Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is in critical condition after being shot in the head on Saturday morning. "I am very optimistic about her recovery," said a doctor at the University Medical Center in Tucson, while acknowledging that the bullet went through her brain. In 2007, Michelle Tsai explained how one might survive a gunshot to the head. The article is reprinted below.

 A sheriff's deputy in Wisconsin killed his ex-girlfriend and five others at a house party on Sunday, then fled. When he was caught hours later, he used his .40-caliber Glock pistol to commit suicide—shooting himself twice from under the chin, and then once through the right side of his head. How'd he manage to shoot himself in the head three times?

 He kept missing the brain. A gunshot to the head isn't always fatal; when the gun is aimed upward from the chin, the recoil can angle the muzzle toward the face. In this case, the bullet travels through the mouth and nose instead of back into the head, where the brain lies. The victim of such a wound would suffer serious injuries to the face; he might also suffocate if the bullet hit part of his nose, or if bits of flesh block the breathing pathway. But the pain isn't necessarily excruciating; survivors say it's like being punched or kicked in the face. A victim might even remain alert enough to use his hands, or, in the case of the sheriff's deputy, to reposition his gun and try again.

 The severity of a self-inflicted bullet wound to the head depends on a few factors. The larger the bullet, the more damage, since the projectile destroys any tissue in its path. Hollow-point bullets that shatter are especially dangerous, as the fragments can spread into a larger swath of brain tissue.

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 But where the bullet goes is most important: the farther from the center of the brain, the greater the chance of survival. If a bullet grazes the tip of one of the lobes of the brain, the patient will probably live with proper medical treatment. If a bullet enters just one hemisphere, it's still possible to make a reasonable recovery. Someone who took a shot just to the front of the brain might suffer personality changes, like Phineas Gage, the 19th-century railroad worker who became obstinate and profane after an accident. A patient with a wound to the side of the head usually arrives at the hospital unconscious but breathing.

 The gravest bullet trajectories cross from one side of the head to the other, striking the center of the brain along the way. Here lie the brain stem, the diencephalon, and other structures that together govern basic life functions such as breathing, the heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. A bullet through the mouth, Hitler-style, can kill immediately if it strikes the brain stem.

 Whatever the angle, gunshot wounds to the head are usually fatal. According to unpublished data from the University of Maryland, of 264 such victims from 2000, all but 29 died on the spot. Of the 27 who were accounted for, only 18 made it into an operating room. Eight survived with significant disabilities; 10 had a good recovery.

 Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer .

 Explainer thanks Bizhan Aarabi of the University of Maryland Medical Center, Robert Levine of the University of Texas School of Medicine at Houston, and Dave Ross of Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.

 Like Slate and the Explainer on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

 Like This Story ||||| Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remains in intensive care following surgery at the University of Arizona Hospital for a gunshot wound to the head at close range.

 Dr. Manny Alvarez, senior managing health editor of FoxNews.com, said surviving a gunshot wound to the head is rare, but not unheard of – and Giffords is in for a long fight.

 Alvarez said the survival rate of a gunshot wound to the head is about 5 percent – and 3 percent of those who do survive will always have a neurological deficiency, such as memory loss or a lack or motor skills.

 “It all depends on where the bullet goes,” he said. “Your best chance of survival is from front to back, if you get shot side to side, the survival rate is less, and it all depends on the damage the brain has.”

 Giffords’ friend, state Sen. Linda Lopez, confirmed the bullet entered Giffords’ head at her temple and exited through her forehead. Lopez said Giffords was responding to commands before surgery but is not sure what Giffords' long-term prognosis is.

 “If the bullet goes through both hemispheres and leans toward the base of skull, that is where most of the vascular tissues are, and that can be a deadly result,” Alvarez said. “If the bullet goes through both hemispheres, but there is a clean exit wound, the patient can be lucky and there might not be any significant damage. Of course, the best prognosis is when the bullet affects only one hemisphere. Nonetheless, any gunshot wound to the head is going to leave residual side effects.”

 Alvarez said the next three to four days is considered the most critical for Giffords, and recovery could take years to achieve.

 “Doctors carefully opened the skull and looked for any type of bleeding and then cauterized blood vessels,” Alvarez said. “Patients are kept under anesthesia for three to four days to monitor brain swelling, which is one of the complications of this surgery."

 Alvarez pointed to the story of a British soldier who survived a gunshot wound to the brain but learned to walk and talk again and in October 2010 was quoted in the The Sun as saying, “They say I’m a walking miracle.”

 The soldier, Liam Brentley, was shot near the ear, and the bullet came out the other side of his head, pinging a wall, according to the U.K. newspaper.

 Brentley is deaf in one ear and has some memory loss. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– The survival rate of a gunshot wound to the head, as Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords suffered yesterday, is about 5%, and 3% of those who do survive carry lasting neurological deficiencies, such as loss of memory loss or motor skills, reports Fox News. The next three to four days are most critical, says a Fox News doctor. Doctors first open the skull, look for bleeding, and cauterize blood vessels. "Patients are kept under anesthesia for three to four days to monitor brain swelling, which is one of the complications of this surgery," explains the expert. If the bullet grazes the tip of one of the brain lobes, the victim has the greatest chance for survival, and a bullet through one hemisphere still offers a reasonable chance. "[T]he farther from the center of the brain, the greater the chance of survival," reported Slate in a 2007 article about a slaying in Wisconsin. "The gravest bullet trajectories cross from one side of the head to the other, striking the center of the brain along the way." Doctors said yesterday they were "optimistic" about Giffords' chances for recovery.


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 Gloria Hiroko Chapman has revealed husband Mark told her he was going to murder John Lennon two months before he shot dead the Beatle on his New York doorstep.

 But she claimed he never carried out the threat at the time because of his love for her and insisted he had dumped the gun he was going to use.

 Yet as soon as news came through that Lennon had been killed, Gloria said she knew Chapman was the assassin.

 Now she is hoping that after 38 years behind bars, her husband may soon be free as he faces a parole hearing for the 10th time.

 Gloria, 67, said: “It didn’t matter how long Mark was in prison. I would wait for him.”

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 (Image: Getty)

 She has had to wait nearly four decades so far, after Chapman, 63, was given 20 years to life for murdering Lennon on December 8, 1980.

 But she told how she has still been allowed to have sex with him during prison visits in a caravan on the grounds.

 Gloria was 5,000 miles away at home in Kailua, Hawaii, when the devastating news came in that the 40-year-old was dead.

 She said: “I knew it was Mark. How did I know? Two months earlier, Mark had travelled to New York.

 “He came home scared, telling me that to make a name for himself he had planned to kill Lennon. But he said my love had saved him.”

 (Image: Getty)

 Gloria knew Chapman was planning to return to New York but she had no idea he was on a murder mission for real this time.

 She added: “The only reason I was OK with Mark making another trip was because I had believed him when he said he needed to grow up as an adult and husband, and needed time to think about his life.

 “He wanted me to sacrifice being alone for a short time so that we could have a long, happy marriage together.

 “He said he threw the gun into the ocean, and I believed him.

 “But he had lied to me.”

 Along with music fans across the world, Gloria was stunned when reports of Lennon’s death flashed across screens.

 (Image: Reuters)

 She said: “December 8, 1980, was one of the darkest nights of my life. I remember it was a Monday.

 “I had come home from work, fixed dinner, and was watching Little House on the Prairie. On the show, Mary had just found out she’d become blind when suddenly, words ran across the bottom of the screen: ‘John Lennon has been shot in New York City by a male Caucasian.’

 “My life changed dramatically that night.

 “I was now Mrs Mark David Chapman, the wife of a murderer and not just any murderer but one whose victim was known and loved by millions around the world.”

 (Image: Getty)

 After her husband was arrested, Gloria’s friends urged her to divorce him. The killer himself even told her to leave.

 But, by now deeply religious, she refused, citing the vows they exchanged when married on June 2, 1979.

 Speaking through her church, former travel agent Gloria said: “I admit when I got lonely and depressed in that first year of being apart from him, I thought maybe divorce was the right thing to do.

 “Ultimately, I prayed and searched the Bible to read what God says about divorce.

 “Finally, in the book of Malachi, I read, ‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel.’

 “That settled it, and I closed my Bible. From that point on, I decided I would wait for Mark.”

 (Image: Andy Johnstone for The Daily Mirror)

 Gloria’s devotion to killer Chapman comes despite admitting she was violently abused during their one year of marriage.

 And he cut her off entirely for a year, while not allowing her to see him in jail for almost four.

 The couple met in early 1978 in Hawaii. She was 26 and, like Chapman, dedicated her life to the church and hospitals. He was 22 and a maintenance worker at Castle Medical Center in Kailua.

 A year earlier he had travelled to Hawaii on a one-way ticket before trying to gas himself inside his car. But the vacuum cleaner hose he had used melted in the exhaust and the attempt failed.

 Chapman was admitted to the hospital where he worked, but made what his psychiatrist and the unit’s staff perceived as a rapid recovery.

 Gloria told how their love grew after that first meeting.

 (Image: New York Daily News)

 She said: “As I was a travel agent, he wanted my help to plan a vacation around the world. My love for Mark began and grew with each postcard I received. When Mark returned to Hawaii I met him at the airport.

 “We started dating the following night. By the end of that year, Mark and I felt as though we had known each other for ever.

 “We talked about everything, including his mental illness and how he had come to Hawaii to kill himself and ended up at a local hospital’s psychiatric ward.

 “He explained that he had gotten well enough to get a job at the hospital as a housekeeper. It seemed to me his mental illness was behind him.”

 (Image: Splash News)

 But Gloria said her husband soon started to change.

 Speaking to The Alliance, a “Christian-centred global movement”, she added: “First, Mark lost his new job at the hospital after a run-in with a nursing supervisor.

