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In this Nov. 20, 2016, photo, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach holds a stack of papers as he prepares to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse,... (Associated Press)

 In this Nov. 20, 2016, photo, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach holds a stack of papers as he prepares to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Bedminster, N.J. Kobach, a immigration adviser to rump and a possible candidate... (Associated Press)

 In this Nov. 20, 2016, photo, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach holds a stack of papers as he prepares to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Bedminster, N.J. Kobach, a immigration adviser to rump and a possible candidate... (Associated Press) In this Nov. 20, 2016, photo, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach holds a stack of papers as he prepares to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse,... (Associated Press)

 WASHINGTON (AP) — An immigration adviser to President-elect Donald Trump and a possible candidate for a top government post wants to make some changes at the Homeland Security Department, including recreating a system that required certain immigrants, including men and boys from 25 mostly Muslim nations, to register with the federal government upon their arrival.

 Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach met with Trump on Sunday and brought with him a detailed list of proposals for the agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws and securing the border. Kobach carried his "Department of Homeland Security Kobach Strategic Plan for First 365 Days" into his meeting with Trump. It was visible in a photograph from The Associated Press.

 The top suggestion was to "update and reintroduce" the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, or NSEERS, for all foreigners from "high-risk" areas, a program he helped create while working for the Justice Department in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

 The effort, which ultimately included the registration of more than 80,000 foreigners, was widely derided by civil rights groups who said it profiled foreigners based on their race and religion.

 The document, which is partially obscured by Kobach's left arm and hand, does not specify which foreigners would be required to register as part of an NSEERS update.

 Kobach did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 The Obama administration formally abandoned the system in April 2011, saying a newer data collection program would be sufficient to collect biometric information for all foreigners coming into the country.

 Kobach's plan also proposes adding "extreme vetting questions for high-risk" foreigners coming into the U.S. Those would include questions about a would-be visitor's "support for Sharia law, jihad, equality of men and women, the United States constitution."

 The Kansan's list also included ending the flow of Syrian refugees into the United States. As a candidate, Trump proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims coming into the country.

 Several other suggestions for DHS were obscured in the photo, taken as Kobach was greeted by Trump.

 Immigration was a top issue for Trump in his campaign to win the White House. He has yet to provide specific details about his plans to carry out campaign promises on immigration but last week announced his intention to nominate Sen. Jeff Sessions to lead the Justice Department.

 Sessions, like Kobach, has helped Trump craft his stance on immigration and is also a hard liner on the issue.

 ___

 Associated Press reporter John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report. ||||| A written plan for the Department of Homeland Security brought by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach into his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump spells out a desire to question “high-risk” immigrants over support for Sharia law and the U.S. Constitution.

 Kobach, an early Trump supporter, met with the president-elect on Sunday and has been mentioned as a potential pick for a position within the administration. Some speculation has centered on the secretary of Homeland Security, and Kobach’s plan appears to lend credence to that possibility.

 An Associated Press photographer shot an image of Kobach going into the meeting and clutching a binder along with a stack of papers. One page is visible and readable, though partly obscured by Kobach’s hand.

 The document is arranged in a numbered format. The first point reads, “Bar the Entry of Potential Terrorists.”

 The document calls for updating and reintroducing the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. The program was implemented in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but largely suspended in 2011.

 “All aliens from high-risk areas are tracked,” the document reads.

 The document mirrors what Kobach told Reuters in the days after the election. In an interview with the news service, he said an immigration policy group might recommend reinstating the NSEERS system, which would act as a registry of immigrants.

 Kobach was one of the original architects of the system, which was implemented under Attorney General John Ashcroft and President George W. Bush.

 The document then calls for “extreme vetting questions” for “high-risk aliens,” echoing Trump’s campaign rhetoric. High-risk aliens would be questioned about support for Sharia law (Islamic religious law), jihad, the equality of men and women, and the U.S. Constitution.

 The document also asks for reducing the intake of Syrian refugees to zero. In response, the American Relief Coalition for Syria, a coalition of 13 Syrian-American humanitarian organizations, said such a move would be “deeply immoral” on the part of the United States.

 The document contains obscured references to the arrest and removal of illegal aliens, “386 miles of existing actual wall,” the post-Sept. 11 PATRIOT Act, and voter rolls. “Draft amendments to National Voter —” can also be seen, perhaps a reference to the National Voter Registration Act.

 The rest of the page is either partially or totally obscured by Kobach’s hand and arm. When the photograph was taken, Kobach was standing outside with Trump — it is highly unlikely Kobach wasn’t aware he was being photographed.

 A spokeswoman for Kobach didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

 “Kris is a really talented guy,” Gov. Sam Brownback said Monday after he lit the Statehouse Christmas tree. “He’s done a great job as secretary of state. He’s a talented guy. I wish him all the best.”

 Illegal immigration is a core passion for Kobach. A high-level position in the Trump administration would represent a culmination of his work on the subject and provide him a platform to enact the policies he for which he has advocated.

 A 2015 profile of Kobach in The Wichita Eagle traced his interest in immigration to the aftermath of 9/11.

 “They (the hijackers) successfully abused our immigration system, and much of my time at the Justice Department was occupied in trying to plug the holes that they had exploited in our system,” Kobach told the newspaper.

 On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations expressed alarm at Kobach’s plan and the document’s proposal for what the organization called “inquisition-style questions.” Yet spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said he wasn’t surprised.

 “I think this is unfortunately in line with the actions we’ve seen from President-elect Trump’s transition team,” Hooper said.

 Micah Kubic, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said Kobach has a clear record of working to make voting more difficult, and life more difficult for immigrants. He said tools, such as the NSEERS, based on religious identity, are very concerning.

 “All of that we find reprehensible, unconstitutional, illegal and un-American,” Kubic said.

 A Trump transition team statement on the Sunday meeting said Trump and Kobach met “to discuss border security, international terrorism, and reforming federal bureaucracy.”

 Kobach has built a national reputation as a proponent of hard-line stances on immigration and election law. As Kansas secretary of state, he is embroiled in litigation – defending the state’s proof of citizenship voting law.

 Kobach endorsed Trump before the Kansas GOP caucus. He also said he was advising Trump, including on the concept of building a wall and making Mexico pay for it — a core plank of Trump’s platform.

 Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, criticized Kobach for openly carrying such a document.

 “That’s the height of irony if he’s wanting a job in Homeland Security and you’re able to see in a photograph what should be confidential information,” Hensley said.

 More recently, Kobach has said he is advising Trump’s transition efforts.

