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What has affected young people?  Older people?  Older people and younger people will be affected alike by the changing environment, although the younger generations will be the ones dealing with it in the future.

What are the implications for the future? People will need to work to overcome current challenges.

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Keystone XL Pipeline Gets Approved by Trump Administration

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Keystone XL Pipeline Gets Approved by Trump Administration

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Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump officially announced the approval shortly after the State Department issued TransCanada's permit, making good on one of his campaign promises. The approval greenlights the Canadian company to complete construction on the pipeline that will funnel crude oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

"It's a great day for jobs and energy independence," Trump said, calling the pipeline "incredible" and "the greatest technology known to man or woman."

Standing alongside his secretaries of energy and commerce, Trump vowed that the pipeline would be the "first of many" energy projects his administration will approve.

TransCanada CEO Russel Girling said he was "very relieved" to see the pipeline approved.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, recused himself from the decision earlier this month. Trump in January signed an executive order to advance the pipeline's approval.

The approval follows years of intense debate over the pipeline amid hefty opposition from environmental groups, who argued that the pipeline supports the extraction of crude oil from oil sands, which pumps about 17% more greenhouse gases than standard crude oil extraction. Environmentalists also opposed the pipeline because it would cut across the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world's largest underground deposits of fresh water.

The State Department concluded in January 2015 that the project would create about 42,000 jobs directly and indirectly, but just 3,900 construction jobs if it was built in one year. The pipeline would create 50 permanent jobs to maintain the pipeline.

The approval follows years of intense debate over the pipeline amid hefty opposition from environmental groups, who argued that the pipeline supports the extraction of crude oil from oil sands, which pumps about 17% more greenhouse gases than standard crude oil extraction. Environmentalists also opposed the pipeline because it would cut across the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world's largest underground deposits of fresh water.

The State Department concluded in January 2015 that the project would create about 42,000 jobs directly and indirectly, but just 3,900 construction jobs if it was built in one year. The pipeline would create 50 permanent jobs to maintain the pipeline.

This story has been updated.

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trump administration approves keystone xl pipeline - cnnpolitics

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Trump administration approves Keystone XL pipeline

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Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump officially announced the approval shortly after the State Department issued TransCanada's permit, making good on one of his campaign promises. The approval greenlights the Canadian company to complete construction on the pipeline that will funnel crude oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

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The truck bombings occurred October 14, in Mogadishu, the capital city. The initial vehicle bomb destroyed dozens of stalls and the popular Safari Hotel in the heart of the city. Minutes later, a second vehicle bomb went off nearby.

Abukar and Osman said 56 people are still missing and 228 are injured, with 122 of the most seriously injured flown to Turkey, Sudan and Kenya for treatment.

Rescue workers have combed through rubble in searching for victims. Two Americans were killed in the blast, the US State Department said.

There has been no claim of responsibility in the bombings.

Mogadishu, a large city on the east African nation's coast, has endured high levels of violence for years. Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked terror group, has carried out several deadly bombings.

Last August, the US State Department warned Americans to avoid traveling to Somalia because of widespread terrorist and criminal activity. The warning said al-Shabaab and ISIS "operate with relative impunity throughout large parts of the country, including Mogadishu, and attack civilian, military, and government targets."

The White House issued a statement condemning the attack, calling terrorist organizations "the enemies of all civilized people."

"The United States stands with the people and government of Somalia in their commitment to defeating these groups, ensuring the security of their people, and rebuilding their country," the statement said.

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somalia truck bombings: death toll climbs to 358 - cnn

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Somalia truck bombings: Death toll climbs to 358

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The truck bombings occurred October 14, in Mogadishu, the capital city. The initial vehicle bomb destroyed dozens of stalls and the popular Safari Hotel in the heart of the city. Minutes later, a second vehicle bomb went off nearby.

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Global Warming is becoming Increasingly Dangerous

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Global Warming is becoming Increasingly Dangerous

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Now the page carries an Orwellian message: "This page is being updated."

"Thank you for your interest in this topic," the message continues. "We are currently updating our website to reflect EPA's priorities under the leadership of President [Donald] Trump and [US Environmental Protection Agency] Administrator [Scott] Pruitt."

It's been clear for months, if not years, what Donald Trump and his appointees think of climate change. At worst, they call it a hoax. At best, they say it's overblown -- no big deal. We need more science, they claim, while also moving to strip government science agencies of funding. They want us to keep debating the climate crisis while they make it worse.

That is troubling, not only because Trump's retrograde fossil-fuel policies are likely to contribute to all the bad things that come along with human-induced global warming, from worsening droughts to faster-rising seas and mass extinction. It is troubling because Trump and his administration are " gaslighting" the American public on the science of climate change.

Following a playbook that seems to be written by the tobacco industry, the Trump administration and other prominent skeptics inject uncertainty and confusion into climate policy where it doesn't belong.

And the strategy appears to be working. Climate confusion is back into the American zeitgeist.

In addition to the website changes, which the administration has acknowledged and will be fully apparent only after the EPA posts replacements for the former climate change websites, a US House committee held a March 29 hearing giving voice to climate skeptics who say it's unclear to what degree humans are causing global warming. While it is true that no science is absolutely certain (it's science, so it's always asking new questions of itself and evolving), the overwhelming majority of climate scientists -- at least 97%, according to peer-reviewed studies -- say humans are causing warming by polluting the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases, primarily by burning fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

Burning those fuels releases carbon dioxide and other gases. Their heat-trapping properties have been understood since the 1800s. Former NASA scientist James Hansen testified to Congress about the perils of "the global warming" in 1988, nearly 30 years ago. And the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared in 2014, after extensive review of the best science, that the buildup of these gases in the atmosphere, caused by humans, is "extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century."

In other words: Nearly certain. Worth betting on. " Extremely likely."

Yet, Trump and others who hold the megaphone these days fixate on the thinnest slivers of doubt.

On Friday, the same day as the EPA website changes (which also included the removal of some other climate change-related websites for revision, including one on the Clean Power Plan), The New York Times ran a debut op-ed by columnist Bret Stephens. In the piece, Stephens seemed to rationalize skepticism about climate change and its potentially dire outcomes. "Claiming total certainty about the science traduces the spirit of science and creates openings for doubt whenever a climate claim proves wrong ... None of this is to deny climate change or the possible severity of its consequences," Stephens wrote. "But ordinary citizens also have a right to be skeptical of an overweening scientism." The implication seems to be: Take climate change with a grain of salt; assume it's real but ... maybe not? Or maybe its consequences are overblown.

