Penn State's Saquon Barkley -- a former Rutgers commit -- is entering 2018 NFL Draft. Will Giants or Jets pick him instead of a QB?
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Sunday, December 31, 2017
CEO of Top British Company Killed in New Year’s Eve Crash in Australia
The CEO of one of Britain’s biggest companies and four of his family members were killed in a seaplane crash in Australia on New Year’s Eve.
International catering firm Compass Group, a Global Fortune 500 company, said Monday that CEO Richard Cousins, died when the aircraft went down off the coast of New South Wales.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this terrible news,” Compass chairman Paul Walsh said in a statement.
Four members of Cousins’ family and the pilot of the plane also died in the disaster. There were no survivors.
“The thoughts of everyone at Compass are with Richard’s family and friends, and we extend our deepest sympathies to them,” Walsh said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Compass, which reported annual revenue of £23 billion ($31 billion) for its most recent financial year, specializes in providing catering for schools, prisons and multinational companies.
It operates in roughly 50 countries, employing more than half a million people.
Cousins, 58, had run the company for more than 11 years. He was due to step down as CEO in March and retire from Compass entirely in September.
The company’s chief operating officer for Europe, Dominic Blakemore, had been named as his successor.
According to a recent profile by the Financial Times, Cousins had a reputation as a “big-hitter and company turnaround expert” among financial analysts in London.
He was recently named the world’s 11th best performing CEO in 2017 by the Harvard Business Review.
Cousins previously served as CEO of construction materials firm BPB and as a non-executive director at several big British companies, including supermarket giant Tesco.
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California Pot Shops Prepare for First Day of Legal Recreational Marijuana Sales
A customer peruses the merchandise at the medical marijuana dispensary MedMen in West Hollywood on Dec. 31, 2017. (Credit: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Pot dispensaries in Southern California were scrambling Sunday to prepare for their first day of legal recreational marijuana sales, with a historic state law permitting such businesses set to take effect New Year’s Day.
“We are excited. We just got our state license on Saturday … so immediately there was extra energy in everyone’s step,” said Robert Taft Jr., founder of the medical marijuana dispensary 420 Central in Santa Ana. “Being part of history is an amazing thing.”
Taft said he brought in five new cash registers and hired six additional “budtenders” in preparation for the new law. He also doubled his inventory and consulted with his attorneys daily to ensure his store was in full compliance.
In addition, Taft has increased the store’s security, adding 24-hour armed guards. Selling recreational marijuana is an all-cash business.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Individual Killed During Gunfire With Officers in Winnetka Area: LAPD
An individual who fired at officers in the Winnetka area died on the scene, police said Sunday.
Police respond to an incident in the Winnetka area on Dec. 30, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
The Los Angeles Police Department reported responding to a family dispute at 7:20 p.m. Saturday in the 6900 block of Oakdale Avenue.
Shortly before 8 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department’s Twitter account warned people to stay away from the area.
When police arrived, a person came out and opened fire, Sgt. Frank Preciado told KTLA. He said four officers fired back, and the individual was struck and pronounced dead at the scene.
A weapon believed to be a revolver was recovered, Preciado said.
According to a tweet from LAPD, one officer was taken to a hospital for a none life-threatening injury. The tweet noted that it was not a gunshot wound.
Preciado could not confirm whether the officers were wearing body cameras.
No further information was immediately available.
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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Says the Nuclear Button Is Always on His Desk
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during his national New Year’s address, warned the United States that the nuclear button is always on his desk.
“The entire mainland of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button is always on the desk of my office. They should accurately be aware that this is not a threat but a reality,” he said, according to a CNN translation of his speech.
He also declared that his country is “a responsible nuclear nation that loves peace” and told his citizens that “the U.S. cannot wage a war” against it.
“As long as there’s no aggression against us, we do not intend to use nuclear powers,” Kim added.
Tensions rise
Tension has been rising between the United States and North Korea in recent months. Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that the United States is “closer to a nuclear war with North Korea” than ever.
In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mullen warned that President Donald Trump’s provocative rhetoric aimed at Kim Jong Un likely indicates he would prefer to take a more aggressive approach to countering the rogue regime’s rapidly evolving nuclear weapons program.
Last week, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted new sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s Nov. 29 ballistic missile test, seeking to further strangle its energy supplies and tighten restrictions on smuggling and the use of North Korean workers overseas.
North Korea’s state-run news agency KCNA released a report Saturday promising that the country would remain committed to its nuclear development in 2018.
“Do not expect any change in its policy,” the report read.
“Its entity as an invincible power can neither be undermined nor be stamped out. The DPRK, as a responsible nuclear weapons state, will lead the trend of history to the only road of independence and justice, weathering all tempests on this planet,” the report continued, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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Police Arrest 2 Men After Fatal Stabbing of 21-Year-Old Marine in San Diego
Two men have been arrested in connection to the fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old U.S. Marine in downtown San Diego, police announced Sunday.
Authorities arrested Jose Oscar Esqueda, 30, and Jeff Shai Holliday, 24, on Saturday night, according to a statement from the San Diego Police Department.
Investigators said the men were involved in the stabbing death of Ryan Evan Harris, a Northern California native and a U.S. Marine stationed in Camp Pendleton.
Police reported receiving a call Friday at 1:33 a.m. about a fight and “a person down” in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. A responding officer found Harris on the sidewalk stabbed in the upper torso, the department said.
Although the officer and a number of bystanders administered first aid measures until paramedics arrived, Harris did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
While responding to the incident, officials said they were notified of another victim about half a mile away. Officers reported finding a second male stabbing victim, whom they later connected to the earlier scene. The man — whose name has not been released — sustained serious but not life-threatening wounds, according to police.
Esqueda was booked into jail for murder, attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, police said, while Holliday was booked for murder, assault with a deadly weapon, battery and probation violation.
Both men were from San Diego, according to authorities.
Police were asking the “good Samaritans” who helped administer first aid on Harris to come forward, as well as anyone with information about the case. Investigators can be reached at 619-531-2293 or 888-580-8477.
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Ranking the AFC and NFC playoff teams | Where do Eagles, Patriots, Steelers, Vikings stand?
The 2017 NFL postseason is set! Are the Patriots truly the favorites to win it all? Can the Steelers make it back to the big dance? Is a big run possible for the Eagles without Carson Wentz? Can the Vikings find a way to host a "home" Super Bowl? Here's a look at how all the teams stack up heading into January.
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FBI Raids Home of Suspected ISIS Supporter in Virginia
An FBI raid in Sterling, Virginia, on Friday night was part of an investigation into a man who allegedly supported ISIS, according to an FBI affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate WJLA.
During the raid, the suspect, Sean Andrew Duncan, attempted to destroy evidence, the criminal complaint, which WJLA obtained from the FBI, alleges.
When agents arrived at Duncan’s home on Friday, he “ran out the back door, barefoot, and with something in his hand,” the affidavit alleges. Duncan then threw “a plastic baggie” over their heads, which, when recovered, was found to contain “a memory chip stored within a thumb drive that had been snapped into pieces, and placed in a liquid substance that produced frothy white bubbles.”
Duncan had recently traveled to Turkey with his wife, but was deported to the United States, according to the affidavit. In December 2017, a detained ISIS recruiter showed the FBI a list of handwritten names and phone numbers, which contained Duncan’s information, the document alleges.
According to the affidavit, authorities searched Duncan’s cell phone over the summer and found “numerous internet searches for ISIS-related materials,” including information on ISIS attacks, weapons, body armor, surveillance and defense tactics, and paintball venues.
Efforts to reach Duncan or a representative of his for comment over the weekend were unsuccessful.
