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Venezuela and its state-owned enterprises - including the oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, known as Pdvsa - have missed roughly $350 million in interest payments over the last month. The grace period on many of them will end in the next few days.

"There are going to be so many different debtors from the sovereign to these different state-owned companies," Mr. Valera said, "and they are all going to be defaulting at the same time."

President Nicolás Maduro announced last week that the government would refinance and restructure $63 billion in bonds, and invited investors to meet with a government committee led by his vice president. It is uncertain how many investors will take part, since United States sanctions restrict any negotiation or purchases of new bonds by American-regulated financial institutions.

Monday could be a decisive day in Venezuela's credit crisis.

While President Maduro's committee will offer restructuring proposals, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, a panel formed by the derivatives industry, will meet to discuss the Venezuelan debt situation.

The panel will discuss whether late and partial payments of $1.2 billion due last week from Pdvsa constituted a "credit event" that could prompt bondholders to organize to seek payment. The creditors could pursue legal action to confiscate Venezuelan assets abroad, such as oil tankers or even refineries owned by the Pdvsa subsidiary Citgo.

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Venezuelan Debt Crisis Widens, With Power Company in Default

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Venezuela and its state-owned enterprises - including the oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, known as Pdvsa - have missed roughly $350 million in interest payments over the last month. The grace period on many of them will end in the next few days.

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While General Moyo called Mr. Mugabe the commander in chief, the military's actions starkly revealed the limits of the president's control.

About half a dozen tanks were stationed around strategic government buildings and intersections in the capital, Harare, but shops and banks were open, and most people carried on with business as usual.

Who are the main figures?

Robert Mugabe. He has been at the forefront of Zimbabwe's politics for decades, first heading the fight against white minority rule, then serving as the country's leader since independence in 1980. Through a combination of political maneuvering and authoritarian tactics, he has maintained his grip on power through his governing party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF.

Emmerson Mnangagwa. A longtime ally of the president and a fellow veteran of the war for independence, Mr. Mnangagwa is a hard-liner who became vice president and Mr. Mugabe's probable successor three years ago. He is known as the Crocodile; as justice minister, he helped keep Mr. Mugabe in power by cracking down on the opposition.

Grace Mugabe. Mr. Mugabe's wife of 21 years, Ms. Mugabe is the head of ZANU-PF's women's wing and has support from the party's younger activists. She led the campaign against another rival to succeed her husband, former Vice President Joice Mujuru, and after Mr. Mnangagwa was removed from office she was seen as Mr. Mugabe's most likely heir.

What we don't know.

Much is uncertain, and events are still unfolding. In the early hours of the military action, there were no public statements by Mr. Mugabe, Ms. Mugabe or Mr. Mnangagwa. The degree to which any of them support or oppose the military's moves is unclear.

Likewise, the military's long-term plans are vague. General Moyo called on all soldiers to return to their barracks and announced a cancellation of all leave. He also warned other security services to cooperate. The extent to which the military might face resistance, from outside or from within, is unknown.

Negotiations were underway between Mr. Mnangagwa's allies and opposition parties to possibly form an interim unity government, a move that would be likely to quell criticism of the military takeover.

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zimbabwe african national union-patriotic front (zanu-pf)

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While General Moyo called Mr. Mugabe the commander in chief, the military's actions starkly revealed the limits of the president's control. About half a dozen tanks were stationed around strategic government buildings and intersections in the capital, Harare, but shops and banks were open, and most people carried on with business as usual.

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Their efforts may seem quixotic. Fight for the Future is trying to stop the chairman of the F.C.C., Ajit Pai, from dismantling rules that prevent internet service providers from blocking websites or charging them for faster delivery to consumers. The group argues that the policy, passed in 2015 under the Obama administration and with a groundswell of support, helps protect free speech and expression online.

But Mr. Pai and his two Republican colleagues have committed to passing the proposal at the agency's meeting next Thursday, in what would be a 3-to-2 party-line vote. Mr. Pai, who was nominated as chairman by President Trump, has said that the rules are unnecessary and that market forces would prevent internet service providers, like AT&T and Verizon, from blocking or slowing sites.

Some of the largest tech companies, like Google and Facebook, have been relatively quiet about the rollback of rules, even though they were vocal supporters of them in the past. At a conference this year, Reed Hastings, the chief executive of Netflix, said, "I think Trump's F.C.C. is going to unwind the rules no matter what anybody says."

But Fight for the Future and other grass-roots groups they are working with, including Free Press and Demand Progress, say the battle is only really beginning. They are focused on pressuring the F.C.C. through Congress, which oversees the F.C.C. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill could also pass a bill to establish the net neutrality rules.

"We want to raise the political costs on this issue," Craig Aaron, president of Free Press, said. "We want members of Congress to think of this as a third-rail issue that they have to support or else they will suffer in their elections."

The protests on Thursday mostly took place outside stores run by Verizon, where Mr. Pai used to work as a lawyer. At a strip mall in Shoreline, Wash., just north of Seattle, about 18 protesters turned up on a cold, sunny morning outside a Verizon store between a Costco and a teriyaki restaurant.

Shasta Willson, a web developer who lives in Shoreline, said she ran a small literature publishing business and was concerned that the loss of net neutrality could turn the internet into something more like cable television, where access to certain online services are sold as part of content packages.

"I feel like this is the most important issue going on," she said. "There's some crazy stuff going on, but if we lose net neutrality you might not hear about any of it."

In the shadow of the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, 15 to 20 protesters chanted, "Save the net" and "Free speech, equal access." Although demonstrators said they knew the rule change would almost certainly happen next week, they were hopeful that their actions could generate enough last-minute attention to bring about a reversal.

"I'm afraid it's a rear-guard action," one of the protesters, Maxine Rockoff, 79, said. "But I hope if we protest across the country, the folks in Congress will recognize it was a bad decision."

Fight for the Future was started in 2011 by Ms. Cheng and Mr. Holmes, friends from a math and science high school in Worcester. The two initially got $800,000 in seed funding from the Media Democracy Fund, a grant organization focused on media and telecommunication issues, to fight a bill meant to stop the piracy of movies and music online.

The friends, who had long fought for artists' rights and free-speech issues, saw the bill, known as the Stop Online Piracy Act, as a way for big Hollywood studios to control the internet. They helped organize online protests, coordinating with hundreds of websites, including Wikipedia and Reddit, which went offline at the same time and raised broad awareness of action in Washington on an arcane legislative issue. The bipartisan bill, widely expected to pass, was killed after a public outcry.

In 2015, the group used many of the same tactics to support the net neutrality rules that were passed.

"They were so creative and brought something totally different to activism," said Marvin Ammori, the general counsel for Hyperloop One, a high-speed transportation start-up, and a board member of Fight for the Future.

Fight for the Future is now has an annual operating budget of $1.5 million, a chief technology officer and staff dispersed around the globe. The Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, venture capitalists such as Brad Feld of Foundry Group and entrepreneurs like Craig Newmark of Craigslist.org support the group financially.

The group does not take money from the biggest tech companies. Its biggest Silicon Valley donors include the search engine DuckDuckGo, which donated $25,000, and the reviews site Yelp, which donated $10,000 last year.

Of the 23 million comments filed to the F.C.C. about net neutrality this year, two million were through a site that Fight for the Future helped run. The group said its tools allowed people to make more than 800,000 calls to Congress and 6.7 million emails to lawmakers.

The potential repeal outraged Lesley Perg, a 44-year-old adult education instructor in St. Paul. She heard of Mr. Pai's plan in July and submitted her name, email and phone number to BattlefortheNet.com, a site run by Fight for the Future and its partners to see how she could fight back. She is among more than 1,500 volunteers, and for weeks she has put in four to eight hours a week in training organizers of demonstrations and congressional office visits.

"Net neutrality underlies everything I care about," said Ms. Perg, an avid knitter who is deeply involved with knitting communities online. "Even though Pai has three votes, we need to put Congress in a tough spot and to prepare for this to go to the courts. This is a long game."

The group's approach has also attracted criticism.

In August, Fight for the Future and the other groups put up billboards in the districts of three Republican House leaders that said the lawmakers had sold out to big internet service providers with their support of the F.C.C. plan. The three were Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who heads a communications subcommittee; Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader; and Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin.

"I think it is really unfortunate that this issue has been politicized," said Dan Lyons, an associate professor at the Boston College Law School. "This is a dry admin law debate: Is antitrust sufficient to control broadband providers and, if not, will additional prophylactic rules do more harm than good to innovation?"

In an interview, Brendan Carr, a Republican commissioner at the F.C.C., said, "There is a lot of misinformation out there."

Evan Greer, a director for Fight for the Future, said that to get members of Congress to speak out in favor of the issue, the group needed to deploy a range of efforts to make the government officials uncomfortable.

"Backlash is our middle name," she said.

Last week, as Mr. Pai was giving speeches that mocked celebrities like Cher and Alyssa Milano for criticizing his proposal, the group was gearing up for a big online protest set for just before the vote. It needed to make net neutrality something that millions more Americans could care about.

On a Google hangout, its leaders, designers and political directors were in a heated debate about their protest slogan. Even minute details, like the font they would use and the color on a banner meant to be shared on sites like Twitter and Facebook, drew pointed discussion.

Even after several years promoting net neutrality, it was clear that their enthusiasm was undiminished. One design lit up Ms. Cheng.

The design, she exclaimed, made her think: "We can stop the F.C.C.!"

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Inside the Opposition to a Net Neutrality Repeal

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Their efforts may seem quixotic. Fight for the Future is trying to stop the chairman of the F.C.C., Ajit Pai, from dismantling rules that prevent internet service providers from blocking websites or charging them for faster delivery to consumers.

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Published

16 November 2017

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Media caption,
The painting has been cleaned and restored from the image on the left to the one on the right

A 500-year-old painting of Christ believed to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci has been sold in New York for a record $450m (£341m).

The painting is known as Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World).

It is the highest auction price for any work of art and brought cheers and applause at the packed Christie's auction room.

Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519 and there are fewer than 20 of his paintings in existence.

Salvator Mundi, believed to have been painted sometime after 1505, is the only work thought to be in private hands.

Bidding began at $100m and the final bid for the work was $400m, with fees bringing the full price up to $450.3m. The unidentified buyer was involved in a bidding contest, via telephone, that lasted nearly 20 minutes.

Image source, AFP

Image caption,
Excitement in the auction room rose as the bids by telephone came in

The painting shows Christ with one hand raised, the other holding a glass sphere.

In 1958 it was sold at auction in London for a mere £45.

By then the painting was generally reckoned to be the work of a follower of Leonardo and not the work of Leonardo himself.

It apparently was part of King Charles I of England's collection in the 1600s and got lost, but was "rediscovered" in 2005.

Analysis by Arts Editor Will Gompetz

$450m for Salvator Mundi is an astonishing price to have realised, given both its condition and authenticity have been questioned.

It shows that ultimately art comes down to belief.

And there were plenty of bidders last night who were suitably convinced by its Leonardo da Vinci attribution to drive the price up to such stratospheric heights.

As yet, the new owner is unknown.

Speculation will be rife. Which I will contribute to, by noting the newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi will have a Leonardo shaped hole in its displays when the decade-long loan deal with the French museums comes to an end.

Wherever it ends up, you've got to hand it to Christie's for its masterclass in the art of selling art.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,
Art agents celebrated when the sale was completed

In a bold move, without a hint of irony, the painting was sold in its Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale alongside a Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.

Why not in the Old Masters Sale? Because that's not where the elephant bucks are.

The big money comes into the room nowadays when Pollocks and Twomblys are on the block, and promptly leaves when the Reynolds and Winterhalters arrive.

Media caption,
Salvator Mundi was discovered hidden under layers of paint

Dr Tim Hunter, who is an expert in Old Master and 19th Century art, told the BBC the painting is "the most important discovery in the 21st Century".

"It completely smashes the record for the last Old Masters painting to sell - Van Gogh's Sunflowers in 1988. Records get broken from time to time but not in this way.

"Da Vinci painted less than 20 oil paintings and many are unfinished so it's incredibly rare and we love that in art."

Before the auction it was owned by Russian billionaire collector Dmitry E Rybolovlev, who is reported to have bought it in a private sale in May 2013 for $127.5m (£98m).

Is it authentic?

The painting has had major cosmetic surgery - its walnut panel base has been described as "worm-tunnelled" and at some point it seems to have been split in half - and efforts to restore it resulted in abrasions.

BBC arts correspondent Vincent Dowd said that even now attribution to Leonardo is not universally accepted.

One critic has described the surface of the painting to be "inert, varnished, lurid, scrubbed over and repainted so many times that it looks simultaneously new and old".

"Any private collector who gets suckered into buying this picture and places it in their apartment or storage, it serves them right," Jerry Saltz wrote on Vulture.com.

Speculation over buyer

But Christie's has insisted the painting is authentic and billed it as "the greatest artistic rediscovery of the 20th Century".

Georgina Adam, who is an Art Market specialist, told the BBC the price of the piece is "fuelled by the sheer amount of money that billionaires have."

"This is the last Leonardo painting you can buy. This isn't as a store of value, it's the ultimate trophy - only one person in the world can own this.

"If you think of the wealth of some billionaires, Bill Gates is worth 87 billion, and I'm not saying it's him, but near to half a billion would not be a colossal chunk out of his income for example."

The auction house has not revealed who purchased the picture, but Hunter speculates it could be a buyer from Asia or even be on the way to the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

Image source, AFP

Image caption,
Could the painting be headed for Abu Dhabi's new Louvre Museum?

"It's the sort of painting you can imagine as a star piece in a private collection and as billionaire collectors like to set up their own museums, it could be a good piece for them," Hunter said.

Adam also thinks the piece could have gone to an Asian market.

"We don't know who bought it, I went to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi and I did wonder whether the Gulf could be responsible.

"People are thinking the Far East, the picture was taken to Hong Kong before it was put up for sale to show to possible buyers there so that is possible. "

Other high-priced paintings

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,
Paul Gauguin's 'When Will You marry?' broke price records in 2015

The 79 x 69 inch (2 x 1.75m) expressionist piece was painted in 1955. It was sold to hedge-fund founder Kenneth C Griffin, who spent about $500m in total in 2016 on a Pollock piece too.

His post-impressionist painting of Tahiti women was sold in February 2015 to a mystery buyer, rumoured to be a Qatari museum, and is thought to share the top spot with a piece by William de Kooning.

This sale to Qatar broke records in 2011. The piece was painted at the end of the 19th Century and was part of a five-part series. The others in the series are at some of the world's most prestigious art museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

This abstract expressionist piece was also sold in 2016 to Kenneth C Griffin from American businessman David Geffen.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,
Mr Griffin, 49, founded global investment firm Citadel and is considered one of the world's most active art buyers

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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‘Leonardo da Vinci artwork’ sells for record $450m

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Salvator Mundi, reputedly painted by the artist, is sold by Christie’s in New York for $450m.

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"This was an idea that I had, where if we can teach young people not to take drugs," Mr. Trump said, "it's really, really easy not to take them." He shared the story of his brother Fred, who he said had struggled with alcohol addiction throughout his life and implored Mr. Trump never to take a drink - advice the president said he had heeded.

"We are going to overcome addiction in America," the president said.

The designation of a public health crisis, formally made by Eric D. Hargan, the acting health secretary, would allow for some grant money to be used to combat opioid abuse, permit the hiring of specialists to tackle the crisis, and expand the use of telemedicine services to treat people in rural areas ravaged by opioid use, where doctors are often in short supply.

Mr. Trump said his plan would include a requirement that federally employed prescribers be trained in safe practices for opioid prescriptions, and a new federal initiative to develop nonaddictive painkillers, as well as intensified efforts to block shipments of fentanyl, a cheap and extremely potent synthetic opioid manufactured in China, into the United States.

He also said he would act to suspend a rule that currently prevents Medicaid from funding many drug rehabilitation facilities.

"We cannot allow this to continue," Mr. Trump said. "It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction."

Congressional Republicans as well as law enforcement and physicians' groups said the president's announcement was a crucial first step in building awareness about the opioid crisis and confronting its causes and devastating effects.

In a statement, Patrice A. Harris, the chairwoman of the American Medical Association's opioid task force, described it as "a move that will offer needed flexibility and help direct attention to opioid-ravaged communities."

"There is plenty of work ahead," Dr. Harris added, "and the emergency declaration adds further urgency to this epidemic."

But Democrats criticized Mr. Trump for what they characterized as a tepid response to an urgent calamity, arguing that his failure to request funding for the effort revealed a lack of seriousness about addressing the issue.

"America is hemorrhaging lives by the day because of the opioid epidemic, but President Trump offered the country a Band-Aid when we need a tourniquet," said Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts. "Instead of a commitment to emergency funding for our states and communities, President Trump offered empty words and half-measures."

Andrew Kolodny, the co-director of opioid policy research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, said that no emergency declaration would do much to alleviate the impact of opioids without a substantial commitment of federal money and a clear strategy for overhauling the way the country treats addiction.

"What we need is for the president to seek an appropriation from Congress, I believe in the billions, so that we can rapidly expand access for effective outpatient opioid addiction treatments," Dr. Kolodny said in an interview. "Until those treatments are easier to access than heroin or fentanyl, overdose deaths will remain at record-high levels."

Mr. Trump's campaign promise to focus on the opioid crisis helped propel him to a crucial victory in New Hampshire's primary last year. As president, he appointed an opioid commission in March, installing Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a rival for the Republican nomination who had championed the issue during the 2016 race, as chairman.

In July, the commission recommended that the president declare a national emergency - either under the Stafford Act, which would have allowed the allocation of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, or the Public Health Service Act, the option Mr. Trump chose.

Although Mr. Trump called the opioid crisis a national emergency over the next month, he did not sign a formal declaration of the designation, and the idea ran into stiff resistance in his administration to making an open-ended commitment of federal funds to deal with an issue that has shown no signs of abating.

Administration officials argued that a national emergency declaration was not necessary or helpful in the case of the opioid crisis, and that the powers associated with a public health emergency were better suited to address the issue. They said the White House would soon send Congress a request for money to combat opioids, with the goal of including it in a year-end spending package.

Mr. Christie praised the president on Thursday for what he called "bold action" to address the opioid crisis, and said the commission would put forth a comprehensive plan next week.

Beyond the lack of funding, it is unclear how much impact the public health declaration will have in the short term, given that Mr. Trump has yet to name central players who would carry it out. That includes a "drug czar" to steer a broader strategy on opioids and a secretary of health and human services who would tailor policies and identify sources of funding.

Among the questions left unanswered by the president's announcement is whether the Department of Health and Human Services will use its authority under the public health declaration to negotiate lower prices for naloxone, a drug that quickly counteracts the effects of opioid overdoses. Lawmakers and public health and anti-addiction organizations have argued that such a measure is crucial to expand access to the drug.

Jim Hood, a founder and the chief executive of Facing Addiction, who lost his 20-year-old son, Austin, to an accidental overdose five years to the day before Mr. Trump's announcement, said he was grateful that the president took the time to talk about a crisis that had too often been ignored, but worried that his message missed the mark.

