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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt.

The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing — functioning at just 5%.But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time. So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World. He gets one.

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt.

The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%.

But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time.

So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

A walking billboard

For a week, Leibowitz walked around the park, wearing a T-shirt that read: "In Need of Kidney. O Positive." Below the message was his cell phone number.

"Maybe it's my advertising background," Leibowitz told CNN. "I didn't know what was going to happen. But when you get desperate, you'll do anything."

Leibowitz, 60, had suffered from chronic kidney disease for 15 years.

"I was on the transplant list for the deceased for four years at multiple hospitals...but the problem is for a deceased donor, there is a 7- to 10-year waiting list," he said. "Some people don't even make it 7 to 10 years on dialysis."

Tourists clicked photos of the shirt. One couple posted their snapshot on Facebook - and the magic happened. By the end of the day, the post received 32,000 shares.

By the end of the week, 90,000.

Hundreds of people called wanting to help the man with the shirt. For people in kidney failure, survival can be a numbers game, a game Leibowitz began to believe he just might win. But it was still a longshot.

"Just because you are a blood type match, doesn't mean...you're going to be a match," Leibowitz said. "They look at every enzyme, every single tissue. There are so many details they have to do."

Four people flew to New York for testing. Three were denied. But one man, Richie Sully, was the perfect match.

A voicemail with an offer

Sully was giving blood at the Red Cross when he spotted the viral Facebook post.

He called the number on the T-shirt, and left a voicemail.

"Hi, my name is Richie. I saw your post and I'm O positive. I have an extra kidney and you are more than welcome to it."

Sully said he thought Leibowitz would not return his phone call because the post had 80,000 shares when he saw it. Sully assumed at least someone had already vowed to help him.

"When we actually talked, he told me so many people had called and a large majority of them had flaked," the 39-year-old from Indiana said. "I can't understand the thought process behind seeing a post like that and then reaching out and then completely ignoring him."

"He knew he had an expiration date. He knew he had a shelf life. I saw this as a desperate act. I couldn't think of a reason not to call the guy. It's just seemed like this is something you're supposed to do."

The two men hope their shared story brings awareness to live organ donation. They both point out that the act - and the impact- go way beyond a check mark on your driver's license.

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A man goes to Disney World looking for a kidney. He finds one. | CNN

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt. The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%. But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time. So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

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Possible alein life

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Blue salt crystals on meteorites stoke conversation about extraterrestrial life

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When the meteorites were first found and sent directly to the space center, the technology did not exist to conduct an analysis of the amino acid content inside of the salt crystals

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Grandview kindergartner suspended for 10 days after bringing melatonin pill to school

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FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

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GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- Danielle Largent says her six-year-old son didn't know any better, but he's been suspended from kindergarten regardless.

"I could understand if he was in like middle school or high school, where he really understand -- even fourth or fifth grade -- but he doesn't know any better," she said.

Largent said her six-year-old kindergartner was suspended from Martin City Elementary School over a melatonin pill, and she said the punishment doesn't fit the "crime."

Her son, Zamari Hawkins, has been out of school for 10 days now.

His mom said how the school handled him taking a "sleeping pill" to school was way too harsh.

"He had taken a melatonin (pill) to school, that his therapist required him to take every night before he goes to bed to help him sleep," Largent said.

She said her son was having behavioral problems at the beginning of the year, resulting in one previous out-of-school suspension.

"He was having problems sitting still," she said. "He got diagnosed with ADHD and a mood disorder."

Since seeing therapists and doctors, Largent said he was finally doing better in school -- until earlier this month.

"He took the pill out, and there was another little girl that was asking about this pill. You know, kids are curious," Largent said. "Zamari said, 'Yeah, but you're not gonna like it.' She put it in her mouth and spit it right out."

Largent said the little girl came home from school and told her mom, who called the school. Largent then received a phone call from the school.

"Told me that I had to come get my son, and that he was going to be suspended for 10 days, and he was going to be patted down for the rest of the school year," she said.

They also sent Zamari home with discipline papers.

"And when I read about it, I saw they wrote 'distribution of a drug,'" Largen said.

By law, the Grandview School District said it cannot discuss any specific student disciplinary action. But in a statement, the district said it provides support services to students who may be in need.

The school district policy also states any student who brings any over-the-counter medication to school can result in anything from a verbal warning to suspension and even expulsion.

"They said they slapped him with 10 days because he was in kindergarten, but they could have given him up to 170 days because of the pill," Largent said. "He's a six-year-old child who doesn't understand and doesn't know that what he was doing at the time was wrong."

Largent said she had a discussion with her son, and he now understands what he did wasn't OK. She said she's meeting with the superintendent and principal Thursday to discuss the situation.

