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(CNN) President Barack Obama has personally apologized. But he didn't go far enough, according to Doctors Without Borders, the aid group whose hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz was hit by a deadly U.S. airstrike.

 The charity group -- which is also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, and provides medical care in some of the world's most dangerous places -- is calling the strike an "attack on the Geneva Conventions" and urging an independent investigation by a never-before-used international commission.

 The International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission has been in existence since 1991. It requires a request by one of the 76 nations that have signed on to it for it to begin its work. Its job is to investigate whether international humanitarian law has been violated.

 "Governments up to now have been too polite or afraid to set a precedent," Dr. Joanne Liu, president of Doctors Without Borders, said Wednesday. "The tool exists, and it is time it is activated."

 On Wednesday morning, Obama called and apologized directly to Liu. In a White House statement on that conversation, he highlighted a U.S. military investigation into the strike and pledged full support to a joint NATO and Afghan government probe.

 But there was no mention of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.

 "President Obama expressed regret over the tragic incident and offered his thoughts and prayers on behalf of the American people to the victims, their families, and loved ones," the White House statement said.

 "Acknowledging the great respect he has for the important and lifesaving work that MSF does for vulnerable communities in Afghanistan and around the world, the President assured Liu of his expectation that the Department of Defense investigation currently underway would provide a transparent, thorough and objective accounting of the facts and circumstances of the incident."

 The Doctors Without Borders chief acknowledged Obama's apology, but doesn't want him to stop there. She pushed for the United States to allow an international investigation.

 "We reiterate our (request) that the U.S. government consent to an independent investigation led by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission to establish what happened in Kunduz, how it happened, and why it happened," Liu said.

 For charity, 'the biggest loss of life ... in an airstrike'

 The attack in the embattled city Saturday killed 12 medical staff members and at least 10 patients, three of them children. It was "the biggest loss of life for our organization in an airstrike," Liu said.

 'If we let this go, we are basically giving blank check to any countries at war' says #MSF Int'l Prez @JoanneLiu_MSF pic.twitter.com/p3YDpUepbq — MSF East Africa (@MSFNairobi) October 7, 2015

 Another 37 people were wounded, according to the global charity group, which works in conflict zones to help victims of war and other tragedies.

 Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has said the hospital was hit accidentally during an American airstrike. The Pentagon is carrying out an investigation, as are NATO and Afghanistan.

 "If errors were committed, we will acknowledge them," Campbell said. "We will hold those responsible accountable, and we will take steps to ensure mistakes are not repeated."

 Doctors Without Borders said it wants a full and transparent investigation by an independent agency.

 "Their description of the attack keeps changing -- from collateral damage, to a tragic incident, to now attempting to pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government," the group said.

 What the U.S. said and when Saturday, 3 October -- Col. Brian Tribus, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan "U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Kunduz city at 2:15am (local), Oct 3, against individuals threatening the force. The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility. This incident is under investigation." Sunday, 4 October -- Gen. John Campbell, U.S. military chief in Afghanistan "U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Kunduz city at 2:15am (local), Oct 3, against insurgents who were directly firing upon U.S. service members advising and assisting Afghan Security Forces in the city of Kunduz. The strike was conducted in the vicinity of a Doctors Without Borders medical facility." Monday, 5 October -- Gen. John Campbell, U.S. military chief in Afghanistan "We have now learned that on October 3, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from U.S. forces. An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck. This is different from the initial reports, which indicated that U.S. forces were threatened and that the airstrike was called on their behalf." Tuesday, 6 October -- Gen. John Campbell to the Senate committee "On Saturday morning our forces provided close air support to Afghan forces at their request. To be clear the decision to provide aerial fires was a U.S. decision, made within the U.S. chain of command. A hospital was mistakenly struck. We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility ... I assure you that the investigation will be thorough, objective and transparent."

 'Today, we say, 'Enough''

 The United States has changed its account of what brought on the airstrike.

 First, U.S. officials said that initial reports indicated the airstrike was called to protect U.S. forces. Then it said Afghan forces called for the air support because the Afghans were taking fire.

 "Today, we say, 'Enough,' " Liu said.

 "Today we are fighting back for the respect of the Geneva Conventions. As doctors, we are fighting back for the sake of our patients."

 It's an open question as to whether the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission could initiate an inquiry. The panel's website says it requires the consent of the parties involved, and neither the United States nor Afghanistan recognizes the commission.

 Jason Cone, the U.S. executive director for Doctors Without Borders, called on one of the 76 nations that recognize the panel to press the issue on the charity's behalf, though none of the 76 had stepped forward as of midday Wednesday. He said the changing U.S. accounts of the strikes underscore the need for an independent inquiry.

 Cone paid tribute to the doctors who he said carried on treating the wounded while watching their colleagues die and while the hospital burned.

 "In Kunduz, our patients burned in their beds, our doctors' nurses and other staff were killed as they worked, our colleagues had to operate on each other. One of our doctors died on an improvised operating table, an office desk, while his colleagues tried to save his life," Cone said.

 A balance between humanity and military necessity

 Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan Flames are visible inside a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, after a U.S. airstrike on Saturday, October 3. At least 30 people died in the attack, the charity said in its internal review of the strike released Thursday, November 5. The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has said the hospital was hit accidentally. Hide Caption 1 of 5 Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan Doctors Without Borders said it had emailed the GPS coordinates of its main hospital and administration office building at the Kunduz center before the airstrike. The U.S. commander said airstrikes were called after Afghan troops advised they were "taking fire from enemy positions."

 Hide Caption 2 of 5 Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan Doctors Without Borders is asking for an indepedent investigation by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission. President Barack Obama has apologized to the charity group for the attack. Hide Caption 3 of 5 Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan The attacks came as fighting intensified between Afghan government forces -- supported by U.S. air power and military advisers -- and the Taliban, which invaded Kunduz in late September. Hide Caption 4 of 5 Photos: Doctors Without Borders hospital attacked in Afghanistan "We were running a hospital treating patients, including wounded combatants from both sides -- this was not a 'Taliban base,' " said Dr. Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières, upon release of the group's internal review of the attack. Hide Caption 5 of 5

 In general terms, a war crime may be committed when there is an attack on a civilian population during an armed conflict, said Steven Kay, a lawyer who defended Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta against charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court,

 There is an extensive body of law that regulates military action during conflict.

 The aim, said Anthony Dworkin, a human rights expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, is to draw a balance between what armed forces are justified to do out of military necessity -- which includes causing collateral damage to civilians -- and the principles of humanity.

 "Hospitals enjoy a special protected status under international humanitarian law. So, to attack a hospital or medical facility, whether it is a civilian or military installation, is a crime," Kay said.

 Saturday wasn't the first time Doctors Without Borders has complained about military action on the Kunduz hospital.

 In July, the aid group condemned what it called a "violent incursion by armed members of Afghan Special Forces." The troops allegedly entered the hospital -- which, according to MSF, "has a strict no weapons policy" like its other facilities -- and "physically assaulted three MSF staff members (and arrested) three patients." Those patients were released after an hour.

 "Since it opened in 2011, Kunduz Trauma Center has been a place where all patients can receive free medical and surgical care safely," MSF's Director of Operations Dr. Bart Janssens said at the time. "This serious event puts at risk the lives of thousands of people who rely on the center for urgent care." ||||| President Barack Obama has apologized to Doctors Without Borders for the U.S. bombing of the international medical charity's hospital that killed 22 people last weekend in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

 White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama called the medical group's president, Dr. Joanne Liu, to "apologize and express condolences."

 "In this case, there was a mistake and it's one that the U.S. owns up to," Earnest said. He said Obama "is very eager to get to the bottom of what exactly occurred."

 In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Liu acknowledged receiving Obama's call, but repeated her earlier demand for an independent panel to conduct an investigation under the Geneva Conventions, "to establish what happened in Kunduz, how it happened and why it happened."

 The Geneva Conventions are a set of international treaties and protocols regulating the conduct of armed conflict and aim to protect people not taking part in hostilities and those who are no longer doing so.

 Taliban insurgents have taken parts of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, while the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika suffered attacks from the Islamic State over the weekend.

 Hours before her conversation with President Obama, Liu said the organization, known by its French acronym MSF, cannot rely on the internal probes being conducted by the U.S., Afghanistan and NATO.

 MSF has suggested that the bombing could be considered a war crime, but White House spokesman Earnest said "no one has offered any evidence that it's anything but a terrible, tragic mistake."

 Obama also called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to voice his condolences for the innocent loss of lives in the aerial bombardment Saturday, the spokesman said, and to commend Afghan forces for their bravery in the fight to control the northern Afghan city in clashes with Taliban insurgents.

 Associated Press video footage of the burned-out hospital compound in the east of Kunduz city.

 Meanwhile, U.S. officials are probing whether the military exceeded its authority for use of force in Afghanistan in launching the airstrike.

 The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General John Campbell, says the United States is taking the blame for carrying out Saturday's raid after Afghan forces requested it to attack Taliban insurgents it believed were firing from inside the medical facility. But the question remains whether the U.S. should have agreed to the attack.

 FILE - Afghan security forces inspect the site of a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz city, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2015.

