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What we're covering here:
What we're covering here:

The G20 summit: World leaders are gathering in Buenos Aires today and tomorrow for the annual meeting.

What it looks like: The leaders will attend G20 sessions,with separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines and an occasional press availability.

Trump's swirl of meetings: The US President has a host of meetings with other world leaders, including Xi Jinping of China, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. He won't be meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but might bump into the Saudi Crown Prince.

less than 1 min ago
Trump meets G20 host Macri to talk trade

From CNN's Angela Dewan

Argentine President Mauricio Macri greeted Trump in Buenos Aires before the two leaders sat down for talks, the first bilateral meeting on the US President's agenda.

Trump made flattering comments about his host, saying he had known him for many years. "People wouldn't know that he was a young man, a handsome man," he said.

He added: "We're going to be talking about lots of good things for Argentina and for the United States, including trade, including military purchases and other things."

3 min ago
Trump on the defense as Russia probe heats up, claims of more Putin ties emerge

The US leader was supposed to be meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires, but he scrapped the bilateral as his Russia woes grow at home.

Eight minutes before he was set to meet with the summit's host on Friday morning, Trump began tweeting about new allegations by the President's former longtime attorney Michael Cohen about a proposed Moscow property deal when Trump was a candidate.

33 min ago
Heightened security in Argentina as the G20 summit kicks off

From CNN's Natalie Gallón and Claudia Dominguez

As the G20 summit kicks off, Buenos Aires is seeing heightened security and a heavy police presence. According to Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, Buenos Aires is at its highest security level with at least 22,700 security agents across the city.

Argentina spent around $43 million dollars on security for the G20.

Authorities are restricting travel in certain zones of the city. There are road closures, and zones only open to people with G20 accreditation. Transportation and public services, including aerial and trains will be limited or altered in certain areas during the summit.

Public transport and businesses will be closed entirely on Friday, the first day of the summit, which has been declared a national holiday in Argentina.

51 min ago
What to watch at the G20: the Khashoggi murder, China trade war and clashes at sea

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

President Trump is in Buenos Aires for his second G20 summit, where he faces a high-stakes meeting China's mercurial president, Xi Jinping. Trump hopes to lay the groundwork for a trade agreement with China - or else move forward with punishing new tariffs in the trade war.

Trump had also planned to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but abruptly cancelled the meeting on Thursday amid the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is expected to be discussed among the G20 leaders.

Also hanging over the trip: the expected presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who Trump has largely exonerated from culpability in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump is not expected to meet formally with MBS, but it's possible they interact.

With those dynamics at play, the other world leaders attending the G20 will remain mostly out of Trump's sights - perhaps not an unwelcome proposition, given his truculent behavior at past summits.

First lady Melania Trump will join the President in Argentina. They will spend two nights in the Argentine capital before returning to Washington.

What we're covering here:

The G20 summit: World leaders are gathering in Buenos Aires today and tomorrow for the annual meeting.

What it looks like: The leaders will attend G20 sessions,with separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines and an occasional press availability.

Trump's swirl of meetings: The US President has a host of meetings with other world leaders, including Xi Jinping of China, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. He won't be meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, but might bump into the Saudi Crown Prince.

less than 1 min ago
Trump meets G20 host Macri to talk trade

From CNN's Angela Dewan

Argentine President Mauricio Macri greeted Trump in Buenos Aires before the two leaders sat down for talks, the first bilateral meeting on the US President's agenda.

Trump made flattering comments about his host, saying he had known him for many years. "People wouldn't know that he was a young man, a handsome man," he said.

He added: "We're going to be talking about lots of good things for Argentina and for the United States, including trade, including military purchases and other things."

3 min ago
Trump on the defense as Russia probe heats up, claims of more Putin ties emerge

The US leader was supposed to be meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires, but he scrapped the bilateral as his Russia woes grow at home.

Eight minutes before he was set to meet with the summit's host on Friday morning, Trump began tweeting about new allegations by the President's former longtime attorney Michael Cohen about a proposed Moscow property deal when Trump was a candidate.

33 min ago
Heightened security in Argentina as the G20 summit kicks off

From CNN's Natalie Gallón and Claudia Dominguez

As the G20 summit kicks off, Buenos Aires is seeing heightened security and a heavy police presence. According to Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, Buenos Aires is at its highest security level with at least 22,700 security agents across the city.

Argentina spent around $43 million dollars on security for the G20.

Authorities are restricting travel in certain zones of the city. There are road closures, and zones only open to people with G20 accreditation. Transportation and public services, including aerial and trains will be limited or altered in certain areas during the summit.

Public transport and businesses will be closed entirely on Friday, the first day of the summit, which has been declared a national holiday in Argentina.

51 min ago
What to watch at the G20: the Khashoggi murder, China trade war and clashes at sea

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

President Trump is in Buenos Aires for his second G20 summit, where he faces a high-stakes meeting China's mercurial president, Xi Jinping. Trump hopes to lay the groundwork for a trade agreement with China - or else move forward with punishing new tariffs in the trade war.

Trump had also planned to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but abruptly cancelled the meeting on Thursday amid the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is expected to be discussed among the G20 leaders.

Also hanging over the trip: the expected presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who Trump has largely exonerated from culpability in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump is not expected to meet formally with MBS, but it's possible they interact.

