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BEIJING: China's highest paid movie star Fan Bingbing, who has not been seen in public since July, was placed last in an academic report ranking A-list celebrities on their social responsibility.

 The 36-year-old actress has been a household name in China for years and tasted Hollywood success with a role in the 2014 blockbuster "X-Men: Days of Future Past".

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 Last year, she topped Forbes magazine's list of top-earning Chinese celebrities with income of 300 million yuan (US$43 million).

 But she has gone quiet in recent months, following allegations of tax evasion.

 In the report by Beijing Normal University published earlier this month, 100 Chinese stars including popular actor Jackie Chan and award-winning actress Zhang Ziyi were ranked according to their professional work, charity work and personal integrity.

 But with a pass requiring a score of more than 60 per cent, only nine celebrities made the cut, with Chinese actor Xu Zheng topping the list at 78 per cent.

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 Fan had a score of zero.

 The report's authors said they studied the celebrities' behaviour to assess the extent of their social responsibility but did not elaborate how they arrived at the results, saying that the findings were based on "research and web-scraping".

 The ranking has split fans online, with many jumping to Fan's defence.

 "What kind of a report is this? Fan has done so much good work in the past!" one user wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo platform.

 Fan has been unusually quiet in recent months - with no new posts to her normally active personal Weibo account since May - amid speculation about her whereabouts.

 The actress's troubles began when Cui Yongyuan, a former presenter for state-run China Central Television (CCTV), posted purported contracts online in May that suggested she had received under-the-table payments.

 A statement released by Fan's studio said she was the victim of "slander" but did not dispute the authenticity of the documents Cui released.

 So-called "yin and yang" dual contract arrangements - with one contract for income declared to tax authorities and another kept secret - are reportedly used to evade taxes.

 After the documents posted by Cui went viral, the state tax administration was reportedly investigating alleged use of such dual contracts in the entertainment industry in eastern Jiangsu province.

 Although Fan was not mentioned by name, she has businesses registered in Jiangsu.

 State news agency Xinhua reported in late June that government agencies, including the tax authority and the film and broadcast regulator, would crack down on excessive pay and tax evasion in entertainment.

 Last month, nearly a dozen major Chinese film producers and video sites announced they also would boycott "unreasonable" pay for actors.

 Fan is one of five leading international actresses cast in the upcoming Hollywood spy thriller "355", alongside Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz. ||||| China's state media reported last week that one of its most successful actresses, Fan Bingbing, who vanished from the public eye without explanation in July, was "under control."

 Fan, who played Blink in the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," has not been seen in public since July 1 and last posted on social media on June 2.

 Many speculated that she was being held by the Chinese government over allegations of tax evasion.

 Fan played Blink in the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past." 20th Century Fox/XMen trailer

 Her disappearance came after Cui Yongyuan, a former TV host with the state-owned China Central Television, suggested that the actress had signed secret contracts with a Chinese entertainment company to avoid paying taxes.

 Last week, China's state-run Securities Daily said that Fan was "under control, and will accept the legal decision," several news outlets, including Taiwan News, reported.

 According to Taiwan News, the Securities Daily report added that the actress had been jailed and that what it described as a scandal related to signing multiple contracts to avoid paying higher taxes was only the "tip of the iceberg."

 The Securities Daily article appeared to have been taken down hours after it was published, according to Taiwan News.

 Other news outlets have for months speculated on Fan's whereabouts, and rumors circulated that she was living under house arrest, according to The Epoch Times, a US newspaper focusing on China.

 Her fiancé, the actor Li Chen, last posted on his social-media accounts in early July.

 Fan, right, with the actresses Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, and Lupita Nyong'o at the Cannes festival in May. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter

 China seems to be censoring news about her

 In late July, the independent Chinese newspaper The Economic Observer reported that police in Jiangsu province were examining Fan's financial case and that several of Fan's staff members were also under police investigation.

 It also reported that Fan and her brother were barred from leaving the country.

 But shortly after it was published, that report appeared to have been taken offline.

 Posts about Fan's whereabouts earlier this year were also removed from social media, according to Free Weibo, a website that tracks social-media censorship in China.

 Citing Free Weibo, the BBC reported in August that comments from Fan's supporters expressing concern also appeared to have been taken down.

 Fan at the 2017 Cannes film festival. Andreas Rentz/Getty

 The 36-year-old has been China's highest-paid actress since 2013, Forbes reported last year. It said she pulls in tens of millions of dollars for her acting roles, as well as several high-end endorsements.

 In June, Fan's studio denied allegations that Fan had signed multiple contracts to evade taxes, saying: "The studio and Fan Bingbing will fully cooperate with the relevant authority. We hope the investigation result can be released soon to answer the public doubt."

 A recent report by academics at Beijing Normal University ranked Fan the lowest in a "social responsibility assessment" of Chinese film and television stars.

 The report evaluated celebrities on three criteria — professional work, charitable work, and integrity — based on media reports over the past year. It found that Fan scored zero out of 100 points.

 Rumors have circulated online that Fan's low score may have resulted from the allegations of criminal activity against her.

 Alexandra Ma contributed to this report. ||||| Here’s the complete 2017 Forbes China Celebrity List published in the latest edition of Forbes China, the Chinese-language edition of Forbes magazine. Revenue generated is in yuan. Click here for the full list in Chinese, and here for an introduction in English.

 1. Fan Bingbing, actress, 300 million yuan

 2. Lu Han, actor and singer, 210 million yuan

 3. Yang Mi, actress, 200 million yuan

 4. Zhao Liying, actress, 190 million yuan

 5. Yang Yang, actor, 240 million yuan

 6. Liu Tao, actress, 180 million yuan

 7. Jackie Chan, actor and director, 330 million yuan

 8. Angelababy, actress, 200 million yuan

 9. Jay Chou, singer and actor, 260 million yuan

 10. Kris Wu, actor and singer, 150 million yuan

 11. Li Yifeng, actor and singer, 100 million yuan

 12. Deng Chao, actor, 150 million yuan

 13. Sun Li, actress, 150 million yuan

 14. Tang Yan, actress, 120 million yuan

 15. Chen Kun, actor, 180 million yuan

 16. Huang Xiaoming, actor, 170 million yuan

 17. TFBOYS, musical group, 100 million yuan

 18. Hu Ge, actor, 55 million yuan

 19. Liu Shishi, actress, 85 million yuan

 20. Zhang Yixing, singer and actor, 120 million yuan

 21. William Chan, actor and singer, 120 million yuan

 22. Wallace Huo, actor, 75 million yuan

 23. Liu Yifei, actress, 40 million yuan

 24. Jing Boran, actor and singer, 130 million yuan

 25. Huang Zitao, singer, 90 million yuan

 26. Wu Xiubo, actor, 100 million yuan

 27. Andy Lau, actor and singer, 140 million yuan

 28. Zhao Wei, actress, 40 million yuan

 29. Li Bingbing, actress, 85 million yuan

 30. Huang Bo, actor, 130 million yuan

 31. Wallace Chung, actor, 150 million yuan

 32. Lin Chi-Ling, actress, 145 million yuan

 33. Jia Nailiang, actor, 140 million yuan

 34. Chris Lee, singer, 95 million yuan

 35. Jing Tian, actress, 50 million yuan

 36. Mark Chao, actor, 60 million yuan

 37. Dilraba, actress, 55 million yuan

 38. Tong Liya, actress, 80 million yuan

 39. Zheng Shuang, actress, 70 million yuan

 40. Chen Xuedong, actor, 75 million yuan

 41. He Jiong, TV host, 55 million yuan

 42. Wang Kai, actor, 70 million yuan

 43. Lin Gengxin, actor, 100 million yuan

 44. Xue Zhiqian, singer, 80 million yuan

 45. Faye Wong, singer, 90 million yuan

 46. Eddie Peng, actor, 75 million yuan

 47. Lu Yi, actor, 100 million yuan

 48. Shu Qi, actress, 45 million yuan

 49. Nicky Wu, actor, 110 million yuan

 50. Jin Dong, actor, 85 million yuan

 51. Joe Chen, actress, 85 million yuan

 52. Liu Wen, super model, 50 million yuan

 53. Guo Degang, crosstalk actor, 85 million yuan

 54. Chen He, actor, 80 million yuan

 55. Li Chen, actor, 70 million yuan

 56. Jiang Xin, actress, 70 million yuan

 57. Jacky Cheung, singer, 120 million yuan

 58. Eason Chan, singer and actor, 90 million yuan

 59. Donnie Yen, actor, 90 million yuan

 60. Zhou Xun, actress, 95 million yuan

 61. Louis Koo, actor, 110 million yuan

 62. Huang Lei, actor, 90 million yuan

 63. Wu Lei, actor, 80 million yuan

 64. Sun Honglei, actor, 85 million yuan

 65. Show Lo, singer and actor, 80 million yuan

 66. Tony Leung, actor, 80 million yuan

 67. Zheng Kai, actor, 90 million yuan

 68. Ruby Lin, actress, 40 million yuan

 69. Sun Yang, athlete, 60 million yuan

 70. Zhang Yishan, actor, 85 million yuan

 71. Zhou Dongyu, actress, 45 million yuan

 72. Ni Ni, actress, 50 million yuan

 73. Yang Zi, actress, 50 million yuan

 74. Song Qian, actress, 50 million yuan

 75. Xie Na, TV host and actress, 40 million yuan

 76. Hawick Lau, actor, 75 million yuan

 77. Mayday, musical group, 95 million yuan

 78. Huang Xuan, actor, 50 million yuan

 79. Ma Sichun, actress, 40 million yuan

 80. Guan Xiaotong, actress, 70 million yuan

 81. Chen Daoming, actor, 35 million yuan

 82. Carina Lau, actress, 60 million yuan

 83. Jolin Tsai, singer, 50 million yuan

 84. Nicholas Tse, actor and singer, 60 million yuan

 85. Aaron Kwok, actor and singer, 55 million yuan

 86. Gao Yuanyuan, actress, 50 million yuan

 87. Wang Ziwen, actress, 45 million yuan

 88. Kevin Tsai, TV host, 40 million yuan

 89. Liu Haoran, actor, 80 million yuan

 90. Han Han, author and director, 70 million yuan

 91. Feng Xiaogang, director, 50 million yuan

 92. Xu Zheng, actor and director, 50 million yuan

 93. Zhang Jiayi, actor, 90 million yuan

 94. Zhang Ruoyun, actor, 90 million yuan

 95. Ma Tianyu, singer and actor, 60 million yuan

 96. Zhang Jie, singer, 45 million yuan

 97. A Mei, singer, 75 million yuan

 98. Zhang Yimou, director, 40 million yuan

 99. Feng Shaofeng, actor, 40 million yuan

 100. Li Qin, actress, 60 million yuan

 --Translation by Jessica Jiang

 -Follow me on Twitter @rflannerychina ||||| Image copyright WireImage Image caption Fan Bingbing, who got a 0% score in the report, has not been seen in public since 1 July

 Chinese film star Fan Bingbing has been ranked last in a report judging A-list celebrities on how "socially responsible" they are, fuelling further speculation about the whereabouts of the actress, who has not been seen in public for more than two months.

