Story highlights Schumer said the need for a special prosecutor was stronger after Trump fired Comey

 The senator again called for Sessions to step down as attorney general

 Schumer also has requested an IG investigation into any interference in the Russia probe

 He called for public testimony from Comey

 Washington (CNN) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that the Senate should refuse to confirm a new FBI director until the Department of Justice appoints a special counsel to lead a probe into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

 "I think there are a lot of Democrats who feel that way," Schumer said on CNN's "State of the Union." "We'll have to discuss it as a caucus, but I would support that move."

 Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, proposed the idea after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey last week.

 Trump has yet to name his choice to replace Comey, for which interviews have taken place this weekend , and the Justice Department thus far has declined to appoint a special prosecutor. Republicans leading Congress have also declined to compel a special prosecutor or create an independent investigative commission.

 Acknowledging Democrats' limited influence in Congress, Schumer told anchor Jake Tapper, "The key here, of course, is getting some of our Republican colleagues to join us."

 Read More ||||| Washington (CNN) Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Sunday that he thinks US institutions are under assault from President Donald Trump.

 "I think in many ways our institutions are under assault both externally -- and that's the big news here is the Russian interference in our election system -- and I think as well our institutions are under assault internally," Clapper told anchor Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union."

 Pressed if he meant US institutions were under assault internally from the President, Clapper responded, "Exactly."

 Clapper called on the other branches of the federal government to step up in their roles as a check on the executive.

 "The founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances," Clapper said. "I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding."

 Democrats and several Republicans in Congress have publicly mulled pressing the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor or establishing an independent investigative body that could look into allegations of potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in what the US intelligence community says was Moscow's efforts to influence the US election.

 The Senate must confirm a new FBI director once Trump names a candidate; that FBI director will take a lead role in the Russia investigation.

 Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee advocated on "Fox News Sunday" that Trump appoint Judge Merrick Garland to head the FBI. Josh Holmes, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said later on the program that the Republican leader had just called him to say he would support Garland for FBI's top spot.

 Garland was President Barack Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after Scalia's death last year. If appointed and confirmed as FBI director, Garland's appointment would create a vacancy on the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which has jurisdiction over the DC area and federal agencies, making it one of the highest legal authorities in the country short of the Supreme Court.

 Can't refute or confirm collusion questions

 Clapper also said Sunday that the President and the White House are wrong to cite Clapper's previous Senate testimony on the questions about alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia as proof that no such collusion exists, emphasizing that no one should portray his comments as "exculpatory" -- something Trump has done repeatedly on Twitter.

 Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is "no evidence" of collusion w/ Russia and Trump. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017

 When James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

 "The bottom line is I don't know if there was collusion, political collusion," Clapper told Tapper. "I don't know of any evidence to it. So I can't refute it, and I can't confirm it."

 Clapper told NBC in March that he didn't know of any evidence that demonstrated collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. At a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing earlier this month, Clapper clarified that statement, saying he was also unaware of the FBI's investigation into the matter until Comey made it public in March.

 At that subcommittee hearing, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, whom Trump fired in January for refusing to defend his initial temporary ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority countries and suspension of the entry of Syrian refugees, declined to answer the question of whether there was evidence of collusion publicly; in her answer, she also noted that Clapper had been unaware of the FBI investigation.

 Clapper said Sunday that his "standard practice" as the leader of the intelligence community during the Obama administration was to defer to the FBI on any counterintelligence investigations.

 He noted the intelligence community's joint assessment declaring Russia had interfered in the 2016 election did not contain any reporting about political collusion.

 "I did not have any evidence," Clapper said, again noting he was unaware of the executive branch investigation into allegations of collusion.

 Comey and Trump

 On Friday, Trump raised eyebrows by tweeting a warning to Comey, whom he fired unexpectedly on Tuesday, about leaking information to the media, saying he "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."

 In his news briefing later that day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined repeatedly to explain what the tweet meant or address questions about whether there were recording devices in the Oval Office.

 James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

 Trump and Comey had a private dinner in the White House on January 27 in which a source close to Comey said the President asked the FBI director to pledge his loyalty, which Comey, who reportedly was taken aback by the request, refused to do.

 The dinner was on the same day that Yates went to the White House to warn the administration about since-ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn's potential vulnerability to Russian blackmail and that Trump issued the executive order restricting travel from several majority-Muslim nations.

 Clapper said Sunday that he spoke with Comey prior to the dinner while at an event at FBI headquarters in Washington.

 "He mentioned to me the invitation he had from the President for dinner," Clapper said. "He was -- my characterization -- uneasy with it both from the standpoint of the optic of compromising his independence and the independence of the FBI." ||||| President Donald Trump gestures after speaking to members of the media aboard Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg,... (Associated Press)

 WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Sunday described a U.S. government "under assault" after President Donald Trump's controversial decision to fire FBI director James Comey, as lawmakers urged the president to select a new FBI director free of any political stigma.

 "I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally -- and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system," Clapper said. "I think as well our institutions are under assault internally."

 When he was asked, "Internally, from the president?" Clapper said, "Exactly."

 Clapper spoke following Trump's sudden firing of Comey last week, which drew sharp criticism because it came amid the FBI's probe into Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.

 Clapper said America's founding fathers had created three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances, but with Trump as president, that was now "under assault and is eroding."

 Lawmakers from both parties also criticized Trump's actions last week, which included changing explanations from the White House for the firing and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because he may have "tapes" of their conversations. The lawmakers urged the president to select a new FBI director without any political background.

 Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said promoting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to "reset." He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration by Trump, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, explaining that "these are not normal circumstances."

 Rogers, an ex-FBI agent and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has drawn the backing of the FBI Agents Association. Cornyn is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.

 "It's now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or is of such a reputation who has no political background at all who can go into the job from Day 1," the South Carolina Republican said. Asked whether Rogers or Cornyn would be good choices, Graham flatly said, "no."

 "The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created," Graham said, adding, "I have no evidence the president colluded with the Russians at all, but we don't know all the evidence yet."

 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should certainly be someone "not of partisan background" with "great experience" and "courage." He left open the possibility that Democrats might try and withdraw support for a new FBI director unless the Justice Department names a special prosecutor. Under rules of the Senate, Republicans could still confirm an FBI director with 51 votes. Republicans hold 52 seats in the chamber to Democrats' 48.

 Less than a week after Trump fired Comey, the administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to be FBI director, and Trump has said a decision could come before he leaves Friday on his first overseas trip as president.

 "I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known," Trump said of the candidates before Air Force One took off for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

 Trump abruptly fired Comey on Tuesday and later said Comey was a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was not doing a good job. The firing drew a wave of criticism in large part because the FBI has been investigating whether election meddling by Russia involved people in Trump's presidential campaign, and Trump said in an interview with NBC that the investigation factored into his decision to fire Comey. The changing rationales the White House offered added an element of chaos to the president's action.

 The FBI director serves a 10-year term but can be replaced by the president.

 So far 14 people — lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials among them — have emerged as candidates. Eight met at the Justice Department on Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

 The first candidate to arrive for interviews was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.

 Also interviewed were:

 —Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI's office in Richmond, Virginia.

 — Andrew McCabe, the acting FBI director.

 —Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New York's highest court.

 —Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general.

 —U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010.

 —Frances Townsend, a former Bush homeland security and counterterrorism adviser.

 —Rogers. The FBI Agents Association says it believes his diverse background makes him the best choice.

 Fisher and Townsend were the only women on the list of candidates. The FBI has never had a female director.

 Sessions has faced questions over whether his involvement in Comey's firing violates his pledge to recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the election. Some lawmakers have alleged the firing was an effort to stifle that FBI probe.

 Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Sessions and Rosenstein were involved in the interviews because the FBI director reports to them as attorney general and deputy attorney general.

 Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNN's "State of the Union"; Graham spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press."

 ___

 Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. ||||| Sen. Mark Warner Mark WarnerElection hacking fears turn heat on Homeland Security Are Democrats trying to pin the blame for their own sins on Russia? Policymakers forget duty to protect taxpayers from financial failures MORE (D-Va.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sunday said the committee would “love” to have former FBI Director James Comey testify in an open hearing.

 “I think Jim Comey deserves his chance to lay out to the American public his side of the facts," Warner told ABC’s “This Week."

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 “We would love to have Director Comey appear in an open hearing,” Warner said when asked if the committee has invited Comey to testify publicly since his firing last week.

 While Comey declined to testify in a closed door hearing, the former FBI head is reportedly willing to testify in an open hearing.