 “He got angry with me more easily, and on a couple of occasions he hurt me physically. He started drinking and came home drunk. But I took our vows seriously.

 “I said I will love Mark ‘for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness, and in health, so long as we both shall live.’”

 For the past 25 years, Gloria and Chapman have only been allowed to spend 44 hours each year together during conjugal visits, holed up in the caravan.

 She said they spend their time making pizzas, watching Wheel of Fortune on TV and making love.

 Chapman’s parole hearing is due to be held the week starting August 20.

 (Image: Daily Mirror)

 And Gloria hopes, despite objections from Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono, her wait to have him home is a few weeks from ending.

 Recently, the New York State parole board has been more willing to place heavier emphasis on an inmate’s behaviour behind bars than focus on the severity of the crime.

 As a result, several police killers and other notorious murderers who had been long denied parole have been set free.

 Gloria has been praying for Chapman’s release. He was denied freedom at the last hearing in 2016 after officials said he would reoffend.

 But they commended his “acceptance” that his crime was “premeditated and evil”.

 And Chapman has told his wife to have faith in his freedom.

 Gloria said: “Mark often says, ‘All I need is Jesus.’ And it’s true.” ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. |||||

– The man who murdered John Lennon will remain behind bars after his 10th unsuccessful parole hearing, reports the Daily News. Mark David Chapman, now 63, was turned down again this week. No reasons have yet been made public, but the newspaper reports that Yoko Ono sent the parole board a letter asking that Chapman remain in the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York—not only for the safety of her and her family, but for his own safety. Chapman, who shot Lennon in New York City in 1980, is up again for parole in about two years. Chapman's wife recently told the UK Mirror that he talked of killing Lennon two months before actually doing so.


WASHINGTON — As the United States military prepares to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, the Obama administration is planning a remarkable civilian effort, buttressed by a small army of contractors, to fill the void.

 By October 2011, the State Department will assume responsibility for training the Iraqi police, a task that will largely be carried out by contractors. With no American soldiers to defuse sectarian tensions in northern Iraq, it will be up to American diplomats in two new $100 million outposts to head off potential confrontations between the Iraqi Army and Kurdish pesh merga forces.

 To protect the civilians in a country that is still home to insurgents with Al Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias, the State Department is planning to more than double its private security guards, up to as many as 7,000, according to administration officials who disclosed new details of the plan. Defending five fortified compounds across the country, the security contractors would operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and even staff quick reaction forces to aid civilians in distress, the officials said.

 “I don’t think State has ever operated on its own, independent of the U.S. military, in an environment that is quite as threatening on such a large scale,” said James Dobbins, a former ambassador who has seen his share of trouble spots as a special envoy for Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo and Somalia. “It is unprecedented in scale.”

 White House officials expressed confidence that the transfer to civilians — about 2,400 people who would work at the Baghdad embassy and other diplomatic sites — would be carried out on schedule, and that they could fulfill their mission of helping bring stability to Iraq.

 “The really big picture that we have seen in Iraq over the last year and a half to two years is this: the number of violent incidents is significantly down, the competence of Iraqi security forces is significantly up, and politics has emerged as the basic way of doing business in Iraq,” said Antony J. Blinken, the national security adviser to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “If that trend continues, and I acknowledge it is an ‘if,’ that creates a much better context for dealing with the very significant and serious problems that remain in Iraq.”

 But the tiny military presence under the Obama administration’s plan — limited to several dozen to several hundred officers in an embassy office who would help the Iraqis purchase and field new American military equipment — and the civilians’ growing portfolio have led some veteran Iraq hands to suggest that thousands of additional troops will be needed after 2011.

 “We need strategic patience here,” Ryan C. Crocker, who served as ambassador in Iraq from 2007 until early 2009, said in an interview. “Our timetables are getting out ahead of Iraqi reality. We do have an Iraqi partner in this. We certainly are not the ones making unilateral decisions anymore. But if they come to us later on this year requesting that we jointly relook at the post-2011 period, it is going to be in our strategic interest to be responsive.”

 The array of tasks for which American troops are likely to be needed, military experts and some Iraqi officials say, include training Iraqi forces to operate and logistically support new M-1 tanks, artillery and F-16s they intend to acquire from the Americans; protecting Iraq’s airspace until the country can rebuild its air force; and perhaps assisting Iraq’s special operations units in carrying out counterterrorism operations.

 Such an arrangement would need to be negotiated with Iraqi officials, who insisted on the 2011 deadline in the agreement with the Bush administration for removing American forces. With the Obama administration in campaign mode for the coming midterm elections and Iraqi politicians yet to form a government, the question of what future military presence might be needed has been all but banished from public discussion.

 “The administration does not want to touch this question right now,” said one administration official involved in Iraq issues, adding that military officers had suggested that 5,000 to 10,000 troops might be needed. “It runs counter to their political argument that we are getting out of these messy places,” the official, speaking only on condition of anonymity, added. “And it would be quite counterproductive to talk this way in front of the Iraqis. If the Iraqis want us, they should be the demandeur.” ||||| U.S. military officials are hustling to reduce the number of troops in Iraq to 50,000 to meet President Obama's Aug. 31 deadline for an end to U.S. combat operations, but as troops leave, the administration reportedly is planning to double the number of private security guards in the country.

 A senior military official in Iraq said the Defense Department will meet the deadline for exiting combat troops.

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 "We are sitting around 55k and will be down to 50k by 1 September," the official wrote in an e-mail to Fox News.

 The bulk of the 4th Stryker Brigade from the 2nd Infantry Division left the country on Thursday. Approximately 100 members of the brigade remain in Iraq to handle various administrative and supply issues. They will be out of the country within days.

 After Aug. 31, the mission in Iraq will no longer be known as Operation Iraqi Freedom and will instead be known as Operation New Dawn.

 Obama, who had imposed an end-of-the-month deadline for the pullout in February 2009, called it a milestone in the war though the remaining 50,000 support troops will stay in Iraq until the end of next year to train Iraqi forces.

 The U.S. still has "a significant amount of influence" in Iraq, and the mission will be to provide support and help the country grow and "give economic development" assistance, said Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, a spokesman for Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

 When the last of the military troops leave at the end of 2011, the Obama administration is planning to more than double the number of private security guards it has in Iraq -- up to 7,000 -- The New York Times reported late Wednesday, citing unnamed administration officials.

 The U.S. State Department move is aimed at protecting civilians still exposed to Al Qaeda-linked insurgents and Iranian-backed militias. At the same time, Afghanistan is asking the United States to remove a bulk of its 45,000 private contractors from the country.

 Contractors employed by the State Department will train the Iraqi police and U.S. diplomats in two new $100 million outposts will be left to defuse sectarian tensions in northern Iraq.

 The security contractors, defending five fortified compounds around the country, will operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and staff quick reaction forces to help civilians in distress, the officials told the Times.

 As the exit of the troops was shown live on TV in the U.S. Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley described the end of combat operations as a "historic moment," but vowed that America's long-term commitment was unwavering.

 "The last thing that we want to see is an occasion where we have to send troops back into Iraq yet again so we are ending the combat phase of our involvement in Iraq for a second time," he said.

 "We're not ending our involvement in Iraq. We will have important work to do. This is a transition. This is not the end of something. It's a transition to something different. We have a long-term commitment to Iraq."

 Crowley said that after spending $1 trillion in Iraq and with 4,400 lives lost, the conflict had come "at high expense."

 "We've invested heavily in Iraq and have to do everything we can to preserve that investment to integrate Iraq, along with the neighborhood, into a much more peaceful situation that serves their interests as well as ours. But this is a historic moment."

 Obama said the events were the beginning of the pullout he promised when he became president.

 "As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service," Obama said.

 "My administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much. But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the federal government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

 "Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

 "Consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort."

 NewsCore contributed to this report. |||||

Write a summary.

– The US military may be rolling out of Iraq, but American civilians are not. To protect its outposts, the State Department plans to double the number of private security guards on the ground, finds the New York Times. As many as 7,000 guards will search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones, and continue training Iraqi police. “We need strategic patience here,” says a former US ambassador to Iraq. “Our timetables are getting out ahead of Iraqi reality." "I don’t think State has ever operated on its own, independent of the US military, in an environment that is quite as threatening on such a large scale,” said another former ambassador. But, notes Fox News, the contractors won't be entirely on their own—some 50,000 US troops are staying behind through the end of 2011 to train Iraqi forces. (Click here to read about al-Qaeda in Iraq's post-withdrawal plans.)


– Scientists studying the calls of adult Argentine horned frogs were amazed to discover that the species' larvae also make sounds—screams even, reports the Independent. The tadpole's scream is a "brief, clear and very audible metallic-like sound," say researchers. They believe the distress calls save the tadpoles from being cannibalized by adults of their species, which is known for its willingness to eat anything it can, including other kinds of frogs. This is the first time underwater larvae or any vertebrate larvae have been known to make sounds, the BBC notes. The researchers believe the discovery has wide-reaching implications for the understanding of amphibian behavior. "We have definitely underestimated their abilities," says the lead researcher, who now plans to study how other tadpoles respond to the sound.

Expand this summary.

Some might think it's up there with the flying pig and the killer rabbit, in the list of improbable animals – the screaming tadpole. But it's real.

 Scientists in South America have discovered that the larvae of the Argentine horned frog, a species remarkable for its tendency to try eating anything that passes, emit a "brief, clear and very audible metallic-like sound" when they feel threatened.

 Horned frog tadpoles are naturally aggressive and carnivorous, often eating the tadpoles of other frogs, and it is possible that the scream is mainly emitted when another horned frog tadpole moves to attack it as a measure to avoid cannibalism.