 The 2017-2018 China Film and Television Star Social Responsibility Report, carried widely by state media outlets, ranks Chinese celebrities according to three criteria: professional work, charitable actions and personal integrity.

 It praises celebrities who have become "relatively strong role models", but also highlights cases where it says they have had a "negative" social impact.

 But what is most notable is its 0% rating for Fan Bingbing, one of China's biggest stars, who hasn't been seen in public since 1 July when she visited a children's hospital.

 The report was authored by academics at Beijing Normal University.

 Who is Fan Bingbing?

 She is known internationally as a singer and model, as well as for her appearance in the X-Men film franchise.

 Her name has been linked to a government probe involving celebrities using "yin-yang contracts" - a practice where one contract sets out an actor's real earnings, and another details a lower figure, with the latter submitted to the tax authorities.

 Although Fan Bingbing's studio denies any wrongdoing, online users are speculating that the reason she scored 0% is a result of the widely-circulated allegations, which state media have said have had a negative impact on society.

 There is no word on what has happened to Fan. However there is speculation she has been arrested.

 Most recently, state-run Chinese publication Securities Daily published a report which said she had been placed "under control, and would "accept the legal decision".

 But the story was pulled down a few hours later.

 How does the report rank stars?

 The authors said they studied the behaviour of 100 Chinese singers, actors, and public figures - based in China and abroad - to assess the extent of their social responsibility.

 They did not specify exactly how they arrived at the results in the test, but said that their findings were based on "research and web-scraping".

 Image copyright Visual China Group Image caption The three members of boyband TFBoys passed the 'socially responsible' test

 Only nine celebrities were deemed to be socially responsible enough, however, with a pass requiring a score of more than 60%.The report stressed that celebrities had to do more to promote "positive energy" and hinted that they needed to be more aware of behaviour and actions that might have a "negative social impact".

 "We wanted to have a more thorough evaluation of celebrities," Zhang Hongzhong, who led the project, told English-language news website Sixth Tone.

 He said that many celebrities were in danger of being simply branded "little fresh meats" - an internet buzzword used to describe good looking young men - and that their activism and philanthropy work was often overlooked.

 So who passed?

 Top of the list is actor Xu Zheng (78%), who appeared in the highly acclaimed film Dying to Survive. The film was based on a true story about a Chinese man smuggling cheap Indian drugs into the mainland to help cancer sufferers.

 Image copyright AFP Image caption The Chinese government wants actors like Wu Zheng in 'Dying to Survive' to inspire young people

 Two and three in the list are members of the hugely popular boy band TFBoys, in recognition of their philanthropic work. Another member comes fifth.

 Actor Yang Yang (61.%), who ranks ninth, is highlighted because he set up a charity to help educate underprivileged children in remote mountainous regions.

 How did people react?

 State media are highlighting the report as a significant document, and outlets are praising the higher-ranked celebrities.

 Social media users meanwhile - who have been long been fascinated by celebrity rankings - are weighing in on what the document might mean for their favourite celebrities, particularly Fan Bingbing.

 Many users of the Sina Weibo microblog have voiced their surprise and concern that she has ranked so low, given there is no evidence of her being involved in any misconduct.

 Image copyright Visual China Group Image caption Actor Jackie Chan recently donated 50,000 copies of his autobiography to the China Disabled Persons' Federation

 "Fan Bingbing has been working on a public welfare project," one user said. Another added that for her to get zero was "not right; she does a lot of public welfare."

 "When the Tianjin fire broke out, Fan Bingbing donated one million yuan ($145,655; £112,565) to the Tianjin Fire Brigade. Has all the good she's done before just been erased?" one asked.

 The bad ratings given to other celebrities has caused annoyance as well. One user, for instance, pointed out that actor Jackie Chan and Tibetan singer Han Hong, who rank 42nd and 59th, are well-known philanthropists.

 Why does this report matter?

 Chinese celebrities have long understood that taking a path of "virtue" is key to maintaining mainland audiences, and that it's extremely difficult to bounce back after being linked to scandal.

 The country's media has also long stressed that celebrities need to spread "positive energy" among young audiences; in other words, to be upbeat and promote healthy moral values.

 So they have lauded celebrities who have, for example, openly condemned tobacco or drug use.

 But celebrities who voice opinions in line with government rhetoric gain even higher praise, for example if they promote the importance of young audiences referring to the self-ruling island of Taiwan as a "Chinese region" rather than a "country".

 This latest emphasis on social responsibility, which media and fans alike are taking as a new mark of power, could now put more pressure on them to do just that.

 BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. |||||

– Academics at Beijing Normal University recently compiled a report ranking how "socially responsible" Chinese celebrities are, and China's highest-paid actress, Fan Bingbing, received a 0% rating—which would be eyebrow-raising enough, except that Fan has also gone missing. The BBC reports the 36-year-old X-Men actress, model, and singer hasn't been seen since her last public showing at a children's hospital on July 1, and Business Insider notes her social media posts dried up about a month before that. Her boyfriend, actor Li Chen, also seemingly vanished at the beginning of the summer. Meanwhile, a watchdog site covering social media censorship in China notes that concerned supporters who wondered online what had happened to Fan have since seen their posts scrubbed. Fan vanished not long after state-run TV suggested the contract with her entertainment company misrepresented what she earned so she could pay less in taxes. Her studio said the report was "slander," per Channel NewsAsia. Then came the celebrity-ranking report in which Fan ranked last, with just nine of the 100 celebrities reviewed on their work, philanthropy, and personal integrity deemed to be "socially responsible." The BBC notes that celebrities "who voice opinions in line with government rhetoric" generally get more praise and positive press in China. There have been whispers Fan was arrested by the Chinese government for tax evasion, and a cryptic article has fueled that rumor: The state-run Securities Daily posted a story last week saying Fan was "under control" and "will accept the legal decision"; the article was yanked a few hours later.


Article:
Trigger warning: child loss

 We were never supposed to leave our beach vacation early to plan a funeral for our 3-year-old son. And, yet, within the course of one week, we had driven to the beach, returned without him, and held his funeral.

 Do you know that drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause in ages 1-14? Do you know that 69% of children who drown are not expected to be swimming, yet they are found in water? Do you know that a child can drown in less than one minute?

 Unfortunately, I know these facts all too well. On June 10, 2018, my three year old son, Levi, drowned while on vacation in Fort Morgan, AL.

 There is a misconception that drowning only happens when you are swimming. But, drowning also happens when you are 200 feet away from a pool, upstairs, eating Cheetos, wearing your neon yellow crab-hunting shirt, when you leave your mom’s side, even though you are usually Velcro-ed to her. Drowning isn’t splashing and yelling. It is silent, and it takes SECONDS.

 I have always taken water safety seriously. In each of the pictures I have of my son’s final day, he is wearing a life jacket. Flying a kite with his dad? Life jacket. Eating M&M’s in a beach chair? Life jacket.

 How could I have known that every parent’s worst nightmare would be my reality? It happened so quickly. I don’t know how Levi got away from us as we were cleaning up from dinner, or what lured him to go outside alone. I was the one who found him, face down, in the deep end. Just moments before this horrific discovery, I split a brownie with him. I still had the other half of the brownie in my mouth when I jumped into the pool to grab my son. Mere moments, seconds.

 We had six physicians on our trip, including my own husband. If Levi could have been saved by desperation, skill, and love, he would still be here. Yet, how did I not fully realize just how quickly a child can drown? They initiated CPR immediately, even intubated him before the ambulance arrived. But Levi could not be saved, even with this immediate response.

 In the days after we lost Levi, when we were forced to stumble forward without our baby boy, I started researching. I am (was?) on my third journey of parenting a child in the 1-4 age group. Why did I not know that drowning is the leading cause of death? Of course, I knew drowning was a potential danger. We utilized life jackets, swim lessons, supervision while swimming. But why did I not know about the dangers of drowning during NON-SWIMMING times? How did I not know it took less than one minute?

 Why is my mom-brain filled with internal debates about screen time, organic fruit, and sunscreen free of oxybenzone? I still cut my 9-year-old’s grapes. I buy DHA milk. I worry that the hours of YouTube my kids watch will prevent them from being functioning adults one day. These are the topics that are pushed in my direction, the worries that I have grasped onto as I navigate parenting. Well, the unfortunate irony here is that I had taken the iPhone away from my son not too long before he slipped away from us. I sure wish I had cared a little less about screen time that night.

