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Jalen Richard, a running back for the Oakland Raiders, looks back to his hometown to spark hope in a city full of crime. The crime rate is 105.2 per 1000 residents, and is the 3rd most dangerous city. His hometown, Alexandria, is ahead of Detroit and St. Louis on the list for the most dangerous cities in the nation. Richard says he knew many of the gang members in the Triple M Murder Team that were arrested in April last year. So kids in his hometown don't have to go what he went through he is planning on starting his own camp, and family weekends where kids can safely hangout. For kids that get good grades, he'll drive them to Six Flags and other "vacations" as a reward. He believes now that his mission is to keep future kids from getting behind bars like so many of his buddies are now.

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NAPA, Calif. - This is not the slogan Roger Goodell wants your son to hear and, no, NFL Network will not be airing such blasphemy any time soon.

But these words are a painful truth, and no rule change, no nonsensical filibustering from the commish can change it. Jalen Richard has lived it.

Football, the Raiders running back proclaims, "is a legal fight."

"You can go out there," Richard says, "and basically whup somebody's ass and not go to jail for it. It's a legal-ass fight."

Then the 23-year-old details all of his ass whuppings. The torn ACL that robbed him of his senior year in high school. The torn thumb ligament his sophomore year at Southern Miss that sidelined him for a month. The torn labrum. The two meniscus surgeries on his right knee. The one meniscus surgery on his left. The separated AC joint he played through during his final year in college.

The concussion in high school that knocked him unconscious. The two minor concussions he had in college. The many more he'll have in the pros.

And, oh, his Harvey Dent moment. While facing Middle Tennessee as a sophomore, Richard's helmet slipped off mid-tackle, and his face violently crashed into the turf. He spit up blood and couldn't feel his face. When Richard looked at a Southern Miss trainer, the trainer shot back a horrified glare.

"Holy s--t," he told Richard. "We've got to go."

Richard's gums had split wide open. They were completely flapped over. The trainer could see Richard's teeth right down to their roots.

More whuppings are coming, too-he's sure of it.

This is a sport perpetually (and justifiably) under attack. Your limbs twist at angles they were never intended to twist. Your joints bend. Your bones break. Your brain rattles in your skull, bruising and potentially changing who you inherently are. The facts keep getting worse. A July study revealed CTE in the brains of 110 of 111 retired NFL players. As intel grows and grows, the risk of playing football will continue to gain ground on the reward.

No wonder the words "Play Football" are painted on NFL fields instead of "Legal-Ass Fight."

In spite of the mounting evidence, the reward will forever overwhelm any risk for Richard. He is a living, breathing, ankle-breaking reminder of the good that a flawed game brings. And he knows the reward can spread far beyond his own life.

Underneath the shade of the Raiders' outdoor weight room in training camp, he speaks like he runs. Quickly. With purpose. He's playing for something bigger than his own health. Something bigger than him entirely.

His city. Alexandria, Louisiana.

Richard plans on changing lives in this poverty-stricken, gang-infested pit of hopelessness.

All along, the thought has been on his mind. Maybe, just maybe, he could serve as a symbol of hope for one of the country's darkest cities. Then, on his first NFL carry in New Orleans last season, Richard shimmied through the line, hit the accelerator, exploded upfield for a 75-yard touchdown and was overcome with an instant epiphany.

His parents were sitting in the left corner of the stands. He knew this game was being televised three hours away in Alexandria.

At this precise moment, it hit him: Richard will create change.

So many athletes hail from troubled neighborhoods, never to step a foot in that neighborhood again. Richard is different.

"I'm really trying," he says, "to put the city on my back."

He has a plan, too.

When Richard brought his little brother and cousin out to the West Coast, they couldn't stop asking questions in his car.
There are houses...on hills? Is that water...blue water? Not bayou water? Is that a...beach?
That's because the best way to describe Alexandria, he explains, is that it's a "force field." Rarely can anyone escape this bio-dome of gangs, drugs, jail and death. Alexandria isn't that large of a city, with only 47,889 residents, but it is one of the deadliest. With a crime rate of 105.12 per 1,000 residents, per Neighborhood Scout, it is the third-most dangerous city in the nation. Ahead of Detroit. Ahead of St. Louis.

Richard has genuine sympathy for his peers because so many are "good people" for whom drug dealing and gangs are the only means of survival, he says. They have zero alternative. The result is a city he describes as a borderline war zone in which bullets fly over drugs, women and territory. If you're from one street and cross over to another street, you may be confronted.

Retaliation is common, too. Unless you up and leave the city, Richard explains, you're prey.

"There's guys I played football with in high school dead," Richard says. "It's crazy. It's like all the people we grew up with are killing each other. ... Everybody knows where everybody lives. If you make somebody mad or do something that somebody doesn't like, where are you going to go? They're going to catch you eventually. They're going to see you going down the road or peeking out of your car.

"Coming from that environment, man, it's different."

Where does Richard even begin? He could go on for hours.

Take the "Triple M Murder Team" gang that was arrested in April 2016 for more than 50 crimes dating back to 2010-crimes that ranged from criminal racketeering to attempted first-degree murder. Ten were initially arrested, with warrants out for four others, and Richard knew so many of them.

They weren't names; they were high school classmates.

He vividly remembers being in the streets with a few who'd sense trouble brewing and nudge him to say, "J, you need to go home."

To this day, some in that group have reached out to Richard from prison.

It didn't have to be this way, either. One of his friends from that gang who was arrested, Tyrin Boyd, was one of the best basketball players Richard ever saw live.

So many of his family members-in Alexandria and Baton Rouge-are locked up. One cousin is doing a life sentence for a rape charge.

"They locked him up when I was in high school," Richard says. "There was some discrepancy because he said he didn't do it."

One cousin recently got out on an attempted murder charge. "He was with somebody, walked up on somebody and, from what I know, shot him in the head."

One more cousin is locked up on a crime Richard cannot remember. They blur together.

His grandfather's brother was recently released from prison after about 20 years. He stole a car that had a baby in the back seat.

Another kid Richard went to school with was shot in the back of the head at the city park by 15-year-olds for no reason whatsoever, as far as Richard knows.

Then there's his friend, Tru. Richard and Tru were especially tight. They used to smoke weed together in the morning before high school. Tru (like so many others) sold weed in the streets to get by. He was also an athlete at Peabody High and used to dream of NFL glory with Richard.

Unlike Richard, who earned a scholarship to Southern Miss, Tru wasn't able to bust out of the force field. And not too long ago, he nearly died.

In the wrong part of town, he was fresh meat. Strangers spotted him on the street and tried to rob him. Rather than concede, he ran to his car, slammed the door and turned the ignition as they fired a round of shots at his vehicle. He caught three bullets in all-one in his foot, one in his calf, one in his hamstring-but he lived. He was on crutches for a while. From what Richard heard, Tru is out of the game and looking for a 9-to-5. But he's also heard Tru is traumatized from nearly losing his life.

" I need to check up on him," Richard thinks aloud. "He's a little paranoid. You get shot three times? You know what I'm saying?"

He pauses.

"I really feel like people don't know how we're living in the South."

Richard remembers the eerie silence before something "pops off." He's taken off in all-out sprints to the buzzing of bullets. He's learned that if he's at a club, he better leave by 1:30 a.m. because "somebody's going to get into it." He's fully aware that he could catch a bullet just like anybody else.

So, why would he want anything to do with Alexandria? Every touchdown, every camera zoom-in on national TV could put a target on his back. If random gang members would jump Tru, they damn sure could hold a gun to Richard's temple.

But to him, the answer is simple. He can't live with another entire generation of kids entering this way of life.

He knows the precious steps that led him here, the landmines he tiptoed around.

Like the time he considered selling drugs. In need of money-and too prideful to ask his parents for dough-Richard gave a friend money to buy marijuana to sell to keep his own hands clean. But the friend wouldn't let him do it.

Or the time he wanted to go a Nike football camp and stood on a corner near Peabody High asking for donations. When Richard asked managers at local businesses, they'd shout "Get the f--k out!" and wouldn't let him leave fliers behind.

Or the many times a friend would tap him on the hip with a pistol as a warning to leave, ASAP, because something was about to go down.

"Life is a game of choices," Richard says. "I knew football was my way out."

So his heart broke during one conversation with a local principal. Teachers, he was told, recently asked fourth-graders where they'd go if they could travel anywhere in the world. The answers hurt. The South Side! North Side! The Quarters! Lower Third!

They didn't realize a life existed outside of these streets.

Like their parents. And their parents' parents.

"It's so poverty-stricken," Richard says, "that people have nowhere to go and they're not motivated."

It's Richard's destiny to create that motivation.

When Richard was seven years old, maybe eight, his dad took him for a drive through his old neighborhood in Alexandria. It wasn't the best area, nor the worst, but it devoured talent just the same.

Look, James Richard told young Jalen. See that guy right there?