It's reasonable to acknowledge there are probabilities and uncertainties inherent in scientific predictions. It's dangerous, however, to overstate uncertainty and use it to justify inaction. All the best science tells us that more greenhouse gases are dangerous for the planet, posing an expensive and potentially existential threat to life as we know it.

"The Times has denounced the critics of its decision [to hire Stephens] as 'left-leaning,'" Stefan Rahmstorf, a professor of physics of the oceans at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, wrote in a letter to The Times. "This is an insult to me and was the final straw to cancel my subscription. There is no left-leaning or right-leaning climate science, just as there is no Republican or Democrat theory of gravity. I have several good climate scientist friends who have been lifelong Republicans. Their understanding of climate change does not differ from mine, because it is informed by the evidence."

"CO2 traps heat -- more CO2 means a warmer climate," he continued. "That is basic physics, borne out by the history of climate. Denying these well-established facts is about as smart as claiming the Earth is flat, and best left to cranks, ideologues and fossil fuel lobbyists."

Dana Nuccitelli, an environmental scientist, wrote in The Guardian that people should think about these probabilities like they think about smoking. "Each time we smoke," Nuccitelli wrote, "we increase the odds of developing cancer a little bit more. The future outcome is uncertain -- we don't know exactly if or when the disaster of cancer will hit -- but we know we're making it more likely every time we smoke, and the smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on the cigarettes as quickly as possible.

"With climate change, each time we add more carbon pollution to the atmosphere, we increase the odds of a climate catastrophe a little bit more. The smart move is to mitigate that risk by cutting down on our burning of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. Stephens' piece is akin to criticizing doctors and anti-smoking groups for being too mean to the tobacco industry, and for not focusing on the uncertainty about exactly when the chain-smoking patient will develop cancer."

Trump and the rest seem to want us to keep smoking the planet -- despite well-proven risks.

Yet, government spin doesn't change reality.

It doesn't have to change our perception of it, either.

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Climate confusion is back, and it's dangerous

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Now the page carries an Orwellian message: "This page is being updated." "Thank you for your interest in this topic," the message continues. "We are currently updating our website to reflect EPA's priorities under the leadership of President [Donald] Trump and [US Environmental Protection Agency] Administrator [Scott] Pruitt."

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Physicist Stephen Hawking has Passed Away

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Physicist Stephen Hawking has Passed Away

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He died at the age of 76, and left behind provocative as well as comical quotes.

On the universe

"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

On scientific discoveries

"I wouldn't compare it to sex, but it lasts longer." -- at a science festival in 2011.

On persistence

"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up." -- at an Oxford University Union speech in 2016.

On curiosity

"So remember, look at the stars and not at your feet." -- at the Sydney Opera House in 2015.

On intelligence

"I would never claim this. People who boast about their IQ are losers."-- in response to a 2017 question if he believed he was the most intelligent person in the world.

On space

"May you keep flying like superman in microgravity." -- to NASA astronauts in 2014.

"I have always tried to overcome the limitations of my condition and lead as full a life as possible. I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity. Perhaps one day I will go into space." -- to the New York Times in 2011.

"I have already completed a zero gravity flight which allowed me to float weightless, but my ultimate ambition is to fly into space." -- to ITV in 2017.

On God

"God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator." -- in a 2010 CNN interview.

"The scientific account is complete. Theology is unnecessary." -- in a 2010 CNN interview.

On women

"My [physician assistant] reminds me that although I have a PhD in physics, women should remain a mystery." -- in his first Reddit AMA. (His PA is a woman, by the way.)

On his appearance

"Unfortunately, Eddie [Redmayne] did not inherit my good looks." -- of the Oscar-winning actor who portrayed him in "The Theory of Everything."

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12 memorable stephen hawking quotes  - cnn

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Stephen Hawking's theory on everything, in his words

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He died at the age of 76, and left behind provocative as well as comical quotes. On the universe "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love." On scientific discoveries "I wouldn't compare it to sex, but it lasts longer."

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Charlottesville Protests Lead to Violence

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Charlottesville Protests Lead to Violence

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White nationalists and other far right organizations gathered in Charlottesville on August 12 for a "Unite the Right" rally prompted by the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Numerous fights broke out between members of those groups and counterprotesters -- and a female counterprotester was killed when a man drove a car through a crowd.

The city hired former US Attorney Timothy Heaphy's law firm to investigate its response to the protests. He released the results of his investigation in a 220-page report Friday and is scheduled to address the city council at 7 p.m. Monday.

The report said Charlottesville failed to prepare adequately for the August event by not providing specialized training for police on the ground. Local and state police did not develop and operational plan ahead of time, he said, meaning different agencies were confused about their roles.

There also was confusion about whether the protest would take place in a city park or be moved to another location, causing police officers to be spread too thinly, he said.

Fights broke out between protesters and counter protesters, but Heaphy's investigation found that Charlottesville police officers had been ordered to intervene only in altercations if there was a possibility of serious injury or death.

Numerous people were injured and Heather Heyer was killed when a man drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Heaphy's report recommended four major changes:

Prepare better for civil disturbances: Public safety officials should follow incident command system procedures, share intelligence and reach out to peers in other cities for advice.

Do a better job of managing protests: The city should consider creating a secure perimeter to separate conflicting groups when an event becomes volatile.

Change the laws: Certain objects should be banned at large protests and events involving open flames should require permits. The far right groups marched with torches the night before the protests over the statue.

Restore faith in government: The city council should solicit community input more effectively and the police should become more engaged in the community.

In remarks following the Friday release of the report, Police Chief Al S. Thomas Jr. said he was "committed to implementing the recommendations" made in the report.

Jason Kessler, the Unite the Right organizer, has already applied for a permit to protest on August 11 and 12, a year after the deadly protests.

Several days after the rally, at a contentious press conference, President Donald Trump prompted a political firestorm when he said "both sides" were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville.

CNN's Chuck Johnston and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.

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charlottesville protests: city officials to hear report critical of police response - cnn

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Charlottesville protests: City officials to hear report critical of police response

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White nationalists and other far right organizations gathered in Charlottesville on August 12 for a "Unite the Right" rally prompted by the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Numerous fights broke out between members of those groups and counterprotesters -- and a female counterprotester was killed when a man drove a car through a crowd.