 “He also hit themes you don’t normally see presidential candidates hitting on immigration. You’ll usually see them just grazing the surface and mentioning, ‘OK, illegal immigration is a problem, America’s a country of immigrants, now let’s move on.’ But what Trump did was he really dove pretty deeply on a lot of topics,” Kobach said after Trump delivered an immigration-focused address this fall. |||||

– Potential Homeland Security chief Kris Kobach has a thing to learn about keeping his own documents secure: The Kansas secretary of state was photographed with his "Department of Homeland Security Kobach Strategic Plan for First 365 Days" clearly visible before a meeting with Donald Trump on Sunday, the AP reports. The parts of the plan that were visible included a revival of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, or NSEERS, for people from high-risk nations, which he helped create in 2002. "All aliens from high-risk areas are tracked," states his hard-line plan, which also includes "extreme vetting questions for high-risk aliens" on subjects like Sharia. His plan also calls for the US to stop accepting Syrian refugees. The visible parts of the plan suggest that Kobach's vision for Homeland Security matches Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric, including a "rapid build" of the border wall, Politico reports. Kobach has been advising Trump on issues like immigration, and the transition team says they met Sunday "to discuss border security, international terrorism, and reforming federal bureaucracy," the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. It's not clear whether his carelessness with his documents will affect his chances of heading Homeland Security. "That's the height of irony if he's wanting a job in Homeland Security and you're able to see in a photograph what should be confidential information," says Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley. (Trump has told the British that he thinks Nigel Farage would be a great ambassador to the US.)


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 Castro's daughter: "It's all adding up, and I'm just disgusted"

 Prosecutor says he'll seek to charge Castro with murder for ending captives' pregnancies

 Already charged with kidnapping and rape, Castro is being held on $8 million bail

 First came the pain -- a decade of torture, torment and terror for three captive women and one of their young daughters.

 Now comes the prosecution and -- if there's a conviction -- punishment for the man accused of being responsible for their hell.

 Ariel Castro appeared silently in court Thursday, his head down, as he was arraigned on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, accused of holding the women captive in his Cleveland home. Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren Moore ordered Castro held on $8 million bond -- $2 million for each of the three women and the child born to Amanda Berry before they were freed Monday evening.

 Hours later, the top prosecutor in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, announced he'd press for more charges -- "for each and every act of sexual violence ... each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault (and) all his attempted murders."

 Furthermore, Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said he'd try to persuade a grand jury to indict the 52-year-old Castro for "aggravated murder" for the termination of his captives' pregnancies. He cited a state law that a person can be charged with murder -- a conviction that could lead to the death penalty in Ohio -- for killing unborn children.

 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry speaks in a video released on YouTube on Monday, July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6, 2013, after being held captive for nearly a decade. Hide Caption 1 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. Hide Caption 2 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Gina DeJesus speaks in the YouTube video. Hide Caption 3 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Georgina "Gina" DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing. Hide Caption 4 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Michelle Knight speaks in the YouTube video. Hide Caption 5 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. Hide Caption 6 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – In a handwritten note, Knight thanked Cleveland police for their efforts, saying she was overwhelmed with the support she had received from "complete strangers." The note was posted Wednesday, July 31, on the police's Second District Community Relations Committee Facebook page. Hide Caption 7 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Residents gather outside a community meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday, May 9, to talk about the kidnapping case in Cleveland . Balloons were released as part of the ceremony. Hide Caption 8 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside suspect Ariel Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9. Castro, a former school bus driver, has been accused of holding three women captive for a decade in his house. He has also been charged with rape. Hide Caption 9 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Castro hangs his head low while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9. Hide Caption 10 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ada Colon prays during a vigil held in honor of the kidnapping victims in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 8. Hide Caption 11 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Relatives of kidnapping victim Georgina "Gina" DeJesus hug after she returned to her parents' home in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 12 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Friends and neighbors cheer as a car carrying Amanda Berry arrives at her sister's house in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 13 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Gina DeJesus gives a thumbs up as she arrives at her family's house in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 14 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro was charged on May 8 with kidnapping the three women. Hide Caption 15 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – The family house of Gina DeJesus has been decorated by well-wishers on Tuesday, May 7. Hide Caption 16 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Friends and relatives gather in front of the family house of DeJesus on May 7. Hide Caption 17 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Well-wishers visit the home of the sister of Amanda Berry on Monday, May 6. Hide Caption 18 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held. Hide Caption 19 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property. Hide Caption 20 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team member removes evidence from the house. Hide Caption 21 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A relative of DeJesus brings balloons to the home of Amanda Berry's sister in Cleveland on May 7. Hide Caption 22 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Children hold a sign and balloons in the yard of Gina DeJesus' family home in Cleveland on May 7. Hide Caption 23 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Bystanders and media gather on May 7 along Seymour Avenue in Cleveland near the house where the three women were held captive. Hide Caption 24 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A bystander shows the front page of The Plain Dealer newspaper to a friend outside of the house on Seymour Avenue on May 7. Hide Caption 25 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. Hide Caption 26 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – The house where the three women were held captive in Cleveland was the home of Ariel Castro, who was arrested and is being held pending charges in the case. Hide Caption 27 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7. Hide Caption 28 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, where the kidnapped women escaped. Hide Caption 29 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on Monday, May 6. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside. Hide Caption 30 of 30

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 According to an initial incident report obtained by CNN, Michelle Knight said she became pregnant at least five times while in Castro's 1,400-square-foot home . When that happened, she told investigators, Castro "starved her for at least two weeks, then he repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried."

 It is not known how many times, if any, the other two women got pregnant only to miscarry. One of them, Berry, gave birth to a daughter while in captivity.

 That's just one of the brutal tales reported so far about the women's captivity, which McGinty described as "beyond comprehension."

 "The child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of the city," he told reporters. "The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a decade is beyond comprehension."

 Castro's own mother is among those trying to make sense of the horror.

 "I have a sick son who has done something serious," she told Univision and Telemundo. "I'm suffering very much. I ask for forgiveness from those mothers; may those girls forgive me."

 Source: Writings detail actions, reasons behind them

 So what was going through the suspect's mind, when he allegedly lured three women into a car between 2002 and 2004, took them to his home three miles away and held them there -- where they were chained, threatened and repeatedly sexually assaulted?

 Neither Castro, his attorneys nor police have spelled out a motive publicly.

 The suspect has talked with investigators, confessing to some of the actions of which he's accused, said a law enforcement source closely involved with the investigation. The source did not describe precisely what Castro confessed to when he was interrogated.

 Plus, investigators have asked the state crime lab to expedite tests to create a DNA profile of Castro -- something that typically takes 20 days, but should be back Friday -- said Ohio Attorney General's office spokesman Dan Tierney.

 They're also poring over evidence, including more than 200 items seized from Castro's Seymour Avenue home. Among them are writings authorities believe were written by the suspect, said two law enforcement sources closely involved in the case.

