Article:

February 14, 2011 11:53 am ET by Simon Maloy

 First Lady Michelle Obama is in the midst of a nationwide anti-obesity campaign aimed at shrinking America's collectively expanding waistline. The conservative media are striking back against Mrs. Obama's message of fitness and nutrition by decrying what they see as government intrusion into our pantries.

 At least, that's what they're doing when they're not calling Michelle Obama fat.

 Rush Limbaugh's long been laying the groundwork for this sexist attack, using stories about the First Lady's nutrition programs to call the fitness-fanatic Mrs. Obama "Michelle, My Butt." (The jab's lack of sense it exceeded only by its lack of self-awareness.)

 Yesterday, the resident cartoonists at Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com posted this offering:

 If there's a "joke" in there, I'm missing it. Notably, the version of the cartoon online now differs slightly -- but significantly -- from the version that showed up in my RSS reader, in which the First Lady demands: "Shut up and pass the lard!"

 It's been a long time since I've expected anything approaching comity from the conservative media, but this is the sort of stuff most of us left at the grade school playground. ||||| Conservative provocateur James O'Keefe hasn't done much worth crowing about since he took down ACORN with misleadingly edited secret videotapes. He was feted as a right-wing celebrity. He got arrested for trying to sneak into a senator's office under false pretenses. And then he had his attempted prank of a CNN reporter backfire when the reporter backed out after discovering that he planned to lure her onto a boat and "seduce" her. O'Keefe has responded , finally, to this last embarrassment. Unsurprisingly, he has no regrets, and the liberal media is the real guilty party.

 O'Keefe's defense -- posted, of course, on Andrew Breitbart's "Big Government" -- rests on us believing that the prank-outlining document obtained by CNN was a draft that O'Keefe did not plan on actually following. He says ideas for stunts are sent to him all the time (like a fancy Hollywood producer!) and sometimes he approves of the idea behind a prank without endorsing everything about it.

 As you can imagine in our line of work, we get lots of leads, ideas, schemes and “punked” style plans sent to us all the time. If you were to roam through my personal emails there are many outrageous plans, some parts of which I may approve of in principal with an “I like it” in an email thread. But I may well object to a host of things about the plan, though I like the objective. When the CNN idea was pitched to me, I’ll admit that I liked the basic absurdity of meeting Abbie Boudreau on a boat and the idea of counter-seduction satire executed in a tame, humorous, non-threatening manner. After all, as all liberal reporters do, she was trying to “seduce” (a metaphor) me so she could get more for her story. It would be fun, I thought, to turn the tables in jest. However, I was repulsed by the over-the-top language and symbolism that was suggested in the memo that was sent to me, and never considered that for a moment.

 The gross document in question wasn't submitted by a fan. It was drafted by Ben Wetmore, with whom O'Keefe has worked for years. O'Keefe has called Wetmore his mentor. O'Keefe and his attempted phone-tampering buddies crashed at Wetmore's Louisiana house the month of the Landrieu office incident.

 The rest of O'Keefe's defense lies in still not understanding why unwanted "seduction," on a boat, under false pretenses, while being secretly filmed, might not just be considered harmless fun.

 In my version, the reporter was never going to be placed in a threatening situation. She would have had to consent before being filmed and she was not going to be faux “seduced” unless she wanted to be. If a CNN reporter would be willing to engage in such a folly, it might even be more newsworthy than Rick Sanchez’s firing. (CNN also has Elliot Spitzer on payroll. He’s done more outrageous things than anything I’ve ever gotten in my in-box). The sexually explicit document CNN is now “reporting” on was never going to be implemented as written. She saw how I was dressed that day, with my usual blazer and collared shirt. In the document she reported as being “authentic,” I was supposed to have been dressed with my chest exposed, slicked backed hair, with gold chains. That ought to have been a red flag the document was not a reflection of my true intentions. Ms. Boudreau was never going to be put in the bizarre situations outlined in the document CNN reported. There were no mirrors, sex tapes, blindfolds, fuzzy handcuffs, posters of naked women, or music. Sorry, you were not going to see my face saying the words “Bubble Headed Beach Blonde who comes on at 5” into a video camera. Those are Don Henley lyrics – and we know, thanks to Chuck DeVore, how much Henley loathes parody.

 Not seduced unless she wanted to be! I mean, his "prank" as described here makes even less sense as a "political" act than the plan Wetmore wrote. He was going to lure her onto a regular boat with nothing outrageous or unusual about it, dressed conservatively, get her consent to film her, and then only "pretend" to "seduce" her if he somehow determined that she would be into that?

 O'Keefe accomplice Izzy Santa seemed to think -- on the day of the planned punking -- that O'Keefe's boat was full of strawberries and champagne, and that the plan was to creep Boudreau out. There's no point to getting her on the boat and filming her if you're not going to be gross. Even if O'Keefe found elements of Wetmore's idiotic script objectionable, the idea behind it remains the same.

 (As for O'Keefe's dress: Even if he was in his usual uniform of blazer and collared shirt that day, history suggests that footage of O'Keefe in the "funnier" get-up -- perhaps surrounded by "funnier" decor on the "sex boat" -- would have ended up in the completed video.)

 The rest of O'Keefe's post can be summarized thusly: ACORN liberal bias Planned Parenthood ACORN Charlie Rangel ACORN. ||||| Update: The video has apparently been restored. Last September, in a speech to same-sex marriage activists in Chevy Chase, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler revealed a plan by Democrat governor Martin O'Malley to stack the state's highest court with judges who would, Gansler promised, rule against any...

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What is a summary?

– Andrew Breitbart, fresh off the news of Shirley Sherrod's lawsuit against him, has gotten himself embroiled in another controversy. His Big Government website lashed out at Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign ... by basically calling her fat. A cartoon strip on the website shows an overweight Obama eating a huge pile of hamburgers while talking to her big-eared husband about the campaign, Salon reports. The punch line—"Shut up and pass the bacon!"—was originally "Shut up and pass the lard!" Media Matters notes. Click to see the cartoon.


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"Eat my panties off me," Mrs. Pratt rhythmically coos. Vogue threatens Anna Wintour's town car, Elin Nordegren invests in another house, Ryan Seacrest cries over Simon. Come, plumb the depths of Wednesday's gossip.

 If only we could harness the force of all the Schadenfreude they create and use it to power whole cities. "Ooh—come eat my panties off me," Heidi Montag murmurs in her new single, "I'll Do It," which is so gross I'm starting to second-guess even the non-gross parts. Case in point: "off up into ya dungin." I think she means "dungeon," but is it possible that "dungin" is slang for some part of the body that one can be "up into"? This song sounds suspiciously like a catalog of Pratt-Montag fetishes. Point being: You don't want to listen to this song, except that you kind of do, so here it is. [THG] ||||| The world may have to wait for the patter of little Speidi feet: Heidi Montag says that her quest to have kids with husband Spencer Pratt is "kind of on hold" as she launches her campaign to become a "pop star" with her just-released album Superficial.

 Reimagine Heidi and other stars with Jersey Shore star Snooki's hair!

 "I'm really trying to do this pop star [thing], my first album, so I think that would kind of be distracting from this album coming out," she said in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest Tuesday. "But one day I would love to have kids. I don't know if Spencer quite feels the same way."