 The more I researched, the angrier I became. Oh, and I had to search. Why are discussions about drowning almost an afterthought? Background noise? This is a LEADING cause of death, and it is 100% PREVENTABLE. Yes, there are news stories, but we have become numb to these “don’t forget to watch your kids while swimming” factual articles that are regurgitated each year and the faded “no lifeguard on duty” signs stuck on a wall by a pool.

 The harsh reality is that Levi’s death rests on me. These are the hardest words I will ever have to admit, but the truth is that I failed my son, failed to keep him safe. Yes, this accident happened in moments. But, the fact that I have to live with for the rest of my life is that losing Levi was preventable. I am not trying to push blame off of my shoulders. But, I sure wish I had known these statistics before June 10.

 For the last month, I have fueled my grief and anger into action. Based on the research on drowning, I have created a non-profit called Levi’s Legacy. My mission is to eradicate drowning completely. You can read more about my mission (and about designated supervision) at www.levislegacy.com.

 So, here I am, a grieving mother facing a future I would never have imagined. Lying in bed and sobbing will not bring him back (oh, but if it would). I don’t want this role of water-safety advocate. I want 30 seconds back on June 10. But I am determined to share these facts I so desperately wish I had known. Levi’s message has already spread, but now, it’s time to take the next step, and it is a big one.

 American Academy of Pediatrics, I am asking for your help. We need you. I say this as someone who is married to a physician and who respects my own pediatrician very much. But, thousands of people have reached out to me over the last month sharing the same comment each time: “I had no idea. Why didn’t I know any of this about drowning?”

 I am well aware how much a pediatrician has to cover during a well-child visit: build a relationship, answer questions, prepare for milestones, look into the ears of a squirming child. Pediatricians have thousands of topics they must be knowledgable of and share with parents. Therefore, American Academy of Pediatrics, you play a major role in setting priorities and equipping your pediatricians with the resources they need in order to inform parents and help eliminate this preventable tragedy. Parents of young children, especially in the age range of 1-4, should be given a handout that clearly explains the statistics on drowning. On the questionnaire, when I fill out it if my child can hold a crayon, hop on one foot, or sleep through the night, there needs to be a section on water safety. American Academy of Pediatrics, you have the platform and power to reach millions. Please, please join this cause.

 The AAP has a website for parents (www.healthychildren.org); on July 11, 2018, in the middle of summer, do you know how many times “drowning” was displayed on the homepage? Zero. When I searched “drowning,” I found a list of 17 total items, with articles from 2017 and 2014 being at the top. These articles include information that is so dull that nobody will read it (assuming anyone searches). They include information on how to tell if your child is drowning, such as: “eyes closed / not using legs/ appearing to be climbing an invisible ladder.” Not only is this a waste of words (is a parent seriously going to go through this mental checklist before saving a child?), but it just reinforces to people the incorrect assumption that drowning means splashing and yelling.

 A 3-year-old can drown in less than one minute: silently and without a struggle. The articles also fail to mention how often (the majority of times) drowning happens when not swimming. I am like any other mom: winging it, doing my best, and depending on parenting guidance from pediatricians and parenting articles. How else am I supposed to know what I am doing? Drowning needs to be addressed with as much concern as newborns sleeping on their backs to sleep, vaccinations, and car seat safety. Drowning is just as deadly and just as preventable. Drowning is a leading cause of death in children, and it needs to be treated as such. Can we please start talking about it?

 I want to make it clear that hundreds of pediatricians and other medical professionals have reached out to me about Levi’s story. I am encouraged, humbled, and touched by how many of these influential people are already advocating for water safety and want to continue to be part of this solution. Thank you. I hope to get the same response from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

 I used to be the parent who would read a story like this one and immediately start scanning, looking for a loophole, desperate for the detail that would exempt me from this particular nightmare ever being mine. But, it turns out, tragedy does not play fair. My son is gone. And, yet, we are choosing to live a purposeful life in the midst of this ultimate despair.

 We have two daughters, Levi’s older sisters, whom he adored, and we cannot let them lose us, too. This pain is unimaginable, but every second is a CHOICE. I am choosing to breathe, choosing to advocate. The pain and darkness threaten to suffocate. But when I choose to turn on the light, I see goodness. People are hearing Levi’s message, questioning why they didn’t know the truth about drowning, taking action.

 We have a chance to change the future, to save sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Trust me, I never imagined myself in the role of water-safety advocate until I was thrust into it by my grief. Drowning is a leading cause of death and is 100% preventable. We can do better. We can fix this for our children. ||||| Bode Miller‘s wife, Morgan Beck Miller, does not want another parent to know the pain she and her husband are going through after their 19-month-old daughter drowned in a backyard pool accident.

 The mother of two, 31, shared a photo of her and Miller’s late daughter Emeline Grier in the snow on Tuesday. Beck Miller shared a heartfelt message to other parents, urging them to speak more about preventing drowning than topics like organic foods or how long children stare at a screen.

 “It’s been 37 days since I’ve held my baby girl. I pray to God no other parent feels this pain. My heart is with you @nicolehughes8 as we walk this journey together,” she wrote in the caption, naming another mother whose child drowned. “And thank you @scarymommy for helping us spread awareness.”

 “PLEASE READ! Link in bio! Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of death in children ages 1-4. We talk about vaccinations, car seats, organic foods, screen time, etc at length…but not the number one risk your children’s’ lives face…a silent killer,” she added. “It takes SECONDS. Please share and help us spread awareness. It’s the first step to preventing these types of tragedies. #drowning#drowningprevention#truthaboutdrowning.”

 A rep for Miller did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

 Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter.

 In early June, Emeline drowned in a pool in the neighborhood of Coto de Caza, California. The Orange County Fire Department said at the time that paramedics were rushed to the scene and performed CPR before transporting her to a nearby hospital where she was unable to be resuscitated.

 Miller and Beck Miller married in 2012 and share two children together, including Emeline. Before her death, however, the couple announced they were expecting their third child together on Instagram.

 Bode, 40, and Morgan are parents to 3-year-old son Nash Skan, and Miller is also a father to two children from previous relationships: son Samuel, 5, and daughter Neesyn, 10.

 Beck Miller implored parents to read a story written by another parent who lost her son when he drowned on a recent family vacation.

 Nicole Hughes’ 3-year-old son, Levi, drowned in a pool in Fort Morgan, Alabama, on June 10. In a first-person piece for blog Scary Mommy, Hughes warned that her son silently drowned within seconds.

 “It happened so quickly. I don’t know how Levi got away from us as we were cleaning up from dinner, or what lured him to go outside alone,” Hughes wrote.

 “I was the one who found him, face down, in the deep end. Just moments before this horrific discovery, I split a brownie with him. I still had the other half of the brownie in my mouth when I jumped into the pool to grab my son. Mere moments, seconds.”

 While still struggling to come to terms with what happened, Hughes is doing what she can so it does not happen to another child and created a non-profit called Levi’s Legacy.

 “Lying in bed and sobbing will not bring him back (oh, but if it would). I don’t want this role of water-safety advocate. I want 30 seconds back on June 10. But I am determined to share these facts I so desperately wish I had known.” |||||Summary:

– The wife of Olympic skier Bode Miler has spoken out on the tragic death of 19-month-old daughter Emeline—and says she doesn't want any other mother to experience what she is going through. "It’s been 37 days since I’ve held my baby girl. I pray to God no other parent feels this pain," Morgan Beck Miller wrote in an Instagram post, sharing a picture of Emeline and a link to another grieving mother's story of how her 3-year-old son drowned on a family holiday. Authorities say Emeline drowned in a "very short amount of time" last month after wandering away from her mother and falling in a backyard pool. In her post, Beck Miller, who has a 3-year-old son and is expecting a third child, said parents discuss issues like vaccinations and screen time at length but rarely talk about drowning, People reports. "Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of death in children ages 1-4," she wrote. “It takes SECONDS. Please share and help us spread awareness." In an earlier Instagram post, Beck Miller thanked everybody who had supported the family and said money raised in a GoFundMe campaign would go to causes connected to water safety education. "We are inspired to make our baby girls memory go forth and help prevent as many drownings as possible," she wrote. (Earlier this month, a California woman drowned trying to rescue her three children.)


Write an article based on this summary:

– Texas likely won't be forced to redraw electoral districts a court found were intentionally designed to weaken the influence of minority voters before the 2018 midterm elections. In a 5-4 decision along partisan lines Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted a request from Texas that it keep its congressional map, instituted by Texas Republicans in 2013, until the Supreme Court reviews a lower court's decision, reports the Washington Post. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel ruled in August that two Texas congressional districts and state house districts in four counties discriminated against minority voters, who typically vote for Democrats, and therefore violated the Constitution and Voting Rights Act, per CNN. The Supreme Court gave no reason for its Tuesday decision as is normal in such cases, per Politico. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had argued a different outcome would've put "the electoral process in disarray" since districts must be decided by Oct. 1. A voting rights attorney representing the case's challengers says she is disappointed by the decision but hopes the court later "realizes that Texas sought to purposefully minimize the political power of voters of color." One law expert tells CNN, however, that "the 5-4 split indicates that the map's challengers may have a tough time before the Justices when the (Supreme) Court eventually hears this case." Texas must first file an appeal to the August ruling.

(CNN) A closely divided Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of Texas on Tuesday night, freezing a lower court opinion that had invalidated two congressional districts and state house districts in four counties. The ruling means the current state electoral maps will stay in effect pending appeal.

 The ruling is a victory -- for now -- for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had argued that the lower court opinion would have thrown "the electoral process in disarray" because districts must be determined by October 1.

 "The lower court here struck down the maps as an intentional racial gerrymander," said Joshua A. Douglas an election law expert at the University of Kentucky College of Law. "Although just a preliminary decision that puts the lower court's decision on hold, the 5-4 split indicates that the map's challengers may have a tough time before the Justices when the (Supreme) Court eventually hears this case."

 The four liberal justices on the court -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- noted that they would have denied Texas' request.

