News article:

Sant Gopaldas had been fasting at Triveni and Bag ghats of the Ganga in Rishikesh since June 24

 Two days after Ganga activist GD Agarwal died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh, another activist, 36-year-old Sant Gopaldas was rushed to the premier institute early Saturday.

 He was brought to the hospital at 3.45 am and admitted to the emergency ward, acting medical superintendent of the institute Brijendra Singh said. He is currently being treated at the endocrinology ward.

 Dr Meenakshi Dhar, head the team of doctors attending to him said he was dehydrated. His sugar level has come down to 65. He has refused to eat anything or undergo medical treatment and is being given intravenous fluids, she added.

 The administration has given permission to AIIMS authorities to take any measures they deem fit to save his life, including force-feeding.

 Sant Gopaldas began his fast against mining operations at the Ganga river bed. He had been fasting at Triveni and Bag ghats of the Ganga in Rishikesh since June 24, his follower Arvind Hatwal said.

  ||||| MUMBAI (Reuters) - One of India’s most prominent environmental activists has died at the age of 86 after more than 15 weeks of a hunger strike to protest against government inaction on cleaning up the Ganges.

 Activists of the youth wing of India's main opposition Congress party light candles during a vigil for environmental activist GD Agarwal also known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand after he passed away while he was on a fast-unto-death seeking cleansing of the Ganges river, in New Delhi, India, October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

 The death of G.D. Agarwal, who held a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of California in Berkeley, prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from activists.

 “His demise has shut one of the leading voices of criticism of the government on the Ganga pollution,” said environmentalist Rakesh Jaiswal. “He was one of the most important figures in this fight.”

 The Ganges, worshipped by Hindus, is India’s largest river system and one of its most polluted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 with a pledge to clean up the 1,570-mile-long river, used for water by 400 million people, but increasingly choked with domestic and industrial waste.

 A flagship five-year project he launched in 2015 has fallen flat, critics say. Results of a federal audit released in Dec. 2017 revealed lapses in planning and financial management of the scheme and said under a quarter of the funds for the programme had been spent in two years.

 Agarwal began his fast on June 22 in the northern Haridwar city, demanding a law to protect the river and the scrapping of construction of hydroelectric projects along its banks that have destroyed its natural flow.

 In a letter to Modi in August, he threatened to fast unto death unless action was taken.

 Modi said on Twitter he was “saddened” by Agarwal’s death. “His passion towards learning, education, saving the environment, particularly Ganga cleaning, will always be remembered. My condolences.”

 India’s opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute. “To save the Ganga is to save the country. We will take his fight forward,” he wrote on Twitter.

 Ravi Kant, director of the AIIMS hospital in the northern city of Hrishikesh, on the banks of the Ganges, said Agarwal died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday.

 He had been forcibly taken to the hospital by police a day before, hours after he stopped drinking water. Television footage showed Agarwal, clad in a saffron robe, being picked up by police officers along with the chair he was sitting on, as he kicked his legs in protest.

 Some activists on Friday demanded an independent investigation into Agarwal’s death.

 “I don’t think the government made any honest effort to fulfil his demands,” said Ravi Chopra, an environmentalist. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– An 86-year-old Indian activist died Thursday during a hunger strike to protest pollution in the Ganges River, Reuters reports. G.D. Agarwal was more than 15 weeks into a fast that he began on June 22. He was demanding a law to protect the Ganges—India's largest waterway, sacred to Hindus, which is filthy with domestic and industrial waste—as well as the discontinuing of construction of hydroelectrical projects. Another activist tells Reuters that Agarwal's death "has shut one of the leading voices of criticism of the government on the Ganga pollution." The day before he died, Agarwal was forcibly taken to the hospital after refusing to drink water. Officers reportedly picked him up in the chair he was sitting in as he kicked his legs in protest. He later died of cardiac arrest, per Reuters. Another activist, 36-year-old Sant Gopaldas, was hospitalized Saturday after starting a hunger strike on June 24, NDTV reports. Gopaldas was protesting mining operations along the Ganges. Authorities have reportedly given hospital staff the OK to force-feed him.


Article:
Two FBI employees who used to work for Special Counsel Robert Mueller have already been criticized by Republicans for texts they shared insulting President Donald Trump.

 A review of their correspondence shows Mr. Trump wasn’t their only target: They held dim views of other prominent figures, from Chelsea Clinton to Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder to their new boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

 The... ||||| Special counsel Robert Mueller removed one of the agents from the Russia probe "immediately" after learning of the texts in late July. | Getty In texts, FBI agents on Russia probe called Trump an 'idiot' Messages could fuel GOP claims that bias tainted Clinton and Trump investigations.

 Two FBI agents assigned to the investigation into alleged collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia exchanged text messages referring to the future president as an "idiot," according to copies of messages turned over to Congress Tuesday night by the Justice Department.

 Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed one of the agents, Peter Strzok, from the Russia probe "immediately" after learning of the texts in late July, the department said in a letter to lawmakers.

 Story Continued Below

 The other agent, Lisa Page, had already ended her assignment to Mueller's office.

 Copies of the messages obtained by POLITICO show the pair reacting to various developments as the presidential race unfolded and that their reaction to Trump was negative from early on.