"That undercurrent that if all of you just decided not to do this, we'd be in a better place - I can tell you, my son did not decide that he wanted to become addicted, much less die," Mr. Hood said. "We might have been much better served by framing this as a very serious illness, a very serious health issue."

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Trump Declares Opioid Crisis a 'Health Emergency' but Requests No Funds

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"This was an idea that I had, where if we can teach young people not to take drugs," Mr. Trump said, "it's really, really easy not to take them." He shared the story of his brother Fred, who he said had struggled with alcohol addiction throughout his life and implored Mr. Trump never to take a drink - advice the president said he had heeded.

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"That's something that the Department of Defense and the White House will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully," Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said.

Still, the announcement pleased elements of Mr. Trump's base who have been dismayed to see the president break so bitterly in recent days with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a hard-line conservative.

Civil rights and transgender advocacy groups denounced the policy, with some vowing to challenge it in court. Pentagon officials expressed dismay that the president's tweets could open them to lawsuits.

The ban would reverse the gradual transformation of the military under President Barack Obama, whose administration announced last year that transgender people could serve openly in the military. Mr. Obama's defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, also opened all combat roles to women and appointed the first openly gay Army secretary.

And it represented a stark turnabout for Mr. Trump, who billed himself during the campaign as an ally of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The president, Ms. Sanders said, had concluded that allowing transgender people to serve openly "erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, and made the decision based on that."

Mr. Mattis, who was on vacation, was silent on the new policy. People close to the defense secretary said he was appalled that Mr. Trump chose to unveil his decision in tweets, in part because of the message they sent to transgender active-duty service members, including those deployed overseas, that they were suddenly no longer welcome.

The policy would affect only a small portion of the approximately 1.3 million active-duty members of the military. Some 2,000 to 11,000 active-duty troops are transgender, according to a 2016 RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Pentagon, though estimates of the number of transgender service members have varied widely, and are sometimes as high as 15,000.

The study found that allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military would "have minimal impact on readiness and health care costs" for the Pentagon. It estimated that health care costs would rise $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year, representing an infinitesimal 0.04 to 0.13 percent increase in spending. Citing research into other countries that allow transgender people to serve, the study projected "little or no impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness" in the United States.

Lt. Commander Blake Dremann, a Navy supply corps officer who is transgender, said he found out his job was in danger when he turned on CNN on Wednesday morning. Commander Dremann came out as transgender to his commanders in 2015, and said they had been supportive of him.

He refused to criticize Mr. Trump - "we don't criticize our commander in chief," he said - but said the policy shift "is singling out a specific population in the military, who had been assured we were doing everything appropriate to continue our honorable service."

He added: "And I will continue to do so, until the military tells me to hang up my boots."

The announcement came amid the debate on Capitol Hill over the Obama-era practice of requiring the Pentagon to pay for medical treatment related to gender transition. Representative Vicky Hartzler, Republican of Missouri, has proposed an amendment to the spending bill that would bar the Pentagon from spending money on transition surgery or related hormone therapy, and other Republicans have pressed for similar provisions.

Mr. Mattis had worked behind the scenes to keep such language out of legislation, quietly lobbying Republican lawmakers not to attach the prohibitions, according to congressional and defense officials.

But Mr. Trump was concerned that the transgender medical care issue could imperil the security spending measure, which also contains $1.6 billion for the border wall that he has championed, and wanted to resolve the dispute cleanly and straightforwardly, according to a person familiar with his thinking, who insisted on anonymity to describe it. That prompted his ban.

Republican congressional leaders were aware Mr. Trump was looking into whether taxpayer money should be spent on medical procedures for transgender service members, but had not expected him to go so far as to bar transgender people from serving altogether.

Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers had come under pressure from Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a leading Christian conservative group, and an ally of Mr. Trump's. Mr. Perkins opposed the bill over spending on transgender medical costs and lobbied lawmakers to do the same.

"Grant repentance to President Trump and Secretary Mattis for even considering to keep this wicked policy in place," the Family Research Council said in one of its daily prayers last week. "Grant them understanding, courage and willpower to stand up to the forces of darkness that gave birth to it and wholly to repeal it."

Opponents of allowing openly transgender service members had raised a number of concerns, including what they said was the questionable psychological fitness of those troops. They said the military was being used for social experimentation at the expense of national security.

"This was Ash Carter on his way out the door pulling the pin on a cultural grenade," Mr. Perkins said on Wednesday. "Our military leaders are saying this doesn't help make us a better fighting force; it's a distraction; it's taking up limited resources."

Mr. Carter objected to the decision, for its effect on the military and on those considering joining.

"To choose service members on other grounds than military qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military," he said in a statement. "There are already transgender individuals who are serving capably and honorably. This action would also send the wrong signal to a younger generation thinking about military service."

While some conservative lawmakers, including Ms. Hartzler, praised Mr. Trump, the president drew bipartisan condemnation on Capitol Hill and outrage from civil rights and transgender advocacy groups.

"There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train and deploy to leave the military - regardless of their gender identity," said Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He called Mr. Trump's move "yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter."

Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, noted the irony of Mr. Trump's announcing the ban on the anniversary of President Harry Truman's order to desegregate the military. "President Trump is choosing to retreat in the march toward equality," he said.

In June, the administration delayed by six months a decision on whether to allow transgender recruits to join the military. At the time, Mr. Mattis said the delay would give military leaders a chance to review the shift's potential impact. Mr. Mattis's decision was seen as a pause to "finesse" the issue, one official said, not a prelude to an outright ban.

The delay on recruits "was largely based on a disagreement on the science of how mental health care and hormone therapy for transgender individuals would help solve the medical issues that are associated with gender dysphoria," Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during his reconfirmation hearing last week.

"I am an advocate of every qualified person who can meet the physical standards to serve in our uniformed services to be able to do so," he said.

Mr. Mattis, a retired Marine, has not been a major proponent of allowing transgender people to serve in the military, in part because medical accommodations, including hormone injections, could open the Defense Department to claims from other people not allowed to serve, like Type 1 diabetics, who also need regular injections.

But Mr. Mattis and the Pentagon's military leadership all seemed to have accepted that transgender people already serving in the military would be allowed to remain. A senior adviser to Mr. Mattis, Sally Donnelly, represented the Palm Center, an organization that advocated on behalf of the L.G.B.T. community in the military during the debate that led up to the Obama administration's decision to allow transgender people to serve, defense officials said.

Mr. Trump's abrupt decision is likely to end up in court; OutServe-SLDN, a nonprofit group that represents gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the military, immediately vowed to sue.

"We have transgender individuals who serve in elite SEAL teams, who are working in a time of war to defend our country, and now you're going to kick them out?" Matthew F. Thorn, executive director of OutServe, said in an interview.

Correction: July 26, 2017

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united states defense and military forces

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Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Helene Cooper

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Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military

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"That's something that the Department of Defense and the White House will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully," Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said. Still, the announcement pleased elements of Mr. Trump's base who have been dismayed to see the president break so bitterly in recent days with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a hard-line conservative.

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Pipe bombs, generally easy to build and simple to operate, are the most commonly used explosive device in the United States.

The one that was detonated in a pedestrian passageway in Midtown Manhattan on Monday was a crude example, constructed by stuffing match heads into a narrow length of pipe and securing both open ends, several people with knowledge of the device said.

A Christmas tree light with the bulb broken was used as the initiator, which ignited the match heads when the bulb was turned on, one of the people said. That was accomplished with a nine-volt battery, the person said.

The explosion blew one or both caps off the length of pipe, one of the people said, but did not did blast the length of pipe apart and turn it into shrapnel. The burns and lacerations inflicted on the man who detonated the bomb, identified by the police as Akayed Ullah, were caused by one or both of the end-caps, which ripped across his chest and abdomen, and by the ignition of the match heads.

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Crude Pipe Bomb Malfunctioned in Manhattan Attack, Authorities Say

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Pipe bombs, generally easy to build and simple to operate, are the most commonly used explosive device in the United States. The one that was detonated in a pedestrian passageway in Midtown Manhattan on Monday was a crude example, constructed by stuffing match heads into a narrow length of pipe and securing both open ends, several people with knowledge of the device said.

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Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, was 8 1/2 months pregnant when she was killed at her hilltop home in Benedict Canyon on Aug. 9, 1969. Four others were stabbed and shot to death the same night: Jay Sebring, 35; Voytek Frykowski, 32; Abigail Folger, 25, a coffee heiress; and Steven Parent, 18, a friend of Tate's caretaker. The word "pig" was written on the front door in blood.

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california department of corrections and rehabilitation

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Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, was 8 1/2 months pregnant when she was killed at her hilltop home in Benedict Canyon on Aug. 9, 1969. Four others were stabbed and shot to death the same night: Jay Sebring, 35; Voytek Frykowski, 32; Abigail Folger, 25, a coffee heiress; and Steven Parent, 18, a friend of Tate's caretaker.

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A large majority of Republicans in Alabama say they do not believe the allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls against Senate candidate Roy Moore, according to a new CBS poll.

Seventy-one percent of likely Republican voters in the state say the allegations first detailed in an extensive story in the Washington Post are "false," while 17% said they were true, the poll from CBS News and YouGov found. Ninety-two percent of those who said they do not believe the allegations say it is because Democrats are to blame for them, while 88 percent said the media was, according to the CBS poll.

Moore has repeatedly denied all claims against him and blamed national media for stirring up the claims.

Allegations against Moore emerged as he faces Democrat Doug Jones in a special election to replace the Alabama Senate seat that was vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. According to the poll, 49 percent of voters expressed support for Moore, while 43 percent did so for Jones. The poll slightly differs from another one conducted by the Washington Post, which found Jones lead with 50 percent of voters, over Moore's 47 percent.

Both polls put Moore at a statistical dead heat with his Democratic rival.

The poll also found that more Republicans said they planned to vote for Moore because he will cast conservative votes in the Senate, compared to fewer who said he would be the best person for the job.

Last month, several women came forward alleging Moore had pursued relationships with them when they were teenagers.

In one case, Moore allegedly met a young woman when she was 14 years old, asked for her phone number and, days later, drover her to his house, where he kissed her. On a different date, Moore allegedly took off her shirt and pants, touched her over her underwear and pulled her hand to touch him over his underwear, according to an accuser. The incidents would have allegedly occurred when Moore, now 70, was in his 30s.

The allegations, which were corroborated by the Post with a number of interviews with those who knew the accusers at the time of the incident, drew immense scrutiny, with a number of politicians urging Moore to step aside from the race. Several Republicans said Moore should step down " if these allegations are true," including President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Moore has denied the allegations, and several more women have came forward with stories since the Post report was published.

The CBS/YouGov poll surveyed 1,067 registered voters in Alabama between Nov. 28 and Dec 1, with a margin of era of 4.8 percent.

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71 Percent of Alabama Republicans Don't Believe Claims Against Roy Moore

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A large majority of Republicans in Alabama say they do not believe the allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls against Senate candidate Roy Moore, according to a new CBS poll. Seventy-one percent of likely Republican voters in the state say the allegations first detailed in an extensive story in the Washington Post are "false," while 17% said they were true, the poll from CBS News and YouGov found.

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More than 80 people have been killed in a suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

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Assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother

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Assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother

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CLOSE

North Korea used the nerve agent VX to assassinate the estranged half-brother of the reclusive nation's leader Kim Jong Un, the State Department said.

The State Department said it imposed further sanctions on North Korea this week in response to the killing of Kim Jong Nam last year at the Kuala Lumpur airport in the Malaysian capital.
More: Who was Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of N. Korean dictator Kim Jong Un?
Malaysian police said last month that preliminary tests revealed that VX was used in the killing. North Korea denies any involvement in Kim Jong Nam's death.

"The United States strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons to conduct an assassination," the State Department said in the statement Tuesday.

"This public display of contempt for universal norms against chemical weapons use further demonstrates the reckless nature of North Korea and underscores that we cannot afford to tolerate a North Korean WMD (weapons of mass destruction) program of any kind," the statement said.

Kim Jong Nam was the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. At one point he was considered the heir to rule the country. After falling out of favor with his father, he moved to the Chinese gambling mecca of Macau, where he lived in exile. He was returning home via Kuala Lumpur when he was killed on Feb.13, 2016.

More: Trump: 'We'll see what happens' with possible North Korea talks

More: What you need to know about potential U.S.-North Korea talks

Two women are on trial for the murder - Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese national. They are accused of smearing Kim Jong Nam's face with a tasteless, odorless liquid that killed him hours later.

Defense lawyers said the defendants thought they were acting as part of a prank for a reality TV show. Malaysian police counter that the two women knew what they were doing. Officials said four North Korean men who gave the nerve agent to the women fled the country soon after the killing.

North Korea said Tuesday it would agree to hold talks with the United States about its nuclear weapons program, and offered to suspend nuclear missile and weapons tests during the talks, South Korean authorities said. The move is a potential step toward resolving the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula.

"There's been a lot of news on that today, hopefully it's positive," Trump said Tuesday during a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. "Hopefully it will lead to a very positive result."

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2oVU5P6

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U.S. says North Korea used nerve agent VX to assassinate Kim Jong Un's half-brother

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CLOSE North Korea used the nerve agent VX to assassinate the estranged half-brother of the reclusive nation's leader Kim Jong Un, the State Department said. The State Department said it imposed further sanctions on North Korea this week in response to the killing of Kim Jong Nam last year at the Kuala Lumpur airport in the Malaysian capital.

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The New York Times recently asked President Trump, "if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances unrelated to Russia, is that a red line?" He responded, in part: "I would say yeah. I would say yes."

Since then, legal and political commentators have debated whether there should be a red line and, if so, what should happen if Mueller were to cross it.

To understand the discussion, one must be familiar with the mandate itself and the provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 600, which govern the conduct of the Special Counsel.

On May 17, 2017, "to ensure a full and thorough investigation of the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election," Acting Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed Mueller to serve as special counsel for the Justice Department.

Rosenstein's order authorizes the special counsel "to conduct the investigation confirmed by then-FBI Director James B. Comey in testimony before that House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20, 2017, including:

i) any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and

ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation, and

iii) any other matters with the scope of 28 C.F.R. Section 600.4(a)."

Section 600.4(a) grants the special counsel the authority to "investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with the intent to interfere with, the Special Counsel's investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence and intimidation of witnesses."

During his March 20, 2017 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Investigations referenced in Rosenstein's order, Comey testified that: "I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed."

Broad scope

Taken all together, Mueller's investigative mandate is broad.

Its scope seems clear and includes investigating:

(1) Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election;

(2) the nature of any links between the Russian government and any and all individuals associated with the Trump presidential campaign;

(3) the nature of any coordination between the Russian government and any and all individuals associated with the Trump presidential campaign;

(4) any matters that have arisen out of the Russian election interference investigation;

(5) any matters that might arise directly from the Russian election interference investigation; and

(6) any federal crimes committed in the course of or with the intent to interfere with the investigation.

The core question is not a simple one: whether there were any links and/or coordination between the Trump campaign and representatives of the Russian government ("collusion" in the term popularized by the media; "conspiracy" in legal terms). This is because direct evidence of any collusion or conspiracy may be difficult to come by.

Not Perry Mason

It is unlikely that a signed agreement between the parties would exist. It is not probable that written documents expressly evidence a quid pro quo. It would be surprising if there were any Perry Mason-style confessions by witnesses appearing before the grand jury.

To the extent that any evidence of a conspiracy were to exist and the conspiracy could be proven, it is likely that most of the evidence would be circumstantial -- that is, it may only consist of verbal understandings and tacit agreements through financial and other intermediaries and close business associates.

Witness testimony, especially from individuals with knowledge of the core questions, will be critical. Financial relationships and dealings, even those remote in place and time, may be important to shed light on motive, intent or susceptibility to compromise.

It can be challenging, however, for a prosecutor to succeed in persuading a witness to cooperate, particularly in a case like this. What is often required is leverage and incentive. Leverage and incentive are most readily gained when a prosecutor can establish that a witness participated in some other readily provable crime.

Generally, the crime does not have to be directly connected or related to the core matter under investigation, but given Mueller's mandate and the limitations imposed by Section 600.4(a), it would seem that the offense would need to be related in some way to the Russian investigation.

What prosecutors do

At the early stages of an investigation, particularly one like Muller's that is complex, it is often impossible to determine what is or is not related to the core question under investigation. Accordingly, it is a sound prosecutorial practice to pursue all leads, especially those that involve financial or other business dealings that may shed light on the parties' relationships. Thus, predetermining relevance at this stage of the investigation could be a mistake.

As Mueller's investigation matures, it may come to pass that some of the leads investigated (including possibly Trump's and/or his family's financial dealings) will prove to have merit, but that they may be beyond the scope of Mueller's original mandate. If so, what Mueller and Rosenstein will have to consider is how best to resolve these issues. Section 600.4 provides a mechanism.

It provides: "If in the course of his or her investigation the special counsel concludes that additional jurisdiction beyond that specified in his or her original jurisdiction is necessary in order to fully investigate and resolve the matters assigned, or to investigate new matters that come to light in the course of his or her investigation, he or she shall consult with the Attorney General, who will determine whether to include the additional matters within the special counsel's jurisdiction or assign them elsewhere."

As such, Rosenstein, acting in consultation with Mueller, must reach a decision as to whether and in what circumstances it would be in the best interests of justice to expand the original mandate to allow the special counsel to investigate and resolve fully these matters and/or to investigate any other new matters that may have come to light in the course of the investigation.

If a decision were made not to expand the mandate, the activities that are not within the original mandate could be referred either to the Department of Justice or to the US Attorney's office with jurisdiction over the matter for completion.

Those who worry about Mueller having an unlimited budget to conduct a "fishing expedition" should be reminded that Section 600.8(a) requires the special counsel to report to Acting Attorney General Rosenstein on the status of the investigation and to seek approval of an annual budget. The acting attorney general will determine annually whether the investigation should continue and, if so, he will establish the budget for the year. This serves as a restraint on unchecked spending and an overly broad investigation.

Too early to cut off any leads

In an investigation such as this, with so many aspects, allegations, and participants spread across the globe, it is much too early to cut off any investigative leads.

The financial dealings of the Trump businesses and those of his family and business associates, whether directly related or not, may provide an understanding that is relevant to the heart of the investigation. If they do, they are, de facto, not unrelated.

If the financial dealings prove to be unrelated, the regulations offer two possible solutions -- refer that aspect of the investigation to the Department of Justice to handle, or expand the mandate to cover the resolution of the matter. In either case, justice will be served.

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mueller's russia probe: nothing is unrelated now  - cnn

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Mueller's Russia probe: Nothing is unrelated now

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The New York Times recently asked President Trump, "if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances unrelated to Russia, is that a red line?" He responded, in part: "I would say yeah. I would say yes."

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Obama Surprises Joe Biden With Presidential Medal of Freedom

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Obama Surprises Joe Biden With Presidential Medal of Freedom

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"Ricchetti, you're fired," Mr. Biden joked to his chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti. "I had no inkling."

Addressing Mr. Obama, who stood to his side, Mr. Biden said that he had never met anyone who had "the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people's needs like you do."

The ceremony was an emotional conclusion to an improbable partnership that began in 2008 when Mr. Obama asked his former presidential rival to be his running mate. The two men became close during eight years in the White House.