 When Obama ended American ground combat operations in Afghanistan last year, he said that the residual force of 9,800 U.S. troops remaining there should focus on training and advising Afghan troops. He limited the use of force to three circumstances: the defense of U.S. and allied troops, support for missions targeting remnants of al-Qaida insurgents in Afghanistan, and assisting Afghan troops facing mass casualties in extreme situations.

 It is not clear whether the U.S. bombing of the hospital met any of those criteria.

 Campbell told a congressional committee Tuesday the hospital was "mistakenly struck" and the United States "would never intentionally target a protected medical facility."

 He said he has ordered American forces in Afghanistan to be retrained on their use of force. ||||| WASHINGTON/GENEVA U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday apologized to Medecins Sans Frontieres for the deadly bombing of its hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, while the medical charity pressed its demand for an international commission to investigate what it calls a war crime.

 MSF said that an independent humanitarian commission created under the Geneva Conventions in 1991 should be activated for the first time to handle the inquiry. Three investigations have already begun into Saturday's air strike that killed 22 people, including 12 MSF staff.

 Obama telephoned MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, International President Joanne Liu to apologize and express his condolences, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Asked whether Obama offered some explanation to Liu, Earnest said no.

 "He merely offered his heartfelt apology" and a commitment to find out what went wrong, he said.

 Earnest said Obama told Liu that a U.S. investigation would "provide a transparent, thorough and objective accounting of the facts and circumstances of the incident. And that, if necessary, the president would implement changes to make tragedies like this one less likely to occur in the future."

 MSF said that the commission's inquiry would gather facts and evidence from the United States, NATO and Afghanistan, as well as testimony from MSF staff and patients who survived.

 Only then would MSF consider whether to bring criminal charges for loss of life and partial destruction of its trauma hospital, which has left tens of thousands of Afghans without access to health care, it said.

 "If we let this go, as if it was a non-event, we are basically giving a blank check to any countries who are at war," Liu told a news briefing in Geneva. "If we don't safeguard that medical space for us to do our activities, then it is impossible to work in other contexts like Syria, South Sudan, like Yemen."

 Neither the United States nor Afghanistan were signatories to the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) but Jason Cone, executive director of MSF in the United States, called on Obama to consent to the commission.

 "Doing so will send a powerful signal of the U.S. government's commitment to and respect for international humanitarian law under rules of war," Cone said at a news conference in New York.

 The White House said Obama had also called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to express his condolences. The United States military took responsibility on Tuesday for the air strike, calling it a mistake.

 Earnest said "there is no evidence that ... I've seen or that anybody else has presented that indicate that this was anything other than a terrible, tragic accident."

 U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking to reporters in Rome on Wednesday, said the investigation would "hold accountable anyone responsible for conduct that was improper."

 HOSPITAL CHAOS

 Liu spoke of the chaos as the bombs fell for an hour.

 "Our patients burned in their beds, MSF doctors nurses, and other staff were killed as they worked. Our colleagues had to operate on each other," she said.

 The Afghan Ministry of Defence said on Sunday Taliban fighters had attacked the hospital and were using the building "as a human shield", which the medical group denied, while pointing out it would be a war crime not to treat the wounded.

 Liu said an impartial commission, which can be set up at the request of a single state under the Geneva Conventions that establish international standards for conducting war, was needed due to "inconsistencies between the U.S. and Afghan accounts".

 The United Nations has condemned the attack but said it would wait for the results of U.S., NATO and Afghan investigations before deciding whether to support an independent probe.

 MSF's hospital in Kunduz had treated nearly 400 people, including some Taliban, wounded in heavy fighting in the days before the attack, MSF's Bruno Jochum said.

 Its GSP coordinates had been shared with all authorities.

 "We had eight ICU (intensive care unit) beds with ventilators, this was high-tech medicine. This was not the little bush hospital. You could not miss it," Liu said.

 "Today we say enough, even war has rules."

 (Additional reporting Steve Scherer in Rome, Doina Chiacu and Lisa Lambert in Washington and Daniel Bases in New York; Editing by David Storey and Grant McCool) |||||

– Doctors Without Borders isn't letting the deadly airstrike on a hospital in Afghanistan slip quietly away. The group Wednesday called the US bombing that killed 12 of its staffers and 10 patients "an attack on the Geneva Conventions" and called for an unprecedented independent investigation, reports Voice of America. "Even war has rules," said its president, Joanne Liu. Her group wants the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission—a panel set up under the Conventions in 1991 but never used—to launch an inquiry. It takes the request of one its 76 signatory nations to launch one, reports CNN. "Governments up to now have been too polite or afraid to set a precedent," said Liu. "The tool exists, and it is time it is activated." The group has called the airstrike a war crime, and Liu says internal investigations by the US or Afghanistan aren't enough. “If we let this go as if it were a nonevent, we are basically giving a blank check to any countries at war." Only when the investigation is complete will the group decide whether to pursue criminal charges, reports Reuters. (On Tuesday, a US general called the airstrike a mistake.)


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– Secretive data companies are tracking almost every American's every move online—and compiling and selling disturbingly targeted lists based on that spying, a new Senate Commerce Committee report concludes. That includes lists of rape victims, people suffering from ailments including HIV, AIDS, and dementia, and people with substance abuse problems, a privacy group said in a hearing yesterday, as per CNN. Mailing addresses for police officers and domestic violence shelters—the latter of which are usually protected by law—are also for sale, as are lists based on demographics and economics, including "Ethnic Second-City Strugglers," and "Rural and Barely Making It." The World Privacy Forum urged Congress to act to "remove unsafe, unfair, and overall just deplorable lists from circulation." The Direct Marketing Association released a statement saying that while the lists are occasionally "used to disparage certain groups," they represented a "tiny minority" of marketing products. Overall the committee looked at nine companies, some of which refused to explain how they got their data or who they sold it to, Gawker reports. One company admitted it had sold social security numbers and banking information to an alleged identity theft ring.

The Senate Commerce Committee issued a report on the multibillion dollar data industry today, and the accompanying testimony and findings are chilling.

 Over the last year, the Committee queried nine of the major data companies and invited testimony from privacy groups. What's emerged is that collectively, these companies own an astounding number of consumer profiles, and they're selling deeply personal information — sometimes to identity thieves — in categories like rape victims, people with cancer, and “Rural and Barely Making It.”

 One data broker is selling lists of addresses and names of consumers suffering from conditions including cancer, diabetes, and depression, and the medications used for those conditions; another is offering lists naming consumers, their credit scores, and specific health conditions.

 Of the nine companies the Committee approached — Acxiom, Experian, Epsilon, Reed Elsevier, Equifax, TransUnion, Rapleaf, Spokeo, and Datalogix — "some" were forthcoming. The report mentions Equifax as being particularly cooperative.

 Others weren't. Acxiom, which according to the report has “multi-sourced insight into approximately 700 million consumers worldwide,” Experian, and Epsilon refused to explain how they collected their data or who they were selling it to, citing confidentiality clauses in their contracts. (The Attorney General of New Jersey recently released documents indicating Acxiom sold another company, Dataium, 400,000 dossiers for a mere $2,500.)

 In October, Experian admitted that it sold personal information — including social security numbers and banking information — through a subsidiary to an alleged online identity theft ring. That same subsidiary, Court Ventures, also appeared on a list of companies that requested private information about gun permit holders in Virginia.

 Equifax told the Committee they had information as specific as:

 Whether a consumer purchased a particular soft drink or shampoo product in the last six months

 Whether they use laxatives or yeast infection products

 How many OB/GYN doctor visits they've had within the last 12 months

 How many miles they traveled in the last 4 weeks

 The number of whiskey drinks they consumed in the past 30 days.

 That data is then sorted into a dictionary with more than 75,000 data points like, "whether the individual or household is a pet owner, smokes, has a propensity to purchase prescriptions through the mail, donates to charitable causes, is active military or a veteran, holds certain insurance products including burial insurance or juvenile life insurance, enjoys reading romance novels, or is a hunter."

 Privacy groups testified that the companies also sell lists of rape victims and people with HIV and AIDs.

 This fine-tuned data collection isn't new — last year, the Times reported a story of how Target figured out a teenager was pregnant before her father did. Even in 2007, the Times reported on a company selling lists like, “Oldies but Goodies,” 500,000 gamblers over 55 years old, for 8.5 cents each, and one list that said: “These people are gullible. They want to believe that their luck can change.”

 But their databases are growing infinitely, and there are still no relevant consumer protection laws in place to protect individual privacy. And despite recent transparency efforts — like Acxiom's aboutthedata.com — that also means the consumers on these lists still have no right to find out what information is out there, or who is buying it.

 [image via Shutterstock] ||||| NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

 Consumer data companies are selling lists of rape victims, seniors with dementia and even those suffering from HIV and AIDS to marketers, underscoring the need for tighter government regulations, a privacy group told Congress Wednesday.

 The World Privacy Forum uncovered these lists, along with several others, while investigating how data brokers collect and sell consumer information. Marketers buy this data so they can target shoppers based on everything from their income to clothing size.

