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A woman got mauled to death at a popular safari in South Africa by a lion

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Story highlights

A young woman was mauled to death Tuesday by a lion during a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa run by Kevin Richardson, the so-called "lion whisperer."

The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was visiting a camp at the popular Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, when she was attacked close to her vehicle.

According to a statement posted to Richardson's Instagram account, the lioness was pursing an impala at the "big 5" reserve, which is also home to leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, when it encountered the woman and her friend.

The victim died at the scene, confirmed the paramedics who responded to the incident.

Richardson's intimate relationship with lions and other wildlife has been documented in several books and documentaries, earning him fame across the world.

"Myself and an experienced colleague took three lions walking in the reserve, as we do on a weekly basis, as part of their exercise and stimulation regiment," said Richardson in his statement.

"We assessed the landscape for other big five animals and as per procedure sent out a notification that we were walking in the reserve."

"One of the lionesses charged off after an impala and must have run 2 to 2.5 kilometers (1.2 to 1.5 miles), where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car."

"I am devastated and my heart goes out to this young woman's family," said Richardson.

The popular "free-roaming" reserve rotates lions through vast roaming enclosures, providing them with "the ability to live out full lives, in an open and natural environment," according to its website.

On social media, supporters of Richardson offered condolences to the victim while rallying to defend the sanctuary, which is located inside the larger reserve, for its conservation efforts.

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Lion mauls woman to death at popular South African wildlife sanctuary | CNN

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A young woman was mauled to death Tuesday by a lion during a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa run by Kevin Richardson, the so-called "lion whisperer." The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was visiting a camp at the popular Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, when she was attacked close to her vehicle.

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Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless."

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Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless."

He drew repeated applause with animation-backed claims of nuclear-capable weapons that elude air-defense systems and "invincible" missiles that travel at hypersonic speed.

"Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies, any kind of attack, will be regarded as a nuclear attack against Russia, and in response, we will take action instantaneously no matter what the consequences are," Putin said. "Nobody should have any doubt about that."

Putin, who is up for reelection March 18, used Thursday's speech to showcase his country's strides in military technology.

"Russia still has the greatest nuclear potential in the world, but nobody listened to us," he said. "Listen now."

To drive home his point, Putin spoke as a video showed multiple nuclear warheads streaking through space before showering down on what appears to be the outline of the state of Florida.

"But even this is not the end," Putin said. "We've developed new strategic weapons that don't use ballistic trajectory at all, which means that missile defense will be useless against it."

CNN national security analyst Samantha Vinograd said Putin's braggadocio was meant to rile up Trump, whose presidency has been marred by investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"I do think Vladimir Putin was speaking to one audience," she said. "It wasn't anyone in Russia. It was Donald Trump."

"He was trying to get the President distracted from anything that Trump may be doing to hold Russia accountable for the ongoing attack on the United States," she said. "The President's inaction makes Vladimir Putin think, 'Why wouldn't I say all this? Why wouldn't I show that I can violate treaties and laws and talk about strategic attacks all around the world?' Vladimir Putin has no reason to feel constrained in any way."

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putin's boasts military might with animation of nuke strike on florida  - cnn

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Putin boasts military might with animation of Florida nuke strike

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Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless." He drew repeated applause with animation-backed claims of nuclear-capable weapons that elude air-defense systems and "invincible" missiles that travel at hypersonic speed.

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A man has been charged with sexual assault and murder in the death of his college cheerleader girlfriend last year after turning himself in to authorities Wednesday.

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A man has been charged with murdering and sexually assaulting his college cheerleader girlfriend last year after turning himself into authorities Wednesday.

Mark Phillip Howerton, 22, was charged with "murder, aggravated sexual assault and criminal mischief" in connection to his ex-girlfriend Cayley Mandadi's death, KSAT reported.

Mandadi, 19, a Trinity University cheerleader, was pronounced dead on Oct. 31 after being taken to the hospital on Oct. 29 by Howerton, My San Antonio reported.

Howerton told authorities he and Mandadi were at a music festival in San Antonio when they began arguing about her ex-boyfriend. Howerton claimed the couple both drank a lot and took the drug Molly during the festival.
TEXAS PRIVATE SCHOOL ARMING ADMINISTRATORS WITH GUNS
While the couple was driving to Houston after the festival, the two continued their argument, authorities said.

Howerton told authorities he made up with Mandadi before they stopped at a gas station to have sex in the car. Howerton said the sex was "rough." Following the sexual act, Mandadi said she did not feel well before passing out in the car.

When Howerton brought her to the hospital, she was naked from the waist down and had bruises on her neck and thigh, FOX San Antonio reported. Doctors declared Mandadi brain dead. Howerton said his girlfriend stopped breathing while he was driving to the hospital and tried to give her CPR.
TEXAS WESLEYAN BASEBALL COACH DENIES COLORADO RECRUIT OVER STATE'S POT LAWS
Investigators interviewed her friends and sorority sisters, who told them Mandadi had become frightened of Howerton at times. They claimed Howerton took steroids and destroyed her dorm room while having a "roid rage."

The ex-boyfriend the couple was fighting about told investigators he witnessed Howerton grab Mandadi forcefully at the music festival. He claimed he was trying to get back together with Mandadi after they broke up two months before her death.

Howerton and Mandadi were dating about four weeks around the time of her death. His bond has been set at $225,000. Online records indicate Howerton posted the bond and has been released.

Howerton's attorney, John Hunter, released a statement regarding his client Wednesday.

"Mr. Howerton is ready and eager to vindicate himself in court. He's innocent of the charges, and he's doing the right thing. If someone has a warrant out for his arrest, then he needs to turn himself in," Hunter said.

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Man turns himself in for rape, murder of Trinity University cheerleader

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A man has been charged with murdering and sexually assaulting his college cheerleader girlfriend last year after turning himself into authorities Wednesday. Mark Phillip Howerton, 22, was charged with "murder, aggravated sexual assault and criminal mischief" in connection to his ex-girlfriend Cayley Mandadi's death, KSAT reported.

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plans to visit north korea

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South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in a phone call on Thursday.

The two presidents discussed the recent visits to the south by high-level North Korean officials, the South Korean presidential Blue House said in a statement.

The Olympics gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the North's missile program and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of U.N. sanctions.

"(Moon and Trump) agreed to continue to make efforts to head toward the Korean peninsula's denuclearisation by maintaining the momentum of South-North dialogue," the Blue House statement said.

In sending an envoy to Pyongyang, Moon said he would be seeking to reciprocate for the senior delegations dispatched to the Olympics by Kim Jong Un, including his sister, Kim Yo Jong, the first visit by a member of the North's ruling bloodline since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea for the Winter Olympics said on Sunday their government was open to talks with the United States, while the White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end to its nuclear program.

Moon has urged North Korea and the United States to talk to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's weapons program, which Kim has said he will never abandon.

In the latest attempt to defuse the crisis over North Korea's weapons program, Seoul urged Washington and Pyongyang to give ground to allow for talks.

Slideshow by photo services
"Both leaders agreed to continue close consultations on the progress of South-North Korea dialogue that will go on," the statement said. (Reporting by Ju-min Park and Josh Smith; Editing by Alison Williams)

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South Korea's Moon tells Trump of plan to send envoy to North Korea

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South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in a phone call on Thursday.