With those dynamics at play, the other world leaders attending the G20 will remain mostly out of Trump's sights - perhaps not an unwelcome proposition, given his truculent behavior at past summits.

First lady Melania Trump will join the President in Argentina. They will spend two nights in the Argentine capital before returning to Washington.

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Trump and world leaders attend G20 summit: Live updates

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What we're covering here: What we're covering here: The G20 summit: World leaders are gathering in Buenos Aires today and tomorrow for the annual meeting. What it looks like: The leaders will attend G20 sessions,with separate bilateral meetings on the sidelines and an occasional press availability.

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Breaking news youtuber named Quadeca drops disstrack on the youtuber KSI. Is KSI's career over?

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Breaking news youtuber named Quadeca drops disstrack on the youtuber KSI. Is KSI's career over?

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P.S. it's been 7 days and it already has 7 million views.

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They pressured victims. They didn’t interview suspects. Then they destroyed rape kits. Experts said the police department in this college town used ‘disturbing’ practices.

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Detective Maggie McDowell read the patrol officers' report: A man entered a woman's apartment through a window while she was sleeping. He punched her repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she didn't stop screaming. Then, he cut a hole in the crotch of her pants and raped her.

Bruised and bleeding, the woman was taken to a hospital for a rape exam. A doctor told officers he observed a cut deep in the woman's vagina.

Officers documented that the woman said she knew her attacker, and they photographed the inside of her apartment, including a bent window screen where she said the man gained entry.

McDowell seemed uniquely suited to understand the woman's trauma.

At 18, McDowell said, she was raped - a crime she said she never reported. "Everything the victims tell me today is what I felt," the detective once told a local magazine writer.

McDowell wanted victims to know they could trust police and see them as approachable because "we really do care."

But after reading the report of the 2009 attack, the Springfield, Missouri, detective did little investigative work, according to the case file. She didn't send the woman's rape kit to a lab to be tested, nor did she follow up with another person the victim said was in the home at the time of the rape. And, according to the case file, she made no attempt to interview the suspect.

Instead, on the same day McDowell was assigned to the case she did two things: She contacted a rehabilitation center where the victim was taken after her rape exam and noted that the staff could not confirm whether she was a patient. Then McDowell sent a letter to the woman telling her she needed to make herself available for an interview or her case would not be investigated further.

Typically, the letters McDowell sent gave victims 10 business days to respond.

When the woman didn't get in touch, McDowell wrote that the victim was "uncooperative" and ended the investigation five weeks after she reported being raped.

The untested rape kit sat in an evidence room for a little over two years, then was destroyed at McDowell's request - even though there was no time limit on prosecuting the offense listed in the file: forcible rape.

The case was not an anomaly.

A CNN investigation found that McDowell and other Springfield detectives had a practice of pressuring victims to cooperate and rushing cases to a close.

Reporters reviewed nearly 200 investigations in which Springfield police destroyed rape kits since 2010. In at least 108, the kits were destroyed before the statutes of limitations expired or when there was no time limit to prosecute the crimes. Seventy-five percent of those kits were destroyed without police submitting the evidence to a lab to be tested.

The analysis was part of a nationwide review of records tied to the destruction of rape kits. Seasoned sex crime investigators, police trainers and lawyers examined case files for CNN, including about 40 from Springfield.

The department stood out for the variety and volume of investigative shortcomings that led to rape kit destruction and how quickly the agency trashed the evidence after cases were closed. Dozens of untested kits were destroyed in a year or less after victims reported being assaulted.

How rape cases went wrong

The agency's approach was "old-fashioned" and "horrendous," said retired Sergeant Joanne Archambault, former head of the San Diego Police Department's sex crimes unit.

"You're not serious about solving rape cases if you destroy rape kits before the statute of limitations."

Anything can happen during that time, she said. New evidence can emerge or victims reluctant to work with police can later decide to re-engage.

Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams did not address CNN's overall findings about the department's destruction of rape kits. Read his November 6 letter responding to CNN here. But in a 2017 interview, he said it was up to individual officers to decide how long to maintain evidence in sexual assault cases.

He also defended McDowell, who retired in late 2014 and refused repeated requests for an interview. She handled many of the department's sex crimes investigations for 14 years, Williams said, and "did a fantastic job." He repeated what she'd recently told him.

"She said, 'Chief, as you recall, you would never have a more passionate and tenacious, empathetic investigator than I was when I was assigned to the [sex crimes] unit as a survivor.'"

CNN found that the evidence destruction in Springfield followed incomplete investigations. In dozens of cases, records show, detectives did not attempt to contact witnesses and known suspects, didn't have rape kits tested or stopped working cases within days or weeks of being assigned to investigate.

Reporters also discovered 15 cases in which police improperly discarded rape kits after defendants were convicted. Missouri law requires that evidence leading to a conviction be preserved by the investigating law enforcement agency so that it can be tested or re-tested in the event of appeals.

Post-conviction testing of evidence in rape kits has played a role in overturning at least 195 convictions since 1992, according to a CNN analysis of data provided by The National Registry of Exonerations.

"It's disturbing," Sean O'Brien, a University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor, said of Springfield's post-conviction trashing of kits.

O'Brien, a former chief public defender, was one of two legal experts who reviewed the cases and confirmed CNN's finding that the disposal violated state law. But, he said, Missouri's retention law carries no requirement to notify convicts or their attorneys - and there's no penalty for those who destroy the evidence.