"Mr. President, you got right the part about my leaning on Jill," Mr. Biden said, referring to the president's remarks about the couple's love. "But I've also leaned on you and a lot of people in this room."

It was not always clear that the odd-couple pairing would work, either politically or personally. Mr. Obama brought a cool and disciplined approach to politics, while his vice president was the hotheaded, passionate one.

Gaffes by Mr. Biden during the early part of the Obama administration annoyed the president and his aides. And the relationship between the two men was strained when Mr. Biden endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012, forcing the president's hand on the issue.

But their bond strengthened through the difficult re-election campaign and a second term in which they confronted several mass killings. And Mr. Biden's personal tragedy - the loss of his son Beau to cancer - brought them even closer together.

Last year, Mr. Biden seriously considered another run for president. But he concluded that his son's death had left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign.

The citation with the medal noted Mr. Biden's "charm, candor, unabashed optimism and deep and abiding patriotism," as well as his "strength and grace to overcome great personal adversity." It called him one of the most "consequential vice presidents in American history."

Mr. Obama spoke emotionally about the relationship between his own family and the extended Biden clan, many of whom had gathered for the ceremony. "My family is so proud to call ourselves honorary Bidens," he said.

Mr. Biden sought to return the compliment. He noted that the Constitution did not grant the vice president any inherent powers - "for good reason," he said. But he said that Mr. Obama had made good on a pledge to make sure that Mr. Biden had a job that mattered.

"You have more than kept your commitment to me by saying you wanted me to help govern," Mr. Biden said, adding that he hoped the history books would record that he was an asterisk in Mr. Obama's historic presidency.

"I can say I was part of a journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country," Mr. Biden said.

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Obama Surprises Joe Biden With Presidential Medal of Freedom

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"Ricchetti, you're fired," Mr. Biden joked to his chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti. "I had no inkling." Addressing Mr. Obama, who stood to his side, Mr. Biden said that he had never met anyone who had "the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people's needs like you do."

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Two car bomb blasts in Mogadishu shattered a months-long period of calm Somalia's capital. The Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility.

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Passenger dragged off overbooked United flight

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Passenger dragged off overbooked United flight

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Passenger dragged off overbooked United flight | CNN

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A man's refusal to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight led to a disturbing scene that has travelers up in arms over airline policies.

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Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico - Photos - Top News Stories of 2017

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Puerto Rico was left in a state of crisis after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 20, 2017, killing 499 people and devastating much of the island. The disaster was met with a widely criticized disaster relief effort by President Trump.

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NFL players protest during national anthem

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NFL players protest during national anthem

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Associated Press journalists counted 18 NFL players protesting during the national anthem before games on Sunday.

Miami Dolphins players Julius Thomas, Michael Thomas and Kenny Stills knelt during the anthem before Sunday night's game against the Raiders.

Before recent games, the three players waited in the tunnel during the anthem. Coach Adam Gase had established a team rule requiring players either to stand for the anthem or stay in the tunnel.

But the players told Gase that waiting in the tunnel was interfering with their game preparation, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The person said Gase told them he preferred they stand during the anthem but respected their right to express themselves and relaxed the team rule. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins didn't comment on the latest protests.

For the Dolphins, the game was the first since owner Stephen Ross joined with his players to create a fund for social justice programs.

San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid, linebacker Eli Harold and receiver Marquise Goodwin knelt during the anthem before their game with the Arizona Cardinals.

It appeared that six active players and at least one inactive player for Seattle sat for the anthem prior to a game with the Washington Redskins. The majority of the Seahawks defensive line has been sitting during the anthem for most of the season. Newly acquired left tackle Duane Brown knelt.

Only five players were spotted protesting the anthem in some form before the early games.

Philadelphia Eagles safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod raised their fists during the anthem. Defensive end Chris Long put an arm on Jenkins. Giants injured defensive end Oliver Vernon took a knee.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews stayed off the field during the anthem.

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the protest movement last season. He remains unsigned and has filed a complaint that team owners colluded against him because of the protests - aimed at police brutality against African-Americans and other issues.

Kaepernick's ex-teammate, Reid, said the players have sent a letter to NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent seeking another meeting with ownership. Reid said Kaepernick would attend this meeting after not being part of one last month.

"Colin started this protest. He's the reason that we're having these discussions with the NFL," Reid said. "So I think it only makes sense that he's there. Secondly, we are asking that a mediator be there, just to keep the conversation going. The first meeting was great. We were there for four hours. But I feel like we were talking in circles a little bit. So we want a mediator there to keep the conversation resolution-oriented, and I'm hoping that I hear back from Troy soon."

Most weeks, a handful of players - almost all of them black - have protested during the anthems. On Sept. 24, however, more than 200 players protested after President Donald Trump said owners should fire any players who didn't stand for the anthem.

About a dozen members of the New Orleans Saints took a knee before the anthem Sunday, but stood once the public address announcer asked the crowd to rise. That's been the Saints' typical anthem routine since the fourth week of the season.

No members of the Houston Texans knelt. One week earlier, all but about 10 Texans took a knee to protest team owner Bob McNair's comment that "we can't have the inmates running the prison" during a meeting of NFL owners about player protests.

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving was pictured raising his fist shortly after the anthem finished playing before the Cowboys' game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The latest round of protests came one day after a video circulated on social media of retired Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully saying that he "will never watch another NFL game" because he's so disappointed by the protests and he has "overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war."

___

AP Sports Writer Steven Wine in Miami Gardens, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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About 18 players protest during national anthem

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Associated Press journalists counted 18 NFL players protesting during the national anthem before games on Sunday. Miami Dolphins players Julius Thomas, Michael Thomas and Kenny Stills knelt during the anthem before Sunday night's game against the Raiders. Before recent games, the three players waited in the tunnel during the anthem.

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The country has fired 23 missiles during 16 tests since February, further perfecting its technology with each launch.

Its most recent -- during the early hours of November 29 -- flew higher and farther than any other previous tests. The missile launch, which landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, came after a break of almost two months in testing.

On July 4, North Korea conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims could reach "anywhere in the world."

Of the missiles tested before that, one was intermediate-range, two were medium-range, eight were either short-range or medium-range and the range of one is unknown, according to various North Korea watchers. Four fired on June 8 were believed to be surface-to-ship cruise missiles.

Is the pace of missile testing speeding up?

Less than six years into his reign, Kim Jong Un has tested more missiles than his father and grandfather combined.

During the first months following the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, Pyongyang conducted a similar number of launches as it did during the same period in 2016.

However, North Korea did not conduct any tests during the two months from Trump's election to his inauguration.

The political turmoil in South Korea, which led to the eventual impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, may also have factored into North Korea's decision making, experts say.

Pyongyang has tested an average of one missile per week in the three weeks following the election of President Moon Jae-in, Park's successor.

Why do they do the tests?

They need to conduct tests to perfect the technology, analysts say.

Some have speculated that the United States has tried to meddle with the program using cyber methods, which could halt progress.

The tests also are thought to be timed for maximum political impact -- a May launch coincided with the One Belt One Road summit in Beijing, an important project for Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a February launch happened as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting US President Donald Trump.

And the ICBM test came on July 4, Independence Day in the US.

All of this applies equally to the North's nuclear test program, which has typically followed a similar pattern.

Video from North Korean state media purports to show four missiles being launched in early March 2017.

What does North Korea want and why?

A missile capable of reaching the United States topped with a nuclear warhead is considered to be Pyongyang's ultimate goal.

They want it because they believe the US will eventually try to remove Kim Jong Un from power.

But would the United States try to topple the Kim regime if North Korea could respond with a nuclear attack?

Pyongyang believes Washington wouldn't, and that's why the country sees nuclear weapons as the key to sparing Kim Jong Un from a fate similar to that which befell Moammar Gaddafi in Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

The long-range missile is what really scares the United States because it means there is an existential threat of a nuclear attack, according to John Delury, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Relations.

"We are in a somewhat dangerous period of a threat perception gap, as Americans adjust to the sense of vulnerability to North Korean retaliation that South Koreans and Japanese have lived with for quite some time," he said.

How close are they?

Both US and South Korean authorities believe Pyongyang will be able to pair their nuclear and missile capabilities sometime in 2018.

However, most weapons experts believe the world will not know with certainty if North Korea can launch a nuclear-armed ballistic missile until they actually do so. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho hinted in September at the at that possibility, by means of an atmospheric nuclear test.

If North Korea were to conduct a test involving the firing of a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile and detonating it somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, that would prove to the world it is capable of marrying the two technologies.

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north korea missile tests: what you need to know - cnn

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North Korea's missile tests: What you need to know

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The country has fired 23 missiles during 16 tests since February, further perfecting its technology with each launch. Its most recent -- during the early hours of November 29 -- flew higher and farther than any other previous tests. The missile launch, which landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, came after a break of almost two months in testing.

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But the #MeToo moment has become something larger: a lens through which we view the world, a sense of blinders being taken off.

What do we do about the fact that men accused of mistreating women shaped the story of the first female presidential nominee of a major party?

What does it mean that men who have masturbated in front of, groped, threatened, paid off, and in some cases raped their colleagues also made so many films and plays and comedy acts that made us laugh or cry?

And what to make of the reality that Roy Price - the Amazon executive who quit last month after being accused of whispering "you will love my dick" in a junior employee's ear - has the power to cancel shows made by and about women?

This newsletter will explore those and other questions amid the mass of news coverage and morass of public conversation. We'll provide updates and analysis, reflections and reporting, and ask you, our readers, to share your insights, viewpoints, stories and ideas.

I started as The Times' gender editor on Oct. 30 - or, if you like, the day The Times published this article documenting sexual assault claims against Mr. Weinstein dating to the 1970s, and this one about harassment claims surfacing in the British Parliament.

I've been covering gender issues since I began my journalism career at Newsweek, where I co-wrote a cover story looking at what had - and had not - changed for women at the magazine since its female employees sued for discrimination. (Oh, hindsight again: That story became part of a book that became the television series " Good Girls Revolt " - the one Mr. Price of Amazon killed.)

Last year, HarperCollins published my book, Feminist Fight Club, an illustrated guide to battling sexism at work that seems, suddenly, both more relevant and out of date.

Now I, like you, am racing to keep up with the news and the fallout.

Below, we've highlighted some key articles from The Times and other publications, as well as some reader comments from the lively conversations on our articles.

Please write to us at nytgender@nytimes.com and tell us what you think.

Some Things to Read

Jim Rutenberg, our media columnist, was the first to break the news of Mr. Lauer's firing Wednesday morning, and by nightfall had written this thoughtful piece about how the accusations against so many of our trusted television luminaries could indelibly change what he called "the television patriarchy."

Two of our television critics, James Poniewozik and Margaret Lyons, published this conversation in which they wrestled with how to process these new, seedy images of men whom millions of us had welcomed into our living rooms each morning.

In our Opinion section, Elizabeth Nolan Brown argued that NBC's decision to fire Mr. Lauer reflected, in part, the increasing power of consumers - their voices amplified through social media - to pressure companies.

I really appreciated this walk-through of Mr. Lauer's highs and lows, including his tense goodbye with the "Today" co-host Ann Curry; the time he told Anne Hathaway he'd "seen a lot of you lately" (referencing paparazzi photos taken up her skirt); and yes, that time he interrupted Mrs. Clinton.

Speaking of Ms. Curry, it's worth revisiting this 2013 piece from The New York Times Magazine, where Brian Stelter, a former Times reporter now at CNN, describes her belief that the "boys' club atmosphere" at the "Today" show, as Mr. Stelter put it, "undermined her from the start."

I would also suggest re-reading this provocative piece from Rebecca Traister in New York magazine a few weeks ago, about how our national narratives have been shaped by lecherous, powerful men.

And in the bad-timing-award department, don't miss this piece that Mr. Keillor himself published in The Washington Post on Tuesday night calling the idea that Senator Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat who admitted inappropriately touching a radio announcer, should quit "absurd."

What Readers Are Saying

Our reporting on sexual misconduct has prompted, literally, thousands upon thousands of comments on our articles and on social media. We pulled out a few here from Wednesday's coverage of Mr. Lauer's firing, and will surface more in future newsletters.
People Are Finally Listening Those of us women of a certain age, retired now, have dealt with these behaviors across decades for our entire careers. We had no one to turn to when our professors, supervisors, and colleagues made raucous comments, touched us without permission, or pushed themselves up against us in hallways, offices, and classrooms. We've lost our jobs, along wth our dignity along the way. We learned to be guarded, and focus within towards our own behaviors and actions, as these were the only measures we could control. Sexual impropriety among men towards working women and students was, and is still, pervasive.
In offices, Hollywood, Congress, school systems, and no doubt in Walmart and Wall Street, too. The difference? Women are speaking up because people are finally listening, and now it's the men who are guarded. I say, it's about time!! - lovetobird, StonyBrook, NY
How Far Does This Have to Go? Now that they've got the ball rolling, it would probably be easier to identify the few men who HAVE NOT sexually harassed a woman in the workplace or in public or private. I wonder how far this has to go before proper behavior will be expected. Should a line be drawn? Like from today on you all will be fired for your bad behavior.....because in the end 99% of all men will be guilty of some form of sexual harassment from the maintenance guy on up to the president.
Actual rules and policies need to be created to differentiate between actual harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and "oh, he made me uncomfortable." - DE, Tucson
Feeling Uncomfortable vs. Assault I sure hope this was not a rush to judgement on NBC's part. We are on the verge of McCarthy tactics applying to men's personal behavior. Sexual harassment or assault are terrible things, but not all cases rise to the level of actual assault. Feeling uncomfortable is not assault, and some women seem to have a low bar for what constitutes harassment.
In Lauer's case it would have to be extreme to justify firing him based on one person's complaint. - Mary Pat M., Cape Cod

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The #MeToo Moment: When the Blinders Come Off

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But the #MeToo moment has become something larger: a lens through which we view the world, a sense of blinders being taken off. What do we do about the fact that men accused of mistreating women shaped the story of the first female presidential nominee of a major party?

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The New York City Fire Department is mourning the loss of an emergency medical technician and mother of five who died Thursday night after she was run over by her own ambulance by a suspect who stole the vehicle.

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Yadira Arroyo, an EMT and 14-year veteran of the FDNY, was driving an ambulance with her partner in the Bronx on Thursday night when they were flagged down by a pedestrian. Arroyo and her partner pulled the vehicle over and both got out to help, according to a press release from the New York City Police Department.

At this time, a man entered the driver's side of the ambulance. Arroyo and her partner tried to prevent the individual from driving away but the man put the ambulance in reverse, knocking Arroyo to the ground and driving over her with the vehicle. The man continued driving in reverse, striking two occupied cars and a parked, unoccupied vehicle, police said.

The man then drove the ambulance forward, subsequently dragging Arroyo into the middle of the intersection. While trying to turn left, the ambulance crashed into two more parked vehicles before coming to a stop near a corner. The man attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by an on-duty officer with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority who was on patrol, according to police.

Police officers responding to the incident found Arroyo lying in the roadway unconscious and unresponsive with trauma to her body. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where was pronounced dead, police said.

Arroyo, 44, is the eighth member of the FDNY EMS to die in the line of duty. She was a mother to five children, the fire department said.

Arroyo's EMT partner, a 30-year-old woman, was transported to the hospital for injuries to her neck and shoulder. She is in stable condition, according to police.

No one in the occupied vehicles that were struck during the incident were injured, police said.

We lost a 14-year veteran of the FDNY tonight. She was an EMT and a mother of five. New Yorkers join together in mourning her loss.
- Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 17, 2017

EMTs are heroes who help countless New Yorkers every day. Tonight's tragedy in the Bronx is horrible.
My deepest sympathies to the family.
- Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 17, 2017

During a press conference Thursday night, officials struggled to make sense of the tragedy.

"An emergency medical technician lost in the line of duty bravely doing her job and encountering the kind of danger that our EMTs should not have to confront," New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said. "We lost a good woman."

New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro added, "No matter how many times we do this, it doesn't make it any easier."

Police have identified the suspect as Jose Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Bronx resident. Gonzalez was charged with murder, grand larceny and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. He is expected to be in court on Friday.

Police confirmed to ABC station WABC that Gonzalez is an emotionally disturbed person who has had several previous interactions with law enforcement. He has two dozen prior arrests, including criminal mischief, assault as well as marijuana possession and sale.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

ABC News' Tara Fowler, Rachel Katz and Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.

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FDNY mourns EMT who was run over by her own ambulance

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The New York City Fire Department is mourning the loss of an emergency medical technician and mother of five who died Thursday night after she was run over by her own ambulance by a suspect who stole the vehicle.

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Warmbier has been in a coma for over a year, according to his parents, and will be rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center late Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

His return to the US comes as questions swirl about his health and what happened to him while he was detained by the North Korean government. The 22-year-old contracted botulism last year and is in "bad shape,"a source close to the family told CNN. North Korea told a US official that Warmbier contracted botulism and slipped intothe coma after taking a sleeping pill, a senior State Department official told CNN.

"Otto has left North Korea. He is on Medivac flight on his way home. Sadly, he is in a coma and we have been told he has been in that condition since March of 2016. We learned of this only one week ago," said Fred and Cindy Warmbier in a statement.

"We want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalized and terrorized by the pariah regime in North Korean. We are so grateful that he will finally be with people who love him."

Warmbier was detained in January 2016 at the airport in Pyongyang while on his way home. His parents say the University of Virginia student had been on a tour of the reclusive country.

North Korean authorities said they had security footage of him trying to steal a banner containing a political slogan that was hanging from the walls of his Pyongyang hotel.

That was used as evidence in his hour-long trial, during which North Korea accused him of committing "hostile acts" against the regime at the urging of a purported member of a church in his home state of Ohio, a secretive university organization and the CIA.

Warmbier was found guilty and sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years hard labor. It was the last time he was seen publicly.

North Korea: Warmbier contracted botulism

Warmbier was one of four Americans detained in North Korea.

Since last March, the US had been pressing North Korea to let Swedish officials see the four Americans, the senior State Department official told CNN. When the Swedes finally got the okay to visit, the North Koreans immediately asked for a meeting with Joe Yun, the US envoy in New York, when he was told about Otto Warmbier's condition.

In that meeting about a week ago, Yun was told that Warmbier had contracted botulism a year ago and went into a coma after taking a sleeping pill. US officials then urged those with the ability to persuade Pyongyang to ratchet up the pressure to get him released, said a source, who is familiar with the government's efforts.

A second senior State Department official said the US has not yet accepted the North Korean version of events in terms of the timing and cause of how Warmbier fell into a coma.

"All we know so far is what they have told us," the official said. "This is the North Korean version of events. We won't know anything for sure until doctors are able to fully evaluate Otto's condition."

Three other Americans

Two of the three other Americans being held in North Korea, Kim Sang Duk and Kim Hak-song, are academics who worked at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. The third is a businessman named Kim Dong Chul.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States is discussing their respective cases with the North Korean regime. The United States does not have a diplomatic mission in North Korea. "It's a delicate matter, he said. We're working on it."

But their fates have been hanging in the balance as Pyongyang and Washington have seen relations get testier in recent months.