 Those contain "specific detailing of actions and reasons behind actions" tied to the women's abduction and their kidnapper's behavior toward them, one of the law enforcement sources said. The author cites his own history of abuse by family members as justification.

 JUST WATCHED Castro's daughter doesn't want to see him Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Castro's daughter doesn't want to see him 04:25

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 The source -- who described the "pretty lengthy" writings as "more of a diary" -- said they included talk of suicide, though that's just one of many aspects.

 Authorities are working "meticulously" to see whether others were involved in the kidnapping plot. Two of Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, were initially arrested in the case only to be released Thursday -- after appearing in court on unrelated cases -- when investigators found nothing, including from the victims' interviews, linking them to the abductions.

 One of his daughters, Angie Gregg, told CNN that she "just wanted to die" upon hearing her father had been implicated.

 But looking back, she thinks there were signs of something awry -- such as how her father "kept his house locked down so tight" and would sometimes leave mysteriously for an hour or so, then return, with "no explanation."

 "Everything's making sense now," Gregg said. "It's all adding up, and I'm just disgusted."

 Source: Death threat if newborn died

 According to the initial incident report, the women said Castro first chained them in the basement but later let them live upstairs on the second floor.

 The women went outside only twice during their ordeal -- and just "briefly" at that, Cleveland Public Safety Director Martin Flask said.

 Most of the time the three would be in different rooms, though they interacted occasionally and came to "rely on each other for survival," said a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation.

 One thing they could count on was that their alleged captor wouldn't let them out.

 Castro would often test his captives by pretending to leave, the law enforcement source said. Then he'd suddenly return; if there were indications any of the women had moved, they'd be disciplined.

 While Knight told investigators Castro forced her to miscarry her own unborn children, she said he ordered her to deliver Berry's child, according to a police source familiar with the investigation.

 The baby was delivered in a plastic tub or pool in order to contain the afterbirth and amniotic fluid, the source said.

 Panic ensued soon after. The child stopped breathing, and everyone started screaming, the source said, citing accounts by the young women.

 Knight said Castro threatened to kill her if the baby did not survive, the initial police report states.

 "What's most incredible here is that this girl who knows nothing about childbirth was able to deliver a baby that is now a healthy 6-year-old," the source said.

 'I don't think she would have lived very much longer'

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 Knight remained hospitalized in good condition Thursday, said MetroHealth Medical Center spokeswoman Tina Shaerban-Arundel.

 The others held -- Berry, her 6-year-old daughter and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus -- are back with relatives.

 FBI specialists who talked with them feel they "desperately need space and time," said McGinty.

 "These victims need to be decompressed," he said. "They need a chance to heal before we seek further in-depth evidence from them."

 Those close to them, as well as residents of Cleveland and beyond, are trying to make sense of the alleged depravity.

 One of them is Arlene Castro, the suspect's daughter and once a very good friend of DeJesus. She was interviewed on an "America's Most Wanted" segment in 2005 talking about how she'd been with DeJesus, hoping to spend the afternoon with her, shortly before her abduction.

 Speaking Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," she said she last spoke with her father late last month, adding the two had never been close. Whatever their relationship, she insisted, "I had no idea" what was happening.

 "I'm really disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated," Arlene Castro said. "... I would like to say that I'm absolutely so, so sorry."

 Fern Gentry said on CNN's "Starting Point" Thursday that hearing Berry, her granddaughter, was alive 10 years after her disappearance was the "most important thing that ever happened in my life."

 Gentry, who spoke to Berry by phone from her Tennessee home Tuesday, said she's grateful for all involved in the case -- from police to helpful neighbors -- and that her granddaughter can now live her life.

 "If she hadn't got out, I don't think she would have lived very much longer," Gentry said. |||||Summary:

– One reason it took the women in the Cleveland kidnapping case so long to escape to the world just outside their door? Ariel Castro would "test" them for just such a scenario, reports CNN. According to a law enforcement source, he would pretend to leave the house then return suddenly to check if any of the women had moved, punishing them if they had. Even though the women watched the search efforts and vigils held for them on TV, they eventually "succumbed [to] their reality," says the source. Additionally, Berry's child, Jocelyn, was not told Michelle Knight's or Gina DeJesus' real names, in case she mentioned them when Castro took her out of the house, WKYC reports. When Berry did make her brave escape, she was afraid to break the locked storm door open in case this was another "test." A police report details their rescuers' arrival on the scene: "As we neared the top of the steps, Officer Espada hollered out, 'Cleveland Police,' at which time ... Knight ran and threw herself into (Officer) Espada's arms," says the report. "We then asked if there was anyone else upstairs with her, when (DeJesus) came out of the bedroom." WKYC notes that a public fund has been set up to provide services for the women. Castro, who has been formally charged, is due in court today.


Summarize this article:

Monkeys' faces evolved to avoid crossbreeding

 Researchers used human face recognition techniques to identify and compare guenons' features

 Continue reading the main story Related Stories

 Guenon monkeys' colourful and varied faces have evolved as a way to avoid crossbreeding, scientists have found.

 Many different species of guenons live side-by-side meaning mating with other species, which could lead to infertile offspring, is a possibility.

 The researchers used human facial recognition technology to identify primate features from photographs.

 They found that guenons' looks have evolved to become more distinctive from their relatives living close by.

 The findings are reported in the journal Nature Communications and researchers say they are the best evidence to date of visual signs acting as a barrier to breeding across species.

 Guenons - Cercopithecini - are a group of more than 25 species of monkeys which originated in the forests of Central and West Africa.

 Multiple species often travel, feed and sleep together increasing the likelihood of mating with each other.

 Guenons have markings which include differently coloured eyebrow patches, ear tufts, nose spots and mouth patches.

 In the 1980s, Oxford zoologist Jonathan Kingdon suggested the guenons' variety of facial appearances was due to their need to identify their own species and avoid mating with others. But he failed to find firm evidence for his theory.

 The researchers from New York University, US, and Exeter University, UK, wanted to test Mr Kingdon's explanation by using modern identification methods.

 They spent 18 months photographing 22 species of guenons in zoos in the US and UK and in a wildlife sanctuary in Nigeria.

 Primates' features were distinguished and compared with other species using a computer programme developed for human face recognition (known as the eigenface technique). It is the first time such techniques have been applied to non-human faces.

 Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote How you end up looking is a function of how those around you look.” End Quote James Higham New York University

 The results showed the face patterns of guenon species have evolved to become more visually distinctive from other guenons, especially those they come into contact with and therefore are at risk of crossbreeding with.

 Dr James Higham, senior author, said: "Evolution produces adaptations that help animals thrive in a particular environment, and over time these adaptations lead to the evolution of new species.