 The discovery, reported in the Swedish journal Acta Zoological, is the first evidence for the production of sound by the larvae of anurans (frogs and toads). It was made by Dr Guillermo Natale of the National University of La Plata in Buenos Aires, and his colleagues, when they were studying the mating calls and croakings of adult frogs. Many adult amphibians use loud sounds such as croaks to advertise their presence, and often to attract sexual partners but until now researchers did not realise amphibian larvae might also produce sounds underwater.

 That changed when Dr Natale caught a horned frog tadpole in a pond using a hand-held net. "We heard a brief, clear and very audible metallic-like sound," he said. To investigate further, the researchers caught a wild pair of breeding adults, and began a programme to rear them in captivity.

 The researchers found that when horned frog tadpoles come into contact with, or are prodded by, an external object such as a metal spatula, they let out a brief, metallic sound consisting of a short series of higher frequency pulses. The tadpoles produce the sound by pushing air out of their lungs, which develop very early; tadpoles that are just three days old are capable of emitting loud distress signals. The discovery raises the possibility that other tadpoles may produce sound. ||||| By Matt Walker

 Editor, Earth News

 Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Tadpoles of one frog species let out an audible "scream" when they come under attack, scientists have discovered. They only make the noise, described as a brief, clear metallic sound made up of a series of notes, when in distress. It is the first time any vertebrate larva has been found to use sound to communicate underwater. The discovery that frog tadpoles can make sounds also raises the possibility that a host of aquatic larvae communicate in a similar way. The distress calls are made by tadpoles of the horned frog Ceratophrys ornata which lives in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, researchers report in the journal Acta Zoologica. That tadpoles communicate somehow is simply amazing

 Dr Guillermo Natale

 National University of La Plata, Buenos Aires Scientist Dr Guillermo Natale of the National University of La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his colleagues, were studying the mating calls of adult frogs. Many adult amphibians use loud sounds such as croaks to advertise their presence, and often to attract sexual partners. Until now though, researchers did not realise that amphibian larva might also produce sounds underwater. That changed when Dr Natale caught a horned frog tadpole in a pond using a hand-held net. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "We heard a brief, clear and very audible metallic-like sound," he told the BBC. C. ornata tadpoles are difficult to find in the wild, so the researchers caught a wild pair of breeding adults, and began a programme to rear the young amphibians in captivity. This enabled the scientists to better study the noise they had heard in the field. The team discovered that C. ornata tadpoles are naturally aggressive and carnivorous, often eating the tadpoles of other frog species that they encounter. However, "much to our astonishment, they do not eat each other," says Dr Natale, who is also an assistant researcher Argentinean Research Council (Conicet). That may be because of the "screams" emitted by the tadpoles. The researchers found that when C. ornata tadpoles come into contact with, or are prodded by, an external object such as a metal spatula, they let out a brief, metallic sound consisting of a short series of higher frequency pulses. FROG FACTS

 Watch an 'alien scene' of feasting tadpoles The first truly monogamous amphibian was discovered this year Toads, close relatives of frogs, may be able to predict when an impending earthquake will strike Watch more videos of bizarre frog and toad behaviour here Each "scream" lasts for just 0.05 seconds. Producing distress calls is likely to help prevent the tadpoles cannibalising each other. Underwater call The tadpole produce the sound by pushing air out of their lungs. The lungs develop very early in this species; tadpoles that are just three days old are capable of emitting loud distress signals. They continue to emit distress calls underwater both as tadpoles and after they have begun metamorphosis (when they become froglets). The tadpoles also produce the sounds when they are removed from the water. In fact, when out of the water, they make the distress call more frequently. This could be because the tadpoles can more easily access air, which they then expel. An oscillogram show the pulsated structure of the tadpole's distress call with pulsated structure "That tadpoles communicate somehow is simply amazing," says Dr Natale. "They possess the structures to do so within 3 days of life." He and his colleagues now want to study how and why the ability develops so rapidly, and how the sound is perceived by other tadpoles. "[We want to know] what information specifically is communicated," he says. Few larvae of any animal species are known to produce sounds. Those that do tend to be insect larvae, which live on land, making their sounds into the air rather than underwater. For example, juveniles of one species of common silkmoth caterpillar (Antheraea polyphemus) make "clicking" sounds with their mandibles to warn off predators such as ants. A female adult horned frog But as far as the researchers can tell, horned frog tadpoles are the first underwater larvae, and first larvae of any vertebrate, to make sounds. The discovery could have far-reaching implications for our understanding of the behaviour and ecology of amphibians, many of which are threatened by disease, habitat destruction and illegal trade. "We have definitely underestimated their abilities," says Dr Natale. "In more than 200 years of [amphibian research] this has never been reported."

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Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Leaving more questions than answers, 25-year-old Freddie Gray of Baltimore died in police custody after being arrested and suffering a severe injury to the spine. What happened next left his city in turmoil and the nation on edge. VPC

 Prince (Photo: NPG Records)

 BALTIMORE — Award winning musician Prince will play a concert in Baltimore Sunday to promote peace following violent protests over the death of Freddie Gray.

 The concert is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Farms Arena, and will feature special as-yet unannounced guests. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday at 5 p.m.

 Concert attendees are being asked to wear something gray.

 Gray died April 19 from an unexplained spinal injury while in police custody a week after being arrested for carrying a knife. Protests over his death last week turned into violent riots.

 Six Baltimore Police officers were charged Thursday in connection to Gray's death. Their charges range from second degree murder to assault.

 Prince has recorded a new song in response to Gray's death and the protest. No release date has been set for the song.

 An official statement from spokesperson Yvette Noel-Schure said that the song "addresses the unrest in Baltimore and the socio/political issues around the country in the wake of a slew of killings of young black men."

 The song is further described as "a tribute to all of the people of the city of Baltimore."

 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1ADAIYB ||||| As dusk fell over Minnesota on Wednesday, many watched details surrounding Freddie Gray's death unfold, while a message resounded from Paisley Park's soundstage. Prince sat at his electric keyboard on the far right of the intricately lit stage. The rest of the venue was dark, mostly. Purple light filtered softly along the venue's perimeters. Adding to an already calming ambiance, the scent of lavender flirted with pleasant hints of sandalwood in the air.

 SOUNDCLOUD: 'Baltimore'

 Earlier, afternoon errand-runs were highlighted by an invitation to sit in on “rehearsal.” A man who introduced himself as “Anthony” escorted me to the back of the arena. The view was hazy but exquisite in its own right. Guided to sit on a plush purple sofa, here, I was free of expectation.

 An earth-toned hat covered the legend's Afro almost completely. The cap matching a vest he wore over a foiled-silver ensemble set in a slate gray silky material. Either way he was fitted for work or play.

 Play to Mr. Nelson these days might mean a quick break from the studio to watch his DVR-ed episodes of “New Girl” in the kitchen, or a seated moment to email a funny meme to a friend, and just maybe a swift bike ride around Chanhassen, Minn.

 He and 3rdEyeGirl began their “rehearsal” on stage.

 “From the top," he said. "With a little more life.”

 He instructed Ida Nielson on bass, Hanna Welton on drums, Donna Grantis on guitar. Welton's husband, Joshua, who played a significant role in the production of the 2014 album release “Art Official Age,” at a separate board, opposite Prince.

 “Nobody got in nobody's way,” The Purple One began to sing. “So I guess you could say it was a good day. At least a little better than the day in Baltimore. Does anybody hear us pray? For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray Peace is more than the absence of war…”

 After the first verse, it became abundantly clear this was more performance than “rehearsal.” The sound men, technicians and myself quietly watching a live recording of a freshly penned song.

 “Are we gonna see another bloody day? We're tired of cryin' and people dyin'. Let's take all the guns away. Absence of war – you and me. Maybe we can finally say ‘enough is enough.' It's time for love. It's time to hear, it's time to hear, the guitar play!”

 While still seated at the keyboard, Prince then played a tear-evoking electric guitar solo for the remainder of the song. Moved, I quickly wiped an eye as he walked over.

 “Come with me," he said.

 After leading me inside Studio B he motioned to a red sofa. Peering up I asked, “What's it called?“

 “Baltimore," he replied.

 Then he reached for a sip of Blk Water, an alkaline-infused, mineral water for the particularly health conscious.

 “With everything going on there this week, I had a lot I needed to get out,” Prince said.

 He then segued into a brief discussion about Joni Mitchell's health scare.

 “That news this week, and what's happening in Baltimore,” he paused, “well, you know.”

 Prince is perhaps one of Joni Mitchell's biggest fans. Recently I learned "Court & Spark," Mitchell's 1974 album release, is one of the artist's top five favorite albums of all time. You may remember the reference to the folk legend in The Ballad of Dorothy Parker on his 1987 release "Sign O' the Times.

 "'Oh, my favorite song' she said. And it was Joni singing 'Help me I think I'm falling'"

 In a healthy display of emotion, he looked at the studio floor for a second. Fighting tears of his own, Prince politely excused himself to serve water for the both of us. Even in a fleeting moment of sadness, Prince remains magical. More so in his mourning over Joni's condition. Further in his desire for justice, and overall concern for humanity.

 Unpleasant times often prod to be channeled into creative expression. Hence, Prince and 3rdEyeGirl's “Baltimore."

 This week's turmoil, marked by protests following the violent riots in Baltimore, is still only days old. President Barack Obama this week announced the deaths of black men by police as a "slow-rolling crisis."

 The private recording inside Paisley Park is certainly not the first time Prince has weaved social commentary into a performance, or even a brief appearance. With a poignant a five-second sound bite Prince rocked this year's Grammy's.

 "Like books and Black lives, albums still matter," he announced before presenting Album of the Year.