A 6'7" man stood on a corner.
That guy right there was one of the best basketball players in the whole state. He should be in the NBA. But there he is, standing on a corner.
Moments like this resonated to Jalen Richard.

He'd be different. He'd fight through any slight, any injury, any defeat, because he knew doing so could eventually help him erase doom in Alexandria. Maybe he could never physically see that light at the end of the tunnel-which today is pristine Napa, the site of Raiders training camp-but Richard could absolutely imagine it.

"I just thought it in my head," he says.

So at 6 a.m. on Saturdays, he was on a field with his dad pulling a sled, running cones, toe-tapping through a ladder.

He volunteered at a soup kitchen. He earned about 20 hours of college credit before setting a foot on a college campus.

Each morning, Richard even helped his dad get dressed. When James Richard was a kid, he needed hip surgery to stunt his growth. As those artificial hips wore down, he needed Jalen to put on his socks and shoes. All along, Richard told Dad he'd play Division I football.

"He's ready to take over the world," James says today. "That's the mentality he's always had."

Always cutting, juking, reversing direction and evading trouble, Richard's running style became a reflection of his life.

There's no thinking. Only reaction.

"My body just kind of does," Richard says. "So sometimes, I make a cut that might not be traditional for my body."

Hence, the collateral damage: his body. After buckling a knee at Ole Miss' football camp before his senior year of high school-a non-contact injury while running through bags-all of the D-I powerhouses interested in Richard backed off. Ole Miss, LSU and Arizona all moved on. But, hey, so what? Richard returned for track his senior year, proved his speed wasn't gone and headed to Southern Miss.

Of course, his team then went 0-12 and 1-11 and, geez, he didn't even play in that lone win.

When Richard shredded his gums, the doctor couldn't numb or sedate him, so the pain was excruciating. And once his gums were sewed up, he couldn't eat for a week. Richard was put on a Smoothie King plan. He couldn't speak, either. Richard mumbled.

But ironically, the greatest obstacle wasn't an injury.

Before his senior year at Southern Miss-his last chance to make this sport his profession, his last chance to save Alexandria-Richard was kicked off the team. Pledging for a fraternity, he kept dozing off in class and was impossible to miss in the first row. Richard failed his first test and, looking to make a statement, then-head coach Todd Monken gave him the boot.

Instead of getting reps in spring as the No. 1, Richard was working with a strength coach at the school's rec center.

He admits he gave up on the NFL "for a second."

Richard went on to finish with a B in that class, was back on the field in the fall, and who cares that his shoulder was throbbing? This was his chance, and he knew it. What started as a sprain became a separated AC joint, and Richard rushed for 1,098 yards and 14 touchdowns regardless. When the Raiders offered him a rookie tryout with a flight in and a flight out booked, one thought consumed Richard: "Make them keep me."

He did. He gritted through a knee scope that preseason. He took Kam Chancellor's best shot.

He took off on that 75-yard run in New Orleans.

No injury ever weakened Richard.

"It's almost like you get broken," he says, "to make you stronger."

No, Richard cannot wave a magic wand and morph Alexandria into utopia, but he can plant new thoughts inside the minds of those fourth-graders.

After his breakout rookie season, Richard did a lot of thinking. He has specific plans.

He'll start his own camp, for one, so no kids have to beg on the streets for money. He'll hold a "family weekend" in the city park, the same park where one of his friends was shot in the head, where kids can eat BBQ and burgers. He'll orchestrate a period of the day that demands zero violence in the entire city. He'll drive kids to Six Flags, to New Orleans, to Miami as a reward for good grades so they can see a world outside the force field.

Throughout August, Richard often spoke with Marshawn Lynch about how to implement ideas into action.

"I have to put a lot of this in motion," Richard says. "But everything is about to be put in motion. Right now, I'll focus on football and have fun. Somebody in my position could feel the weight of that, but I love playing football.

"I know what I'm able to do with it."

Because Richard also realizes that before he does anything at all, people need to know who he is. He needs to inspire on Sundays before returning next offseason and inspiring in person.

He must detonate on the field. And he plans on doing precisely that.

The clock read 11:30 p.m. inside his trainer's San Diego condo. Richard should've been fast asleep, or at least sprawled out like a manatee after another grueling three-a-day.

But as Kyle Jakobe walked down a hallway, he heard a noise inside the guest bedroom.

Richard wasn't asleep. He had plugged in the TV Jakobe never used and hooked it up to the internet. Wide awake, he was watching highlights of the greatest running backs ever. Emmitt. Barry. Faulk. Sweetness. His enthusiasm was bursting. He couldn't get enough.

Watch this, Kyle! he yelled. Look at how he drops his weight!

"How many guys are doing that, man?" Jakobe says. "I'm sitting there thinking that 70 percent of the league is out at a club about six bottles deep partying their faces off, and this dude is sitting in my condo. He doesn't have a bed to sleep in, sleeping on my sofa, training four hours a day, watching videos of freakin' Marshall Faulk until 1 in the morning."

This is the norm, too. Whenever the two catch an Uber anywhere, Richard is studying Hall of Famers.

So now comes the hard part in Operation: Alexandria. Bringing it on the field.

Richard introduced himself to the world last year in bursts. His 5.9 yards per carry led all running backs with at least 80 carries. But to install real, palpable hope in his city, he must do more. He must star.

On the walls of wherever they trained all offseason-Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, San Diego-Jakobe wrote "1,500 or Bust." A total of 1,500 rushing and receiving yards is 100 percent realistic to them.

Jakobe trained ex-Ravens back Ray Rice extensively and believes Richard can have the same production. Rice told Richard he reminds him of himself as a back.

Except Richard is armed with more explosion.

"Jalen is a ticking time bomb every time he touches the ball," Jakobe says. "Anything can happen. There's three, maybe four, running backs in the league you can even say that about. I think there's a handful of receivers you can say that about. That puts you in a class of 15-20 guys in the league where you're like, 'Any play, anything can happen.' While he may not have the recognition those other guys have yet, he will.

"It is not a matter of if that is going to happen. It's when and how often? That guy is going to blow up."

He studies the game, Jakobe adds, to the point of "insanity."

Richard doesn't lack confidence, either. He compares himself to Brian Westbrook.

"I consider myself one of the backs in the league who can do everything," he says. "I can run between the tackles. I can make people miss. I can do things in the slot. On top of that, I can return. How many running backs can do that effectively?"

Richard has a sixth sense to him. He knows how a play will unfold-where linemen will block, where linebackers will step-before the ball is snapped.

And when he's not watching those old video clips, he's in the ear of Jakobe, of Dad, of anyone who'll listen about Alexandria. Richard gets emotional and explains to Jakobe that he's not even one of the 10 best football players in his own city.

"There were dudes," he tells Jakobe, "straight up better than me."

Corner to corner, talent dissolves. Talent dies off. Talent rots in prison. And since Richard is here, he tells everyone it's his duty to "create change...to give them a path out."

He's never afraid to see old friends back home. He says that locals always knew he was never into dealing or gangs, so he's left alone.

Still, the sights are depressing. Just as Dad pointed at that 6'7" guy on the curb, Richard spots what-could-have-beens everywhere.

"There are people who were better than me in football in the city," he says, "doing nothing."

He can't undo the mistakes of his generation or the generations before it, but he can guide the next generation. As he walks off the practice field, Richard stops and looks ahead.

The legal fight now begins.

There's so much wrong with football. As long as it's a contact sport, the concussion crisis will rage. Nobody knows what the NFL will resemble a decade from now. But this sport, Richard knows, can change lives.

He'll tear his gums open. He'll get knocked out. Whatever. Any sacrifice is worth knowing he's broadcasting a better life to everyone in Alexandria.

He still gets phone calls from old friends locked away in prison. His mission now is to prevent future kids from ending up behind bars.

They don't need to play football. They just need to know there's life outside of Alexandria. Once that reality, that hope grows, life is bound to improve for all in his city.

He smiles.

"Now I see it," he says. "I'm supposed to be here. For me and for the city."
Tyler Dunne covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: .

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Saving Alexandria: For Jalen Richard, NFL Stardom Is a Means to the Ultimate End

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NAPA, Calif. - This is not the slogan Roger Goodell wants your son to hear and, no, NFL Network will not be airing such blasphemy any time soon. But these words are a painful truth, and no rule change, no nonsensical filibustering from the commish can change it.

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In the suburbs of Paris 2 people where detained after an expected explosive lab was discovered. The investigation is still undergo and anonymous is in place.

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Raina Nash-  Trump has recently made a decision to end daca which is a program that help immigrants go to school and get work. There has been many speeches and petitions to try and save DACA. #SAVEDACA 

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Raina Nash-  Trump has recently made a decision to end daca which is a program that help immigrants go to school and get work. There has been many speeches and petitions to try and save DACA. #SAVEDACA 

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Trump’s DACA decision triggers anguish, political firestorm | CNN Politics

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President Donald Trump prompted anguish for 800,000 people brought illegally to the US as children by deciding to end a program shielding them from deportation on Tuesday.