 See how Heidi, Spencer and other Hills stars looked like back in the day

 The Hills star spent three years working on Superficial, which features songs like "I'll Do It," in which she tells a lover to "come eat my panties off of me." R-rated lyrics or not, she tells Seacrest that "it's very personal, empowering music...just about living life and enjoying every moment and living it up--definitely club music."

 Did Heidi get a nosejob? Examine the evidence for yourself!

 The reality diva also explains the title. "I think that Superficial is kind of a double entendre," she says. "It's superficial in a sense that everything in Hollywood is a little superficial. It's superficial in a positive way too. It's not what it seems to be, it's the inside that counts. It's kind of the unknown and the known."

 On the spiritual side, Montag and Pratt "have been getting very into yoga," she says. "It's very relaxing and has definitely calmed my husband down a little bit. He's a little energetic. " |||||

– The wait is over: Heidi Montag’s debut album finally dropped yesterday, and it’s just as horrible as you’d expect. Case in point: Superficial track “I’ll Do It” includes the lyrics, “Come eat my panties off of me / Do whatever you feel comes naturally.” Nonetheless, Montag called the music “empowering,” Us reports—but not everyone agrees. The song “is so gross I'm starting to second-guess even the non-gross parts,” writes Azaria Jagger for Gawker. Here's yet another example, Jagger continues: "'Off up into ya dungin.' I think she means ‘dungeon,’ but is it possible that ‘dungin’ is slang for some part of the body that one can be ‘up into’?" Listen to the track at left.


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Statement from the board says move is a step towards justice for victims ‘silenced by Harvey Weinstein’

 US film and TV studio The Weinstein Company, whose ex-chairman Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment and assault, said on Monday it has filed for bankruptcy with an offer from an affiliate of private equity firm Lantern Capital Partners to acquire its assets.

 Crucially, the company also said it was releasing all employees from non-disclosure agreements.

 “Today, the Company also takes an important step toward justice for any victims who have been silenced by Harvey Weinstein,” read the statement.

 “Since October, it has been reported that Harvey Weinstein used non-disclosure agreements as a secret weapon to silence his accusers. Effective immediately, those ‘agreements’ end.

 Ellen Barkin tweets accusation against Terry Gilliam after director's #MeToo comments Read more

 “No one should be afraid to speak out or coerced to stay quiet. The Company thanks the courageous individuals who have already come forward. Your voices have inspired a movement for change across the country and around the world.”

 The step had long been sought by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, who filed a lawsuit against the company last month on behalf of its employees. Schneiderman called the move “a watershed moment”.

 Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) The Weinstein Company's agreement to release victims of and witnesses to sexual misconduct from NDAs will finally allow voices that have too long been muzzled to be heard—something my office has sought from the start. My statement: https://t.co/sfkzkYJ5xz pic.twitter.com/gmxGmPDX8d

 The Weinstein Company, which has about 100 employees, filed for bankruptcy, listing $500m to $1bn in liabilities and $500m to $1bn in assets.

 The studio’s bankruptcy comes after it spent months looking for a buyer or investor. The company inked a deal with an investor group led by former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet, but the group terminated its offer earlier this month after seeing that the company had more liabilities than previously disclosed.

 Weinstein Co said in a statement it entered into a “stalking horse” agreement with a Lantern Capital affiliate, that would purchase substantially all of the assets of the company.

 The offer from Lantern will set the floor for higher and better bidders in a court-supervised auction.

 Lions Gate Entertainment Corp had made an earlier offer for some of the company’s assets, as had Qatar-owned film company Miramax, which was founded by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein. Both could be among potential bidders in the auction.

 Harvey Weinstein: NYPD on verge of arrest in rape investigation Read more

 More than 70 women accused the company’s co-founder, Harvey Weinstein, who was one of Hollywood’s most influential men, of sexual misconduct, including rape. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

 Movie producer Killer Content also said bankruptcy would be the best option for the company, and that it may be interested in the studio’s assets in a bankruptcy auction.

 Launched in October 2005, the studio produced and distributed critically acclaimed hits including The King’s Speech and Silver Linings Playbook, as well as TV series such as long-running fashion reality competition Project Runway.

 Reuters contributed to this report ||||| The Weinstein Co. is now seeking the protection of bankruptcy court. The announcement of the filing marks the latest turn in a stunning fall for the prestigious indie studio responsible for many award-winning films, but now embroiled in a transformative controversy thanks to several dozen women who have come forward in recent months to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of rampant sexual misconduct.

 The bankruptcy petition in Delaware will position Lantern Asset Management as the stalking horse bidder for Weinstein Co. assets after coming to a purchase agreement. Other companies will be able to bid at an auction after a bankruptcy judge reviews the bidding procedure and any objections.

 “While we had hoped to reach a sale out of court, the Board is pleased to have a plan for maximizing the value of its assets, preserving as many jobs as possible and pursuing justice for any victims,” chairman Bob Weinstein said Monday in a statement.

 Texas-based Lantern was previously part of the Ron Burkle-Maria Contreras-Sweet bid to buy the company that was scuttled last month.

 “We are honored to be selected as the bidder to acquire the company’s businesses as an ongoing concern," stated Lantern co-founders Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic. "In the last several months, Lantern has evaluated the company and is proud to provide a solution to the board.”

 Since bombshell news reports in October first detailed how Harvey Weinstein abused his power by luring women under the guise of career opportunity and allegedly assaulting many of them, TWC has attempted to survive in the midst of a growing #MeToo movement. On Oct. 8, Weinstein was fired from the studio he co-founded with brother Bob. But that hasn't been enough to save the company from facing tough questions over whether its board members facilitated unlawful behavior.

 The bankruptcy filing for the producer of such films as Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained and Lion and television fare including Project Runway comes after TWC pursued a sale outside of the bankruptcy process to save the jobs of some 150 individuals and salvage some of its reputation. After seeking bridge loans from private equity firms, TWC closed in on a transaction with an investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet promising a female-run studio that wouldn't simply sell off the company's nearly 300-film library.

 But the deal was scuttled when New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman brought a wide-ranging lawsuit alleging violations of civil rights, human rights and business laws. The complaint in New York state court alleges complicity by Harvey Weinstein's business partners and demands financial penalties and restitution for victims. TWC then attempted to salvage the deal by firing its chief operating officer, David Glasser, but couldn't come to an agreement to satisfy everyone.

 A Chapter 11 filing provides immediate relief in the form of pausing pending civil matters, including Schneiderman's lawsuit and also the handful of other cases now being pursued by others. To pay off substantial debts, TWC will now look towards an auction. Bidders could be comforted by the idea that assets may be sold free and clear of claims and encumbrances — while those suing the company will be regarded as unsecured creditors. The prospect was enough that in advance of the bankruptcy, Schneiderman's office urged TWC management to release employees from non-disclosure agreements. In an announcement, TWC said it will indeed release Harvey Weinstein's victims from confidentiality obligations. According to a spokesperson, "No one should be afraid to speak out or coerced to stay quiet."

 According to the filing, TWC has between 200-999 creditors and $500 million to $1 billion in assets and estimated liabilities. Among its top creditors with the 30 largest unsecured claimes are Wanda Pictures ($14.4M), Viacom ($5.6M) and Sony ($3.7M). Attorneys from top law firms including Boies, Schiller & Flexner, O'Melveny & Myers and Greenberg Glusker are also owed millions.

 Robert Del Genio and Luke Schaeffer are appointed Chief Restructuring Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively.

 The bankruptcy won't mean an end to troubles for Weinstein and those on the company's board.