 The Afro set round, free and proud that night. The sight alone surely had black and brown folks across the country raising power fists from their sofas in solidarity. He stood in a glazed, bright orange, silky-fit to boot. Women swooned, viewers at home rooted on, hearts sang across the world, as Twitter erupted in mainly cathartic response.

 No guitar.

 Prince's approach to conveying this sort of commentary, however, varies. At the 2013 Billboard Awards during 3rdEyeGirl's performance of "FixUrLifeUp" the words "Gun Control" were the projected backdrop. This particular night the "Purple Yoda," as he's endearingly known to some, was “featured” on lead guitar.

 Controversy, Free, When Will We B Paid, Dreamer, Ol' Skool Company.

 All among plenty of songs recorded over the years denoting Prince's stance on a variety of societal issues -- stance often left open to listener interpretation. These days it seems “His Royal Badness” is taking a more direct approach to combat an often silent, yet dangerous, nemesis -- One that seems glumly hovered over the Black Lives Matter movement.

 Indifference.

 Back on the purple sofa, the definition of "indifference" was among an array of multimedia imagery Prince invited me to preview on the soundstage projector screen.

 “Noun. Lack of interest, concern, or sympathy: she shrugged, feigning indifference.”

 The words faded to blue, a new image appeared on the screen. An audio-visual technician in from Montreal led the preview referring to Mr. Nelson as “sir.” The man took notes and feedback earnestly. We viewed approximately 25 bright, distinctive, thought-provoking images.

 Prince, 3rdEyeGirl, and crew have been investing at least their latest spring hours recording and rehearsing. The recent rehearsals, I'm told, are to prepare for upcoming, unannounced tours in the United States and abroad. Anticipate “Baltimore” as a likely inclusion.

 “We're going to talk to Jay-Z and his people about streaming it on ‘Tidal',” he shared with a nod.

 “This is first time we have ever recorded a song live on the soundstage,” Prince added, as we walked toward the studio's parking lot. A proud yet modest smile complemented his shy eyes.

 Few can comfortably ignore the current upheaval denouncing chronic cases of police brutality across the country anymore. Whether your thoughts are with Michael Brown, Freddie Gray -- let alone anyone who's faced senseless violence, or not at all -- Prince's are.

 Have a gander at the official song lyrics below.

 BALTIMORE

 lyrics by Prince

 NPG RECORDS, copyright 2015

 NOBODY GOT IN NOBODY'S WAY

 SO EYE GUESS U COULD SAY

 IT WAS A GOOD DAY

 AT LEAST A LITTLE BETTER THAN THE DAY IN BALTIMORE

 DOES ANYBODY HEAR US PRAY?

 4 MICHAEL BROWN OR FREDDIE GRAY PEACE IS MORE THAN THE ABSENCE OF WAR

 ABSENCE OF WAR

 R WE GONNA C ANOTHER BLOODY DAY?

 WE'RE TIRED OF CRYIN' & PEOPLE DYIN'

 LET'S TAKE ALL THE GUNS AWAY

 ABSENCE OF WAR- U AND ME

 MAYBE WE CAN FINALLY SAY

 ENUFF IS ENUFF IT'S TIME 4 LOVE

 IT'S TIME 2 HEAR,

 IT'S TIME 2 HEAR

 THE GUITAR PLAY! (guitar solo) ||||| ‘Enough is enough’

 From Reagan and the Cold War to “Baltimore,” Prince is no stranger to releasing tribute songs in big political moments.

 Prince is getting political, again. This time, he’s releasing a tribute to Baltimore, in response to the death of Freddie Gray.

 The as-yet unreleased track, simply titled “Baltimore,” will address “the unrest in Baltimore and the socio/political issues around the country in the wake of a slew of killings of young black men,” according to Prince’s publicist. On Sunday, Prince is set to play a “Rally 4 Peace” concert at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. He is expected to unveil the new song at his upcoming Charm City gig, and other stars are expected to join in. “As a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another, attendees are invited to wear something gray in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence,” a statement read. Here are the lyrics:

 Nobody got in nobody’s way

 So I guess you could say

 It was a good day

 At least a little better than the day in Baltimore

 Does anybody hear us pray?

 For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray

 Peace is more than the absence of war

 Absence of war

 Are we gonna see another bloody day?

 We’re tired of cryin’ and people dyin’

 Let’s take all the guns away

 Absence of war—you and me

 Maybe we can finally say

 Enough is enough, it’s time for love

 It’s time to hear

 It’s time to hear

 The guitar play!

 “‘Baltimore’ may likely be among Prince’s most powerful socio-political songs,” FOX 9 reporter Iris Perez (one of the first people to hear the song), told The Daily Beast. “It’s very moving.”

 Perez described the new song as a soul/rock number, with a pre-chorus “slightly reminiscent” of Prince’s “The Holy River.”

 This is just the latest example of Prince injecting political or social commentary into his music. “The people I know, they been strugglin’, at least it seems that way,” he sings on “Ol’ Skool Company” from 2010. “Fat cats on Wall Street, they got a bailout. Why somebody else got to wait. 700 billion, but my old neighborhood, ain’t nothin’ changed but the date.” And on his 1981 song “Ronnie, Talk to Russia,” he implores President Reagan to “talk to Russia before it’s too late” and engage in meaningful Cold War diplomacy. (Reagan ended up doing so a few years later.) ||||| Story highlights Concertgoers are invited to wear something gray

 Tickets go on sale Wednesday

 (CNN) First there was the song, then the concert.

 Days after recording a protest song in the aftermath of the Freddie Gray protests, Prince has announced a Mother's Day Rally 4 Peace concert in Baltimore. The show will take place at Royal Farms Arena.

 "In a spirit of healing, the event is meant to be a catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the U.S.," organizers said.

 Tickets go on sale Wednesday.

 "As a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another, attendees are invited to wear something gray in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence," organizers said.

 Read More |||||

– Prince will play a concert in Baltimore on Sunday to "promote peace" in the wake of Freddie Gray's death, USA Today reports. He's asking those who attend the "Rally 4 Peace" concert to wear gray "in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence," organizers said, according to CNN. "In a spirit of healing, the event is meant to be a catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the US." A rep earlier announced that Prince has also recorded a song that is "a tribute to all of the people of the city of Baltimore" and "addresses the unrest in Baltimore and the socio/political issues around the country in the wake of a slew of killings of young black men." The Daily Beast has the lyrics to the new song, which include: "Does anybody hear us pray? / For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray / Peace is more than the absence of war / Absence of war." No release date has yet been announced, but Prince told Fox 9 last week, "We're going to talk to Jay Z and his people about streaming it on Tidal." Tickets for the 5pm Sunday performance at the Royal Farms Arena, which will also feature guests who have not yet been announced, go on sale at 5pm today at LiveNation.com, the Baltimore Sun reports.


Summarize this article:

Argentine President Mauricio Macri shakes hands with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan alongside Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie during a meeting ahead of the G20 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 20, 2018. Argentine Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

 BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The United States will not recognize the result of Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told journalists.

 The United States is actively considering oil sanctions on Venezuela and Sullivan said a response to Sunday’s vote would be discussed at a G20 meeting in Buenos Aires on Monday.

 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seeking a six-year term in a Sunday election boycotted by the opposition and condemned by foes as the “coronation” of a dictator. Results are expected by late evening.

 “We need to make sure we adhere to our goal which is to target corrupt regime officials and not the people of Venezuela,” Sullivan said. “We don’t want to damage the country in a way that makes it difficult to repair after democracy is restored.”

 He called oil sanctions “a very significant step.” “They are under active review,” he said.

 Sullivan also said he knew of no plan to withdraw U.S. assistance from northwest Syria.

 CBS news reported on Friday the Trump administration had withdrawn all assistance from northwest Syria, a move it said demonstrated the administration intended to leave quickly once Islamic State is fully defeated.

 “I’ve not heard of any decision by this administration to withdraw assistance from northwest Syria,” he said in comments to Reuters and Bloomberg.

 “The U.S. government... is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS and protecting U.S. interests in the region in Syria and Iraq.” ||||| Main rivals both declare poll, which was boycotted by the opposition, illegitimate due to alleged widespread irregularities

 Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has shrugged off international condemnation and allegations of vote buying and electoral fraud to claim a second six-year term at the helm of his crisis-stricken nation.

 Addressing crowds of supporters outside the presidential palace in Caracas on Sunday night, Maduro hailed the “impeccable electoral process” that had returned him to power with 67.7% of the vote.

 US rejects 'insult to democracy' as Venezuela president Maduro pursues second term Read more

 “This was a historic day! The day of a heroic victory! The day of a beautiful victory - of a truly popular victory,” Maduro shouted.

 “The whole of Venezuela has triumphed! Democracy has triumphed! Peace has triumphed! Constitutionality has triumphed [These were] elections that were constitutional, legitimate and legal,” he insisted, before claiming: “We have a president of the people! A working president!”

 The 14-nation Lima group of Latin American countries plus Canada issued a statement on Monday saying it did not recognise the legitimacy of Venezuela’s presidential election.

 The statement said the countries would call their ambassadors back from Caracas for consultations and hold a meeting to coordinate a regional response to outflows of Venezuelans “who have been obligated to abandon their country”.

 Venezuela’s election board put turnout at just 46.1%, way down from the 80% registered at the last presidential vote in 2013, due to a boycott by Venezuela’s mainstream opposition.

 Tibisay Lucena, the head of Venezuela’s electoral commission, told reporters Maduro had received more than 5.8m votes compared to the 1.8m of his nearest rival, Henri Falcón.

 As results came out, Maduro supporters reportedly let off fireworks in poor Caracas neighbourhoods and danced to Latin pop around the downtown Miraflores presidential palace.