North Korea has fired 16 missiles in 10 tests this year. Experts say each launch gets the country closer to its stated goal of developing a nuclear-armed weapon capable of reaching the United States.

North Korea believes its missile program is the only way to deter Washington from trying to overthrow the regime of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

No connection to Rodman visit

"Otto's detainment and sentence was unnecessary and appalling, and North Korea should be universally condemned for its abhorrent behavior. Otto should have been released from the start," said US Sen. Rob Portman, who represents Warmbier's home state of Ohio. "Fred, Cindy, and the Warmbier family have been remarkably strong throughout this ordeal. Over the last 18 months, they have had to endure more than any family should have to bear."

The news of Warmbier's release comes the same day as basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in Pyongyang for an expected four-night visit. But there is no connection between the two events, US National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton said.

Rodman isn't representing the US government or serving as President Donald Trump's emissary, Anton said.

When asked if he would bring up the cases of Warmbier and three other Americans detained in North Korea, Rodman told reporters, "that's not my purpose right now ... My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea."

Rodman had nothing to do with the student's release, said the source familiar with the government's efforts to free Warmbier.

'We've needed to talk about Otto'

Warmbier appeared emotional at a news conference organized by the North Koreans before his trial in March 2016.

He tearfully confessed to being "lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country."

It's not clear if he was forced to speak by the North Koreans.

His case largely stayed quiet after that until May of this year, when his parents decided it was time to speak out.

When they spoke to CNN on May 3, they said they had not seen or heard from Otto since his supposed confession.

"With tensions as high as they are, we felt that we needed to talk about Otto and put a face on the person," Cindy Warmbier said.

Despite the increasingly hostile US-North Korean relationship, the Warmbiers said they were encouraged by US President Donald Trump's willingness to improve relations with North Korea.

'I'm excited for him to be back'

Emmett Saulnier, Warmbier's former college roommate, said he got a brief phone call from Warmbier's father early Tuesday to let him know the younger Warmbier was coming home, and he had been in a coma since last March. Saulnier immediately called some of their closest friends.

Saulnier and Warmbier met the summer before their freshman year at Virginia. The two bonded over their Ohio roots, and later lived together their junior year, when Warmbier was detained, Saulnier said. The pair had signed a lease to live together again this past school year, their senior year.

"It's just been so long that he's been there that to hear he is actually coming home was incredible," Saulnier told CNN in a text message.

Saulnier said: "I'm excited for him to be back."

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Will Ripley, Joshua Berlinger and Allison Brennan, CNN

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Comatose Otto Warmbier lands in US after release by North Korea

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Warmbier has been in a coma for over a year, according to his parents, and will be rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center late Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. His return to the US comes as questions swirl about his health and what happened to him while he was detained by the North Korean government.

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A driver plowed a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 11 before being shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.

The rampage ended when the motorist - whom the police identified as Sayfullo Saipov, 29 - smashed into a school bus, jumped out of his truck and ran up and down the highway waving a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," before he was shot in the abdomen by the officer. He remained in critical condition on Tuesday evening.

Mayor Bill de Blasio declared the rampage a terrorist attack and federal law enforcement authorities were leading the investigation. Investigators discovered handwritten notes in Arabic near the truck that indicated allegiance to the Islamic State, two law enforcement officials said. But investigators had not uncovered evidence of any direct or enabling ties between Mr. Saipov and ISIS and were treating the episode as a case of an "inspired" attacker, two counterterrorism officials said.

Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference, "Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians."

Five of the people killed were Argentine tourists who traveled to New York for a 30-year high school reunion celebration, said a senior official in Santa Fe Province, where they were from. The Argentine authorities said they were Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. Martín Ludovico Marro, a sixth member of the group, was wounded. Belgian officials said one of those killed and three of the injured were from Belgium.

Mr. Saipov came to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010, and had a green card that allowed permanent legal residence. He had apparently lived in Paterson, N.J., and Tampa, Fla. An official said Mr. Saipov rented a truck from a Home Depot in Passaic, N.J., where a white Toyota minivan believed to be his was found parked.

The truck came crashing to a stop near the corner of Chambers and West Streets by Stuyvesant High School. Sirus Minovi, 14, a freshman there who was hanging out with friends, said people scattered.

"We heard people screaming, 'gun' 'shooter' and 'run away,'" Sirus said. "We thought it was a Halloween prank."

He realized it was not a joke when he saw the man staggering through the intersection, waving guns and screaming words he could not make out. A passer-by approached the attacker, apparently trying to calm him, Sirus said, until the man realized the attacker had a gun. The man "put his hands up and was backing away," Sirus said.

Almost immediately, as investigators began to look into Mr. Saipov's history, it became clear that he had been on the radar of federal authorities. Three officials said he had come to the federal authorities' attention as a result of an unrelated investigation, but it was not clear whether that was because he was a friend, an associate or a family member of someone under scrutiny or because he himself had been the focus of an investigation.

Over the last two years, a terrorism investigation by the F.B.I., the Department of Homeland Security, the New York Police Department and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn resulted in charges against five men from Uzbekistan and one from Kazakhstan of providing material support to ISIS. Several of the men have pleaded guilty. It is unclear whether Mr. Saipov was connected with that investigation.

Martin Feely, a spokesman for the New York F.B.I. office, declined to comment on whether Mr. Saipov was known to the bureau.

F.B.I. agents were expected to search Mr. Saipov's home in Paterson, N.J., and his car on Tuesday night, a law enforcement official said. A phone, which was recovered at the scene of the attack, also would be searched, another official said.

The attack unfolded as nearby schools were letting out on a Halloween afternoon. It ended five blocks north of the World Trade Center. The driver left a roughly mile-long crime scene: a tree-lined bike path strewn with bodies, mangled bicycles and bicycle parts, from wheels twisted like pretzels to a dislodged seat.

Mr. Saipov, a slim, bearded man, was seen in videos running through traffic after the attack with a paintball gun in one hand and a pellet gun in the other. Six people died at the scene and two others died at a hospital, officials said. The authorities credited the officer who shot him with saving lives.

"He was Johnny-on-the-spot and he takes the guy down," a city official said.

Coming five months after a car rammed into pedestrians in Times Square, killing one, Tuesday's attack again highlighted the danger of a vehicle attack on busy city streets. The Times Square attack was not an act of terrorism. But both events brought to mind the terrorist attack last year in Nice, France, in which a cargo truck killed scores of people celebrating Bastille Day.

The episodes also evoked calls from terrorist magazines, including in an edition of Rumiyah, a magazine used by ISIS, for attackers to mow down pedestrians with trucks, continue the attacks with a knife or a gun and claim responsibility by shouting or leaving leaflets.

Students in Halloween costumes streamed out of nearby schools after lockdowns were lifted and huddled with parents. Their faces, once painted for the holiday, were streaked with tears.

Emily, 12, a seventh-grader at I.S. 289 whose father asked that her last name not be used, had been walking on her usual route home when other students turned and ran in the other direction.

"All the kids were screaming, 'Run!', 'Gun!' 'Run inside,'" she said, still wearing cat ears. She said mothers pushing strollers and children in costumes ran in a herd back toward the school.

President Trump responded to the attack on Twitter: "In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!"

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo cautioned at a news conference, "There's no evidence that suggests a wider plot or a wider scheme." In the aftermath, city and state law enforcement agencies increased security at high-profile locations.

Terrorism analysts noted that on Monday a French pro-ISIS media unit, known as the Centre Mediatique An-Nur, put out a specific threat for Halloween, mentioning the date on a banner spread on the encrypted app Telegram and on ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts.

Mr. Saipov wove a deadly path on a stretch usually bustling with commuters, runners and cyclists, drawn by the downtown offices nearby or the shimmering river.

He turned onto the bike path alongside the West Side Highway at Houston Street just after 3 p.m. and sped south, striking numerous pedestrians and cyclists, many of them in the back, the authorities said. People scattered and dived to the asphalt.

The truck, labeled with a sign saying, "Rent me starting at $19," rammed into the bus near Chambers Street. The bus serves two schools in Lower Manhattan and transports students with special needs. Two adults and two children on the bus were injured, the authorities said.

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Benjamin Mueller, William K. Rashbaum and Al Baker

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Terror Attack Kills 8 and Injures 11 in Manhattan

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A driver plowed a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 11 before being shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.

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CLOSE

Authorities on Saturday filed charges as they continue to hunt for a motive behind the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as more details about the incident emerge.

Five people were killed and six injured amid the chaos, as terrified passengers ran before police apprehended the suspect without incident.

Here's what we know:

What happened?

The melee erupted around 1 p.m. ET, when a man opened fire in a baggage claim area in Terminal 2. Witnesses described him as slender, 5-foot-7 and wearing a blue T-shirt. He did not say a word as he emptied several magazines of bullets, the witnesses said. He then dropped to the floor, spread-eagled, and awaited arrest.

Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca said the gun came from the killer's checked bag. After retrieving the bag, he went to the bathroom, loaded the firearm and started shooting, LaMarca tweeted.

George Piro, FBI special agent in charge of the agency's Miami division, said authorities have interviewed 175 witnesses and collected photos, video and other physical evidence.

Who is the suspect?

Esteban Santiago, 26, a former military veteran, has been identified as the suspect by law enforcement authorities. They say he appears to have acted alone.

Santiago was taken into custody without incident by a Broward County sheriff's deputy. He was booked at a Broward County jail on a murder charge.

On Saturday, federal authorities with the U.S. attorney's office in Miami charged Santiago of an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death. He was also charged with two firearms offenses. The charges could bring the death penalty upon a conviction.

"Indications are that he came here to carry out this horrific attack. We have not identified any triggers that would've caused this attack," said the FBI's Piro. "We are continuing to look at the terrorism angle as a potential motivation."

Born in New Jersey, Santiago served in both the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Alaska Army National Guard, according to Lt. Col. Candis A. Olmstead, director of public affairs for the Alaska National Guard.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale early Friday aboard a Delta flight that originated Thursday.

In November, Santiago appeared unannounced in the FBI offices in Anchorage, complaining that the Islamic State had gained control of his mind and was urging him to fight on its behalf.

The FBI conducted a background check, learning of his military record, which included service in Iraq, but found no connection to terror groups. Determining that the man apparently needed psychiatric care, the FBI alerted local law enforcement and turned him over to their custody for a medical referral. It is not clear whether Santiago received treatment following that incident.

Who are the victims?

Authorities have identified the five dead and are notifying next of kin.

The names of these slain victims have been made public so far:

► Olga Woltering of Georgia. She was a member of the Atlanta-area Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Cobb County, according to an Associated Pres report. Woltering and her husband flew to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise, church sources said.

The Oceana Volunteer Fire Department posted this photo of Terry Andres on its Facebook page. (Photo: Facebook photo)

► Terry Andres, of Virginia. He was a volunteer support technician with the Oceana Volunteer Fire Department from April 2004 through 2010, said Art Kohn, spokesman for the Virginia Beach Fire Department.

► Michael Oehme, 57, of Iowa, has been identified as one of the slain victims by his sister. Elizabeth Oehme-Miller also told the AP by phone Saturday that her brother's wife, 52-year-old Kari Oehme, was shot in the shoulder and is expected to recover. They flew to Fort Lauderdale to go on a cruise, she said.

Others' names will be released later. The number of injured was revised Saturday from eight to six. Three of the victims are in good condition and the others are in intensive care.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Saturday morning that some of the survivors are "fighting for their lives."

Scott said he visited some of the victims in the hospital Friday evening. He talked to a couple who flew to Fort Lauderdale to go on a cruise. The wife was shot, and now they'll be going home instead. Another woman's husband was shot and was bleeding "profusely" form the arm, Scott said.

The shooting, Scott said, was a "hateful act."

"It was an absolutely horrific day," he added. "The person responsible for this act will be brought to justice to the furthest extent of the law."

How did a gun get through a checked bag?

Transportation Security Administration rules allow travelers to pack unloaded firearms in checked luggage, so long as passengers declare their weapons to the airline while checking in, and they are packed in a locked, hard-sided container.

Piro said Santiago followed TSA procedures by checking the weapon. The strict protocols involve showing the weapon and its carrying case to an airline ticket agent, who then checks that the gun is unloaded. Ammunition may also be carried in checked baggage but must be stored separately from the gun, said David Williams, assistant professor of aerospace and occupational safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

If the high-tech baggage screening behind the scenes detects a gun that hasn't been declared, "that gun will be set aside. It will not get on the airplane. And, a law enforcement officer will find and arrest you," Williams said.

Is the airport open?

The airport reopened at 5 a.m. Saturday. It had been shut down for 16 hours following the attack. Terminal 2, the scene of the shooting remained an active crime scene Saturday morning.

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport handles about 586 commercial flights daily, according to Flight Aware, a flight tracking website. As of 9:30 a.m., about a quarter of those flights scheduled to depart from the airport had been canceled and another 17 were delayed. JetBlue, which had several cancellations, announced it would resume operations at 10 a.m.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2i3jCn9

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Florida airport shooting: Charges, victim info, more on what we know now

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CLOSE Authorities on Saturday filed charges as they continue to hunt for a motive behind the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as more details about the incident emerge. Five people were killed and six injured amid the chaos, as terrified passengers ran before police apprehended the suspect without incident.

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About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old.

Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl's mother. The couple were traveling out of state when the shooting occurred.

Authorities have not said what may have motivated the suspected shooter, who was later found dead in his vehicle.

The shooting has devastated the small Texas town east of San Antonio, described as a place where "everybody knows everybody."

Here are the latest developments:

The suspected shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, according to two law enforcement sources who have been briefed on the investigation.

In April 2016, Kelley purchased the Ruger AR-556 rifle he used in the shooting from an Academy Sports & Outdoors store in San Antonio, Texas, a law enforcement official said. He indicated he didn't have a disqualifying criminal history when he filled out the background check paperwork at the store, the official said. Kelley listed a Colorado Springs, Colorado, address when he bought the gun.

Kelley was a member of the US Air Force and served at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.

Kelley was court-martialed in 2012 for assault on his spouse and assault on their child, according to Stefanek. Kelley served a year in prison and received a bad conduct discharge in 2014, the spokeswoman said. His rank was also reduced, she said.

Speaking from Japan, President Donald Trump condemned the shooting as an "act of evil" and called it "horrific."

"We don't know names of any of the victims at this time," said Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt in a press conference Sunday evening. As victims are identified, next of kin will be notified, he said.

The attack

Without naming Kelley, Martin described the shooter in Sunday's press conference as a young white male who was dressed in all-black "tactical-type gear" and wearing a ballistic vest.

Martin said the suspect was seen in a Valero gas station across the street from the church in Sutherland Springs at about 11:20 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.

The suspect left the gas station, crossed the street, exited his vehicle and began firing before he entered the church, Martin said.

As the suspected shooter left the church, a local resident used their own rifle to engage him, Martin said. The shooter then fled the church, while the citizen pursued him.

After a brief chase, law enforcement later found the suspect dead of a gunshot wound inside his vehicle. A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said multiple weapons were found in Kelley's car. Authorities said they don't know if the wound was self-inflicted or the result of the resident who fired on the suspect, Martin said.

The shooter was killed after a brief chase north into neighboring Guadalupe County, Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Robert Murphy said earlier on Sunday.

The community

Sutherland Springs is in Wilson County, about 30 miles east of San Antonio.

"My heart is broken," Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr. told CNN. "We never think where it can happen, and it does happen. It doesn't matter where you're at. In a small community, real quiet and everything, and look at this."

Dana Fletcher, who owns a business down the road from the church, told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield that Sutherland Springs is a "very small" but "very tight-knit community."

"There's two gas stations, the church, a community center, post office, a Dollar General, a tire shop," she said. "That's about it."

The FBI was on the scene of the shooting, according to Michelle Lee, spokeswoman for the FBI's San Antonio field office. Agents from the San Antonio field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also headed to the scene, a law enforcement source said.

After the shooting, about 100 family members of victims gathered in a community center next to the church, waiting for news of their loved ones, 26-year-old David Flores told CNN. Local law enforcement, the FBI and the Red Cross were also at the community center.

"My dad saw the gunman run into the church building and then he heard shots and saw people running," Flores told CNN. "People covered in blood and screaming. It was pandemonium everywhere."

"Looking around, it's very sorrowful and the pastors from all the local churches right now are just trying to console everybody," said Flores when asked to describe the scene inside the community center.

"There were several children injured," he said. "I know three, personally, who are in critical condition."

The victims

The Connally Memorial Medical Center in nearby Floresville, Texas, received 8 patients with gunshot wounds from the Sutherland Springs church shooting, a statement from the hospital said. Four of those patients were transferred to University Hospital in San Antonio to receive a higher level of care.

One of those patients was in critical condition and needed to be air-lifted.

Three patients were treated at Connally Memorial Medical Center and have been released, the statement said. One patient is in stable condition there.

At least 8 patients were being treated Sunday afternoonat University Hospital in San Antonio, according to spokeswoman Leni Kirkman, adding that the hospital could receive more patients.

A spokesman for Brooke Army Medical Center also confirmed to CNN that the facilityreceived patients from the shooting, but the spokesman didn't have a specific number.

The church

According to the church's website, congregants meet around 9:15 a.m. on Sundays for breakfast before Sunday school and the morning church service at 11 a.m. The sanctuary where the shooting occurred is small, with wooden pews and red carpeting.

Last Sunday, a small praise team led the congregation in a rendition of "Happiness is the Lord," according to a video of the service posted on the church's Facebook page.

Later in the service, Pastor Pomeroy read scripture from Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

"Lean on the Lord ... leaning into God is the way we should go," he said, "because God's got it figured out whether we do or not."

Photos on the church's page show happy moments in the lives of parishioners: children playing in an inflatable castle and adults and children dressed in costumes during last week's Fall Festival, held on Halloween.

Mourners gathered at a vigil Sunday night at the Sutherland Springs post office.

"We have never had this happen before," said Debra Morales, a volunteer coordinating relief efforts for victims' family members. "It's all just very upsetting."

The reaction

"May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas," tweeted President Donald Trump, who is in Japan on his first trip to Asia as president.

Trump wasbriefed on the shooting, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, and has spoken with Abbott, the Texas governor.

"In tragic times Americans always pull together," Trump said during a news conference in Japan. "We are always strongest when we are unified."

US Senator John Cornyn of Texas called the news "truly heartbreaking" in a tweet Sunday. "Please say a prayer for First Baptist congregation, first responders & the community there," he said.

"While the details of this horrific act are still under investigation, Cecilia and I want to send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to all those who have been affected by this evil act," said Gov. Abbott in a statement Sunday. "I want to thank law enforcement for their response and ask that all Texans pray for the Sutherland Springs community during this time of mourning and loss."

Abbott said later on his Twitter page that he was on his way to meet with officials and the families of victims.

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at least 26 dead in church shooting - cnn

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Dakin Andone, Kaylee Hartung and Darran Simon, CNN

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At least 26 people killed in shooting at Texas church

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About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old. Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl's mother.

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A wave of anti-government demonstrations - the largest in a decade - has been sweeping through Venezuela since early February. The BBC's Irene Caselli in Caracas takes a closer look at the recent unrest.

What triggered the protests?