 Creditors including those in the entertainment industry who are owed residual payments plus female accusers and investors will likely push a broad investigation into Weinstein's conduct and any dishonesty and incompetence that contributed to the debtor's downfall. If the court authorizes a trustee, this individual could seek to initiate an adversary proceeding to pin liability on the Weinsteins and recover money for the benefit of the debtors' estate. Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein himself is currently involved in an arbitration over his firing and, as a stakeholder, he could pursue his own claims during the course of the bankruptcy.

 Of course, with the possibility of criminal cases to be pursued against Weinstein, other events could overtake bankruptcy in the priority line. As of today, though, law enforcement authorities haven't filed charges despite active investigations and referrals. |||||

– The Weinstein Company has filed for bankruptcy—a move that could bring yet more sexual misconduct allegations against co-founder Harvey Weinstein to the surface. The movie and TV studio says that as part of the filing, all employees will be released from nondisclosure agreements. "Today, the Company also takes an important step toward justice for any victims who have been silenced by Harvey Weinstein," the company said in a statement, per the Guardian. "Since October, it has been reported that Harvey Weinstein used nondisclosure agreements as a secret weapon to silence his accusers. Effective immediately, those 'agreements' end." The statement thanked those "courageous individuals who have already come forward." The Lantern Capital Partners private equity group has entered an agreement to buy the company's assets, but other companies will be able to bid at auction, the Hollywood Reporter notes. An earlier attempt to buy the company collapsed after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against the company last month, then collapsed again earlier this month amid debt issues. The New York Daily News reports that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered Schneiderman to investigate whether Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. properly handled allegations against Weinstein in 2015. "It is of great concern that sexual assault cases have not been pursued with full vigor by our criminal justice system," the governor said Monday.


Here is a news article: Woman to Be Tried for Murder for Allegedly Suffocating Baby and Hiding Him in Desk Drawer at Work

 A Michigan woman who was charged with homicide in April for giving birth to a baby boy in a bathroom stall while at work and then allegedly causing his death by hiding him in a plastic bag in a cubicle drawer has been ordered to stand trial for murder charges, according to reports.The lawyer for Kimberly Pappas, 25, has said his client suffers from "serious mental health issues" and has sought treatment for her, but in July, Pappas was found mentally competent The Redford Township District Judge Karen Khalil called the case "very difficult" on Monday during a preliminary examination, according to the Associated Press Pappas allegedly cut the umbilical cord with cuticle scissors before hiding the baby, a detective told a reporter at the Detroit Free Press Police say the baby was found March 31 after Pappas' co-workers allegedly found blood in the bathroom and called 911. Pappas told officials she had a miscarriage, but an autopsy revealed the baby's death to be a homicide and found that the child lived 20 to 30 minutes before dying of suffocation.Pappas will be arraigned Aug. 31 in Wayne County Circuit Court.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. ||||| Kimberly Pappas enters 17th District Court. (Photo: Bill Bresler | staff photographer)

 The Downriver woman accused of killing her infant son and stuffing his remains in a bag in Redford will face trial in downtown Detroit.

 Kimberly Pappas, 25, of Wyandotte was bound over on several charges stemming from the incidents that took place March 31 at CEVA Logistics, 24450 Glendale in Redford. She’ll be arraigned in circuit court at 9 a.m. Monday in Detroit’s Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on charges of first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder and first-degree child abuse.

 She was charged earlier this spring in the death of her child, which she delivered in the bathroom of the business that morning. The baby was later found in a plastic bag inside another bag at her desk.

 Lt. Frank Arbour of the Redford Township Fire Department said he accompanied other firefighters to the business that day and spoke to Pappas, who was at her desk and told first responders she was feeling ill after her period. Later, she told firefighters she did in fact deliver a child and that it was inside her desk.

 Firefighters returned to her desk in the building, opened a desk drawer and found the tote bag that contained the male baby’s remains, as well as the placenta, in separate plastic bags within the tote.

 “We opened it up and it was a full-term baby,” he said. “It looked like a fresh birth.”

 The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death was caused by asphyxiation and was a homicide.

 Dr. Chantel Njiwaji of the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office testified to the cause of the baby’s death, which took place in “several minutes” after being successfully born and alive, she said.

 She discovered bruising on the back of the child’s head, as well as facial petechiae on the child’s face, a condition which indicated to Njiwaji that the child could not breath for a certain amount of time.

 “You can find that in asphyxia cases,” she said. “They were ... prominent on the left side of the face.”

 Unknown pregnancy

 Pappas apparently didn’t tell anyone about the pregnancy before the child was delivered. Her sister, Cassie Pappas, said she and other family members inquired about some weight it appeared she gained and asked if she was pregnant at the time, something she denied. Det. Sgt. Kevin Crittenden of the Redford Township Police Department said she told him after the child’s death she had known she was pregnant since Christmas.

 Pappas was earlier referred for a competency and criminal responsibility exam, both of which came back to find her fit to stand trial.

 Her sister worked with her at CEVA Logistics and drove the two of them to work that morning. She said Kimberly Pappas texted her about an hour after getting to work and asked her to bring a change of clothes to the bathroom, where she had been since they arrived that morning. Her sister brought the clothing and asked if she was alright.

 “I just handed it to her underneath the door,” Cassie Pappas said. “She said she was cleaning herself up and she’d be at her desk in a little bit.”

 It wasn’t until she returned to her desk later and began fading in and out that her sister became concerned and called 911.

 Kimberly Pappas’s attorneys argued for dropping the murder charges and moving forward with manslaughter charges, claiming it could not be proven the intent of their client was not to kill the child.

 But 17th District Judge Karen Khalil disagreed and bound her over on the three counts after taking a short recess in her chambers.

 “This is a difficult case,” she said.

 Khalil kept the same bond conditions with the bindover. Kimberly Pappas faces up to life in prison if she is convicted.

 Read or Share this story: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/redford/2015/08/24/woman-accused-newborns-death-redford-bound/32288721/ |||||
A summary of this is?

– A woman accused of suffocating her newborn baby in a plastic bag at work is facing charges of child abuse and murder. A judge made the ruling today after hearing testimony in a Detroit suburb, the Detroit News reports. Kimberly Pappas, 26, allegedly gave birth in her office bathroom on March 31, put the baby in one bag, placenta in another, and placed them in her desk. Her sister, Cassandra Pappas—who worked in the same office—says Kimberly texted her asking for a set of fresh clothes and looked really sick. "She said she had an accident," says Cassandra. Kimberly said she "had a heavy period," says a first responder, but she later said she'd miscarried and put the baby in her desk, Hometown Life reports. A medical examiner says the baby lived for several minutes before dying of asphyxiation—but admits CPR efforts may have created a false positive by putting air in the newborn's lungs. Other evidence still indicates homicide, the examiner testified. Kimberly's attorneys argued that she was in shock at the time and may have been confused if the baby was born "flaccid," or not moving. But apparently she'd always denied being pregnant: "She just said she was gaining weight," says Cassandra. Kimberly now faces arraignment on Aug. 31, People reports: "Then we can ... see if there might be some sort of a resolution short of trial," says one of her lawyers. "But I don't know where it's going at this point in time."


Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) has been having a rough few weeks in his campaign to reclaim his old House seat.

 His ex-wife sued him for trespassing; national Republicans dropped their support for his campaign; and a poll found him trailing his Democratic challenger by a robust 9-point margin despite the race being in a reliably Republican district.