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ancient roman city found underwater - cnn video

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Ancient Roman city found underwater - CNN Video

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Part of a Roman city that experts believe was submerged in the 4th century has been found off the coast of northeastern Tunisia

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A 9-year old boy went into cardiac arrest after taking a bite too big from his hot dog. The cause of the incident wasn't choking though. The hot dog triggered his vagus nerve, which caused an abnormal heart rhythm which stopped his heart. The boy was resuscitated and an EKG revealed that the boy has a condition called Brugada syndrome.

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Boy whose heart stopped after bite of hot dog found to have rare condition | CNN

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Doctors describe the strange case of a 9-year-old boy whose heart stopped after he took a bite of a hot dog. The cause: Brugada syndrome.

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A 1.4-tonne WWII bomb that was discovered by a construction crew in Frankfurt, Germany, has been deactivated, according to police.

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000 told to evacuate after wwii bomb found - cnn video

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60,000 told to evacuate after WWII bomb found - CNN Video

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A construction crew in Frankfurt uncovered a 1.4-ton WWII bomb, leading police to call for the evacuation of over 60,000 people.

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Not using your gym membership is 1 out of 5 ways people are losing money. People don't realize how little things like wasting food and retirement-plan fees could make them lose a good amount of money.

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We all work hard for our money, so the last thing we want to do is throw any of it away. Yet a surprising number of us are kissing countless dollars goodbye due to ignorance or poor spending habits.

Here are a few common sources of wasted money many of us inevitably fall victim to.

1. Unused gym memberships

Countless Americans are drawn to the gym, particularly around the new year. But that resolution to finally trim down or bulk up might not only mess with your brain, but also your wallet.

While gym prices can vary depending on the type of facility you join, there's a good chance you'll end up throwing your money away on that membership. Gyms, after all, only anticipate that 18% of members will actually use them consistently, so if you're paying $50 a month for a gym that you use a handful of times a year, at best, you're essentially wasting $600 a year.

Before you sign up for a gym membership, think about how often you'll actually use it and whether there's a low-cost (or better yet, free) alternative. If you own a bike, for example, riding it to work will serve as a form of exercise and, as an added bonus, save you some money on your commute.

And if you're already paying a monthly fee to a gym you're rarely utilizing and you're not locked into a contract, cancel that membership, or inquire about purchasing daily passes at a fraction of your monthly cost. This way, you'll only pay for the services you're actually using.

2. Wasted food

Whether it's excess produce from the local market or that bulk jar of cashews you were convinced you'd consume before its expiration date, wasting food has become such a common occurrence that many folks don't realize the extent to which they're doing it. It may therefore surprise you to learn that the average U.S. household throws out $640 of food each year, according to the American Chemistry Council.

If you'd rather not toss all that food and money down the drain, make a point of creating weekly grocery lists before you hit the supermarket, and do a regular fridge, freezer, and pantry inventory to see what you already have lying around. Also, be careful when buying in bulk. Even shelf-stable items don't last forever, so limit those mass quantities to items you know you consistently use.

3. Overspending on restaurant meals

It's one thing to enjoy the occasional meal out, but if you're not careful, eating at restaurants too often could result in a serious waste of money. In 2015, the average American household spent a total of $3,008 dollars on food away from home, or so reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But since food establishments typically charge a 300% markup on the items they serve, for every $3,000 you spend, you're paying $2,000 extra compared to what those same meals would cost you to make at home.

If you're currently throwing away loads of money on restaurants and takeout, consider scaling back, especially if you're struggling to save, or have other pressing financial goals to meet. You don't need to go cold turkey, but if you cut your three typical restaurant meals a week down to two, you'll avoid wasting hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

4. Retirement-plan fees

If you're saving for retirement in an IRA or 401(k), you're doing a smart thing for your future. But there's a drawback to these plans -- particularly the latter -- and it's the fees that come along with them. In fact, a whopping 92% of Americans don't even know how much money they're losing each year to 401(k) fees, according to a recent NerdWallet study.

What many savers may not realize is that not all investments are created equal, and some are costlier than others. But if you're not careful, you could end up losing thousands of dollars in your lifetime to fees alone. Believe it or not, the average American worker who begins earning a median salary at age 25 will lose a total of $138,336 to 401(k) fees alone. To avoid falling victim to that same trap, pay attention to your investments and opt for lower-cost options, like exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as opposed to actively managed mutual funds.

5. Sluggish investment growth

Just as it's essential to limit your investment fees, so, too, is it critical to put your money into vehicles that are likely to generate growth. It's estimated that 60% of Americans wind up investing too conservatively for retirement and, as such, lose out on sizable gains.

Imagine you're able to set aside $300 a month for retirement starting at age 25, with the goal of retiring 40 years later. Here's what your total might look like based on the investment strategy you adopt:

In the above scenario, limiting yourself to safer, low-yield investments could cause your nest egg to fall up to $715,000 short. Yikes!

On the other hand, if you're willing to sink the bulk of your portfolio into stocks, which is a reasonable risk to take on if you start saving in your 20s, you stand a good chance of bringing in an average yearly 8% return, which is just below the market's average. And that could work wonders for your nest egg.

Related links:

* Motley Fool Issues Rare Triple-Buy Alert

* This Stock Could Be Like Buying Amazon in 1997

* 7 of 8 People Are Clueless About This Trillion-Dollar Market

Nobody wants to lose money for no good reason. Be aware of these cash-zapping traps, and steer clear of them at all costs. Your finances depend on it.

CNNMoney (New York) First published September 5, 2017: 8:37 AM ET

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5 ways you're losing money without even realizing it

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Here are a few common sources of wasted money many of us inevitably fall victim to. 1. Unused gym memberships Countless Americans are drawn to the gym, particularly around the new year. But that resolution to finally trim down or bulk up might not only mess with your brain, but also your wallet.

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Florida theme parks prepping for irma

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hurricane irma's path: live updates - cnn

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Irma is moving through the Caribbean as a powerful Category 5 hurricane. Follow here for live updates.

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Richard Branson to ride out Hurricane Irma in win

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A cat that's fed up with the hurricane was photographed swimming through floodwaters in Houston, Texas on August 30th. This cat was shared more than 65,000 times on different social media. "All the photos I've seen of dogs and horses escaping the flooding, they look terrified. This cat just looks pissed - like he's going to write a sternly worded letter to his city councilor when he gets home".

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Headlines

This severely pissed-off cat is definitely over Hurricane Harvey.

The fed-up feline was photographed swimming through dirty floodwaters in Houston, Texas, by Getty photographer Scott Olson, and he's giving better side-eye than most humans.

The image, which was captured Aug. 30, has since gone viral, with many commenting on the cat's resilience in the face of the storm. It's been shared more than 65,000 times.

"All the photos I've seen of dogs and horses escaping the flooding, they look terrified. This cat just looks pissed - like he's going to write a sternly worded letter to his city councilor when he gets home," wrote Laura Mullane, who posted the photo to Facebook.

The animal was quickly made into a meme on Twitter.

"Climate change is a hoax." pic.twitter.com/t66UshzUOe
- Laurie Scott (@LaurieTheScott) September 3, 2017

Others seemed impressed with its attitude.

Badassery at its finest...if looks could kill.. #HarveyCat ❤ pic.twitter.com/EPgXEjwfIb
- Johnny♡ (@Mr_Johnny_E) September 4, 2017

Luckily, the animal's anger fueled its determination and it is now safe. Another photo taken by Olson showed the cat perched on top of a car.

Share Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter

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Pissed-Off Cat Swims Through Hurricane Harvey Waters And Wins Over The Internet

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Headlines This severely pissed-off cat is definitely over Hurricane Harvey. The fed-up feline was photographed swimming through dirty floodwaters in Houston, Texas, by Getty photographer Scott Olson, and he's giving better side-eye than most humans. The image, which was captured Aug. 30, has since gone viral, with many commenting on the cat's resilience in the face of the storm.

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DACA MAKES UP OUR ECONOMY: As we all know recent president Donald Trump plans on getting rid of Daca, a program made by past president Barack Obama to protect illegal immigrant children from being deported, allowing them to get jobs and go to school. As President Trump on taking the risk of deporting 800,000 DACA "dreamers", business experts are saying that when this occurs our economy will take $280B hit and $60 billion dollar loss in tax revenue. Since he is deporting some of the tax payers.

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American employers say they are missing one key ingredient these days: Workers.

Finding qualified and available candidates is a major challenge for companies. Some have cut back on hiring as a result.

Many businesses -- from farmers to Facebook -- plug the gap with some of the 27 million foreign-born workers living in the United States.

President Trump's decision to repeal DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, risks the deportation of roughly 800,000 young adults who were born outside the United States but have lived in the country for a decade.

Experts say repealing DACA would worsen the shortage of workers in the United States.