 "A key question is what mechanisms keep closely related species that overlap geographically from interbreeding, so that they are maintained as separate species.

 "Our findings offer evidence for the use of visual signals to help ensure species recognition: species may evolve to look distinct specifically from the other species they are at risk of interbreeding with," Dr Higham said.

 "In other words, how you end up looking is a function of how those around you look. With the primates we studied, this has a purpose: to strengthen reproductive isolation between populations."

 Scientists have previously shown examples of species being differentiated (called character displacement) by acoustic and electric signals but the authors believe their research is the best example of visual variety across a broad group.

 "These results strongly suggest that the extraordinary appearance of these monkeys has been due to selection for visual signals that discourage hybridisation," lead author William Allen said.

 "This is perhaps the strongest evidence to date for a role for visual signals in the key evolutionary processes by which species are formed and maintained, and it is particularly exciting that we have found it in part of our own lineage."

 The team is now carrying out more research to find out whether guenons are more distinctive from those species they now live beside or those they were living with at the time their species emerged.

 Join BBC Nature on Facebook and Twitter @BBCNature. ||||| With bushy beards and funky blue, yellow or brown faces, guenon monkeys have some of the most colorful and quirky faces of all primates. A close study of more than 20 guenon monkey species reveals these sociable animals may rely on their distinctive patterns to prevent interbreeding.

 "Animals use coloration and patterning for a whole host of different reasons, and we think guenons are using their patterns to recognize different species," said study lead author William Allen, of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

 Guenon monkeys live in the forests of Central and West Africa, eating mostly fruits, insects and leaves. Sometimes called cheek pouch monkeys, most guenons are the size of cats and dogs, and they forage in large groups of two or more different species. Each species has unique chirps, sneezes and whistles, but the monkeys learn other species' warning calls like a foreign language, providing protection for all groups. [Photos: Adorable Guenon Monkey Faces]

 There are as many as 35 guenon monkey species, and spending so much time with other friendly monkeys means running the risk of interbreeding. If guenons mate across species, their offspring might be infertile or less healthy, similar to when donkeys and horses breed, Allen said. Guenons can interbreed in zoos, but rarely do so in the wild.

 For decades, many researchers have thought that guenons' unusual fur and facial features were meant to send "I'm different" signals to other monkeys. However, while there are many examples of wild creatures signaling with skin patterns and colors, such as the bright red patch on the abdomens of black widow spiders, scientists have had little success actually proving these patterns are a means of species-wide communication in the guenons, Allen said.

 To show that the these monkeys speak to each other with their stylish fur, Allen relied on facial recognition software. He photographed more than 150 guenons, both wild monkeys living in Africa and individuals in zoos and preserves. Then, he analyzed how facial patterns differed among monkeys within a guenon species, as well as how the patterns differed among species. Allen said he thinks the software algorithm recognizes facial features in a manner similar to how the guenon monkeys do it.

 It turns out the facial patterns are remarkably similar within a guenon monkey species. That is, all guenon monkeys are alike if they are the same species. But each different species has developed its own dramatic flair, whether it's a furry white nose, a ruffly black mohawk or pursed pink lips.

 The new findings were published today (June 26) in the journal Nature Communications.

 The researchers suspect that the close living style of the guenon species, combined with repeated expansion and contraction of the monkeys' forest habitat, drove the development of their incredible facial diversity. For example, isolated groups living in far-flung forests were squeezed together when their habitat shrunk, forcing them to live with different species, Allen said.

 "Where species came into contact with each other, they developed visual signals so they didn't get confused with each other," he said.

 Researchers studying primates in South America have discovered a similar pattern, with more-complex facial features among primates who need to quickly recognize members of their own species.

 Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. |||||

– Guenon monkeys are renowned for their colorful, distinctive faces, which vary from species to species. The reason? It's all part of a strategy to help the monkeys identify their own species and avoid crossbreeding with others, new research finds. Guenon monkeys, sometimes known as cheek pouch monkeys, are a group of perhaps 30 species that tend to live side by side. To prevent mating across species and possible unhealthy offspring, researchers think each species developed varying features—like mohawks, pursed lips, or white noses—as markers, LiveScience reports. US and UK researchers spent a year and a half snapping photos of 22 guenon species, then compared their features using a human-face-recognition program—the first time such a thing has been used on non-humans. What they found: The monkeys' faces evolved to look different from guenons in other species, especially those with whom they were in close contact, reports the BBC. "In other words, how you end up looking is a function of how those around you look," a researcher says.


– The first speech by Hillary the 2016 candidate? The former secretary of state yesterday lit into voter ID laws springing up across the nation as well as the Supreme Court's decision in June to defang the Voting Rights Act, reports NBC News. The big quote in her speech to the American Bar Association: "Now, not every obstacle is related to race, but anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention," she said, calling on Congress to step forward. It sure sounded like a candidate's speech, writes Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post, who says Clinton must "get in the game" on key issues if she does indeed plan to run. On this issue in particular, Clinton can "make her case as the heir apparent to Obama and try to persuade parts of his coalition—minorities and liberals in particular—to back her." (She spoke on the same day that North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into place a law requiring voters to have a photo ID, reports the News & Observer.) Over at CBS, Anthony Weiner offers up a maybe-hint that Clinton will run when asked last night if he knows what wife Huma Abedin's role would be in a campaign. "I do," he said. But, "I'm not telling you." In the coming months, Clinton plans speeches on national security and America's standing in the world. Much of her public presence in this "next phase of life" will come through the family foundation she is co-running with Bill and Chelsea Clinton, notes Politico. It's the first time since the 1992 campaign that she and Bill are essentially working together.

Expand this summary.

As Hillary Rodham Clinton weighs a second presidential run, there are certain steps she needs to take along the way to a decision. She took a couple of them in San Francisco Monday afternoon in a speech about voting rights.

 Clinton can afford to keep a low public profile more than the other potential 2016ers. But she simply can't be a non-factor on the big issues of the day. If she were to do that, she'd face criticism that she was absent from the political debate for a couple of years, assuming she makes an announcement after the 2014 midterms.

 She dove right into one big issue on Monday, weighing in with a lengthy take on a matter that has fired up the Democratic base.

 When the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in June, Democrats all the way up to President Obama expressed swift and sharp disappointment. Meanwhile, the state-by-state battle over voter ID laws has also been a galvanizing force for party activists and leaders. The debate has thrust issues of race into the forefront of the political conversation.

 “Anyone that says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention,” Clinton told the annual gathering of the American Bar Association. She also criticized the court's ruling and singled out the states that have, in her view, the most voting repressive laws.

 In all, it was a pretty impassioned address. It was also a necessary one for the potential White House contender.