 So how did the Sanford campaign respond to that adversity? By having the candidate debate a cardboard cutout of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a move seemingly ripped from the political playbook of Clint Eastwood, who famously delivered a rambling address at the Republican National Convention to an empty chair meant to represent President Obama.

 In a press event Wednesday, Sanford accused his opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, of refusing to debate him publicly and thus running a "stealth campaign." As a last resort, he said, he'd decided to instead debate "Pelosi."

 "Since Elizabeth won't debate, I'm allowed to debate Nancy," he said, before posing a question to the cardboard cutout about a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit that sought to block Boeing from building a new plant in South Carolina. Republicans claimed the lawsuit was politically motivated and would have denied the state much-needed jobs. ||||| Oberlin College & Northwestern UniversityArchive-It Partner Since: Aug, 2008Organization Type: Colleges & UniversitiesOrganization URL: http://www.northwestern.edu The Congressional Candidate Website project seeks to archive all major-party House and Senate candidate websites during the 2008 and 2010 campaigns. The project is headed by political scientists at Northwestern University, The University of Minnesota, and Oberlin College. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Mark Sanford appears to be bent on digging himself ever deeper into the hole he's in: The latest headline-getting incident involving South Carolina's ex-governor has Sanford publishing the phone numbers of people who called him ... after he invited people to call him in a full-page newspaper ad. Here's how it went down, per Slate: Sanford's unbelievably wordy ad (which started, "It's been a rough week" and addressed Democratic attacks against him and that whole trespassing incident) invited people to call his campaign office or his cell—and his cell phone number was included—if they had any "further questions." The House Majority PAC, which had already been supporting Elizabeth Colbert Busch in her race against Sanford, then reprinted that number in a fundraising email suggesting people "take him up on his offer" and call Sanford to "ask why he spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on luxury travel!" Sanford then took screenshots of that fundraising email and his incoming call history and published it all. His campaign rep explains why he published the numbers: "Look, if Pelosi and Co. are going to bat this hard for Colbert Busch, there ain't going to be anything 'independent' about her. We're putting it out there to illustrate just how interested Pelosi's allies are in getting Colbert Busch elected." Sanford is clearly not happy with Nancy Pelosi, and he showed it in another odd way Wednesday: by publicly debating a cardboard cutout of the House Minority Leader. He did so, he explained, because Colbert Busch won't debate him publicly, so he decided to debate Cardboard Pelosi instead. (Click to watch the video.) In news that Slate is quick to point out is unrelated, the Cook Political Report recently decided Sanford is not so likely to win against Colbert Busch, deeming the race "lean Dem." (And indeed, he is trailing his opponent by a 9-point margin.) But, hey, at least Ron Paul is endorsing Sanford, Roll Call reports.


When Lady Gaga was announced as the performer of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, many of her fans were curious if the singer would get political during her 13-minute set. But it’s possible that Gaga actually managed to sneak in a fairly subversive political moment without most viewers noticing.

 NFL senior VP of programming Mark Quenzel told Billboard of Gaga’s plans: “We have no discussions about her or with her that have to do with the election, or the president. What we say to every artist, very clearly, and they all buy in: the Super Bowl halftime is the biggest musical event of the year, and it’s also a communal event for fans, the Super Bowl itself. People get together as families, as friends. It’s a unifying day for people built around the biggest sporting event in the world.”

 Gaga herself responded to that remark with this: “Well, I don’t know if I will succeed in unifying America. You’ll have to ask America when it’s over. But the only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I’ve been consistently making throughout my career. … I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and the spirit of this country as one of love and compassion and kindness. So my performance will have both those philosophies.”

 All that said, Gaga opened her set with “God Bless America“ and then immediately segued into Woody Guthrie’s Americana classic “This Land Is Your Land”—which, if you’ve ever heard the full version, is a little edgier than you might expect. It has also become an anthem for protestors fighting against Trump’s proposed immigration bans and border walls. The lyrics, in full, read:

 This land is your land

 This land is my land From California to the New York island; From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and Me.

 As I was walking that ribbon of highway, I saw above me that endless skyway: I saw below me that golden valley: This land was made for you and me.

 I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts; And all around me a voice was sounding: This land was made for you and me.

 When the sun came shining, and I was strolling, And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling, As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting: This land was made for you and me.

 As I went walking I saw a sign there And on the sign it said "No Trespassing." But on the other side it didn't say nothing, That side was made for you and me.

 In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, By the relief office I seen my people; As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking Is this land made for you and me?

 Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway; Nobody living can ever make me turn back This land was made for you and me.

 According to Guthrie’s son, Arlo, Woody wrote the song in anger as a response to “God Bless America,” written by Irving Berlin, which Guthrie hated. We don’t often sing the latter, angrier verses of This Land in schools—nor did Gaga during the show. But as Arlo told The New Yorker in 2004: “He wanted me to know what he originally wrote, so it wouldn’t be forgotten.” The New Yorker further explains Guthrie’s political evolution:

 Guthrie’s inchoate socialist leanings grew into a deep commitment to the labor movement and to the social and political adventurism of the American Communist Party. (Guthrie never joined the Party—his independence was such that he “was not affiliated with anything,” according to his sister Mary Jo; he did follow the Party line, however, down to belittling Roosevelt as a warmonger during the period of the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, and he wrote a column called “Woody Sez,” in hillbilly dialect, for the C.P.U.S.A. organs People’s World and Daily Worker.) The first of Guthrie’s three wives, Mary, lamented his politicization as “his downfall as an entertainer,” and she had a point: the more he focussed on rousing the masses, the less he pleased the crowd. Guthrie’s modest popular following diminished; at the same time, through politics, he found his voice.

 Gaga no doubt knew exactly what she was doing when she picked that song to open her performance—and though she may have left the edgier verses out, its inclusion still served as something of dog whistle to the protestors who have been singing it in the street over the past few weeks.

 VIDEO: The Greatest Super Bowl Commercials of All-Time ||||| Photo

 Lady Gaga went for one big, glittering, diverse party with her Super Bowl halftime show. “We’re here to make you feel good,” she declared mid-set. At her N.F.L. news conference, she had promised a statement of “inclusion,” an upbeat and uncontroversial stance, and she made good on it as she began her set, singing a few lines each of “God Bless America” and “This Land Is Your Land” and reciting the “one nation indivisible” conclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance.

 Wearing a shiny, silvery, big-shouldered sci-fi bodysuit and matching high-heeled boots, with a glittery mask painted around her eyes, Lady Gaga was lowered through the air, on suspension cables, into NRG Stadium in Houston, showing off a trapeze-like flip. And she started belting her hits, with a nod to the local audience: “Poker Face” announced, “I want to hold ’em like they do in Texas.”

 One of those hits was “Born This Way,” her dance-floor anthem of self-acceptance for all kinds of people. “You’re black, white, beige, chola descent/You’re Lebanese, you’re orient,” she sang, and later, “No matter gay, straight, or bi/Lesbian, transgendered life/I’m on the right track baby/I was born to survive.” It was doubtless the first time the word “transgendered” had been sung at a Super Bowl halftime show. Dozens of dancers of multiple skin tones and genders joined her, matching her moves in exultant line dances and embodying her message of empowerment as a shared celebration.