"Getting rid of DACA reduces the number of skilled workers and a lot of industries are facing worker shortages," says Ike Brannon, a visiting fellow at the Cato Institute, a conservative research group. "To push this now is really an inopportune time."

Related: Study: Trump's DACA decision could cost thousands of jobs

Brannon estimates that repealing DACA would also hit the U.S. government by deporting taxpayers. He forecasts a potential $60 billion loss in tax revenue to the federal government and $280 billion hit to economic growth over 10 years.

Worker shortages are a big deal across the country. Tech companies in New York can't find software developers. Construction firms in Virginia can't find skilled builders. Tourism businesses in Minnesota are struggling to find new employees. Trucking companies in Kansas are short on drivers. And California farmers need more field workers, according to the Federal Reserve's most recent survey of businesses across the country.

Consider this: 87% of small business employers hiring or trying to hire in July reported few or no qualified applicants, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, a research and advocacy group.

Finding workers is the biggest problem in construction and manufacturing, industries at the core of Trump's base, NFIB data shows.

Related: These men and women will be out of work if Trump repeals DACA

The 800,000 people using DACA help to fill the hole. More than 75% of them are employed, and their average wage is over $17 an hour, according to the National Immigration Law Center, a left-leaning group. Their median age is 22, meaning most are prime for careers, jobs and incomes for the foreseeable future.

DACA permit holders are a part of the formal job market, meaning they pay local, state and federal taxes when they get pay checks, instead of being paid under the table. They must pass criminal background checks and pay application fees to apply.

Fewer workers also means smaller profits for some businesses.

Farmers in central coastal California reported losing $13 million in unpicked strawberries, leafy greens and other crops due to workers shortages last year, according to the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. The association says it's the fifth straight year farmers in the region have struggled to find enough workers.

"Our members have consistently seen increases in the losses of gross revenue due to the ongoing labor shortage," Claire Wineman, president of the association, told CNNMoney in August.

CNNMoney (New York) First published September 5, 2017: 12:23 PM ET

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Ending DACA hits U.S. economy where it hurts

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Finding qualified and available candidates is a major challenge for companies. Some have cut back on hiring as a result. Many businesses -- from farmers to Facebook -- plug the gap with some of the 27 million foreign-born workers living in the United States.

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New Michael Jackson album is being released this fall.

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Days after Jackson's official Twitter account sent out a teaser, Sony Music confirmed on Wednesday the album's upcoming release, saying that "Michael Jackson SCREAM" is "a collection of 13 of his all-time most electrifying and danceable tracks including 'Ghosts,' 'Torture,' 'Thriller,' and 'Dirty Diana.'"

The highlight of the album is "Blood on The Dance Floor X Dangerous," a newly-created mash-up of five songs from remixer The White Panda. The bonus track premiered exclusively on Shazham, where fans could unlock the song for several hours on Wednesday.

It's no coincidence that the album is being released in the fall, just as Halloween is approaching.
"The choice of tracks for SCREAM reflects The King of Pop's affection for this time of the year and its themes of costumes and disguise, darkness and light, character transformations and surprise," the press release said.

In addition to streaming, the album will also be available in CD and glow-in-dark vinyl (which will be available October 27), each containing a poster unique to the format. The poster and cover art conceal the first ever augmented reality experience created for a Michael Jackson project.

Jackson's official Twitter account, @michaeljackson, tweeted out a 15-second-long video on Monday that featured black cats, full moons and other imagery commonly associated with Halloween. The teaser ended with the words "Michael Jackson Scream."

"Scream" is also the title of the hit 1995 duet by Jackson and his sister Janet, the video of which earned the Guinness Book of World Records title for most expensive music video with a reported price tag of $7 million.

There are also planed celebrations for the album to be held in Paris, London, Sydney, Berlin, Los Angeles, and Tokyo.

The events will include screenings of Jackson's seven short films from the new album, including the rarely seen full-length 40 minute "Michael Jackson's Ghosts."

The new album is being released by Epic/Legacy Records in collaboration with Jackson's estate.

The singer died in June 2009 from an overdose of the sedative propofol.

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new michael jackson album being released - cnn

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There's a new Michael Jackson album coming, just in time for Halloween

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Days after Jackson's official Twitter account sent out a teaser, Sony Music confirmed on Wednesday the album's upcoming release, saying that "Michael Jackson SCREAM" is "a collection of 13 of his all-time most electrifying and danceable tracks including 'Ghosts,' 'Torture,' 'Thriller,' and 'Dirty Diana.'" The highlight of the album is "Blood on The Dance Floor X Dangerous," a newly-created mash-up of five songs from remixer The White Panda.

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Vladmir Putin was questioned about his thoughts on the North Korea crisis, and he said that the situation "may be impossible so solve". This raised many questions on how the Russian leader will respond to North Korea's missile tests.

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Putin made the comments after meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

Moon had his own stark message about the situation on the Korean Peninsula: "If North Korea's provocation doesn't stop here, I think could fall into an uncontrollable situation."

Tensions over North Korea's nuclear program intensified this week after Pyongyang's boast Sunday that had it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on a missile.

During his Russia visit, Moon spoke warmly of his relationship with Putin, saying the two were "friendly" and shared the same aims. "Especially regarding the new East policy you are pursuing and the new defense policy I am pursuing, it makes me feel that we are dreaming the same dream," said Moon.

Russia has played a much more visible role in the North Korea crisis since the nuclear test.

John DeLury, a professor at Yonsei University in South Korea, says the meeting in Vladivostok is part of Putin's efforts to increase Russia's presence in East Asia.

"Because the Americans are sending mixed signals, Putin probably sees an opening to take the lead," he said.

While US Defense Secretary James Mattis warned of a " massive military response," US President Trump suggested a massive clampdown on trade with countries that do business with North Korea. That would include China.

Trump is scheduled to have his first conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping since the nuclear test at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday.

Putin was in China the day of the nuclear test and has already had an audience with the Chinese leader.

'No bright future'

On Thursday, Putin will hold separate talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who on Wednesday warned North Korea to reconsider its current path.

"We should make North Korea understand that it has ​no bright future if it continues its current path, and change its current policy. Japan and Russia will work together in the international society for that," Abe said in televised statement.

Japan's Defense Minister said Wednesday the explosive device detonated deep under a North Korean mountain Sunday had a yield of up to 160 kilotons. Previous estimates have ranged from 50 kilotons to 120 kilotons.

"It is far bigger than past (North Korean) nuclear tests," said Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera. "The fact that a nuclear bomb with a certain level of energy output has been developed, is a large threat not only for Japan but for the international society."

'Gift package for the US'

North Korea has shown no signs of changing its tone or ambitions.

At a Conference on Disarmament in Geneva Wednesday, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations called Sunday's nuclear test a "gift package" for the US -- and warned there would be more.

"The US will receive more gift packages from my country as long as it relies on reckless provocations and futile attempts to put pressure on the DPRK," Han Tae-song said, referring to the acronym for the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The most alarming aspect of North Korea's nuclear test is that it's developing the technology alongside efforts to improve the accuracy and payload of its long-range missiles.

North Korea claims its now has a nuclear warhead that's able to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile. Those missiles, successfully tested twice in July, have the ability to reach the US mainland, North Korea says.

Experts say the distance and trajectory achieved in recent missile tests show that North Korea's claims to be able to hit the US could be legitimate.

Either way, it's too dangerous to assume North Korea is bluffing.

US, China Presidents to speak

While it's not clear how -- and if -- the North Korea issue will be resolved, the US has flatly rejected a Chinese proposal, backed by Russia, for a suspension of hostilities on both sides.

Known as "freeze for freeze" the proposal calls for Pyongyang to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the US and South Korea suspending their joint military drills.

"The idea that some have suggested a so-called 'freeze for freeze' is insulting," US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Tuesday.

"When a rogue regime has a nuclear weapon and an ICBM pointed at you, you do not take steps to lower your guard. No one would do that. We certainly won't."

Daniel Pinkston, professor of International Relations at Troy University agrees the freeze-for-freeze deal doesn't make sense.

"I don't think it's an equitable exchange. On the one hand it's asking North Korea to freeze or do what it's already supposed to be doing under international law," Pinkston said.

"In terms of exercises, all militaries train and do exercises ... If the military does not train and they're not prepared ... South Korea will be more vulnerable. They'll be weak and they'll be more susceptible to North Korea exploiting that power. So I think that helps stabilize the situation," he said.

Xi has made few comments since Sunday's test, and all but ignored the issue in closing statements to the BRICS summit on Wednesday.

China has consistently called for an easing of tensions and has backed Russia's calls for talks.

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north korea tensions could spiral out of control

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Putin: North Korea crisis could be 'impossible' to solve

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Putin made the comments after meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia. Moon had his own stark message about the situation on the Korean Peninsula: "If North Korea's provocation doesn't stop here, I think could fall into an uncontrollable situation."

