Story highlights 3 drown in Missouri, governor says

 Illinois mayor says school's gym, dozens of homes damaged

 Weather service survey team finds evidence of EF3 tornado

 A mother and child are among 9 killed in the Oklahoma City metro area, officials say

 David Stottlemyre was inside an oil field repair shop in El Reno, Oklahoma, when he saw a tornado "looking at us dead in the eye."

 The lifelong Oklahoman said he and two co-workers stayed inside as the building took a direct hit; the roof collapsed and the structure blew apart. Though the three survived unscathed, "We're all pretty shook up," the oil field mechanic told CNN. "Surreal, really no other way to explain it."

 Friday evening's twisters killed at least nine people, two of them children, and injured scores more in Oklahoma, the office of the city's medical examiner said. Five victims had not been identified.

 Canadian County Undersheriff Chris West said the seven fatalities in his county were inside vehicles.

 Oklahoma City-area hospitals treated 104 people for injuries related to the storm, the state health department said. Eleven were still being treated as of 5:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. ET), hospital officials said.

 It measured peak rainfall of 7.9 inches 45 miles east of Oklahoma City, outside Meeker.

 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Crews haul away a mangled truck on Sunday, June 2, that storm chasers Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Carl Young were using to track the tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma. The three men, who had devoted their lives to hunting powerful storms died in the middle of the chase. Seventeen tornadoes were reported in the Oklahoma City and St. Louis areas on Friday, May 31. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Dustin Horn, second from left, helps his parents, JoAnn and Fred Horn, salvage items from their home on June 2, two days after a tornado ripped through El Reno, Oklahoma. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Mark Reynolds sifts through debris to salvage personal items in El Reno on Saturday, June 1. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Downed trees sit in the parking lot of the Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – An overturned airplane sits amid rubble at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Bill Thesing, who was injured in his home when a tornado hit, returns from the hospital to to salvage items from his home with the help of his friend Tammy Hicks on Saturday, June 1, in El Reno, Oklahoma. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Yvonne Merritt stands among the things she was able to save from her home in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Mikie Hooper collects her belongings from her RV, which was destroyed by a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, on June 1. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – High winds left sheet metal wrapped around the branches of this tree along Route 66 in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Two pickup trucks are pictured stuck in high water along North West 23rd Street in El Reno on June 1. Heavy rain has caused flooding in the area. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – The tornado severed the pole supporting these power lines, leaving the remnants dangling near El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Two men walk by a damaged OKC-West Livestock Market building near El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – An American flag flies above the destroyed remains of a mobile home in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – The tail section of a plane juts out of a crumbling building at a technology school in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Kim Vanaken, left, consoles her sister Angela Coble, center, along with Amber Kelley while looking at what is left of Coble's house in El Reno on Saturday, June 1. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – A man searches through the rubble of a home in El Reno on June 1. A large part of Moore, Oklahoma, was without power, as were parts of El Reno and Union City. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Destroyed trees and cars stand along a road at the Canadian Valley Technology Center in El Reno on June 1. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – A tornado forms from a severe thunderstorm near Meridian outside of Oklahoma City on Friday, May 31. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Shredded trees and debris are scattered along Interstate 40 near El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 31. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – A semi tractor-trailer damaged by a tornado lies along I-40 just east of El Reno on May 31. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troopers inspect an overturned vehicle sitting alongside I-40 near El Reno on May 31. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Storm clouds that produced a tornado roll through near El Reno on May 31. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Lightning from a tornadic thunderstorm strikes in Cushing, Oklahoma, on May 31. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Severe weather hits Midwest again Severe weather hits Midwest again – Tornado debris hangs from a billboard sign, which was destroyed along Interstate-40 near El Reno on May 31. Hide Caption 24 of 24

 The storms came less than two weeks after a monstrous EF5 tornado turned parts of Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, into rubble.

 "There's just no rest," city spokeswoman Kristy Yager said.

 In all, 17 tornadoes were reported in the Midwest. The number was expected to change when officials conduct storm surveys, said Kurt Van Speybroeck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

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 At one point, some 200,000 customers were without power in the Midwest, most of them in Missouri and Oklahoma, though that number fell significantly as Saturday wore on. Three Oklahoma City-area medical facilities were running on generators Saturday, the health department said.

 Tornado damage 'sobering'

 While twisters damaged houses in Missouri and Illinois, Oklahoma City and its surrounding areas, including El Reno and Union City, were hit hardest.

 The storm system swatted down power lines and uprooted trees, flicked big rigs on their sides and yanked off part of the terminal roof at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport, where some 1,500 area residents had taken shelter in a tunnel.

 "We're just grateful we were able to get everybody down there," airport spokeswoman Karen Carney told CNN.

 A power outage and debris on the runway -- caused by 80 mph winds, not a tornado -- at one point forced the airport to cancel all flights.

 Service resumed Saturday, when the lights flickered back on to reveal water damage to the walls, counters and floors, Carney said.

 One twister tore open Kris Meritt's parents' brick house like a carton, sucking out its contents and tossing most of them onto the lawn.

 It spared the walls and part of the roof, then moved on to raze the house next door.

 The parents returned to survey the damage, but rushed off when another tornado was headed their way.

 "It's a sobering thing to think about life, and to see all your memories just tossed about," Merritt said. "Everything from your childhood on up."

 Though Friday's tornadoes were not as strong as the EF5 twister that killed 24 people on May 20, fear drove some people into their cars to flee, ignoring warnings not to drive.

 Officials described parts of Interstates 35 and 40 near Oklahoma City as "a parking lot."

 "People were actually driving southbound in the northbound lanes to try and get out of the way," said storm chaser Dave Holder.

 J. Marshall Shepherd, president of the American Meteorological Society and director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia, said Saturday that should not have occurred.

 "We knew well in advance these storms were going to be quite dangerous," he told CNN. "The weather service was crystal clear, to stay off the roads after 4 p.m. yesterday."

 In Moore, the storms affected residents still picking up the pieces from the previous disaster.

 "There's damage everywhere," Mayor Glenn Lewis told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

 'Overwhelmed' by rains, flooding

 Most of Lewis' already devastated town blacked out Friday night, with flooded streets adding to the headaches.

 "I can't even get home to see if my house is OK," the Moore mayor said Friday night.

 Eight to 11 inches of rain hosed Oklahoma City, drenching the area, Yager said.

 An inch of water pooled on the first floor of City Hall, and apartments in low-lying areas of town were hit harder.

 "We've seen widespread flooding throughout the entire 621 square miles," she said.

 Flooding stranded some motorists.

 "We saw flooding in areas that we don't see flooding," said police Lt. Jay Barnett. "We were overwhelmed."

 3 die by drowning in Missouri

 The impact of the severe weather spread beyond Oklahoma.

 A powerful storm caused major damage to a gymnasium of Gillespie High School in southwestern Illinois, with bricks piled up from what had been the gym's front now piled up on the school's lawn, Gillespie Mayor John Hicks said. Seven to 10 homes were destroyed, and more than 30 others suffered damage, in the storm.

 Thankfully, though, no one died or was significantly injured in the town of about 3,400 people. Gillespie's mayor said things might have been much different had the storm struck next week, when hundreds were set to gather not far from the high school for a celebration called Black Diamond Days.

 In Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency, as the storm front moved into his state stripping sidings and roofs off homes and causing deadly flooding.

 A tornado in St. Charles and St. Louis counties left a path "over 10 miles of significant damage ... that caused dozens and dozens of houses to be literally blown up," the governor told CNN affiliate KSDK on Saturday.

 Aerial video from CNN affiliate KMOV showed the second floors of several homes ripped apart, with houses to the front and behind still standing. In one home, a man walked across the exposed second floor, walls and roof gone, at one point picking up what appeared to be a picture as he negotiated debris on all sides. Nearby, shirts still hung on one side of what used to be a closet.