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 But most of the show was simply about full-tilt pop fun: songs like “Telephone,” about dancing at clubs, and “Bad Romance,” about falling in love and lust. It was a megamix of her songs spanning her career, from her 2008 debut single, “Just Dance,” to “Million Reasons,” the power ballad from her 2016 album, “Joanne.” She sang “Million Reasons” from a piano as people waving orange electric torches made patterns that radiated across the football field; that was her relatively still point in a fiercely athletic performance. “The Super Bowl is what champions are made of,” she declared as “Bad Romance” revved up.

 Lady Gaga has proudly presented herself as the continuation of generations of song-and-dance showbiz troupers, a tradition of fervent effort and well-rehearsed spectacle delivered with joy. She sang with hardworking gusto throughout the set, even as she covered considerable yardage strutting and kicking, prancing and gesticulating, pumping her hips and shaking hands with fans.

 It was a show of shiny costumes and big smiles, of a huge group of dancers all sharing the same moves, an outpouring of energy that was eager to please everybody. Lady Gaga ended it with one last strut, up a ramp, and a self-congratulatory gesture that has been used by both rappers and an ex-president: a microphone drop, earned with sweat. ||||| Tonight, Lady Gaga literally took a leap of faith (via some very trustworthy suspension cables) when she opened her Super Bowl halftime performance with a riff on patriotic classics. After her epic (and already memed) dive toward the stage, our Lady fearlessly sang her anthe, "Born This Way," resplendent in crystal eye makeup and a glittering ensemble. If ever there were a time for "Yas Gaga," this was it.

 So I tweeted this:

 And was almost immediately met with this:

 I'm sorry — but did the trolls on Twitter miss the memo?

 Clearly, many people watching didn't realize that the song "Born This Way" is designed for the LGBTQ community. If you've been to a Pride march in the past four years, you know a thing or two about dancing to "Born This Way" while you're surrounded by a ton of glitter, bare skin, and glorious, rainbow solidarity. Let's just be clear here, though: Performing a song that's so blatantly gay in front of an audience that includes Mike Pence, one of the most anti-LGBTQ politicians today , is absolutely political — especially when it contains lyrics like "No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life." (P.S.: According to USA Today , that was "likely" be the first time the word "transgender" was said onstage at a Super Bowl.)

 Furthermore, as our friends at The Hive pointed out, the Woody Guthrie song "This Land Is Your Land" is inherently activistic. Gaga omitted certain lyrics from the piece, which The Hive printed for your convenience. Here's a sampling:

 As I went walking I saw a sign there / And on the sign it said "No Trespassing." / But on the other side it didn't say nothing, / That side was made for you and me. Nobody living can ever stop me, / As I go walking that freedom highway; / Nobody living can ever make me turn back / This land was made for you and me.

 "This land was made for you and me," she sang, in the same weekend that Donald Trump's executive order — one that was designed to fulfill his campaign promise of banning Muslims from entering our country — was essentially (if temporarily) rendered moot by a judge in Washington state.

 The Super Bowl is a massive display of capitalism, contracts, and fragile masculinity. We can only assume that Lady Gaga had to deal with these constraints as she planned her performance — especially following the accusations Beyoncé received last year for displaying black pride on a national stage. So in this case, rather than not show up at all, she allowed her art to be the activism. She played within the confines and outwitted them as best she could. It's up to us to read between the lines.

 Related: The Black Panther Party, Explained by a Former Black Panther

 Editor's Note: This piece was updated to insert lyrics from the Lady Gaga song mentioned. ||||| 5 Best Ski Lodges In The U.S. A look at five of the very best ski lodges in the United States.

 Five Must-See Destinations In ParisWithin the 41 square miles of Paris, France there are over 60 main attractions for visitors to discover ranging from Museums, Churches, Monuments and Squares as well as examples of contemporary and traditional architecture. This is far too many sites for the average tourist to attempt to visit during a short stay in the city of lights. Thus a list of the five most famous and must see attractions is in order. |||||

Write a summary.

– Despite anticipation that Lady Gaga would make some kind of political statement during the Super Bowl halftime show, the pop star appeared to play nice, a performance of the LGBT-friendly "Born This Way" aside. Even prominent conservatives hailed her "apolitical" show, the Washington Post notes, with tweeted praise from the likes of Fox News, Marco Rubio, and even Ivanka Trump. But Vanity Fair reports that an "edgy political statement" may have been a "dog whistle" for President Trump protesters with Gaga's choice of opening songs, a double hit of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" followed by a portion of "This Land Is Your Land"—and the latter Woody Guthrie song is where Gaga's hidden message may lie. Guthrie's son Arlo has said his dad wrote "This Land" as a biting response to Berlin's patriotic song, and in the 1944 version the elder Guthrie recorded on his guitar—he owned one sporting a "This Machine Kills Fascists" sticker—the fourth verse contains some interesting (and timely Trump-tied lyrics) that have since fallen out of the versions we hear today. To wit: "There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me / The sign was painted, said 'Private Property' / But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing." Vanity Fair notes that Trump protesters have been crooning the song at rallies lately, and Arlo Guthrie and other singers like Bruce Springsteen keep the original lyrics in when they perform the song. In other words, Teen Vogue may have picked up on something major outlets missed. (Gaga made a big announcement after the Super Bowl.)


Article:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, right, walks from the scene of an explosion on West 23rd street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, after an incident that injured passers-by... (Associated Press)

 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, right, walks from the scene of an explosion on West 23rd street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, after an incident that injured passers-by Saturday night. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) (Associated Press)

 NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on an explosion hitting a crowded Manhattan neighborhood (all times local):

 10:35 a.m.

 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says there's no evidence that an explosion that rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood, injuring 29 people, had any link to international terrorism.

 Cuomo spoke Sunday morning near the site of the Saturday night blast on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighborhood. He noted that the device in Manhattan appeared to be different than a pipe bomb explosion earlier Saturday in New Jersey and said he didn't believe the two were connected.

 Authorities found a second device in Manhattan a few blocks away from the one that exploded and removed it.

 Cuomo says the injured have been released from the hospital. Most of the injuries were minor.

 The Democratic governor also said that 1,000 additional law enforcement officers were being deployed as a precaution.

 ___

 3:45 a.m.

 An explosion rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood and injured 29 people, and a suspicious device discovered blocks away from the scene was safely removed. Mayor Bill de Blasio ruled out any terror connections, but called the blast an "intentional act."

 Early Sunday, police said an investigation into a third suspicious package turned up a bag of trash.

 An explosion rocked the block of West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Officials said 29 people were injured. Most of the injuries were minor.

 The blast is under investigation. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the second device discovered a few blocks from the scene appeared to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a cellphone. ||||| New York (CNN) A day after a bombing injured 29 people in a New York City neighborhood , surveillance videos show the same man near the site of the explosion and another location where a pressure-cooker device was found four blocks away, multiple local and federal law enforcement sources told CNN.

 Saturday's explosion shook New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, packed with restaurants, subway stations, shops, businesses and art galleries, and sent panicked people scrambling for cover. Police continued to scour the area on Sunday for clues about who was responsible for the explosion and a motive.

 A few blocks away from the blast site and shortly after the explosion occurred, investigators found one possible lead: a pressure cooker, with dark-colored wiring sticking out, connected by silver duct tape to what appears to be a cellphone, officials said.

 Surveillance videos from Saturday shows the same man near both sites, multiple sources told CNN.

 3 attacks on US soil

 By Sunday morning, 26 people who had been admitted to hospitals were released as city officials appealed to the public for help in finding those responsible. Authorities cordoned off the street where the explosion occurred, south of Midtown in western Manhattan.

