocean.
On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security released a letter from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar addressed to BPchief executive Anthony Hayward, calling on the company to state its "true intentions" for compensating those affected by the spill.
"The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill may prove to be one of the most devastating environmental disasters this nation has ever faced," said the letter, which was dated Friday. "As one of the responsible parties for this event, BP is accountable to the American public for the full clean-up of this spill and all the economic loss caused by the spill and related events."
What can BP do to combat growing oil spill?
The letter also asks BP to confirm it will not "seek reimbursement from the American taxpayers, the United States government or the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for any amount."
There was no immediate response from BP. | [
"What \"appears\" to be working according to the BP official?",
"The method is designed to do what?",
"Who says use of underwater dispersants \"appears\" to be working?",
"When will BP try again to insert the tube?",
"Who it will try again Saturday night to insert tube ?",
"When will they try again to insert tube?"
] | [
[
"application of underwater dispersants"
],
[
"contain"
],
[
"Suttles"
],
[
"Saturday night."
],
[
"BP"
],
[
"Saturday night."
]
] | NEW: BP official says use of underwater dispersants "appears" to be working .
BP says it will try again Saturday night to insert tube .
The method is designed to contain the flow, not stop it, BP official says . |
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- BP said Wednesday that efforts to contain and clean up oil gushing from a ruptured pipe in the Gulf of Mexico have made a "measurable difference" even as Louisiana's governor announced that thick, heavy oil has begun polluting the state's wetlands and estuaries.
Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production, said at a news conference that the company is "very pleased" with the performance of an insertion tube that was put in place over the weekend to suck crude oil from the well and funnel it to a surface vessel.
The flow rate from the tube has reached 3,000 barrels of crude (126,000 gallons) and 14 million cubic feet of gas a day, Suttles said, adding that crews hope to increase those numbers in coming days.
He said favorable weather conditions have also played a major role in cleanup efforts. About 14,000 barrels of oily water was skimmed Tuesday, and 50 percent of that mixture was oil, he said, adding that crews continue to deploy boom and conduct controlled burns.
But Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana says the efforts haven't stopped oil from reaching his state's coastline. Thicker, heavier oil than seen in previous days has blanketed some of the state's precious interior wetlands, he said, and he called for the Army Corps of Engineers to approve an emergency permit to dredge sand from barrier islands to create sand booms as another line of defense.
"These are not tar balls, this is not sheen, this is heavy oil that we are seeing in our wetlands," Jindal said.
Video from Pass a Loutre in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, showed oil with a syrupy consistency lapping against reeds in a small area of marshland after creeping past booms and barriers.
"Everything that that blanket of oil has covered today will die," parish President Billy Nungesser said.
"Imagine [this oil] on top of a turtle or on top of a frog," he said as he held a stalk of reed that coated his hands in oil.
CNN iReporter Eileen Romero, touring the state's Chandeleur Islands by boat on Tuesday, described a "foamy sheen on top of the water" left by the oil and dispersants, and she said she counted between 10 and 15 dead Portuguese man-of-wars trapped in debris.
"While we were out there, my nose and the back of my throat began to burn as I inhaled the putrid-smelling air," Romero said.
Jindal compared the fight to head off the approaching oil to "knowing your body has cancer. ... We've got to stop this cancer from spreading [and] we'd much rather fight it on these coastal barrier islands than inland."
"We need more than just boom or skimmers," Jinadal said. "We need multiple lines of defense."
iReport: Track the spill, or share your story
Meanwhile, BP said it is continuing to mobilize equipment and perform testing in preparation for the first effort to actually stop the flow of oil.
Suttles said the first attempt at a "top kill" procedure could come as early as Sunday.
In that procedure, a large amount of heavy "mud" -- a fluid used as a lubricant and counterweight in drilling operations -- is inserted into the well bore. If that succeeds, the well will be cemented shut, officials have said.
Suttles cautioned, as he has with previous efforts, that the procedure will be performed at a depth of 5,000 feet, "which has never been done before."
"We're absolutely holding out hope that top kill works," said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry. "Everybody is anxious to see success with this intervention. ... Let's keep our fingers crossed [and] let's all say our prayers."
Oil has been leaking at an estimated rate of 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) a day for nearly a month after an April 20 explosion aboard the drilling rig the Deepwater Horizon. The rig burned for two days and then sank, causing the ruptured pipe. | [
"What is being done in the ocean?",
"what BP says it hopes to begin effort to \"mud\"?",
"what said louisiana governor?",
"who says \"measurable difference\" on ocean surface?",
"who will be in communication about projected movement of oil?",
"what Louisiana governor says thicker oil than previously seen?",
"What the governor says?"
] | [
[
"efforts to contain and clean up oil gushing from"
],
[
"a ruptured pipe"
],
[
"thick, heavy oil has begun polluting the state's wetlands and estuaries."
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[
"BP"
],
[
"Doug Suttles,"
],
[
"Gov. Bobby Jindal"
],
[
"thick, heavy oil has begun polluting the state's wetlands and estuaries."
]
] | Cleanup efforts have made "measurable difference" on ocean surface, BP says .
Louisiana governor says thicker oil than previously seen has hit wetlands .
BP says it hopes to begin effort to "mud" well shut as early as Sunday .
U.S., Cuba in communication about projected movement of oil . |
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- BP will try again within the next day to cap a well that has gushed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the energy company said Friday.
The latest attempt will involve inserting a tube into a ruptured pipe, collecting oil and sending it to a vessel on the surface, said Mark Proegler, a BP spokesman.
The insertion tube was on the sea floor, and engineers planned to move it into place later in the day, Proegler said.
The company has lowered a smaller containment dome for use if the insertion tube does not stem the flow of oil into the water, Proegler said.
But Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, said twice Friday that the containment dome, referred to as a "top hat," was the first choice, followed by the insertion tube.
Officials could not explain the discrepancy.
Neither procedure would be a permanent solution, Allen said Friday in Mississippi. The procedures, he said, "will reduce the leakage, not stop the leakage."
The ultimate solution, Allen said, will be achieved by relief wells that are being drilled near the leak site. Those will take weeks, if not months, to complete, BP has said.
After much discussion over whether the use of subsea dispersants could cause ecological damage, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said Friday that officials have concluded that it "is an option we can consider and will move ahead with."
The decision was made after the results of three tests were analyzed, she said. "This is not a decision that was made lightly, but it is a series of tradeoffs. You're really trying to minimize the impact on the environment as best as possible."
Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer for exploration and production, said the company has spent more than $450 million responding to the spill and that more than 14,000 people are involved in the effort.
To date, more than 1.2 million feet of boom have been deployed and another 400,000 feet of boom have been staged for deployment, he said. In all, the company is trying to accumulate 3.5 million feet of boom.
The forecast this weekend and early next week "looks very favorable to use all tools," he said, citing burning, skimming operations and use of surface and subsurface dispersants.
Suttles said the spill has had "limited impact" on shore, with oil being found in four locations in Louisiana, two in Alabama and one in Mississippi.
In Washington, President Barack Obama criticized executives from BP and two other companies for blaming each other for the catastrophe.
"It is absolutely essential that, going forward, we put in place every necessary safeguard and protection so that a tragedy like this oil spill does not happen again," Obama said after meeting Friday with Cabinet members to discuss the spill.
Read about oil spill responses
"This is a responsibility that all of us share," Obama said. "The oil companies share it. The manufacturers of this equipment share it. The agencies in the federal government in charge of oversight share that responsibility. I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility."
BP's efforts to plug the leak come amid growing concern that the company has been low-balling how much oil has poured out of the well.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, sent BP a letter Friday asking for details from federal agencies about the methods they are using to analyze the oil leak.
Markey, who chairs a congressional subcommittee on energy and the environment, said he would launch a formal inquiry after learning of independent estimates that are significantly higher than the amount BP officials have provided.
"The public needs to know the answers to very basic questions: how much oil is leaking into the Gulf and how much oil can be expected to end up on our shores and our ocean environment?" Markey said in a letter to BP. "I am concerned that an underestimation of the flow may be impeding the ability to solve the leak and | [
"How many feet of boom was deployed?",
"where did this happen",
"Who is critical of company executives for trying to shift blame to one another?",
"How many people were involved in the clean-up?",
"How many people are involved in clean-up and efforts?",
"What was deployed to prevent oily water from reaching shore?",
"Who was critical of company executives for trying to shift blame to one another?"
] | [
[
"more than 1.2 million"
],
[
"Gulf of Mexico,"
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"14,000"
],
[
"14,000"
],
[
"more than 1.2 million feet of boom"
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
]
] | NEW: Subsea dispersants 'an option we ... will move ahead with'
14,000 people involved in clean-up and efforts to stop the leak .
1.2 million feet of boom deployed to prevent oily water from reaching shore .
Obama critical of company executives for trying to shift blame to one another . |
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Copenhagen, Denmark, is 5,000 miles away from New Orleans, Louisiana. But representatives of the 192 nations gathering this week at the climate change conference need to keep the memory of a flooded New Orleans in mind.
Two years ago this month, the Make It Right Foundation was launched to help the families of New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward rebuild their lives and community. That was already two years after Katrina, and the once-vibrant neighborhood was still in ruins, failed by government and frustrated by a lack of progress.
Working with the Lower 9th Ward community, with families who lost everything in Katrina, with cutting-edge architects and inventive builders, we learned some truths and made some discoveries we would like to share with the climate change negotiators in Copenhagen:
We need urgent action. Climate change is real and happening now. The world already is reeling from the consequences -- rising sea levels, more violent storms, more frequent flooding and prolonged droughts. Hurricane Katrina, the killer heat wave in Europe, China's floods and the enduring drought in Australia are not anomalies, they are harbingers.
It is not enough to attack what causes global warming; we also must prepare to live with it. We must reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the changing climate.
Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped increasing today, the climate would continue to change for generations because of the gases that are already in the atmosphere.
People will go home, even if home is in harm's way. The pull of family, friends and happy memories proved irresistible for many in the Lower 9th Ward. The common history and culture of any community will keep people living in flood plains, along earthquake faults, and on shorelines, if those places are home.
More people are moving into harm's way. The number of people who live at the water's edge will continue to grow. The Lower 9th Ward is not unique -- more than 50 percent of America's population lives within 50 miles of a coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The same percentage applies to the world's population.
In the United States, NOAA predicts the number will rise as high as 75 percent by 2050 or sooner. Governments were formed to protect their citizens -- and not just from armed marauders.
Solutions exist to protect people and allow them to live safely in their homes. The consequences of climate change require every community to make changes that will increase safety and survivability. In post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, we are building affordable homes designed to use less energy, reduce carbon emissions and run on solar power, as well as weather the next storm.
Our storm-resistant features include high foundations to keep homes well above base flood levels; hurricane-resistant fabric to protect windows; increased structural durability to withstand 130-mph or higher winds; and access to the rooftop -- because so many of Katrina's victims died trapped in their attics.
This approach should be adopted by coastal-area builders around the globe.
Government has a unique and powerful role to play. Individual actions add up, but they pale compared to the reach and resources of government. We saw firsthand after Katrina how deadly and devastating it can be for a government to fail its citizens.
Today, we still see boarded-up houses, razed landscapes and blighted neighborhoods across New Orleans -- over four years after the Army Corps of Engineers-built levees failed. There are large-scale solutions that only governments can provide -- such as setting emissions standards and initiating adaptation measures. These options are available to the participants in Copenhagen.
It is time for the world's governments to step up. We are facing the most serious challenge to the health and well-being of the world since World War II. But instead of putting shoulders to the wheel, the leaders of the world are busy lowering expectations and tempering outcomes.
Instead, we ask them to act with urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and embrace solutions that will help our children survive and thrive in a changing climate. They have the | [
"who directs foundation that helps New Orleans residents rebuild their community?",
"What did Darden say about global warming?",
"Is global warming affecting the world?",
"who needs to step up?",
"what hurricane flooded New Orleans ?"
] | [
[
"Make It Right"
],
[
"We need urgent action."
],
[
"Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped increasing today, the climate would continue to change for generations because of the gases that are already in the atmosphere."
],
[
"world's governments"
],
[
"Katrina,"
]
] | Tom Darden directs foundation that helps New Orleans residents rebuild their community .
He says Hurricane Katrina, flooded New Orleans offer lessons for Copenhagen meeting .
Darden: World is reeling from global warming; effects will continue and we must adapt .
Solutions exist, but it's time for the international community to step up, he says . |
New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans police lined up "like at a firing range" and fatally shot an unarmed man in the back as he fled from them in the days after Hurricane Katrina swept ashore, a witness to the shooting told CNN.
It marks the first time a witness has come forward publicly with information about the shooting of Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man whose death has sparked a police investigation and a grand jury probe into what happened in and around the Danziger Bridge that day.
"He just fell like he was collapsing," Kasimir Gaston told CNN. "Like something just wiped him out."
Gaston was one of many flood refugees living on the second floor of the Friendly Inn, a low-income motel on the city's east side. On Sunday, September 4, 2005, he says he woke up and stepped onto the balcony of the motel and saw a man running, hands outstretched and being fired upon.
Former officer pleads guilty in shooting
Initial police accounts said that Madison reached for his waistband and turned on police, but Gaston said Madison did not appear to have a weapon and that he was running away from police "hands out, full speed" when he was shot.
Police declined CNN's request for an interview.
After the shooting last year, police said officers had responded to reported gunshots on the Danziger Bridge and that a running gunbattle ensued with six suspects.
One teenager was killed near the base of the bridge and three other people were wounded, according to police reports.
A police department press release from October 4, 2005, said Madison, described as an unidentified gunman, was "confronted by a New Orleans Police officer. The suspect reached into his waist and turned toward the officer who fired one shot, fatally wounding him."
When asked if Madison had a gun, Gaston said, "I didn't see any on him."
No gun was found on Madison's body.
An autopsy obtained previously by CNN and verified by the Orleans Parish Coroner said Madison suffered five gunshot wounds to his back and two in his shoulder.
Gaston said he came forward now because he is still troubled by what happened. He said he decided to break his silence after watching a "CNN Presents" documentary, "Shoot to Kill," about the days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005.
CNN has visited the room where Gaston was staying. From that balcony, it is about 100 feet to where Madison was shot and killed.
The police department has said the shooting has been thoroughly investigated. But Gaston said no officer or detective approached him about what he saw. He was not asked for his name or phone number, Gaston said.
Gaston said his only contact with police on that day was when officers told him not to touch Madison's body, which was lying behind Gaston's truck, parked in the motel entranceway.
CNN has obtained a newspaper photo taken that Sunday morning that shows where the body fell. The back of a truck with a rusted trailer hitch and broken tail light can be seen in the photo. The photo appears to be Gaston's truck, which now sits in a parking lot in Dallas, Texas, where he now lives.
"They notified me that I had two bullet holes in the passenger side," he said. Two bullet marks can be seen at the right rear of the truck today.
Mary Howell, an attorney suing New Orleans police on behalf of the dead man's family, says there were several potential witnesses living at the Friendly Inn at the time of the shooting. She has accused police of violating procedures by failing to even write down their names.
Howell said Ronald Madison and his older brother, Lance Madison, were trying to avoid the shootout between police and others that day when they ran up the Danziger Bridge, toward the other side of the Industrial Canal.
Lance Madison has said a policeman pointed what looked like a rifle or shotgun at his brother and shot Ronald near the top | [
"What was Madison ailed with?",
"When was Ronald Madison shot?",
"where did was shot on September 4, 2005?",
"What did the witness say to CNN?",
"When was Madison shot?",
"what sparked a police investigation?",
"when appeared unarmed and was shot in the back?",
"What is Madison's age?",
"Who was shot in the back?"
] | [
[
"mentally retarded"
],
[
"Sunday, September 4, 2005,"
],
[
"Ronald Madison,"
],
[
"\"He just fell like he was collapsing,\""
],
[
"Sunday, September 4, 2005,"
],
[
"the shooting of Ronald Madison,"
],
[
"days after Hurricane Katrina"
],
[
"40-year-old"
],
[
"an unarmed man"
]
] | Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, was shot on September 4, 2005 .
His death sparked a police investigation .
In 2006, a witness to CNN gave his accounting of the shooting .
He said Madison appeared unarmed and was shot in the back . |
New York (CNN) -- Authorities have identified a teenager believed to be suffering from amnesia who was found on the streets of New York two weeks ago. Police say a CNN viewer in Maryland identified the young woman, who mysteriously turned up in Manhattan two weeks ago, claiming to have no memory of her family, her home or even her own name. The 18 year old whose name is not yet being released, is in the process of being reunited with her family. They are from Washington state and are on their way to New York, New York Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said on Saturday. A photo of the woman, who has been referred to as Jane Doe, was circulated by police and aired on CNN this week. The viewer in Maryland was familiar with her situation and knew she had been missing from her family earlier this month. The girl was found in Midtown Manhattan around 12:30 a.m. October 9 outside the Covenant House youth shelter, although the organization said that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility. "I just want to know who I am," the girl said in a statement from the New York City Administration for Children's Services. "I want to know who I am and what happened to me." According to its Web site, "Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth." Nearly 7,000 youths reportedly seek shelter there per year. A security guard for the shelter noticed the girl walking on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department. Police officers interviewed the young woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. The police said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered. The children's services agency said the girl recently wrote down the name "Amber" and has responded to it on one occasion, but she has no idea whether it is her true name. On another occasion she is said to have recalled certain words, which turned out to be an excerpt from the fantasy novel "Fool's Fate" by Robin Hobb. The girl also is apparently writing a fantasy story of her own that features a heroine named Rian, "who's been raised by the commander of the guard post on the edge of a fantasy kingdom," the young woman said. Judging from her poor dental hygiene, said Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, she appeared to have been living on the streets for some time. Evan Buxbaum, Susan Candiotti and Vanessa Juarez contributed to the report. | [
"When was she found in Manhattan?",
"When was she found?",
"Where was the CNN viewer from?",
"Who identified the young woman?",
"On October 9, where was she found?",
"Where is her family?",
"Which state is the family from?"
] | [
[
"around 12:30 a.m. October 9"
],
[
"12:30 a.m. October 9"
],
[
"Maryland"
],
[
"a CNN viewer"
],
[
"the streets of New York"
],
[
"Washington state"
],
[
"Washington"
]
] | NEW: New York Police say the 18-year-old is being reunited with family in Washington state .
NEW: CNN viewer in Maryland identified the young woman, police say .
She was found October 9 outside Manhattan youth shelter .
Agency says girl wrote down "Amber" and responded to name . |
New York (CNN) -- Dennis deLeon, former New York City human rights commissioner and long-time AIDS activist, has died, according to the organization he helped launch. He was 61.
The Latino Commission on AIDS issued a news release Monday, saying that deLeon was a "pioneer" and a "visionary," as well as a "tireless advocate for social justice and one of the first openly HIV-positive Latino leaders in the country."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised deLeon on Monday, saying in a statement that the activist "demonstrated a lifelong commitment to public service."
After being appointed as the director of the mayor's Commission on Latino Concerns in 1986, deLeon went on to serve in other civic roles, including being selected by then-Mayor David Dinkins in 1990 to head the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
In 1994, he returned to the private sector and helped found the Latino Commission on AIDS, where he served as its president for 15 years.
According to its Web site, "The Latino Commission on AIDS is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community."
"It will be a challenge to pick up the mantle Dennis has left for us at the Commission. Dennis was a friend, a mentor and an example of what a national leader should be. ... His work and his dedication to our community will not be forgotten," said Guillermo Chacon, current Latino Commission on AIDS president, in the release. | [
"Who was Dennis deLeon?",
"Who was the human rights commissioner, long-time AIDS activist?",
"What did the New York mayor do?",
"What names The Latino Commission gave to deLeon?",
"Who called him a pioneer?"