 The Senate Intelligence Committee has oversight on the probe into Russia’s meddling in the United States election, which was led by Comey at the FBI. The investigation also includes looking into any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and Russia.

 Comey was fired last week by Trump in a signed letter calling for “a new beginning” at the FBI.

 The Trump administration has provided various reasons for Comey’s dismissal, including recommendations from the Justice Department and Trump’s own statement that Comey “was not doing a good job.”

 “How he was treated was pretty awful by this president," Warner said of Comey on Sunday. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– The former director of national intelligence minced no words Sunday in describing "our institutions" as being "under assault, both externally—and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system," Clapper told CNN in addressing James Comey's firing as he investigated that interference. "I think as well our institutions are under assault internally." Asked, "Internally, from the president?" Clapper said, "Exactly." He continued: "The founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances. I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding." There was lots more Comey reaction on the Sunday dial, via the AP: Chuck Schumer: Wants a new FBI director "not of partisan background" with "great experience" and "courage." He also said Democrats should refuse to confirm a new director until a special investigator into Russian meddling had been appointed, per CNN. Lindsey Graham: "It's now time to pick somebody (to run the FBI) who comes from within the ranks, or is of such a reputation who has no political background at all who can go into the job from Day 1." Mark Warner: "I think Jim Comey deserves his chance to lay out to the American public his side of the facts," Warner said, per the Hill. "We would love to have Director Comey appear in an open hearing." Further, "how he was treated was pretty awful by this president."


News article:

A group of truck drivers are planning to protest the federal government by backing up the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C.

 The group “Truckers for the Constitution” is hoping to call attention to its frustration with regulations from the Obama administration and the overall political climate in the U.S. with an appeal that echoes the early rhetoric of the Tea Party.

 “Independent Truckers of America are essentially operating on extremely low; and in most cases working below minimum wage, and all paying exorbitant fuel costs and fees,” the group said on its website, RideForTheConstitution.org.

 “American truckers are also very politically astute and great patriots, they are all well aware of what is happening to our U.S. Constitution,” the website continued. “Through this campaign, they are leading the convoy of all Americans coast-to-coast who wish to restore our constitutional republic. America is calling out to our Patriots, and if any group can help lead the charge to save our nation, it’s the U.S. truckers.”

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 The truck drivers are complaining about their wages, gas prices and the Obama administration’s regulations of their industry. Additionally, they are unhappy with reports the U.S. government was spying on American citizens earlier this year and the amount of debt the country has.The group framed its decision to protest by backing up the 64-mile Capital Beltway as a necessity to get the attention of lawmakers.“All Americans are frustrated with the lawlessness of our congressman and senators who refuse to work on behalf of the American people,” the truck driver group said on its website. “It has become apparent that our elected officials will never respond to the will of the people as long as their greed wealth is not jeopardized.

 "The only thing that motivates every politician is their money — cutting off their money-flow cuts off their life-blood. The Independent Truckers in the United States essentially keep commerce flowing for benefit of the central government.”

 Like the initial rise of the Tea Party in 2009, the truck drivers cast their protest in stark terms.

 “The only way to get our legislators to operate lawfully and constitutionally is to penalize them with a credible threat of a shutdown,” the group said. “Through this effort, the American people can demand that all congressmen and senators sign on to the demands for them to operate lawfully and Constitutionally, or risk a possible shutdown if they refuse to follow the law; the supreme law of the land; the U.S. Constitution.”

 The flyer the truck drivers are distributing for their planned protest names President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as “domestic enemies.”

 “Share this document,” the flyer says. “Copy it, re-post it, encourage everyone else to do the same.

 “We are Americans who run the United States of America — it’s not run by a bunch of Global Banking Cartels,” the flyer continues. “This is our house; our country; our government, and each of us needs to take ownership of how we succeed in this event. If we want to save our country, we will do so. If we don’t, it will be because you as an individual wanted someone else to save it for you — this is why we are in this mess — because we trusted our government and the politicians who’ve promised they would serve the people.

 "Look where that has gotten us. It’s time for each of us to say enough is enough & show them who runs this country. Let’s make them panic by getting off the couch. We the people will save our country.”

  ||||| (Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images)

 Update: Truckers are no longer planning to arrest members of Congress. Read the latest news about the protest here.

 ------

 This story was originally posted at 1:47 p.m. Monday:

 Tractor-trailer drivers will intentionally clog the inner loop of the Washington, D.C., beltway beginning on the morning of Oct. 11, according to a coordinator of the upcoming "Truckers Ride for the Constitution" rally.

 Organizers of the three-day ride want to call attention to a litany of trucker frustrations and express their disapproval of national political leaders.

 Earl Conlon, a Georgia trucker who is handling logistics for the protest, told U.S. News tractor-trailer drivers will circle the beltway "three lanes deep" as he rides with other participants to Congress to seek the arrest of congressmen for allegedly disregarding the Constitution.

 The truckers circling I-495 will keep the left lane open for emergency vehicles, Conlon said, but "everybody that doesn't have a supporter sticker on their window, good luck: Nobody in, nobody out." The trucks will be going the 55 mile-per-hour speed limit.

 D.C. commuters who wish to be allowed past the convoy must have "T2SDA" – an acronym for the event's original name, "Truckers to Shut Down America" – written on their vehicle, he said.

 "It's going to be real fun for anyone who is not a supporter," Conlon said, "[and] if cops decide to give us a hard time, we're going to lock the brakes up, we're going to stop right there, we're going to be a three lane roadblock."

 Zeeda Andrews, a former country music singer helping promote the protest, said last week participants would present demands to congressmen – including the impeachment of President Barack Obama – and give the congressmen an opportunity to agree to the demands in exchange for canceling the ride.

 But Conlon says that's not quite right.

 "We are not going to ask for impeachment," Conlon said. "We are coming whether they like it or not. We're not asking for impeachment, we're asking for the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office."

 Conlon cited the idea of a citizens grand jury – meaning a pool of jurors convened without court approval – as the mechanism for indicting the officials.

 "We want these people arrested, and we're coming in with the grand jury to do it," he said. "We are going to ask the law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath and make these arrests. If they refuse to do it, by the power of the people of the United States and the people's grand jury, they don't want to do it, we will. ... We the people will find a way."

 It's almost certain that anyone attempting to "arrest" a member of Congress would be arrested themselves for attempted kidnapping.

 Conlon and Andrews say Obama committed "treason" by allegedly funneling weapons to al-Qaida-linked rebels in Syria. Members of Congress who support arming Syrian rebels, Conlon said, are accessories to the alleged crime. He identified House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as politicians he will seek to arrest for alleged acts against the Constitution.

 Andrews said last week 3,000 truckers had RSVP-ed to the event, and Conlon says he's now lost count of the number. He says he's receiving around 100 emails a day from prospective participants.

 "What we want to do is go in nice and peaceful and keep it as peaceful as possible... but if they decide to get ugly with us we're going to do what we have to do," he said. "If all I get is one or two congressmen walked out of there in handcuffs, that will be a shot across the bow that will ripple across all branches of government. ... I hope they are all civil enough and brave enough to step out onto the congressional steps."

 Trucker-specific grievances behind the protest include Environmental Protection Agency fuel efficiency standards and the high cost of diesel fuel. State and local anti-idling laws as well as insurance companies purportedly requiring technological updates are among the irritations, as is the perceived deterioration of Fourth Amendment rights protecting truckers' cabs.

 Whether or not the truckers pack a punch to D.C. area traffic depends on the number and intensity level of participants. A similar three-day protest in 2007, against illegal immigration and competition from Mexican truckers, did not spoil commutes as feared, the Washington Examiner reported. A Facebook page advertising the upcoming ride has close to 50,000 likes.

 Watch: Bikers head toward D.C. on Sept. 11:

 More News:

 Updated on Oct. 8, 2013 : An update has been attached to this article. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Protesting truckers are planning a shutdown of their own—on Washington's beltway. Starting on Friday morning, they intend to fill the road "three lanes deep" with tractor-trailers, an organizer of "Truckers Ride for the Constitution" tells US News and World Report. In a demonstration against what they view as violations of the Constitution, planners like Earl Conlon are calling for "the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office." Their grievances include truckers' wages, industry regulations, and NSA spying, the Hill reports. They're also accusing President Obama of treason for allegedly putting weapons in the hands of rebels with ties to al-Qaeda. Organizers have received some 3,000 RSVPs, says one. Moving at the 55mph speed limit, they'll leave a lane open for emergency vehicles; vehicles with "T2SDA," or "Truckers to Shut Down America," displayed will also be allowed to pass. "Everybody that doesn't have a supporter sticker on their window, good luck: Nobody in, nobody out," says Conlon. A Facebook page for the event has more than 55,000 "likes."