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Most models following hurricane Irma predict that the hurricane will hit Florida on Saturday and hit Miami on Sunday. Some models say that the hurricane will hug the east coast to as far as the Carolina's and make landfall there.

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But the various predictions -- dubbed the "spaghetti models" -- have differed on how the storm might move as it approaches the United States and where it could make landfall. Considering all the options can be a dizzying recipe for panic, particularly for those who live along the coast.

"All possibilities are still on the table for impacts to the US," CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said, citing prediction charts and models, including the Global Forecast System and the Euro.

"Most models show that the east coast of Florida is the most likely to be impacted, but the models could easily shift back farther west," Hennen said. "Some models (were) still showing a landfall on the west coast of Florida, others along the east coast, and others showing the storm hugging the east coast of Florida and making a landfall farther north in Georgia or the Carolinas."

And recent changes in just three models show how fast predictions can change.

On Tuesday, the Canadian model put Irma's track along the western coast of Florida; the European one set the storm on a course straight up the middle of the state; and the GFS aimed it up the east coast. By Wednesday, the European and the GFS models both tracked Irma up the eastern coast of Florida, and the Canadian model forecast it even further east.

'It is not an exact science'

Because of the variety among the models, the National Hurricane Center produces a cone graphic that covers a large territory over which the storm might affect the United States. It's designed to warn residents several days in advance of storm conditions so they can prepare or evacuate.

Owing to shifts in several models from Tuesday to Wednesday, "the forecast has become more uncertain after 72 hours due to large eastward shifts," the National Hurricane Center said.

Irma could take a track similar to Hurricane Matthew last year, skirting the Florida coast and making landfall in Georgia or the Carolinas on Monday afternoon or Tuesday night, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

"The forecast models are based off a ton of data that are thrown into equations," he said. "If that initialized data changes, the forecast might be able to change."

And he cautioned that early predictions can change.

"These models could still shift west again," Jones said. "That is the problem with forecasting. It is not an exact science."

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spaghetti models put hurricane irma near florida this weekend - cnn

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Florida could feel Irma's wrath this weekend

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But the various predictions -- dubbed the "spaghetti models" -- have differed on how the storm might move as it approaches the United States and where it could make landfall. Considering all the options can be a dizzying recipe for panic, particularly for those who live along the coast.

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A body was found in the waters of Brooklyn, NY. The was identified as a mob members son.

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Body found wrapped, tied to cinder block was mobster’s son, police say

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A body found in waters off Brooklyn, N.Y., has been identified as that of the son of a mobster, police say.

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She was only waist-deep when she said she could see a sword. I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing, but when I looked down I realized it was a sword. It was just there laying flat on the bottom of the lake.”

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The era of the shero is upon us. And no, this is not just the stuff of legends or Wonder Woman. In this day and age, women and girls can be whoever the heck they want to be, and that absolutely includes being the actual stuff of Arthurian legends. Case in point: 7-year-old Matilda Jones, whose family was vacationing in Cornwall, Britain when she pulled a 4-foot sword out of Dozmary Pool. According to legend, this is the same lake that King Arthur threw his sword, Excalibur, into before dying after being wounded in battle.

The best part is that Matilda's father had just been telling her the legend of Arthur when she saw the sword.

i for one welcome king arthur reborn pic.twitter.com/kp5je0PCoI
- lancelot (punished) (@gilgaymesh) September 4, 2017

According to Cosmopolitan, Paul Jones, Matilda's father, said,

"She was only waist-deep when she said she could see a sword. I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing, but when I looked down I realized it was a sword. It was just there laying flat on the bottom of the lake."

We meet the #Doncaster family who found a sword that looks a lot like King Arthur's Excalibur in Dozmary Pool in #Cornwall! pic.twitter.com/lHbF20IZmY
- BBC Georgey Tonight (@GeorgeyTonight) September 4, 2017

Although the piece itself doesn't seem particularly old - the theory is that it may have been part of a movie set - we can't help but think that there's something more to this occurrence than what meets the eye. It has to be significant that it was Matilda who saw it, right?

There's some magic in the air, and we're dying to know more.

The sword even looks like Excalibur, which really makes us think. Is Matilda the magical heroine we've been waiting for? Even if she isn't, we love that she reminds us that girls run the world.

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This 7-year-old girl pulled a massive sword out of a lake, with a King Arthur twist

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The era of the shero is upon us. And no, this is not just the stuff of legends or Wonder Woman. In this day and age, women and girls can be whoever the heck they want to be, and that absolutely includes being the actual stuff of Arthurian legends.

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A body was found in the waters off Brooklyn NY. The body was identified as a mob members son.

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Body found wrapped, tied to cinder block was mobster’s son, police say

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A body found in waters off Brooklyn, N.Y., has been identified as that of the son of a mobster, police say.

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Paying off student loans early could be a mistake. Student loan debt is not a high interest debt meaning that there are other debts that should be paid off before that.

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By the time you'd graduated from college, your student loans had likely reached a daunting amount. In fact, the average member of the class of 2016 had $37,172 in debt.

But as scary as the total may sound, rushing to pay off those debts is usually a bad move.

Good debt versus bad debt

Not all debt is bad debt. While experts offer differing opinions on exactly which types of debt should be considered good versus bad, everyone agrees that debt on something that will end up making you money in the long term is good debt. And by this strictest of definitions, student loans definitely qualify as good debt.

A 2013 study based on Labor Department statistics showed that Americans holding a four-year college degree made 98% more per hour on average than those without a degree. Clearly, that college education you just completed will end up making you far more money than you spent to get it. And "good debt" is typically a low priority to pay off, compared to other expenses you may be carrying.

Student loans are low interest debt

Different types of debt can vary widely in how much they cost the borrower. Credit card debt is typically the most expensive, with exorbitantly high interest rates and a remarkable array of fees.

Mortgage debt falls on the other end of the debt spectrum, with exceptionally low interest rates.

Student loans fall somewhere in between the two, but they're closer to mortgages than credit cards cost-wise, especially for federal student loans. The interest rate for undergraduate federal student loans disbursed in the latter half of 2017 is 4.45%; the rate for federal graduate student loans is 6%. Compare that to the average credit card APR of 15.59%, and you'll see that federal student loans are cheap indeed.

Private student loans can be another matter. As with most forms of credit, private student loan interest rates are based on your credit score: The higher your score when you get the loan, the lower your rate will be.

Of course, someone about to start or in the middle of attending college likely has little to no credit history to work from, so students are likely to get stuck with mediocre rates. As of 2017, private student loans range from around 4.75% to around 14.75% for fixed-rate loans, and from 3% to 12.73% for variable-rate loans. If your private loans fall into the middle or high end of this range, consider getting a loan consolidation. You can't consolidate private loans with federal loans, but if your credit has improved since your student days, you can likely get a better rate on a new private loan to replace the old ones.

Student loans have tons of payment options

Whatever your situation may be, there's a federal student loan repayment plan for that. The Department of Education allows you to choose from a menu of eight different repayment plan options, several of which are designed for borrowers with low income levels. If one repayment plan isn't working for you, you can simply switch to a different one. Private lenders aren't nearly as generous with payment plans, for the most part, although most will give you what's called "financial hardship forbearance." That means you can suspend your payments for a while due to financial hardship (although interest will keep accruing during the hardship period).

Paying slowly can lead to debt forgiveness

Four of the aforementioned federal student loan repayment plans can result in automatic debt forgiveness. If you choose the Income-Based Repayment Plan, the Income-Contingent Repayment Plan, or either of the Pay As You Earn Repayment Plans, any balance you owe on your federal loans after 25 years will be automatically forgiven. It's safe to say that your credit card provider is not going to just forgive any debt that's still hanging on your cards a few decades from now.

Setting financial priorities

Since private student loans aren't nearly as good a deal as federal ones, paying them off before the federal ones makes a lot of sense -- especially if you can't get a good consolidation deal on them. However, there may be other financial tasks that rate even higher than those private loans.

For one thing, you can work on paying off any bad debt you have -- particularly credit card debt -- which will save you a pile of money in the long run, since the faster you get rid of such debt, the less interest you'll pay over the life of the debt.

Once you've slain the credit card debt monster, you can direct your extra income toward saving for retirement. Building up your retirement savings as early as possible gives that money the maximum amount of time to grow, leading to a much more impressive balance once you're ready to retire.

Related links:

* Motley Fool Issues Rare Triple-Buy Alert

* This Stock Could Be Like Buying Amazon in 1997

* 7 of 8 People Are Clueless About This Trillion-Dollar Market

It's also wise to tuck away some money in an emergency savings account, in case your car breaks down or you lose your job. Getting rid of these expenses will give you a far richer reward than getting rid of your student loans would.