 The Department of Homeland Security is actively monitoring and participating in the investigations in New York and New Jersey. Investigators found similarities between the explosives used in both states, according to multiple law enforcement officials, but authorities said they have not concluded the incidents are linked.

 "We do not have any specific evidence of a connection, but that will continue to be considered," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "We're not taking any options off the table."

 In New York, law enforcement officials and the mayor said that without knowing who's responsible or what the motive was, it's too soon to call the Saturday bombing a terror attack

 "We know it was a very serious incident, but we have a lot more work to do to be able to say what kind of motivation was behind this," de Blasio told reporters Sunday. "Was it a political motivation? Was it a personal motivation? We do not know that yet."

 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, right, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, second right, look over the mangled remains of a dumpster Sunday, September 18, in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. An explosion injured 29 people there the night before. Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Authorities believe the blast was caused by an explosive device in or near this dumpster. All 29 victims have been released from hospitals, according to the governor. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan FBI agents review the scene of the explosion on Sunday morning. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Police officers redirect passers-by as investigations continue early on Sunday morning. Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A fire truck at the scene of the blast on Saturday. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan The New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Bureau tweeted this image of the crumpled dumpster following the explosion in Chelsea. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Just blocks away from the explosion, a suspicious device was found. Officials said the device appeared to be a pressure cooker with dark-colored wiring protruding, connected by silver duct tape to what appeared to be a cell phone. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan De Blasio, in the blue tie, speaks at a news conference near the scene on Saturday. He was joined by New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Police block off a road near the site of the explosion. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Firefighters and emergency workers gather at the scene. Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Police officers and firefighters respond to the scene. Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A New York police officer and his dog check a garbage can close to the scene of the explosion. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Two heavily armed police officers survey the scene. Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan New York police at the scene of the explosion. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A bomb squad vehicle arrives at the scene. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Police arrive at the scene of the explosion. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A street is blocked off nearby. Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Police and firefighters gather near the scene. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A crowd gathers near the site of the explosion. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan A line of emergency vehicles near the scene of the explosion. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: Explosion in Manhattan Onlookers gather on the street. Hide Caption 21 of 21

 Suspicious device found nearby

 The blast occurred around 8:30 p.m. at 23rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Investigators believe the blast was caused by an explosive device in or near a dumpster, a law enforcement source told CNN. Four blocks away on 27th Street, a pressure-cooker device was found with a piece of paper with writing on it close by, officials said.

 Surveillance video shows a man dragging what appears to be a duffel bag with wheels near the site of the West 23rd street explosion about 40 minutes before the blast, according to multiple local and federal law enforcement sources.

 A device at a second location in Chelsea appears to be a pressure cooker, according to multiple local and federal law enforcement officials.

 About 10 minutes later, surveillance video shows the same man with what appears to be the same duffel bag on West 27th street, multiple law enforcement sources said.

 In the video, the man leaves the duffel bag where police later found the unexploded pressure cooker. After he leaves, the video shows two men removing a white garbage bag believed to contain the pressure cooker from the duffel bag and leave it on the sidewalk, according to a senior law enforcement official and another source familiar with the video.

 Investigators have not determined if those two men are connected to the man with the duffel bag on both streets, the sources said.

 The device was transported to the NYPD Bomb Squad facility at Rodman's Neck Range in the Bronx.

 NYPD and FBI Bomb technicians rendered the device safe. A forensic examination of the device and its components will be conducted at the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia.

 'I could feel it in my chest'

 As investigators combed through surveillance video for clues, police officers and federal agents searched the streets with flashlights, robots and dogs early Sunday to ensure there were no other devices in the area.

 Authorities cordoned off the street where the explosion occurred. A small crowd watched from behind police tape Sunday as investigators gathered at the blast site. Some onlookers said residents who live on the block still hadn't been allowed to return to their homes

 Danilo Gabrielli, 50, was watching TV at his 23rd Street apartment about a block away from the explosion site when he heard the blast. He rushed to see what had happened and found a chaotic scene.

 "We smelled something, like an intense sulfur smell, and saw smoke coming out of this building. I saw pieces of metal -- not large, but not small either. A few friends of mine saw glass there."

 Gabrielli said "the entire neighborhood is real scared."

 "It's a real quiet neighborhood -- not like the center of the city or the Wall Street area. It's tiny bars, where you go to grab a drink, grab a bite to eat, watch a film. We were worried."

 Nearby resident Sam Smith, 50, said he was closing the shades of his apartment when the blast hit.

 "All I saw was a big light, and then I heard the explosion," he told CNN as waited for word about whether he could return home Sunday morning. "I could feel it in my chest. It took me an hour and a half before I could hear again."

 Some social media users said the sound of the explosion was heard as far away as Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River.

 'New York is up and running'

 Investigators are still searching the scene for evidence and transporting it to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for review, FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney Jr. said Sunday.

 Meanwhile, New Yorkers will see an increased police presence around the city, de Blasio said.

 Stepped-up security across the city is common as world leaders arrive for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, which is underway. But now it will be even more intense, de Blasio said.

 "You should know you will see a very substantial NYPD presence this week -- bigger than ever," he said.

 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added that 1,000 additional New York State Police officers and National Guard troops will be deployed to patrol bus terminals, airports and subway stations.

 The increased policing, Cuomo said, is "just to err on the side of caution."

 "I want New Yorkers to be confident when they go back to work on Monday that New York is up and running and we're doing everything that we need to do," he said. |||||
What is a summary?

– "It depends on your definition of terrorism. A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism, but it's not linked to international terrorism," says Andrew Cuomo, via CNN. The New York governor says there's no evidence that an explosion that rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood, injuring 29 people, had any link to international terrorism, reports the AP. Cuomo spoke Sunday morning near the site of the Saturday night blast on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighborhood. Cuomo noted that the device in Manhattan appeared to be different than a pipe bomb explosion earlier Saturday in New Jersey and said he didn't believe the two were connected. Authorities found a second device in Manhattan a few blocks away from the one that exploded and removed it. Cuomo says the injured have been released from the hospital, and that given the scope of the damage "we were really lucky that there were no fatalities." Most of the injuries were minor. The Democratic governor also said that 1,000 additional National Guard troops were being deployed "just to err on the side of caution. I want New Yorkers to be confident when they go back to work on Monday that New York is up and running and we're doing everything that we need to do."


Write an article based on this summary:

– A Florida 12-year-old is facing seven felony charges for allegedly bringing a package of THC-laced gummy candies to school and sharing them with his classmates during a morning gym class at Mulberry Middle School in Polk County, ABC reports. Several students became ill with symptoms that included stomach pain, nausea, and dizziness after eating the Green Hornet brand gummies. Of the two boys and four girls who ate the pot candies, five were taken to the hospital and one was picked up by their parents, the Ledger reports, adding that the boy who brought the gummies to school did not consume them. The kids are reportedly recovering. Edible marijuana products are not currently legal in Florida, which has a medical marijuana program but not a recreational one. “I warned us that all of this was coming,” Sheriff Grady Judd, called by the Ledger a “staunch” opponent of medical marijuana, said. (In Washington, some old pot convictions were tossed.)

The 12-year-old student that provided the THC-infused gummy candy that sent six students to the hospital faces seven felony charges and one misdemeanor charge.

 MULBERRY — Six Mulberry Middle School students were taken to the hospital after ingesting most of a 100-milligram block of THC-infused gummy candies Thursday morning.