 Clinton doesn't need to cobble together a coalition in early nominating states or build the trust of key donors and power brokers like some other potential candidates do. Many Democrats are already lining up -- privately and publicly -- to support her, and she'd be the instant Democratic front-runner the moment she says the words.

 But Clinton does need to get in the game, so to speak, on some key issues. Voting rights is one, not only for the reasons mentioned above. It's also a topic over which Clinton could begin to make her case as the heir apparent to Obama and try to persuade parts of his coalition -- minorities and liberals in particular -- to back her.

 Gay marriage, for which she announced her support in March, is another. And there are more.

 All of which brings us to the second thing Clinton did: She signaled that she will be weighing on other big issues in the coming months.

 "Next month at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, I will talk about the balance and transparency necessary in our national security policies, as we move beyond a decade of wars to face new threats," Clinton said. "And later in the fall, I will address the implications of these issues for America's global leadership and our moral standing around the world."

 The question of whether Clinton will run for president remains up in the air. Until she says yes or no, her every move will be scrutinized. And she'll be expected to weigh in, to some extent, on the issues the Democratic base are most concerned with right now. And that's just what she did on Monday.

 Fixbits:

 It's Election Day in New Jersey! Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

 Obama will tout his economic message on a bus tour of New York and Pennsylvania next week.

 North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed an extensive voter ID law.

 South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) is officially running for reelection.

 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Democrats will have a candidate for the West Virginia Senate race to announce shortly.

 Ron Paul said it's "safe to say" he is not a fan of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).

 The NRCC is hitting Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) with a $10,000 ad buy.

 Anthony Weiner said the coverage of his campaign has been "fairly brutal."

 Must-reads:

 "Gansler said rival Brown relying on race in Maryland governor’s contest" -- John Wagner, Washington Post

 "Eric Holder’s ‘mandatory minimums’ gamble" -- Josh Gerstein, Politico ||||| — Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday signed into law a bill requiring voters to produce a photo ID when they go to the polls, and it was immediately met with legal challenges in federal court questioning its constitutionality.

 The new law brings sweeping changes to the states election process by reducing the early-voting period by a week, abolishing same-day voter registration and ending straight-party voting.

 North Carolinians overwhelmingly support a common-sense law that requires voters to present photo identification in order to cast a ballot, McCrory said in a statement. I am proud to sign this legislation into law. Common practices like boarding an airplane and purchasing Sudafed require photo ID, and we should expect nothing less for the protection of our right to vote.

 North Carolina becomes one of 34 states with some form of voter ID law. The voter ID provision goes into effect for the 2016 election.

 Now the fight moves from the political arena to the courts.

 Just hours after McCrory signed the bill, two separate lawsuits challenging the law were filed in federal court in Greensboro. A third lawsuit is expected to be filed in state court Tuesday. Congressman G.K. Butterfield also asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to take swift and decisive action by using any legal mechanisms to protect North Carolinas voting rights.

 With one stroke of the pen, McCrory has effectively reversed 30 years of progress and reinstated practices similar to the discriminatory Southern Strategy adopted by the Republican Party in the 60s and 70s, said Butterfield, a former N.C. Supreme Court justice. Without question, today is a shameful day for Republicans in North Carolina.

 In a speech last month, Holder said his office was going to challenge a Texas voter identification law and made it clear his office would not stop with Texas.

 Even as Congress considers updates to the Voting Rights Act in light of the courts ruling, we plan to fully utilize the laws remaining sections to ensure that the voting rights of all American citizens are protected, he said.

 Brings state in line

 McCrorys decision to sign the bill was no surprise. He voiced strong support for voter ID during his campaign for governor last year.

 The measure turned into a politically explosive issue when thousands descended on the legislature as part of the Moral Monday protests and many black lawmakers began comparing the bill to efforts to bring back the old Jim Crow race laws.

 Emotions were made even more raw after the legislature dumped a bill passed by the House after extensive public hearings, for the more hard-line measure pushed through by Senate conservatives in the final days of the session with little public airing.

 McCrory held no public signing ceremony as he has done with other legislation. Instead, he put out written and video news releases extolling the measure.

 While some will try to make this seem to be controversial, the simple reality is that requiring voters to provide a photo ID when they vote is a common-sense idea, McCrory said. This new law brings our state in line with a majority of other states throughout the country.

 The push for such voter ID laws began in the mid-1990s and have been passed by Republican majorities over the strong opposition of Democrats.

 The idea of requiring identification to vote has since become popular with the public, and McCrory cited several public opinion polls showing 67 percent to 75 percent of North Carolinians favoring voter ID. But he did not mention other polls that show other provisions in the bill  such as shortening the early voting period  are quite unpopular with Tar Heel voters.

 A new survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm in Raleigh, found that only 33 percent of voters support reducing early voting by a week, while 59 percent opposed it. Only 21 percent of voters support eliminating straight-party voting, while 68 percent oppose it.

 McCrory did not campaign on reducing early voting, and remained largely silent about the legislatures proposal to do so. But on Monday, McCrory noted that while the new law cuts the early voting period from 17 days to 10, it still requires local county boards of elections to provide "the same amount of early voting hours as during the 2012 election.

 The governor portrayed the changes as well within the norm of other states. He said a majority of states do not allow straight-ticket voting, and that North Carolina will now be one of 37 states that do not allow a person to register and vote on the same day.

 An Election Day mess

 Republican lawmakers hailed the measure.

 I think its going to have a huge dividend for the state of North Carolina as far as restoring a level of confidence in government by making the electoral process secure, said Sen. Bob Rucho of Matthews. To say we are extreme is nothing more than liberal rhetoric, inflammatory rhetoric.

 He predicted the voting changes would withstand any legal challenges.

 But his Democratic colleague, Sen. Malcolm Graham of Charlotte, had a different take.

 Its another step backwards for the state of North Carolina and a blow for those who are interested in fair and open elections, Graham said. What this does is set forth artificial barriers for those who have constitutional rights to vote. There is no voter fraud in North Carolina. The only fraud is what the GOP is presenting to the citizens.

 In Greensboro on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina Foundation and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed a suit targeting the elimination of the week of early voting, the end of same-day registration, and the prohibition of out-of precinct voting. It seeks to stop North Carolina from enacting those provisions, arguing it would unduly burden the right to vote and discriminate against African-American voters in violation of the U.S. Constitutions equal protection clause and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 This law is a disaster, said Dale Ho, director of the ACLUs Unions Voting Rights Project. Eliminating a huge part of early voting will cut off voting opportunities for hundreds of thousands of citizens. It will turn Election Day into a mess, shoving more voters into even longer lines.

 When Florida reduced its early voting period in 2012, Ho said, it resulted in people waiting in lines for hours, and hundreds of thousands of people giving up in frustration.