CNNMoney (New York) First published September 6, 2017: 10:38 AM ET

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Why paying off student loans early could be a mistake

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But as scary as the total may sound, rushing to pay off those debts is usually a bad move. Good debt versus bad debt Not all debt is bad debt. While experts offer differing opinions on exactly which types of debt should be considered good versus bad, everyone agrees that debt on something that will end up making you money in the long term is good debt.

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The rocket scientist who could help start WWIII has been taken from the public by Kim Jong Un to help make rockets for North Korea.

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The rocket scientist who could help launch World War III was "plucked from obscurity" by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and has risen in the rogue regime due to his efficiency at achieving Pyongyang's deadly aims.

Kim Jong Sik caught Kim's attention after he helped successfully launch an Unha-3 rocket in 2012, Reuters reported. The scientist, who's now often pictured with the dictator and donning the military uniform of a general, got credit for the rocket launch. It's unclear if Kim Jong Sik spent any time in the military before his rapid rise.

"When that thing went off and entered into a lower earth orbit, he got credit for that," said Michael Madden, director of North Korea Leadership Watch and contributor to 38 North. "The nuclear and missile guys under Kim Jong Un are getting their jobs based on merit."

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MILLIONS OF AMERICAN LIVES COULD BE AT STAKE AS NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO ATTACK POWER GRID
Few details are known about Kim Jong Sik, but Madden described the shadowy scientist as a "key figure" behind North Korea's missile successes -- including its two intercontinental ballistic missile launches in July.

"He is a guy that's helped them identify certain technical problems or reach certain technical benchmarks and that's a critical thing," Madden told The Mirror.

He added: "He moved from being a sort of a mid-level guy to being one of the lead people...and that's where his career gets this big bump. Then about a year-and-a-half later he all of a sudden shows up as a deputy director of North Korea's munitions industry department."

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The addition of Sik, who was "plucked from obscurity," could explain the huge strides the volatile regime has made in its nuclear and missile programs since Kim Jong Un rose to power following his father's death in 2011. North Korea claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb on Sunday, but experts have not independently confirmed the device.
NORTH KOREA MOUNTAIN USED AS NUCLEAR TEST SITE AT RISK OF COLLAPSING, CHINESE SCIENTIST SAYS
Madden said Kim Jong Sik is believed to be in his 50s and is one of five people who holds the deputy director title. The North Korean leader has promoted the rocket scientist based on his achievements - not because of family ties.

"Kim Jong Un has been very good actually about promoting people that didn't have the traditional patronage ties," Madden said.

Kim Jong Un also reportedly handpicked two other men -- Ri Pyong Chol and Jong Chang Ha -- to lead the missile program with Kim Jong Sik.

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"Kim Jong Un is raising a new generation of people separate from his father's key aides," a South Korean official told Reuters.
KIM JONG UN'S NORTH KOREA: BRINGING THE WORLD TO THE BRINK
North Korea, known for their "gift packages" threats, often claims it is just steps away from achieving nuclear and missile capabilities, including shrinking down warheads to fit into ICBMs -- a task it has spent decades to perfect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Kim Jong Un's rocket scientist behind North Korea's missile program revealed

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The rocket scientist who could help launch World War III was "plucked from obscurity" by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and has risen in the rogue regime due to his efficiency at achieving Pyongyang's deadly aims. Kim Jong Sik caught Kim's attention after he helped successfully launch an Unha-3 rocket in 2012, Reuters reported.

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Tuesday, September 5, 2017, historic Hurricane Irma hits the Caribbean and becomes the strongest category 5 storm in history. The storm is now heading towards the U.S. Virgin Islands. France has requisitioned planes and sent emergency foods and water rations. Massive flooding has occurred in St. Barhts.
Further in the east, Barbuda and Antigua have been hit, but there a no deaths to report.
Pope Francis was required to change his flight plan to Colombia to help solidify the South American nation's peace process.
The National Weather Service has said that Puerto Rico has not seen a hurricane with Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928.

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Hurricane Irma slams Caribbean islands as Category 5 storm, Puerto Rico braces for impacts

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Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean Wednesday, passing over the islands of Saint Martin and Barbuda with 185 mph winds as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history which Florida’s governor warned was “stronger” than the last Category 5 storm to hit the U.S.

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On Tuesday, Trump decided to try to end DACA which has given a possibility for children who were brought to America form outside countries illegally when they were young, the opportunity for security/success.

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Back

transcript

What 'Dreamers' Gained From DACA

About 800,000 young unauthorized immigrants are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. We spoke with a few of them in September, when President Trump announced his intention to end the Obama-era program.

"The politicians are using us like a sport, you know, they're using us like punching bags." "Democrats and Republicans alike have to stand up for us because there are DACA beneficiaries in every state." "I was brought when I was 11" " ... when I was 7, from Brazil." "I was about 10." "I was 12 years old." "I was 7 years old." " ... about 8 years old." "We crossed the border, but we were little." "So I've been here 18 years." "I'm 29 years old." "I am 20." "I am 19 years old." "I've been here for 21 years." "I am 27 years old now." "I am 23 years old and I am originally from Mexico." "When DACA was announced, I remember exactly where I was in 2012. I was at the Museum of American History." "Before DACA I always felt like I was in between two worlds. I was born in Honduras. But if I were to go back to Honduras, it's like I'm foreign to them." "It's a tug of war. When you're undocumented, you're always just aware of the situations, of the locations, who you were talking to, how you are interacting with folks, ensuring that you don't do anything that will bring attention to you because you live a life of shadows." "You know, I have been able to accomplish a lot more than when I was undocumented. To get a social security number, loans from the bank, a better job." "Every time my parents call me after 11 p.m., it's like my heart is racing. When you are an immigrant in this country, you wake up every day with the fear that you could be taken away, right, that your family could be broken up." "I have been preparing my kids of, for, you know, These are the risk[s]. This could happen to your dad and to me." "I just can't imagine, you know, my nieces and nephews being separated from their parents or them going back to a country that they don't know because this is their home. They shouldn't live with that fear that I had to grow up with. That's not a normal life. That's not normal. And I know that like my friends that are U.S. citizens don't go through that. And nobody should go through that." "I'm not leaving my home, and I think if Trump ever wanted to talk to us, if he wanted to talk to these Dreamers he would realize that we love this country. We want to stay here, and ... " " ... if it's taken away, I'm losing my job, I'm losing the opportunity to work and school. People don't understand but it's a big thing, it's a huge thing, it's privileges that some people here take for granted." "Taking DACA away is like taking a family member away from me. That wall that Donald Trump wants to build, you know, it's putting a wall in front of me where I won't be able to move forward. You are not just taking something away from us, but you're taking something away from this country." "This land is not a white America. It's not. This is a land of immigrants." "I mean, I was already a person before DACA. A lot of people say, 'Oh, you know, what's going to happen after DACA?' I'm not going down without a fight." "You know, whatever happens next, I love this country and I belong here." "I'm fighting for my family, "I'm fighting for the friends of mine that can't even stand up because they're scared." "We just want to stay here and contribute to this country, to the economy ... We are good people. We're not criminals."

About 800,000 young unauthorized immigrants are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. We spoke with a few of them in September, when President Trump announced his intention to end the Obama-era program.

WASHINGTON - President Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to the Obama-era program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation, calling it an "amnesty-first approach" and urging Congress to pass a replacement before he begins phasing out its protections in six months.

As early as March, officials said, some of the 800,000 young adults brought to the United States illegally as children who qualify for the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, will become eligible for deportation. The five-year-old policy allows them to remain without fear of immediate removal from the country and gives them the right to work legally.

Mr. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who announced the change at the Justice Department, both used the aggrieved language of anti-immigrant activists, arguing that those in the country illegally are lawbreakers who hurt native-born Americans by usurping their jobs and pushing down wages.

Mr. Trump said in a statement that he was driven by a concern for "the millions of Americans victimized by this unfair system." Mr. Sessions said the program had "denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same illegal aliens to take those jobs."

Protests broke out in front of the White House and the Justice Department and in cities across the country soon after Mr. Sessions's announcement. Democrats and some Republicans, business executives, college presidents and immigration activists condemned the move as a coldhearted and shortsighted effort that was unfair to the young immigrants and could harm the economy.

"This is a sad day for our country," Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, wrote on his personal page. "It is particularly cruel to offer young people the American dream, encourage them to come out of the shadows and trust our government, and then punish them for it."

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President Trump is winding down DACA. But Trump and his administration have at times suggested that this wouldn't happen. Credit Credit... Tom Brenner/The New York Times

Former President Barack Obama, who had warned that any threat to the program would prompt him to speak out, called his successor's decision "wrong," "self-defeating" and "cruel."

"Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn't threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us," Mr. Obama wrote on Facebook.

Both he and Mr. Trump said the onus was now on lawmakers to protect the young immigrants as part of a broader overhaul of the immigration system that would also toughen enforcement.

But despite broad and longstanding bipartisan support for measures to legalize unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children, the odds of a sweeping immigration deal in a deeply divided Congress appeared long. Legislation to protect the "dreamers" has also repeatedly died in Congress.