] | [
[
"former New York City human rights commissioner"
],
[
"Dennis deLeon,"
],
[
"praised deLeon"
],
[
"\"pioneer\" and a \"visionary,\""
],
[
"The Latino Commission on AIDS"
]
] | Dennis deLeon was a human rights commissioner, long-time AIDS activist .
The Latino Commission called him a "pioneer," "tireless advocate for social justice"
Commission president: "It will be a challenge to pick up the mantle Dennis has left for us"
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praises deLeon . |
New York (CNN) -- In the schoolyard of American politics, President Obama is the big, smart kid with all of the test answers who's being bullied by a bunch of Neanderthal ankle-biters from all sides. Meanwhile, all the teachers are wondering, "Why does he take this crap? He's bigger and smarter than all the other kids." It's no surprise the Glenn Becks of the world have been attacking Obama since the moment he stepped into the Oval Office. Beck and his blathering buddies on the right -- you know, the stinky kids in the coatroom who eat their own boogers. Always pick on the kids least likely to fight back. That being said -- we did elect President Obama to change things, and so far the only thing he seems to be changing are his faux-patriotic lapel pins ... and his mind. With the public option in the public toilet, not asking or telling about "don't ask, don't tell," the Gitmo Hilton still entertaining guests, and same-sex marriage so far off Obama's radar that it's now on his sonar, seeds of doubt have been planted in the left's collective mind. If this guy can't get his own party to step in line on health care reform, they wonder, then how the hell will he get other countries to do what he wants them to do? Although in some ways, that might be easier then dealing with these Blue Dogs who hump your leg ... and not in a good way. It's a valid concern. However, we can't expect him to accomplish all this sweeping change in less than a year. It's important that he lay the groundwork instead of just going all "Decider" on everyone and making gut choices. But he can't just be "The Thinker," either. Last time I looked, "The Thinker," by Rodin, had been sitting on his butt in the exact same place, for years. Unfortunately, laying groundwork doesn't win you any fans -- well, besides a few Nordic voters on the Nobel panel. Flexing muscles, now that wins you fans. Just ask the Governator. That's why the Financial Times said it's time for President Obama to pick a fight and win it in a knockout. But instead of working on that knockout, President Obama and his White House cronies are feuding with Fox News. While I'm loving this Fox hunt, the White House's strategy boggles my mind. This is not a war of necessity. Picking a fight with them is kinda like going to a biker bar after midnight -- as my mother used to say, "Nothing good can happen." That is, unless this heavyweight bout keeps escalating and we actually get to see Glenn Beck prancing around in a pair of sequined boxing shorts. When you disregard the action against Fox News, Obama seems to be paralyzed, like a frog that's had it stomach rubbed -- which may the reason he's got problems on both sides of the lily pad. Admittedly, I might be overreacting just a bit. The majority of the country is behind Obama. The situation just seems worse than it is because we're not used to this new era, in which you can actually criticize the president without being shouted down as an unpatriotic, Socialist, traitorous, granny-killing, freedom hater. After eight years of a presidency shrouded in darkness, we're not used to seeing the president's supporters, of all people, shining a light on his shortcomings. Back to the schoolyard, where Barry Obama is being bullied. You know what? He's big, he can take it. You know why? Because not only is he right in his beliefs, but he knows that if push comes to shove, he can lay out the rest of these runts with a couple of good smacks of his presidential pen. It's not time to panic, but President Obama needs to size up one of these twerps, cock back his arm, and take a swing soon, because the | [
"What is Obama described as changing?",
"What name does Behar use to describe Obama?"
] | [
[
"his faux-patriotic lapel pins"
],
[
"\"The Thinker,\""
]
] | Joy Behar: Obama the big, smart kid bullied by Neanderthal ankle-biters in the schoolyard .
Behar: Teachers think: "Why does he take this? He's bigger and smarter" than them .
Behar: Obama elected for change, but so far changing only lapel pins and his mind .
Joy talks politics with "Joe the Plumber" Joe Wurzelbacher on tonight's "Joy Behar" HLN 9 p.m. ET . |
New York (CNN) -- Rapper Lil Wayne will go directly to jail after he is sentenced by a Manhattan judge Tuesday afternoon for a gun conviction, according to a person familiar with the case.
Dwayne Carter, as he is known legally, pleaded guilty to felony gun charges in a deal with prosecutors October 2009. He is expected to get a one-year prison sentence.
His sentencing was delayed three weeks so he could get some dental work done, including removal of his diamond-studded braces.
The person familiar with the case would not confirm where Wayne would serve his sentence.
The plea agreement was a result of the rapper's 2007 arrest outside New York's Beacon Theater.
According to police, Wayne had a .40-caliber pistol on his tour bus.
"It's not his gun, they know whose gun it is," Wayne's attorney, Stacey Richman, said after a hearing last month.
In an unrelated case, Wayne also faces felony drug possession and weapons charges in the state of Arizona.
Lil Wayne is a multiplatinum-selling and Grammy-winning rap artist. His hits include "The Block is Hot" and "Lollipop," and his album "Tha Carter III" was the top-selling disc of 2008. His latest album, "Rebirth," was released last month.
CNN's Jennifer Rizzo contributed to this report. | [
"Carter's sentencing was postponed so he could get what?",
"Rapper Dwayne Carter will be sentenced for what kind of conviction?",
"What does the work?",
"Who will be condemned?",
"Work includes removal of diamond-encrusted what?"
] | [
[
"some dental work done,"
],
[
"gun"
],
[
"removal of his diamond-studded braces."
],
[
"Rapper Lil Wayne"
],
[
"braces."
]
] | Rapper Dwayne Carter will be sentenced for a gun conviction .
Carter's sentencing was postponed so he could get dental work .
Work includes removal of diamond-encrusted braces . |
New York (CNN) -- Spider-Man's alter ego cannot escape the harsh realities of the current economic times and will lose his job in an issue of the Amazing Spider-Man hitting stores this week.
Peter Parker, official photographer of the mayor by day and New York City crime fighter by night, is going to face new challenges, including unemployment.
"He's going to struggle with unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head," said Steve Wacker, Marvel Comics senior editor.
Parker has always been a grounded character with real-world problems, Wacker said. His aunt is frequently sick, he has girlfriend troubles, and he sometimes struggles to find work. In addition, Spider-Man story lines are often set against a backdrop of current events.
In the near future, Parker will have to juggle paying bills and buying "web-fluid" and other materials to fix his superhero costume in addition to keeping his dual identities under wraps.
Parker's work history includes photographer, assistant high school coach, science teacher and scientific researcher, according to his biography on the Marvel Web site. His education includes a college degree in biophysics and some postgraduate work in biochemistry.
It was at a science exhibit he attended as a teenager that he was bitten by a radioactive spider and acquired the creature's strength, agility and weaving ability, says Marvel Comics.
And although Parker has skills few other others can claim, he probably won't list these on his resume: superhuman strength, ability to cling to most surfaces, fast traveling ability aided by web-slinging and spider-sense danger avoidance system.
The Amazing Spider-Man comic was first published in 1963. | [
"What will be Parker's struggle?",
"Who will lose his job this week?",
"Who is Peter Parker?",
"What will happen to Peter Parker?",
"what is the alter's name?"
] | [
[
"unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head,\""
],
[
"Spider-Man's alter ego"
],
[
"photographer"
],
[
"lose his job"
],
[
"Peter Parker,"
]
] | Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, will lose his job this week .
Parker's going to struggle with unemployment, try to save city, pay his bills .
Marvel comics tries to have story lines set against backdrop of current events . |
New York (CNN) -- Two people have died and 28 people have fallen ill with matching strains of E. coli after an outbreak in ground beef, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Sixteen of those people are in hospitals and three have developed kidney failure as a result of the contamination, the CDC said late Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that Fairbank Farms in Ashville, New York, was recalling more than half a million pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli, a potentially deadly species of bacteria. The products subject to recall were sent to retailers including Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster and Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers, and Giant Food Stores. The exact products affected are listed on the USDA's Web site. The recall was for distribution centers in eight states, but Fairbank Farms said some retailers may have sent the affected beef to other states. Each package is printed with "EST. 492" inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the nutrition label. They were packaged on September 15 and 16 and may have been labeled at the retail stores with a sell-by date from September 19 through 28, the USDA said. Consumers should ask at their point of purchase if the products they have purchased are subject to recall, the USDA said. E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service advised consumers to safely prepare raw meat products, whether they are fresh or frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to be sure ground beef is cooked to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature, the FSIS said. Of the 28 people infected with E. coli from the outbreak, eight are in Massachusetts; four each are in Connecticut and New Hampshire; two each are in Maine, Pennsylvania and South Dakota; and one each is in California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Vermont, according to the CDC. | [
"What symptoms can E.coli cause?",
"what should you do to make sure the beef is cooked",
"What do you use to measure internal temperature of beef?",
"What is E.coli?",
"What should you use to measure the temperature of beef?",
"How many people died in this outbreak from E. coli?",
"what have two people died from",
"How many people have died from E.coli?"
] | [
[
"bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure."
],
[
"use a food thermometer"
],
[
"a food thermometer"
],
[
"a potentially deadly species of bacteria."
],
[
"food thermometer"
],
[
"Two"
],
[
"E. coli"
],
[
"Two"
]
] | Two people have died after becoming infected with E. coli in this outbreak .
E. coli is a bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, kidney failure .
Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of beef . |
New York (CNN) -- "Unauthorized and unprofessional" is how an internal memo describes the conduct of an air traffic controller, who allegedly allowed his two young children to speak with pilots on an air traffic control frequency, and his supervisor, who allegedly allowed it to happen.
The memo, dated February 25, was written after the facilities manager for the air traffic control tower at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport learned about the incident, a source who has seen the memo told CNN.
"The display of professionalism in the past by the control personnel at this facility has been exemplary," the memo said. "However, a lapse in judgment for what may seem a minor transgression diminishes our credibility and slights the high standards of professionalism."
It was not immediately clear what prompted the manager to write the memo or how he found out about the incident, the source said.
The incidents occurred on succeeding days last month at JFK, the Federal Aviation Administration said this week, and the controller and the supervisor have been placed on paid administrative leave.
"We have an incredible team of professionals who safely control our nation's skies every single day. This kind of behavior does not reflect the true caliber of our workforce," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in the statement Wednesday.
Babbitt was referring to the February 16 incident involving the controller's young son, who is heard in a recording -- posted on liveatc.net -- clearing a JetBlue flight for takeoff and later speaking to an apparent Aeromexico flight.
Later, an FAA official, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said the controller brought his daughter into the same tower the following day, and the child was allowed to talk with pilots of two planes.
A separate source said the supervisor "should be making sure that things like this don't happen."
Yet another source familiar with the investigation said the two children are twins.
The controller who brought the children to work later reported that he had done so, the source said. The controller and supervisor involved are veteran employees, the official said.
Dave Pascoe owner of the Web site where the recording of the air traffic communications is posted, told CNN he thinks the attention the incident has drawn is "ridiculous" and it has been "blown out of proportion."
In the recording, a child says, "JetBlue 171, cleared for takeoff."
A man then tells the plane, "Here's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school."
The pilot chuckles and says, "Wish I could bring my kid to work." The same pilot later tells the child, "Awesome job."
During the recording, which is dated February 17, the child also speaks to an apparent Aeromexico flight. A recording from the following day, when the daughter was reportedly in the tower, also was posted on the Web site.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown later said the incident took place about 7:30 p.m. February 16.
Pascoe said most people "in the aviation community felt like this was (not) anything more than a noble thing, that a father would take his kid to work."
"It was one incident where a kid was up in the control tower," he said. "If you know anything about aviation, you know that the air traffic control towers are highly supervised. ... A father was taking a child to work and let the kid clear planes for takeoff and now the world thinks it's an unsafe place."
The FAA has suspended all unofficial visits to air traffic control operational areas during its investigation into the incident. Babbitt has directed a team to review air traffic control policies and procedures related to facility visitors.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing controllers, issued a statement, saying its members "do not condone this type of behavior in any way."
CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report. | [
"What was suspended?",
"What slights the agency's credibility?",
"What did Memo say?",
"Who had a lapse in judgement?",
"What did the memo say?"
] | [
[
"unofficial visits to air traffic control operational areas"
],
[
"allegedly allowed his two young children to speak with pilots on an air traffic control frequency,"
],
[
"\"Unauthorized and unprofessional\""
],
[
"air traffic controller,"
],
[
"\"Unauthorized and unprofessional\""
]
] | Memo says conduct of control personnel in the past "has been exemplary"
Memo goes on to say the "lapse in judgment" slights the agency's credibility .
The FAA has suspended all unofficial visits to air traffic control operation areas . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York City crackdown on suspects allegedly involved in forged credit cards and identity theft led authorities to a $13 million global crime ring, Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown said Friday.
He called it the largest and perhaps most sophisticated ring of its kind in U.S. history.
Authorities hired translators to eavesdrop on a series of conversations in Arabic, Russian and Mandarin that led police to 86 suspects in a series of raids that started Tuesday, Brown said.
He said the defendants, who were charged with stealing the personal credit information of thousands of unwitting American and European consumers, are allegedly members of five organized crime rings with ties to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Twenty-five others remain at large, Brown added.
All of the 111 suspects were indicted in the theft case, while nearly two dozen of them were also charged in six indictments related to burglaries and robberies.
Several suspects are believed to have engaged in "nationwide shopping sprees, staying at five-star hotels, renting luxury automobiles and private jets, and purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of high-end electronics and expensive handbags and jewelry with forged credit cards," the Queens County District Attorney's Office reported.
The two-year probe, dubbed Operation Swiper, involved physical surveillance, intelligence gathering and court-authorized electronic eavesdropping on dozens of telephones in which thousands of conversations were intercepted, it said. | [
"What did the DA's office say about the suspects?",
"What did the suspects do according to the DA's office?",
"What did the DA say?",
"What did the suspects do?",
"Where did the credit information come from?"
] | [
[
"\"nationwide shopping sprees, staying at five-star hotels, renting luxury automobiles and private jets, and purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of high-end electronics and expensive handbags and jewelry with forged credit cards,\""
],
[
"identity theft"
],
[
"Several suspects are believed to have engaged in \"nationwide shopping sprees, staying at five-star hotels, renting luxury automobiles and private jets, and purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of high-end electronics and expensive handbags and jewelry with forged credit cards,\""
],
[
"engaged in \"nationwide shopping sprees, staying at five-star hotels, renting luxury automobiles and private jets, and purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of high-end electronics and expensive handbags and jewelry with forged credit cards,\""
],
[
"American and European consumers,"
]
] | The ring is the largest of its kind ever discovered in the United States, the DA says .
Credit information came from thousands of American and European consumers, he says .
The suspects went on "nationwide shopping sprees," the DA's office says . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York judge Friday postponed a decision on a proposed $657 million settlement for people who became ill after working on the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The settlement, announced Thursday, would cover about 10,000 plaintiffs, said Marc Bern, one of the lawyers representing the workers.
The postponement appeared to take attorneys -- and Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- by surprise. Attorneys for both sides and the mayor earlier made statements assuming the proposal would be approved by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
The judge is particularly interested in making sure the attorneys' cut of the settlement is equitable for all parties.
"This will not be a giveaway," Hellerstein said Friday. "This will be a fair and just settlement."
Christine LaSala, president of WTC Captive Insurance Co., which announced the settlement, repeated after the judge's announcement a statement issued Thursday night.
"This agreement enables workers and volunteers claiming injury from the WTC site operations to obtain compensation commensurate with the nature of their injuries and the strength of their claims, while offering added protection against possible future illness," she said.
The agreement comes after six years of legal wrangling -- a sometimes excruciating wait for his clients, Bern said.
Many of his clients worked rescuing victims from the terrorist attacks or removing debris after the World Trade Center toppled. After the work, some found their health deteriorated, with many suffering from asthma, other respiratory issues and blood cancer, Bern told CNN Radio.
"I am quite gratified that we been able to reach a settlement for the heroes of 9/11," said Bern. "The men and women who were exposed at the site have waited a long time for some type of resolution."
The WTC Captive Insurance Co. announced the settlement on Thursday.
"This agreement enables workers and volunteers claiming injury from the WTC site operations to obtain compensation commensurate with the nature of their injuries and the strength of their claims, while offering added protection against possible future illness," the organization said in a statement.
WTC Captive was created with a $1 billion FEMA grant and provides insurance coverage to the City of New York and its debris-removal contractors. In the aftermath of 9/11, New York was unable to get adequate amounts of liability insurance for the rescue, recovery and debris-removal work done at the World Trade Center site.
The settlement would provide a system to pay for the compensation of the injury claims made by workers. This would include construction workers, firefighters, police officers and other workers and volunteers. The settlement would also fund a special insurance policy, which provides additional compensation to any plaintiff contracting certain types of cancer in the future.
The settlement agreement will be presented to a judge Friday morning who then could give preliminary approval of it by afternoon, Bern said.
If the judge gives his OK, Bern's law firm will send letters to the plaintiffs to tell them what money they are eligible for.
"The payments could range from thousands of dollars to nearly $2 million for clients," Bern said.
In order to make a claim, plaintiffs will have to submit proof they were present and participated in the post-9/11 efforts. They will also have to present specific medical documentation, including a diagnosis confirming their illness or injury.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said of the resolution, "This settlement is a fair and reasonable resolution to a complex set of circumstances. Since September 11th, the city has moved aggressively to provide medical treatment to those who were present at Ground Zero, and we will continue our commitment to treatment and monitoring." A spokesman for the mayor declined further comment.
After the 9/11 attacks, individuals who worked or volunteered in the rescue, recovery and debris-removal project were entitled to and have received free medical care, which has been funded by the City of New York and the federal government. Participating in the settlement would not deter access to that care.
Former New York firefighter Kenny Specht told CNN's Campbell Brown, "You really can't put a price on | [
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"What does WTC Captive provide coverage to?",
"how many plaintiffs were announced for settlements?",
"Does the settlement include injury claims",
"What should the settlement provide?",
"what does the WTC captive provides?",
"What does WTC captive provide coverage for",
"what is the settlement providing on?"
] | [
[
"10,000"
],
[
"City of New York and its debris-removal contractors."
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],
[
"a system to pay for the compensation of the injury claims made by workers."
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"insurance coverage to the City of New York and its debris-removal contractors."
],
[
"10,000 plaintiffs,"
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[
"provide a system to pay for the compensation of the injury claims made by workers."
]
] | NEW: .
WTC Captive Insurance Co. announced settlements with more than 10,000 plaintiffs .
WTC Captive provides coverage to the city and its debris-removal contractors .
Settlement would provide system to pay for compensation of injury claims . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York man is suing two airlines for $10 million, saying he was injured when he tackled the "underwear bomber" during a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day in 2009.
Theophilus Maranga filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New York, alleging that he sustained physical and psychological injuries during the incident.
He is suing Delta Airlines and Air France-KLM for neglecting to prevent Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab from boarding Flight 253 on Northwest Airlines, which merged with Delta Airlines.
Both airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit.
It is unclear how federal agencies partner with authorities abroad to screen for potentially dangerous passengers aboard U.S.-bound flights and what responsibilities airlines bear in that process.
The 2009 incident -- referenced in the lawsuit -- started when passengers heard a loud noise aboard the plane, sounding much like a firecracker, according to Jonathan Tukel, chief of the National Security Unit for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan.
AbdulMutallab became enveloped in a fireball that then spread to the wall and carpeting of the plane, yet he remained in his seat "expressionless, completely blank," Tukel said.
Four passengers restrained him and helped put out the fire, he added, and AbdulMutallab was escorted up to the first-class section of the plane.
Georgia resident Dimitrios Bessis said he was among the passengers who put out the fire. Michael Zantow, a 20-year Army veteran, was another of those who tried to restrain the suspected bomber.