 Allison Riggs, senior voting rights attorney for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, who represents the challengers in the case, said she was disappointed by the "inexplicable ruling."

 Read More ||||| A collection of websites selected and archived by the National Library of Medicine on biomedical, clinical, cultural, and social aspects of HIV/AIDS in the early 21st century. Website captures began in 2016 and are ongoing. The collection’s principal themes are HIV treatment, HIV prevention, biomedical research on HIV/AIDS, clinical care for HIV patients, living with HIV, and social-cultural responses to HIV/AIDS. The collection includes websites for U.S. federal agencies, state public health HIV/AIDS departments, community organizations, international clinical trial and vaccine research sites, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and a wide array of social media including blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and more. ||||| Over the objections of four liberal justices, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday night that Texas does not immediately have to redraw electoral districts that a lower court found diminished the influence of minority voters.

 The 5-to-4 ruling almost surely means the 2018 midterm elections will be conducted in the disputed congressional and legislative districts.

 The justices gave no reasons in their one-paragraph statement granting a request from Texas that it not be forced to draw new districts until the Supreme Court reviewed the lower court's decision.

 [After losses on voting rights and districts, Texas looks to Supreme Court]

 But the court's liberals — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — signaled their unhappiness by noting they would not have agreed to Texas's request.

 The court's intervention was a victory for Texas Republicans, who had drawn the districts. It disappointed civil rights groups, who had noted that even though growth in the state's Hispanic population was the reason for additional congressional seats, none were drawn to favor minority candidates.

 The decision was yet another indication of the influence of President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who joined the court in April. Without a full complement of five conservative justices, the court likely would have tied 4 to 4, and Texas's request for a stay would have failed.

 The state has been in the midst of an extraordinary losing streak in federal courts over the way it conducts elections.

 Over the latter part of the summer, federal judges in four separate cases ruled that the Texas Legislature discriminated against minorities in drawing congressional and legislative districts, setting ID requirements for voters and even regulating who can assist voters whose first language is not English.

 Two courts are considering whether the actions were intended to discourage African American and Hispanic voters. If the courts find that the efforts were intentional, it could return Texas to the kind of federal oversight from which the Supreme Court freed it and other mostly Southern states in the landmark 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder.

 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) called the rulings "outrageous" and "astonishing."

 A lower court overseeing the redistricting cases called for a special session of the Texas Legislature to redraw the electoral lines. But Paxton went quickly to the Supreme Court, saying it would be a waste of time if the Supreme Court ultimately agreed with Texas that the districts did not have to be redrawn.

 The decision by a three-judge panel ordering new districts "is not just wrong, but egregiously so," Paxton told the court in a brief.

 Without a special session or a court redrawing the legislative and congressional district lines, it would seem impossible to have the new districts in place in time for the 2018 elections. Redrawn districts probably would have increased the chances for Democrats and minorities to capture them. |||||


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An Afghan policeman stands near a vehicle which carried the deputy governor of Kandahar province, Abdul Latif Ashna, in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. A suicide bomber... (Associated Press)

 An Afghan policeman stands near a vehicle which carried the deputy governor of Kandahar province, Abdul Latif Ashna, in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. A suicide bomber... (Associated Press)

 A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with explosives rammed into a car carrying the deputy governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Saturday, killing him and wounding three of his bodyguards, the Interior Ministry said.

 The attacker struck as the official, Abdul Latif Ashna, was being driven to work in the provincial capital, said a ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashary.

 The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a text message to reporters, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef said the suicide bomber killed the deputy governor as well as three of his body guards and his driver.

 U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, who was traveling in Kandahar, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the assassination.

 Kandahar, located in the Taliban's traditional southern stronghold, has been the scene of several attacks recently. Two weeks ago a bicycle bomb targeting police vehicles near the city center wounded at least 10 people _ six civilians and four police. Last month, a suicide car bombing in the city center killed three people and wounded 26 others, most of them police.

 "The enemies of Afghanistan cannot stop the Afghan people from development and progress by killing such personalities," Karzai said in a statement. "There are thousands of other brave Afghans who will stand against the enemy and serve the people."

 Also on Saturday, Karzai expressed his sadness over the deaths of six members of a prominent Afghan family who were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up Friday at Kabul supermarket frequented by affluent Afghans and foreigners.

 In a statement, Karzai said Dr. Massoud Yama, a young doctor at a military hospital, his wife, Hamida Barmaki, a political science professor at Kabul University, and their four children died in the attack. She was an activist and served on the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

 Yama's mother and Barmaki's mother-in-law is former Afghan senator Maboba Hoqiqmal, who currently is Karzai's legal affairs adviser.

 Afghan police officials said initially that two or three foreigners were among eight people killed in the bombing. However, the Kabul Police Department released a statement Saturday evening saying that no foreigners died in the incident. So far, no foreign embassy has confirmed the death of any foreign victims.

 Mohammad Zahir, the chief of criminal investigation for the Kabul police, said one man, one boy and six females _ all Afghan _ died in the blast. Fifteen other people were injured in the explosion _ 10 Afghans and five foreigners, he said.

 The Taliban said their target was an official with the U.S.-based Xe security contractor, formerly known as Blackwater. A representative for USTC Holdings, which recently bought the North Carolina-based Xe, said no one associated with the company was killed or wounded in the bombing.

 A senior international intelligence official in Kabul said Saturday that the Taliban's Haqqani network, which has ties to al-Qaida, carried out the attack, but that there was no intelligence to suggest that the security contractor was being targeted. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose the information.

 Elsewhere in the capital, more than 200 demonstrators rallied at the Iranian Embassy to protest the execution of Afghans in Iran and call on Tehran to release Afghan political prisoners. Similar protests, all organized by the National Solidarity Party, attracted hundreds of other demonstrators in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Herat in the west.

 Protesters in Kabul carried signs that said "Death to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," showed photographs of Afghans held in Iran and depicted blood dripping from the red stripe of the Iranian flag.

 Afghan lawmakers have claimed that as many as 45 Afghans had been executed in Iran, but the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that number is exaggerated. The ministry, which has raised the issue with Iranian officials in Tehran, has confirmed the execution of six Afghans in Iran but has not provided details about why they were killed.

 "The ones fighting for freedom have been jailed in Iran," said Mohammad Yama, who helped organize the protest in Kabul. "We are here to show our unity. We wanted to burn down our effigy of Ahmadinejad, but the Afghan police took it away."

 In a ceremony at the Afghan Ministry of Defense, the deputy chief of staff for operations of the U.S.-led coalition, John W. Nicholson, was promoted to the rank of major general and will now be the force's point man for transferring the responsibility for security from international forces to Afghan ones by the end of 2014.

 The Afghan Army's Chief of Operations, Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, pinned the second star on Nicholson during the ceremony attended by Gen. David Petraeus, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan. Nicholson, who has served as a brigade commander in the east and deputy commander for the south, directed the Joint Staff's Pakistan-Afghanistan coordination cell before returning to the country last month.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Heidi Vogt in Kandahar and Deb Riechmann and Patrick Quinn in Kabul contributed to this report. ||||| A motorcycle-borne suicide bomber killed the deputy governor of strategic Kandahar province Saturday, raising fears that insurgents were reigniting a campaign of assassinations of public servants that terrorized the south's main urban hub for much of last year.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed Abdul Latif Ashna and injured three of his bodyguards as he was driving to work in Kandahar city. It was the highest-profile strike of its kind in months.A wave of political assassinations in and around Kandahar -- including that of the city's deputy mayor last April as he prayed in a mosque, and his successor, six months later -- spiked in the spring and summer of 2010. But the killings had subsided in recent months as NATO and Afghan forces consolidated their grip on several key districts surrounding the city.Western military officials hope that improving security in the province, the traditional heartland of the Taliban, will pave the way for better governance and public services, and in turn help build backing for the beleaguered administration of President Hamid Karzai while sapping support for the insurgency. But the insurgents' killing of public officials, tribal elders and other influential figures undermines that goal.Karzai condemned the attack, as did U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry and the NATO force. Eikenberry, offering condolences while on a visit to the province, called it a "vicious assassination" and a setback to efforts to stabilize Kandahar.U.S. military officials say their operations in Kandahar are pivotal to the overall war effort, now in its 10th year. Much of last year's troop surge, which brought American forces in the country to 100,000, was centered in Kandahar and neighboring Helmand province. Last year was the deadliest of the war to date for U.S. and other Western troops, with the spike in casualties attributed to grappling with the Taliban movement on its home turf.Senior Western commanders have acknowledged that it will not be known until spring whether U.S.-led forces will be able to consolidate what they described as significant and hard-fought military gains in three districts surrounding Kandahar city.Taliban fighters usually use the winter months to rest and regroup across the border in Pakistan, but U.S. commanders say the insurgency has been considerably weakened by targeted strikes, mainly carried out by special operations forces, which have decimated movement's midlevel field command. Even so, the Taliban last year made inroads in some previously calm areas of the country, and the movement's leaders have rebuffed efforts to bring them to the bargaining table. |||||

– A suicide bomber on an explosives-laden motorbike rammed the car of Kandahar's deputy governor today as he was on his way to work, killing him and wounding three of his bodyguards. The Taliban have claimed responsibility, reports the AP, but the Los Angeles Times notes that Abdul Latif Ashna's slaying raises the specter of last year's wave of political assassinations around Kandahar. The province is seen as vital in the Afghanistan war. "The enemies of Afghanistan cannot stop the Afghan people from development and progress by killing such personalities," said President Hamid Karzai in a statement condemning the attack. "There are thousands of other brave Afghans who will stand against the enemy and serve the people."


Here is a news article: These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Chuck Burton/ap Anthony Scott holds a photo of himself (center) and his brothers Walter (left) and Rodney this week at his North Charleston home. Walter Scott was killed by a police officer after a traffic stop last week. The officer, Michael Slager, is charged with murder.