 “I just saw my first Bernie Sanders bumper sticker. Made me want to key the car," Page wrote in an August 2015 exchange.

 “He’s an idiot like Trump. Figure they cancel each other out,” Strzok replied.

 The most reliable politics newsletter. Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

 The messages, which were turned up during a Justice Department inspector general investigation into potential political influence on investigative decisions during the campaign, are fueling Republican calls for a second special counsel to investigate Mueller's operation.

 About 375 texts were handed over by the Justice Department, arriving on Capitol Hill the night before Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to face a prolonged grilling in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

 The exchanges show Page and Strzok mocking Trump as early as mid-2015.

 Responding to a Washington Post story about Trump saying it hadn’t been proven that Russian President Vladimir Putin had killed anyone, Page wrote: "What an utter idiot."

 In a March 2016 message, Page exclaimed: "God trump is a loathsome human....omg he's an idiot."

 "He's awful," replied Strzok.

 The agents sometimes expressed respect or outright support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

 "God Hillary should win 100,000,000 - 0," Strzok wrote in March 2016, calling himself a "conservative Dem."

 "Also did you hear [Trump] make a comment about the size of his d*ck earlier? This man can not be president," Page said later in the exchange.

 The last of the messages are from last December, so it's unclear how helpful they will be to Trump allies seeking to prove that Mueller's probe was tainted by bias.

 But there are hints in the messages about the concern over Russian influence on the campaign, which was building in the final months of the election contest.

 In July 2016, Page expressed concern that the “sandernistas” might undercut Clinton’s campaign.

 “I’m not worried about them. I’m worried about the anarchist Assanges who will take fed information and disclose it to disrupt,” Strzok replied, referring to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who published emails hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta

 The following month, after exchanging more disparaging messages about Trump’s response to Gold Star father Khizr Khan, Page appears to suggest to Strzok that he needs to save the country from Trump.

 “Maybe you’re meant to stay where you are because you’re meant to protect the country from that menace,” Page wrote.

 “I can protect our country at many levels,” Strzok replied.

 One message suggests that the pair and perhaps other more senior FBI officials were assessing Trump’s chances while at work.

 “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk,” Strzok wrote to Page in August 2016.

 It’s unclear who Andy is, but other messages suggest he may be FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. He recused himself from Clinton email-related issues one week before the presidential election, but Republican critics have said he should have done so sooner because of his wife’s campaign for the Virginia state senate was supported by Clinton allies.

 Page also suggests Trump was making racial appeals when he warned about voter fraud a few weeks before the November election.

 “Full of dog whistles,” she wrote. “The racism is barely even veiled anymore.”

 Shortly after the election, Page suggested Trump might be brought down by scandal.

 “Bought all the president’s men,” she wrote. “Figure I needed to brush up on watergate.”

 The texts show that after the election Strzok and Page also seemed aghast at the possibility that then-Sen. Jeff Sessions might be nominated as attorney general.

 "Sessions for DoD or AG," Page wrote on Nov. 15, about a week after the election.

 "Which is the f-ed uppedness of it ... Sessions for AG," Strzok wrote back.

 "Good god," Page replied.

 The pair also took shots at other politicians, with Strzok calling former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley a “douche.”

 Page speculated on Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s sexuality, saying he was “long suspected of being gay.”

 The agents also don’t seem to have been fans of Attorney General Eric Holder.

 “Oh God, Holder! Turn it off turn it off turn it off!!!!” Strzok wrote when Holder appeared at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016.

 “Yeah, I saw him yesterday and booed at the TV,” Page replied.

 At a House hearing last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he'd seen the texts, but he declined to characterize them or comment on them, saying he wanted to await the outcome of the inspector general's review.

 Press accounts have said Strzok and Page were having an extra-marital affair at the time they exchanged the messages, some of which seem to refer to other family members. Some of the messages were partially redacted in the copies sent to Congress. Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said in a letter to lawmakers that the deletions were made to "protect the privacy interests of third parties and sensitive law enforcement information, and remove irrelevant information." ||||| The Justice Department provided Congress with more than 350 text messages exchanged between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Mr. Strzrok led the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. He was having an affair with Ms. Page, and they exchanged the messages over their work phones.

 Here is a selection of those texts:

 Aug. 16, 2015

 Lisa Page: Finally, and related to nothing, but I just saw my first Bernie Sanders bumper sticker. Made me want to key the car.

 Peter Strzok: He’s an idiot like Trump. Figure they cancel each other out.

 Jan. 18, 2016

 Strzok: Martin O’Malley is a freakshow.

 March 4, 2016

 Strzok: “Would he be a worse president than cruz?”

 Page: “Trump? Yes I think so.”

 Strzok: “I’m not sure.”

 Strzok: “OMG he’s an idiot.”

 March 4, 2016

 Page: Poor Kasich. He’s the only sensible man up there

 Strzok: He was pretty much calling for death of Snowden. I’m a single issue voter. ;)

 April 2, 2016

 Page: So look, you say we text on that phone when we talk about hillary because it can’t be traced, you were just venting bc you feel bad that you’re gone so much but it can’t be helped right now.