 During the 2012 election, 2.5 million ballots were cast during the early-voting period, or more than half of North Carolinas total electorate. More than 70 percent of African-Americans used early voting during the 2008 and 2012 general elections, compared to 52 percent of white voters.

 The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, the Philip Randolph Institute, N.C. Common Cause, and Unifour Onestop Collaborative.

 The same group is expected to file a suit in state court on Tuesday challenging the voter ID provision, alleging that under Article 6, Section 1 of the N.C. Constitution, the legislature doesnt have power to set new voter qualifications.

 Also on Monday, the N.C. NAACP and the Advancement Project filed their own suit, alleging that the law violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups.

 The groups also allege that it violates the 14th and 15th amendments because it imposes unjustified and discriminatory electoral burdens on large segments of the states population and will cause the denial, dilution, and abridgment of African-American voters fundamental right to vote.

 Each of the laws changes, on their own, would be harmful to the voting rights of North Carolinians, said Penda Hair, co-director of the Advancement Project. Taken together, this is the worst voter suppression law in the country. It viciously targets nearly every aspect of the voting process.

 Staff Writer Ann Blythe contributed to this report.

 Christensen: 919-829-4532 ||||| Anthony Weiner says he's still seeing a therapist, hints at Hillary Clinton run

 (CBS News) Anthony Weiner, the embattled New York mayoral candidate gave a candid interview Monday night, opening about about his sexting scandal, politics and his family.

 The interview took place at a Manhattan bar, but Weiner skipped the traditional beer for an iced coffee. The interview was with the viral Web site BuzzFeed. Weiner admitted he's still getting help in the wake of his sexting scandal. "Apparently you never go out of therapy. They just have this thing where you just remain in forever. But I still see a therapist from time to time."

 Throughout the 45 minute sit-down interview, he opened up about everything from his campaign, to his wife Huma Abedin -- a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton. Asked if he knows what Abedin's role would be in Clinton's 2016 campaign, would be Weiner said, "I do." Pressed on what it will be, Weiner said, "I'm not telling you."

 Asked, "Do you feel like you've damaged her place in that world?" Weiner said, "I feel that what I've done is hurt her, yeah. It's hurt her professionally. It's hurt her personally."

 The interview came hours after a new poll revealed that a record 80 percent of New York voters have an unfavorable opinion of the mayoral hopeful.

 While Weiner didn't mention the polls or the scandal in a new TV ad, he did call out his critics, saying, "Look, powerful voices have made it clear from the very beginning that they didn't want me to win. But this isn't about what they want. They've gotten their way for far too long."

 Throughout the interview, Weiner blasted what he called the media's "brutal" coverage of his campaign, at one point taking aim at a major newspaper: "The New York Times -- wait for it -- doesn't want me to win," he said. "This is the same people who brought you a third term for Mike Bloomberg. I don't care, and it makes them nuts that I don't care!"

 He didn't even spare host - and BuzzFeed editor-in-chief - Ben Smith. Weiner said, "You can do this or show video of cats, whatever it is you do at Buzzfeed."

 Weiner also said he hasn't spoken to the Clintons in months. He said, in general, he's keeping his distance from his colleagues in public life because he knows he has a lot to prove to them.

 Watch Elaine Quijano's full report above. ||||| In a speech at the American Bar Association, Â Hillary Clinton says that there is a new effort to obstruct voting "often undercover of addressing a phantom epidemic of election fraud" and takes issue with the Supreme Court's recent Voting Rights Act ruling.

 Hillary Clinton offered some of her sharpest political rhetoric since stepping down as secretary of state on Monday when she roundly criticized stricter voter ID laws and a recent Supreme Court decision striking down a central component of the Voting Rights Act.

 Clinton, who is viewed as a frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, decried a series of state laws enacted — often by Republicans — to tighten restrictions on who may vote in elections.

 Clinton criticized a "sweeping effort to construct new obstacles to voting, often under cover of addressing a phantom epidemic of 'election fraud.'"

 And she said that those laws have driven a disparity in access to the ballot, which Clinton claimed threatened to undermine the thrust of the Voting Rights Act, the historic, 1960s-era civil rights legislation.

 "Now, not every obstacle is related to race, but anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention," she said.

 Clinton later urged her former colleagues on Capitol Hill to fix "the hole opened up by the Supreme Court's ruling," warning otherwise that "historical progress toward a 'more perfect union' will go backward, not forward."

 Her remarks at times resembled a formal policy address delivered by candidates for office — a tantalizing glimpse of the presidential campaign many Democrats hope Clinton will mount come the next election.

 To improve access to voting, Clinton also encouraged the Justice Department to more rigorously enforce voting laws left on the books, and urged Congress to pass legislation to replace portions of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court this June. She also urged fellow lawyers, gathered for the American Bar Association's annual meeting in San Francisco, to step up their own efforts on behalf of voting rights.

 She also endorsed legislation to make voting easier in a variety of ways, for instance by working to reduce waiting times at polling places, and address disparities in access to voting.

 The speech was one of the most overtly political steps taken by Clinton in the six months since she left the Obama administration to return to private life.

 Moreover, Clinton said today's speech was a first in a series of remarks she'd deliver this year; the former New York senator said she would address transparency of national security programs next month, and speak to global issues this autumn.

 The speeches help lay the groundwork for and outline the rationale for a potential Clinton presidential candidacy in 2016. She spoke to the barriers many communities have faced throughout U.S. history — an oblique reference to the possibility that her own candidacy might shatter the glass ceiling for women seeking the presidency.

 "Despite our founding principles and the many ways our Constitution protects individual liberties, we do — let's admit it — have a long history of shutting people out. African Americans, women, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities," she said. ||||| Hillary Clinton’s next phase of life — the co-leader of a family foundation — has officially begun.

 She’s coming in to her husband’s signature foundation, which has been renamed for all three Clintons — their daughter has an increased presence. It’s the first time the two elder Clintons, both of whom have led independent careers as political actors, are yoking their careers together doing essentially the same type of work at the same place and at the same time since the 1992 campaign. It also comes after the foundation’s first ever internal review, which was driven in part by Chelsea Clinton, officials said.

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 reset TOP 5 other Dem women to watch Hillary’s thoughts on 2016

 There’s a new CEO at the foundation, one who hails from Clinton’s former consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. Hillary Clinton’s new office at the foundation’s Manhattan headquarters is slowly taking shape as the chiefs of staff to all three Clintons hold a standing meeting every Monday to arrange schedules and events — three offices staffed with people who have worked together for years.

 Her arrival comes two years after a period of review and, to some extent, self-reflection at the foundation, one that coincided with daughter Chelsea’s increased role.