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The Georgia teacher, Jesse Randall Davidson, arrested for barricading himself in a classroom and firing a gun.

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The Georgia teacher arrested for barricading himself in a classroom and firing a gun reported an unfounded claim to police in 2016 that he was involved in a woman's death.

Jesse Randall Davidson, 53, told Dalton police that he had an affair with a woman online who refused to end contact with him, and two of his friends offered to "take care of her," according to a 2016 officer incident report.

Davidson said he agreed. Later when he asked if they scared her, the friends said it was worse than that, which he understood to mean that they killed her, the incident report said. The claims went unfounded.

"It appears the subject may be delusional or have something else that had occurred that is causing to have these thoughts," read the report.

Davidson, who was on several medications for depression at the time, had just gotten out of the hospital when he spoke to police on March 21, 2016.

The teacher also had an incident near campus grounds in 2017. Davidson called his son and mother to pick him up from the school building, claiming he didn't feel well. School staff began looking for him throughout the school, but found him almost a mile away sitting on a curb. Davidson was conscious but non-responsive to Dalton staff, and was transported to the hospital via EMS, according to an incident report.

On Wednesday, Davidson barricaded himself in an empty classroom as confused students tried to enter the room, police said. Davidson surrendered about 45 minutes later. A bullet had gone through an exterior window of the room, but it didn't appear Davidson was aiming at any person, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said.

Davidson was charged with aggravated assault, carrying weapon on school grounds, terroristic threats, reckless conduct, possession of gun during commission of a crime, and disrupting public school.

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Georgia teacher who fired gun once reported to police he had a woman killed

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The Georgia teacher arrested for barricading himself in a classroom and firing a gun reported an unfounded claim to police in 2016 that he was involved in a woman's death.

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China has banned the letter N.

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Yes, that's right: The Chinese government banned a letter.

China banned "N" as part of a widespread censorship clampdown that occurred after word got out Sunday that presidential term limits might be dropped, allowing Chinese President Xi Jinping possibly to stay in power indefinitely.

The pushback to this development was intense online. So was the government's pushback to the pushback. In addition to banning use of the letter "N" online, words such as "immortality" and "ascend the throne" were also deemed inappropriate to use on the internet.

Victor Mair, a professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania, said the government likely feared that "N" was referring to the number of terms of office, as in a mathematical equation n > 2.

But the nixing of "N" was a temporary one. By Monday use of the letter online was once again permitted, according to China Digital Times.

Winnie the Pooh, too

But it wasn't just the alphabet that took a beating from Chinese censors. A beloved, fictional children's book character was banned online, too. For years memes derisively comparing Xi to the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh have circulated on the internet, so Pooh is periodically censored, like the character was Sunday after the term limits announcement, China Digital Times reported.

The rest of the world first heard about this ban in 2013 when the Financial Times reported on it and printed a long-circulated picture showing the bear strolling with his tiger friend, Tigger, next to a photo of Xi walking with his then-US counterpart, Barack Obama, in 2013.

When the image first appeared online, Chinese netizens began posting photos of Xi in, what they considered, similar poses.

They juxtaposed a picture of a frosty handshake between Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the image of Pooh and his gloomy donkey friend, Eeyore.

Next to a photo that showed Xi inspecting troops from an open-top vehicle, they included Pooh standing in a tiny green car.

Their sense of humor is ostensibly not shared by China's increasingly sophisticated internet czars.

CNN's James Griffiths and Steven Jiang contributed to this report.

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Yes, that's right: The Chinese government banned a letter. China banned "N" as part of a widespread censorship clampdown that occurred after word got out Sunday that presidential term limits might be dropped, allowing Chinese President Xi Jinping possibly to stay in power indefinitely. The pushback to this development was intense online.

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A white supremacist faces up to 10 years in prison for illegally buying a gun authorities say he planned to use in a hate crime attack similar to the South Carolina church shootings.

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A white supremacist faces up to 10 years in prison for illegally buying a gun authorities say he planned to use in a hate crime attack similar to the South Carolina church shootings.

Benjamin McDowell, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to reports by multiple news outlets. He also could be fined $250,000 when he's sentenced at a later date.

Authorities first began investigating McDowell in December 2016 when he threatened a Myrtle Beach synagogue on Facebook. Local officials were already keeping tabs on him because he made friends with white supremacist groups and got tattoos associated with racist groups while in prison on a felony burglary charge, according to the FBI.

McDowell then said he wanted a gun and told an undercover FBI agent who offered to get him one that he planned to attack somewhere in the name of white power and write on the building "in the spirit of Dylann Roof," according to court records. Roof was sentenced to death last year for a racist shooting that killed nine black worshippers at a Charleston, South Carolina, church.

"I seen what Dylann Roof did and in my heart I reckon I got a little bit of hatred," the undercover agent recalled McDowell saying.

McDowell, who couldn't legally own a gun because of the burglary conviction, was arrested after the purchase. Agents said McDowell bought the gun - which had the firing pin shaved down so that it would not work - and ammunition for $109, which he had borrowed from his grandfather.

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Man who bought gun for planned church attack pleads guilty

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A white supremacist faces up to 10 years in prison for illegally buying a gun authorities say he planned to use in a hate crime attack similar to the South Carolina church shootings. Benjamin McDowell, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to reports by multiple news outlets.

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Woman killed by lion at popular reserve

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woman killed by lion at popular reserve - cnn video

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Woman killed by lion at popular reserve - CNN Video

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A young woman was killed at the Dinokeng Game Reserve in South Africa by a lion that ran across her while chasing an impala.

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In Russia, a nuclear bomb is being developed. For a concept video, it was shown striking Florida. People believe that the purpose of this was to gain Donald Trump's attention.

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Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless."

He drew repeated applause with animation-backed claims of nuclear-capable weapons that elude air-defense systems and "invincible" missiles that travel at hypersonic speed.

"Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies, any kind of attack, will be regarded as a nuclear attack against Russia, and in response, we will take action instantaneously no matter what the consequences are," Putin said. "Nobody should have any doubt about that."

Putin, who is up for reelection March 18, used Thursday's speech to showcase his country's strides in military technology.

"Russia still has the greatest nuclear potential in the world, but nobody listened to us," he said. "Listen now."

To drive home his point, Putin spoke as a video showed multiple nuclear warheads streaking through space before showering down on what appears to be the outline of the state of Florida.

"But even this is not the end," Putin said. "We've developed new strategic weapons that don't use ballistic trajectory at all, which means that missile defense will be useless against it."

CNN national security analyst Samantha Vinograd said Putin's braggadocio was meant to rile up Trump, whose presidency has been marred by investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"I do think Vladimir Putin was speaking to one audience," she said. "It wasn't anyone in Russia. It was Donald Trump."

"He was trying to get the President distracted from anything that Trump may be doing to hold Russia accountable for the ongoing attack on the United States," she said. "The President's inaction makes Vladimir Putin think, 'Why wouldn't I say all this? Why wouldn't I show that I can violate treaties and laws and talk about strategic attacks all around the world?' Vladimir Putin has no reason to feel constrained in any way."