 According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Leviticus Jones, 12, somehow came into possession of the Green Hornet-brand gummies which, if taken as directed, would represent 10 individual doses. THC is the primary psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis.

 Detectives are investigating how Jones acquired the gummy candies, as recreational use and possession of THC without a state-issued medical card is illegal in Florida. Edible products, such as the candy, are not currently available from dispensaries under state medical marijuana rules.

 “I warned us that all of this was coming,” Judd said in a press conference across from the school Thursday afternoon. Judd had been a staunch opponent of 2016's Amendment 2, the state constitutional amendment that made medical marijuana legal under state law, and earlier attempts by proponents for medical use.

 Jones' parents are cooperating with investigators, Judd said, and understand the gravity of the situation.

 Judd said that Jones shared the gummies with some friends during gym class.

 A total of six children in seventh grade partook, Judd said — two boys and four girls.

 Five were taken to the hospital via ambulance and one was transported by his or her parents.

 Jones faces seven felony charges — six counts of distribution within 1,000 feet of a school and one on possession of cannabis resin — and a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia.

 Judd said all the children are going to make a “great recovery,” but added “obviously we are concerned how a 12-year-old could come into possession of this drug, this illegal drug in the state of Florida. And two, why did he offer it to these six kids, which quite frankly, with the exception of one little quarter left, have apparently devoured this bar during gym class?”

 Polk County Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd said she applauds the staff for their quick response.

 “When they heard something had happened with the students, they responded immediately,” she said.

 Byrd said they went by classroom to check the children, contacted emergency medical services, and their parents.

 “But you know, the sad part of this is, again, we could have been here with a different outcome,” she said.

 “They followed through with the procedures and protocols we have in place in making sure that we keep our children safe. What I want to say to parents is everyone at school today is still safe, they will be safe again tomorrow, they are going to be safe throughout because we do have procedures in place to keep children safe,” Byrd added.

 Byrd urged parents to monitor their children's online activity to see what they may be purchasing.

 “The sheriff and I have a partnership and we have a commitment to keeping our campuses and our children safe,” Byrd said.

 The children suffered stomachaches, dizziness, and one of them had almost passed out, Judd said.

 Kathy Leigh Berkowitz can be reached at 863-802-7558 or kberkowitz@theledger.com. Follow her on Twitter @kberkowitzthel1. ||||| MULBERRY, Fla. — Polk County Fire Rescue responded to Mulberry Middle School Thursday after several students suddenly became sick after they reportedly consumed THC laced gummies.

 Five of the ill students were taken to the hospital and one was picked up by their parents.

 A spokesperson with Polk County Schools tells us the students consumed gummy bears that contained THC.

 The Sheriff's Office said a 12-year-old male student brought a pack of Green Hornet fruit punch gummies containing 100 mg of THC to school. The student shared them with his classmates during his 2nd-period gym class, around 10 a.m.

 The student who brought the gummies to school told detectives that he didn't eat any of it.

 One of the kids who consumed the candy told a faculty member. Detectives located the empty package in the trash.

 The Polk County Sheriff says the students had a negative reaction to the THC laced gummy bears they ingested saying they reported stomach pains, nausea, dizziness, or a combination thereof.

 "We have long been concerned about the dangers of marijuana-infused candy, and that it would get into the hands of, and poison, children. Here's an example of that." - Grady Judd, Sheriff

 The 12-year-old is being charged with six felony counts of distribution of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, 1 felony count of possession of marijuana resin, and 1 count possession of paraphernalia.

 According to the manufacturer based in California, there are 10 pieces of gummy candy in each package, each containing 10 mg of THC. All 100 mg were consumed by at least six (but possibly more) children, the sheriff's office says.

 It is illegal to possess this package of gummies in the state of Florida. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the 12-year-old obtained the pack of gummies.

 Polk County Public Schools sent the following message to parents on Thursday: |||||


Article:

U. S. Customs & Border Protection Bernard Charles, a Trinidad and Tobago citizen was discovered at John F. Kennedy International Airport with two clear packages filled with heroin stuffed into his groin area.

 Those weren’t ants in his pants.

 A Trinidadian national observed "walking awkwardly" in Kennedy Airport was nabbed for smuggling nearly two pounds of heroin in his underwear, authorities said Tuesday.

 Bernard Charles stepped off Caribbean Airlines flight No. 520 on April Fool's Day and immediately caught the attention of Customs and Border Protection officers, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

 Charles, 42, was detained for an enforcement examination and appeared "visibly nervous" and "avoided eye contact" while the officers examined his suitcase, according to U.S. Homeland Security special agent Sean Gabay.

 Focusing on Charles' awkward gait, the officers patted him down and discovered a "hard object in the defendant's groin area," Gabay stated in the complaint.

 Richard Harbus/for New York Daily news A man from Trinidad was arrested at Kennedy Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle nearly two pounds of heroin. Customs and Border Protection agents said Bernard Charles looked “visibly nervous” when he got off his flight April 1.

 Probing further the officers discovered two plastic packages of a brown paste-like substance which tested positive for heroin. The drugs have a street value of more than $70,000, authorities said.

 Charles was ordered held without bail. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted of the drug smuggling charges.

 "This seizure is just another example of our Customs and Border Patrol officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these illegal drugs," said New York Field Operations Director Robert Perez in a statement.

 jmarzulli@nydailynews.com ||||| April 15, 2014 2:35 PM

 Packages of heroin authorities said were found in a suspect’s underwear at JFK. (credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

 NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A man has been arrested after authorities said he tried to smuggle drugs into the U.S. by hiding nearly two pounds of heroin in his underwear.

 It happened back on April 1 at John F. Kennedy Airport.

 Authorities said Bernard Charles was acting nervously while his bags were being inspected by Customs officers after arriving at JFK on a flight from Trinidad.

 He was then taken to a private search room where Customs officers found two, clear packages in Charles’ groin area, authorities said. The packages contained a brown paste-like substance that tested positive for heroin, authorities said.

 In all, 1.79 pounds of heroin was seized, which has an approximate street value of more than $70,000, authorities said.

 Charles was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and faces federal narcotics smuggling charges.

 Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:

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What is a summary?

– Pro tip: If you're going to smuggle heroin in your underwear, try to walk like a normal person while doing so. Bernard Charles apparently couldn't manage that, so when Customs and Border Protection officers spotted him "walking awkwardly" at New York's JFK Airport on April 1, they patted him down—and found a "hard object in [his] groin area" that ended up being two clear packages holding 1.79 pounds of heroin, according to US Homeland Security. Charles, a 42-year-old citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, was initially detained when he disembarked Caribbean Airlines Flight 520 and appeared "visibly nervous," avoiding eye contact; customs officers were examining his suitcase at the time, CBS New York reports, and they brought him to a private search room. That's when they noticed his gait and patted him down, the New York Daily News reports. The drugs he was allegedly carrying are worth more than $70,000 on the street, according to authorities. He faces 10 years in prison for drug smuggling. (A celeb recently confessed to smuggling cocaine onto planes, for her own personal use.)


Article:
PARIS (AP) — About 15 gunmen ambushed two vans carrying millions in jewels Wednesday on a French highway, forcing out their drivers in the middle of the night and speeding off into the Burgundy countryside, police said. It was the latest in a string of big jewel heists in France.