Just hours after the angry reaction to Mr. Trump's decision, the president appeared to have second thoughts. In a late-evening tweet, Mr. Trump specifically called on Congress to "legalize DACA," something his administration's officials had declined to do earlier in the day.

Mr. Trump also warned lawmakers that if they do not legislate a program similar to the one Mr. Obama created through executive authority, he will "revisit this issue!" - a statement sure to inject more uncertainty into the ultimate fate of the young, undocumented immigrants who have been benefiting from the program since 2012.

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Protesters marched from the White House toward Trump International Hotel on Tuesday after the announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was ending. Credit... Alex Wroblewski for The New York Times

Conservatives praised Mr. Trump's move, though some expressed frustration that he had taken so long to rescind the program and that the gradual phaseout could mean that some immigrants retained protection from deportation until October 2019.

The White House portrayed the decision as a matter of legal necessity, given that nine Republican state attorneys general had threatened to sue to halt the program immediately if Mr. Trump did not act.

Months of internal White House debate preceded the move, as did the president's public display of his own conflicted feelings. He once referred to DACA recipients as "incredible kids."

The president's wavering was reflected in a day of conflicting messages from him and his team. Hours after his statement was released, Mr. Trump told reporters that he had "great love" for the beneficiaries of the program he had just ended.

"I have a love for these people, and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly," he said. But he notably did not endorse bipartisan legislation to codify the program's protections, leaving it unclear whether he would back such a solution.

Mr. Trump's aides were negotiating late into Monday evening with one another about precisely how the plan to wind down the program would be executed. Until Tuesday morning, some aides believed the president had settled on a plan that would be more generous, giving more of the program's recipients the option to renew their protections.

But even taking into account Mr. Trump's contradictory language, the rollout of his decision was smoother than his early moves to crack down on immigration, particularly the botched execution in January of his ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

In addition to the public statement from Mr. Sessions and a White House question-and-answer session, the president was ready on Tuesday with the lengthy written statement, and officials at the Justice and Homeland Security Departments provided detailed briefings and distributed information to reporters in advance.

Mr. Trump sought to portray his move as a compassionate effort to head off the expected legal challenge that White House officials said would have forced an immediate and highly disruptive end to the program. But he also denounced the policy, saying it helped spark a "massive surge" of immigrants from Central America, some of whom went on to become members of violent gangs like MS-13. Some immigration critics contend that programs like DACA, started under Mr. Obama, encouraged Central Americans to enter the United States, hoping to stay permanently. Tens of thousands of migrants surged across America's southern border in the summer of 2014, many of them children fleeing dangerous gangs.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, indicated that Mr. Trump would support legislation to "fix" the DACA program, as long as Congress passed it as part of a broader immigration overhaul to strengthen the border, protect American jobs and enhance enforcement.

"The president wants to see responsible immigration reform, and he wants that to be part of it," Ms. Sanders said, referring to a permanent solution for the young immigrants. "Something needs to be done. It's Congress's job to do that. And we want to be part of that process."

Later on Tuesday, Marc Short, Mr. Trump's top legislative official, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the White House would release principles for such a plan in the coming days, input that at least one key member of Congress indicated would be crucial.

Three DACA recipients - Sofia Ruales, left; her sister Erica Ruales; and their cousin Marlon Ruales - listened on Tuesday near Trump Tower in Manhattan to Attorney General Jeff Sessions's announcement. Credit... Todd Heisler/The New York Times

"It is important that the White House clearly outline what kind of legislation the president is willing to sign," Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, said in a statement. "We have no time to waste on ideas that do not have the votes to pass or that the president won't sign."

The announcement was an effort by Mr. Trump to honor the law-and-order message of his campaign, which included a repeated pledge to end Mr. Obama's immigration policy, while seeking to avoid the emotionally charged and politically perilous consequences of targeting a sympathetic group of immigrants.

Mr. Trump's decision came less than two weeks after he pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who drew intense criticism for his aggressive pursuit of unauthorized immigrants, which earned him a criminal contempt conviction.

The blame-averse president told a confidante over the past few days that he realized that he had gotten himself into a politically untenable position. As late as one hour before the decision was to be announced, administration officials privately expressed concern that Mr. Trump might not fully grasp the details of the steps he was about to take, and when he discovered their full impact, would change his mind, according to a person familiar with their thinking who was not authorized to comment on it and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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The "wind down" of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will affect an estimated 800,000 individuals. Credit Credit... Tom Brenner/The New York Times

But ultimately, the president followed through on his campaign pledge at the urging of Mr. Sessions and other hard-line members inside his White House, including Stephen Miller, his top domestic policy adviser.

The announcement started the clock on revoking legal status from those protected under the program.

Officials said DACA recipients whose legal status expires on or before March 5 would be able to renew their two-year period of legal status as long as they apply by Oct. 5. But the announcement means that if Congress fails to act, immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children could face deportation as early as March 6 to countries where many left at such young ages that they have no memory of them.

Immigration officials said they did not intend to actively target the young immigrants as priorities for deportation, though without the program's protection, they would be considered subject to removal from the United States and would no longer be able to work legally.

Officials said some of the young immigrants could be prevented from returning to the United States if they traveled abroad.

Immigration advocates took little comfort from the administration's assurances, describing the president's decision as deeply disturbing and vowing to shift their demands for protections to Capitol Hill.

Marielena Hincapié, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, called Mr. Trump's decision "nothing short of hypocrisy, cruelty and cowardice." Maria Praeli, a recipient of protection under the program, criticized Mr. Sessions and Mr. Trump for talking "about us as if we don't matter and as if this isn't our home."

The Mexican foreign ministry issued a statement saying the "Mexican government deeply regrets" Mr. Trump's decision.

As recently as July, Mr. Trump expressed skepticism about the prospect of a broad legislative deal.

"What I'd like to do is a comprehensive immigration plan," he told reporters. "But our country and political forces are not ready yet."

As for DACA, he said: "There are two sides of a story. It's always tough."

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Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act

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WASHINGTON - President Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to the Obama-era program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation, calling it an "amnesty-first approach" and urging Congress to pass a replacement before he begins phasing out its protections in six months.

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Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean Wednesday, passing over the islands of Saint Martin and Barbuda with 185 mph winds as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history (Hurricane Katrina had wind speeds of 174 mph.) which Florida's governor warned was "stronger" than the last Category 5 storm to hit the U.S.

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Hurricane Irma slams Caribbean islands as Category 5 storm, Puerto Rico braces for impacts

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Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean Wednesday, passing over the islands of Saint Martin and Barbuda with 185 mph winds as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history which Florida’s governor warned was “stronger” than the last Category 5 storm to hit the U.S.

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Ancient Roman ruins were found of the coast of Tunisia confirming a theory that part of the city was submerged by a tsunami

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ancient roman city found underwater - cnn video

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Ancient Roman city found underwater - CNN Video

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Part of a Roman city that experts believe was submerged in the 4th century has been found off the coast of northeastern Tunisia

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Vladimir Putin warns world faces global catastrophe over North Korea. North Korea has claimed that it is now capable of mounting a thermonuclear weapon on a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States. "We think this military hysteria will not end well. It could lead to global catastrophe with many victims.

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But Putin, speaking in China on Tuesday, cautioned against "military hysteria" and said that the only way to resolve the crisis was through diplomacy.

He warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has calculated that the survival of his regime depends on its development of nuclear weapons. Kim had seen how western intervention in Iraq had ended in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein after which the country was ravaged by war, Putin warned, and Kim was determined not to suffer the same fate.

"Saddam Hussein rejected the production of weapons of mass destruction, but even under that pretense, he was destroyed and members of his family were killed," Putin said.

"The country was demolished and Saddam Hussein was hanged. Everyone knows that and everyone in North Korea knows that."

On Monday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Kim was "begging for war" and urged the UN Security Council to adopt the strongest sanctions measures possible to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program.

But speaking at the closure of the BRICs summit in Beijing -- which hosted the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa -- Putin said that while Russia condemned North Korea's latest actions, imposing any kind of sanctions would be "useless and ineffective." Kim would rather starve his people than see his regime overthrown, he said.

"They will eat grass but they will not turn away from the path that will provide for their security," he said.

The latest escalation of the crisis came on Sunday when Pyongyang announced it had conducted a sixth nuclear test, which it claimed was of a hydrogen bomb. The claim has not been independently verified, but seismological data indicated that the weapon was the most powerful ever to be detonated by Pyongyang.

North Korea claims it now has the capability of mounting a thermonuclear weapon on a long-range missile capable of striking the United States.

Weapons experts say it's almost impossible to verify if the warhead and missile could be successfully paired unless North Korea were to fire a nuclear-tipped ICBM.

North Korea has test-fired a number of missiles this summer, including two long-range ones in July and an intermediate-range one in August that overflew the Japanese island of Hokkaido. South Korea has claimed that the North is making preparations for another ICBM test.