Article:

ROME |

 ROME (Reuters) - The captain of the wrecked cruise liner Costa Concordia apologized on Tuesday for the accident in which as many as 32 people died and said he had been distracted when the vast ship struck the rock which holed it.

 In his first full television interview since the accident on January 13, Francesco Schettino acknowledged his responsibility as captain and said he thought constantly about the victims of the disaster.

 "When there's an accident, it's not just the ship that's identified or the company," he told Italy's Canale 5 television, speaking calmly but with a pronounced tic in one eye. "The captain is identified and so it's normal that I should apologize as a representative of this system," he said.

 Schettino, who is charged with multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning his ship, was speaking after being freed from house arrest last week.

 The Naples-born captain admitted to failing to act decisively enough once it became clear the 144,500 tonne vessel had come too close to the island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast where it ran aground.

 "This was a banal accident in which there was a breakdown in the interaction between human beings and it created misunderstandings and it's for this that there's so much rage," he said. "It was as though there was a blackout in everyone's heads and in the instruments."

 "I blame myself for being distracted," he said but added the actual sailing of the ship was under the command of another officer at the time.

 "At that moment, I went up to the deck and ordered the ship to be put on manual navigation and I didn't have command, that's to say being in charge of sailing the ship, that was the officer," he said.

 Investigators have severely criticized Schettino's handling of the disaster, accusing him of bringing the 290 meter-long vessel too close to shore, delaying evacuation and losing control of the operation during which he abandoned ship before all the 4,200 passengers and crew had left the ship.

 Schettino, who has been held up to abuse and ridicule following the accident, has always acknowledged making mistakes but has said he as not the only one who should be blamed for the tragedy.

 A pre-trial hearing was held in March and investigations also target several other officers and officials of the ships owner, Costa Cruises a unit of the world's largest cruise operator Carnival Corp.

 (Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Andrew Heavens) ||||| Costa Concordia captain 'sorry' for sinking

 Francesco Schettino broke down when asked about the youngest victim of the disaster

 The captain of Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground killing more than 30 people in January, has said he is sorry for the disaster.

 In an interview on Italian TV, Francesco Schettino said he thought constantly about the victims.

 But he insisted others should also share the blame, saying the ship had been under the command of another officer at the time.

 Mr Schettino denies charges including manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.

 The ship struck rocks and capsized near the island of Giglio, off the coast of Tuscany.

 An Italian judge recently lifted Mr Schettino's house arrest, but said he must not leave his hometown, near Naples, while the investigation continues.

 "When there's an accident, it is not just the ship that is identified or the company, the captain is identified and so it's normal that I should apologise as a representative of this system," he told Italy's Canale 5 television.

 The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says that Mr Schettino appeared tense.

 He said he blamed himself for being "distracted" but said he had not been on the bridge when the ship ran aground.

 The Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Giglio

 "At that moment, I went up to the deck and ordered the ship to be put on manual navigation and I didn't have command, that's to say being in charge of sailing the ship, that was the officer," he said.

 Following the accident there was speculation that the captain had sailed too close to the island because he was trying to show off his seamanship skills to a young woman on the ship's bridge.

 Mr Schettino denied this, and also denied that the woman had been his lover.

 When asked about the youngest passenger who died - a five-year-old girl - he could not answer and broke down.

 In a letter published recently in Italy's La Corriere della Sera newspaper, Mr Schettino argued that he had saved many lives by steering the stricken vessel into shallow water.

 In a phone call recorded during the rescue operation, a local port authority chief Gregorio de Falco can be heard chastising the captain and telling him to get back on board the ship to help stranded passengers.

 Mr Schettino was arrested shortly afterwards. |||||
What is a summary?

– The captain who was "distracted" when the Costa Concordia sailed smack into a rock finally took to TV yesterday to at last say sorry, though it doesn't sound like the passion quotient was too high. "When there's an accident, it's not just the ship that's identified or the company," said Francesco Schettino according to Reuters, which took note of his "pronounced tic" in one eye. "The captain is identified and so it's normal that I should apologize as a representative of this system." And while he did fault the fact that he was distracted, he pointed out that another officer was sailing the ship at the time of the incident. More not-exactly-heart-wrenching comments: "This was a banal accident in which there was a breakdown in the interaction between human beings ... It was as though there was a blackout in everyone's heads and in the instruments." The BBC notes that he did get choked up at one point, though: When asked about the 5-year-old who was among the more than 30 who died, he was unable to speak. Schettino was released from house arrest last week, but faces multiple manslaughter charges.


Article:

Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| In this undated Gwinnett County Police Department photo, Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni poses for an official portrait. Gwinnett County police said in an emailed statement Thursday, April 13, 2017, that Bongiovanni... (Associated Press)

 In this undated Gwinnett County Police Department photo, Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni poses for an official portrait. Gwinnett County police said in an emailed statement Thursday, April 13, 2017, that Bongiovanni was fired after a new video surfaced showing him hitting a man in the face. Earlier in the... (Associated Press)

 ATLANTA (AP) — Two Georgia police officers were fired Thursday, a day after authorities say one punched a man who had his hands up and the other kicked the man in the head once he was handcuffed on the ground.

 The Gwinnett County Police Department said Thursday afternoon that Master Police Officer Robert McDonald violated department policy and the law. Video showed McDonald assaulting the handcuffed man, identified as Demetrius Bryan Hollins, while assisting a supervisor who had called for backup during a traffic stop about 4 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

 Several hours later, police said that supervisor, Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni, had also been fired after a second video surfaced of him punching Hollins in the face as Hollins put his hands in the air.

 "We acknowledge that the actions of these two officers have implications that will be felt for some time," a police department statement says. "However, we also believe that our decisive action in terminating both officers speaks volumes about what is expected of each officer that wears a Gwinnett County Police badge."

 The department also has opened criminal investigations into the behavior of the two officers. The results will be turned over to the county district attorney, who will decide whether to prosecute the two officers.

 McDonald was hired by the department in August 2013 and graduated from the police academy in March 2014, while Bongiovanni was hired in September 1998 and graduated from the academy in February 1999.

 No working number could be found for McDonald, and the voicemail at a number listed for Bongiovanni was full. It wasn't immediately clear whether either man had an attorney who could comment.

 Bongiovanni pulled Hollins over in Lawrenceville, just outside Atlanta, police said.

 Video filmed by a witness shows Bongiovanni punching Hollins as Hollins stands with his hands up after getting out of the car, police said.

 The other video shows Bongiovanni appearing to yell at a handcuffed man who then lies face-down in a left-turn lane of the busy intersection. McDonald runs up and immediately appears to stomp on the man's head before both officers eventually pull him to his feet.

 Hollins, 21, appears to have blood on his nose and lip in his booking photo.

 The shift commander initiated an "immediate investigation" and placed McDonald on administrative leave after Hollins' arrest.

 Hollins was driving a red Acura Integra with no license plate and a brake light that didn't work, and switched lanes three times without signaling, according to an incident report filed by Bongiovanni.

 Hollins yelled and began to "act strange," and based on that and the officer's recollection of Hollins' behavior during a previous arrest in August, Bongiovanni called for backup, the report says.

 Hollins yelled and refused to obey orders when Bongiovanni ordered him out of the car and resisted when Bongiovanni tried to arrest him, the report says. There is no mention of Bongiovanni hitting Hollins.

 The report mentions McDonald arriving after Bongiovanni had used his stun gun on Hollins and gotten him handcuffed on the ground. It doesn't mention any contact between McDonald and Hollins.

 The two officers are white and Hollins appears to be black, police Cpl. Michele Pihera said in an email.

 Jail records show Hollins faces charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license, operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked registration, failure to signal, having a brake light that's not in good repair, obstructing a law enforcement officer and having less than an ounce of marijuana. He was released on bond Thursday afternoon.

 Police released McDonald's personnel file Thursday and said Bongiovanni's would be released Thursday.

 McDonald was "an excellent example of a team player with a strong work ethic" who completed his work on time, was always willing to help others and was courteous and professional with the public, Bongiovanni wrote in annual evaluation last June. He gave McDonald a rating of "often exceeds expectations" in many categories and no rating lower than "generally meets expectations."

 McDonald received a few commendations and recognitions, including sharing the officer of the month honor in November 2015.