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Grandview kindergartner suspended for 10 days after bringing melatonin pill to school

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GRANDVIEW, Mo. -- Danielle Largent says her six-year-old son didn't know any better, but he's been suspended from kindergarten regardless. "I could understand if he was in like middle school or high school, where he really understand -- even fourth or fifth grade -- but he doesn't know any better," she said.

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Reporters think that Deshaun Watson will be the face of the NFL next season.

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Peter Schrager: Deshaun Watson is the future face of the league

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The destination for all National Football League-related video on the web. Game and player highlights, news stories, team and player-related features, Fantasy football videos, NFL event coverage and more. The online home for NFL Network video and exclusive NFL Films-related content.

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1,500 workers built a new railway section in less than nine hours in China.

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conan shares angry haitians' message to trump - cnn video

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Conan shares angry Haitians' message to Trump - CNN Video

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Haitians want President Trump to hear their point of view and Conan knows a surefire way to get the President's attention. #ConanHaiti premieres Saturday, January 27th at 10/9c on TBS.

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Gymnast Mattie Larson says she purposely injured herself to avoid team doctor Larry Nassar

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Retired gymnast Mattie Larson said she once tried to give herself a concussion to avoid Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting scores of female athletes.

Interested in Larry Nassar?

Add Larry Nassar as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Larry Nassar news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

In an interview today on "Good Morning America," Larson said she was about 15 or 16 at the time when she pretended to slip and fall in her family's bathroom. She splashed water on the floor and purposely slammed her head in a desperate attempt to avoid being sent back to Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas, a national training site for U.S. Olympic gymnasts where Nassar allegedly preyed on his victims.

"I was crying, panicking, didn't want to go. I was taking a bath. It wasn't even a hard decision in my mind. I just turned on survival mode," Larson told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos. "I banged my head as hard as I could to make sure that I got a bump and to make sure that my parents heard the bang."

When asked why she didn't seek help instead, Larson said, "It wasn't an option for me. I didn't know I could. I didn't have a voice."

ABC

Larson, now 25, delivered her testimony at Nassar's sentencing hearing in a Michigan courtroom on Tuesday.

"It was like probably the most intense situation of my life emotionally. I felt every type of way. I felt sick, I felt like I was going to faint," she said on "GMA." "I wasn't going to testify; I didn't want to. I didn't want to put myself through it. I didn't think I was capable."

She went on, "On Sunday I decided after going over it a lot and talking through it with my sister and a lot of tears and realizing that it's what I need to do. It's the least thing I could do after all that had happened to me, the least I could do was tell my story so it couldn't happen to other girls."

Nassar on Wednesday was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on seven counts of criminal sexual misconduct in the first degree, to which he pleaded guilty in November.

"I just signed your death warrant," Judge Rosemarie Aquilina told him in court.

Larson, the 2010 U.S. national champion on floor exercise, said she was only a toddler when Nassar allegedly began assaulting victims, and she struggles to understand how the abuse went on for so long.

"I want to find out how this could have possibly happened. He shouldn't have been in my life," she said.

Larson's attorney, John Manly, called for a "full-blown investigation" of Karolyi Ranch.

"The ranch was put forth by USA Gymnastics as this amazing place where gold medalists were made," Manly said on "GMA" this morning. "But in fact if you believe the allegations of these women, which I do, it was a house of horrors."

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Gymnast says she purposely injured herself to avoid ex-USA doctor

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Retired gymnast Mattie Larson said she once tried to give herself a concussion to avoid Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting scores of female athletes. Add Larry Nassar as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Larry Nassar news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

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A teen who was killed in the Kentucky school shooting called her mother while she was dying.

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dog helped save mans life who fell into a marina. The dog was named a hometown hero.

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A pooch in Northern California is being hailed as a hometown hero after helping to rescue a man who fell into the water at a marina on Wednesday.

The Pittsburg Police Department wrote in a Facebook post the man was out for his morning walk when he slipped and fell into the water about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Moe, a Golden Retriever, saw the incident unfold and began barking. When Moe's owner woke up to see what the barking was about, he saw the man struggling in the water.
WHEN 'MAN BITES DOG': SUSPECT CHOMPS K-9, BUT THE K-9 CHOMPS RIGHT BACK
"The man was able to be helped from the water and was extremely grateful to his new barking buddy!" the department said in the Facebook post.

Police visited Moe later in the day, and said he is "about as sweet as can be and clearly loves the attention he is receiving" for his role in the rescue.

"We are proud to say you really are a hometown hero!" police said.

Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @travfed

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Dog a 'hometown hero' for helping save man who fell into water at California marina

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A pooch in Northern California is being hailed as a hometown hero after helping to rescue a man who fell into the water at a marina on Wednesday. The Pittsburg Police Department wrote in a Facebook post the man was out for his morning walk when he slipped and fell into the water about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco.

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt.
The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing — functioning at just 5%. But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time. So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt.

The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%.

But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time.

