diff --git "a/data/results/longbench/test/generation/multi_news.json" "b/data/results/longbench/test/generation/multi_news.json" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/data/results/longbench/test/generation/multi_news.json" @@ -0,0 +1,1202 @@ +[ + { + "output": "\n\nOccupy Philadelphia protesters remain on site at City Hall despite a deadline set by Mayor Nutter for them to leave. The group served squash soup and handed out water, while police looked on calmly. Police had no plans to evict anyone, but cautioned that protesters would be prevented from setting up another camp elsewhere in the city unless they got a permit. The city has said it needs to erect fencing this week for work at Dilworth Plaza, including renovation of the SEPTA tunnels and the addition of grass, a cafe, stage, and winter ice rink.\n\nIn Los Angeles, the Occupy L.A. encampment at City Hall Park was given until just after midnight to vacate, but police stopped short of clearing the encampment. Four demonstrators were arrested during a tense standoff with police, but the camp was allowed to stay until at least daybreak. The overall number of protesters had grown to at least 2,000 by late Sunday, and the mood turned from calm and festive to rowdy after the mayor's eviction deadline passed. The Los Angeles encampment is among the largest on the West Coast aligned with the national Occupy Wall Street movement.", + "answer": [ + "The Occupy LA encampment got a stay of execution this morning—though a few arrests have been reported beyond the boundaries of City Hall Park. Two hours after protesters defied city hall's order to vacate the park by 12:01am, lawyer and Occupy supporter Jim Lafferty told Reuters he expected police to give the camp a two-day reprieve. At around 5am, police told protesters over a loudspeaker that they didn't intend to clear the park, the LA Times reports. Police do, however, intend to clear protesters out of the street, and several people who refused to move out of an intersection have already been arrested. \"We definitely need to get morning traffic in,\" a police commander explained. Everything also seems calm at Occupy Philadelphia, where protesters defied a 5pm Sunday deadline to disperse. But as of last night, a police inspector said they didn't intend to forcibly evict anyone. \"We look forward to working with Occupy Philadelphia and a resolution of the problem,\" he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. \"Confrontation is never good.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nMikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, expressed his guilt and spiritual pain over the many deaths caused by his invention in a letter to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church shortly before his death. The letter, published by Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin daily, revealed that Kalashnikov was haunted by the question of whether he was personally responsible for the deaths of those killed by his weapon. He wrote that he first went into a church at the age of 91 and was later baptised. The Russian Orthodox Church leader, Patriarch Kirill, received the letter and wrote a personal reply, stating that the Church supports both its creators and the soldiers who use it when weapons serve to protect the Fatherland. The AK-47 is widely manufactured unlicenced around the world and has become a visual hallmark of armed insurgent movements, including those using child soldiers. Kalashnikov refused to accept responsibility for the many people killed by his weapon, blaming the policies of other countries that acquired it. The Russian Orthodox Church has sought to consolidate its new-found strength after the Soviet era by building up close ties with state agencies and powerful officials. When Kalashnikov was feted by the Soviet authorities, it would have been unthinkable for him to have declared himself anything else than an atheist.", + "answer": [ + "In our own obituary of AK-47 inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov last month, we included this quote: The rifle was invented \"for the protection of the Motherland,\" he said. \"I have no regrets and bear no responsibility for how politicians have used it.\" It turns out \"no regrets\" might not have exactly been true. The AFP picks up a report from Russia's Izvestia that Kalashnikov penned a letter to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church nine months before his December death in which he wrote of \"unbearable ... spiritual pain\" and asked about his culpability. It contains this line: \"I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle took away people's lives, then can it be that I ... am guilty for people's deaths, even if they were enemies?\" AFP notes that Izvestia ran a copy of the letter, which is typed on Kalashnikov's personal stationery and signed \"with a wavering hand.\" A rep for Patriarch Kirill confirms that the letter was sent, and says the church leader wrote a reply—one that very may well have calmed his fears. Says the rep, \"The Church has a very definite position: when weapons serve to protect the Fatherland, the Church supports both its creators and the soldiers who use it.\" But the BBC notes that it's not clear whether every word came from Kalashnikov: Izvestia reports that his daughter believes a priest helped him write the letter." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nOn November 1, 2013, a gunman entered Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport and opened fire, killing one Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer and wounding three others, including two other TSA officers. The gunman, Paul Ciancia, was shot by airport police officers four times and is currently in fair condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.\n\nThe incident has raised questions about the coordination between police and fire officials, as it took 33 minutes for paramedics to enter the terminal and provide medical assistance to the wounded. It is not clear if immediate medical attention could have saved the life of the slain TSA officer, Gerardo Hernandez.\n\nThe TSA workers at LAX have expressed concerns about the lack of coordination between entities at the airport, which may have led to the tragic incident. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and formal conclusions may take months to reach.\n\nThe shooting has also brought attention to the need for better training for first responders in situations involving active shooters. California law requires officers to receive first aid and CPR training in the academy and regular refreshers afterward. However, a recent audit by the Los Angeles Police Commission Inspector General found that the LAPD had a zero percent compliance rate.\n\nThe public memorial service held for Hernandez on the same day as the announcement of Ciancia's upgraded condition highlighted the sacrifices made by TSA officers and the impact of the shooting on the community. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of safety measures and the need for better coordination between law enforcement and emergency responders.", + "answer": [ + "Unnamed officials say TSA officer Gerardo Hernandez lay bleeding for 33 minutes at LAX before being taken to an ambulance. For 28 of those minutes, alleged shooter Paul Ciancia was in police custody, though officers hadn't yet declared the area safe to enter. Officers checked on Hernandez, who was just 20 feet from an exit, then moved on while paramedics waited 150 yards away, the AP reports, noting it's not clear if immediate attention might have saved Hernandez's life. Now under review: the conversations took place between police and fire commanders to determine when it was safe enough to enter, and whether paramedics could have gone into the terminal earlier. While an officer who checked on Hernandez about 5 minutes after he was shot told numerous officers he was dead, the AP reports that it's not known whether that officer had the training needed to make that determination; no first-aid was administered. \"I basically think there's a lack of coordination between entities at this airport. That lack of coordination may have led to something that shouldn't have happened,\" an LAX employee says. \"We may be talking about Officer Hernandez as a survivor.\" The results of the investigation could be months away, the AP adds. Ciancia was on Tuesday upgraded from critical to fair condition at UCLA Medical Center." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, met with deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Monday night, according to sources close to the ousted president. This was reportedly the first contact Morsi had with someone outside of the military since he was deposed on July 3. Ashton had an in-depth conversation with Morsi during her two-hour meeting, which took place at an undisclosed location. The meeting was significant as it signaled that the military may be willing to work with Morsi towards a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Egypt. Ashton declined to provide details about the meeting but stated that Morsi was well and had access to television and newspapers. The meeting came after a weekend of violence between security forces and Morsi supporters, which left at least 80 dead. Prosecutors had announced earlier that Morsi was being investigated over allegations of espionage and murder, accusations that his supporters dismissed as politically motivated. Ashton's visit to Egypt appeared to have temporarily calmed the tense situation in the country, and she met with a wide range of Egyptian political figures during her trip.", + "answer": [ + "Under circumstances that sound straight out of a Le Carre novel, Mohamed Morsi has met with an outsider for the first time since being dumped by Egypt's military, holding a midnight meeting with the European Union's top diplomat at an \"undisclosed location\" last night, the Wall Street Journal. Though many have feared for Morsi's well-being after almost a month in captivity, Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign affairs and security policy chief, reports that he is well and has access to TV and newspapers, Reuters reports. The pair had a \"very long and in-depth conversation,\" Ashton says. Ashton, who has met with several other Egyptian political figures while in the country, says she wasn't there to help Morsi break out, but rather to facilitate discussions toward a peaceful end to the country's political unrest, the Washington Post reports. \"First of all, we are here to help. We are not here to impose,\" she says. \"The people of Egypt will determine their own future.\" But will Morsi play ball? \"He's a very proud man,\" says a source close to the former leader, per the Journal. \"I think the idea of doing anything on (the) army's terms will not work with him.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe United States is considering military action against Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people. The Navy has postponed a port call in Naples, Italy, for a destroyer so that it can remain in striking distance of Syria. Both destroyers have Tomahawk cruise missiles on board, which are likely to be the first weapons used if the president decides to take military action. The Russian government has called on President Bashar al-Assad to allow United Nations investigators into the areas east of Damascus where the attack occurred, but American and foreign diplomats say Russia’s move does not reflect any shift in its backing of Mr. Assad or its resistance to punitive measures in the Security Council. Russia’s foreign ministry has put the onus on Syria’s opposition forces to provide secure access to the site of the “reported incident,” and has suggested that the attack was actually a provocation by the rebels. However, the timing of the attack, which occurred early Wednesday in Syria, may have been affected by YouTube’s practice of time-stamping uploaded videos based on the time in its California headquarters. American intelligence agencies have detected activity at locations known to be chemical weapons sites before Wednesday’s attack, which may have been preparations for the assault.", + "answer": [ + "A government backed by Russia is accused of killing its own civilians. That applies not only to the current situation in Syria but to the 1999 situation in Kosovo. And as the New York Times reports, top US officials are keeping Kosovo very much in mind as they weigh their options. President Obama would likely never get the approval of the UN Security Council for a military response because of Russia's veto power. When Bill Clinton was in the same boat in 1999, he turned to NATO and got its blessing for 78 days of airstrikes. “It’s a step too far to say we’re drawing up legal justifications for an action, given that the president hasn’t made a decision,” a government official tells the Times. “But Kosovo, of course, is a precedent of something that is perhaps similar.” Obama was meeting today with national security aides to determine next steps if the US concludes that Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. (Assad in turn accused the rebels of doing the same today.) Meanwhile, the US Navy is keeping two destroyers positioned in the Mediterranean in case the green light is given for a cruise-missile attack, reports the Wall Street Journal." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nKleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm, is seeking to recover about $973,000 in costs from a high-profile gender discrimination trial that captivated Silicon Valley. The trial, which ended in March, saw a jury clear the firm of claims that it short-circuited former partner Ellen Pao's career because she is a woman. The case sparked a wide discussion about gender in the U.S. technology industry.\n\nThe firm has offered to waive its legal costs should Pao choose not to appeal, but is currently asking her to reimburse it for about $865,000 in expert witness fees. Kleiner believes that women in technology would be best served by all parties focusing on making progress on gender diversity issues outside of continued litigation.\n\nThe offer to withdraw the costs request in exchange for an end to the case is common when defendants prevail in employment lawsuits. If Pao decides to pursue an appeal, her case would be heard by California's First District Court of Appeal. According to Westlaw data, out of 49 decisions involving discrimination and retaliation over the past two years, the First District affirmed 26 of 31 cases where the employer won in the trial court, or 84 percent. Only five cases were reversed.\n\nKleiner has also offered Pao $1 million to settle the case, but she has not responded to the offer. The firm is currently seeking $972,814 in legal costs from Pao.", + "answer": [ + "Even though Ellen Pao lost her gender-discrimination suit against a former employer, she's still widely hailed as a hero for bringing the boys' club atmosphere of Silicon Valley under a microscope. But now she's got a tough choice on her hands: The venture-capital firm she sued, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, says she owes almost $1 million in legal fees—but it will drop its pursuit of the money if she doesn't appeal last month's ruling, reports the Wall Street Journal. Pao's attorneys say they will have a decision in a few weeks. Kleiner Perkins says it offered Pao about $1 million as a settlement before the trial began, but received no response from her legal team. Because of that offer, the company can now go after Pao for expensive witness fees, explains the New York Times. One factor that will surely weigh on the decision: A review of previous cases suggests that Pao has only a slim chance of winning on appeal, reports Reuters." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 76-year-old man, Jack McCullough, was released from prison on Friday after a judge granted him a new trial. He had been serving a life sentence for the 1957 murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, Illinois. The judge found that there was \"clear and convincing evidence\" that McCullough was wrongly found guilty. McCullough was whisked away in a car driven by a family member after the hearing.\n\nThe case had been brought to court after a prosecutor found \"clear and convincing evidence\" that McCullough was wrongly found guilty. The conviction was based on false testimony, improper legal rulings controlling the evidence presented, and a timeline that was tweaked some 50 years after the fact to rule out McCullough's alibi. McCullough had long insisted that he couldn't possibly have abducted and killed the child because he was 40 miles away in Rockford, Illinois, talking to recruiters and trying to enlist in the U.S. Air Force when she was taken.\n\nThe case had been a cold case for more than 50 years, but detectives pursued a tip, and a man was brought to trial and convicted in the 1957 murder of the 7-year-old in Sycamore, Illinois. The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police, and the prosecutor who inherited the case from his predecessor, Clay Campbell, launched a six-month investigation that included a review of some 4,500 pages of documents.\n\nThe precise time of Maria's abduction has been in dispute almost from the beginning. The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police, and the prosecutor who inherited the case from his predecessor, Clay Campbell, launched a six-month investigation that included a review of some 4,500 pages of documents.\n\nThe case was investigated by the Illinois State Police, and the prosecutor who inherited the case from his predecessor, Clay Campbell, launched a six-month investigation that included a review of some 4,500 pages of documents. The case was investigated by the Illinois State Police, and the prosecutor who inherited the case from his predecessor, Clay Campbell,", + "answer": [ + "A man convicted four years ago in the oldest cold case ever tried was freed Friday after an Illinois judge vacated his conviction and subsequent life sentence, CNN reports. According to CBS News, 76-year-old Jack McCullough was convicted of kidnapping a 7-year-old girl, choking her, and stabbing her to death in 1957. The case was reopened in 2008, and McCullough was arrested in 2011 and convicted the following year. After an appeal by McCullough, Illinois state's attorney Richard Schmack launched a six-month investigation that found what he calls \"clear and convincing evidence\" that McCullough is innocent. While the judge Friday vacated McCullough's conviction, he stopped short of declaring him innocent, and a new trial will be held, the Chicago Tribune reports. McCullough, who lived in the same neighborhood as the kidnapped girl, says he was 40 miles away at an Air Force recruiting center at the time of the kidnapping. It's an alibi that passed a polygraph test in 1957 and made it impossible for him to be the culprit based on the FBI's original timeline for the kidnapping. That timeline was later changed by police, and Schmack says documents—including phone and Air Force records—supporting McCullough's alibi were wrongly not allowed at his trial. A friend of the kidnapped girl picked McCullough out of a photo lineup when the case was reopened. But his was the only non-yearbook photo in the lineup, and she picked a different man out of a photo lineup 50 years earlier. That info wasn't allowed at McCullough's trial either. No physical evidence was ever found to support McCullough's conviction." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn the past week, Rush Limbaugh has faced significant backlash for his controversial comments about Georgetown student Sandra Fluke. The fallout has extended to his radio show, with 98 advertisers reportedly requesting to avoid advertising on his show and other programs deemed offensive or controversial. The list includes major companies such as Ford, GM, Toyota, Allstate, Geico, Prudential, State Farm, and McDonald's. The advertisers have asked to schedule their commercials in dayparts or programs free of content that is likely to stir negative sentiment from a small percentage of the listening public. The exodus has also ensnared other controversial radio hosts, such as Mark Levin, Tom Leykis, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity.\n\nSaturday Night Live opened with a comment from Rush Limbaugh on the fallout from his remarks about Georgetown student Sandra Fluke. The sketch featured up-and-coming cast MVP Taran Killam playing the cranky radio host, who chastised the “sluts” at Turbo Tax and other sponsors for deserting him after his unpopular rants about birth control. The sketch was amusing in its dedication to coming up with bizarre sponsors for Limbaugh’s show, but even Killam’s shouty, dedicated delivery couldn’t distract from the reality that the sketch was the same joke repeated about twenty times, making it feel longer than Rush’s actual show.\n\nThe cold open of SNL can be seen below, via NBC:\n\nHave a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com", + "answer": [ + "Rush Limbaugh may be bleeding sponsors—one count now has the number fleeing his show up to 98—because of his \"slut\" comment, but Saturday Night Live had some suggestions last night about who might fill the advertising void. A few of the highlights, as per Mediaite: Misaki Dolphin Poppers: \"Start your day off right, with bits of dolphin.\" Depends for Racists: \"If you pee a little every time you see a Mexican, you need Depends for Racists.\" Schoder's fake rape whistles: \"Help is not on the way.\" Syria Tourism Board: Because, \"Ah! No! There's nowhere to hide!\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nGreg Gianforte, the Montana congressman-elect, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management, and a $300 fine. The incident took place the night before Montana's congressional election. Gianforte body-slammed a reporter, Ben Jacobs, during a campaign event. The White House Correspondents' Association has since come out to condemn the president's comments on the incident, saying that all Americans should recoil from the president's praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job.\n\nPresident Trump, on the other hand, has no regrets for making light of the incident. He praised Gianforte as a \"tough cookie\" and said that he was a great person. The president's comments have been condemned by the White House Correspondents' Association, who said that it amounts to the celebration of a crime by someone sworn to uphold our laws and an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has solemnly pledged to defend it.\n\nIn other news, tweets with location information can be added to your tweets from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your tweet location history.\n\nFinally, President Trump is campaigning in Montana for the Senate race against Jon Tester, a two-term Democratic senator. The president has made it his mission to unseat Tester, whose office publicly released information about alleged misconduct that led to White House physician Adm. Ronny Jackson’s failed nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Trump never forgot about this and has been vocal about it during his campaign.", + "answer": [ + "\"Any guy that can do a body-slam, he's my guy,\" President Trump shouted to a cheering Montana audience Thursday night as he simulated slamming someone to the ground, then noting, \"I shouldn't say that.\" Trump was discussing Rep. Greg Gianforte, who assaulted Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs last year during the special election for the House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, a misdemeanor assault to which he pleaded guilty and completed community service and an anger management class. Trump said after the incident, he feared Gianforte had blown his chance at the congressional seat. \"I said, 'Oh, this is terrible, he's gonna lose the election,'\" Trump recounted. \"Then I said, 'Well, wait a minute—I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him.' And it did.\" Trump was in Big Sky Country stumping for Matt Rosendale in his race for Democrat Jon Tester's Senate seat. Reaction came quickly: John Mulholland, US editor of the Guardian, put out a statement after the rally blasting Trump's words as \"an attack on the First Amendment,\" asking for an apology and adding, \"In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world.\" ABC News reports on what the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale calls the \"most significant\" and \"truly horrible\" moment in the rally: \"The president is gleefully applauding violence against a journalist.\" Trump also praised Gianforte as \"smart\" and then advised the crowd to \"never wrestle him.\" (Trump seems to acknowledge Khashoggi is dead.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nCigarette smoke has been found to have a detrimental effect on human health, but recent research has revealed that it also has a significant impact on the virulence of superbugs such as MRSA. A study published in the journal Infection and Immunity by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that MRSA is more difficult to kill when exposed to cigarette smoke. The study tested two groups of MRSA, one exposed to cigarette smoke extract and one not, to see how each group responded to the defenses of the immune system. The results showed that MRSA exposed to cigarette smoke extract had a significantly harder time being killed by macrophages, immune cells known to devour infectious ages. The researchers also found that cigarette smoke extract-exposed MRSA became more resistant to reactive oxygen species and antimicrobial peptides, another line of immune defense used to make holes in bacteria and cause inflammation. Even more alarming was the discovery that MRSA was able to adhere better to human cells when treated with smoke, assisting in the success of their invasion. The study suggests that cigarette smoke allows MRSA to repel common forms of immune responses. Another study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine a year earlier discovered that vaporized smoke can also alter the structure of MRSA’s cell wall to make it more resistant to bacteria. The study’s findings add yet another reason for individuals to refrain from smoking.", + "answer": [ + "Superbugs such as MRSA are already bad enough. But it turns out that something can make them even nastier: cigarette smoke. Researchers found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria exposed to the smoke became more aggressive and far more difficult to kill, they explain at Eureka Alert. It's almost as if the smoke sets off an alarm that causes the bacteria to strengthen its defenses, explains the Union-Tribune of San Diego. Scientists made the discovery by exposing immune cells to two different batches of MRSA, one normal and one treated with cigarette smoke extract. The bigger the dose of smoke, the bigger the effect, notes Medical Daily. \"We already know that smoking cigarettes harms human respiratory and immune cells, and now we've shown that, on the flipside, smoke can also stress out invasive bacteria and make them more aggressive,\" says lead author Laura Crotty Alexander of UC San Diego. It's a double-whammy: Smokers already have weakened immune systems that make them more susceptible to infectious diseases, and the smoke they inhale seems to make invading pathogens even more dangerous. In this study, the smoke helped MRSA survive longer and kill more mice with pneumonia. (The latest antibiotic-resistant bug to make headlines is a nasty stomach virus.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nOn January 23, 2017, Fabio Sementilli, a renowned hairstylist and beauty company executive, was found beaten and stabbed outside his Los Angeles home. The 49-year-old victim was discovered by his wife and daughters, who had returned home to find him bleeding profusely on the back patio of their Woodland Hills estate. Paramedics arrived at the scene and pronounced Sementilli dead due to multiple stab wounds to his neck and upper torso.\n\nThe investigation into Sementilli's murder is ongoing, with homicide detectives trying to determine if it was a random or targeted attack. The victim's black 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera, which was described as having paper license plates, was reported missing from his home.\n\nSementilli was the Vice President of Education for Wella, a major German hair-care company, and was affectionately called \"big daddy\" by his colleagues in the industry. He was known for his mentorship of others in the hair styling industry and had a positive impact on many people's careers.\n\nThe news of Sementilli's death has shocked and saddened the industry, with many expressing their condolences and sharing their memories of him. The investigation into his murder is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the LAPD's Homicide Bureau at (818) 374-1925.", + "answer": [ + "One of the most renowned hairstylists in Los Angeles was murdered on Monday by intruders who made their getaway in his Porsche, police say. Fabio Sementilli was stabbed several times and was found on his home's patio by his wife and daughter, CBS Los Angeles reports. Paramedics were called but the 49-year-old was bleeding profusely and died at the scene. Police say the Canadian-born hairstylist's 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera was missing from the scene and they believe it was stolen by two men who broke into the upscale Woodland Hills home and attacked Sementilli. Police aren't sure whether the murder was random or a targeted attack, the AP reports. Sementilli gained international recognition during his 30 years as a hairstylist and also served as an exec at companies including Wella, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. He was \"recognized as an exceptional stylist, educator, and visionary,\" Wella said in a statement that describes him as \"an icon in the hairdressing industry.\" A post at Modern Salon says he was a VP of education for cosmetics company Coty, adding that he \"mentored tens of thousands of hairdressers with a hands-on approach either on a one-to-one basis or on a grander scale.\" (This man was murdered just two months after President Obama commuted his sentence.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new study led by the University of Toulouse's Young-Ho Eom has found that the most important person in the English-language world is Frank Sinatra, according to an analysis of Wikipedia articles. However, the study's results were thrown off by a quirk of Wikipedia, which contains an almost complete collection of named species and the people who named them. To get around this issue, the researchers applied a second way of measuring importance: CheiRank. The study takes as its starting point Google's PageRank algorithm, which says that a page is important if a lot of important pages link to it. But when the study applied PageRank to figures on Wikipedia, the results were odd. The most important person in the world comes out as Carl Linnaeus, the 18th-century Swedish naturalist. The study's goal was not to determine who the most important people are on Wikipedia, but to discover if the online encyclopedia was skewed in the level of attention it gives to various figures, either by gender, time, or location. The study found that most important historical figures across Wikipedia language editions are born in western countries after the 17th century and are male. The researchers applied a second way of measuring importance: CheiRank. The study's results were thrown off by a quirk of Wikipedia, which contains an almost complete collection of named species and the people who named them. The study's goal was not to determine who the most important people are on Wikipedia, but to discover if the online encyclopedia was skewed in the level of attention it gives to various figures, either by gender, time, or location. The Internet Archive is working to fix all broken links on the web by crawling pages as they are created and archiving the pages that they refer to. The goal is to preserve the links to the version of the page that was live when it was written. The researchers applied a second way of measuring importance: CheiRank. The study's results were thrown off by a quirk of Wikipedia, which contains an almost complete collection of named species and the people who named them. The study's goal was not to determine who the most important people are on Wikipedia, but to discover if the online encyclopedia was skewed in the level of attention it gives to various figures, either by gender, time, or location. Last year, a team led by", + "answer": [ + "Using methods borrowed from Google, a group of researchers has analyzed all Wikipedia pages and determined that, at least on the English language version of the site, Frank Sinatra is the world's most important person. Second place goes to Michael Jackson, and third to Pope Pius XII. When factoring in all 24 language editions of the online encyclopedia, the team found that Adolf Hitler ranked the most important person, while Michael Jackson was again second and Madonna third, reports the Guardian. \"Our analysis shows that most important historical figures across Wikipedia language editions are born in western countries after the 17th century, and are male,\" the authors write. The researchers combined two algorithms to reach these conclusions. First, Google's PageRank algorithm, which determines a page's importance based on how many other pages link to it. In using PageRank on Wikipedia, the most important person in the world was 18th-century Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, likely because the pages of organism after organism link back to the \"father of taxonomy.\" So the researchers added an algorithm called CheiRank, which determines importance based on the number of outgoing links, the thought being that an important person would himself be connected to other important people, things, and events. Using the two together—an approach they dubbed 2DRank—no one beat out Frank Sinatra on English pages or Adolf Hitler across all language versions. Last year, in a separate study analyzing academic references, one team deemed Karl Marx to be the world's most important scholar, according to the Smithsonian. (Click to read about one of Sinatra's quirks.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNBC's Celebrity Apprentice returned to television on Monday night with a new host and a new catchphrase, but Arnold Schwarzenegger's hosting debut wasn't enough to give the network a ratings win for the show's premiere. The latest iteration of Comcast-owned NBC's Apprentice reality TV franchise, which featured now president-elect Donald Trump as host for more than a decade, lost the ratings battle with rival networks ABC and CBS during the 8 p.m. ET primetime slot on Monday night. With Schwarzenegger now in the hosting chair, The New Celebrity Apprentice averaged roughly 4.9 million total viewers across its two-hour premiere, according to Nielsen's tracking numbers.\n\nThe ratings for last night's Celebrity Apprentice premiere were down more than 22% from the debut episode of Trump's most recent season hosting (2014-2015). The show averaged 7.6 million nightly viewers in that season, and the ratings for the key demographic (viewers aged 18 to 49) across that season was roughly 46% higher than what Schwarzenegger's debut scored on Monday.\n\nWhile NBC heavily promoted Schwarzenegger's Apprentice takeover ahead of the show's January debut, the movie star and former California governor's reality TV turn got off to a mediocre start, especially when compared with the ratings of his predecessor. The network has been pushing the show's new host and new season for months, including weathering last month's controversy over the fact that president-elect Trump will continue receiving an executive producer credit on the show going forward.\n\nTo be fair, the Celebrity Apprentice premiere faced stiff Monday night competition that included The Bachelor premiere as well as a thrilling college football game in the Penn State-USC Rose Bowl matchup on ESPN. Still, NBC was likely hoping for a more impressive start to the post-Trump era of its Apprentice franchise, even though some early reviews for the Schwarzenegger-led show were not particularly kind.\n\nWhen reached for comment, NBC ratings guru Tom Bierbaum noted that last year's", + "answer": [ + "Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to think Donald Trump needs a lesson in making friends after the president-elect chose to criticize his Celebrity Apprentice successor. \"Wow, the ratings are in and [new host] Arnold Schwarzenegger got 'swamped' (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT,\" Trump tweeted Friday after the Trump-less show premiered Monday to 4.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The last season hosted by Trump averaged 7.6 million viewers, per Fortune. \"So much for … being a movie star,\" Trump continued. \"But who cares, he supported [John] Kasich & Hillary [Clinton].\" Schwarzenegger offered up a reply on Twitter, tweeting, \"I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings.\" He next shared a video he made after the election in which he quotes Abraham Lincoln's inaugural speech, beginning, \"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.\" \"Please study this quote ... @realDonaldTrump,\" he tweeted with the video. \"It inspired me every day I was Governor, and I hope it inspires you.\" (The New York Times is unimpressed with the new season.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSamsung has come under fire for its new privacy policy for smart TVs, which allows the company and its partners to listen in on everything users say. The policy has been compared to George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, and has raised concerns about the internet of things and the collection of data on users. However, Samsung has stated that data is encrypted and that users can turn off the voice recognition feature.\n\nIn addition to the voice recognition feature, Samsung’s SmartTV service offers a range of features that provide enhanced video content, customised TV, movie, and other content recommendations, connections to social networking services, and the ability to control and interact with the TV with gestures and voice commands. Samsung collects, uses, shares, and stores information through the SmartTV in the ways described in the Samsung Privacy Policy.\n\nMicrosoft has also come under fire for its new Xbox One console, which will always be listening to users, even when it’s turned off. The new Kinect peripheral, which is required for the console to operate, will be used for voice commands and other features. While Microsoft has stated that the system will run in an extremely low-power state for listening mode, the always-on listening mode has raised concerns about privacy. Microsoft has stated that the new Kinect is listening for a specific cue, like ‘Xbox on,’ and that the company has strong privacy protections in place.", + "answer": [ + "Own a Samsung smart TV? Then take note: Your television is not only listening, it's sending your data to a third party, the Independent reports. The TV's voice-recognition software lets you give it orders, but the product's privacy policy warns that \"personal or other sensitive information ... will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.\" Samsung tells the BBC that the third party is Nuance, the company that does Samsung's speech-to-text conversion. But intellectual property lawyer Corynne McSherry says it would be nice to see that clarified in Samsung's policy, the Daily Beast reports. \"And I’d definitely like to know whether my words were being transmitted in a secure form,\" she says. An activist tweets that Samsung's policy sounds a lot like the description of \"telescreens\" in George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984—which reads in part, \"Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by [the screen].\" Unnervingly, it wasn't clear how often \"the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork.\" Samsung, however, says it doesn't keep voice data, and customers can opt to turn off voice-recognition or even unplug the TV from Wi-Fi. And Samsung isn't alone: the Verge reports that XBoxes already use voice recognition while being connected to the Internet. \"Samsung's privacy policy is not unique; its rhetoric just happens to be similar to that of a well-known sci-fi novel,\" the Verge says." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe New York Jets cheerleaders have reached a settlement in their pay dispute with the team. The settlement, which was approved by a New Jersey court on Wednesday, will give each of the 52 cheerleaders $2,500 for each season they worked in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 NFL seasons. The deal also includes an additional $400 payment per shoot for squad members featured in photo shoots. The settlement covers the class-action lawsuit filed by former cheerleader Krystal C in 2014, which claimed that the women made only $150 per game and nothing for practice time. The Jets denied the claims and agreed to the settlement to avoid the expense, time, and distraction of litigation. State Sen. Diane Savino (D-SI) applauded the settlement and called for the Buffalo Bills to do the same to ensure that their cheerleaders are not left out in the cold when it comes to fair pay and treatment. The Bills cheerleaders were recently granted class-action status in a similar wage suit against their team. The Jets cheerleaders, known as the Flight Crew, are not the first to bring a wage suit against an NFL team. The teams have tried to justify the low pay by labeling cheerleaders as independent contractors and not employees, but the courts have not agreed with that distinction. The Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, and Buffalo Bills have also been sued. The Buccaneers reached a settlement of $825,000, and the Bengals have reached a tentative pact with their cheerleaders. The Raiders also settled for $1.25 million in September 2014. The Raiderettes claimed they'd been paid less than $5 an hour. The cheerleaders for the Buffalo Bills, the Jills, were recently given authorization to bring a class action lawsuit against the team.", + "answer": [ + "A New Jersey court on Wednesday gave the Flight Crew—aka the New York Jets cheerleaders—something to cheer about: a $325,000 settlement of the class-action lawsuit filed in 2014 by a cheerleader identified as Krystal C., CNNMoney reports. That amounts to each of the 52 cheerleaders getting $2,500 per season worked and $400 per photo shoot. The settlement covers the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. New York State Sen. Diane Savino, per the New York Post, cheered the settlement, calling on the NFL to \"develop uniform rules … to ensure that all cheerleaders in every state received the employee pay and protections they deserve.\" NFL teams have sought to justify low pay for cheerleaders by saying they're independent contractors, CNN notes. In the case of the Flight Crew, Krystal C.'s suit claimed that cheerleaders were compensated $150 per game and $100 for special appearances. But, when you factor in practices and rehearsals, that pans out to $3.77 per hour. Throw in hair, makeup, and transportation expenses and \"the hourly rate goes below $1.50 an hour,\" says the cheerleaders' attorney. The Flight Crew isn't alone: Cheerleaders have taken to the courts to seek higher pay from the Cincinnati Bengals (tentative agreement reached), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (settled for $825,000), Oakland Raiders (settled for $1.25 million), and the Buffalo Bills (class-action suit on the horizon)." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA mysterious disease called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is affecting children across the United States. The disease is similar to polio and is caused by a virus that attacks the spinal cord. The number of cases has risen sharply this year, with 32 new cases confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through July. The disease is most common in children, but has also affected adults. The cause of the disease is still unknown, but it is suspected to be linked to a respiratory illness or fever. The CDC is investigating the outbreak and has sent out health alerts to doctors to report cases. The disease can cause paralysis and loss of muscle control, and there is no known cure. Physical therapy is the only treatment that has shown some improvement. The disease is particularly concerning because it is surging this year, similar to a 2014 outbreak that saw a peak in October. The CDC is also investigating a possible link to enterovirus D68, which caused a national outbreak of severe respiratory disease among children in 2014. The disease is preventable through vaccination and good hygiene practices. The CDC is working with partners nationally to investigate the outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease.", + "answer": [ + "At first, it seemed like 4-year-old Laura Carson was suffering from a simple headache. Then came rapid shallow breathing, a tremor, double vision. Within days in August 2014, she was \"a limp rag doll,\" reports Today—but it took doctors some time to diagnose her with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare disease the CDC warns is becoming increasingly more common. Not much is known about the polio-like disease that plagues mostly children, including what causes it. What is known is that AFM affects the spinal cord and causes weak limbs or paralysis, drooping in the face, and slurred speech or difficulty breathing. About 200 kids have been diagnosed since 2014, and this year's figures are especially troubling. The CDC reports 121 cases of AFM were confirmed in 2014, but that was followed by just 21 cases in 2015, reports Fox News. From January to August of this year, however, there were 50 confirmed cases in 24 states. Among that first spike of cases in 2014, the Washington Post reports that 85% of kids recovered partially, but only three recovered fully. A CDC study found 68% of patients had a fever and 81% had a respiratory illness before AFM symptoms appeared. Some had been diagnosed with the West Nile virus, and others with an enterovirus. \"August to October is typically when enteroviruses circulate\" and \"we see more acute flaccid myelitis during that season,\" a doctor tells NBC News. Washing your hands and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing are among the ways suggested to help. (Four siblings suffer from a mysterious disease.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new forensic investigation has found that the Shroud of Turin, a cloth that bears the image of a crucified man and is revered by some Christians as the burial cloth of Jesus, is inconsistent with the bloodstain patterns of a crucified person. The research, published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, used bloodstain pattern analysis to study the bloodstains on the shroud and found that they are inconsistent with any single pose, suggesting that a standing model was used to imprint the patterns at different angles for the hands, chest, and back. The researchers conducted seven different bloodstain tests on different body parts depicted on the fabric, including the hand, forearm, chest, and lower back, and found that the angle at which gravity would pull blood dripping from a body in the way seen on the shroud varied with the body part. The forearm rivulets corresponded to an arm held straight out around 90 degrees to the side, while the hand marks matched an arm held out at about 45 degrees. Some hand bloodstains traced angles at odds with each other as well, off by as much as 10 degrees. A simulated spear wound in the chest ran in completely different patterns than the one on the shroud, whether standing or prone. The researchers concluded that the linen appears patched with bloodstains from a standing model, not a crucified man or facedown corpse, adding to evidence that the shroud is a medieval fraud. The Vatican regards the shroud as an icon, rather than a religious relic, and has never weighed in on its authenticity nor officially rejected it.", + "answer": [ + "The Shroud of Turin is supposedly the burial cloth that was wrapped around Jesus after his crucifixion; bloodstains on the linen shroud, which are said to have been transferred to it during the three days Jesus was in the tomb, form the image of a crucified man. But a new study reported in the Journal of Forensic Sciences finds the bloodstain image was likely faked. Researchers looking at the blood spatter found that the stains appeared to come from someone standing up, rather than someone who was flat on the fabric, Science Alert reports. As the researchers put it, the stains are \"totally unrealistic\" when compared to what they should look like. The shroud, which is held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Italy, is considered an icon, as opposed to a genuine religious relic, by the Vatican; Fox News notes \"the church has never weighed in on its authenticity.