 He had filed three use-of-force reports explaining why he used his stun gun or physical force in the course of his duties.

 He faced a disciplinary loss of his good driving record after he rear-ended another car in his patrol car in June 2015. But the officer who responded to the accident said in a letter to the department's safety review committee that it would have been very difficult for McDonald to avoid the wreck. ||||| Two police officers have been fired after video surfaced showing them punching and stomping a man during an arrest in Georgia. (Reuters)

 Two Georgia police officers have been fired after videos surfaced on social media showing them punching and then kicking a man in the head, authorities said.

 Gwinnett County police said late Thursday that Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni was fired after authorities discovered a video showing Bongiovanni punching the man in the face as the man stepped from a vehicle with his hands up. Earlier, authorities had fired Officer Robert McDonald, who was captured in a different video kicking the man in the head as he lay handcuffed on the ground.

 “The revelations uncovered in this entire investigation are shocking,” police said in a statement after Bongiovanni’s termination. “ … We acknowledge that the actions of these two officers have implications that will be felt for some time. However, we also believe that our decisive action in terminating both officers speaks volumes about what is expected of each officer that wears a Gwinnett County Police badge.”

 [Police shootings so far in 2017]

 Former Gwinnett County police sergeant Michael Bongiovanni, left, and former police officer Robert McDonald. (Courtesy of Gwinnett County Police Department)

 The incident, which quickly went viral on social media, occurred about 4 p.m. Wednesday. One video, which was shot from across the street, shows a man getting out of a vehicle with his hands raised before the arresting officer punches him in the face.

 The other video, shot from a different angle, begins as that officer is struggling with the man as he gets out of the vehicle and raises his hands. Shortly after the man is subdued by the officer and handcuffed, a second officer arrives on the scene and kicks the man in the head.

 A struggle ensues before the officers search the man’s pockets. Both officers are white; the man, who is black, was identified as 21-year-old Demetrius Bryan Hollins of Lawrenceville, Ga., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

 The nonprofit community group Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta condemned the officers Thursday evening in a Facebook post.

 Gwinnett Police Kicks Handcuffed Black Man In The Face MAKE THIS VIRAL: We are DEMANDING that Gwinnett County Police Department immediately terminate this officer who viciously kicked a HANDCUFFED BLACK MAN lying on the ground in the middle of the street (off Sugarloaf Parkway) without cause and without merit. After brutally kicking him in the face, blood splattered everywhere. Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta is now hereby seeking to have criminal charges brought against this officer expeditiously. This is why we take to the streets and scream #BlackLivesMatter, it's because American police officers have ZERO regards for black lives, they beat us, shoot and kill us without a blink of an eye and the biggest problem is, it all goes UNCHALLENGED. We can almost betcha the Chief of Police will say, "I'm sorry but we can't speak on personnel matters or we are conducting a full investigation" and after the investigation they will say… "We have determined to INVESTIGATE OURSELVES and found no wrong doings"Posted By Sir Maejor, President of BLMGA #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterATl #BlackLivesMatterGA #BlackLivesMatterAtlanta Posted by Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta on Wednesday, April 12, 2017

 Hollins told NBC News that he was trying to get to the camera app on his own cellphone Wednesday to record the encounter. He said one officer started “shoving me in my car and telling me that I was never going to have a video, that I was never going to make the phone call to my mom. When I had my hands up, that’s when he punched me in the face.”

 Hollins told the news station that when he was handcuffed and lying on the ground, “another cop came out of nowhere and stomped me in the face.”

 He was charged with multiple traffic citations, obstruction of a police officer and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

 Demetrius Hollins. (Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office)

 Hollins’s attorney, Justin Miller, told NBC News that had the moment not been captured on video, it may have been overlooked.

 “The fact that these guys felt so brazen as to … assault him in public in broad daylight in front of hundreds of onlookers and hundreds of cars is indicative of what they think is okay,” Miller told the news station. Without the videos, he added, “they would have painted him as the bad guy, arrested him, brushed it under the rug and probably did it to them again the next time they saw him.”

 Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers said at a news conference Thursday that McDonald, a three-year veteran on the force, was responding to assist Bongiovanni during a traffic stop when he “got tunnel vision.”

 Police said Hollins was pulled over for having a broken taillight and then resisted Bongiovanni. But by the time McDonald arrived, Hollis was on the ground and no longer resisting, Ayers said, noting that no use of force was necessary.

 “This incident — this type of force and this action — was uncalled for,” the police chief said Thursday. “It shouldn’t have happened. There is no excuse for it. We have taken appropriate and swift action to deal with this. This officer and his actions do not represent the men and women of this police department who put their lives on the line every single day to protect this county.”

 The chief said that the officer apologized for his actions but that the footage still made him angry. “I was upset and it felt like I had been gut-punched,” Ayers said.

 During an internal investigation, authorities discovered a second video Thursday, filmed by a witness and posted online, that was “contrary to what was reported by Michael Bongiovanni,” police said in the statement. That video showed Bongiovanni strike the man in the face before the other officer had arrived, police said.

 Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta also referred to the second video on its Facebook page.

 Gwinnett County Police Officer Punches Demetrius Hollins In Th… NEWLY RELEASED VIDEO: Here is a second released video of the arresting officer brutally punching Demetrius Hollins in the face. After reviewing the police report in it's entire we have reasons to believe the arresting officer lied throughout his entire police report.We are now hereby demanding that Gwinnett County Police Department terminate the arresting officer and will also seek criminal charges against both officer involved. Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta will follow this case throughout its duration for up to the minuet information please LIKE us on twitter @SirMaejor and @OfficialBLMATL #GwinnettPolice #GwinnettCounty #GwinnettPD #GwinnettCountyPolice #SirMaejor #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterATL #BlackLivesMatterAtlanta #BlackLivesMatterGA Posted by Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta on Thursday, April 13, 2017

 Bongiovanni was hired in 1998 and graduated from the police academy in 1999, according to the police department.

 The police chief said during the news conference that a plan is in place to outfit uniformed officers with body cameras by the end of the year.

 Asked what message the incident sends, Ayers told reporters: “We have standards, we have policies, and we’re going to hold ourselves to those standards and to those policies. And if you violate those, there will be a swift investigation. And if those complaints are found to be sustained, action will be taken.”

 This story has been updated.

 MORE READING:

 Video shows an officer slamming, then pummeling a black man accused of jaywalking

 In a shift, the U.S. was not among the world’s leaders in executions last year

 Jailed while pregnant: A woman claims guards ignored her pleas and killed her unborn baby ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter?

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What is a summary?

– Two videos circulating on social media showed a Georgia man being assaulted by two cops during a traffic stop this week, and now those cops have been fired, the AP reports. Robert McDonald was canned Thursday after the first video came to light involving motorist Demetrius Bryan Hollins, the Gwinnett County PD says. Michael Bongiovanni was let go later that day after a second video emerged, per the Washington Post. "The revelations uncovered in this entire investigation are shocking," read a Gwinnett PD statement tweeted Thursday night. Hollins, 21, had been pulled over in Lawrenceville around 4pm Wednesday by Bongiovanni, the police say, and as shown in a video that appeared on the Everything Georgia Twitter feed, Bongiovanni punched Hollins in the face after Hollins came out of the car with his hands up. The other video shows McDonald rushing over as Hollins was lying in the street and slamming his foot into Hollins' head. Hollins' lip and nose appeared to be bloodied in his booking photo. Bongiovanni's incident report said he had pulled Hollins over for a busted brake light and a lack of signaling while changing lanes. The officer said Hollins had started to "act strange," yell, and resist directions, and he remembered similarly disruptive behavior from a previous arrest. Hollins was released on bond Thursday after he was charged with the original citations, in addition to driving with a suspended or revoked license and registration and possessing less than an ounce of pot. (A California cop has been accused of pummeling a pedestrian—an incident that was also caught on video.)


News article:

Fullscreen Media has set its first original docuseries. Keeping Score follows three of the world’s best female athletes — U.S. soccer players Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Crystal Dunn — off the field and on the road to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Launching August 3, the series will be available exclusively on the Fullscreen’s SVOD platforms.

 Solo wanted to make a unique vehicle for these powerful women to tell their story. Fullscreen gave them license to turn the cameras on themselves, capturing life at home and their unique journey to Rio. Keeping Score offers an extraordinary look at the lives of these professional athletes as never seen before through the use of self-shot footage. Viewers learn about their upbringings, relationships and personal sacrifices — and their quest for equal pay. The women share how they’ve worked to achieve their dreams and their efforts against the challenging double standards they face as they advance professionally.