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putin's boasts military might with animation of nuke strike on florida  - cnn

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Putin boasts military might with animation of Florida nuke strike

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Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless." He drew repeated applause with animation-backed claims of nuclear-capable weapons that elude air-defense systems and "invincible" missiles that travel at hypersonic speed.

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Frisiello is accused of sending a total of five letters filled with white powder. Authorities said he sent them to Trump J

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A Massachusetts man was arrested on Thursday after a letter with white powder was sent to Donald Trump Jr.'s New York City apartment early last month, federal authorities said.

Daniel Frisiello, of Beverly, was taken into custody just before 8 a.m. while he was heading to work, federal authorities said. Frisiello is expected to appear in federal court in Worcester later in the day. Authorities were able to track down Frisiello by analyzing a "glitter bomb" letter - a prank where envelopes are filled with glitter - sent to Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber. Investigators matched the text font in the "glitter bomb" threat to those seen on the letters of the white-powder envelopes.

"These kinds of hoaxes may not cause physical harm, but they scare the heck out of people," said Andrew Lelling, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.

Frisiello is accused of sending a total of five letters filled with white powder. Authorities said he sent them to Trump Jr. and Dauber, as well as the office of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, of Michigan; Nicola Hanna, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California; and actor Antonio Sabato Jr., who is running for a U.S. House seat in California as a Republican.

Frisiello faces charges of mailing threat to injure the person of another and false information and hoaxes.

Trump Jr.'s wife, Vanessa Trump, opened the letter in the couple's Manhattan apartment on Feb. 12 and reported feeling nauseous and coughing. President Trump's daughter-in-law and two other people were taken to the hospital in the incident.

The letter was postmarked in Boston on Feb. 7, had an American flag stamp and no return address. The powder was ultimately determined to be cornstarch, The Associated Press reported.
LETTER WITH WHITE POWDER FOR TRUMP JR. CALLS HIM 'AWFUL,' SAYS HE'LL GET WHAT HE 'DESERVES'
Authorities later revealed the letter included a threatening note that read: "You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV. You the family idiot. Eric looks smart."

"This is the reason why people hate you. You are getting what you deserve. So shut the F--- UP," the letter continued.

Frisiello also shared a news report of Vanessa Trump being hospitalized on his Facebook page the day it occurred, federal authorities said.

The president's son later tweeted about the "scary situation," saying it was "truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior."

Like the one Trump Jr.'s wife received, each enveloped contained a different threatening letter addressed to the individual.

A courthouse mailroom employee opened the letter addressed to Hanna that stated: "That's for murdering Mark Salling! I Hope you end up the same place as Salling."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Man arrested for sending white powder to Donald Trump Jr.'s NYC apartment

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A Massachusetts man was arrested on Thursday after a letter with white powder was sent to Donald Trump Jr.'s New York City apartment early last month, federal authorities said. Daniel Frisiello, of Beverly, was taken into custody just before 8 a.m. while he was heading to work, federal authorities said.

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All West Virginia public schools remained closed Thursday as a weeklong teachers' strike over pay and benefits continued.

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Madison Park and Eric Levenson and Sarah Jorgensen

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West Virginia governor defends role in teachers strike: ‘I’m not king’ | CNN

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In a testy exchange with striking educators, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice defended his role in attempting to resolve the teachers strike that has left all public schools closed for the past week.

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A Belarusian woman jailed in Thailand for offering sex lessons without a work permit says she has a story to tell involving the Kremlin, Russian billionaires and even the president of the United States.

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Associated Press 3 hrs ago By TODD PITMAN and NATALIYA VASILYEVA, Associated Press

PATTAYA, Thailand - A Belarusian woman jailed in Thailand for offering sex lessons without a work permit says she has a story to tell involving the Kremlin, Russian billionaires and even the president of the United States.

Anastasia Vashukevich, whose extraordinary claims and racy selfies have propelled her to internet fame in recent weeks, told The Associated Press from a police van Wednesday that she fears for her life, and wants to exchange information on alleged Russian ties to Donald Trump's campaign for her own personal safety. But she refused for now to offer any such evidence, and it's not clear if she has any.

Vashukevich's story offers a glimpse into the shady world of Russian oligarchs. Trump's onetime campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also had ties to that world through his consulting work for one of those oligarchs. Manafort has been indicted on money-laundering charges related to his overseas consulting work by special counsel Robert Mueller. But Mueller has offered no evidence that Manafort linked his Russian contacts to Trump's campaign or helped Russia meddle in the 2016 U.S. election.

That has not stopped Vashukevich from claiming she has such evidence as she faces possible deportation. Vashukevich shot to fame in early February when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's top foes, published an investigation drawing on Vashukevich's social media posts suggesting corrupt links between billionaire Oleg Deripaska and a top Kremlin official, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko. The report featured video from Deripaska's yacht in 2016, when Vashukevich claims she was having an affair with him.

Russians have focused on the ties between Deripaska and Prikhodko. But now Vashukevich says - so far without proof - that she can link the Kremlin to Trump and Manafort, who worked for Deripaska a decade before Trump hired him.

Even Navalny told the AP on Wednesday he has "certain doubts" that Vashukevich has any evidence about alleged direct ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

"I think such statements are made because of fears for her own life because they have been detained in Thailand," he said, adding he believes her fears are well-founded.

Navalny's report made no claim that Vashukevich knew anything about a Russian campaign to influence the U.S. election, and she has produced no evidence that she does. As for her claims of Deripaska's ties to the Kremlin official, Deripaska has called them nonsense when Navalny alleged them.

In an emailed response Feb. 8, Deripaska's spokesman said: "These scandalous and mendacious assumptions are driven by sensationalism and we totally refute these outrageous false allegations in the strongest possible way."

Deripaska sued Vashukevich and her "sex guru," Alexander Kirillov, for breach of privacy. The Russian court imposed an injunction, and communications providers blocked access to Navalny's website for several weeks until he deleted the videos. A Feb. 15 statement from Deripaska said: "Mr. Deripaska's claim is to protect his right to privacy and has nothing to do with any political struggle between Mr. Navalny and his political opponents."

A request for comment Wednesday from the Russian government went unanswered. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment Wednesday.

On Sunday, Vashukevich was arrested along with nine other people, including Kirillov, in the Thai resort of Pattaya while giving sex lessons to Russian tourists. Immigration Police Maj. Satawat Srirattanapong said the 10 were charged with working without a permit, and one with having an expired visa.

Vashukevich said she won't give details of what she knows until she is guaranteed she won't be sent to Russia. "I can say something only when I will be in a safe place, sorry, because I am worried about my life," Vashukevich told the AP from a police van that was taking the detainees from Pattaya to Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center.

Vashukevich had earlier posted a video on Instagram, also apparently made while in custody in Pattaya, addressed to "Dear American media."

"I didn't want to tell you about many things. Now they're trying to lock us up," she said. "But now I'm ready to put together all the pieces of the puzzle that you have been missing, and back it up with audio and video regarding the ties of our esteemed lawmakers with Manafort, Trump and all this buzz around the U.S. election. I know a lot."

Trump has repeatedly denied that he colluded with Russia to influence the U.S. election. Kirillov, the "sex guru" known in Russia for staging high-profile sexual happenings that usually involve sending scantily clad women out in public, told AP from the police van that the Russian government was behind their arrests.