Within a minute of the loud sound on the plane, a passenger said to AbdulMutallab, "Hey man, your pants are on fire!" Zantow later testified.
The Nigerian native, who in October pleaded guilty to trying to blow up the airplane, is facing the prospect of life behind bars.
U.S. officials say the terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the bombing attempt.
Earlier this week, AbdulMutallab -- who has been acting as his own court representative -- asked U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds to replace attorney Anthony Chambers, who had been advising him.
In a handwritten letter to Edmunds, he said wants a different adviser, preferably a Muslim male attorney, citing that his relationship with Chambers had been strained. | [
"Who injured him?",
"What man is saying he was injured",
"How much is a man suing two airlines for?",
"Both airlines declined to do what?",
"What was the man injured doing?",
"Who is he suing?",
"What man is suing two airlines"
] | [
[
"\"underwear bomber\""
],
[
"Theophilus Maranga"
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[
"$10 million,"
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[
"comment on the lawsuit."
],
[
"tackled the \"underwear bomber\" during a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day in 2009."
],
[
"two airlines"
],
[
"Theophilus Maranga"
]
] | A man is suing two airlines for $10 million .
He says he was injured after tackling the "underwear bomber" during a Detroit-bound flight .
Both airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York man suspected in the death of an elderly woman who was set on fire in the elevator of her Brooklyn apartment building over the weekend was arraigned Monday on charges of murder and arson.
Jerome Isaac, 47, is being held without bail, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, and is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.
He wore a white jumpsuit and did not speak during the arraignment. The left side of his face appeared to be badly burned.
Isaac's attorney requested his client receive medical attention and be placed in protective custody because of the "publicity and the nature of the offense."
Isaac is accused of attacking 73-year-old Deloris Gillespie. He told police Gillespie owed him $2,000 for work he claims he did for her, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne. He turned himself in to police overnight Saturday or early Sunday morning.
Neighbors said the woman was returning home to her fifth-floor apartment in Prospect Heights after a grocery store trip Saturday.
A preliminary investigation showed Isaac standing outside the elevator on the fifth floor and attacked the woman as she was attempting to exit, authorities said. The incident was caught on surveillance cameras inside and outside the elevator, and police have the videotapes, Browne said.
Authorities believe Isaac initially sprayed the woman with a flammable liquid, presumably gasoline, and continued to spray her as he followed her back into the elevator, Browne said. The woman was first sprayed in the face, he said.
Then, using "one of those long lighters that you would use for a grill, he lit a Molotov cocktail and used the burning leg on top of that to ignite her body," Browne said.
The suspect stepped out of the elevator, threw the Molotov cocktail inside, then returned again to spray more liquid on the woman as she burned, he said.
"This is as bad as it gets," Browne told CNN's Don Lemon.
Authorities responding to a 911 call of a fire found the woman's body inside the elevator. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Isaac lived about 10 minutes away from Gillespie's apartment building, Brown said. After the incident, he apparently returned home and ignited the door to his own apartment, he said.
He was concerned he had burned himself in the second incident, although no one else was injured, Browne said. He then hid out on a rooftop for a while and fell asleep, later going into a police station "reeking of gasoline" and telling officers he was responsible for a fire. During questioning, Browne said, he implicated himself in Gillespie's death.
CNN's Jason Kessler contributed to this report. | [
"What is Jerome Isaac accused of?",
"What is Isaac accused of doing?",
"What age is Jerome Isaac?",
"What is Jerome Isaac's age?",
"When is he scheduled to be in court?",
"When does Isaac appear in court again?",
"What date is he to appear in court?",
"What is Jerome Isaac charged with?",
"When was this crime committed?"
] | [
[
"attacking 73-year-old Deloris Gillespie."
],
[
"attacking 73-year-old Deloris Gillespie."
],
[
"47,"
],
[
"47,"
],
[
"Friday."
],
[
"Friday."
],
[
"Friday."
],
[
"murder and arson."
],
[
"Saturday."
]
] | 47-year-old Jerome Isaac is being held without bail .
He is accused of setting a 73-year-old woman on fire .
Isaac is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday .
His lawyer requests he be placed in protective custody . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York medical examiner's office said Saturday that a body discovered this week along a remote stretch of Long Island beach was that of Shannan Gilbert, the missing New Jersey woman whose disappearance led investigators to 10 sets of human remains and the hunt for a possible serial killer.
Gilbert, 24, vanished in May 2010 after visiting a client. The Jersey City resident, police said, had advertised for prostitution services on websites such as Craigslist.
Her body was uncovered Tuesday in the wooded marshes of Suffolk County's Oak Beach. The cause of her death has not yet been determined, police said in a statement.
"Our condolences to the Gilbert family and her friends," said Police Commissioner Richard Dormer. "We hope this brings them closure and peace."
Investigators cut through a fresh thicket of brush and bramble along Long Island's southern shoreline earlier this week, expanding their investigation across a recently drained swampland on the barrier island before uncovering Gilbert's remains.
They were found at 9:14 a.m. Tuesday by police divers and detectives riding atop amphibious vehicles, roughly a quarter-mile from where her purse was found a week before.
The purse was discovered near a cell phone, shoes and a pair of jeans, according to investigators.
After Gilbert vanished last year, the hunt for her led police seven months later to four bodies stuffed in bushes along a quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway in Oak Beach.
All four were later identified as women and, like Gilbert, had advertised for prostitution services online.
The bodies were found in various stages of decomposition.
Additional remains were later uncovered in neighboring Gilgo Beach and in Nassau County, about 40 miles east of New York City.
Unlike other victims found scattered across the two counties, Gilbert is not thought to have been murdered by the suspected serial killer, police have said.
But on Thursday, top law enforcement officials publicly sparred over competing theories in the case.
Dormer has said a single person is likely responsible for the alleged murders.
"The theory is now that we're dealing with one serial killer," he told reporters in November, reiterating his position during a county legislative hearing on Thursday.
Moments later during the same hearing, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota took the stand and rejected Dormer's statement.
"I very very much disagree with that theory," said Spota. "I don't know of anybody who, in the police department, who is actively conducting the investigation who shares that theory.
"Quite frankly, I don't know why there was a unilateral change in theories."
In May, Spota told reporters that a collection of human remains were not believed to be connected to the first four victims.
Dormer, who initially told reporters the bodies could be the work of a killer or multiple killers, later pointed to a similar dumping ground as one common aspect of the investigation that could support the notion of a single killer.
Authorities have sifted through more than 1,000 tips related to the case. But it's unclear whether that has shed any light on an investigation that continues to garner national attention.
In June, police upped the ante in their search for a culprit.
The reward for information leading to an arrest -- once topping out at $5,000 -- was raised five-fold, making it the largest offered in Suffolk County history in an apparent bid to fill out a case that some fear has gone cold. | [
"Whose body was found?",
"When did Gilbert disappear?",
"Did Gilbert`s May disappearance led to anything else?",
"What did police say about cause of death?",
"Who's body was discovered?",
"Where were other bodies found?",
"Did Police said anything about the cause of her death?",
"Did Authorities confirm that body found is Shannan Gilbert?"
] | [
[
"Shannan Gilbert,"
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[
"May 2010"
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[
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[
"stuffed in bushes along a quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway in Oak Beach."
],
[
"has not yet been determined,"
],
[
"along a remote stretch of Long Island beach was"
]
] | Authorities confirm that a body discovered this week was that of Shannan Gilbert .
Police say the cause of her death has not yet been determined .
Gilbert's May 2010 disappearance led to the discovery of other bodies on Long Island . |
New York (CNN) -- A New York woman releases a deep sigh of relief as she reflects on a court ruling that her spouse will not be torn from her by the looming threat of deportation.
"Now we can make plans, and we have all the time in the world," Cristina Ojeda, 26, tells CNN.
Monday, she received a letter confirming the ruling by Immigration Judge Terry Bain that will allow her wife, Argentina-born Monica Alcota, 36, to stay in the United States, according to the couple's attorney, Lavi Soloway.
Soloway said this is the first time the government had asked an immigration court to close removal proceedings against a spouse in a same-sex couple since the Department of Homeland Security announced November 17 that a "working group" would be reviewing all pending immigration cases.
The group began the process of identifying and closing "low priority" deportation cases three days after Soloway submitted the request to close Alcota's immigration case, the attorney said.
"We're really gratified because we feel that government moved in the right direction in the time we needed," Soloway told CNN.
He made the request to halt deportation based on Alcota's marriage to Ojeda, who is a U.S. citizen, and on Alcota's "strong moral character, family presence, and deep ties to members of the community." Alcota lives with Ojeda in Queens, where she restores antiques.
Until Monday, life for Alcota and Ojeda had been put on hold for two years.
Alcota had been living in the United States for more than 10 years since overstaying her tourist visa, when she was pulled off a Greyhound bus in July of 2009 and taken into a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Ojeda explained.
Ojeda, a social worker in Queens, traveled two expensive hours by subway, bus, train, and sometimes cab -- there and back every day for three months -- to see Alcota.
"Looking back on those days, we have come so far, we have accomplished something really big," Ojeda said.
The couple was married in Connecticut in 2010, before New York law allowed same-sex marriages.
"We have gone through a really rough road these past two years. The burden was horrible. We never knew what was going to happen," Ojeda said.
"We lived in fear we were going to be torn apart," she told CNN.
While celebrating their success, Ojeda said "the battle is not over."
She told CNN that Alcota's effort to be granted a green card, which was originally denied, now has been submitted for appeal.
"Of course, we will not have full equality until DOMA is gone," the couple said in written statement.
The Defense of Marriage Act bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages. The act also says that states cannot be forced to recognize such marriages performed in other states.
Despite the battle ahead, the happily wed lesbian couple is excited to have their life back.
"At least we have this. We know she is not going to be taken away, we can live our lives a little better, we can do things we haven't been able to do," an emotional Ojeda told CNN between joyous gasps.
The couple is even turning over the idea of renting a new apartment and perhaps getting a new car.
CNN's Kristen Hamill contributed to this report. | [
"What threat does a woman in a same-sex marriage no longer face?",
"Who is Monica Alcota as described by others, what are her qualities?",
"What does Cristina Ojeda explain she can now do?",
"What did a court order take away?",
"What does Ojeda say?"
] | [
[
"of deportation."
],
[
"\"strong moral character, family presence, and deep ties to members of the community.\""
],
[
"make plans,"
],
[
"that her spouse will not be torn from her by the looming threat of deportation."
],
[
"\"Now we can make plans, and we have all the time in the world,\""
]
] | A court ruling takes away the threat of deportation for a woman in a same-sex marriage .
Monica Alcota's "strong moral character, family presence, and deep (community) ties" are cited .
"Now we can make plans, and we have all the time in the world," Cristina Ojeda says . |
New York (CNN) -- A Picasso painting fetched nearly $106.5 million at auction Tuesday, a record for any single work of art, Christie's New York said.
"Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" sold for $106,482,500 to an unidentified telephone bidder, the auction house said in a news release.
"Silence fell over the packed saleroom as Christopher Burge conducted nine minutes of bidding that involved eight clients," it said. "Christie's lead auctioneer took bids from a client in the saleroom as well as those on the phone before the competition settled down to two bidders at the $88 million mark and a one-on-one battle ensued. The final bid was hammered down at 7.32 p.m. at $95 million."
The buyer's premium -- the additional fee paid to the auction house -- took the price of the painting to $106.5 million.
"Nude, Green Leaves and Bust," or "Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur," is from the collection of Los Angeles philanthropist Frances Lasker Brody, who died last November and was the wife of the real estate developer Sidney F. Brody. The collection, amassed primarily during the 1940s and 1950s, had been in the family's home since.
Experts had referred to the 1932 work as "lost" because it had never been published in color. It shows Picasso's muse and mistress, Marie-Therese Walter.
The previous highest price for a work at auction was $104,327,006 paid for "L'Homme Qui Marche I, bronze" (Walking Man 1), 1960, by Alberto Giacometti. It sold during an auction at Sotheby's to an anonymous telephone bidder in February, 2010.
The previous high for a Picasso was $104,168,000 for "Garcon a la Pipe" ("Boy with Pipe"), 1905, in May 2004.
Those who missed a chance to bid on the Picasso can bid on its prior owners' 2.27-acre estate in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 11,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-staff bedroom house was built in 1950 and is listed at $24.95 million, according to Coldwell Banker Previews International. | [
"What does the painting show?",
"What was the previous record?",
"How much did the painting sell for?",
"What painting sold for $106.482,500?",
"Who was Picasso's muse?"
] | [
[
"Picasso's muse and mistress, Marie-Therese Walter."
],
[
"$104,327,006"
],
[
"$106,482,500"
],
[
"\"Nude, Green Leaves and Bust\""
],
[
"Marie-Therese Walter."
]
] | "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" sells for $106,482,500, the most ever paid for single work of art .
The 1932 painting shows Picasso's muse and mistress, Marie-Therese Walter .
Previous record was $104 million for Alberto Giacometti's "L'Homme Qui Marche I, bronze" |
New York (CNN) -- A Somali suspect in the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean last April has been charged with involvement in two additional hijackings, authorities said Tuesday.
One of the hijacked vessels is still being held hostage, federal prosecutors said in announcing a 10-count indictment filed against Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse. The vessels are identified in court documents as "Ship-1" and "Ship-2."
Under the indictment, Muse faces charges including piracy; seizing a ship by force; kidnapping and hostage taking, along with charges of possessing a machine gun in the commission of other offenses. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He was to be arraigned on the additional charges Tuesday afternoon in federal court, authorities said.
Muse is accused of participating in the two hijackings before the Maersk Alabama was hijacked April 8, prosecutors said in a statement.
Ship-1 was seized by pirates in March in the Indian Ocean, according to the indictment and a criminal complaint. Authorities say Muse and others "known and unknown" boarded the vessel while armed with guns, threatened its captain and took control, holding the ship's captain and crew hostage.
While on the ship, prosecutors said, Muse aimed a gun at one of the hostages and threatened to kill him. He also showed a hostage what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, the statement said. "Muse placed the IED in the vicinity of the hostage, and indicated that if the authorities came the IED would explode and the hostage would be killed."
In April, Muse and the others left Ship-1 on a small boat, called "the skiff," prosecutors said. When the skiff returned, the ship and the skiff "were made to rendezvous" with another ship, Ship-2.
"The captain of Ship-1 was ordered to pull Ship-1 up to Ship-2. Ship-1 was then attached to Ship-2," according to the statement. "Muse and others held hostage, on board Ship-2, both the captain and the crew of Ship-1 and the captain and crew of Ship-2."
On April 8, Muse and three others left Ship-2 and boarded the Maersk Alabama, the indictment said. Prosecutors allege the four fired shots at the Maersk Alabama before boarding it.
The captain and crew of Ship-2 are still being held hostage, according to the documents. The indictment does not say what happened to Ship-1, its captain or crew.
The Maersk Alabama was attacked about 350 miles off the Somali coast, authorities have previously said. Muse allegedly demanded that the ship be stopped, then he and others allegedly took a life boat and held the captain of the ship -- Capt. Richard Phillips -- hostage on it.
The USS Bainbridge came to the assistance of the vessel, and in radio communications, Muse and the others threatened to kill Phillips if they were not guaranteed safe passage away from the scene, authorities have said.
On April 12, Muse boarded the Bainbridge and demanded safe passage for himself and the others in exchange for Phillips' release, according to a criminal complaint. While he was away from the lifeboat, Navy SEALs shot and killed the three remaining pirates, authorities said. Muse was taken into custody.
"Piracy on the high seas is a threat against the community of nations," Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in the statement Tuesday. "Today's indictment alleges criminal conduct that extends beyond the attack against the captain and crew of the American-flagged Maersk Alabama. Modern-day pirates who wreak havoc off faraway coasts will be met with modern-day justice in the United States."
The investigation is continuing, Bharara said.
A federal judge ruled in April that Muse could be tried as an adult. His father in Somalia told defense attorneys he was born November 20, 1993, meaning he would have been 15 at the time of the hijackings. However, the prosecution argued otherwise, saying Muse made statements suggesting he was older. | [
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"Who is prosecuted in hijackings?",
"who prosecuted in hijackings of two other ships?",
"who killed three pirates?",
"Who faces new charges?",
"who filed against abduwali Abdukhadir Muse?",
"How many pirates were killed?"
] | [
[
"Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse."
],
[
"Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse."
],
[
"Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse."
],
[
"Navy SEALs"
],
[
"Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse."
],
[
"federal prosecutors"
],
[
"three"
]
] | Alleged Somali pirate prosecuted in hijackings of two other ships .
New charges filed against Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse .
Other ships not identified; pirates still hold one .
Snipers killed three pirates who had hijacked Maersk Alabama in April . |
New York (CNN) -- A driver for Naomi Campbell told police that he was assaulted by the supermodel Tuesday, according to the New York Police Department.
NYPD Deputy Commission of Public Information Paul Brown said Campbell left the scene of the alleged assault on Manhattan's East Side on foot. He said police were interested in speaking with her but did not know her whereabouts.
Campbell's spokesman, Jeff Raymond, told CNN in a written statement, "There shouldn't be a rush to judgment. Naomi will co-operate voluntarily, and there is more to the story than meets the eye."
Brown said the 27-year-old male driver pulled over about 3 p.m. in the vicinity of 58th Street and Second Avenue and reported to a traffic agent that he had been assaulted by Campbell. Campbell fled the scene while the traffic agent called for police, Brown said.
The driver told officers that Campbell had struck him in the back of the neck and caused his head to hit the steering wheel, according to police. The driver, who was taken to a local precinct for questioning, had a small bruise and swelling under his right eye, according to police.
The driver had been hired for the day to drive Campbell to a studio in Queens.
Campbell, 39, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in 2007, admitting she hit her former housekeeper with a cell phone in March of 2005.
In 2000, she pleaded guilty to a 1998 charge of assault against an assistant. And in October 2006, she was arrested again, this time in London, for allegedly attacking her drug counselor.
Last month Campbell admitted on CNN's Connect The World she had been working on controlling her anger after her recent outbursts. "I took a lot of time out," she said. "Everybody has their demons and I had to look in the mirror and face mine.
"Until I did that there was not going to be a change in my life. I didn't want to be the way I was. I'm a work in progress Every day is a new day ... every day I'm learning something new. But I know I'm taking a step forwards and not backwards." | [
"What did Campbell's spokesman say?",
"What is model Naomi Campbell accused of?",
"What did Campbell spokesman say?",
"What did the Campbell spokesman say?",
"What did the male diver tell police?",
"What did driver tell police?",
"What did police say Naomi did after the alleged assault?",
"Where did the alleged assault take place?"
] | [
[
"\"There shouldn't be a rush to judgment. Naomi will co-operate voluntarily, and there is more to the story than meets the eye.\""
],
[
"assault"
],
[
"\"There shouldn't be a rush to judgment. Naomi will co-operate voluntarily, and there is more to the story than meets the eye.\""
],
[
"\"There shouldn't be a rush to judgment. Naomi will co-operate voluntarily, and there is more to the story than meets the eye.\""
],
[
"he was assaulted by the supermodel"
],
[
"he was assaulted by the supermodel Tuesday,"
],
[
"left the scene"
],
[
"Manhattan's East Side"
]
] | Male driver, 27, tells police model Naomi Campbell struck him in back of neck .
Police say she left scene of alleged assault on Manhattan's East Side on foot .
Police say they would like to question her but don't know her whereabouts .
Campbell spokesman: "There is more to the story than meets the eye" |
New York (CNN) -- A group of union-backed organizations joined the loosely defined Occupy Wall Street movement again Tuesday, leaving behind the confines of New York's financial district for the posh neighborhoods that dot Manhattan's Upper East Side, according to multiple group representatives.
Crowds also swelled in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, where demonstrators waved placards and chanted slogans attacking corporate greed and social inequality.