 June 22, 2016

 Page: Hi. Just leaving a meeting now. How we make law in this country is offensive and irresponsible.

 Strzok: I know it is. its why i LOATHE congress. Can’t wait to hear the story

 July 19, 2016

 Strzok: Are you kidding me? Duck Dynasty now Scott Baio? Ridiculous.

 Page: Wait, is that who is speaking at the convention?!

 Strzok: Yes!!!!!

 Page: Charles in Charge?! That’s the best they can do?! Lmfao

 Strzok: It’s PATHETIC!

 July 20, 2016

 Page: Mitch McConnell always reminds me of a turtle.

 Aug. 15, 2016

 Strzok: I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office -- that there’s no way he gets elected -- but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40...

 Sept. 27, 2016

 Page: Man, I should have started drinking earlier. I’m genuinely stressed about the debate.

 Oct. 14, 2016

 Page: The Roger Stone comments are scary as sh*t

 Strzok: Roger Stone is horrible.

 Oct. 20, 2016

 Strzok: I am riled up. Trump is a fucking idiot, is unable to provide a coherent answer.

 Strzok: I CAN’T PULL AWAY. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY [REDACTED]??!?!

 Nov. 9, 2016

 Strzok: Just woke up. We fought on and off all night.

 Strzok: Too hard to explain here. Election related. Which is also godawful bad.

 Nov. 15, 2016

 Page: My god, Sessions for DoD or AG

 Strzok: Which is the f-ed uppedness of it

 Nov. 18, 2016

 Strzok: Sessions for AG

 Page: Good god

 Dec. 1, 2016

 Strozk: I keep thinking about what the D said, what was it, sick to one’s stomach? Want to talk with you about it more....

 Page: Mildly nauseous, he said.

 (Note: In later Congressional testimony, in May 2017, FBI Director James Comey testified he was “mildly nauseous” at the thought his actions in the Hillary Clinton email investigation may have tilted the election.)

 Corrections & Amplifications

 Text messages sent on Nov. 9, Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 were incorrectly dated as Oct. 9, Oct. 15 and Oct. 18 in an earlier version of this article.

 Write to Del Quentin Wilber at del.wilber@wsj.com ||||| Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerrold Nadler and two other panel Democrats asked for a full review of DOJ’s decision making that led to Tuesday night’s release of about 375 texts that the FBI agents sent during the 2016 presidential campaign. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Democrats want to know why Justice Department released FBI texts

 Democrats pressed the Justice Department on Thursday to explain why it released salacious, anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged between two FBI employees who are still under investigation for their work on the Russia special counsel investigation.

 Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerrold Nadler of New York and two other panel Democrats asked for a full review of DOJ’s decision making that led to Tuesday night’s release of about 375 texts that the FBI officials — Peter Strzok and Lisa Page — sent over a 15-month period during the 2016 presidential campaign.

 Story Continued Below

 The Democratic lawmakers called Justice’s decision an “unusual move” after the texts were given to Congress and a select group of reporters earlier this week.

 Strzok was removed from Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team in late July when DOJ officials learned about the text messages as part of a broader inspector general examination into alleged misconduct by then-FBI Director James Comey and others during the 2016 campaign. Page ended her assignment to Mueller’s office earlier this summer.

 The messages, sent while the two FBI officials were reportedly having an extramarital affair, refer to Trump as an “idiot”, express support for Democrat Hillary Clinton and disparage several other political leaders, including Bernie Sanders and Attorney General Eric Holder.

 DOJ’s decision to release the text messages this week before the public IG report is finished — Inspector General Michael Horowitz has said he may be done by April — is now the subject of controversy.

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 Democrats had pressed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about the department’s release protocol for the messages during a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Wednesday. There, Rosenstein explained DOJ decided to make the text messages public after getting requests for them from Congress.

 He said DOJ press officials had also consulted with the IG’s office and obtained permission.

 “Generally speaking, our goal is to be as forthcoming with the media as we can, when it is lawful and appropriate to do so,” Rosenstein said during the hearing. “So I would not approve anybody disclosing something that was not appropriate to disclose.”

 In their letter Thursday, the Democrats asked DOJ Public Affairs Director Sarah Isgur Flores to name the DOJ officials who evaluated the content of the text messages to ensure they could be released. They also requested the names of who at DOJ gave the green light to share the messages with the media at the same time they were being delivered to Congress. Nadler, joined by Democratic Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, also asked for a list of which reporters and media outlets attended the Tuesday night briefing and any documents they were shown.

 Separately, the Democrats asked Horowitz “for further clarification” on whether DOJ did, indeed, consult with the IG’s office prior to sharing the text messages with Congress and the media.

 In a statement Thursday sent to POLITICO in response to the House Democrats’ latest letter, Isgur Flores said DOJ had provided key Judiciary Committee members with the texts in their offices Tuesday night before Justice’s Public Affairs division shared the same messages with the media.

 “As we understand now, some members of the media had already received copies of the texts before that — but those disclosures were not authorized by the department,” she added.

 DOJ had been planning to include the text messages as part of the final IG report, Isgur Flores added, but then changed course and opted for the early release after getting congressional committee requests for the material.

 She said Rosenstein consulted with the IG, who “determined that he had no objection to the department’s providing the material to the congressional committees that had requested it.”