"Political reasons. We know so much. So that's why they want us to go to Russia," he said. "We think that in a few days, maybe even today, they will send us to Russia, very fast, and I think you will lose us, and never see us more."

Kirillov and Vashukevich have both recorded their activities on social media, with racy photos and videos taken in many countries. One of the tamer photos on Kirillov's feed shows him posing in front of Trump Tower in New York.

Kirillov, who Thai police say is Russian, posts under the pseudonym Alex Lesley. Vashukevich, who is from Belarus, uses the name Nastya Rybka. They were arrested in a hotel meeting room in Pattaya, a seaside resort noted for its sex industry and popularity with Russian visitors. The lessons were attended by about 40 Russian tourists, many wearing T-shirts bearing the English words "Sex animator" with an arrow pointing to the wearer's crotch.

Thai news media cited police as saying that the meeting was raided because hotel staff reported hearing strange sounds. Satawat, the police major, said all 10 arrested people have had their visas revoked and will be detained at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok until the charges of working illegally are resolved.

He said police have up to 48 days to process the cases before handing them to prosecutors. If they plead guilty, he said, their cases could end without trial and they could leave the country. Canceling a visa normally allows a country to expel a person without having to go through the legal process of extradition.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Wednesday that the Russians' case had anything to do with a visit to Thailand by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. He said Patrushev often makes overseas visits arranged in advance.

"It's ludicrous to link this to the detention of Russian nationals in Thailand," he said.

Navalny said given recent events - including a cocaine bust at the Russian Embassy in Argentina - he wasn't so sure.

"I don't know what to think," Navalny told the AP. "Shows like 'Homeland' begin to look entirely realistic when you look at what is happening in Russia now. We thought the scriptwriters made the most impossible things up, but in Russia the most absurd things are possible."
Vasilyeva reported from Moscow. Associated Press journalists Tassanee Vejpongsa in Pattaya and Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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Jailed Instagram model wants to trade secrets for freedom

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Associated Press 3 hrs ago By TODD PITMAN and NATALIYA VASILYEVA, Associated Press PATTAYA, Thailand - A Belarusian woman jailed in Thailand for offering sex lessons without a work permit says she has a story to tell involving the Kremlin, Russian billionaires and even the president of the United States.

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John Dorsey the Browns GM said that they are open to trading the number 1 pick in this years NFL draft.

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John Dorsey: Browns Open to Trading No. 1 Overall Pick in 2018 NFL Draft

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With two of the first four picks in the 2018 NFL draft, Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey is open to making a trade. Per NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal , Dorsey said the Browns' door is " wide-open" to deal the No...

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U.S. Army M1 Abrams tanks are being upgraded with a sort of invisible shield that will destroy incoming antitank missiles and other threats before reaching the tank.  Known as Trophy, this cutting-edge technology will provide M1 Abrams tanks with 360 degree protection from threats.

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U.S. Army M1 Abrams tanks are being upgraded with a sort of invisible shield that will destroy incoming antitank missiles and other threats before reaching the tank.

Known as Trophy, this cutting-edge technology will provide M1 Abrams tanks with 360 degree protection from threats.

Since the 1950s, the Army has been determined to give tanks something called "active protection systems." The goal of these sorts of systems is to stop incoming projectiles before they reach the tank - creating a sort of invisible shield around them.
US SOLDIERS SET TO RECEIVE NEW SPECIAL OPERATIONS-STYLE NIGHT VISION GOGGLES
The Army has chosen Raphael's tech to upgrade 261 M1 Abrams tanks with Israeli-made Trophy active-protection systems. For nearly a decade, Trophy has already been protecting Israel Defense Force Merkava main battle tanks and relied on in conflicts in the Gaza Strip for example. Now approximately 3 brigades worth of U.S. tanks will also bring Trophy into battles.

Several relevant militaries have already equipped some of their tanks with active protection systems. Russia is one country that has been aggressively ramping up their tanks and other assets with active protection systems like Trophy. They've also armed them with a deep arsenal of anti-armor weapons that can seriously damage or destroy the targeted tank in spite of its armor.

And the U.S.? In addition to the iconic Abrams tank, the Army is upgrading a number of other combat vehicles. The Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 is expected to provide a significant improvement. This latest version of Abrams delivers a better hull armor and turrets. They also feature enhanced radio systems and power generation amongst other enhancements.

For example, should a conflict erupt with Russia, then American tanks absolutely must be prepared to counter Russian firepower. Trophy is an important step to better protect American soldiers and match adversary capabilities.
HOW DEADLY DRONE SWARMS WILL HELP US TROOPS ON THE FRONTLINE What is Trophy?
The Trophy Active Protection system, aka "Windbreaker," gives tanks 360 degrees coverage. The system includes four antennas and two rotating launchers mounted on the tank.

If an enemy launches a weapon, like an anti-tank missile, at a U.S. Army tank protected with Trophy, radar or sensors recognize and locate the incoming threat. Tracking radar identifies what kind of threat has been launched at the tank. It distinguishes a rocket from an anti-tank missile, for example.

Trophy instantaneously works out where the weapon would strike. If the missile will strike the tank, then it swings into action to protect the soldiers.

The system figures out the necessary firing angles to intercept the incoming weapon. The computers relay the firing angles to the two launchers positioned on either side of the tank. The launchers rotate to the correct position and fire a countermeasure.

The counter-measure intercepts the anti-tank missile aimed at the U.S. Army and destroys it at a distance before it can reach the tank.

One countermeasure option can be a sort of giant, powerful shotgun loaded with buckshot approach. Trophy can fire canisters filled with ball-bearings at the enemy projectile to defeat it.
PODCAST: WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS DO TO IMPROVE THEIR SURVIVAL IN A SCHOOL SHOOTING? MUST-KNOW ADVICE FROM FASCINATING DELTA, MARINE RECON AND GREEN BERET MIKE PANNONE AMAZING NEW MILITARY HELICOPTERS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2018 Invisible shields
Active projection systems create a sort of protective bubble around a tank. Systems like Trophy aim to prevent any incoming threat from getting close to the tank and stop them at a distance away from it. To do so, systems like Trophy use visible countermeasures like the canisters.

Another countermeasure in development to fortify this shield around the tank is entirely invisible. Electromagnetic signals can be fired off to interfere with incoming threats and against prevent them from penetrating this protective bubble and reaching the tank.

One concern is the detonation of threats in the battlespace.

If Trophy fires a countermeasure and the enemy missile for example is detonated, then safety for those outside the tank could be an issue. While it may not pierce that protective bubble around the tank and successfully prevent Soldiers inside from being wounded, the detonation of the enemy weapon outside the bubble could put nearby dismounted troops at risk.

During the past couple of years, the Army leased and purchased some Trophies to test and investigate and resolve these sorts of concerns before moving forward with the large-scale Trophy upgrades to their M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
PODCAST: HEAR THE REAL STORY BEHIND BLACKHAWK DOWN FROM A RANGER, THEN DELTA, WHO WAS THERE
Allison Barrie is a defense specialist with experience in more than 70 countries who consults at the highest levels of defense and national security, a lawyer with four postgraduate degrees, and author of the definitive guide, Future Weapons: Access Granted, on sale in 30 countries. Barrie hosts the new hit podcast " Tactical Talk" where she gives listeners direct access to the most fascinating Special Operations warriors each week and to find out more about the FOX Firepower host and columnist you can click here or follow her on Twitter @allison_barrie and Instagram @allisonbarriehq.