 “Through their individual stories, we’re following these women as they make history — not only as a team on the soccer pitch but in their fight for equal pay,” said Ashley Kaplan, Fullscreen’s head of production. “Viewers will witness their struggles and motivations firsthand at a time where the future of women’s soccer could change forever.” ||||| USWNT goalie Hope Solo was suspended for six months and had her contract terminated with U.S. Soccer after she said that the Swedish team played like “cowards” in the Olympics following Sweden’s 2-1 win over the Americans.

 The punishment seemed harsh then, and even if you factor in Solo’s past misdeeds, still seems harsh now.

 In a new video clip released today by the makers of Keeping Score, a documentary series that trailed several USWNT players before during and after the Olympics, you can see the exact moment that Solo learns that she has been suspended and her contract terminated, effectively ending her time with the USWNT. It’s a bit difficult to watch.

 Solo’s episode of Keeping Score will air September 2. ||||| Published on Aug 30, 2016

 Hope Solo speaks out about the shocking news. Watch the whole story only on Fullscreen. Start your free trial now at http://full.sc/keepingscoretrailer

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 About Fullscreen:

 We make shows! Come watch more of them on our app. You can download it at http://full.sc/youtube annnnnd you can tell us what you think at twitter.com/fullscreen. We're fresher than the last taco you ate, so we want you to join us and help us build a special community. PS. You also get access to exclusive movies, tv series, and shows made by your favorite internet creators. :)

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 Hope Solo Terminated: Teaser | Fullscreen

 https://www.youtube.com/user/Fullscreen ||||| Hope Solo on the Moment She Is Suspended for Olympics Outburst: 'Seventeen F------ Years and It's Over'

 WATCH: Hope Solo in Trailer for Keeping Score Docu-Series

 Tony Quinn / AP

 No matter how you feel about Hope Solo 's recent six-month suspension from U.S. Women's Soccer, it's difficult not to be moved by the footage showing her stunned, tearful reaction immediately after receiving the news that her storied career is possibly finished."Seventeen f------ years and it's over," an angry, teary-eyed Solo shouts in an exclusive clip from the Fullscreen series Keeping Score , obtained by PEOPLE.A camera crew from the documentary series was on hand at a Seattle hotel to capture Solo's reaction after her Aug. 24 meeting with United States Coach Jill Ellis and the federation's chief executive, Dan Flynn. The decision to discipline Solo came after she called the Swedish team "a bunch of cowards" after they eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals of the Rio Olympics."Six months suspension," Solo says as she hugs her husband, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens , in a nearby hotel conference room. "No pay. Terminated contract. Effective immediately."Solo, widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, then turns from her husband and glares at the camera, pounds her hand on a table and says: "Terminated contract. Not just a suspension."U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said the comments Solo made after the loss to Sweden were "unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players."And while many applauded the decision, some have questioned whether Solo, who has been crusading for better pay for female players, was punished more harshly than a male player would have been.Three days after she learned of her suspension, the Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League, announced that Solo had been "granted a personal leave" before the team faced off against the Portland Thorns.The Keeping Score series consists of six episodes that document Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Crystal Dunne’s journeys before, at and after the Summer Games through self-shot footage, along crew cameras.This last episode in the series, dealing with Solo's suspension, will air September 2. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Hope Solo didn't react well to her team losing to Sweden during the Rio Olympics, earning her a six-month suspension from US Soccer for her remarks that the Swedes were "a bunch of cowards." Her reaction upon finding out about her suspension was similarly explosive, and USA Today's For the Win notes a video clip of that moment that it says is "a bit difficult to watch." The clip—filmed for Fullscreen's Keeping Score documentary, which follows Solo and two other women's pro soccer players as they strive to succeed in an industry with sexist "double standards," per Deadline—shows Solo's "stunned" reaction to her punishment, People reports. "Seventeen f---ing years and it's over!" she can be heard yelling in the video, right after a shot of her hugging her husband, ex-NFLer Jerramy Stevens, and noting, "Terminated contract. Effective immediately" before adding directly to the camera: "Terminated contract, not just a suspension." Stevens seems baffled, asking, "How can they do both?"—to which his incredulous wife retorts, "It's both." (A Washington Post piece calls Solo a "pure loser and lout.")


Inside the troubled nuclear power plant, officials knew the risks were high when they decided to vent radioactive steam from a severely overheated reactor vessel. They knew a hydrogen explosion could occur, and it did. The decision still trumped the worst-case alternative _ total nuclear meltdown.

 In this photo taken on Aug. 10, 2006, the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant in Tmiokamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, is seen. The cooling ability had been lost at three of four reactors, in white and light... (Associated Press)

 In this photo taken on Oct. 3, 2008, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, is seen. A strong earthquake on March 11, 2011 knocked out power at the plant, and because... (Associated Press)

 Police officers wearing gas masks patrol in the area of the Fukushima power plant's Unit 1 in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture (state), northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011, amid fears that a part... (Associated Press)

 Fukushima Daiichi power plant's Unit 1 is seen in Okumamachi, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Friday, March 11, 2011. The nuclear power plant affected by a massive earthquake is facing a possible meltdown,... (Associated Press)

 At least for the time being.

 The chain of events started Friday when a magnitude-8.9 earthquake and tsunami severed electricity to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, crippling its cooling system. Then, backup power did not kick in properly at one of its units.

 From there, conditions steadily worsened, although government and nuclear officials initially said things were improving. Hours after the explosion, they contended that radiation leaks were reduced and that circumstances had gotten better at the 460-megawatt Unit 1. But crisis after crisis continued to develop or be revealed.

 Without power, and without plant pipes and pumps that were destroyed in the explosion of the most-troubled reactor's containment building, authorities resorted to drawing seawater in an attempt to cool off the overheated uranium fuel rods.

 Robert Alvarez, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and former senior policy adviser to the U.S. secretary of energy, said in a briefing for reporters that the seawater was a desperate measure.

 "It's a Hail Mary pass," he said.

 He said that the success of using seawater and boron to cool the reactor will depend on the volume and rate of their distribution. He said the dousing would need to continue nonstop for days.

 Another key, he said, was the restoration of electrical power, so that normal cooling systems can be restored.

 Officials placed Dai-ichi Unit 1, and four other reactors, under states of emergency Friday because operators had lost the ability to cool the reactors using usual procedures.

 An additional reactor was added to the list early Sunday, for a total of six _ three at the Dai-ichi complex and three at another nearby complex. Local evacuations have been ordered at each location. Japan has a total of 55 reactors spread across 17 complexes nationwide.

 Officials began venting radioactive steam at Fukushima Dai-ichi's Unit 1 to relieve pressure inside the reactor vessel, which houses the overheated uranium fuel.

 Concerns escalated dramatically Saturday when that unit's containment building exploded.

 It turned out that officials were aware that the steam contained hydrogen, acknowledged Shinji Kinjo, spokesman for the government Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. More importantly, they also were aware they were risking an explosion by deciding to vent the steam.

 The significance of the hydrogen began to come clear late Saturday:

 _Officials decided to reduce rising pressure inside the reactor vessel, so they vented some of the steam buildup. They needed to do that to prevent the entire structure from exploding, and thus starting down the road to a meltdown.

 _At the same time, in order to keep the reactor fuel cool, and also prevent a meltdown, operators needed to keep circulating more and more cool water on the fuel rods.

 _Temperature in the reactor vessel apparently kept rising, heating the zirconium cladding that makes up the fuel rod casings. Once the zirconium reached 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 Celsius), it reacted with the water, becoming zirconium oxide and hydrogen.

 _When the hydrogen-filled steam was vented from the reactor vessel, the hydrogen reacted with oxygen, either in the air or water outside the vessel, and exploded.

 A similar "hydrogen bubble" had concerned officials at the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in Pennsylvania until it dissipated.

 If the temperature inside the Fukushima reactor vessel continued to rise even more _ to roughly 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 Celsius) _ then the uranium fuel pellets would start to melt.

 According to experts interviewed by The Associated Press, any melted fuel would eat through the bottom of the reactor vessel. Next, it would eat through the floor of the already-damaged containment building. At that point, the uranium and dangerous byproducts would start escaping into the environment.

 At some point in the process, the walls of the reactor vessel _ 6 inches (15 centimeters) of stainless steel _ would melt into a lava-like pile, slump into any remaining water on the floor, and potentially cause an explosion much bigger than the one caused by the hydrogen. Such an explosion would enhance the spread of radioactive contaminants.