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Trump Goes Overboard with Nuclear Weapons

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Trump Goes Overboard with Nuclear Weapons

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Trump Threatened to Send Immigrants Known as 'Dreamers' Back to Their Home Countries

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Trump Threatened to Send Immigrants Known as 'Dreamers' Back to Their Home Countries

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What we can and can’t say about Arctic warming and U.S. winters

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What we can and can’t say about Arctic warming and U.S. winters

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It certainly feels like the northeastern United States is getting snowier.

In the first two weeks of March, three winter storms slammed into the northeast corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Over the last decade, a flurry of extreme winter storms has struck the region, giving birth to clever portmanteau names such as Snowpocalypse (2009), Snowmageddon (2010) and Snowzilla (2016).

So what's going on? Researchers have previously suggested that extreme weather in the midlatitudes might be linked to climate change's impacts on the Arctic ( SN Online: 12/2/11), particularly the dramatically decreased sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean. And now, a study published online March 13 in Nature Communications reports a strong correlation between the severe winter weather experienced in the northeastern United States over the last decade and the warming trend in the Arctic.

Two of the study's authors, climatologist Judah Cohen of the Massachusetts-based climate and weather risk assessment group Atmospheric and Environmental Research and atmospheric scientist Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University, have long been proponents of the hypothesis that the warming Arctic is having profound effects on weather at the midlatitudes ( SN: 3/12/15), from severe snowfalls to heat waves. It was Francis who, with a colleague, proposed in 2012 that sea ice loss in the Arctic slows the polar jet stream, a band of air currents flowing above the northern and middle latitudes of Earth. The slowed jet stream would become wavier, with large meanders that might jut deep into the midlatitudes; such waves, the researchers suggested, could allow winter storms to push south and linger.

The idea was compelling, particularly coming as it did on the heels of two massive snowstorms in the northeastern United States. But many scientists were skeptical, suggesting that the underlying atmospheric dynamics - how dwindling sea ice in the far north might shape midlatitude weather - remained uncertain. Researchers have continued to wrangle over this question.

Warm Arctic, cold continent

The latest study arrived in the wake of not two but three winter storms that battered the northeastern United States. Cohen and Francis, with coauthor Karl Pfeiffer of AER, analyzed the frequency of winter storms striking 12 U.S. cities since 1950, including Seattle, Chicago and New York City, and found a persistent correlation with Arctic temperatures, particularly for the Northeast.

To do this, the researchers used two gauges of temperature anomalies. One, called the polar cap geopotential height anomaly, or PCH, is essentially a measure of troughs and ridges in pressure in the upper atmosphere - the high and low pressure zones familiar from television news. The other is the polar cap air temperature anomaly, or PCT, a gauge of temperature. Together, they describe variations in atmospheric heat and moisture, and how those translate into weather patterns.

The study's finding supports what has been called the warm Arctic-cold continents hypothesis. But there's still a missing piece, one that the authors acknowledge this observational study wasn't intended to answer: what is driving those changes. Indeed, Arctic change in the last two decades has been profound - not just dwindling sea ice, but also noticeably increased precipitation, and thus snow cover, over Eurasia. Both factors may be linked to the observed weather patterns.

However, atmospheric teleconnections - long-distance links between climate phenomena, often spanning thousands of kilometers - are an exceedingly tangled web. Many factors related to greenhouse gas-induced climate change may feed into midlatitude weather anomalies. For instance, climate warming can alter the balance of heat between the Arctic and the tropics near Earth's surface, which in turn can influence the jet stream.

Warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico can also feed extra energy into storms battering the U.S. East Coast, says Richard Alley, a climatologist at Penn State who wasn't involved in the new study. Storm tracks, the strength and frequency of large climate patterns such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation - greenhouse gases can affect them all, and there just isn't a lot of data yet, he adds.

Untangling weather's web

Climate simulations intended to determine the influence of Arctic sea ice loss have not yet found the smoking gun. One recent study suggests that the problem may lie with the computer models themselves, which struggle to fully reproduce real-world conditions.

Another issue is that the conditions set within such models can vary widely. Cohen notes that previous models' conclusions about Arctic influence on lower-latitude weather have been all over the map. "Whatever your point of view is, there's a model to support it," he says. He is a member of a large project getting under way this year, dubbed the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project, that aims to address that issue by coordinating model conditions to try to tease out the Arctic's impact. The first results from these simulations should be available within a year.

"I'm not sure what will come of it," Cohen says. "People tend to believe their own models the most."

For now, the jury is still out on whether Arctic changes are the main driver behind the winter storms that have battered the northeastern United States in recent years. Yet even without a definitive answer, it may be worth keeping the topic in the news, if only to remind people that human-caused climate change is linked to cold snaps as much as to heat waves. Cohen notes wearily that, "Every time it gets cold, everybody's making a joke: 'I wish we had global warming.'"

Regardless of what climate models find, investigating these long-distance links in weather could also pay off by improving risk prediction and forecasts. "We still might find that success is far off or impossible, but understanding the limits of predictability would also be valuable," Alley says. "The problem is that, the very value of this research creates a public desire for answers and products before the research has had enough time to generate them with the level of confidence that we all would like. This is the inevitable tension of working on emerging science in an important field."

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What we can and can't say about Arctic warming and U.S. winters

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It certainly feels like the northeastern United States is getting snowier. In the first two weeks of March, three winter storms slammed into the northeast corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Over the last decade, a flurry of extreme winter storms has struck the region, giving birth to clever portmanteau names such as Snowpocalypse (2009), Snowmageddon (2010) and Snowzilla (2016).

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Plastic patch in Pacific Ocean growing rapidly, study shows

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Plastic patch in Pacific Ocean growing rapidly, study shows

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A collection of plastic afloat in the Pacific Ocean is growing rapidly, according to a new scientific estimate.

Predictions suggest a build-up of about 80,000 tonnes of plastic in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" between California and Hawaii.

This figure is up to sixteen times higher than previously reported, say international researchers.

One trawl in the centre of the patch had the highest concentration of plastic ever recorded.

"Plastic concentration is increasing - I think the situation is getting worse," said Laurent Lebreton of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation in Delft, Netherlands, which led the study.

"This really highlights the urgency to take action in stopping the in-flow of plastic into the ocean and also taking measures to clean up the existing mess."

Waste accumulates in five ocean areas, the largest being the patch located between Hawaii and California.

The researchers used boats and planes to map this area of the North Pacific, where rotating currents and winds cause marine debris, including plastic, seaweed and plankton, to converge.

The three-year mapping effort showed that plastic pollution is "increasing exponentially and at a faster rate than in the surrounding water", said the international team.

Microplastics accounted for 8% of the total mass of plastic afloat within an area of 1.6 million square km.