 Other lists the nonprofit found included the home addresses of police officers, a mailing list for domestic violence shelters (which are typically kept secret by law) and a list of people with addictive behaviors towards drug and alcohol.

 The mere existence of these lists highlights the need for increased government regulations, said World Privacy Forum executive director Pam Dixon.

 Related: What your zip code reveals about you

 "This is where I urge Congress to take action," she said Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing. "Highly sensitive data are the frayed and ugly ends of the bell curve of lists, far from the center. This is where lawmakers can work to remove unsafe, unfair and overall just deplorable lists from circulation."

 Currently, data brokers are required by federal law to maintain the privacy of a consumer's data only if it is used for credit, employment, insurance or housing. And while medical privacy laws prohibit doctors from sharing patient information, medical information that data brokers get elsewhere, such as from the purchase of over-the-counter drugs and other health care items, is fair game.

 In some cases, such lists could put people in harm's way. The list of more than 30,000 police officers' home addresses, for example, could put the lives of the officers and their families in danger, said Dixon. Meanwhile, a list of seniors suffering from dementia could open them up to predatory financial offers.

 Related: Find out what Big Data knows about you

 Linda Woolley, president of the Direct Marketing Association, said in a statement that such lists represent a "tiny minority" of marketing products.

 "We recognize that there are situations in which lists are being used to disparage certain groups," she said. "That is not something that DMA supports."

 She added that some names of lists may be misleading as to the information it contains and that most lists typically focus on a person's likely interests, such as whether someone is a "sports enthusiast" or "avid traveler."

 Some data brokers offer ways to opt out, but many have unclear opt-out procedures or none at all. Plus, most consumers have no idea they're on the lists in the first place, said Dixon.

 Related: What your wireless carrier knows about you

 Wednesday's hearing came after a year-long Senate committee investigation into the $156 billion data brokerage industry. The Federal Trade Commission has also called on major data brokers to increase transparency into their data practices.

 Committee chairman John "Jay" Rockefeller criticized several of the country's largest data brokers for resisting the oversight and said he would continue to push for information on how they get data and who they sell it to.

 In his closing remarks, the senator said he was "revolted" by the lists Dixon had revealed and said the commission would continue to explore the issue.

 "I think it's our job as government to... bring into sunlight what is going on," he said. "I think its serious, and I think it's a dark underside of American life, in which people make a lot of money and cause people to suffer even more." |||||


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– A teenager fell from a stopped gondola ride at an upstate New York amusement park Saturday night, tumbling into a crowd of park guests and employees gathered below in an effort to catch the victim before she hit the ground. The Warren County Sheriff's Office said late Saturday the unidentified 14-year-old girl from Greenwood, Delaware, is at Albany Medical Center in stable condition with no serious injuries. The accident happened on the "Sky Ride" at Six Flags Amusement Park, about 55 miles north of Albany, New York, just after 8pm Saturday, reports the AP. "There does not appear to be any malfunction of the ride, but we have closed the attraction until a thorough review can be completed," a park official said. The sheriff's office said in a statement that the girl was riding the attraction with a young relative, and fell about 25 feet from a stationary two-person car. The New York Daily News refers to Facebook video that shows the girl first dangling from the ride and screaming; people are recorded yelling, "Her neck is stuck," and then telling the girl they'll catch her. Authorities say she struck a tree branch before landing in the crowd. She was treated by park emergency medical staff and transferred by ambulance to Glen Falls Hospital before being taken by helicopter to the medical center. Authorities also say an unidentified 47-year-old park guest from Schenectady, New York, was treated and released from a hospital for a back injury sustained when he attempted to catch the falling girl.

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (AP) — A teenager fell from a stopped gondola ride at an upstate New York amusement park Saturday night, tumbling into a crowd of park guests and employees gathered below in an effort to catch the victim before she hit the ground.;

 The Warren County Sheriff's Office said late Saturday the unidentified 14-year-old girl from Greenwood, Delaware, is at Albany Medical Center in stable condition with no serious injuries.

 The accident happened on the "Sky Ride" at Six Flags Amusement Park, about 55 miles (88.51 kilometers) north of Albany, New York, just after 8 p.m. Saturday.

 The sheriff's office said in a statement that the girl was riding the attraction with a child relative, and fell about 25 feet from a stationary two-person car. The ride was stopped by an operator after word was received that there was a rider in distress, officials said.

 Authorities say the girl fell from the car and struck a tree before landing in the crowd. She was treated by park emergency medical staff and transferred by ambulance to Glen Falls Hospital before being taken by helicopter to the medical center.

 Officials inspected the ride and said it was in proper working order. The park said in a statement that the safety of guests is a top priority.

 "There does not appear to be any malfunction of the ride, but we have closed the attraction until a thorough review can be completed," a park official said.

 Authorities also said an unidentified 47-year-old man from Schenectady, New York, who was a guest at the park, was treated and released from a hospital for a back injury sustained when he attempted to catch the falling girl.

 No additional information was immediately available. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. |||||


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– You’ve got to be pretty crazy to run onto a baseball field during a game, but Grim LeRogue is, arguably, crazier than most. LeRogue was carrying a picture of Alex Rodriguez with a gun pointed at his head and the note, “You have to go bud, you’ve ruined too many of our white queens” when he ran onto the Yankees' field Monday night, the New York Post reports. Apparently LeRogue planned to confront Rodriguez about one of those “white queens”—Cameron Diaz, whom A-Rod is reportedly dating. LeRogue was also carrying a picture of Diaz, which read, “We will be together soon.” He was not, however, carrying any weapons with which to dispatch Rodriguez. He may have been seeking publicity for a 700-page novel he wrote “about a ninja or something,” says his mom. The 33-year-old, who has a record of arrests for assault and burglary, was charged with assault and is being held. For more—including the pictures of Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, and Osama bin Laden he was also carrying—click here.

A-Rod Chaser Held Photos of Cameron Diaz and Whitney Houston

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 With a name like Grim LeRogue, you've got to be a wee bit eccentric. Or loony, as the headlines are labeling the 33-year-old Brooklyn man who stormed the field at Yankee Stadium on Monday night with alleged aspirations of confronting

 Police sources tell the

 He also had a shot of Diaz with the message: "We will be together soon." With a name like Grim LeRogue, you've got to be a wee bit eccentric. Or loony, as the headlines are labeling the 33-year-old Brooklyn man who stormed the field at Yankee Stadium on Monday night with alleged aspirations of confronting Alex Rodriguez over his relationship with Cameron Diaz . For serious!Police sources tell the New York Post that LeRogue (formerly Joe Rogan) made a mad dash for A-Rod while carrying five pictures. One of them was of Rodriguez with an X over his face that read: "You have to go bud, you've ruined too many of our white queens."He also had a shot of Diaz with the message: "We will be together soon."

 Rodriguez and Diaz have been quietly dating for months. The divorced slugger previously dated actress Kate Hudson.Adding to the confusion, LaRogue was also holding an image of Osama bin Laden with the inscription, "I will serve you," in addition to pictures of Whitney Houston, whom the al Qaeda chief purportedly admires.He captioned the Houston photo "Whitney Bin Laden," and on a photo of Houston's ex, Bobby Brown, he wrote, "You need to be terminated.""I just can't believe this," LaRogue's mother, Cathy, told The Post on Tuesday. "He drank in his day when he was younger, he's not like this saintly kid, but he's 33 years old now, so give me a break."Le Rogue was charged with assault and interfering with a sporting event and taken to Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx for a psychiatric evaluation. ||||| The fruitcake who ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium Monday wanted to confront A-Rod out of crazed jealousy over the star infielder’s romantic relationship with Cameron Diaz, police sources told The Post last night.

 Grim LeRogue, who legally changed his name from Joe Rogan, was carrying five pictures when he made his mad dash — including one of Rodriguez with an X scrawled across his face and a gun pointed at his head.

 An apparent threat was scribbled across the picture: “You have to go bud, you’ve ruined too many of our white queens.”

 LeRogue, who was tackled by security just a few feet from the stands, apparently is in love with the “There’s Something About Mary” star.

 He also carried a picture of Diaz with the message: “We will be together soon,” the police sources added.

 VACCARO: IT’S UP TO CC TO KEEP YANKEES BREATHING

 LeRogue, who has a record of prior arrests for assault and burglary, did not have any weapon on him when he pulled his bizarre stunt in the top of the fifth inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Texas.

 “It was crazy. The guy ran on the field but security was on him right away,” said Jon Rosen, 14, from Shore Hills, NJ, who was at the game with his dad.

 “He really fought them hard. He wouldn’t stop kicking. He wouldn’t give up.”

 LeRogue, 33, of The Bronx, also has a soft spot for Osama bin Laden.

 A picture he carried of the al Qaeda head bore the inscription, “I will serve you,” and described the terrorist as his “master.”

 He also carried pictures of Whitney Houston and ex-husband Bobby Brown, according to the sources.

 On Houston’s picture, he captioned her “Whitney Bin Laden.”

 “You will soon be my master’s wife,” he scribbled.

 On Brown’s photo, he wrote, “You need to be terminated,” the sources said.

 LeRogue was charged with assault and interfering with a sporting event.