The protests began in early February in the western states of Tachira and Merida when students demanded increased security after a female student alleged she had been the victim of an attempted rape. Venezuela has the fifth highest murder rate in the world, and crime is rife in many urban centres.

The students also complained about record inflation (official figures suggest yearly inflation in December 2013 stood at 56.2%) and shortages of basic food items.

The protests in Tachira turned violent, triggering the arrest of several students, which in turn led to demonstrations in Caracas calling for their release.

The protests in Caracas started on 12 February and turned deadly when three people were shot by gunmen following a largely peaceful march that same day. There have been many demonstrations since then, varying in size from small gatherings to large rallies.
Venezuela protests end in violence
Who is protesting?

Students were the first to protest, but they were soon joined by hardliners from within the umbrella opposition group Table for Democratic Unity (MUD). Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor and political maverick, and Maria Corina Machado, an MP, are the main political figures in the movement.

After the detention of hundreds of protesters and accusations that the security forces used excessive force, a more moderate wing of the opposition also took to the streets.

According to many observers and opposition leader Henrique Capriles, the protests are made up of a middle-class majority, with middle-class concerns.
Leopoldo Lopez: Venezuela's maverick opposition leader
What do the protesters want?

At first, their main demand was for increased security. But they have since broadened their demands to include the release of all those detained in previous protests, and economic changes to curb high inflation and alleviate shortages of some staples.

Many demonstrators say the government is beyond change and demand President Nicolas Maduro's resignation.

What does the government say?

The government accuses the opposition of trying to stage a coup with backing from the United States and has arrested a number of opposition leaders on charges of inciting violence.

It has drawn parallels between the protests and a brief coup that took place against Hugo Chavez in 2002. President Maduro has called the protesters "fascists".

Who is behind the violence?

Both protesters and members of the security forces have died in the violence which has marred some of the protests.

The opposition has accused pro-government motorcycle gangs, as well as the security forces, of shooting live rounds into opposition crowds.

The government says "fascists" are behind the violence, instigating riots and encouraging people to erect barricades. A number of motorcyclists have been decapitated by barbed wire strung across residential streets to hinder the security forces.

Will the protests create change?

These are not only the largest protests since Mr Maduro took office, they are also Venezuela's biggest protests in over a decade, spreading to other cities beyond Caracas.

However, so far they seem confined mainly, though not exclusively, to the middle class. The government's popularity remains high amid its working-class voters, who gave it a further boost in local elections in December.

Mr Capriles has said that as long as the protests do not spread to a wider sector of society, it is unlikely there will be any change.

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What lies behind the protests in Venezuela?

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A wave of anti-government demonstrations - the largest in a decade - has been sweeping through Venezuela since early February. The BBC's Irene Caselli in Caracas takes a closer look at the recent unrest.

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O.J. Simpson has been granted parole after nine years in prison for a Las Vegas robbery, a group of four Nevada commissioners decided today. The imprisoned former NFL player could be released as early as Oct. 1.

After learning he would be released, Simpson, 70, was emotional, showing visible relief. As he left the hearing room and went back inside the prison, Simpson could be heard saying, "Oh! God! Oh!"

Simpson delivered a rambling account of the case to the parole board earlier today, maintaining that he didn't intend to steal but "wish this would have never happened."

Simpson was at times jovial and combative with the members of the parole board, expressing his remorse and saying he's humbled by his incarceration. Simpson was sentenced to prison following an arrest in 2007 during a botched robbery in Las Vegas, when he led a group of men into a hotel and casino to steal sports memorabilia at gunpoint. He contended the memorabilia and other personal items belonged to him.

Simpson told the parole board today, "I take full responsibility."

Simpson's account of the botched robbery

Simpson appeared remotely via video conference from Lovelock Correctional Facility in Nevada, where he's serving time for kidnapping and armed robbery. Simpson began by explaining what he said led to crime, telling the board how he learned that some "some guys" were trying to "fence" what he said were his personal mementos in Las Vegas.

"As a perfect storm we all ended up in Las Vegas, you know? I was there for a wedding and [was told that] the property was there."

He later continued, "I said, 'Of course I would like to get the property.' He told me the names of what he thought were the people in the room, and I realized these are friends of mine. You know? Actually guys who helped me move, helped me move and store some of this stuff."

Simpson explained, "When I came into the [hotel] room I noticed spread out everywhere was my personal property."

"The only thing I saw that was on display that wasn't mine was some baseballs, and I made it clear to everybody those are not mine. All I want is my property. ... I wasn't there to steal from anybody."

"I would never, ever pull a weapon," he said.

Simpson added, "I haven't made any excuses in the nine years I've been here and not trying to make an excuses now."

When asked if he believed that the property was his, Simpson replied, "It's been ruled legally by the state of California that it was my property and they've given it to me."

Simpson: 'I was always a good guy'

Simpson reassured the board he would be successful meeting the conditions of his parole before it was granted, saying, "I'm not a guy who lived a criminal life."

Simpson said in his nine years behind bars, he's been "a good guy."

"I was always a good guy, but could have been a better Christian, and my commitment to change is to be a better Christian."

He said he took an "alternative to violence" course in prison, calling it "the most important course anybody in this prison can take because it teaches you how to deal with conflict through conversation."

"I had some problems with fidelity in my life, but I've always been a guy that pretty much got along with everybody," he said.

Simpson said he's missed 36 birthdays with his children while behind bars and missed their college graduations. Once released, he said he wants to spend as much time as he can with his family.

Simpson's lawyer fumbles letter

During the hearing, Simpson's attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, planned to read to the board a letter Simpson wrote to a Nevada assemblyman, but LaVergne had difficulty finding it and asked Simpson in front of the commissioners, "Did you take the letter? I can't find it now."

He then located the letter and read it to the board; in the letter, Simpson advocates for state funds to go toward education for inmates.

LaVergne then argued to the board that Simpson's letter didn't ask for special treatment or an early release, but instead showed how Simpson wants to help other inmates have "a better life."

Simpson's daughter: 'We just want him to come home'

Simpson's eldest daughter, Arnelle Simpson, also spoke at the hearing, appearing emotional as she told the board her father is her "best friend" and her "rock."

"No one really knows how much we have been through, this ordeal in the last nine years," she said, noting that "he didn't make the right decision" on the day of the robbery.

"We just want him to come home," she said. "This has been really, truly hard. ... I know that he is remorseful."

Robbery victim speaks: 'O.J. never held a gun on me'

Bruce Fromong, one of the robbed memorabilia dealers and a victim in the case, spoke in Simpson's favor at the hearing. He admitted the hotel room did contain items that belong to Simpson, but said that on the day of the robbery, "Simpson was misguided."

Fromong continued, "He was led to believe that on that day, there were going to be thousands of pieces of his personal memorabilia, pictures of his wife from his first marriage, pictures of his kids. He was told there were going to be possibly his wife's wedding ring, thousands of things. He was misled about what was going to be there that day."

"O.J. never held a gun on me," Fromong said. "O.J. is my friend, always has been, and I hope will remain my friend."

The parole order

The parole order gave these reasons for granting parole: Simpson has no or minimal prior conviction history, he has stable release plans, he has community and/or family support, he has a positive institutional record, he participated in programs specific to addressing behavior that led to incarceration, and his victim is in support of his parole.

Key moments in Simpson's life

Simpson's football career took him from the University of Southern California to the Buffalo Bills. Following his retirement, his celebrity status catapulted him to movie stardom and a cushy Brentwood, California, mansion.

More than 20 years ago, Simpson went on trial for the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. On June 12, 1994, the two were stabbed to death at her Los Angeles home. On Oct. 3, 1995, at the end of a televised trial that captivated the nation, Simpson was acquitted of all criminal charges. He has always maintained his innocence.

A civil jury later ordered Simpson to pay $33.5 million in damages after finding him liable for wrongful death in the double murder.

For the 2007 robbery, Simpson was charged with a number of felony counts, including kidnapping and armed robbery. He was found guilty and sentenced to up to 33 years in prison.

His bid for a new trial in the case was rejected in 2013, but he was granted parole that same year on some of the charges, based on good behavior. He was not released from prison at that time, since his prison sentences were set to run consecutively. Simpson had to wait until this year to appear again before the parole board.

Simpson's friend, Tom Scotto, told ABC News earlier this year that Simpson is "hopeful." Scotto said if Simpson is freed, he would want "to just keep a low profile, be with his kids, be with his family, play golf."

Ron Goldman's family speaks ahead of parole hearing

Hours before the parole hearing, Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," "What's troubling to me is not only him, but the whole system gives second chances to violent felons or, for that matter, anyone in jail. ... Ron doesn't get a second chance.

"Ron never gets to spend his life doing what he wanted to do," Fred Goldman continued. "We'll never get to share his life, and the killer will walk free and get to do whatever he wants."

Fred Goldman said the parole board should take into account that Simpson was found liable for the killings in the 1997 civil trial.

"I think his whole history of violence, ignoring the law, no respect for the law, no remorse for virtually anything he's ever done is an indication of who he is as a person," Fred Goldman said. "I don't think there's any reason to think that he's going to be a decent human being in society. I think he's proved otherwise."

Added Ron Goldman's sister, Kim Goldman, "We lived our life with [Simpson] walking the streets and sharing the same roads that we did."

"With him being locked up in Lovelock, it's been a chance for us to kind of reclaim some control over our life and have some glimpse of sanity," she said. "I'm preparing myself for that to be changing come October."

ABC News' Jenna Harrison and Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.

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OJ Simpson granted parole after Las Vegas robbery

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O.J. Simpson has been granted parole after nine years in prison for a Las Vegas robbery, a group of four Nevada commissioners decided today. The imprisoned former NFL player could be released as early as Oct. 1. After learning he would be released, Simpson, 70, was emotional, showing visible relief.

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The driver of the Honda, Richard Rojas, 26, a Navy veteran from the Bronx, had a history of arrests for drunken driving, said officials, moving quickly to assuage fears of terrorism.

"Based on information we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism," Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters at a news conference near the scene of the rampage.

Mr. Rojas appeared to be under the influence of drugs when he mowed down the crowds, according to several law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation. Under questioning by investigators, he rambled and talked about various things, making some statements suggesting that he might have wanted to provoke the police into killing him, the officials said.

It was around noon when Mr. Rojas swerved onto a curb near 42nd Street and then accelerated north along the sidewalk on Seventh Avenue, which runs one way, southbound - crashing into people for block after block.

Alyssa Elsman, 18, of Portage, Mich., was killed in the havoc, officials said. Her 13-year-old sister was injured.

A security guard at a building at 44th Street and Seventh Avenue said he had watched through the lobby windows as the Honda sped past and drove over a woman.

"She just hit the floor and he went over her," said the guard, who did not give his name.

Other witnesses described their horror at seeing terrified bystanders scramble for safety.

"It was going at a fast rate of speed and to me it looked like it was trying to hit as many people as possible," said Annie Donahey, 24, who had just left work. "People were trying to jump out of the way."

The car raced on, crossing 45th Street before smashing into barriers in front of the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The driver tried to escape, but he was quickly surrounded.

"He started trying to run away," said Asa Lowe, 42, who had been walking on Seventh Avenue. "Traffic cops grabbed him. Regular citizens grabbed him. We became the city we need to be today."

The wrecked Honda stayed where it was through the day, as if in a disaster-movie still, amid the constant looping of Times Square's electronic billboards and advertisements. The car's right-side wheels hung in the air as smoke rose from under its crumpled front hood. The trunk was popped open, revealing piles of detritus. The rear bumper was torn off and lying in the middle of the street a few blocks away.

On a nearby pedestrian plaza, there was one small cluster of people who were not emergency medical workers: a couple with two young children. The man held a boy in his arms. The woman held the hand of a girl in a flowing sun dress. It was not clear if they were connected to any of the victims. They walked around slowly, as if in a daze.

Mr. Rojas offered alternate explanations for the episode to investigators, according to the law enforcement officials, who said that investigators had not come to any immediate conclusions.

"He's just rambling and saying crazy stuff," said one of officials, adding that Mr. Rojas had talked of hearing voices and having hallucinations. "He tried to fight the police."

Two officials said Mr. Rojas had tested negative for alcohol; one official said that preliminary tests indicated that he was under the influence of PCP, a mood-altering drug.

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times square and 42nd street (manhattan  ny)

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murders  attempted murders and homicides

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One Dead and 22 Injured as Car Rams Into Pedestrians in Times Square

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The driver of the Honda, Richard Rojas, 26, a Navy veteran from the Bronx, had a history of arrests for drunken driving, said officials, moving quickly to assuage fears of terrorism. "Based on information we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism," Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters at a news conference near the scene of the rampage.

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Younes Abouyaaqoub was killed during an operation in Subirats, west of Barcelona, police said in a tweet. He was wearing a fake suicide belt.

A robot was sent to remove the belt from before officers were cleared to approach and make a positive identification, in case the belt turned out to be real. The suspect also had knives in his possession when he was shot, said José Lluís Trapero, head of Catalan police.

A woman alerted authorities after seeing police photos of Abouyaaqoub and becoming suspicious that the man was wearing long sleeves when it was about 85 degrees (30 degrees Celsius) outside, he said. Witness accounts suggest Abouyaaqoub was alone when police arrived, Trapero said.

Police killed Abouyaaqoub in a rural area, sparsely populated and surrounded by pine trees. After the gunfire, a police helicopter circled overhead. Several police officers and squad cars were nearby, but few onlookers.

Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan national, is alleged to have been the sole driver of the van used to kill 13 people Thursday on Las Ramblas, a thoroughfare that's a popular tourist destination. More than 100 others were injured.

Investigators said Abouyaaqoub fled the scene of Thursday's attack on foot and hijacked a car to escape. Abouyaaqoub allegedly stabbed the owner of the car, Pau Perez, as he parked the vehicle, and drove off with his body inside the car.

Police fired on the car after it rammed through a checkpoint, but Abouyaaqoub was able to flee a second time. Perez was found dead in the vehicle, making him the 15th victim of the attacks in Barcelona and the Catalan town of Cambrils, where one woman died early Friday when attackers drove into pedestrians there.

Police conduct more raids

Speaking to local radio, Joaquim Forn, the Catalan interior minister, said all evidence pointed to Abouyaaqoub being the sole driver and that security services were working with other agencies around Europe to find him.

Police carried out more raids overnight at homes in the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where eight of the 12 suspects lived, Forn said.

Abouyaaqoub was one of 12 terror suspects linked to the Spain attacks. Authorities have said none had any previous link to terror activities.

On Saturday, Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoida said the terror cell believed to be responsible for the attack had been "completely dismantled."

Meanwhile, Catalan police said in a series of tweets that four suspected terrorists have been detained, and eight have been killed, "but that does not mean that the investigation is over. We keep working."

Imam link

The investigation has focused on a property in Alcanar, suspected of being used as a base to make explosives that could have caused even more devastating attacks had they not blown up prematurely Wednesday before the attacks.

Police believe Muslim cleric Abdelbakir El-Satty is among those who died in the Alcanar blast.

The cleric once served a jail sentence for drug trafficking in the eastern Spanish province of Castellon, not in Catalonia, Catalan Justice Minister Carles Mundó i Blanch said.

Some Spanish media reported he shared a jail cell with one of the terrorists involved in the 2004 Madrid bombings that killed at least 191 people and left hundreds injured.

Responding to those reports, Blanch said, "We are not aware that this person had any communication with any inmate in any prison in Catalonia. He finished his sentence and went free."

Bulldozer clears rubble in Alcanar

In Alcanar on Sunday, explosives experts brought in a bulldozer to clear rubble before conducting a number of controlled detonations at the site. The remains of two people have been found there.

So far, police have discovered the remains of more than 100 gas canisters on the site.

Alcanar Vice Mayor Jordi Bort told CNN the house belonged to a bank and the group had been squatting there illegally without its knowledge.

The town is home to a mix of residents and others who spend holidays or weekends here, he said. Neighbors said they did not suspect any wrongdoing at the property.

The septic tank of the house, which had only one floor, was used as storage for the tanks and explosives, Bort said.

A source briefed on the investigation said a preliminary assessment indicated there were traces of the powerful explosive TATP in the rubble.

TATP is made by adding acid to a mixture of acetone and hydrogen peroxide solution and can easily result in accidental detonation if mistakes occur in the preparation.

CNN's Euan McKirdy, Vasco Cotovio and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.

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barcelona attack: suspected driver killed by police  - cnn

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Police kill suspected driver in Barcelona attack

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Younes Abouyaaqoub was killed during an operation in Subirats, west of Barcelona, police said in a tweet. He was wearing a fake suicide belt. A robot was sent to remove the belt from before officers were cleared to approach and make a positive identification, in case the belt turned out to be real.

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Death of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson - Photos - Top News Stories of 2017

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The deaths of four U.S. soldiers during an ISIS ambush in Niger on Oct. 4, 2017, started a political firestorm due to factual disputes about the failed mission and the circumstances surrounding Army sergeant La David Johnson death. Johnson's remains were found a mile from the ambush site days later.

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A disgruntled doctor armed with an AR-15 rifle and wearing a lab coat went on a rampage on Friday in the Bronx hospital where he had worked, killing a doctor and wounding six other people - five of them seriously - before setting himself on fire and shooting himself in the head, the authorities said.

The furious attack by the doctor - identified by the police as Henry Bello, 45 - sent workers at the hospital, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, diving behind desks and doors as gunshots and smoke filled the hallways of a place devoted to healing. Witnesses described medical workers ripping a fire hose from the wall to use as a tourniquet on one victim's leg, while others recalled the horrific sight of the gunman, his torso aflame, running down a hallway.

Dr. Bello had a troubled past, having worked at the hospital for about six months before quitting after being accused of sexual harassment, officials said. And years earlier, he was arrested and charged with sexual abuse after assaulting a woman in Manhattan.

The attack appeared to be the type of mass shooting by a lone gunman that has struck communities around the United States.

"He's shooting! He's shooting!" one woman yelled in the frantic initial moments of the afternoon assault, as recounted by a mother in the pediatric emergency room who had cowered with her five children, ages 1 to 10.

Some believed that the death toll would have been far higher had the shooting occurred anywhere but where it did - a hospital filled with state-of-the-art medical equipment, and with doctors and nurses who rushed to victims and performed triage where they fell, in staircases and hallways, even as the gunman was still at large.

"The situation unfolded in the middle of a place that people associate with care and comfort," Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters outside the hospital, on the Grand Concourse in the Claremont Village neighborhood. The gunman acted alone, Mr. de Blasio said, adding that it appeared to be a workplace dispute that ended when the gunman committed suicide - "but not before having done horrible damage," the mayor said.

Bronx-Lebanon

Hospital Center

The police did not identify the victim, other than as a woman and a doctor. The five seriously injured patients were "fighting for their lives," said the police commissioner, James P. O'Neill. The sixth had a gunshot wound to the leg.

Dr. Bello was armed with a rifle, an AR-15, that investigators believe he sneaked into the hospital under his lab coat, police officials said.

While investigators were still trying to determine a motive, one official said, "Most likely it's a workplace violence on the part of a former disgruntled employee."

Dr. Bello was hired in August 2014, according to Errol C. Schneer, the hospital's vice president, and left in February 2015, in lieu of being terminated. The police said he resigned after an accusation of workplace sexual harassment.