 DOJ also turned to senior career ethics advisers who “determined that there were no legal or ethical concerns, including under the Privacy Act, that prohibited the release of the information to the public either by members of Congress or by the department.”

 Justice’s IG office declined to comment.

 The DOJ decision to release the text messages to the media and lawmakers before the IG report has drawn criticism from outside the department. Samuel Buell, a former assistant U.S. attorney and Duke University law school professor, called the move “very odd and unprofessional.”

 Benjamin Wittes, the editor-in-chief of the blog Lawfare , wrote Thursday that the Strzok-Page issue should be “adjudicated within the confines of a serious, internal investigation, not a partisan circus.”

 “Rosenstein here has, at a minimum, contributed to that circus — at the expense of his own employees,” Wittes added. “In throwing a career FBI agent and career FBI lawyer to the wolves by authorizing the release to the public of their private text messages — without any finding that they had done anything wrong — he once again sent a message to his workforce that he is not the sort of man with whom you want to share your foxhole. The DOJ and FBI workforces will not forget that. Nor should they.”

 The text messages themselves have also sparked partisan debate, with Republicans seizing on them as evidence of “extreme bias” in both Mueller’s Russia probe and last year’s FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while running the State Department, where Strzok served as the lead FBI agent.

 "Department of Justice investigations must not be tainted by individuals imposing their own political prejudices,” the panel’s chairman, Rep. Robert Goodlatte of Virginia, said during Wednesday’s hearing.

 Democrats countered that the messages were private exchanges protected under the First Amendment. "Peter Strzok did not say anything about Donald Trump that the majority of Americans were not also thinking at the same time," Nadler said. |||||Summary:

– More than 300 text messages exchanged between two FBI agents who used to work for Robert Mueller's Russia probe were delivered to Congress this week, riling Republicans who didn't like how some of them had ripped into Donald Trump during the presidential campaign and shortly after he was elected. But per the Wall Street Journal, Trump wasn't the only target of the insults and snark lobbed between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who reportedly were having an affair during the period when the texts were exchanged, per Politico. Bernie Sanders was one notable who caught some flak. "I just saw my first Bernie Sanders bumper sticker. Made me want to key the car," Page wrote. Strzok replied: "He's an idiot like Trump. Figure they cancel each other out." Page also seemed worried in July 2016 that Bernie Sanders supporters, whom she called "sanderistas," would sabotage Hillary Clinton's chances. Others who were verbally flayed in the texts: Page on Mitch McConnell: He looks like "a turtle." Strzok, apparently on Hillary Clinton: "I'm worried about what happens if HRC is elected." (No elaboration on why.) Page on Jeff Sessions, after learning he'd become AG: "Good god." Page on Ohio Gov. John Kasich: "long suspected of being gay." Strzok on Chelsea Clinton: "Self-entitled." Strzok on former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley: "a freakshow" and "a douche." Strzok on Paul Ryan: "a jerky." Strzok on Democratic National Convention speech by former AG Eric Holder: "Oh God, Holder! Turn it off turn if off!!!" Meanwhile, a DOJ spokeswoman says that some members of the media received copies of the texts before they were supposed to, and Democratic lawmakers aren't happy about it, Politico reports. "Those disclosures were not authorized by the department," she said in a statement. Read more of the texts here.


Article:

CLOSE In his Thanksgiving message, President Trump said American enthusiasm is higher than ever and asked for God's continued blessings upon the nation. USA TODAY

 Donald Trump pardons the turkey, Drumstick, as his son Barron, right, looks on during the turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House in Washington on Nov. 21. (Photo: AFP)

 President Trump talked up his administration's accomplishments in a series of Thanksgiving Day messages Thursday that also hailed the U.S. military's progress in Afghanistan and against the Islamic State terror group.

 "We're really winning," Trump said in a video conference with members of the military from Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Fla., where he is celebrating Thanksgiving. The president praised and thanked troops for their service and said the U.S. military was "being talked about again as an armed forces."

 He told the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose members are conducting operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan: "Everybody’s talking about the progress you’ve made in the last few months since I opened it up."

 Trump added: "We’re not fighting anymore to just walk around, we’re fighting to win.” He said the Obama administration didn’t allow soldiers on the ground to do their jobs.

 "You’re very, very special people," he said. "You’re fighting for something real, you’re fighting for something good."

 In an early-morning holiday tweet, Trump gave his administration high marks. "HAPPY THANKSGIVING, your Country is starting to do really well. Jobs coming back, highest Stock Market EVER, Military getting really strong, we will build the WALL, V.A. taking care of our Vets, great Supreme Court Justice, RECORD CUT IN REGS, lowest unemployment in 17 years….!”

 More: Trump's in the White House, turkey's on the table: What to do if you don't want to talk politics

 In his address to troops, he said the U.S. military was inflicting "defeat after defeat" on the Islamic State group. "They weren’t letting you win before; they were letting you break even. ... They weren’t letting you win,” he said, referring to Obama's administration.

 Trump also told the troops that he’s working on "big, fat, beautiful tax cuts."

 Earlier this week, Trump tweeted he was not getting enough credit for securing the release of three college basketball players arrested in China.