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US Army tanks get futuristic shields to destroy incoming threats

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U.S. Army M1 Abrams tanks are being upgraded with a sort of invisible shield that will destroy incoming antitank missiles and other threats before reaching the tank. Known as Trophy, this cutting-edge technology will provide M1 Abrams tanks with 360 degree protection from threats.

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A young woman was mauled to death Tuesday by a lion during a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa. "One of the lionesses charged off after an impala and must have run 2 to 2.5 kilometers (1.2 to 1.5 miles), where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car."

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Story highlights

A young woman was mauled to death Tuesday by a lion during a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa run by Kevin Richardson, the so-called "lion whisperer."

The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was visiting a camp at the popular Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, when she was attacked close to her vehicle.

According to a statement posted to Richardson's Instagram account, the lioness was pursing an impala at the "big 5" reserve, which is also home to leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, when it encountered the woman and her friend.

The victim died at the scene, confirmed the paramedics who responded to the incident.

Richardson's intimate relationship with lions and other wildlife has been documented in several books and documentaries, earning him fame across the world.

"Myself and an experienced colleague took three lions walking in the reserve, as we do on a weekly basis, as part of their exercise and stimulation regiment," said Richardson in his statement.

"We assessed the landscape for other big five animals and as per procedure sent out a notification that we were walking in the reserve."

"One of the lionesses charged off after an impala and must have run 2 to 2.5 kilometers (1.2 to 1.5 miles), where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car."

"I am devastated and my heart goes out to this young woman's family," said Richardson.

The popular "free-roaming" reserve rotates lions through vast roaming enclosures, providing them with "the ability to live out full lives, in an open and natural environment," according to its website.

On social media, supporters of Richardson offered condolences to the victim while rallying to defend the sanctuary, which is located inside the larger reserve, for its conservation efforts.

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Lion mauls woman to death at popular South African wildlife sanctuary | CNN

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A young woman was mauled to death Tuesday by a lion during a visit to a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa run by Kevin Richardson, the so-called "lion whisperer." The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was visiting a camp at the popular Dinokeng Game Reserve, near Pretoria, when she was attacked close to her vehicle.

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Last Saturday, team Allen got second in the LSJBA due to a controversial call by the ref. Team Allen, who killed team Rowe earlier that day, was up 26-22 early in the third quarter when the ref, called the game, forcing Team Allen to forfeit.

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Overview

NFL Replacement Refs Controversy refers to various online discussions surrounding the disputed referee ruling of a pass that ultimately determined the outcome of the NFL season match between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers in Sepetember of 2012. Shortly after the game ended, many football fans reacted on various social media outlets to vent their frustration against the referees.

Background

On September 24th, 2012, the NFL season match between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers ended in controversy after the referees' questionable ruling over the last play of the game: a 24-yard-long pass thrown by the Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson that appeared to have been intercepted by the Packers defender M. D. Jennings.

The ruling was further worsened by the fact that the referees on the field were substituting for regular referees who had been locked out of the games due to a contractual dispute with the NFL.

Notable Developments

Online Reaction

On Reddit

On September 24th, Redditor Wolfeman0101 submitted a post to the /r/GreenBayPackers subreddit titled "That is the worst call in NFL history", which received over 1,300 up votes and 680 comments within 24 hours. The same day, Redditor scarecrowbar submitted a post to the /r/nfl subreddit calling for New York City Redditors to attend a protest against the replacement refs at the NFL headquarters the following day, which reached the front page accumulating over 2,420 up votes and 520 comments within 24 hours.

On Twitter

On September 17th, prior to the Seahawks-Packers game, the sports news blog ESPN Go published a post titled "Social Media Reacts to Replacement Refs", which reported that there had been 680,000 tweets with the keyword "ref" published in the past month. Following the controversial Seahawks-Packers decision, the AOL Sporting News blog published a post titled "Packers vs. Seahawks result draws fast, furious criticism of replacement refs," which listed tweets by notable figures in sports reacting to the referee call. On September 25th, the official Twitter blog published a post titled "NFL Week 3: #OnlyOnTwitter edition," revealing that the final play of the Green Bay Packers vs Sea Hawks game generated more than 150,000 retweets between them. The same day, the viral content site BuzzFeed published a post reporting that a tweet by Greenbay Packers left tackle TJ Lang could become the most retweeted message of all time.

Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.

- TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012

Also on September 25th, the entertainment news blog EOnline published an article titled "Monday Night Football Controversy: Celebs React to Replacement Refs' Blown Call", which highlighted tweets made by various celebrities reacting to the referee call, including Bill Maher, James Van Der Beek, Patton Oswalt, Khloe Kardashian Odom and President Obama.

So the NFL with replacement refs is now like a card game with Jokers included as wild cards - every 10 plays or so it just makes no sense

- Bill Maher (@billmaher) September 25, 2012

OK, @ nflcommish Roger Goodell tried to play hardball w/ the refs. He's clearly lost. Or has he? Replacement refs are signaling touchdown...

- James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) September 25, 2012

"'Replacement Refs!' It writes itself!" -- every shitty screenwriter in every L.A. Starbucks right now.

- Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 25, 2012

Bad day to be a replacement ref SMH

- KhloéKardashianOdom (@KhloeKardashian) September 25, 2012

President Obama last week: "Is it just me or do we have to get our regular refs back?" OFA.BO/bWqfT4

- Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 25, 2012

Image Macros

On September 24th, the sports news blog Busted Coverage published a post titled "20 Best NFL Replacement Ref Memes to Make You LOLZ", featuring a gallery of NFL replacement referee photographs with captions presenting the subjects as confused and dim-witted. On September 25th, the tech news blog Mashable published a post titled "Memes Tackle NFL Over Fumbled Interception Call", which featured a slideshow highlighting notable image macros mocking the referees. The same day, the Internet humor site The FW published a post titled "The Best Reaction Memes to the NFL Replacement Refs," included a variety of image macros related to the game call.

On September 25th, several news media outlets published articles about the final play, including CBS Sports, Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, Time, Fox Sports and the Washington Post. The same day, the sports blog Deadspin published an article reporting that the Lingerie Football League fired several referees who had since been hired by the NFL on the grounds of incompetence, citing a statement released by the league's commissioner Mitch Mortaza. Also on September 25th, the Washington Post reported that former United States president Bill Clinton did not agree with the referee call and ABC News quoted President Barack Obama saying the outcome of the game was "terrible."

NFL Statement

On September 25th, the NFL released an official statement regarding the outcome of the game, announcing that referee Wayne Elliot ruled that there was no "indisputable evidence" to overturn the call and the touchdown would remain recognized.

In Monday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Seattle faced a 4th-and-10 from the Green Bay 24 with eight seconds remaining in the game. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass into the end zone.

While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay.

When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player.

The result of the play was a touchdown. Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball.

In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable.

That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone. Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood.

The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review.