The affidavit alleges an unnamed co-conspirator told the FBI in July 2017 that Duncan had connected with her on social media and expressed an interest in joining ISIS and conducting a terrorist attack in the United States; he also asked her to travel to Syria with him and his wife, but she declined, the document says.
In August 2017, an undercover FBI employee identified an encrypted messaging account associated with Duncan and, posing as a co-conspirator, used the account to ask Duncan if he had any connections in Syria, the affidavit alleges; Duncan answered, “No a couple have been marytred (sic),” the document says.
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For Campers Along Rose Parade Route, Chilly Night on Sidewalk Is Worth It
For those spending the last night of 2017 camping on the sidewalks along Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard, a chilly night under the stars is well worth it to see the Rose Parade up-close and personal.
The Pongun family — Phoenix, Quintin and Penny — and Penny’s mother, Linda Johnson, play Yahtzee as they camp in Pasadena on Dec. 31, 2017 before the Rose Parade. (Hailey Branson-Potts / Los Angeles Times)
By midday Sunday, scores of campers had already staked their spots, covering the sidewalks in a patchwork of colorful chalk markings — big, hand-drawn squares marking places for families, groups of buddies, Boy Scout troops.
As classic cars cruised by, a woman hung a small gold-lettered banner reading “Happy New Year” to a tree. Campers bustled about, setting up chairs and cots, propane tanks and barbecue grills. Young men played Monopoly and Settlers of Catan from their lawn chairs, and two women swung from hammocks.
The Goodyear blimp hovered overhead. A car covered in University of Georgia flags drove slowly down Historic Route 66, and fans in town for Monday’s Rose Bowl game between Georgia and the University of Oklahoma sported their team’s colors all along the route.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Revelers Around the Globe Ring in 2018 Amid Heightened Security
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Throngs of revelers packed cities around the globe to usher in 2018 with public celebrations and fireworks, despite fears of terrorism and frigid weather in some places.
Fireworks illuminate the city’s skyline during New Year’s Eve celebrations on Jan. 1, 2018 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (Credit: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
More than a million people lined the harbor in Sydney, Australia, to watch a 12-minute fireworks show over the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Across Asia, people crowded into waterside viewing areas to see fireworks burst over Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and other cities.
In Moscow, revelers filled special New Year’s subway trains decorated with winter scenes. And Pope Francis led his annual Te Deum prayer at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
After a year marred by mass shootings and deadly terror attacks, many celebrations unfolded amid heightened security.
In New York, where hundreds of thousands of people pack Times Square each Dec. 31, Gov. Andrew Cuomo added additional security measures, including extra checkpoints, police dogs, street closures and undercover officers, according to WABC, a CNN affiliate.
“You will see a stronger police presence out there than we’ve seen, even than what we’ve seen in recent years. And that’s prudent, given the terror events we have seen and studied around the world as well as the three incidents here in New York over the past 15 months,” said NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.
And in Las Vegas, where a gunman killed 58 people at a music festival in October, officials installed extra security — including National Guard officers and snipers on rooftops — along the famed Las Vegas Strip.
As of midnight Sunday in eastern Europe, there had been no major incidents. But European cities also took security precautions. Almost a year after a gunman opened fire on 2017 New Year’s revelers in an Istanbul nightclub, Turkish police raided a suspected ISIS cell this week to help thwart potential attacks during the holidays.
After a spate of sexual assaults marred New Year’s Eve events in several German cities in 2015, officials in Berlin this year set up a special “safe zone” for women who feel harassed. Berlin, Cologne and other German cities also added hundreds of extra police.
And in Paris, 1,850 police officers were assigned to the Champs-Elysées amid a “double perimeter of security,” Interior Minister Gérard Collomb told BFMTV.
Across North America, New Year’s celebrants grappled with record low temperatures, as the holiday was expected to be 20 to 40 degrees colder than usual in many places. Of the lower 48 U.S. states, only 10 aren’t under a wind-chill alert.
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Courts to Evaluate Handling of Sexual Harassment Allegations, Chief Justice Roberts Announces
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts announced in an annual report on Sunday that he has called for an evaluation of how the judicial branch handles allegations of sexual harassment.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on May 23, 2016 in Washington, D.C. (Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In his year-end report on the state of the judiciary, Roberts said recent events “have illuminated the depth of the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace” and made clear that the “judicial branch is not immune.”
“The judiciary will begin 2018 by undertaking a careful evaluation of whether its standards of conduct and its procedures for investigating and correcting inappropriate behavior are adequate to ensure an exemplary workplace for every judge and every court employee,” Roberts wrote.
The announcement comes after Judge Alex Kozinski of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals announced his retirement earlier this month after a Washington Post story detailed accusations of sexual misconduct from several former clerks and junior staffers. The article included the account of a former clerk who said Kozinski made her look at pornographic images and asked whether they sexually aroused her.
Without getting into specifics, Kozinski apologized for his actions in a statement released by his lawyer, but also defended what he called his “broad sense of humor.”
“I’ve always had a broad sense of humor and a candid way of speaking to both male and female law clerks alike,” Kozinski wrote. “In doing so, I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace. It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent.”
Roberts, who as chief justice also heads the Judicial Conference, the national policy-making body of the federal courts, said he has asked the director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts to assemble a working group to examine whether changes are needed in the judiciary’s “standards of conduct” and its “procedures for investigating and correcting inappropriate behavior.” The goal is to “ensure an exemplary workplace for every judge and every court employee,” he wrote, adding that the review would include an evaluation of whether codes of conduct that often require strict confidentiality on the part of law clerks need to be updated to ensure that misconduct is reported.
“I have great confidence in the men and women who comprise our judiciary,” Roberts wrote. “I am sure that the overwhelming number have no tolerance for harassment and share the view that victims must have clear and immediate recourse to effective remedies.”
Roberts’ annual reports focus on issues he believes should receive the public’s attention, including praise, for example, for lower court judges or emphasizing issues such as budget cuts and recusal rules. In this year’s report, he commended the judiciary for its response to a series of natural disasters this year.
During the holidays, “we cannot forget our fellow citizens” in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and California” who are recovering from hurricanes and fires. He said the courts “must stand ready to perform their judicial functions” and that while “court emergency preparedness is not headline news, even on a slow news day,” it’s important to assure the public that the courts are doing their part.
Roberts highlighted instances in which court personnel were faced with having to deal with natural disasters, noting that judicial emergency response personnel helped find missing court employees and secure buildings after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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Eli Manning '100 percent' wants to return but Giants still must draft a QB at No. 2 | Politi
GM Dave Gettleman's decision on the quarterback is easily his biggest and most difficult.
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Giants' Ereck Flowers says reports he shut himself down are 'false'
Ereck Flowers sat out the season finale, supposedly due to a groin injury if the Giants are asked about it.
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Orleans Darkwa cashes in from Giants before becoming free agent: 'Don't know what future holds'
RB Orleans Darkwa might have been the best offensive player in all 3 of Giants wins in 2017: But will he re-sign as a free agent?
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Mayor Garcetti Shares Photo of LAPD Officer Injured in Ambush Shooting Near Downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Sunday shared a photo of himself with a LAPD officer who was injured in a shooting near downtown Friday night.
The photo shows the mayor holding Officer Joy Wong’s hand as she lays in a hospital bed.
Garrcetti wrote in his post that Wong is expected to make a full recovery and “says she can’t wait to get back on her feet.”
Wong was injured Friday while she and her partner were responding to a call in the Westlake District on Harford Avenue south of Seventh Street.
Someone fired multiple rounds from a distance at the officers and Wong was struck in the leg.
A 28-year-old man was taken into custody after the shooting.