Of the estimated 1.8 trillions bits of plastic, some were larger than microplastics, including fishing nets, toys, and even a toilet seat.

Erik van Sebille of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who is not connected with the study, said the amount of plastic discovered was "staggering".

"While their estimates come with large uncertainty ranges, they do report a staggering amount of plastic," he said.

"And they also discovered that the Garbage Patch is moving around much more than anyone expected."

The use of aerial surveys as well as boats could partly explain why the new estimates are higher than in the past.

However, the differences could also be down to increasing levels of plastic pollution in the time since the previous studies were carried out.

Plastic washed out to sea following the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami could account for as much as 20% of plastic accumulating in recent years, the research, published in Scientific Reports, suggests.

What the study found

Plastics made up 99.9% of all debris in this part of the ocean

At least 46% of plastic consisted of fishing nets, and over three quarters of the plastic was debris larger than 5cm, including hard plastics, plastic sheets and film

Although most large items had broken down into fragments, the researchers were able to identify a small number of objects, including containers, bottles, lids, packaging straps, ropes, and fishing nets

Fifty items in the sample had a readable production date: one from 1977, seven from the 1980s, 17 from the 1990s, 24 from the 2000s and one from 2010

Only certain types of debris that were thick enough to float stayed and accumulated in this zone, such as the common plastics polyethylene and polypropylene, which are used in packaging.

Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean. Some drifts into large systems of circulating ocean currents, known as gyres. Once trapped in a gyre, the plastic will break down into microplastics, which may be ingested by sea life.

The message of the study is clear, said Laurent Lebreton.

"It goes back to how we use plastic," he said.

"We're not going to get away from plastic - in my opinion it's very useful, in medicine, transportation and construction, but I think we must divert the way we use plastic, particularly in terms of single-use plastic and those objects that have a very short service lifespan."

Follow Helen on Twitter.

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Plastic patch in Pacific Ocean growing rapidly, study shows

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A collection of plastic afloat in the Pacific Ocean is growing rapidly, according to a new scientific estimate. Predictions suggest a build-up of about 80,000 tonnes of plastic in the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" between California and Hawaii. This figure is up to sixteen times higher than previously reported, say international researchers.

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"Black Panther" box office numbers show representation pays off

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"Black Panther" box office numbers show representation pays off

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NEW YORK -- "Black Panther" is proving that representation sells. With its lavish, headline-grabbing premiere, standout critical reviews, sold-out shows and long lines, the film is a hit, and it has the box office numbers to prove it.

The phenomenon of "Black Panther" had the look and feel of a classic, bona fide blockbuster in route to its record-setting $201.8 million debut over the weekend, or an estimated $235 million Friday through Monday. Much has been made about the film industry's struggles to tap into pop culture the way it once more regularly did -- that TV and streaming options and a dearth of fresh ideas have diminished the power of the big screen.

But when Hollywood does manufacture a must-see theatrical event, it has increasingly been propelled by the power of inclusivity. Just as Jordan Peele's Oscar-nominated "Get Out" ($253 million worldwide on a $4.5 million production budget) and Patty Jenkins "Wonder Woman" ($821.1 million) did before it, "Black Panther" captured the zeitgeist by the potent combination of top-notch filmmaking (the film stands at 97 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), studio backing and an audience hungry to see itself represented on the big screen in a way it seldom has before.

At the box office, inclusion is paying -- and often, it's paying off big time.

"Diversity does in fact, sell," said Darnell Hunt, a professor and director of social science at UCLA whose research has detailed the connection between diversity and bottom lines. "In hindsight, it's kind of a no-brainer. The American public is about 40 percent people of color now, and we know that people of color over-index in terms of media consumption. The patterns we've been seeing are only becoming more pronounced as time goes on."

"Black Panther" debuted with $361 million in worldwide ticket sales, setting up the $200 million film for a theatrical run that should easily eclipse $1 billion. History is assured. Just months after Jenkins helmed the biggest box-office hit directed by a woman, Ryan Coogler will set a new mark for films directed by an African American. The debut, the best ever for February, is the fifth highest of all time, not accounting for inflation.

At a time where hits are hard to come by for Hollywood, diversity in storytelling is proving to be not only a just cause, but a box-office imperative.

"If you want to succeed on the global stage, certainly in the tent-pole business, you have to have diversity in storytelling, in the characters that you put in front of the camera, in the artisans you put behind the camera -- to be able to get that better, richer storytelling and to drive huge results," said Dave Hollis, distribution chief for Disney. "The results speak for themselves."

Hollis pointed to the many factors that made "Black Panther" a hit: Coogler's direction, the stewardship of Kevin Feige's Marvel, the reliability of the brand. But he also noted a developing pattern for Disney -- that inclusive films are both richer for their diversity and, often, richer for the bottom line.

"It feels like the right thing to do. It makes for better, richer storytelling, and we're a business. It's something that's just delivered big, huge box office," said Hollis. "When we have leaned into and had inclusion and representation as part of the mix, it's just really worked. When you think about 'Star Wars' and 'Rogue One,' the female protagonist leading those stories. Also 'Moana' or 'Coco.' 'Coco' has been an absolute juggernaut."

"Coco," which is expected to win the Oscar for best animated feature next month, has grossed more than $730 million worldwide. It's the biggest budget release starring an all-Latino cast.

Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which has grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, did more than any previous "" film to elevate its female characters, and featured the widely hailed breakout star Kelly Marie Tran.

By promoting diversity in its films, Disney has faced some backlash from social-media critics who deride films like "The Last Jedi" and Sony's 2015′s female-led "Ghostbusters" as politically correct overreach. Some fans have even gone to the extraordinary length of trying to drive down audience scores for those films.

But consider the fate of movies that haven't tried as hard to be culturally authentic. Paramount's "Ghost in the Shell," which starred Scarlett Johansson in a role originally written as a cyborg in a Japanese woman's body, last year bombed at the box office after a backlash over Johansson's casting.

Meanwhile, the diverse cast of Universal's "The Fast and the Furious" films helped make it one of the most bankable franchises in movies. Other standout hits have included "Girls Trip" -- the biggest comedy of 2017 -- and Sony's unexpectedly lucrative "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle." The film, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, reigned over the January box office as the no. 1 film on four weekends.

"Jumanji" has grossed more than $904 million worldwide, including more than a half a billion dollars overseas. The old argument that films starring African-American actors don't travel well has never had a worse two months. "Black Panther" opened with $160 million abroad, even without several markets (China, Japan, Russia) yet open.