 "It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME," he tweeted.

 More: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade under tight security

 Following the conclusion of Trump's recent 12-day trip to Asia, he declared last week: "My fellow citizens, America is back, and the future has never looked brighter."

 Among the accomplishments Trump cited were his efforts to restore "free and reciprocal trade" and rallying world leaders against the dual threats of a nuclear-armed North Korea and radical Islamic terrorism. "The days of the United States being taken advantage of are over," he vowed, without announcing any new policy changes.

 Before leaving Washington for Mar-a-Lago, Trump delivered the traditional message of unity, thanks and blessings ahead of the holiday.

 "This Thursday as we give thanks for our cherished love ones, let us also renew our bonds of trust, loyalty and affection between our fellow citizens as members of a proud national family of Americans," he said in scripted remarks.

 CLOSE Millions of travelers will hit the road, board planes, and charter trains to get to their Thanksgiving destination. Sometimes the journey will be flawless, but you should e prepared for delays during this busy time of year. USA TODAY

 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2iLeLHp ||||| This will appear next to all of your comments

 This will NOT appear anywhere on Newser ||||| (CNN) Thanksgiving is tomorrow!

 And what better way to celebrate than to review the many tweets Donald Trump has sent to commemorate turkey day?

 This year, Trump got a jump on the holiday by sending a series of tweets -- all before 6 a.m. (!) Wednesday -- taking on LaVar Ball and the NFL

 What does Trump have in store for tomorrow? Who knows! But it won't be easy to crack his own top five best/worst Thanksgiving tweets ever. (As always, special thanks to the amazing Trump Twitter Archive for the easy searchability of Trump tweets.)

 Here we go! |||||
What is a summary?

– President Trump offered the nation a Happy Thanksgiving on Twitter Thursday morning, Or, as the AP put it, "presents his report card [and] passes with flying colors." USA Today's take: "It's time to be very grateful. To him." The tweet: "HAPPY THANKSGIVING, your Country is starting to do really well. Jobs coming back, highest Stock Market EVER, Military getting really strong, we will build the WALL, V.A. taking care of our Vets, great Supreme Court Justice, RECORD CUT IN REGS, lowest unemployment in 17 years....!" The president is spending the holiday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. On his Thanksgiving agenda: thanking military members via video conference. CNN rounds up past memorable Thanksgiving tweets from Trump, including this one: "HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone -- I love you all, even my many enemies (sometimes!)."


Write an article based on this summary:

– People at the Toronto Zoo want to talk to somebody who got too close for comfort to one of their Sumatran tigers—for the sake of a hat. A video that surfaced over the weekend shows a woman hopping a fence at the tiger enclosure to retrieve a fallen hat, the CBC reports. The tiger can be seen lunging at the woman, who is behind a second fence. "You're a moron," a man can be heard shouting after she climbs out of the area. "You're a bad example to everyone else's kids." CityNews reports that if the woman, who ignored warning signs, is identified, she could face a maximum $2,000 fine and a long-term zoo ban. (A keeper nicknamed the "tiger whisperer" was killed by a tiger in a Florida zoo.)

The Toronto Zoo is investigating after a video surfaced online appearing to show a woman jumping over a protective fence to recover a hat that fell inside a tiger's pen.

 In the video posted on YouTube on Saturday, the woman can be seen climbing down the fence and reaching to grab the hat, while a tiger, separated by a second fence, lunges toward her.

 After recovering the hat, the woman hops back over toward a group of onlookers.

 "You're a moron, you're a moron," a man can be heard shouting. "You're a bad example to everyone else's kids."

 Another woman can then be seen intervening to break up the argument.

 "She jumped into a tiger cage. Are [you] kidding me?" the man can be heard saying in response.

 Toronto Zoo spokesperson Jennifer Tracey told CBC News that she learned of the incident through the YouTube video and that the zoo is seeking witnesses who can help explain what happened.

 "It was very irresponsible of this individual to jump over the boardwalk and [she] could have easily injured herself by exciting the animal in this way," Tracey said. "The situation could have been much worse."

 No zoo staff were at the tiger's pen when the incident occurred, Tracey said.

 The staff member assigned to the tiger's pen also watches over other animals in the Indo-Malayan area, such as snow leopards and the zoo's Indian rhino. According to Tracey, that staff member would have likely been at another pen when it happened.

 "It's not unusual that visitors may drop things [inside an animal's pen], but when they do, they should notify zoo staff because they have the necessary equipment to help retrieve it," she said. ||||| The Toronto Zoo has launched an investigation after a YouTube video appearing to show a woman jumping the barrier in front of their Sumatran tiger exhibit surfaced Saturday.

 Communications Director Jennifer Tracey said the investigation was initiated by the zoo’s Safety and Security branch shortly after they saw the video.

 According to City of Toronto zoo by-laws, no person except authorized staff can “climb, break, injure, mark, tamper with or deface any building, fence, cage, enclosure, equipment, installation or structure” in the zoo or enter an area where a no-trespassing sign is displayed.

 Tracey confirmed there were multiple signs in the area warning not to cross the barriers.

 Violating these by-laws could mean a long-term ban or a fine of up to $2,000.