\" \"This is the kind of forensic work done all the time in police investigations,\" the forensic scientist who conducted the analysis tells BuzzFeed News. \"Even a crucified or hanging person should leave a distinct blood pattern on the cloth, which would be fascinating information to have.\" The study found inconsistent staining, with researchers concluding multiple poses were used to create the bloodstains—a standing model was likely used to imprint patterns on the cloth at various angles for various body parts. Another bloodstain pattern expert notes that more research could be done to see whether cleaning a body or preparing it for burial might account for the inconsistent staining, though he notes that the stains do appear to have come from flowing blood, meaning a heart that was beating at the time the stains were made. (See previous stories in the real-or-fake debate here.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPresident Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore for a historic summit. During the press conference after the summit, Trump discussed North Korea's untapped property market potential and suggested that the country could benefit from placing the \"best hotel in the world\" on its coastline. The U.S. delegation showed Kim a video simulation of possible projects that could take place in North Korea as an incentive for entering denuclearization talks. Despite telling Kim he could \"do a smaller version\" of the proposal, Trump expressed optimism that the North Korean leader was interested in the ideas presented to him. In the wide-ranging solo press conference given after Kim had already left Singapore, Trump announced that North Korea had agreed to relinquish its nuclear weapons and was prepared to rewrite history to push for a lasting peace and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.\n\nIn a separate news article, it was reported that the Internet Archive is working to fix all broken links on the web by archiving pages as they are created and archiving the pages that they refer to. The goal is to preserve a link to the version of the page that was live when it was written, so that references to these archived pages will not be broken. The Internet Archive hopes to achieve this by putting in place a link to the archived page instead of a broken link, or by providing a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.", + "answer": [ + "You can temporarily take Donald Trump out of real estate, but you can't take the real estate out of Donald Trump. That much was clear at a Singapore press conference Tuesday, which took place after the president's meeting with Kim Jong Un and in which he touched upon the potential of North Korea's coastline. \"They have great beaches,\" Trump noted, per the Washington Examiner. \"You see that whenever they're exploding their cannons into the ocean.\" And that spectacular view got him to thinking: \"Wouldn't that make a great condo? Instead of doing that you could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective, you have South Korea, you have China, and they own the land in the middle, how bad is that, right? It's great.\" The AP also reports on another post-summit activity, which it deems a \"classic alpha male move\": Trump showing off \"The Beast,\" the presidential limousine, to the North Korean leader. CNN shows a video clip of the two men approaching the limo, a Secret Service agent opening the door, and Kim peering in to take a look. \"We know that these men were trying to find ways to bond, in just like a personal, human way, and what's more natural for guys [than] to want to check out one another's car,\" Chris Cuomo notes. (Here are seven complimentary things Trump said about Kim after the summit.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nPresident Obama has signed a bill authorizing a prestigious award for some of the nation’s Nisei veterans. The Congressional Gold Medal will be presented to the so-called “Go for Broke” veterans – that is, men who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and other cohorts. The surviving veterans live in the Northwest, and this Thanksgiving marks the 65th year since Art Iwasaki returned from Europe.\n\nThe Nisei veterans were Japanese Americans born to immigrants who went overseas to fight for the United States, while the U.S. government kept their families locked in detention camps for the duration of the war. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up of Americans of Japanese ancestry who volunteered to fight, is the most decorated Army unit of its size and length of service in the history of the United States. The Military Intelligence Service provided the U.S. with valuable language and cultural knowledge, translating intercepted intelligence and helping the U.S. achieve victory in the Pacific.\n\nThe new law will recognize over 6,000 Japanese-Americans born of immigrant parents who served our country and fought in battles in Europe and Asia. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian honors presented to people who serve the security and national interests of the United States. Past honorees of the Congressional Gold Medal include the Wright Brothers, Rosa Parks, Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Dalai Lama.", + "answer": [ + "President Obama today signed legislation to honor Japanese-American soldiers who fought on behalf of the Allies during World War II—even as some of their families were kept in confinement in the US. This long-awaited bill will open the door for more than 6,000 soldiers known as Nisei veterans to collectively receive the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal. For more on the vets, see the Digital Journal or Oregon Public Broadcasting." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news articles report on various topics, including the net worth of Wilbur Ross, a US Secretary of Commerce, and his alleged misleading of Forbes magazine about his wealth. Another article discusses the controversy surrounding a multimillion-dollar stake in a shipping company owned by Ross and his associates with close ties to Vladimir Putin. A third article reports on the appointment of millionaires and billionaires to key positions in the Trump administration, which has been criticized for being out of touch with ordinary Americans. Finally, an article reports on a rally held by President Trump in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he celebrated victories in recent special elections and mocked his opponents.", + "answer": [ + "Earlier this year, President Trump noted \"I just don't want a poor person\" in charge of economic posts in his administration, then touted Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as \"a very rich person\" who was up to the task. But just how rich Ross really is is now up in the air, Forbes reports, noting it's yanked Ross off its billionaires list after a one-month probe revealed that $2 billion or so or Ross' alleged fortune \"never existed,\" and that Ross had engaged in an \"apparent sequence of fibs, exaggerations, omissions, fabrications, and whoppers\" with the magazine going back 13 years. The discovery came when Ross, 79, contacted Forbes in October to refute his ranking: Last year he was listed with a net worth of $2.9 billion on the Forbes 400; he claimed he was worth closer to $3.7 billion. Then Forbes talked with 10 of Ross' ex-employees at his private equity firm, who noted a \"penchant for misleading\" that affected fellow workers and investors and spurred big fines, suits, and refunds to backers. \"Wilbur doesn't have an issue with bending the truth,\" one longtime colleague says, while another is more blunt: \"He's lied to a lot of people.\" The magazine delves into Ross' back story, including how, when he first made the Forbes billionaires list in 2004 with a net worth of $1 billion, \"everyone that I knew that worked with Wilbur knew it wasn't true,\" per a former colleague. When Forbes told Ross he was being removed from its billionaires club, Ross retorted the magazine wasn't counting family trusts that he wasn't obligated to inform the feds about—in the amount of \"more than $2 billion,\" assets Ross said he put into the trusts sometime \"between the election and [my] nomination.\" When Forbes asked to see a paper trail proving that, Ross cited \"privacy issues\"—and the magazine lays out other problems with Ross' story on the supposed $2 billion transfer. Read the in-depth findings here." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe fight over the priceless guitar played by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in the band's seminal 1993 \"MTV Unplugged\" concert is heading for a bitter, multimillion-dollar court battle. Cobain's daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, is trying to get the instrument back from her estranged husband, Isaiah Silva, who claims that Frances gave him the guitar as a wedding present when they secretly married in 2014. The guitar, a Martin D-18E with the bridge flipped so that Kurt could play it left-handed, was once insured for $1 million, but experts say it is now likely worth several times that amount. Frances Bean denies that she gifted it to Silva, and her mother, Courtney Love, has said that the guitar is a treasured heirloom of the family and not Silva's to take. Love's manager has even allegedly sent a string of threatening messages to Silva's ex-girlfriend in an attempt to get him to hand the historic instrument over. After months of negotiation, Silva is still holding out, and Frances Bean is ready to take the matter in front of a judge. In September, a judge ordered Frances Bean to pay Silva $15,000 a month in spousal support as part of an interim settlement while they worked out the guitar issue through mediation. Meanwhile, Frances Bean's estranged husband, Isaiah Silva, is requesting spousal support and wants a ton of it, nothing less than $25k a month. He claims that Frances promised to cover a bunch of his monthly expenses, including paying private school and housing bills for his child from a previous relationship. He says Frances wants to renege on those commitments. Isaiah claims Frances has upwards of $100 mil in her dad's estate, and says he deserves half of the money she earned off business deals made during the 2-year marriage. He says there's no prenup. Frances made it clear in her divorce docs that the Kurt Cobain money is hers alone and not Isaiah's, but she is open to paying some spousal support.", + "answer": [ + "A guitar that once belonged to Kurt Cobain, which is likely worth millions, is now in the hands of Eeries frontman Isaiah Silva, and Cobain's daughter is fighting to get it back in the family. Frances Bean Cobain was married to Silva for 21 months, and she's been trying to get the Martin D-18E (which had the bridge flipped so Cobain, a leftie, could play it comfortably) back ever since they split in March. Silva claims she gave it to him as a wedding gift and it's rightfully his. Now, the battle is headed to court, Page Six reports. \"It’s not [Silva’s]. It’s a treasured heirloom of the family. It’s not his to take,\" Frances Cobain has said. But sources tell Page Six that Silva isn't giving in, and \"is forcing the matter to litigation.\" The guitar, the one Cobain played during Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged show and also thought to be the last one he played before taking his life, was once insured for $1 million but, per experts, is probably worth several times that now. Back in August, Silva requested $25,000 a month in spousal support and half of any money Frances made during the marriage, and said the couple had no prenup, TMZ reported. A judge has since ordered Frances Cobain to pay Silva $15,000 a month as part of an interim settlement." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nAlyssa Milano and Minnie Driver, actresses who have been vocal about the #MeToo movement, have criticized Matt Damon for his recent comments on sexual harassment. In an interview with ABC News, Damon suggested that there is a \"spectrum\" of behavior and that we live in a \"culture of outrage.\" He also stated that some behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be conflated. This comment has been criticized by many, including Milano and Driver, who argue that the magnitude of rage is righteous and that the outrage is not over someone grabbing their asses in a picture, but over a systemic disease of sexual misconduct and violence.\n\nMinnie Driver, who starred in the movie Good Will Hunting with Damon, has also criticized his comments. She argues that men cannot understand what abuse is like on a daily level and that they should not attempt to differentiate or explain sexual misconduct against women. Driver believes that until men get on the same page, they cannot tell a woman about their abuse.\n\nThe comments by Damon and other actors have been compared to those of Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment. Weinstein's accusers have come forward in recent months, leading to a national reappraisal of gender relations and a radical change in the way that Hollywood operates.\n\nIn the interview, Damon also discussed allegations against other men in Hollywood, including Louis CK, who has admitted to masturbating in front of women without their consent. Damon called the allegations against CK \"Orwellian\" and questioned the defense of the comedian.\n\nOverall, the comments by Damon and other actors have been criticized for being tone-deaf and for not understanding the magnitude of the issue. The #MeToo movement has brought attention to the systemic disease of sexual misconduct and violence against women, and it is important that men continue to listen and learn from the experiences of women.", + "answer": [ + "Matt Damon opined this week that the wave of sex harassment and assault claims sweeping Hollywood and society at large include \"a spectrum of behavior\" and that \"none of us came here perfect,\" and the woman he once dumped on Oprah wasted no time in shutting him down. \"Gosh it’s so interesting (profoundly unsurprising) how men with all these opinions about women’s differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem,\" Minnie Driver tweeted. She further unloaded to the Guardian: \"I’ve realized that most men, good men, the men that I love, there is a cut-off. They simply cannot understand what abuse is like on a daily level. I honestly think that until we get on the same page, you can’t tell a woman about their abuse. ... It is so individual and so personal, it’s galling when a powerful man steps up and starts dictating the terms, whether he intends it or not.” Damon was also getting zero sympathy from Alyssa Milano, reports USA Today, who tweeted that, \"as a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak,\" \"they all hurt.\" \"We are not outraged because someone grabbed our a---s in a picture. We are outraged because we were made to feel this was normal. We are outraged because we have been gaslighted. We are outraged because we were silenced for so long.\" (Damon has said he had no idea that Harvey Weinstein routinely sexually harassed and assaulted women; his full interview this week with ABC News is here.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nMicrosoft has officially unveiled the name of its motion-sensing controller for Xbox 360, which was previously known as Project Natal. The new name is Kinect. The controller allows gamers to use their body as a controller and has been designed to be more intuitive and user-friendly.\n\nA number of games were unveiled at the event, including a yoga/tai chi game, a soccer game, Joyride, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, Kinect Adventures, Dance Central, and games using Disney and Star Wars characters. The controller also allows users to interact with Netflix and share photos through a Kinect app on the dashboard.\n\nThe event was a cross between a gospel revival and a Las Vegas show, with Cirque du Soleil acrobats dancing to taiko drums and a 9-foot tall elephant puppet. The audience was given white silk ponchos with shoulder pads and was led through a series of mock living rooms to see how Kinect is an integral part of the living room experience.\n\nThe event was short on news, but Microsoft is expected to reveal more details about pricing and availability at its Monday press conference. Kinect is seen as Microsoft's answer to Nintendo's Wii, which popularized game play. However, unlike the Wii, Kinect doesn't require a controller at all and can recognize a wider range of motion and even differentiate voices.", + "answer": [ + "Microsoft unveiled its much-hyped Project Natal motion control system—now renamed “Kinect”—at E3 last night, in a performance long on grandiosity and short on actual revelations. After walking through a set of fake living rooms, the white-poncho-wearing audience was treated to a performance by Cirque du Soleil acrobats dressed as cavemen, as a narrator declared that “history is about to rewritten” and a boy, raising his arms, used his movements usher in the new motion-based way to play games, according to the Wall Street Journal. And what was this grand historical event all about? Well, mostly mimicking the Wii, according to CNET. Microsoft’s camera-based motion controller may have potential, but the games demoed last night mostly looked like analogues for successful Wii efforts, including a yoga game, a racing game, and a Wii Sports-esque game titled—wait for it—Kinect Sports. IGN has a full list of launch titles. Microsoft is expected to reveal more details, including pricing, at its press conference today." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA U.S. Marshall's office is currently holding an online auction of the personal effects of Ted Kaczynski, who was a terrorist who engaged in a mail bombing spree between 1978 and 1995, killing three people and injuring 23 others. The auction, which ends on June 2, is being used to pay off a $15 million restitution order to Kaczynski's victims and their families. The most valuable item in the auction is Kaczynski's 35,000 word handwritten manifesto, which has a current bid of $17,525. Another item that is attracting interest is Kaczynski's Smith-Corona typewriter, which has a bid of around $11,000. The auction is being criticized by some people who say it is a sad sign of the times that the auction is even taking place. However, art historian and appraiser Elyse Luray believes that there is value to be found in the auction, as it is one of the most tragic events in U.S. history and the manifesto has historical value. Crime memorabilia collectors like Scott Michaels think there is a lot of value in being able to tell friends and neighbors that the saw they are borrowing was once used by the Unabomber. Michaels is the proprietor of Dearly Departed Tours, a company that shows crime aficionados visiting Los Angeles all the city's most infamous crime-oriented sights. He also owns a collection of macabre memorabilia, including a piece of John Denver's plane, a hunk of the Hindenberg, and a tile from the swimming pool where Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones drowned. He also owns a clown painting made by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Michaels makes no bones about his hobby, but admits he often has to defend it. He believes that the market for crime memorabilia is not new, as people have been fascinated by crime since the invention of the printing press. The market for crime memorabilia is partially motivated by boredom and voyeurism and a desire to have a connection with what's", + "answer": [ + "Get out your checkbooks, kids: There is a slew of famous and infamous items up for auction. The US Marshal's office's online auction of the Unabomber's personal effects ends tomorrow, and Aol's Weird News astutely observes that Ted Kaczynski's 35,000-word handwritten manifesto ($17,525) is currently going for less than the gray hoodie ($20,025) that figured so prominently into his FBI Wanted poster. Bonus: sunglasses included. Looking for more of a bargain? A bow and arrows in a Sears box is currently a steal at $743. And in other bizarre auction news: Balloon boy's dad is trying to auction off the infamous \"flying saucer\" balloon for $1 million. But don't worry, reports KTLA: Richard Heene has vowed to give all the money to charity (specifically, Japan). A bunch of celebrities are hoping JetBlue loses their luggage ... right into the hands of eager bidders. The Celebrity Baggage Auction will benefit DoSomething.org. Buy a signed Jessica Simpson-brand bag or a leather Coach bag personally used by Rosario Dawson, and get two roundtrip JetBlue tickets, too. Click for more. Maybe eBay is the place to buy stuff: Morace Park bought a film reel for $5.25 that turned out to be the only known copy of the Charlie Chaplin film Zepped. The Telegraph reports that it's expected to fetch six figures in a June 29 auction." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nKevin Spacey is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault from over a dozen men. The accusations span decades and include incidents of groping, harassment, and attempted rape. The allegations began to surface after actor Anthony Rapp publicly accused Spacey of making sexual advances towards him when Rapp was just 14 years old. Since then, more accusers have come forward, including a man who claims Spacey groped him at a bar in 2016. The allegations have led to Spacey being cut from the film \"All the Money in the World\" and prompted a criminal investigation in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Spacey has not yet commented on the allegations.", + "answer": [ + "A former Boston TV news anchor says that last year, when her son was 18, he was at a bar in Natucket, Mass., when he met Kevin Spacey. The actor \"bought him drink after drink after drink and when my son was drunk, Spacey made his move and sexually assaulted him,\" said Heather Unruh at a press conference Wednesday. She says Spacey stuck his hand down her son's pants and onto his genitals, and tried to convince him to go to a party where they could continue to drink, USA Today reports. A bystander asked the teen if he was OK and the teen said no, at which point the woman urged the teen to flee and he took her advice, Unruh said. Unruh, who appeared with an attorney, says her son filed a police report last week and handed over evidence; she says a criminal investigation has been opened but the Nantucket Police Department has not confirmed that. The attorney with Unruh noted that her son's accusations are \"well within\" both the civil and criminal statutes of limitations. USA Today has a list of the 14 people so far accusing Spacey of sexual assault or harassment. Meanwhile Jon Bernthal, who worked with Spacey on Baby Driver, told a SiriusXM radio show Tuesday that he lost respect for Spacey while working on the film. \"I thought he was a bit of a bully,\" Bernthal said, per People. \"I didn’t really care for the way he was behaving toward some of the other people on set.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Mali coup has caused concern among West African leaders, who fear similar threats in their own countries. The Tuareg rebels, who are mainly nomadic, want to establish an independent state called Azawad. The Malian army is falling apart, and the coup has had the opposite outcome of what the captains who overthrew the president intended. The West African leaders have formed a diplomatic emergency committee that is threatening the junta with heavy sanctions if it does not relinquish power. The situation in Mali is affecting its neighbors, and the African Union has imposed sanctions on Mali. The UN's cultural agency, Unesco, has warned that the fighting in northern Mali could damage the World Heritage Site of Timbuktu. The Tuareg rebels have taken control of a third of Mali, including the key northern towns of Gao, Kidal, and Timbuktu. The rebel takeover could disrupt efforts to preserve the ancient manuscripts in Timbuktu, which are held in approximately 60 private libraries. The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis in Mali later on Tuesday. The coup and Tuareg rebellion have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in Mali and some neighboring countries, with aid agencies warning that 13 million people need food aid following a drought in the region. The sanctions imposed on Mali are expected to cause fuel shortages, and the country's electricity grid is also expected to falter in coming weeks. The junta has not sent any troops north to defend the country from the rebels, and the West African leaders are struggling to implement their joint objectives, which include getting the Malian military back to their barracks and helping them launch a counter-attack. The international community needs to offer its support to Mali to avoid the situation getting worse.", + "answer": [ + "Since we last checked in, the situation in Mali following a soldiers' coup has spiraled, with rising concerns over food and gas shortages, violence, and indeed the country's \"very existence,\" according to Le Monde. An update: The coup has driven more than 200,000 people from their homes to other parts of the region, the AP reports. The UN worries that major food shortages could be imminent, and \"mayhem in these towns and cities is increasing,\" says a rep. Neighboring countries have established an embargo against the rebels who ousted the president; they've closed off their borders and frozen the country's regional bank account. That has prompted residents of Mali, which imports all its fuel, to rush to gas stations to collect fuel. The country's electricity grid may also be headed for failure. UNESCO is citing a threat to Timbuktu, a World Heritage Site full of \"architectural wonders,\" notes the BBC. Mosques there are \"essential to the preservation of the identity of the people of Mali,\" says the group. Yet \"nothing seems to be able to stop\" the Tuareg coup, Le Monde reports. West African leaders need to help Mali's military fight back before the instability spreads beyond the country's borders." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAlexa Internet has been donating its crawl data to the Internet Archive since 1996, which is added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization that aims to provide universal access to all forms of knowledge.\n\nA black-and-white photograph in a newspaper sparked the creation of Lumos, a charity dedicated to closing child institutions and so-called orphanages. The photograph showed a small boy locked in a caged bed in a residential institution, which led to the realization that 8 million children around the world are separated from their families due to poverty, disability, and discrimination. Lumos works to shed light on the lives of these children and advocates for their rights.\n\nThe charity has made significant progress in several countries, including Moldova, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. In Moldova, there has been a 70% reduction in the number of children in institutions, despite political instability and the country's status as the poorest country in Europe. In the Czech Republic, Lumos has achieved a 75% fall in admissions to institutions, and in Bulgaria, the number of children in institutions has reduced by 54%.\n\nLumos estimates that the institutionalization of children can be eradicated globally by 2050, and it is working towards this goal by promoting inclusive education, health, and family-based care alternatives for children who cannot be with their parents. The charity also advocates for donors to fund and promote principles that support children and families.\n\nThe practice of keeping children in institutions is not only morally imperative but also economically sound. It is far more cost-effective to support a child in a family than in an institution, and this also reduces long-term costs, as institutionalized children are more likely to become dependent in adulthood.\n\nThe campaign #Letstalklumos was launched by JK Rowling, the founder and president of Lumos, to raise awareness about the harmful and unnecessary practice of institutionalization. The campaign aims to create a critical mass of expertise and evidence to change the future for these children.\n\nIn conclusion, Lumos is working towards eradicating the institutionalization of children globally by 2050,", + "answer": [ + "JK Rowling makes the case today that millions of kids around the world are living in appalling conditions—the stuff of Grimms' fairytales—in institutions that are supposed to be caring for them. Rowling wants to change that, not by improving these orphanages with \"pretty murals\" or teddy bears, but by eliminating them altogether, she writes in the Guardian. The big challenge is providing support for often-poor families who think they have no choice but to place their child in such an institution. If a child's biological family isn't up to the task, then foster families can step in. But Rowling argues that institutions are absolutely the wrong answer. Rowling has started a charity called Lumos (yes, after one of her Harry Potter spells), and writes that it has made genuine progress in reducing new placements in countries such as Bulgaria, Moldova, and the Czech Republic. She wants to raise awareness and donations with campaigns like this one. \"I recently committed to becoming president of Lumos for life,\" writes Rowling. \"It is my dream that, within my lifetime, the very concept of taking a child away from its family and locking it away will seem to belong to a cruel, fictional world.\" Click for her full column." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe U.S. and Pakistan have agreed to work together in any future actions against \"high value targets\" in Pakistan, even as U.S. Sen. John Kerry defended Washington's decision not to tell Islamabad in advance about the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The pledge, which was made in a joint statement, could help mollify Pakistani officials and citizens, who were enraged that one of the country's most important allies would conduct a unilateral operation on its soil. But details of the promised cooperation were unclear.\n\nKerry said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce plans to visit Pakistan, a sign of confidence in the relationship, and announced that he and Pakistani leaders have agreed to a \"series of steps\" to improve relations. However, he did not specify what those steps were.\n\nKerry is the most high-profile American emissary to visit Pakistan since the May 2 raid in the northwest garrison city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, which killed the al-Qaida chief and four others. His comments during the visit mixed defiance with promises to work to rebuild the relationship between the two countries.\n\nKerry emphasized that the secrecy surrounding the Abbottabad operation was not a reflection of U.S. distrust, but rather a necessity to protect the lives of the professionals who were involved and ensure they succeeded in capturing or killing the man responsible for so much death in so many places.\n\nPakistan has agreed to return the tail of the U.S. military helicopter that was damaged during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The handover of the helicopter tail, to be made Tuesday, is one result of several high-level meetings Kerry said he held with Pakistani officials to alleviate strains between the two allies.\n\nThe long-fraught relationship has reached one of its worst points after U.S. commandos killed bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city. Pakistan has chafed at not being informed of the raid in advance, while U.S. officials have openly questioned whether Pakistani officials colluded with bin Laden.\n\nKerry sought to play down those allegations, saying he was in Pakistan to “", + "answer": [ + "The US and Pakistan have agreed to work together in the future against \"high value targets\" in Pakistan, the countries announced in a joint statement today. The news comes after Sen. John Kerry arrived in Pakistan last night, intending to send a strong message following the death of Osama bin Laden: Cooperate more when it comes to rooting out terrorists, or face \"profound\" changes in the US-Pakistan relationship—which could include kissing billions in aid goodbye. Kerry is the most senior US official to go to Pakistan since bin Laden's death, but since issuing the joint pledge, he said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will soon announce her own plans to visit, the AP reports. Kerry's meetings with Pakistani leaders began last night, the Washington Post reports. Many in Washington think Pakistan is harboring Islamist militants, and some members of Congress are calling for the US to sever the billions of dollars in aid it provides to Pakistan. Kerry is in Pakistan to lay out the new stakes following bin Laden's death, and question officials about how bin Laden was able to hide in Pakistan for years. In Kabul, Kerry said there is \"some evidence\" that the Pakistan government has knowledge of insurgent activities, calling it \"very disturbing.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn the early 1990s, the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo used homemade VX to attack three people, one of whom died. North Korea is estimated to have a chemical weapons production capability of up to 4,500 metric tons during a typical year and 12,000 tons during a period of extended crisis. It is widely reported to possess a large arsenal of chemical weapons, including mustard, phosgene and sarin gas. A United States Congressional Research Service report said last year that North Korea has a large arsenal of chemical weapons. The announcement by Malaysia’s police chief came just a day after North Korea denied any responsibility for Mr. Kim’s death, accusing the Malaysian authorities of fabricating evidence of Pyongyang’s involvement under the influence of South Korea. With the North’s reclusive government on the defensive about the Feb. 13 killing of Mr. Kim, the estranged half brother of Kim Jong-un, at the airport for the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, a statement attributed to the North Korean Jurists Committee said the greatest share of responsibility for the death “rests with the government of Malaysia” because Kim Jong-nam died there. In what could be seen as a threat to Malaysia, the statement noted that North Korea is a “nuclear weapons state.” However, in a case that has been filled with mysteries and odd plot twists, North Korea still would not acknowledge that the man killed was indeed Kim Jong-nam. And it gave no indication that it would agree to Malaysia’s demands to question a senior staff member at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in the investigation into Mr. Kim’s death. Relatives and acquaintances of the two women Malaysia has accused of carrying out the killing, by applying poison to Kim-Jong-nam’s face as North Korean agents looked on, insisted they must have been duped into doing so, though the Malaysian authorities say otherwise.", + "answer": [ + "Kim Jong Nam's assassins killed him with a banned chemical weapon, Malaysian police revealed Friday. The country's police chief said toxicology reports on swabs from the face and eyes of the exiled North Korean found VX nerve agent, which the BBC notes is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations. He said that one of two women believed to have rubbed the extremely toxic substance on Kim's face with their hands suffered from vomiting after the attack. The New York Times reports that VX agent can be created by mixing two compounds—and police suspect the two women put the substances on Kim's face, one after the other, to create a deadly dose. The police chief said the airport where Kim was attacked is now being decontaminated. North Korea—which is widely suspected to have been behind the killing of leader Kim Jong Un's half brother—never signed the Chemical Weapons Convention that banned VX, the AP notes. Pyongyang denies involvement and says Malaysia's investigation is full of \"holes and contradictions.\" The father of one of the two women being held, Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong, tells the Times his daughter trained as a pharmacist and he has seen little of her in recent years. (Police say that after Malaysia refused to give Kim's body to North Korean diplomats, somebody tried to break into the morgue.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 15-year-old girl was gang-raped and beaten at Richmond High School in California after her homecoming dance. The attack occurred in a dimly lit area near benches, and as many as 10 assailants, ranging in age from 15 to their early 20s, were involved. The suspects include a 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy who attend the school and knew the victim. The attack lasted for more than two hours, and as many as two-dozen people may have witnessed the rapes or been aware of what was happening but didn't report it. The victim's father tried to call her cell phone, but no one answered. The police received a tip about a possible assault on campus from a young woman who heard two males bragging about it. The girl remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The attack has raised questions about campus security, and the school recently approved surveillance cameras after a series of violent crimes. The suspects showed no remorse during police interviews, and the police expect to make more arrests. The reward for information leading to the conviction of any of the assailants is $20,000.", + "answer": [ + "San Francisco-area cops have arrested three more young men in the savage gang rape, beating, and robbery of a 15-year-old girl outside her homecoming dance while dozens more watched. Five youths are being held, ranging from a 15-year-old boy who knew the victim to a 21-year-old. The girl was drinking outside the dance Saturday night, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, and the group turned on her when she became drunk. Charges are expected today. \"This was a barbaric act. I still cannot get my head around the fact that numerous people either watched, walked away or participated in her assault,\" a Richmond cop tells the AP. \"It's one of the most disturbing crimes in my 15 years as a police officer.\" Some students began transferring out of the school. \"It's not safe there at all,\" said a 16-year-old girl. \"I'm not going back.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Nunes memo, a document created by the staff of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), alleges that the FBI abused its surveillance authority, particularly when it sought a secret court order to monitor a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page. The FBI and the Justice Department had lobbied strenuously against its release. On February 2, 2018, President Trump approved the release of the memo, which was sent to the House of Representatives for a vote. The memo contains classified information provided to the Committee in connection with its oversight activities. The Constitution vests the President with the authority to protect national security secrets from its disclosure. The Executive Branch may entrust classified information to the appropriate committees of Congress, but public release of classified information by unilateral action of the Legislative Branch is extremely rare and raises significant separation of powers concerns. The Committee's request to release the memo is interpreted as a request for declassification pursuant to the President's authority. The President has directed lawyers and national security staff to assess the declassification request, consistent with established standards governing the handling of classified information. The White House review process also included input from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice. The President has determined that declassification of the memo is appropriate. The memo reflects the judgments of its congressional authors. The President understands that oversight concerning matters related to the memo may be continuing. The Executive Branch stands ready to work with Congress to accommodate oversight requests consistent with applicable standards and processes, including the need to protect intelligence sources and methods.", + "answer": [ + "The White House on Friday declassified a partisan and bitterly disputed memo on the Russia investigation, and a House committee immediately made it public. Media outlets were just beginning to assess it. You can read the document here, via the Washington Post. The White House move came over the fierce objections of the FBI and Justice Department, which have said the document prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee is inaccurate and missing critical context, per the AP. The memo alleges that the FBI abused US government surveillance powers in its investigation into Russian election interference. Trump, who has called the investigation a \"witch hunt,\" has supported the release of the memo in the apparent hopes that it could help undermine the probe being led by special counsel Robert Mueller. The president, dogged by the unrelenting investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia, lashed out anew Friday at the FBI and Justice Department as politically biased against Republicans. \"The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!\" Trump tweeted." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Wolfman is a 2010 horror film directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. The film is a remake of the 1941 classic of the same name and is the latest in a series of remakes of classic Universal horror films. The film follows the story of Lawrence Talbot, a man who is cursed by a werewolf and becomes a monster himself. The film was released on February 12, 2010, and received mixed reviews from critics.\n\nThe film's production was troubled, with several directors being brought on board before Joe Johnston was finally chosen to helm the project. The film's makeup effects were provided by Rick Baker, a legend in the field, but the effects were criticized for being campy and dated. The film's violence was also criticized for being too gory and not adding to the overall film.\n\nThe Wolfman was released in theaters on February 12, 2010, and received a mixed response from audiences. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $110 million worldwide, but it was not well-received by critics. The film was nominated for several awards, including the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, but it did not win any.\n\nIn conclusion, The Wolfman is a horror film that follows the story of Lawrence Talbot, a man cursed by a werewolf and becomes a monster himself. The film was directed by Joe Johnston and stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. The film was released in 2010 and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. The film's production was troubled, with several directors being brought on board before Joe Johnston was finally chosen to helm the project. The film's makeup effects were provided by Rick Baker, a legend in the field, but the effects were criticized for being campy and dated. The film's violence was also criticized for being too gory and not adding to the overall film.", + "answer": [ + "Critics aren’t exactly howling over the new remake of The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro, giving it mostly mediocre or failing marks. Here’s what they’re saying: “The movie is pungent with atmosphere, laying down a thick fog of creepy Victorian murk,” writes Kyle Smith of the New York Post, but the story is toothless, centering on a mystery “so simple that even Marmaduke could have sniffed it out.” “The movie is scary only as regards all its wasted potential,” laments John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal. There are good elements here, but they’re “reduced to a gruesome fondue, accessorized by actorly ham and studio cheese.” The filmmakers obviously loved the original Wolfman, but “nostalgia isn't always the best barometer,” writes James Berardinelli of ReelViews. The makeup is “inexcusably campy,” and scenes from the original are “recreated in a fashion that seems more Monty Python than unsettling.” But Ty Burr of the Boston Globe had fun. “The movie is by no means good,” he writes, “but it’s surprisingly enjoyable: a misty, moody Saturday-matinee monster-chiller-horror special.”" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNorthern Ireland's Justice Minister David Ford has announced that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has arrested Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in connection with the 1972 murder of Jean McConville. The arrest was made at Antrim police station, where Adams is being questioned. The PSNI has stated that a file will be sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and that a decision on whether to charge Adams will be made by prosecution lawyers.\n\nAdams has denied any involvement in the murder and has criticized the timing of his arrest, claiming that it was politically motivated. He has also accused the PSNI of using \"pernicious, coercive legislation to deal with a legacy issue.\"\n\nThe McConville family has expressed their support for the PSNI's investigation and their desire for justice in the case. The murder of Jean McConville is part of the Troubles, a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s to the late 1990s.\n\nThe arrest of Adams has sparked controversy and debate, with some political parties rejecting claims that the timing of the arrest was political. Others have expressed concern about the potential impact of the arrest on the political process in Northern Ireland.\n\nThe case against Adams is based on evidence gathered by the PSNI, including interviews with witnesses and forensic evidence. The PSNI has also stated that they have conducted a review of the evidence in the case and that they are satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to bring charges.\n\nThe arrest of Adams has also raised questions about the Boston College tapes, which contain interviews with former loyalist and republican paramilitaries. The tapes have been used as evidence in the case against Ivor Bell, who has been charged with aiding and abetting the murder of Jean McConville.\n\nIn conclusion, the arrest of Gerry Adams in connection with the murder of Jean McConville has caused controversy and debate in Northern Ireland. The PSNI has stated that they have sufficient evidence to bring charges against Adams, and a decision on whether to charge him will be made by prosecution lawyers. The case is part of the ongoing investigation into the Troubles and the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland.", + "answer": [ + "Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, lately the very high-profile suspect in a 1972 murder, will go free without charge, Northern Ireland police officials tell the BBC. Adams has been questioned since Wednesday in County Antrim over allegations that he, as an IRA commander ordered the murder of a 37-year-old widow and mom of 10, Jean McConville. The AP confirms the report, saying that Adams will likely be freed today, but notes that police say they'll send an evidence file to their British counterparts." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTwo daycare workers have been arrested in Chicago after surveillance footage allegedly captured one of them burning five toddlers with a hot glue gun while the other watched and laughed. Lizandra Cosme, 32, and Susana Gonzalez, 27, face charges after five children were injured at the Children’s Learning Place, where they were working, on Dec. 1. Video footage allegedly showed Cosme putting hot glue on the hands and arms of the five 2-year-olds, who appear to grimace in pain as they’re burned. Gonzalez, an assistant at the daycare center, can be seen laughing nearby. Cosme was denied bail at the hearing, and her next court appearance is Dec. 26. Three girls and two boys were hurt in the incident, but the extent of their injuries is unclear. It is also not immediately known what prompted the burnings. During Monday’s hearing, Cosme’s defense attorney said Cosme’s actions were not malicious, according to ABC7. Prosecutors said Cosme brought the hot glue gun from home to work on a Christmas project. She was watching 16 children at the time of the hot glue gun incident, the news station reported. The Children’s Learning Place is a licensed child-care facility that serves children between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 years, according to its website. There are four locations in Chicago. In a statement, Lissa Druss Christman, a spokeswoman for the daycare center, said two workers were “terminated” immediately after the alleged incident. The Department of Children and Family Services said it is investigating the incident and did not provide further details.", + "answer": [ + "Two workers at a Chicago day care were fired and arrested after a disturbing incident that left five toddlers injured. Police say surveillance video captured one of the workers burning the 2-year-olds with a hot glue gun while the other woman watched and laughed, People reports. Lizandra Cosme, 32, has been charged with five counts of aggravated battery of a child causing great bodily harm, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Susana Gonzalez, 27, faces five misdemeanor charges of causing the circumstances of child endangerment over the Dec. 1 incident at the Children's Place day care. It's not clear how seriously the children were injured. Prosecutors say Cosme, who brought the glue gun for a Christmas project, was captured on video applying the hot glue directly to the hands and arms of the three girls and two boys. \"Each of the child victims winced and some whined at the hot glue gun application,\" a prosecutor said during a Monday court appearance. Prosecutors said Cosme tried to cover up the incident, asking a father whether his child had been burned at home, ABC7 reports. They said her actions were discovered when one child's mother, an ER physician, saw the burns and demanded to see surveillance footage. Cosme's lawyer said his client \"screwed up\" but did not mean to hurt the children." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nDemocratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has revealed in her upcoming memoir that she had an abortion in the 1990s after discovering that the fetus had a severe brain abnormality. The book, \"Forgetting to Be Afraid,\" goes on sale to the general public Tuesday. Copies will be available Monday at a Fort Worth book signing by Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor against Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott.\n\nDavis, in a copy of the book obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, wrote that her unborn third daughter had an acute brain abnormality. She said doctors told her the syndrome would cause the baby to suffer and likely was incompatible with life. After getting several medical opinions and feeling the baby they had named Tate Elise \"tremble violently, as if someone were applying an electric shock to her\" in the womb, she said the decision was clear. \"She was suffering,\" Davis wrote. The unborn baby's heart was \"quieted\" by her doctor, and their baby was gone. She was delivered by cesarean section in spring 1997, the memoir says.\n\nDavis wrote that she and her then-husband, Jeff, spent time with Tate the next day and had her baptized. They cried, took photographs and said their good-byes, she wrote, and Tate's lifeless body was taken away the following day. \"An indescribable blackness followed. It was a deep, dark despair and grief, a heavy wave that crushed me, that made me wonder if I would ever surface. ... And when I finally did come through it, I emerged a different person. Changed. Forever changed,\" Davis wrote.\n\nThe 304-page hardcover is priced at $27.97 from Blue Rider Press, and imprint of the Penguin Group. The book's title comes from a Lady Bird Johnson quote: \"Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.\"\n\nAbortion rights have been a major undercurrent in the race for governor between Davis and Abbott, a staunch abortion opponent. He has indicated he opposes the procedure even for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest, saying", + "answer": [ + "Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis' new memoir is dedicated in part to daughters Amber, Dru, and Tate, and those familiar with Davis' life story might be puzzled by the last name on that list. That's because Davis is revealing for the first time that Tate is the unborn child that she and her husband aborted in the second trimester, after doctors discovered a severe brain abnormality. The San Antonio Express-News and the AP obtained advanced copies, and the news is generating headlines given that Davis shot to national fame while filibustering against an abortion bill in Texas. Davis writes that she decided to abort in 1996 after doctors said the baby would be blind, deaf, and in a vegetative state if she survived the pregnancy. Davis also felt the fetus “tremble violently\" in the womb, \"as if someone were applying an electric shock to her, and I knew then what I needed to do. She was suffering.\" Her doctor \"quieted\" the unborn child's heart and delivered her by C-section. Davis and her husband had Tate baptized. After the abortion, \"an indescribable blackness followed,\" writes Davis in Forgetting to Be Afraid, \"and when I finally did come through it, I emerged a different person.\" Davis also writes of a previously disclosed procedure to terminate an earlier ectopic pregnancy in which the embryo was implanted outside the uterus. She says she opted not to talk about either case during her famous filibuster because she feared it would \"overshadow the events of the day.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTwo men have been arrested in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for their alleged involvement in a citywide prostitution ring. Joseph E. Van Wert, 65, and Randy W. Lambach, 45, are being held on charges including human trafficking pending a dangerousness hearing on November 29. The investigation began in the spring of 2017 after police received complaints about an increase in prostitution throughout the city. Most of the activity seemed to be centered around the areas of First, Adam, North, Linden, and Wahconah streets. Many of the women had been recruited by a white male named \"Randy.\" He would seek out women with drug addictions, photograph them, and post advertisements online for sexual services. One woman told police she didn't \"street-walk,\" but instead got her \"dates\" through ads on backpage.com. Police also received reports of suspected prostitution from a North Street senior living facility, where Lambach had driven at least five women to and from Van Wert's third-floor apartment. Witnesses identified Lambach as the man known as \"Randy.\" One woman told police she was prostituted by Lambach for about a year and had sex with him for money or to pay off a debt on multiple occasions. Lambach photographed her and placed advertisements on backpage.com. Men would contact Lambach via cellphone and a date, time, location, and fee would be agreed upon. Rates were typically $80 for 30 minutes or between $160 and $200 for an hour. Lambach would then contact the woman and drive her to the appointment, sometimes waiting outside or watching from a closet or doorway. He would collect the money and keep anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of it. Sometimes he would keep all of the money and pay the woman with a few bags of heroin or some crack cocaine instead. One of the women told police Lambach would drive her to appointments outside of Pittsfield, and on at least one occasion, outside of the state. He allegedly recruited and transported about 10 other women in a similar manner and provided narcotics to those that used drugs to get them high before having sex. Lambach allegedly threatened to turn the women in if they stopped working", + "answer": [ + "Two men have been charged with human trafficking after police arrested them for running a prostitution ring out of a senior living facility in Pittsfield, Mass. Police say Joseph Van Wert, 65, and Randy Lambach, 45, will face a hearing later this month, the New York Daily News reports. Lambach would allegedly seek out women with drug addictions and post their pictures online, then arrange meetings with clients. Some of these meetings took place in Van Wert's apartment in a senior facility. Van Wert offered his apartment in return for cash or drugs. The Berkshire Eagle reports that the police investigation began last spring in response to citizen complaints about increased prostitution across the city. Lambach would allegedly keep up to 90% of the money the women made, sometimes refusing them cash altogether and paying them in heroin or crack cocaine instead. At least one woman said Lambach drove her to an \"appointment\" across state lines. Police estimated one of the victims was 15 years old. They were also told that some of the women were Lambach's former foster children. Both men have pleaded not guilty, Lambach to four counts of human trafficking and Van Wert to conspiracy to commit human trafficking, deriving support from prostitution, maintaining a house of prostitution, and sexual conduct for a fee." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nArchaeologists have unearthed a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age skeleton of a child at a dig in Wiltshire, England. The skeleton was found lying in a foetal position and wearing an amber necklace. The discovery was made by a team from the University of Reading while excavating Wilsford henge in the Vale of Pewsey. The three-year Vale of Pewsey dig is a partnership between the University of Reading, Historic England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Wiltshire Museum. The aim of the dig is to gain a better understanding of the people who lived in the areas surrounding Stonehenge.\n\nThe team has also uncovered flint arrowheads and blades, decorated pottery, shale and copper bracelets, and a Roman brooch. They have also found pig bones, which suggest the house was never a permanent residence but connected with great gatherings for feasts. The structure originally stood on a terrace overlooking a mound, within a small earth-banked circle, in turn part of the enormous Marden Henge.\n\nMarden Henge is the largest prehistoric monument of its kind in the country, built in 2,400 BC. The site is so vast that it takes the team 40 minutes to walk from the team working on the house to the diggers who have uncovered a previously unrecorded Roman complex including the foundations of an impressive barn.\n\nLike the Durrington Walls henge a few miles downstream, and Stonehenge itself, Marden was linked to the river Avon by a navigable flow, now a sedge- and nettle-choked stream, which forms one side of the henge. The site welcomes visitors every day, but the open day will have finds on display, tours, and activities. It will be among more than 1,000 events across the country over the last fortnight of July, including lectures, site tours, and visits to archaeology stores and structures normally closed to the public.", + "answer": [ + "You think Stonehenge is impressive? Archaeologists in Britain are excavating a monument ten times larger than the iconic structure, though it appears to the naked eye to be little more than farmland. A henge is a circular earthwork, and the one in question is Marden Henge, which sits a few miles north of Stonehenge in Wiltshire. National Geographic reports that roughly 4,500 years ago it featured 10-foot-tall earthen berms that encompassed some 40 acres. The Guardian writes that the henge was \"far larger than the Avebury or Stonehenge circles, and too large for any imaginable practical use.\" But over the ages Marden Henge's berms have \"slumped\" and farmers have worked the land, and archaeologists have gravitated to the more breathtaking Stonehenge. Until now. Jim Leary of the University of Reading has just kicked off a three-year study of the site; his excavations (he worked at the site in 2010, too) are the only ones to have occurred there in nearly 50 years. He hopes the berms will help explain the \"insane, utterly unsustainable\" construction boom that led to Marden Henge and four other nearby Neolithic monuments, including Stonehenge. \"Not nearly enough attention has been paid to the archaeology of the fertile valley in between these places,\" says Leary. So far he's found the remains of a 4,000-year-old teen wearing an amber necklace just outside Marden Henge, per the BBC; fancy arrowheads; and a stone building within the henge containing the bones of at least 13 pigs, suggesting a huge feast was held there. \"For all the attention that has been lavished on Stonehenge over the years, we may well find out that Marden was where it was really at during the Neolithic,\" he says. (There's a giant \"super henge\" under Stonehenge.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news passages discuss various financial services, including emergency loans, payday loans, and installment loans. The first passage emphasizes the importance of understanding the formalities and fees associated with getting cash help, and suggests that fast cash loans can be a useful solution for people in need. The second passage highlights the benefits of saving money and planning ahead, and suggests that small loans can be helpful for covering unexpected expenses. The third passage discusses the availability of no credit check needed payday loans, which can be applied for online and offer easy monthly installments. Overall, the news passages suggest that there are various financial services available to help people in need, and that it is important to understand the terms and conditions associated with these services.", + "answer": [ + "As everyone wonders whether Conan O’Brien will stay at NBC or move to Fox, the Tonight Show host offered up a few more novel ideas yesterday: Perhaps he’ll “pretend to put my son in a giant foil balloon, then sit back and watch the offers come pouring in!” Watch him deliver the rest of his options on the video above—then check out Jay Leno, who also addressed the drama last night on his show. “NBC says the show performed exactly as they expected it would, and then they canceled it,” Leno said. “Now don’t confuse that with when we were on at late night and we performed better than expected and then they canceled us. That was totally different!” Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at Fox’s early talks with Conan—who “would be a very compatible fit for our brand,” says the president of Fox Entertainment." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nBP, the British oil and gas company, is facing opposition from some of its shareholders over the remuneration package awarded to its Chief Executive, Bob Dudley. The package, which includes a 20% increase in total remuneration for 2015, has been criticized for being too generous given the company's $5.2 billion loss last year and the fact that it is cutting thousands of jobs due to falling oil prices. However, the company argues that Dudley has had to work harder than his predecessors to manage the company in the current environment.\n\nThe opposition to Dudley's remuneration package is not just coming from individual shareholders but also from leading shareholder advisory groups such as Glass Lewis. These groups have criticized BP's decision to award its top directors their maximum bonuses for 2015, despite the company's lackluster performance. They have recommended that shareholders vote against the payment plans.\n\nThe rebellion against BP's pay decisions is unprecedented and highlights a growing trend of institutional investors and advisers around the world taking a more aggressive stance over pay. The vote against BP's pay decisions is the first time that a top British company has been defeated over executive pay since the \"shareholder spring\" in 2012.\n\nThe opposition to Dudley's remuneration package is not just about the amount but also about the timing. The package was awarded despite the company's worst-ever loss and the fact that it is cutting jobs due to falling oil prices. The company's compensation committee awards executive bonuses based on the company's performance in a number of strategic areas, including its safety record and internal targets for operational cash flow and underlying profits. However, some shareholders believe that the bonuses were not fully earned in respect of the past fiscal year relative to the company's performance.\n\nThe company's shareholders will vote on the matter on April 16, along with a host of other issues. The opposition to Dudley's remuneration package is likely to continue, and the company may have to reconsider its pay policies to avoid further rebellion from shareholders.", + "answer": [ + "Oil giant BP lost $5.2 billion last year, but the company somehow saw fit to propose maximum bonuses for 2015 for its top executives, including a 20% pay increase for CEO Bob Dudley—a proposal that 59% of shareholders roundly rejected by proxy vote at Thursday's annual meeting, MarketWatch reports. The company had indicated earlier in the day that it may also have to reduce its dividend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dudley is set to receive the full bonus he was eligible for, which comes to $4.2 million (including $1.4 million in cash and a portion in deferred BP shares), per an earlier MarketWatch report. This amount was bumped up from the $3 million ($1 million in cash) he received in 2014. BP's CFO was also on the list to rake in his full bonus. \"We think it sends the wrong message,\" a rep for shareholder Royal London Asset Management tells the BBC. \"It shows that the board is out of touch.\" Not only did BP suffer straight-up monetary losses as the price of oil fell, it also announced it will be getting rid of about 7,000 jobs and taking other belt-tightening measures. And the Financial Times notes that other energy company execs saw their pay slashed in 2015. But a BP spokesman says \"executives performed strongly in a difficult environment in 2015, managing the things they could control and for which they were accountable.\" Andy Critchlow, writing for the Reuters Breakingviews blog, agrees. \"Dudley has to work harder than his predecessors,\" he writes, noting the CEO has helped the company recover from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and improved safety protocol. \"The mild-mannered American has had possibly the toughest job in the oil industry. His rewards look in line with that task.\" Carl-Henric Svanberg, chairman of BP's board, says the nonbinding shareholder vote won't alter the payouts they've already decided on, but that the board will take investors' concerns into account when coming up with next year's compensation packages." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPeru's top organized crime investigator, Eusebio Felix, has been suspended after he misled the country by saying he had caught a gang of serial killers who acted out an ancient Andean legend and sold their victims' fat. Felix was put on leave from his job for telling Peruvians last month that four suspected murderers apprehended by police were \"Pishtacos\" - the legendary killers who roam the Andes mountains extracting fat from travelers. In the legend, the Pishtacos strung-up the torsos of their victims above candles and heated them to collect fat. Police initially said the gang murdered up to 60 victims and exported their fat for thousands of dollars a liter to Italian cosmetics makers. However, after weeks of doubts about the case, police in Lima, the capital, said the investigation had been botched. General Miguel Hidalgo, the head of Peru's police, said he was embarrassed and that this affects the image and respectability of the police. Police in Huanuco, who complain they were excluded from the inquiry, said there was only one murder victim and that he was linked to the cocaine trade. They believe the four alleged killers, who are still in custody, may have bottled his fat to intimidate their rivals in an area rife with drug trafficking and violence. Anthropologists said investigators foolishly believed the Pishtacos legend when searching for a motive for the murder, and then played on people's fears by turning the legend into reality. Politicians blamed the police for scaring away tourists. Doctors said it would be pointless to kill people to harvest their fat when it could be easily collected from plastic surgery clinics that perform tummy tucks.", + "answer": [ + "The Peruvian cop who claimed to have busted a crime ring that killed dozens of people to harvest their fat has been suspended for lying. Felix Murga, the country's top organized crime investigator, said that a gang had killed 60 people to sell their fat at $15,000 a liter. Investigators now believe there was just one victim and his murder was linked to drug trafficking, the BBC reports. Murga appears to have revived an ancient Andean legend of killers who roam the mountains extracting fat from travelers, say authorities, who blame him for damaging the police force's reputation and scaring tourists away. \"This has been a ruse of bad taste,\" a local politician tells Reuters." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) has seen a significant increase in hikers since the release of Cheryl Strayed's memoir \"Wild\" and the subsequent movie adaptation. The PCT Association has reported a 300% increase in website traffic and a 30% increase in permit requests for long-distance hikes. The movie has also inspired more women to hit the trail, with anecdotal observations suggesting that more women are hiking the PCT than ever before. However, the increased number of hikers has raised concerns about the potential for overcrowding and the resulting environmental damage. The PCTA has implemented a permit system to manage the number of hikers on the trail and mitigate the impact on the environment. The system has been successful in dispersing hikers and reducing the number of hikers on the trail at any given time. Despite the increase in hikers, the PCT remains an endeavor open to everyone, and the PCTA is committed to preserving the trail for future generations.", + "answer": [ + "Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail can expect to encounter harsh-but-beautiful landscapes, extreme fatigue, and—these days, at least—traffic. \"You can’t talk about the Pacific Crest Trail without mentioning the crowds,\" Pete Brook writes for Outside. He should know: Brook currently is trekking the 2,650-mile PCT, which runs from the Mexican border through California, Oregon, and Washington to the border with Canada. But don't take his word for it: The Pacific Crest Trail Association so far this year has issued more than 4,000 permits to people planning on tackling at least 500 miles of the trail. To put things in perspective: 300 people attempted to complete the entire PCT in 2006, according to the AP, with about 120 of those making it. In 2014, 1,000 people set off and about half completed the trail. More traffic means more stress on the land, more improperly disposed of poop, and more inexperienced hikers requiring rescue. So what's with the increase in traffic over the past few years? You can thank Cheryl Strayed and her enormously popular memoir-turned-major-motion-picture Wild. After the book came out in 2012, there was a small increase in interest in the trail, the PCTA's Jack Haskel told the AP in 2015. But after the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon, was released in 2014, interest in the PCT exploded. \"Millions are hearing about it now and are being inspired,\" Haskel said. Strayed, more or less unprepared for the journey, hiked 1,100 miles of the trail as a form of therapy as she grappled with personal demons. \"However for others that follow her strategy of deliberate ineptitude, things might not turn out so well,\" writes DontHikeLikeWild.org. \"Our advice to would-be hikers: Grow a spine first. Then get out there and hike the PCT.\" (This female hiker is the \"biggest badass you've never heard of.\")" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPete Davidson, a cast member of Saturday Night Live, has been open about his use of medical marijuana to manage his Crohn’s disease. In a recent interview with HIGH TIMES, he criticized the New York State medical marijuana program as inadequate and difficult to navigate. He believes that cannabis should be legal beyond just medical purposes and is a proud and productive pot person. Davidson is an outspoken advocate of the medicinal use of cannabis and has won the respect of Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator and producer.\n\nDavidson has also been sober for the first time in eight years, quitting drugs and alcohol. He credits Kid Cudi’s music for saving his life and believes that he would have killed himself if he didn’t have Kid Cudi. Davidson is the youngest member of the SNL cast and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was 17 or 18 years old. He found that the only thing that would help him eat was smoking weed, and it helped him perform on the show. However, he admits that performing not high has gone awful, and he doesn’t feel well.\n\nSeason 42 of Saturday Night Live premieres on NBC October 1st at 11:30 p.m. EST, and Pete’s first hour-long stand-up special “SMD” airs on Comedy Central October 29th at 11:00 p.m. EST.", + "answer": [ + "Noticed Pete Davidson's absence from SNL as of late? Well, there's a good reason behind it: The 23-year-old has been focusing on his sobriety. After telling High Times last fall that he couldn't function without the medical marijuana he's prescribed for Crohn's disease, Davidson now says, \"I quit drugs and am happy and sober for the first time in eight years\" in an Instagram post. Rapper Kid Cudi might have inspired that sobriety, per the New York Daily News. Last fall, Davidson told a radio station, \"I would have killed myself if I didn't have Kid Cudi,\" who'd checked himself into rehab a few weeks earlier." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nJeff Herman, a lawyer known for taking on high-profile sexual abuse cases, is suing Bryan Singer and three other Hollywood power-players for the alleged sexual assault of two clients. Michael Egan claims he was drugged, threatened and forcibly sodomized as a 15-year-old boy. Herman has also filed a second suit on behalf of an anonymous British man who alleges he was sexually assaulted by Singer and Broadway producer Gary Goddard. Herman has taken on powerful institutions such as the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America in the past. He believes in being a “voice for victims” and empowering children to tell their stories.\n\nHerman’s office is in Boca Raton, Florida and he has a “war-room” where he crafts cases with other investigators. He encourages children to draw timelines and not to be afraid to talk about their experiences. Herman has four children and grew up in an upper middle-class family in Ohio. He always wanted to be a lawyer and was “always the protector, always the guy looking out for the underdog.”\n\nHerman is also known for representing five men who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of underage sex abuse. All but one of the men’s cases have been dismissed. Herman has uncovered what he calls “another sex ring” in Hollywood involving agents for child actors, directors, actors and other industry players. He plans to file suits in the matter soon.\n\nIn a separate case, Herman is representing a teenager who alleges he was sexually assaulted by Singer and Goddard. The teenager claims he was 14 years old when Goddard first contacted him via social media and promised to introduce him to people who could help his acting career. The suit claims the boy's relationship with Goddard quickly jumped from online webcam sex to real sex when Goddard traveled to meet him. The teenager says he was scared and felt like he had to comply with what was being demanded of him.\n\nHerman has also filed a lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous British man who alleges he was sexually assaulted by Singer and Broadway producer Gary Goddard. The teenager says", + "answer": [ + "Bryan Singer has already been hit with two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of minors—and the lawyer who filed both of them, plus other suits against Hollywood bigwigs, says more are coming. \"I’ve heard from victims about very recent claims of being sexually exploited in Hollywood,\" Jeff Herman said at a news conference yesterday, according to Variety. He said one coming lawsuit involves another Hollywood \"sex ring.\" Herman also shared photos showing the second alleged victim (with his face redacted) and Singer at the London premiere of Singer's Superman Returns in 2006; John Doe, then 17, says Singer abused him after the premiere, the New York Daily News reports. As for the strenuous denials from all the Hollywood VIPs named in the various suits, Herman said, \"The pushback I’m getting reminds me of the early days of the clergy sex abuse scandal.\" Meanwhile, in an interview with the Daily Beast, Herman says he himself has vague memories of being sexually abused as a child. He says he's worked on some 800 sex abuse cases in his career, notably involving the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTwo teenage girls, Mary Kristene Chapa and Mollie Judith Olgin, were shot and killed in Portland, Texas on Saturday. The incident is being investigated as a double homicide, and the Texas Rangers have joined the investigation. The families of the victims have received support from across the country, and a Facebook event for a candlelit walk in memory of the girls has garnered over 700 participants. The families of the victims have also set up a donation page to help pay for the medical bills of Chapa, who is in serious condition. The investigation is ongoing, and there is no evidence yet to indicate that the shooting was a hate crime. The families of the victims are confident that justice will be served.", + "answer": [ + "The dad of the teenage lesbian shot dead in a Texas park called for justice yesterday. He immediately had a \"bad feeling\" when his 19-year-old daughter, Mollie, failed to show up for work, said Mario Olgin. “It was not like Mollie,\" he told KIII-TV. \"If she had some place to be she was going to be there.” Mollie and her 18-year-old girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, had been shot in the head by an unknown assailant. Mollie died at the scene, but Chapa is making an \"amazing\" recovery, her brother told NBC Latino. Mollie has just finished her first semester of college and dreamed of becoming a psychiatrist. \"She was happy,\" Olgin recalled. Now, \"she's my guardian angel. I know she's looking down on us, in a better place.\" He's confident police will find her killer. \"Justice will be served,\" he declared. Texas Rangers have joined Portland police in continuing to investigate the crime, but haven't yet discussed any progress. They haven't labeled the shootings a hate crime, but aren't ruling it out." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new dinosaur species, Caihong juji, has been discovered in China. It lived 161 million years ago during the Jurassic Period and was a small, bird-like predator with colorful feathers. The feathers had iridescent colors like hummingbirds and were arranged in a rainbow pattern on its head, neck and chest. The dinosaur had a crested head and sharp teeth, and its body was covered in dark feathers with ribbon-like iridescent feathers on its head and neck. The researchers believe that the feathers may have been used for display or insulation, and possibly for attracting mates. The dinosaur's full scientific name means \"rainbow with a big crest.\"\n\nThe discovery of Caihong juji suggests that dinosaurs had more colorful plumage than previously thought. The researchers used powerful microscopes to detect the remnants of organelles called melanosomes responsible for pigmentation within the feathers. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.\n\nCaihong juji is the earliest known creature with asymmetrical feathers, a trait used by birds to steer when flying. Its tail feathers were short and stiff, and the researchers believe they were used for aerodynamic locomotion. The dinosaur's skull had a frond-like shape, and its tail had asymmetrical feathers. The researchers are unsure of the functions of these features, but they suggest that the tail feathers may have been used for display or to provide contrast against the iridescent head during displays.\n\nThe discovery of Caihong juji provides new insights into the evolution of feathers and the origin of birds. The researchers hope to study more fossils of this dinosaur and other feathered dinosaurs to learn more about their behavior and adaptations. The study highlights the importance of preserving fossils and the potential for new discoveries from old specimens.", + "answer": [ + "Scientists are now saying there may have been \"a more colorful Jurassic World than we previously imagined,\" thanks to the recent discovery of a fossil in China's Hebei province. Reuters reports that a closer look at the \"exquisitely preserved,\" almost completely intact fossil of a crow-like dinosaur that lived about 161 million years ago revealed that Caihong juji had luminous, brilliantly hued feathers that closely resembled those of hummingbirds. The study in the journal Nature Communications documenting the find explains that \"Caihong\" means \"rainbow\" in Mandarin. Scientists think the colorful plumage, which appeared to have covered the bony-crested creature's head, neck, and chest areas, may have kept the dinosaur warm, as well as attracted potential mates; National Geographic compares it to peacock feathers. So how were researchers able to tell what color feathers the creature had from preserved bones? They used high-tech microscopes able to home in on 66 sites on the fossil, detecting tiny cell structures called melanosomes, which underlie pigmentation. Which colors they led to can be found by their shapes, and the melanosomes in Caihong were long and flat like pancakes—similar to those found in hummingbirds, which boast iridescent plumage. Although they can't pick out from the Pantone wheel Caihong's exact colors, researchers say the creature likely sported feathers with a \"rainbow glimmer.\" Study co-author Xing Zu tells National Geographic that Caihong was a predator that spent its days gliding from tree to tree. And \"glide\" is the operative word, as this dinosaur likely didn't fly: Its feathers were located on its tail, not on its wings like birds, Discover notes. (A study postulated that nearly all dinosaurs had feathers.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news is about the ongoing protests and unrest in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In Libya, the government has resorted to violence to crush the unrest, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been facing protests demanding his ouster, and the government has used force to disperse the protesters. In Algeria, the government has used clubs to overwhelm antigovernment demonstrators. In Bahrain, the royal family has withdrawn its forces from the streets following an international outcry, but the protesters are still demanding political change. In Egypt, the military government has taken steps towards a handover of power. The news also mentions that the protests in Tunisia and Egypt have had unintended consequences, such as the success of uprisings in Libya, Yemen, and Algeria. The protesters in these countries are demanding political change and an end to corruption.", + "answer": [ + "In direct contrast to the \"delirious joy\" in Bahrain, the death toll keeps climbing in Libya's protests. Moammar Gadhafi's minions killed another 20 people today, bringing the five-day total to at least 104, says Human Rights Watch. Gadhafi has effectively shut off Internet service and forbid media coverage, but witnesses told AP of attacks by police and government loyalists wielding guns, knives, and even anti-aircraft missiles. While the accounts are impossible to verify—and at least one puts the death toll closer to 200—a grim cycle has emerged, reports the New York Times: \"Security forces fire on funeral marches, killing more protesters and creating more funerals.\" In Yemen, meanwhile, President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces also opened fire on protesters, killing at least one, reports AP." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nRare photographs from Nirvana's first concert in March 1987 have been unearthed by Maggie Poukkula, the daughter of Tony Poukkula, a member of Seattle band Laytem who grew up with Kurt Cobain. The photographs were shared on Twitter and feature three snapshots from the 1987 gig in Raymond, Washington, along with the caption, \"Pictures of my dad and Kurt Cobain playing together back in the day.\" The photographs show Poukkula and Cobain playing guitar together, and according to an incomplete set list from the show, Nirvana jammed on covers of Led Zeppelin's \"Heartbreaker\" and \"How Many More Times,\" as well as nascent versions of \"Aero Zeppelin,\" \"Mexican Seafood,\" \"Pen Cap Chew,\" \"Hairspray Queen,\" \"Spank Thru\" and \"If You Must.\" A recording of the band's \"Heartbreaker\" jam appeared on the 2004 box set, With the Lights Out, while a bootleg version of \"If You Must\" is available on YouTube. The photographs come on the heels of a deluge of rare Cobain and Nirvana artifacts, many of which were incorporated into Brett Morgen's acclaimed documentary, Montage of Heck. The documentary was given unprecedented access to Cobain's archives, comprising mountains of notebooks and hours of never-before-heard audio cassette tapes, which featured eerie Beatles covers and the noise collage that gave the film its title. Montage of Heck is set to return to movie theaters starting August 7th.\n\nIn other news, the Internet Archive is working to fix all broken links on the web by archiving pages as they are created and archiving the pages that they refer to. The goal is to put references to these archived pages 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 Internet Archive hopes that this effort will help to preserve the web's history and make it more accessible to future generations.", + "answer": [ + "Most teens don't find music history in their dad's stuff, but Maggie Poukkula's dad is Seattle musician Tony Poukkula, who was a friend of Kurt Cobain. Her find? Photos of Nirvana's first concert, performed by then 20-year-old Cobain and his new band in March 1987 in Tony Poukkula's basement. \"My dad showed me them awhile back, but he never mentioned that's what was going on in the photos,\" Maggie Poukkula, 19, tells Rolling Stone. \"I found out because of all the articles. I didn't realize it was such a historical thing. I thought they were just cool pictures of my dad and Kurt jamming together.\" She tweeted the photos last week, and the post quickly went viral. That first concert featured the early Nirvana lineup of Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Aaron Burckhard playing original songs and Led Zeppelin covers. Similar early-days footage of Cobain and Co. featured in the recent documentary Montage of Heck has renewed interest in the grunge band. The Emmy-nominated project includes home movies, never-before-heard music, and intimate interviews with Cobain's family and friends, notes SPIN. After being critically acclaimed at festivals across the country, the film will return to theaters on Aug. 7, adds Rolling Stone. (Want a little more Cobain history? Here's the mix tape he made at 21.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nClarissa Dickson Wright, the half of the culinary duo Two Fat Ladies, has died at the age of 66. She was a brilliant cook, food historian, and champion of hunting and shooting. She had no time for rudeness and little for those whose philosophies she could not understand. She was a great British eccentric who became an unlikely television star as one half of the BBC's Two Fat Ladies partnership. The world of food and television paid tribute to Dickson Wright following her death in Edinburgh, where she had been undergoing treatment since the start of the year.\n\nDickson Wright was born into an affluent family and became a barrister at 21. However, she descended into alcoholism and quit law to work as a cook in grand homes. She was running a culinary bookshop when she was discovered by a television producer who teamed her up with Jennifer Paterson for the Fat Ladies show. The show was a hit, and they toured the UK in a motorcycle-sidecar.\n\nDickson Wright had a fiery temper and was known for her high-fat ingredients, which attracted some criticism. Following her screen partner's death in 1999, she appeared in other television programs, including Clarissa and the Countryman with presenter Sir John Scott. She was a champion of countryside pursuits and claimed she was prepared to go to prison to support people's right to hunt. In 2009, she was convicted of attending hare coursing.\n\nIn more recent years, she joined the debate over the badger cull to suggest the mammals ought to be eaten. She said she had enjoyed a \"fantastic life\" and did not worry about aging. Dickson Wright was also a champion of the cardoon, a prickly vegetable that was not immediately lovable but wonderful when you got to know it. She was possessed of a formidable intelligence and held strong opinions, a powerful combination that made her a commanding presence on television.", + "answer": [ + "Both of TV's \"Fat Ladies\" have sung. Clarissa Dickson Wright, one half of the BBC's \"Two Fat Ladies\" cooking duo, died in Edinburgh Saturday at age 66, the BBC reports. Wright was a former lawyer who filmed four of the \"Fat Ladies\" series, going on food-related road trips across the UK in a motorbike and sidecar with Jennifer Paterson, before Paterson died in 1999 from cancer. The New York Times describes Wright as a \"rebel,\" both hosts as \"irreverent and eccentric,\" and the recipes as \"sometimes confounding.\" Wright's eclectic working life also included stints as a cook, an author, and a cookbook shop manager; she also ran a catering business, was a guild butcher, and once worked on a yacht in the Caribbean. In fact, she recently said, \"I've had a fantastic life and I've done everything I could have wanted to do and more.\" It wasn't until her 40s, after she'd recovered from alcoholism, that she got into cooking seriously. As for the perhaps-controversial title of the show that brought her fame? \"If you're fat you're fat,\" she once said. \"I hate this modern-day political correctness, that you don't call things by their proper name.\" Her agent remembers Wright similarly in a statement: \"Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost.\" There's no word on Wright's cause of death, but the Guardian reports that she had been undergoing treatment at a hospital since the beginning of the year." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA woman fell to her death while using a smartphone app to find a safe route down from a peak in Snowdonia. The incident occurred on March 25, when Jane Wilson and her husband Gary, of Stockport, decided not to go to the summit of Tryfan as dusk was approaching. Instead, they headed across the mountain's west face, known for its loose rocks and steep inclines. Mr. Wilson used his phone to guide them, but Mrs. Wilson fell 30ft (9m) down a vertical cliff. The coroner recorded a conclusion of accidental death. The hearing was told that Mrs. Wilson, a librarian at Manchester University, fractured her skull and sustained other severe injuries in the fall. In a statement to the coroner, Mr. Wilson said his wife went a short distance ahead of him to look for a suitable route. He asked her if it was safe, and they agreed to proceed only if both were satisfied. Mr. Wilson then heard a kind of exclamation, followed by the sound of a rock fall. Realizing his wife had fallen, he climbed to a safer ledge and raised the alarm. The Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team eventually found Mrs. Wilson's body over 150 meters lower down. The rescue team leader, Detective Constable Tim Bird, told the inquest that Mrs. Wilson had apparently fallen 20-30 feet down a vertical cliff, then tumbled about 150 meters down into an area known as Notch arrete. He said that although the weather was dry, the light boots worn by Mrs. Wilson were not suitable for such rough terrain and she could have slipped. After abseiling two days later down to the spot where her body was found, he himself was hit by falling rocks. Mr. Bird told the hearing that the change in route was an attempt to traverse the west face to avoid the summit. It would have been better to have retreated the way they had come or gone to the North Ridge, but unfortunately, they probably saw a footpath and joined up the dots. The inquest was told that Mrs. Wilson was a fit and active woman and that she and her husband had been mountain walking and scrambling for six years. She had run in the New York Marathon and Great North Run. The Mountain Rescue England and Wales urged walk", + "answer": [ + "A hiker's fatal fall in March has been blamed on using a smartphone app map instead of an actual map. The BBC reports Jane Wilson and her husband Gary were hiking on Tryfan in Wales when it started to get dark and they decided to skip the summit. While attempting to descend the mountain, Gary was looking at an Ordnance Survey app while Jane went a short way ahead to make sure the path was safe, according to the Telegraph. The Manchester Evening News reports Gary heard his wife fall, got to safety, and called for help. Rescuers found the 53-year-old librarian's body at the bottom of a 30-foot cliff with a fractured skull. At a hearing Friday, Jane's was ruled an accidental death due, in part, to using an app instead of a map. \"Apart from potential difficulties caused by poor detail on an electronic map, batteries on mobile phones have a nasty habit of running out just when you need them most,\" the Telegraph quotes a spokesperson for Mountain Rescue England and Wales as saying. A detective says the app map \"would have been small and not as detailed\" and took the couple on a route that was not the safest. A director with Ordnance Survey says hikers should always use the app in conjunction with an actual map \"due to the nature of mobile devices when navigating the real world.\" Authorities also say Jane wasn't wearing appropriate footwear for the hike. (Go inside the futile search for \"Inchworm\" on the trail.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has praised President Barack Obama as a \"credible, formidable candidate\" for reelection, despite some anti-science positions in the Republican field. Bloomberg also praised Rick Perry for his executive order requiring sixth-grade girls to receive the HPV vaccine and Mitt Romney's health care plan for Massachusetts. However, he criticized Obama for using Warren Buffett as an example for why taxes should be increased on the wealthy.\n\nIndiana Governor Mitch Daniels has suggested that Republicans should forgive Rick Perry's uneven debate performances, saying it's \"way too early\" to issue last rites. He also praised Mark Warner for his work with the Gang of Six senators who were working to cut spending from the federal budget.\n\nRepublican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has mocked Obama's 2008 election slogan, saying it won't pass the smell test with voters in 2012. He also criticized Wasserman Schultz's talking points as having been proved false, referring to the recent GOP victory in New York's special House election.\n\nSenator Mark Warner has called the specter of a government shutdown \"embarrassing\" and blamed tea party-affiliated Republicans for the stalemate. He also criticized the tea party for saying on every issue, \"We're going to make this a make-or-break.\"\n\nSenator Lamar Alexander has blamed Majority Leader Harry Reid for holding up the bill, saying he \"manufactured a crisis all week about disaster aid when there is no crisis.\"\n\nSenator Lindsey Graham has said the United States needs to leave \"all options on the table\" in dealing with Pakistan after U.S. military officials accused the country's intelligence officials of assisting terrorist operations.\n\nFinally, President Obama's senior adviser, David Plouffe, has said he doesn't expect significant changes in top White House staff or the Cabinet ahead of the 2012 reelection campaign. He also stated that the U.S. may continue reducing aid to Pakistan if it can't do more to impede anti-American terrorism being conducted by the Haqqani terror", + "answer": [ + "Mitch Daniels has some advice for those who are writing Rick Perry's political eulogy: Hold your horses. \"It's way too early to know, or to issue, to pronounce last rites over one performance,\" Daniels said today. \"There's still many of these (debates), too many maybe. ... I'd cut him some slack and give him a little time.\" Politico notes that Daniels also had kind words for Democrat Sen. Mark Warner's work on the Gang of Six, saying, \"It's very encouraging, by the way, to hear a guy like Sen. Warner speak to it as clearly as he just did. I wish he were president.\" More fun on your Sunday dial, as per Politico: Michael Bloomberg on President Obama's 2012 chances: \"He would be a credible, formidable candidate. You're going to have a real horse race no matter who the Republican nominee is.\" Reince Priebus to Debbie Wasserman Schultz on 2012: \"It sounds like the new slogan is no longer 'hope and change.' It's, 'Hey, it could've been worse.' Great bumper sticker Debbie, I hope it works for you.\" David Plouffe on a White House shakeup: \"I don't expect that.\" Obama is \"confident in his team, in the direction we've laid out here.