 Also damaged was the 10,000-seat Family Arena in St. Charles, county spokesman Colene McEntee told CNN. The damage led three high schools in the Francis Howell school district to cancel graduation ceremonies that had been scheduled for Saturday, KSDK reported.

 No one was killed in that tornado, but three people drowned in the state, according to Nixon. Problems with high waters aren't necessarily going away, especially in the southern part of the state.

 "Waters are rising, floods are still occurring, and we're asking people to be very safe," the governor said Saturday afternoon.

 Moore re-traumatized

 In Moore, the howls of civil defense sirens sent storm-weary residents scrambling again.

 Candace Looper retreated to her windowless laundry room with her cat and stacked couch pillows on top of her.

 "I've been praying, and I've been singing 'The Lord's Prayer' and singing 'Amazing Grace,' so I'm OK," she told CNN.

 LaDonna Cobb and her husband, Steve, were with their children at their school on May 20 when a tornado demolished the building.

 A photograph of Steve Cobb carrying one of their daughters with his wife looking to him with blood on her face emerged as a symbol of Moore's suffering and resilience.

 Friday's tornadoes drove them into a shelter and put fear into their hearts again.

 "We're terrified," Cobb told CNN's Piers Morgan.

 The second tornado was particular unsettling for their children.

 "They were not handling it very well. They were pretty upset," Cobb said.

 Once it passed, Lewis, the city mayor, rode around town in his pickup.

 "This is unbelievable that it could possibly even hit again," he said. "We just started picking up (debris) two days ago." ||||| Emergency officials set out Saturday morning to see how much damage a violent burst of thunderstorms and tornadoes caused as it swept across the Midwest overnight, killing at least nine and injuring dozens.

 Lisa Ludlam holds her children, Jake, 6, Paige, 9, and Tony, 11, under the Cox Convention Center after fans at the Barons game were evacuated to the parking garage under the Cox Convention Center due... (Associated Press)

 Cars that were damaged by a tornado in parking lot at Canadian Valley Technical Center on State Highway 66, west of Banner Road, Friday May 31, 2013 in El Reno, Okla. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)... (Associated Press)

 Wilburn Shaw looks for personal items in the remains of his kitchen in his home on Saturday, June 1, 2013, after Friday night's storm that passed through St. Charles, Mo., area. The storm toppled cars... (Associated Press)

 A man stands on top of his car as it is flooded on S. May Avenue near SW 25th in Oklahoma City, Friday, May 31, 2013, after severe weather moved through the area. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Sarah Phipps)... (Associated Press)

 People stop traffic to help one of several loose horses across I-40 just east of 81 in El Reno, Okla., after a tornado moved through the area on Friday, May 31, 2013. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)... (Associated Press)

 Overturned trucks block a frontage road off I-40 just east of 81 in El Reno, Okla., after a tornado moved through the area on Friday, May 31, 2013. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel) LOCAL STATIONS... (Associated Press)

 A tornado forms near Banner Road and Praire Circle in El Reno, Okla. on Friday, May 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams) (Associated Press)

 Ron Ulloa looks over his damaged business at I-40 on May 31, 2013 in El Reno, Okla. Emergency officials set out Saturday morning to see how much damage a violent burst of thunderstorms and tornadoes... (Associated Press)

 The storm toppled cars and left commuters trapped on an interstate highway as it bore down during Friday's evening rush hour near Oklahoma City. The National Weather Service reported "several" tornadoes rolled in from the prairie, terrifying towns along their paths.

 The storms brought another tense day for a region still reeling from the recent top-of-the-scale EF5 tornado that struck the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on May 20, killing 24 and decimating neighborhoods. Many said they took severe weather warnings issued during the day Friday seriously.

 As the storm bore down on suburban Oklahoma City, Adrian Lillard, 28, of The Village, went to the basement of her mother's office building with a friend, her nieces, nephews and two dogs.

 "My brother's house was in Moore, so it makes you take more immediate action," Lillard said while her young nieces played on a blanket on the floor of the parking garage. "We brought toys and snacks to try our best to keep them comfortable."

 Storm chasers with cameras in their cars transmitted video showing a number of funnels dropping from the supercell thunderstorm as it passed south of El Reno and into Oklahoma City just south of downtown. As the cell advanced, police urged motorists to leave I-40 and seek a safe place.

 Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area. Early aerial images of the storm's damage showed homes with porches ripped away, roofs torn off and piles of splintered wood scattered across the ground for blocks. Officials in St. Charles County also reported that local schools suffered some damage.

 Among the nine dead in Oklahoma were a mother and a baby found in a vehicle. Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner, said Saturday the death toll was up to seven adults and two children. At least 75 people were hurt, five critically, hospital officials said.

 Meteorologists had warned about particularly nasty weather Friday but said the storm's fury didn't match that of the tornado that struck Moore. The Friday storm, however, brought with it much more severe flooding. It dumped around 8 inches of rain on Oklahoma City in the span of a few hours and made the tornado difficult to spot for motorists trying to beat it home, said Bruce Thoren, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Norman.

 "Some tornadoes are wrapped in rain, so it's basically impossible to see, which is extremely dangerous," Thoren said. "Somebody driving along really not familiar with what's going on can basically drive into it."

 The heavy rain and hail hampered rescue efforts in Oklahoma City. Frequent lightning roiled the skies well after the main threat had moved east. Highways and streets were clogged late into the night as motorists worked their way around flooded portions of the city. Roads all around Oklahoma City were inundated with muddy water Saturday morning.

 Will Rogers World Airport was slowly reopening and some flights were resuming. But the airport reported significant damage to the roof of the terminal, and flooding damage to walls, counters and floors.

 Emergency officials reported that numerous injuries occurred in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area. Standing water was several feet deep, and in some places it looked more like a hurricane had passed through than a tornado. More than 86,000 utility customers were without power.

 Among the injured was Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Bettes, who suffered minor injuries when his "tornado hunt" SUV that he and two photographers were riding in was thrown 200 yards. The Weather Channel said all of the people in the vehicle were able to walk away, and that it was the first time a network personality was injured in a storm.

 In Missouri, the combination of high water and fallen power lines closed dozen of roads, snarling traffic on highways and side streets in the St. Louis area. At the Hollywood Casino in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights, gamblers rushed from the floor as a storm blew through, causing minor damage to the building.

 Rich Gordon, of Jefferson City, said he was on the casino floor when he heard a loud "boom."

 "I didn't know if it was lightning or what, but it was loud," Gordon said.

 The U.S. averages more than 1,200 tornadoes a year and most are relatively small. Of the 60 EF5 tornadoes to hit since 1950, Oklahoma and Alabama have been hit the most _ seven times each.

 National Weather Service meteorologists said Saturday that it's unclear how many tornadoes touched down as part of the Friday evening storm system. Dozens of tornado warnings were issued for central Oklahoma and parts of Missouri, especially near St. Louis, they said, but crews must assess the damage before determining whether it was caused by tornadoes or severe thunderstorms.

 But one thing is certain: The chances for severe weather are on the decline as a cold front moves through the region, said weather service meteorologist Gene Hatch in Springfield, Mo.

 This spring's tornado season got a late start, with unusually cool weather keepingfunnel clouds at bay until mid-May. The season usually starts in March and then ramps up for the next couple of months.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Ken Miller and Tim Talley in Oklahoma City, Justin Juozapavicius in Tulsa; Jeannie Nuss in Texarkana, Texas; and Jim Salter in Maryland Heights, Mo., and freelance photographer Nick Oxfrod in Oklahoma City contributed to this report. |||||

Write a summary.

– Nine people are dead and dozens injured after a new round of tornadoes slammed Oklahoma last night, reports AP and CNN. Among the fatalities were a mother and infant, whose bodies were found near their car on I-40, a major state artery. Oklahoma City and its suburbs took the brunt of storms, which were followed by heavy flooding. Fuller assessments will become clearer this morning, but the tornadoes were not as powerful as the EF5 monster that hit Moore, Okla., less than two weeks ago. That city got hit again yesterday, however, with winds estimated at 80mph. "This storm had everything you could handle at one time: tornadoes, hail, lightning, heavy rain, people clogging the highways," says a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla.