 But even before Maduro’s victory speech, domestic opponents and much of the international community were denouncing the election as a “fraud foretold”.

 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Javier Bertucci listen to him in Caracas Photograph: Fernando Llano/AP

 Henri Falcón claimed widespread vote buying and electoral irregularities meant the election was “illegitimate”. “We do not regonize this electoral process as valid,” he told reporters. “As far as we are concerned there has been no election. There must be new elections in Venezuela.”

 “All Venezuelans know what happened today,” tweeted Henrique Capriles, who narrowly lost to Maduro in the 2013 election and was subsequently barred from running again. “Our beloved Venezuela must have truly free and democratic elections where the will of our People is reflected in the result.”

 The Observer view on Venezuela’s need for profound change, not a sham poll | Observer editorial Read more

 Luz Mely Reyes, a prominent Venezuelan journalist, tweeted: “Today is a sad day for democracy. The government clings on and manipulates, the opposition is divided and lacking a strategy. And voters are without guides or leadership.”

 The United States’ mission to the United Nations indicated it would reject the result. “Today’s so-called election in Venezuela is an insult to democracy ... It’s time for Maduro to go,” it tweeted.

 The president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, said that his country, “like the majority of democratic countries”, would not recognise the vote. “Venezuela’s elections do not meet the minimum standards for a true democracy. They are not clean or legitimate elections and they do not represent the free and sovereign will of the Venezuelan people,” Piñera wrote.

 Maduro dismissed such criticisms in his late-night victory address and vowed to work swiftly to stablize his country’s economy, amidst a calamitous economic meltdown that saw the economy shrink by 13% last year and has seen more than a million people flee abroad since 2015.

 “You have put your trust in me and I will pay back this infinite, loving trust,” he said.

 To cries of “Vamos, Nico!”, Maduro added: “Today I love the Venezuelan people more than ever before!”

  ||||| Anti-government presidential candidate Henri Falcon addresses supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, May 20, 2018. Falcon said that the presidential election was marred by irregularities and lacks... (Associated Press)

 Anti-government presidential candidate Henri Falcon addresses supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, May 20, 2018. Falcon said that the presidential election was marred by irregularities and lacks legitimacy. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) (Associated Press)

 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan officials declared socialist leader Nicolas Maduro the easy winner of Sunday's presidential election, while his leading challenger questioned the legitimacy of a vote marred by irregularities and called for a new ballot to prevent a brewing social crisis from exploding.

 The National Election Council announced that with almost 93 percent of polling stations reporting, Maduro won nearly 68 percent of the votes, beating nearest challenger Henri Falcon by more than 40 points.

 The disputed victory is likely to heighten international pressure on Maduro, as voter turnout was the lowest in a presidential race since the start of Venezuela's leftist revolution two decades ago. Even as voting was taking place Sunday, a senior State Department official warned that the U.S. might press ahead on threats of imposing crippling oil sanctions on the nation that sits atop the world's largest crude reserves.

 The election "without any doubt lacks legitimacy and we categorically refuse to recognize this process," Falcon told supporters before the results were announced.

 Falcon was joined in his call for a new election by third-place finisher Javier Bertucci, who got around 11 percent of the vote. Bertucci, a TV evangelist, stopped short of challenging the results, saying what he called a mistaken opposition boycott that led to the lowest voter turnout in two decades of socialist rule also boosted Maduro.

 But he said that in the event of a new vote, Maduro should do the courageous thing and desist from running. If Maduro presses forward, he said, Venezuela would explode from a social crisis marked by widespread food shortages and hyperinflation before his new six-year term starts next January.

 Maduro immediately called for dialogue with his presidential opponents. But he showed no sign of replaying Sunday's vote.

 "The electoral processes have ended for now," he said, saying that he wanted to spend the next two years before scheduled congressional elections to focus on repairing the economy.

 He also slammed Falcon, who like him was an acolyte of the late President Hugo Chavez. Maduro said he had never seen a candidate dispute results even before they were announced.

 "Sooner or later, they all break in the face of threats from the imperialists," he said, appeling to the U.S. to also reconsider its belligerent stance toward his government.

 Both of Maduro's opponents accused electoral authorities of turning a blind eye to a slew of blatant violations, including the establishment of red tents just steps away from voting centers where ruling party activists scanned on cellphones government-issued "Fatherland Cards." Many voters said they hoped it would bring them a cash bonus or even a free apartment.

 Under Venezuela's electoral law, any political activity must take place at least 650 feet (200 meters) from voting centers. National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena acknowledged a handful of complaints, but insisted they were minor compared to past elections.

 Falcon said his campaign found "red points" at 86 perecent of polling sites nationwide. He called them a "pressure mechanism, an element of political and social blackmail" directed at the poor.

 Voting centers across Venezuela appeared largely empty for the election despite assurances from government officials that millions had turned out to vote by midmorning.

 Turnout in the previous three presidential elections averaged around 79 percent. Chavez, after taking office in 1999, eliminated mandatory voting in Venezuela.

 Opposition leaders said the lifeless voting centers were evidence that Venezuelans heeded their call to abstain from voting in an election they contended was certain to be rigged in favor of Maduro's socialist policies.

 Opinion polls say the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans distrust the electoral council. Turnout figures in last year's elections for a constitutional assembly, which the opposition also boycotted, were inflated by at least 1 million votes, according to the company that provided technology for Venezuela's electronic voting machines for more than a decade.

 Both Maduro and the two anti-government presidential candidates who broke with the opposition's push to boycott the election had urged voters to go to the polls.

 Maduro, setting an example for government supporters who he called on to vote early, cast his ballot in Caracas shortly after fireworks and loud speakers blasting a military hymn roused Venezuelans from sleep around 5 a.m.

 He said Venezuelans would provide an example of democracy to the world and brushed back suggestions he was taking the country down an authoritarian path.

 "It's offensive when they say the Venezuelan people are falling under dictatorship," he said after voting.

 Maduro also said that if he won the election, he would seek an understanding with his opponents on a way forward for the crisis-wracked country. "I'm going to stubbornly and obsessively insist in dialogue for peace," he said.

 ___

 Scott Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottSmithAP

 Joshua Goodman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman ||||| CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro won a new six-year term on Sunday, but his main rivals disavowed the election alleging massive irregularities in a process critics decried as a farce propping up a dictatorship.

 Victory for the 55-year-old former bus driver, who replaced Hugo Chavez after his death from cancer in 2013, may trigger a new round of western sanctions against the socialist government as it grapples with a ruinous economic crisis.

 U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is threatening moves against Venezuela’s already reeling oil sector.

 Venezuela’s election board, run by Maduro loyalists, said he took 5.8 million votes, versus 1.8 million for his closest challenger Henri Falcon, a former governor who broke with an opposition boycott to stand.

 “They underestimated me,” Maduro told cheering supporters on a stage outside Miraflores presidential palace in downtown Caracas as fireworks sounded and confetti fell on the crowd.

 Turnout at the election was just 46.1 percent, the election board said, way down from the 80 percent registered at the last presidential vote in 2013. The opposition said that figure was inflated, putting participation at nearer 30 percent.

 An electoral board source told Reuters 32.3 percent of eligible voters cast ballots by 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) as most polls shut.

 “The process undoubtedly lacks legitimacy and as such we do not recognize it,” said Falcon, a 56-year-old former state governor, looking downcast.

 Maduro had welcomed Falcon’s candidacy, which gave some legitimacy to a process critics at home and around the world had condemned in advance as the “coronation” of a dictator.

 Falcon’s quick rejection of Sunday’s election, and call for a new vote, was therefore a blow to the government’s strategy.

 Falcon, a former member of the Socialist Party who went over to the opposition in 2010, said he was outraged at the government’s placing of nearly 13,000 pro-government stands called “red spots” close to polling stations nationwide.

 Mainly poor Venezuelans were asked to scan state-issued “fatherland cards” at red tents after voting in hope of receiving a “prize” promised by Maduro, which opponents said was akin to vote-buying.

 The “fatherland cards” are required to receive benefits including food boxes and money transfers.

 A third presidential candidate, evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci, followed Falcon in slamming irregularities during Sunday’s vote and calling for a new election.

 Despite his unpopularity over a national economic meltdown, Maduro benefited on Sunday not just from the opposition boycott but also from a ban on his two most popular rivals and the liberal use of state resources in his campaign.

 His tally, however, fell short of the 10 million votes he had said throughout the campaign he wanted to win.

 (Graphic on Venezeula election, tmsnrt.rs/2LbYgAC)

 FIGHTING “IMPERIALISM”

 Maduro, the self-described “son” of Chavez, says he is battling an “imperialist” plot to crush socialism and take over Venezuela’s oil. Opponents say he has destroyed a once-wealthy economy and ruthlessly crushed dissent.

 Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is surrounded by supporters as he speaks during a gathering after the results of the election were released, outside of the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, May 20, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

 Attendance appeared thin in many polling stations visited by Reuters reporters, from wealthy east Caracas to the Andean mountains near Colombia. There were lines, however, at poorer government strongholds, where the majority of voters interviewed said they were backing Maduro.

 “I’m hungry and don’t have a job, but I’m sticking to Maduro,” said Carlos Rincones, 49, in the once-thriving industrial city of Valencia, accusing right-wing business owners of purposefully hiding food and hiking prices.

 Many Venezuelans are disillusioned and angry over the election: they criticize Maduro for economic hardships and the opposition for its dysfunctional splits.

 Reeling from a fifth year of recession, falling oil production and U.S. sanctions, Venezuela is seeing growing levels of malnutrition and hyperinflation, and mass emigration.