\" Warner on Congress' standoff over a short-term spending bill: \"It is embarrassing. The Senate is saying, 'Why should we build schools in Iraq on the credit card but expect that rebuilding schools in Joplin, Mo.,'\" will be paid for. Warner blames \"a group, more centered in the House, in terms of some of these Tea Party Republicans, who say on every issue, 'We're going to make this a make-or-break.'\" Lindsey Graham on Pakistan: \"We need to put Pakistan on notice. We're going to have to put all options on the table. including defending our troops. It's now a time of choosing, so I hope they choose wisely.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSeattle has implemented a tax on sweetened beverages, with a price increase of up to 64 percent for some products. The tax is intended to reduce sugar consumption, raise revenue for community college, and subsidize healthy food purchases for low-income families. However, the tax has faced opposition from businesses and consumers, who argue that it is regressive and does not improve health outcomes. The tax has also led to a decline in sales for businesses, with some customers crossing the city limits to purchase products. The tax has been compared to similar taxes implemented in other cities, such as Cook County, Illinois, which repealed its tax after a public outcry. The tax has also been criticized for not applying to all sugary drinks, with some products exempt due to listing milk as their primary ingredient. The tax has been implemented despite evidence that similar taxes do not improve health outcomes and can lead to job loss and revenue loss for businesses.", + "answer": [ + "\"That new soda tax in Seattle is working out about as well as Chicago's,\" proclaims a headline at Hot Air. It's not a compliment. The tax, which went into effect Jan. 1, slaps an additional 1.75 cents on each fluid ounce of sugar-sweetened drinks, a group that includes soda, sports drinks, and kombucha. That's nearly double the one-cent levy the Chicago-encompassing Cook County tried, a tax it repealed after about two months. The Chicago Tribune reported at the time that Costco's nine affected locations saw their sales of beverages impacted by the tax fall 34%, while sales jumped 38% at locations just beyond the county line. And Costco is again at the fore of what's happening: Because bulk purchases contain significantly more ounces than an individual one, the impact is starker, as KIRO discovered when it spotted an updated Costco sign for Gatorade in Seattle. The sign details Costco's price for the 35-pack of 16-ounce bottles—$15.99—and separately lists the city's $10.34 tax, for a new total of $26.33. But that's not all the sign says: It also directs consumers to nearby locations that are outside city limits and exempt from the tax. The tax is meant to fight obesity and raise funds for worthy expenditures, but the blog for Citizens Against Government Waste sees the ends quite differently: \"Let’s be clear. Soda taxes don’t make people healthier. They don't raise revenue—they drive it outside city limits. They don’t help ease inequality—they make the poor poorer.\" But some in government seemingly remain hopeful: KXLY reports a bill was reintroduced Monday that would push the tax statewide. (Speaking of Seattle and beverages, the world's largest Starbucks is no longer located there.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA 34-year-old man was killed in San Diego when he was run over by a car driven by his female friend, who was trying to leave a birthday party. The incident occurred at the Staybridge Suites hotel in the 6600 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard at about 12:30 a.m. Witnesses said both the man and the woman had been drinking alcohol with friends before the incident. The man was trying to prevent the woman from leaving the hotel, walked into the path of her BMW and laid down in front of the moving car. The woman did not stop, ran over the man and kept going. The victim suffered major trauma to his chest and died later at a hospital. The police know the identity of the BMW driver, but she had not been arrested as of late Sunday morning. The investigation is ongoing, and the police are still evaluating the other parties' culpability.", + "answer": [ + "A birthday party in California turned tragic after the guest of honor was run over and killed by his friend. Police say Jonathan Carlyle Merkley was celebrating his 34th birthday early Sunday at a hotel near San Diego when a woman decided to leave the party. Merkley wanted her to stay and reportedly walked toward her BMW and laid down in front of what the Orange County Register describes as a moving car. The woman didn’t stop, ran him over, and kept going. Police cite witnesses as saying both had been drinking, Fox 5 reports. Merkley, who suffered major chest trauma, died about 45 minutes later at a hospital. Police tracked the woman down and a car that \"may have been involved\" was impounded, cops tell the San Diego Union-Tribune. The woman was not arrested but police said on Tuesday that the investigation is continuing. \"There's a lot we still need to find out,\" says San Diego Police Sgt. Tim Underwood." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA woman who was reported missing in Humboldt County, California was found on the reality TV show \"The Bachelor.\" Rebekah Martinez, 22, was reported missing on November 18, 2017 by her mother who said she had gone to work on a marijuana farm in the area. She was included in a cover story by the North Coast Journal featuring images of the 35 people listed as missing in Humboldt County on the California Department of Justice's website. A reader of the story recognized Martinez from the show and contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, who confirmed her identity and removed her from the missing person's list.\n\nThe story of Martinez's disappearance and subsequent discovery on \"The Bachelor\" highlights the high rate of missing persons reports in Humboldt County. The county has the highest per-capita rate of missing persons reports in California, with 490 cases per year between 2013 and 2017. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office has a high number of cases, with 100 cases in 2017 alone. The reasons for the high rate of missing persons reports are not fully understood, but it is believed to be due to a combination of factors including the high number of people working in the cannabis industry, the remote location of the county, and the lack of resources for law enforcement.\n\nThe story also raises questions about the process of reporting missing persons and the criteria for being listed as missing. Some families of missing persons have expressed frustration with the process, including Vikki Joseph, whose brother Jeff Joseph disappeared in Humboldt County in 2014. Joseph's case remains unsolved, and he was originally listed as \"voluntary missing\" despite his family's belief that he was murdered in connection with his cannabis grow. The case highlights the challenges of investigating missing persons cases in Humboldt County, where many people involved in the cannabis industry are not cooperative with law enforcement and may be reluctant to share information.", + "answer": [ + "It turns out missing people are pretty easy to find when they appear every week in your living room. The San Francisco Chronicle reports a 22-year-old woman reported missing in November in California was found this week—because she's a current contestant on The Bachelor. The strange story started when Bekah Martinez's mom reported her missing to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 18. According to BuzzFeed, Martinez's mom said her daughter had gone to the area to work on a marijuana farm and she hadn't heard from her in a week. The Sheriff's Office was unable to find Martinez or contact anyone who might know her, so Martinez was added to the California Department of Justice's list of missing people. That list was the basis for a story in the North Coast Journal about the high number of missing people in Humboldt County. The newspaper shared the story Thursday on Facebook and asked readers if they recognized any of the missing people. Amy O'Brien did. \"I was like wait a minute, she looks so familiar,\" O'Brien tells the Chronicle. \"I instantly thought of The Bachelor.\" The Journal informed the sheriff's office, which contacted Martinez and removed her from the list. \"MOM. how many times do I have to tell you I don’t get cell service on The Bachelor??,\" Martinez tweeted after learning she was a missing person. The Bachelor started filming in September, and it's unclear if Martinez was still filming when she was reported missing. She tweets \"the scariest thing\" about being a missing person \"is that my efforts to conceal The Worst Drivers License Photo Of All Time have been thwarted\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNicole \"Snooki\" Polizzi, the star of the reality show \"Jersey Shore,\" is reportedly pregnant with her first child. The news was first reported by the New York Post and People.com. The baby's father is her boyfriend, Jionni LaValle. Snooki has been filming a reality spin-off show with her friend Jenni Farley in Jersey City, NJ.\n\nThe New York Times reports that the fastest-growing group of new moms in the US are young, single women. More than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside of marriage. Snooki's pregnancy is a heightened version of the same issues faced by many single American women. The question remains whether Snooki will be able to provide for her child and whether her career plans will survive this unexpected baby-bump in the road.\n\nSnooki's pregnancy has also raised questions about her behavior on the show. Will she be able to convince producers that her labor should be televised? The premise of the new series, rumored to be titled \"Snooki and JWoww v. The World,\" is still unknown.\n\nSnooki has been open about her desire to be married and have children. In January, she told Ryan Seacrest that LaValle is \"the one\" and that she can't wait to have \"guido babies.\" However, her pregnancy has been kept under wraps so that she can sell the news to a tabloid.\n\nThe concept of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is also discussed in the news. FAS is a group of conditions that can occur when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. The symptoms can include growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and neurological problems. The diagnosis of FAS is based on a combination of physical symptoms, medical history, and behavioral assessments.\n\nThe earliest recorded observation of possible links between maternal alcohol use and fetal damage was made in 1899 by Dr. William Sullivan. In 1973, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was named by two dysmorphologists, Drs. Kenneth Lyons Jones and David Weyhe", + "answer": [ + "Let's hope Snooki sorta planned that baby she's reportedly carrying (stop giggling). Because if she didn't, that fetus has to be nearly swimming in booze by now. While Forbes is concerned about what's to become of the diminutive reality star's \"brand,\" others are worried about the drinking habits of the pregnant 24-year-old, who seems to spend very few minutes sober on Jersey Shore. \"Is there a test for fetal alcohol syndrome at three months in utero?\" wonders crabbygolightly.com. \"Quick, word association test,\" demands studybreaks.com, \"because all that comes to mind\" for the pregnant \"diva of debauchery\" is \"fetal alcohol syndrome\"—a leading cause of mental retardation. The reported pregnancy poses problems for Snooki and JWoww's spin-off, and for Jersey Shore, where the cast spends \"approximately 97.2% of their time being absolutely trashed,\" notes studybreaks. Snooki has some qualms about her hard-partying ways, once telling Ellen DeGeneres: \"I want to remember my night, and sometimes I just don't. It sucks. You're like, 'What did I do? Why did I wake up in a garbage can?'\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Central California woman has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Intermex Wire Transfer LLC, claiming that she was fired after uninstalling an app that tracked her every move 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The app, called Xora, was required by the company for its employees to use, and it monitored their movements both during work hours and off-duty hours. The plaintiff, Myrna Arias, alleges that her boss, John Stubits, admitted to monitoring her movements off-duty and bragged about knowing her driving speed at specific moments. Arias expressed her objection to the monitoring as an invasion of her privacy, but Stubits reportedly told her to tolerate the intrusion because Intermex was paying her more than her previous employer. Arias' attorney, Gail Glick, said that the app allowed Stubits to see every move the employees made throughout the day, and that the monitoring continued even when the app was supposed to be turned off. The lawsuit, which seeks damages in excess of $500,000, also alleges retaliation, invasion of privacy, and unfair business practices.\n\nIn a separate news article, a money-transfer company, Intermex, is also using an app called StreetSmart to track its employees' movements. The app allows office staff to instantly see where their employees are and where they have been, and it also enables dispatch of daily worker orders to the employees' mobile devices. The app also allows for real-time response to customer questions regarding arrival times and analysis of driving routes and times at and between stops to optimize performance. The app costs around $1 a day per user and is available on over 140 different types of phones, tablets, and smartphones. The article also mentions that Intermex is using the app to integrate its data with back-office systems such as payroll and accounting.\n\nIn another news article, a woman named Myrna Arias has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Intermex Wire Transfer LLC, for firing her after she refused to install an app that tracked her every move. The app, called Xora, was required by the company for its employees to use, and it monitored their movements both during work hours and", + "answer": [ + "Myrna Arias didn't like the GPS app on her phone that constantly tracked her, so she uninstalled it. The problem: Arias' iPhone was issued by her employer, which required her to run the app constantly, and after she removed it, the California woman was fired. Now she's suing her former employer, money transfer service Intermex, for invasion of privacy, unfair business practices, and retaliation, among other things, Ars Technica reports. Arias started researching the app, then called Xora—its website touts the app's ability to let employers \"instantly see where their employees are and where they have been\"—and eventually she and some of her colleagues asked a trainer from the app company to clarify. Boss John Stubits then, per the suit, \"admitted that employees would be monitored while off duty and bragged that he knew how fast she was driving at specific moments.\" Arias says she has no problem being monitored while at work, but she complained to Stubits about being tracked in her free time; he was unsympathetic and said she should have no problem because of how much she was being paid by Intermex. \"Her manager made it clear that he was using the program to continuously monitor her, during company as well as personal time,\" the complaint states, noting that he told Arias she needed to keep her phone on at all times in case a customer called. Arias' attorney tells Courthouse News that there was no way to turn the app off, as it would constantly run in the background. \"She found it very offensive that they were treating her like a felon,\" the attorney says. Arias says her boss \"scolded\" her for uninstalling the program last year, and fired her soon after. (Elsewhere, a woman got fired over a text mistakenly sent to the boss.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn the first news passage, a man named Leslie Merritt Jr. was charged with freeway shootings that occurred in Phoenix, Arizona. He was accused of being the \"I-10 shooter\" who targeted vehicles on the I-10 freeway. However, his defense lawyers argued that there was no evidence linking him to the crimes, and they raised questions about the ballistic tests and phone records that were used to implicate him. The judge overseeing the case reduced Merritt's bond to zero, allowing him to be released from jail under electronic monitoring. The case has been marked by a gag order, preventing lawyers from discussing the evidence that led to the reduction in bond.\n\nIn the second news passage, a driver was suspected of firing a gun at motorists on a highway in Alabama and exchanging gunfire with officers. The suspect was later pronounced dead, and no further details were released.", + "answer": [ + "A judge on Tuesday allowed a man charged in freeway shootings that rattled Phoenix last year to be released from jail amid questions about evidence authorities say links him to the crimes. The judge overseeing the case of Leslie Merritt Jr. reduced his bond to zero and said he can return to his home under electronic monitoring, the AP reports. He was expected to be released later in the day. The reduction of the bond—once $1 million—was a major victory as defense lawyers contend that ballistic tests cast doubt on the claim by authorities that Merritt was behind four of the freeway shootings. \"With all due respect your honor, there's no evidence against him to show he's responsible for this,\" defense lawyer Jason Lamm said. \"He is no more the I-10 shooter than, respectfully, you are.\" Merritt lifted up his shackled arms in celebration as he walked from the courtroom. After the hearing, family members hugged and shook the hands of defense lawyers. Merritt has pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting, aggravated assault, and other charges. The shootings caused panic on Phoenix-area freeways, where 11 vehicles were hit in August and September. Detectives took Merritt into custody on Sept. 18; in court the next day, Merritt adamantly denied shooting any cars, telling the judge, \"I'm the wrong guy.\" His lawyers immediately began raising questions about the evidence, citing ballistics information and phone records they say provided an alibi for their client. (Also Tuesday, a motorist suspected of shooting at other vehicles on an Alabama highway died after a shootout with officers.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA temporary employee at a Rite Aid distribution center in Harford County, Maryland, fatally shot three co-workers and injured three others before killing herself on September 20, 2018. The shooter, identified as Snochia Moseley, 26, was a disgruntled employee who had been fired from her job at a nearby Walmart. Moseley used a 9 mm Glock handgun and multiple magazines in the shooting. The motive for the shooting is not yet known. The incident occurred at a busy time of day, and many employees were present in the building. The shooting was the third high-profile shooting in the US in two days. The FBI and ATF were assisting local authorities in the investigation. The Rite Aid distribution center was closed, and grief counselors were made available to employees. The incident also affected nearby schools and businesses.", + "answer": [ + "News that a shooting left multiple people dead may sound depressingly familiar, but the one outside Baltimore on Thursday is unique in at least one way: The shooter was female. Police say the 26-year-old woman, who has not been identified, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said she was a temporary employee at the Rite Aid distribution center where the shooting took place, reports the Baltimore Sun. Police say the suspect killed three people, and three others remain hospitalized with wounds not believed to be life threatening. Details and developments: When, where: The Rite Aid distribution center where the shooting took place is at a business complex in Perryman, about 30 miles from Baltimore, reports WBAL. Deputies got there at 9:06am, within 5 minutes of the first call, said the sheriff. He said that deputies fired no shots and that the shooter used a 9mm Glock semiautomatic handgun. Why: Police aren't speculating about a motive. “Normally, she was a nice person, but she came in in a bad mood,” Mike Carre, an employee at a nearby business, tells the Washington Post, recounting what Rite Aid workers told him. \"She wanted to pick a fight,\" he said. \"And then she started shooting.” CNN quotes a law enforcement official who describes her as a disgruntled employee; the site says she worked there as a security guard. The woman lived in Baltimore County, and the gun was legally registered to her." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new study has found that pregnant women who frequently take acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, may be at a higher risk of having children diagnosed with ADHD and similar disorders. The study, which was published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed data from over 64,000 children and their mothers in Denmark. The researchers used an ongoing Danish study of 64,000 children and their mothers, who were called up regularly during pregnancy and asked whether they had taken any painkillers at all. The study found that women who took acetaminophen were more likely to have children later diagnosed with ADHD. The team used an ongoing Danish study of 64,000 children and their mothers, who were called up regularly during pregnancy and asked whether they had taken any painkillers at all. The study found that women who took acetaminophen were more likely to have children later diagnosed with ADHD. The researchers were not able to make a clear estimate of risk based on dose. But women who reported ever taking the drug had a 29 percent higher risk of having a child diagnosed with ADHD, and a 37 percent higher risk of a rarer diagnosis called hyperkinetic syndrome. The study's authors concluded that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of a child being diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorder (HKD) or being prescribed ADHD medications and \"exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors.\" However, it's important to note that ADHD-like behaviors are not the same as having ADHD. The study's authors agree that their results do not show a cause-and-effect relationship. The data suggests that taking acetaminophen for longer periods and later in pregnancy is associated with higher risks. When women reported use for 20 weeks or more, their children had a 50% increased risk for receiving ADHD medication, according to the study. The study's authors suggest that acetaminophen may increase the risk of ADHD by interfering with maternal hormones that are critical for fetal brain development. However, Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurolog", + "answer": [ + "The bad news about acetaminophen just keeps on coming: A new study finds that use of the drug during pregnancy is linked to \"ADHD-like behavioral problems\" in children, CNN reports. The Danish study looked at data from more than 64,000 children and found that those who had prenatal exposure to acetaminophen had a 13% higher risk of exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors, a 29% higher risk of being prescribed ADHD medication, and a 37% higher risk of receiving a diagnosis of hyperkinetic disorder, a severe form of ADHD, USA Today reports. The risk increased the later in pregnancy the drug was taken and the longer it was taken. Women who used acetaminophen for 20 weeks or longer had a 50% higher chance of their children being prescribed ADHD medication. But the authors did not find a cause-and-effect relationship, and they note that \"exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors\" is not the same as actually having ADHD. Right now, doctors consider acetaminophen the \"safest\" pain reliever for pregnant women, NBC News reports; the study author says pregnant women \"shouldn't worry at this point.\" What could account for the link? The authors think acetaminophen may interfere with key maternal hormones that impact fetal brain development. Another recent study also found that frequent acetaminophen use during pregnancy was linked with a 70% higher risk of behavioral problems in children." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nBill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, Andrea Constand, at his home outside Philadelphia in 2004. The sentence was handed down by Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who also ruled that Cosby qualified as a “sexually violent predator” under state law. Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, made fiery accusations of racism and sexism in statements outside the courthouse, framing their client’s downfall as an unjust product of the #MeToo era. Wyatt compared Cosby’s trial to the accusations of sexual misconduct against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh that are roiling the capital, and called the trial “the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States.” He also criticized the psychologists who testified against Cosby, and claimed that audio footage of Cosby played in the courtroom was falsified.\n\nShortly after Cosby was sentenced, Wyatt made a connection between Cosby and Kavanaugh, saying that both were victims of a “sex war” that is “going on in Washington today.” Wyatt has repeatedly argued that racism played a role in Cosby’s conviction, calling the April trial a “public lynching.” Other members of Cosby’s team have invoked Emmett Till, a black boy murdered after a white woman falsely accused him of whistling at her.\n\nCosby will serve his sentence at SCI Phoenix, a new 3,830-bed state prison in suburban Philadelphia. The Department of Corrections says he will meet with staff from the medical, psychology, and records departments, and will be housed in a single cell in a unit adjacent to the infirmary. He will be allowed phone calls and visitation in accordance with policy, as well as opportunity to exercise during the classification process.", + "answer": [ + "Bill Cosby was labeled a \"violent sexual predator\" by the judge who sentenced him to three to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, but his publicist had a different description: one of the \"greatest civil rights leaders\" in history and one of the \"greatest educators of men and boys.\" Outside the courtroom in Norristown, Pa., publicist Andrew Wyatt claimed the 81-year-old Cosby had faced the \"most racist and sexist trial\" in American history, the New York Times reports. Wyatt claimed that three psychologists who testified against Cosby in the sexual assault trial were trying to \"make money off of accusing black men of being sexual predators.\" He also read a statement from Camille Cosby, the disgraced entertainer's wife, alleging that an audio recording played in the trial had been doctored. Wyatt, who previously called Cosby's trial a \"public lynching,\" accused Judge Steven O'Neill of being part of a \"sex war\" and linked the sentencing to the treatment of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Vox reports that the strangest moment came when Wyatt likened his client to Jesus. \"They persecuted Jesus, and look what happened,\" he said. \"Not saying Mr. Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries.\" Cosby, who left the Montgomery County Courthouse in handcuffs, spent his first night behind bars at SCI Phoenix, a state prison that opened two months ago in suburban Philadelphia, reports WPVI. (Cosby's mug shot was released Tuesday afternoon.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSecretary of State Hillary Clinton has ruled out running for president in 2012 or 2016, according to a report by Reuters. In an interview with TV3 New Zealand, Clinton said she had no plans to run again, despite talk that she might embark on a new race fueled partly by her fellow Democrats' losses in the recent U.S. mid-term elections. Clinton said she hoped the United States was ready for a female president, but it would not be her.\n\nClinton's comments come amid speculation about who the Democrats may field as their candidate in 2012, when President Barack Obama is expected to run for re-election, and 2016. The Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives in the recent mid-term elections, and Clinton is the second-to-last stop on a nearly two-week Asia-Pacific tour that she is wrapping up in Australia.\n\nIn a separate interview with TV New Zealand, Clinton sought to defend President Obama and put the Democrats' losses in perspective. She acknowledged that the mid-term elections were big, but not out of the pattern of historical political elections. Clinton said that the President made decisions that were essential for the well-being of the American people, and that many of these decisions prevented even worse economic consequences.\n\nClinton's visit to New Zealand was marked by a slip-up by Prime Minister John Phillip Key, who accidentally introduced her as \"President Clinton\" before correcting himself. Clinton is a former presidential candidate and came close to winning the Democratic nomination in 2008.", + "answer": [ + "A day after being accidentally introduced as \"President Clinton,\" Hillary seems to be taking pains to kill talk of a future run in New Zealand's media, reports Reuters. Asked whether she'd \"ruled out\" running through 2016, she replied, \"Oh yes, yes. I'm very pleased to be doing what I'm doing as secretary of state.\" Asked in another interview whether she could be the first female president, she answered, \"Well, not me. But it will be someone ...\" The significance? Probably not much, writes Laura Rozen in Politico, noting how one of Clinton's answers is tied to her being secretary of state—a post she likely won't hold in 2016. On another front, Clinton said the midterm losses were \"big—but not out of the pattern of historical political elections.\" She added, \"I think the president made very clear was he made decisions which were essential for the well-being of the American people.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAmy Schumer, the comedian and actress, has announced that she will not be participating in any Super Bowl LIII commercials this year. She is standing in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racism and police brutality. In a lengthy Instagram post, Schumer challenged white NFL players to kneel as well, asking, \"Otherwise how are you not complicit?\" She explained that she personally told her reps she wouldn't do a Super Bowl commercial this year, and that she knows it might sound like a privilege to pass on the opportunity, but it's all she's got. The post received support from Diddy, Jessica Seinfeld, and Christie Brinkley among more than 8,000 comments. It was not immediately clear whether Schumer had been approached to appear in an ad during the big game.\n\nIn other news, Amy Schumer is expecting her first child. She announced the news on Instagram, directing her followers to Jessica Yellin's page for more information. Yellin is promoting her #NewsNotNoise campaign, which aims to educate people about what they need to know, versus what noise they can tune out. Schumer is one of the most consistent and early supporters of the campaign. She also shared her picks for candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. At the bottom of the list, the note reads, \"I'm pregnant-Amy Schumer.\" The Trainwreck star is not one to back down from her beliefs, and she has been a vocal advocate for political causes for years. She was reportedly detained and arrested for protesting Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court earlier this month, and she has spoken out about supporting the transgender community and gun control.", + "answer": [ + "Amy Schumer took the long way around to announce she's pregnant with husband Chris Fischer. The comedian and actress broke her baby news Monday on the Instagram stories of friend and journalist Jessica Yellin, the AP reports. Yellin, of the site NewsNotNoise.org, showed at the end of a list of Schumer's recommended congressional and gubernatorial candidates the line: \"I'm pregnant-Amy Schumer.\" Schumer had teased the announcement on her own Instagram page, captioning a photo of hers and Fischer's heads atop Prince Harry's and Meghan Markle's bodies, \"About to announce some exciting news on @jessicayellin insta page. Please follow her for up to the minute #newsnotnoise she breaks down what’s really going on. She agreed to post a lil noise today for me! Follow her and VOTE!!\" \"We are 15 days out from the midterms and there is a lot going on,\" Yellin explained before going into Schumer's \"lengthy\" list of recommendations, per Bustle. \"I wanted to share some news from our community. Maybe it's noise, but it's happy noise,\" Yellin continued. \"These are the recommendations of Amy Schumer, one of the most consistent and early supporters of #NewsNotNoise. Now, read all the way to the bottom. You'll see there's some news down there. Congratulations, Amy.\" Schumer is known for her liberal politics: She was recently arrested protesting the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. The 37-year-old married Fischer, a chef, in February. (Here's why Schumer won't appear in any Super Bowl ads.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAnimal rights group Compassion Over Killing has released a shocking video that alleges mistreatment of chickens at Tyson Foods chicken breeding factory farms in Virginia. The video, which was taken by an undercover investigator for the group in May and June, depicts Tyson employees throwing, punching, and kicking chickens, as well as sticking plastic rods through their beaks in a process known as “boning.” Workers also wrung birds’ necks, ran over them with forklifts, and left injured birds in “dead piles” to die. The video has led to at least two Animal Control investigations.\n\nTyson Foods, the largest chicken-processing company in the United States, has condemned the behavior shown in the video and has fired 10 people who were members of the crew depicted in the video. The company also said it discontinued the process of “boning” at two of the facilities in the video after its release. The process had already been ended at its other facilities in the United States.\n\nIn a statement, Tyson called the behavior “inexcusable” and said that it does not tolerate animal abuse. The company also said that the people shown in the video were all trained in proper animal handling, yet chose to ignore it and failed to alert management about the despicable treatment on these farms.\n\nThe video has sparked outrage among animal rights activists, who are calling for Tyson to be held accountable for the mistreatment of the chickens. Compassion Over Killing has made formal complaints about the abuse to prosecutors and animal control officers in Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, and Buckingham counties.\n\nTyson has responded to the video by saying that it believes it hasn’t gone far enough in ensuring animal well-being procedures are being followed throughout its operations. The company has also said that it is evaluating further steps it can take to stop this inexcusable behavior.\n\nThe release of the video comes weeks after Perdue, the nation’s third-largest chicken producer, announced plans to kill chickens using carbon dioxide or argon gas, a method some hailed as more humane. Compassion Over", + "answer": [ + "Chicken giant Tyson Foods says it will retrain all of its workers who deal with live birds after an animal rights group released hidden footage from within its facilities on Wednesday, USA Today reports. According to the Washington Post, the video from Compassion Over Killing shows workers choking, punching, and kicking chickens, plus running them over with forklifts and leaving them in piles to die. One worker in the video says it's \"inhumane\" to kill a chicken by stepping on its head while he kills a chicken by stepping on its head. Tyson calls the behavior \"inexcusable\" and says it fired 10 employees at the Virginia facilities shown in the video. Animal rights activists have infiltrated Tyson Foods to film such videos at least five times in a little over a year." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nDonald Trump's campaign is struggling in the polls, and his aide Michael Cohen is not happy about it. In an interview with CNN, Cohen questioned the notion that the campaign is struggling, saying \"says who?\" when asked about Trump's low poll numbers. Cohen also defended the recent hiring of Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Bannon, saying it was not a \"shake-up\" but a \"change-up.\" The hires have been perceived as an attempt to turn the campaign around, as Trump trails Hillary Clinton in most polls.\n\nThe interview also touched on the controversy surrounding Trump's comments about the \"African American problem\" in the US. Cohen clarified that Trump was not referring to the entire community, but rather the \"problem that exists in the African American community.\" He also said that Trump was \"colourblind\" and aware of the racial tensions in the US.\n\nThe shake-up in Trump's campaign comes after a major staff overhaul, with three months to go before the election. The changes include the addition of Breitbart News executive chairman Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway as campaign manager. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was only appointed in April, will remain chairman. Roger Ailes, the fired head of Fox News, will also act as a Trump adviser.\n\nTwitter users are now spamming Cohen with the hashtag #SaysWho?, in response to his refusal to acknowledge Trump's low poll numbers. The trend started after CNN's Brianna Keilar interviewed Cohen about the hiring of Conway and Bannon. The exchange ended with Cohen's statement on Trump's campaign changes: \"I think bringing on someone like Kellyanne Conway was a great move, and it was something, personally, I would have liked to see happen earlier,\" he said. \"But the campaign wasn’t ready for it. Now they are. I think she is a brilliant individual. I think that she understands the data that’s coming in.\"", + "answer": [ + "Donald Trump's lawyer has apparently decided that it's his turn to make the gaffes. In an interview with CNN Wednesday, notoriously combative Trump Organization attorney Michael Cohen interrupted host Brianna Keilar when she said that the campaign was \"down,\" Politico reports. \"Says who?\" he asked. \"Polls. Most of them. All of them?\" she replied. \"Says who?\" Cohen asked again. When she repeated it was polls, he responded, \"OK, which polls?” and Keilar said: “All of them.\" USA Today reports that Twitter users were quick to mock Cohen and are now replying \"Says who?\" to all his tweets. Cohen, in what Law Newz calls \"typical lawyer fashion,\" also took issue with Trump's overhaul of campaign staff being called a \"shake-up,\" insisting it was actually a \"change-up.\" Cohen also raised eyebrows when he told Kielar that Trump knows about \"the African-American problem in this country,\" the Independent reports. \"What I meant to say is the problem that exists in the African-American community,\" he later said. (Michael Moore says he \"knows for a fact\" that Trump never really wanted to be president.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA South Carolina school resource officer has been fired after a video surfaced of him forcefully removing a student from class. The officer, Senior Deputy Ben Fields, was suspended after the incident at Spring Valley High School, and the FBI, the Justice Department, and state law enforcement have opened investigations into the incident. The incident began when a student refused to stop texting in class and was disruptive. Fields was called to the classroom and used excessive force in removing the student, throwing her across the room and injuring her. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for accountability, with civil rights groups praising the swift action against Fields. The officer's actions have been described as racially biased, and he has a history of excessive force and battery complaints. The school district has promised to review its policies and training with school resource officers to prevent similar incidents in the future.", + "answer": [ + "The school resource officer suspended after videos of him throwing a black female high-school student around a South Carolina classroom went viral Monday has been fired, CBS News reports. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced the firing of Ben Fields Wednesday after an investigation found his \"use of force was unacceptable\" and he didn't follow procedure during the arrest. According to NBC News, the decision was made after the sheriff's department looked at videos of the incident and interviewed witnesses. \"From the very beginning that's what's caused me to be upset, and continued to upset me, is that he picked the student up and threw the student across the room,\" Lott says. The Department of Justice is also conducting its own investigation into the incident. This isn't the first time Fields, who is white, has faced accusations of excessive force and racial bias. He's been involved in three other such cases dating back to 2005, and he's scheduled to go to trial over a 2013 racial bias incident in January." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nGloria Hiroko Chapman, the wife of Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon, has revealed that her husband had told her he was planning to kill Lennon two months before the murder. However, she claimed that he had never carried out the threat because of his love for her and that he had dumped the gun he was going to use. Chapman is currently facing a parole hearing for the 10th time, and Gloria is hoping that he may be released after 38 years in prison.\n\nIn other news, the Internet Archive is working to fix all broken links on the web by archiving pages as they are created and archiving the pages that they refer to. This is part of an effort to preserve the web and ensure that references to archived pages are put in place of broken links. The goal is to make the web a more reliable and trustworthy source of information.", + "answer": [ + "The man who murdered John Lennon will remain behind bars after his 10th unsuccessful parole hearing, reports the Daily News. Mark David Chapman, now 63, was turned down again this week. No reasons have yet been made public, but the newspaper reports that Yoko Ono sent the parole board a letter asking that Chapman remain in the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York—not only for the safety of her and her family, but for his own safety. Chapman, who shot Lennon in New York City in 1980, is up again for parole in about two years. Chapman's wife recently told the UK Mirror that he talked of killing Lennon two months before actually doing so." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Pentagon's official Twitter account retweeted a tweet calling for President Trump to resign, but quickly deleted it after realizing it was not endorsed by the Department of Defense. The tweet was posted by an \"authorized operator\" who mistakenly retweeted the content. The Pentagon's official Twitter account does not contain a disclaimer that retweets do not constitute an endorsement. The tweet was posted ahead of the Alabama Senate election, where Roy Moore was the Republican candidate and was accused of sexual misconduct. The tweet also included calls for Al Franken and Donald Trump to resign. The Pentagon's press secretary, Dana White, tweeted a similar clarification, which the Pentagon's official Twitter account also shared. The White House has been answering questions about the president's own behavior in light of sexual harassment allegations against other figures in Washington and Hollywood. The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, declined to comment further on the matter.", + "answer": [ + "See, this is why all those Twitter profiles are sure to note that retweets do not equal endorsements. CBS News reports the Pentagon's official Twitter account on Thursday retweeted a tweet calling for President Trump's resignation. \"GOP: Stop making sexual assault a partisan issue,\" tweeted \"Proud Resister\" while calling for Roy Moore, Sen. Al Franken, and Trump to all resign or step aside due to allegations of sexual misconduct. The tweet was retweeted—and then soon deleted—by the Department of Defense Twitter account. According to Politico, Pentagon spokesperson Col. Rob Manning confirmed the retweet was made by the \"authorized operator\" of the department's Twitter account. In her own tweet, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said the call for Trump's resignation was \"erroneously retweeted\" and contained \"content that would not be endorsed by the Department of Defense.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Lovely Bones, a film adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestselling novel, tells the story of a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon who is murdered and watches her family and killer from an in-between state. The film, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Mark Wahlberg, and Rachel Weisz, was highly anticipated due to Jackson's success with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the novel's popularity. However, the film's tone and complexity were altered from the book, which disappointed readers. The film focuses on the relationship between Susie and her killer, George Harvey, played by Stanley Tucci, and the impact of Susie's death on her family. The film's visual effects, particularly the depiction of Susie's afterlife, were praised, but the overemphasis on the darker elements of the story detracted from the overall effect. The film was also criticized for its lack of depth in exploring the sexual power of girls, a theme present in the book. The Lovely Bones was rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language.", + "answer": [ + "Peter Jackson's crafts a fantastic vision of the afterlife in The Lovely Bones, say critics, but some feel it came at the expense of the human side of the story of a murdered teen, adapted from the book by Alice Sebold. \"By turns warmly sentimental, serial-killer sinister, and science-fiction fantastical, The Lovely Bones was an unlikely book to achieve worldwide success,\" Kenneth Turan writes in the Los Angeles Times. \"Those mismatched elements come back to haunt\" the film version, \"making the final product more hit-and-miss than unblemished triumph.\" \"Sebold's Lovely Bones is fleshed out with the perilous, irresistible power of sex—a real world of extramarital sex and sex between young lovers in addition to the heinous rape from which moviegoers are shielded.\" But Jackson \"shies from the challenge, shortchanging a story that isn't only about the lightness of souls in heaven but also about the urges of bodies on earth,\" writes Lisa Schwarzbaum at Entertainment Weekly. \"Through Jackson's art\" and the magic of star Saoirse Rogan, Richard Corliss writes at Time, \"the obscenity of child murder has been invested with immense gravity and grace.\" \"Some books are not meant to be adapted to the big screen,\" and The Lovely Bones is one of them, writes Claudia Puig at USA Today. What works in the book, she writes, comes off as \"artificial and emotionless on-screen.