 He was taken to Lincoln Hospital in The Bronx for psychiatric evaluation and was still being held yesterday.

 LeRogue, who admits on his Facebook page that “dignity is a frame of mind I’m [sic] yet to explore,” lives with his mother in Williamsbridge.

 “I just can’t believe this,” his mom, Cathy, told The Post.

 “He drank in his day when he was younger, he’s not like this saintly kid, but he’s 33 years old now, so give me a break,” she said.

 But her son, also a known graffiti vandal, has managed to finish writing a 700-page novel “about a ninja or something” that he’s self-publishing next month, she said.

 “He told police he wanted publicity” for his tome, she said.

 Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick and Jessica Simeone

 larry.celona@nypost.com

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– A US balloonist who was trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean using hundreds of helium-filled balloons has landed short of his goal in Newfoundland. With sense of humor intact: "This doesn't look like France," he posted on Facebook. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported today that it used a helicopter to retrieve Jonathan Trappe from the remote area where he landed a night earlier. "It's not the destination I set out for, but it's kind of the way with real adventure," Trappe told the CBC. "Adventure isn't what you planned on, it's what you find, and that's what we have today." Trappe landed safely in a rugged area near York Harbour after reporting that he was having trouble controlling his balloons yesterday evening, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Instead of using a conventional hot-air balloon, Trappe was using more than 300 colorful helium-filled balloons, like those used in the animated movie Up. He said his calculations indicated he wasn't going to make it to Europe, so he decided to set down on land before crossing over open ocean.

Jonathan Trappe, a balloonist who had been attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean but was forced to land in a remote area on Newfoundland's west coast, was picked up on Friday afternoon by a helicopter that had been chartered by CBC to conduct an aerial survey of the area.

 "I've never been so glad to see the media," Trappe told CBC News videojournalist Lindsay Bird when she found him.

 'I've never been so glad to see the media.'—Jonathan Trappe

 Trappe left Caribou, Maine, near the New Brunswick border, on Thursday in a small boat suspended below more than 300 helium-filled balloons.

 He may not have made it to his European destination, but Trappe said the journey was about more than that.

 "We set out on this expedition for the adventure, and we got the adventure," Trappe said.

 "The destination was always unknown, and it's pretty grand where we've come in to. It's not the destination I set out for, but it's kind of the way with real adventure — adventure isn't what you planned on, it's what you find, and that's what we have today."

 Trappe said he was burning through ballast too quickly to make it across the Atlantic and was forced to choose between landing in the isolated woods Thursday night or ditching over the ocean sometime Friday.

 'Hmm, this doesn't look like France'

 Once he was on the ground, Trappe said, he contacted his crew via satellite message to assure them that he was safe and there was not an emergency.

 "The Atlantic Ocean has been crossed many times, and in many ways, but never quite like this," Trappe said in a promotional video.

 "Hmm, this doesn't look like France," Trappe wrote in a post on his Facebook page Thursday.

 Shortly after, Trappe posted that he had set up an exposure canopy on his boat to settle in for the night and included a link to a satellite map showing his location.

 Trappe, who had intended to become the first person to fly across the Atlantic with only the aid of cluster balloons, landed in a remote area south of the small Bay of Islands community of Lark Harbour.

 Much of the area surrounding where Trappe landed is impassable.

 There are no roads leading to the location, but residents had been trying to reach him on ATVs, without success.

 Trappe has made a name as an adventurer using clusters of balloons, including flying in a house, much as in the Disney-Pixar animated film Up. ||||| To help personalize content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a safer experience, we use cookies. By clicking or navigating the site, you agree to allow our collection of information on and off Facebook through cookies. Learn more, including about available controls: Cookies Policy |||||


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– A reunion of "two unlikely friends" happened Saturday during the dedication of DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, per CNN—and the photo of Michelle Obama's embrace of George W. Bush has now become a "powerful image … for the ages," notes Quartz. CNN notes that the two have become "increasingly chummy" throughout President Obama's tenure, often sitting next to each other at events and even holding hands at a July memorial service for the slain Dallas police officers. Reaction to the photo taken by former White House photographer David Hume Kennerly has made its way onto social media, per Mediaite, with one commenter noting: "This is what America is! we disagree but we don't hate!" Of course, others had to show off their Photoshop skills and make a meme out of the photo, which has now produced variations that include Obama hugging soon-to-be-single Brad Pitt, Donald Trump, and an actual bush; the Huffington Post has compiled its favorites.

Story highlights George W. Bush and Michelle Obama have been seen becoming increasingly chummy

 On Saturday , Obama reached over and grabbed Bush into a hug

 (CNN) Saturday's dedication of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture brought together the president who signed into law the funding for the museum and the president who was in office during its completion.

 But the gathering of the 43rd and 44th first couples also saw the reuniting of two unlikely friends.

 Over the past eight years, former President George W. Bush and First Lady Michelle Obama have been seen becoming increasingly chummy. At public events, the two can often be found sitting next to each other, sharing a laugh or lending a hand to hold.

 Saturday's ceremony was no exception. During the event, Obama reached over and grabbed Bush into a hug as their spouses clapped and looked on.

 Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images

 Bush asked his successor for a little help taking a selfie.

 Here's the moment President Bush asked President Obama for a little help taking a selfie https://t.co/htnaP3apwd https://t.co/lAO972CR3A — CNN (@CNN) September 24, 2016

 Read More ||||| Former President George W. Bush was one of the featured speakers at Saturday’s opening of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, but it’s not his speech that’s getting all the attention. A picture taken by former White House photographer David Hume Kennerly, and featuring a content-looking Dubya being embraced by First Lady Michelle Obama, has bee getting quite a reaction on social media:

 1st Lady Michelle Obama hugs Pres. George W.Bush at opening of @NMAAHC I was there for 1 of museums chief sponsors @BankofAmerica pic.twitter.com/XWw41G5nHO — kennerly (@kennerly) September 24, 2016

 The picture is getting a ton of reaction online:

 Given the times, people should appreciate how much respect 43 has for 44 and NOT used his pulpit to criticize incessantly 🇺🇸 https://t.co/DStD7zj7IT — Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) September 24, 2016

 I love this picture. This may be sappy but this says America to me. pic.twitter.com/7AFqYZLMRF — Guy Cecil (@guycecil) September 24, 2016

 But there’s always one…

 @kennerly @rubycramer @NMAAHC Status Quo embracing each other.. hoping Hillary will keep the Special interest control $$ flowing to gov — #WithTeamDeplorables (@m4zdaman) September 24, 2016

 President Bush signed the legislation that created the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| A striking image from this weekend offers some symbolic hope for Americans troubled by the country’s stark division along ethnic, political, economic, and gender lines.

 At the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture yesterday, photographers including Pulitzer-winner David Hume Kennerly captured a warm embrace between first lady Michelle Obama and former president George W. Bush, who first signed the bill to build the museum in 2003.

 The photo clearly resonates with a country grappling with its own history of racism and slavery, one that quite literally built the White House we know today. And as the US anticipates a combative first presidential debate tomorrow (Sep. 26), it’s all the more striking to see leaders reaching across the proverbial aisle in a moment of genuine warmth. ||||| Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| It was inevitable.

 Redditors used former chief White House photographer David Hume Kennerly’s heartwarming picture of the first lady embracing her husband’s predecessor to engage in a good old photo-editing battle.

 1st Lady Michelle Obama hugs Pres. George W.Bush at opening of @NMAAHC I was there for 1 of museums chief sponsors @BankofAmerica pic.twitter.com/XWw41G5nHO — kennerly (@kennerly) September 24, 2016

 They amusingly reimagined Bush as a sleeping baby and an actual bush ― while presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton also made an appearance. |||||


On August 29, 2015, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Arizona State troopers investigated two separate shooting incidents along Interstate 10.

 The first shooting occurred eastbound along I-10, at approximately 11:03 a.m. A sport utility vehicle was fired upon and struck. The front seat passenger, a 13 year old female, sustained a cut to her right ear, and was treated on-scene by the Fire Department; she was not transported.

 The second shooting occurred westbound between 35th Avenue and 59th Avenue, at approximately 11:09 a.m. A passenger-type bus was fired upon and struck. Only the driver was on-board and he was not injured.

 The third shooting occurred eastbound near 16th Street, at approximately 10:15 p.m. The victim stated she heard a loud banging sound however, she did not inspect her vehicle until Sunday 8/30/15; that is when she noticed bullet holes on the passenger side of the vehicle.

 On August 31, 2015, a fourth shooting occurred eastbound near 24th Street, at approximately 4:25 a.m. A man driving a work truck heard a loud bang and thought that a rock struck the company truck. When he and other passengers arrived at their worksite, an inspection of the company truck revealed the driver side front headlamp had damage consistent with a bullet strike.

 These incidents are under investigation by detectives. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Arizona Department of Public Safety and submit a report here: https://www.tipsubmit.com/webtipforms/webform.aspx?id=25&AgencyID;=807

 Photos

 Click here for photos relating to this news release.

 The Arizona Department of Public Safety is a state-level law enforcement agency whose mission is to protect human life and property by enforcing state laws, deterring criminal activity and providing vital support to the State of Arizona and its citizens.