Here is a news article: Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s request that he be released from jail because the low-quality food and water have threatened his health was denied by a Las Vegas judge who says he should eat and drink what is being given to him behind bars.

 In this photo taken Dec. 22, 2011 and released by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, a Clark County Detention Center jail cell is seen in Las Vegas. The jail cell is similar to one where Floyd... (Associated Press)

 Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa wrote in her late Wednesday decision that water has been made available to Mayweather around the clock and the only reason he isn't eating properly is because he refuses to eat the provided meals. Saragosa said Mayweather's complaints that he is unable to exercise in jail are also unfounded.

 "While the physical training areas and times provided to (Mayweather) may not be consistent with his prior regimen, he is indeed provided sufficient space and time for physical activity if he so chooses," Saragosa wrote.

 A mere 10 days after Mayweather turned himself in to begin his three-month sentence, his legal team filed an emergency motion Monday asking the court to put him under house arrest or move him into the general jail population _ something that jail officials had avoided to protect the celebrity fighter. The motion claimed the undefeated champion might never fight again because he was getting out of shape in solitary confinement.

 Mayweather lawyer Richard Wright didn't immediately return a phone message late Wednesday. Wright said earlier this week that he was not seeking special treatment for the 35-year-old fighter.

 Mayweather pleaded guilty last year to reduced domestic battery charges stemming from an attack on his former girlfriend while two of their children watched. The plea deal allowed him to avoid trial on felony charges that could have gotten Mayweather up to 34 years in prison if he was convicted. Mayweather was sentenced Dec. 22, but was allowed to remain free long enough to make a Cinco de Mayo weekend fight.

 Mayweather's legal team told the court this week that his personal physician, Dr. Robert Voy, visited the jail Friday and determined the fighter had lost muscle tone. Voy estimated Mayweather was consuming fewer than 800 calories a day instead of his usual 3,000 or 4,000 calories. Mayweather also wasn't drinking enough because he wasn't allowed bottled water and doesn't enjoy tap water.

 "I am concerned about Floyd withdrawing, developing anger he cannot dissipate through the usual means of dedicated exercise and training," Voy wrote in an affidavit. "Boxing has been Mr. Mayweather's life since he was a young man and we need champions of this type to continue to their natural retirement and hopefully their contributions to society thereafter."

 Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich scoffed at the complaints during a court hearing Tuesday.

 "It's jail," Luzaich told the court. "Where did he think he was going? The Four Seasons?" ||||| Judge to Floyd Mayweather: If You're Shriveling Up, It's YOUR Fault

 Judge to Floyd Mayweather -- If You're Shriveling Up, It's Your Fault

 EXCLUSIVE

 just got knocked out by a Nevada judge ... who scoffed at the boxer's claim he is withering away in jail ... essentially ruling Mayweather is acting like a baby.Floyd had begged the court to let him finish out his sentence for domestic violence on house arrest ... because he's dehydrated and malnourished and it's taking a toll on his body and putting his boxing career in jeopardy.But moments ago, a judge DENIED Mayweather's request -- ordering him to serve out the remainder of his 3-month sentence behind bars.According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the judge called B.S. on Mayweather's claim that he's dehydrated behind bars -- saying the boxer's condition is "self-induced as water is made available to [Floyd] twenty-four hours a day."As for Floyd's gripe that he's only consuming a fraction of the calories he needs -- the judge says it's because "[Floyd] chooses not to eat the food provided."The judge also balked at Floyd's complaint that he can't train at a world class level while serving his time -- saying, "While the training areas and times provided to Floyd may not be consistent with his prior regimen, he is indeed provided sufficient space and time for physical activity if he so chooses."T.K.O. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Boxer Floyd Mayweather's "get out of jail early" argument wasn't a TKO with a Las Vegas court. He pleaded with a judge to let him finish his domestic violence sentence at home. Being stuck behind bars is leaving him dehydrated and malnourished, threatening his boxing career, his lawyers argued. The judge just scoffed, reports TMZ. Any dehydration and malnourishment is "self-induced" because water is available 24 hours a day, and Mayweather is simply choosing not to eat the "food provided," noted the judge in her ruling denying the champ's request. As for withering away, "while the training areas may not be consistent with his prior regimen, he is indeed provided sufficient space and time for physical activity if he so chooses," she added. In a plea deal last year, Mayweather pleaded guilty to attacking his girlfriend in front of two of their children. He could have been sentenced to up to 34 years in jail, but got three months. His sentence was postponed so he could fight in a Cinco de Mayo match, and just ten days after he started his term in stir Mayweather's attorneys filed an emergency motion to move him to place him under house arrest or into the general population, reports AP.


Scott Wiener, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, made an unusual public announcement on Wednesday: He takes Truvada, a daily antiviral pill, to greatly reduce his risk of contracting H.I.V.

 Taking the pills is a practice known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and some researchers believe it may reduce the risk of infection by 99 percent if patients take their medication daily as prescribed. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012, PrEP has increasingly been embraced by public health authorities and is one of three planks of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan in New York to sharply cut new H.I.V. infections.

 But it carries a stigma in some parts of the gay population, and Mr. Wiener appears to be the first public official to disclose that he’s personally on it. ||||| Each morning, I take a pill called Truvada to protect me from becoming infected with HIV. This strategy, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, reduces the risk of HIV infection by up to 99 percent if the pill is taken once a day. This makes PrEP one of the most effective HIV-prevention measures in existence. After consulting with my physician, I went on PrEP to further protect and take personal responsibility for my health. I'm HIV-negative, and I want to remain that way.

 I recently decided to be public about my use of PrEP in order to raise awareness about this relatively new tool for preventing HIV. It's important to encourage people at risk for HIV to talk to their medical providers about all the tools and methods available for preventing infection, including PrEP, and to choose the methods that are best for them.

 As an elected official, disclosing this personal health decision was a hard but necessary choice. After all these years, we still see enormous stigma, shame, and judgment around HIV, and around sexuality in general. That is precisely why I decided to be public about my choice: to contribute to a larger dialogue about our community's health. I have the honor of representing a district that includes the Castro -- ground zero for the HIV epidemic. I represent a community that has been profoundly impacted by HIV, with a large number of HIV-positive people -- nearly one in four gay men in San Francisco is HIV-positive -- and an even larger number of people at risk of becoming positive. As an elected official in this role, I have an obligation to do everything in my power to support those living with HIV, increase public awareness about effective HIV prevention, and reduce stigma and shame.

 My journey to PrEP was a long one. I came to terms with myself as a gay man when I was 17 years old in 1987, at the height of the HIV epidemic. Many gay men were getting sick and dying. Like many in my generation, I came of age associating sex with illness and death. That association -- with all the fear, anxiety, guilt, and shame that go along with it -- is still very real for many of us.

 As time has gone by, I've seen people become healthier, and I'm continually in awe of those who have survived the epidemic and thrived. Yet new HIV infections continue -- 50,000 annually in the U.S., and over 2 million annually worldwide. Despite all our prevention efforts, I continue to know people who've remained HIV-negative for 20 or 30 years, only to become HIV-positive. I regularly meet young men, some barely out of high school, who have the virus.

 None of this is preordained. People don't need to continue to get infected, and we know that PrEP has the potential to help stop the epidemic in its tracks by ending new HIV infections. It's one pill a day, with few side effects for most people.

 Condoms remain critically important for HIV-prevention efforts, but they have their limits, as demonstrated by the continuing new infections after 30 years of robust prevention efforts. Only one in six gay men uses condoms consistently and effectively enough to be fully protected from HIV. For those who do use them consistently, condoms offer significant protection but have a failure rate, and condom usage among gay men reduces HIV risk by 76 percent, not 100 percent.