It's the convicts and the victims, he said, "who experience the consequences."

Springfield is a college town of 167,000 in southwest Missouri, not far from the Ozark Mountains. It promotes itself as the "Birthplace of Route 66" and is home to the first Bass Pro Shop, a mega tourist attraction.

Paul Williams became chief of police in the state's third largest city in 2010. He said the department has long struggled to keep up with the volume of reported sex crimes. Last year, police recorded 352 rapes and attempted rapes, a jump of about 20% from the previous year.

Law enforcement professionals who have overseen sex crimes units said a detective working violent felonies should handle fewer than 100 cases a year. McDowell, who was not the only detective working those crimes in Springfield, shouldered 124 to 164 sexual assault cases a year between 2009 and 2014, according to Williams. (The department did not provide numbers for 2012.) In 2015, Springfield's primary sex crimes detective carried a load of 208 sexual assault cases, Williams said.

Because of the heavy caseloads, Williams said, detectives were encouraged to determine whether an investigation was "going anywhere" within 30 days.

"I know 30 days sounds quick, but back then that was a necessary evil - to spend investigative time on cases that the victim was cooperative, and we thought there was some benefit of prosecuting."

The 10-day letter used by McDowell and others, the chief said, is a department-sanctioned tactic intended to spur victims to work with investigators. Though there are no written guidelines on use of those letters, the chief said, they should be sent only as a last resort, after detectives have exhausted all other means to reach victims.

McDowell and at least one other investigator did not always use the letter that way. McDowell investigated 57 cases between 2006 and 2013 in which rape kits were destroyed before the statutes of limitations expired. She sent the letters in about 20% of those cases, six on the same day she was assigned to investigate.

The chief declined to discuss several examples of McDowell's work but defended her handling of the 2009 case involving the woman who reported that her assailant cut out the crotch of her pants. The victim never got back in touch with investigators, Williams said, and it was reasonable for McDowell to authorize destruction of the kit after two years.

Another officer, Corporal Rod Noble, who is still on the force, also used the 10-day letter. He sent it in almost one-third of the 28 cases he investigated between 2008 and 2012 in which kits were destroyed before the statutes of limitations expired.

Noble, who did not respond to requests for an interview, sent the letter as early as five days, and on average 17 days, after being assigned to a case - including one in which a victim repeatedly said she needed more time.

That woman reported being raped in 2010 by her ex-husband - who she still lived with - and told a patrol officer she was going to get a restraining order and relocate with her children. Asked if she wanted to press charges, she said she "needed time to consider the results of her decision to prosecute," the records show.

Noble got the case and, in what he indicated was his first conversation with the woman, she told him "she wished to have more time." According to the case file, he emphasized "the importance of a timely investigation" and noted that the woman would try to give him a decision in six days.

When he did not hear from her, he called and left a message. Six days later, he mailed her the 10-day letter. She did not respond, and he ended the case six weeks after she reported being assaulted.

Two years later, her untested kit was authorized to be destroyed. It sat on a shelf about another two years, then was disposed. Based on the offense listed in the case file, there was no time limit to prosecute.

In police vernacular, it's called "trauma-informed protocol."

But in layman's terms, it's training designed to help sex crime investigators understand what a rape victim goes through.

After an attack, a victim might feel afraid, intimidated and reluctant to work with police. Avoidance and withdrawal are common symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

But a victim who reports an assault and then begins to retreat from an investigation may cooperate if given time and support. Victims should not be asked to make complex, pivotal decisions about their cases right away.

Springfield detectives, experts said, failed to follow trauma-informed practices, such as working at a pace comfortable for the victim and refraining from discussing prosecution with victims before investigations are complete.

"It's easy to discourage rape victims from working with us," said Tom Tremblay, a former Vermont police chief who trains officers in best practices in sex crimes investigations.

Springfield's destruction: A breakdown

CNN found that since 2010 Springfield police destroyed 108 rape kits tied to cases in which a prosecution was still viable under the law. Seventy-five percent were destroyed without being analyzed for DNA evidence.

Reporters determined the statutes of limitations based on the offenses police listed in the case files. Those cases, CNN found, were all reported between 2006 and 2014.

Missouri has had no statute of limitations for forcible rape or forcible sodomy since March 2002, yet police destroyed kits in 47 cases that police classified with those offenses. In cases classified as other felony sex crimes, CNN applied the shortest statute of limitations for any felony - three years, also in effect since at least 2002 - and found that 61 kits were also destroyed before the time limit expired.

The Springfield case files he reviewed showed, "a real lack of trauma-informed approaches," he said.

"Victims have lost control of the most personal decision we make - who we choose to be intimate with. They want some control back.... When we send them a letter saying, 'Yeah, do this or else,'... (it) sounds very demanding, it sounds very much like what they may have experienced with the offender."

Springfield police asked victims soon after they reported their rapes whether they would pursue prosecution of their attackers and provided a form for them to sign.

Sexual assault victims should never be given these so-called prosecution waivers, experts said.

McDowell gave one to a woman on the day she reported her rape.

In that 2011 case, the victim said a man "went crazy and raped her" after they had done meth together, according to the investigative file.