In 2004, Dr. Bello was arrested and charged with sex abuse and unlawful imprisonment after a 23-year-old woman told officers he had grabbed her crotch area outside a building on Bleecker Street in Manhattan and tried to penetrate her through her underwear, a law enforcement official said. The woman told officers that Dr. Bello had lifted her up in the air and dragged her while saying, "You're coming with me."

Court records indicate that Dr. Bello pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to community service. The felony sexual abuse charge was dismissed.

Mr. Schneer said on Friday night that the hospital did not know about Dr. Bello's criminal past when he was hired. "At that time, and as a result of a human resources and security department background check, which includes fingerprinting, there was no record of any conviction for sexual abuse," he said.

Dr. Bello was a graduate of Ross University School of Medicine on the Caribbean island of Dominica, a New York State official said.

The state's Education Department said Dr. Bello had received a limited permit to practice as an international medical graduate in order to gain experience so that he could be licensed. The permit was issued on July 1, 2014, and expired on July 1, 2016. He also had an expired pharmacy technician license, issued in California in 2006.

The carnage took place around 2:50 p.m. Friday on the 16th and 17th floors of one of the Bronx's largest hospitals, which has 1.1 million patient visits and over 140,000 emergency room visits a year, according to its website. Witnesses said that on Friday afternoon, Bronx-Lebanon 's rooms and corridors were filled with patients and visitors.

As the situation developed, emergency workers were at first prevented from entering the building. At least one of the wounded was being treated by people inside the hospital who had tied an emergency fire hose as a tourniquet, a Fire Department official said. At one point, the police escorted into the building a group of emergency workers wearing armor, as the gunman was still being sought.

Dr. Sridhar Chilimuri, the physician in chief at the hospital, said the doctor who was killed had been shot in the chest. Of the five victims in critical condition, one is a family services physician, three are medical students and one is a gastrointestinal specialist. Dr. Chilimuri said he had treated some of the victims, who were friends and colleagues. The situation was "extraordinarily difficult," he said.

Norma Ruiz, a patient-care technician at Bronx-Lebanon, said the shooting took place on a floor where she works, and she recalled seeing a man, now believed to be the gunman, on fire. "He was running down the hall throwing himself on the floor," she said. "We threw ourselves on the floor, and when everybody was quiet, my co-worker and me, we lift our heads, and the doctors' station was on fire."

"Everybody just started screaming," said the mother in the pediatric unit, who asked that her name not be used to protect her children's medical privacy. The hospital staff frantically tried to quiet everyone, she said, ordering people in the packed waiting room to lie on the floor while the lights were turned off.

The woman ran into an exam room with her children and shoved them underneath a hospital bed, while she lay on the floor as a barricade in front of them. When her 1-year-old began to cry, she breast fed him to keep him quiet, she said. "My heart was pounding," she said. "I was shaking, just shaking."

Miguel Mercado, 61, was lying in a hospital bed on the 10th floor, waiting for an M.R.I. after complications from back surgery earlier in June, when the police burst into the room and ordered patients who could walk to head down the stairs with their hands up. "The cops came and started emptying out the rooms floor by floor - 'Everybody get out, get out, get out!'" he said about an hour after the shooting, standing in the parking lot outside the hospital, IV tubes dangling from his arm. On his feet he wore only hospital socks.

"It's been happening almost anywhere, but nobody was waiting for this," Mr. Mercado said, referring to the workplace shooting. "Who would have thought it would happen in a hospital?"

Shortly after the shooting, graphic images emerged online that purported to show the suspect lying on the hospital floor, in a button-down shirt worn under a lab coat, the scene covered in blood.

As patients and employees drifted from the hospital in the hours after the shooting, Ms. Ruiz, the patient-care technician, stood in her green scrubs, deeply shaken.

"I just want to get out of here," she said, recalling the moment she heard the gunman. "We hear, 'Boom, boom, boom.' We thought, 'A patient, a relative.' But no, it came from the doctors' station."

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murders  attempted murders and homicides

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Doctor Opens Fire at Bronx Hospital, Killing a Doctor and Wounding 6

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A disgruntled doctor armed with an AR-15 rifle and wearing a lab coat went on a rampage on Friday in the Bronx hospital where he had worked, killing a doctor and wounding six other people - five of them seriously - before setting himself on fire and shooting himself in the head, the authorities said.

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CLOSE

Here comes the next royal bride: Meghan Markle, the first divorced, biracial, Jewish American actress to join the British royal family.

In a history-making announcement, Clarence House said Monday that Prince Harry, 33, and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Markle, are engaged and will wed in the spring.

When they do, Markle will be the most atypical royal bride ever, certainly since American two-time divorcée Wallis Simpson nearly rocked the British monarchy off its 1,000-year-old foundations in 1936, when Edward VIII gave up his throne to marry her.

The news comes after the couple made their first appearance together at an official public event - Harry's Invictus Games in Toronto - in September.

Dressed casually and looking happy and relaxed with each other, the two held hands and talked animatedly to each other as they sat on the sidelines of a wheelchair tennis match.

A week later, they were seen together again - significantly, along with her mother, Doria Radlan, a yoga teacher in Los Angeles - in a VIP box at the games' closing ceremonies. The couple were photographed laughing and whispering to each other throughout the ceremonies, and at one point kissing.

Harry and Markle have been dating for more than a year, but for the first six months, hardly anyone knew. They had managed to avoid all but the most persistent paparazzi but their appearance at the Games - and the media photos that followed - made plain their relationship had reached a new level. That, in turn, set off feverish speculation in the media about their future.

Now Markle, who's been married once before, is set to marry Harry, the world's most eligible royal bachelor, in London. She will make history as the first American, the first actress and the first biracial person to be welcomed into the British royal family, most likely as a royal duchess with the "Her Royal Highness" title.

Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Harry's father Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, said further details about the wedding day would be announced in due course.

The engagement announcement also noted that Harry sought the blessing of Markle's parents. And the couple will live at Nottingham Cottage, Harry's home at Kensington Palace, where Prince William, Duchess Kate and their children also reside.

Speaking of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the couple said of the engagement: "We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together."

Kensington Palace shared a statement from Markle's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland: "We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents. We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together."

Markle, who was raised in Los Angeles, has been living in Toronto for the past half-dozen years as a co-star of Suits, the legal drama on the USA Network. The first half of the 7th season of Suits just ended and the show has wrapped up production for the second half, to air in 2018. Markle, however, is not expected to return for the 8th season.

Harry and Meghan are said to have met in the summer of 2016 in London, introduced by a mutual friend, Markus Anderson, who sat with Markle in the stands for the opening ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games, while Harry sat with first lady Melania Trump and other officials in another section.

After meeting, Harry made surreptitious visits to Markle's home in suburban Toronto during times he was there promoting the Invictus Games.

The signs the Harry/Meghan relationship was serious were already obvious even before the Games, especially after Markle's candid Vanity Fair interview in the October issue in which she said they were "a couple in love" and theirs is a "great love story."

Long before that, Markle was called Harry's "girlfriend" in an official palace press release in November 2016. She abruptly curtailed all her hitherto active social media posting and blogging shortly after, in keeping with royal protocol against blabbing on Twitter and Instagram and the like.

And in May, Markle accompanied Harry to the wedding reception of Duchess Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton.

In August, Harry took Markle to Africa on a romantic safari for her birthday. The two were spotted - he with his arm around her, gazing at her lovingly - by a photographer as they walked on an airport tarmac in an unnamed African country, according to The Sun, Britain's biggest tabloid newspaper.

"The couple's holiday destination - hugely popular for engagements and honeymoons - will only heighten speculation the prince is about to propose," the paper declared.

Africa is where brother Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton, in Kenya in October 2010. A month later, their engagement was announced.

Africa is a sentimental favorite with the royal princes, and Harry has spent considerable time in various countries across the continent working to promote wildlife conservation and his children's and AIDS charities. Markle, a humanitarian activist herself, spent time in Rwanda in connection with the work of a Canadian children's welfare charity, World Vision.

More Harry's birthday: 33 reasons to hail Prince Harry on his 33rd birthday

They had been dating for months under the radar when their relationship became public in November 2016 because Harry issued an unprecedented statement confirming her as his girlfriend and condemning the media for stalking her and for alleged racist and sexist coverage.

An important sign of how "loved up" the couple is, in Brit tabloid parlance, is that Markle accompanied Harry to Pippa's wedding reception despite the lack of an engagement ring.

In British terms, accompanying a royal to a semi-royal family wedding is a big deal; it counts way more than accompanying Harry on May 6 to watch him play in a polo match. She was photographed on the sidelines, he was seen on a horse, but there were no pictures of them together.

Next to Pippa herself and her adorable nephew and niece, Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2, who served as page boy and bridesmaid, Markle was probably the most watched person on the wedding day.

The British tabloids have been convinced Markle was "the one" for months. How did they know? Not because anyone in Kensington Palace confirmed it on the record; instead, anonymous palace sources were chatty with royal reporters about Harry's intentions.

The coverage of Harry and Meghan over the last few months seemed aimed at preparing the British public for the news that Harry - the insouciant red-headed younger son of the beloved late Princess Diana - had finally found happiness with a woman who would be the most unconventional royal bride since Simpson nearly crashed the royal family in 1936.

When the wedding takes place, Harry would likely receive a new royal title as a duke from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and Markle would, like Duchess Kate, be known as titled a royal duchess, HRH Meghan, Duchess of so-and-so.

Markle is not an aristocrat like Diana. Nor is she upperclass posh like Prince Charles' second wife, Camilla. Instead, she comes from a lower-middle-class American family, not from a wealthy clan like the Middletons who tend to hang with aristocrats and the upper class.

Markle's mother is black, her father is white. She's Jewish, has worked as a TV actress since 2002, and she was married once before, from 2011 to 2013, to movie producer Trevor Engleson.

More Who is Meghan's first husband?: Meghan Markle's ex plans scandalous royal TV show

For two super-famous people, Harry and Meghan have displayed a remarkable ability to avoid the media. True, the two were caught by paparazzi in a major snogging session in the parking lot after the polo match in May, which they doubtless knew would be seen. But they were also very cozy when they attended the wedding of a Harry chum in Jamaica in early March.

"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked so in love at a pal's Caribbean wedding that onlookers were left wondering if they would be next to tie the knot," reported The Sun, with long-lens paparazzi shots of the two holding hands and with their arms around each other.

If they wish, the couple could marry at Westminster Abbey because the abbey follows a 2002 ruling allowing divorced people to be married in the Church of England. They can even have an interfaith ceremony if they choose. But they may seek a more low-key and smaller wedding, say, at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, to reduce the media pressure.

Harry, who will be sixth in line to the throne once Will and Kate's third child is born next spring, had to receive permission from the queen to marry, in accordance with a 1772 law, so the announcement demonstrates that she approves of the marriage.

In a statement Monday, Buckingham Palace said, "The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness."

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Palace: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce engagement

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CLOSE Here comes the next royal bride: Meghan Markle, the first divorced, biracial, Jewish American actress to join the British royal family. In a history-making announcement, Clarence House said Monday that Prince Harry, 33, and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Markle, are engaged and will wed in the spring.

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"Unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake," said John F. Kelly, the homeland security secretary, appearing alongside Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Washington on Monday.

Mr. Kelly said the order was now "prospective" and applied "only to foreign nationals outside of the United States" who do not have a valid visa. None of the men took questions.

The Trump administration quickly tried to break the legal logjam, filing papers in United States District Court in Washington late on Monday seeking to lift an order blocking the fulfillment of the initial ban.

But the president's revisions did little to halt criticism from Democrats and immigrant rights advocates, who predicted a renewed fight in the courts.

The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, described the new order as a "watered-down ban" that was still "meanspirited and un-American."

Margaret Huang, the executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in a statement that the new order would "cause extreme fear and uncertainty for thousands of families by, once again, putting anti-Muslim hatred into policy."

The new measure will be phased in over the next two weeks to avoid the frenetic, same-day execution of the order in January, which prompted protests across the country and left tearful families stranded at airports abroad and in the United States.

The redrafted order, delayed by a week so it would not overshadow Mr. Trump's address to a joint session of Congress last Tuesday, represented a recognition that the rushed first attempt at the ban did not pass muster legally or politically.

Administration officials privately conceded that the initial version of the order was a political debacle that damaged Mr. Trump's nascent presidency. But they were much more sanguine about the second order, arguing that the new, multiagency review process could be used in the future to bend Mr. Trump's uncompromising messages toward Washington's bureaucratic realities.

Mr. Trump signed the first ban with great fanfare, in front of reporters, at the Pentagon. "We don't want them here," Mr. Trump said of Islamist terrorists. "We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people."

This time, the White House issued a photograph of the president signing the order alone at his desk in the Oval Office.

Justice Department lawyers said the revisions rendered moot legal cases against the original travel ban. But opponents said the removal of a section that had granted preferential treatment to victims of religious persecution was a cosmetic change that did nothing to alter the order's prejudicial purpose. Immigrant rights lawyers had argued that the provision was intended to discriminate against Muslims, pointing to recent statements by Mr. Trump.

"This is a retreat, but let's be clear - it's just another run at a Muslim ban," said Omar Jadwat, the director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups that sued to stop the first order. "They can't unring the bell."

Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York and a plaintiff in a suit seeking to block the first order, said his office was reviewing the new ban, adding, "I stand ready to litigate - again - in order to protect New York's families, institutions and economy."

Congressional Republicans, who were split over the first travel ban, had a more muted reaction. But Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who backed the first order, issued a statement saying the revised order "advances our shared goal of protecting the homeland."

Citizens of Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya will face a 90-day suspension of visa processing as the administration analyzes how to strengthen vetting procedures, according to a homeland security summary of the order.

The removal of Iraq from the list came after talks with security officials in Baghdad and at the urging of Mr. Mattis and State Department officials, who have been in communication with Iraqi officials alarmed that the ban will turn public sentiment in their country against the United States.

"On the basis of negotiations that have taken place between the government of Iraq and the U.S. Department of State in the last month, Iraq will increase cooperation with the U.S. government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States," homeland security officials wrote in a fact sheet given to reporters.

The timing of the ban seemed intended to reset the White House political narrative, after a turbulent week that began with Mr. Trump's well-received address to Congress. That success was quickly overshadowed by the controversies over Mr. Sessions's failure to inform the Senate of his contacts with the Russian ambassador and Mr. Trump's unsupported accusation that President Barack Obama tapped Mr. Trump's phones during the 2016 campaign.

Critics say that Mr. Trump's vow to impose "extreme vetting" on migrants, especially those fleeing the war in Syria, disregards already stringent screening measures, and the fact that none of the recent terrorist attacks or mass shootings on American soil were perpetrated by people from the nations listed in the ban.

Last week, The Associated Press reported that it had obtained a draft homeland security assessment concluding that citizenship was an "unlikely indicator" of a threat.

Homeland security officials, speaking to reporters by telephone on Monday, pushed back against that news report, arguing that it was culled from public sources and excluded classified information that paints a more dangerous picture.

An official speaking on the call said the Justice Department had identified 300 "refugees" who were being investigated for their links to Islamist terrorist groups or for holding pro-Islamic State positions. Some of those people already have permanent resident status, the official said.

But homeland security and Justice Department officials declined to provide further details, and would not say how many of the 300 people being investigated came from the countries covered by the revised travel ban.

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Trump's New Travel Ban Blocks Migrants From Six Nations, Sparing Iraq

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"Unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake," said John F. Kelly, the homeland security secretary, appearing alongside Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Washington on Monday.

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Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told a press conference Monday that only five victims have been formally identified so far, and the death toll may change.

"Sadly for many families they have lost more than one family member," said Cundy, who added that the "painstaking" search and recovery operation is proceeding as quickly as possible, but may take "many many weeks."

Cundy explained that one of the reasons identification has been so difficult is because dental records are needed from victims who hailed from different countries around the world.

However, five people who were originally reported as missing have since been found safe and well.

Police chief: Nothing could have prepared me

The police chief, who went inside the charred shell of the high-rise tower over the weekend, told reporters: "I've investigated major crime for most of my service and I've seen some terrible things but I don't think anything prepared me for what I was going to see when I was in there."

The government has promised a public inquiry, and police have opened a criminal investigation.

Cundy said the "complex" and "exhaustive" inquiry will focus on a range of issues including how the building was constructed, a recent refurbishment of it, how it is managed and maintained and fire safety measures.

Speculation has focused on the role that cladding apparently used in a recent refurbishment of the tower may have played in the fire.

A senior UK government minister said Sunday that he believed the cladding is banned in Britain for buildings above a certain height.

"My understanding is the cladding in question, this flammable cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here," Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond told the BBC's "The Andrew Marr Show."

"So there are two separate questions. One, are our regulations correct, do they permit the right kind of materials and ban the wrong kind of materials? The second question is were they correctly complied with?"

Hammond said that will be a focus of the inquiry and investigation.

Rydon, the company that carried out the recent refurbishment, said the "project met all required building regulations."

Authorities have also faced questions about why the block, built in the 1970s and home to 125 families, was never fitted with a sprinkler system that might have saved lives.

"I would like to reassure everybody that we will be looking at all criminal offenses that may have been committed by any individual or any organization," said Cundy.

Britain remembers victims

Britain observed a moment of silence at 11 a.m. Monday in remembrance of the victims. It was joined by firefighters from stations across the country.

A vigil was held in Parliament Square in central London Monday evening.

Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a fund of £5 million ($6.4 million) to help those affected by the blaze.

May has faced criticism for failing to meet survivors in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

On Saturday, when she did meet residents, she said the response to the fire had been "not good enough."

On Monday, when asked if the Prime Minister thought her own response was good enough, a Downing Street spokesperson replied: "The Prime Minister has a job to do. You heard ministers talking over the weekend, who are always in close contact with her. She was focused on making sure there was a taskforce up and running, getting that done. "

CNN's Barbara Arvanitidis and David Wilkinson contributed to this report.

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grenfell tower: 79 presumed dead in london fire - cnn

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Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told a press conference Monday that only five victims have been formally identified so far, and the death toll may change. "Sadly for many families they have lost more than one family member," said Cundy, who added that the "painstaking" search and recovery operation is proceeding as quickly as possible, but may take "many many weeks."

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Mr. Comey learned of his firing from the news media. He offered a heartfelt farewell to his former employees.

"I am so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you publicly," Mr. Comey said.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, said that Mr. Trump watched some of the hearing but was also focusing on other matters. Asked to respond to Mr. Comey's assertion that the president had lied, she said, "I can definitively say the president is not a liar, and frankly I'm insulted by that question."

- Matt Apuzzo and Glenn Thrush

'We know how to fight,' Trump says

Mr. Trump, appearing at a meeting of faith leaders and politicians in Washington as Mr. Comey testified across town, railed against the media and his political opponents.

"We know how to fight better than anybody and we never, ever give up - we are winners and we are going to fight," he told hundreds of supporters at the annual Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Mr. Trump recited Isaiah 1:17, then continued by saying that "entrenched interests" in Washington "will lie, they will obstruct, they will spread their hatred and their prejudice, but we will not back down from doing what is right."