Wong was described as being close to the end of her probationary period after graduating from the Los Angeles Police academy.
In his post, Garcetti said Wong was born in Korea and educated in the U.S. before graduating from the academy in April.
“Thank you to her (LAPD Rampart division) and academy class brothers and sisters for all the support you’ve given Joy over the last two days,” Garcetti wrote, also thanking hospital staff who have taken care of the officer.
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UPDATED NFL Playoff Picture 2018: AFC, NFC Wild-Card matchups with TV, dates, times
The 2018 NFL playoff matchups are set for the AFC and NFC Wild Card games on Saturday, January 6, 2018 and Sunday, January 7, 2018. Here are the teams, times and TV.
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Dave Gettleman housecleaning: Giants who won't be Giants next season
New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has dumped Bobby Hart already. Who may be next? Here's a look at the Giants who may not be Giants in 2018, including Eli Manning, Eli Apple, Ereck Flowers, Janoris Jenkins and more.
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Which Giants assistants have the best chance of sticking around?
A look at potential holdovers on the current staff.
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2018 NFL Draft order: Giants clinch No. 2 pick ahead of Colts | Let QB debate begin
The Giants will pick No. 2 in the 2018 NFL Draft -- 1st time since 1981 -- because the Indianapolis Colts won a meaningless regular-season finale.
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Nuclear War With North Korea Is Closer Than Ever, Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Says
The United States is “closer to a nuclear war with North Korea” than ever before, Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday, adding that he does not “see the opportunities to solve this diplomatically at this particular point.”
Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen speaks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington on Sept. 20, 2011. (Credit: Nicholas Kamm /AFP/Getty Images)
In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mullen warned that President Donald Trump’s provocative rhetoric aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likely indicates he would prefer to take a more aggressive approach to countering the rogue regime’s rapidly evolving nuclear weapons program.
“I’m just more inclined to see over time that the rhetoric seems to be where the President is,” Mullen said, adding that Defense Secretary James Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and White House chief of staff John Kelly have managed to deter Trump from following through on his threats of unleashing “fire and fury.”
“My concern is how long that actually lasts,” Mullen said, adding that, at some point, Trump may be inclined to ignore advice from his top national security advisers that runs counter to his own instincts.
Mullen’s warning about the possibility of war with North Korea was echoed by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, who said Sunday that 2018 could be a year of “extreme danger.”
“We’ve got a chance here to deliver some fatal blows to some really bad actors in 2018. But if we blink, God help us all,” Graham said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Earlier this month, Graham predicted that there is a 30% chance Trump orders a first strike on North Korea to prevent the rogue nation from acquiring a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.
“I would say there’s a three in 10 chance we use the military option,” the South Carolina Republican first said in an interview with The Atlantic and later confirmed to CNN. If the North Koreans conduct an additional test of a nuclear bomb — their seventh — “I would say 70 percent,” he said.
While Graham, an Air Force veteran who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is widely considered a Republican foreign policy hawk, he repeatedly said in the interview with The Atlantic that he hopes military options are never employed and advocated meeting with the North Koreans in pursuit of a peaceful resolution to tensions between the two nations.
In his interview Sunday, Graham said his prediction on the chance of a war with North Korea is “based on a lot of time with President Trump.”
“He made a decision early on to deny the North Korean regime the capability to hit America with a nuclear-tipped missile,” including the use of military force, if necessary, Graham said.
Asked if he thought that meant a preemptive strike in the coming year, Graham said: “2018 is going to be the year to deny North Korea the capability to hit the homeland. Sanctions will never work completely without the threat of credible military force. How do you change a man’s behavior who’s willing to kill his own family, torture his own people to stay in power?”
“The only way he’ll change his behavior, if he believes Donald Trump would use military force to destroy his regime,” Graham added. “And the Iranians are watching how Trump deals with North Korea.”
A report released Saturday by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the country will remain committed to nuclear development in 2018
“Do not expect any change in its policy,” the report read.
“Its entity as an invincible power can neither be undermined nor be stamped out. The DPRK, as a responsible nuclear weapons state, will lead the trend of history to the only road of independence and justice, weathering all tempests on this planet,” the report continued, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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‘None of This Makes Sense:’ Mother Pleads for Answers After Kansas Man Killed Following L.A.-Area Prank Call
Lisa Finch, the mother of a man who was shot and killed by the Wichita Police Department in a prank call stunt gone wrong, says she still has more questions than answers about the deadly encounter.
Andrew Thomas Finch, right, is shown in a photo obtained by CNN on Dec. 30, 2017.
Andrew Finch, 28, was shot on Thursday in his home in Wichita, Kansas. According to the Wichita Police Department, officers were responding to an anonymous prank call describing a “hostage situation” at Finch’s address.
Three days after the incident, Finch said there is still blood on the carpet where her son lay dying. She also said she has gotten little support from authorities, did not get an opportunity to identify her son’s body, and has no idea where the body is being kept.
‘They didn’t give him any warnings’
“There are so many things I want to say,” she told CNN. “[The cops] have not been open and honest with me. They wouldn’t tell me where my son was at.”
She said the first time the police reached out to her was Sunday morning, when Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay visited with her and offered condolences.
“He said this should not have happened,” Finch said.
CNN has reached out to the Wichita Police Department to confirm this meeting and for comment on the incident.
Finch said the night of the incident was a blur of confusion and violence.
“[Police] swarmed this house. They shot him,” she said. “They didn’t give him any warnings.”
Wichita Police Deputy Chief Troy Livingston said the responding officers shot Andrew Finch because he moved his hands toward his waist. Livingston said Andrew Finch was not armed and nobody was found dead at the home. He called the shooting “tragic and senseless.”
A Los Angeles man named Tyler Barriss was later arrested in connection with the incident, and police believe he may have placed the fake call as part of a dispute over a video game.
‘Why did they handle it the way they did?’
After the initial incident, Finch said she heard little from the Wichita Police Department, but they searched her house and took some items with them.
Tyler Barriss is shown in a 2015 mug shot released by Glendale police on Dec. 30, 2017.
“They admitted shooting him, and they took my screen for evidence,” she said. “What difference does that make? What difference does the rest of the house make? They went over this thing with a fine-tooth comb.”
Finch said she has found some solace in the public support offered to her family.
“People have been amazing,” she said. “Complete strangers — there was a couple last night who walked out in this cold to bring some money. And someone else, a stranger, set up a candlelight vigil outside of my house.”
“This really matters to people,” she said.
Despite her son’s death gaining widespread attention, Finch said she is frustrated by lingering questions and what she says is a lack of trust and communication between herself and the police department. She said her son didn’t even play video games, and the house where Andrew was didn’t match the alleged description in the phone call to police.
“Why did they handle it the way they did? You don’t open fire in a hostage situation,” she said. “None of this makes sense.”
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WATCH: Giants fan leaps off bus, crashes through table in tailgating stunt
Move over, Bills fans. Giants Mafia is going out in a big way with a dangerous tailgating stunt.
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Grand Park in DTLA Offers New Year Celebration
Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles will host "N.Y.E.L.A," a family-friendly event to ring in the New Year.
Sara Welch reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Dec. 31, 2017.
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Rose Parade Preparations Underway in Pasadena
Preparations were underway for the Rose Parade in Pasadena Sunday. Simone Boyce gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the Donate Life float to be featured during the Tournament of Roses on New Year's Day. She reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Dec. 31, 2017.
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At Least 30 Dead in Kenya Bus Crash
At least 30 people were confirmed killed and several others injured when a bus collided with a truck on a road in central Kenya, the country’s President said.
People look at the wreckage of a bus and a lorry that crashed in a head-on collision, killing thirty people near Nakuru, Kenya, on Dec. 31, 2017.
(Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)
The crash happened early Sunday as the Nairobi-bound bus was traveling along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
In a statement, President Uhuru Kenyatta expressed his condolences to the families and friends of passengers involved in the road accident at Migaa near Molo, a town in Nakuru County north of Nairobi.
“The President said it was unfortunate that many Kenyans have continued to lose their lives in road accidents, which can be avoided,” the statement read.
Twenty-eight bodies had so far been recovered from the bus wreckage as well as the body of the truck driver, according to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
Rescue operations continued at the scene of the accident, with injured passengers transported to Molo Sub-County Hospital and Nakuru Level Five Hospital for treatment, KBC reported.
President Kenyatta wished the injured a quick recovery and called upon drivers to be vigilant on the roads over the holiday period.
“Let us all be responsible this festive season, and more so, those of us who are driving,” Kenyatta said, according to the statement.
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‘Multiple Deputies’ Injured in Shooting South of Denver
Residents of a Denver suburb were ordered to shelter in place early Sunday after shots were fired and “multiple deputies” were reported down in the area, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
There was no immediate information on the condition of the deputies, the sheriff’s office tweeted, saying “the scene remains active.”
The incident occurred in Highlands Ranch, about 20 miles south of Denver.
“Any citizens in the affected area are instructed to shelter in place, avoid windows and stay away from exterior walls,” the office tweeted.
The sheriff’s office later tweeted that deputies were responding to a domestic disturbance when shots were fired and the deputies were injured.
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Iran Restricts Social Media, Issues Stern Warning to Protesters
Iran restricted access to several social media apps Sunday and warned that anti-government protesters who cause public disorder will “pay the price” after three days of demonstrations across the country.
Iranian students protest at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems, in the capital Tehran on Dec. 30, 2017.
(Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Instagram and Telegram have been temporarily “restricted” in order to ensure calm and security, state-run media outlet IRIB reported Sunday.
Social media has been vital resource for Iranians participating in the protests — described as the largest public display of discontent since the 2009 Green Movement in Iran.
While independent media coverage from inside the country has been limited, protesters have used apps like Telegram, which offers public channels for users in addition to encrypted messaging, to share information and videos of protests and clashes. Official media outlets have provided few details about the protests.
Telegram’s CEO tweeted that Iranian authorities had blocked access to Telegram for “the majority of Iranians” after the company refused to shut down peaceful protesting channels.
Earlier on Sunday, the Iranian Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli issued a stern warning that protesters will “pay the price” after the demonstrations turned deadly. He said the misuse of social networks by some individuals “are causing violence and fear,” and that “such behavior will be smashed,” according to IRNA, Iran’s official news agency.
CNN was able to contact users in Iran through the Telegram app following the announcements. The app was slower than usual but messages eventually got through.
The demonstrations, which have erupted against a backdrop of rising food and gasoline prices, began Thursday in the northeastern city of Mashhad before spreading to other cities. They include Tehran, Kermanshah, Arak, Qazvin, Khorramabad, Karaj and Sabzevar, according to IRNA, citing First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.
“The events and occurrences of the last few days have preoccupied, saddened and hurt our beloved people,” semi-official news agency ILNA quoted Fazli as saying, before adding “those who destroy public properties, create chaos, lawlessness and insecurity in our society, will be held legally responsible and must answer for their behaviors and pay the price for it.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to speak in a pre-recorded address to the country Sunday, according to semi-official news agency ISNA.
Protests turn deadly
Two people were killed Saturday during protests in Doroud city, in the Lorestan province of western Iran, according to semi-official news agency Mehr News.
On Sunday, Mehr news quoted Habibollah Khojastehpour, the deputy governor of Lorestan, as confirming the deaths but denying security forces were to blame.
Several videos circulated on social media showed various people injured during protests in the city. The videos purportedly showed injured people lying on the ground and being carried away from the protest, as well as being treated in a local hospital. In some of the video, gunshots can be heard.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video.
One local source told CNN on Saturday that during protests in the city, his family witnessed a mob storming the governor’s office and setting it on fire. Protesters were fired upon and five people were shot, the source said.
According to Mehr, Khojastehpour added that fire was not directed toward or into the crowds by the military, security or police forces.
“Clashes occurred with individuals who had taken to the streets, heeding calls by the enemies of the system,” Khojastehpour is quoted as saying. “The objective was to conclude this gathering peacefully but given the presence of the aforementioned individuals and groups, this tragedy unfortunately occurred that resulted in the killing of two individuals who were present at the clashes.”
‘Death to the dictator’
In a rare display of public dissent, some protesters directed their ire at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, according to some videos on social media. CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage.
In another video also circulating on social media, Iranians can be overheard chanting “We don’t want an Islamic Republic” and “Death to the dictator.” The video purports to show demonstrators in the western city of Khorramabad.
In addition to these anti-government slogans, chants of “Death to the Revolutionary Guards” can also be heard in another video posted on social media.
CNN is unable to independently verify the authenticity of those videos.
One resident told CNN of witnessing a protester tearing down a poster of Khamenei near Tehran University on Saturday.
In Tehran, protesters have been temporarily arrested for participating in “illegal demonstrations,” according to Mohsen Hamadani, Tehran deputy governor in charge of security affairs, as reported by semi-official ILNA.
On Saturday, 80 people were detained in the nearby city of Arak, according to a government official, as reported by Mehr news agency.
“A number of individuals intended to enter into and damage government locations,” the government official, who was not identified by Mehr, is quoted as saying. The official added that protesters were not able to enter the government buildings, “and the city is under control.”
Mehr added that at least three people were lightly injured.
US-Iran war of words
President Donald Trump has voiced his support for anti-government protesters in several tweets throughout the weekend, sparking a war of words with the Iranian government.
“Big protests in Iran,” the President wrote Sunday morning. “The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer.”
“The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!” he added, echoing past tweets.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi pushed back against earlier US comments, saying the Iranian people gave no credence to such “opportunistic” remarks by Trump or his administration.
Iranian officials have pointed to foreign intervention as being behind the protests.
Relations between Washington and Tehran are tense, with the Trump administration critical of what it sees as Iran’s growing regional influence and alleged involvement in conflicts including Yemenand Syria.
Rouhani won a landslide re-election in May after campaigning largely on social reform. His campaign touted the merits of the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States, the European Union and other partners, a deal rejected by Trump.
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Man Shot by LAPD Officer in Koreatown
A man was shot in Koreatown by a Los Angeles Police Department officer in Koreatown early Sunday, officials said.
LAPD officers respond to a police shooting in Koreatown on Dec. 31, 2017. (Credit: LOUDLABS)
The incident was reported about 12:10 a.m. near along Western Avenue between 8th and 9th streets, LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado told KTLA.
Officers responded to the area after receiving a call about a man armed with a handgun and making a disturbance.
Officers spotted the man, who was armed with what appeared to be a gun and a female officer fired at the man, Preciado said. He did not elaborate on what led to the shooting.
The man was taken to a hospital with an injury to his lower body and is recovering.
No officers were injured during the shooting, Preciado said.
Detectives remained at the scene in the 6 a.m. hour combing for evidence.
Preciado said further investigation will determine whether or not the gun was real or a replica.
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2 Rival Crips Gangs Make Peace on the Softball Field During Torrance Game
No one remembers exactly why the Ten Year War started.
Was it a fight at a Tupac Shakur concert? A dispute over a woman? After the first killing in the late 1990s, the cycle of revenge began.
In 2006, there was a truce. Now, on a cool Saturday in October, the two Crips gangs, once mortal enemies, were again battling for supremacy — not on the streets of Los Angeles, but in a softball league like no other.