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA video has been released by Mexican media outlets that appears to show a soldier executing a civilian lying face down in the street with a shot to the back of his head. The video was released on May 10, 2017, in Palmarito Tochapan, Puebla State, and was quickly followed by condemnation and pledges from the defense department to determine its authenticity and the Attorney General's Office to investigate the events that took place on May 3. However, by the next morning, the security camera footage was gone, and the intersection showed no signs of any investigation. The video was captured by a security camera and shows a silver four-door car slowly reversing into the frame on a darkened street with gunshots hitting it and marks already visible on its windshield. The video shows the driver's door opening and a man stepping out with his back to the camera. At the same time, a second man exits from the rear door on the driver's side and lies down in the street. The driver is briefly illuminated as he steps through the beam of the tail light, then two soldiers rush in from the darkness and the driver quickly gets on the ground beside the other man. A minute later, a soldier pushes a third man from around the back to the front of the car and out of the frame. Seconds later, the man who had gotten out of the back of the vehicle emerges from the darkness and is pushed by a soldier out of the frame in the same direction. Then a soldier grabs the arms of the apparent driver and another soldier takes his legs, and they drag him toward the car's front and deposit him on his back. With apparent difficulty, he rolls over onto his stomach. Six minutes later, the driver remains face down in the street as a soldier holds a rifle in the foreground and two other soldiers stand near the car. Suddenly, a gun and helmet enter the left edge of the frame directly over the unmoving driver and there is a flash from the gun. The man's prone body bucks and the soldier in the foreground lifts up one foot as if surprised by the sound. Whatever happened next is not seen. The remainder of the video does not include a time stamp, but a narrator says more than 1½ hours has passed. The Mexican military has been implicated in", + "answer": [ + "A video released online appears to show a Mexican soldier executing a suspected oil thief at point-blank range as he lays defenseless on the ground. The heavily edited video, taken from a surveillance camera, shows a car coming under fire during what the military describes as a series of ambushes that left four soldiers and six suspects dead in Palmarito on May 3. As soldiers surround the vehicle, its occupants exit and are forced to lie down in front of the car. Soldiers are then seen dragging a suspect to the same spot. He appears injured but rolls from his back onto his front. Six minutes later, a soldier appears at the side of the frame and appears to shoot the man in the back of the head, per the AP. A dark stain spreads around him, reports Reuters. \"There was already concern about the use of excessive force by the military. Now this video seems to give us the proof,\" says the chairwoman of Mexico's Senate Commission on Human Rights, per the Washington Post, which identifies the man shot as Raul Jimenez Martinez, 46. Mexico's defense ministry, however, says it will cooperate fully with an investigation launched by the attorney general's office on May 4. \"Under no circumstances can conduct contrary to the law and human rights be justified,\" the ministry says. Residents of Palmarito have already taken to the streets to protest the deaths of the suspects, placing the blame on the army, though the defense ministry previously claimed the suspects used residents as human shields." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA 20-year-old man from Rockaway, New Jersey, fell to his death while attempting to take pictures from the 52-story Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, and the man, identified as Connor Cummings, was with an 18-year-old friend who was not charged in the incident. The two young men climbed scaffolding in an interior shaft of the hotel on 57th Street, and Cummings slipped and fell onto a 43rd-floor landing. The incident is currently under investigation, and the hotel's management expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased. The young man's aunt feels that the incident doesn't add up, and she believes that her nephew was not a daredevil. Cummings was a sophomore psychology major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also took photography courses and played a leadership role in the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi.", + "answer": [ + "Connor Cummins' family describes him to WABC-TV as a photography devotee—and that enthusiasm may have cost him his life. The New Jersey man, said to be either 20 or 24 years old, and an 18-year-old pal ascended the scaffolding outside NYC's Four Seasons hotel Wednesday night in search of the perfect panoramic picture—but Cummins may have slipped on railings made slippery by the rain and fell nine stories to his death, cops tell NJ.com. An NYPD spokesman tells the New York Daily News that the initial investigation suggests the men weren't guests of the hotel. Cummins, who originally hails from Rockaway and whose Facebook page indicates he's now a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, per ABC, landed on one of the hotel's lower-level rooftops around 11:15pm and was pronounced dead at the scene, reports the New York Post. His friend wasn't injured and was questioned by authorities to fill in the blanks; he was released Thursday morning without being charged. \"He was a loving boy, that's all I can say,\" one of Cummins' relatives tells the Post. \"I don't know what happened.\" (There's more suspicion surrounding a Muslim teen's fatal fall off a Seattle building.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA group of truck drivers is planning to protest the federal government by backing up the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. The group, called \"Truckers for the Constitution,\" is unhappy with regulations from the Obama administration and the overall political climate in the U.S. They are frustrated with their wages, gas prices, and the Obama administration's regulations of their industry. Additionally, they are unhappy with reports the U.S. government was spying on American citizens earlier this year and the amount of debt the country has. The group is hoping to call attention to its frustration with an appeal that echoes the early rhetoric of the Tea Party. They are also unhappy with the amount of debt the country has. The truck drivers are complaining about their wages, gas prices and the Obama administration’s regulations of their industry. They are also unhappy with reports the U.S. government was spying on American citizens earlier this year. The group is planning to circle the beltway \"three lanes deep\" and keep the left lane open for emergency vehicles. They are also asking D.C. commuters to have \"T2SDA\" – an acronym for the event's original name, \"Truckers to Shut Down America\" – written on their vehicle. The group is also asking for the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office. They are also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President Barack Obama. The group is also asking for the impeachment of President", + "answer": [ + "Protesting truckers are planning a shutdown of their own—on Washington's beltway. Starting on Friday morning, they intend to fill the road \"three lanes deep\" with tractor-trailers, an organizer of \"Truckers Ride for the Constitution\" tells US News and World Report. In a demonstration against what they view as violations of the Constitution, planners like Earl Conlon are calling for \"the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office.\" Their grievances include truckers' wages, industry regulations, and NSA spying, the Hill reports. They're also accusing President Obama of treason for allegedly putting weapons in the hands of rebels with ties to al-Qaeda. Organizers have received some 3,000 RSVPs, says one. Moving at the 55mph speed limit, they'll leave a lane open for emergency vehicles; vehicles with \"T2SDA,\" or \"Truckers to Shut Down America,\" displayed will also be allowed to pass. \"Everybody that doesn't have a supporter sticker on their window, good luck: Nobody in, nobody out,\" says Conlon. A Facebook page for the event has more than 55,000 \"likes.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Secret Service supervisor, David Chaney, who was involved in the agency's ongoing prostitution scandal, joked on Facebook that he was checking out former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during the 2008 campaign. This revelation came after the Secret Service forced out two supervisors in the wake of the scandal. The scandal arose ahead of the Summit of the Americas when at least some of 11 Secret Service employees brought prostitutes back to their Cartagena hotel. The agency has moved quickly to try to quell the embarrassing episode, forcing out three employees so far, including Chaney and another supervisor, Greg Stokes. The scandal also involves about 10 military personnel and as many as 20 Colombian women. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he expected more firings to come. The investigation is ongoing, and the Secret Service has not yet determined whether the scandal was a symptom of a larger problem within the agency.", + "answer": [ + "One of the two Secret Service supervisors to lose their jobs so far over the Colombia sex scandal joked that he was checking out Sarah Palin as he guarded her during the 2008 campaign, the Washington Post finds. Senior agent David Chaney posted at least two pictures of himself with Palin on Facebook, one with the comment, \"I was really checking her out, if you know what I mean.\" Chaney has been forced to resign, and another supervisor has been informed that he will be fired. In an interview with Fox News, Palin said the joke is on Chaney. \"Well check this out, buddy—you're fired!\" she said, calling the scandal \"a symptom of government run amok,\" reports AP. \"It's like, who's minding the store around here?\" she added. \"The president, for one, he better be wary, there, of when Secret Service is accompanying his family on vacation. They may be checking out the first lady instead of guarding her.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nFame, fortune, and power are highly valued in American culture, but they can be fleeting. This is evident in the recent experiences of 50 well-known individuals who have seen a significant decline in their status, as compiled by 24/7 Wall St. These individuals come from various sectors, including television, finance, and politics.\n\nOne of the most notable figures on the list is Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House Communications Director for just 10 days in 2017. His tenure was marked by protocol breaches, conflicting statements, and a profanity-laced interview in which he criticized other members of the Trump administration. Scaramucci was eventually fired, and his wife filed for divorce.\n\nAnother high-profile figure on the list is Chris Christie, the former Governor of New Jersey. Christie's approval ratings were already low, but he further damaged his reputation by fawning over Donald Trump during the presidential election. Although Trump initially considered him for a cabinet position, Christie was ultimately not included in the team. Christie's reputation was further tarnished by the Bridgegate scandal, in which allies created a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge in 2013.\n\nJames Comey, the former Director of the FBI, has also experienced a significant decline in power and influence. Comey was initially criticized for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal, but he gained even more ire when he announced the reopening of the investigation just days before the election. Although some attribute Trump's victory to Comey's actions, he was fired by the President in May 2017.\n\nMark Fields, the former CEO of Ford Motor Company, was also included on the list. Fields' tenure as CEO was marked by a failure to inspire confidence on Wall Street, with Ford shares falling by nearly 40% during his tenure. Despite his determination to take on Tesla and invest in electric and autonomous vehicle technology, Fields was let go in 2017.\n\nFinally, Tiger Woods, the golf superstar, has also experienced a decline in power and influence. Woods has not won a major tournament since 2008 and was arrested for DUI", + "answer": [ + "Power: One day you have it, the next you don't. No one likely knows that better than the world's 50 \"least powerful\" people, described by 24/7 Wall St. as \"well-known individuals around the world who have recently experienced a precipitous loss in stature.\" The top 10: Anthony Scaramucci: Where to begin? Try here, here, and here. Chris Christie: The former head of Donald Trump's transition team has the lowest approval rating of any governor in New Jersey's history. James Comey: The former FBI director lasted not even five months under Trump. Mark Fields: The Ford CEO was canned after shares fell almost 40% during his tenure. Tiger Woods: Blame his DUI arrest and 899th ranking in men's pro golf. Kendall Jenner: Remember that Pepsi commercial? Montgomery Moran: After a wave of issues at Chipotle, the co-CEO stepped down last year. Tomi Lahren: The conservative media personality was suspended from the Blaze after announcing she was pro-choice. Park Geun-hye: The former president of South Korea was impeached and jailed after a corruption scandal involving Samsung. Mitch McConnell: As Senate majority leader, McConnell failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Click for the full list, which also includes Sean Spicer, R. Kelly, and Theresa May. (See last year's ranking here.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe United States is facing a potential government shutdown as Congress struggles to pass a spending bill to fund federal agencies. House Speaker John Boehner is leading the charge to delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing for a hardline Democratic strategy to force Republicans to cave. The deadline to pass a spending bill is midnight on Monday, and if no agreement is reached, many federal agencies will close their doors. The impact of a shutdown would be felt across the country, with the Washington, D.C. region being particularly hard hit. The economy is already weak, and a shutdown could have real costs, according to one economist. The shutdown would affect about 20 percent of the government’s contractors, who receive about $75 billion a year from the federal government. The ripple effects of a shutdown can be devastating, with state and local governments potentially losing out on funding for programs like Meals on Wheels or emergency preparedness training. The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the CIA, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies could also be affected. The potential loss of income tax revenue from tens of thousands of idled federal workers could be significant, with Maryland and Virginia officials looking at the possibility of tapping reserve funds to stave off the effects of a shutdown.", + "answer": [ + "Washington is braced for the first government shutdown in 17 years, which will happen at midnight tonight unless lawmakers manage to break the deadlock over funding and hammer out a deal. Here's what to expect from a day of drama in DC: The House has passed legislation to delay ObamaCare for a year and repeal a tax on medical devices, so the measure will return to the Senate this afternoon, just hours before the shutdown is due to kick in. Harry Reid is expected to table the anti-ObamaCare amendments with a simple Democratic majority and quickly send it back to the House—but if any opportunity arises for Senate Republicans to use delaying tactics, expect Ted Cruz to lead the way, the Wall Street Journal predicts. There's a chance of a straight up-or-down vote in the House, but if it becomes clear that it will be impossible to break the deadlock by midnight—which appears to be the likeliest scenario—the partial shutdown could still be averted if lawmakers pass a short-term funding bill to buy another week or so of debating time. So who will blink first? Neither Reid nor John Boehner appears likely to give way. Reid is determined to play hardball and not give an inch on ObamaCare, Politico reports. Reid and his allies believe that giving any concessions now will only lead to bigger concessions to avoid a debt default next month—and they think the backlash from a government shutdown will hit the GOP hardest. Boehner, meanwhile, will face the wrath of his party's conservatives if he gives way too soon—but polls show the public will blame his House Republicans if there is a shutdown. If there is a shutdown, it won't be an abrupt halt to government, but more \"like a spending freeze that will gradually spread through the government like ice forming in water,\" Quartz explains. Federal employees, 800,000 of whom will be sent home without pay, will be the first affected, and the shutdown will also affect scientific research, trade negotiations, and the federal programs that guarantee home loans and provide capital to business. Air traffic controllers will still be at work, however, and agencies that deal with national security and law enforcement are exempt from the shutdown. A shutdown of a few days might not do too much damage, but experts warn that the national economy will take a serious hit if it is prolonged. In Washington, DC, however, even a brief shutdown will cost the district an estimated $200 million a day—and affect basic services like trash collection. \"This is serious,\" the director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis tells the Washington Post. \"The national economy may not notice a shutdown much unless it lasts three or four weeks. But for the Washington area, this is a tsunami.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNASA has announced the Parker Solar Probe, a mission to study the sun, will be renamed in honor of Eugene Parker, an American solar astrophysicist who predicted the existence of the solar wind. The Parker Solar Probe will be the first spacecraft to enter the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona. The mission is set to launch in summer 2018 and will take seven flybys of Venus to shrink its orbit around the sun over the course of nearly seven years. The spacecraft will be equipped with a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite solar shield to protect it from temperatures up to 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit while keeping the science instruments at room temperature. The Parker Solar Probe will study the energy behind solar wind, the heating of the solar corona, and what accelerates the solar wind. The mission will help answer questions about how stars work and improve space weather forecasting. The Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to be named after a living person. The mission is a testament to the importance of Parker's body of work and his discovery of the solar wind, which inspired many important science questions. The Parker Solar Probe is set to reach its closest point to the sun in 2024 and will continue to make flybys of the sun until 2025.", + "answer": [ + "NASA is going to the sun. More specifically, it's launching an unmanned probe next year that will travel closer to the star than any spacecraft has done previously. \"It's a spacecraft loaded with technological breakthroughs that will solve many of the largest mysteries about our star,\" says Nicola Fox of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. In less scientific terms, per the Telegraph: \"We will finally touch the sun.\" The nuts and bolts: The mission: The 10-foot probe will launch in July or August of 2018 and eventually get to within 3.7 million miles of the sun, about seven times closer than any previous spacecraft. Eventually, it will be whizzing around the sun at a speed of 450,000 miles per hour, reports CNN. The mission ends in 2025. Corona: The probe will actually fly into the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere, called the corona, per a mission overview at NASA that touts \"humanity's first visit to a star.\" The heat: The probe will rely on a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite solar shield to help it withstand temperatures up to 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit, reports Orlando's WKMG. Instruments will remain at room temperature. The name: The probe's name has been changed to the Parker Solar Probe to honor astrophysicist Eugene Parker, who's credited with discovering solar wind. Parker, who turns 90 in June, is a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, and the Guardian recounts that the theory he put forward in 1958 about a stream of charged particles flowing from the sun was once thought to be \"crazy.\" A first: This is the first time NASA has named a mission after a living scientist. \"I'm certainly greatly honored,\" said the man himself, per Space.com. Two puzzles: Scientists hope to better understand two things in particular: \"How is the solar wind accelerated, and why is the ... corona so much hotter than the solar surface?\" (It's 3 million degrees Fahrenheit vs. 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.) Why it matters: Generally, solar storms are relatively harmless when they reach Earth, but these particle bursts occasionally wreak havoc on satellites and here on Earth, and they have the potential to be devastating. \"The more we know about how these processes work, the better we can get at predicting when they will happen,\" writes Loren Grush at the Verge." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe computer network at Neiman Marcus was penetrated by hackers as far back as July, and the breach was not fully contained until Sunday, according to people briefed on the investigation. The company disclosed the data theft of customer information late last week, saying it first learned in mid-December of suspicious activity that involved credit cards used at its stores. It issued another notice on Thursday, elaborating slightly. The latest notice said that “some of our customers’ payment cards were used fraudulently after making purchases at our stores. We have taken steps to notify those affected customers for whom we have contact information.” Neiman Marcus defended its decision not to disclose anything until last week, saying it waited to confirm evidence. The company said nothing about when the attack began and when it was contained. In a call with credit card companies on Monday, though, Neiman acknowledged that the attack had only been fully contained a day earlier, and that the time stamp on the first intrusion was in mid-July. The issue at Neiman appears to have gone on for significantly longer than the widespread attack on Target. In Target’s case, however, the data that was stolen appears to be much more significant and ripe for fraud. Target has said card numbers from 40 million customers were stolen, along with encrypted PINs for debit cards. It also estimated that other personal information belonging to 70 million people had been stolen by the hackers. Neiman Marcus said on Thursday that it had “no knowledge of any connection” between its data breach and Target’s. Neiman has not publicly given any estimate of how many credit card numbers were stolen, or how many customers were affected. But it noted that it does not collect PINs in its stores. The company only publicly acknowledged the data breach last Friday after facing inquiries from a journalist specializing in computer security, Brian Krebs. But Neiman had told credit card companies around Christmas, in an industry phone call, that it had evidence that credit cards used at Neiman Marcus were being used to make fraudulent purchases, people who were briefed on those phone calls said. Neiman has faced criticism for not telling customers about the breach sooner. Target informed its customers about its attack within a few days of learning about it for the first time, pushed also by inquiries from Mr", + "answer": [ + "It looks like the hackers that hit Target had lots of other, well, targets. The Department of Homeland Security recently sent retailers and financial service companies a secret memo warning that the Target hit appeared to be part of a larger international campaign, the Wall Street Journal reports, an insight gleaned with the help of Dallas cybersecurity firm iSight Partners. Yesterday, iSight released its own report, saying that a virus it's calling KAPTOXA \"has potentially infected a large number of retail information systems\"—and noting that the \"intrusion operators displayed innovation and a high degree of skill,\" particularly in terms of the \"operational sophistication\" of the hack. The Journal shares this feature by way of example: The virus focused on stealing data during the peak hours of 10am and 5pm; the data was housed in a Target server that the hackers later accessed. The virus attacks point-of-sale systems in a way that is \"new to eCrime,\" subverting traditional efforts to protect consumer data, the report warns, according to NBC. Parts of the code, which is impervious to all known antivirus software, have been online since last spring. It's partly in Russian, which US officials think may indicate a link to organized crime in the former Soviet Union. The finding follows reports of similar breaches at Neiman Marcus. That breach had gone unnoticed since July, the New York Times reports today; Neiman's system was only fully secured Sunday." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA lion was shot dead in Kenya on Wednesday after attacking a man, while trackers in South Africa searched for a lion whose escape from a park prompted appeals to wildlife officials to relocate it rather than kill it. The two cases of African lions on the loose highlight the difficult balance between protecting people and conserving lions, whose numbers have declined dramatically over the past century because of unregulated hunting, a loss of habitat and growing conflict with livestock herders.\n\nThe Kenyan lion, named Mohawk, was killed by rangers after it strayed from Nairobi National Park. The 13-year-old male lion had recently been involved in territorial fights and was cornered by a crowd of people who taunted and stoned him. When rangers arrived, they said they had no choice but to kill him to protect the public. The decision to kill the lion sparked outrage among Kenyans who questioned why rangers did not try to tranquilize the animal instead.\n\nIn South Africa, a lion named Sylvester escaped from Karoo National Park for the second time in a year. The 3-year-old male lion was being tracked by wildlife officials who were considering various options, including returning the lion to the park and improving its fencing, moving the lion to another park, donating the lion to a conservation group or killing it if it causes \"massive\" damage or is a direct threat to humans.\n\nThe cases of the two lions on the loose underscore the challenges of balancing conservation efforts with public safety. The decline of lion populations over the past century has been attributed to unregulated hunting, loss of habitat and growing conflict with livestock herders. The cases also highlight the need for better fencing and management of parks to prevent lions from escaping.", + "answer": [ + "An escaped lion, a taunting crowd, and an ill-prepared first-response team came together in Kenya to cause what some are saying was the unnecessary, senseless death of the lion, the country's Star reports. Mohawk, a 13-year-old lion who was one of Nairobi National Park's most well-known creatures due to his trademark mane and rep as somewhat of a \"ladies' lion,\" had escaped from an unfenced section of the park and ended up in the town of Isinya, where he was promptly surrounded by a jeering group of men, the Washington Post reports. Mohawk became upset by the noise and the growing crowd—Kenya Wildlife Service officials tell the AP about 400 had surrounded him—and lunged at a 27-year-old man, who was sent to the hospital with bruises and severe lacerations on his back. The wildlife service already had an animal management team on the scene, but those rangers had only rifles, not tranquilizers. After Mohawk pounced on the bystander, the rangers felt they couldn't wait for a second team on its way with tranqs—so they unleashed what the Star says was nine bullets, leaving the animal \"roaring and writhing in pain\" as he died. \"If the rangers had the right equipment, this lion would not have died,\" a local resident tells the paper. \"You can't keep a lion in the midst of people for so many hours without stressing it. We blame them for this heinous act.\" The shooting has prompted plenty of backlash on social media, including a #JusticeForMohawk hashtag, but the wildlife service says it had no choice once the lion started attacking humans. \"This action was taken as a last resort after an escalation of the situation and a concern for public safety,\" the Kenya Wildlife Service says, per CNN. A bunch of lions have busted out of the park lately, driven by what conservationists say is the noise from development projects, including a highway being built through the park. (Same ending, different means for Cecil the lion.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA game ranger's two and a half year old child was eaten by a leopard at Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The incident occurred on Friday at around 7:30 pm, and the child's remains were later recovered. The leopard attacked the child at the ranger's house doorway, where he was seated with the maid. The child's mother, who is a park ranger, was at a neighbor's house at the time. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) communications manager, Bashir Hangi, described the incident as unfortunate, but did not specify whether the parents would be compensated or not. He also revealed that efforts are underway to track down the killer leopard. The hunt is on with the intention of capturing the leopard and removing it from the wild because once it has eaten human flesh, the temptations are high to eat another human being, it becomes dangerous.\n\nUgandan authorities are also hunting for a leopard in Queen Elizabeth National park after it snatched and ate a ranger's three-year-old son. The toddler had been left in the care of a nanny at the unfenced staff quarters of a safari lodge in the park, when he was taken by the leopard on Friday night. The wildlife authority spokesman, Bashir Hangi, said the child had followed the nanny outdoors. The hunt is on with the intention of capturing the leopard and removing it from the wild because once it has eaten human flesh, the temptations are high to eat another human being, it becomes dangerous.\n\nThe incident has shocked many in Uganda, where leopard attacks on humans are rare. The killing of the toddler comes as the fourth unfortunate incident for the UWA in recent weeks. A pride of 11 lions died on April 11 in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a French tourist died on April 14 on park grounds, and another lion died at the end of April.", + "answer": [ + "A horrifying story out of Uganda, where a toddler was grabbed and eaten by a leopard Friday at the Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The 2-year-old boy's mother is a game ranger at the park and was working, and the boy was with his nanny in the kitchen of the family's home in the park's staff quarters, near a doorway. \"He was seated with the maid when the leopard grabbed and ran with him,\" the boy's father tells the Kampala Post. But a spokesperson for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) says the boy followed the nanny outdoors: \"The maid was not aware the child followed her. She heard the kid scream for help, she intervened but it was too late the leopard had vanished with it in the bush.\" The staff quarters are reportedly in a protected area that is popular with tourists, USA Today reports, but the family's home is said to be unfenced. A search team ultimately found some of the boy's bones, including his skull, and they were buried over the weekend. The boy's father says he expects compensation from the UWA and that the organization should do more to protect staff and their families. \"UWA gave us the coffin,\" he says. \"I have not talked to them about the incident but I would expect something reasonable to compensate me, although my son's life is gone.\" Leopard attacks on humans are rare in Uganda. The UWA spokesperson says efforts are being made to locate the leopard and possibly relocate it. \"The hunt is on with the intention of capturing the leopard and removing it from the wild because once it has eaten human flesh, the temptations are high to eat another human being, it becomes dangerous,\" he says, per the Telegraph." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA team of Bulgarian archaeologists has made a significant discovery at the medieval fortress site in Burgas, Bulgaria. They found a lead vessel containing some of the ashes from the alleged grave of John the Apostle, one of Jesus' twelve apostles, in a reliquary that dates back to the 6th century C.E. The reliquary, which was once part of an early Christian basilica, is named after Saint John the Theologian, who is considered one of Jesus' apostles. The vessel is decorated with crosses and is less than an inch long.\n\nThe discovery was announced by Milen Nikolov, the director of the Burgas Regional Museum of History, at a press conference on March 25, 2015. In addition to the relic, the archaeologists also uncovered a 10th-century Bulgarian royal seal at the fortress site.\n\nThe lead vessel containing the ashes from John the Apostle's grave was found in a lead tube reliquary in the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey. The reliquary was then brought to the early Christian basilica in Burgos, Bulgaria, where it was placed in a shrine. The archaeologists believe that the reliquary was brought to Burgos by a pilgrim who visited John the Apostle's grave in Turkey and then returned to Burgos with the relic.\n\nThe discovery of the lead tube containing ashes from the grave of John the Apostle is considered one of the most important discoveries in the history of the Burgas Regional Museum of History. The relic is believed to have healing properties, and early Christians would have believed that it had healing properties.\n\nThe discovery of the lead tube containing ashes from John the Apostle's grave is also significant because it provides insight into the early Christian pilgrimage sites. The relic was found in a lead tube, which was a common container for holy relics during the early Christian period. The discovery of the lead tube reliquary with ashes from the grave of John the Apostle in Ephesus near Burgas resembles another relic discovery from the same region, Bulgaria's Southern Black Sea coast.\n\nIn 2010, Bulgarian archaeologist Prof.", + "answer": [ + "Archaeologists in Bulgaria think they've found ashes belonging to one of the 12 apostles. The team found a small lead container with ashes while excavating a basilica that dates back to the sixth century AD, reports Archaeology in Bulgaria. The markings on the inch-long vessel match those at the grave of St. John the Apostle in what is now Turkey, leading researchers to surmise that a long-ago Christian from Bulgaria traveled to the grave site and returned home with the sample of ashes. Such journeys were common around that time, reports Novinite. “Probably a pilgrim from the Foros Peninsula went on a pilgrimage to Ephesus, and came back here with this relic, which was then donated to the basilica on Foros,” says the director of the Burgas Regional Museum of History in Bulgaria. (The ancient basilica is located in what is now the Black Sea city of Burgas.) Archeologists also found a Bulgarian royal seal from the 10th century at the dig site, which includes a fortress, notes the Week. (Another archaeological discovery: an ancient underground city in Turkey.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNetflix has announced a new unlimited maternity and paternity leave policy for its employees. The policy allows new parents to take off as much time as they want during the first year after a child's birth or adoption. The company aims to provide flexibility and support to its employees during the changes in their lives and help them return to work more focused and dedicated. The policy is part of Netflix's efforts to foster a \"freedom and responsibility\" culture and compete for the best talent in the field.\n\nThe new policy is a landmark perk for the company, and it is expected to be an important factor in attracting and retaining top talent. Netflix's unlimited time off policy, combined with the new leave policy, allows employees to have a better work-life balance. The company believes that people perform better at work when they are not stressed out and have their minds at home.\n\nThe new policy is similar to those of other tech companies like Yahoo and Google, which have also increased their maternity and paternity leave policies in recent years. The trend towards more generous leave policies is a reflection of the growing importance of work-life balance and the recognition that employees need time to care for their families.\n\nOverall, Netflix's new unlimited maternity and paternity leave policy is a significant step forward for the company and for the tech industry as a whole. It shows that companies are willing to invest in their employees' well-being and that they recognize the importance of a healthy work-life balance.", + "answer": [ + "Expecting parents wondering which company offers the best maternity and paternity leave in the US need look no further. Netflix announced yesterday that it is upping the ante, offering new parents unlimited, fully-paid maternity and paternity leave for the first year after having or adopting a child. The streaming video company based in Los Gatos, Calif., also offers unlimited paid vacation, and it's all toward fostering \"a 'freedom and responsibility' culture that gives our employees context about our business and the freedom to make their own decisions along with the accompanying responsibility,\" writes Tawni Cranz, chief talent officer. The new policy \"deserves high marks for extending leave to fathers,\" reports Fortune, \"as well as understanding that the entire first year after childbirth can be challenging.\" It's a \"landmark perk,\" reports TechCrunch, noting that Yahoo doubled its maternity and paternity leave in 2013 (to 16 paid weeks for moms and eight paid weeks for dads) to compete with packages offered by Facebook and Google because \"the talent is growing up.\" A decade ago big company perks included free lunch and ping pong tables, but now the major moves are about helping employees balance work and home life because \"experience shows people perform better at work when they’re not worrying about home,\" Cranz adds. Of course, employees will have to plan their leave with managers and coworkers in advance to make sure their absence isn't disruptive—behaving, you know, like adults. (See who beat Netflix to the punch.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAlexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive since 1996. The data is added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.\n\nThe London School of Economics is investigating allegations that a Nazi-themed drinking game led to a brawl in which a Jewish student's nose was broken. The game played was a Nazi-themed version of the drinking game Ring of Fire, which involved playing cards being arranged on a table in the shape of a swastika. The violence was not serious enough for French police to be involved, a students' union source said. The LSE said that both the SU and LSE are investigating these events and are prepared to take disciplinary action if the allegations are shown to be true. Students must abide by clear standards of behavior set by both LSE and the SU and breaches of those standards are taken very seriously. The LSE does not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of racism.\n\nThe Jewish student who suffered the injury said that there was a mix of personal references and general Jewish insults. The president of the LSE's Jewish Society said that Nazi glorification and antisemitism have no place in our universities, which should remain safe spaces for all students. The general secretary of the students' union said that this is so at odds with everything the LSE and the union stand for. The president of the LSE athletics union condemned the actions of \"a small group of individuals\" and said that the athletics union prides itself on its open and tolerant nature.", + "answer": [ + "A Nazi drinking game played by students from the London School of Economics sparked a brawl and ended with a broken nose, reports the Guardian. The row occurred during a ski trip taken by 150 members of the school's athletic union to Val D'Isere in France. The confrontation occurred after a Jewish student objected to the drinking game, according to the school's Jewish Society. The game involved playing cards arranged on a table in the shape of a swastika. Players were required to \"salute the führer,\" according to the student newspaper. \"Nazi glorification and anti-semitism have no place in our universities,\" said the head of the Jewish Society. A video of the drinking game was briefly posted on Facebook. The school is investigating. \"These are disturbing allegations relating to events which took place on a foreign trip organized by the students' union,\" said a school statement, which added that officials are \"prepared to take disciplinary action. Students must abide by clear standards of behavior. We do not tolerate anti-semitism or any other form of racism.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA couple from Liberty, Missouri, was shot and robbed while trying to buy their teenage son's first vehicle on Craigslist. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, and the couple was left bleeding on the ground. The father was shot four times, and the woman's arm was shattered by a single bullet. The family was not identified. The incident is believed to be related to another robbery that occurred a few hours earlier in the same area. In that case, a man was shot while answering a Craigslist ad for an Xbox. The robbery and shooting may be connected to other similar incidents in the area. The police are investigating the case, and a total of up to $7,000 is being offered as a reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects.", + "answer": [ + "A Kansas City couple who went to check out a car they saw on Craigslist were shot and robbed Wednesday night, USA Today reports. They had wanted to purchase the vehicle for their 16-year-old son, who was with them but not injured. Police say the 53-year-old dad and his son had test-driven a 2007 Hyundai Sonata and were discussing payment when the seller said he had to call his wife and momentarily walked away, according to KCTV. That’s when two other men reportedly approached the family and demanded cash, then started shooting. As the dad tried to keep his wife and son out of the barrage of bullets, he was shot four times in the chest, stomach, and legs, while his 55-year-old wife took a bullet to her upper right arm, which was “shattered,” reports the TV station. The men took the wife's purse, which had $3,000 in cash for the car purchase, say police. Authorities believe the incident may be related to an earlier armed robbery that day in which a Kansas City man says he tried to sell his Xbox and gaming accessories to a man who saw his ad on Craigslist, reports the Kansas City Star. As the potential buyer was examining the wares, two other men reportedly arrived sporting a gun; the three men then lifted the Xbox and other items and ran into nearby woods, police say." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Senate Commerce Committee has released a report on the multibillion-dollar data industry, which has raised concerns about the sale of deeply personal information by data brokers. The report reveals that data brokers collect and sell consumer profiles, including lists of people with specific health conditions, rape victims, and those suffering from HIV and AIDS. The report also highlights the lack of transparency and cooperation from some data brokers, with some refusing to explain how they collect data or who they sell it to.\n\nThe World Privacy Forum has uncovered lists of highly sensitive information, including the home addresses of police officers and seniors with dementia, which underscores the need for tighter government regulations. The current laws governing data brokers only require them to maintain the privacy of a consumer's data if it is used for credit, employment, insurance, or housing. Medical information that data brokers obtain from the purchase of over-the-counter drugs and other health care items is also considered fair game.\n\nThe Direct Marketing Association has acknowledged that such lists represent a \"tiny minority\" of marketing products, but the World Privacy Forum argues that increased government regulations are necessary to remove unsafe and unfair lists from circulation. The Federal Trade Commission has also called on major data brokers to increase transparency into their data practices.\n\nThe report comes after a year-long Senate committee investigation into the $156 billion data brokerage industry and follows the release of documents by the Attorney General of New Jersey indicating that Acxiom sold another company, Dataium, 400,000 dossiers for a mere $2,500. The investigation has also revealed that data brokers sell lists of people who are likely to file for bankruptcy, lists of people who are pregnant, and lists of people who have been arrested.\n\nThe report highlights the fine-tuned data collection by data brokers, which includes information such 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 ", + "answer": [ + "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." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAstronomers believe they have found evidence of a ninth planet in our solar system, which they have dubbed \"Planet Nine.\" The discovery was made by Mike Brown, an astronomer at Caltech, and his co-author, Konstantin Batygin. The two have compiled the best evidence yet for a true ninth planet to take Pluto's place in the history books.\n\nBrown has been instrumental in the discovery of more than 30 dwarf planets and asteroids at the far reaches of our solar system. He is known for his role in the demotion of Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. The discovery of Eris, a dwarf planet more massive than Pluto, was initially referred to as our solar system's 10th planet, but that ended in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union voted to define \"planet\" officially for the first time. Eris was out of the running, and Pluto was a casualty.\n\nThe new planet, which is thought to be about the size of Earth, is believed to be located at the edge of our solar system. It is thought to have a significant gravitational influence on the other objects in the Kuiper Belt, which is a region of the solar system beyond Neptune. The existence of the planet has not been confirmed, but the evidence is strong enough that the researchers are confident it will be discovered in the near future.\n\nThe discovery of Planet Nine has reignited the debate over Pluto's status as a planet. Some scientists argue that Pluto should be reinstated as a planet, but Brown argues that it is better to embrace the reality that Pluto is not a planet and to be excited about the fact that New Horizons is going to a new type of object in the outer Solar System.\n\nThe discovery of Planet Nine is a significant find that could change our understanding of the solar system. It is hoped that the discovery will lead to further exploration of the Kuiper Belt and the development of new technologies for exploring the outer reaches of our solar system.", + "answer": [ + "Pluto is gonna be PO'd. While the dwarf planet tries to fight its way back into the good graces of Those Who Deem What Counts as a Planet, another icy orb even further out may snatch that designation first. Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology say a giant celestial body \"lurking at the end of our solar system,\" as the Washington Post puts it, may actually be a planet, and they're even already calling it \"Planet Nine.\" In their research published in the Astronomical Journal, the sky-watching scientists—one of whom is known as the \"Pluto killer\" for his role in getting Pluto demoted—think their find is five to 10 times as massive as Earth, and per the AP, almost as big as Neptune and orbiting billions of miles past that planet's orbit. Michael \"Pluto Killer\" Brown and Konstantin Batygin haven't seen the supposed planet directly, but say they can infer the \"massive perturber\" exists by how the orbits of smaller bodies nearby are affected by its gravitational pull, the Post notes. What's interesting is that Brown and Batygin originally set out to disprove the existence of Planet Nine. \"We thought their idea was crazy,\" Brown says of the scientists who originally floated the idea of a large, hidden planet. But as they did their own research, they soon came to their own conclusion in what Brown calls a \"jaw-dropping moment\" that Planet Nine could be the real deal. Now they're simply hoping more astronomers join in to actually try to spot the alleged planet—and they're not concerned it will face Pluto's fate. \"That's not even a question—it's definitely a planet,\" Brown says. Not everyone's convinced. \"I have seen many, many such claims in my career,\" a planetary scientist at Colorado's Southwest Research Institute tells Nature. \"And all of them have been wrong.\" (The Washington Post caught up with Brown for a Q&A on the latest Pluto-killing endeavor.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news articles report on the humanitarian crisis in Libya, where thousands of people have disappeared and are believed to be held in underground prisons or mass graves. The articles describe the experiences of two individuals who were held in Gaddafi's prisons and managed to escape.