The suspect admitted injecting the woman with drugs but denied sexual contact, records show. His assertion could have been challenged by analyzing the woman's rape kit to see if it contained his semen or DNA. But that never happened.

McDowell "explained the whole investigative process and court process" to the woman, according to the detective's notes, and the woman decided "to put this incident behind her."

The woman signed the waiver just hours after she said she had taken drugs, records show.

If she ever changed her mind and wanted to pursue charges, police would be hard pressed to make a case: The kit was destroyed, at McDowell's request, less than six months later.

Guidelines issued as far back as 2005 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police say officers should not introduce any forms for a victim to sign declining an investigation.

The association's president, Louis Dekmar, said he was surprised to learn a department was still using waivers years after the group recommended against it. Police should not discuss prosecution with a victim before a thorough investigation demonstrates that charges are possible, said Dekmar, a police chief in Georgia. And whether someone is charged is a prosecutor's decision - not a victim's.

"You don't do that in other crimes - call folks up and ask, 'Are you going to prosecute?'" he said. "There's a presumption at the time people report that police are going to do their job and investigate."

A thorough investigation includes testing all evidence. Until recently, that was not the practice in Springfield.

Chief Williams said his agency typically did not submit kits for analysis unless a prosecutor agreed to file charges in a case.

But testing kits, experts said, could give a prosecutor precisely the corroborating evidence needed to take a case to court.

Testing can confirm abuse, identify a suspect or connect a suspect to other crimes. By uploading test results to the national DNA database system known as CODIS, police have a chance to compare them to more than 17 million profiles taken from crime scenes, convicted offenders, detainees and arrestees.

In 2014, Springfield police trashed a 4-year-old's rape kit and the shorts she wore the day of her alleged assault without ever testing the evidence. The girl's mother said she saw a wet spot on her daughter's shorts that might have contained bodily fluid left behind by the girl's alleged abuser.

Police had taken the case to a prosecutor, who declined to file charges. The attorney explained her decision in writing: "Unfortunately, no corroborating evidence."

"That's shocking," said Nicole Gorovsky, a former Missouri prosecutor who reviewed this case and others for CNN. "No corroborating evidence? Yeah, because you didn't test it. If the suspect's DNA is on the victim anywhere near her genitals, game over for the suspect."

The prosecutor should have directed police to get the kit and shorts analyzed, Gorovsky said. The investigator, Chelsea Taylor, did not respond to CNN's attempts to reach her.

The Greene County assistant prosecutor who declined the case, Ami Miller, is now an assistant US attorney in Missouri. CNN's request to interview her was declined by the office, citing a policy that prohibits her from speaking about cases she reviewed elsewhere. Her former boss, Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, said the evidence "could have been sent off" for testing.

At the time the case was reported, the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sexual abuse was, minimally, 30 years after a minor victim turned 18. Patterson acknowledged the long statute of limitations.

"It might have been useful" to maintain the kit, he said.

Documents also show prosecutors in his office checked a box that said "release/destroy the evidence" when declining to bring charges in at least seven cases in which kits were destroyed before the statutes of limitations expired. Three of those kits were not tested.

Patterson said prosecutors made that choice when they believed rape kits were not going to help prove a case. As an example, he pointed to instances in which suspects claimed sex was consensual.

But testing kits in those cases could recover a DNA profile that matches an unidentified attacker in another rape. In other words, one victim's known rapist may be another victim's unidentified rapist. Testing could also link that suspect to other crime scenes where DNA was found.

Chief Williams told CNN his department began submitting all kits to a lab for analysis in 2014 and preserves that evidence. Data and documents show the agency destroyed two untested kits in 2015. He said he was unaware of that destruction.

In August, Missouri enacted a law requiring police to submit rape kits to labs within 14 days of receiving the evidence. Though many sex crimes have no statutes of limitations, lawmakers decided to require that rape kits be kept for 30 years in cases that have not been adjudicated.

When a rape investigation stalls but police believe the crime can still be solved, they have an option: leave the case open. That allows them to suspend cases without ending them, in anticipation that new information may surface while the statutes of limitations are still running.

Springfield police appropriately set aside investigations this way, experts said. Yet the department later destroyed the rape kits while the reported crimes still could have been prosecuted.

"I was appalled by what I saw in Springfield's cases - little to no investigation, blatant disregard for victims, a true lack of understanding of trauma," said Carol Tracy, a Philadelphia attorney who has partnered with that city's police for more than 15 years to evaluate their sex crimes cases. "And there is no excuse for destroying rape kits in open investigations."

Patrol officers who responded to initial reports sometimes did a good job turning up leads, experts observed. They helped identify witnesses and pieced together the possible identities of suspects.

But investigators who were then assigned to the cases did not follow up on that information.

Tremblay noted a case in which McDowell didn't pursue the suspect even though responding officers had provided his possible name and address. They also had interviewed a witness and others who lived in the vicinity of the crime scene.

The woman told police she knew her attacker only by a nickname, "Mo." She said he followed her into an apartment, deadbolted the door and raped her. She was able to text a roommate, asking for help.

Patrol officers interviewed the roommate, who also knew the man only as Mo. The roommate said he responded to the victim's texts, the officer noted, because he had "a bad feeling." He found the apartment door locked but eventually was able to get the door open, he told officers, and saw Mo naked and the victim naked and crying.