 If the reactor core became exposed to the external environment, officials would likely began pouring cement and sand over the entire facility, as was done at the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Ukraine, Peter Bradford, a former commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in a briefing for reporters.

 Another expert on the call, Ken Bergeron, a physicist and former Sandia scientist, added that as a result of such a meltdown the surrounding land would be off-limits for a considerable period of time, and "a lot of first responders would die."

 ___

 AP National Writer Jeff Donn reported from Boston. ||||| The estimated death toll from Japan's disasters climbed past 10,000 Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple nuclear reactor meltdowns and hundreds of thousands of people struggled to find food and water. The prime minister said it was the nation's worst crisis since World War II.

 EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A dead man lies on the stairs of a destroyed house in Sendai, northeastern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after the powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the area. (AP... (Associated Press)

 In this photo released by the Japanese Defense Agency, Japanese Hiromitsu Shinkawa, wrapped in a blanket, is lifted to a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer following his rescue on Sunday March 13,... (Associated Press)

 Residents queue to collect fresh water in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP Photo/Mark... (Associated Press)

 A man holds his baby as they are prepared to be scanned for levels of radiation in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011. Friday's quake and tsunami damaged two nuclear reactors... (Associated Press)

 A crate of beer is balanced on downed power lines on Sunday, March 13, 2011 over a canal littered with cans of alcohol that were washed into the area from a nearby brewery when a tsunami struck Sendai,... (Associated Press)

 TV sets are scattered on a street in Hachinohe, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011 after Friday's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING... (Associated Press)

 A dead woman lies under a blanket near the stairs of her destroyed home in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake hit its eastern... (Associated Press)

 ALTERNATE CROP - Residents evacuated from areas surrounding the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged in Friday's massive earthquake react during a check for radiation contamination, Sunday, March 13,... (Associated Press)

 A woman pushes a bicycle on a street following a massive tsunami that's triggered by a catastrophic earthquake in Tagajo near Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) (Associated Press)

 Buildings are covered with mud in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011, after a powerful tsunami created by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded swept through... (Associated Press)

 A stranded elderly woman is carried on the back of a Japanese soldier after being rescued from a residence at Kesennuma, northeastern Japan, on Saturday March 12, 2011, one day after a giant earthquake... (Associated Press)

 A ship washed away by tsunami sits amid debris in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, Sunday, March 13, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake hit its eastern coast Friday. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) (Associated Press)

 A Japanese couple walk through the ruins of their neighborhood in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) (Associated Press)

 A body, covered in a blanket, lies in the rubble of a destroyed neighborhood as police officers search the area in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011. Japan's biggest... (Associated Press)

 People make their way along on a damaged river bank following a massive tsunami that's triggered by a catastrophic earthquake in Tagajo near Sendai, northeastern Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP... (Associated Press)

 Destroyed cars are left out on a street following a massive tsunami triggered by a huge earthquake in Tagajo near Sendai, northern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) (Associated Press)

 Oil tar lie in the other side of the river bank from burning oil refinery following a massive tsunami triggered by March 11 earthquake in Tagajo, near Sendai, northern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011.... (Associated Press)

 Smoke rise from an oil refinery on fire following a tsunami triggered by a strong earthquake in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) (Associated Press)

 A large ship sits among rubble after it was hit by a tsunami in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan, on Saturday March 12, 2011, one day after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast.... (Associated Press)

 An SOS sign is written on the ground of Shizugawa High School in Minamisanrikucho in Miyagi Prefecture (state), northern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after the powerful earthquake and tsunami... (Associated Press)

 A car sits on top of a small building in a destroyed neighborhood in Sendai, Japan, on Sunday, March 13, 2011 after it was washed into the area by the tsunami that hit northeastern Japan. AP Photo/David... (Associated Press)

 Smoke rises from burning debris washed away by tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Sunday, March 13, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake hit its eastern coast Friday. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) (Associated Press)

 Black thick smokes cover the sky over Tagajo, Miyagi, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) MANDATORY... (Associated Press)

 Minamisanriku town is submerged after Friday's strong earthquake-triggered tsunami in Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING... (Associated Press)

 In this photo released by the Japanese Defense Agency, Hiromitsu Shinkawa, right, waves to rescuers before being rescued to a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer on Sunday March 13, 2011. When spotted,... (Associated Press)

 Nuclear plant operators worked frantically to try to keep temperatures down in several reactors crippled by the earthquake and tsunami, wrecking at least two by dumping sea water into them in last-ditch efforts to avoid meltdowns. Officials warned of a second explosion but said it would not pose a health threat.

 Near-freezing temperatures compounded the misery of survivors along hundreds of miles (kilometers) of the northeastern coast battered by the tsunami that smashed inland with breathtaking fury. Rescuers pulled bodies from mud-covered jumbles of wrecked houses, shattered tree trunks, twisted cars and tangled power lines while survivors examined the ruined remains.

 One rare bit of good news was the rescue of a 60-year-old man swept away by the tsunami who clung to the roof of his house for two days until a military vessel spotted him waving a red cloth about 10 miles (15 kilometers) offshore.

 The death toll surged because of a report from Miyagi, one of the three hardest hit states. The police chief told disaster relief officials more than 10,000 people were killed, police spokesman Go Sugawara told The Associated Press. That was an estimate _ only 400 people have been confirmed dead in Miyagi, which has a population of 2.3 million.

 According to officials, more than 1,800 people were confirmed dead _ including 200 people whose bodies were found Sunday along the coast _ and more than 1,400 were missing in Friday's disasters. Another 1,900 were injured.

 For Japan, one of the world's leading economies with ultramodern infrastructure, the disasters plunged ordinary life into nearly unimaginable deprivation.

 Hundreds of thousands of hungry survivors huddled in darkened emergency centers that were cut off from rescuers, aid and electricity. At least 1.4 million households had gone without water since the quake struck and some 1.9 million households were without electricity.

 While the government doubled the number of soldiers deployed in the aid effort to 100,000 and sent 120,000 blankets, 120,000 bottles of water and 29,000 gallons (110,000 liters) of gasoline plus food to the affected areas, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said electricity would take days to restore. In the meantime, he said, electricity would be rationed with rolling blackouts to several cities, including Tokyo.

 "This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago," Kan told reporters, adding that Japan's future would be decided by its response.

 In Rikuzentakata, a port city of over 20,000 virtually wiped out by the tsunami, Etsuko Koyama escaped the water rushing through the third floor of her home but lost her grip on her daughter's hand and has not found her.

 "I haven't given up hope yet," Koyama told public broadcaster NHK, wiping tears from her eyes. "I saved myself, but I couldn't save my daughter."

 A young man described what ran through his mind before he escaped in a separate rescue. "I thought to myself, ah, this is how I will die," Tatsuro Ishikawa, his face bruised and cut, told NHK as he sat in striped hospital pajamas.

 Japanese officials raised their estimate Sunday of the quake's magnitude to 9.0, a notch above the U.S. Geological Survey's reading of 8.9. Either way, it was the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan, which lies on a seismically active arc. A volcano on the southern island of Kyushu _ hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the quake' epicenter _ also resumed spewing ash and rock Sunday after a couple of quiet weeks, Japan's weather agency said.

 Dozens of countries have offered assistance. Two U.S. aircraft carrier groups were off Japan's coast and ready to help. Helicopters were flying from one of the carriers, the USS Ronald Reagan, delivering food and water in Miyagi.

 Two other U.S. rescue teams of 72 personnel each and rescue dogs arrived Sunday, as did a five-dog team from Singapore.

 Still, large areas of the countryside remained surrounded by water and unreachable. Fuel stations were closed, though at some, cars waited in lines hundreds of vehicles long.

 The United States and a several countries in Europe urged their citizens to avoid travel to Japan. France took the added step of suggesting people leave Tokyo in case radiation reached the city.

 Community after community traced the vast extent of the devastation.

 In the town of Minamisanrikucho, 10,000 people _ nearly two-thirds of the population _ have not been heard from since the tsunami wiped it out, a government spokesman said. NHK showed only a couple concrete structures still standing, and the bottom three floors of those buildings gutted. One of the few standing was a hospital, and a worker told NHK that hospital staff rescued about a third of the patients.

 In the hard-hit port city of Sendai, firefighters with wooden picks dug through a devastated neighborhood. One of them yelled: "A corpse." Inside a house, he had found the body of a gray-haired woman under a blanket.