 ### ||||| PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine if the same person fired gunshots at four vehicles along a Phoenix freeway over a three-day span.

 This Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015 photo provided by The Arizona Department of Public Safety shows a SUV window shattered by a gun shot in Phoenix. Authorities say shots were fired at several vehicles on Interstate... (Associated Press)

 Only one person was hurt in the shootings that began Saturday along Interstate 10, and that unidentified person suffered a non-life-threatening injury, according to authorities.

 "You should be concerned. We have some people or person shooting at moving vehicles on I-10," Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Frank Milstead said at a news conference. "It has not ended in tragedy, but it could."

 Authorities are asking for information from anybody who saw anything unusual on the freeway around the times when the shots were fired.

 "Somebody knows something," Milstead said Monday. "We're not sure if these shootings are random or related. We don't know what the intent is. It's not known at this point if it's a copycat crime."

 Two vehicles were struck within a half hour around 11 a.m. Saturday on I-10 between 19th and 59th avenues, and a third vehicle was hit on I-10 near 16th Street about 10:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the DPS.

 A fourth vehicle was shot at around 4:25 a.m. Monday near 14th Avenue and I-10.

 All of the shootings occurred within an 8-mile stretch of the freeway, which runs through central Phoenix.

 A tour bus and an SUV were two of the vehicles fired upon, but DPS is withholding other specifics so the investigation won't be jeopardized.

 The bullets have hit a windshield and a headlight, and the rest have been impacts on the passenger sides of the vehicles, Milstead said. ||||| PHOENIX - The Department of Public Safety is investigating four incidents involving shots being fired at vehicles on a Valley freeway over the last several days.

 The first two incidents happened along Interstate 10 on Saturday morning between 11 and 11:10 a.m. at 19th Avenue and 59th Avenue. The third shooting happened around 10:15 p.m. on I-10 at 16th Street.

 DPS spokesman Frank Milstead said that a fourth shooting had been reported at 4:25 a.m. Monday on I-10, also near 19th Avenue.

 During a Monday press conference, Milstead said it appears the shooting incidents are random and there is nothing about the targets that appears to be related. He also warned Valley drivers to stay vigilant as these continued incidents "could end in tragedy" if the suspect is not located.

 "I couldn't tell you what their intent is. I just know we've had bullets hit the sides of the cars, we've had bullets hit windshields so they've hit on different parts of the cars," explained Milstead.

 A 13-year-old girl suffered a cut to her right ear Saturday morning when a bullet pierced the windshield of the SUV in which she was riding, the DPS said in a press release. She was treated at the scene and didn't need hospitalization.

 The other bullets hit the sides of the vehicles and a headlight.

 Milstead said some of the motorists didn't immediately realize their cars had been shot, thinking the loud noise they heard was an object on the highway that struck their vehicle.

 "A man driving a work truck heard a loud bang and thought that a rock struck the company truck," the press release said of the Monday shooting. "When he and other passengers arrived at their work site, an inspection of the company truck revealed the driver side front headlamp" had been hit by a bullet.

 Milstead said detectives are working non-stop to identify the shooter, and are asking for the public's help to report any suspicious behavior.

 Anyone with information is asked to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or contact DPS at 602-223-2212. |||||

Write a summary.

– "You should be concerned," a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said during a press conference yesterday. "It has not ended in tragedy, but it could." The AP reports four vehicles have been struck by bullets while traveling along an 8-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in Phoenix, with a 13-year-old girl being the sole injury so far. According to ABC 15, the shootings took place between Saturday morning and yesterday morning, and no suspects or motives have been identified. "We've had bullets hit the sides of the cars; we've had bullets hit windshields," says the DPS spokesperson. Since Saturday, bullets have struck an SUV's window, the headlight of a work truck, and the passenger sides of a tour bus and another vehicle, DPS states in a press release. ABC reports that a 13-year-old girl was cut on the ear when a bullet pierced the SUV, with photos showing a bullet hole in the passenger-side window. At the moment, the shootings appear to be random, and drivers are being warned to stay vigilant. The AP reports police are looking for witnesses and trying to figure out if the same person is responsible for all four shootings.


– A 14-month-old girl fell out the fifth-story window of her family’s Bronx apartment yesterday, and her father didn’t realize it until at least seven minutes later—but miraculously, doctors are hopeful the tot will survive. There are no window guards in the apartment where Xania Samuels lives, and at the time of her plunge, her father was bathing her twin brother and her mother was at a Laundromat. She was found “laying lifelessly” on the ground underneath the apartment by a passing EMT, the New York Post reports. He first thought Samuels, surrounded by blood, was a doll but quickly called 911. Her father looked out the window soon after and discovered what had happened. The infant was rushed to the hospital with head trauma and was in critical condition as of yesterday afternoon. Fox News reports that her father believes a winter coat may have saved his daughter’s life: She insisted on wearing the heavily cushioned pink coat, her favorite, even though it was the hottest day of the year. (Click to read the tragic story of a model who died after plunging through a hotel window Saturday.)

Expand this summary.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A child’s winter coat may have saved her life. 14-month-old Xania Samuels fell from the window of a fifth-floor New York City apartment on Monday.

 Samuels’ father said the child insisted on wearing her favorite pink winter coat on the hottest day of the year. The coat was so heavily cushioned it might have saved her life, according to the family.

 “It just may have broken her fall, because she is so little, just a baby,” according to her father, who did not want his name revealed.

 How could this have happened?

 The child’s father said he was giving the girl’s twin brother a bath and the child’s mother was at a Laundromat during the time.

 The toddler suffered head trauma and is in critical condition, but doctors are hopeful she will survive.

 The child’s mother said there were no window guards in the apartment and complaints to the landlord were ignored, as told to the New York Post.

  ||||| A 14-month-old girl tumbled out a fifth-story window at her family’s Bronx apartment today — but is miraculously expected to survive, authorities and neighbors said.

 There are no window guards on any of the six-floor building’s upper floors, sources said. Window guards are required by law in apartments were young children live.

 The baby, Xania Samuels, was rushed to Jacobi Hospital with head trauma after her near-death drop from the building at 3230 Cruger Ave. in Bronxwood. She was listed in critical condition as of 4:30 p.m.

 The plunge, which cops say was an accident, occurred at 11:29 am.

 According to a first responder, no one realized that the tot had fallen out the window until at least 7 minutes after the incident. The father was giving the girl’s twin brother a bath at the time of the fall, cops said. The babies’ mother was at a Laundromat. Neither parent was charged with any crimes.

 Willis Sands, a 57-year-old emergency medical technician from Long Island, said he stumbled upon the baby “laying lifelessly” on a bloody cement pavement while dropping off some laundry nearby.

 He initially thought the infant was a “doll” but soon after “screamed for a mother, and no one came.”

 Sands said he turned the girl on her side to maintain her airwaves and called 9-11. Within five minutes, emergency assistance arrived. Two minutes later, after a fire truck came by, the father stuck his head out the window and screamed “Oh my God! Oh my God!” the EMT added.

 “That’s when I realized someone had fallen out a window,” Sands said.

 “[The father] was in shock,” said Eric Brown, who lives on the sixth floor, one flight above the baby and her family.

 Brown said she ran outside and saw the baby’s limp body on a bloody pavement “twisted up with blood coming from her head.”

 Other neighbors said she wearing a diaper on, one slipper and wrapped up in a pink blanket. ” I have five children of my own, so it made sick seeing her like that,” he said.

 Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli |||||


LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Eleven-year old Yonatan Daniel Aguilar weighed just 34 pounds when he was found dead, wrapped in a blanket, lying on a hard tile floor inside a bedroom closet in this small Echo Park home. Sources close to the investigation told us the closet was so small, Yonotan couldn’t stretch out his legs.

 According to juvenile court documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times the boy, who had been diagnosed with autism, was often locked away in closets for three years and sedated with liquid sleep medication, apparently to keep him quiet.

 Investigators believe even the boy’s step father who lived in the home didn’t know the boy was living there.

 CBSLA’s Randy Paige asked Department of Children and Family Services Director Philip Browning on Thursday: “How could someone live in that house and not know a little boy was there?”

 “Well, I think that’s what’s so puzzling,” Browning said.

 Previous Stories: Yonaton Aguilar Case

 Four years before, when reports of possible child abuse were reported, Yonotan’s mother Veronica Aguilar, who was a volunteer at the school and attended parenting classes, was able to convince his teachers, counselors, coaches, medical staff and social workers that her son was safe in her home. Then, when Yonotan stopped showing up for school, his mother told people he had gone to live in an institution in Mexico.

 According to the court documents, Yonotan’s three siblings and his mother were the only ones in on the secret.

 “I think there was a façade that occurred that took everyone in, including law enforcement,” Browning said.

 According to the Los Angeles Times, redacted court records indicate Aguilar effectively disappeared in 2012 after he was seen at school with a black eye and school officials said he was hoarding food.

 Aguilar told the boy’s therapist that Yonatan lived with his maternal grandmother until age 3, and he was likely deprived of food during that time and developed the habit of hoarding food, according to the records cited by The Times.