'Failure' to cooperate

When Springfield victims didn't meet detectives' deadlines, police sent another letter telling victims their "failure" led to the closing of their cases.

Hours after the woman reported her rape, she said her attacker returned to her apartment, cursed her and urinated on her door. An officer responded, took photographs and collected a sample of the urine.

The next day, McDowell received the case. She made two phone calls to the victim and sent her a 10-day letter. When the woman didn't respond, the detective ended the case less than one month after the victim reported being raped, records show.

The kit - never tested - was destroyed in 2011, a little more than two years after the reported rape and before the statute of limitations expired.

In the last line of her report, McDowell noted the suspect's possible birth date and Social Security number.

Also in the case file is a copy of another form letter the department routinely used to inform victims that an investigation was over.

"Due to your failure to cooperate," it reads, "your case is now cleared and no further action will be taken on this matter."
CNN's Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed to this story.

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The city where police failed rape victims

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Detective Maggie McDowell read the patrol officers' report: A man entered a woman's apartment through a window while she was sleeping. He punched her repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she didn't stop screaming. Then, he cut a hole in the crotch of her pants and raped her.

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Portland came from behind to end Sporting Kansas City’s best playoff run in five seasons, marching out of Children’s Mercy Park with a 3-2 victory Thursday that left the home locker room every bit as stunned as disappointed.
The fifth-seeded Timbers advanced to the MLS Cup — Dec. 8 in Atlanta — on aggregate scoring after the two teams had played to a scoreless draw in the opening leg Sunday in Portland.

“It will take awhile to get over this,” captain Matt Besler said.

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KANSAS CITY, Kansas - The Portland Timbers are headed to the MLS Cup for the second time in four years.

Three years after ousting Sporting Kansas City in an epic knockout round game en route to winning the 2015 MLS Cup, the Timbers fought back from a one-goal deficit in Kansas City Thursday to secure their place in the 2018 MLS Cup.

Sebastian Blanco scored a golazo and Diego Valeri recorded a brace as the Timbers beat Sporting Kansas City 3-2 in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship series in front of 20,091 fans at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas Thursday.

The win came after the Timbers played Kansas City to a scoreless draw in the first leg of the series. Portland won the series 3-2 on aggregate.

"It's all on them," Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. "It's is a credit to a group that worked hard, a group that believed all along that we could achieve something great. Now, this achievement puts us where we want to be, in the final."

The Timbers will now move on to face Atlanta United in the 2018 MLS Cup. The game will take place on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. PST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

After being the aggressor in Portland in the first leg of the series, the Timbers were on the defensive for much of the first half Thursday as they struggled to contain Kansas City on a cold night at Children's Mercy Park. It was 35 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff.

Kansas City found what seemed like it could be the series-deciding goal in the 20th minute.

The play started when Kansas City forward Johnny Russell sent the ball off Timbers center back Liam Ridgewell while trying to drive toward goal. The ball shot out to forward Diego Rubio, who put it across goal for striker Daniel Salloi. Salloi fired his shot off Timbers defender Zarek Valentin and into the net to give Kansas City a huge 1-0 lead.

Kansas City continued to pressure the Timbers throughout the first half, but couldn't extend their lead. That proved to be huge for the Timbers.

Salloi appeared to score again in the 24th minute, but the goal was called back because Kansas City defender Ike Opara, who was in an offside position, obstructed Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella on the play. Rubio then put the ball into the net in first half stoppage time, but was ruled offside.

"I thought it was a very difficult first half," Savarese said. "I thought they were very good and we were lucky to be only one goal down. But then the character came out in the second half and I thought we were very, very good."

After struggling throughout much of the first half, Portland came out with a vengeance in the second half.

Blanco stunned Kansas City with a golazo just seven minutes into the second half. The Argentine midfielder got on the end of a pass from Jorge Villafana in the 52nd minute and took a few touches before firing an incredible shot from more than 30 yards out into the upper corner of the net. With the game tied 1-1, the Timbers regained control of the series lead due to the away goal tiebreaker.

Valeri then gave Portland a 2-1 lead in the 61st minute. Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia managed to bat away the ball from Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse in the box, but Valeri was there to head in the go-ahead goal. Kansas City fans threw beer cans on the field following the goal, forcing both teams to vacate the field momentarily.

Kansas City pushed numbers forward late in the game as they fought to get back in the series. Kansas City forward Gerso Fernandes got on the end of a cross and fired the game-tying goal into the net from close range in the 81st minute.

But it was the Timbers that found the next goal.

Valeri scored on a counter attack late in stoppage time to put the series away as Portland's magical run continued.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @ jamiebgoldberg

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Portland Timbers beat Sporting Kansas City to book spot in 2018 MLS Cup

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KANSAS CITY, Kansas - The Portland Timbers are headed to the MLS Cup for the second time in four years. Three years after ousting Sporting Kansas City in an epic knockout round game en route to winning the 2015 MLS Cup, the Timbers fought back from a one-goal deficit in Kansas City Thursday to secure their place in the 2018 MLS Cup.

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Nurse Who Faked Terminal Cancer to Scam Thousands of Dollars Out of People Gets 2 Years in Prison

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saints got clapped by the cowboys they now remain 10-2
and was highest rated TNF game ever

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Get the latest Dallas Cowboys news, photos, rankings, lists and more on Bleacher Report

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The Saints and the Cowboys faced off on Thursday Night Football. The final score was 13-10 with the Cowboys coming out on top. There was a pivotal non-call on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith.  If it was called, it would´ve given the Saints a chance to tie or even win the game.  The no call caused them to punt.  Saints RB Alvin Kamara says it is what it is.