 Given the challenges many gay men have with consistent condom use as well as the continued risk of HIV transmission even for those who use condoms, PrEP provides a powerful additional level of protection. It's not a question of either condoms or PrEP. It's about both important tools.

 PrEP has broad support in the public-health community. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended its use by those at risk for HIV, including gay men. The state of New York and the San Francisco Department of Public Health have adopted PrEP as a core prevention strategy. The HIV advocacy community overwhelmingly supports PrEP. Most insurance companies cover it fully despite its considerable cost, precisely because it is so effective at preventing a serious illness for which there is no cure.

 Some aren't sold on PrEP. Skeptics question whether people will adhere to a daily pill, which is a legitimate concern. Protection decreases if usage is inconsistent. This challenge can be overcome with effective education, and drug adherence is a challenge that isn't unique to PrEP.

 Some critics also view PrEP as a license for people to engage in risky behavior and assert that it will cause non-HIV sexually transmitted infections to increase. No study to date has shown that those using PrEP increase risky behavior -- such as reducing condom usage compared with before using PrEP -- and there is evidence to the contrary. Indeed, this line of thinking -- that promoting an effective prevention method will lead to irresponsible behavior -- resembles some of the phony arguments used to attack the HPV vaccine by suggesting that getting vaccinated will lead young girls down a path to promiscuity. And, since PrEP users are regularly screened for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, PrEP use will increase opportunities for prompt detection and treatment of STIs.

 PrEP isn't only about gay men. Women can benefit tremendously from it as well. Many women are using PrEP to conceive a child with an HIV-positive partner, a new approach dubbed "PrEP-ception." PrEP can also protect women (and men) in abusive relationships. Too many women -- and gay men as well -- don't fully control how or when they have sex, whether their partners use condoms, and what risks their partners are taking elsewhere. People facing these challenges can take control of their infection risk -- and essentially eliminate that risk -- by using PrEP effectively.

 In addition to lack of education and stigma, another significant barrier to fully realizing PrEP's potential benefits is lack of access. PrEP isn't cheap, and for the many people who are uninsured or underinsured, cost can effectively deny access. PrEP needs to be easily available to all communities and all income levels through public healthcare programs, including Medicaid. Otherwise we risk accentuating health disparities among our diverse communities.

 Many people and organizations have gotten us where we are with PrEP. The University of California San Francisco is responsible for some of the earliest clinical studies of PrEP, and organizations like San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Project Inform, and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition have been working on the front lines to ensure that the promise of PrEP is fully realized, including advocating for FDA approval, helping establish expanded access programs from the drug manufacturer, ensuring PrEP is covered by insurance plans, and disseminating information to consumers and clinicians.

 We know how to end HIV infection. We simply need the political will to ensure that the community has accurate information about and access to all prevention methods, including PrEP. I hope my disclosure can play a role in moving us toward these goals.

 Scott Wiener is an elected member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. For more information, visit scottwiener.com. ||||| S.F. Supervisor Wiener says he's taking HIV-prevention drug

 Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Image 1 of 5 Supervisor Scott Wiener during the Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Supervisor Scott Wiener during the Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle Image 2 of 5 Supervisor Scott Wiener, left, and Supervisor Mark Farrell, right, during the Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Supervisor Scott Wiener, left, and Supervisor Mark Farrell, right, during the Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle Image 3 of 5 Supervisor Scott Weiner listens to members of the public speak during the ethics hearing for Mirkarimi at City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, October 9, 2012. Supervisor Scott Weiner listens to members of the public speak during the ethics hearing for Mirkarimi at City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, October 9, 2012. Photo: Jason Henry, Special To The Chronicle Image 4 of 5 Scott Wiener considers the issue of free fares for low-income youth on Muni in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, July 25, 2012. Scott Wiener considers the issue of free fares for low-income youth on Muni in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday, July 25, 2012. Photo: Sonja Och, The Chronicle Image 5 of 5 Supervisor Scott Wiener at Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama at the Orpheum Theatre on September 19, 2013. Supervisor Scott Wiener at Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama at the Orpheum Theatre on September 19, 2013. Photo: Drew Altizer Photogaphy S.F. Supervisor Wiener says he's taking HIV-prevention drug 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

 San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener on Wednesday became what appears to be the first public figure in the country to disclose that he's taking a drug that prevents HIV infection - a pill that public health officials said could save lives but has remained largely unused due to stigma and lack of awareness.

 Wiener's announcement is significant because so few people have been willing to talk openly about their use of Truvada, a drug that's been weighed down by controversy. He said he hopes his revelation will lift some of the stigma associated with Truvada and encourage more men to consider taking it.

 Critics have suggested that taking the daily pill could make people more likely to engage in unsafe sex, but that claim hasn't been backed up by research. Still, the idea has persisted, and people have been slow to embrace a drug that public health officials believe could be key to stopping, or significantly slowing down, the spread of HIV.

 Wiener's disclosure, which he made in an online essay published Wednesday evening, comes as San Francisco pushes an aggressive campaign to persuade more gay men to take the drug, which is referred to as PrEP, for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Truvada, an antiviral drug that has been used to treat HIV infection for more than a decade, is the only pill approved for prevention.

 At a meeting Thursday, Supervisor David Campos is expected to discuss a new initiative to make Truvada more accessible in San Francisco and distribute it to any resident who needs it. The initiative includes a plan to help pay for the drug for residents who can't afford it. Truvada can cost up to $14,000 a year, although it's covered by most insurance plans, and the drugmaker will help with the cost for people who need financial help.

 San Francisco city and public health officials said they want to make the drug more accessible, and also normalize it. Wiener said that was his motivation in going public.

 'Elevate awareness'

 "People need to feel comfortable talking about these issues and not think they're going to be stigmatized or denigrated if they talk about using it," Wiener said. "My hope is that talking about it will elevate awareness about PrEP as an available and powerful prevention tool."

 Truvada, which is made by Gilead Sciences in Foster City, is a single tablet that combines the drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. If taken daily, it can cut the risk of HIV infection by more than 90 percent.

 The drug primarily has been tested in men who have sex with men, which is why they're the focus of efforts to increase use of PrEP, although it appears to also be effective for women and transgender men and women.

 Most people report no side effects from the drug, and about 10 percent of users say they have some gastrointestinal discomfort for the first few weeks after starting. A smaller percentage of users can suffer more serious signs of drug toxicity and will need to stop taking the drug.

 The drug has been widely discussed among health care providers and in the gay community for several years - even before it won FDA approval - but even in San Francisco, where much of the initial research was done, the pill has been slow to gain acceptance. Nationwide, only about 2,000 people are taking PrEP.

 "Nationally, we all - health departments and community groups - need to speed this up, because we could be preventing a lot of infections," said Dan Van Gorder, executive director of Project Inform, an HIV patient treatment and information advocacy organization.

 The slow acceptance of the drug has been due somewhat to the stigma, which is widespread but has dimmed in recent months. But another major barrier comes from doctors, many of whom have been reluctant to prescribe it, especially if they don't regularly treat HIV-positive patients and aren't familiar with Truvada.

 Increase accessibility

 That's where San Francisco can improve access to the drug, public health and city officials said. Thursday's city meeting, organized by Campos, is focused on the idea of ensuring the that drug is easily available to anyone who is interested in it, regardless of their ability to afford it or find a doctor who will prescribe it.

 "The issues we face are in getting what we know is a very effective HIV-prevention tool into the hands of people who need it," said Dr. Susan Philip, director of the STD Prevention and Control Services Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "We've always believed in PrEP as an intervention. Now we're figuring out how to help with delivery."

 Wiener said he was slow to come around to PrEP, even after he'd seen the initial reports about how effective it could be. Like many other men, he wasn't convinced at first that he was the right target for the drug.

 "A lot of us in the past had stereotypes about who should be using PrEP - that PrEP was for sex workers and porn actors and people who hated using condoms. But really prep is much broader than that," Wiener said.