 Soon after, the boy was pulled out of school and wasn’t seen as the family repeatedly moved.

 Officials with county Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) — which had responded to six reports of possible abuse or neglect involving the family from 2009 to 2012 and marked the boy’s risk of abuse “high” four times — had no further contact, according to The Times.

 After claiming allegations of abuse were inconclusive or unfounded, social workers never formally opened a case, according to the records cited by the paper.

 At one point, Aguilar told Jose Pinzon, the boy’s stepfather, that he had died. Pinzon had been told previously by Aguilar that she sent Yonatan to Mexico to live with family, and he hadn’t seen the boy in years, The Times reported.

 Aguilar led Pinzon to a closet in their home on Aug. 22 and found Yonatan’s emaciated body described as being covered in pressure sores from the tile floor. There was foam in his nose and medicinal cups of pink and red liquid near his balding body, according to the records obtained by The Times.

 Pinzon then ran to a 7-Eleven and called police.

 Aguilar, 39, is now charged with murder and child abuse causing death. She remains jailed on $2 million bail. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| LOS ANGELES, CA – An 11-year-old boy who was found dead in his family’s home was kept hidden in a closet for years, according to court documents the Los Angeles Times obtained.

 Three years ago, Yonatan Daniel Aguilar stopped going to school and seemingly disappeared. When people asked his mother Veronica Aguilar, 39, where he was, she told them he was in an institution in Mexico, court records say.

 But that wasn’t the case. Aguilar was keeping Yonatan in a locked bedroom closet, sedating him with liquid sleep medication to keep him quiet.

 According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators say the boy was so well-hidden that even his stepfather, Jose Pinzon, who lived in the home didn’t know he was there.

 On August 22, 2016, Aguilar told Pinzon Yonatan had died, and that’s when she led him to the closet where Yonatan had been kept. Authorities say he weighed only 34 pounds, and the closet was so small he couldn’t even stretch his legs out. His body was covered in pressure sores from the tile floors, and there were medicinal cups of pink and red liquid near him.

 Pinzon then ran to a nearby 7-Eleven and called police.

 Aguilar’s other three children were the only people who knew Yonatan was in the closet. In fact, two of them slept in the bed right outside the closet door, but Aguilar had forbidden them from telling anyone.

 Aguilar, 39, is charged with murder and child abuse causing death; she is in jail on a $2 million bail. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Police found Yonatan Daniel Aguilar dead in the bedroom closet of his family's Los Angeles home in August—and authorities say the malnourished boy, who was 11 years old but weighed just 34 pounds, had been hidden away in locked closets for three years. He was last seen publicly in 2012, at which time teachers reported that he had come to school with a black eye and seemed hungry. After that, his 39-year-old mother, Veronica Aguilar, told almost everyone, including Yonatan's stepfather, that she had sent the boy to an institution in Mexico, the Los Angeles Times reports. Yonatan was reportedly autistic and had issues with soiling himself. Authorities say that only his three siblings knew Aguilar was keeping him sedated with sleeping aids and locked in closets, some of them so small he couldn't stretch out his feet, per Fox 59. In the years prior to his vanishing from public life, Yonatan's family had been reported to DCFS six times for possible abuse or neglect; Yonatan's risk of abuse at home was gauged as "high" four times in the three years before he disappeared. But social workers never opened a case, and Aguilar, who volunteered at her kids' school, apparently convinced everyone nothing was amiss, CBS LA reports. "We talked to the school nurse, the school doctors, school counselors, the teachers, everyone, including the LAPD investigators, who all said everything was OK," says the DCFS director, who adds that social workers are "distraught" at Yonatan's death. The boy's mother has pleaded not guilty to his murder. Police say his stepfather had no idea Yonatan was hidden in the family home, and he alerted police when his wife brought him to the boy's body.


Story highlights Senate committee Chairman Lieberman asks whether there's a pattern of misconduct

 House committee Chairman King asks for minute-by-minute timeline

 The actions of a few should not denigrate the many professionals, Axelrod says

 Collins and Maloney suggest more female agents could help avoid such a scandal

 A Senate committee will expand its probe into the U.S. Secret Service this week following a scandal involving prostitutes in Colombia in advance of a recent trip by the president.

 The Homeland Security Committee will send the Secret Service "some questions this week, as the beginning of our broader investigation, asking whether... this was an exception, or is there anything in the records that show this is a pattern of misconduct that has gone on elsewhere by Secret Service agents on assignment, but off-duty?" Sen. Joe Lieberman, the committee chairman, told "Fox News Sunday."

 "Why wasn't it noticed if that was the case? What's the Secret Service going to do to make sure it never happens again?"

 Some Secret Service members and agents allegedly brought back several prostitutes to a hotel in Cartagena, according to sources familiar with the U.S. government's investigation.

 The Secret Service says 12 members of the agency have been implicated in the incident.

 JUST WATCHED Publishing a prostitute's picture Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Publishing a prostitute's picture 04:25

 JUST WATCHED Axelrod on GSA and Secret Service scandal Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Axelrod on GSA and Secret Service scandal 05:14

 JUST WATCHED Fmr. Secret Service agent defends agency Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Fmr. Secret Service agent defends agency 03:28

 JUST WATCHED Two agents in Colombia scandal named Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Two agents in Colombia scandal named 03:22

 Across the Sunday political talk shows, officials expressed confidence in Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, saying they believe he has handled the scandal well and will get answers.

 "History is full of cases where enemies have compromised" people with security or intelligence information through sex, said Lieberman, I-Connecticut. He added that based on what he has been told so far, "there is no evidence that information was compromised" in this case.

 Down the road, the committee will hold a public hearing on the matter -- perhaps more than one, Lieberman said.

 "Anyone who's found to be guilty" will lose his job, Rep. Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told NBC's "Meet the Press."

 King told CNN last week that four investigators were assigned to his committee's probe.

 One person who was "partially exonerated" will instead likely face administrative action, King said.

 In a letter sent to Sullivan on Friday, King listed a series of questions, including how many employees were aware of the alleged incident and how many total employees were in Cartagena in support of President Obama's trip to the Summit of the Americas when the incident occurred earlier this month.

 "Please provide a comprehensive, minute-by-minute timeline of all known actions, locations, and possible violations of U.S. or Colombia law," codes of conduct, and directives, King wrote in the letter.

 But King and other officials are quick to emphasize that those allegedly involved in cavorting with prostitutes at a hotel in Cartagena are the exceptions.

 "In any organization things can go wrong," President Obama's chief campaign strategist David Axelrod told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "I must say that in my experience the Secret Service has been completely professional, so impressive. I always felt like they were ... willing to do anything to protect the president and the people around the president. And so this was really disappointing.

 "Obviously we have to get to the bottom of it, but those problems should not denigrate the efforts of so many who do such a good job."

 Sen. Susan Collins, ranking member on the Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney of the House Oversight Committee suggested having more female agents could help avoid such scandals.

 "I can't help but wonder if there'd been more women as part of that detail if this ever would have happened," Collins told ABC's "This Week."

 Maloney agreed, and added that she was told 11% of agents in the Secret Service are women. The agency did not immediately confirm the figure to CNN Sunday.

 "We probably need to diversify the Secret Service and have more minorities and more women," she said.

 Six Secret Service members have left their jobs in the wake of the incident in Cartagena, Colombia, which came while they were on a security detail in advance of President Obama's trip for the Summit of the Americas.

 One employee "has been cleared of serious misconduct, but will face administrative action," the Secret Service said.

 Five employees are on administrative leave and have had their security clearances temporarily revoked.

 In addition, the U.S. military is investigating 11 of its own troops for possible heavy drinking and consorting with prostitutes.

 White House staff have not been implicated in the controversy.

 After the scandal broke, President Obama called for a "thorough" and "rigorous" invsetigation. "If it turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed, then of course I'll be angry," he said. ||||| The chairman of a House committee investigating an alleged Secret Service prostitution scandal predicted more firings as key lawmakers and a top adviser to President Barack Obama expressed confidence Sunday that the agency will effectively deal with the incident.

 People walk past Hotel El Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia, late Thursday, April 19, 2012. Eleven Secret Service employees are accused of misconduct in connection with a prostitution scandal at the hotel... (Associated Press)

 "Every possible lead is being examined," said Rep. Peter King, who heads the House Homeland Security Committee. King, R-N.Y., said he expected that in the "near future, several other" members of the Secret Service will leave.

 "What they were thinking is beyond me," King told NBC's "Meet the Press."

 So far, the scandal includes 12 Secret Service employees and 11 military members.

 Six of the Secret Service members have lost their jobs. One has been cleared and five remain on administrative leave. The main incident occurred shortly before Obama arrived for a meeting of regional presidents last weekend.

 A Secret Service official confirmed Sunday that one of the 12 implicated in the scandal was staying at a different hotel than the others.

 He was staying at the Hilton, where Obama eventually would stay, said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The agent is being investigated for improprieties in a separate incident that may have happened on April 9, days before the president arrived and while the hotel was still open to the general public.

 Sen. Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, also mentioned the 12th agent under investigation in an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation."