And in Hollywood, nothing talks like money.

"'Black Panther' can be an important first step toward really dispelling the myth that has held Hollywood back for generations in terms of telling the stories that we certainly want to see in this country but I think that the rest of the world wants to see, too," said Hunt.

Studies have also shown that diverse casts attract wider audiences. Last year, talent agency CAA found that of the top 10 grossing films in 2016, 47 percent of the opening-weekend audience was made up of people of color, up 2 percent from the year before. The effect was even more pronounced in the biggest hits. Seven of the 10 highest-grossing films from 2016 had opening weekend audiences more than 50 percent white.

The audience for "Black Panther" was 65 percent non-white, including 37 percent black, according to comScore.

Latinos and African Americans are also more eager moviegoers, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). In the MPAA's most recent report, it found that though Latinos make up 18 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 23 percent of frequent moviegoers. Though African Americans are 12 percent of the population, they make up 15 percent of frequent moviegoers.

"If you look at some of the bigger blockbusters from the last year, they were representative of what the audience are looking for, how they're feeling," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. "These films reflect society and then society reflects back on the films. That's when you get to these much bigger than expected debuts. It becomes more than a movie. It becomes a cultural event."

Communal movie-going may be under siege from other entertainment options. But films like "Black Panther" are making movie theaters more communal than ever.

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"Black Panther" box office numbers show representation pays off

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NEW YORK -- "Black Panther" is proving that representation sells. With its lavish, headline-grabbing premiere, standout critical reviews, sold-out shows and long lines, the film is a hit, and it has the box office numbers to prove it.

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Meet the woman who started the #MeToo movement

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Meet the woman who started the #MeToo movement

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Have you heard of #MeToo? If you're on social media, watch the news or occasionally browse the web, chances are you probably have.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, it has been virtually impossible to avoid the hashtag.

#MeToo has been tweeted millions of times - encouraging people across the world to come forward with their stories of harassment and abuse.

When she created a community initiative to connect survivors of sexual violence, Tarana Burke could never have imagined that one day it would become a global movement.
:: Sexual misconduct scandal plagues the Oscars

When I met her in Hollywood, she seemed unmoved by the glitz and glamour and relentlessly passionate about promoting her message.

Speaking at the Essence luncheon for black women in Hollywood in Beverly Hills, she said: "I see all these people who are interested in this issue. Sexual violence is deeply pervasive and touches everyone across race, class, gender and ability and we have to find a way to move the needle," she said.

The Time's Up defence fund was subsequently launched by a group of women in Hollywood to counter sexual harassment - not just in the entertainment industry but across society.
:: Weinstein: Met probes assault claim from 10th woman

Ms Burke says it is just the beginning.

She said: "Time's Up is a perfect example of what has to happen.

"It's focused on sexual harassment but someone has to focus on sexual abuse, also on interpersonal violence, there's so many things we need of focus on so we need multiple initiates but times up is a great start."

At this year's Oscars, women across the industry are meant to feel empowered and share their stories.

The actresses, producers and executives I have been speaking to believe change is possible.

At the most basic level, they say they are no longer prepared to put up with inequalities in pay and opportunity without at least questioning them.

These sentiments seem to be infectious, with many women being inspired by others speaking up.

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Meet the woman who started the #MeToo movement

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Have you heard of #MeToo? If you're on social media, watch the news or occasionally browse the web, chances are you probably have. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, it has been virtually impossible to avoid the hashtag.

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National School Walkout Held in Thousands of Schools Across the United States

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National School Walkout Held in Thousands of Schools Across the United States

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Elon, N.C.

Lapeer, Mich.

Allendale, N.J.

Parkland, Fla.

Noblesville, Ind.

Newtown, Conn.

By Barbara Marcolini, Aaron Byrd, Ben Laffin and Troy Griggs

A month ago, hundreds of teenagers ran for their lives from the hallways and classrooms of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and staff had been shot to death.

On Wednesday, driven by the conviction that they should never have to run from guns again, they walked.

So did their peers. In New York City, in Chicago, in Atlanta and Santa Monica; at Columbine High School and in Newtown, Conn.; and in many more cities and towns, students left school by the hundreds and the thousands at 10 a.m., sometimes in defiance of school authorities, who seemed divided and even flummoxed about how to handle their emptying classrooms.

The first major coordinated action of the student-led movement for gun control marshaled the same elements that had defined it ever since the Parkland shooting: eloquent young voices, equipped with symbolism and social media savvy, riding a resolve as yet untouched by cynicism.

"We have grown up watching more tragedies occur and continuously asking: Why?" said Kaylee Tyner, a 16-year-old junior at Columbine High School outside Denver, where 13 people were killed in 1999, inaugurating, in the public consciousness, the era of school shootings. "Why does this keep happening?"

Even after a year of near continuous protesting - for women, for the environment, for immigrants and more - the emergence of people not even old enough to drive as a political force has been particularly arresting, unsettling a gun control debate that had seemed impervious to other factors.

In Florida, where students from Stoneman Douglas High and other schools had rallied in the state capital, the governor signed a bill last week that raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 and extended the waiting period to three days.

On a national level, the students have not had the same impact. This week, President Trump abandoned gun control proposals that the Republican-led Congress had never even inched toward supporting.

But, for one day at least, the students commanded the country's airwaves, Twitter feeds and Snapchat stories.

Principals and superintendents seemed disinclined to stop them. Some were outright supportive, though others warned that students would face disciplinary consequences for leaving school. At many schools, teachers and parents joined in.

Wreathed in symbolism, the walkouts generally lasted for 17 minutes, one for each of the Parkland victims. Two more nationwide protests are set to take place on March 24 and on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

On a soccer field burned yellow by the Colorado sun, Ms. Tyner stood alongside hundreds of her fellow students, who waved signs - "This is our future," one said - and released red, white and blue balloons.

Yet in many places, for many students, Wednesday was just Wednesday, and class went on. Even at Columbine, the embrace of the gun control movement was not universal.

"People say it's all about gun control, it's all about, 'We should ban guns,'" said Caleb Conrad, 16, a junior, who stayed in class. "But that's not the real issue here. The real issue is the people who are doing it."

In the one-school rural community of Potosi, Wis., no student group had organized a protest. After a handful of students expressed some interest, the school decided to hold an assembly at 10 a.m. to talk about school safety measures and the value of being kind to one another.

At 10 a.m., one student, a female freshman, left the building alone.

Throughout the assembly, she sat by herself outside, by a flagpole, for 17 minutes. She appeared to be praying, said the principal, Mike Uppena, adding that she was not in trouble for leaving.