 A few minutes later, the firefighters spotted another _ that of a man in black fleece jacket and pants, crumpled in a partial fetal position at the bottom of a wooden stairwell. From outside, while the top of the house seemed almost untouched, the first floor where the body was had been inundated. A minivan lay embedded in one outer wall, which had been ripped away, pulverized beside a mangled bicycle.

 The man's neighbor, 24-year-old Ayumi Osuga, dug through the remains of her own house, her white mittens covered by dark mud.

 Osuga said she had been practicing origami, the Japanese art of folding paper into figures, with her three children when the quake stuck. She recalled her husband's shouted warning from outside: "'GET OUT OF THERE NOW!'"

 She gathered her children _ aged 2 to 6 _ and fled in her car to higher ground with her husband. They spent the night in a hilltop home belonging to her husband's family about 12 miles (20 kilometers) away.

 "My family, my children. We are lucky to be alive," she said.

 "I have come to realize what is important in life," Osuga said, nervously flicking ashes from a cigarette onto the rubble at her feet as a giant column of black smoke billowed in the distance.

 As night fell and temperatures dropped to freezing in Sendai, people who had slept in underpasses or offices the past two nights gathered for warmth in community centers, schools and City Hall.

 At a large refinery on the outskirts of the city, 100-foot (30-meter) -high bright orange flames rose in the air, spitting out dark plumes of smoke. The facility has been burning since Friday. The fire's roar could be heard from afar. Smoke burned the eyes and throat, and a gaseous stench hung in the air.

 In the small town of Tagajo, also near Sendai, dazed residents roamed streets cluttered with smashed cars, broken homes and twisted metal.

 Residents said the water surged in and quickly rose higher than the first floor of buildings. At Sengen General Hospital, the staff worked feverishly to haul bedridden patients up the stairs one at a time. With the halls now dark, those who can leave have gone to the local community center.

 "There is still no water or power, and we've got some very sick people in here," said hospital official Ikuro Matsumoto.

 Police cars drove slowly through the town and warned residents through loudspeakers to seek higher ground, but most simply stood by and watched them pass.

 In the town of Iwaki, there was no electricity, stores were closed and residents left as food and fuel supplies dwindled. Local police took in about 90 people and gave them blankets and rice balls, but there was no sign of government or military aid trucks.

 ___

 Todd Pitman reported from Sendai. Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge and Kelly Olsen in Koriyama and Malcolm J. Foster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report. |||||

Write a summary.

– When officials decided to vent radioactive steam from one of the damaged nuclear power plants in Japan, they knew it could result in a hydrogen explosion. And, even though an explosion is exactly what happened, the decision was still the best option for avoiding a total meltdown, the AP reports in an interesting piece that traces the chain of events from Friday, when the earthquake damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, to this morning, when a total of six reactors were placed under a state of emergency. More from Japan: The estimated death toll is more than 10,000 as of today, with the prime minister calling this disaster Japan’s worst crisis since World War II, the AP reports. The confirmed dead number more than 1,800. Nuclear plant operators dumped sea water into two reactors in a last-ditch attempt to keep temperatures down, as officials warned a second explosion could occur, but would not pose a health threat. Experts confirm to Reuters that “this is not a serious public health issue at the moment,” and that the winds will likely carry contamination to the Pacific, where it will not threaten any other nations. The next crisis facing Japan could be an economic one, Reuters reports. Automakers, electronics firms, and oil refineries have been forced to suspend operations at some of their factories, and many companies are not sure how soon they will be back up and running. Even so, experts say the economy could bounce back in months. Click for more on Japan.


News article:

Focused crawls are collections of frequently-updated webcrawl data from narrow (as opposed to broad or wide) web crawls, often focused on a single domain or subdomain. ||||| ROME — If the paragon of all Christmas trees is the one in front of the Rockefeller Center in New York — first erected, mind you, by an Italian in 1931 — the prize for most pitiful must go to the one that stands in Rome’s Piazza Venezia this year. Just days after it was put up, it began to gray and shed its needles, and soon it had become nearly see-through. The tree cuts so sad and forlorn a figure that it has been nicknamed Spelacchio, or Mangy.

 Spelacchio arrived in Rome early this month from the Trentino region, near Italy’s border with Austria, and what with transport expenses and decorations, the 70-foot fir is estimated to have cost Italian taxpayers 48,000 euros, or $57,000. It’s not clear what has ailed it. Maybe Spelacchio was unsettled by the trip; perhaps it was ill on departure. By way of explanation, Antimo Palumbo, a tree historian who was standing by Spelacchio’s side on Friday morning, pointed at the concrete all over its roots. “You see that?” he told me. “They decided to pour the concrete to keep it steady, but that killed it instead.”

 There isn’t enough time, money or political will to replace the tree, and so Spelacchio the Mangy will stay in Piazza Venezia through the holidays, and for many locals it has already become a metaphor for what’s wrong with the city, and the country.

 Traffic in Rome is chronically congested, public transport is inefficient, trash collection is slow and sporadic. Early hopes about Virginia Raggi, who was elected mayor last year on an anti-establishment agenda, promptly faded amid familiar allegations of corruption and nepotism. ||||| Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Gehiago jakin

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 Aurreikusi ||||| ROME — No sooner had workers hoisted a 72-foot tall Norway spruce in Rome’s central Piazza Venezia this month than the mocking began.

 The tree was quickly nicknamed Spelacchio, or Mangy, because so many of its dead needles were dropping off, leaving the tree looking a bit bare. Chatter spread quickly on social media where Romans traded jokes about the spruce and criticized its sad appearance.

 Insults quickly turned to intrigue as the Italian media plumbed the tree’s costs, questioned how it had been transported to the city and analyzed its state of health.

 “It has clearly been traumatized,” one expert declared.

 A consumer rights group asked an administrative court, which has oversight over government spending, to investigate what it described as a “shameful spectacle for citizens and tourists” and demanded that the tree be removed immediately. ||||| Published on Dec 15, 2016

 Created in 1965, this show is 51 years old and still going strong! What would we do without Charlie Brown and Linus and Snoopy and the gang? |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Rome wasn't built in a day, but it looks like its Christmas tree may have been. The "toilet brush" of a tree now standing in one of the city's busiest public squares and being roundly mocked in Italy and around the world makes Charlie Brown's Christmas tree look lush by comparison. The New York Times reports that the 72-foot-tall Norway spruce erected in the Piazza Venezia and nicknamed "Spelacchio," or "Mangy," will cost the city about $57,000 in all—and locals are outraged that so much money was outlayed for a tree that one expert says "has clearly been traumatized." Thrillist documents some of the online reaction to the sad, needle-sparse spruce, which it calls a "balding network of pines and brittle branches." "Maybe the dogs drank all the water in the tree stand?" one amused viewer tweeted, while another offered a backhanded compliment: "Big fan of Rome's Christmas tree for looking how we all feel." Others defend the tree, saying it looks OK when it's lit up at night. "We are all Spelacchio!" one supporter told a local paper. Per the Times, the tree even has a few Facebook accounts and a Twitter handle in its name, with one tweet proclaiming: "I have more followers than branches." A consumer rights group that calls the tree a "shameful spectacle for citizens and tourists" is lobbying to have the tree taken down and has asked a local court to scrutinize the tree's costs. Rome's mayor says her office is also looking into TreeGate.


Write an article based on this summary:

– It's long been known that the predecessors of modern humans and Neanderthals lived side by side, but it wasn't until 2010 that it was discovered the two species interbred. In fact, as much as 4% of the DNA of modern humans with European or Asian ancestry comes from Neanderthals, reports the Guardian. That intermingling is bound to have consequences, but researchers who've been looking for them were surprised to find a dozen traits specifically linked to Neanderthal genetic variants—including risk for nicotine addiction, artery thickening, heart attack, and depression. Researchers arrived at their conclusions, published in the journal Science, after cross-referencing Neanderthal DNA with a database of 28,000 people of European ancestry that pulls together biological samples and electronic health records. "The brain is incredibly complex, so it's reasonable to expect that introducing changes from a different evolutionary path might have negative consequences," lead author Corinne Simonti says in a Vanderbilt News statement. Case in point: The researchers found Neanderthal DNA increases blood clotting, which would have helped seal wounds more speedily; but for modern man, hypercoagulation ups the risk of miscarriage, stroke, and more, reports Live Science. Oh, and the popular idea that Neanderthal DNA influences skin tone is probably bunk, the researchers add, noting skin color differences likely emerged much more recently. (Sex with Neanderthals may also explain modern allergies.)