The union-organized march, meanwhile, took protesters past the homes of well-to-do residents like billionaire David Koch, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch and JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
Organizations such as UnitedNY, the Strong Economy for All Coalition, the Working Families Party, and New York Communities for Change were accompanied by protesters typically based in Zuccotti Park, a privately owned park in New York's financial district.
The Upper East Side march was "in support" of the Occupy Wall Street movement, but was not organized by it, said T.J. Helmstetter, a spokesman for Working Families Party, a coalition of New York community and labor groups.
Protesters hopped on the subway, emerging at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street near Central Park, where organizers held a press conference that addressed both New York-centric themes, such as state taxes, and the movement's broader concerns of social inequity.
"We are the 99%," the group chanted, a reference to their insistence that most Americans lack the influence in their country's political and financial affairs enjoyed by the elite 1%.
"I think it's time that these people realize that people are hurting in this country and it's time to reform what's going on in Washington," said New York resident Lenore Silverstein, who attended Tuesday's march.
Emily Monroe , a North Carolina college student and marcher, said the city's wealthiest "are buying billion-dollar apartments and living lavishly, while we are just trying to sustain ourselves."
"The American dream is no longer possible because these people are stealing from the middle class," she told CNN Radio.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, meanwhile, said authorities will defend protesters' right to demonstrate, but he doesn't appreciate "the bashing of all of the hardworking people who live and work here."
"Our city depends on the jobs that the financial services industry provides," Bloomberg said during a news conference in the Bronx.
He added that he didn't understand what the picketing of wealthy and prominent New Yorkers is intended to achieve.
The mayor's comments coincided with a state comptroller report released Tuesday that predicts Wall Street could lose an additional 10,000 jobs by the end of next year, raising the total number of jobs lost in the securities industry since 2008 to 32,000.
Earlier, in Boston, 129 protesters were arrested during a similar demonstration Tuesday, mostly for "unlawful assembly and trespassing," said police spokesman Eddy Chrispin.
The group allegedly blocked traffic and refused to disperse while marching to "areas of the city where they hadn't been previously," he said.
Protesters have been occupying Dewey Square Park in downtown Boston, but expanded to the neighboring Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway on Monday night. Protesters were given a 1:30 a.m. deadline to move back to Dewey Square. Those who did not were arrested.
The nationwide Occupy movement has been largely peaceful, though it has led to some skirmishes with police and arrests. It has also stoked fervent public debate, including among politicians. Democrats have generally offered sympathy for protesters' concerns while several Republicans, among them 2012 presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, have described the demonstrations as "class warfare."
The movement shows few signs of slowing down. Rallies and marches have been held in numerous towns and cities in recent days, with many more planned.
That includes a "Call to Action Against Banks" planned for Saturday, which New York's Occupy Wall Street announced on its Facebook site.
"No longer will banks take our homes. No longer will banks rob students of our future. No longer will banks destroy the environment. No longer will banks | [
"The New York securities sector could lose how many jobs?",
"Who says he doesn't understand what the picketing is intended to achieve?",
"What are the number of jobs",
"What did Bloomberg say",
"People are stealing from whom according to a protester?",
"What do protestors say"
] | [
[
"10,000"
],
[
"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg,"
],
[
"10,000"
],
[
"\"Our city depends on the jobs that the financial services industry provides,\""
],
[
"middle class,\""
],
[
"\"We are the 99%,\""
]
] | NEW: "People are stealing from the middle class," a protester says .
NEW: Bloomberg says he doesn't understand what the picketing is intended to achieve .
NEW: He says authorities will defend protesters' right to demonstrate .
NEW: The New York securities sector could lose 10,000 jobs by 2012 year, report says . |
New York (CNN) -- A human skull and crossbones, valued at up to $20,000, won't appear at a Christie's auction Friday after another party claimed rights to the remains, the auction house announced.
Yale University's secret Order of Skull and Bones used the skull and crossbones as a ballot box, Christie's said in its advertisement of the item in an auction catalogue. The auction house estimates the 19th century ballot box is worth between $10,000 and $20,000.
The skull, crossbones and accompanying book of Skull and Bones members between 1832 and 1877 were "withdrawn from sale due to a title claim," Christie's said in a statement Friday. The global auctioneer did not say who claimed rights to the items.
Earlier this month, the World Archaeological Congress condemned the sale, calling the sale of human body parts an "affront to human dignity." The group also suggested the skull might be that of a Native American and thus be subject to federal laws protecting Native American remains.
This isn't the first time Skull and Bones has been entangled in a debate over human remains.
The great-grandson of famed Chiricahua Apache warrior Geronimo sued Skull and Bones last year, claiming the society had Geronimo's remains. Historians disagreed on whether the society had ever dug up Geronimo's grave.
The collegiate society has existed since 1832 and has prominent alumni such as former President George W. Bush and his grandfather, Sen. Prescott Bush. | [
"What does another party claim rights to?",
"What is used as a ballot box?",
"Which university does this?",
"Who has claimed rights?",
"How much were the skull and crossbones valued at?",
"What did archaeological congress call the sale?",
"What did Yale University use as ballot box?",
"Who calls sale of human remains \"affront to human dignity\"?"
] | [
[
"A human skull and crossbones,"
],
[
"crossbones"
],
[
"Yale"
],
[
"another party"
],
[
"up to $20,000,"
],
[
"\"affront to human dignity.\""
],
[
"the skull and crossbones"
],
[
"World Archaeological Congress"
]
] | Another party claims rights to human skull and crossbones valued at up to $20,000 .
Yale University's secret Order of Skull and Bones used them as ballot box .
World Archaeological Congress calls sale of human remains "affront to human dignity"
Group suggests skull might be Native American, subject to legal protection . |
New York (CNN) -- A leading Muslim-American group lashed out at the federal government Friday for moving to seize assets -- including four mosques -- that belong to a foundation and a corporation believed linked to Iran. "The American Muslim and faith communities must not allow houses of worship to become pawns in geopolitical struggles," said Imam Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation. "The tension between the United States and Iran must not be played out in the mosques of America." Federal prosecutors say their actions against assets belonging to the Alavi Foundation and the Assa Corp., which also include a Manhattan skyscraper, are not an effort to target mosques. "There are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these tenants or occupants," said Yusill Scribner, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in a written statement Thursday. "The tenants and occupants remain free to use the properties as they have before today's filing." A senior Justice Department official told reporters that the government is moving against the Iranian landlords of the buildings, not seizing mosques as religious-oriented facilities. The mosques -- in New York, Maryland, California and Texas -- just happen to be among the tenants of the buildings in question, the official said. But the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation called the actions an "unprecedented encroachment of religious freedom." The group said "it is an abiding concern among the American Muslim community that this action is just the beginning of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting tragedy." A Muslim-American soldier is accused in a Fort Hood, Texas, shooting spree that left 13 people dead and dozens injured. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, another leading Muslim-American group, issued a statement Thursday saying the government's actions may have First Amendment implications. "Whatever the details of the government's case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director for the council. The controversy erupted after prosecutors in New York filed an amended civil complaint seeking forfeiture of all assets of the Alavi Foundation and Assa Corp. They include properties owned by the foundation in several states. A 36-story office tower in midtown Manhattan is owned by the 650 Fifth Avenue Company, a partnership between Alavi and Assa, the Justice Department said. The complaint alleges that the Alavi Foundation provided services to the Iranian government and transferred money from 650 Fifth Avenue Company to Bank Melli, Iran's largest state-owned financial entity. U.S. and European Union officials last year designated Bank Melli as a proliferator for supporting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and funneling money to the Revolutionary Guard and Quds Force, considered terrorist groups by the United States. Bank Melli issued a statement last year denying involvement in deceptive banking practices. Prosecutors allege the properties at issue were "involved in and [were] the proceeds of money laundering offenses," and that the owners violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, executive orders and U.S. Department of Treasury regulations. "As today's complaint alleges in great detail, the Alavi Foundation has effectively been a front for the government of Iran," Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said on Thursday. "For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws. The Alavi Foundation's former president remains under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice, and both the criminal and civil investigations are ongoing." John Winter, a New York lawyer representing the Alavi Foundation, said his client would challenge the complaint. "We're obviously disappointed that the government brought this action because we have been cooperating with the government since this investigation began about a year ago and we intend to | [
"What does the group say regarding houses of worship?",
"who has been front for the government of Iran?",
"What accuse Alavi Foundation, Assa Corp.?",
"who is accused of transferring money to Iran?",
"What the Federal prosecutor says?",
"What the group of houses of worship say?"
] | [
[
"could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths"
],
[
"Alavi Foundation"
],
[
"Federal prosecutors"
],
[
"Alavi Foundation"
],
[
"their actions against assets belonging to the Alavi Foundation and the Assa Corp., which also include a Manhattan skyscraper, are not an effort to target mosques."
],
[
"\"it is an abiding concern among the American Muslim community that this action is just the beginning of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting tragedy.\""
]
] | Group says houses of worship should not be "pawns in geopolitical struggles"
Alavi Foundation, Assa Corp. accused of transferring money to Iran .
Government seizing assets of Alavi, including four mosques .
U.S. Attorney: "Alavi Foundation has effectively been a front for the government of Iran" |
New York (CNN) -- A man federal authorities say is part of a Brooklyn husband-and-wife identity theft team has been charged with killing two of their victims.
Dmitriy Yakovlev, 42, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. The more serious charges were included in a supserseding indictment unsealed Thursday.
Yakovlev was charged with the murder of Irina Malezhik, a Russian language translator who lived in Brooklyn and worked in the federal courts. She vanished in October 2007.
He also is accused in the slaying of Viktor Alekseyev, who disappeared in December 2005 and whose remains were found in New Jersey in 2006, according to federal authorities.
A third identity theft victim, Brooklyn resident Michael Klein, disappeared in November 2003 and has not been seen since.
In addition to Yakovlev's murder charges, the new indictment charges him and wife Julia Yakovlev, 36, with 17 counts of identity theft, bank fraud, credit card fraud and "effecting fraudulent transactions."
Julie Yakovlev was not charged in connection with the slayings but she has been accused of cashing $40,000 drawn from one victim's account, according to Robert Nardoza, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The couple was originally charged in August 2009 with illegally using the identities of three people between 2003 and 2007. Julie Takovlev is free on bail while her husband remains in custody, their attorneys said.
"Identity theft victims usually lose their money," NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement, "In this case, they allegedly lost their lives, too."
Malezhik was last seen on October 15, 2007, leaving her apartment on a security video camera. Immediately after her disappearance, the couple began withdrawing money and purchasing various items in Malezhik's name, according to court documents.
"I'm skeptical as to the foundation and nature of charges," said Ken Russo, attorney for Dmitriy Yakovlev.
Julia Yakovlev's attorney, Alexei Grosshtern, would only tell CNN that there are "no new charges" against his client. He said any charges in the superseding indictment already existed in August 2009's original indictment. | [
"Who is out on bail?",
"What is Yakovlev's age?",
"What is the age of Dmitriy?",
"What is the name of Yakovlev's wife?",
"What is Dmitriy's age?",
"What charges does he face?"
] | [
[
"Julie Takovlev"
],
[
"42,"
],
[
"42,"
],
[
"Julia"
],
[
"42,"
],
[
"17 counts of identity theft, bank fraud, credit card fraud and"
]
] | Dmitriy Yakovlev, 42, and his wife, Julia, had been charged with bank fraud and ID theft .
Prosecutors: Dmitriy now faces murder charges in deaths of two ID-theft victims .
Lawyer: Dmitriy Yakovlev remains in jail, but his wife is out on bail . |
New York (CNN) -- A mix of protesters gathered again Friday in cities across the country, decrying a loosely defined list of financial problems and mixing in places with others marking the 10-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Demonstrators in New York and Washington appeared to congregate over both the Afghan conflict, arguably America's longest war, and in protest against the widening disparities between rich and poor and corporate greed, among other grievances.
New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said an investigation is under way after protesters claimed officers used excessive force when corralling demonstrators earlier this week.
He also noted that demonstrations had cost tax payers $1.9 million in overtime costs for the city's law enforcement.
CNN affiliate stations also broadcast images of crowds that gathered in Austin, Texas, as well as Minneapolis, Minnesota; Seattle, Washington and Atlanta, Georgia.
The activity came a day after President Barack Obama discussed the growing movement, saying demonstrators "are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works."
Speaking at a White House news conference, Obama also defended the country's financial sector, which has taken the brunt of protesters' criticism, focusing on Wall Street and its regulators' purported role in expanding economic disparities.
"We have to have a strong, effective financial sector in order for us to grow," the president said.
Still, Obama discussed a need to pursue action aimed at improving government oversight and blamed Republican lawmakers for obstructing financial reforms.
Friday marked the 21st day of the grass-roots Wall Street protests.
Demonstrations have erupted in more than a dozen cities throughout the week, ranging from thousands who marched in lower Manhattan Wednesday after receiving support from local unions, to the dozens of college students who staged walkouts at various college campuses.
Open Story: See iReports from the protests.
The movement started in New York and some of the protests there have been marred by scuffles with police.
New York authorities set up at least one vehicle checkpoint as police appeared in larger numbers throughout the financial district Thursday and established a perimeter around Zuccotti Park, which is considered a rallying point for the largely leaderless movement in that city.
"We hope that our message continues to resonate with everyone who has felt disenfranchised by the current state of our country," said Tyler Combelic, a spokesman for the Occupy Wall Street group.
He said they plan to "continue the protest until the message reaches every house in the United States."
The specifics of that message remains largely unclear.
CNN's Susan Candiotti, Carey Bodenheimer, Ross Levitt and Jason Kessler contributed to this report. | [
"what ny police says",
"what did the crowds gather for",
"what was the protest about",
"How much has police overtime cost so far?",
"where is wall street"
] | [
[
"an investigation is under way after protesters claimed officers used excessive force when corralling demonstrators earlier this week."
],
[
"protests."
],
[
"against the widening disparities between rich and poor and corporate greed,"
],
[
"$1.9 million"
],
[
"New York"
]
] | NEW: NY police commissioner: Police overtime has cost $1.9 million so far .
Wall Street protests blend with war demonstrations in New York and D.C.
Crowds gather Austin, Minneapolis, Seattle and Atlanta .
Friday marked the 21st day of the grass-roots protests . |
New York (CNN) -- A mother abducted her eight biological children from a New York foster care agency during an authorized visit, authorities announced Tuesday.
Shanel Nadal, 28, fled with her seven sons and one daughter from the Queens facility on Monday afternoon, police said.
The abducted boys are all apparently named after their biological father, Nephra Payne, 34.
They are Nephra Payne, 11; Nephra Ceo Payne, 10; Nephra John Payne, 9; Nephra Shalee Payne, 6; Nephra Rahsul Payne, 6; Nephra Umeek Payne, 5; and Nephra Yahmen Payne, 4.
The lone girl was identified as Nefertiti Payne, 11 months.
The New York Police Department said Nadal may be traveling with the children's biological father in a black 1996 Chevrolet Suburban with license plate number EXZ5896.
Despite the one-day lag between the abduction and the announcement, New York City's Administration for Children's Services assured the public it had been investigating the incident since it occurred.
"ACS and our foster care agency began working with the NYPD immediately after the mother absconded with the children from a visit at the foster care agency yesterday," the ACS said in a statement.
The statement made no mention of how Nadal escaped or why the children had been placed in foster care.
CNN's Dominique Dodley contributed to this report. | [
"Who are the boys named after?",
"What name do the boys share?",
"what did named after their biological father?",
"What did Shanel Nadal do?",
"who is Shanel Nadal?",
"How many children does Nadal have?",
"How many sons are there?",
"What age is Nadal?"
] | [
[
"their biological father, Nephra Payne,"
],
[
"Nephra Payne,"
],
[
"abducted boys"
],
[
"abducted her eight biological children"
],
[
"A mother"
],
[
"eight"
],
[
"seven"
],
[
"28,"
]
] | Police: Shanel Nadal, 28, flees with her seven sons and one daughter .
The abducted boys are all apparently named after their biological father . |
New York (CNN) -- A new report saying that Iran could be secretly working on a nuclear weapon is a major development, but not one that should lead the U.S. to consider a military strike against the Tehran regime, according to analyst Fareed Zakaria.
The draft report, obtained by CNN and not yet approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors, is the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's strongest warning yet that Iran could be aiming to build a nuclear bomb.
Zakaria told CNN the report should spur U.S. diplomacy to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons but that talk by commentators outside the U.S. government of a potential military strike against Iran was wrongheaded. "To be casually talking about military action because we're getting frustrated seems to me somewhat dangerous," he said.
Iran's Green Movement of protesters against the regime indicates that waiting could have its benefits, Zakaria said. "At the end of the day, time is not on the side of this regime. It's a dysfunctional regime that has run the economy into the ground, taken a great and open and proud nation and turned it into a kind of paranoid and closed one and which is clearly losing the support of young Iranians by the day."
Zakaria, author and host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," spoke to CNN on Thursday.
CNN: The International Atomic Energy Agency has done a report saying that Iran could be at work on building a nuclear weapon. What do you think that means?
Fareed Zakaria: That's a major development because so far we have not really been able to assess whether Iran has decided definitively that it wants nuclear weapons. We know that it wants a nuclear capacity -- that is clear -- and it wants a large nuclear capacity and one that is robust so that they have multiple production sites.
But it has always seemed as though there were two views within the Iranian leadership. One was that Iran should develop a robust civilian nuclear capability and a robust missile program but that it should not put the two together because that would place it in clear violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. There are clearly others in Iran who believe that Iran should simply have nuclear weapons. ...
This would suggest that the harder line faction within Iran is winning out. We don't know for sure because this is all guesswork frankly. ...
CNN: What's happening with the negotiations?
Zakaria: The Iranians have been playing a very peculiar negotiating game where they sometimes seem interested in negotiating but rarely do they actually engage in good faith. ... They rarely seem to engage in these with a consistent pattern with consistent positions -- which either means the leadership is very divided or they're playing games.
CNN: What's your view about the wisdom of imposing new sanctions?
Zakaria: It probably is the only course available right now since the prospect of engaging with Iran and giving it positive inducements does not seem to be going anywhere. I also think the sanctions that are being talked about are fairly narrow and targeted at particularly the Republican Guard within the regime, which seems to be most powerful faction. And that's the right approach to take. We know that generalized sanctions only hurt the average Iranian, and that is entirely counterproductive.
CNN: What's the impact of the domestic turbulence inside Iran, including the protest movement?
Zakaria: Nobody knows for sure, but it does seem to have confused the situation internally. [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad had made some conciliatory statements on the nuclear issue, which were then attacked by the opposition, and he retracted it, which suggests that he's feeling the pressure. It suggests that there are divisions within the regime, there's some sense of vulnerability. ... It just makes it more difficult to negotiate with them, but it also suggests it may not be the worst thing in the world to wait and watch how this plays out in Iran.
CNN: What do you think about the military option?
Zakaria: The problems with the military option remain what they've always been, and it's a little alarming to | [
"What does the draft report say about Iran?",
"What could Iran be secretly working on?",
"Who said the report is a major development?",
"what did zakaria say",
"What is not on the side of the Iranian regime?",
"What does he talk of against Iran?",
"what was the report about"
] | [
[
"could be secretly working on a nuclear weapon"
],
[
"nuclear weapon"
],
[
"Fareed Zakaria."
],
[
"\"To be casually talking about military action because we're getting frustrated seems to me somewhat dangerous,\""
],
[
"Iran's Green Movement of protesters"
],
[
"military strike"
],
[
"Iran could be secretly working on a nuclear weapon"
]
] | Draft report from U.N. watchdog agency says Iran could secretly be working on a nuclear bomb .
Fareed Zakaria says report is a major development, could spur new sanctions against Iran .