 Some 15 years ago, long before Walter Scott's death by a North Charleston police officer made national headlines, a family court judge threw him in jail for 15 days because he hadn't made his child support payments.

 Read more: For complete coverage of the Walter Scott shooting, go to postandcourier.com/Walter-Scott.

 Scott already knew how the system worked — he owed support for two children, and then two more — but he claimed at the time that the Department of Social Services sent some of his money to the wrong mother.

 Nevertheless, he went to jail. And then he lost his $35,000-a-year job at a film company.

 “I got mad at everybody in the whole world because I just lost the best job I ever had,” Scott told The Post and Courier in 2003. “I just stopped doing everything. I just closed myself into a little shell and started doing things I shouldn't have been doing.”

 He drank. He found odd jobs. Still, he couldn't make enough money to make the payments he owed.

 “I didn't even care if I lived or died,” he said.

 Then, Scott seemed to turn a corner. He was featured in an article about a promising program called “Father to Father,” designed to help men who had fallen behind on their payments. He admitted his mistakes, then turned himself in to the state for even more missed child-support payments. He spent another five months in jail.

 “This whole time in jail, my child support is still going up,” he said. “I said, 'Man, you got four kids depending on you, and you got people in your life that love you. You got to get it together.' ”

 Past due

 Maybe Walter Scott eventually became the father he hoped he could be. Maybe “Father to Father” helped him find the footing he needed to support his family. Maybe it didn't. After all, those child support payments caught up with him again.

 He owed nearly $18,104 in child support, according to court documents. He'd already been jailed three previous times.

 “He said that's what he would do, he would run, because he's not going to jail for child support,” his brother, Rodney Scott, told MSNBC on Wednesday. Walter Scott, father of four, was a wanted man. Like untold thousands of other South Carolinians, a warrant had been issued for his arrest because, once again, he hadn't paid his child support.

 State law allows county court clerks to issue bench warrants once these bills are only five days past due. The state can levy a variety of other penalties, including revoking someone's driver's license or garnishing their wages, for failure to pay child support, but many of the offenders languish in county jails across the state. There, child support bills continue to accumulate, setting many men up for a seemingly endless cycle of failure, some advocates say.

 “I hate it to see when fathers don't pay child support,” said Sue Berkowitz, executive director of the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center, but “killing someone over it — that's just mind-boggling.”

 'Treating debtors like criminals'

 Richard Barr, director of community development for the S.C. Center for Fathers and Families, called South Carolina's child support collection policy — known as “Rule 24” — among the strictest in the country. A bill five days past due hardly warrants jail time, he argued.

 “That's tough,” Barr said. “If that happened to me every time my credit card came out, I'd be in trouble.”

 Barr, and others, say child support enforcement shouldn't be a public safety issue anyway.

 “When you make a family issue a policing issue, what you literally do is end up treating debtors like criminals,” he said. “It's very different to be wanted for murder and to be behind on a bill.”

 DSS, which manages 75 percent of all child support cases here, said it doesn't know how many active warrants have been issued for men and women in South Carolina who have failed to make timely child support payments. Court clerks in Charleston and Dorchester counties would not provide their own numbers.

 Sandra Holland, support enforcement supervisor for Berkeley County Family Court, said there are currently 1,103 active bench warrants for failure to pay support in Berkeley County alone.

 “There is no question that there are lots and lots of people who are behind. The caseloads are phenomenal,” Berkowitz said. “At one point, a couple of years ago, our DSS child support attorneys had some of the highest caseloads in the country. They're dealing with huge volume and huge numbers and they don't always have the resources to track someone down.”

 Supreme Court case

 Berkowitz said the number of bench warrants issued for failure to pay child support seemed to abate after a U.S. Supreme Court case four years ago forced state child support agencies and family courts across the country to re-evaluate their policies. The federal case actually originated in the Upstate after Michael Turner, an Oconee County resident, was imprisoned several times for failure to pay child support.

 The federal government determined incarceration may be justified in some of cases, but, by and large, “jail is not appropriate for noncustodial parents who do not have the means to pay their child support debts.”

 “It really kind of stopped for a while,” Berkowitz said. “I didn't think they were picking people up or issuing bench warrants for child support.”

 The number of bench warrants issued varies from county to county, Barr explained. Smaller counties with lighter dockets tend to issue more of them, he said.

 Operation Work

 South Carolina received an $8 million federal grant to launch “Operation Work” last year — a program that helps fathers who owe child support payments find ways to support their families. Only seven other states were invited to participate.

 Operation Work is currently available in Charleston, Horry and Greenville counties. Fathers who qualify regularly meet with counselors, job coaches and program coordinators to make sure they're meeting their families' needs.

 Almost 100 people have enrolled so far, Barr said. “We work with men every day who have never had a resume.”

 Some of them also qualify for assistance to attend technical college or see a tutor for help with schoolwork. While they're enrolled in the program, their child support payments are suspended.

 Unlike spending time in jail, where their debts keep adding up, Operation Work offers participants a temporary reprieve to establish work skills they need to earn money.

 The alternative is a life in the shadows, Barr said, because “as soon as you get out of jail, you're a fugitive again.”

 This is just the type of program Berkowitz said South Carolina needs.

 “We've got to rethink how we help families,” she said. “Because you can't pay child support when you're in jail.”

 Why he ran

 Anthony Scott, Walter Scott's older brother, knows why he ran.

 “I know why he ran away. We know why he ran away. Everybody knows why he ran away now,” Anthony Scott said. “I wasn't saying it before, but it's out there now.”

 He didn't know how much Walter owed in child support or why he fell behind on his payments, other than to say he was “just living life.” According to Fielding Home for Funerals, Scott was a warehouseman at Brown Distribution before his death. The Associated Press reported he was a temporary forklift operator.

 In 2003, child support payments were automatically drafted from Scott's paycheck. Back then, he earned about $800 a month. It is unclear how much money he made at Brown Distribution.

 “If God ever blessed me and I came into some money, I'd help,” Scott told the newspaper 12 years ago.

 But his brother said the deck was always stacked against him.

 “I hate for anybody to get in the child support system. It can be trying. It doesn't seem to work out for them,” Anthony Scott said. “(Walter) said that it was crazy, that he couldn't wait to get over it. But once you're behind, you're behind.”

 Brooks Brunson and Bo Petersen contributed to this report. Reach Lauren Sausser at 937-5598. ||||| “Every job he has had, he has gotten fired from because he went to jail because he was locked up for child support,” said Mr. Scott, whose brother was working as a forklift operator when he died. “He got to the point where he felt like it defeated the purpose.”

 Walter Scott’s death has focused attention not just on police violence, but also on the use of jail to pressure parents to pay child support, a policy employed by many states today. Though the threat of jail is considered an effective incentive for people who are able but unwilling to pay, many critics assert that punitive policies are trapping poor men in a cycle of debt, unemployment and imprisonment.

 The problem begins with child support orders that, at the outset, can exceed parents’ ability to pay. When parents fall short, the authorities escalate collection efforts, withholding up to 65 percent of a paycheck, seizing bank deposits and tax refunds, suspending driver’s licenses and professional licenses, and then imposing jail time.

 “Parents who are truly destitute go to jail over and over again for child support debt simply because they’re poor,” said Sarah Geraghty, a lawyer with the Southern Center for Human Rights, which filed a class-action lawsuit in Georgia on behalf of parents incarcerated without legal representation for failure to pay. “We see many cases in which the person is released, they’re given three months to pay a large amount of money, and then if they can’t do that they’re tossed right back in the county jail.”

 There is no national count of how many parents are incarcerated for failure to pay child support, and enforcement tactics vary from state to state, as do policies such as whether parents facing jail are given court-appointed lawyers. But in 2009, a survey in South Carolina found that one in eight inmates had been jailed for failure to pay child support. In Georgia, 3,500 parents were jailed in 2010. The Record of Hackensack, N.J., reported last year that 1,800 parents had been jailed or given ankle monitors in two New Jersey counties in 2013. (The majority of noncustodial parents nationwide are men.) |||||
A summary of this is?

– The friend in the car with Walter Scott right before Scott's police-shooting death on April 4 says he'll "never know why he ran." But Scott's family says it's because he was afraid of being thrown in jail again for not paying child support, according to the New York Times—and based on the Times' report, he may have had ample reason for that fear. The paper notes challenges faced by supposed "deadbeat" dads who are actually living in poverty, running up their support tabs because they couldn't afford them in the first place, then getting thrown in jail and losing their jobs—all while the debt builds. "Parents who are truly destitute go to jail over and over again for child support debt simply because they're poor," a lawyer for the Southern Center for Human Rights tells the Times. Part of the problem right from the start: Support orders are often crafted using not a parent's actual income, but what's called "imputed" income, which gauges how much the parent would earn at a full-time job that made minimum wage. Indeed, a 2007 Urban Institute study cited by the Times notes that 70% of child support debt in nine states was owed by individuals who reported $10,000 or less in income (some didn't report any income). The commissioner of the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement tells the Times that jail time was originally intended for people purposely hiding funds—not parents who couldn't afford the payments. Even a Supreme Court ruling from 2011 meant to prevent this from happening can prove futile, because some defendants can't afford lawyers to help them out, advocates say. In Scott's case, it was a cycle he apparently couldn't break. In a 2003 article on a new program in the Post and Courier, Scott noted he had enrolled in the program, meant to help dads catch up on payments, and voluntarily turned himself in for more jail time. "This whole time in jail, my child support is still going up," he said at the time. "I said, 'Man, you got four kids depending on you. … You got to get it together."


Article:
Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft in Athens early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and setting off an incendiary device that burned the building entrance, police said.