 “We have a range of provisions and bylaws that could include trespassing and bans from the zoo as well,” she said.

 The zoo has yet to identify who the suspect is.

 Once identified, punishment for the suspect will be at the discretion of Toronto Zoo’s CEO John Tracogna.

 It is also unknown whether or not any staff saw the incident happen.

 The zoo is encouraging any witnesses or suspects to come forward. |||||


Write an article based on this summary:

– In Seinfeld's seventh season, George Costanza's fiancee, Susan, was killed by toxic glue on their wedding invitations—and the man who played Costanza has now revealed that the cast had plotted to have her killed. Jason Alexander told the Howard Stern Show yesterday that while Heidi Swedberg, who played Susan, is a "terrific girl," there was a serious lack of chemistry between her and other cast members, Mashable reports. "I couldn't figure out how to play off of her," Alexander explained. "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring." Alexander says he complained about Swedberg and discussed her character's fate at dinners with show co-creator Larry David and other cast members who were finding Susan scenes difficult, ABC reports. Julia Louis-Dreyfus said, "I know, don't you want to just kill her?' And Larry went, 'Kebang,'" Alexander recalled. "Every time I tell this story, I cringe. Heidi is the sweetest." After her character's cruel death, Swedberg had roles in shows like Bones and is now a ukulele teacher, reports ABC. In the same interview, Alexander said other actors up for the Costanza role included Chris Rock, Paul Shaffer, Steve Buscemi, and Danny DeVito, who was offered it but turned it down, reports Entertainment Weekly.

After Jason Alexander revealed why the showrunners killed off his fiancee in "Seinfeld," adding that it was hard to "play off" actress Heidi Swedberg, he took to Twitter today to apologize.

 "Ok folks, I feel officially awful. Yesterday on @Sternshow, I retold a story I had told years ago about my personal difficulties and insecurities in playing George against the Susan that Heidi Swedberg created. The impetus for telling this story was that Howard said, 'Julia Louis Dreyfuss told me you all wanted to kill her' So I told the story to try and clarify that no one wanted to kill Heidi."

 Swedberg played Susan Ross, George's fiancee, who eventually dies by poisoning after licking all the envelopes on their wedding invitations.

 "And again I say, I and the cast really liked and like Heidi. She is a kind, lovely person who undoubtedly worked really hard to create Susan and that character was clearly what Larry and Jerry wanted her to be for George. I just felt I was on uncertain ground in how to play off that character and I was always concerned that it wasn't working. And that's what I would voice concern about. But because the scenes were playing the way they were, the relationship with George and Susan sustained a whole season. People clearly liked the interplay even though I believed I was 'off,'" he continued.

 "Larry and Jerry were not sure how that relationship would end. They didn't really want George married but all the alternatives seemed predictable. They were always looking for an inventive end to the engagement. So when the comment was made about 'killing', no one was talking about the actress - they were talking about the character. And that made a creative light bulb go off apparently," he wrote.

 But Alexander didn't want to put the burden of the character on Swedberg.

 "Heidi would always ask if there was anything in the scenes she could do or if I had any thoughts. She was generous and gracious and I am so mad at myself for retelling this story in any way that would diminish her," he added. "If I had had more maturity or more security in my own work, I surely would have taken her query and possibly tried to adjust the scenes with her. She surely offered. But, I didn't have that maturity or security. And, Larry and Jerry would probably have killed me as it was all playing exactly as they wanted. Clearly Susan and George were coming off just the way they wanted."

 He closed by personally apologizing to the actress and writing, "You are a sweetheart. I actually launched into this on Stern to defend you. But this is why I'm not a lawyer."

 This apology came after Alexander explained the back story to one of the show’s key moments during a Wednesday appearance on “The Howard Stern Show.”

 Alexander appeared on the show ahead of his turn in the Broadway comedy “Fish in the Dark,” replacing Larry David, the co-creator of “Seinfeld.”

 The seventh season of “Seinfeld” features an arc involving George’s engagement. George is initially optimistic about the engagement, but later seeks to sabotage the relationship by taking up smoking, asking for a prenuptial agreement and pursing a coffee date with actress Marisa Tomei.

 In the season’s final episode, “The Invitations,” Susan dies after licking poisonous, inexpensive envelopes for their upcoming wedding, a nod to Costanza’s stinginess, and symbolizing the relationship’s toxic impact on Susan’s life.

 Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

 According to Alexander, 55, the deadly finale was borne from the actors’ troubles to connect.

 “I love [Swedberg]. She’s a terrific girl. I love her … I couldn’t figure out how to play off of her,” Alexander told Stern. “Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, ‘OK, I see what she’s going to do, I’m going to adjust to her,’ and then I’d adjust, and she’d change.

 “I had done three episodes with her, and Larry calls me up at the beginning of the season and goes, ‘Good news: I’ve got a great arc for you this season – you’re gonna get engaged.’ Oh, that’s great! Who do I get engaged to? Susan. And I went, ‘Oh, great. Who’s playing George?’ Because it was such a disaster,” Alexander said.