Officials in Lafayette Parish, La., initially said that students could participate in the day's events, believing that it was appropriate to honor the Florida victims. But when it became clear there was a political motive to the walkout, a torrent of complaints from the local community led the school board to adopt a new plan: a minute of silence.

Dozens of students walked out anyway.

Out of Class and Into the Streets

In some places, demonstrators chanted and held signs. At other schools, students stood in silence. In Atlanta, some students took a knee.

Thousands of New York City students converged on central locations - Columbus Circle, Battery Park, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Lincoln Center.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, stretched out on the sidewalk as part of a "die-in" with students in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, the former home of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Hundreds sat in the middle of West 62nd Street for several minutes before rising to their feet and shouting, "No more violence." A cry of "Trump Tower!" sent dozens of protesters marching toward the Trump International Hotel and Tower across Broadway. Onlookers gave them fist-bumps.

In Washington, thousands left their classrooms in the city and its suburbs and marched to the Capitol steps, their high-pitched voices battling against the stiff wind: "Hey-hey, ho-ho, the N.R.A. has got to go!" One sign said: "Fix This, Before I Text My Mom from Under A Desk."

Members of Congress, overwhelmingly Democratic, emerged from the Capitol to meet them. Trailed by aides and cameras, some legislators high-fived the children in the front rows, others took selfies, and nearly all soon learned that the young protesters had no idea who they were.

Except, of course, for "BERNIE SANDERS!" which the protesters screamed at the Vermont senator, as well at some other white-haired, bespectacled legislators.

Asked by reporters about the walkouts, Raj Shah, Mr. Trump's deputy press secretary, said the president "shares the students' concerns about school safety" and cited his support for mental health and background check improvements.

As the hours passed, the walkouts moved west across the country.

"It's 10 o'clock," said a man on the intercom at Perspectives Charter Schools on Chicago's South Side. With that, hundreds of students streamed out of their classrooms and into the neighborhood, marching past modest brick homes, a Walgreens and multiple churches.

Several current and former Perspectives students have been killed in recent years, the school president said.

"You see different types of violence going on," said Armaria Broyles, a junior who helped lead the walkout and whose older brother was killed in a shooting. "We all want a good community and we all want to make a change."

At Santa Monica High School in Southern California, teachers guided hundreds of students to the football field. It felt like a cross between a political rally and pep rally, with dozens of students wearing orange T-shirts, the color of the gun control movement, and #neveragain scrawled onto their arms in black eyeliner.

"It is our duty to win," Roger Gawne, a freshman and one of the protest organizers, yelled to the crowd.

Staying Silent, for the Opposite Reason

Although the walkouts commanded attention on cable television and social media for much of Wednesday, it also was clear that many students did not participate, especially in rural and conservative areas where gun control is not popular.

At Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville, Okla., where hundreds of students walked out of class last month to protest cuts in state education funding, nothing at all happened at 10 a.m.

"I haven't heard a word about it," the principal, LaDonna Chancellor, said of the gun protest.

In Iowa, Russell Reiter, superintendent of the Oskaloosa Community School District, suggested that temperatures below 40 degrees may have encouraged students to stay indoors, but he also said that "students here are just not interested in what is going on in bigger cities."

There was opposition even in liberal Santa Monica. Just after the organizers of the walkout there read the names of the Parkland victims, another student went on stage, grabbed the microphone and shouted "Support the Second Amendment!" before he was called off by administrators.

'We Need More Than Just 17 Minutes'

Some of the day's most poignant demonstrations happened at schools whose names are now synonymous with shootings.

Watched by a phalanx of reporters, camera operators and supporters, hundreds of students crowded onto the football field at Stoneman Douglas High shortly after 10 a.m.

A month after the Feb. 14 shooting, notes of condolence, fading flowers and stuffed toys, damp from recent rain, still lay on the grass outside the school and affixed to metal fences.

The walkout was allowed by the school, but several students said they were warned that they would not be permitted back onto the campus for the day if they left school grounds. Despite the warning, a couple of hundred students marched to a nearby park for another demonstration.

"We need more than just 17 minutes," Nicolle Montgomerie, 17, a junior, said as she walked toward the park.

An email from the school soon went out telling students they could return.

In Newtown, Conn., where 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, hundreds of students at Newtown High School gathered in a parking lot near the football field. Two hours later, it was Columbine's turn.

A Word or Two From Gun Rights Groups

Shortly after the walkouts began, the National Rifle Association said on Twitter, "Let's work together to secure our schools and stop school violence."

Let's work together to secure our schools and stop school violence. We protect our banks, our sports stadiums and our government buildings better than we protect our schools. That must change. #StopSchoolViolenceAct #DefendTheSecond #NRA pic.twitter.com/98dWIv0giM
- NRA (@NRA) March 14, 2018

But the next tweet left no doubt as to where the N.R.A. stood on the message of the protests. It said, "I'll control my own guns, thank you. #2A #NRA" atop a photo of an AR-15, the kind of high-powered rifle used at Stoneman Douglas High and in other mass shootings.

I'll control my own guns, thank you. #2A #NRA pic.twitter.com/jqbZzwcWf6
- NRA (@NRA) March 14, 2018

The Gun Owners of America, a smaller organization often seen as more militant than the N.R.A., was more defiant.

The group urged its supporters to call their elected officials to oppose gun control measures like Fix NICS, which is intended to improve reporting by state and federal agencies to the criminal background check system. "We could win or lose the gun control battle in the next 96 hours," the group said on Twitter.

The group also celebrated "the pro-gun students who are not supporting their anti-gun counterparts."

Kudos to the pro-gun students who are not supporting their anti-gun counterparts. #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/DyKoRHrL1n
- GOA (@GunOwners) March 14, 2018

Warnings From Schools, Not Always Heeded

Some schools accommodated or even encouraged the protests. But others warned that they would mark students who left as absent, or even suspend them.

In Cobb County, Ga., near Atlanta, the threat of punishment did not keep scores of Walton High School students from standing in silence on the football field for 170 seconds. A school district spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on what would happen to the students.

Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for policy and advocacy for AASA, the association of the nation's superintendents, said that schools had to balance the First Amendment rights of students with their other responsibilities, including safety.

Indeed, several protests were canceled because of threats of the same kind of violence the students were demonstrating against. A demonstration at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C., was called off when the principal learned of what she later described as "a false rumor of a threat and a post on social media that caused unnecessary fear among our school community."