 Venezuelan migrants staged small anti-Maduro protests in cities from Madrid to Miami. In the highland city of San Cristobal near Colombia, three cloth dolls representing widely loathed officials - Electoral Council head Tibisay Lucena, Socialist Party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello and Vice President Tareck El Aissami - were hung from a footbridge.

 But streets were calm, with children playing soccer on one road in San Cristobal blocked off at past elections to accommodate long voter lines. For many Venezuelans, Sunday was a day to look for scant food or stock up on water, which is increasingly running short because of years of underinvestment.

 “I’m not voting - what’s the point if we already know the result? I prefer to come here to get water rather than waste my time,” said Raul Sanchez, filling a jug from a tap by a busy road in the arid northwestern city of Punto Fijo because his community has not had running water for 26 days.

 With the election behind him, Maduro may choose to deepen a purge of critics within the ruling “Chavismo” movement.

 He faces a Herculean task to turn around the moribund economy, with the bolivar currency down 99 percent in the past year and inflation at an annual 14,000 percent, according to the National Assembly.

 (Graphic on Latin American elections, tmsnrt.rs/2rAQ4l1)

 Slideshow (32 Images)

 (Reuters Venezuela election coverage on Twitter @ReutersVzla) |||||

– Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of an election widely denounced as a "fraud foretold." According to figures released by the National Election Council, Maduro was elected to a second six-year term after winning around 68% of the vote, more than 40 points more than his nearest rival, Henri Falcon, the AP reports. Before the result was announced Sunday, US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said the US would not recognize the election winner, reports Reuters. He said the US is considering oil sanctions on Venezuela, though Washington wants to target "corrupt regime officials," not "damage the country in a way that makes it difficult to repair after democracy is restored." Maduro told supporters outside the presidential palace in Caracas that his "truly popular victory" had been achieved through an "impeccable electoral process," but Falcon and other critics said irregularities including widespread vote-buying made the results invalid and called for new elections, the Guardian reports. Reuters notes that after voting, residents of the crisis-stricken country were asked to scan their government-issued "fatherland cards"—which are required to claim benefits—at pro-Maduro tents near polling stations to qualify for a "prize" from the socialist leader. Officials said turnout out was 46.1%, down from 80% in 2013, though critics said even that number was inflated and the true figure was closer to 30%.


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Plane 'taxied down main street to Newman pub'

 Updated

 A Pilbara resident has spoken of his surprise at seeing a plane parked outside his local pub after its owner apparently taxied it down the main street so he could get a drink.

 Officers were called to the Newman Hotel, also called the Purple Pub, about 2:00pm on Friday.

 Witnesses told police the light aircraft, with its propeller running, had taxied from one end of the mining town to the other.

 The aircraft did not have wings and was later towed from the pub.

 Newman resident Beau Woolcock said he and his five-year-old daughter watched on as the plane was towed away.

 "On the way back through [town] ... here's a plane parked outside the Purple Pub," he said.

 "Even more special [was] seeing one of the local coppers poking his head in the door of the plane looking like he was asking for a licence.

 "Even though no-one was in the plane at the time, I was like, what the hell?"

 Police have charged the 37-year-old plane's owner with an act likely to endanger the life, health or safety of a person.

 He also had his plane impounded and was due in the Newman Magistrates Court on November 18.

 Newman Sergeant Mark Garner said the incident was being treated very seriously because there were children walking home from school at the time.

 He said police had CCTV footage and had spoken to the plane's owner.

 "When we arrived we found a Beechcraft two seater prop-driven plane parked in one of the bays," Sergeant Garner said.

 "There was no-one there. The wings were off the plane.

 "We made some inquires with some of the people in the pub and witnesses nearby and ended up speaking to a 37-year-old male."

 He said the fact that the plane did not have a steering wheel made the situation very dangerous, and the propeller could also have caused significant damage.

 "The danger obviously taxiing a prop plane down Newman Drive, bearing in mind that kids have just come out of school," he said.

 "It's a busy Friday afternoon. I know it's Newman, but we do get a fair bit of traffic."

 Mr Woolcock said the plane had attracted a crowd.

 "The plane was empty but they had the fire brigade and the jaws of life there and stuff one of the local guys rocked up with his tow truck and ended up putting it up on there," he said.

 "There were people sitting around by the Caltex with their phones up taking snapshots... as they would be... you don't get to see that every day."

 Witnesses have been asked to contact police.

 Topics: police, newman-6753

 First posted ||||| A Newman man is set to face a charge of endangering life, health or safety, later this month after allegedly taxiing an airplane with no wings and no steering wheel to the local pub.

 The 37-year-old man was charged on Monday night after allegedly taking the propellor driven Beechcraft two-seater aircraft through Newman to the Purple Pub on Friday October 31 at 2.10pm, Sam Dinnison said.

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 Link Police say the plane had its propeller running, its wings removed and was being steered by foot pedals. Photo: Newman Police

 Police allege the man had purchased the aircraft from a man on the other side of town and was taking it home before deciding to stop in at the pub.

 An examination of the plane revealed the fuel line, hanging from the side of the aircraft, was attatched to a jerry can in the cabin enabling the plane to run, and when the man stopped at the pub he left the ignition on.

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 Link Despite having no wings or a steering wheel, this plane was taxied at a Newman pub

 The man does not hold a pilot's license, and roads were busy with other vehicles and pedestrians at the time.

 He will appear in Newman Magistrates Court, facing the charge of endangering life, health or safety, on November 18. |||||

– Buying a plane must be thirsty work: Police in Newman, Western Australia, say a man who had just purchased a two-seater Beechcraft decided to drive it home and stop for a beer at a pub on the main street on the way. A resident says he was astounded to see the plane, which had no wings or steering wheel, parked outside the Purple Pub. Even more special was "seeing one of the local coppers poking his head in the door of the plane looking like he was asking for a license," he tells ABC Radio. "Even though no one was in the plane at the time, I was like, what the hell?" After some initial puzzlement over what, if anything, the driver should be charged with, police settled on a charge of "endangering life, health, or safety," reports WAToday. A police spokesman says the incident is being taken very seriously because there were children walking home from school at the time that the man—who doesn't have a pilot's license—was taxiing through the town, using the plane's foot pedals to steer. He passed a breath test at the scene, but police decided to impound the plane.


Attorney General Eric Holder vigorously denied a "cover-up" by the Justice Department over "Operation Fast and Furious," telling a House panel investigating the botched gun-running program that he has nothing to hide and suggesting the probe is a "political" effort to embarrass the administration.

 "There's no attempt at any kind of cover-up," Holder told lawmakers well into a hearing about whether he had been forthright in responding to requests of the House Oversight and Government Relations Committee led by Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

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 "We're not going to be hiding behind any kind of privileges or anything," he said.

 The hearing came after Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, his Senate partner in the probe, asserted that top Justice officials are covering up events surrounding the flawed gun-smuggling probe.

 Issa made the accusation in a letter threatening to seek a contempt of Congress ruling against Holder for failing to turn over congressionally subpoenaed documents that were created after problems with Fast and Furious came to light.

 Republicans also released a report in the hours ahead of the hearing claiming that Justice Department officials "had much greater knowledge of, and involvement in, Fast and Furious than it has previously acknowledged."

 Asked whether his assistants, Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler or Assistant Attorney Lanny Breuer, head of the department's Criminal Division, ever authorized gunwalking or the tactics employed in Fast and Furious, Holder responded not to his knowledge.

 "Not only did I not authorize those tactics, when I found out about them I told the field and everybody in the United States Department of Justice that those tactics had to stop. That they were not acceptable and that gunwalking was to stop. That was what my reaction [was] to my finding out about the use of that technique," he added.

 He added that he doesn't think that the situation warranted the kind of response Republicans were giving after his department provided thousands of documents, and planned to deliver more.

 Holder also rejected arguments that his handling of the case had lost him any support for the effort he was putting forth as attorney general.

 "I don't think the American people have lost trust in me. ... This has become political, I get that," he said.

 But Holder also said no one has been punished "yet" in the case, despite the fact that lost guns from the operation ended up at the crime scene where U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered in December 2010.

 Terry's family has informed the U.S. government that it has six months to respond to its inquiry into Terry's death or face a $25 million lawsuit.

 In the botched operation, more than 1,400 weapons sold to low-level straw purchasers believed to be supplying Mexican drug gangs and other criminals were lost during tracking by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents. Another 700 firearms connected to suspects in the investigation have been recovered, some from crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S., including in Nogales, Ariz., where Terry was killed.

 Holder said he didn't learn about Terry's murder until 24 hours after his death, and at the time did not hear that weapons tied to Fast and Furious were at the scene.

 "I didn't know about Operation Fast and Furious until the beginning parts of 2011 after I received that letter from Senator Grassley, I guess at the end of January and then that was about Operation Gun Runner. I actually learned about the Fast and Furious operation in February of that year."

 Holder told the committee, "I’m not sure exactly how I found out about the term, 'Fast and Furious.'" He testified repeatedly that he never authorized the controversial tactics employed in the operation.

 "There is no attempt at any kind of cover-up," Holder said. "We have shared huge amounts of information" and will continue to do so, he said.

 But Holder said under questioning that he has not disciplined anyone for his role in the controversial operation.

 "No I have not as yet -- as yet," Holder said when questioned by Issa on the matter. "There have been personnel changes made at ATF. We obviously have a new U.S. attorney in Arizona. We have made personnel switches at ATF. People have been moved out of positions."

 Holder's statements on the Justice Department's role in the operation did not sit well with Republican lawmakers on the committee, who accused the attorney general of intentionally withholding key documents in the case.

 "The conclusion that I come to is there are some things in there that's being hidden that you don't want us to see," said Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind. "We have every right under the Constitution to check on what you're doing... So for you to deny this committee anything like that is just dead wrong and I don't think you're going to find any way that you can do it."