So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

A walking billboard

For a week, Leibowitz walked around the park, wearing a T-shirt that read: "In Need of Kidney. O Positive." Below the message was his cell phone number.

"Maybe it's my advertising background," Leibowitz told CNN. "I didn't know what was going to happen. But when you get desperate, you'll do anything."

Leibowitz, 60, had suffered from chronic kidney disease for 15 years.

"I was on the transplant list for the deceased for four years at multiple hospitals...but the problem is for a deceased donor, there is a 7- to 10-year waiting list," he said. "Some people don't even make it 7 to 10 years on dialysis."

Tourists clicked photos of the shirt. One couple posted their snapshot on Facebook - and the magic happened. By the end of the day, the post received 32,000 shares.

By the end of the week, 90,000.

Hundreds of people called wanting to help the man with the shirt. For people in kidney failure, survival can be a numbers game, a game Leibowitz began to believe he just might win. But it was still a longshot.

"Just because you are a blood type match, doesn't mean...you're going to be a match," Leibowitz said. "They look at every enzyme, every single tissue. There are so many details they have to do."

Four people flew to New York for testing. Three were denied. But one man, Richie Sully, was the perfect match.

A voicemail with an offer

Sully was giving blood at the Red Cross when he spotted the viral Facebook post.

He called the number on the T-shirt, and left a voicemail.

"Hi, my name is Richie. I saw your post and I'm O positive. I have an extra kidney and you are more than welcome to it."

Sully said he thought Leibowitz would not return his phone call because the post had 80,000 shares when he saw it. Sully assumed at least someone had already vowed to help him.

"When we actually talked, he told me so many people had called and a large majority of them had flaked," the 39-year-old from Indiana said. "I can't understand the thought process behind seeing a post like that and then reaching out and then completely ignoring him."

"He knew he had an expiration date. He knew he had a shelf life. I saw this as a desperate act. I couldn't think of a reason not to call the guy. It's just seemed like this is something you're supposed to do."

The two men hope their shared story brings awareness to live organ donation. They both point out that the act - and the impact- go way beyond a check mark on your driver's license.

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A man goes to Disney World looking for a kidney. He finds one. | CNN

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt. The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%. But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time. So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

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Disturbing video clips shared on social media by their desperate families have revealed the ordeal of Sudanese migrants kidnapped and tortured for ransom in Libya.

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As one clip plays, viewers can hear the slap of the whip, the whimpering as each man is forced to turn his head to the camera and beg his family to send money.

The men's relatives say they disseminated these videos on social media in a bid to raise awareness -- and within a matter of days Libyan special forces had traced where the men were held, according to Libya's UN-backed unity government.

They raided a location in the Libyan city of Sirte on Wednesday where they arrested four men and freed eight Sudanese abductees, according to a statement from Libya's Special Deterrence Forces, which operate under Libya's Ministry of Interior.

The Special Deterrence Forces statement refers to videos circulating on social media of the torture for the extortion of ransom. It describes "the horrific images committed by some criminals deprived of humanity in torturing laborers and burning them with fire, videotaping them to send it to their families in an attempt to pressure and blackmail them with ransom in return for their freedoms."

The latest images of abuse come after a CNN investigation late last year revealed that migrants were being sold off at slave auctions in Libya, prompting a formal investigation by Libyan authorities and outrage in Europe and Africa.

One of the video clips shows at least five Sudanese men lying on the ground. They are asked by two men, off camera, to show their faces and can be heard calling on family members by name and begging them to transfer the money so they can be released.

In a second clip filmed at the same time and location, the five Sudanese men are lying on their front as they are being beaten. Their backs are covered in scars, possibly fresh flesh wounds. The camera and the beatings move from one man to the next as they are forced to address their families or whomever the video will be sent to. As they squirm in pain, the first man says "transfer the money," the second says "sell the house," the third "tell them to sell the house," and the fifth says "send the money."

A third video shows another Sudanese man, who writhes naked on the ground as a man off camera tortures him by dripping hot oil and fire on his back. Another man, who's masked, is seen pointing a gun at the victim.

Family members of those depicted in the videos confirmed to CNN that they had been sent the videos in an attempt to extort ransom. They asked not to be identified due to ongoing fears for both their own safety and for the safety of those depicted in the video.

"The release of the videos on social media was part of a concerted attempt to help raise funds to pay the ransom," they said.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry summoned Libya's charge d'affaires in Khartoum, Ali Muftah al-Mahrouq, on Tuesday to "express the ministry's rejection to the inhumane and immoral treatment of the Sudanese citizens," the official Sudanese news agency SUNA reported.

Al-Mahrouq expressed "his sorrow and apologized," saying criminal gangs operating in areas out of the government's control were responsible for this "shameful act," according to SUNA.