"We know the truth will prevail," he added. "Nothing worth doing ever came easy."

A short time later, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz, issued a statement denying Mr. Comey's testimony that the president pressured him to drop his investigations into the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia. He also said Mr. Trump never demanded "I need loyalty, I expect loyalty" as Mr. Comey testified on Thursday.

"Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today's hearing, Mr. Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the president privately: The president was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference," Mr. Kasowitz's statement said. "He also admitted that there is no evidence that a single vote changed as a result of any Russian interference.

Mr. Trump watched part of the hearings with the lawyer, and Mr. Kasowitz's statements tracked closely with emails and talking points issued by the Republican National Committee, who think the former director hurt himself by acknowledging he leaked a memo detailing his private interactions with the president.

- Glenn Thrush

Comey: Trump conduct within scope of F.B.I. investigation

Mr. Comey acknowledged for the first time that the F.B.I. was scrutinizing Mr. Trump's actions. He said Mr. Trump's conduct fell within "the scope of" the F.B.I.'s investigation but that he was not specifically under investigation.

The F.B.I. is investigating whether anyone in Mr. Trump's campaign colluded with Russian agents to try to influence the outcome of the presidential election.

- Matt Apuzzo

Comey gave memos to Mueller

Mr. Comey said he turned over his memos to the Justice Department special counsel, Mr. Mueller, the first public suggestion that the special counsel would investigate Mr. Trump's firing of Mr. Comey.

Some in Congress have suggested that Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice by firing Mr. Comey. Mr. Mueller has the authority to investigate obstruction. That is not a guarantee that Mr. Mueller will investigate the president but is a sign that he is reviewing the memos.

Mr. Comey said he wrote memos on every interaction with the president.

"I turned them over to Bob Mueller's investigators," Mr. Comey said.

Mr. Comey said he began taking notes on his meetings with the president because, from his first interaction with him, during the transition period, he thought Mr. Trump might lie about what was said.

He testified that he documented all of his meetings with Mr. Trump because it was so unusual for him to be discussing ongoing investigations, alone, with a sitting president. Mr. Comey had served in senior law enforcement positions under three presidents.

"The combination of factors just wasn't present with either President Bush or President Obama," he said.

- Matt Apuzzo

Comey orchestrated a leak

Mr. Comey acknowledged that he orchestrated the leak that revealed his account of his conversation with Mr. Trump in which the president asked him to drop the investigation into the former national security adviser.

Mr. Comey said he decided to make the conversation public through an intermediary after Mr. Trump said on Twitter that the former F.B.I. director had better hope there were no tapes of their discussions. He said he did so with the explicit hope of prompting the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russian election interference.

"I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday night, 'cause it didn't dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration for our conversation; there might be a tape," Mr. Comey said, referring to May 15. "And my judgment was I needed to get that out in the public square so I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. So I asked a close friend of mine to do it."

An article about the memo was published online by The New York Times on May 16, and in the newspaper the next day. The story attributed the information to "two people who read the memo" without naming them.

Questioned by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, Mr. Comey did not identify the friend by name but said he is a professor at Columbia University. Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia, confirmed Thursday that he was the close friend who served as intermediary.

- Peter Baker

'Not a witch hunt'

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, highlighted the more serious allegations from Mr. Comey's testimony, emphasizing the importance of his appearance to the panel's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"Let me be clear," he said. "This is not a witch hunt. This is not fake news. It is an effort to protect our country from a new threat that will not go away anytime soon."

- Emmarie Huetteman

Comey confirms Flynn under criminal investigation when fired

In response to a question from Mr. Burr, Mr. Comey confirmed that Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, was facing a criminal investigation at the time he was fired. That means he was under criminal investigation while serving as the national security adviser, a job that gave him ready access to the president and almost all the secret intelligence possessed by the country's spy agencies.

The Times reported last month that Mr. Flynn warned the Trump transition he was under investigation in early January, more than two weeks before the inauguration. Nonetheless, he was allowed to take up the national security post.

White House officials pushed back on The Times's story, insisting that the Trump transition - and later, the White House - knew nothing of any criminal investigation, and questioning whether there was even an investigation into Mr. Flynn at the time.

Mr. Comey has now provided public confirmation that there was indeed an investigation underway while Mr. Flynn was serving at the White House.

- Matthew Rosenberg

Some Republicans offer the president a lifeline

As the hearing unfolded, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan offered an explanation of sorts for how the president spoke with Mr. Comey.

"The president's new at this," Mr. Ryan said at a news conference. "He's new to government. And so he probably wasn't steeped in the long-running protocols that establish the relationships between D.O.J., F.B.I. and White Houses. He's just new to this."

Mr. Ryan seemed sympathetic to the position that Mr. Trump found himself in, noting that the president had been told by Mr. Comey that he was not under investigation, yet faced public speculation that he was, in fact, under investigation.

"Of course the president's frustrated," Mr. Ryan said, "and I think the American people now know why he was so frustrated."

- Thomas Kaplan

Comey: He dangled my job. Demanded loyalty. Wanted Flynn case dropped. Wanted Russia cloud lifted. Fired me.
Trump: I'm totally vindicated!
- Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 8, 2017

Trump stayed off Twitter, but not his son

Mr. Trump has stayed off Twitter during Mr. Comey's testimony but another member of the family has not. Donald Trump Jr. has been live-tweeting the hearing, ridiculing the former F.B.I. director's account.

"Flynn stuff is BS in context 2 guys talking about a guy they both know well," the younger Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. "I hear 'I hope nothing happens but you have to do your job'"

He added: "very far from any kind of coercion or influence and certainly not obstruction!" And then he continued: "Knowing my father for 39 years when he 'orders or tells' you to do something there is no ambiguity, you will know exactly what he means"

Focusing on Mr. Comey's testimony that the president expressed hope that he would drop the investigation into Mr. Flynn, the younger Mr. Trump wrote: "Hoping and telling are two very different things, you would think that a guy like Comey would know that. #givemeabreak"

- Peter Baker

Here's the line to get into the James Comey FBI hearing this morning. pic.twitter.com/RTf9xAYAmC
- Al Drago (@Al_Drago) June 8, 2017

The public line has been growing since 6:30am... #ComeyHearing pic.twitter.com/NHtLYt3f8N
- Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) June 8, 2017

Watch the hearing from start to finish

Happy hour started early

Washingtonians were working from home, taking the day off or otherwise mentally playing hooky to bear witness to the big hearing.

Well before Shaw's Tavern along busy Florida Avenue opened at 9:30 a.m. for its "Comey Hearing Covfefe" event, a line stretched the length of the block. Spectators hoped to snag a table and perhaps a Comey-themed menu item, like an F.B.I. breakfast or a covfefe coffee. Dozens of journalists, cameras and notepads in hand, swarmed the attendees.

"I wonder how many people are going to say 'I don't want to be on TV, I'm supposed to be at work,'" Brian Palladino, a computer programmer, said as he took his place in line. "The seriousness of the issues aside, I think it's kind of an interesting example of D.C. culture."

The tavern was full within 15 minutes of opening, the atmosphere more Super Bowl than Senate hearing. On the patio outside, four college students perused the menu.

"I think I'm going to get the F.B.I. breakfast," Colter Moos, 21, said as he read the menu. "And then at 11, I'm getting some vodka."

As Mr. Comey began his remarks, forks stopped clinking and chatter ceased. People began casting their eyes toward one of several TVs set up to broadcast the hearing. It was clear how the crowd felt as Mr. Comey began to speak: People started cheering and clapping.

- Katie Rogers

View from the right

Breitbart News was live-blogging the testimony from Union Pub, a Washington bar, to capture "the reaction of the crowd of Washington elites." Matthew Boyle, the right-wing site's Washington political editor, reported "audible gasps of disappointment" when Mr. Comey declined to read aloud his prepared opening statement.

Mr. Boyle was skeptical of the significance of today's hearing, calling it a "charade" and dismissing Mr. Comey's statement as a "giant nothing-burger." Breitbart's updates can be read here, under the cheeky headline, "Covfefe Livewire: Comey Crazy Sweeps Washington."

- Michael Shear

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Comey Testimony: Highlights of the Hearing

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Mr. Comey learned of his firing from the news media. He offered a heartfelt farewell to his former employees. "I am so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you publicly," Mr. Comey said. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, said that Mr. Trump watched some of the hearing but was also focusing on other matters.

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Rep. Steve Scalise underwent surgery today, his third procedure since suffering severe injuries Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on Republicans practicing for a congressional baseball game, sources told ABC News.

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The House majority whip and Louisiana Republican was rushed to a Washington trauma center Wednesday with fractured bones and internal organ damage, according to hospital officials, and remains in critical condition.

Three others, including a Capitol Police officer, were also shot Wednesday morning at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene after police returned fire.

What happened

At least 21 members of Congress were at the Wednesday morning baseball practice, including Scalise and two U.S. senators.

Staffers and family members were also there. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said his 10-year-old son was there when the shooting broke out. Barton was emotional at a news conference Wednesday, saying his son had "25 dads" because everyone looked out for him when the gunfire began.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he was in the batting cage when he heard an isolated gunshot.

Then "a burst of gunfire" erupted, Paul told ABC News. "At that point, people were dropping. Scalise was shot around second base and he crawled a little bit into the outfield."

Paul said Scalise's security detail exchanged fire with the active shooter.

"These guys were real heroes and I think without them everybody probably would have been killed," Paul said. "Steve Scalise is in leadership and that's the only reason there was security detail there at all. I'm sad that he was shot but he actually saved everybody's life by being there."'

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, a medical doctor and Iraq War veteran, told Fox News he administered aid to Scalise after the shooting stopped, putting a compression on his wound.

"I felt I was back in Iraq but without my weapon," he said.

Wenstrup said Scalise "was as brave as he could possibly be. He said, 'I'm thirsty.' Obviously, you don't know how much fluid he may be losing internally."

The victims

Scalise is in critical condition after he and three others were shot as lawmakers practiced for the annual charity congressional baseball game set to take place today.

He is suffering from a rifle shot to the left hip and severe blood loss, according to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, which said Wednesday night that he required "immediate surgery" and multiple units of blood for a transfusion.

Scalise went into surgery again this morning at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, sources told ABC News.

A source close to Scalise told ABC News this evening that he is out of surgery and remains in critical condition.

Tyson Foods lobbyist Matt Mika, a former college baseball and football player who works for Tyson Foods and was helping with practice when he was shot, was upgraded from critical to serious condition, his family said today.

His family said earlier, "Matt was shot multiple times in his chest and arm and suffered massive trauma."

"He requires assistance to breathe and will need additional surgeries. Matt has been alert, conscious and communicating through notes."

Mika's family said in a statement Wednesday, "While the attack today was a terrible surprise, Matt's presence on the ball field, helping longtime colleagues and friends was not."

"He is a very thoughtful, fun-loving person who is competitive and loyal; all things which contributed to his continued commitment to the Congressional Baseball Game."

Zack Barth, a legislative correspondent working for Texas Rep. Roger Williams who was helping them prepare for the game, was also shot; he has since been treated and released from the hospital.

Barth's family spokesperson said a bullet went through his calf and, after he was shot, he saw the gunman aiming at him. Barth then dove for the dugout, where he grabbed a belt to wrap around his leg to stem the blood flow, the family spokesperson said.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also helped Barth, Williams said.

Williams, who is the team's coach and injured his leg and ankle diving to safety in the dugout, told reporters this afternoon that even though Barth was bleeding, he continued texting from the dugout, letting people know they needed help.

Crystal Griner, the Capitol officer, was shot in the ankle, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said. The hospital said today Griner is in good condition.

Additionally, two individuals -- Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, and a Capitol Police officer -- sustained minor secondary injuries.

Williams was emotional at a news conference this afternoon, saying the Capitol police officers prevented what "could have easily been 25 deaths or more."

This evening's baseball game will go on as scheduled.

The reaction

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at the hospital with flowers Wednesday evening where Trump sat by Scalise's bedside and met with his wife, Jennifer, as well as Griner and her wife.

Trump tweeted, "Just left hospital. Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape - but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!"

Just left hospital. Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape - but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2017

Trump said this morning that Scalise's condition is "much more difficult than people even thought at the time."

"He's in some trouble," Trump said. "But he's a great fighter and he's going to be OK, we hope."

The president said he assured Scalise's family at the hospital Wednesday night that the nation is sending prayers and he applauded the heroism of Griner.

"Terrific young woman," he said. "Crystal is one of the two Capitol Police officers who saved so many lives through her heroism, along with Special Agent David Bailey. They ran right into the fire. They ran right into those guns and the bullets and they saved a lot of lives. America salutes both of their courage."

Trump added, "We had a very, very divided country for many years. And I have a feeling that Steve has made a great sacrifice, but there could be some unity being brought to our country. Let's hope so."

Vice President Mike Pence said today, "We're especially grateful to the brave police officers who ran into danger without regard to their personal safety. ... And prevented an even greater tragedy."

"While there will always be those who seek to divide, who choose insult over incite, tonight the world will see America is better than that," he said. "As President Trump said yesterday, we are strongest when we are unified. When we work together for the common good. And when a neighbor is hurting or under attack, the American people always come together. With generosity, compassion, and prayer. And we always will."

House Speaker Paul Ryan said on the House floor Wednesday afternoon, "We are united in our shock. We are united in our anguish and attack on one of us is an attack on all of us."

The alleged assailant

The suspected shooter, later identified as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, was killed in a shootout with police. The immediate motive for the shooting has not been fully fleshed out, but Hodgkinson had reportedly expressed strident anti-Republican views on social media and directed particular ire at Trump after he became president.

Hodgkinson was also a one-time volunteer for Bernie Sanders' campaign for president last year. Sanders on Wednesday unequivocally repudiated Hodgkinson's actions and decried his use of violence.

Mark Kern, the former mayor of Belleville, Illinois, told ABC News Wednesday that Hodgkinson was fired from a county contract to remove lead from community buildings in 2003 after he was found rummaging through desks, looking for a check.

Hodgkinson's wife told ABC News Wednesday that he had been living in Alexandria for the past two months, had not been working and that he was supposed to return home in the coming days.

Authorities believe Hodgkinson had been in the Washington, D.C., area since March and living out of a white cargo van.

"The shooter's weapons recovered at the scene include a 9 mm handgun and a 7.62 caliber rifle," federal authorities said today. "ATF has conducted traces on these weapons and has determined that both were purchased by the shooter from federal firearms licensees. We currently have no evidence to suggest that the purchases were not lawful."

The FBI has released a "Seeking Information" poster asking the public for any information regarding the suspect as authorities investigate his "activities and social media impressions in the months leading up" to the shooting, federal officials said.

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What we know about the congressional baseball shooting

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Rep. Steve Scalise underwent surgery today, his third procedure since suffering severe injuries Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on Republicans practicing for a congressional baseball game, sources told ABC News. Add Congressman Shot as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Congressman Shot news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

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ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion at an arena in Manchester, England, where the American pop singer Ariana Grande had been performing on Monday night. Credit Credit... Rex Features, via Associated Press

MANCHESTER, England - An explosion that appeared to be a suicide bombing killed at least 22 people on Monday night and wounded 59 others at an Ariana Grande concert filled with adoring adolescent fans, in what the police were treating as a terrorist attack.

Panic and mayhem seized the crowd at the Manchester Arena as the blast reverberated through the building, just as the show was ending and pink balloons were dropping from the rafters in a signature flourish by Ms. Grande, a 23-year-old American pop star on an international tour.

Traumatized concertgoers, including children separated from parents, screamed and fled what appeared to be the deadliest episode of terrorism in Britain since the 2005 London transit bombings.

Speaking to reporters early Tuesday, Manchester's chief constable, Ian Hopkins, said the police learned of the explosion around 10:33 p.m. Children were among those killed, he added, and the wounded were taken to eight hospitals.

Chief Constable Hopkins said that a man had detonated "an improvised explosive device" and had been killed in the blast. He said the police believed that the man had acted alone, but that they were trying to determine whether he had been part of a wider network. Other officials said the police were investigating reports that the device had used nuts and bolts as shrapnel.

The scene in central Manchester immediately evoked the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, which included a deadly assault inside the Bataclan concert hall, where the Eagles of Death Metal had been playing. But unlike the Bataclan show, the Manchester concert was filled with young teenagers.

"This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until the police know otherwise," the Manchester police said in a Twitter post.

Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with the victims and their families in "what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack." She was scheduled to lead a meeting of the government's crisis response committee on Tuesday morning.

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Police officers at the Manchester Arena on Monday. People at the arena said they had heard what sounded like explosions at the end of the show, around 10:30 p.m. Credit... Peter Byrne/Press Association, via Associated Press

At least one explosion went off in the foyer of the arena, according to the British Transport Police, the force that protects the Manchester Victoria train station next to the arena. The station was evacuated.

Early Tuesday morning, Sky News reported that a bomb disposal team had arrived on the scene as part of the investigation and that the security cordon around the arena had been widened.

Gary Walker, who was at the show with his wife and two daughters, said he "heard a massive bang and saw a flash" just as the concert concluded. He turned and realized that his wife had been hurt. Mr. Walker, who is from the northern city of Leeds, said she had a stomach wound and possibly a broken leg. He said he lay down on the floor beside her and saw "metal nuts on the floor."

Ms. Walker was taken to a hospital, Mr. Walker said while standing with his daughters in Deansgate, the main shopping street in Manchester.

Another concertgoer, Sasina Akhtar, told The Manchester Evening News that there had been an explosion at the back of the arena after the last song. "We saw young girls with blood on them," she said. "Everyone was screaming, and people were running."

Ms. Grande, a singer with a big voice who started her career as a star on a Nickelodeon TV series, is on an international tour supporting her 2016 album, " Dangerous Woman." Two additional acts, Victoria Monét and Bia, performed as openers on Monday. The tour was scheduled to continue on Thursday at the O2 Arena in London.

Ms. Grande was not hurt. TMZ, the entertainment news website, reported that she was "in hysterics" over the deadly blast.

Her manager, Scooter Braun, said on Twitter, "We mourn the lives of children and loved ones taken by this cowardly act."

Parents separated from their children during the mayhem were told to go to a Holiday Inn, where many youngsters had taken refuge. A number of hotels, including the Holiday Inn and a Travelodge, opened their doors to concertgoers trapped inside the police cordon, providing them with drinks and phone chargers to enable them to contact family members. Residents also offered stranded concertgoers places to stay in their homes.

The confusion and fear in the hours afterward were reflected on social media. One Twitter post asked: "Did anybody see my girlfriend? I lost her in the chaos."

SMG, the Pennsylvania-based company that manages the Manchester Arena, and Wes Westley, the company's president and chief executive, described the precautions at the site.

"It is obviously as tight security as anywhere in the States," he said in an interview. "Backpacks are not allowed. Drinks are taken away from people. You have to go through very strict security to enter the arena."

Concertgoers waiting Tuesday morning after a blast that is believed to have occurred in a space connecting Manchester Arena and Victoria Station. Credit... Paul Ellis/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

The BBC interviewed a man who was waiting outside the arena to pick up his wife and daughter. He recounted that the "whole building shook," that there was "carnage everywhere," and that the explosion appeared to come from near the stadium's ticket area.