The league’s eight teams wear uniforms that are predominantly Crips blue — never red. Jerseys are emblazoned with street names, some amusing — Shortsac, Casanova — and others, like Kill Kill, more ominous.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Thomas Fire Was a Force That Could Not Be Stopped Because of Winds, Dry Brush
The fire left the mountains ghostly gray, vast slopes frozen still but for dust devils wandering the ash.
Fire crews were conducting a last big operation in the high country, burning a ridge above Hartman Ranch to keep the main fire from mushrooming into a road-less wilderness where condors soar.
The Thomas fire had already torn through disparate points of Southern California — beach enclaves, orange groves, rural canyons, golf retreats and suburban cul-de-sacs. Flames ignited fan palms against the Pacific surf and cedars on high granite peaks.
Residents along the flame front had seen fires come out of the mountains many times before — at horse ranches in Ojai, at farmworker camps in Fillmore, at Tuscan estates in stands of olive trees in Montecito.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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How Giants can make very bad history vs. Redskins | Week 17 preview
The Giants are flirting with two franchise-worst marks in a single season.
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Bill O'Brien 'likely' staying with Texans, out of Giants' search, ESPN's Adam Schefter says
The Giants can likely cross Texans coach Bill O'Brien off their list
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Giants to interview Eagles DC Jim Schwartz for head coaching job, report says
The Eagles defensive coordinator is considered an early favorite for the opening.
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Saturday, December 30, 2017
City Official From San Diego County Shot 3 Times in Mexican Resort Town, Authorities Say
An undated photo shows Doug Bradley, an Imperial Beach city administrator. (Credit: Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina / Los Angeles Times)
An Imperial Beach city administrator who was killed earlier this week in what appears to be a robbery while vacationing in a southern Mexican resort town had been shot three times, a Mexican official said.
Authorities are investigating the slaying Thursday of Doug Bradley, who friends and family said was a surfing aficionado and adventurous soul. As the city’s administrative services director, Bradley oversaw the budget and fiscal functions, and also served as the city treasurer.
“He was brilliant at his job. He was always positive,” Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said. “You couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with.”
Bradley died a day before his 50th birthday.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Faces Rare Display of Public Anger as Protests Continue
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Several Iranians were shot during protests late Saturday, a source tells CNN, after Iran’s government warned citizens against holding “illegal” public gatherings, following two days of rare anti-government protests that spread to a number of cities.
Iranian students run for cover from tear gas at the University of Tehran during a demonstration on Dec. 30, 2017. (Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)
One local source told CNN that during protests in Dorud, in the Lorestan province of western Iran, his family witnessed a mob storming the governor’s office and setting it on fire. Protesters were fired upon and five people were shot, the source said.
The protests — described as the largest public display of discontent since the 2009 Green Movement in Iran — have emerged against a backdrop of rising food and gasoline prices.
In a rare display of public dissent, some protesters directed their ire at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, according to some videos on social media. CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage.
“We’ve seen pictures of (Khamenei) ripped from the billboards at the sides of streets. We’ve heard protesters call for his overthrow,” said Nic Robertson, CNN’s international diplomatic editor. “This is something different. This is something the regime is going to take very seriously.”
One resident told CNN of witnessing a protester tearing down a poster of Khamenei near Tehran University on Saturday.
Protests in third day
The demonstrations began Thursday in the northeastern city of Mashhad before spreading to other cities. They included Tehran, Kermanshah, Arak, Qazvin, Khorramabad, Karaj and Sabzevar, according to First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, cited by official news agency IRNA.
Iranian media outlets reported a number of arrests.
The unrest has prompted verbal sparring between Iran and the United States, which on Friday urged Tehran to respect protesters’ rights and warned that the “world is watching.”
An Iranian vice president said on Saturday the government would work harder to resolve economic hardships, according to semi-official news agency FARS.
First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri made the remarks without acknowledging the protests, adding that some have used economic issues as a “pretext” to hurt the government, FARS reported.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli warned that any groups wishing to congregate must file an official request and be granted permission.
“The police and security forces have tried to manage conditions. We have received reports of calls to gather, cyber and social media based, and such calls and any gatherings resulting therefrom, are certainly illegal,” he said.
Meanwhile, crowds of government supporters joined official demonstrations held across the country, state media reported.
Angry chants
Protesters have been heard on videos distributed on social media as chanting “Death to Rouhani,” a reference to President Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected earlier this year. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
In one video circulating on Twitter, throngs of people could be seen gathering close to the university, chanting, “Dishonest! Dishonest!” as a substance that appears to be tear gas is launched through metal gates toward several protesters.
Three students were arrested outside Tehran University on Saturday, an official with the Ministry of Science told semi-official Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA. Two have since been released, it said.
Poorer Iranians have been involved in the new round of protests in a way that wasn’t seen in the 2009 Green Movement, an eyewitness in Tehran noted. Iran currently sits 120th on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index, demonstrating the difficult economic situation in the country. The high youth unemployment rate is of particular concern for Iranians.
The pro-government rallies held Saturday were organized in advance to commemorate mass demonstrations held in 2009 to challenge the pro-reform protests.
An eyewitness in Tehran said nearly 2,000 people had gathered peacefully for a pro-government rally. State-run Iranian broadcasters showed demonstrators waving the Iranian flag.
Meanwhile, coverage of the anti-government protests was very limited on state-run media, which referenced them only in passing.
U.S.: ‘The world is watching’
The White House voiced its support for anti-government protesters in a statement Friday.
“There are many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with the regime’s corruption and its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. “The Iranian government should respect their people’s rights, including their right to express themselves. The world is watching.”
President Donald Trump subsequently tweeted the same message.
The U.S. State Department urged the international community to support the Iranian people’s “demands for basic rights and an end to corruption.”
“Iran’s leaders have turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos,” said spokeswoman Heather Nauert. “As President Trump has said, the longest-suffering victims of Iran’s leaders are Iran’s own people.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi pushed back against the U.S. comments a day later, saying the Iranian people gave no credence to such “opportunistic” remarks by Trump or his administration.
His statement on the Foreign Ministry website also described “Mr Trump’s government” as the main source of ill will toward Iran.
Trump tweeted about the situation again on Saturday, sharing footage of a speech he gave at the United Nations in September.
“Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever,” Trump wrote, quoting his speech. “And the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice.”
“The world is watching!” he added.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also took to Twitter Saturday evening to reiterate the Trump administration’s support for “peaceful protesters in Iran who are speaking out for freedom.” Pence added, “… the time has come for the regime in Tehran end terrorist activities, corruption, & their disregard for human rights.”
In the same tweet, Pence condemned the “arrests of innocents.”
Relations between Washington and Tehran are tense, with the Trump administration critical of what it sees as Iran’s growing regional influence and alleged involvement in conflicts including Yemen and Syria.
Rouhani won a landslide re-election in May after campaigning largely on social reform. His campaign touted the merits of the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States, the European Union and other partners which has been rejected by Trump.
Foreign intervention claim
Iranian officials have pointed to foreign intervention as being behind the anti-government protests.
“Unfortunately, most of the people who participate in these gatherings are unsophisticated individuals who are not aware that these calls for protest are made by anti-revolution elements,” Mohsen Hamadani, Tehran deputy governor in charge of security affairs, was quoted as saying by the semi-official news agency ILNA.
“Most participants are not aware that anti-revolution elements are calling people to demonstrate against social issues such as inflation but chant untrue slogans.”
Protests stem from ‘economic difficulties’
The protests “show that frustration in the Iranian society right now is very extensive, particularly when it comes to the economic difficulties they have been facing,” according to Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council and author of the book “Losing an Enemy.”