 Burton went on to say that 93,000 documents related to the operation are being withheld by the Justice Department even though they've been turned over internally to the department's inspector general, a political appointee, Burton said.

 "And you're saying, well, the separation of powers prohibits you from (delivering them to Congress). That's baloney. That is just baloney," Burton said.

 Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, also questioned Holder's having not discussed the case with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

 "When people know that I'm going to be the subject of these kinds of hearings, you know six times and all that, nobody necessarily wants to get involved in these kinds of things or get dragged into it," Holder responded.

 Issa told Holder the committee will do what is necessary to obtain the information, "If you do not find a legitimate basis to deny us the material we've asked for."

 Holder said earlier during testimony that he would release additional materials "to the extent that I can."

 In Holder's defense, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., claimed the committee has "not obtained one shred of evidence that would contradict your testimony."

 "Not one witness, not one document, not one e-mail, and still some continue to suggest that you did personally authorize gunwalking and the tactics in Operation Fast and Furious." ||||| Washington (CNN) -- Firings and charges against the justice department officials who oversaw the agency's flawed gun-running operation are likely to come in the next six months, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.

 Holder was speaking before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss the controversial sting operation called Operation Fast and Furious.

 Asked what steps he had taken since the controversy came to light 13 months ago, Holder said he is awaiting the conclusions of an internal investigation.

 Regarding people found culpable in that probe, he said, "I can assure you those people will be removed from federal service."

 Any possible charges will not be filed until the department has the evidence to get a conviction, he said at the hearing.

 The operation, designed to monitor the flow of weapons, allowed illegally purchased firearms to be taken from U.S. gun stores across the Mexican border to drug cartels. However, hundreds of weapons were lost or unaccounted for, and a storm of outrage erupted when two of the missing weapons were found at a site where Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010.

 Democrats and Republicans have since been at odds over who knew what about the operation and when.

 At the outset of the hearing, new information on the operation was scarce, and the back-and-forth between members of the two parties dominated.

 House Republican Darrell Issa threatened to begin a contempt proceeding against Holder to force him to release more documents, and pressed him for proof that such gun-running will not happen again.

 Republicans are investigating how high up the operation was sanctioned, while Democrats defended Holder's testimony that he did not know about it.

 The showdown comes after Issa and the Justice Department exchanged sharp letters in recent days.

 The Justice Department late Wednesday sent a pointed letter to Issa rejecting his demand on Tuesday that certain documents be turned over by next week.

 In his letter to Holder, Issa blasted the Justice Department for dumping -- after the close of business last Friday -- important, long-sought documents that disclosed Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer had discussed with Mexican officials a plan to allow illegal guns "to walk" into Mexico, where Mexican officials would arrest the gun-runners.

 Issa said an e-mail showed "Breuer suggested allowing straw purchasers cross in Mexico so (Mexican authorities) can arrest, prosecute and convict."

 "These new documents show that Breuer made this statement on February 4, 2011, the same day Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote to Congress denying that the department allowed guns to walk," Issa said.

 The Justice Department fired back Wednesday, claiming Issa's letter showed "significant misunderstanding both of the documents we recently produced and of the Department's position on the issues you raise."

 The five-page letter signed by Deputy Attorney General James Cole strongly rejected the claim that the documents show Breuer supported letting illegal guns make their way to Mexican cartels.

 "Assistant Attorney General Breuer proposed to his Mexican counterparts a scenario in which those carrying illegal weapons across the border would be arrested at the border by Mexican officials and charged in Mexico. While these officials ultimately did not pursue that strategy, it is neither fair nor accurate to say that this was advocacy of 'gunwalking'. It was not."

 Republicans have pressed to learn whether top Obama administration officials were aware of the controversial tactics, but to date, Breuer is the highest-ranking official shown to have any awareness of any possible gun-running operation.

 Democrats have released documents suggesting the U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field office in Phoenix were at the heart of the decision-making in developing sting operations, including Operation Fast and Furious.

 Issa said in his letter to Holder that, "if the department continues to obstruct the congressional inquiry by not providing documents and information, this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress."

 The Justice Department response Wednesday rejected Issa's February 9 deadline to produce all demanded documents. Cole called the deadline "impossible" to meet because of the broad scope of the request.

 He did not directly refer to the threat of a contempt charge by Issa. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Eric Holder angrily denied that the Justice Department was trying to hide anything about the botched "Operation Fast and Furious" program in his testimony before Congress today—and insisted that he'd had no knowledge of the gun-tracking operation. "There's no attempt at any kind of coverup," the attorney general said, pointing out that the department had turned over thousands of documents and intended to turn over more. "This has become political, I get that," he added, according to Fox News. "Not only did I not authorize those tactics, when I found out about them, I told the field … that those tactics had to stop," he said. (The idea was to track weapons as they made their way to cartels, but authorities lost track of many.) Holder added that those responsible would likely be fired or charged with crimes within six months, once an internal investigation is finished. "I can assure you those people will be removed from federal service," he said, according to CNN. But Republicans weren't satisfied, saying he was still withholding documents, and Darrell Issa threatened to do whatever necessary to obtain them. Issa has previously threatened to charge Holder with contempt of Congress.


Here is a news article: Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, will be participating in his his fifth Olympic Games, a United States record among male swimmers.

 Up next for the 31-year-old Phelps will be three individual races — the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter butterfly — and as many as three relays at the Summer Games in Rio. And considering he placed first in each discipline at the U.S. team trials in Omaha, it seems likely he’ll add to his incredible collection of 22 medals, a number that includes 18 golds.

 A run like Phelps’ is almost inconceivable in a sport like swimming, where youth typically reigns supreme. But Phelps and his U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte, who turns 32 on Aug. 3, have repeatedly proven themselves to be outliers.

 And should either win gold in a solo race in Brazil — Lochte will compete alongside Phelps in the 200-meter IM but did not qualify in the 400 IM — that swimmer will become the oldest to win individual Olympic gold, knocking Dutch swimmer Inge de Bruijn, who won the 50-meter freestyle three days before her 31st birthday at the 2004 Games in Athens, from the top spot.

 As a result of Phelps’ prolonged dominance, there’s an entire generation of fans who can’t recall a time when he wasn’t in the pool at the Olympics. And there are others, yet, who aren’t even old enough to remember when Phelps got his start, more than half his life ago. So with that in mind, let’s look back on Phelps’ four previous Olympic appearances as he prepares for a record-setting fifth:

 2000, Sydney

 Phelps made his Olympic debut at the age of 15, making him the youngest U.S. male to swim in the Games since 1932.

 At the time, Phelps still had braces on his bottom teeth and didn’t yet have his driver’s license, but he earned a spot in the 200-meter butterfly with a second-place finish at the Olympic trials in Indiana, pulling away from Jeff Somensatto during the final 50 meters to clinch a spot on the team.

 “He doesn’t know what it means to go to the Olympics and how it’s going to change his life,” first-place finisher Tom Malchow, a 1996 silver medalist, said of Phelps after the race. “He’s going to find out soon.”

 Once in Sydney, Phelps performed admirably, and any other year he’d have been worthy of a spot on the medal stand.

 He won his first-round heat with a time of 1:57.30, then earned a spot in the final with a time of 1:57.00 in his semifinal heat. Phelps then cut a half-second off that time in the finals, finishing in a time of 1:56.50 that would have put him one hundredth of a second off the gold-medal pace at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and won him gold at any Olympics prior to that.

 However, Phelps had to settle for fifth place, one-third of a second behind bronze medalist Justin Norris of Australia and more than a full second behind the gold medalist Malchow.

 2004, Athens

 If 2000 was Phelps’ first taste of the Olympics, then in 2004, he devoured the whole buffet.

 By the time the 2004 Olympic trials in Long Beach rolled around, Phelps, then 19, had set world records in four different events. At the trials, Phelps competed in six events and, unsurprisingly, qualified in all of them. But with three relays also expected to be on his plate in Athens, Phelps dropped the 200-meter backstroke, putting him in eight total races at the Olympics.

 What followed was one of the greatest performances in the history of Olympic swimming — one eventually bested by Phelps’ own showing in Beijing in 2008.

 In his first event, the 400-meter IM, Phelps won his first career gold medal, putting him well on his way to tying (or breaking) Mark Spitz’s then-record of seven in a single games. He qualified for the final with a time of 4:13.29 in his first-round heat, then pasted the field with a blistering gold-medal time of 4:08.26 in the final, topping his own world record for the fourth time in the process.

 But Phelps was only getting started.

 Phelps’ next two events — the 200-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay — both ended with Phelps winning bronze, the former (a race alongside Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband dubbed “The Race of the Century”) coming in a time of 1:45.32 and the latter with a time of 3:14.62 that included a 48.74-second leg by Phelps.

 Those disappointments ended Phelps’ hopes of passing Spitz in ‘04, but from that point on, however, it was all gold, starting with Phelps’ signature event, the 200-meter butterfly. Four years after coming up short in Sydney, Phelps set an Olympic record with a time of 1:54.04.

 Then just 61 minutes later, Phelps won his first relay gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle, with Phelps posting a time of 1:46.49 in the lead leg, putting the U.S. in front when he handed the race off to Lochte. Then after Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay kept the U.S. in the lead, Klete Keller held off Australia’s Ian Thorpe on the anchor leg of the race.

 From there, Phelps’ focus returned to the individual races, and in the 200-meter IM, Phelps topped Lochte, setting an Olympic record with a time of 1:57.14. Then the next day, Phelps beat another teammate, world record-holder Ian Crocker, in the 100-meter butterfly final, Phelps’ Olympic record time of 51.25 topping Crocker by four-hundredths of a second.