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One of the league's points of emphasis surrounding player safety had the New Orleans Saints scratching their heads on a non-call after Thursday night's 13-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Down 13-10 and on third down at midfield early in the fourth quarter, Saints quarterback Drew Brees connected with running back Alvin Kamara on a short screen pass. Kamara raced 8 yards down the right sideline in front of the Saints' bench before Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith drilled the running back. Replays showed the linebacker lead with the crown of his helmet on the hit.

A 15-yard penalty would've given the Saints an automatic first down and the opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead, but the absence of the yellow flag forced the Saints to punt.

After the game, a reporter asked Brees for his thoughts on arguably one of the biggest non-calls of the game.

"What do you think?" Brees responded after a slight pause followed by a grin and shake of the head, via the Saints' official website. "Yeah, let the league deal with that."

Kamara was asked if he expected a penalty on the play.

"Did one come out?" Kamara said, via team transcript. "It is what it is. It don't matter what I was expecting."

Meanwhile, the lack of penalty stumped the FOX Sports broadcast booth. Play-by-play commentator Joe Buck and color analyst Troy Aikman pointed out Smith's hit should've been an easy call for the officials before bringing in rules analyst Mike Pereira to provide an opinion.

"We haven't seen many called this year," Pereira said, "but that's a clear example of leading with the crown of the helmet."

The league released a fact sheet during the offseason on the use of the helmet, and the rule states a foul occurs if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with the helmet of an opponent.

"I was involved in the process of the rule," said Saints coach Sean Payton, a member of the NFL competition committee. "Listen, those are hard to call as well. Really, it's tough when the guys are moving around real fast. I haven't seen it as cleanly as you guys have. Listen, we got beat. We got beat tonight and there will be a number of things we that we can point to but overall, we just didn't do enough as a team."

The league could still fine Smith after reviewing the play, but it would provide little consolation to the Saints, whose 10-game winning streak came to a halt in the 13-10 loss.

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Alvin Kamara on no flag after helmet hit: It is what it is

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One of the league's points of emphasis surrounding player safety had the New Orleans Saints scratching their heads on a non-call after Thursday night's 13-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Down 13-10 and on third down at midfield early in the fourth quarter, Saints quarterback Drew Brees connected with running back Alvin Kamara on a short screen pass.

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Dramatic surveillance footage captures moment jewelry store employees used swords to fight off would-be robbers in Ontario, Canada.

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Investigators say they're looking for four suspects after surveillance video captured Mississauga jewelry store workers fending off would-be robbers with swords Wednesday afternoon.

Peel Regional Police said officers responded to a call about a robbery at Ashok Jewellers on Airport Road at around 12:15 p.m.

Video from inside the store appears to show an employee and a customer suddenly back away from a window as the suspects break the glass with some sort of object.

But as the robbers attempted to make their way into the store through the window, three store employees charge at them wielding swords.

"Individuals were breaking the front glass window and trying to gain access to the store," Const. Danny Marttini told Global News on Thursday.
READ MORE: WATCH: Van smashes into Mississauga jewelry store, owner chases robbery suspects off with sword
"The employees and owner inside tried to obviously send them off and actually did well in the sense that they were able to send them off."

Marttini said there were four suspects in total and that one of them was brandishing a gun.

While there were no injuries reported and no property was stolen, Marttini said police do not condone the use of swords by the employees.

"It could have easily turned into a completely different situation. We could have been looking at numerous people being injured," she said.

Marttini said the suspects fled in a dark-coloured vehicle. There is no further suspect descriptions available.

The owner told Global News on Thursday that no one was hurt. But said they would not be commenting further as it is an ongoing police investigation.

In July, an owner of a jewelry store metres away from Ashok Jewellers also fought off would-be robbers with swords.

A red van rammed the front window of the New Rana Jewellers repeatedly before three people could be seen entering the store. At the time, police said the suspects took several pieces of jewelry from the store.

-- With files from Kamil Karamali

Here's the robbery attempt from the surveillance camera outside the store.

You can see four people trying to break in through the window.

Store owner tells me everyone is okay. @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/8YNVZLkk7v
- Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) November 22, 2018

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Mississauga jewelry store workers wield swords to fend off would-be robbers

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Investigators say they're looking for four suspects after surveillance video captured Mississauga jewelry store workers fending off would-be robbers with swords Wednesday afternoon. Peel Regional Police said officers responded to a call about a robbery at Ashok Jewellers on Airport Road at around 12:15 p.m.

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A tsunami warning was in effect for coastal areas of Alaska's Cook Inlet and southern Kenai Peninsula after an earthquake Friday with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, according to a bulletin from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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alaska earthquake: tsunami warning in effect - cnn

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Tsunami warning in effect in Alaska after quake

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A tsunami warning is in effect for coastal areas of Cook Inlet and southern Kenai Peninsula in Alaska after a magnitude 6.7 quake Friday, according to a bulletin from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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A mom of three died from a blood clot 17 days after getting a tummy tuck and boob job from a firm that advertises during hit U.K. reality show "Love Island."