 Now, he said, he likens the drug to the birth control pill - it's just another option for practicing safe sex.

 "There are some people who are convinced PrEP is going to make people reckless, but that's a bogus argument. It's the same argument we've heard around birth control, and it's very antipublic health," Wiener said. "There's always a lot of judgment around sex.

 "There are downsides to being public about my sexual health," Wiener said, adding that the most awkward drawback so far has been telling his mom he was taking PrEP. "Ultimately, I decided that this could play a positive role in moving the dialogue forward and increasing awareness." |||||

Write a summary.

– A San Francisco official looks to be the first public figure in the country to "come out of the PrEP closet," as he puts it in a piece for the Huffington Post. Scott Wiener—who represents a district he calls "ground zero for the HIV epidemic"—says he takes the daily antiviral pill Truvada to lower his risk of contracting HIV. He's urging other gay men to do the same. "A much larger segment of gay men should be taking a close look" at what's known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, Wiener tells the New York Times. Truvada as PrEP has been very slow to catch on across the country, which Wiener writes sees 50,000 new HIV infections each year. Researchers say PrEP could reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 99% if taken as prescribed. The World Health Organization made a similar case to Wiener's this summer, but the San Francisco Chronicle calls Wiener's announcement "significant because so few people have been willing to talk openly about their use of Truvada." Though the drug's list price is just over $1,000 a month, Wiener says PrEP is covered by most health insurers (he personally pays $15 a month). For the uninsured or those with high-deductible plans, however, the price can be a problem. Wiener's colleague, David Campos, says he will ask the city's health department to develop a strategy that "addresses the educational and affordability issues" by December. "We have to start somewhere," says Campos, who adds that every prevented infection saves $355,000 in treatment costs.


Article:

Opening a door to hedge his political bets, Sen. Rand Paul has asked the leader of the Kentucky Senate for legislation to ensure that Mr. Paul can run both for the White House and for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2016, The Washington Times has learned.

 “Yes, I am working on clarifying an ambiguous state law that Rand Paul believes is unconstitutional if it is interpreted to bar running for re-election to the Senate and for president at the same time,” Kentucky Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer told The Times on Monday.

 “The purpose of the bill will be to make clear that Rand Paul or anyone in a similar situation in Kentucky can run for both offices in the same year,” Mr. Thayer explained.

 If things go Mr. Paul’s way, he could win the GOP presidential nomination, then run in the fall 2016 general election for the presidency and to retain his U.S. Senate seat. If he wins the presidency and the Senate re-election bid, he would relinquish his Senate seat.

 If he loses the presidential election but wins the Senate re-election race, he would become a second-term U.S. senator from Kentucky.

 Since winning his election in 2010, Mr. Paul has argued for creating term limits so members of Congress could serve a maximum of 12 years in each chamber.

 Mr. Paul and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. But in a recent C-SPAN “Newsmakers” program, Mr. Paul said he and his team were looking at the possibility of running for the Senate and the White House simultaneously.

 “We just haven’t come to a conclusion yet,” he said at the time.

 The situation has grown more complicated for Mr. Paul since his election in 2010. His fellow Kentucky Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, faces a serious challenge from the political right in his own party.

 If Mr. McConnell falls to the tea party candidate in the May primary or if a Democrat defeats Mr. McConnell in November, then Mr. Paul would become the senior U.S. senator from Kentucky. As such, he probably would become the recognized leader of his party in the state.

 Fellow Republicans are counting on Mr. Paul to help them keep the state Senate from tipping to Democrats. The Kentucky state House already is controlled by Democrats.

 Democrats have problems of their own in the state, including a sex scandal and accusations of a cover-up. Republicans think they have a shot at taking the House this fall, giving them two of the three power centers in state government. Gov. Steven L. Beshear is a Democrat.

 A veteran Republican Party operative in Kentucky said privately that House Speaker Greg Stumbo, a Democrat, has told colleagues there is no way he would allow such a bill to go through his chamber.

 “I’ve not spoken to the speaker about this and not heard publicly or privately what the Democrats in the House would do if Republicans passed it in the Senate,” Mr. Thayer said.

 Mr. Stumbo did not return a phone call from The Times on Monday.

 Story Continues → ||||| Credit U.S. Senate

 A state Republican lawmaker is considering filing a bill that will permit U.S. Senator Rand Paul to run for re-election in Congress as well as President of the United States.

 Senate GOP Floor Leader Damon Thayer is mulling legislation that would clarify a state law that prohibits candidates from holding or running for two offices simultaneously.

 Thayer says that Paul discussed the issue with members of the Senate Republican caucus earlier this month, when Paul testified in Frankfort in support of a bill restoring felons’ voting rights.

 “He did … bring it up to the entire caucus,” Thayer said. “[He] explained much like I just did the situation in that he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, but that he is strongly considering seeking the Republican nomination for President. I hope he does.”

 Thayer denied that the caucus’ consideration of the idea was in exchange for Senate GOP support of House Bill 70, which would automatically restore voting rights for some felons -- an issue that has become a cornerstone as of late in Paul’s remodeling of the GOP brand in an effort to broaden the party’s base.

 Thayer says he will decide whether to file the bill by this Wednesday, when the filing window for introducing bills in the 2014 General Assembly expires.

 Paul, who is rumored to be a GOP frontrunner in the 2016 presidential race, has not officially announced his intention to seek higher office. ||||| Rand Paul's flirtation with running for president is getting serious: he's asking Kentucky's senate to file a bill that would allow him to run for both the U.S. Senate and president in 2016.

 Kentucky's current law says a candidate's name cannot appear on a ballot more than once, which would seemingly force him to choose which office he wants to pursue rather than hedging his bets by running for both.

 State Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer told the Washington Times: "Yes, I am working on clarifying an ambiguous state law that Rand Paul believes is unconstitutional if it is interpreted to bar running for re-election to the Senate and for president at the same time."

 According to WFPL, Paul brought the issue up to the state Senate's Republican caucus last month.

 "He is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, but that he is strongly considering seeking the Republican nomination for President," Thayer told WFPL. "I hope he does."

 Perhaps not so excited at the prospect are Kentucky's House of Representatives, which is (a very slight) majority Democrat. A "veteran Republican Party operative" told the Washington Times that he won't let the bill pass.

 Should the bill pass, it would be unusual for Paul to run for both Senate and president at the same time. It would also show that he doesn't have much faith in winning the presidency. That said, several people have run for vice president and Congress at the same time, including Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.

 Rand Paul is not reportedly considering a run for the House of Representatives, although if he's going to run for president and Senate at the same time, he might as well go for the hat-trick. |||||
What is a summary?

– Oh, the difficulties faced by Rand Paul: He's considering running for president in 2016 but would like to run for re-election to the US Senate at the same time, just in case, and he's not sure Kentucky law currently allows him to do so. So he's asked the state Senate majority leader to pass a law ensuring he can conduct both campaigns simultaneously, the Washington Times reports. Current state law says a candidate's name cannot appear on a ballot more than once, the Wire explains. "Yes, I am working on clarifying an ambiguous state law that Rand Paul believes is unconstitutional if it is interpreted to bar running for re-election to the Senate and for president at the same time," the majority leader, Damon Thayer, confirms. "The purpose of the bill will be to make clear that Rand Paul or anyone in a similar situation in Kentucky can run for both offices in the same year." But the Kentucky state House speaker, Greg Stumbo, is a Democrat, and an anonymous Republican Party operative tells the Times that Stumbo has said he wouldn't allow such a bill through the Democrat-controlled House. (How serious is Paul about a presidential run? Thayer tells WFPL that Paul "is strongly considering seeking the Republican nomination for president.")


The French government released its own version of the White House video on the Paris climate accord Friday, complete with what it views as corrections to the Trump administration’s stance on the deal.

 The day after President Trump announced he will withdraw the United States from the agreement, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs tweeted the White House’s video with responses to the Trump administration’s talking points penciled in.