On Monday, African Union Commissioner of Social Affairs Amira Al-Fadil said that videos of Sudanese men being tortured in Libya "are recent and an investigation has been opened," SUNA reported. CNN cannot determine when the videos were filmed.

CNN was tagged by family members of the victims in the original social media dissemination of the videos in a bid to raise the profile of the torture inflicted on these victims.

An ongoing CNN investigation into the money trails linking the criminal gangs in Libya and the families of their victims has unearthed evidence of a global network. In Sudan, several families of former victims told CNN as much as $4,500 per hostage had been demanded of them, payable to agents of the gangs and even directly into bank accounts in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

CNN was shown Western Union money transfer receipts with confirmation that the money had been received in a number of countries including Bangladesh and Niger.

An agent of the trafficking gangs is able to pick up the money at the location and transfer it again and again to disguise its origins. The money is then physically carried into Libya, circumventing the sanctions placed on the country.

Western Union told CNN it took extensive steps to monitor and prevent potentially illegal activity.

"Western Union vigorously condemns all illegal activities facilitating the financing of crime, and we assign a priority to initiatives to detect and deter the misuse of our services," it said. "Criminals threaten the individuals, families and businesses we serve and the foundation of our business."

Migrant route through Libya

Libya has long struggled to cope with an influx of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom hope to transit in Libya before traveling to Europe with the help of smugglers. For years, migrants crossing the Mediterranean have brought with them stories of beatings, kidnapping and enslavement.

Rights group Amnesty International last month accused European governments of being complicit in the torture and abuse of migrants and refugees in Libya by supporting efforts by the Libyan coastguard to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean and return them to camps in Libya.

Amnesty called on the EU to end what it called a "policy of containment" and instead establish "pathways" to bring the migrants and refugees to Europe safely.

A European Commission spokesman told CNN that the EU institutions were "working to save lives, pure and simple."

The EU has funded the International Organization for Migration to help 15,000 people stuck in Libya return home and plans to repatriate 15,000 more. It has also settled 40,000 refugees who have crossed into Europe from Libya and plans to take 50,000 more in 2019, the commission said.

CNN's Milena Veselinovic and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

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libya videos show sudanese migrants tortured for ransom - cnn

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Nima Elbagir, Raja Razek, Sarah Sirgany and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

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As one clip plays, viewers can hear the slap of the whip, the whimpering as each man is forced to turn his head to the camera and beg his family to send money.

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Google is letting people now mute ads on websites that partner with Google. Especially, ads that work to show you things you are interested/could be interested in from watching previous searches, etc.

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A secret spacecraft launched by a SpaceX rocket on Sunday failed to enter a stable orbit and was lost.

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A secret spacecraft launched by a SpaceX rocket on Sunday failed to enter a stable orbit and was lost.

The spacecraft, called Zuma, launched at 8 p.m. Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

But the spacecraft apparently did not separate as it was supposed to from the upper stage of the rocket and did not reach a stable orbit, according to a U.S. administration official and two sources who were briefed on the matter. The sources would not confirm what exactly the payload was, saying it was classified.

The mission itself was shrouded in secrecy even before it failed to enter a stable orbit. The government agency that ordered the spacecraft has not been disclosed.

Northrop Grumman , the aerospace and defense company that built the Zuma spacecraft, would only say: "This is a classified program. We cannot comment on classified programs." SpaceX has also declined to give details about the spacecraft.

In a statement, the Department of Defense said, "As a matter of policy we do not comment on classified missions."

It was not immediately clear if the failure of this mission was due to problems with the SpaceX rocket, or with the Zuma spacecraft. SpaceX issued a statement Tuesday suggesting that its rocket performed as designed.

"After review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night," said the statement from Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. "If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will report it immediately. Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false. Due to the classified nature of the payload, no further comment is possible."

Related: Your guide to commercial space travel in 2018

"Since the data reviewed so far indicates that no design, operational or other changes are needed, we do not anticipate any impact on the upcoming launch schedule," Shotwell added. "Falcon Heavy has been rolled out to launchpad LC-39A for a static fire later this week, to be followed shortly thereafter by its maiden flight."

Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's massive new rocket that will boast three times the thrust of the Falcon 9.

The fact that SpaceX says the Falcon Heavy launch will move forward as scheduled also indicates there were no issues with the rocket. When SpaceX has had mishaps in the past, it's grounded the company for months.

Because of Zuma's secrecy, SpaceX didn't live stream the entire mission as it typically does. But it did show both the launch and the landing of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket back at Cape Canaveral.

This is not the first time a payload was lost on a SpaceX mission. On September 1, 2016 a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded while preparing to test fire its engines, destroying the Amos 6 communications satellite atop the rocket that was to be used by Facebook . Additionally, a SpaceX rocket carrying supply missions to the International Space Station for NASA exploded in 2015. However, the company has completed more than ten successful supply missions to ISS.