Opinion Editorial

We Stand With the Students

Opinion Editorial

We Stand With the Students

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marjory stoneman douglas high school (parkland  fla)

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National School Walkout: Thousands Protest Against Gun Violence Across the U.S.

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A month ago, hundreds of teenagers ran for their lives from the hallways and classrooms of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and staff had been shot to death. On Wednesday, driven by the conviction that they should never have to run from guns again, they walked.

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Facebook's Zuckerberg says sorry to US, UK with newspaper ads; polls show trust in site is sinking

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Facebook's Zuckerberg says sorry to US, UK with newspaper ads; polls show trust in site is sinking

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Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized to Britons on Sunday over a "breach of trust", taking out full page advertisements in British newspapers after a political consultancy got its hands on data on 50 million users.

"We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it," said the advert, signed by Facebook founder Zuckerberg.

The world's largest social media network is facing growing government scrutiny in Europe and the United States.

This follows allegations by a whistleblower that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed users' information to build profiles on American voters that were later used to help elect U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.

The plain black text apology on a white background, with only a tiny Facebook logo, appeared in Sunday publications including The Observer - one of the newspapers whose reporting on the issue has sent Facebook's share price tumbling.

Zuckerberg said an app built by a university researcher "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014".

"This was a breach of trust, and I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time," Zuckerberg said, reiterating an apology first made last week in U.S. television interviews.

Cambridge Analytica says it initially believed the data had been obtained in line with data protection laws, and later deleted it at Facebook's request. The consultancy said it did not use the data in work it did for the 2016 U.S. election.

On Friday night, investigators from Britain's data watchdog searched the London offices of Cambridge Analytica for several hours.

Zuckerberg, whose firm has lost more than $50 billion in market value since the allegations, said Facebook would give users more information and control about who can access their data.

"Thank you for believing in this community. I promise to do better for you," he wrote.

Advertisers Mozilla and German bank Commerzbank have suspended ads on the service and the hashtag #DeleteFacebook has been trending online.

On Friday, electric carmaker Tesla Inc and its rocket company SpaceX's Facebook pages - each with more than 2.6 million followers - were deleted after Chief Executive Elon Musk promised to do so.

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Facebook's Zuckerberg says sorry to Britons with newspaper apology ads

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Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized to Britons on Sunday over a "breach of trust", taking out full page advertisements in British newspapers after a political consultancy got its hands on data on 50 million users. "We have a responsibility to protect your information.

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Transgender Workers Cannot be Discriminated Against for Transitioning 

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Transgender Workers Cannot be Discriminated Against for Transitioning 

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Job discrimination based on a person's transgender status violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the court ruled. Under the law, it said, "gender must be irrelevant to employment decisions."

The court's conclusion is at odds with a position taken by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in October. In a memorandum to Justice Department lawyers, he said that "Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status."

The funeral home maintained that it did not violate federal law by requiring the employee to comply with a sex-specific dress code. Moreover, the owner of the home, Thomas Rost, who has been a Christian for more than 65 years, said that forcing him to employ the transgender worker would impose a substantial burden on his sincerely held religious beliefs and would therefore violate another law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

The court disagreed, saying that employees may not be discriminated against because they fail to conform to "stereotypical gender norms" - in this case, an employer's notion of "how biologically male persons should dress, appear, behave and identify."

Discrimination based on transgender status is a form of sex discrimination, said the decision, written by Judge Karen Nelson Moore for a unanimous three-judge panel, because "an employer cannot discriminate against an employee for being transgender without considering that employee's biological sex."

Scott Rabe, an expert on employment law at the firm Seyfarth Shaw, said that the ruling was important because "it addresses two hot-button topics in employment law: the scope of the definition of 'sex discrimination' under Title VII and the impact of laws protecting the free exercise of religion in the workplace."

"The ruling is a big win for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and for transgender people," Mr. Rabe said. "The court sent a strong message that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has minimal impact on the E.E.O.C.'s authority to enforce the anti-discrimination laws under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act."

In an interview, the employee at the center of the case, Aimee Stephens, 57, said she had been shocked by her dismissal.

"I had a hard time believing that a company or a person could get away with firing me because I was transgender," Ms. Stephens said. "It didn't seem right." But, she said, she has since learned that "it's a pretty common occurrence for transgender people to be fired because they are transgender or don't meet the expectations of what another individual thinks they should be.''

In court papers, Mr. Rost said he wanted to run his business in keeping with his religious belief that "a person's sex (whether male or female) is an immutable God-given gift and that people should not deny or attempt to change their sex."

The court decision is binding in states covered by the Sixth Circuit: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. But its reasoning could have influence elsewhere.

As it embraced a broad view of protections under Title VII, the court also rejected an expansive interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

That law figured prominently in dozens of court cases in which employers challenged an Obama-era rule that required them to provide insurance coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration has proposed to roll back that requirement by offering an exemption to any employer that objects to covering birth control on the basis of religious beliefs.

Doron M. Kalir, a law professor at Cleveland State University in Ohio, said the court ruling showed how judges were "extending the protection of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to a more diverse work force of gays, lesbians and transgender people."

The funeral home has not said whether it will appeal the ruling. Mr. Kalir said that at least several Supreme Court justices, if presented with the issue, would probably vote to overturn the ruling on the ground that Congress was not thinking about transgender people when it passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Mr. Kalir wrote a friend-of-the-court brief for a civil rights group, Equality Ohio, that was quoted by the appeals court.)

In a separate case last year, Judge Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago, said the meaning of the civil rights law and the word "sex" had changed over the years.

"It is well-nigh certain that homosexuality, male or female, did not figure in the minds of the legislators who enacted Title VII," wrote Judge Posner, who retired from the federal bench in September. But, he said, the law "invites an interpretation that will update it to the present," and the word "sex" in Title VII can now, after more than a half-century, be "understood to include homosexuality."

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Transgender Workers Gain New Protection Under Court Ruling

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Job discrimination based on a person's transgender status violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the court ruled. Under the law, it said, "gender must be irrelevant to employment decisions." The court's conclusion is at odds with a position taken by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in October.

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Women in Iran are pulling off their headscarves — and hoping for a ‘turning point’

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Women in Iran are pulling off their headscarves — and hoping for a ‘turning point’

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President Trump's Meeting with Kim Jong Un

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President Trump's Meeting with Kim Jong Un

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California's Fire Threat Map (frap.fire.ca.gov)

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California's Fire Threat Map (frap.fire.ca.gov)

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Sheriff's Office Reports 17 People Dead In South Florida High School Shooting

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Sheriff's Office Reports 17 People Dead In South Florida High School Shooting

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The Broward, Fla., sheriff said 17 people are dead in the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the city of Parkland, northwest of Fort Lauderdale. He said a suspect is in custody.