Putin said it was clear that Pyongyang already had a nuclear capability -- and in any case, no missile defense system could offer adequate protection against conventional long-range artillery.

"We know that North Korea has nukes, we also know that North Korea has long-range artillery and it has other types of weapons and there are no weapons against long-range artillery -- and these weapons can be difficult to locate.

"So we think that this military hysteria will not lead to good results. It could lead to global catastrophe with lots of victims."

In response to the latest tests, the South Korean Navy announced Tuesday it conducted live-fire drills off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula to check its "immediate operational readiness" after the country's air force and army conducted their own joint drills. It had already mounted a huge show of military force on Monday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday and agreed to lift current restrictions on the payload weight of South Korea's ballistic missiles, according to a South Korean presidential spokesman.

CNN's Taehoon Lee, Josh Berlinger and Sarah Faidell contributed to this article.

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putin warns of 'global catastrophe' over north korea - cnn

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Putin warns of 'global catastrophe' over North Korea

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But Putin, speaking in China on Tuesday, cautioned against "military hysteria" and said that the only way to resolve the crisis was through diplomacy. He warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has calculated that the survival of his regime depends on its development of nuclear weapons.

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Hurricane Irma is now a category 5 storm, and it is to be expected to have an impact on Puerto Rico today and possibly Florida this weekend.The mayor of Broward County is ordering a mandatory evacuation on the coast of Florida. It is traveling west at around sixteen miles per hour with winds reaching up to 185.

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As Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean Wednesday as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, the researchers tasked with collecting data from the storm shared a calmer view from the center of the storm.

In a series of posts on Twitter, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters showed photos of the moon inside Hurricane Irma's eye.

"The moon shined in the center of #HurricaneIrma last night as our #ReserveCitizenAirmen collected data that helps develop NHC predictions," one post said.

Irma, a Category 5 storm, still has 185 mph winds and is headed west at 16 mph. It is expected to affect Puerto Rico on Wednesday, and may impact Florida this weekend.

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Hurricane Irma: Aircraft capture stunning shots of Moon shining in the eye of the storm

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As Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean Wednesday as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history, the researchers tasked with collecting data from the storm shared a calmer view from the center of the storm. In a series of posts on Twitter, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters showed photos of the moon inside Hurricane Irma's eye.

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9 year old boy heart stops because he ate a hotdog. When he ate the hot dog, the hot dog stimulated his vagus nerve. Making his heart have a different rhythem and them making his heart stop. The boy was able to recover and then doctors found something on his ekg and they discovered he has brugada syndrome. which is a heart rhythem problem.

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Boy whose heart stopped after bite of hot dog found to have rare condition | CNN

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Doctors describe the strange case of a 9-year-old boy whose heart stopped after he took a bite of a hot dog. The cause: Brugada syndrome.

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New York Yankees say that their pitching signs were stolen by the Red Sox by using an Apple watch.

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One of baseball's oldest rivalries is embroiled in a most 21st-century controversy, as Major League Baseball prepares to discipline the Boston Red Sox for using an Apple Watch to steal signs from their longtime enemies, the New York Yankees.

A baseball official with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed that MLB is aware of the allegations - which also includes the unauthorized use of cellular phones - and will prepare discipline against the Red Sox.

The official noted that the practice also occurred against other teams, and involved at least four Red Sox players and members of the training staff.

The New York Times reported that the Red Sox used an elaborate relay system - involving video replay personnel, a trainer and players in the dugout - to pass along signs from the opposing team to their own batters. While the report cited "other teams" from which the Red Sox stole signs, it primarily occurred against the Yankees.

Klapisch: Yankees thriving on heat and home runs

Power rankings: Indians streaking, Dodgers still No. 1

The scheme was uncovered by the Yankees themselves, who videotaped the process during a three-game series at Fenway Park last month. The Times reported that the video provided to the commissioner's office shows Red Sox assistant athletic trainer Jon Jochim looking at his Apple Watch, then passing along a signal to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was on the disabled list at the time.

The video then purportedly shows Pedroia passing the information to teammate Chris Young on second base, who then relays it to the batter.

The longtime - and more low-technology - method of sign-stealing has long been for the runner on second to pass signs on to the batter, a practice that's not banned so long as artificial means are not used. (Although the practice certainly can create tension between the two teams).

"It's always been a game within a game, but the use of electronics takes it too far," Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner told reporters on Tuesday.

MLB approved the use of tablets in the dugout - and reached a multi-year agreement with Apple to ensure the iPad Pro was the tablet of choice - before the 2016 season. In announcing the deal at the time, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that deal "is part of our ongoing effort to introduce extraordinary technology into our game. We are pleased that Apple's groundbreaking products, which have already improved the access that fans have to our sport, will now inform the decisions that make our games interesting and exciting throughout the year."

Yet the dugout bullpen devices do not have Internet connectivity or the ability to stream live video - to prevent the sort of activities for which MLB is investigating the Red Sox.

And were it not for the advent of instant replay, the Red Sox would not have such immediate access to camera angles at better vantages than the usual runner at second base.

During the series in question, the Times reports, the Red Sox went 5 for 8 with runners on second base, including a Rafael Devers home run. They went 1 for 6 and 3 for 10 in subsequent games.

The Red Sox entered Tuesday night's games 2 ½ games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, and at 77-61 have the third-best record in the AL. They are 40-26 in games played at Fenway Park, and 37-35 on the road.

Gallery: MLB photo of the day

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Red Sox stole signs from Yankees, others using Apple Watch: Baseball official

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One of baseball's oldest rivalries is embroiled in a most 21st-century controversy, as Major League Baseball prepares to discipline the Boston Red Sox for using an Apple Watch to steal signs from their longtime enemies, the New York Yankees.

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Russia's president Valdamir Putin says the world should be worried about North Korea. Putin says North Korea is building the missiles to provide security to themselves from the United states. Korea Korea can put a thermonuclear tip on a ICBM missile. They have recently fired their 6 nuclear missile.

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But Putin, speaking in China on Tuesday, cautioned against "military hysteria" and said that the only way to resolve the crisis was through diplomacy.

He warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has calculated that the survival of his regime depends on its development of nuclear weapons. Kim had seen how western intervention in Iraq had ended in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein after which the country was ravaged by war, Putin warned, and Kim was determined not to suffer the same fate.

"Saddam Hussein rejected the production of weapons of mass destruction, but even under that pretense, he was destroyed and members of his family were killed," Putin said.

"The country was demolished and Saddam Hussein was hanged. Everyone knows that and everyone in North Korea knows that."

On Monday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Kim was "begging for war" and urged the UN Security Council to adopt the strongest sanctions measures possible to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program.

But speaking at the closure of the BRICs summit in Beijing -- which hosted the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa -- Putin said that while Russia condemned North Korea's latest actions, imposing any kind of sanctions would be "useless and ineffective." Kim would rather starve his people than see his regime overthrown, he said.

"They will eat grass but they will not turn away from the path that will provide for their security," he said.

The latest escalation of the crisis came on Sunday when Pyongyang announced it had conducted a sixth nuclear test, which it claimed was of a hydrogen bomb. The claim has not been independently verified, but seismological data indicated that the weapon was the most powerful ever to be detonated by Pyongyang.

North Korea claims it now has the capability of mounting a thermonuclear weapon on a long-range missile capable of striking the United States.

Weapons experts say it's almost impossible to verify if the warhead and missile could be successfully paired unless North Korea were to fire a nuclear-tipped ICBM.

North Korea has test-fired a number of missiles this summer, including two long-range ones in July and an intermediate-range one in August that overflew the Japanese island of Hokkaido. South Korea has claimed that the North is making preparations for another ICBM test.

Putin said it was clear that Pyongyang already had a nuclear capability -- and in any case, no missile defense system could offer adequate protection against conventional long-range artillery.

"We know that North Korea has nukes, we also know that North Korea has long-range artillery and it has other types of weapons and there are no weapons against long-range artillery -- and these weapons can be difficult to locate.

"So we think that this military hysteria will not lead to good results. It could lead to global catastrophe with lots of victims."

In response to the latest tests, the South Korean Navy announced Tuesday it conducted live-fire drills off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula to check its "immediate operational readiness" after the country's air force and army conducted their own joint drills. It had already mounted a huge show of military force on Monday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday and agreed to lift current restrictions on the payload weight of South Korea's ballistic missiles, according to a South Korean presidential spokesman.

CNN's Taehoon Lee, Josh Berlinger and Sarah Faidell contributed to this article.

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putin warns of 'global catastrophe' over north korea - cnn

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Putin warns of 'global catastrophe' over North Korea

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But Putin, speaking in China on Tuesday, cautioned against "military hysteria" and said that the only way to resolve the crisis was through diplomacy. He warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has calculated that the survival of his regime depends on its development of nuclear weapons.