The loss of a government payload comes at a bad time for SpaceX, which was founded by Elon Musk, who is CEO of both the privately-held rocket company and electric car maker Tesla .

It has been competing with other private companies to launch more military payloads. And it plans to carry its first astronauts into space in its Dragon space capsule later this year. Since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011, NASA has relied upon the Russian space agency to carry U.S. astronauts to the ISS.

Correction: The headline and first sentence of this article have been updated to reflect that the Zuma spacecraft failed to enter a stable orbit.

CNNMoney (New York) First published January 9, 2018: 11:40 AM ET

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Barbara Starr, Jeremy Herb, Chris Isidore and Jackie Wattles

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Zuma spacecraft launched by SpaceX is lost after failing to enter stable orbit

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The spacecraft, called Zuma, launched at 8 p.m. Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But the spacecraft apparently did not separate as it was supposed to from the upper stage of the rocket and did not reach a stable orbit, according to a U.S.

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In Cape Town, South Africa, they're calling it "Day Zero" -- the day when the taps run dry.City officials had recently said that day would come on April 22. This week they moved that date up to April 12.

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In less than 3 months, a major international city will likely run out of water | CNN

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In Cape Town, South Africa, they're calling it "Day Zero" - the day when the taps run dry.

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Pro rassler Peyton Kramer recently injured his knee, shattering his meniscus. It was a bright season for the sophomore 112 pounder and it all came crashing down due to the injury. When asked about the injury Kramer said, "I'll be back better than ever". All his fans are hopeful for his quick return to the ring.

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4 people went into the baseball Hall Of Fame yesterday the 4 players that got in were Chipper Jones (97.2%) 1st ballot, Vladimir Guerrero (92.9%) 2nd ballot, Jim Thome (89.8%) 1st ballot, and Trevor Hoffman (79.9%) 3rd ballot. Notable people who didn't get in Edgar Martinez with only 70% and only has 1 year on the ballot left and Rodger Clemens with 57% and Barry Bonds with 56%.

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Kevin Liles/Getty Images
The 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced Wednesday, with Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffmantaking their places in Cooperstown, New York.

Alan Trammell and Jack Morris, who were voted in by the Modern Era committee in December, will also be inducted at the 2018 ceremony.

Jones led all players with 97.2 percent of the vote. Guerrero, in his second year of eligibility, received a massive surge in support from 71.7 percent in 2017 to 92.9percent.

Here are the full voting results from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, via sports writer Bryan D. Fischer:

Bryan Fischer @BryanDFischer
Voting totals via BBWAA: https://t.co/mglllVT1Rn
2018-1-24 23:23:39

Jones was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Braves in 1990, and he spent his entire professional career with the team. He was an eight-time All-Star, won the 1999 National League MVP award and hit .303/.401/.529 in 19 MLB seasons.

Jones' 84.6 wins above replacement from 1993-2012 were the fourth-most in MLB among position players during that span, trailing only Barry Bonds (116.0), Alex Rodriguez (110.9) and Albert Pujols (85.0), according to FanGraphs.

A member of the vaunted Braves teams that won 11 straight division titles from 1995-2005, Jones is joining former teammates Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and manager Bobby Cox in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Thome is a surprise success story as an unheralded 13th-round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians in 1989. He broke into the big leagues in 1991 but didn't become an everyday player until three seasons later.

Over the course of 22 campaigns with six different teams, Thome had 612 home runs, and that total is the eighth-most in MLB history. His .554 slugging percentage ranks 23rd all-time, and his .402 on-base percentage is 51st.

MLB Stat of the Day @MLBStatoftheDay
Jim Thome homered every 13.76 at-bats. Only McGwire, Ruth, Bonds and @Giancarlo818 have lower rates. #HOF2018 https://t.co/gGjhL7qKCU
2018-1-24 23:25:11

Guerrero's peak wasn't long-he only had five seasons with at least five WAR, per FanGraphs-but few players were better when he was at the top of his game.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Guerrero made his MLB debut for the Montreal Expos at the age of 21 in 1996. He finished in the top 10 of MVP voting six times, winning the award in 2004 with the American League's Anaheim Angels.

Guerrero is one of 13 players in MLB history with multiple seasons of at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He had a .318/.379/.553 slash line with 449 home runs and 181 stolen bases in 16 seasons with four teams.

Hoffman was one of MLB's most reliable closers starting in 1994, his first full season with the San Diego Padres after they acquired him from the Florida Marlins the previous year.

Over the course of 16 seasons from 1994-2009, Hoffman had at least 20 saves 15 times. He only appeared in nine games in 2003 after having two shoulder surgeries during the offseason.

In 2010, Hoffman became the first pitcher in MLB history with 600 career saves. He retired with 601 saves in 18 seasons, second only to Mariano Rivera's 652.

The six-man class will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony July 29.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.