He says talk of a military strike against Iran is wrongheaded and dangerous .
Zakaria: Time not on the side of Iranian regime that's suppressing Green Movement protesters . |
New York (CNN) -- A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday in the case of a former Rutgers University student who allegedly used a web cam to stream footage of his roommate's sexual encounter with another man.
Dharun Ravi faces a 15-count indictment, which includes hate crime charges, in connection with the death of his roommate , Tyler Clementi. Clementi killed himself after the incident, jumping from the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey.
Last month, Ravi turned down a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time.
"You want to know why he's rejected the plea?" his attorney, Steven Altman, said in December. "Simple principle of law, simple principle of life -- he's innocent. He's not guilty."Ravi is a citizen of India who was studying in the U.S. legally.
The deal offered by Middlesex County prosecutors would have required Ravi, 19, to undergo 600 hours of community service, counseling and to dispose of any information that could identify the man that Clementi was with.
Prosecutors also offered to help Ravi avoid deportation, though they said they could not guarantee it.
A second student charged in the scandal, Molly Wei, 19, reached a plea deal and that requires her testify against Ravi. In May, Wei pleaded not guilty to two counts of invasion of privacy, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
Less than a month after Clementi's suicide, President Barack Obama released a taped video message condemning bullying. | [
"what would allowed him to avoid jail time",
"When is the trial",
"What is the name of the person on trial?",
"Who will go on trial",
"What has he turned down",
"who will go to trial in February over a 15-count indictment"
] | [
[
"a plea deal"
],
[
"Friday"
],
[
"Dharun Ravi"
],
[
"Dharun Ravi"
],
[
"a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time."
],
[
"Dharun Ravi"
]
] | Dharun Ravi will go to trial in February over a 15-count indictment involving hate crime charges .
He has turned down a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time .
His roommate, Tyler Clementi, later killed himself, jumping from the George Washington Bridge .
The plea deal would have required 600 hours of community service, among other things . |
New York (CNN) -- A spirited and leaderless protest in the Wall Street section of New York has entered its third week, helping to inspire a growing number of demonstrations united in their passion if not necessarily their reasons for hitting the streets.
The hub of the movement, in Lower Manhattan, was abuzz with activity on Sunday as activists continued to vent their frustrations with everything from "corporate greed" to high gas prices to insufficient health insurance.
No single group or person heads the effort, which has adopted the name "Occupy Wall Street." While a "general assembly" is held daily for those gathered -- be it for a few short hours or by camping out long-term -- to discuss the goings-on and work toward a common mission, the stances being touted currently are diverse.
"We've gathered here in this place ... to shape a statement of what it is we want, and how we're going to get to it," said Robert Segal, one of the New York protesters.
Video: Police arrest hundreds of protesters in NYC
The lack of coherent message has not stopped similar efforts from popping up elsewhere in the United States.
"Occupy Chicago," for instance, entered its 10th day on Sunday, a day after an associated website touted "a huge afternoon march."
The motto atop a website for "Occupy Los Angeles," which kicked off Saturday with a march from Pershing Square to City Hall, reads: "The revolution is happening ... It's just not in the news."
There are 34 organizations -- from unions to ethnic organizations to activist groups focused on everything from foreclosure prevention to climate change to justice-related issues -- listed as being involved in a like-minded activist coalition in Boston. This group, which held a festival and march Friday and Saturday and has explicitly targeted Bank of America in recent weeks, states on its website that its aim is to "stop their greed," "fight for an economy that works for all of us" and "build cities that are democratic, just and sustainable."
The website of Seattle demonstrators describes the nationwide effort as "a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions."
"The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%," the statement continues, referring to what it sees as a sharp divide between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of society.
Most demonstrations thus far have been peaceful and uneventful, though in a few cases they have led to numerous arrests.
The most high-profile such incident came Saturday, when New York police arrested more than 700 protesters who had occupied the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. They were cited for blocking the roadway, authorities said, and eventually released after being given tickets.
The confrontation came as protesters along the road banged drums and chanted, "The whole world is watching" as police moved in.
Paul J. Browne, the deputy commissioner for the New York City Police Department, said they were given "multiple warnings" to stay on the pedestrian walkway and not the main roadway. The incident led to a shutdown of Manhattan-to-Brooklyn bridge traffic for several hours.
Demonstrators have said they take their inspiration from the Arab Spring protests that swept through Africa and the Middle East this year.
The protest campaign -- which uses the hashtag #occupywallstreet on the microblogging site Twitter -- began in July with the launch of a simple campaign website calling for a march and a sit-in at the New York Stock Exchange.
It has gained steam since early September, with crowds taking up residence in a park in New York's financial district and calling for 20,000 people to flood the area for a "few months." In recent weeks, the New York demonstrators have addressed various issues, including police brutality, union busting and the economy.
CNN's Susan Candiotti and Jordana Ossad contributed to this report. | [
"What is the park in Lower Manhattan crowded with?",
"What did people say the problem with the movement is?"
] | [
[
"activists"
],
[
"lack of coherent message"
]
] | A park in Lower Manhattan is crowded with "Occupy Wall Street" protesters .
This effort began in July, and people have camped out there for 3 weeks now .
Similar efforts have sprung up in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle .
The movement is leaderless and its members have various "political persuasions" |
New York (CNN) -- Americans can expect a roaring debate over social issues in the discussion of the next Supreme Court nominee, but in the end, President Obama's choice to succeed Justice John Paul Stevens is likely to be confirmed, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says.
Toobin, author of "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court," said the large Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate gives Obama a strong chance of getting his choice confirmed. He says, though, that the ideologically divided court has undergone a lot of turnover in the past five years, and it's impossible to predict how it will evolve.
Toobin notes that one thing is fairly clear: Obama will probably begin his search for a new justice with the candidates he did not select when he picked Sonia Sotomayor for the court last year.
Toobin spoke with CNN on Friday. Here is an edited transcript.
CNN: What do you think is the most significant role that Justice Stevens played on the court?
Jeffrey Toobin: As the senior associate justice on the court, he had the second most formal authority to assign the writing of opinions after the chief justice, and he was undoubtedly the leader of the liberal wing and a very successful one.
CNN: Now, who will assume that senior associate justice role?
Toobin: The senior associate justice role would be Antonin Scalia now, but he votes with Chief Justice [John] Roberts most of the time. So the senior liberal on the court would now be Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is a less outgoing person than Justice Stevens.
CNN: Do you expect we'll see a marked change in how the court operates?
Toobin: The court doesn't change dramatically in terms of its operations. But as Justice Byron White used to say, "You change one justice, you change the whole court," and I expect that will be true. By Supreme Court standards, the last five years have been a period of enormous turnover. It's not at all clear which side will be ahead when it's all over.
CNN: Do you expect that there's any potential the president's nomination could change the complexion of the court?
Toobin: I am certain the president will nominate someone who is generally sympathetic with Stevens and Obama's own politics, but history shows it's folly to predict with precision exactly how a justice will evolve over decades.
CNN: What do you think are the two or three things that are most important to Obama in making this decision?
Toobin: I think the most important criterion is a justice of integrity and intelligence. The second is a justice who shares his general views about law and the Constitution, and third is someone who can get confirmed.
CNN: What kind of a justice does he need to nominate in order to get a confirmation that is relatively easy?
Toobin: He has 59 Democratic senators, so it's overwhelmingly likely that anyone he nominates will get confirmed. It's important to remember that. By historic standards, this is a very large majority. Yes, it is possible there will be a filibuster, but there has never been a successful filibuster to stop a Supreme Court nominee in the modern era.
CNN: And how important is age as a factor in his decision?
Toobin: I think age is a huge factor, because one of the big appeals of Supreme Court nominations is that they serve for life, and a 49-year-old nominee will likely serve 10 years more than a 59-year-old nominee.
CNN: Of the recent issues that have been before the court and the issues that are coming up, which of them are likely to be raised in the course of the debate over the nomination?
Toobin: There are certain evergreens of constitutional conflict that come up, though nominees rarely address them directly. One is abortion, another is affirmative action, but to be sure, there will be questions about gun rights, there will be questions about the constitutionality of health care reform, and there will always be issues that we ca | [
"what does jeffrey toobin say about social issues?",
"who is obama likely to search?",
"who has a majority in senate?",
"what issues will be front and center?",
"Where is Obama's majority?"
] | [
[
"Americans can expect a roaring debate over"
],
[
"for a new justice"
],
[
"Democratic"
],
[
"social"
],
[
"Democratic"
]
] | Obama will likely begin search for nominee with candidates he didn't pick last time .
Jeffrey Toobin says social issues will be front and center in debate over nominee .
He says Obama's majority in Senate means he will likely get choice confirmed . |
New York (CNN) -- Among the political threats wielded by Donald Trump in his carnival barker quest for the presidency is that if denied the Republican nomination, he would run as an independent.
As an independent myself, I usually cheer the prospect of any independent campaign. It shakes up the arrogant assumption that our elections are wholly owned subsidiaries of the two major parties and their respective special interests.
But Trump has already burned his bridges with most independent voters by choosing to go full birther and pander to the far right wing of the GOP.
It's a shame because in his purely CEO persona, Trump could have mounted a semi-credible independent campaign. Look at what Ross Perot was able to accomplish with such an appeal nearly 20 years ago or what Mayor Michael Bloomberg has done in New York to date.
An independent candidate running on a proven record of executive leadership, job creation and improving American competitiveness could be a serious presidential candidate this time around. Especially because a new Washington Post/ABC poll shows that 41% of American voters now identify as independents. We are the plurality and provide the balance of power in any election.
Independent voters tend to be closer to Republicans on economic issues and closer to Democrats on social issues. In other words, they are fiscally conservative but socially liberal. They hate hyper-partisanship and special-interest gridlock in Washington, and they have been deficit hawks since at least the days of Perot.
It's perhaps useful to remember that Perot campaigned primarily on reducing the deficit and the debt at a time when America was struggling to get out of a recession and many people thought that Japan was a rising power that would eclipse the United States. Now, many of those same conditions exist, with China taking the place of Japan in the "Rise and Fall of Great Powers" narrative.
But crucially, Perot was decidedly liberal-to-libertarian in his social beliefs. He was avowedly abortion rights and even back then supported gays in the military. The CEO candidate is usually liberated from social issue litmus tests by saying that what people do in their private lives doesn't affect on-the-job performance. A guy such as Trump could embody the old libertarian line, "I want the government out of the boardroom and the bedroom." Many would cheer.
But instead, Trump has done a 180-degree reversal on abortion (like Mitt Romney before him) in the hopes of winning the GOP nomination, because abortion-rights Republicans have become an endangered species despite the endurance of "individual freedom" rhetoric. (We can get into how Barry Goldwater's wife co-founded Arizona Planned Parenthood in the 1930s another time.)
Even worse, he made a strategic decision to pander to the outer reaches of American politics by embracing thoroughly discredited conspiracy theories to drum up support from the fringe. This has succeeded in the short run, compounded by his already high name recognition. But it will hurt both Trump and the GOP in the long run, while nuking any hope he had of appealing to independent voters.
If Trump were to try and run as an independent, he could still win enough votes to poll in the low single digits of the popular vote, as Pat Buchanan did before him. But given his super-rich persona -- now added to his opportunistic endorsement of Obama Derangement Syndrome -- his votes would come entirely out of the Republican nominee's hide, opening the door for President Obama's re-election.
In contrast, Perot's independent campaign won 19% of the popular vote in 1992 -- coming in second in terms of all-time independent presidential candidacies to Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party presidential campaign in 1912. They won votes from the vast vital center of the American electorate. Trump would not.
Trump has debased himself and any ideas he had of a political career with the serial idiocies he's articulated in this flirtation with a presidential campaign.
Of course, there will be a cadre of political consultants who encourage him to run because they see dollar signs in their eyes, not because they are thinking of the good of the republic | [
"What did Donald Trump do?",
"What rhetoric does he embrace?",
"Who is exploring the prospects?",
"who changed his party enrolment this week",
"What party did he change to?"
] | [
[
"burned his bridges with most independent voters"
],
[
"\"individual freedom\""
],
[
"Donald Trump"
],
[
"Donald Trump"
],
[
"independent."
]
] | Donald Trump changed his party enrollment this week from GOP to unaffiliated .
In a column published in April, John Avlon explores Trump's prospects as an independent candidate .
Avlon: Trump's embrace of birther rhetoric would doom his appeal to most independent voters . |
New York (CNN) -- An Austrian daredevil is planning to become the first person to break the sound barrier in a free fall, without riding in a vehicle.
This summer in New Mexico, Felix Baumgartner hopes to make the highest, longest and fastest fall ever.
His attempt will take him to an altitude where the atmosphere ends and space begins -- where blood boils at body temperature, and the air temperature could be as low as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The first step in the attempt will be riding a helium balloon to an altitude of 120,000 feet above sea level -- almost 23 miles -- higher than anyone has ascended in a balloon before.
Then, wearing a pressurized suit and oxygen tanks, he plans to jump out of his capsule for a five-minute fall back to Earth. Within the first 30 seconds, he expects to be falling faster than the speed of sound, which at that altitude is around 690 miles per hour. Crossing that barrier would mark a new test of the limits of the human body.
"This is what we want to find out: What happens to the human body when it breaks the speed of sound," Baumgartner said. "That's a big question mark."
To increase his chances of survival, his parachute is set to open automatically, even if he's unconscious or spinning so fast his hands are pinned by the G-force. He said his engineers are taking every precaution, testing out the suit in a wind tunnel and providing him with a backup chute, sealed gloves and boots, and an advanced helmet.
"This helmet also has face-shield heating to make sure your visor's not getting fogged up on the way down, because that would be fatal," he said. "If you don't see anything, you can't move anymore. You can't make decisions."
Still, the risk of the unknown remains. "If something happens, it happens fast," he said. "You can never say you're not going to get killed under any circumstances," but "we have a lot of solutions for emergency situations like this."
A chain reaction of events would have to occur before the jump could turn fatal, he said.
A potential benefit from the mission, he said, would be demonstrating that it is possible to return from space without a spacecraft.
"In the future, a lot more tourists will go and travel to space. And if something goes wrong with their spacecraft, they have to return to Earth somehow," he said. "We will show to the world that egress from high altitude is survivable."
The main difference is that Baumgartner will start from a standstill, whereas astronauts in a craft like the space shuttle are traveling at orbital speeds close to 18,000 mph when their re-entry begins.
The previous record for the highest jump has stood for half a century, since it was set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger with the Air Force. He reached an altitude of 102,800 feet, and says it felt like a very distant and hostile place to be.
"You know that right outside of you is a vacuum of space," he said, "and without the protection of that pressure suit, you cannot live. And that's an interesting thought."
Baumgartner, whose attempt is being financed by energy drink maker Red Bull, has enlisted Kittinger as a consultant.
"We have learned a lot from people in the past who tried to break that record, and they all failed," Baumgartner said. "Some of these people got killed."
But he adds, "I think it's human nature, you know. Records are meant to be broken. And I'm a very competitive person. I like the challenge." | [
"Who is Felix Baumgartner?",
"What is Baumgartner trying to break",
"In what location will Felix Baumgartner make the epic jump?",
"What is the name of the man who holds the current record, which is 102,800 feet?",
"What is the current record?",
"From how high will Baumgartner jump?"
] | [
[
"Austrian daredevil"
],
[
"sound barrier"
],
[
"New Mexico,"
],
[
"Joe Kittinger"
],
[
"102,800 feet,"
],
[
"120,000 feet"
]
] | Within 30 seconds of jump, Felix Baumgartner expects to break sound barrier .
Pressurized suit and oxygen tanks are among special equipment he will use .
Man who holds current record -- 102,800 feet -- is serving as consultant . |
New York (CNN) -- As snow fell across New York Harbor, Isabel Belarsky clutched her mother, Clara, aboard a passenger ship that puttered toward Ellis Island and wondered what their new lives would bring.
The year was 1930. About a week earlier, the 10-year-old girl from what is now called St. Petersburg, Russia, had embarked on a transatlantic journey with her Ukrainian parents from the French port city of Cherbourg, escaping what she described as Jewish persecution at the start of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union.
On an island near Manhattan stood the copper colossus that would etch her first memories of the new world.
"It was a wonderful sight," she said of the Statue of Liberty, which marked its 125th anniversary Friday.
The idea for the monument is thought to have been conceived at a 19th-century dinner party among French aristocrats, historians say, who sought to pay tribute to American liberty.
And while the French gift is also widely believed to have at least in part catered to domestic politics, for many, it quickly became a symbol of hope and promise in America's post- Civil War period.
"The arrival on Ellis Island is the fulfillment that you know something good is going to happen to you," said Belarksy, now a 91-year-old widow living in a Russian enclave of Brooklyn, New York.
Her family became part of the more than 12 million immigrants processed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
Adjacent to Ellis towers Lady Liberty, measuring more than 305 feet from base to torch.
Originally, the statue was supposed to be an Egyptian peasant girl that would have stood at the entrance of Egypt's then-new Suez Canal, but plans would evolve into the Roman goddess who would instead adorn New York Harbor.
"The sculptor, (Frederic) Bartholdi, was very clever," said Edward Berenson, professor of history and director of the Institute of French Studies at New York University.
"He put (the statue) where he did because it's right at the narrows of New York Harbor, so he knew that every boat that came into New York would have to come really close to it.
People felt like they could reach out and touch it," he said.
Inspired perhaps by Egypt's colossal statues during his own travels to Cairo, Berenson noted, Bartholdi sought to build a monument of his own in a tribute to American liberty and its newfound emancipation of the slaves.
The statue rests atop a sculpted wrangling of broken chains on New York's Liberty Island.
Only years later, Berenson argues, did the monument come to symbolize immigration to the broader public, despite the structure's engraved plaque bearing the now-famous poem by Emma Lazarus, asking for the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Like many who made the perilous journey, Belarsky said, she had often wondered what kind of life was waiting for her on the shores behind the monument.
"It was quite frightening," she recalled. "The three of us, my father, my mother and I, wanted for someone to come with money or to tell us what's next."
And though a U.S. law passed six years earlier had largely restricted immigration, her father, Sidor, had managed to secure three tickets to America by way of a talent scout who visited the Leningrad conservatory where he had performed as an opera singer.
"He had such a beautiful voice," she said.
Their travel permit, however, was only temporary.
Sidor had acquired a six-month visa to teach at Brigham Young University, Belarsky said.
The young family would nonetheless settle more permanently in a west Manhattan apartment. And unlike many who eventually returned to their homelands in Europe, the Belarskys decided to leave St. Petersburg -- then known as Leningrad -- behind.
"Authorities were starting to clamp down and consolidate the social state and Soviet power around Stalin," said Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. "As | [
"What day marks the anniversary",
"what anniversary is it?",
"Friday marks the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of what?",
"What immigrant recalls her passage",
"Who recalls her Ellis Island passage in 1930?"
] | [
[
"Friday."
],
[
"Statue of Liberty,"
],
[
"Statue of Liberty,"
],
[
"Isabel Belarsky"
],
[
"Isabel Belarsky"
]
] | Friday marks the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty .
A Russian immigrant recalls her Ellis Island passage in 1930 .
The Statue of Liberty was a French gift .
Webcams stream video footage from the torch on anniversary . |
New York (CNN) -- As snow fell across New York harbor, Isabel Belarsky said she clutched her mother, Clara, aboard a passenger ship that puttered toward Ellis Island, and wondered what their new lives would bring.
The year was 1930. About a week earlier, the 10 year-old girl from what is now called Saint Petersburg, Russia, had embarked on a transatlantic journey with her Ukrainian parents from the French port city of Cherbourg, escaping what she described as Jewish persecution at the start of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union.
On an island near Manhattan stood the copper colossus that would etch her first memories of the new world.