Videos posted on Twitter showed concertgoers running and screaming. Hannah Dane, who attended the performance, told The Guardian that she had heard "quite a loud explosion."

"It shook," she said. "Then everyone screamed and tried to get out."

The Manchester Arena opened in 1995 and can hold up to 18,000 concertgoers; it was not clear how many people were in this crowd for the concert.

Karen Ford told the BBC that she had been leaving the show when the blast occurred. "Everyone was just getting out of their seats and walking toward the stairs when all of a sudden a huge sound, which sounded like an explosion, went off," she said.

"Everyone tried to push people up the stairs," Ms. Ford recalled, adding that in the chaos, people tried to push past a woman in a wheelchair as children screamed.

She said there was no smoke, just one very loud bang. "It was very, very loud," she said, adding that her husband thought he had heard a second explosion. "There were shoes on the floor" left behind by people who had fled, she recalled.

"Just chaos," she added. "I was trying to tell people to calm down." She said the masses of people trying to flee created a perilous situation: "We were being crushed."

Outside, Ms. Ford said, parents awaited children who had attended the concert, checking their smartphones in a panic. "Everyone was trying to find each other," she said.

While the country and the world reacted to the news of the explosion and deaths with dismay, anger and grief, the British authorities, who have foiled numerous terrorist plots, were probably not surprised.

The terrorist threat level set by MI5, the domestic intelligence service, has been at "severe," the second-highest level, for months now, meaning officials considered an attack "highly likely."

While disenchanted young people can be radicalized through extremist websites, officials are particularly worried about the return of hundreds of battle-trained fighters who had left Britain or other European countries to join jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Voters in Britain will go to the polls on June 8 in a general election, but the governing Conservatives - along with Labour, the Scottish National Party, and the Liberal Democrats - agreed to suspend campaigning because of the attack.

With the election approaching, however, the Manchester assault seems bound to become part of the political discourse.

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Ariana Grande Manchester Concert Ends in Explosion, Panic and Death (Published 2017)

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MANCHESTER, England - An explosion that appeared to be a suicide bombing killed at least 22 people on Monday night and wounded 59 others at an Ariana Grande concert filled with adoring adolescent fans, in what the police were treating as a terrorist attack.

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Seven people have died after a terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market. Here is what we know so far

Seven people were killed and dozens injured during attacks in two closely connected areas of London on Saturday night. The police are treating the attacks as terrorist incidents.

Police were called after a white rental van was driven into pedestrians on London Bridge at about 9.58pm on Saturday night. The van continued on to nearby Borough Market where three attackers emerged and carried out multiple stabbings in pubs and restaurants.

Armed police arrived and shot the attackers dead within eight minutes of being alerted. The attackers were armed with knives and wore what turned out to be fake suicide vests.

On Sunday night, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. "A detachment of Islamic State fighters executed yesterday's London attack," said a statement posted on the group's Amaq media agency website.

London Bridge interactive

The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said a Canadian national was among those killed in the attack. The victim was later named as Christine Archibald who had moved to Europe to be with her fiance. "She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected," her family said in a statement.

A French man is among those killed in the attack, the foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, confirmed. Seven people from France were injured, four of them critically. One person is still missing.

There were multiple casualties in addition to the deaths. London Ambulance Service said 48 people were taken to five hospitals in the capital and a number of others were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The NHS said on Monday that 18 were in a critical condition.

Eight armed police officers fired an estimated 50 rounds during the incident - an unprecedented number for the UK. One member of the public was caught in the gunfire when a bullet struck him in the head. A senior doctor at the Royal London hospital in east London said the man was expected to make a full recovery.

London Bridge graphic

A British Transport Police officer armed only with his baton was stabbed in the face as he tackled the assailants. He suffered serious injuries, but is in a stable condition in hospital. An off-duty Metropolitan police officer was among others injured in the attack. Two more on-duty officers were described as "walking wounded".

At least four Australian citizens were injured, according to the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull. Among them, Candice Hedge from Brisbane was stabbed in the neck and is recovering after being treated in St Thomas' hospital. A man from New Zealand also suffered serious wounds in the attack. At least four French citizens were harmed, one seriously. Geoff Ho, a journalist with the Sunday Express, was left in intensive care after being stabbed in the throat when he tried to help a wounded bouncer.

Police raided two more properties in Newham and Barking in east London early on Monday morning. Counter-terrorist officers detained "a number of people", the Metropolitan police said.

The Met arrested 12 people on Sunday after an operation in Barking in east London. One person, a 55-year-old man, has since been released. On Sunday morning, police raided a block of flats in the area where at least one of the suspects is thought to have lived. Another raid, at a flat in nearby East Ham, followed in the afternoon.

Aerial view of London Bridge attacks

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after she had chaired a meeting of Cobra, the government's emergency committee, Theresa May condemned Islamist extremism and called the ideology a "perversion of Islam". She said there was "a new trend in the threat we face," with terrorism breeding terrorism. "It is time to say enough is enough," she added.

The prime minister said there must be changes on four fronts: first, people who are drawn to Islamist extremism must be persuaded that western values are superior. Second, there must be a clampdown on the "safe spaces" on the internet where terrorism breeds. Third, she called for action at home where extremism may be tolerated. "There is - to be frank - far too much tolerance of extremism in our country," she said. Finally, she proposed a review of counter-terrorism strategy and laws, and suggested longer sentences for some offences. She confirmed that the general election would go ahead on Thursday as planned.

After a brief suspension in election campaigning in the wake of the attack a bitter row erupted over cuts to police funding, with Jeremy Corbyn backing calls for May to resign over her record on the issue while she was home secretary. The prime minister dodged accusations that police numbers had fallen by tens of thousands since 2010 and that the number of armed officers had also fallen.

On a visit to London Bridge on Monday, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he was "furious that these three men are seeking to justify their actions by using the faith that I belong to. The ideology they follow is perverse, it is poisonous, and it has no place in Islam."

Jeremy Corbyn delivered a speech on the attack in Carlisle on Sunday evening. He said that, if he won the election, he would commission a report on Friday on the changing nature of the terrorist threat. He also used the speech to criticise May for ignoring warnings about the impact of police cuts, as well as to criticise the US president, Donald Trump, for his comments about the London Bridge attack.

London attack map

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre at MI5 headquarters has recommended not to raise the official threat level from severe to critical, suggesting that it believes no more terrorists are at large.

The UK will observe a minute's silence on Tuesday 6 June at 11am in remembrance of those who have lost their lives and all others affected by the attacks. Flags will remain at half-mast on Whitehall government buildings until Tuesday evening.

The Home Office has set up a website with information about the support available for people affected by the attacks.

A statement from the office of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that French citizens were among the injured. He condemned "an abominable and cowardly attack against our free society".

Pictures have been circulating showing a suspect on the ground in the market. He appears to have canisters strapped to his body. Police say those canisters were part of a fake suicide vest. The use of fake bomb vests was designed to "spread panic and fear", the prime minister said.

The identity of the man is believed to be known by several media outlets, including the Guardian, but they have chosen not to name him in accordance with police wishes. Two people have said they alerted police about his extreme views and he is also believed to have featured in a documentary entitled Jihadis Next Door broadcast on Channel 4 last year, in which he was part of a group involved in a confrontation with officers.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that police in Ireland have confirmed that an Irish identity card was found on one of the three attackers shot dead.

Concrete barriers have been installed on Westminster, Lambeth and Waterloo bridges to stop traffic from mounting the pavement in the wake of Saturday's attack after the Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, said there would be "increased physical measures" .

Borough station reopened on Sunday evening. The cordon remained in place on Monday but London Bridge station reopened.

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London terror attack: what we know so far

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Seven people have died after a terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market. Here is what we know so far Seven people were killed and dozens injured during attacks in two closely connected areas of London on Saturday night. The police are treating the attacks as terrorist incidents.

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JUCHITÁN DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico - Thousands of homes in this city were severely damaged. Half of the 19th-century city hall, with its 30 arches, collapsed. The main hospital here was so devastated that staff members evacuated patients to an empty lot and worked by the light of their cellphones.

By the time the earthquake's tremors finally faded, at least 36 people in Juchitán de Zaragoza were dead.

"It's a truly critical situation," Óscar Cruz López, the city's municipal secretary, said Friday. "The city," he said, and then paused. "It's as if it had been bombed."

Over all, the earthquake - the most powerful to hit the country in a century - killed at least 61 people in Mexico, all of them in the southern part of the country that was closer to the quake's epicenter off the Pacific Coast.

The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 8.2 and struck shortly before midnight on Thursday, was felt by tens of millions of people in Mexico and in Guatemala, where at least one person died as well.

In Mexico City, the capital, which still bears the physical and psychological scars of a devastating earthquake in 1985 that killed as many as 10,000 people, alarms sounding over loudspeakers spurred residents to flee into the streets in their pajamas.

The city seemed to convulse in terrifying waves, making street lamps and the Angel of Independence monument, the capital's signature landmark, sway like a metronome's pendulum.

But this time, the megalopolis emerged largely unscathed, with minor structural damage and only two of its nearly nine million people reporting injuries, neither serious, officials said.

In the southern part of the country, however, at least 12 people died in Chiapas State and four died in neighboring Tabasco, including two children: one when a wall collapsed and the other after a respirator lost power in a hospital, officials said.

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Residents of Mexico City gathered outdoors after an earthquake struck off the Pacific Coast, about 450 miles away, late Thursday. Credit Pedro Pardo/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

Chiapas officials said that more than 400 houses had been destroyed and about 1,700 others damaged.

In Oaxaca State, at least 45 people were killed, including the 36 in here in Juchitán, a provincial city of 100,000.

"A total disaster," the mayor, Gloria Sánchez López, declared in a telephone interview in which she appealed for help. "Don't leave us alone."

President Enrique Peña Nieto flew to the region on Friday afternoon to assess the damage. And several leaders in Latin America and elsewhere offered assistance to Mexico, including the presidents of Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Spain.

Mexico is also facing the additional threat of Hurricane Katia, which is gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to make landfall in Veracruz State early Saturday.

"You can count on us," President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia said on Twitter.

Residents in Juchitán spent the morning using backhoes and their bare hands to dig through the wreckage of collapsed buildings and pull the injured, and the dead, from the rubble.

By early afternoon, the efforts had mostly turned from rescues to a cleanup operation, though the municipal secretary, Mr. Cruz, said that workers were still trying to claw through the mounds of debris left by the collapse of the city hall to reach one last victim, a police officer. Nobody knew if he was still alive.

"It is a nightmare we weren't prepared for," said a member of the City Council, Pamela Teran, in an interview with a local radio station. She estimated that 20 to 30 percent of the houses in the city were destroyed.

"A lot of people have lost everything, and it just breaks your heart," she added, bursting into tears.

With the hospital - the region's main medical center - destroyed, officials converted a grade school into a makeshift clinic and moved the hospital's patients and the hundreds of injured survivors there.

Local officials appealed to state and federal governments for aid to help with the recovery.

"It's impossible to resolve this catastrophe, to respond to something of this magnitude, by ourselves," Mr. Cruz said.

Aftershocks continued through the day Friday, unnerving the city's residents, many of whom spent much of the day out in the street rather than return to their homes, said Juan Antonio García, the director of the Juchitán news website Cortamortaja.

Reports of damage elsewhere in the region continued to emerge throughout the afternoon. In Union Hidalgo, just to the east of Juchitán, the mayor reported that about 500 houses had been destroyed.

Schools in at least 10 Mexican states and in Mexico City were closed on Friday as the president sought to determine the toll nationwide.

"We are assessing the damage, which will probably take hours, if not days," President Peña Nieto said in televised comments to the nation two hours after the quake.

Throughout the day Mexicans lined up at emergency collection centers around the country to donate food, water and other supplies for delivery to the earthquake victims.

Mexico is situated near the colliding boundaries of several sections of the earth's crust.

The quake on Thursday was more powerful than the one in 1985 that flattened or seriously damaged thousands of buildings in Mexico City.

While this week's quake struck nearly 450 miles from the capital, off the coast of Chiapas State, the one in 1985 was much closer to the capital, so the shaking proved much more deadly.

After the 1985 disaster, construction codes were reviewed and stiffened. Today, Mexico's construction laws are considered as strict as those in the United States or Japan.

Patients in a clinic in Puebla, Mexico, were taken outside after the quake. Credit Imelda Medina/Reuters

Though many Mexicans have grown accustomed to earthquakes, taking them as an immutable fact of life, Thursday's left an impression on residents of the capital for both its force and duration.

"The scariest part of it all is that if you are an adult, and you've lived in this city your adult life, you remember 1985 very vividly," said Alberto Briseño, a 58-year-old bar manager. "This felt as strong and as bad."

"Now we will do what us Mexicans do so well: Take the bitter taste of this night and move on," he added.

The quake occurred near the Middle America Trench, a zone in the eastern Pacific where one slab of the earth's crust, called the Cocos Plate, is sliding under another, the North American, in a process called subduction.

The movement is very slow - about three inches a year - and over time stress builds because of friction between the slabs. At some point, the strain becomes so great that the rock breaks and slips along a fault. This releases vast amounts of energy and, if the slip occurs under the ocean, can move a lot of water suddenly, causing a tsunami.

Subduction zones ring the Pacific Ocean and are also found in other regions. They are responsible for the world's largest earthquakes and most devastating tsunamis.

The magnitude-9 earthquake off Japan in 2011, which led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the magnitude-9.1 quake in Indonesia in 2004, which spawned tsunamis that killed a quarter of a million people around the Indian Ocean, are recent examples.

Those quakes each released about 30 times as much energy as the one in Mexico.

Mexico's government issued a tsunami warning off the coast of Oaxaca and Chiapas after Thursday's quake, but neither state appeared to have been adversely affected by waves.

In Guatemala, the military was out Friday morning assessing the damage, found mainly in the western part of the country.

In Huehuetenango, bricks and glass were strewn on the ground as walls in the city collapsed. Quetzaltenango, Guatemala's second-largest city, which was beginning to recover from a tremor in June, had more damage to its historic center.

Paulina Villegas reported from Juchitán de Zaragoza, and Elisabeth Malkin and Kirk Semple from Mexico City. Reporting was contributed by Azam Ahmed from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Paulina Chavira, Marina Franco, Natalia Gutiérrez Ávila, Michel Vega and Joel Petterson from Mexico City; Henry Fountain from Bonita Springs, Fla.; and Nic Wirtz from Antigua, Guatemala.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Strongest Quake to Shake Mexico in a Century Leaves Dozens Dead. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Mexico Earthquake, Strongest in a Century, Kills Dozens

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JUCHITÁN DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico - Thousands of homes in this city were severely damaged. Half of the 19th-century city hall, with its 30 arches, collapsed. The main hospital here was so devastated that staff members evacuated patients to an empty lot and worked by the light of their cellphones.

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The mission of Women's March is to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change.

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national aeronautics and space administration

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Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of totality can see one of nature's most awe inspiring sights - a total solar eclipse.

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The gunman recently bought several weapons.

Christopher Sullivan, general manager of Guns & Guitars, a gun shop in Mesquite, Nev., said he was awakened at 4 a.m. Monday by a telephone call from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which was tracing Mr. Paddock's guns.

Mr. Sullivan confirmed that Mr. Paddock had bought three guns at his shop - a handgun and two rifles - within the last year. All the purchases were legal and cleared routine federal screening, Mr. Sullivan said.

"The man does not have a criminal history," Mr. Sullivan said of Mr. Paddock.

Mr. Sullivan, who said he had also been contacted by the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, would not provide detailed descriptions of the guns. "We have cooperated with local and federal authorities," he said.

He described Mr. Paddock as seeming like "a normal fellow, a normal guy - nothing out of the ordinary."

"As for what goes on in a person's mind, I couldn't tell you," Mr. Sullivan said. "I know nothing about him personally."

How did the shooting unfold?

The first reports of the shooting came at 10:08 p.m. local time. Officers were overheard on police radio channels reporting that they were pinned down by gunfire. Shortly before midnight, the Las Vegas p olice reported that "one suspect is down," and soon after, the police said they did not believe there were any more active gunmen.

The Route 91 Harvest Festival bills itself as "three days of country music on the Vegas Strip," and Sunday night's performance was the last of the festival. The site of the concert, the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds, operated by MGM Resorts, sprawls over 15 acres and has a capacity of 40,000 people. The festival's website said this year's three-day concert was sold out.

Tenaja Floyd of Boise, Idaho, said many of the people around her in the concert crowd thought at first that the sounds came from fireworks, but "I knew immediately, that wasn't fireworks." She said her mother, Jennifer, threw her to the ground and lay on top of her to protect her. As people started running out of the venue, she said, they thought they might be trampled, so they decided to join the rush to leave.

Video of the shooting captured nine seconds of continuous rapid fire, followed by 37 seconds of silence from the weapon and panicked screaming from the crowd. Gunfire then erupted again in at least two more bursts, both shorter than the first.

In the confusion after the shooting, the police also descended on the Ali Baba Restaurant, about a 10-minute drive from the Mandalay Bay, and investigated reports of a shooting at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, not far from the concert ground.

The police reported clearing out the Mandalay Bay's 29th floor and then working their way up to the 32nd floor. A police Twitter post described reports of an "active shooter" near or around the Mandalay Bay casino.

SWAT units swarmed the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay, closing in on the source of the shooting, a room on the 32nd floor where they found the gunman with "in excess of 10 rifles," the sheriff said. "We believe the individual killed himself prior to our entry."

Video from the shooting showed Mr. Aldean, the final performer of the night, running off the stage as the gunfire erupted.

Jake Owen, a country singer who was on stage with Mr. Aldean when the shooting began, told CNN on Monday that it was like "shooting fish in a barrel from where he was."

"This is not an exaggeration: This shooting was going on for at least 10 minutes," he added. "It was nonstop."

Harrowing video of mass shooting during @Jason_Aldean set of #Route91Harvest Festival in #LasVegas. #MandalayBay pic.twitter.com/gaXgDBbZKV
- Evan Schreiber (@SchreiberEvan) Oct. 2, 2017

Concertgoers described hearing round after round of gunfire. "Everyone was running, you could see people getting shot," Gail Davis, one of the witnesses, said. "I've never been that scared in my life," she added. "To have this happen, I can't wrap my mind around it."

The president calls the shooting 'an act of pure evil.'

Speaking at the White House, President Trump called the shooting " an act of pure evil, " ordered flags flown at half-staff, and said he would travel to Las Vegas on Wednesday.

"The F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security are working closely with local authorities to assist in the investigation," Mr. Trump said, and he praised the performance of the Las Vegas police. "The speed with which they reacted was miraculous and prevented further loss of life."

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murders  attempted murders and homicides

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Las Vegas Shooting Live Updates: Gunman Kills at Least 58

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The gunman recently bought several weapons. Christopher Sullivan, general manager of Guns & Guitars, a gun shop in Mesquite, Nev., said he was awakened at 4 a.m. Monday by a telephone call from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which was tracing Mr. Paddock's guns.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/01/daca-undocumented-immigrants-protections/624678001/

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/09/23/harvey-irma-maria-why-is-this-hurricane-season-so-bad/?utm_term=.dc191e976248

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Charlottesville Racial Protests