\n\nAbdul Rauf, a 25-year-old rebel fighter, disappeared on the front lines of the battle on the eastern coast in March. He was held for 48 days in the notorious Abu Salim facility in Tripoli, where many of Gaddafi's political opponents vanished. He was beaten and jabbed with electric prods every morning, and the first seven days, he was not allowed to use the bathroom and was given a bottle to use as a latrine. He shared a small cell with 70 people, all sleeping on the floor. When he was finally released, he was taken to the Tajura prison, where guards secretly working against Gaddafi unlocked cell and prison doors the day rebels converged on the capital last week.\n\nMuneer Masoud Own, a 33-year-old manual laborer, was detained by pro-Gaddafi forces in early August. He and his brother were put into a warehouse with about 60 others, and over the next 18 days, Gaddafi's forces kept bringing detainees. The warehouse was near the headquarters of the Libyan military's 32nd Brigade, a much-feared unit led by one of Gaddafi's sons, Khamis. Own endured horror and deprivation in the warehouse, and when rebels finally took over the base, they found charred remains of the prisoners. Volunteers pulled out at least 150 bodies, the majority of them unrecognizable. Own lost his brother in the chaos and has not heard from him since.\n\nThe articles also mention that during the six-month-long conflict, nearly 60,000 more Libyans had disappeared. Rebel leaders estimate that only about 10,000 prisoners have been accounted for, leaving families and friends to fear that thousands are in underground prisons or mass graves. The articles highlight the human", + "answer": [ + "Troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi massacred some 150 detainees last week, according to volunteers who cleared charred bodies from the warehouse that had apparently served as the detainees’ prison. An escaped prisoner told his story to CNN: He and his brother were handcuffed and blindfolded for no apparent reason while out walking earlier this month. They were thrown into the warehouse with 60 others ages 17 to 70. The number inside quickly reached 175 as loyalists continued to imprison people. The detainees were given no food or water for days, said Muneer Own. Finally, the troops said they would set them free—but instead hurled a grenade at them and opened fire. About 25 people were able to escape, Own said; his brother apparently was not one of them. The mass of bodies was discovered when rebels eventually took over the area. Many remain unidentified, part of a growing number of prisoners whose whereabouts remain unknown, notes the Washington Post. Thousands—some of whom have been jailed for decades—could be in underground prisons or mass graves, rebels fear. Click through for one family’s story." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new study has found that people with coronary artery disease who experience large fluctuations in weight are at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death than those who experience little change in body weight. The study, which was conducted over a period of 4.7 years, analyzed the data of 9,509 men and women with coronary heart disease. The participants had high cholesterol levels and a history of other heart problems, and around half of them were undergoing intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy.\n\nThe researchers found that for individuals who were overweight or obese at the start of the study, there were 117% more heart attacks, 124% more deaths, and 136% more strokes among those who experienced the largest changes in body weight compared to those who experienced the smallest changes. Additionally, the researchers found a link between changes in body weight and an increased risk of new-onset diabetes.\n\nThe study's lead author, Dr. Sripal Bangalore, said that the findings suggest that people with coronary artery disease need to be concerned about weight fluctuations. He added that the study is only observational, so it cannot prove cause-and-effect between yo-yo dieting and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death among people with coronary artery disease. However, the researchers believe that their results warrant further investigation.\n\nThe study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was sponsored by Pfizer. It is important to note that the study has several limitations, including the inability to pinpoint precisely why subjects lost or gained weight during follow-up. As such, it is possible that pre-existing heart problems led to weight changes.\n\nIn conclusion, the study highlights the importance of maintaining a stable weight for individuals with coronary artery disease. While the study does not prove that yo-yo dieting causes an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, it suggests that weight fluctuations may have serious health implications for people with coronary heart disease.", + "answer": [ + "Losing weight is one thing, keeping it off quite another. And now researchers are finding that among those with coronary heart disease (CHD)—which the Mayo Clinic reports develops from damaged or diseased blood vessels typically caused by blockage and inflammation—yo-yo dieting may dramatically increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. Reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers say they followed nearly 10,000 men and women with CHD between the ages of 35 and 75 for about five years, monitoring changes in body weight and other health outcomes. The takeaway? \"It's important to lose weight, but this data says you have to keep it off,\" lead researcher Dr. Sripal Bangalore at the New York University School of Medicine tells the New York Times. The highest weight fluctuation was on average 8.6 pounds over five years, while the smallest body weight changes averaged closer to two pounds, reports Medical News Today. Those who were already overweight or obese at the beginning of the study and who experienced the highest level of weight fluctuation experienced 124% more deaths, 136% more strokes, and 117% more heart attacks, meaning these CHD patients were more than twice as likely to suffer these negative outcomes in just a few years than people with CHD whose weight only fluctuated two pounds. This doesn't pinpoint a cause, as pre-existing heart problems could be the culprit, but researchers hope to study this correlation further. (Yo-yo dieting is bad for women's hearts in general.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA woman was caught on video stealing a wedding ring from a dead woman's finger at a funeral home in Odessa, Texas. The theft occurred on April 8th, and the suspect is described as a heavy-set white female wearing a brown long sleeve sweater, black sweat pants, and black sandals. The family of the deceased woman is asking for anyone with information to come forward, and the Odessa Police Department is investigating the incident as a State Jail Felony.\n\nThe funeral home's general manager, Bill Vallie, said that the incident was the first time a theft like this had occurred at the funeral home since it opened in 1999. He also stated that jewelry theft from the dead at funeral homes is not uncommon, but the brazen nature of this particular theft was shocking.\n\nThe family of the deceased woman has given CBS 7 News a photo of the suspect's vehicle, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Odessa Police Department or Odessa Crime Stoppers at 432-333-TIPS. The police department has also released higher quality video of the suspect wanted in reference to the theft.\n\nThe family of the deceased woman is still grieving her death, and the theft has added to their distress. The sisters of the deceased woman, Vel McKee and Brenda Vaughan, spent part of their Friday putting on makeup and brushing the hair of their mother. One of the funeral directors later called them up asking if they would want to touch up their mother's makeup, and that's when they noticed the missing ring.\n\nThe sisters confirmed that a video recording was taken of the theft, which alleviated some of their concerns. However, they were stunned that such a crime could happen to someone so defenseless. The sisters are asking for the thief to be caught and brought to justice.\n\nThe Odessa Police Department is currently investigating the incident, and anyone with information is encouraged to come forward. The family of the deceased woman is asking for anyone with information to come forward, and the Odessa Police Department is investigating the incident as a State Jail Felony.", + "answer": [ + "A Texas woman was caught on surveillance video stealing a wedding ring off the finger of a dead woman Friday, the Odessa American reports. The body of Lois Hicks, 88, was in an open casket at Odessa's Sunset Funeral Home. The woman's family had just left the funeral home after a visitation service when a stranger parked outside, came in, and asked to use the restroom. Instead, the funeral home's manager says, she walked into the room with Hicks' coffin, grabbed the ring off her finger, and left. Hicks' daughter says some of her mother's skin was actually torn off during the theft. \"I can't believe someone would be that low,\" she says. The surveillance video captured the alleged thief's license plate, and the family is pressing charges. The incident is being investigated as a felony, KOSA reports. The suspect is described as a heavy-set white woman who was wearing a brown long-sleeved sweater, black sweat pants, and black sandals at the time; she drove off in a red or maroon four-door Saturn." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA 3-year-old Hawaii girl, Finley Puleo Boyle, died after a dental procedure at Dr. Lilly Geyer's office at Island Dentistry for Children in Kailua. An autopsy report concluded that she died because of the sedatives and local anesthesia administered during her December dental procedure. The medical examiner noted that the girl had no signs of underlying heart problems or an allergic reaction to the drugs she received. The lawsuit filed by Finley's family alleges that she was not monitored while she was sedated and that no one administered CPR. The new state rules took effect in January 2014, tightening oversight of dental sedation in Hawaii.", + "answer": [ + "Drugs are likely to blame for the death of Finley Boyle, the 3-year-old Hawaii girl who died a month after going into cardiac arrest during a root canal at a Kailua dentist's office on Dec. 3, according to the official autopsy report. The report says the combination of sedatives and anesthesia Finley received during the procedure probably caused her death, the AP reports. The report noted that Finley was healthy, and ruled out any signs of an underlying heart condition or an allergic reaction. The medical examiner's office ruled the toddler's death an accident, and no charges have been brought against Dr. Lilly Geyer, KHON reports; however, Finley's family has filed a lawsuit claiming Finley was not monitored for 26 minutes while she was under sedation. Geyer's office has since shut down, but Geyer's attorney calls the Boyle family's allegations \"unproven.\" (Meanwhile, a young mother in Hawaii is in a coma following wisdom teeth surgery.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nO.J. Simpson, the former NFL star, was granted parole on Thursday after serving nine years in prison for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. The parole board unanimously voted in favor of his release, citing his good behavior and remorse for his actions. Simpson appeared before the board and apologized for his role in the crime, saying he had been a model prisoner and had no conflicts if released. He plans to move to his home in Florida after his release, which is expected as early as October.\n\nThe renewed interest in Simpson's story has been attributed to the award-winning documentary \"O.J.: Made in America\" and the FX true-crime drama \"The People v. O.J. Simpson.\" The parole hearing garnered wall-to-wall coverage from cable news shows, which recalled the \"trial of the century\" and the many months it transfixed a nation.\n\nSimpson's appearance before the board was an oddly familiar one, as it recalled the \"trial of the century\" and the many months it transfixed a nation. His energy seemed little affected by his time behind bars, and he was alert, engaged, and quick to smile. He even let out a hearty laugh when parole board Chairman Connie Bisbee accidentally said he was aged 90.\n\nSimpson repeatedly avoided taking full responsibility for the Vegas crime, and at one point, he said he had lived a \"conflict-free life.\" He testified that associates misled him during the Vegas robbery and then turned on him in court. One of those associates, Tom Riccio, accused Simpson of orchestrating the robbery and said he should wish he didn't make all those calls after his call.\n\nSimpson's release has been a topic of discussion for many years, and his case has been seen as a form of payback for his controversial acquittal in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The families of the victims have been seeking justice for years, and the release of Simpson has been seen as a step in that direction.\n\nIn conclusion, O.J. Simpson has been granted parole after serving nine years in prison for an armed", + "answer": [ + "OJ Simpson's big moment has arrived. A hearing is underway at which he is trying to convince members of the Nevada Board of Parole that he should go free. \"I haven't made any excuses in the nine years that I've been here and I'm not trying to make an excuse now,\" said the 70-year-old Simpson early in the proceedings, per the AP. Later, he added, \"I am sorry that things turned out the way they did. I had no intent to commit a crime.\" He also appeared to stifle a sob in his appeal to the board. Simpson has been imprisoned since 2008 over an armed robbery and kidnapping case, but he and many legal analysts think that the board will vote to release him. If so, he's expected to be out on Oct. 1. The televised hearing is being livestreamed at various sites, including CNN. Per CNN, one of the first questions posed to Simpson by a board member in regard to the robbery, in which he and other men entered a Vegas hotel room to reclaim sports memorabilia, was, \"What were you thinking?\" Simpson called it a \"big mistake\" and emphasized that he wasn't armed. \"I would never pull a gun on anybody.\" He insisted that he learned only afterward that one of the men with him, who was \"behind me,\" brandished a gun. Another board member noted that he hadn't taken an alcohol-abuse program as he promised he would at his last hearing. Other Simpson quotes: \"I'm at a point in my life where all I want to do is spend as much time with my children.\" \"I've basically spent a conflict-free life.\" Daughter Arnelle Simpson said her father is \"remorseful,\" and she wants him to come home so they can \"move forward,\" adding, \"It's been hard.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPresident Donald Trump held a news conference on Thursday, his second since the election, to address a range of issues. He began by criticizing the media for their coverage of his administration, calling it \"fake news\" and \"dishonest.\" He also accused the media of being biased against him and his supporters.\n\nTrump then moved on to discuss his administration's accomplishments, including the repeal of several Obama-era regulations and the nomination of Alexander Acosta as labor secretary. He also discussed his plans for immigration reform and the economy.\n\nHowever, the news conference was marred by controversy when Trump was asked about his campaign's alleged ties to Russia. Trump dismissed the question and accused the media of spreading \"fake news.\" He also criticized the intelligence community for leaking information about his campaign.\n\nTrump also faced criticism for his response to a recent terrorist attack in Sweden. He appeared to be unaware of the attack and dismissed concerns about immigration and terrorism.\n\nThe news conference ended with Trump defending his Electoral College victory and attacking the media for their coverage of it. He also teased a potential meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus and complimented a reporter's question about the first lady.\n\nOverall, the news conference was marked by Trump's continued criticism of the media and his focus on his administration's accomplishments. However, he also faced criticism for his handling of sensitive issues like immigration and terrorism.", + "answer": [ + "President Trump ripped into the \"dishonest\" and \"out of control\" media during his press conference Thursday—and it didn't take long for the media to fire back. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was among those who criticized the president, saying he \"keeps repeating ridiculous throwaway lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we're some kind of fools for asking the question,\" the Hill reports. Smith said Trump \"owes it to the American people\" to answer legitimate questions liked the ones about Russia that he dismissed as \"fake news.\" But not all the reviews were so negative. A look at coverage: Yes, he was \"combative,\" observes Mara Liasson at NPR, \"but he was also funny and charming like he was with the press during all those years in New York as a fixture in the tabloids. ... I think that he will get a lot of credit for doing this. I think it will thrill his supporters.\" The Washington Post fact-checks what it describes as 15 \"dubious claims\" from the conference, including Trump's claim that he had the \"biggest electoral college win since Reagan.\" Trump had a total of 304 electoral college votes, which ranks sixth in the eight elections since Reagan's 525-vote 1984 landslide. Only George W. Bush won with fewer than Trump. \"I was given that information,\" Trump said when a reporter challenged him on the statement. The AP takes a close look at Trump's \"I inherited a mess line\" and decides the claim itself is messy. CNN contributor Jeffrey Lord, reacting to scathing reviews: “Lord, I think we saw two different press conferences,\" he said, per Raw Story. \"From my perspective, I thought he was relaxed, he was funny, he was on point. He took the whole issue of the media, and he had a very candid conversation.\" Politico has an exhaustive list of the topics Trump covered during the 77-minute presser, ranging from nuclear holocaust to CNN, which he downgraded from \"fake news\" to \"very fake news.\" BuzzFeed has video of one of the conference's most heavily commented upon moments: when Trump asked a black reporter if she could set up a meeting between him and the Congressional Black Caucus. Presidential historians tell the AP that no president, including Nixon during the Watergate scandal, has publicly turned on the press the way Trump did. \"It was bizarre theater,\" says Rice University history professor Douglas Brinkley. \"He turned a presidential press conference into a reality-TV show in which he can be the star and browbeat anyone who objects to him with the power of his office.\" GOP strategist and CNN contributor Alice Stewart also found a few things to praise in Trump's performance. \"You can't say he's not responsive to the press,\" she tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal. \"He answered all the questions from all over the press corps and put to rest the long-standing dialogue that he shuts down certain news outlets.\" Vox lists nine moments that it suggests back up Jake Tapper's description of the press conference as \"wild\" and \"unhinged,\" including Trump's claim that \"the leaks are real\" but \"the news is fake.\" Late-night hosts approached the press conference as gleefully as a kid unwrapping Christmas presents, and the Washington Post rounds up some of their best lines. \"My guess is he did it because he's mad and he just wanted to blow off some steam,\" Jimmy Kimmel said. \"The tone of the press conference was like if your dad found a pack of cigarettes under your mattress.\" David Graham at the Atlantic looks at the continual theme of complaint in the conference and wonders: Does Trump hate his new job?" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNASA has reported a problem with one of the cooling systems on the International Space Station (ISS), which may require a repair spacewalk. The problem is one of the \"Big 14\" maintenance issues that NASA and its partners expect to face on an occasional basis during space station operations. The situation does not represent a life-threatening emergency, but it has required a cutback in normal operations on the orbiting outpost. The cooling system in question is one of the two external cooling loops, known as Loop-A, which shut down when it reached a pre-set temperature limit on Wednesday. This forced NASA to reroute coolant into Loop-B. As a result, the station's six-person crew had to prioritize life support systems, electrical systems, and science experiments, including the freezers that preserve scientific samples. Some non-critical systems were turned off in NASA's Harmony node, Japan's Kibo lab, and Europe's Columbus lab. Engineers think the problem was caused by a malfunctioning flow control valve for the station's ammonia coolant. Mission managers are trying to determine whether a software fix can get the valve working again, or whether a spacewalk will be required. Sorting through all the issues might take a couple of days, or as much as a couple of weeks.\n\nNASA has scaled back operations on the International Space Station after discovering a problem with a cooling system. A pump on one of the station's two external cooling loops shut down after hitting a temperature limit, NASA said. Teams worked to get the cooling loop back up and running, and experts suspect a malfunctioning valve may have caused the problem. The station and crew aboard were never in any danger, NASA said. Officials could determine that an emergency spacewalk is the best way to fix the failed pump, something they've done in the past. NASA said Thursday that there has been no decision on the spacewalk, and it may be a couple of days before the decision is made.", + "answer": [ + "NASA is reporting a glitch with one of the two cooling pumps on the International Space Station, but it says none of the six crew members are in danger, reports CNN. The crew shut down some non-essential electrical systems as a precaution while they figure what went wrong and how to fix it. Best case, it's a software glitch and a relatively easy repair. Otherwise, a spacewalk will be necessary, reports NBC News. It will likely take days or perhaps weeks to sort it all out. \"They're fine for the near future,\" says a NASA spokesman." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTen years ago today, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Ricks faced a dilemma as the forecast coordinator for the Slidell office, which had responsibility for New Orleans. He needed to find a way to convey the urgency and seriousness of the situation to the public. Ricks came up with a bold forecast that included phrases like \"National Weather Service\" and \"Advertisement,\" which are now in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Another forecast he issued that day, the Area Forecast Discussion, was more to the point: \"Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.\" Ricks' forecast was later proven to be accurate, and he has since become a hero in the eyes of many.\n\nIn another news article, Ricks is interviewed about his experience during Hurricane Katrina. He talks about how he knew he had one remaining chance to get the message out to the public and how he used computers, history, and his fellow forecasters to write the forecast. Ricks also discusses the impact of the storm on his community and how it has changed him as a person. He reflects on the fact that he would much rather have been wrong in this situation and that the response to the storm did break his heart.", + "answer": [ + "It's one of the most famous weather forecasts of the modern era, and it came out exactly 13 years ago to the day. That would be Aug. 28, 2005, one day before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Ricks issued a forecast so dire that some news agencies thought it was a hoax, writes meteorologist James Spann in a tweet commemorating the Ricks forecast. As it turns out, Ricks was spot on. \"Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks…perhaps longer,\" he wrote. \"At least one half of well constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail…leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed.\" And this: \"Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards.\" (Spann's tweet includes the full text.) The forecast has been credited with saving lives, and it is now in the Smithsonian Museum of American History, as noted by Slate on the 10-year anniversary. Ricks told Brian Williams of NBC News on Sept. 15, 2005, that he went through the warning line by line to verify each doomsday-sounding statement before making it public. He ended up removing nothing. \"I would much rather have been wrong in this one,\" he told Williams. \"I would much rather be talking to you and taking the heat and crying wolf. But our local expertise said otherwise. You know, 'Hey, let's gear up for the big one, this is going to be the big one.'\" (Read about what JJ Watt's crowdsourced fundraiser accomplished in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nTwitter has promised to improve and expand its policies after the daughter of Robin Williams was bullied off the social network. The incident has brought attention to the problem of online harassment, which many face every day. Imani Gandy, a senior legal analyst at RH Reality Check, writes about the abuse she faces on the service every day, including threats of rape and harassment because of her race and gender. Twitter allows users to block accounts that target them, but these measures don't stop persistent attackers who often create new accounts to continue their actions. Twitter has suspended a number of accounts related to the incident and is evaluating how to further improve its policies to better handle tragic situations like this one. The company is expanding its policies regarding self-harm and private information and improving support for family members of deceased users. However, many still find Twitter's tools don't address the problem. A third-party software called \"Block Together\" has been recommended to Twitter, which allows users to automatically block the accounts of new Twitter users who send them direct \"@\" replies and share their list of blocked accounts with friends. The company's fierce commitment to free expression may be clouding its judgment on this issue, according to Soraya Chemaly, a media critic and feminist activist who has worked with Facebook to make more robust protections for those targeted by abuse online.", + "answer": [ + "Twitter has promised to take a look at its policies after some sickening abuse over her father's death forced Zelda Williams off the site. After she tweeted a touching tribute to her father, the grieving daughter received messages on Twitter and Instagram blaming her for her father's death, as well as images of her father Photoshopped to show bruises around his neck, Forbes reports. \"We will not tolerate abuse of this nature on Twitter,\" a Twitter exec said in a statement. \"We have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one.\" Twitter says the changes will include \"expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information, and improving support for family members of deceased users.\" An activist who has worked with Facebook to help protect people facing online abuse says the site needs to do more to tackle persistent abusers. \"While I am truly sorry for what the Williams family is experiencing during this time, I am concerned that it takes an event like this to bring heightened attention to a problem that so many face every day,\" she tells the Washington Post. \"As is often the case, it is Williams, the target of abuse, and not her abusers, who's left Twitter,\" she adds." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTwo Australian radio hosts, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, have broken their silence over a prank call they made to a London hospital treating the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge. The call, which was intended to be harmless, resulted in a nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, being found dead. The hosts expressed their deepest sympathies to Saldanha's family and friends, and said they were devastated by the news. They also revealed that they had attempted to contact the hospital before the prank call was aired, but were unsuccessful. The hospital had not been informed of the prank call in advance. The radio station, 2Day FM, has cancelled their show and stopped all hoax calls by its broadcasters. The incident has sparked outrage and demands for tougher regulation of the electronic media. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is considering whether to initiate an inquiry beyond its usual process of giving broadcasters 60 days to respond to complaints. The case has also led to calls for the radio hosts to face criminal charges.", + "answer": [ + "Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig have broken their silence on their royal prank call gone horribly wrong, reports the Guardian, tearfully telling an interviewer that they're \"shattered, gutted, heartbroken\" over the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha. \"No one could've imagined this to happen,\" Christian said. \"Naturally, we're shattered. We're people, too.\" \"There's not a minute that goes by that I don't think about what (Saldanha's) family is going through, and the thought that we may have contributed to it is gut-wrenching,\" says Greig. The DJs meant no harm, adds Christian: \"At every single point it was innocent on our behalf.\" Innocent or not, Greig and Christian \"will not return to the airwaves until further notice,\" says parent company Southern Cross Austereo, which has also axed their show, halted all prank calls, and nixed ads amid an internal review, CNN reports. But the station is doubling down on its decision to air the prank, saying that it had tried to contact King Edward VII's Hospital no fewer than five times to talk about the recording before airing it. \"It is absolutely true to say that we actually did attempt to contact those people on multiple occasions,\" says Southern Cross' CEO. It's not clear if the hospital responded, notes the AFP, but it has mounted a withering assault against the station in the aftermath of Saldanha's death." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA 12-year-old boy, Melquan Robinson, was electrocuted while playing football at a park in Augusta, Georgia. The incident occurred when he climbed over a fence that was charged by an underground electrical wire. Three other boys who tried to help Melquan were also injured in the accident. The incident has led to multiple investigations, including one by the city, the sheriff's office, and Georgia Power. The family of Melquan is grieving, and a vigil will be held for him on Thursday at Bernie Ward Community Center. The incident has also affected the community, with many parents and players expressing their condolences and concern for the safety of the park. The city has canceled all football activities for the week at Fleming Park.", + "answer": [ + "A 12-year-old was killed and two other boys were injured after a chain link fence electrified by a live underground wire electrocuted them at a city park in Georgia. During football practice at Fleming park in Augusta on Monday, Melquan Robinson hopped a fence to retrieve a ball, WRDW reports, citing the incident report that says when he \"went to come back over the fence, he was electrocuted.\" The seventh-grader was pronounced dead later at Children's Hospital of Georgia, according to the Augusta Chronicle. Two other boys who tried to help their friend were injured and hospitalized, according to reports. The mother of one of them, David Sette, tells WRDW that her son is improving. Per the Chronicle, an adult also was injured in the incident. \"We lost a future leader. We lost a future athlete. We lost a child in our city,\" Melquan's former coach, acting as a spokesman for the bereaved family, tells the Chronicle. The oldest of three children, Melquan loved his family and was very protective of his siblings, he says. Multiple investigations into the incident are reportedly underway, with city officials looking into how the fence became electrified. Georgia Power, offering \"condolences and sympathy,\" said in a statement that the utility \"does not control or maintain the voltage\" that caused the electrocution. Melquan's family will hold a vigil Thursday at the Bernie Ward Community Center. \"This young man was where he needed to be,\" his former coach says, per WRDW. \"He was doing what he loved.\" (A medieval re-enactor was impaled in a freak accident.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nFairfax County police are searching for a woman who impersonated a Target employee and stole more than $40,000 worth of iPhones from a store in Alexandria, Virginia. The incident occurred on March 15, and the suspect is seen on surveillance footage leaving the store and getting into a Volvo station wagon. The suspect is familiar with store procedures, employee hours, and the location of iPhones in the stockroom. The police have released the surveillance footage and are asking anyone with more information to call them at 703-691-2131. Detectives in Virginia are also looking for a woman who disguised herself as a Target employee and stole more than $40,000 worth of iPhones from a store in Richmond Highway. The woman, dressed as an employee of Target, walked into the store and made her way back to the stockroom, where she placed the iPhones in a box and left the store. Surveillance cameras were able to capture pictures of the woman, and detectives said she is not affiliated with the store but appeared to know the store's procedures and location of the iPhones in the stockroom.", + "answer": [ + "She wasn't a Target employee, but a woman who sure seemed like one allegedly made off with around $40,000 worth of iPhones from a Virginia store. NBC Washington reports Fairfax County cops are looking for the retail impostor, who they say donned attire resembling a worker's getup, waltzed into the stockroom of the Alexandria location with a box, and loaded the box with dozens of iPhones before taking off. WTOP reports the woman, whose image was caught on tape, seemed to be familiar with how things worked at the store, including employee hours and where the iPhones were stored. Police say the theft occurred March 15, but posted about it on Facebook Monday with a call to \"help us nab an iPhone thief.\" (Target recently had a Boston problem.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAlexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive since 1996. This data is added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. The data is used to preserve websites and make them accessible to the public.\n\nIn a separate news story, a war breaks out between Cartman and Kyle over the popular cartoon, \"Family Guy.\" The creators of the show announce that they will show the image of the prophet Muhammad, which leads to the network threatening to ban the episode. Cartman sees this as his chance to get \"Family Guy\" off the air for good and embarks on a mad chase across the country with Kyle to reach Hollywood first. The fate of \"Family Guy\" lies in the hands of the boy who reaches Hollywood first.", + "answer": [ + "Apparently there are places even South Park fears to tread. After getting a death threat from the jihadist website RevolutionMuslim.com, the show pulled the prophet Mohammed out of this week's episode, bleeping out all mention of his name, putting “censored” banners over parts of the episode and, where necessary, replacing him with Santa Claus in a bear suit, the Huffington Post reports. Here's the deal: last week's episode (which you can see a clip of here) mocked the taboo against showing the prophet Mohammed, having him show up first hidden inside a U-Haul, and then inside a bear costume. This week's episode was to continue that story. It's unclear whether the extra censorship is intended to appease the irony-challenged folks at RevolutionMuslim or mock them. South Park, incidentally, has tackled the issue before, and even depicted Mohammed on screen once with impunity." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNorth Korea is believed to be moving an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by the country's intelligence service. The lawmaker did not disclose when the movement was detected or what direction the projectile was headed. The news comes after North Korea's sixth test of a nuclear weapon, which was the most powerful ever detonated by the rogue nation. North Korean state media claimed that the country detonated a hydrogen bomb, which could be fitted atop a long-range missile capable of striking the United States. Weapons experts say it's almost impossible to verify if the warhead and missile could be successfully paired unless North Korea were to actually fire a nuclear-tipped ICBM.\n\nSouth Korea's Navy conducted live-fire drills off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's nuclear test. The drills were intended to check the Navy's \"immediate operational readiness.\" South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, spoke by phone Monday and agreed to lift current restrictions on the payload weight of South Korea's ballistic missiles. However, signs of a rift between the two leaders have become apparent despite the decades-long alliance between Seoul and Washington.\n\nChina's President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for North Korea to stop nuclear tests but said dialogue needs to be the answer. Xi is currently in China for a summit of the BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Russia's President Vladimir Putin also called for dialogue and reiterated calls for North Korea to stop nuclear tests, but he referred to accusations that Pyongyang spends too much on weapons programs while its citizens starve.\n\nNorth Korea could launch another ICBM as soon as Saturday when the country celebrates its founding day, according to Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the U.S.-based Center for the National Interest. In fact, one of the pariah state's previous nuclear trials fell on Sept. 9, 2016. The timing of weapons tests is of strategic importance to North Korea, and the country is unlikely to provoke at a time when it expects another major event to", + "answer": [ + "Following North Korea's most powerful weapons test yet on Sunday, a South Korean lawmaker tells CNN his country's intelligence service believes the North has an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the move. Things get pretty vague beyond that: He didn't know the method of transport or when the movement was noticed. But Reuters does pick up some alleged details on those fronts, via an unnamed source quoted by South Korea’s Asia Business Daily. Its source says the ICBM started moving Monday, is only being moved at night, and is headed toward the nation's west coast. Reuters notes there's some likelihood that another test could come on or around Saturday: Sept. 9 is the country's founding day holiday. CNBC notes North Korea conducted a nuke test on Sept. 9, 2016. Two more details that allegedly came from the South's National Intelligence Service briefing: word that additional tunnels have been dug out at the North's nuclear test site that would facilitate future detonations, and suspicions that the next ICBM test firing might be directed toward the North Pacific but aimed at a lower angle, which would in theory allow it to fly further than previous tests, which had more of an upward trajectory. Meanwhile, the White House tells Reuters it has given \"in-principle approval\" to a request by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to abolish a limit regarding warhead weights, a move that would strengthen the power with which it could attack the North, if necessary. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin on Tuesday gave his take on the situation: North Korea \"will eat grass but will not give up the (nuclear) program if they don't feel safe.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA tragic accident occurred in Schertz, Texas, when a deputy-involved shooting claimed the lives of a suspect and a 6-year-old boy. The incident began when a deputy responding to a report of a stolen vehicle spotted the suspect, Amanda Lene Jones, with what he thought was a weapon. The suspect physically threatened the deputy with the weapon and verbalized her intention to shoot him. The suspect managed to get away, and deputies did not see her again until a couple of hours later, when she turned up at the mobile home park where the 6-year-old boy, Kameron Prescott, lived. She forced her way into the boy's home, threatened to shoot members of his family, and said she was taking their vehicle. The deputies were outside the home, waiting, and witnesses heard the woman threaten to shoot the law enforcement officers. Four deputies fired shots outside the home, and one of the rounds went through the wall of the mobile home and struck Kameron in the abdomen. The deputies discovered the wounded boy inside the home, carried him out, and administered first aid, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. The suspect was also killed in the shooting. The incident has left the community stunned, and the local district attorney is investigating. The school district has established a fund to assist Kameron's family with expenses.", + "answer": [ + "Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a 6-year-old boy Thursday in Texas, WOAI reports. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says four deputies opened fire on 30-year-old Amanda Jones, a suspected car thief, after they \"cornered\" her outside a mobile home occupied by Kameron Prescott and his family in the town of Schertz. One of the bullets went through the mobile home and hit Kameron in the abdomen. According to CNN, Salazar says deputies performed first aid on the boy, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Jones was also killed. \"The deputies are, of course, understandably shaken up,\" Salazar says. He says the shooting is under investigation, but in his opinion the boy's death is \"a tragic accident.\" Salazar says one deputy is \"adamant\" he saw Jones with a gun and that she threatened to shoot him. He says Jones threatened both police and Kameron's family, who didn't know her, just before deputies opened fire. But investigators haven't been able to locate a gun despite the use of a helicopter and dive team. Salazar says they have found a pipe with Jones' blood on it near the scene of the shooting. One deputy at the scene was wearing a body camera, but he blocked it with his rifle during the shooting. Meanwhile, Kameron is being remembered by those who knew him. \"Kameron was a ball of energy, happy, smart, and could strike up a conversation with anyone,” school counselor Maria Morales tells KSAT. “He also had a great sense of humor and caring heart.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA vegan mother in Florida was arrested on charges of child neglect after she refused to take her dehydrated newborn to the hospital. The baby was taken into state custody, and the mother was later released on bond. The incident occurred after the baby's pediatrician told the mother that the baby needed to be admitted to the hospital because the child was dehydrated and was losing weight. However, the mother refused to take the baby to the hospital and instead brought a soy-based formula from Whole Foods. The police were called, and the mother was arrested after she refused to answer the door when they showed up at her apartment. The case is currently in court, and the mother is facing up to a year in prison.\n\nIn a separate incident, a vegan mother in Florida regained custody of her newborn son after he was taken from her several months ago when he began losing weight. The baby was taken into state custody after the pediatrician told the mother to take the baby to the hospital, but the mother wanted to try supplementing breast milk with vegan formula. The case was thrown out by a judge, and the mother was granted custody of her son with the provision that she provide a nutritionist's report within 10 days. The baby is now with the grandparents and is doing well on a soy formula.", + "answer": [ + "A judge in Florida has allowed a vegan mom who defied a doctor's orders to regain custody of her infant son, reports WFTV. The strange case began in June when police in Casselberry charged Sarah Markham with neglect and took away 2-week-old Caleb. The charges came after a pediatrician diagnosed Caleb as dehydrated and underweight, and told Markham to take him to the hospital immediately, recounts WKMG. Instead, Markham bought soy formula to supplement her breast milk. When she didn't show up at the hospital, police came to her house, and she told them she wanted a second doctor's opinion and stressed that she did not want her son getting formula from animal products. Today, a Seminole County judge granted her custody again with the provision that she provide a nutritionist's report in 10 days. \"There's no case, there's no abuse, there's no neglect—there's simply a doctor who has been challenged by a mother, and he didn't like it,\" says Caleb's grandfather, Bo Markham. The child has been with his grandparents since he was taken out of his mother's care, and now weighs about 17 pounds. \"He's still on a soy formula,\" says Bo Markham. The criminal neglect charges are still pending, though Sarah Markham's attorney—Mark O'Mara, who defended George Zimmerman—says he expects they will be dismissed now. (PETA wants an Indiana sheriff to feed an alleged cannibal a vegan diet.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nColorectal cancer, previously considered a disease that mainly affects older adults, is now being diagnosed in younger patients at an increasing rate. A study by the University of Michigan analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute and found that one in seven colorectal cancer patients was younger than 50. The study raises questions about the current guidelines for screening, which recommend starting at age 50. Symptoms of colorectal cancer, such as anemia, changes in bowel habits, and blood in the stool, may be nonexistent or mild, making it difficult for people to detect the condition until it has advanced. A colonoscopy is the usual screening test, but stool tests are also effective for some people.\n\nThe study also found that younger patients are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of colorectal cancer, which is more dangerous than localized tumors. However, they are more likely to undergo aggressive treatments such as surgery and radiation therapy, which may contribute to their slightly better survival rates.\n\nThe researchers suggest that the medical community needs to be more aware of the signs of colorectal cancer in younger patients and improve risk assessment and screening decisions. The study highlights the need for further research to understand the reasons behind the increase in colorectal cancer among younger people and to determine whether screening guidelines should be changed.\n\nIn conclusion, colorectal cancer is no longer a disease that only affects older adults, and the medical community needs to adapt to this changing trend. Early detection and aggressive treatment are crucial in improving the survival rates of younger patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.", + "answer": [ + "A new study says one in seven US colon cancer patients is younger than 50—raising questions about why more young people seem to be getting the disease and what can be done about it, reports HealthDay via the Philadelphia Inquirer. \"Colon cancer has traditionally been thought of as a disease of the elderly,\" says lead author Samantha Hendren. \"This study is really a wake-up call to the medical community that a relatively large number of colon cancers are occurring in people under 50.\" Using government data on almost 260,000 colon-cancer patients from 1998 to 2011, the study also says younger patients more often have advanced cancer and undergo surgery (72% compared to 63% of patients over 50). The young are also more likely to use radiation therapy (53% to 48%) and have a slight advantage in surviving for five years (68% to 67%). Younger people are more likely to have advanced colon cancer partly because they get tested after noticing symptoms (like colon blockage, bleeding, and anemia), while people over 50 are advised to begin screenings, says Hendren. \"Unfortunately, these symptoms are often ignored by the patient or doctor or ascribed to something like hemorrhoids,\" a scientist adds, per Reuters. Hendren's team conducted the study after noticing a rise in colon cancer among young people, Medical Daily reports, but that spike remains unexplained. Physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, and \"an effect in our environment\" are all possible causes, a Harvard professor says. More screenings for young people might help, but the yield would be low because under-50s are still less likely to get colon cancer. \"This would be a big and costly change,\" says Hendren, who recommends \"a lot of research\" be done first. (A new killer is expected to top cancer by 2050.