While the economic situation is due in part to “mismanagement and corruption,” Parsi said, it’s also a result of the Rouhani government’s policies and the process of getting sanctions on the country lifted.
“The nuclear deal is overwhelmingly supported by the Iranian public, but there was an expectation that much more economic development would come out of it,” Parsi said. Iranians have not seen that turnaround.
Ultimately, the protests represent an internal dispute within Iran, but international policy is also playing a role, he said. And Trump’s involvement is not necessarily beneficial to anti-government protesters.
“This is not about the United States, this is not about Trump,” Parsi said. “And Trump stepping into this is not necessarily helpful because he doesn’t carry any credibility in Iran.”
Parsi pointed to several policy positions taken by the Trump administration this year, such as the administration’s opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, his travel ban — which targeted, in part, Iran — and his “hugging Saudi Arabia.”
“I think he’s unaware of how illegitimate broad parts of the Iranian society view him,” Parsi said.
While sanctions against Iran were eased under the 2015 deal in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions imposed over non-nuclear activities continue to have an impact.
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Rose Parade Preparations Underway Before Hundreds of Thousands Gather in Old Town Pasadena
With less than 48 hours until the Rose Parade, preparations to host hundreds of thousands of people were in progress in Old Town Pasadena. Dave Mecham reports for the KTLA 5 News on Dec. 30, 2017.
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Trumps Tweets Support for Protests in Iran, Says ‘The World Is Watching!’
President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted his support for protests taking place in Iran, writing, “The world is watching!”
In a pair of tweets, the President wrote: “The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most….”
Trump continued: “Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching!”
Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally organized by the Tea Party Patriots against the Iran nuclear deal in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C, on Sept. 9, 2015. (Credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
In the tweets, Trump posted videos of a speech he gave to the United Nations in September, in which he said, “The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change.”
The president’s Twitter posts follow a White House statement making similar points, which he tweeted late Friday night.
Iran’s government warned its citizens on Saturday against holding “illegal” public gatherings, following two days of rare anti-government protests which spread to a number of cities.
The protests — described as the largest public display of discontent since the 2009 Green Movement in Iran — have emerged against a backdrop of rising food and gasoline prices.
The unrest has prompted verbal sparring between Iran and the United States, with the White House and Trump on Friday urging Tehran to respect protesters’ rights.
“There are many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with the regime’s corruption and its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. “The Iranian government should respect their people’s rights, including their right to express themselves. The world is watching.”
Trump subsequently tweeted the same message.
Trump campaigned for president with a hard-line stance on Iran, calling the country the “No. 1 terror state” during a debate with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. As president, he has tried to keep that hard-line stance and announced earlier this year that he plans to decertify the Iran nuclear agreement and push Congress to a new plan to deal with Iran’s nuclear program.
By weighing in on the protests, though, Trump is wading into a tricky issue that has befuddled presidents ever since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 ended relations between Washington and Tehran.
Former President Barack Obama’s response to protests in Iran in 2009 was timid initially, but grew more forceful. Although those protests eventually fizzled, Obama looked to deal with Iran by minting the nuclear agreement that Trump has tried to scrap.
Obama also looked to rekindle direct talks between Iran and the United States, including in 2013, when he became the first U.S. president to speak with an Iranian president — Hassan Rouhani in this case — since 1979.
Former President George W. Bush dealt with Iran more forcefully, but to mixed results, labeling the country in 2002 as part of an “axis of evil” that included Iraq and North Korea. Bush’s stance was the result of a softer approach taken by former President Bill Clinton, who worked at length to foster relations with former President Mohammad Khatami.
The difficult issue that American presidents have had to confront is how to support anti-government protests in Iran without dooming those same demonstrations by allowing Tehran to paint them as closely aligned with the United States, an allegation seen in Iran as a slight.
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San Diego County Detention Center Subjects Immigrants to Forced Labor, Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges
An undated photo shows one of the pod sections at Otay Mesa Detention Center in south San Diego. (Credit: Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Immigrants held at a San Diego County detention center are suing the private prison company that runs the facility, alleging exploitation and forced labor that their attorneys say breaks human trafficking laws.
The class-action lawsuit, filed Wednesday in San Diego federal court, alleges that immigrants at Otay Mesa Detention Center are paid at most $1.50 per day, and sometimes not paid at all, for their work as kitchen staff, janitors, barbers and various other roles. It further alleges that the facility doesn’t provide all of the basic necessities that detainees need for daily life, such as soap, which means they have to work in order to buy those items at the commissary.
The lawsuit also contends that facility staff have threatened to put detainees in solitary confinement or take away visitation rights if they said they didn’t want to work.
CoreCivic, the company that contracts with the government to operate the facility, said it does not comment on pending litigation and has not yet been served with the lawsuit.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Apple Makes $29 Replacement Battery Available Earlier Than Planned After Admitting to Slowing Down Older iPhones
People with an iPhone 6 or later can get a $29 replacement battery immediately — a month earlier than Apple originally planned to start offering discounted replacements, the company confirmed Saturday.
Apple unveils the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus on Sept. 9, 2015. (Credit: Apple)
“We expected to need more time to be ready, but we are happy to offer our customers the lower pricing right away. Initial supplies of some replacement batteries may be limited,” said an Apple spokesperson in a statement.
Last week, it was discovered that Apple was slowing down older iPhones on purpose. The company confirmed it was slowing performance at certain peak moments to prevent sudden battery shut downs. It said the power management feature, which was quietly rolled out in an iOS update last year, was only necessary for phones with aging lithium ion batteries. Swapping in a fresh battery should restore a phone back up to its normal speeds.
Customers were upset that the company did not tell them about the feature, and many thought it was an attempt to get people to upgrade to newer iPhone models. Some people are already suing Apple and seeking class action status.
In a letter to customers posted Thursday, Apple apologized for poor communication about the slowdown and denied it was an attempt to force upgrades. To make amends, Apple said it would offer the cheaper replacement batteries and working on a new iOS feature that will give users more information on their battery’s status.
The batteries cost $29 instead of $79 and are available worldwide by going to an Apple Store or Apple certified retailer, or mailing a phone into Apple support. Apple originally said the batteries would be available at the $50 discount starting at the end of January. The lower prices are only available until the end of 2018.
The power management update was first rolled out a year ago to the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone SE. Apple later added it for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
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LAPD Reports Officer-Involved Shooting in Winnetka Area
An officer-involved shooting was reported in the 6900 block of Oakdale Avenue in the Winnetka area, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter at 7:51 p.m.
The tweet called the situation an “active incident.”
No further details were immediately available.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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Koreatown Groomer Mistakenly Gives Dog Away to Person Pretending to Be Owner’s Nephew
A grooming business in Koreatown mistakenly gave a Shih Tzu away to a person who pretended to be the dog owner’s nephew. Laura Taylor, who was seeking the public’s help in finding her 11-year-old pet, can be reached at 310-433-4242 or 310-844-4854.
Chris Wolfe reports for the KTLA 5 News on Dec. 30, 2017.
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28-Year-Old Soldier Home for the Holidays Died Rescuing Neighbors in Bronx Apartment Fire
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A 28-year-old soldier who was home for the holidays died rescuing his neighbors on Thursday in New York’s deadliest blaze in more than 25 years, officials said.
Emmanuel Mensah was killed trying to pull neighbors out of his burning apartment building, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday.
“His heroism exemplifies the best of our city. Rest in peace,” the mayor said.
A child playing with a kitchen stove started the fire and it quickly spread through the 29-unit building. The fire killed at least 12 people, including four children.
Mensah joined the Army National Guard one year ago so he could help others, according to his father, Kwabena Mensah.