The result of the game is final

Search Interest

Prior to the Seahawks-Packers game on September 17th, ESPN published an article revealing that Google search queries for the keywords "replacements referees" rose 210% from August to September of 2012.

External References

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NFL Replacement Refs Controversy refers to various online discussions surrounding the disputed referee ruling of a pass that ultimately determined the outcome of the NFL season match between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers in Sepetember of 2012.

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Texas college baseball coach won’t recruit students from Colorado over ‘trouble passing our drug test’

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

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AURORA, Colo. - A baseball coach at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth is under fire after writing an email stating he will not recruit student-athletes from Colorado because players from the state have had trouble passing drug tests.

The coach, Mike Jeffcoat, sent that email to Cherokee Trail High School senior Gavin Bell on Feb. 20th, according to KDVR.

Bell has been busy working through the college recruitment process and said he already has a couple offers.

"Unfortunately, we are not recruiting players from the state of Colorado," Jeffcoat wrote in the email to Bell. "In the past, players have had trouble passing our drug test. We have made a decision not to take a chance on Student-athletes from your state."

The coach finished the email by writing, "You can thank your liberal politicians. Best of Luck wherever you decide to play."

Jeffcoat did not return phone calls.

Bell said he doesn't want the coach to lose his job.

"I'm not trying to get anybody in trouble here," Bell said. "My intention wasn't trying to get this guy fired. My intention was just to try to play baseball."

The 18-year-old outfielder said he wants to focus on his upcoming college career.

"This wasn't meant to go viral for me or anything like," he said. "I just sent it to a high school teacher of mine and it just went public like that."

The university released a statement about the incident.

"We are aware of the email sent by our baseball coach, and the comments he made are in no way a reflection of Texas Wesleyan University, its values or its recruiting practices.

This is a personnel matter and it is currently under investigation. It is our University policy to not discuss personnel matters, but we want to reiterate that this email does not reflect our values and we do not condone discrimination. This includes discrimination on the basis of race, color, origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability or sexuality; or the political legislation of one's home state. We are committed to providing an inclusive campus for all of our students, faculty, staff, visitors, potential students and their families.

Texas Wesleyan has a long tradition of excellence in athletics and we are committed to recruiting student-athletes who will excel at our university. Like the NAIA's core values, we are focused on building and recruiting champions of character."

There is currently a student from Colorado on the Texas Wesleyan University baseball roster, freshman Logan Bistrup of Pomona High School in Arvada.

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Texas college baseball coach won't recruit students from Colorado over 'trouble passing our drug test'

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AURORA, Colo. - A baseball coach at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth is under fire after writing an email stating he will not recruit student-athletes from Colorado because players from the state have had trouble passing drug tests. The coach, Mike Jeffcoat, sent that email to Cherokee Trail High School senior Gavin Bell on Feb.

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Since Tuesday authorities have been looking for a missing Virginia mother. This was until they found a body near her home. A man has been taken into custody.

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The search for a Virginia mother who mysteriously disappeared on Tuesday from her front yard took a grim twist today when a body was discovered near her home, authorities said.

The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office said the unidentified body was found about a mile from the Wake home of TerriLynn St. John, authorities told ABC station WRIC in Richmond.

WRIC

Sheriff's officials also said a man was taken into custody in connection the woman's disappearance and was being questioned, according to WRIC.

St. John, 23, was reported missing Tuesday morning when she didn't show up for work, according to officials. She was last heard from early that morning when her live-in boyfriend, Mac Kennard, kissed her goodbye about 4:30 a.m. before heading out to work oystering.

"I wish I could trade places with her," Kennard told WRIC Wednesday night.

St. John's father went to her Wake home after learning from his daughter's coworkers that she never made it to work, Maj. Michael Samson said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"He went over there and he found the door open, saw the children were alone and subsequently called the sheriff's office," Samson said, adding that the children were not injured.

WRIC

St. John, who recently moved to Wake, had planned to drop her children, ages 2 and 3, off at daycare before heading to work, Samson said.

Her car was found parked in the driveway.

Deputies searched the property and discovered St. John's cell phone in bushes outside the house and a broken necklace in the yard of the home.

WRIC

Samson described the case as a "missing person, under suspicious circumstances."

He said investigators had interviewed several persons of interest, adding that each cooperated and submitted DNA samples, which are being analyzed in a crime lab. He declined to identify them.

St. John's sister, Maggie, said she could not think of a reason anyone would want to hurt the missing woman.

"She was a very lovable, fun, outgoing person and people were attracted to that," she told WRIC.

Speaking of TerriLynn St. John's disappearance Wednesday night, her close friend, Shelby Rose, said, "She did not deserve this. No family deserves to go through this."

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Body found near home of mother who mysteriously vanished from front yard

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The search for a Virginia mother who mysteriously disappeared on Tuesday from her front yard took a grim twist today when a body was discovered near her home, authorities said. The Middlesex County Sheriff's Office said the unidentified body was found about a mile from the Wake home of TerriLynn St.

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A Lion from the Czech Republic has become an internet celebrity because of his long, luscious mane.

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Nicknamed the " Samson of the Zoo," Leon the lion has become a huge hit at Labem Zoo in the Czech Republic because of his long, beautiful hair.

The gorgeous beast arrived in the Czech zoo in 2005, according to the Daily Mail, and instantly became the "mane" attraction.
LIONESS AT OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO GROS MANE, STUNS HER KEEPERS
Male lions generally start to get manes starting around the age of one or two, a sign of sexual maturity. In addition to being a sexual competitive advantage, famed biologist Charles Darwin believed that male lions had manes to "protect a male's neck during a fight with another male," according to research from the University of Minnesota.

A lion's mane is often associated with males of the species, but females have been known to grown them as well.

Just recently, an 18-year-old African lioness at Oklahoma City Zoo, Bridget, stunned her keepers by growing a mane.

In 2011, another lioness, 13-year-old Emma from the National Zoo in South Africa, grew a mane, which was similar in length to that of a young male lion. Blood tests revealed that Emma had elevated levels of testosterone, so veterinarians removed her ovaries, which they believed was causing the issue.

Considered one of the most dangerous animals on the world, lions have attracted some negative attention as well.
LION FATALLY MAULS WOMAN AT REFUGE OF SOUTH AFRICAN 'LION WHISPERER'
Just this week, one lion, who was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators, fatally mauled a 22-year-old woman in South Africa.
Fox News' James Rogers contributed to this story.

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Lion with luscious head of hair becomes viral sensation

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Nicknamed the " Samson of the Zoo," Leon the lion has become a huge hit at Labem Zoo in the Czech Republic because of his long, beautiful hair. The gorgeous beast arrived in the Czech zoo in 2005, according to the Daily Mail, and instantly became the "mane" attraction.

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The morale at the White House is down after Trumps most recent meltdown. Most of the staff is afraid to open there mouths, because of the way Trump reacts to recent issues.

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His soothing communications guru is leaving. His obstinate attorney general has turned openly defiant. His son-in-law and senior adviser was stripped of his security clearance at the behest of his chief of staff. His Cabinet secretaries keep spending an inordinate amount of taxpayer dollars on luxuries. His most loyal allies in Congress describe his meetings as "surreal."