 One of the claims in the White House video reads, “U.S. economy would lose 6.5 million industrial sector jobs, including 3.1 million manufacturing sector jobs by 2040.” The French foreign affairs version reads, “Many major U.S. companies from all sectors, such as Exxon Mobile, Schneider Electric or Microsoft, disagree."

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 The French government’s version of the video also says the deal was “comprehensively negotiated” by former President, replacing the White House’s assertion that it was “badly negotiated.”

 French President Emmanuel Macron issued his own response to Trump’s decision Thursday. He offered his own version of Trump’s campaign slogan — "make American great again."

 We all share the same responsibility: make our planet great again. pic.twitter.com/IIWmLEtmxj — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2017

 “We will succeed because we are fully committed. Because wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility. Make our planet great again,” the newly elected French leader said.

 When Trump announced he would pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate deal, he said the deal was “unfair at the highest level to the United States.” ||||| French President Emmanuel Macron has offered a "second homeland" for US climate scientists after Donald Trump announced America would withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement.

 Mr Macron immediately joined international condemnation of The President's decision to abandon the pact for environmental action on Thursday and raised fears it could lead to "a world of migrations, of wars, of shortage - a dangerous world".

 In a live broadcast from the Élysée Palace, he also riffed on Mr Trump's pledge to "Make America Great Again" as he urged US climate scientists to travel to France and "make our planet great again".

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 The message echoes criticism from the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy - and EU and UN officials who branded the withdrawal "a major disappointment".

 "Tonight, I wish to tell the United States, France believes in you — the world believes in you," said Mr Macron.

 "I know that you are a great nation. I know your history — our common history.

 “To all scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, responsible citizens who were disappointed by the decision of the president of the United States, I want to say that they will find in France a second homeland.

 “I call on them: come and work here with us. To work together on concrete solutions for our climate, our environment. I can assure you, France will not give up the fight.

 “I call on you to remain confident. We will succeed, because we are fully committed, because wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: Make Our Planet Great Again.”

 A total of 194 countries, including China and the EU, signed the Paris Climate accord and agreed to a series of pledges designed to limit global warming, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and provide funding for poor nations in late 2015.

 Mr Trump sought to renegotiate the terms to ease conditions on US businesses and workers, claiming the current deal could cost 2.7 million American jobs by 2025.

 When European leaders said the Paris accord couldn't be altered, The President decided to pull out and insisted he was keeping his campaign promise to stop international agreements that disadvantage the US.

 In his English-language speech from the presidential palace, unprecedented from a French president in an address at home, Mr Macron said: "I do respect this decision but I do think it is an actual mistake both for the US and for our planet."

 "If we do nothing our children will know a world of migrations, of wars, of shortage - a dangerous world," he added.

 "It's not a future we want for ourselves. It's not a future we want for our children."

 Shape Created with Sketch. Paris climate talks in pictures Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Paris climate talks in pictures 1/12 A man is covered with a multi-coloured banner with the message, "Climate" as environmentalists attend a demonstration near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) that meets in Le Bourget, December 12, 2015 Reuters 2/12 French President Francois Hollande (C) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) applaud after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty 3/12 US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) speaks with China's Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (R) and officials at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty 4/12 Delegates and members of NGO's read and work on copies of 'The adoption of the Paris agreement' is pictured after the announcement of the final draft by French Foreign Affairs minister Laurent Fabius at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty 5/12 UN climate chief Christiana Figueres (C) speaks with French President Francois Hollande (L), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2ndL) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty 6/12 A Swiss Dominican priest poses with activists dressed as polar bears as activists gather for a demonstration to form a giant red line at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty 7/12 Activists hold up a giant banner reading 'Climate justice' by association 'ourpowercampaign' during a demonstration near the Arc de Triomphe at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty 8/12 Representatives of indigenous peoples demonstrate in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 9/12 Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 10/12 Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 11/12 Activists form a giant red line during a demonstration on the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images 12/12 The slogan "No Plan B" is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) in Paris, France, December 11, 2015. Reuters 1/12 A man is covered with a multi-coloured banner with the message, "Climate" as environmentalists attend a demonstration near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) that meets in Le Bourget, December 12, 2015 Reuters 2/12 French President Francois Hollande (C) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) applaud after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty 3/12 US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) speaks with China's Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (R) and officials at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty 4/12 Delegates and members of NGO's read and work on copies of 'The adoption of the Paris agreement' is pictured after the announcement of the final draft by French Foreign Affairs minister Laurent Fabius at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty 5/12 UN climate chief Christiana Figueres (C) speaks with French President Francois Hollande (L), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2ndL) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty 6/12 A Swiss Dominican priest poses with activists dressed as polar bears as activists gather for a demonstration to form a giant red line at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty 7/12 Activists hold up a giant banner reading 'Climate justice' by association 'ourpowercampaign' during a demonstration near the Arc de Triomphe at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty 8/12 Representatives of indigenous peoples demonstrate in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 9/12 Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 10/12 Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters 11/12 Activists form a giant red line during a demonstration on the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images 12/12 The slogan "No Plan B" is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) in Paris, France, December 11, 2015. Reuters

 Earlier, France had released a rare joint statement with Italy and Germany that dismissed Mr Trump’s suggestion that the Paris accord could be altered.

 “We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies,” the leaders of the three countries said.

 The EU's top climate change official, Miguel Arias Canente, said in a statement that Mr Trump's decision to leave the Paris accord made it "a sad day for the global community," adding that the bloc "deeply regrets the unilateral decision."

 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the US withdrawal "a major disappointment" and said it was "crucial that the US remains a leader on environmental issues," according to his spokesman.

 In November, Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama will be in Germany to chair the UN's annual climate summit. He said Mr Trump's decision was a grave disappointment for places like his Pacific island nation and US coastal cities like New York and Miami that are vulnerable to climate change.

 He said he was deeply disappointed by Mr Trump's decision and did what he could to try to persuade Mr Trump to stick with the agreement as nations tackle "the greatest challenge our planet has ever faced". He said he was convinced the US will eventually rejoin.

 Before Mr Trump announced his decision Thursday afternoon, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters during a visit to Berlin that fighting global warming was a "global consensus" and an "international responsibility."

 Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea also regretted the US move and reiterated their commitment to implement the agreement.

 Speaking in Tokyo the Japanese finance minister, Taro Aso, angrily suggested the decision showed America's chronic failure to commit. He compared Mr Trump's move to America's historic role in establishing the abortive League of Nations after the First World War. He described a pattern of the US helping set up initiatives before dropping out of them, adding: "I think that's just how they are." ||||| (CNN) France is taunting the US on the Paris Agreement -- again.

 This time, French officials remade a White House video by editing captions that explain why the Paris climate accord was a "bad deal" for the US.

 The video, posted on Twitter by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is France's latest challenge of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the United Nations-brokered deal, which seeks to limit global temperature rises by 2100 to 2 degrees Celsius above levels recorded before industrialization.

 We've seen the @WhiteHouse video about the #ParisAccord . We disagree -- so we've changed it. #MakeThePlanetGreatAgain . pic.twitter.com/8A92MBwe6c

 In the original 40-second US video , the first slide reads, "The Paris Accord is a bad deal for America." The new French version tweaks that line to read, "Leaving the Paris Accord is a bad deal for America and the world."

 The French video goes on to refute the main arguments in the US video using new slides with text edits. For example, the US version asserts that the climate deal "undermines US competitiveness and jobs."

 JUST WATCHED CEOs to Trump: You're wrong on climate change Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH CEOs to Trump: You're wrong on climate change 01:43

 The French video adds: "Major US companies from all sectors such as Exxon Mobil, Schneider Electric or Microsoft, disagree."

 Where the White House video claims the United States set up a $3 billion UN "slush fund," the French video points out that the US financial commitment to the "green climate" fund is less, per capita, than that of many other countries, including Germany and France.

 Other edits include swapping "badly negotiated" for "comprehensively negotiated."