 That gave Phelps five gold medals and two bronze for the Games, but Phelps, in a somewhat unusual move, put the fate of his sixth gold in Crocker’s hands, allowing Crocker to swim the butterfly leg in the 4×100-meter medley relay. The U.S. went on to break its own world record in the event and Phelps, by virtue of having competed in the team’s qualifying heat, received gold, as well.

 2008, Beijing

 It would be hard to forget Phelps’ historic 2008 effort, even if you tried. Because in addition to the 23-year-old Phelps winning eight gold medals, the most ever by an athlete in a single Olympics, he also set world records in seven of his races in the process.

 Of course, after his run in Athens, there was no question Phelps was capable of what he pulled off in Beijing, but seeing him actually do it was stunning, nonetheless.

 Competing in the same eight events he did in Greece, Phelps started by demolishing his own world record in the 400-meter IM, shaving more than a second and a half off his time from the Olympic trials and more than four and a half seconds off his gold medal time from 2004 with a 4:03.84 finish.

 Phelps then set an American record in the lead leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and the team set a world record of 3:08.24 thanks to Jason Lezak’s anchor leg rally past Frenchman Alain Bernard. The win was redemptive for Phelps, part of the team that earned bronze in the event in 2004, and marked the only U.S. Olympic gold medal in the race since 1996.

 Equally vindicating was Phelps’ win in his next race, the 200-meter freestyle. After a third-place finish in Athens, Phelps set a world record with a time of 1:42.96 in Beijing, touching the wall nearly two full seconds ahead of the silver medalist, South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan. At that point, Phelps was 3-for-3 with three world records and was the reigning gold medalist in his five remaining events.

 In his next race, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps overcame some technical difficulties — he spent most of the race swimming blind after his goggles filled with water — to set a world record at 1:52.03. That win gave him 10 gold medals overall, the most ever by a modern Olympian. Later that day he upped the count to 11 as part of the first 4×200-meter freestyle team to break the 7:00 mark.

 Phelps’ sixth gold of the games then came in the 200-meter IM, as he finished more than two seconds ahead of the silver and bronze finishers with a world-record time of 1:54.23. But his seventh gold medal, in the 100-meter butterfly, didn’t come so easily.

 Prior to the race, Milorad Cavic of Serbia remarked that he’d like to go down in history as “some guy” who kept Phelps from winning eight gold medals, and in the end, Cavic came as close as someone possibly could to doing it. In the one race in which Phelps didn’t set a world record (he still set an Olympic mark), Phelps finished in 50.58 seconds, one hundredth of a second ahead of Cavic.

 In the aftermath, there were conspiracy theories abound regarding which swimmer deserved gold, and even today there’s still healthy debate regarding who actually touched the wall first.

 In any case, Phelps moved on to the 4×100 medley — this time he actually swam in the final — and his team set yet another world record, breaking the 2004 U.S. mark by 1.34 seconds, with a time of 3:29.34. Phelps’ split in the butterfly portion of the event was 50.15 seconds and gave the Americans the lead going into the final leg.

 2012, London

 Heading into the most recent Games, Phelps needed three medals to become the most decorated Olympian ever. He went ahead and got six anyway, including four more golds. However, his quest for the record was briefly derailed early on.

 Phelps’ latest Olympics, which were previously thought to be his last, included seven races, though he qualified for the same eight as he had during the previous two Games. He eventually decided to drop the 200-meter freestyle, and in his first final, the 400-meter IM, he placed fourth, leaving him off the medal stand for the first time since his 2000 debut.

 It begged the question whether Phelps had enough left in him to make history, particularly considering that he barely qualified for the final in the first place, his 4:13.33 prelim time the slowest among the eight qualifiers. In the final, Phelps clocked in at a more respectable 4:09.28, but still touched more than four seconds behind the gold medalist, Lochte.

 However, in his second race, Phelps won his 17th medal, doing so with a 47.15-second split during his leg of the United States’ silver medal-winning 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

 Two nights later, Phelps, once again looked a stroke slow but took silver in the 200-meter butterfly, his 1:53.01 time nearly a full second behind his world record time from 2008 (a mark he’d already broken at the 2009 world championships in Rome). Then later that evening, his relay team won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle.

 Phelps’ elusive 19th medal broke a tie with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals, including nine golds, in the 1950s and ’60s.

 With the pressure, at that point, off — or at the least reduced — Phelps returned to the dominant form most had come to expect, winning gold in each of his last three races. The first, coming with a 1:54.27 time in the 200-meter IM, made Phelps the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three consecutive Olympic Games.

 Phelps then duplicated that feat in his next final, winning his third straight gold in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 51.21 seconds. In earning his 17th career gold medal, Phelps topped South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, who beat Phelps by five hundredths of a second in the 200-meter butterfly final earlier in the Games.

 Then, in what was believed to be Phelps’ final Olympic race, his 4×100-meter medley team won gold — Phelps’ 18th gold medal and 22nd overall — with a time of 3:29.35, as Phelps bid farewell to the Olympics (or so we thought) with a 50.73-second butterfly leg.

 Now all that’s left to do is see what Phelps has left. It’s unclear as of yet which relay teams will include Phelps, but his first shot at an individual medal could come Aug. 9, in the 200-meter butterfly final. ||||| At first blush, that techno-flourish feels a few light bulbs short of "The Electric Horseman," but we're willing to withhold judgment until we've seen the light show in action. Why? Because we remember all too well the vitriolic public response to the patchwork knit cardigans that were the centerpiece of the Sochi opening ceremony uniforms in 2014 (also designed by the company, which has been the official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams since 2008) that might have been a fish hook in the eye on Main Street USA but created a kind of patriotic tapestry during the parade of nations itself. ||||| Michael Phelps participates in a press conference during the 2016 Team USA Media Summit at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on March 8, 2016 in Westwood, Calif.

 RIO DE JANEIRO – Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was selected as Team USA’s flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, the United States Olympic Committee announced today. The Opening Ceremony will be held Aug. 5 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Phelps, who is the first American male swimmer to qualify for a fifth Olympic Games, was chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA members.

 Phelps made history at the Beijing Games in 2008 when he won gold medals in eight events and added to his legacy in 2012 when he became the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 career medals, including 18 golds. Set to compete in three individual events in Rio, Phelps, will look to add to his historic Olympic medal haul in 2016.

 “I'm honored to be chosen, proud to represent the U.S., and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for,” Phelps said. “For Sydney, I just wanted to make the team. For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country. For Beijing, I wanted to do something nobody else had done. In London, I wanted to make history. And now, I want to walk in the Opening Ceremony, take it all in, represent America in the best possible way and make my family proud. This time around, it's about so much more than medals.”

 Making his Olympic debut at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Phelps became the youngest male Olympian since 1932, and his eight gold medals from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is an Olympic record.

 Phelps is only the second swimmer to lead the U.S. delegation into the Opening Ceremony and the fifth swimmer to serve as flag bearer for Team USA at the Olympic Games. Four-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall previously carried the flag into the Opening Ceremony of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal.

 The 2016 Olympic Games will take place from Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, marking the first Olympic Games to be held in South America.

 For more information and photos of Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games, visit TeamUSA.org/Rio2016 and follow Team USA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 U.S Olympic Team Flag Bearers – Opening Ceremony

 1908 Ralph Rose, Track and Field

 1912 George Bonhag, Track and Field

 1920 Patrick McDonald, Track and Field

 1924 Patrick McDonald, Track and Field

 1928 Lemuel (Bud) Houser, Track and Field

 1932 F. Morgan Taylor, Track and Field

 1936 Alfred Jochim, Gymnastics

 1948 Ralph Craig, Yachting

 1952 Norman Armitage, Fencing

 1956 Norman Armitage, Fencing

 Warren Wooford, Equestrian*

 1960 Rafer Johnson, Track and Field

 1964 William Parry O’Brien, Track and Field

 1968 Janice Lee Romary, Fencing

 1972 Olga Fikotova Connolly, Track and Field

 1976 Gary Hall, Swimming

 1980 U.S. did not attend

 1984 Edward Burke, Track and Field

 1988 Evelyn Ashford, Track and Field

 1992 Francie Larrieu Smith, Track and Field

 1996 Bruce Baumgartner, Wrestling

 2000 Cliff Meidl, Canoe/Kayak

 2004 Dawn Staley, Basketball

 2008 Lopez Lomong, Track and Field

 2012 Mariel Zagunis, Fencing

 2016 Michael Phelps, Swimming

 *Due to Australia’s immigration laws for horses, the 1956 equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden.

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A summary of this is?

– "King of the Olympic Rings" Michael Phelps already has more medals than any other athlete in history, Fox Sports notes. Now he's going to add a flag to the mix as Team USA's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony in Rio on Friday, the Olympic National Committee announced Wednesday. The swimmer, headed to his fifth Olympics, has 22 medals to his name, including 18 golds. "I'm honored to be chosen, proud to represent the US, and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for," he says in a Team USA release. "For Sydney, I just wanted to make the team. For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country. For Beijing, I wanted to do something nobody else had done. In London, I wanted to make history. And now, I want to walk in the Opening Ceremony, take it all in, represent America in the best possible way, and make my family proud. This time around, it's about so much more than medals." In more fashionable opening ceremony news, per the Los Angeles Times: Polo Ralph Lauren and the US Olympic Committee revealed Team USA's parade attire Friday, with team members set to be adorned in white denim pants, navy blue blazers, and red-white-and-blue striped T-shirts. But it's Phelps' outfit that will stand out the most: His jacket will be fitted with a battery pack that powers light-up panels to make his Olympic patch on the front and "USA" letters on the back glow. (Phelps' most recent accomplishment: his first child.)