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A mom of three died from a blood clot 17 days after getting a tummy tuck and boob job from a firm that advertises during hit UK reality show "Love Island."

Beautician Louise Harvey, 36, booked the procedures after feeling self-conscious ever since the birth of her third child.

But despite a family history of blood clots in her GP notes, she was allegedly sent home without any blood thinners. And a little over two weeks after her $14,000 ops she collapsed at home, struggling to breathe.

She was taken to a hospital but died of a pulmonary embolism - a blood clot in one of the blood vessels in the lungs.
TEXAS WOMAN DIES FOLLOWING BOTCHED PLASTIC SURGERY IN MEXICO
Louise's mum Linda, 52, said the family had a history of pulmonary embolisms but said her daughter believed the operation was safe.

"I want justice for my daughter," Linda said.

"They told her that having both procedures together would be better because she would not have to go through two lots of healing. They said she wouldn't have to pay twice for the anesthetist and the stay in the room, even the trips down there," she added."

"Louise went to the gym and she was always self-conscious after giving birth to her six-year-old," Linda explained.

"She had lost the weight and she just wanted to get rid of the loose skin. She was beautiful, but some people feel they want to do these things.

"When Louise told me about the double operation I was concerned because your body can only handle so much at a time."

Louise was mom to Kayleigh, 18, Owen, 11, and Jaxon, 6. Linda is now raising the two young boys.
FACE TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT GOES SKYDIVING AFTER REVOLUTIONARY PROCEDURE
"Louise had no background health issues, no high blood pressure or anything. She was as fit as a flea," Linda added. "But my nan died of a pulmonary embolism when she was 55. My other daughter has a history of them as well. And I know for a fact Louise had no blood thinners.

"We are deeply worried she has not had the right care.''

Louise is believed to have booked her "mommy makeover" after a consultation with a company called Transform in her home city of Norwich.

The family said she wanted a tummy-tuck, and to have her existing breast implants enlarged and made perkier. She opted out of liposuction on her hips.

Following the operation in London in June, Louise stayed in the hospital for two nights before heading home. She proudly showed off her new breasts and was recovering "fantastically," her family said. But she suffered a heart attack on July 3 and was taken back to the hospital, where she died two days later.

An inquest was opened earlier this week where the pulmonary embolism was confirmed as the cause of death. A full hearing will take place in Norwich in March.

NHS England chief Simon Stevens has hit out at ITV for allowing cosmetic surgery ads to be broadcast during popular shows in the U.K., such as "Love Island." He said they put young people under pressure over body image and urged broadcasters to look "very carefully at the kinds of impacts that it is having."

A source also told The Sun that "women are lured in by ads on shows such as 'Love Island' for ops that are unnecessary.

"This was a major f--- up. What Transform [has] done is disgraceful."

Transform said it has "undertaken a full internal investigation" and is offering support to Louise's family.
This article originally appeared on The Sun. Read more content from The Sun here.

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UK mom dies from blood clot following breast surgery and tummy tuck

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A mom of three died from a blood clot 17 days after getting a tummy tuck and boob job from a firm that advertises during hit UK reality show "Love Island." Beautician Louise Harvey, 36, booked the procedures after feeling self-conscious ever since the birth of her third child.

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A 7-year-old boy wrote a letter to his deceased dad, on the back of the envelope he wrote" Can you take this to Heaven for my dad's birthday" The friendly postman wrote the child a letter back ensuring him that the letter had reached his father.

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When a boy sent a letter to his dad in heaven, he got the most heartwarming reply from the postman

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In a now viral Facebook post, a mother thanks the Royal Mail for "successfully delivering" a letter her 7-year-old son had sent to his dad in heaven.

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Police arrest suspect in Black Friday shooting at Alabama mall

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Video by CBS News
Reuters) - Police in Georgia on Thursday arrested a suspect in a shooting that wounded two people at an Alabama mall and left another man dead after he was apparently mistaken for the gunman during Black Friday sales, federal officials said.

The case drew wide attention after police in Alabama said an officer had killed the gunman at the Riverchase Galleria near Birmingham, but then said the dead man was likely not to blame and that the actual shooter remained at large.

Erron Brown, 20, was taken into custody at a home in South Fulton, Georgia, a city about three hours east of Birmingham, according to police and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Brown will be charged with attempted murder and more charges were expected as the investigation continues, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement. An investigation into the shooting by the officer was also ongoing, it said.

There was chaos at the Riverchase Galleria last Thursday night when shots were fired, scattering shoppers who had been perusing the holiday sales.

An unidentified 12-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man named Brian Wilson were wounded, and then a uniformed Hoover Police Department officer shot and killed Emantic Bradford, 21, who was holding a handgun and who the officer believed was responsible for the shooting.

It was not immediately clear if the victims knew each other.

Gun rights advocates, including President Donald Trump, have suggested that having armed civilians in public places is an effective deterrent to crime. But police in Alabama on Monday said that Bradford, who was black, made the situation worse by drawing his gun.

Bradford's death triggered a protest at the mall by activists, including the local chapter of Black Lives Matter. The officer who shot him has been placed on administrative leave pending the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's investigation.