 (PHOTOS: Who’s talking about Hillary 2016?)

 Exactly how it will all work remains to be seen: How often will the Clintons travel together? What types of projects will they take on together? How much of an expansion will Hillary Clinton provide the foundation?

 And one early challenge for Clinton is clear: using an exceptionally visible platform to focus on issues she cares about, and would be key to a presidential campaign if she runs, without getting roped into the daily morass of churning politics in Washington.

 Clinton is joining the foundation launched by her husband and a coterie of former White House aides and advisers — former counselor to former President Bill Clinton, Doug Band, and later, health adviser Ira Magaziner as well as others 12 years ago. She joins it two years after her daughter, Chelsea, expanded her role and as the foundation is seeking to become a permanent structure instead of what officials describe as a “startup,” one with an endowment that can fund it well into the future and survive beyond the former president’s lifetime.

 (PHOTOS: How close are Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton?)

 The foundation provides her with a formal apparatus at a time when she has no government staff structure for the first time in decades. And the foundation is also the structure that has provided sustenance for the extended Clintonland for over a decade, a sprawling world of donors, supporters and close friends who have done projects with, or have worked for, the organization at different points.

 “I think having a place such as this for a platform gives her a great launching pad into 2016,” said former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. “It gives her, quite frankly, a great place with which to create or begin to create the message she would use should she decide to run.”

 He added, “The people that ultimately are successful [between public service and a campaign] have an apparatus with which they can devote their energy into something they’re going to talk about again. Those that don’t have that, that just sort of float between one or the other without something strong to give them a sense of direction and purpose, those are the people I think tend not to be a success.”

 (PHOTOS: Bill and Chelsea Clinton)

 Recent history is rife with examples of national candidates who ran for the presidency while they were out of government office and failed to use the time wisely. Instead of diving into a singular issue set and letting it become his defining cause, Mitt Romney roamed the country raising money and collecting political chits. When he finally ran for president, he had never managed to create a platform that would help him politically. And Rudy Giuliani was unable to parlay six years of paid speeches and political appearances into something more substantive in his 2008 presidential campaign.

 Clinton is in a different category than Romney or almost any other potential nominee has been. She is not at risk of a lack of political definition; overexposure is a bigger concern. The foundation provides a chance to talk about a specific issue set while also giving her an organizational buffer from the press and the daily grind of politics, at least for a time.

 “It gives her a chance to work on important, discreet issues,” said David Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s longtime adviser. “She would be wise, however, to stay out of the updraft of the Washington tizzies du jour for as long as possible. It is a mixmaster that grinds you down.”

 (PHOTOS: The Clinton-Obama relationship)

 It will also be an early test of a question that has bedeviled Hillary Clinton since her 2008 campaign — and that abated during her time at the State Department: Can she manage a more functional entity? And her work at the foundation will invite fresh scrutiny of an entity that has generally received positive coverage for Bill Clinton’s work with the Clinton Global Initiative, a signature project, and his work in Haiti, Indonesia and Africa over the years on health and, in some cases, post-disaster recovery.

 “She has a stress-free path to being an extraordinarily relevant and extraordinarily change-making” public figure, said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Clinton supporter. But he added, “Everything comes under increased scrutiny. Although, if she said she wasn’t running for president, I think that would all change.”

 (PHOTOS: Clinton Global Initiative 2012)

 Hillary Clinton made clear in a speech at a Clinton Global Initiative event in Chicago recently exactly how she plans to channel her work — by focusing on issues related to women and girls, early childhood development and economic development.

 In her speech in the Windy City, she thanked her husband for giving “philanthropy and problem-solving a new paradigm. … I am very proud of what he has accomplished.”

 She also described Chelsea Clinton’s “expanding” role, saying, “This is truly a labor of love for our entire family. In just a few short years, she has helped the foundation widen our reach to a whole new generation of young people. … We are so excited and thrilled to have this be a full partnership among the three of us.”

 The Clinton Foundation, which has 351 employees, states as its mission: “The Clinton Foundation works to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and private citizens — leveraging their expertise, resources and passions — to turn good intentions into measurable results.”

 In addition to CGI, the foundation projects include the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation — which has focused on ending obesity — and solving poverty, as well as reducing chronic health issues like, AIDs in Africa. CGI, which attracts top-tier participants for a $20,000 registration fee and requires them to make a good-faith effort to meet commitments for the public good by the following year, was turned into a separate entity while Hillary Clinton was at the State Department but was recently folded back in.

 Clinton’s arrival is during a new chapter at the foundation — as Chelsea Clinton has stepped up her role and after the organization’s first outside review in a decade ended with a number of recommendations for tightening structure and management. |||||


News article:

The Dow industrials on Tuesday traded above 19,000 for the first time ever--a milestone level for the blue-chip benchmark. The ascent for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.11% which carved out a fresh record close of 18,956.69 less than 24 hours ago, comes as three other major stock-market benchmarks also hit historic highs, including the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.04% which was trading above 2,200, the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.09% and the small-cap index Russell 2000 RUT, +0.03% A multisession rally for equities comes on the heels of President-elect Donald Trump's surprising victory against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump's proposals to deregulate certain markets, including banking, and rev up investing in the countries worn-out bridges, tunnels and roads has delivered a jolt to the broader equity market. MarketWatch's William Watts touches on some of the stats related to the Dow's historic move in this piece. ||||| A man walks by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. Chinese shares rallied Monday, leading gains in most other Asian markets higher as Beijing guided the yuan... (Associated Press)

 A man walks by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. Chinese shares rallied Monday, leading gains in most other Asian markets higher as Beijing guided the yuan lower again, extending a decline that has picked up pace since Donald Trump's U.S. election victory.... (Associated Press)

 LONDON (AP) — Global stocks rose on Tuesday, buoyed by Wall Street's close at a record high and hopes that OPEC will support the price of oil with a production cut.

 KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 added 0.8 percent to 4,563, while Germany's DAX was up 0.6 percent at 10,746. Britain's FTSE 100 was 1.1 percent higher at 6,849. U.S. shares were set to add to their record levels, with Dow and S&P 500 futures both up 0.3 percent, as optimism continued over the potential boost to the economy from President-elect Donald Trump's policies.

 OPEC LOOMING: Expectations are growing that oil ministers will agree to limit production at a meeting of the OPEC oil cartel on Nov. 30 in Vienna, Austria. That's helped buoy oil prices in markets. Benchmark U.S. crude was down 7 cents to $48.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, having jumped $1.88 on Monday. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 13 cents to $49.03.

 ANALYST TAKE: "Investors are trying to strike the right balance between positioning for a major dose of U.S. fiscal stimulus and not getting too committed, given the uncertainty surrounding what policies the new Trump Administration will actually implement," Margaret Yang, a market analyst at CMC Markets, said in a commentary.