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA chance discovery at a rock shelter in southern Australia has revealed a human settlement dating back 49,000 years. The discovery was made by archaeologist Giles Hamm while he was surveying the territory with an aboriginal elder Clifford Coulthard. The site is crucial in understanding human settlement in Australia. The finding is significant as it shows human activity in the area, with sophisticated tools and bone fragments from the largest ever marsupial found at the site. The age of the site has been determined by scientists working with Hamm's team to be 49,000 years old.\n\nThe discovery of the site has led to a re-evaluation of the time of arrival of the first Australians. The consensus view is that they arrived 50,000 years ago, but the new find suggests they must have reached northern parts far earlier. The site also contained evidence of human interaction with mega fauna, namely the Diprotodon optatum - a marsupial measuring 2m in height and weighing more than 2,500kg. The presence of bones from juvenile animals in a cave on a cliff suggests they were hunted, said Gavin Prideaux, palaeontologist at Flinders University in South Australia.\n\nExcavation methods were used to study the site. Hand excavation was carried out using a 1-m grid system, with each spit recorded using a standard excavation sheet. The sediment removed from each spit was weighed and all material remaining on the sieves was bagged for further analysis. Bulk soil samples were removed for sedimentary analyses. The team used a technique called optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to date the sediment.\n\nThe findings suggest that humans arrived in the arid interior of Australia some 10,000 years earlier than previously thought. The site, which is a newly discovered cave in the Flinders Ranges, is known as the Warratyi rock-shelter. The artefacts found at the site include burnt eggshells, sharpened stone and bone tools, red ochre and gypsum pigments, and the earliest known use of the pigment ochre in the country's history. The team believes", + "answer": [ + "\"A man getting out of the car to go to the toilet led to the discovery of one of the most important sites in Australian pre-history,\" archaeologist Giles Hamm tells ABC News. Hamm was surveying a section of Australia's Flinders Ranges when his partner, aboriginal elder Clifford Coulthard, had to go to the bathroom. \"Nature called and Cliff walked up this creek bed into this gorge and found this amazing spring surrounded by rock art,\" Hamm says. At the time, Hamm thought the newly discovered human settlement, a site called Warratyi, was only 5,000 years old. It turns out it's closer to 49,000 years old, and that has huge ramifications for our knowledge of ancient Australian civilization, Sky News reports. Hamm and his team published a study on Warratyi this week in Nature. The discovery of Warratyi in the arid interior of the continent means humans either arrived in Australia up to 10,000 years earlier than previously believed—or they expanded across the continent at a much quicker rate, Science Alert reports. Researchers at the site found 4,300 objects, including tools, and 200 bone fragments from multiple animals, including a 5,500-pound marsupial. The bones help explain how early Australians interacted with megafauna, including hunting them. The tools show Australians were using bone and stone axes earlier than believed and are evidence that early Australians developed some technologies on their own rather than adopting them from other peoples as previously believed. (Ninety rocks in Australia could rank up there with Stonehenge.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nBritney Spears is set to begin her Las Vegas residency in December, and her handlers are taking no chances when it comes to her radio interviews. Stations have been told that their five-minute interviews can only discuss her Vegas show, her new single, and her \"Britney Jean\" album. Additionally, there will be no personal questions and no funny business allowed. This has caused some deejays to have their segments pulled, as they felt that the rules were limiting their ability to create an entertaining show. Despite this, Spears' reps argue that the information they provided was not a mandate, but rather an aid to make the radio spots move along smoothly.\n\nIn other news, it has been reported that Spears does not sing in her Vegas show and is being paid a lot of money to lip-sync. Additionally, before-and-after images have emerged of Spears' \"Work Bitch\" video, suggesting that a chubby Spears did the filming, but a digitally slimmed-down version appears in the final edit. Team Britney did not comment on the video.\n\nMartha Stewart does not like a dirty house and believes that people don't have to be dirty. She also discussed her dating life, saying it's been \"good\" and that she's just waiting for the right guy to scoop her up.\n\nIn other entertainment news, Charlie Hunnam is reportedly devastated over the backlash he received for pulling out of \"50 Shades of Grey\" and has been skipping scheduled appearances to avoid questions.\n\nFinally, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, and Sylvester Stallone were spotted having dinner together at Buca di Beppo in Times Square after a screening of their film \"Escape Plan.\"", + "answer": [ + "Britney Spears' father, Jamie, has been in charge of her since she was placed under conservatorship in 2008, and he thinks it's about time for a raise, Radar reports. \"I continue to perform services to protect and care for Britney’s person and to administer her estate in good faith and in her best interests. I continue to have significant oversight duties relating to her visitation with her children,\" he writes in a new petition to the court. In addition to the $16,000 he gets for those duties per month, he also gets $1,200 for office rent, and he wants that amount bumped to $2,000, plus $7,200 in back pay for the increased rent he's paid since last year. Brit is apparently also under strict control when it comes to interviews. She's been promoting her upcoming Vegas residency, and her handlers told radio interviewers that during the five-minute interviews, they could only ask about Vegas or Britney's new album or single, sources tell the New York Daily News. \"So everyone is clear,\" the stations are being informed, \"no personal questions and no funny business.\" But apparently the interviews still aren't going well: One was pulled entirely after DJs deemed it \"a one-sided conversation,\" and during another, the hosts needed to ask a distracted Spears one of their questions twice." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIsrael's Operation Protective Edge entered its 24th day on Thursday, with the security cabinet ordering the military to press on with the offensive in the Gaza Strip, focusing on the destruction of Hamas' tunnel network. An Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo for talks over Egypt's efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, with temporary humanitarian cease-fires allowed in certain areas. Three IDF soldiers were killed and 12 wounded on Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the military to 56. The death toll in the Israeli operation in Gaza has topped 1,360, with more than 6,500 Palestinians wounded. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Gaza a \"humanitarian disaster area\" and urged the international community to protect and provide relief to the battered enclave. In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, he accused Israel of committing war crimes. The UN representative in Jerusalem, Robert Serry, has \"received assurances\" that all parties have agreed to the pause, according to a joint statement released by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry. Hamas has agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in their conflict in the Gaza Strip starting on Friday, with Israeli and Palestinian delegations set to travel to Cairo for negotiations with the Egyptian government to reach a durable ceasefire. The ceasefire will begin at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Friday, Aug. 1. Israel will be required under international law to take responsibility for helping Palestinian civilians if there are any further large-scale displacements from the fighting in Gaza, UNRWA chief Pierre Krähenbühl tells the United Nations Security Council. The council debated a statement to condemn the deadly attacks on UN schools, the rockets hidden in vacant schools and the deaths of UN staff, but could not reach agreement. The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution condemning the attacks on UN schools and staff. The Israeli military has called up 15,000 reserves, with 86,000 reserves called up during", + "answer": [ + "Benjamin Netanyahu today vowed to destroy Hamas' tunnels at all costs, even as Israel called up an additional 16,000 reservists—bringing the total so far to 86,000 troops. \"We are determined to complete this mission with or without a ceasefire,\" he said of the tunnels' destruction, as per Haaretz. \"Therefore I will not agree to any offer that does not allow the military to complete this important mission for the security of the people of Israel.\" He also issued a get-in-line message to two ministers who have been critical of his actions against Hamas, saying \"beware of what you're doing.\" Netanyahu's statement vis a vis the tunnels comes as ceasefire efforts are sputtering anyway, notes the AP, and on the heels of the worst day of casualties thus far in Gaza." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSnap Inc. has announced that its video-recording sunglasses, Spectacles, are now available to buy online in the U.S. The glasses, which allow users to take circular videos and post them to their Snapchat accounts, were previously sold through vending machines and a pop-up store in New York City. The company has now closed the pop-up store and is selling the glasses on its website, Spectacles.com. The glasses retail for $130 and come in three colors. Snap is also selling charging cases and cords for $49.99 and $9.99 respectively. The company has not yet announced when the glasses will be available outside of the U.S.\n\nSnap has also announced that it will continue to sell Spectacles through its roving vending machines, which will continue to appear in surprising locations around the U.S. The company has not yet announced when the vending machines will resume sales.\n\nSnap is expanding its distribution strategy for Spectacles beyond its limited release strategy in order to make the glasses more readily available to customers. The company has not yet announced how the expansion will affect its production and operating costs.\n\nSnap has not yet announced when the glasses will be available outside of the U.S. The company has also not yet announced how the expansion will affect its production and operating costs.\n\nSnap Inc. has announced that its video-recording sunglasses, Spectacles, are now available to buy online in the U.S. The glasses, which allow users to take circular videos and post them to their Snapchat accounts, were previously sold through vending machines and a pop-up store in New York City. The company has now closed the pop-up store and is selling the glasses on its website, Spectacles.com. The glasses retail for $130 and come in three colors. Snap is also selling charging cases and cords for $49.99 and $9.99 respectively. The company has not yet announced when the glasses will be available outside of the U.S.\n\nSnap has also announced that it will continue to sell Spectacles through its roving vending machines, which will continue to appear in surprising locations around the U.S. The company has not yet announced when the vending", + "answer": [ + "Snapchat found itself with a marketing sensation on its hands late last year when it began selling funky-looking sunglasses called Spectacles. The trick is they allow users to record quick videos and photos and send them directly to their Snapchat accounts, but the catch was they were available only through vending machines that would turn up in random locales or through a now-shuttered pop-up store in Manhattan, notes New York. Now, however, parent company Snap is selling them online at Spectacles.com for $129. Just how crazy did demand get? CNBC notes that the glasses were selling for up to $5,000 on secondary markets, adding that its own reporters stood in line for 18 hours to get them. (There's a limit of six per household for the new online purchases.) Snap has said the glasses haven't been big money-makers, but TechCrunch thinks the new move is designed to show prospective IPO investors that they could be. The vending machines will go on hiatus for awhile, but they're expected to resurface eventually." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSeven men have been charged in the 2014 hazing death of University at Albany student Trevor Duffy. The men are accused of forcing Duffy to drink a 60-ounce bottle of vodka, leading to his death. The fraternity the men say they were part of, Zeta beta Tau, has released a statement denouncing them. The statement claims that the men were not a part of the fraternity that is sanctioned by UAlbany. The fraternity, based in Indianapolis, has retained legal counsel and is planning to sue the men. The full statement reads as follows: \"Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity has no affiliation with the rogue group that illegally used the Zeta Beta Tau name at the University of Albany and is involved in the alleged hazing that resulted in the death of a University of Albany student. The group is not the Epsilon Gamma Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau, which is recognized by the Fraternity and the University as a leader on campus. Rather, these men are a separate rogue group not authorized to use the Zeta Beta Tau name.\"\n\nZeta Beta Tau Fraternity is suing a group of University of Albany students connected with a 2014 hazing death, saying the group was never recognized as a chapter of the fraternity. According to a fraternity statement, the group is not recognized by either the fraternity or the university. The group claimed to be a part of the Epsilon Gamma chapter, which is recognized by the national fraternity and by the university. Zeta Beta Tau is retaining counsel for the purpose of bringing a lawsuit against the individuals, claiming they falsely represented themselves, deceiving the public and damaging the fraternity's otherwise exceptional reputation.\n\nThe name Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, ZBT, its symbols, slogans and materials are all protected by copyright. Unauthorized use leaves the rogue group subject to legal action, fraternity officials said. Zeta Beta Tau was founded in 1898 in New York City, as the world's first Jewish fraternity. It has chapters on more than 90 campuses", + "answer": [ + "The seven men accused of the 2014 hazing of a SUNY Albany student that caused his death are already in trouble with the school and the police. Now they've got a new problem on their hands: a lawsuit set to be filed by the fraternity whose name they apparently appropriated. Zeta Beta Tau's national office says the \"rogue\" group of SUNY Albany students charged in the death of 19-year-old Trevor Duffy used the frat's name without authorization and isn't linked to the actual recognized chapter on campus, NBC News reports. \"Zeta Beta Tau is retaining counsel for the purposes of filing suit against these individuals who falsely represented themselves, deceiving the public and damaging the otherwise exceptional reputation of our Fraternity,\" a fraternity statement reads, per News10. Duffy died after allegedly being made to consume nearly half a gallon of vodka in a case that made headlines; his BAC was seven times the legal limit, notes NBC. The national fraternity says its intellectual property—including its name, the ZBT initials, and other materials—are protected under copyright rules, WRGB reports. That means anyone who falsely claims to be affiliated with the frat is fair game for legal action, a move the attorney for one of the accused says he's baffled by. \"It's certainly novel, and I'm not sure why they'd take that step,\" the lawyer for Joseph Angilletta, one of two men arrested just last week in the case, tells the station. \"Clearly one aspect here is they seem to want to distance themselves from this tragic event.\" (Five Baruch College frat members may face up to 20 years behind bars for allegedly taking part in the \"glass ceiling.\")" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe news is about the release of the movie \"Detroit,\" which tells the story of the Algiers Motel incident during the 1967 Detroit riots. The movie is directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. The film focuses on the racial tensions and police brutality that led to the riots and the events that occurred at the Algiers Motel. The movie features an ensemble cast, including Will Poulter, Jacob Latimore, John Boyega, and Algee Smith. The film has been praised for its powerful and realistic portrayal of the events, but has also been criticized for its lack of character development and its heavy focus on the situation. The movie has been compared to Bigelow's previous film \"The Hurt Locker,\" which also dealt with a controversial and sensitive subject. Overall, the movie has been praised for its powerful message and its ability to bring attention to the ongoing issue of police brutality and racial injustice.", + "answer": [ + "Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit tells the story of a black singer who takes refuge in a dingy motel to escape the 1967 Motor City riots. Based on real events, the film reunites Bigelow with screenwriter Mark Boal, both of the Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker. It's got a strong 89% \"fresh\" rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Here's what critics are saying: \"Bigelow drills down into one of American history's most egregious cases of abuse of police power, bringing it to life with visceral detail and slowed-down meticulousness\" in what \"feels like her timeliest movie yet,\" writes Ann Hornaday at the Washington Post. It's \"daring, sophisticated and unforgettably disturbing.\" And \"in scale, scope and the space it offers for a long-awaited moral reckoning, it's nothing less than monumental.\" \"It's hard to overstate just how visceral and harrowing an experience it is,\" writes Lindsey Bahr at the AP, calling Detroit \"a well-made and evocative film\" jam-packed with \"stomach-churning horror.\" She argues there could be more nuance and perspective. But \"maybe anger is all you're supposed to feel when you step outside the theater. Maybe not feeling satisfied with Detroit is the point.\" Chris Klimek says Detroit is \"maddeningly imperfect but still honorable,\" citing \"lightly fictionalized\" aspects of the otherwise true story that set it up \"for maximum outrage.\" This is \"messy work, even when it’s done in good faith,\" he writes at NPR. He applauds John Boyega, previously of The Force Awakens. Radiating a \"Denzel-like calm,\" he shows \"he's a bonafide movie star,\" Klimek writes. Peter Howell's main gripe is that the film \"tries to tell us everything about the circumstances without telling us much about the people.\" But Detroit still makes for \"urgent viewing,\" he writes at the Toronto Star. Why? \"The injustice and anger behind it all feels like current reality, even a half-century on,\" when \"a person's skin can still determine everything from employment opportunities to treatment by police.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nTesla's board members have confirmed that they will consider CEO Elon Musk's proposal to take the company private. The board members, who include Brad Buss, Robyn Denholm, Ira Ehrenpreis, Antonio Gracias, Linda Johnson Rice, and James Murdoch, released a statement on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, indicating that they had met several times over the past week to discuss the proposal. The statement did not provide any details on the funding for the deal, but it did indicate that the board members were satisfied with the method and timing of Musk's announcement. The statement also did not include two board members, venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson and Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk.\n\nThe proposal to take Tesla private would be the biggest buyout in history, with a valuation of over $70 billion. The company's stock has been a consistent target of investors aiming to short the company's stock, or bet against Tesla's shares rising. The board members' statement did not address the timing of the announcement, which predates Tesla's filing on Monday of its 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The board members also did not indicate whether they were satisfied with Musk's method or timing for announcing the proposal.\n\nMusk tweeted on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, that he had the funding to de-list the company, and he offered shareholders $420 per share. The proposal would require more than 2,000 investors to opt to retain their shares, and the firm would be subject to the disclosure rules of a public company if that happens. The Securities and Exchange Commission has inquired about the issue, and the structure of the deal remains ambiguous.\n\nThe board members' statement came amid questions about how Musk opted to disclose the possible de-listing to investors. While companies are allowed to make announcements via social media, typically they also make a simultaneous regulatory filing. The style of the announcement has been described as \"irregular\" and \"very irregular,\" raising questions about Musk's intent.", + "answer": [ + "Elon Musk wasn't blowing smoke. The BBC reports on a three-sentence statement issued by six of Tesla's nine board members saying the board had \"met several times over the last week\" to discuss Musk's proposal to take the company private, which he announced via an unexpected tweet Tuesday. The talks \"included discussion as to how being private could better serve Tesla's long-term interests\" and the statement ends by saying the board \"is taking the appropriate next steps to evaluate this.\" The three board members who did not sign the statement are Musk, brother Kimbal Musk, and a board member who is on leave, reports the Wall Street Journal. At MarketWatch, Steve Goldstein flags some unresolved points: The statement didn't elaborate on Musk's claim of \"funding secured\" and raised but didn't answer a question of timing. \"'Last week' predates Tesla's filing on Monday of its 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which didn't mention such discussions. News of a takeover would certainly be considered material,\" he writes. Shares of Tesla are currently down about 1%." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nSerena Williams, a former world No. 1 tennis player, has returned to training after an injury and illness that kept her out of the sport since July. She posted a photo of herself serving in a hot pink full-length body suit on Twitter, announcing her return to the court. Williams is taking it one day at a time and is not setting a time frame for her comeback. She is on blood thinners for the blood clots that were discovered after a flight from New York to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, world No. 2 Kim Clijsters is likely to miss the French Open due to a freak foot accident that she sustained at her cousin’s wedding. She is wearing a cast and faces a recovery of “at least four to six weeks.” Fort Lauderdale’s Ryan Sweeting, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas and the University of Florida, won his first ATP title last week. He defeated Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in the U.S. Clay Court Championship in Houston. The U.S. Fed Cup team will rely on 18-year-old Christina McHale and 19-year-old Melanie Oudin this weekend in Stuttgart, Germany, in a world group playoff. The German team is not taking the teenagers lightly, with Andrea Petkovic saying, “They are hungry, they want to prove themselves and they are surely very patriotic.”", + "answer": [ + "Guess who's back? Serena Williams. And she made sure her return to the tennis court Tuesday was a stylish one, the Miami Herald notes, tweeting a picture of herself in a hot pink body suit. \"Look who I spotted on the court. Her first day back,\" Williams wrote. She hadn't played since July thanks to health problems; click here to catch up on what's been going on. Her agent says Williams is \"progressing well\" and has the OK from doctors to do light cardio, but still has not set an exact date for her return to the WTA Tour." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new paper has revived Kardashev's model and added a new, apocalyptic twist. According to the author of the paper, Dan Hooper, harvesting energy from distant stars isn't just the best way to increase a civilization's available resources. It's also the only way to prevent the ever-expanding universe from leaving that civilization totally alone in the vastness of space. The presence of dark energy in our universe is causing space to expand at an accelerating rate. Over the next approximately 100 billion years, the stars beyond our Local Group, or a group of gravitationally bound galaxies that includes the Milky Way, will fall beyond the cosmic horizon, meaning an observer here could never retrieve information from them over the course of the age of the universe. Any advanced civilization worth their starships would understand the grim reality of universal expansion and wouldn't just sit around idly while the universe literally passed them by. Rather, they would capture stars from other galaxies, reel them in and harvest their energy first, before those stars (and their energy) became inaccessible forever. So, how do you lasso a star in the first place? Scientists and science-fiction authors alike have pondered this question for decades, and their favored answer is this: Throw a giant net around it, of course. This net wouldn't be made of twine or even metal, but of satellites — a swarm of millions of solar-powered satellites known as \"Dyson spheres.\" Such a colossal cloud of harvesters could permanently hover around a star, beaming energy back to a nearby planet — or, as Hooper proposed in his new paper, actually use that star's energy to accelerate the whole ball of fire back toward the planet that wanted to use it.\n\nWARCZone is a collection of outsider-uploaded WARCs, which are contributed to the Internet Archive but may or may not be ingested into the Wayback Machine. They are being kept in this location for reference and clarity for the Wayback Team, while also being accessible to the general public who are seeking any particular items they can regarding certain websites.\n\nAncient extraterrestrial civilizations, millions of years older than humanity, would need enormous amounts of energy. By creating a swarm", + "answer": [ + "Watch out for stars moving across galaxies or losing power—it could be aliens gathering energy before the lights go out. Dan Hooper, an astronomy and astrophysics professor at the University of Chicago, posted a paper in the preprint journal arXiv.org arguing that aliens in far-off galaxies may be sucking energy from stars to offset risks posed by an expanding universe, LiveScience reports. \"The presence of dark energy in our universe is causing space to expand at an accelerating rate,\" writes Hooper. \"As a result, over the next approximately 100 billion years, all stars residing beyond the Local Group [of galaxies including the Milky Way] will fall beyond the cosmic horizon and become not only unobservable, but entirely inaccessible, thus limiting how much energy could one day be extracted from them.\" Therefore, he argues, an advanced civilization may use something like \"Dyson spheres\"—an imagined solar-powered satellite dating back to 1930s science-fiction, notes LiveScience—to harvest a star's energy or use that energy to move it closer to home. Hooper hinges his case on the work of Russian astronomer Nikolai Kardashev, who argued in 1962 that technologically advanced civilizations would expand via three steps: harvesting resources of their planet, then the nearest star, then all stars in the galaxy and nearby galaxies. So how to spot energy-grabbing aliens? Massive stars emanate certain light wavelengths, which will appear in galaxies' light signatures if stars are drained energy—that is, when humans have powerful enough instruments to detect it." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Disneyland employee has been arrested in connection with the detonation of a dry ice bomb in the park's Toontown section, according to Anaheim police. The 22-year-old employee, Christian Barnes, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a destructive device and is being held on $1 million bail. The explosion occurred in a trash can on Tuesday evening and forced the evacuation of Toontown. No one was injured, but the explosion caused some brief chaos in a portion of Disneyland popular with young children. Barnes is cooperating with investigators and has indicated that this is an isolated incident with unanticipated impacts. The dry ice appeared to have been placed in a plastic bottle that was left in a trash can in Toontown. The explosion was confined to the can, according to the Anaheim Police Department. It does not appear to be connected to similar dry-ice explosions in Anaheim in recent months. The incident has prompted Disneyland to take matters seriously and work closely with local authorities.", + "answer": [ + "Police have arrested one of Disneyland's own employees after yesterday's dry-ice explosion in the Toontown section of the park, reports the Los Angeles Times. Christian Barnes, a 22-year-old vendor who sold soda and water from a cart, is being held on $1 million bond. Police say he filled a bottle with dry ice and dropped it in a trash can. The ensuing blast caused a lot of noise and chaos, but no injuries or serious damage, reports AP. No word on motive, but police don't think it's related to previous dry-ice bombs in the Anaheim area." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nFormer Winnipeg broadcast personality and Red River College journalism instructor Steve Vogelsang has been charged with two counts of robbery involving two separate banks in Alberta. The 53-year-old was the news director and longtime sports anchor at CTV Winnipeg, beginning in the early 1990s. He became a journalism instructor at Red River College in 2002 and resigned in 2011. Police released a still image from surveillance video of a man they say robbed two banks in Medicine Hat, Alta. Steve Vogelsang has been charged in the robberies.\n\nVogelsang and his wife moved from Winnipeg to Nelson, B.C., after he left his post at Red River College. After spending 24 years together, Vogelsang and his wife separated in 2015 and he moved back to Winnipeg. She filed for divorce last summer. Financially squeezed, Vogelsang and his wife had owned three properties in Nelson and sold them for a total loss of $85,000. Vogelsang was supposed to take over fully last September after removing his ex-wife's name from the paperwork. Vogelsang was a journalism instructor at Red River College from 2002 to 2011 after serving as news director and a longtime sports anchor at CTV.\n\nAccording to court documents, Vogelsang and his wife had owned three properties in Nelson and sold them for a total loss of $85,000. Vogelsang was supposed to take over fully last September after removing his ex-wife's name from the paperwork. Vogelsang was a journalism instructor at Red River College from 2002 to 2011 after serving as news director and a longtime sports anchor at CTV.\n\nA former student he had dated was granted a protection order against him in March. In March, a former student he had dated was granted a protection order against him. Police in Medicine Hat say a man walked into a Royal Bank in the southeastern Alberta city on Oct. 19 and a Bank of Montreal the next day without a disguise, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.\n\n", + "answer": [ + "A former well-known Canadian TV sports anchor is in jail after police say he robbed two banks in as many days in the western province of Alberta last week. Police in the small city of Medicine Hat say Steve Vogelsang robbed a Royal Bank of Canada on Thursday, Oct. 19, and then turned around the next day and robbed a Bank of Montreal, CBC reports. He entered both banks without a disguise and after demanding money, left with an undisclosed sum. Police finally arrested Vogelsang at a nearby hotel at around 3am on Saturday. Per CTV Winnipeg News, Vogelsang, 53, was a longtime news director and sports broadcaster at CKY, now CTV Winnipeg. He also taught journalism at Red River College in Winnipeg from 2002 to 2011. Conor Lloyd, a spokesman for the college, says, “I can confirm he is no longer an employee here.” Vogelsang is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Tuesday." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nOakleigh Ryan Nance is a 11-month-old infant who is currently fighting for her life in a metro hospital in Oklahoma. She has been diagnosed with a severe case of E. coli, which has caused her kidneys to fail. Doctors are unsure how she contracted the infection, but investigators from the CDC are looking into the case. Oakleigh has already had several surgeries to try to save her life, but her family is now raising money through a GoFundMe account to cover the medical expenses.\n\nOakleigh was born prematurely, weighing only three pounds, and spent a lot of time in the NICU. She went home and seemed to be in perfect health for six months before developing a bacterial infection. The infection caused her kidneys to fail, and she was later diagnosed with a critical case of E. coli.\n\nPseudomonas infections are caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is commonly found in the environment. These bacteria can cause serious infections in people who are weak or ill, and they are often resistant to many types of antibiotics. Infections caused by Pseudomonas can affect any part of the body, and they can be particularly dangerous for people who are already in the hospital.\n\nIn Oakleigh's case, she has a severe infection caused by a dangerous, antibiotic-resistant strain of Pseudomonas. She also has a kidney condition called reflux, which has caused her left kidney to become infected. The infection has spread to her bloodstream, and she has also developed moderate ASD and pulmonary stenosis, which are heart conditions.\n\nOakleigh is scheduled for surgery at the end of the month to fix the reflux in her left kidney. The surgery will be a 4 ½ hour procedure, and her left kidney will be cut back to a length that will prevent reflux. She will also have to have a pocket on the outside of the kidney removed. After healing from the surgery, she will need to meet with a cardiologist to discuss additional testing for her heart condition.\n\nOakleigh's family is praying for her recovery and is", + "answer": [ + "An Oklahoma girl diagnosed with \"super\" E. coli is facing a life-or-death battle—and worse, she's only 11 months old. \"With this strain of E. coli, it can get in her brain, it can get in her spinal cord, basically cause her to go into cardiac arrest,\" her grandfather, Chris Curtis, tells KFOR. \"And we heard that it was a very, very scary situation.\" Her family says it's not clear how Oakleigh Nance got the infection, which appears resistant to antibiotics, but the CDC is investigating. It all started when Oakleigh was born premature at only 3 pounds and \"started off on 4 liters of oxygen,\" according to a GoFundMe page to help pay her medical bills. \"In the NICU, they used to call her Miss Sassy because of her ability to express her displeasure with her circumstances,\" the page says. Then she went home and was fine for months until a 104-degree temperature and severe urinary tract infection sent her back to the hospital. Since then, she's been diagnosed with moderate ASD and pulmonary stenosis of the heart, stage 3 kidney reflux, and \"a dangerous, antibiotic resistant strain of Pseudomonas,\" says the GoFundMe page. Now doctors are planning a 4 1/2-hour procedure on her kidney, which is functioning at 22%, to possibly prevent other infections. \"I know that God is in control of all else, and when I think about what’s going on in her life, I think about my faith in God,\" says Curtis. \"That’s what sustains me and gets me through it.\" (Read about a brain-eating bacteria that has returned to Louisiana.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPortland officials have decided to drain and flush 38 million gallons of water from Reservoir 5 after a man urinated in the open-air storage pool. The decision has been met with criticism from some, including a former lobbyist for large industrial water customers who thinks the water board he is proposing would make better decisions than the City Council. The debate about dumping or keeping the water is uniquely Portland and has roots in the city's multi-year battle against new federal mandates on open-air reservoirs. The water from the Mt. Tabor Reservoir system has been tested clean of urine-related toxins, but officials are still going ahead with their decision to drain the reservoir. The man who urinated in the reservoir has given his first interview to an online news magazine, Vocativ, in which he says he did not urinate in the water but rather on a wall next to it. The Multnomah County District Attorney is working with Portland Water Bureau officials to determine whether there are criminal charges to be filed.", + "answer": [ + "The Portland teen accused of peeing in a city reservoir on Wednesday insists he didn't do it—in a relatively NSFW defense. \"Yeah, it's f---ing retarded, dude,\" 18-year-old Dallas Swonger tells Vocativ in what the site calls an \"expletive-filled interview\" given as Swonger smoked a Newport cigarette. \"I didn't piss in the f---ing water.\" He explains that he did urinate, after a night of skateboarding at Mount Tabor Park, but he did so against the wall of the reservoir, not into the reservoir. \"I was like, 'Dudes I have to piss so bad.' So I just went over to the wall. I leaned up against the wall and pissed on it. Right there on the wall, dude. I don’t know else how to describe it.\" Officials beg to differ (a Water Bureau official got very specific about it, saying that surveillance video showed Swonger making sure \"to get his little wee wee right up to the iron bars\"), and thus decided to dump 38 million gallons of water, but Swonger notes that even if his urine had made it into the water, he doesn't see what the big deal is. \"Dude, I’ve seen dead birds in there. During the summer time I've see hella dead animals in there. Like dead squirrels and s---. I mean, really, dude?\" Vocativ also got amusing quotes from Swonger's mom (\"I’m sorry, he just graduated from high school. He’s trying to get his stuff together\") and one of the friends skateboarding with him that night (\"He just doesn’t make the best decisions. Honestly, he has the potential to do really good\"). Possible criminal charges are still pending, the Oregonian notes. The paper also reports that the water tested clean of urine-related toxins, but all 38 million gallons will still be dumped." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Winter Olympics are set to begin in February, and North and South Korea have agreed to participate in the Games together. The two countries will march under one flag at the opening ceremony, and will also form a joint women's ice hockey team. North Korea will send a delegation of around 230 supporters to cheer on its athletes, and a smaller delegation of athletes and supporters will attend the Paralympics. The Korean Unification Flag, which features a blue silhouette of the peninsula and outlying islands, will be used for the ceremony. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) will need to approve the countries' agreements, and those that affect competition could be more complicated than the ceremonial proposals.\n\nThe thaw in relations between the two Koreas is the latest breakthrough since talks began earlier this month. The talks are being held under the United Nations Command framework, and Japan has expressed concern that North Korea may be using the talks to buy time to pursue its weapons program. China has also criticized the talks, saying that they demonstrate a \"Cold War mentality.\" Despite these concerns, the IOC has said that it will carefully evaluate the consequences and potential impact of the Korean delegations' proposals.\n\nThe two Koreas have been talking since last week about the Olympics, and have agreed to carry out joint training for skiers at a resort in North Korea before the Games begin. They will also hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang. The countries have a history of rare shows of unity, including marching under the Korean Unification Flag at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships and at several sporting events since.\n\nThe IOC has received a number of \"interesting proposals\" from the two Koreas, and will discuss them with delegates from both countries in Switzerland on Saturday. The committee has said that it is \"sure that the two Korean delegations will present their ideas and proposals at the meeting on Saturday in Lausanne.\"", + "answer": [ + "North and South Korea will compete together under one unified flag at next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in what will be the first such arrangement since 2006. South Korea previously announced North Korea would send officials, athletes, and a cheer squad to the Olympics following talks between the two countries. It has now revealed North Korea's intention to send a 550-member delegation. Among those arriving in South Korea beginning on Jan. 25 will be female ice hockey players joining a team of South Korean athletes (they'll compete under a flag showing the Korean Peninsula in blue on a white background), as well as 230 cheerleaders, 140 orchestra members, and 30 people who will take part in a taekwondo demonstration, report Sky News and CNN. Ahead of the Olympics, skiers from both countries will also train together in North Korea, per CNN. The thawing of relations between the North and South has drawn praise from some. But others, like Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, fear Kim Jong Un only hopes to ease international pressure while continuing to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal. \"It is not the time to ease pressure, or to reward North Korea,\" Kono said Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada, where 20 countries met and agreed to consider tougher sanctions on the North, per Reuters. Warning countries not to be fooled by its \"charm offensive,\" Kono added, \"The fact that North Korea is engaging in dialogue could be interpreted as proof that the sanctions are working.\" China avoided the meeting, saying it showed a \"Cold War mentality.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA man jumped the White House fence on Tuesday and was apprehended by uniformed Secret Service officers who approached him with guns drawn. The incident was broadcast live on CNN's \"John King USA\" program. The man, identified as James Dirk Crudup, 41, was charged with unlawful entry and contempt of court. It was not clear why Crudup climbed the fence, and authorities did not think that he was armed. A backpack that apparently belonged to him was being examined Tuesday night. The incident ended shortly after 9 p.m. ET when authorities issued an all-clear directive at the White House. Incidents such as Tuesday’s are not uncommon. In an unusual twist, a 6-year-old girl reached the lawn Sunday night by going not over the fence but through it. After slipping between the black metal pickets, she was escorted out to her parents by the Secret Service, authorities said.", + "answer": [ + "A homeless man was arrested after hopping the White House fence Tuesday night in an incident captured by CNN's John King USA program, which was filming from the North Lawn. The man was quickly taken into custody by Secret Service agents who approached him with guns drawn. Security officers locked the area down after finding a backpack that had been thrown over the fence nearby. The 41-year-old intruder was charged with unlawful entry and contempt of court for breaking a judicial order requiring him to stay away from the White House. It's not uncommon for the White House fence to be breached, notes the Washington Post: A 6-year-old girl made it onto the White House lawn over the weekend by slipping through the fence instead of going over it. Secret Service agents returned her to her parents." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Daily Show, a satirical news program hosted by Jon Stewart, premiered on Comedy Central in 1996. The show was initially a conventional newscast format with a mix of hard news and pop culture-lifestyle content. The show's creative process was centered on the writing staff and co-creators Lizz Winstead and Madeleine Smithberg. The show's success led to a move to 11 P.M. and eventually to 12:30 A.M. following Late Night with David Letterman. In 1998, Jon Stewart was offered a slot following Letterman, but he initially declined. However, after losing The Jon Stewart Show, he was approached by Comedy Central to host The Daily Show. The show's format evolved over time, with more focus on deconstruction of the news and political process. The show's success led to a wider audience and critical acclaim. The show's impact on politics and journalism has been significant, with many politicians and journalists citing it as an influence. The show ended in 2015, but its legacy continues to be felt in the world of comedy and journalism.", + "answer": [ + "Jon Stewart took over as host of the Daily Show in January 1999, but when did the program truly start becoming the Daily Show that legions of fans would come to love? Try December of that year, when Steve Carell boarded John McCain's campaign bus \"and changed the entire trajectory\" of the show, writes Chris Smith at Vanity Fair. The article is a fascinating oral history of the show's beginning that includes interviews with Stewart, Carell, Stephen Colbert, and pretty much everyone involved. The first year was rough for Stewart as he fought with the holdover writing staff from previous host Craig Kilborn and sought to put his stamp on the show. Things came together in that Carell interview, in which he peppers McCain with softball questions, then springs a policy zinger. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Carell says, \"I was just kidding! I don’t even know what that means!\" And the tense moment subsides. (See the clip.) Carell: \"It was making fun of a gotcha moment. And I think that a lot of what we do on The Daily Show is making fun of journalistic tropes, and I think that was one of them.\" Head writer Ben Karlin: \"I remember seeing it in the editing room. I remember Jon called me down, and seeing it and thinking, Yeah, this is what we should be doing. This is the goal. It was one of Carell’s most incredible moments. He asks McCain a question in a way that no journalists were talking to the candidates. And it was like, Oh s---, we are able, in this weird, unintentional way, to add a level of insight to the process that doesn’t exist. That was really, really exciting.\" Click for the full piece, in which Stewart talks about how that 2000 campaign provided his \"aha moment\" of how to present the show—by \"deconstructing the process.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 911 dispatcher in Johnston County, North Carolina, recently helped save a woman who was locked in the trunk of a moving car. The dispatcher, Tim Medlin, received a call from a woman who said she was locked in the trunk of a car by her jealous boyfriend. The call got disconnected, and Medlin had the idea to text her from a cell phone. She responded, and Medlin was able to get the woman's location with the help of a cellphone provider. Police responded and stopped the car in the city of Fayetteville, and the woman was found unharmed. The dispatcher's quick thinking and use of technology helped prevent a more serious crime or even a fatality.\n\nThe incident has brought attention to the need for all 911 centers to be updated so that they can initiate texts from their systems. Currently, all 911 centers can receive text messages, but cannot initiate them. The director of the Johnston County Emergency 911 Communications Center, Jason Barbour, believes that this needs to change. He said, \"This is a prime example of technology being used to the fullest at someone's greatest time of need. We can only receive texts and then text back one another. We can't start the conversation. So that was the problem.