 Macron takes on Trump

 France's new President, Emmanuel Macron, has led the international charge against the US decision to become one of just three countries -- along with Syria and Nicaragua -- not to abide by the Paris accord.

 JUST WATCHED Macron to US: Make our planet great again Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Macron to US: Make our planet great again 01:01

 He repeatedly has said the Paris deal will "make the planet great again," a play on Trump's campaign slogan. And Macron on Thursday released a video address to the American people asserting that Trump is an outlier against American greatness, despite his own political mantra.

 In their latest video, the French also point out a White House line that some US researchers say Trump twisted to support his own priorities.

 The White House video states that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believes the impact of the Paris accord "would be negligible." The French video says the deal was "a step in the right direction."

 MIT agrees with France

 In fact, the President misinterpreted MIT's data, showing "a complete misunderstanding of the climate problem," said John Reilly, the co-director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and one of the study's authors.

 JUST WATCHED Trump pulls US from Paris accord (full speech) Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump pulls US from Paris accord (full speech) 27:43

 Trump in announcing his decision Thursday to pull out of the deal said, "Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths-of-one-degree-Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100."

 "The whole statement seemed to suggest a complete misunderstanding of the climate problem," Reilly said. "I think Paris was a very good deal for the United States, contrary to what they are claiming," Reilly told CNN.

 "This one small step with Paris is a necessary step," he added. "It is an incredibly important step. If we don't take the step, then we aren't prepared to take the next step." ||||| Focused crawls are collections of frequently-updated webcrawl data from narrow (as opposed to broad or wide) web crawls, often focused on a single domain or subdomain. ||||| The interactive transcript could not be loaded.

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– Since President Trump announced Thursday he was pulling the US out of the Paris climate agreement, France has been relentlessly dragging the White House. CNN reports the dragging now includes the French government tweeting a remixed version of a White House video on the agreement Friday. The new version of the video, created by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, pencils in corrections to the original. For example, the White House's video claims the agreement was a "bad deal for the US"; it was changed to say leaving the agreement is the bad deal. The edited video also points out that companies like Microsoft and Exxon Mobil think the Paris agreement is good for the US economy and that the deal was "comprehensively"—not "badly"—negotiated by former President Obama, according to the Hill. The video comes after new French President Emmanuel Macron tweaked Trump by pledging to "make the planet great again" and reasserting American greatness despite Trump's actions. In a live broadcast in English, Macron offered France as a "second homeland" for US climate scientists, as well as "all scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, responsible citizens," telling them, "Come here and work with us," the Independent reports. "I wish to tell the United States, France believes in you—the world believes in you," Macron added.


Here is a news article: Romney: My views on abortion rights are clear

 (CBS News) In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, Mitt Romney said his views on abortion rights are more lenient than those put forward in the Republican party platform.

 "My position has been clear throughout this campaign," Romney said. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother."

 The Republican Party is gathering in Tampa, Fla., this week for its national convention, where in addition to nominating Romney for president, the party will officially adopt its national platform. Last week, the party added language to the platform calling for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, with no mention of making exceptions for victims of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother.

 Republican Convention 2012: complete coverage

 President Obama in an interview Saturday said that if Romney were president, the Republican would not "stand in the way" if Congress attempted to strip women of their reproductive health rights. Democrats have recently stepped up their attacks against the GOP ticket on the issue of reproductive rights, in part because of the strong views held by Romney's running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, and in part because of the controversial remarks GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin made on rape and abortion.

 Romney, however, told Pelley that the issue amounts to a distraction.

 "Recognize this is the decision that will be made by the Supreme Court," he said. "The Democrats try and make this a political issue every four years, but this is a matter in the courts. It's been settled for some time in the courts."

 More from the interview:

 Romney says "birther" joke wasn't a swipe at Obama

 Romney: Nuclear Iran "unacceptable"

 Pelley also asked Romney about changes in the Republican party since the height of his father, George Romney's, political career and about how Romney is confronting the perceived enthusiasm gap in the GOP.

 Watch the full interview segment below. Additional excerpts will air during CBS News' primetime coverage of the Republican National Convention, Tuesday, August 28 through Thursday, August 30, beginning at 10 p.m. ET each night. ||||| Republican Mitt Romney said Monday that he is in favor of abortion in cases of rape, incest and the health and life of the mother.

 Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann, arrive at Brewster Academy, for convention preparations in Wolfeboro, N.H., Aug. 27, 2012. The Romneys envision... (Associated Press)

 The presidential candidate's addition of the health of the mother is certain to raise questions about his position among conservatives. Health can be broadly defined and, in fact, running mate Paul Ryan has challenged the health exception as a major loophole.

 Romney commented in an interview Monday with CBS News.

 Romney's position on abortion rights has evolved. When he ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, he backed abortion rights. As a presidential candidate, he has opposed abortion rights and says the Supreme Court should reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

 In a statement, Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Romney's position is clear _ that he opposes abortion except for cases of rape, incest and where the life of the mother is threatened. |||||
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– On the eve of his nomination, Mitt Romney restated his position on abortion—and it's not the same as that of his party or his running mate. "My position has been clear throughout this campaign," he told CBS. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother." At its storm-shortened convention this week, the Republican Party will officially adopt a national platform calling for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, with none of the exceptions Romney currently favors. Romney's position on abortion rights has evolved over the years, notes AP. He favored abortion rights during his bid for a US Senate seat, but opposed them during the Republican primaries. He described the issue as a distraction in last night night's interview. "Recognize this is the decision that will be made by the Supreme Court," he said. "The Democrats try and make this a political issue every four years, but this is a matter in the courts. It's been settled for some time in the courts."


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 Researchers Think There's A Warm Ocean On Enceladus

 i itoggle caption NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

 Saturn's moon Enceladus is a mystery. From Earth it looks tiny and cold, and yet it's not a dead hunk of rock. Passing spacecraft see trenches and ridges, similar to Earth's, and in 2005 NASA's Cassini mission spotted ice geysers streaming from its south pole.

 "The moon is actually alive in a sense," says Sean Hsu with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

 Beneath the surface, most researchers believe it even has a liquid ocean. Now Hsu and his colleagues have found new evidence that it's a downright balmy ocean.

 i itoggle caption NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA/JPL-Caltech

 The team used the Cassini spacecraft, which orbits Saturn, to detect tiny particles of silica floating in space. It's not sand exactly, but researchers think the particles did come from the bottom of Enceladus' ocean.

 The silica particles could only be made if that ocean were hot. "We think that the temperature at least in some part of the ocean must be higher than 190 degrees Fahrenheit," Hsu says. "If you could swim a little bit further from the really hot part then it could be comfy."

 In fact, 190°F is cooler than many hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Earth's oceans. Hsu says experiments on Earth also suggest the ocean is similar in salinity and pH to oceans here.

 The evidence, published in the journal Nature, is somewhat circumstantial. The theory is that the silica formed and then dissolved in seawater beneath Enceladus' icy crust. It then left the moon through geysers, and filled Saturn's E-ring. From the E-ring, the silica eventually wound up in the giant planet's magnetosphere, which is where Cassini saw it.

 "It's not like they flew through the plumes of Enceladus and measured these particles," says Bill McKinnon, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis.

 Nevertheless, he and other independent researchers think the hypothesis has a reasonable chance of being right. "It's very hard to make silica in the Saturn system except if you have a warm wet environment," says John Spencer, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. Enceladus is the most likely place.

 Why is tiny Enceladus so warm? Spencer suspects it's the gravitational pull of Saturn and some of its other moons. Their attraction could tug the water and rock inside Enceladus, causing it to slosh around and heat up.

 But current models show that gravity alone can't explain the warm oceans, says McKinnon. He thinks something else could be generating that energy.

 "The most exciting possibility is that there's ongoing chemical reactions between the rock inside Enceladus and the water," McKinnon says.