"It was a wonderful sight," she said of the Statue of Liberty, which marks its 125th anniversary Friday.
The idea for the monument is thought to have been first conceived at a 19th century dinner party among French aristocrats, historians say, who sought to pay tribute to American liberty.
And while the French gift is also widely believed to have at least in part catered to domestic politics, for many it quickly became a symbol of hope and promise in America's post- Civil War period.
"The arrival on Ellis Island is the fulfillment that you know something good is going to happen to you," said Belarksy, now a 91-year-old widow living in a Russian enclave of Brooklyn, New York.
Her family became part of the more than 12 million immigrants processed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, according to the U.S. National Park Service.
Adjacent to Ellis towers Lady Liberty, measuring more than 305 feet from base to torch.
Originally, the statue was supposed to be an Egyptian peasant girl that would have stood at the entrance of Egypt's then-new Suez Canal, historians say, but plans would later evolve into the Roman goddess that would instead adorn New York harbor.
"The sculptor, (Frederic) Bartholdi, was very clever," said Edward Berenson, professor of history and director of the Institute of French Studies at New York University.
"He put (the statue) where he did because its right at the narrows of New York harbor, so he knew that every boat that came into New York would have to come really close to it.
People felt like they could reach out and touch it," he said.
Inspired perhaps by Egypt's colossal statues during his own travels to Cairo, Berenson added, Bartholdi sought to build a monument of his own in a tribute to American liberty and its new found emancipation of slaves.
The statue rests atop a sculpted wrangling of broken chains on New York's Liberty Island.
Only years later, Berenson argues, did the monument come to symbolize immigration to the broader public, despite the structure's engraved plaque bearing the now famous poem by Emma Lazarus, who asks for the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Like many who made the perilous journey, Belarsky said she had often wondered what kind of life was waiting for her on the shores behind the copper monument.
"It was quite frightening," she recalled. "The three of us, my father, my mother and I, wanted for someone to come with money or to tell us whats next."
And though a U.S. law passed six years earlier had largely restricted immigration, her father, Sidor, had managed to secure three tickets to America by way of a talent scout who visited the Leningrad conservatory where he had performed as an opera singer.
"He had such a beautiful voice," she said.
Their travel permit, however, was only temporary.
Sidor had acquired a six-month visa to teach at Brigham Young University, said Belarsky.
Still, the young family would nonetheless settle more permanently in a west Manhattan apartment. And unlike many who eventually returned to their homelands in Europe, the Belarskys decided to leave Saint Petersburg -- then known as Leningrad -- behind.
"Authorities were starting to clamp down and consolidate the social state and Soviet power around Stalin," said Fiona Hill, a Russia expert at the | [
"What was a french gift?",
"What does Friday mark?",
"Friday marks what?",
"What anniversary of the Statue of Liberty will be on friday?",
"From who the Statue of Liberty was the gift?"
] | [
[
"Statue of Liberty,"
],
[
"its 125th anniversary"
],
[
"its 125th anniversary"
],
[
"125th"
],
[
"French"
]
] | Friday marks the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty .
A Russian immigrant recalls her Ellis Island passage in 1930 .
The Statue of Liberty was a French gift .
Web cams are expected stream video footage from the torch . |
New York (CNN) -- As the story goes, God spent six days creating the world and then rested on the seventh day. He told the Jewish people to always rest on the seventh day of each week, which was to become known as the Sabbath for them for eternity.
This was before Facebook, Twitter, BlackBerries and iPhones, of course. Adam and Eve didn't have friends who would get upset if texts weren't returned promptly, parents who wanted to know where their children were all the time or bosses who had complete access to their employees via work-issued devices. There is no excuse good enough to ignore the boss, even on a weekend.
But one group is trying to take back the Sabbath: Reboot -- a nonprofit organization aimed at reinventing the traditions and rituals of Judaism for today's secular Jews.
Composed of Internet entrepreneurs, creators of award-winning television shows, community organizers and nonprofit leaders, these "Rebooters" are people who typically have their cell phones glued to their palms. Several of them go so far as to say they have an addiction to their devices.
They pledged to observe 24 hours of freedom from their devices this past weekend: a National Day of Unplugging, lasting from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
The day was to launch Reboot's ongoing project, the Sabbath Manifesto. Dan Rollman, a Rebooter and founder of the Universal World Record Database Web site, created the Sabbath Manifesto because he felt that technology was taking over too much of his life.
"There's clearly a social problem when we're interacting more with digital interfaces than our fellow human beings," Rollman said in an e-mail to CNN. "Rich, engaging conversations are harder to come by than they were a few years ago. Our attention spans are silently evaporating."
The Sabbath Manifesto consists of 10 principles. However, people are encouraged to discuss online which principles work and which should be tweaked. As they stand now, the guiding principles are:
1. Avoid technology.
2. Connect with loved ones.
3. Nurture your health.
4. Get outside.
5. Avoid commerce.
6. Light candles.
7. Drink wine.
8. Eat bread.
9. Find silence.
10. Give back.
The National Day of Unplugging specifically promotes the first principle.
Even though Reboot is technically focused on reaching out to hyper-connected Jews, the values behind the Sabbath Manifesto are meant for all denominations, Rollman said.
"We believe that everyone can benefit from a respite from the relentless technology. Unplugging on a weekly basis won't provide a magical solution to these issues, but it's a start ... a chance to catch our breaths, replenish our souls and reconnect with the living, breathing people we love."
It may sound like a nice idea, but how realistic is the concept? Can people live without their beloved technology for 24 hours?
"No," said Chris Maroudis, 22, without missing a beat. "The problem is, I live in Jersey and work here [Manhattan]. I have to contact my friends in Jersey to make plans. I'm not just going to go all the way there and then they're not home."
Some people are able to remember a simpler time before cell phones.
"This is new for me," said 26-year-old Amanda Norman, laughing and waving her BlackBerry. "I remember even before cell phones, when you had to make plans with someone beforehand and meet them there. If you were late, you were late."
Walking around Manhattan, though, it is hard to find people without a phone of any kind in their grasp.
As Nano Paulino, 27, pointed out, everyone in the city is working. The bosses need to stay in touch with you. Asked if he would answer a call from his boss at 10 at night, he said no. Why not? "I'm sleeping!"
His friend, Arnold Diaz | [
"What did the Sabbath Manifesto founder say about technology?",
"What is the name of the Sabbath Manifesto founder?",
"What aims to reinvent traditions of Judaism for today's secular Jews?",
"Who says he felt technology was taking over too much of his life?",
"What should be put away for weekly day of rest?"
] | [
[
"\"There's clearly a social problem when we're interacting more with digital interfaces than our fellow human beings,\""
],
[
"Dan Rollman,"
],
[
"Reboot"
],
[
"Dan Rollman,"
],
[
"devices"
]
] | Reboot aims to reinvent traditions of Judaism for today's secular Jews .
Group says cell phones, computers should be put away for weekly day of rest .
Sabbath Manifesto founder says he felt technology was taking over too much of his life . |
New York (CNN) -- As the world mourns the untimely conclusion of professional famous person Kim Kardashian's marriage to professional tall person Kris Humphries, how are you coping? Probably not very well, particularly if you watched their televised $20 million wedding (for which they allegedly spent $0 -- various sponsors took care of the costs for this impoverished but hardworking young couple) on August 20. They were so in love.
Sports fans and sex fans alike have shed countless tears over the breakup of a man who bounces a ball for living and a woman who once videotaped herself making sexy time with Brandy's little brother. But while we all acknowledge that Kim and Kris are the greatest living beings on Earth or any other planet, we may not all agree on what lessons to take from this sad state of affairs. Fortunately, as the Voice of My Generation, I'm available to explain the five most important things you and your friends ought to learn from Kim and Kris' impending divorce.
1. Providing $400,000 of Perrier-Jouët at one's wedding does not ensure the success of a marriage.
You need Cristal for that.
2. Fish and relatives stink after three days, but spouses can last 24 times as long.
Have you ever been stuck in a car with your beloved family for more than three hours? It's awful, and you probably love them more than any other folks in the world. Kim and Kris made it work for 72 whole days. That's 1,728 hours of uninterrupted togetherness! Rather than tear them down, let's salute them for their longevity. Considering that they probably ran out of new words after the first day, it's pretty amazing they lasted as long as they did.
3. Contrary to popular belief, it's a bad idea to marry a dude with the same first name as your mom.
Especially when Mom describes herself on Twitter as "MOM, MANAGER, MOMAGER, LOVER OF LIFE, LOVER OF CHRIST."
4. If at first you don't succeed ... you'll probably also fail the second time.
Like many other members of her generation, Kim fell in love and launched a starter marriage that didn't last so long. I'm talking, of course, about her first marriage -- she married producer Damon Thomas when she was 19 and divorced him four years later. Just remember, third time's a charm. Maybe.
5. One's posterior-to-waist ratio does not correlate to one's marriage-to-divorce ratio.
'Nuff said.
And now, let the healing begin.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sara Benincasa. | [
"What will fans not agree on?",
"Who is commenting on the Kardashian/Humphries split?",
"What are the Kardashian/Humphries news?",
"What couple split up?"
] | [
[
"lessons to take from this sad state of affairs."
],
[
"Sara Benincasa."
],
[
"impending divorce."
],
[
"Kim Kardashian's"
]
] | Sara Benincasa: Many are trying to cope with news of the Kardashian/Humphries split .
She says fans may not agree on the best lessons to take from the breakup .
She offers five: For one, the wedding needed better champagne for marriage to last .
For another, don't marry someone with the same first name as your mother . |
New York (CNN) -- Authorities on Sunday released the name of a woman who turned up in New York this month saying she had no memory of her name or family. She is Kacie Aleece Peterson, 18, of Hansville, Washington, according to Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department. Police a day earlier said a CNN viewer in Maryland identified the woman, who was found in Midtown Manhattan on October 9 outside a youth shelter. A photo of Peterson, who had been referred to as Jane Doe, was circulated by police and aired on CNN this week. Authorities didn't release Peterson's name until Sunday. Browne said Peterson's mother is dead and that her father is heading to New York. CNN affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle, Washington, reported that her father went to New York on Sunday to bring her home. The family said it's not the first time she disappeared and then later was found with apparent memory loss, the station reported. Peterson is from Colville in eastern Washington, KOMO reported. She had been living with a friend in Hansville and attending Kingston High School. The father said the daughter had gone to live temporarily with a friend of her late mother, the station reported. Scott Wilson, spokesman for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, said Peterson was reported missing by her father on October 1, KOMO reported. Detectives later discovered bank activity and other evidence that she was alive, he said. The woman was found outside Manhattan's Covenant House youth shelter around 12:30 a.m. October 9. The organization said that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility. A security guard for the shelter noticed the woman walking on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department. Police officers interviewed the woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. Police said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered. The CNN viewer who identified her was familiar with her situation and knew she had been missing this month, police said. Police said they do not know how she lost her memory. "I just want to know who I am and what happened to me," the young woman said in a statement previously released by the New York City Administration of Children's Services. Evan Buxbaum, Susan Candiotti and Vanessa Juarez contributed to the report. | [
"What age is Peterson?",
"Where did the CNN viewer live?",
"What did the woman lose?",
"Who identified Peterson?",
"What is the problem with Peterson when she is found?",
"Who identified the woman?",
"Where was Peterson found?"
] | [
[
"18,"
],
[
"Maryland"
],
[
"memory of her name or family."
],
[
"CNN viewer in Maryland"
],
[
"apparent memory loss,"
],
[
"CNN viewer in Maryland"
],
[
"Midtown Manhattan"
]
] | KOMO-TV: Family says this isn't first time woman found with apparent memory loss .
Kacie A. Peterson, 18, was found outside Manhattan youth shelter October 9 .
Police: Woman claimed not to know her name, family .
CNN viewer in Maryland identified the woman, police say . |
New York (CNN) -- CNN's Lou Dobbs stepped down from his controversial role as an advocacy anchor at the network at the end of his show Wednesday night, saying he plans to seek a more activist role. "Over the past six months, it has become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us, and some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day and to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible," Dobbs said during his 7 p.m. broadcast. Dobbs, 64, said he had discussed the issue with CNN President Jonathan Klein, who had agreed to a release from his contract "that will enable me to pursue new opportunities." In a written statement, Klein called Dobbs "a valued founding member of the CNN family." "For decades, Lou fearlessly and tirelessly pursued some of the most important and complex stories of our time, often well ahead of the pack," Klein said. "All of us will miss his appetite for big ideas, the megawatt smile and larger-than-life presence he brought to our newsroom, and we're grateful to have known and worked with him over the years. "With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere. We respect his decision and wish him, Debi [Dobbs' wife], and his family the very best." Dobbs, who is the last of the 29-year-old network's original anchors, said he was considering "a number of options and directions." He cited the growth of the middle class, the creation of jobs, health care, immigration policy, the environment, climate change and the U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as "the major issues of our time." But, he said, "Each of those issues is, in my opinion, informed by our capacity to demonstrate strong resilience of our now weakened capitalist economy and demonstrate the political will to overcome the lack of true representation in Washington, D.C. I believe these to be profoundly, critically important issues and I will continue to strive to deal honestly and straightforwardly with those issues in the future." Read Dobbs' full statement about his departure from CNN Those issues, he added, are defined in the public arena "by partisanship and ideology rather than by rigorous, empirical forethought, analysis and discussion," and he vowed to work to change that. In an e-mail to CNN staff members, Klein described the parting as "extremely amicable," and said Dobbs' replacement would be announced soon. Dobbs was with Cable News Network from its initial broadcasts in 1980, acting as chief economics correspondent and host of the business program "Moneyline." His coverage of the 1987 stock market crash won him the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. That was one of many awards he received while at CNN, including an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement that he received from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2005. Dobbs left the network in 1999 to found SPACE.com, a Web site devoted to space-related subjects. He returned to the network in 2001 as anchor and managing editor of CNN's Moneyline News Hour, which became Lou Dobbs Tonight. He also acted as lead business news anchor for CNN/U.S. and CNNfn, the forerunner of CNNMoney. During his second stint at CNN, Dobbs positioned himself as "tough, relentless, independent," lashing out at what he described as the deficiencies and "partisan nonsense" of both major political parties, and injecting advocacy journalism into his coverage of topics ranging from free trade to immigration. His no-holds-barred, sometimes acerbic style brought him a loyal following, but also attracted controversy both to him and to the network, especially over the subject of illegal immigrants. Dobbs will continue as anchor of The Lou Dobbs | [
"What did Dobbs say he was considering?",
"What is Dobbs considering?",
"what is the age of dobbs?",
"What age is Dobbs right now?",
"what is the president name?",
"Who did agree to release him from his contract?",
"who will enable dobbs to pursue new opportunities?"
] | [
[
"\"a number of options and directions.\""
],
[
"\"a number of options and directions.\""
],
[
"64,"
],
[
"64,"
],
[
"Jonathan Klein,"
],
[
"CNN President Jonathan Klein,"
],
[
"CNN President Jonathan Klein,"
]
] | Dobbs, 64, said President Jonathan Klein agreed to release him from his contract .
Departure will "enable me to pursue new opportunities," said Dobbs .
Dobbs said he was considering "a number of opportunities and directions"
Dobbs' no-holds-barred style brought loyal following, but also controversy . |
New York (CNN) -- Criminal charges will not be filed against the owner of a chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman earlier this year, according to Connecticut State's Attorney David Cohen.
At a news conference Monday, Cohen explained that criminal prosecution against Sandra Herold, 77, was not warranted because she was not aware of the risk her pet posed.
On February 16, Herold had called her friend Charla Nash, 55, for help in getting her pet chimpanzee Travis back inside her house after he used a key to escape. When Nash arrived at the Stamford home of her friend, the chimp, who had been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, causing serious injuries to her face, neck and hands. Police shot Travis to halt the attack and he later died of gunshot wounds.
Cohen explained that the dangers of keeping a pet chimpanzee were never fully explained to Herold by the Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection. While the agency was aware that the chimpanzee was living with Herold, there is no evidence that they ever reached out to her to detail why the primate posed a threat to her and others in the community.
Furthermore, Herold had never had any problems with Travis in the past. Although Travis had escaped once before in 2003 and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford for a couple of hours, the chimp had never exhibited any violent behavior, especially towards Nash, with whom he had interacted with regularly. Nash, Cohen stated, had specifically been called that day because Herold thought she could help in controlling the escaped chimpanzee.
In the state of Connecticut, criminal prosecution would have to determine that Herold acted recklessly, disregarding the risk that Travis would attack and cause serious injuries to another person. Because of the chimp's familiarity with Nash, his previously placid behavior and the lack of contact by the Department of Environmental Protection, Cohen determined that Herold would not be held criminally responsible for the attack.
"This does not in any way minimize the horror that we all feel with what occurred and with the horrendous injuries suffered," he said. "Our prayers go out to the family and to the victim."
In March, shortly after the attack, the family of Charla Nash filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages from the owner of the primate. The court papers, filed in Stamford Superior Court in Connecticut, alleged that the owner was liable for the attack, negligent and reckless in her ownership of a wild animal.
Following the attack, Nash was transported to the famed Cleveland Clinic, where the nation's first face transplant was performed. In a written statement the Cleveland Clinic said that Nash had lost her nose, upper and lower lips, eyelids and both her hands in the attack, as well as the "bony structures in her mid-face."
The attack has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has stated that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals citizens are not allowed to own.
When asked if there was anything to be learned from the attack, Cohen said, "I think the public will have to draw their own lessons from what was a very tragic incident." | [
"How much damages did Charla Nash seek?",
"What animal mauled and blinded a woman?",
"What did the chimp do?",
"What would be needed to determine if that owner had acted recklessly?",
"What is the lawsuit for?"
] | [
[
"$50 million"
],
[
"chimpanzee"
],
[
"blinded a Connecticut woman"
],
[
"was not warranted because she was not aware of the risk her pet posed."
],
[
"$50 million in damages"
]
] | Chimpanzee mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman earlier this year .
Owner was not aware of the risk the chimpanzee posed, state's attorney says .
Criminal prosecution would have had to determine that owner acted recklessly .
In March, Charla Nash filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages from the owner . |
New York (CNN) -- Dear Mr. President: How good of you, sir, to have personally telephoned two New York heroes whose timely diligence prevented a lunatic from causing a catastrophe in Times Square.
We New Yorkers are happy to hear you called Mr. Lance L. Orton Sr. and Mr. Duane Jackson to thank them for their vigilance. But there is a third vendor, Mr. President, whom you forgot to call. His name is Alioune B. Niass, and he is an immigrant from Somalia who said he was the first person to notice the smoking Nissan Pathfinder.
"I thought I should call 911," Niass later told a reporter, "but my English is not very good and I had no credit left on my phone, so I walked over to Lance, who has the T-shirt stall next to mine, and told him. He said we shouldn't call 911. Immediately he alerted a police officer nearby."
Here in New York, Mr. President, we are not particular about which one of these great New Yorkers saw that deadly car first, alerted the police and prevented a disaster. The Big Apple has a big heart, and the magnificent city of New York has room for plenty of heroes. But we are also very fair people. So we would be grateful if you could kindly call Mr. Niass and thank him for us.
There is another reason besides fairness. Mr. Niass is a Muslim from Somalia, and some of us Muslim-Americans have a suspicion that your staff might not have brought him to your attention because the idea of a Muslim hero in New York does not quite dovetail with the stereotype.
If there is an American of Muslim descent who commits, or tries to commit, a criminal act, as Faisal Shahzad apparently did, we Muslims feel we are all suddenly suspects. We feel we need to explain ourselves. Yet if there is a hero among us whose love for our city does not fit the stereotype, he is ignored. This is not fair, and we believe you, as our president, can do much to alleviate this burden on us and our children.