 A security guard walks near a destroyed van outside the entrance of Microsoft's offices in northern Athens, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft early Wednesday, driving... (Associated Press)

 A security guard walks outside Microsoft's offices in northern Athens, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and... (Associated Press)

 A police officer investigates a destroyed van outside the entrance of Microsoft office in northern Athens, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft in Athens early Wednesday,... (Associated Press)

 A policeman stands in front of Microsoft's offices in northern Athens, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and... (Associated Press)

 There were no reports of injuries in the pre-dawn attack on the U.S. company's headquarters in the Greek capital, located in the Maroussi suburb north of the city center.

 There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Authorities said no warning call had been made before the attack.

 Greece has experienced attacks by several small armed anarchist or domestic terrorist groups for decades, which usually target official buildings, banks or symbols of state power with small bombs or incendiary devices. The attacks usually occur late at night and rarely cause injuries.

 Police said initial information indicated three people had been inside the van. They forced the two security guards at the building to leave before they reversed the van into the front entrance, smashing the door.

 The two security guards were giving testimony to police.

 The assailants then triggered an incendiary device inside the van that police said appeared to have consisted of camping gas canisters and several containers of gasoline.

 Police forensic teams examined the burned-out van, which was still outside the blackened entrance later Monday morning.

 Although they have died down over the past year, attacks had spiked following the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens in December 2008 that led to widespread riots across the country.

 One group that had appeared in the aftermath of the rioting had set itself apart by claiming responsibility for shooting dead an anti-terrorism police officer in central Athens in 2009 and a journalist in 2010. ||||| 1 of 4. A police investigator searches for evidence following an attack on Microsoft's Greek headquarters at Marousi suburb, north of Athens June 27, 2012. Gunmen rammed a van packed with gas canisters into Microsoft's Greek headquarters in Athens and then set the vehicle on fire, causing damage but no injuries, police said on Wednesday.

 ATHENS (Reuters) - Gunmen rammed a van packed with gas canisters into Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Greek headquarters in Athens and then set the vehicle on fire, causing damage but no injuries, police said on Wednesday.

 At least two people wielding pistols and a machine gun kept security guards away as they carried out the attack at about 0145 GMT, police said.

 Arson attacks against banks, foreign firms and local politicians have become more frequent in Greece in recent years as the country battles soaring unemployment and struggles through a recession deepened by austerity policies imposed by foreign lenders.

 Previous assaults have been mostly blamed on left-wing extremist groups, but police said it was too early to say who was behind Wednesday's attack.

 The van, which contained three inflammable gas canisters and five cans of gasoline, was completely destroyed while the ground floor of the U.S. software firm's office suffered heavy damage, police said.

 Microsoft said it would shut its office in the city while it assessed the damage.

 "Staff were told not to come to work today, and probably also tomorrow," the company's spokeswoman Lia Komninou said on Skai TV.

 The fire brigade estimated the damage at about 60,000 euros ($75,000).

 In February, a small bomb was left on an empty subway train in Athens, which a far-left group fighting the austerity policies later claimed responsibility for.

 Growing public anger at the impact of the austerity measures was reflected in two parliamentary elections in May and June, in which parties opposed to the terms of the country's international bailout performed strongly.

 ($1 = 0.8019 euros)

 (Reporting by Harry Papachristou; Editing by John Stonestreet) |||||Summary:

– If idle hands are the devil's hands, Greece is finding out the hard way: Gunmen this morning stormed Microsoft's Athens headquarters, ramming the building with a gasoline-laden van before setting fire to it. The attack injured no one, but heavily damaged the building's first floor and shut the office for at least the day, in what Reuters notes is the latest in a series of arson hits on banks and foreign companies as anger simmers over high unemployment and austerity measures in the financially strapped nation. No one has claimed responsibility for the Microsoft attack, but the AP notes that anarchist or radical left-wing groups are usually responsible.


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– It's a region that produces a new species every other day: Carnivorous plants that can eat mice, birds, and lizards. An all-female species of lizard that reproduces by self-cloning. Brightly colored geckos bathed in orange, yellow, blue, and green markings. A noseless monkey that looks like it's wearing an Elvis wig. These are just a few of the 208 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year, reports the World Wildlife Fund. Stretching from Yunnan province in southern China to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand, the Greater Mekong region is full of biodiversity, but is under increasing pressure from development, the WWF warns. The recent extinction of Vietnam's rhinoceros population has spurred concern for rare wildlife in the area. "This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity, but also one that is extremely fragile,” a WWF official tells Time. “It’s losing biodiversity at a tragic rate."

Date Posted: Dec 12, 2011

 Photo Gallery

 A new monkey, a self-cloning skink, five carnivorous plants, and a unique leaf warbler are among the 208 species newly described by science in the Greater Mekong region in 2010 and highlighted in a new WWF report.

 A total of 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, 7 amphibians, 2 mammals, and 1 bird were all discovered within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan.

 At the same time, the Mekong’s wild places and wildlife are under extreme pressure from rapid, unsustainable development and climate change.

 Protecting their future

 WWF warns the Greater Mekong’s valuable natural assets and species will continue to disappear without accelerated efforts to green the region’s economies. The extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam, recently confirmed by WWF, is a tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in the region.

 “This report is an affirmation of what we know—that the Greater Mekong offers unparalleled diversity in nature—and what must be done,” said Rebecca Ng of WWF’s Greater Mekong Program. “The rich natural treasures of the region could be lost if regional governments don’t recognize that protecting biodiversity is an investment to ensure long-term sustainability, especially in the face of global environmental change.”

 The six leaders from the Greater Mekong Sub-region are meeting in Myanmar from December 19-20. WWF is calling upon them to put the benefits of biodiversity, and the costs of losing it, at the center of decision-making and regional cooperation.

  ||||| Conservationists have discovered a big batch of new — and interesting-sounding — creatures in Southeast Asia, including a psychedelic gecko and a monkey with something resembling Elvis’ hairstyle.

 The Huffington Post reports that the WWF made the finds, 208 creatures in total, in a biodiverse region straddling the Mekong River threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and overdevelopment. China, Burma (also known as Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam all share — uneasily at times — the Mekong.

 (MORE: Saving the World’s Endangered Species)

 One of the picks of the new discoveries: a nose-less monkey swinging from the trees of a remote province of northeast Burma. “While this species, sporting an Elvis-like hairstyle, is new to science, the local people of Myanmar know it well,” the Switzerland-based group said in its report released Monday.

 The remote Mekong region, part of the Golden Triangle infamous for drug trafficking, plays host to some of earth’s most endangered species, such as tigers, Asian elephants, Mekong dolphins and Mekong giant catfish, according to the WWF. The organization announced in October that the Javan rhinoceros became extinct in Vietnam and the 40 to 60 that remain can only be found now in Indonesia.

 “This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of biodiversity but also one that is extremely fragile,” said Sarah Bladen, communications director for WWF Greater Mekong. “It’s losing biodiversity at a tragic rate.”

 PHOTOS: 10 Species Near Extinction |||||


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– A Kansas City couple who went to check out a car they saw on Craigslist were shot and robbed Wednesday night, USA Today reports. They had wanted to purchase the vehicle for their 16-year-old son, who was with them but not injured. Police say the 53-year-old dad and his son had test-driven a 2007 Hyundai Sonata and were discussing payment when the seller said he had to call his wife and momentarily walked away, according to KCTV. That’s when two other men reportedly approached the family and demanded cash, then started shooting. As the dad tried to keep his wife and son out of the barrage of bullets, he was shot four times in the chest, stomach, and legs, while his 55-year-old wife took a bullet to her upper right arm, which was “shattered,” reports the TV station. The men took the wife's purse, which had $3,000 in cash for the car purchase, say police. Authorities believe the incident may be related to an earlier armed robbery that day in which a Kansas City man says he tried to sell his Xbox and gaming accessories to a man who saw his ad on Craigslist, reports the Kansas City Star. As the potential buyer was examining the wares, two other men reportedly arrived sporting a gun; the three men then lifted the Xbox and other items and ran into nearby woods, police say.

Gunmen shot a Kansas City couple looking to buy their teenage son a car listed on Craigslist, then robbed them of $3,000, police say.

 The 53-year-old father suffered four wounds to his chest, stomach and legs when he tried to shield his wife after two men pulled guns about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. One bullet shattered his 55-year-old wife's upper-right arm, KCTV reported.

 Their 16-year-old son witnessed the attack but as not hurt. The family was not identified.

 Police said that after the father and son finished test driving a 2007 Hyundai Sonata with a third suspect, the gunmen appeared and demanded money. They opened fire when the father stepped in front of his wife, then grabbed her purse and fled. Police later found the abandoned Hyundai and purse, minus the cash.

 Some news accounts said the robbers stole the family's vehicle, which was not identified.

 Police say the shooting may be connected to an armed robbery hours earlier of a man answering a Craigslist ad for an Xbox, the Kansas City Star reported.

 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1mmglGZ ||||| The robbery and shooting of two people in southeast Kansas City on Wednesday night may be related to another robbery a few hours earlier.

 In both cases, the victims were held up while meeting someone to conduct a sale or purchase of items advertised on Craigslist, according to police reports. The robberies occurred within two miles of each other and involved three people armed with black handguns.

 The first robbery was reported about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in the 8800 block of Crystal Avenue. The victim told police that he had gone to that location to sell an Xbox and accessories he had advertised on Craigslist.

 According to police, one man approached the victim and was looking at the merchandise when two other people came up behind him. One showed a gun and they took his property and ran into nearby woods.

 The second incident occurred just before 7:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 5500 block of East 84th Street.

 A Liberty couple and their teenage son had gone there to look at a 2007 Hyundai Sonata advertised for sale on Craigslist. They talked to a man who identified himself as “AJ,” according to the police report.

 The victims took the car for a test drive and started talking to “AJ” about buying it. He told them he had to call his wife and had walked away when two other people approached them, pulled black handguns and demanded their money.