 "Now we don't know at this point what that 12th agent is being charged with and why he's been put on administrative leave. But now you're into the hotel where the president of the United States was going to stay. And it just gets more troubling," Lieberman said.

 Lieberman told Fox News Sunday there is "no evidence that information was compromised" in the incidents. Those involved "were not acting like Secret Service agents. They were acting like a bunch of college students away on a spring student weekend," Lieberman said.

 King, Lieberman and other leaders of congressional committees examining the scandal made the rounds on Sunday news shows. Generally, they said the scandal was being closely scrutinized on Capitol Hill and voiced support for Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan's handling of the matter.

 Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod said the allegations are disturbing, but that the misdeeds of a few individuals should not tarnish the overall work and reputation of the service.

 Axelrod told CNN's "State of the Union" that he always felt the agents were willing to go to great lengths to protect the president and the people around him. He called the conduct in Colombia "really disappointing."

 "I think we will get to the bottom of it," said Axelrod, who worked at the White House before leaving last year to work full time in Obama's re-election campaign office in Chicago.

 He later told NBC that "on the whole, the Secret Service does heroic work. This is quite disturbing. We have to get to the bottom of this, and I'm sure we will."

 Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a frequent critic of the president, declined to fault the White House's response. "You know, I'm not critical of what the administration has done thus far," he told CBS. "I think what we're seeing is an aberration."

 Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the senior Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., both said that more female Secret Service agents might help guard against such incidents from happening again.

 "I can't help but wonder if there had been more women as part of that detail, if this ever would have happened," Collins said on ABC's "This Week."

 Maloney told the same program that only 11 percent of the Secret Service's agents are women.

 "I can't help but keeping asking this question: Where are the women? We probably need to diversify the service and have more minorities and more women," Maloney said.

 Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told NBC that the episode was "something the Secret Service can fix. We have confidence that it will be fixed."

 "The most important thing is that this never happens again," Issa said.

 Ralph Basham, a former Secret Service Director, told CBS the behavior of those implicated in the scandal "could have compromised the trip and the safety of the president." |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Heads probably haven't finished rolling at the Secret Service over its prostitution scandal, Rep. Peter King said today on Meet the Press, saying he expected "several" members to depart in the "near future." The House Homeland Security chair promised a thorough investigation, and has already sent a letter to the agency demanding answers to 50 questions, like whether agents used their expense accounts to pay their paramours, Fox News reports. He's not alone; the Senate will be expanding its investigation too, Joe Lieberman said today, according to CNN. Secret Service officials also confirmed today that one of the 12 agents implicated in the scandal so far was staying at a different hotel than the other 11—the same hotel that President Obama would eventually stay in, the AP reports. "It just gets more troubling," Lieberman said, though he cautioned that, "We don't know at this point what that 12th agent is being charged with." Lieberman and King weren't the only lawmakers discussing the scandal either; click for more from our Sunday talk show roundup.


Here is a news article: An oil platform exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. All 13 crew members were rescued from the water in protective "Gumby suits."

 Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, of the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. All 13 crew members were rescued. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Associated Press)

 Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. All 13 crew members were rescued. (AP Photo/Gerald... (Associated Press)

 Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. All 13 crew members were rescued. (AP Photo/Gerald... (Associated Press)

 Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, of the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. All 13 crew members were rescued. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Associated Press)

 The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the site of BP's massive spill. But hours later, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said crews were unable to find any spill.

 The company that owns the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast.

 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner officials told him there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly after the fire broke out.

 The Coast Guard said Mariner Energy reported the oil sheen. But the company said in a public statement that an initial flyover of the platform did not reveal any spilled oil.

 Photos from the scene showed at least five ships floating near the platform. Three of them were shooting great plumes of water onto the machinery. Light smoke could be seen drifting across the deep blue waters of the gulf.

 By late afternoon, the fire on the platform was out.

 The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay. Its location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after the April rig explosion.

 Responding to any oil spill in shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.

 A homeland security update obtained by The Associated Press said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.

 White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration has "response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water."

 Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in insulated survival outfits called "Gumby suits" for their resemblance to the cartoon character.

 "These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those Gumby suits before they entered the water," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.

 The crew was being flown to a hospital in Houma. The Coast Guard said one person was injured, but the company said there were no injuries.

 A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008.

 There are about 3,400 platforms operating in the Gulf, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Together they pump about a third of the America's domestic oil, forming the backbone of the country's petroleum industry.

 Platforms are vastly different from oil rigs like the Deepwater Horizon. They are usually brought in after wells are already drilled and sealed.

 "A production platform is much more stable," said Andy Radford, an API expert on offshore oil drilling. "On a drilling rig, you're actually drilling the well. You're cutting. You're pumping mud down the hole. You have a lot more activity on a drilling rig."

 In contrast, platforms are usually placed atop stable wells where the oil is flowing at a predictable pressure, he said. A majority of platforms in the Gulf do not require crews on board.

 Many platforms, especially those in shallower water, stand on legs that are drilled into the sea floor. Like a giant octopus, they spread numerous pipelines across the sea floor and can tap into many wells at once.

 Platforms do not have blowout preventers, but they are usually equipped with a series of redundant valves that can shut off oil and gas at different points along the pipeline.

 Numerous platforms were damaged during hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The storms broke pipelines and oil spilled into the Gulf. But the platforms successfully kept major spills from happening, Radford said.

 "Those safety valves did their job," he said.

 Federal authorities have cited Mariner Energy and related entities for 10 accidents in the Gulf of Mexico over the last four years, according to safety records from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

 The accidents range from platform fires to pollution spills and a blowout, according to accident-investigation reports from the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service.

 In 2007, welding sparks falling onto an oil storage tank caused a flash fire that slightly burned a contract worker. The Minerals Management Service issued a $35,000 fine.

 Mariner Energy Inc. focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf. In April, Apache Corp., another independent oil company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about $1.2 billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.

 On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would put a final seal on the well. The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month leak that totaled 206 million gallons of oil.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans, Chris Kahn in New York, Eileen Sullivan, Matthew Daly and Gerry Bodlander in Washington, Garance Burke in Fresno, Calif., and researcher Monika Mathur in New York contributed to this report. ||||| The Coast Guard says there is no sign of an oil leak after the latest Gulf platform fire, but crews are continuing to monitor the situation.

 Enlarge By Gerald Herbert, AP Boats spray water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana on Thursday. Enlarge By Patrick Semansky, AP Two oil rig workers, left, walk away from the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that rescued them after an oil production platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. The helicopter landed on the roof of Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, La. All 13 crew members survived the explosion. An offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that exploded Thursday did not leak a significant amount of oil into the water, the Coast Guard said. All 13 rig workers donned bright orange survival gear — known as "Gumby suits" — and scrambled into the Gulf after the explosion. They were rescued by a supply ship, Coast Guard Capt. Peter Troedsson said. None were seriously injured. The owner of the oil and gas platform, Mariner Energy of Houston, reported that a mile-long slick was visible on the water near the rig. When the Coast Guard reached the scene a short time later, there was no evidence of any leaks, Troedsson said. "The boats and the aircraft on scene cannot see a sheen," he said. The outcome of the explosion was very different from the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig 200 miles to the east. That well, owned by oil company BP, spewed crude oil and natural gas for nearly three months in the worst offshore environmental disaster in U.S. history. About 206 million gallons of oil polluted the Gulf. The Vermilion Oil Rig 380 that exploded Thursday sat in 340 feet of water and was approved to collect oil and gas from existing wells, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. It was undergoing maintenance and was not producing at the time of the accident. ON DEADLINE: Oil rig explosion news as it happens DEEPWATER SPILL: Engineers retrieve failed blowout preventer FULL COVERAGE: Tracking the oil spill By contrast, the Deepwater Horizon was operating in more than 5,000 feet of water and was drilling into extremely deep reservoirs under high pressure. Thursday's explosion was reported at 9:19 a.m. by a nearby rig, Troedsson said. The blast occurred 92 miles south of Vermilion Bay, La., west of New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta. Dan Shaw, the captain of the Crystal Clear supply boat that rescued Vermilion's workers, said the employees huddled together in the water, holding hands. They were hungry and tired after floating for two hours, he said. Mariner Energy describes itself on its website as "one of the leading independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the Gulf." The company was involved in 13 accidents in the region since 2006 and was fined $85,000, according to federal records. In seven of the incidents, inspectors cited possible safety violations. Thursday's explosion prompted swift reactions from environmentalists. "This is one other piece of evidence that demonstrates the human and environment risks of our appetite for offshore oil," said Susan Farady, director of the Marine Affairs Institute at Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island. She said there have been more than 800 offshore explosions and fires in the Gulf since 2001 and 55 deaths. Meanwhile, workers took another step Thursday toward permanently plugging BP's well. They prepared to remove the well's giant blowout preventer from the seafloor as soon as Thursday night, said retired admiral Thad Allen, head of the federal government's response. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more ||||| The Coast Guard is reporting that the Gulf oil rig explosion has left a sheen of oil that is 100 feet wide and about a mile long, Chief Warrant Officer Barry Lane said. "We're monitoring the oil sheen to make sure it's not growing,'' he said.