Neanderthal DNA has subtle but significant impact on human traits

 SHARELINES Tweet Hooked on cigarettes? Your Neanderthal DNA might be to blame

 Tweet Neanderthal DNA linked to dozens of human traits and diseases

 Since 2010 scientists have known that people of Eurasian origin have inherited anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals.

 The discovery spawned a number of hypotheses about the effects these genetic variants may have on the physical characteristics or behavior of modern humans, ranging from skin color to heightened allergies to fat metabolism…generating dozens of colorful headlines including “What your Neanderthal DNA is doing for you” and “Neanderthals are to blame for our allergies” and “Did Europeans Get Fat From Neanderthals?”

 Now, the first study that directly compares Neanderthal DNA in the genomes of a significant population of adults of European ancestry with their clinical records confirms that this archaic genetic legacy has a subtle but significant impact on modern human biology.

 “Our main finding is that Neanderthal DNA does influence clinical traits in modern humans: We discovered associations between Neanderthal DNA and a wide range of traits, including immunological, dermatological, neurological, psychiatric and reproductive diseases,” said John Capra, senior author of the paper “The phenotypic legacy of admixture between modern humans and Neanderthals” published in the Feb. 12 issue of the journal Science. The evolutionary geneticist is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University.

 Some of the associations that Capra and his colleagues found confirm previous hypotheses. One example is the proposal that Neanderthal DNA affects cells called keratinocytes that help protect the skin from environmental damage such as ultraviolet radiation and pathogens. The new analysis found Neanderthal DNA variants influence skin biology in modern humans, in particular the risk of developing sun-induced skin lesions called keratosis, which are caused by abnormal keratinocytes.

 In addition, there were a number of surprises. For example, they found that a specific bit of Neanderthal DNA significantly increases risk for nicotine addiction. They also found a number of variants that influence the risk for depression: some positively and some negatively. In fact, a surprisingly number of snippets of Neanderthal DNA were associated with psychiatric and neurological effects, the study found.

 “The brain is incredibly complex, so it’s reasonable to expect that introducing changes from a different evolutionary path might have negative consequences,” said Vanderbilt doctoral student Corinne Simonti, the paper’s first author.

 According to the researchers, the pattern of associations that they discovered suggest that today’s population retains Neanderthal DNA that may have provided modern humans with adaptive advantages 40,000 years ago as they migrated into new non-African environments with different pathogens and levels of sun exposure. However, many of these traits may no longer be advantageous in modern environments.

 One example is a Neanderthal variant that increases blood coagulation. It could have helped our ancestors cope with new pathogens encountered in new environments by sealing wounds more quickly and preventing pathogens from entering the body. In modern environments this variant has become detrimental, because hypercoagulation increases risk for stroke, pulmonary embolism and pregnancy complications.

 In order to discover these associations, the researchers used a database containing 28,000 patients whose biological samples have been linked to anonymized versions of their electronic health records. The data came from eMERGE – the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute – which links digitized records from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s BioVU databank and eight other hospitals around the country.

 This data allowed the researchers to determine if each individual had ever been treated for a specific set of medical conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis or depression. Next they analyzed the genomes of each individual to identify the unique set of Neanderthal DNA that each person carried. By comparing the two sets of data, they could test whether each bit of Neanderthal DNA individually and in aggregate influences risk for the traits derived from the medical records.

 “Vanderbilt’s BioVU and the network of similar databanks from hospitals across the country were built to enable discoveries about the genetic basis of disease,” said Capra. “We realized that we could use them to answer important questions about human evolution.”

 According to the evolutionary geneticist, this work establishes a new way to investigate questions about the effects of events in recent human evolution.

 The current study was limited to associating Neanderthal DNA variants with physical traits (phenotypes) included in hospital billing codes, but there is a lot of other information contained in the medical records, such as lab tests, doctors’ notes, and medical images, that Capra is working on analyzing in a similar fashion.

 Additional co-authors are Lisa Bastarache, Dan Roden, Jeffrey Prato and Joshua Denny from Vanderbilt; Benjamin Vernot, David Carrell, David Crosslin, Gail Jarvik and Joshua Akey from the University of Washington; Erwin Bottinger from Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Rex Chisholm from Northwestern University; Scott Hebbring from the Marshfield Clinic; Iftikhar Kullo and Jyotishman Pathak from the Mayo Clinic; Rongling Li from the National Human Genome Research Institute; Marylynn Ritchie and Shefali Verma from Pennsylvania State University; Gerard Tromp from the Geisinger Health System; and William Bush from Case Western Reserve University.

 The research was funded by National Institute of Health grant 5T32EY021453 plus National Human Genome Research Institute grants to members of the eMERGE Network.

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 David Salisbury, (615) 322-NEWS

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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Zynga Inc. priced its initial public offering at $10 per share on Thursday afternoon — the high end of the expected range for the deal, signaling strong investor demand for the maker of social games.

 Reuters Zynga CEO Mark Pincus introduced new games at the company’s San Francisco headquarters on Oct. 11.

 Zynga ZNGA, +10.45% will begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday morning under the ticker symbol ZNGA.

 Late Thursday, the company priced 100 million shares at $10 per share. It had previously filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell its shares at a range of $8.50-$10 apiece.

 Zynga is the latest in a series of high-profile Internet IPOs this year that has included social network LinkedIn Corp. LNKD, +1.19% and online daily deals site Groupon Inc. GRPN, +1.67% Social networking giant Facebook Inc. is expected to debut next year, though some rumors have indicated that the company could make its initial filing within the next few weeks.

 Scott Sweet of IPO Boutique said his clients were surprised with the Zynga pricing, given that past deals in the Internet and social networking space priced above their filed range.

 “We were expecting above-range pricing. Certainly this deal had more demand than Jive Software,” Sweet said, referring to a provider of social networking software that debuted earlier this week after pricing its IPO at $12 — above its expected range of $8-$10.

 Sweet added, however, that Zynga took “a sensible approach” in not trying to get too much money too soon — leaving the door open for a possible secondary offering down the road. He said he was “very pleased” with the pricing.

 Underwriters for Zynga have been granted an additional 15 million shares to cover over-allotments. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are the lead underwriters on the deal, which also includes participation from B. of A. Merrill Lynch, Barclays, J.P. Morgan and Allen & Co.

 The company expects to have about 699.4 million total shares outstanding following the debut, which includes Class B and C shares that won’t be offered to the public.

 Speakeasy's top video game picks (2:50) Speakeasy games contributor Adam Najberg joins digits to discuss his favorite videogames of 2011. His top pick isn't "Call of Duty."

 The IPO price of $10 per share gives the company a total market value of just under $7 billion. Previous valuation targets leaked to media outlets had the number around $10 billion.

 That puts Zynga above many traditional game publishers, and in line with Electronic Arts ERTS , which has a current market cap just under $7 billion. Activision Blizzard ATVI, +1.05% remains the largest company in the videogame space, with a market cap around $13.5 billion.

 Zynga makes games played primarily over Facebook. Popular titles have included “CityVille,” “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars.” The company has about 227 million average monthly users who play the games for free, with a small portion who purchase items through micro-transactions within the games that makes up the bulk of the company’s revenue.

 For the nine months ended Sept. 30, Zynga claimed total revenue of $828.9 million — more than double the $401.7 million in revenue from the same period last year. Net income for the recent period was $30.7 million, down from $47.6 million in the comparable period thanks to a sharp rise in marketing and R&D expenses.

 Zynga plans to use the proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes and possibly acquisitions. About $83.6 million will go toward satisfying tax-withholding obligations related to the vesting of restricted stock units. ||||| Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com

 Zynga Inc. priced its initial public offering at $10 a share, raising about $1 billion for the maker of online games in the biggest U.S. Internet debut since Google Inc.

 While the price set by Zynga and its bankers is at the top of the $8.50 to $10 a share range that Zynga set two weeks ago, the company's valuation will be far less than the $20 billion that had been expected earlier this year.

 The deal values the company, which makes "Words With Friends" and other games played mostly on Facebook, at $8.9 billion, counting unexercised options and warrants. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Tomorrow should be a pretty good day to live in Farmville: Creator Zynga begins trading publicly on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker ZNGA, and the company has set the price for the 100 million shares being sold at $10, reports MarketWatch. That would peg the market value of Zynga at $7 billion and make it the biggest US Internet IPO since Google in 2004, notes the Wall Street Journal. The $7 billion valuation is impressive, but it's way under the figure of $20 billion being thrown around earlier this year in giddier days. Next up, Facebook?