 When they pointed the guns at the woman, her husband stepped in front of her and the robbers began shooting. One grabbed the woman’s purse and shot the man one more time before they fled in the Hyundai, which was later found abandoned.

 The man was shot four times. At the time of the report late Wednesday night, he was in surgery. The woman’s right upper arm was “shattered” by one shot, according to reports. Their son was not injured.

 Kansas City robbery detectives said Thursday they were working on both cases.

 Liberty-based Ferrellgas announced later Thursday that it has contributed $5,000 toward a reward to help catch the robbers. A total of up to $7,000 is now being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

 Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. Callers can remain anonymous.

 To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com. ||||| Detectives are questioning four people about the shooting of a couple who were robbed while trying to buy their teenage son's first vehicle.

 A father valiantly tried to shield his wife and teenage son from gunfire as they were robbed while responding to a car ad on Craigslist.

 The Liberty couple was shot, robbed and had their vehicle stolen Wednesday night, and were left bleeding on the ground, police said. Empty shell casings were found near where they collapsed.

 The 16-year-old boy was badly shaken up but he was not hit by the barrage of bullets thanks in part to his father's actions. The family was trying to purchase the teen's first vehicle.

 The 53-year-old man was shot four times in the chest, stomach and legs and underwent surgery overnight. The 55-year-old woman's right upper arm shattered when she was struck by a single bullet.

 Detectives released little about the four including when the four were taken into custody. Police do say the four are persons of interest in the crimes.

 A couple who live in the Stone Haven Apartments in southeast Kansas City came to the couple's aid.

 "I heard screaming so I ran up the hill to see what was going on and that's when I found the kid on his cell phone," said "J," who asked not to be identified since the suspects are still on the loose.

 J turned to his girlfriend, Amber, who is a lifeguard.

 "She told me to grab her rubber gloves," he said.

 For what seemed like an eternity, they pressed down on the couple's wounds as they waited for police to arrive.

 "It was scary but they needed help," Amber said. "I'm sure they showed up as fast as they could. The woman kept saying, 'I wish they would get here.'"

 J tried to keep the man conscious but his injuries were devastating.

 "I would talk to him and ask him questions then he would open his eyes and answer me and once again start to fade," J said.

 Unfortunately, they said some people stood around watching but didn't provide any assistance.

 "I was hoping someone else would join in but I'm just glad she (his girlfriend) was there telling me what to do," J said.

 According to police, the family came to look at a white 2007 four-door Hyundai Sonesta they had spotted online. The father and teen test drove the vehicle with a suspect who called himself "AJ," according to a Kansas City Police Department report.

 After completing the test drive, the victims and the suspect returned to the apartment complex. As the victims discussed purchasing the vehicle, the suspect said he needed to call his wife. He walked away from the family while on the phone.

 Two men then approached armed with black handguns.

 "The suspect stated, 'Give me the money!' When the victims stated they did not have any money, the suspects stated, 'I know you have the money, now, give me the money,'" according to the police report.

 The teen told police that when the suspects pointed their weapons at his mother that his father stepped in front of her. The suspects then opened fire.

 The second suspect reached into the vehicle and grabbed the woman's purse, which contained $3,000. As he turned to leave, the suspect pointed his gun at the father's chest "and fired one last time," according to the Kansas City Police Department report.

 The suspects fled in the Hyundai.

 The incident was reported about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of East 84th Terrace and Drury Circle, located west of Interstate 435.

 Police recovered the Hyundai in the 4200 block of East 68th Street, which is nearby the original crime scene.

 The three suspects remain at large. The police report only identifies the suspects as three black men who were in their late 20s or early 30s, but does not provide additional details.

 Police have not released a detailed description of the suspects or said why four were detained rather than three.

 Police advise when meeting someone for an online sale to use caution and trust your instincts. You shouldn't go to unknown places but should go to a crowded area, a business or a police station. Don't bring cash. Instead, use money orders or cashiers checks.

 Anyone with information is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

 The normal $2,000 reward for tips has been increased to $7,000. Liberty-based Ferrellgas has made a $5,000 donation to Crime Stoppers. The injured man works for the company.

 Ferrellgas' Scott Brockelmeyer said the company already worked with Crime Stoppers, but wanted to do more to help catch those responsible for the horrific crimes.

 "You see those type of reports on the news and it's like that never happens to a friend," he said. "And it did in this case. It opened our eyes, and like I said, it prompted us to do something that I'm very proud that we did."

 Brockelmeyer said his co-worker is a kind and considerate man and a great father.

 "You start to think about people like that and you hear people describe people like that as somebody who'll take a bullet for you and I'll be darned if he didn't do that. He's a hero. He's an absolute hero," he said.

 Copyright 2014 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved. |||||


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 Bodies of four male sea otters, a federally protected animal whose killing can be punishable with jail time, washed up on beaches over course of eight days

 Federal and state officials are investigating the shooting deaths of California sea otters, after the bodies of four male otters were found washed up on beaches near Santa Cruz.

 On Monday, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for killing three sea otters that were found between 12-19 August.

 A fourth otter carcass was discovered on 20 August with a suspected gunshot wound, Ashley Spratt of the Fish and Wildlife Service said on Wednesday.

 “Finding several gunshot sea otters at the same general location during such a short time frame is very unusual,” said Spratt.

 “We don’t know why these otters were shot, but what’s important to note is that killing or harassing federally protected wildlife is a crime.”

 Sea otters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, California state law and the Endangered Species Act. Killing a sea otter is punishable by fines up to $100,000 and could result in a jail sentence.

 Sea otters were once widespread along the Pacific coast, but the mammals were hunted almost to extinction for their pelts during the 18th and 19th centuries.

 In 1977, California’s remaining sea otters were listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

 “They’re a keystone species. They help play a role in the broader ecosystem,” said Spratt. “So with the loss of these sea otters, we also have the loss of their benefit to the ecosystem.”

 Wildlife officials urge people to stop painting endangered turtle shells Read more

 Today sea otters are primarily threatened by oil spills and coastal tanker traffic, Spratt said, although otter killings by humans are not unheard of.

 In September 2013, three dead otters were found near Asilomar state beach, an unsolved crime that Spratt said is now considered a “cold case”.

 The otter carcasses have been transported to the US Fish and Wildlife forensic lab in Oregon, where they are undergoing necropsies.

  ||||| Hunt on for killer of sea otters found shot near Santa Cruz

 Photo: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press / / In this May 8, 2007 file photo, an Southern sea otter cleans itself...

 Park rangers are offering a $10,000 reward to get their hands on whoever shot and killed three endangered southern sea otters in the Santa Cruz area.

 Two of the slain animals washed up on beaches in Santa Cruz and a third in nearby Aptos about two weeks ago, according to Max Schad, a wildlife officer with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. A fourth dead otter washed up at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, but rangers were unable to determine, because of its deteriorated condition, whether it had been shot. All of the animals were males.

 Federal veterinarians said the animals had been shot from several days to several weeks before their bodies were found.

 Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, once were plentiful along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Washington. They now number around 3,000 and are confined to the area between San Mateo and Santa Barbara counties. Heavy hunting during the 19th century nearly wiped out the species. They were declared threatened in 1977.

 Killing a southern sea otter is punishable with a $100,000 fine and a jail sentence.

 Anyone with information on the shootings should call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (650) 876-9078.

 Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF |||||

Write a summary.

– Before being hunted to near extinction for their pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters littered the Pacific coast. Today the biggest threats to the 3,000 that remain are oil spills and tankers, reports the Guardian, and now a shooter on the loose near Santa Cruz, Calif. Authorities have found in just a matter of days four male sea otters washed ashore, though the fourth body was so deteriorated it's not yet been determined whether it was also shot, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The endangered furry marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, California state law, and the Endangered Species Act, and the killer could face fines up to $100,000 and jail time. "Finding several gunshot sea otters at the same general location during such a short time frame is very unusual," says a Fish and Wildlife Service rep. "They’re a keystone species.... With the loss of these sea otters, we also have the loss of their benefit to the ecosystem." Almost exactly three years ago, three sea otters were found dead near Asilomar state beach in Pacific Grove, Calif., in what the FWS rep says is now considered a "cold case." The recently found otter carcasses are undergoing necropsies at a FWS lab in Oregon. (One famous sea otter who survived an oil spill was ultimately nabbed by another ocean dweller.)


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ianhawes Mark Hurd to Oracle. Say goodbye to R&D; at that company. Denafest ceoSteveJobs We're also taking the booth out of the Photo Booth icon because, frankly, no one uses those anymore either. My @ mint weekly financial statement is perfect for knowing how much money I had 12 days ago. FATJEW "I ain't saying she's a gold digger... but she did travel to California seeking fortune in the mid-19th century" (Kanye Old West) smashingmag We're giving away 5 lifetime memberships of icon sets from @ iconeden http://bit.ly/c2aLv2 ). To win one, just RT this msg! Just tried out Ping. Yup, its horrible. kaneshow Info on James Lee: Height:5-10, Weight:235, DOB: 06/01/1967. #Discovery enborra Which Apple Accounts Payable intern designed the iTunes 10 logo? Are we doing gradients again? 760-612-4309 appears to be the telephone number of the #Discovery hostage taker. Email: misterfifteen@hotmail.com kaneshow Picture of #Discovery hostage taker James Jay Lee of California. http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/885/jamesjaylee.gif James Lee, 24 yr old Asian male responsible for #Discovery hostage situation. MySpace is http://www.myspace.com/meowmeowaroundtheworld 760-612-4309 appears to be the telephone number of the #Discovery hostage taker. His email is misterfifteen@hotmail.com Breaking.. #Discovery More information on this guy's protests http://www.savetheplanetprotest.com/discovery.htm Ping really doesn't look that interesting... Apple keynote in 20 minutes. johnsheehan I don't know how anyone can get anything done without a desk and a mouse. KimZetter Sounds like suicide #sarcasm parislemon They're streaming it because all you goofy bloggers destroyed the wifi at WWDC. Now we won't need your commentary. MegHasken22 Way better than the other moms. more ||||| At a glance, the two websites look virtually indistinguishable. Both feature a photo of Donald Trump, in a suit and red tie, in front of a giant American flag. Both seemingly offer a chance for two to win dinner with Donald Trump.