Imagine millions of Muslim children who go to school across America every day, just like your own children. Imagine how proud they would feel if you were to call Mr. Niass. That pride of place, that we and our children deserve, would go a long way to alleviating the pain of the bigotry and racism that is aimed at us. We too would feel at home here and be even more diligent in safeguarding and protecting our cities from criminal atrocities.
You recall, Mr. President, during your presidential campaign you were, and still are, repeatedly "accused" of being a Muslim -- as if being a Muslim were a crime. We were hoping every time you denied being a Muslim that you would add, "and if I were a Muslim, there is nothing wrong with it."
Finally, it was former Secretary of State Colin Powell who came out and said so when answering people who claimed you are Muslim: "He's a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, 'What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?'" We were relieved and grateful.
We, too, Mr. President, are America. We have our share of criminals amongst us, as do any other people. But we are not all terrorists, and we are tired of feeling false guilt or shame every time a criminal among us does something insane and stupid. We are ordinary people -- soldiers and scientists, scholars and students, homemakers and teachers, businessmen and lawyers, physicians and engineers, greengrocers and vendors. And you are our president too.
We who claim Mr. Niass as one of our own also have a dream. We dream that our children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the faith of their forefathers but by the content of their character.
When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. -- the visionary who said these immortal words I | [
"Who said he was the first to spot pathfinder?",
"Who did the president call?",
"Who claims to have first spotted the Pathfinder?"
] | [
[
"Alioune B. Niass,"
],
[
"Mr. Lance L. Orton Sr. and Mr. Duane Jackson"
],
[
"Alioune B. Niass,"
]
] | Hamid Dabashi lauds president for calling two street vendors who reported Times Square car .
But, Dabashi says, a third vendor, a Muslim immigrant, says he was first to spot Pathfinder .
Muslim-American hero defies the "terrorist" stereotype, he writes .
Dabashi: Muslim Americans living with prejudice would be buoyed by Obama calling him . |
New York (CNN) -- Decades ago, when the Department of Defense was creating the predecessor to today's Internet, one of the main goals was to create a communications system that could endure catastrophic disasters.
The Internet was designed to have no central point of failure, allowing anyone to run his or her own communications channel. This was a system that could withstand a nuclear attack.
Today, the services built on top of that network have done a great job in enabling communications, perhaps none more dramatically than Twitter.
During the days since the Haiti earthquake, the popular social networking and microblogging service has been used for rescue efforts and for fundraising to help stabilize and rebuild the country.
So it was big news when Twitter was offline for 90 minutes Wednesday morning. Technology pundits promptly began hand-wringing -- the weaknesses of having a single point of failure to critical communications had been revealed again! Could we trust Twitter? Did this mean the Web couldn't help us fulfill our most basic obligations to those in need?
Not at all.
There's no reason that organizations or individuals who want to use the Web to relay critical information have to rely on Twitter or Facebook or Google or any other giant of the technology industry in the first place. We've just forgotten a bit about how the Internet was supposed to work.
Rescue organizations and charities should simply be able to use the Web sites they already have to deliver those messages.
And wasn't that the promise of the Web in the first place? Weren't we going to stop relying on individual companies as gatekeepers for communication? When blogs took off a few years ago, wasn't it with the promise that we'd all be able to share our voices without having to ask any company for permission? Why did we give that up?
Maybe it's because they made it look so easy.
Twitter has done an impressive job of growing to handle its enormous number of users, while keeping its service simple. The company has even shown a reassuring sensitivity to the civic and social obligations that come from running such a popular communication service. Companies such as Facebook and Google have stepped up, too. Their hearts appear to be in the right place, and they're doing real work to help people communicate.
But the Web is bigger than any one site or any one social network. In my own work, I run a nonprofit that strives to connect government policymakers to the expertise of ordinary people using the Web.
We'll naturally make great use of Twitter and Facebook and all the other services, but it'd be unforgivable to pick only one of them as a platform for civic engagement. Telling people the only way to talk to the White House is on Facebook is like saying you can only call your senator by using a particular phone company.
And that's the key lesson to learn from Twitter being down while people are depending on it for communication: Some needs are too important to put in the hands of any single company. Communicating in real time about emergency information is clearly one of them.
Fortunately there's good news. Smart inventors have already made cutting-edge technologies that let any site deliver messages with the same immediacy as Twitter or Facebook.
Now the challenge is reminding all of the social institutions, media organizations and government agencies that they need to use their own communications infrastructure just as much as they participate in services such as Twitter and Facebook.
The reality is social networks come and go.
Ten years ago, otherwise-sensible companies were paying millions of dollars to America Online to buy "AOL keywords." These were shortcuts to parts of the AOL service, which dominated U.S. Internet access at the time. In fact, many of us have allowed companies to become intermediaries to all our communications, whether it was AOL 10 years ago or Facebook today.
But we don't need to ask gateways for permission to publish. We can run our own Web sites, at our own Web addresses and keep control over how we communicate.
Think how ludicrous it would seem for someone to | [
"What did Anil Dash say the internet was designed for?"
] | [
[
"to have no central point of failure,"
]
] | Anil Dash says Internet was designed to endure disasters, free up communication .
Dash: If Web's goal is decentralization, why was Twitter crash so disabling for many?
Dash reminds us that social networks come and go; remember when AOL ruled?
Web users should take charge of their own communication efforts, Dash urges . |
New York (CNN) -- Diplomacy hasn't worked. Sanctions have achieved little. Relations between Iran and the United States are, at best, chilly. So why not try music? On Saturday night, for the first time, Iranians were the headline performers at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall. A father and son from Iran led American musicians in a hybrid session of traditional Iranian and classical Western music. Thirty-year-old Hafez Nazeri told CNN he was pleased to present "another dimension of Iran and Iranian culture to the Western people." Nazeri, who now lives in the United States, said, "We hear mostly about the other side -- bloodshed, chaos -- and I wanted to be able to present the reality of our culture, which is about peace and love and unity." Nearly 3,000 people, many of them Persians, flocked to Carnegie Hall for the concert. One patron said, "The message was completely obvious: Love all the way. Peace!" The Nazeris said it was an honor to be onstage at the historic music center. The younger Nazeri said his music might be able to bridge cultural divides between Iran and the United States. His father, Shahrem, still lives in Iran. Speaking in Farsi, the man known as the Iranian Pavarotti talked about the demonstrations that followed June's disputed Iranian presidential election. The tenor said some of the people in the streets are "requesting something, and I think it's important to answer to their requests. The government should answer to their requests and they have to see what their people want." The Nazeris are two of the few Iranian musicians allowed to freely travel and perform in Iran. Western-style popular music is banned in Iran. With just a few musicians, they form a rare group, blending Persian traditional themes with Western classical style. It's very simple in presentation: a cello, percussion and an improvised setar -- a Persian instrument like a lute -- played by Hafez Nazeri. The Nazeris' music is based on the 13th-century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi. "The idea of the music is to bring unity and to be able to create a music that is not just for Iranians, it's for people from all over the world," the younger Nazeri said. Rachel Cooper, director of cultural programs and performing arts at the Asia Society, said, "You're seeing the Iranian culture and the Western culture in something that's a kind of hybrid, that I think represents the times that we live in." The Nazeris receive cultural support from the nonprofit New York-based Asia Society, Cooper told CNN. "We've been going through this time period where we've been thinking about the Berlin Wall coming down, and throughout that period of the Cold War, cultural relations were always a really important component. So I think that cultural relations -- music in particular -- are a really important part of how we know each other as human beings," Cooper said. The Nazeris have performed in cities across the United States in recent years. | [
"Where did they play on saturday night?",
"What is the music based on?",
"What is Nazeri's music based on?",
"Where did they played?",
"Where did they play for enthusiastic crowd?",
"What type of music do Hafez Nazeri and Shahrem play?"
] | [
[
"at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall."
],
[
"the 13th-century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi."
],
[
"Rumi."
],
[
"Carnegie Hall."
],
[
"Carnegie Hall"
],
[
"hybrid session of traditional Iranian"
]
] | Hafez Nazeri and his father Shahrem play hybrid of Iranian and Western music .
They played for enthusiastic crowd at Carnegie Hall on Saturday night .
Son says he wants to show "another dimension of Iran ... to the Western people"
Nazeris' music based on 13th-century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi . |
New York (CNN) -- Emmy-winning "Golden Girls" actress Rue McClanahan died of a stroke in a New York hospital early Thursday, her manager said. She was 76.
McClanahan, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage last Monday, was surrounded by family when she died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to manager Barbara Lawrence.
The actress' career began on the New York stage in the 1950s, but her long television career was first boosted when producer Norman Lear cast McClanahan in his hit CBS series "All in the Family" in 1971. She appeared in Lear's "Maude" a year later.
Her most memorable TV role was as Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 through 1992. McClanahan won an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy in 1987.
Betty White is the last surviving member of the four "Golden Girls" stars.
"Rue was a close and dear friend," White said Thursday. "I treasured our relationship. It hurts more than I even thought it would, if that's possible."
Estelle Getty passed away in 2008, and Bea Arthur died last year.
McClanahan requested that no funeral be held for her, but memorial services will be announced for later this summer in New York and Los Angeles, California, Lawrence said.
Fans can pay their respects online, a family statement said.
"Please join us in celebrating Rue's amazing life" by visiting a memorial page established for her on Facebook, the family said.
McClanahan's last comedic TV role was in an episode of Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns," taped in 2009.
She carried the Devereaux character to three other TV series, including "The Golden Palace," "Empty Nest" and "Nurses."
She was married six times and had one child. Her son, Mark Bish, was born in 1958 during a brief first marriage.
Her present marriage to Morrow Wilson, starting in 1997, was her longest. Her book "My First Five Husbands ... And the Ones Who Got Away" was published in 2007.
McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma, on February 21, 1934, to parents with Scottish and native American heritage.
CNN's Jack Hannah contributed to this report. | [
"who won an emmy in 1987?",
"who was a close and dear friend",
"What does Betty White say about Rue McClanahan?",
"what did betty white say",
"When did Rue McClanahan win an Emmy?",
"Who is the last surviving \"Golden Girls\" star?",
"who won an emmy",
"whose family at hospital?"
] | [
[
"Rue McClanahan"
],
[
"\"Rue"
],
[
"\"I treasured our relationship. It hurts more than I even thought it would, if"
],
[
"\"Rue was a close and dear friend,\""
],
[
"1987."
],
[
"Betty White"
],
[
"Rue McClanahan"
],
[
"McClanahan,"
]
] | "Rue was a close and dear friend," co-star Betty White says .
Rue McClanahan's family at hospital with star when she died .
McClanahan won an Emmy in 1987 .
White is last surviving "Golden Girls" star . |
New York (CNN) -- Evelyn Lauder, a member of the Estee Lauder cosmetic company who helped create the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness, died Saturday in New York City.
She was 75.
Lauder died from complications of ovarian cancer at her home with her family by her side, the company said.
The Vienna, Austria, native fled Nazi-occupied Europe with her parents, eventually settling in New York City.
As a college freshman, she was introduced to the man she would marry, Leonard A. Lauder, the son of Estee and Joseph Lauder, who co-founded the cosmetics company.
Lauder joined the family business and rose to be senior corporate vice president and head of fragrance development worldwide.
Perhaps best known as an advocate for women's health, Lauder helped to create the pink ribbon, the now ubiquitous symbol for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by her husband, two sons and five grandchildren.
"My mother carried the torch of our company heritage and the values that were passed to her by my grandmother, Mrs. Estee Lauder," her son, William Lauder, said in a statement.
"My mother and father were life partners as well as business partners. They nurtured the culture and growth of the Estee Lauder companies, and as we grew, my mother was our creative compass and pillar of strength. Together my family and the company celebrate the beautiful person she was." | [
"how many grandchildren did she have?",
"What was Evelyn Lauder's cause of death?",
"what did lauder help create?",
"When did Evelyn Lauder die?",
"Lauder helped create the pink ribbon as a symbol of what?",
"What kind of cancer did Evelyn Lauder have?",
"what does evelyn lauder die from?",
"She is survived by her husband and how many sons?",
"Evelyn Lauder died from complications of what?"
] | [
[
"five"
],
[
"complications of ovarian cancer"
],
[
"pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness,"
],
[
"Saturday"
],
[
"breast cancer awareness,"
],
[
"ovarian"
],
[
"complications of ovarian cancer"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"ovarian cancer"
]
] | Evelyn Lauder dies from complications of ovarian cancer .
Lauder helped create the pink ribbon as a symbol of breast cancer awareness .
She is survived by her husband, two sons and five grandchildren . |
New York (CNN) -- Every year, beginning with the January birthday celebrations for the Rev. Martin Luther King and moving through Black History Month in February, Americans and others revisit the history, role and significance of the black freedom movement in the United States.
But there is a frequent tendency to misrepresent the lessons of that movement and apply them to other social movements overseas in a way that misses the mark. This has been happening increasingly with the historical lessons that are being misapplied to the Palestinian freedom movement.
It has become almost a cliché, yet people, including Irish rocker Bono, continue to wield King's name when they bemoan the alleged absence of his like among the Palestinians. It seems no matter what Palestinian activists do, they are condemned as terrorists.
Whether they are engaged in armed struggle or nonviolent direct action, it does not matter: Palestinian activists are often portrayed as extremists who threaten life and property. The obvious exceptions are those Palestinians who are prepared to accept whatever terms the United States insists upon for the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The recent arrests of Palestinian human rights activists Jamal Juma', Abdallah Abu Rahma, Ibrahim Amirah and Mohammed Othman are prime examples. Juma' and Othman were imprisoned without charge, Amirah faces charges of incitement, organizing illegal demonstrations, and stone-throwing, and Abu Rahma is confronted with a charge of "illegal weapons possession," apparently because a protest sign he created included a spent tear gas canister
In fact, they were imprisoned (Juma' was released on January 12 and Othman on January 13 after he was held nearly four months) not for firing missiles or ambushing Israeli troops, but for protesting what the International Court of Justice has called the illegal Israeli separation wall that carves up the West Bank and places Palestinian communities in an existence that recalls South African apartheid.
The systematic detention of such leaders has been condemned by Amnesty International, but the U.S. public is unlikely to get even a hint that the Israeli government is furthering its efforts to smash dissent in the occupied territories.
These recent crackdowns make even more ironic the hope expressed by Bono last month in The New York Times "that people in places filled with rage and despair, places like the Palestinian territories, will in the days ahead find among them their Gandhi, their King, their Aung San Suu Kyi." As a commenter on his column noted, these people exist today and have existed within the Palestinian movement. They are just in jail ... or dead.
Bassem Abu Rahme, for example, was killed by a teargas canister fired at close range by an Israeli soldier on April 17 while taking part in one of the weekly nonviolent protests that are regularly met with tear gas, billy clubs, rubber bullets and the threat of arrest.
I believe that Bassem, like many others, was following in Gandhi's path.
While it is certainly true that some of the protests by Palestinians are violent, the same could be said of the anti-colonial protests that took place on the Indian subcontinent against the British at the time of Gandhi. Gandhi certainly preached nonviolent direct action, yet there were others within the independence movement that advocated forceful courses of action.
Nevertheless, smearing or repressing all protests in the name of moving against those who use violence is disingenuous, a point well understood when viewing other freedom struggles, whether the Indian independence movement or the black freedom struggle in the United States. In fact, this repression becomes a means not of suppressing violence, but of suppressing all resistance to injustice. This is experienced today by the Palestinian movement.
Its objectives are caricatured and maligned by Israel in order to make the repression easier.
In this period -- from King's birthday through the celebrations and discussions that take place during Black History Month -- it is useful to recall similar treatment King and other freedom fighters endured, and reflect on the true lessons from his life and struggles that are relevant to the Palestinian struggle and its hopes for a lasting peace.
Despite King's acceptance now in mainstream circles, he was first and foremost a troublemaker in the cause of justice | [
"What did Amnesty International denounce?",
"What country is he talking about?"
] | [
[
"systematic detention of such leaders has been condemned"
],
[
"United States."
]
] | Bill Fletcher says it is common to mistakenly bemoan lack of peaceful Palestinians .
He says Israel portrays nonviolent protests in West Bank as extremist .
Amnesty International has denounced crackdowns on nonviolent protest, he says .
Fletcher: Israel denies nonviolent activists so it can claim it has no partner for peace . |
New York (CNN) -- Faisal Shahzad made a practice run in Manhattan the day before he allegedly tried to blow up a car bomb in Times Square, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of his questioning.
Last Friday, Shahzad drove his white Isuzu from Connecticut through Times Square, where he staked out potential locations for the following night's planned attack, the source said. He then parked the Isuzu several blocks away from Times Square, though the precise location was unclear, and took a train back to Connecticut, the source said.
On Saturday night, with his recently acquired Nissan Pathfinder loaded with his makeshift explosives, Shahzad drove southbound along Manhattan's East River on FDR Drive to the 49th Street exit, the source said.
Shahzad then pulled over and reached into the Pathfinder's rear compartment where he attempted to set into motion the process needed to set off the homemade bomb, the source said.
The source, who did not explain how Shahzad had attempted to set off the bomb, said he then took a number of turns and wound up entering Times Square by driving south down Seventh Avenue. The source said Shahzad told investigators he turned right onto 45th Street toward Eighth Avenue because he saw a place to pull over.
It's unclear why Shahzad left the Pathfinder's engine running and hazard lights blinking.
But because of an incredible goof, Shahzad couldn't use his escape car. He had accidentally left the keys to that vehicle in the Pathfinder that he thought was about to blow up, the source said.
He apparently went to a train station, where he boarded a Metro North train back to Connecticut.
Another law enforcement source said investigators found a train receipt used by Shahzad that is stamped about 7 p.m., a half hour after a witness notified authorities that the car in Times Square was filing with smoke.
Sources say investigators believe he ran to catch the train that pulled out around 7 or 7:15 Saturday night.
The source added that police investigators have discovered a surveillance video of Shahzad walking in Shubert Alley -- which runs between 44th and 45th Streets just west of Broadway -- moments after witnesses saw the smoky SUV. In the video he is wearing a white baseball cap.
Efforts also continued Wednesday to determine what may have motivated Shahzad. An official familiar with the investigation said Wednesday that Shahzad felt Islam was under attack.
Any grudge Shahzad may have held against the United States appears to have developed recently, according to a senior U.S. official who is familiar with the investigation but not authorized to speak publicly.
The investigation has found nothing to indicate that Shahzad had any long-standing grudge or anger toward the United States, the official said.
"What we know is, the dynamic appeared to have changed in the last year," the official said.
Investigators have not determined whether Shahzad had any training from Pakistani groups in anything, the source said.
Additionally, the official suggested, detentions in Pakistan have been carried out to collect information and not because officials had reached any conclusions about their guilt or ties to any groups.
"They are reaching out to people, bringing them in and doing their due diligence, but 'arrest' suggests a strong connection to the guy. While anything is possible, they haven't arrived at any conclusion," the source said.
Authorities in Pakistan have rounded up a number of people for questioning, as U.S. law enforcement sought Wednesday to piece together the actions and motivations of Shahzad.
Iftikhar Mian, the father-in-law of Shahzad, and Tauseef Ahmed, Shahzad's friend, were picked up in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, two intelligence officials said.
An intelligence source said Wednesday that Muhammed Rehan, an associate of Shahzad, also was detained on Tuesday.
Rehan allegedly was instrumental in making possible a meeting between Shahzad and at least one senior Taliban official, a senior Pakistani official said Wednesday.
The official said that Rehan drove Shahzad on July 7 in a pickup truck to Peshawar, Pakistan. At some point, they headed to the Waziristan region, where they met with one or more | [
"where did isuzu drive from day before planned attack?",
"What did officials say?",
"what did official say about the dynamic?",
"who left keys to isizu in pathfinder?",
"What car was driven from connecticut to times square?",
"Who left the keys inside the pathfinder?"