Allies of Trump's on Capitol Hill and elsewhere describe a sense of "meltdown" at the White House as the series of unfortunate events unfold. The President, they say, wants to take action to turn the page.

Morale in the West Wing, already diminished following the domestic abuse scandal involving Trump's former staff secretary, has taken a downward turn, people inside and outside the building say. Staff departures are being announced on a near-daily basis as aides become fed up with the constant swirl of tension.

And policy announcements that would fulfill Trump's campaign promises -- including a long-awaited decision on steel and aluminum tariffs, gun control measures and an elusive immigration fix -- have been caught up in the swirl of uncertainty, leading to questions on how Trump will be able to govern amid the chaos.

On Capitol Hill Thursday, chief of staff John Kelly was taciturn but upbeat when asked about the mood inside the White House.

"I think pretty good," he said. "Too much work, too hard. We're all doing the Lord's work though."

Others are less glowing.

"The morale is terrible," said Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived former communications director, said on Thursday morning on CNN. "The reason why the morale is terrible is that the rule by fear and intimidation does not work in a civilian environment."

"People are afraid to talk to each other," he said.

Inside the White House

Inside the White House, aides identify the scandal involving Rob Porter, the staff secretary who departed after being accused of domestic abuse allegations, as the impetus for the latest devolvement in esteem. At the time of his departure, Porter was dating Hope Hicks, the communications director who announced her resignation on Wednesday.

Hicks' departure was weeks in the making, people familiar with the decision said. But it was nevertheless a shock announcement from the aide perhaps closest to the President.

"Trump can't function without her. She is that important," a source close to the White House said.

Advisers wonder now who will step into the role of presidential whisperer -- a job ever more important as stumbling blocks continue to arise, including the mounting stack of indictments in Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Trump continues to describe the probe as a "witch hunt," and steams over the issue regularly. His anger is bolstered by the deep sense of uncertainty surrounding who will be caught up next. Mueller's team has operated largely leak-free, and much of the news from his office has caught the White House off-guard.

The Porter episode also led to scrutiny over the system of security clearances and questions over accountability at top staff levels. It launched John Kelly's crackdown on interim security clearances, which last week ensnared Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with dozens of other White House officials.

The move only heightened the existing friction between Kelly and Trump's children, who have seen their access to the President restricted under a new system of rigor. Kushner has continued in his role, focusing on domestic issues like prison reform and planning for upcoming political races. Trump has told aides he wants Kushner to remain focused on the Middle East.

But the President has grown upset at the perception his son-in-law is somehow in trouble, and has complained to people around him how Kelly can't seem to stop making enemies.

Trump-Sessions feud

Kelly isn't the only underling in Trump's sights. The President was fuming Wednesday after Attorney General Jeff Sessions publicly pushed back against him in a rare but pointed statement defending the Justice Department. Sessions' pushback came after Trump called him "DISGRACEFUL" in a Twitter post.

A source familiar with his demeanor described Trump as indignant. Trump didn't respond Thursday when asked about Sessions at the White House.

The sense of an administration at odds was fueled by another Cabinet secretary coming under public scrutiny -- this time Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Senior White House aides are furious about a series of negative stories about frivolous spending at Carson's agency and have taken a more hands-on role in trying to stem the tide of negative news, sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN.

The decision to assert more control came a day after reports that the former chief administrative officer at HUD filed a complaint saying she was demoted after refusing to spend more than was legally allowed to redecorate Carson's new office. HUD also spent $31,000 last year to replace a dining room set in Carson's office, according to federal records and a whistleblower. Carson has now said he wants to cancel the order.

It was the latest example of a spending indiscretion by one of Trump's Cabinet officials -- incidents that have enraged the President. He fired Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price for excessive use of private and government air travel over the summer. But since then, the travel habits of a number of Cabinet-level officials have come into question.

Trump has vented to aides that there's nothing he detests more than displays of wasteful spending. But firing top-level officials, he's speculated, would only deepen the impression his administration is in chaos.

Instead, Trump is encouraging his team to develop policy announcements that could help distract from the ongoing rucku s. On Thursday he was eager to announce protectionist measures to buffer the US steel and aluminum industries from foreign imports -- fulfilling a key campaign promise on which he's fixated over the past year.

The only problem: The the policy he wanted to roll out isn't ready yet, two White House officials said. Aides were sent scrambling late Wednesday to determine what exactly Trump could announce during a meeting with industry executives that was hastily assembled for Thursday morning.

Initially the meeting was closed to the press. But Trump called in reporters at the last minute to announce he was imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum "probably" next week.

"It's being written now," Trump said.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Kaitlan Collins, Tal Kopan, Jamie Gangel, Gloria Borger and Pamela Brown contributed to this report.

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white house meltdown on full display - cnnpolitics

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The tumult of the past week has fueled a deep and seething anger within President Donald Trump -- not an uncommon emotion for the insolent commander in chief -- but one that allies and aides say has escalated as he faces a new gauntlet of problems, including the encroaching Russia investigation.

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Antoinette Tuff was hailed as a hero for saving an entire school from a shooting. But she didn't brandish a gun to avert a would-be mass killer. She used love.

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It was August 2013, and the school year had just started in Georgia. A gunman entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, an elementary school east of Atlanta, and fired his AK-47. He had more than 500 rounds of ammunition with him. The school went into lockdown.

The gunman faced Tuff, the school's bookkeeper, who happened to be working the front desk that summer day. Tuff called 911 and then, with the dispatcher on the line, she spoke with her would-be killer, Michael Brandon Hill. For nearly 25 minutes, she relayed what Hill was saying and doing while trying to talk him down from a lethal ledge.

She told Hill about her own vulnerabilities -- divorce, a suicide attempt and a disabled son.

"It's going to be all right, sweetie," she said. "I just want you to know I love you, though, OK? And I'm proud of you."

Hill surrendered to police. Not one person was hurt.

Since then Tuff has seen tragedy unfold in other American schools. The Valentine's Day mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, was the latest and most gruesome. Former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people and injuring 14 others.

In the days after the Florida shooting, debate has raged again over gun control and how best to thwart violence in schools. As students organized rallies and demanded answers from lawmakers, President Donald Trump suggested that one answer was to arm teachers.

I sought out Tuff this week, curious about her thoughts on the prevailing national discussion.

Since 2013, Tuff has written a memoir, " Prepared for a Purpose," become an inspirational speaker and launched mentoring programs in schools. I met her in the suburban Atlanta office of one of her program sponsors. She chose to sit where she could keep her eye on the door. Since her standoff with a gunman, she no longer feels comfortable with her back to an entrance.

Here is what the woman who saved a school had to say about guns, teachers and the role of empathy. Her answers have been lightly edited and condensed.
Q: How do you feel about arming teachers to protect schools?
A: I can go back to me on August 20, 2013. If I had had a gun on me, we'd have all been dead. Because you got to go back and look at the state of mind you are in at that moment.

I tried to commit suicide two days before that. My life was in an uproar. My husband had just left me after 33 years.

We already have teachers on the front lines every day. They are in the schools trying to teach our kids. They have behavior issues they are dealing with. They have foster kids, homeless kids. They have kids (whose) only outlet is when they come to school.