 Following filming, Alexander said, the core cast would go to dinner, and Alexander complained about his lack of chemistry with his on-screen fiancee. Initially, Alexander said, his fellow stars Julia Louie-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld brushed aside his concerns. But after they started sharing scenes with Swedberg, they too acknowledged similar issues , and openly pondered the character’s fate, Alexander said.

 “Julia said, ‘I know, don’t you want to just kill her?’ And Larry went, ‘Kebang,’” Alexander said.

 “Every time I tell this story, I cringe,” Alexander admitted to Stern. “Heidi is the sweetest.”

 Following Swedberg’s arc as Susan, she continued picking up acting roles, appearing in such shows as “ER,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Bones.” These days, the Hawaii native plays and teaches ukulele music and performs as the lead in the Sukey Jump Band. ||||| Turns out it wasn't just bad wedding invitations that killed Susan Ross. In fact, it was the actress' complete lack of comedic chemistry with the Seinfeld cast that led to the death of George Costanza's fiancé.

 Jason Alexander revealed the details surrounding Susan's untimely demise during a visit to the Howard Stern Show on Wednesday. When Stern steered the topic toward rumors that Alexander couldn't stand actress Heidi Swedberg, the actor was quick to clarify: "She's a terrific girl...I couldn't figure out how to play off of her."

 Alexander explained that though he often had trouble finding the right comedic tone with Swedberg, his cast mates were hard pressed to believe him. It wasn't until Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus performed extensive material with Swedberg in Season 7 that they took Alexander's concerns seriously.

 "Julia actually said, 'I know, don't you want to just kill her?,'" Alexander said, which he says gave show runner Larry David the perfect plot line for his then-undecided season finale. Cut to the end of Season 7 and poor Susan dies after licking poison envelope glue.

 Harsh? Maybe, but don't worry too much about Swedberg — she's living the dream life of an accomplished ukulele teacher.

 UPDATE, June 4, 10:56 A.M. ET: Alexander issued a response that further clarifies his comments on the Howard Stern Show.

 He writes that no one on the cast disliked Swedberg, and that it was his intention to defend her from rumors when he told the story on Wednesday's show.

 He also clarified that when comments were made about killing off Susan, they were directed strictly toward the character and not toward Swedberg herself, who Alexander writes, "was generous and gracious and I am so mad at myself for retelling this story in any way that would diminish her."

 He closes out his statement with an apology: "To Heidi, I personally apologize. You are a sweetheart. I actually launched into this on Stern to defend you. But this is why I'm not a lawyer. Now everybody, calm down and just enjoy the reruns and think, 'why did he think this wasn't working? This is great.'"

 Hear Alexander's entire story in the clip below: |||||


Here is a news article: Palin Family Brawl Bristol: He Called Me A C**t and A Slut! [INSANE AUDIO!]

 Palin Family Brawl (AUDIO!) -- Bristol: He Called Me A C**t and A Slut!

 EXCLUSIVE

 hysterically told cops during the epic drunken Palin family brawl in Alaska last month ... that some guy knocked her down and called her a f**king c**t.Bristol's conversation with cops outside the party near Anchorage was recorded by the officer and TMZ obtained a copy. During the convo ... Bristol explains the fight was triggered by an "old lady" who shoved her younger sister, Willow.Listen carefully ... you can hearin the background telling Bristol not to cuss during her statement.As we reported ... police broke up the massive melee, but no one involved wanted to press charges. ||||| The Palin family has been surprisingly silent in the aftermath of their bloody September 6 brawl in Wasilla. But now, RadarOnline.com has exclusively obtained police audio of Sarah, Bristol, and Willow recorded in the immediate aftermath of the family’s fight — and it isn’t pretty! Listen as a “drunk” Bristol sobs to the cops about losing her shoes, Willow drops F bombs on police officers, and mom Sarah frantically implores them to catch “the bad guys!”

 “We’ve all been here for three hours … everyone was having a good time,” a male partygoer says to the investigators at the beginning of the tape. “And apparently at the time the Palins decided to leave,” all hell broke loose. Indeed, as first reported by Radar, local police reports described a wild brawl between host Korey Klingenmeyer and members of the Palin family.

 “A 60-year-old woman pushed me, punched me!” frantic Willow, 20, butted in. “[Bristol] got punched …”

 “Some guy punched me!” Bristol sobbed. “I don’t know the names. … He pushed me down on the ground and dragged me across the grass!”

 “Korey with the red shirt!” Willow accused Klingenmeyer. “He pushes Bristol down on the f*cking ground …”

 “Don’t cuss Willow!” mom Sarah yelled, before adding, “Pushing girls to the ground!”

 “She’s mentally hurt. She’s not physically, she’s mentally [hurt],” Willow continued. “When this 30-year-old guy’s pushing her to the ground and calling her a sl*t?”

 But other partygoers had a different story. One can be heard claiming, “Bristol was punching him, like six times.”

 PHOTOS: Bloody Aftermath Of Palin Family Brawl Exposed — See The Disturbing Pics Taken By Cops!

 And as other party guests streamed out of the property, mom Sarah can be heard getting increasingly agitated with the cops, who detained her family for questioning.

 “I just don’t understand how a girl can get jumped for no reason!” she yelled “… They let the bad guys go! … Why do these bad guys get to walk right on by … and Bristol and Willow are the ones who get trashed, made to feel like bad guys? I don’t get it.”