] | [
[
"Connecticut through Times Square,"
],
[
"The investigation has found nothing to indicate that Shahzad had any long-standing grudge or anger toward the United States,"
],
[
"the"
],
[
"Shahzad"
],
[
"white Isuzu"
],
[
"Shahzad"
]
] | NEW: Isuzu driven from Connecticut to Times Square day before planned attack .
NEW: Shahzad accidently left keys to the Isuzu inside the bomb-laden Pathfinder .
Shahzad felt Islam was under attack, source says .
"The dynamic appeared to have changed in the last year," official says . |
New York (CNN) -- For Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne and Michael Bearden, "It" is a bittersweet feeling. The three men expected to be spending their time this summer and fall working on Michael Jackson's concert engagement at London's O2 Arena, which was scheduled to begin in July. Instead, they are talking about Jackson's last days and the new movie about that time, "This Is It." In an interview, they described "This Is It," the movie that they've made from rehearsal and backstage footage of Jackson, shot just before he died June 25. The film, which has been dominating advance ticket sale outlets, opens wide on Wednesday. The full movie wasn't screened for critics, with only 12 minutes of footage available to the media before the interviews. But as director Ortega describes it, the film tries to blend backstage footage with the performance to give an inside glimpse of those last days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The scenes show the superstar working on his dance moves, figuring out choreography, practicing on stage and running the show. From the clips, there's no question that Jackson was in charge. His physicality is vibrant: At one point, he dances with a troupe of top-notch hoofers and keeps up with all of them. There's no indication of the infirmities that would ultimately take his life. All three men -- Payne was the show's choreographer and Bearden its music supervisor -- stressed how they wanted this movie to represent the Jackson they knew. "It was an honor project," Bearden said. According to Ortega, the film is for the fans. He said he was inundated with e-mails from fans wanting to know just what Jackson had planned for the concerts he would never give. Above all, they said they were concerned about Jackson's three children. They said that they wanted to make a film that his kids -- Prince Michael, Paris and "Blanket" -- would be able to see in years to come that would make them proud of their father. Though the men acknowledged a heavy responsibility, there were light moments during the interviews. Payne and Bearden both smiled as they talked about working for the King of Pop and how he'd try to tell people what he wanted. "I know you mean well, but ...," Jackson would say as he corrected colleagues, they recalled. But all of them talked about he emotional toll that making this film has taken on them. There were "a lot of tissue moments on this film," Bearden said. Watch a former Jackson guitarist reflect on his career Ortega added that he didn't know whether he could handle the emotional stress involved in making this movie so quickly. Ultimately, according to Ortega, the movie proved to be cathartic. "I thought I'd collapse," Ortega said. "I thought I'll never get through it, it's too hard, it's too soon, but in fact it was healing and helpful." He hopes Jackson's fans will feel the same way. | [
"Who was the production for?",
"Production was for the fans but especially for Jackson's what ?",
"What film is currently dominating ticket sales?",
"What film is dominating advance ticket sales?",
"Was the production more for the fans or Jackson's children?",
"Which Michael Jackson concert film, is dominating advance ticket sales ?"
] | [
[
"the fans."
],
[
"three children."
],
[
"\"This Is It,\""
],
[
"\"This Is It,\""
],
[
"kids"
],
[
"\"This Is It.\""
]
] | "This Is It," Michael Jackson concert film, is dominating advance ticket sales .
Film was tough to make, musician's colleagues say .
Production was for the fans but especially for Jackson's children .
"American Morning" looks at the value of Michael Jackson's estate Monday 6 a.m. ET . |
New York (CNN) -- For much of this year, we've read about the Arab Spring uprisings, leading to the downfall of leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. Now, we're facing the prospect of a more fundamental overhaul in western nations: a European Union Winter.
The ongoing fiscal crisis in the eurozone is taking its political toll on the leaders of the troubled economies. One by one, they fall.
In the south, developments are accompanied by drama. Greece's George Papandreou resigned, after two years in office, as a precondition for the creation of a coalition government in Greece. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, whose fall has been predicted for years because of his business dealings and private life choices, has stepped down.
But the dominoes don't stop with these Mediterranean countries. Nicolas Sarkozy of France faces a close to impossible re-election in the spring. The French are weary of austerity, but their country will continue to have to make cuts in order to withstand market pressures and hope for a return to growth.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany is faring badly in the polls as the economy there slows down and the money for bailouts will most likely need to increase. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, is not even seeking a third term in the November 20 elections. Unemployment is at 21% and the economic downturn there continues.
Regardless of the fates of these leaders, several overriding questions remain.
What will citizens need to understand in order to accept a significant change in lifestyle and prospects? After ousting one set of politicians will they then be willing to go through the pain of more austerity and elusive growth, or will each new government face even stronger opposition? Is there a realistic way out of this financial crisis that does not entail hardship for the people?
Citizens do not appreciate experimentation. They value a clear road map they can understand: It has a beginning, a middle and an end. Conflicting opinions, the residue of a democracy, nonetheless breed confusion and a false sense that somewhere, someone is hiding the easy way out. People then search for scapegoats and saviors, identify conspiracies and blame the powers that be.
Coalition governments alone will not be sufficient for people to get on board. A clear pan-European plan that will unite the continent should be immediately under way.
The largest political groups, such as the European People's Party, the European Socialists, European Liberal Democrats and the Greens, to name a few, must come together with the EU Commission and undertake this challenge.
The commission has been working on economic proposals to address the fiscal crisis and the economic governance in the EU. There are talks about treaty revisions. But there are also, concurrently, discussions about moving to a two-speed Eurozone. This only heightens insecurity and resentment.
But there is some good news.
Many of the unifying elements are already in place. Across the European Union there is consensus on the transition to a low-carbon economy, to create green jobs, protect the environment, invest in education and R&D and to manage resources more efficiently. The EU has treaties binding members together, and over the decades a strong European identity has emerged that helps citizens feel at home throughout the EU and adds value to their national identity and heritage.
Sadly, the current fiscal crisis has wreaked havoc and obscured all these positive policies that helped make Europe what it is today: a modern society that provides political, economic and personal security to its many peoples. Europe has strengthened its democratic institutions, provided funding for its weaker members, incorporated new members after the fall of the Iron Curtain, given voice to its citizens and led the way in reversing the effects of climate change, the greatest challenge of our time. What Europe needs now is more, not less, Europe.
In a world where size matters, Europeans need to re-start the engines and not allow the fiscal crisis or the markets to send them back to the days when borders, national enmities, national currencies and nationalism itself ruled the day. Today's world requires cooperation on | [
"Who is asking whether governments will face stronger opposition?",
"What should be underway to unite the continent?",
"What is falling one by one?",
"what will not be sufficient for people?"
] | [
[
"citizens"
],
[
"clear pan-European plan"
],
[
"leaders of the troubled economies."
],
[
"Coalition governments alone"
]
] | One by one, leaders in Europe's troubled economies are falling, says Sophia Kalantzakos .
Kalantzakos: Will each country's new government face even stronger opposition?
Coalition governments alone will not be sufficient for people to get on board, she says .
A pan-European plan that will unite the continent should be urgently under way, she says . |
New York (CNN) -- Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was granted bail Thursday after being indicted on charges related to the alleged assault of a maid in his New York hotel Saturday.
"It's a great relief to the family to be able to have him with them," defense attorney Bill Taylor said to reporters outside the courtroom. He said his client would spend Thursday night at the jail on Rikers Island before being released Friday. The next court appearance, an arraignment, is slated for June 6.
Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus granted the bail on the condition that Strauss-Kahn post $1 million in cash, that he also post a bond for $5 million, that he surrender his travel documents and that he submit to home detention.
The announcement came shortly after his indictment on seven criminal charges was announced. They are: two counts of criminal sexual act, two counts of sexual abuse, and one count each of attempt to commit rape, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
In the charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree, Strauss-Kahn is accused of having "engaged in oral sexual conduct with an individual ... by forcible compulsion," the indictment says.
"Under American law, these are extremely serious charges," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance told reporters outside the courtroom. "The defendant was indicted on all the charges presented to the grand jury," he said.
Strauss-Kahn resigned from his IMF post on Wednesday.
As he entered the courtroom for the bail hearing, he looked at his wife, seated in the front row, and smiled.
Strauss-Kahn on Monday had been denied bail, with the criminal court judge saying his attempt to leave the country after the alleged incident made him a flight risk. His lawyer argued Thursday that Strauss-Kahn had been scheduled to leave New York and fly to Paris on Saturday using a ticket he had bought on May 11.
Taylor said Strauss-Kahn had called the Sofitel hotel from John F. Kennedy International Airport to locate his cell phone, which he had left in the hotel, then called a second time as his plane was boarding to request that its delivery be hastened. Instead, police at the airport took him into custody.
Taylor noted that his client resigned his position as IMF chief on Wednesday, and had surrendered his passport and a U.N.-issued travel document.
"In our view, no bail is required," the lawyer said. "He has one interest at this time and that is to clear his name."
Taylor added that Strauss-Kahn had agreed to live with his wife in an apartment in Manhattan after his release.
Prosecutor John McConnell argued the high-profile economist had no right to bail. "While there is presumption of innocence, the proof is substantial and it is growing every day," he said, adding that the forensic evidence is consistent with an attack and the alleged victim has identified Strauss-Kahn as her attacker.
McConnell noted that France does not extradite its own nationals, and said Strauss-Kahn's departure on Saturday from the hotel was in haste, suggesting "something went on in that hotel room."
For his part, Obus said he was solely concerned about ensuring Strauss-Kahn returns to face charges. "We don't want his money," he said. "We just want to make sure he comes back. He has resources to live comfortably in his own country."
As the hearing recessed, Strauss-Kahn blew his wife a kiss.
Meanwhile, Strauss-Kahn's alleged victim, a 32-year-old Guinean maid for the Sofitel hotel, testified before the grand jury on Wednesday, according to an attorney representing her.
"If you've had any experience with someone who has been traumatized by sexual assault, reliving it in your mind is hard enough," attorney Jeffrey Shapiro said on CNN's "American Morning" Thursday. "Having to recount it, even to a therapist, is difficult, much less having to talk about it on the record in front of | [
"What did Strauss-Kahn formerly head?",
"who spend his time at rikers island",
"Where will Strauss-Kahn spend Thursday night?",
"What are the bail conditions?",
"What are the conditions of bail?",
"What did Strauss-Kahn resign from?"
] | [
[
"International Monetary Fund"
],
[
"Dominique Strauss-Kahn"
],
[
"at the jail on Rikers Island"
],
[
"$1 million in cash, that he also post a bond for $5 million, that he surrender his travel documents and that he submit to home detention."
],
[
"that Strauss-Kahn post $1 million in cash, that he also post a bond for $5 million, that he surrender his travel documents and that he submit to home detention."
],
[
"International Monetary Fund"
]
] | NEW: Strauss-Kahn will spend Thursday night at Rikers Island .
NEW: He is to be released Friday .
The bail conditions include $1 million cash and $5 million bond .
Strauss-Kahn says he felt compelled to resign as chief of the IMF . |
New York (CNN) -- Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik arrived at the federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland, Monday to begin a 48-month prison sentence, prison authorities said.
Kerik reported to the medium-security facility, which houses some 500 inmates, at approximately 1 p.m. ET, authorities said.
Kerik -- nominated by President George Bush in 2004 to be homeland security adviser, only to later withdraw from consideration -- was sentenced to four years in prison last February. He pleaded guilty to charges including lying to Bush administration officials during his 2004 nomination.
Ed Ross, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Kerik will be expected to perform a number of manual jobs including plumbing, landscaping and food service at the prison, which also has a minimum security camp.
On the eve of his imprisonment, Kerik maintained his prosecution was unjust, and said he had to prepare his two daughters, ages 7 and 10, for his departure.
"Words cannot express my disappointment in the prosecutors and the judge's behavior, and his sentence that followed," Kerik wrote on his blog Sunday.
"I have repeatedly expressed remorse for what I may have done, however, unlike many, I can't remain silent in the face of what I believe has been a gross injustice, which I pray will be remedied by an appellate court."
He said he made his two daughters watch the movie "Rocky Balboa" for the scene in which Sylvester Stallone's character tells his son that the world can be an unfair place but one has to persevere.
"As I prepare to serve my sentence, I have had to likewise prepare Angelina and Celine, my 7- and 10-year-old daughters for what is next to come, and had to teach them that there are times when we are put in situations which are beyond our control and that no matter how undeserved, unsought, or unwanted, we must find the strength, courage, and perseverance to carry on and move forward."
Kerik, 54, pleaded guilty in November to tax fraud and six other felonies. He has been under house arrest in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, since then.
In court papers, prosecutors said Kerik denied to a White House official that there was "any possible concern" about his relationships with contractors involved in renovating his apartment or that he had any financial dealings with prospective city contractors.
Kerik had been scheduled to go to trial on various corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York. He pleaded guilty to that charge and several tax-related counts in November.
Kerik was New York police commissioner from 1998 to 2002, a tenure that included the September 11, 2001, attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 2,700 people.
He spent a brief stint in Iraq training the country's police force after the U.S. invasion in 2003, and President Bush nominated him to be homeland security secretary in 2004.
However, Kerik withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced that he had employed a nanny with a murky immigration status.
In 2006, he pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts while working as city corrections commissioner. Under his plea agreement, he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time.
His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake."
Kerik made an unsuccessful appeal for clemency to Bush in 2008, according to court papers released in October.
Kerik's sentence exceeded the 27- to 33-month prison term recommended by federal prosecutors.
"With great power comes great responsibility and comes great consequences," said U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson during the sentencing on February 18.
Kerik ended his blog post Sunday, saying: "Finally, I can only hope that history will judge me based on my 30 years of public service to our great nation, and not | [
"How long is the commissioner sentence ?",
"Who did he plead guilty to lying to?",
"What position did Kerik withdraw from?",
"When was Kerik nominated to homeland security ?",
"What length of sentence did the police commissioner receive?",
"How long was Ex-New York police commissioner sentenced to?",
"What did he plead guilty to?"
] | [
[
"48-month"
],
[
"Bush administration officials"
],
[
"New York City Police Commissioner"
],
[
"2004"
],
[
"48-month"
],
[
"48-month"
],
[
"charges including lying to Bush administration officials during his 2004 nomination."
]
] | NEW: Ex-New York police commissioner turns himself in to begin 4-year sentence .
He pleaded guilty to lying to Bush officials, tax fraud .
Kerik was nominated to be homeland security secretary in 2004, withdrew .
Calls conviction 'gross injustice, which I pray will be remedied' on appeal' |
New York (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton left the hospital Friday morning after doctors performed a procedure to restore blood flow in one of his coronary arteries, longtime friend Terry McAuliffe told CNN.
Clinton, 63, was hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia campus after experiencing brief periods of discomfort in his chest over several days, according to Dr. Allan Schwartz, the hospital's chief of cardiology.
Two stents were used to restore blood flow to a coronary artery Thursday after images revealed that a bypass graft -- part of a quadruple bypass surgery that Clinton underwent in 2004 -- was blocked, Schwartz said.
An electrocardiogram and a blood test showed no evidence of a heart attack, Schwartz said.
"If I know Bill Clinton, he's going to get right back on the phone," McAuliffe, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told CNN on Friday. "Yesterday as they were wheeling him into the operating room, they literally had to take the phone out of his hand as they were wheeling him in to surgery.
"He was on a conference call dealing with Haiti. And I guarantee you as soon as he gets back today he'll be back on the phone."
Schwartz said the need for the procedure had nothing to do with Clinton's post-bypass diet or exercise, which Schwartz called excellent. Rather, Schwartz said, this is "part of the natural history" of the bypass treatment.
"He really toed the line in terms of diet and exercise. He really followed the program," Schwartz said, adding he told Clinton that he'd be allowed to return to work Monday.
The stents have opened the artery that the blocked bypass graft was supposed to service, Schwartz said. Stents are tiny balloons that are threaded into a patient's heart vessels where they are inflated, pushing plaque against the vessel wall and increasing blood flow.
The graft's blockage isn't unheard of, because that particular type of graft has a 10 percent to 20 percent failure rate after six years, Schwartz said.
However, a bypass graft at a different artery -- the main artery in the front of Clinton's heart -- still looks "pristine," Schwartz said.
"We know from multiple studies that if that bypass is open at this point ... it will remain open," he said.
Stents and chest pain explained
Schwartz said Clinton was up and walking about two hours after Thursday's procedure.
In a written statement, Douglas Band, counselor to the former president, said: "President Clinton is in good spirits and will continue to focus on the work of his foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts."
Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were with him at the hospital Thursday night, Schwartz said.
Hillary Clinton was scheduled to leave Friday on a planned trip to the Middle East, but her departure has been delayed until Saturday, a senior U.S. official said.
Bill Clinton hasn't left the public eye since he departed the White House in 2001, maintaining an active schedule devoted to global philanthropic interests and speeches.
Since the January 12 earthquake that hit Haiti, he has traveled there twice in his latest role as the U.N. special envoy. On February 3, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon placed Clinton in charge of overseeing aid and reconstruction efforts there. Clinton also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, said Clinton was "exhausted" and had a cold after returning from his second trip to Haiti earlier this month.
Clinton had busy schedule before heart procedure
Clinton's 2004 surgery was performed at the same hospital where he was admitted Thursday. Doctors in 2005 operated again on Clinton to remove scar tissue and fluid that had built up after his bypass surgery.
Dr. Spencer King, president of St. Joseph's Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, rejected as outdated suggestions that Clinton needs to slow down.
"This is kind of a | [
"when was it installed",
"What was blocked?",
"What procedure did he get ?",
"What happened to him ?",
"when did they leave hospital",
"Who was in hospital ?"
] | [
[
"Thursday"
],
[
"a bypass graft"
],
[
"to restore blood flow in one of his coronary arteries,"
],
[
"hospitalized at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia campus after experiencing brief periods of discomfort in his chest over several days,"
],
[
"Friday morning"
],
[
"Bill Clinton"
]
] | NEW: Clinton leaves hospital Friday morning, former DNC chairman says .
Doctor: Graft installed during 2004 bypass surgery was blocked .
Thursday's stent procedure opened artery that graft was supposed to service .
Former president came to hospital after feeling chest discomfort over several days . |
New York (CNN) -- Hacker group The Script Kiddies successfully hacked another news organization when it logged onto USA Today's Twitter page and posted false statements Sunday evening. USA Today promptly removed the messages and posted a statement about the hack.
Late Sunday evening USA Today posted to its Twitter page:
"@usatoday was hacked and as a result false tweets were sent. We worked with Twitter to correct it. The account is now back in our control."
The Script Kiddies, an offshoot of the hacker group Associated, takes full responsibility on their Facebook page:
"Just Hacked USAToday and made a new Facebook fan page, lost access to the last one."
Twitter responded by saying, "As a policy, we don't comment on individual accounts for privacy reasons."
The Script Kiddies are also responsible for hacking into NBC News' Twitter account the weekend of September 11 and posting fabricated messages about a fresh attack on New York's ground zero. The Script Kiddies also hacked the Fox News Twitter account in July. The group falsely reported that President Barack Obama had been killed.
USA Today was unable to be reached for comment but tweeted this apology late Sunday evening:
"We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion caused to our readers and thank you for reading @usatoday." | [
"Who is victim of hacking?",
"who were the hackers?",
"Who else has been hit?",
"What are The Script Kiddies most known for?",
"who was hacked?"
] | [
[
"USA Today's"
],
[
"The Script Kiddies,"
],
[
"NBC News'"
],
[
"hacking"
],
[
"USA Today's Twitter page"
]
] | USA Today is latest victim of hacker group The Script Kiddies .
Disruption consists of fabricated statements and group promotion .
NBC News and Fox News were previously hit . |
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