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2018 MLB Hall of Fame Results: Class List of Inductees, Voting Results

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Kevin Liles/Getty Images The 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced Wednesday, with Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffmantaking their places in Cooperstown, New York. Alan Trammell and Jack Morris, who were voted in by the Modern Era committee in December, will also be inducted at the 2018 ceremony.

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Cab driver George Lyon told the Associated Press he picked up Ryan Michael Stepanian, 25, at an apartment complex Monday and drove him to a Charles Town bank, for what Stepanian said was a routine matter.

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A bank robber in West Virginia was caught thanks to the cabbie who drove him to the alleged heist, police said.

Cab driver George Lyon told the Associated Press he picked up Ryan Michael Stepanian, 25, at an apartment complex Monday and drove him to a Charles Town bank, for what Stepanian said was a routine matter.

After Stepanian left the bank, Lyon dropped him off at a park.

Soon after, Charles Town police were dispatched to the City National Bank at 1034 South George Street.

Meanwhile, Lyon said he subsequently recognized Stepanian's photo on social media from an earlier bank heist Friday in nearby Ranson and immediately notified police about his latest fare.

Charles Town police said in a news release Stepanian was apprehended on foot sometime later. Stepanian reportedly had an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency and a bank robbery note on him.

Stepanian confessed to the bank robbery as well as the one at Ranson's BB&T bank, officials said.

Ranson police confirmed Tuesday a warrant had been issued charging Stepanian with the bank robbery at the BB&T bank.

In the Friday incident, police said the robber handed a teller a note demanding money and claimed he had a gun, though no weapon was displayed, the Herald Mail Media reported.

Stepanian was being held on two counts of bank robbery. It was not immediately known if he has an attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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West Virginia bank robber caught by cabbie who drove him to heist, cops say

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A bank robber in West Virginia was caught thanks to the cabbie who drove him to the alleged heist, police said. Cab driver George Lyon told the Associated Press he picked up Ryan Michael Stepanian, 25, at an apartment complex Monday and drove him to a Charles Town bank, for what Stepanian said was a routine matter.

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Milan train derailment leaves at least 3 dead, many injured.

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A commuter train derailed Thursday in northern Italy, killing at least two people, seriously injuring 10 and trapping others heading into the city of Milan at the start of the work day, carabinieri police said.

The Trenord derailed at the Pioltello Limito station on the outskirts of the city, halting train traffic into and out of Italy's financial capital for hours. At least two main cars peeled off the rails but were still standing, albeit at an angle. Rescue crews gingerly climbed through them helping passengers escape.

Carabinieri police confirmed at least two people were killed, 10 were seriously injured and dozens more slightly injured. The train was heading from Cremona into Milan's Garibaldi station.

It was the latest incident involving Italy's aging rail system. In 2016, 23 people were killed when two trains collided on a single track in an olive grove in Puglia, southeastern Italy. In 2009, 32 people were killed when a freight train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed and exploded in Viareggio, in central Italy's Tuscany region.

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Italian train derails near Milan, 2 dead, many injured

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A commuter train derailed Thursday in northern Italy, killing at least two people, seriously injuring 10 and trapping others heading into the city of Milan at the start of the work day, carabinieri police said. The Trenord derailed at the Pioltello Limito station on the outskirts of the city, halting train traffic into and out of Italy's financial capital for hours.

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A man went to Disney World to find a kidney. His kidneys were failing so he walked around the park for a week wearing a shirt that said he needed a kidney. The wait list for a kidney was 7-10 years. Eventually the man received a call saying someone wanted to give him a kidney.

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt.

The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%.

But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time.

So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

A walking billboard

For a week, Leibowitz walked around the park, wearing a T-shirt that read: "In Need of Kidney. O Positive." Below the message was his cell phone number.

"Maybe it's my advertising background," Leibowitz told CNN. "I didn't know what was going to happen. But when you get desperate, you'll do anything."

Leibowitz, 60, had suffered from chronic kidney disease for 15 years.

"I was on the transplant list for the deceased for four years at multiple hospitals...but the problem is for a deceased donor, there is a 7- to 10-year waiting list," he said. "Some people don't even make it 7 to 10 years on dialysis."

Tourists clicked photos of the shirt. One couple posted their snapshot on Facebook - and the magic happened. By the end of the day, the post received 32,000 shares.

By the end of the week, 90,000.

Hundreds of people called wanting to help the man with the shirt. For people in kidney failure, survival can be a numbers game, a game Leibowitz began to believe he just might win. But it was still a longshot.

"Just because you are a blood type match, doesn't mean...you're going to be a match," Leibowitz said. "They look at every enzyme, every single tissue. There are so many details they have to do."

Four people flew to New York for testing. Three were denied. But one man, Richie Sully, was the perfect match.