 Lane said the Coast Guard has received reports from some of the crew members on the platform that the crew was able "to initiate shutdown procedures before the explosion.'' He said those reports are still being confirmed.

 At 2:15 p.m. a Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the roof of Terrebonne General Hospital, followed by another one a few minutes later.

 Two people emerged, walking under their own power, from the first helicopter at the hospital. Six or seven emerged, also walking, from the second helicopter. A third Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the hospital around 2:35 p.m., and two people got out of it, walking on their own. A fourth Coast Guard helicopter arrived at 2:50 p.m.but it wasn't clear how many people got out of it.

 The Coast Guard was unable to determine at this point whether the sheen was from a leaking well or some other source connected with the rig's production. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Confusion reigns in the aftermath of today's oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This much good news stands: All 13 crew members were rescued from the water. Everything else is changing quickly. The Coast Guard spoke of a mile-long oil slick at the site but now says it can't find evidence of any oil in the water. Early reports said the platform wasn't producing any oil or gas, but Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal now says it had seven active wells. The Coast Guard hasn't confirmed reports that crew members were able to shut them down before bailing. The platform, owned by Houston's Mariner Energy, was producing 59,000 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day and could store 4,200 gallons of oil, reports the AP, citing federal figures. If there is a spill of some sort, the relatively shallow depth of 340 feet should make cleanup easier. More coverage in the Times-Picayune and USA Today.


Article:
Elliott Broidy, pictured with his wife Robin, acknowledged Friday that he had a relationship with a former Playboy model. (Alex J. Berliner/ABImages/AP)

 A top GOP fundraiser and prominent backer of President Trump stepped down from his Republican National Committee post Friday after revelations that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a $1.6 million settlement with a former Playboy model the donor had impregnated.

 Los Angeles-based investor Elliott Broidy, who has been a top fundraiser for Trump and the party, issued a statement Friday acknowledging that he “had a consensual relationship” with the woman, who got pregnant. He said he retained Cohen after Trump’s personal lawyer told Broidy he had been contacted by the woman’s attorney.

 “It is unfortunate that this personal matter between two consenting adults is the subject of national discussion just because of Michael Cohen’s involvement,” Broidy said in the statement.

 RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said Friday afternoon that she had accepted Broidy’s resignation.

 “Obviously, these developments are new to me,” she told CNN. “I have not heard of any of this. Elliott and I spoke earlier today and he tendered his resignation. He doesn’t want to be a distraction.”

 McDaniel said she was going to “take a look” at the situation facing Cohen, who continues to hold a top fundraising position at the RNC. “I haven’t had a chance to do my due diligence,” McDaniel said, adding that she hoped to talk with Cohen in the near future.

 Neither Cohen nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment on the settlement, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

 Cohen’s role in the secret deal is the latest unexpected twist in a sprawling drama involving top Trump associates. It deepens the scrutiny of the longtime Trump confidant, whose residences and office were raided by the FBI earlier this week.

 Federal prosecutors revealed Friday that Cohen has been under criminal investigation for months and that they have empaneled a grand jury to probe his business dealings. Investigators are also examining his efforts to tamp down damaging stories about Trump during the 2016 campaign, according to people familiar with the case, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity.

 The case was originally referred to the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating Russia’s interference in the election.

 [Criminal investigation into Trump lawyer’s business dealings began months ago]

 Under terms of the deal negotiated by Cohen for Broidy, who is married, the woman with whom he had an affair is prohibited from talking about the relationship in exchange for payments to be made over a two-year period, according to a person familiar with the details. The deal also allowed the woman to keep the baby, determine paternity and seek child support if she chose to do so.

 [Criminal investigation into Trump lawyer’s business dealings began months ago]

 Cohen’s work on the Broidy settlement, struck in late 2017, came after he negotiated a deal in October 2016 agreeing to pay $130,000 to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.

 Keith Davidson, the lawyer who represented Daniels at the time, also represented the Playboy model with whom Broidy had an affair.

 Davidson declined to comment on the settlement. “I can’t confirm or deny the existence of such matters,” he said. “But I’ve always acted in my clients’ best interests and appropriately in all situations.”

 “Mr. Cohen reached out to me after being contacted by this woman’s attorney, Keith Davidson,” Broidy said in his statement. “Although I had not previously hired Mr. Cohen, I retained Mr. Cohen after he informed me about his prior relationship with Mr. Davidson.”

 Cohen and Broidy met during the 2016 campaign, when Broidy, a California native and major GOP donor, served as vice chairman of a joint fundraising effort between Trump and the RNC.

 Until Friday, they both served as deputy national finance chairmen there. Last month, Broidy co-hosted a fundraiser for Trump’s reelection campaign in Los Angeles.

 So far this cycle, Broidy and his wife have contributed $614,000 to Republican campaign committees and the RNC, campaign finance records show.

 Broidy also serves on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition, which remained steadfast in its support for Trump during the 2016 campaign, despite criticism from some Jewish leaders, who objected to the then-candidate’s retweet of a post widely viewed as anti-Semitic.

 In the first year of the Trump administration, Broidy was an outspoken advocate at the White House and on Capitol Hill on Middle East issues, particularly the need for action against Qatar, a rival power of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

 Broidy worked with George Nader, a Lebanese American businessman and power broker in the region who has been working in recent years as an adviser for the UAE, according to people familiar with their relationship.

 Nader is a witness in Mueller’s investigation.

 [Complex portrait of special counsel cooperator emerges in newly unsealed child pornography case]

 In his statement, Broidy said he would “like to sincerely apologize to my wife and family for the hurt that I have caused.”

 “I acknowledge I had a consensual relationship with a Playboy Playmate,” he said. “At the end of our relationship, this woman shared with me that she was pregnant. She alone decided that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy and I offered to help her financially during this difficult period. We have not spoken since that time.”

 Peter K. Stris, an attorney for the woman, who has not been identified, said in a tweet that she had no comment.

 The Broidy deal reveals new details about the relationship between Davidson, a celebrity lawyer in Los Angeles, and Cohen, Trump’s hard-charging fixer in New York.

 In October 2016, Davidson negotiated with Cohen the confidentiality agreement for Daniels. Cohen, Daniels and Davidson signed the agreement.

 Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has sued to break the agreement, arguing that it is invalid because Trump failed to sign it. Cohen and Trump are seeking to force the matter out of court and into private arbitration, where proceedings are confidential.

 Davidson and Cohen were also in communication about a third agreement involving former Playboy centerfold Karen McDougal, who was represented by Davidson at the time.

 McDougal, who says she had a 10-month affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007, sold the rights to her story to the parent company of the National Enquirer for $150,000 in August 2016. She has said she understood that American Media (AMI) was buying her story not to publish it, but to bury it, in what has been called a “catch and kill” arrangement.

 The day before she signed the contract, Davidson emailed Cohen and told him by phone that the deal was finalized, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

 McDougal has sued to break free of her contract so she can speak freely, arguing that her story about Trump is “core political speech entitled to the highest protection under the law.” AMI has asked the judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the deal is protected under the First Amendment.

 McDougal is currently represented by Stris, the attorney for the woman who had an affair with Broidy.

 Alice Crites and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump has resigned from the Republican National Committee following a report that he paid $1.6 million to a Playboy playmate he had an affair with.

 Elliott Broidy told RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Friday afternoon that he was resigning immediately, an RNC official familiar with the discussion said. The official requested anonymity to discuss a private phone call between McDaniel and Broidy.

 The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen helped negotiate a non-disclosure agreement between Broidy and the model last year. The unidentified playmate elected to have an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.

 Broidy apologized to his wife for the affair in a statement provided to The Associated Press Friday. ||||| President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer negotiated a deal in late 2017 to pay $1.6 million to a former Playboy model who said she was impregnated by a top Republican fundraiser, according to people familiar with the matter.

 Michael Cohen, whose office, home and hotel room were raided by federal agents this week, arranged the payments to the woman on behalf of Elliott Broidy, a deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee with ties to Mr. Trump, the people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Broidy, a Los Angeles-based... |||||Summary:

– A top fundraiser for President Trump has resigned from the Republican National Committee following a report that he paid $1.6 million to a Playboy playmate he had an affair with. Elliott Broidy told RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Friday that he was resigning immediately, an RNC official familiar with the discussion tells the AP. The resignation comes after the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen helped negotiate a non-disclosure agreement between Broidy and the model last year. The unidentified playmate elected to have an abortion after discovering she was pregnant. “It is unfortunate that this personal matter between two consenting adults is the subject of national discussion just because of Michael Cohen’s involvement,” Broidy said in a statement. Broidy, who is based in Los Angeles, had been deputy national finance chairman for the RNC, reports the Washington Post. Under the deal negotiated by Cohen between the married Broidy and the Playmate, the woman agreed to never discuss the relationship or she would have to forfeit the money. Cohen reportedly struck the deal in late 2017, about a year after paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 not to talk about her alleged affair with Trump. Broidy says Cohen approached him about the matter after the Playmate's attorney contacted Cohen. In the current campaign cycle, Broidy and his wife have donated more than $600,000 to the RNC and GOP campaign committees, per the Post. (Cohen is under criminal investigation following this week's FBI raids.)