So now what we are saying to them is: Not only do you have to teach them in the midst of what you have going on, but then I need you to protect them, too?

What are we really saying? That's the question we have to ask ourselves. At the end of the day, is it safe to put our educators in that position? Because they have families, too. When you put so many people in the fire, then who is going to snatch them out?
Q: So, what is the answer then?
A: I started my mentoring program back in the school system where the gunman held me hostage. What I am learning is that when we provide prevention and intervention programs in our schools, giving our kids some outlet from what they are going through every day, we see results.

We are showing our kids Tuff Tactics. Showing them compassion, competence and control. Showing compassion when (the situation) is overwhelming.

I was able to reach that gunman because I allowed him to know that despite what he was going through, I loved him. And I still do.

We have to be able to know where people are in their lives. And it's hard to know that when you got a gunman in front of you and you are armed. You are going to go off instinct -- fear and emotions of the moment. And those don't line up to be the best when you are overwhelmed.

Our kids need one-on-one mentors. When they go through bullying in school, when they feel unsafe, they feel they have someone to talk to. It is going to offset (bad) behavior.
Q: How were you able to stay calm and show so much empathy for the gunman?
A: The only way I knew to address it was: "God, do you see what I see? God, what do I do?" Every word that I speak is life and death, not just for me but for 870 innocent children. And the gunman.

So I saw this 20-year-old man standing in front of me. He was the same age as my kids. I saw a young man crying out for help. At that moment he was not crying silently. He was crying out loud. I didn't see the bullets on his back or the AK-47. All I could see was this youth in front of me.

We were pain meeting pain. That gunman passed several schools to get to my school. He parked his car right next to my car. God allowed me to get a phone call from the bank so it held me up at my desk to be at the front office at the right time at the right moment.

That day was chaos. You got brand new teachers coming in trying to do insurance, kids' first day coming to school, crying kids who don't have supplies. It was a crazy day.

I was terrified, but I couldn't focus on that. All I could see was that young man and how were we all going to get home safely.

When we show that compassion, it just works.

That's what we have gotten away from as a society and as a community.

What we do is we look at the outside of you. We size you up. And judge you.

With that young man -- I didn't judge him. I used my best judgment.
Q: What about the teachers?
A: We are talking about arming teachers, right? What we really need to do is take some of that funding, give it back to our teachers and get them salary increases and supplies.

Teachers have to go and take their hard-earned money on their low salaries to buy supplies and support these kids in school. Pencils and stuff -- teachers (often) have to pay for that stuff. That's my bookkeeper side talking.
Q: Had you dealt with guns before that day?
A: I had never seen a gun before. Ever. That was the first time I had ever seen a rifle. That was the first time a rifle had ever been shot in front of me. I thought it was all a joke at first because I had never seen a gun. I had never been around guns my entire life.
Q: Do you feel things are different after the Florida shooting and that we will see legislative action?
A: Look, our kids have always been crying out. They have been crying out in stages. We as parents and adults didn't listen to them cry. These kids in Florida ... are saying enough is enough, and they are crying out louder.

Something has to be done. I commend them for that.
Q: Is gun control the answer?
A: It's a bigger picture than guns. It goes back to youth safety. Period.

Kids are not killed just by guns. I'm killed when I go into school and am bullied. I'm just killed in a different way. I'm killed and my self-esteem is torn down. I don't know how to build it back up, and I can't hope to build it back up. Our kids are killed with things that go on on a daily basis. How do we focus on that?

I think the first step is legislators need to come to the dialogue. We need to be able to have everybody at the table to voice their opinion, to respectfully hear what's going to make a difference in our communities.

Our responsibility as a community is to take the conversation where it needs to be. And that is about youth safety. I think we need to be able to bring parents in, bring educators in and have a discussion. It's now time for us to stop sweeping it under the rug and have a conversation.

I feel we have a group of kids now who are going to make something happen.

Let's watch and see how they move. This is the first time we are having marches. We're seeing change. It may not be the way we want it. Or as fast as we want it. But we are seeing change.
Q: You relied on your faith to get you through that terrible day at the school. Do you still fall asleep listening to the Bible every night on an audiobook?
A: Yes I do. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want ... Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Psalms 23.

That's the kind of conversation we have to have with our children and our babies when they go out. They need to know they are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. We have to teach them not to fear any evil. And that is not easy.
Q: After everything you have gone through, do you own a gun?
A: No. I got Jesus. He's a good gun for me.

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she saved a school from a gunman. here's what she thinks about arming teachers. - cnn

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She saved a school from a gunman. Hear what she thinks about arming teachers.

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It was August 2013, and the school year had just started in Georgia. A gunman entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, an elementary school east of Atlanta, and fired his AK-47. He had more than 500 rounds of ammunition with him. The school went into lockdown.

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Russia said that they have developed a nuke that can by pass nuclear defenses.

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Russia is developing a new set of strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday, marking a breakthrough that could dramatically increase the country's military capabilities.

The Russian president made the bold claim during his state-of-the-nation speech and said the new weapons include a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone, and a new hypersonic missile.

Putin claimed the new weapons have made NATO's U.S.-led missile defense system "useless," and are a signal to Western powers that efforts to hold Russia in check have failed.

"I want to tell all those who have fueled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country's development: all what you wanted to impede with your policies have already happened," he said. "You have failed to contain Russia."

The Russian leader also warned that Moscow would regard any nuclear attack on its allies as an attack on Russia itself, and the country would respond swiftly, according to Sky News.

"We would consider any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies to be a nuclear attack on our country. The response would be immediate," he told Russian politicians.
PENTAGON ANNOUNCES PLAN TO EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIAN THREAT
Putin claimed the nuclear-powered cruise missile tested last fall has an unlimited range, high speed and maneuverability allowing it to pierce any missile defense.

The high-speed underwater drone has an "intercontinental" range, can carry a nuclear warhead, and target both aircraft carriers and coastal facilities, Putin boasted to Russian lawmakers.

He added to applause that the names for the two weapons had not yet been chosen, and suggested the country's defense ministry could run a nationwide contest to pick the names.

The announcement of the new nuclear weapons comes as Putin is set to easily win another six-year presidential term in the March 18 election. He said the new weapons would help ensure global stability and draw a line under attempts to weaken Russia.

The new military systems also use physical principles, including laser systems, and multiply Russia's opportunities in the defense sector, according to the TASS news agency.
RUSSIA BUILDING A 'DOOMSDAY' TORPEDO, LEAKED PENTAGON REPORT DRAFT SAYS
The Russian leader said that another new weapon called Avangard is an intercontinental hypersonic missile that would fly to targets at a speed 20 times the speed of sound and strike "like a meteorite, like a fireball."

The Russian leader emphasized that the development of new weapons that have no equivalent in the West came after the U.S. withdrawal from a Cold War-era treaty banning missile defenses and U.S. efforts to develop a missile defense system.

He said that the U.S. has ignored Russian complaints.

"No one has listened to us," he said. "You listen to us now."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @travfed

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Russia developing nuclear weapons immune to interception, Putin claims

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Russia is developing a new set of strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday, marking a breakthrough that could dramatically increase the country's military capabilities. The Russian president made the bold claim during his state-of-the-nation speech and said the new weapons include a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone, and a new hypersonic missile.