 Those chemical reactions could generate heat, and possibly create conditions for life. Some primitive organisms on our planet live off energy from ocean vents on earth without ever seeing the sun. The energy heating Enceladus' oceans "could be exploited by simple living systems, as happens on the Earth," McKinnon says.

 Right now, such speculation is still pretty far-fetched, but more clues are coming. Later this year, the Cassini spacecraft will skim past Enceladus at a distance of just 30 miles. It should provide one of the best opportunities yet to learn about what's going on inside. ||||| Move over, Europa. It looks as though the most life-friendly habitat ever discovered outside of Earth is Enceladus—Saturn's sixth-largest moon.

 Astrophysicists working with NASA's Saturn sweeping Cassini spacecraft have just announced that Enceladus has a warm ocean at its southern pole with ongoing hydrothermal activity—the first ever discovered outside of Earth. This new research, published in the journal Nature, builds upon last year's discovery of the moon's 6-mile-deep ocean, which is also believed to contain many of the chemicals commonly associated with life.

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 "We now have very strong evidence that there is a hot hydrothermal environment at the base of Enceladus's ocean, perhaps like those where we believe life began on Earth," says Jonathan Lunine, a planetary scientist at Cornell University who works with the Cassini spacecraft but was not involved in the new research. "This is yet another discovery in a series of really remarkable findings that have come one by one, to tell us that this may be the place to go look for life in the outer solar system."

 The clues in the rings

 Sean Hsu, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado, Boulder who helped to lead the team behind this new discovery, says the discovery happened in what was perhaps a counterintuitive way. He and his colleagues estimated the temperature, salinity, and approximate pH of Enceladus's ocean by studying the dust in Saturn's outermost ring. Really.

 "We've known from quite early on that Enceladus was the source of the material in Saturn's [outermost] ring… based on the ring's composition" Hsu says, "although we didn't know the exact mechanism for the material transfer." But the 2005 discovery of 125-mile-high icy geysers shouted out to scientists how Enceladus flung material skyward.

 Enceladus's heat is created by gravitational friction from the pull of Saturn and its other moons

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 Hsu and his team analyzed a class of dust nanoparticles in this outermost ring. Using Cassini's mass spectrometer tool, they showed that these dust particles were made mostly of silica, and that they were the skeletons of evaporated geyser-flung saltwater. These particles point toward warm waters on Enceladus.

 How? It turns out that the exact size range and makeup of the silicate particles gives the researchers a stunningly accurate blueprint of the conditions that forged them. For example, if Enceladus's ocean were really salty (say, over 4 percent, which is a bit more than Earth's oceans) then the silicate particles would have chemically clumped together, former bigger lumps than were found.

 Here's what these particles revealed about Enceladus's deep ocean: The water is less than 4 percent salinity, has a pH between 8.5 and 10.5 (Earth's ranged between 8.0 to 8.3 before the industrial revolution), and is at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit at hot springs at the bottom of the ocean where the particles are forged. Outside of hydrothermal activity, no other known process could make these uniformly small silica particles, the scientists say.

 Life on Enceladus?

 With temperate, vent-warmed waters that contain nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and various other chemicals required for Earth-like life, Enceladus could very much look like the Lost City hydrothermal field under the Atlantic Ocean—an environment where many scientists believe life first originated on Earth. That's a far cry from the scientific state of affairs 15 years ago, when scientists were sure Enceladus was a lump of boring, uneventful rock. This idea would have been laughable.

 But while Hsu says Enceladus looks tantalizingly habitable, it's not clear whether life could (or does) exist on the moon. "An important consideration is the timescale of the Enceladus's ocean's hydrothermal activities," Hsu says. That is, we just don't know how long Enceladus's hydrothermal activity has gone on. Unlike thermal activity on Earth, which is powered by our hot, churning core, Enceladus's heat is created by gravitational friction from the pull of Saturn and its other moons.

 But Cornell's Lunine says the question as to whether Enceladus's ocean does or doesn't contain life is one we could answer, and soon. All of the new information we're gleaning about Enceladus (and all of Saturn's moons) comes from the Cassini spacecraft, which was developed in the late '80s and early '90s. Despite carrying outdated tech and instruments, it's revolutionizing the way we think about the possibility of life in other parts of the solar system. Lunine is currently working on a proposal for an update to the Cassini mission, using a new spacecraft with both modern day technology and specialized machinery designed to seek out the bio-signs of life.

 "If we go back to Enceladus and build upon the Cassini results with the instruments of today, the short answer is, we know that we'll be able to look for life frozen in the [geyser] particles, and really nail this habitability question," Lunine says.

 Read next: Inside the epic 8-year journey to Ceres ||||| LOS ANGELES (AP) — New research suggests there are hot springs bubbling beneath the icy surface of a tiny Saturn moon.

 This June 28, 2009 image provided by NASA, taken by the international Cassini spacecraft, shows Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. A new study published online Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in the journal... (Associated Press)

 If confirmed, it would make the moon Enceladus (ehn-SEHL'-uh-duhs) the only other known body in the solar system besides Earth where hot water and rocks interact underground.

 That activity would make the moon an even more attractive place in the hunt for microbial life. On Earth, scientists have found weird life forms living in hydrothermal vents on the ocean bottom where there's no sunlight.

 The research comes from Cassini, a NASA-European spacecraft that launched in 1997 to explore Saturn and its numerous moons from orbit. It previously uncovered a vast ocean beneath Enceladus and a giant plume of gas and ice streaming from cracks in the south polar region.

 In the latest study, a group led by Cassini team member Sean Hsu of the University of Colorado in Boulder used spacecraft observations and computer modeling to show that the plume is connected to what's happening on the lunar sea floor.

 Judging by their size and makeup, the team believes particles in the plume are the result of hot water coming into contact with rocks on the ocean floor. The resulting mineral-rich water then shoots up through the icy crust and erupts into space in a plume of gas and ice. Some particles settle around Saturn, replenishing its biggest ring.

 The new work also suggests that the ocean is deeper than previous estimates — more than 30 miles deep below the icy crust. It did not provide details on how big the ocean might be, but the Cassini team last year said it could be as big as or even bigger than North America's Lake Superior.

 Cassini should get a better glimpse of the plume later this year when it flies through it, passing within 30 miles above Enceladus' surface.

 The findings were published online Wednesday in the journal Nature.

 In an accompanying editorial, Gabriel Tobie of France's University of Nantes said the environment beneath Enceladus appears similar to the underwater system of hot springs and towering spires nicknamed "Lost City" in the mid-Atlantic.

 It would take future missions such as a lander on the surface of Enceladus to "fully reveal the secrets of its hot springs," he wrote.

 ___

 Contact the reporter on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia |||||

– Thanks to the Cassini spacecraft, we already knew that one of Saturn's moons has a big ocean. Now things have gotten more interesting on Enceladus. It turns out that the ocean is not only warm, it seems to have the same kind of hydrothermal activity going on as oceans on Earth, reports NASA. Bottom line: "This may be the place to go look for life in the outer solar system," says a Cornell scientist not involved with the new study in Nature. That would be microbial life, under conditions similar to those in a network of hot springs under the Atlantic Ocean known as the "Lost City," reports AP. Some scientists think that ancient hydrothermal field yielded the first life on our planet. Some extra-terrestrial sleuthing resulted in the Enceladus discovery: Knowing that a geyser shooting up from the moon's south pole sends up dust particles that settle on Saturn's outer ring, researchers analyzed the outer ring. They discovered that the dust particles were mostly silica, explains Popular Mechanics, and the makeup of that silica yielded details about the ocean in which they were formed. "We think that the temperature at least in some part of the ocean must be higher than 190 degrees Fahrenheit," team member Sean Hsu tells NPR. "If you could swim a little bit further from the really hot part then it could be comfy." The only way to "nail the habitability question" is to send up a new spacecraft to Enceladus with more modern instruments, says the Cornell researcher. He's already working on the proposal. (Read about how Pluto might rejoin the planet club.)