A voicemail with an offer

Sully was giving blood at the Red Cross when he spotted the viral Facebook post.

He called the number on the T-shirt, and left a voicemail.

"Hi, my name is Richie. I saw your post and I'm O positive. I have an extra kidney and you are more than welcome to it."

Sully said he thought Leibowitz would not return his phone call because the post had 80,000 shares when he saw it. Sully assumed at least someone had already vowed to help him.

"When we actually talked, he told me so many people had called and a large majority of them had flaked," the 39-year-old from Indiana said. "I can't understand the thought process behind seeing a post like that and then reaching out and then completely ignoring him."

"He knew he had an expiration date. He knew he had a shelf life. I saw this as a desperate act. I couldn't think of a reason not to call the guy. It's just seemed like this is something you're supposed to do."

The two men hope their shared story brings awareness to live organ donation. They both point out that the act - and the impact- go way beyond a check mark on your driver's license.

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A man goes to Disney World looking for a kidney. He finds one. | CNN

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Robert Leibowitz owes his life to a message on a T-shirt. The Brooklyn native's kidneys were failing - functioning at just 5%. But the list for a transplant was long and he worried he'd run out of time. So he hit upon a plan. He headed to Disney World.

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Oprah is believed to have a change of heart about the presidential election in 2020. It was previously believed that Oprah was interested in the election. Both Oprah's best friend, and partner added to the rumors of her interest in running for the election. She also mentioned running for president in her Golden Globes speech, but in a recent interview she has declared that she had no interest in running for office. She reportedly said that: she did not have the DNA too run,  and that she would never run for office. Some people wonder if she had a change of heart about being president since her Golden Globe speech.

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Videos were leaked of Sudanese migrants who were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to beg their families for ransom money.  The videos showed the men getting whipped and calling out individuals to transfer money to them so they could be released. The families of these migrant workers shared these videos and within days Libyan special forces traced where these men were being held, and freed eight Sudanese men and arrested the four men who were responsible for this.

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As one clip plays, viewers can hear the slap of the whip, the whimpering as each man is forced to turn his head to the camera and beg his family to send money.

The men's relatives say they disseminated these videos on social media in a bid to raise awareness -- and within a matter of days Libyan special forces had traced where the men were held, according to Libya's UN-backed unity government.

They raided a location in the Libyan city of Sirte on Wednesday where they arrested four men and freed eight Sudanese abductees, according to a statement from Libya's Special Deterrence Forces, which operate under Libya's Ministry of Interior.

The Special Deterrence Forces statement refers to videos circulating on social media of the torture for the extortion of ransom. It describes "the horrific images committed by some criminals deprived of humanity in torturing laborers and burning them with fire, videotaping them to send it to their families in an attempt to pressure and blackmail them with ransom in return for their freedoms."

The latest images of abuse come after a CNN investigation late last year revealed that migrants were being sold off at slave auctions in Libya, prompting a formal investigation by Libyan authorities and outrage in Europe and Africa.

One of the video clips shows at least five Sudanese men lying on the ground. They are asked by two men, off camera, to show their faces and can be heard calling on family members by name and begging them to transfer the money so they can be released.

In a second clip filmed at the same time and location, the five Sudanese men are lying on their front as they are being beaten. Their backs are covered in scars, possibly fresh flesh wounds. The camera and the beatings move from one man to the next as they are forced to address their families or whomever the video will be sent to. As they squirm in pain, the first man says "transfer the money," the second says "sell the house," the third "tell them to sell the house," and the fifth says "send the money."

A third video shows another Sudanese man, who writhes naked on the ground as a man off camera tortures him by dripping hot oil and fire on his back. Another man, who's masked, is seen pointing a gun at the victim.

Family members of those depicted in the videos confirmed to CNN that they had been sent the videos in an attempt to extort ransom. They asked not to be identified due to ongoing fears for both their own safety and for the safety of those depicted in the video.

"The release of the videos on social media was part of a concerted attempt to help raise funds to pay the ransom," they said.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry summoned Libya's charge d'affaires in Khartoum, Ali Muftah al-Mahrouq, on Tuesday to "express the ministry's rejection to the inhumane and immoral treatment of the Sudanese citizens," the official Sudanese news agency SUNA reported.

Al-Mahrouq expressed "his sorrow and apologized," saying criminal gangs operating in areas out of the government's control were responsible for this "shameful act," according to SUNA.

On Monday, African Union Commissioner of Social Affairs Amira Al-Fadil said that videos of Sudanese men being tortured in Libya "are recent and an investigation has been opened," SUNA reported. CNN cannot determine when the videos were filmed.

CNN was tagged by family members of the victims in the original social media dissemination of the videos in a bid to raise the profile of the torture inflicted on these victims.