 With that, angry Bristol returned to cops to tell her side of the story.

 “Why am I still here when I have my five-year-old [Tripp] in the car?” she screamed. “I want to go! Some guy pushed me down on the ground and was dragging me by my feet. My little sister came up to me and said, ‘Some old lady f*cking just pushed me. She just hit me.’ Oh f*cking hell no! No one’s gonna touch my sister. So we were in the limo. I walked back up. ‘Did you push my sister?’ And some guy gets in my face, pushes me down on the grass, drags me across the grass! [Says to me], ‘You sl*t, you fucking c*nt, you this…’ I get back up, he pushes me down on the grass again and pulls me by my f*cking feet.”

 PHOTOS: Sarah Palin’s Haggard And Without Wedding Ring Post Alleged Brawl

 “And he’s the one that’s leaving and I have my five-year-old?” she continued. “They took my $300 sunglasses. They took my f*cking shoes and I’m f*cking just left here? .. Where is my sh*t? I have a five-year-old in the car!”

 Repeating the claims, she said, “Some lady with gray hair who wants to push my sister? I’m gonna defend my sister! She’s 20 years old. A guy comes out of nowhere, pushes me on the ground. Takes me by my feet, pushes me in my dress, in my thong dress in front of everybody!”

 But Palin family friend and birthday boy Matthew McKenna had a different story for cops. “I’m friends with Todd and Sarah,” he said. “That’s why they’re here. And a bunch of people are drunk and stupid.”

 Describing Bristol’s brawl, he claimed, “A bunch of girls threw her down. Rightfully so. She’s drunk probably. I picked her up, full nelson, carried her out here. She did punch [Klingenmeyer] five times. Some of the guys’ wives [pushed her on the ground to control her] … It’s just a sh*tty deal.”

 PHOTOS: Fraud, Feuds & Fights — 27 Reality Stars Who Are Out Of Control

 Angry Willow can be heard discounting his claims in the background, at which another partygoer sneered, “It’s on video! You guys wanna watch it?!”

 “She missed every f*cking time!” Willow recounted!

 According to the police report ultimately filed by the officers, “Korey said that he approached Bristol and got in her way, telling her that it was his house and party and that she was not going to start any fights and that she needed to leave. Korey said that he then told Bristol to leave again and she began punching him in the face repeatedly, using both hands. Korey said that it did not knock him down but that it hurt and he grabbed Bristol’s arm and held her back, pushing her down while holding her hand as she was attempting to strike him.”

 LISTEN to the Palin family freakout here:

 Story developing. ||||| The Anchorage Police Department interviewed those on the scene immediately following the incident. In the tape, it sounds like Sarah Palin is yelling that someone involved in the fight was being allowed to leave.A clearly distraught Bristol is also seemingly beside herself when her interview begins, saying, “I have a 5-year-old in the car, so if you’re going to question me, question me.”The police officer responds, “Do you want to talk to me? Come talk to me away from your family.”This is when Bristol goes into explicit detail, claiming she was jumped after trying to defend sister Willow, who had also been attacked. “A guy comes out of nowhere and pushes me on the ground… takes me by my feet, in my dress… my thong dress in front of everybody. [He said], 'Come on you c**t, get the f**k outta here! Come on you s**t get the f**k outta here.'”Listen below [warning: NSFW]: According to ABC News , the party was at the home of Korey Klingenmeyer and was a birthday party for twin brothers Matthew and Marc McKenna. It was also Todd Palin's birthday.At the time of the incident, Sarah posted on Facebook, “I have to say this as a proud mama: right up there with their work ethic and heart for those less fortunate, my kids’ defense of family makes my heart soar!”It wasn’t clear what started the brawl, but reports say alcohol was involved. No charges have been filed. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Sarah Palin has already offered an explanation for the reportedly booze-fueled brouhaha in Anchorage her family was involved in last month, but now there's apparently audiotape to supplement that account. TMZ has released what it says is a copy of Bristol, Willow, and Sarah Palin's complaints to police outside a Sept. 6 party that got out of control (Radar and Extra also posted portions of the audio). The woman on the tape alleged to be Bristol "hysterically" tells cops that sister Willow had come up to her at the bash and said, "‘Some old lady just [expletive] pushed me. She just hit me." Bristol then adds that when she went to confront the alleged pusher, "some guy gets in my face, pushes me down on the grass, drags me across the grass! [Says to me], 'You sl-t, you f---ing c-nt." (Willow says on the tape that that guy was Korey Klingenmeyer, the host of the party.) Bristol then expands her litany of injustices: "They took my $300 sunglasses. They took my f---ing shoes and I’m f---ing left here? … Where is my s--t? I have a 5-year-old in the car!" The police report indicates Klingenmeyer asked Bristol to leave because he didn't want her to pick fights with anyone. Sarah Palin—who can allegedly be heard on the tape advising her progeny not to use obscenities and saying, "But they let the bad guys go!"—posted support for Bristol on Facebook on Sept. 19, raving, "I love my Bristol! My straight-shooter is one of the strongest young women you'll ever meet. I have to say this as a proud mama: … my kids' defense of family makes my heart soar!"