Once Brown is extradited from Georgia he will be booked into the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham and held on a $150,000 bond, the agency said.
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler and Sonya Hepinstall)

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Police arrest suspect in Black Friday shooting at Alabama mall

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Video by CBS News Reuters) - Police in Georgia on Thursday arrested a suspect in a shooting that wounded two people at an Alabama mall and left another man dead after he was apparently mistaken for the gunman during Black Friday sales, federal officials said.

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7 year old girl gets struck by truck after getting of the bus

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7-year-old struck while getting off school bus - cnn video

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7-year-old struck while getting off school bus - CNN Video

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A 7-year-old Maryland girl remains in critical condition after being struck by a truck while getting off her school bus this week, the latest in a recent rash of accidents involving children at bus stops.

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A french woman nearly died after using a hair dye that she was allergic to. Her head and tongue got super swollen. She could barely breathe.

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A French woman said she had a "light bulb head" after suffering a near-fatal allergic reaction to a chemical often found in darker-colored hair dyes.

The woman, identified only as Estelle, claims a chemical in the dye called Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) caused her allergic reaction, she told French publication Le Parisien, according to Yahoo Lifestyle's translation.

Though the 19-year-old claims she only tested a small amount of the product, her scalp almost "immediately" became irritated after application, she reportedly told the publication. The swelling began shortly after.

Though Estelle said she took an antihistamine to help with the swelling and irritation, the next morning her head had already enlarged - growing to 24.8 inches compared to an average 22 inches. Her tongue also swelled, she added.

"I could not breathe. I had a light bulb head," she told Le Parisien, Yahoo Lifestyle reports.

The woman said she went to the emergency room, where she was given a shot of adrenaline. She stayed overnight at the hospital and has since recovered and the swelling has gone down.

The PPD chemical is commonly found in dark-colored hair dyes and makeup, as well as henna tattoos, according to Yahoo Lifestyle. An allergic reaction to the chemical can cause "fatal complications," such as the breakdown of muscle tissue, known as rhabdomyolysis, respiratory distress and renal failure, among other side effects, according to report in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.

"I almost died," Estelle added. "I do not want this to happen to others."

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Woman's allergic reaction to hair dye causes head to swell to massive size: 'I almost died'

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A French woman said she had a "light bulb head" after suffering a near-fatal allergic reaction to a chemical often found in darker-colored hair dyes. The woman, identified only as Estelle, claims a chemical in the dye called Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) caused her allergic reaction, she told French publication Le Parisien, according to Yahoo Lifestyle's translation.

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A strange visit this week at a gas station in Massachusetts gave employees there something to chew on.  Surveillance video at a Cumberland Farms store in Fitchburg captured two beavers sauntering in through its front doors and then roaming around its aisles.

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Beavers casually stroll into Cumberland Farms store, caught on video

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A strange visit this week at a gas station in Massachusetts gave employees there something to chew on.

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The holiday classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is now being called 'seriously problematic'

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HuffPost, a liberal news site, was lampooned after saying Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was "seriously problematic" over claims that it features sexism and bullying.

"Viewers are noticing the tale may not be so jolly after all," the outlet's video said. "And they're sharing their observations online."

Among those observations was the suggestion that the TV classic was a story about racism and homophobia, while calling Santa Claus abusive and bigoted.

"Yearly reminder that #Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a parable on racism & homophobia w/Santa as a bigoted exploitative prick," read one comment shared by HuffPost. "Santa's operation is an HR nightmare and in serious need of diversity and inclusion training. #Rudolph," read another.

"Yearly reminder that #Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a parable on racism & homophobia w/Santa as a bigoted exploitative prick."
- Comment highlighted by HuffPost

The video also suggests it was problematic that Rudolph's father verbally abused him by forcing him to wear a fake nose to be accepted by others.

Some eagle-eyed social media critics also said the cartoon is sexist because Rudolph's mom was snubbed after she wanted to help reindeer husband Donner to search for their son after he goes missing. "No, this is man's work," Donner says.

But HuffPost's effort to highlight the perceived bigotry of the beloved movie attracted tens of thousands of negative comments, most of them mocking the video.

"Oh look! Something people like and enjoy; let's go ruin it!" tweeted Rebeccah Heinrichs."If you try hard enough you can find offence in almost anything," Chloe Westley seconded.

Others pointed out that HuffPost misunderstood the cartoon as the troubling characters learn their lesson in the end. "But... but... the bigoted characters learn they were wrong. It teaches a lesson. It doesn't endorse the problematic stuff," tweeted Robby Soave.

Even President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on the topic, tweeting "Liberalism is a disease."

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" isn't the first classic cartoon that was decried as problematic today.
'CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING' CRITICIZED AS RACIST
Critics attacked ABC's "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," which first aired in 1973, for seating its only black character, Franklin, alone on one side of the holiday table while all other white friends were seated on the other side.

The special attracted particular criticism this Thanksgiving, with many users lashing out on social media and calling the cartoon racist.

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'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' classic called bigoted, 'seriously problematic'

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HuffPost, a liberal news site, was lampooned after saying Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was "seriously problematic" over claims that it features sexism and bullying.

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A 7-year-old Maryland girl remains in critical condition after being struck by a truck while getting off her school bus this week.

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7-year-old struck while getting off school bus - cnn video

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7-year-old struck while getting off school bus - CNN Video

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A 7-year-old Maryland girl remains in critical condition after being struck by a truck while getting off her school bus this week, the latest in a recent rash of accidents involving children at bus stops.