 One is at donaldjtrump.com; the other is at dinnerwithtrump.org.

 Story Continued Below

 The first belongs to Trump’s campaign. The second is a scheme run by Ian Hawes, a 25-year-old Maryland man who has no affiliation with Trump or his campaign and who has preyed on more than 20,000 unsuspecting donors, collecting more than $1 million in the process.

 In just its first three weeks of operation, Hawes’ PAC spent more than $108,000 on Facebook ads, offering an opportunity to win “Dinner with Donald Trump” — and netted itself nearly $350,000 in donations, according to federal records.

 The biggest chunk of the money raised — $133,000 — went to a company that Hawes founded and owns, CartSoft LLC. The purpose of the payments is described on federal records as “media” and “media purchasing,” though CartSoft’s website describes itself as an online payment-processing platform.

 Since its launch, the PAC has collected more than $1 million, Hawes told POLITICO. It has reportedly spent $0 on behalf of Trump.

 “I feel ripped off and taken advantage of. This is horrible. That was not my intent,” said Mary Pat Kulina, who owns a paper-shredding company in Maryland and gave $265 to Hawes’ group. Kulina thought she had given to Trump’s campaign until told otherwise by POLITICO. “This is robbery,” she said. “I want my money back and I want them to add up what they stole from people and give it to Donald Trump.”

 Of the 156 donors who gave more than $200 to Hawes’ group in June — the threshold for names to be included in federal filings — POLITICO contacted dozens and spoke with 11. Everyone interviewed said they believed they had given to Trump’s campaign, not an unconnected PAC.

 “I would say, unfortunately, that’s simply a matter of pure chance,” Hawes said in an interview defending his group and denying it is a scam.

 Hours after POLITICO published this story, Trump’s campaign sent a letter to Hawes accusing him of “defrauding” his donors and asking him to cease-and-desist.

 But the dinner scheme is just the beginning. By late July, Hawes — who in his Twitter bio calls himself a “registered genius, board certified hacker, and grape soda connoisseur” — had launched another website, crookedhillary2016.org, according to Internet domain registration records, and began promoting a contest to revoke her security clearance. The group’s Facebook page copies the “Crooked Hillary” logo that is used on Trump’s official LyingCrookedHillary.com site.

 “We're raising $1 million dollars from small donors to fight Crooked Hillary's campaign of lies,” reads Hawes’ site. Hawes also registered imwithtrump.org in late June, records show, though that site remains dormant.

 As of Sunday, Hawes’ group had raised $1.1 million from 21,253 donors, he said. More than 410,000 people had signed up for the dinner contest — giving him a massive email list he can leverage for more money for years to come.

 Internet-based scam PACs are hardly new to 2016. In the past, some have made look-alike campaign sites and bought Google ads to lure unsuspecting donors. Facebook, with its vast audience and ability to target users by political ideology, has proved an alluring tool this cycle, and Trump, with legions of passionate fans, has become an appealing target. Facebook declined to comment for this story.

 Because Hawes’ PAC has zero ties to Trump’s campaign, the dinner it is dangling won’t be very intimate. The fine print — in gray, size 8.5-font on a black background at the bottom of the website — discloses that this “dinner” actually amounts to the PAC buying two tickets “at a Sponsor-selected fundraising evening event held with Donald Trump and other attendees.”

 David Easlick, a lawyer in Virginia, gave more than $1,000 to American Horizons PAC. “I assumed it was coming from Trump and we donated $1,000 because you might have a better chance than if you’d given $100,” Easlick said.

 He asked with more than a hint of resignation, “Is it a fraud or something?”

 Hawes’ site doesn’t initially ask for money. First, one can enter the dinner contest simply by providing an email address. But it quickly offers a chance to “double your chances” by donating, even though the fine print states, “Contributing will not improve chances of winning.”

 One person, Jared Peavler of Indiana, posted screenshots of his correspondence with Hawes’ group on Facebook after he complained it was a scam. “I’d like to point out that it clearly states that contributing does NOT increase chances of winning both in the rules within the link and at the bottom of the email,” Peavler wrote, adding in all-caps, “EAT SHIT!”

 An email signed by Hawes replied. “Monetary contributions don’t increase your chance of winning, but we do multiply your entries. We’re also a political action committee, so it’s our job to collect contributions. So you can eat your own shit.”

 Peavler told POLITICO: “That was when I knew it was fake. Professionals don't allow themselves to be drawn into an unprofessional conversation like that.” (Hawes said he did not recall writing such an email and that his records did not show any such correspondence. “That’s not something we would say,” he said. “Pissing people off is not something that we’re trying to do.”)

 Another donor, Jeanie Boro, an insurance broker in California, gave $1,015 to the group before she saw in the fine print that it wasn’t actually affiliated with Trump. “I thought it was very deceiving. I was very upset,” Boro said. She demanded and received a refund.

 If people complain, Hawes said, “We’ll be happy to return your donations right away.” They had processed 110 refunds to date, he said. (Those who want their money back can email help@americanhorizons.org.)

 American Horizons PAC, which Hawes registered with the Federal Election Commission on June 10, is actually the second incarnation of a “Dinner with Donald Trump” scheme — though both have ties to Hawes.

 The top screen, bearing the Trump-Pence logo, is the official campaign "Dinner with Trump" fundraising raffle. The bottom screen is from a scam PAC. | Screengrabs

 An earlier group called the Recover America PAC was created in late November and registered by Michael Williams, a friend of Hawes’, who listed the same website — dinnerwithtrump.org — that the current dinner-promoting PAC is using. The contact number provided to the FEC on that filing was affiliated online with a company called Glexia, where both Williams (CEO and president) and Hawes (executive vice president) are listed as employees. That first effort, however, never reported any further activity, despite three subsequent letters from FEC attorneys demanding additional paperwork.

 Then, in June, Hawes revived the idea. The new PAC immediately began buying Facebook ads, starting with $750 per day on June 10 and building up to more than $15,000 on June 29. In three weeks, the group had raised $349,958.

 Hawes took advantage of a vacuum left by a skeletal Trump operation that had failed to activate supporters online and protect its digital turf; Hawes noted he bought Facebook ads and solicited money via email before Trump ever did, and created the dinner contest first.

 He said Trump’s campaign has never contacted the PAC to request that it stop using his name, even though the campaign did so to the FEC last fall about some other groups. The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

 “I applaud anyone that wants to dig into our financials, but they’re looking at the wrong political organization,” Hawes said.

 So far, his group’s biggest expenditure was to his company CartSoft. The next report is due in mid-October. Hawes declined to say what his personal cut has been.

 “I don’t want to say the number is zero, because that’s not true,” he said, calling any CartSoft profits “a standard mark-up.”

 FEC commissioner Ann Ravel declined to discuss any specific potential cases but said that, in general, the FEC is too powerless when it comes to combating fraud.

 “That’s the frustration I have, that there’s very little recourse,” she said. “People give money thinking it’s going to go to a particular person or a particular cause, and it’s a consumer protection issue as far as I’m concerned.”

 John McQueen, a funeral home owner in Florida, remembered seeing the ad in his Facebook feed. “I had planned to give a thousand bucks to his campaign, and when my wife saw it also on her Facebook feed she said, ‘Why not do this?’” he recalled.

 He gave $1,015 in late June.

 “Who really reads the fine print?” he lamented. “If he wants to refund me my thousand bucks, I’m happy to turn around and give it to Mr. Trump.”

 Hawes’ PAC ended June with $88,197 cash on hand. It is not clear what activities he has planned on Trump’s behalf this fall. “We use the money that we collect in a way that we feel best creates value for the people who have donated to us,” he said.

 Hawes’ most recent activity online was posting publicly on his personal Facebook page that he got engaged in mid-August “on the bow of the yacht overlooking Miami.”

 “Couldn't be more perfect!” he wrote, as he posted pictures of himself sipping champagne with his fiancé and of her glittering oval engagement ring. |||||

– More than $1 million has been raised in the name of Donald Trump by a PAC—but zero dollars appear to have gone to help the GOP nominee, and donors are furious with the "registered genius" and "grape soda connoisseur" behind the setup, Politico reports. Ian Hawes is the 25-year-old behind dinnerwithtrump.org, a site not affiliated with Trump's campaign and that offers an exciting opportunity, if you're a Trump fan: a chance to win tickets to a Trump "fundraising event," complete with flight and hotel stay. That contest site, in addition to other fundraising efforts Hawes has made—including nearly $110,000 in Facebook ads, per federal records—has so far brought in $1.1 million from more than 21,000 donors, Hawes says. The issue: Donors say they thought this fundraising effort was part of Trump's campaign, though the fine print on the site notes it's simply giving away two tickets to a "Sponsor-selected fundraising evening event" with Trump in attendance. "I feel ripped off and taken advantage of. … This is robbery," says one donor who ponied up $256 to Hawes' American Horizons PAC, thinking she was donating directly to Trump's camp. Hawes denies he's pulling one over on anyone, noting that interested parties can enter the dinner contest without donating—though Politico notes a "double your chances" promotion is offered via multiple entries if someone contributes—and that the PAC will refund donations to anyone who asks for one. Plus, he adds, Trump's campaign has never told him to cease and desist using Trump's name. The "dinner with the Donald" site isn't Hawes' only moneymaker scheme: He's also launched crookedhillary2016.org—"to fight Crooked Hillary's campaign of lies"—and has registered imwithtrump.org, though that's not live yet. (The real Trump was closing the fundraising gap with Clinton earlier this month.)