In news conferences after the incident, Sheriff Scott Israel said 12 of the people who died were found inside the school building and two were found just outside. Another victim was on the street, and two people died at the hospital.

Israel said authorities have identified 12 of those killed in the shooting and are working to identify the rest. He said none of the names and ages of the victims would be disclosed pending notification of their families. However, he did say that one of the deceased was a school football coach and one of the wounded, the son of a deputy sheriff, sustained a non-life-threatening injury.

Explaining why identifying the victims has taken some time, the sheriff said they didn't have backpacks or cellphones with them that might have helped.

Israel identified the suspect as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former student who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons. The sheriff said the shooter used an AR-15 rifle and had "multiple magazines."

The suspect was found off campus and was taken into custody without incident.

Israel said investigators already have examined the suspect's statements on social media, calling them "very, very disturbing."

County school Superintendent Robert Runcie said that the shooter was enrolled in a school elsewhere in the district.

Runcie said all classes and activities at Marjory Stoneman Douglas have been canceled for the rest of the week. The district will provide grief counselors for students and their families, as well as for staff members, starting Thursday morning. Counselors will also be available at an adjacent middle school, which will be open.

In a conference, Florida Gov. Rick Scott called the shooting "just absolutely pure evil." Attorney General Pam Bondi said the state will cover the funeral and counseling expenses for all victims and their families. She also announced that in coordination with the website GoFundMe, the state will monitor people claiming to represent the victims' families. The state will keep an eye on potential price-gouging by funeral home operators.

Earlier, Runcie told reporters that he had just given a teacher-of-the-year-award winner a new car and was leaving the event when he heard about the shootings.

"We are pretty sure the suspect pulled the fire alarm to get the kids out into the hallways," Alison Carew, the mother of 15-year-old freshman twins, told All Things Considered. "And they heard noises and then the teacher shuttled them into safe places."

The school was locked down as some students were escorted outside, while others were advised to remain barricaded inside. Carew said her children believe the shots were fired in the freshman building, "a three-story building separate from every other building at the school."

"They had to put their backpacks in the middle of the street and [continue] with their hands up," Carew added, speaking of her kids. "Their backpacks were searched, and they were subsequently escorted off the campus."

Authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting.

Israel said that his triplets had graduated from the same school. "It's a horrific, horrific day," he said.

In a tweet, President Trump said, "My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school."

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

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Sheriff's Office Reports 17 People Dead In South Florida High School Shooting

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The Broward, Fla., sheriff said 17 people are dead in the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the city of Parkland, northwest of Fort Lauderdale. He said a suspect is in custody. In news conferences after the incident, Sheriff Scott Israel said 12 of the people who died were found inside the school building and two were found just outside.

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March for Our Lives could be the biggest single-day protest in D.C.'s history

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March for Our Lives could be the biggest single-day protest in D.C.'s history

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March for Our Lives crowd turnout could be record-breaking

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Here's a look at how the March for Our Lives protest stacks up against other huge events at the national mall in Washington, D.C.

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Demonstrators in Salt Lake City Defend Their Second Amendment Rights

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Demonstrators in Salt Lake City Defend Their Second Amendment Rights

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In Montana, more than 100 supporters of gun rights gathered at the state Capitol in Helena, where several children held a placard declaring students in gun-free zones to be "sitting ducks." In Arizona, Second Amendment proponents carried rifles through Phoenix, sometimes clashing with other protesters. In Salt Lake City, the rally drew 500 participants, according to an estimate by the police.

In Boston, where Second Amendment supporters gathered in front of the Statehouse, the organizer Paul Allen, 62, a retired construction worker, described supporters of gun control as "ignorant sheep who are being spoon-fed by liberal teachers."

"They haven't read the Constitution," he said, "and they don't know what it means."

In Utah, the rally for gun rights began outside a high school with a prayer, "The Star-Spangled Banner" and shouts of "Long live freedom!"

In one corner stood Brandon McKee, 46, with a firearm on his belt and his 11-year-old daughter, Kendall, by his side. Kendall wore braces and a hat that said "unicorn" across the band.

"I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines," said Mr. McKee, who works as a delivery man for a local school district. "The other side is passionate and they are well organized. And it's time that we stand up for our rights before they get taken away."

He explained why he carries his gun at all times.

"When emergencies happen, cops are minutes away when seconds count," he said. "I can't depend on anybody else to defend me or my family."

The march set off down a wide avenue, but tensions erupted almost immediately as a single infiltrator - Linda Peer, 67, from Torrey, Utah - took to the front of the line, holding a sign calling for stricter gun laws.

The pro-gun group heckled her.

"She's not a true American!" yelled a man in an orange jacket. "Shame on you!" the group chanted as she darted between protesters with her sign. "Shame on you! Shame on you!"

The marchers passed several Mormon Church buildings, with the man in orange still heckling her, and then climbed a hill to the Capitol, where they ascended a series of white steps.

A man in camouflage turned his attention to a woman on the steps who appeared to be part of a gun control group.

"You don't even know what you're talking about," he shouted at her. "Are you even from this country?"

The counterprotest in Salt Lake City was organized by Bryan Melchior, co-owner of the Utah Gun Exchange, a website that sells firearms.

Mr. Melchior said he recently had met many young people who felt that the growing call for stricter gun laws did not represent their views.

Among them was Cody Frandsen, 17, a high school senior wearing a "Make America Great Again" baseball cap. "I feel like an outsider," said Mr. Frandsen, standing with friends who nodded in agreement. "A lot of the millennials, our age group, is left-leaning."

The group began talking about gun laws it might be able to support.

"I'm totally for a background check," said Mr. Frandsen, noting that he supported universal checks.

"I think there should be a mental health check" before purchasing a gun, said his friend Logan Coffey, 17. "And the government should know where every single firearm is."

Of those who marched in Washington in support of gun control, Mr. Frandsen said he did not agree with anything "they have to say," adding, "But I'm sure we could come up with some kind of compromise."

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Demonstrators Who Brought Guns and an Opposing Message: 'Shoot Back'

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In Montana, more than 100 supporters of gun rights gathered at the state Capitol in Helena, where several children held a placard declaring students in gun-free zones to be "sitting ducks." In Arizona, Second Amendment proponents carried rifles through Phoenix, sometimes clashing with other protesters.