 Burnt out vans are seen near the Avallon motorway exit, central France, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. A police official says 15 armed assailants attacked two vans on a French highway carrying millions of... (Associated Press)

 Burnt out vans stand near the Avallon motorway exit, central France, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. A police official says 15 armed assailants attacked two vans on a French highway carrying millions of euros... (Associated Press)

 Burnt out vans are seen near the Avallon motorway exit, central France, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. A police official says 15 armed assailants attacked two vans on a French highway carrying millions of... (Associated Press)

 French gendarmes and other authorities were combing the forests and towns in the region southeast of Paris for the attackers. No one was injured in the attack on the A6 highway connecting Paris and Lyon, and the drivers of the two vans were left at the scene unharmed, a police official said.

 The perpetrators escaped in four cars and the two vans, which police later found burned and abandoned near the site of the attack, the official said. Forensic investigators in white suits examined the area around the charred vans amid vineyards in the town of Quenne.

 The jewels remain missing and it's unclear where the attackers were heading. After hours of searches failed to locate them, another police official said authorities were concentrating efforts on the investigation into the attack, which was handed to the French police agency overseeing organized crime.

 The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named.

 No possible suspects have been named in Wednesday's theft, although the case was reminiscent of heists by the Pink Panther gang of jewel thieves. The Pink Panther network has been credited with a series of thefts that Interpol says have netted more than 330 million euros since 1999.

 France has seen repeated jewelry thefts. In November, two gunmen robbed a Cartier jewelry boutique in a tony, tourist-filled Paris neighborhood, fled a police chase across the Seine River, took a hostage — and then surrendered.

 Last month, eight people were convicted in connection with a spectacular 2008 jewel theft at a Harry Winston boutique in Paris, when three cross-dressing gunmen stole about $92 million in goods.

 In 2013, southeast France was hit with a spate of jewelry thefts, including two in Cannes during the city's famed film festival. In one, a gunman walked into a jewel show at the Carlton International Hotel, stole $136 million in loot, and disappeared down a side street in one of the most lucrative jewelry heists ever. ||||| Police in France are hunting a group of “battle-hardened” armed thieves who attacked two secure vans carrying jewels at a motorway toll in the dead of night and made off with a haul worth €9m (£6.3m).

 Gendarmes and other authorities are combing the Burgundy region south-east of Paris for the gang, after the latest in a string of big jewel heists in France in recent years.

 A police source, who wished to remain anonymous, said there were about 15 robbers, all “heavily armed and battle-hardened”.

 No one was injured in the attack on the A6 highway connecting Paris and Lyon. The drivers of the two vans were forced out of the vehicles by the attackers, who made off with the jewels, according to sources close to the investigation.

 “They are probably men who stem from organised crime and who are well informed. There were no shots fired and everything happened at lightning speed,” a police source said.

 The large vans, which were transporting jewels for a planned sale in the eastern city of Besançon, were found burnt and abandoned not far from the toll station. One of them was completely ripped apart. The jewels remain missing.

 The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to be publicly named.

 Cannes jewellery heist takes shine off stars on red carpet day Read more

 Attacks on special vehicles carrying jewels or cash often require equipment such as explosives or assault rifles, and while they occurred regularly at the beginning of the 2000s in France, they have dwindled in recent years.

 The last major heist was in 2009 when armoured van driver Toni Musulin escaped with his vehicle after two of his colleagues stepped away, making off with at least €11.5m in cash collected from a Bank of France building.

 Musulin became an overnight internet sensation at a time when the super-rich were resented during the financial crisis.

 Investigators soon found packets of cash totalling €9.11m in a lockup garage in the south-eastern city of Lyon near where the abandoned van was found, and after 10 days on the run Musulin gave himself in.

 The rest of the cash was never found.

 When it comes to jewellery, the country’s most spectacular heist was a double robbery at a Harry Winston shop in an upmarket part of Paris in 2007 and 2008.

 In the first holdup in October 2007, four masked gunmen wearing decorators’ overalls robbed the store.

 The thieves had spent the night in the jewellery shop with the help of a security guard at the store, who let them in the previous evening.

 The robbers made off with 120 watches and 360 pieces of jewellery worth more than €32m.

 Then just over a year later, in December 2008, four men – including three wearing women’s clothes and wigs – entered the same store, again with the help of the guard.

 In less than 20 minutes, they took 104 watches and 297 pieces of jewellery worth €71m and fled in a car.

 Last month eight men were sentenced to up to 15 years in jail for their role in the double heist. |||||Summary:

– Finesse can help in a jewel heist, but brute force is handy, too. Police in France say about two dozen "heavily armed and battled-hardened" robbers attacked two armored cars at a highway toll booth, securing a payday of $9.5 million in jewels, reports the Guardian. Not a single shot was fired in the midnight heist near Auxerre. The robbers let the drivers go and drove off with the vans, whose burnt-out shells were found nearby. The AP says the caper bears the hallmarks of the Pink Panther gang, which has made off with hundreds of millions in thefts over the last 15 years.


Summarize this article:

Groupon was hit with its second lawsuit in as many months from employees who said they were screwed out of their overtime. This comes shortly after the online discounter lost its COO, its sales chief, its IPO date, and its favorite bullshit accounting metric. It's almost as though Groupon is some sort of hive of misery and deceit!

 The latest blow comes from a federal class action suit just filed in Chicago, covering 50 "deal vetters," employees responsible for reviewing Groupon's contract with merchants. The vetters, said PaidContent, allege they did not get overtime for working more than 40 hours per week. In addition, more than 1,000 of Groupon's salespeople are covered by an August class action also seeking overtime pay.

 This is what happens when your top people take out a ludicrous $810 million in bonuses before the IPO: Everyone else in the operation starts looking real, real carefully at their own compensation. And, no, they won't give you a discount. ||||| Groupon Hit With New Lawsuit

 September can’t end soon enough for Groupon. The month brought a string of staff departures, SEC spats and the indefinite shelving of the company’s long-awaited IPO. Now a second class of employees has filed a class action against Groupon over unpaid overtime.

 In a Chicago federal court filing last week, a woman representing so-called “deal vetters” at Groupon claimed the company broke federal and state law by failing to pay overtime to those who worked over 40 hours a week. According to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Doug Werman, deal vetters were responsible for reviewing the terms of the transactions between Groupon and the merchants with which it partners. The position has since been eliminated.

 SEE ALSO: Groupon's Funky Friday: New COO Goes Back To Google; Numbers Revised

 The deal vetters’ proposed class action echoes a similar one filed in late August by Groupon salespeople. The salespeople in that suit recently amended their complaint to provide additional facts such as a sample work contract that reveals a starting salary of $32,000.

 Groupon did not return requests for comment.

 Werman said about 50 deal vetters are affected by the new lawsuit, while over 1,000 salespeople are covered by the earlier filing. In court proceedings today, a judge said that the parties could begin discovery, a procedure that will allow both sides to collect evidence to argue whether or not the class action should go forward. |||||

– Groupon employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the company claiming unpaid overtime, the second such suit filed against the daily deals website in the past month. This time around, Groupon’s so-called “deal vetters”—a position that no longer exists—say they weren’t paid overtime when working more than 40 hours per week. The first class action, filed late last month, came from salespeople, Paid Content reports. About 1,000 employees were covered by that filing, while about 50 are affected by this most recent one. It hasn’t been a good month for Groupon: It saw a string of departing staff including, Gawker notes, its COO and sales chief; the planned IPO was shelved indefinitely; and the company has sparred with the SEC.