It came as little surprise to him that his son came to the aid of others.
“That’s his nature: He wants to help people out,” Mensah told CNN on Friday. At the time, his son’s death had not been confirmed but he had little hope for his survival.
“As a father, you always have to feel sad when you get such news about your son, and I thought maybe he’s coming back,” Mensah said. “But unfortunately it turns out the other way.”
Emmanuel Mensah was stationed in Virginia, his father said.
A private first class in the New York National Guard, he had just graduated from boot camp after starting basic training in the fall and was slated to go to advanced individual training in 2018, spokesman Eric Durr said. He was training to be a military police officer, a role that offers a variety of potential responsibilities, from garrison law enforcement to security in the field.
This visit was his first back to the Bronx in the year since he enlisted in the National Guard, his father said. He was in his apartment when the fire broke out.
A 3-year-old boy’s screams alerted his mother that a fire had erupted in their apartment in the building’s first floor. The boy was playing with the burners on the kitchen stove, officials said. As his mother fled the burning apartment with him and his sibling, she left the apartment door open, a mistake that would prove fatal.
Each time someone opened a window, oxygen rushed into the building, fanning the flames. The apartment’s stairway acted like a chimney as the fire burst from the apartment, feeding the flames and allowing them to spread throughout the building, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Kwabena Mensah learned from others that his son helped others to safety. He went out and back twice, but “on the third time he couldn’t find his way out,” he said.
“I thought as a military man he may have gotten out already,” he said Friday. “But like I said, God is in control.”
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Police ID Gunman, Victims in Long Beach Law Office Shooting: Report
Authorities have named the gunman who fatally shot a colleague and injured another in a Long Beach law office on Friday, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Long Beach police respond to reports of a shooter on East San Antonio Drive on Dec. 29, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
Long Beach police said 58-year-old John Alexander Mendoza, of Redondo Beach, shot and killed 75-year-old Major A. Langer and wounded 64-year-old Ronald Beck before killing himself, the Press-Telegram reported on Saturday.
Their associates said the three men worked at the Perona, Langer, Beck, Serbin, Mendoza and Harrison law firm at 300 E. San Antonio Drive, according to the Press-Telegram.
Sources said Mendoza had been terminated earlier and that he opened fire during a holiday party, the paper reported. Langer started the firm and Beck ran daily operations, according to the Press-Telegram.
In a news conference on Friday, Long Beach Police Sgt. Brad Johnson said the gunfire was reported on the 300 block of East San Antonio Drive around 2:25 p.m.
The officer said that while police discovered the gunman and one victim dead upon arrival, another man who was shot managed to drive himself to the hospital and was expected to survive. No other injuries were reported.
Officials have not confirmed further details about the case.
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Powerball, Mega Millions Jackpots Reach $727 Million
The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have reached a combined total of $727 million.
Lottery players will have a chance to grab the $384 million Powerball grand prize on Saturday. The drawing takes place at 11 p.m. ET.
On Tuesday there’s another shot at a $300 million-plus jackpot with Mega Millions. That jackpot climbed from $306 million to $343 million after no one won after Friday night’s drawing.
It’s rare for the jackpots in both games to get so big. But it’s about to become more common. Both Mega Millions and Powerball have been changed to make the odds of winning the jackpot longer, meaning there will be more frequent giant jackpots.
In October, Mega Millions changed the numbers from which players can choose, bringing the odds of picking all six numbers to 1 in 302.6 million, from 1 in 258.9 million under the old format.
Related: 20 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history
The move was similar to one made by Powerball in October 2015. That took the odds of winning that game from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million.
While the chance of winning either game is very low, and the chance of winning both is very, very, very low — 1 in 88 quadrillion, or 1 in 88,412,922,115,183,000 to be precise. In percentages terms, that means you have a 0.0000000000000011% chance of winning both games. Of course.
But that didn’t stop people from buying tickets to both games in recent days.
“It’s something we often see, particularly when there are two big jackpots – people buying both tickets, ” said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, whose members sell about two-thirds of the nation’s lottery tickets. “There’s not much loyalty to a specific games. They’re sold in the same places, so you might as well double down on the number of days that you can dream.”
And Americans do love buying lottery tickets. They spent more than $80 billion on them in 2016. That’s more than they spent on movies, video games, music, sports tickets and books — combined.
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Scientists Look for Survivors After Thomas Fire Scorches Condor Sanctuary in Los Padres National Forest
Pushed by instinct and age, a fledgling California condor had been expected to step to the edge of its cliff-side cave sometime in December and, with black-and-white wings flapping hard, make its first flight over the scrubby terrain of the Los Padres Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
But then the Thomas fire broke out.
The blaze ripped across Los Padres National Forest and into the 53,000-acre sanctuary, where 80 of the state’s 172 free-flying condors spend much of their time.
On Dec. 15, the 11th day of the fire, scientists lost contact with a radio transmitter attached to the turkey-size chick known as No. 871 as flames raced toward its closet-size cave. Days later a biologist chaperoned by a strike team from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection picked up a faint ping with an uneven tempo coming from the vicinity of the condor’s nest, but the findings were inconclusive.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Neighbors Hang ‘Make America Gay Again’ Sign at Mike Pence’s Colorado Home: Report
Vice President Mike Pence’s neighbors hung a ‘Make America Gay Again’ banner outside his Aspen-area residence, according to a report published Friday.
The neighbors posted the words, which were written on a rainbow flag, on a stone pillar that sits at the end of the driveways to both homes, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Buglione told The Aspen Times.
Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said when a man who lives in the home hung the banner, the Secret Service didn’t stop him.
“He was real sheepish and thought he might be confronted by the Secret Service or deputies who’d tell him he couldn’t do it,” DiSalvo said. “When they said, ‘We’re not here to control your free speech rights,’ they came out with chili and began feeding them.”
He continued: “They’ve been really nice to us.”
Pence arrived in Aspen on Tuesday according to the report.
Pence is a Christian conservative who, as governor of Indiana, attempted to amend the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriages in 2014. But Democrats, along with traditionally right-leaning business organizations, rallied against the change.
Back in 2010, then-Rep. Pence also criticized efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the federal policy banning openly gay Americans from serving in the military.
President Donald Trump has also joked that Pence “wants to hang” all gay people, according to The New Yorker.
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Volunteers Put Finishing Touches on Rose Parade Floats
Erin Myers gives viewers a preview of one of the floats to be featured during the 129th Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2018. She reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Dec. 30, 2017.
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Dodgers Kiké Hernandez Will Ride on Rose Parade Float With His Father
For the first time in his life, Enrique Hernandez won’t be home for the new year.
Enrique Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs after hitting a RBI single during game two of the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2017. (Credit: Harry How/Getty Images)
As 2018 dawns across Puerto Rico, Hernandez will be riding on a float in the Rose Parade. He will be cheered by hundreds of thousands crowded along the streets of Pasadena. He will be seen by scores of millions watching on television, all around the world.
It’s a terrific story: unheralded backup player hits three home runs in the game that clinches the Dodgers’ first World Series appearance in 29 years, gets rewarded with a coveted spot in the iconic Southern California parade.
That’s not the story, actually. The real story is even better.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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2 Security Guards Fatally Shot at Las Vegas Casino
Two security guards were shot and killed at a Las Vegas hotel-casino early Saturday morning.
The incident happened in one of the hotel rooms at Arizona Charlie’s — about 10 minutes west of the Las Vegas Strip, local television station Fox-5 reported. It also reported the gunman was wounded by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and was transported to University Medical Center.
After the shooting, the suspect had escaped the hotel and was found by police officers at a nearby residence.