 RENMINBI RETREAT: Chinese authorities set the yuan's official "parity rate," known as the fix, for the country's tightly controlled currency at 6.8779 on Tuesday, breaking a 12-day losing streak. The yuan, also known as the renminbi, has been weakening as the dollar has surged in value against other currencies.

 ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index added 0.3 percent to finish at 18,162.94 after dipping briefly following a powerful earthquake in northern Japan that set off a small tsunami but caused minor damage and injuries. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.9 percent to 1,983.47 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.4 percent to 22,678.07. Australia's S&P ASX/200 added 1.2 percent to 5,413.30 and the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.9 percent to 3,248.35. Shares in Southeast Asia and Taiwan also gained.

 CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 110.84 yen from 110.43 yen on Monday. The euro edged down to $1.0629 from $1.0638. ||||| Global stocks gained Tuesday after benchmark U.S. indexes closed at record highs on Monday, as the rise in oil prices continued to sustain the post-election rally.

 The Stoxx Europe 600 was up 0.7% in early trade, led by higher by commodity-related shares. Futures markets pointed to opening gains on Wall Street after the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 indexes all climbed to record highs... |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– MarketWatch credits "Trump-induced euphoria" in its headline: The Dow on Tuesday hit 19,000 for the first time at open, a milestone that followed Monday's record close of 18,957. The S&P 500 also passed 2,200. The AP earlier reported that global stocks rose Tuesday, buoyed by hopes that OPEC will support the price of oil with a production cut. The Wall Street Journal reports oil prices continue to hang around a three-week high in anticipation of a possible end-of-month OPEC deal. "Rising commodity prices do help," one senior portfolio manager with Robeco tells the Journal. "But I think there is also a bit of an upbeat mood about the [Donald] Trump election."


Write an article based on this summary:

– Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office Friday, but the AP reports that on Sunday, an Army band member stood in for the soon-to-be 45th president during an inauguration dress rehearsal at the Capitol. Band vocalist Greg Lowery—a 53-year-old sergeant major—says his role was to "look the part as much as possible," and he says he bought a red tie for his assignment. "I believe he's much handsomer than I but, I'm honored to be a part of this," Lowery told WUSA9 earlier. Another band member, Sara Corry, was standing in for Melania Trump, a native of Slovenia. The Army specialist is from Capistrano Beach, Calif. The goal of the rehearsal was to practice events so everything goes off as flawlessly—and on time—as possible for the real thing Friday. The military foursome chosen to stand in for Trump and Pence and their respective wives weren't picked so much for their looks as they were for their height, notes WUSA9. "It's crucially important because the escorts to the president and first lady will need to know their route. So they'll need to rehearse escorting someone and they'll need to set the heights of the microphones and the lighting, the camera angles to make sure that everything's perfect for the day of the inauguration so that all goes without a flaw," says Neil Ewichiw, who's standing in for Mike Pence.

Army Sgt. Maj. Greg Lowery, left, playing the part of President-elect Donald Trump, and Army Spc. Sara Corry, playing the part of Melania Trump, walk along the parade route during a dress rehearsal for... (Associated Press)

 Army Sgt. Maj. Greg Lowery, left, playing the part of President-elect Donald Trump, and Army Spc. Sara Corry, playing the part of Melania Trump, walk along the parade route during a dress rehearsal for Inauguration Day, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Associated Press)

 WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office Friday, but on Sunday, an Army band member stood in for the soon-to-be 45th president during an inauguration dress rehearsal at the Capitol.

 Band vocalist Greg Lowery — a 53-year-old sergeant major — says his role was to "look the part as much as possible," and he says he bought a red tie for his assignment.

 Another band member, Sara Corry, was standing in for Melania (meh-LAH'-nee-ah) Trump, a native of Slovenia. The Army specialist is from Capistrano Beach, California.

 The goal of the rehearsal was to practice events so everything goes off as flawlessly — and on time — as possible for the real thing Friday. ||||| WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - What do you think? Is there a striking resemblance?

 The following is a picture of the Present-elect, Donald Trump and his wife, as-well-as the Vice President-elect and his wife’s stand-in’s for the 2017 Inauguration Dress Rehearsal.

 What do you think, doppelgängers? At Fort McNair talking to the PEOTUS, FLEOTUS, Mr. & Mrs. VP Elect #inaug2017 rehearsal stand-ins @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/o0GUt0u3ny — Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) January 12, 2017

 "I believe he's much handsomer than I but, I'm honored to be a part of this,” said President-Elect stand-in, SGT. MAJ. Greg Lowery.

 The four United States Army members were ‘elected’ by command and then went through an audition process to play these roles.

 Some may share a small resemblance to their counterparts, but that’s not why the four U.S. Army members were chosen. It’s actually because their height matches the prospective person they’ll be standing-in for.

 They group will have to re-enact everything from the swearing in, to moving around with security detail.

 It's all smiles now but come rehearsal, it's all business because everything they do could not only impact the safety of the people they're impersonating, but also how it airs to the world.

 "It's crucially important because the escorts to the President and First Lady will need to know their route. So they'll need to rehearse escorting someone and they'll need to set the heights of the microphones and the lighting, the camera angles to make sure that everything's perfect for the day of the inauguration so that all goes without a flaw,” said MSG Neil Ewachiw, playing the role of Vice President-elect, Michael Pence.

 The Joint Task Force National Region is directing rehearsals they and the stand-ins have once chance to fix any kinks at the one and only dress rehearsal to be held this Sunday, Jan. 15th.

 The stand-in’s are also part of the United States Army Band, “Pershing's Own.” As band members, they participated in their fair share of inaugurations … but never like this!

 "To take part in it, I just think it's thrilling,” said M SGT Leigh Ann Hinton, who plays the role of Karen Pence.

 "The peaceful transfer is really, it's the keystone of our Democracy so what we're celebrating is that act,” said MSG Ewachiw.

 Oh and on rehearsal day, they also have to dress the part, says ‘Melania Trump.’

 "It's really going to be really fun to wear a nice pair of heels and have some camera time,” said SPC Sara Corry before everyone smiled.

 (© 2017 WUSA) |||||


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What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– What was Michael Phelps doing before he was arrested on DUI charges early yesterday? According to TMZ and its "casino sources," he was on an eight-hour "gambling binge." The sources say Phelps was playing blackjack and drinking beer in a private VIP room at Baltimore's Horseshoe Casino starting around 5pm Monday; he left around 1am was pulled over around 1:40am a few miles from the casino. He's said to be a regular there, usually playing poker; it's not clear whether he played other card games Monday. Phelps apologized on Twitter yesterday: "I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility," he wrote. "I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down."