An ongoing CNN investigation into the money trails linking the criminal gangs in Libya and the families of their victims has unearthed evidence of a global network. In Sudan, several families of former victims told CNN as much as $4,500 per hostage had been demanded of them, payable to agents of the gangs and even directly into bank accounts in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

CNN was shown Western Union money transfer receipts with confirmation that the money had been received in a number of countries including Bangladesh and Niger.

An agent of the trafficking gangs is able to pick up the money at the location and transfer it again and again to disguise its origins. The money is then physically carried into Libya, circumventing the sanctions placed on the country.

Western Union told CNN it took extensive steps to monitor and prevent potentially illegal activity.

"Western Union vigorously condemns all illegal activities facilitating the financing of crime, and we assign a priority to initiatives to detect and deter the misuse of our services," it said. "Criminals threaten the individuals, families and businesses we serve and the foundation of our business."

Migrant route through Libya

Libya has long struggled to cope with an influx of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom hope to transit in Libya before traveling to Europe with the help of smugglers. For years, migrants crossing the Mediterranean have brought with them stories of beatings, kidnapping and enslavement.

Rights group Amnesty International last month accused European governments of being complicit in the torture and abuse of migrants and refugees in Libya by supporting efforts by the Libyan coastguard to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean and return them to camps in Libya.

Amnesty called on the EU to end what it called a "policy of containment" and instead establish "pathways" to bring the migrants and refugees to Europe safely.

A European Commission spokesman told CNN that the EU institutions were "working to save lives, pure and simple."

The EU has funded the International Organization for Migration to help 15,000 people stuck in Libya return home and plans to repatriate 15,000 more. It has also settled 40,000 refugees who have crossed into Europe from Libya and plans to take 50,000 more in 2019, the commission said.

CNN's Milena Veselinovic and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

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libya videos show sudanese migrants tortured for ransom - cnn

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Nima Elbagir, Raja Razek, Sarah Sirgany and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

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As one clip plays, viewers can hear the slap of the whip, the whimpering as each man is forced to turn his head to the camera and beg his family to send money.

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2017 was one of the hottest years on record, with 2016 being hotter.

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The findings "continue the planet's long-term warming trend," according to NASA. A trend that is driven predominately by human activity through carbon dioxide emissions.

Temperature records for the planet, monitored independently by both agencies, go back to 1880. The announcement came at a joint press conference on Thursday in Washington.

The hottest year on record remains 2016, while 2015 ranks second according to NOAA and third by NASA, which means the top three years have been the most recent three.

Though 2017 was slightly cooler on average compared to 2016. the trend towards a warmer planet has never been clearer.

The six hottest years have all occurred since 2010 and 17 of the 18 hottest years on record have occurred since 2001.

According to NASA, the globally averaged temperature of the land and ocean was 0.9˚C (1.62˚F) above the 20th century average. This puts us well over halfway to the ambitious target of limiting warming to 1.5˚ C (2.7˚F) set in the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement.

Scientists believe if that if we are to avoid exceeding that limit, carbon emissions would need to be significantly reduced starting immediately.

La Niña not enough to cool us down

The slight downturn in temperatures this year can be partially explained by the presence of La Niña, which began in late 2016 and lasted into 2017 and returned late in the year -- whereas a robust El Niño was in place during portions of 2015 and 2016.

El Niño is characterized by a warming of the surface waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean -- which tends to drive up global temperatures. Therefore years containing El Niños tend to be warmer globally than other years.

La Niñas, on the other hand, feature cooler than average waters in the Pacific, and tend to cool the planet down.

The fact that 2017 was the second- or third-warmest year on record, despite the presence of a cooling La Niña, speaks to the overall warming trend the Earth is experiencing thanks to overall global warming.

According to NASA, if "the effects of the recent El Niño and La Niña patterns were statistically removed from the record, 2017 would have been the warmest year on record."

Global climate highlights of 2017

Sea ice continued its declining trend, both in the Arctic and Antarctic. The Antarctic, which was trending at record high levels just a few years ago, reached a record low during 2017, with ice covering 154,000 fewer square miles than the previous record low set in 1986.

In the Arctic, sea ice extent was the second-lowest since records began in 1979, behind only 2016, though record low sea ice was observed during the winter months of January-March.

Temperatures significantly warmer than normal around the planet did not mean there was a lack of snow, however. In the northern hemisphere, the average snow cover extent was the largest since 1985 and the eighth largest since records began in 1968, according to Rutgers University's Global Snow Lab.

2017 also featured a number of extreme weather events, most notably the record number of major hurricanes impacting the US and Caribbean, which led to the costliest year for weather disasters in US history.

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2017 one of the hottest years on record - cnn

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The findings "continue the planet's long-term warming trend," according to NASA. A trend that is driven predominately by human activity through carbon dioxide emissions. Temperature records for the planet, monitored independently by both agencies, go back to 1880. The announcement came at a joint press conference on Thursday in Washington.