The shooting happened on the day before Las Vegas is preparing for its high-profile New Year’s Eve celebration on the Las Vegas Strip.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
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Los Angeles Man Arrested After Prank Call Leads to Fatal Police Shooting in Kansas
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A Los Angeles man was arrested after he allegedly pranked-called police in Kansas, leading officers to fatally shoot another man.
Wichita Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Livingston called the swatting incident “tragic and senseless.”
Police responded to a house in Wichita on Thursday where a caller had indicated he had fatally shot his father and he had his mother and brother hostage.
The caller indicated that he wanted to kill himself, had poured gasoline all over the house and was going to set the house on fire, audio released by the Wichita Police Department showed.
Police responded and surrounded the house given by the caller. A 28-year-old man came out and heeded officers orders by putting his arms over his head, but at one point, police said he reached for his waistline. Officials released a short body camera video of the incident on Friday.
An officer believed the man pulled a weapon and shot the man once. Police went into the house and found four people inside, but no hostages and no body, Livingston said at a news conference Friday.
The man, identified by family members as Andrew Thomas Finch, died at a hospital a short time later.
“The irresponsible actions of a prankster put people’s lives at risk,” Livingston said. “The incident is a nightmare for everyone involved, including the family and our police department. Due to the actions of a prankster, we have an innocent victim. If the false police call had not been made, we would not have been there.”
LAPD officials confirmed to KTLA that Tyler Barriss, 25, of Los Angeles, was responsible for making the swatting call.
He was arrested in South Los Angeles on suspicion of a fugitive warrant, Los Angeles Police Officer Mike Lopez said.
No officers were injured during the incident. The officer who shot his weapon was put on administrative leave and was described as being on the force for more than seven years.
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KTLA’s Nidia Becerra contributed to this story.
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New Giants GM Dave Gettleman fires draft boss Marc Ross
Gettleman isn't wasting any time getting to work.
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Giants to waive OL Bobby Hart, sources say
The 2015 seventh-round pick started 20 games at right tackle over the past two seasons.
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9 random thoughts on the Giants after GM Dave Gettleman's hiring
The first big domino of the offseason has fallen.
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Putin Calls for ‘Pragmatic Cooperation’ With U.S. in New Year Greetings
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for Russia and the US to engage in “pragmatic cooperation” in his Christmas and New Year greetings to US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin walk together to take part in the “family photo” during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on Nov. 11, 2017. (Credit: Jorge Silva/AFP/Getty Images)
Putin stressed the importance of the two nations engaging in constructive dialogue in order to enhance global stability and to tackle global challenges and threats, according to a Kremlin news release.
“This would allow us to make progress in promoting pragmatic cooperation designed for the long term,” the Russian President said.
Putin also noted that the principles of equality and mutual respect were the basis of developing relations between the two countries.
Last year, observers noted that Putin addressed then-President-elect Trump, rather than President Barack Obama, in his annual greetings statement to foreign heads of state and government, saying he hoped for a “whole new level” in the two countries’ interaction.
In this year’s message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Putin said Russia would continue to assist Syria “in upholding its state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and promoting a political settlement and economic recovery.”
The Russian leader also expressed hope that the situation in Syria would “change for the better” in 2018.
“Defeating terrorists and rapidly bringing the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic back to normal would be in the best interests of the whole world and would improve security in the Middle East,” he said.
In his greetings to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin highlighted an improvement in bilateral relations and “substantial” progress in Russia-Turkey cooperation in the past year.
“By working closely together our countries have succeeded in preventing the terrorist threat from spreading further across the Middle East and created conditions for launching the political settlement of the Syrian conflict,” his message reads.
Putin’s greetings to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May “pointed out that closer Russian-UK cooperation would be in the basic interests of the Russian and British people and Europe as a whole,” according to the Kremlin.
His message to China for the New Year and its upcoming Spring Festival notes “more success in Russian-Chinese relations, with substantial growth in mutual trade and dynamic exchanges in science and technology, and culture and the humanitarian sphere” over the past year.
Putin also welcomes progress in Russia’s relations with Japan and South Korea in greetings to their respective leaders.
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Loved Ones Grapple With Grief After Fatal Bronx Apartment Fire
Fernando Batiz says he’s “just numb” after the deadly fire that claimed the lives of 12 people in a Bronx apartment building.
A fire Department of New York personnel works on the scene of an apartment fire is in the Bronx borough of New York City is seen on Dec. 29, 2017. (Credit: Kena Betancur AFP/Getty Images)
A day after New York City’s deadliest fire in more than 25 years, Batiz other family members were grappling with shock and grief upon learning an unsupervised toddler started the blaze.
Batiz lost his sister, Maria, and her 8-month-old grandson in the Thursday night blaze. He said the baby’s mother wasn’t home because she was working.
Late Friday, NYPD revealed the identities of several others killed in fire: Shantay Young, 19; Karen Francis, 37; Kylie Francis, 2; and Charmela Francis, 7.
The victims yet to be identified include a 63-year-old woman, four adult men and a male child, the New York Police Department said.
A fatal mistake
A 3-year-old boy’s screams alerted his mother that a fire had erupted in their first-floor apartment Thursday night. The boy had been playing with the burners on the kitchen stove — something he was known to have done before, New York fire officials said
When the mother fled the burning apartment with the boy and his 2-year-old sibling, she made a fatal mistake — she left the apartment door open.
So each time someone opened a window, more oxygen rushed into the building and fanned the flames.
“Close the door, close the door, close the door,” New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. “If there is a fire, you must close the door.”
The child and his mother escaped their burning first-floor apartment. But another family on the fifth floor suffered unimaginable tragedy.
“My family’s gone,” Shevon Stewart told CNN affiliate WPIX.
Stewart said she lost her daughter, sister and two of her nieces to the flames– four people from one family.
“I’m brokenhearted to know that a child … you left the child unattended like that? Come on,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “It’s a lot.”
Her nieces, Kylie and Charmela, were 2 and 7 years old.
The soldier home for Christmas
Soldier Emmanuel Mensah, 28, is believed to be among the dead, his father Kwabena Mensah told CNN. But authorities have not confirmed whether the son died in the blaze.
“I heard that he was trying to help people out. He brought people outside. He came, went back again, and I think on the third time he couldn’t find his way out,” Kwabena Mensah said.
Emmanuel is a 28-year-old Army soldier stationed in Virginia. His father said he was home for Christmas — his first trip home since he enlisted a year ago.
‘People were screaming’
The first call to the fire department came in Thursday evening, at 6:51 p.m. ET, the city’s fire commissioner said.
“Bunch of calls on this one, chief,” an official said over the radio as fire units rushed to the scene. “Baby trapped… apartment 13 is on the third floor. That’s where the baby is.”
“We’ve got people on the fire escape,” another said.
“The stairway acted like a chimney,” the fire commissioner said. “People had very little time to react … they couldn’t get back down the stairs. Those that tried, a few of them perished.”
Grappling with loss
Survivors like Joel Rodriguez now wonder what to do next.
“I’m relieved I’m alive, but at the same time, it’s like, where do I go?” the 40-year-old said.
The Red Cross is providing temporary housing, along with food, drinks, blankets and mental health care to those residents in need.
Ronn Torossian, who identified himself as a spokesman for the building’s landlord, D&A Equities Incorporated, said he was “shocked and saddened at the loss of life and injuries.”
“Our prayers and thoughts are with the families that were affected,” he said.
So far, officials said they haven’t found anything problematic about the building that led to the tragedy.
“We’ve lost so many people. We’ve lost children. There are four people fighting for their lives right now in hospitals,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told WNYC. “When you see something like this happen, it reminds us how precious life is.”
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