\"\n\nThe woman in the trunk was found to be a 29-year-old woman who had a disagreement with her boyfriend, who forced her into the trunk. The boyfriend, Nicholas Mattevi, was arrested and charged with false imprisonment. He was released on a $10,000 bond.\n\nThe incident has also highlighted the importance of emergency dispatchers and their role in saving lives. Medlin's quick thinking and use of technology helped prevent a more serious crime or even a fatality. The dispatcher's actions have been praised by the Johnston County Emergency 911 Communications Center, and the incident has brought attention to the need for all 911 centers to be updated so that they can initiate texts from their systems.", + "answer": [ + "A North Carolina woman allegedly locked in the trunk of a moving car by her boyfriend was saved by a quick-thinking 911 dispatcher and a lowly flip phone, ABC News reports. The 29-year-old woman called 911 around 4am Jan. 14. The woman had gotten in a fight with her boyfriend, who was \"jealous,\" according to WRAL. Before dispatcher Tim Medlin could get much information from the woman, the call was dropped. He was unable to get her to answer when he called back. Then Medlin remembered a flip phone the 911 communications center keeps around in case the phone lines go down, WTVD reports. He says texting was the only way he could think to contact her without getting \"her in trouble.\" The woman texted Medlin back, letting the dispatcher know she was in a red Mustang headed toward Fayetteville. Verizon provided the location of the woman's phone, and police stopped her and her boyfriend, Nicholas Mattevi, in Fayetteville. Mattevi, 32, was arrested and charged with false imprisonment. \"I can go to bed,\" Medlin recalls feeling upon hearing of the arrest. \"We've done our job.\" He says he's planning to buy a smartphone for the office to replace the old flip phone and make it easier to text if there's a next time. Medlin's boss tells ABC the dispatcher \"really stood by our motto: Failure is not an option.\" (This 911 dispatcher was accused of hanging up on callers.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Internet Archive has started crawling websites to archive pages as they are created and to archive the pages that they refer to. This is part of an effort to fix all broken links on the web. The archived pages will have a link to the version that was live when the page was written, so that when the referenced pages are changed or taken down, people can still see what was originally intended by the page's authors. The Internet Archive hopes that websites will replace broken links with these archived pages. The project is called \"No More 404.\"\n\nOn October 19th, Modoc County Sheriff's Deputy Jack Hopkins was killed while responding to a disturbance call. He was confronted and shot by Jack Lee Breiner, who has been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the killing. The incident occurred about eight miles south of Alturas.", + "answer": [ + "Police in Stanislaus County, Calif., say a 20-year veteran of the force was \"executed\" early Sunday after investigating a stolen van and a suspicious person outside Modesto. Sheriff's Deputy Dennis Wallace was shot twice in the head. Police say a suspect was arrested more than 150 miles away later in the day after allegedly carrying out a carjacking, an armed robbery at a convenience store, and an attempted purse-snatching, the Los Angeles Times reports. David Machado, a 37-year-old described by police as a \"known criminal,\" was connected to the Wallace killing after police in Tulane County recognized his tattoos. Wallace, who was married with children, \"was executed,\" Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters. \"We believe that Dep. Wallace was killed outside of the car and we know for a fact that the gun used in this crime was in direct contact with his head when the trigger was pulled twice.\" He said Wallace, 53, had been involved in programs including youth soccer and early intervention, NBC News reports. \"We need to keep the Wallace family in our thoughts and prayers. We need to keep law enforcement in our thoughts and prayers,\" he said. The Bradenton Herald reports after a knee injury in 2007, Wallace was off for two years without pay and fought a long legal battle to get his job back." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nLauren Bacall, the legendary actress known for her roles in classic films such as \"To Have and Have Not\" and \"The Big Sleep,\" passed away on August 12, 2014, at the age of 89. She left behind an estate worth $26.6 million, which was split among her three children, Leslie Bogart, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, and Sam Robards. Bacall also left $10,000 to her son, Sam, to care for her beloved dog, Sophie. In addition, she left $250,000 to each of her grandsons, Calvin and Sebastian Robards, with the stipulation that the money be used for college. Bacall's will also included bequests to two of her employees, Maria Santos and Ilsa Hernandez, who each received $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. The majority of Bacall's estate consists of her co-op apartment in the famed Dakota building, where she lived for many years, as well as her movie and book royalties. Bacall's love for dogs was well-known, and her decision to leave money for Sophie's care is not unusual for celebrities who want to provide for their pets after they pass away. However, the amount left for Sophie's care is significant, and it is more than what was left for some other celebrities' pets. Bacall's estate is now being managed by her children, who have asked that her personal papers be kept private.", + "answer": [ + "Papillion Sophie has lived a pampered life, but that doesn't have to end now that her famous owner—Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall—has died. According to estate papers filed last week, Bacall left $10,000 to her son Sam Robards for Sophie's care and upkeep, Page Six reports. This bequeath isn't a surprise, considering Bacall called herself a \"dog yearner\" in a 2008 interview, Us reports. \"I didn't have a dog growing up in the city with a working mother. As an only child, I yearned for someone to talk to,\" she said. She gave Sophie quite a glitzy life attending book signings and film festivals. Bacall didn't ignore her human family: The New York Daily News reports her $26.6 million estate was mostly split among her three children; her grandkids reportedly got $250,000 each. And two of her employees also received $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. Considering other famous four-legged heirs, Sophie's 10 grand isn't shocking: Leona Helmsley left $12 million to her Maltese and Alexander McQueen left $82,000 to his three dogs. But the oddest may be Dusty Springfield, who gave orders that her cat be serenaded with her own music and \"marry\" another cat." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news passages report on various developments in the ongoing US presidential election campaign. In the first passage, Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate, expresses his disappointment with Mitt Romney's win in the CPAC presidential straw poll. Santorum accuses Romney of rigging the poll by buying tickets for his supporters to attend the event. However, Romney's campaign denies the allegation. In the second passage, Ron Paul, another Republican presidential candidate, expresses his confusion over Romney's description of himself as a severe conservative. Paul says he is not sure what Romney means by the term. In the third passage, Jack Lew, the newly appointed White House chief of staff, defends President Obama's position on birth control and Catholic institutions. Lew says the president's position has been consistent, and his recent accommodation is the best he can do to win over the bishops. However, Lew's statement has been met with criticism from some quarters, who say the accommodation does not go far enough. Overall, the news passages reflect the ongoing political battles and debates in the US presidential election campaign.", + "answer": [ + "Fresh off his loss to Mitt Romney at CPAC, Rick Santorum hit the talk shows this morning, and he's downplaying the victory, reports Politico: \"You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought—we've heard all sorts of things,\" Santorum told CNN. \"Ron Paul has won those (straw polls) because he trucks in a lot of people, pays for their ticket, and they come in and vote. I don't try to rig straw polls.\" Elsewhere on the Sunday dial, as per Politico: Santorum on his chances: \"I think we can do well (in Michigan). I think we can do reasonably well in Arizona, and really make this a two-person race.\" Sarah Palin on Romney: He's \"a great candidate,\" but \"his idea of conservatism is evolving, and I base this on a pretty moderate past that he has had, even in some cases a liberal past. Now that’s a problem. He’s still in the 30 percentile mark ... because we are not convinced.\" Obama chief of staff Jack Lew on the birth control ruckus: The Friday \"accommodation\" is as far as the White House will go. \"There are others who don't have the same objective, they will have to speak for themselves, (but) this is our plan.\" Ron Paul on 'severe conservative' Romney: \"That was the first time I’ve heard that definition, so I guess Mitt will have to tell us exactly what it means. Obviously, he means he’s a serious conservative, and he was trying to defend himself, or portray himself as such, but I don’t know exactly what he was meaning by that.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nMagnolia Homes, the renovation firm featured on HGTV’s Fixer Upper, has reached a settlement with the EPA to resolve alleged violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule). The settlement requires Magnolia to take steps to ensure compliance with lead-based paint regulations in future renovation projects, address lead-based paint hazards at high-risk homes in Waco, Texas, and educate the public about lead-based paint hazards and appropriate renovation procedures. Magnolia will pay a civil penalty of $40,000 and produce an educational video highlighting the dangers of lead-based paint within 90 days. The company has also agreed to spend $160,000 on a lead-abatement project in Waco and to post the video on its webpage and promote it on social media. The EPA’s investigation was prompted by video footage of Magnolia’s renovations appearing on several seasons of Fixer Upper, which were viewed by well over 3 million households. The RRP Rule requires firms performing renovations for compensation in homes built before 1978 to use specific precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to lead. Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure compliance with the RRP Rule after the EPA contacted the company with concerns about its compliance.", + "answer": [ + "Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are having to pay up for EPA violations seen on their hit HGTV show. The couple's business, Magnolia Homes, has agreed to pay a $40,000 fine after the EPA determined 33 of its home renovations were \"conducted without adequate lead paint protections,\" reports Deadline, which notes the potential fine the company faced was as high as $556,000. The EPA notes Fixer Upper footage \"reviewed by EPA did not depict the lead-safe work practices normally required\" though \"Magnolia took immediate steps to ensure compliance\" when it was notified. Chip Gaines, who in March tweeted advice about engaging a professional to check for lead paint when buying or remodeling a home, will also star in a Magnolia-paid video on lead paint safety as part of the settlement, per Vulture. (The couple are expecting their fifth child.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nScientists have made a significant discovery in the Olorgesailie Basin in Kenya, where they found the oldest known Middle Stone Age tools, dating back to around 320,000 years ago. These tools are much smaller and more sophisticated than the earlier Acheulean tools, and they were made from obsidian, a volcanic glass that came from a distance of 25 to 50 kilometers away from the excavation sites. The discovery of these tools provides evidence of early human innovation and the development of trading networks among Homo sapiens or their close relatives.\n\nThe researchers believe that the dramatic shifts in the East African climate during the Middle Stone Age may have driven toolmaking advances and the development of trading networks among Homo sapiens or their close relatives. The new findings suggest that early humans responded to the changing landscape by foraging over larger areas with increasingly smaller tools. The discovery of obsidian at the site indicates that there was long-distance contact and trading among hominid populations near the root of humankind.\n\nThe researchers also found a substantial number of Middle Stone Age tools made from obsidian that came from even further away, up to 250 kilometers from the excavation sites. This suggests that early humans had a greater mobility and inventive thinking to acquire resources. The discovery of pigment lumps, including two pieces with grinding marks, provides evidence that early humans may have used pigment for social signaling or group identity.\n\nThe new findings challenge the previous belief that modern human behaviors, such as symbolism, innovation, and art, suddenly arose 40,000 to 50,000 years ago during the \"human revolution.\" The researchers argue that the roots of that kind of migration can be traced back to the Middle Stone Age at Olorgesailie, where early humans adapted to the changing environment by developing new technologies and expanding their social networks.\n\nOverall, the discovery of these Middle Stone Age tools provides valuable insights into the early human behavior and the development of trading networks among Homo sapiens or their close relatives. The findings challenge the previous beliefs about the \"human revolution\" and suggest that early humans were more innovative and adaptable than previously thought.", + "answer": [ + "For decades, the human story was one told through signs of modernity—art, tools, burials—found only after Homo sapiens left Africa. Recent discoveries pushing back the date of departure are helping to change that narrative, as are three new studies in Science. Together, they describe the earliest stone tools of their kind in East Africa as well as the earliest evidence for long-distance transport of raw materials in the region, per Science News. Researchers previously believed the Early Stone Age marked by large, primitive tools (hand axes and cleavers) made way for the Middle Stone Age and its smaller tools (spearpoints and blades) around 280,000 years ago. But stone tools found in Kenya's Olorgesailie Basin show hominin groups—it's not clear which species is responsible—had developed these more advanced tools approximately 320,000 years ago. \"We see a smaller technology, a more diverse series of stone tools … designed for specific purposes,\" researcher Rick Potts tells NPR. An expert not involved in the study says the tools are so \"prepared and retouched\" they suggest the Middle Stone Age likely started even earlier. What drove it? Microscopic and chemical analyses of the region's soil show the landscape was rapidly shifting between wet and dry conditions, meaning hominins might have been forced to adapt. But as the technology also coincides with the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa, it's possible that the human mind deserves credit. The tools themselves suggest the development of trading networks, too. Some were made of rocks carried from 55 miles away, says Potts. Others were made of obsidian from as far as 30 miles away, per the Conversation. (These stone tools are also making waves.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe New Vineyard Gazette, a weekly newspaper in Vermont, is looking for a new publisher after its current owner, Richard Reston, retired from investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The sale of the newspaper includes $2 million for the newspaper business and $1.5 million for the Gazette's real estate.\n\nThe California Supreme Court has refused to review lower-court rulings ordering SF Weekly to pay $21 million in damages for trying to drive the rival Bay Guardian out of business by selling ads below cost.\n\nAndrea Mitchell, a veteran journalist and commentator, has been awarded the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. The University of Pennsylvania is set to receive the $5,000 honorarium associated with the award.\n\nThe 2010 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition has named Afar Magazine, the Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle as the best travel publications in North America. The competition, which drew 1,161 entries, is overseen by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation and recognizes the most prestigious awards in the field.\n\nAfar Magazine, a new publication, and the venerable Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle have won top honors in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. The competition, which recognizes outstanding work in the field, drew 1,161 entries and was overseen by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.\n\nThe competition, which drew 1,161 entries, recognized individual winners in various categories, including Travel Journalist of the Year, which was awarded to actor-writer Andrew McCarthy. McCarthy's subjects were wide-ranging, from a wilderness trip that turned deadly to a search for the best soda bread recipe in Ireland.\n\nThe Washington Post's travel section won the Grand Award in the competition, while the San Francisco Chronicle won the award for Best Newspaper Supplement. Outside magazine won seven individual awards, while Islands magazine, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times won four awards each. The New York Times, Afar, and National Geographic Traveler won three awards each.\n\nBudgetTravel.com won the gold for the best online travel journalism site, while", + "answer": [ + "The year's top travel writer is a familiar face, but more so for acting than writing. Andrew McCarthy of Brat Pack fame (yes, Molly Ringwald's true love in Pretty in Pink) has won the 2010 Lowell Thomas award for Travel Journalist of the Year, notes Jim Romenesko's blog at PoynterOnline. McCarthy's freelance articles have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Bon Appetit, Afar, and the Atlantic, among others. (His piece on Ireland in the latter is here.) \"Word by word, paragraph-by-paragraph, entry-by-entry, McCarthy earns the gold the old-fashioned way—by treating readers to excellent writing and poignant stories,\" declared the judges." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump has defended Second Amendment rights in the aftermath of the shooting at an Oregon community college that left nine dead. He channeled 1970s action star Charles Bronson in his defense of gun rights, saying that he has a handgun carry permit in New York and that any attacker will be \"shocked\" if he tries to assault him. Trump criticized \"gun-free zones,\" saying that the Oregon shootings could have been limited if instructors or students had been armed. He also criticized President Barack Obama's comments in response to the shootings as \"divisive.\" Trump's positions on gun control have evolved significantly over the years. While he now touts the National Rifle Association line, he once backed the ban on assault weapons and longer waiting periods for gun purchases.\n\nTrump reminisced about Bronson's \"Death Wish\" and got people in the crowd to shout out the title of the 1974 film in unison. In the movie, an affluent, liberal architect embarks on a vigilante mission after his life is shattered by thugs who kill his wife and rape his daughter. \"Today you can't make that movie because it's not politically correct,\" Trump said.\n\nTrump went on to say he has a license to carry a gun in New York, and if someone attacks him, he will respond. He also criticized \"gun-free zones,\" saying that the Oregon shootings could have been limited if instructors or students had been armed. Trump argued that it doesn't make sense to limit access to firearms, saying, \"It's not the guns, it's the people, it's these sick people.\"\n\nTrump's comments on Saturday are his most extensive and emotionally charged about firearms since he launched his campaign in June. He spoke about his personal gun ownership and elicited his biggest applause of the afternoon in discussing gun rights. Trump also criticized President Barack Obama's comments in response to the shootings as \"divisive.\"\n\nThree days after a gunman killed nine people at an Oregon community college and then shot himself dead, the Republican presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, seemed to accept the inevit", + "answer": [ + "Mass shootings in America aren't a gun problem, they're a mental health problem, according to Donald Trump. He told a rally in Nashville on Saturday that \"it's not the guns, it's the people. It's these sick people,\" the AP reports. \"Many states and many cities are closing their mental health facilities and closing them down, and they're closing them because they don't have the funding. And we have to start looking much stronger into mental health,\" he said. On NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Trump explained that gun control wouldn't help because \"they can be sick as hell and they’re geniuses in a certain way. They are going to be able to break the system.” He also told NBC that to avoid copycat killings, the media should have followed the local sheriff's advice and refused to name the gunman after the mass shooting in Oregon. At the Nashville rally, Trump spoke against \"gun-free zones,\" saying people \"would have been a hell of a lot better off\" if there had been \"teachers with guns in that room\" during the Oregon shooting, and said that since he has a handgun carry permit in New York, anyone who attacks him is in for a surprise, CNN reports. He brought up Charles Bronson's Death Wish, got the audience to chant the name of the movie, and said: \"Today you can’t make that movie because it’s not politically correct,\" reports the Guardian. (Jeb Bush took a lot of heat for saying \"Stuff happens\" after the Oregon shooting.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nKanye West, the prolific entertainer, fashion icon, celebrity, and member of the Kardashian family, is in debt to the tune of $53 million. He recently tweeted about his financial struggles, and fans have come forward to help him out. Jeremy Piatt, a graphic designer, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Kanye, and within 48 hours, $50 had been pledged. Another GoFundMe campaign was also organized by Robert Kulik, but it appears to have been canceled. Kanye recently went on a bizarre Twitter rant, pleading with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Larry Page to invest $1 billion in his ideas. Some in Silicon Valley took note, and Kanye also released his latest album, \"The Life of Pablo,\" and debuted his latest clothing collection at Fashion Week in New York. However, the album was pulled down shortly after it appeared, and many fans reportedly paid $20 to download the album from Tidal but didn't receive it. On one of the tracks, Kanye boasts that he's responsible for pop star Taylor Swift's fame. Swift responded to Kanye's claims during her acceptance speech for best album at the Grammys, saying that if you focus on the work, you will achieve success and that someday, you will look around and know it was your own hard work and the people who love you that got you there.", + "answer": [ + "Kanye West is, apparently, $53 million in debt, but he should be able to pay that off in no time thanks to a GoFundMe campaign started by 36-year-old Minnesotan Jeremy Piatt, CNET reports. \"Recently, Kanye let us in on his personal struggle. He is 53 million dollars in debt and it doesn't look like he's going to get Mark Zuckerberg's help that he desperately needs,\" Piatt writes. \"We must open our hearts and wallets for Kanye today. Sure he is personally rich and can buy furs and houses for his family, but without our help, the true genius of Kanye West can't be realized.\" So far, after just a single day of fundraising, $603 has been raised for Kanye (along with a lot of comments like, \"How about you get a job?\"). Piatt tells Mashable that he's spoken to GoFundMe, and only Kanye or his team will be able to access any money raised. As for Zuckerberg—West specifically asked him, as well as Larry Page, to donate money to the Kanye cause when he went on his Twitter rant, and then went on to imply that he knows other tech giants who should help him. \"All you dudes in San Fran play rap music in your homes but never help the real artists…,\" he tweeted, followed by, \"All you guys had meetings with me and no one lifted a finger to help….\" The Guardian did a little investigation into how many \"tech guys\" Kanye actually knows, and found that he really does have something of an ongoing relationship with Facebook and Apple; has had meetings with investors in Silicon Valley and even had some of them at one of his parties; has had interactions with an Instagram co-founder, the Dropbox chief executive, a co-founder of Rap Genius, and Elon Musk; and is good friends with venture capitalist Ben Horowitz. (Here are some of the dumbest GoFundMe campaigns ever.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Chinese ship has picked up a signal in the southern Indian Ocean that is consistent with the frequency of the black box recorders of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The signal was detected twice, once on Friday and again on Saturday, and is being investigated by search teams. Up to 10 military planes, two civil aircraft, and 13 ships will assist in Sunday's search. The Australian naval ship Ocean Shield, which has highly sophisticated equipment, is pursuing an acoustic noise that it detected in a different area. The detections are being treated as an \"important and encouraging lead,\" but caution is being urged as the signals have not been verified as being related to Flight 370. The search is being conducted in three separate areas, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) plans to search an area of about 216,000 square kilometers (83,000 square miles). The search is being conducted in a race against time as the batteries on the data recorders are expected to fade after 30 days.", + "answer": [ + "Could it be? A Chinese ship searching for Flight 370 has picked up a ping in the southern Indian Ocean, reports CNN and the BBC. Both cite a report in China's Xinhua news agency. The pulse is 37.5 kHz, the frequency for the Malaysian plane's black-box data recorders, says the president of the beacon's manufacturer. All the reports caution that it could turn out to be yet another false hope, however. \"This could be a variety of things,\" says one oceanographer, noting that the frequency is used by lots of instruments. For the record, the Chinese ship detected the signal at 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, says the state-run Xinhua. \"It is yet to be established whether it is related to the missing jet,\" the report says. The development comes as dozens of ships and planes intensify their sweeps in the search zone, given the finite battery life of the data recorders." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPresident Donald Trump has been in the news recently for his use of social media, particularly Twitter. In one instance, he tweeted a GIF of himself body-slamming and punching a person signifying CNN, which his homeland security adviser defended as not being a threat. However, this tweet drew criticism from Ana Navarro, a CNN contributor, who said it was an incitement to violence.\n\nTrump's use of social media has been a topic of controversy since he entered the White House, with some Republicans expressing concerns about his tweets. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said Trump's tweets were \"beneath the dignity\" of the presidential office, while Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski tweeted, \"do you want to be remembered for your tweets or your accomplishments?\"\n\nDuring the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised to become \"so presidential\" at some point, but he didn't want to act presidential \"quite yet.\" He also asserted that his social media use is \"modern day presidential.\"\n\nIn another instance, Trump tweeted about the \"fake and fraudulent news media\" and accused them of trying to convince lawmakers that he should stop using Twitter. He also tweeted about \"Morning Joe\" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, which led to concerns about his Twitter habit.\n\nOverall, Trump's use of social media has been a topic of controversy and criticism, with some expressing concerns about the impact it could have on his presidency and the country as a whole.", + "answer": [ + "President Trump escalated his Twitter war with CNN on Sunday, and in the process sparked more concern that he is advocating the use of violence against members of the media, the Hill reports. The president tweeted a modified video of a 2007 WWE wrestling match he took part in, obscuring his opponent's head with the CNN logo, which he proceeds to beat with his fists. Trump tweeted the video with the hashtags \"#FraudNewsCNN\" and \"#FNN.\" A CNN spokesman called it \"a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters.\" But on ABC News, Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert suggested CNN and other critics were overreacting. \"No one would perceive that as a threat,\" he said, adding that Trump is \"beaten up in a way on cable platforms that he has a right to respond to.\" The new video comes just a few days after Trump posted two tweets in which he talked about MSNBC's Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski \"bleeding badly from a face-lift.\" Those tweets sparked condemnation from all over the political spectrum, with even Trump's fellow Republicans calling them unpresidential. On Saturday, however, Trump took to Twitter once again to address the backlash, writing, \"My use of social media is not Presidential – it's MODERN DAY presidential,\" Politico reports. At a press conference Thursday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump \"no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence,\" the Washington Post reports. \"In fact quite the contrary.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nApple has caused a stir among its customers with its latest product launch, the iPhone 7. The most significant change is the removal of the standard 3.5mm aux cable input, also known as the headphone jack. This decision has been met with criticism and mockery on social media, with many people calling it a step backward and a move driven by greed or stupidity. The removal of the headphone jack has also been compared to the demise of the CD drive and the 30-pin connector in previous Apple products.\n\nThe marketing chief, Phil Schiller, defended the decision by saying that it was a courageous move to do something better for all of us. However, this statement has been met with skepticism, as many people believe that there is no technological excuse for the removal of the headphone jack. They argue that wired headphones almost always sound better than wireless ones, and that the Lightning cable dongle that comes with the iPhone 7 is an expensive and unwieldy solution.\n\nThe removal of the headphone jack has also raised concerns about the future of other devices that plug into the phone's headphone jack, such as Square's credit card dongle and temperature sensors. It has been suggested that Apple is building a wall around its products, making them less accessible and more expensive for customers.\n\nIn conclusion, the removal of the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 has been a controversial move that has divided opinion among Apple customers. While some see it as a necessary step forward, others view it as a step backward that is driven by greed or stupidity. The future of other devices that plug into the headphone jack remains uncertain, and it remains to be seen how Apple will address these concerns in the future.", + "answer": [ + "Apple presented its new smartphone Wednesday, and nestled in with the iPhone 7's much-ballyhooed features was the disclosure that the company is getting rid of the phone's headphone jack—news that wasn't exactly met with universal acclaim, or much acclaim at all. Chris Taylor is one detractor of the headphone ditch, writing for Mashable that, in nearly 20 years of attending Apple product launches, he's \"never heard anything as ridiculous emanate from that stage as I did Wednesday.\" Apple marketing head Phil Schiller used the word \"courage\" to describe Apple's innovation, but that's not how Taylor sees it. \"Courage is marching across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma in 1965 [or] facing down a tank in Tiananmen Square,\" he writes. \"Courage, by definition, involves doing something that makes you afraid.\" Apparently Taylor doesn't think Apple was quivering in its workboots when it came up with this plan. He's got plenty of other words instead of \"courage\" in mind, including \"hubris,\" \"arrogance,\" \"greed,\" and his personal favorite, \"stupidity,\" which he attributes to Apple for taking \"one step forward, two steps back\" both technologically (\"wired almost always sounds better than wireless\") and logistically (no more plugging in other peripherals like credit card readers, for example). Meanwhile, although much of the other feedback online is similarly cranky about the headphone jack's demise, Quartz notes that Apple is actually late, not early, in making this move: A handful of Chinese smartphone brands have been fiddling around with the idea for years, and some have already sent these phones, sans jacks, to market." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nUnited Airlines has updated its boarding process to reduce congestion and potentially speed up passenger loading. The new process, which has been in the works for months, relies on fewer boarding lanes and will cut down on the number of boarding groups from five to two. Elite and other priority passengers in groups 1 and 2 will load through lane 1, while customers in groups 3, 4, and 5 will use lane 2. Chase co-branded credit card holders will board in group 2. The airline is also launching push notifications for those who have the airline's mobile app, which will be particularly useful if a flight is delayed or if the ground crew decides to load the aircraft early.\n\nThe new boarding process is the latest milestone in a long history of experimentation that United and other airlines have performed around the oft-complicated and congested boarding process. Several years ago, United started using five lanes to feed through passengers, but this method created a fair amount of idle, standing passengers and congestion near the gate, especially during delays. The new strategy launched this week helps alleviate that problem.\n\nIn addition to the new boarding process, United is also launching push notifications for those who have the airline's mobile app. Those who opt in will be given a push notification when boarding starts, a tool that will be particularly useful if a flight is delayed or if the ground crew decides to load the aircraft early.\n\nUnited Airlines has also announced a joint business agreement (JBA) with Copa Airlines and Avianca, which is expected to provide substantial benefits for customers, communities, and the marketplace for air travel between the United States and 19 countries in Central and South America. The carriers plan to integrate their complementary route networks into a collaborative revenue-sharing JBA, which is expected to offer customers many benefits, including integrated, seamless service in more than 12,000 city pairs, new nonstop routes, additional flights on existing routes, reduced travel times, and drive economic benefits for consumers and the communities they serve.\n\nThe JBA is expected to drive significant traffic growth at major gateway cities coast to coast, which is expected to help bring new investment and create more economic development opportunities. Further, the JBA is expected to provide customers", + "answer": [ + "The \"angst\" travelers feel at overcrowded gates may soon be eased at United Airlines terminals, an exec for the airline says. That's because United just began a new initiative designed to relieve that particular \"passenger pain point,\" as CNBC puts it, by changing up its departure protocol: The number of boarding lines has been cut from five to two, and overeager customers are now asked to stay out of the boarding area until their boarding group (one of six in total, including pre-boarders) is announced. \"It's too congested,\" a UA rep says of the current procedure, which often results in arriving fliers having to push their way through throngs of departing ones. Forbes notes customers can also opt in to receive push notifications via the mobile app, meaning they can hang out in nearby restaurants or shops until they receive an alert on their cellphones that it's time to board. Over the past year, United test-drove a variety of boarding options on about 12,000 flights, ending up with this system, which is similar to the way American, Delta, and Southwest queue up. United has been using the procedure at LAX since winter and will now implement it at all locations, per USA Today. It's also spreading passengers around more equitably within its six boarding groups, which includes pre-boarders (e.g., families with young kids, service members), first-class passengers and frequent fliers in groups 1 and 2, and then everyone else in groups 3, 4, and 5. \"The boarding process was one of the top areas customers told us they wanted improved,\" another UA rep says in a statement, noting customer and employee feedback guided the airline on the enhancements. (United had some \"unfortunate dog incidents\" earlier this year.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nHurricane Irene is a Category 3 storm with 115-mph winds that is currently advancing towards the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The storm has already caused damage in the Bahamas and is expected to make landfall along North Carolina's Outer Banks on Saturday. The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for the entire North Carolina coast to the Virginia border. Several states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Connecticut, have declared states of emergency. The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding to the affected areas, with projections showing Irene making landfall between Morehead City, N.C., and Cape Hatteras before pushing north. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has established emergency shelters inland and has set up depots for food, water, generators, baby formula, and other emergency supplies at Ft. Bragg, N.C., as well as at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts. The mandatory evacuation orders have affected up to 200,000 tourists and residents in North Carolina alone, with states to the north rushing to prepare their own evacuation plans. The storm is expected to cause severe road flooding and widespread electrical outages, especially in the Northeast, where the ground is saturated from recent rains. The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., has been postponed due to the storm.", + "answer": [ + "Frightened North Carolinians fleeing Irene are jamming highways as the East Coast steels for what could be the biggest hurricane in decades. At least seven states have now declared a state of emergency, and hundreds of flights are being canceled. Gas stations are running out of fuel and ATMs have been emptied of cash as Americans hit the road for a bumper-to-bumper trip out of Irene's angry path. The Category 3 storm is expected to hit the Southeast sometime tomorrow, and hundreds of thousands of residents have been ordered out of their homes in three North Carolina counties. Norfolk, Va., is also ordering residents to evacuate, and Washington, DC, has been forced to postpone Sunday's planned MLK Memorial dedication. \"This is a very, very serious situation,\" a spokeswoman for Dare County told ABC News. \"We have not seen anything like this in the lifetimes of most our residents. Once the storm hits, it will be very difficult to respond to distress calls.\" Irene is some 700 miles wide now and moving at a slow 12mph, which means it can wreak extensive damage in a region over a long period of time; it could cause up to $13.9 billion in damage on the East Coast. The storm is expected to barrel into New York City on Sunday, packing winds of up to 90mph. New Jersey communities are already being evacuated, and hundreds of street fairs have been canceled and elder care facilities and hospitals in low-lying area will be evacuated in New York today. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says residents in low-lying parts of the city should get out today as the transit system is planned to be shut down tomorrow." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nMiami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson was arrested on Friday, February 27, 2015, for soliciting a prostitute in Dania Beach, Florida. He was immediately fired from his position by the city manager, Cameron Benson. The arrest was part of an undercover operation by the Broward Sheriff's Office targeting solicitation of prostitution at a Dania Beach hotel. Johnson had called a number on an escort ad on backpage.com and arranged to pay $100 for 30 minutes with two prostitutes. When he arrived at the hotel room, he was let in and handed over the money, and was then arrested by the detectives posing as prostitutes. Johnson had two condoms in his pocket when he was arrested. The news of Johnson's arrest was met with shock and disbelief by the Miami Gardens community, who had high expectations for him as a new police chief. Johnson had previously served as the police chief in North Miami and had been appointed interim city manager in August 2011. He was well-liked and respected by the rank and file of the Miami Gardens Police Department. The arrest was another setback for the Miami Gardens Police Department, which has been rocked by allegations of racial profiling and harassment.", + "answer": [ + "A Florida police chief got arrested Friday for allegedly soliciting a prostitute and was promptly fired just 10 months into his tenure, NBC Miami reports. According to an arrest report, Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson called a number in a \"two-girl special\" prostitution ad and negotiated a $100 deal for two women for 30 minutes. Only problem: The woman he allegedly paid at a motel was really a sheriff's detective. \"The stress overwhelmed me, and I made a very bad decision,\" Johnson tells the Miami Herald in his apology. He was hired last May to repair community relations after former top cop Matthew Boyd resigned amid allegations of harassment and illegal tactics. \"It was one of the most painful things I've ever heard as a manager,\" says the city manager who fired Stephens, the Sun-Sentinel reports. \"It's like a punch in the stomach.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nDetroit’s water provider, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), is carrying out a plan to turn off the taps for tens of thousands of nonpaying customers across the city. The move has sparked civil disobedience from activists who are calling it a human rights violation. On Thursday, around 50 demonstrators held a protest outside the offices of Homrich, a company contracted by the DWSD to stop the flow to residences at least two months past due on their accounts. At least nine of the activists were arrested by Detroit police and charged with disorderly conduct when they temporarily blocked trucks from leaving the company’s parking lot. The activists say that in a city with a poverty rate of 44 percent and where water bills are higher than in much of the country, Detroit should work out a solution with poor residents instead of leaving them dry. Critics say that the DWSD has been unnecessarily aggressive in pursuing delinquent accounts since it began ramping up shutoffs in April. The water department says it needs to shut off the water to recoup some $175 million in outstanding bills. However, the department has also been accused of ignoring the debts of large entities while going after people who owe as little as $150 on their accounts. The pressure seems to be partially working as the DWSD announced a $1 million fund for residents struggling to pay. But even with the $1 million, activists say many others are likely to lose access to water over the summer. If the shutoffs continue, they say, DWSD can expect larger protests.", + "answer": [ + "At least eight people were arrested yesterday in Detroit for protesting water shutoffs in a city where almost 40% of residents live below the poverty line. Dozens picketed in front of a facility affiliated with the city's Water and Sewerage Department to try to stop what activists call a “human rights violation,” reports Al Jazeera America. Police tell MLive that the individuals charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct range in age from 58 to 70 and include members of the clergy. (Watch video of the protest and arrests here.) The Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann, one of the arrested protesters, tells the Detroit Free Press that police tried to \"move us forcibly, and we sat down. … We [were] here to appeal to the workers to stop shutting off the water.\" The coordinator of a local activist group says \"police officers should be arresting rapists and murderers instead of arresting peaceful people.\" A Detroit Police rep counters that protesters still have to follow rules: \"You cannot impede pedestrian or vehicle traffic.\" The Free Press counts 7,210 shutoffs in June, up from 7,556 in April and May combined, as part of what Al Jazeera reports is an effort to recover $175 million in unpaid bills. As of March, nearly half of the city's 323,900 DWSD accounts were delinquent; activists have asked the UN to intervene." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA longtime Canadian resident and former member of the Ukrainian battalion of the Waffen SS, Vladimir Katriuk, has died at the age of 93. Katriuk was at the center of allegations that he participated in a village massacre in 1943 in what is now known as Belarus. The Russian Embassy in Ottawa criticized the Canadian government for allowing Katriuk to retain his citizenship while he was living in Canada peacefully. The Federal Court ruled in 1999 that Katriuk lied about his voluntary service for German authorities during the war in order to obtain Canadian citizenship. However, in 2007, the Canadian government overturned an earlier decision to revoke Katriuk's citizenship due to a lack of evidence.\n\nKatriuk's death comes as Russia is preparing a criminal case against him in an effort to embarrass Canada. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation called on Canada to deliver Katriuk to Moscow so he can be tried for alleged war crimes. The Harper government responded by ignoring the request and saying it will never recognize Moscow's annexation of Crimea and its interference in Ukraine.\n\nJewish groups have long urged the deportation of Katriuk, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs recently called on Ottawa to take action on the Nazi collaborator. However, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has urged Ottawa to ignore Russia's demands, stating that Canada's cabinet refused to strip Katriuk of his Canadian citizenship for the same reasons in 1999.", + "answer": [ + "There were two men at the top of this year's Simon Wiesenthal Center most-wanted Nazi war criminal list—and there is now no chance either one will face a court. No. 2 on the list, Ukrainian-born Vladimir Katriuk, has died in Quebec at the age of 93, the Toronto Star reports. Katriuk, who moved to Canada in 1951 and worked as a beekeeper for more than 50 years, was accused of being a \"particularly active participant\" in a massacre in what is now Belarus in 1943, when he was a member of an SS battalion that allegedly carried out many atrocities, the Guardian reports. Russia charged Katriuk with genocide last month, but Canadian authorities refused a request to send him to Moscow, citing Russia's actions in Ukraine, reports the Globe and Mail. Katriuk had long been under suspicion, but the wheels of justice did not move quickly: In 1999, Canadian authorities concluded he had entered the country under false pretenses, but in 2007 a decision to cancel his citizenship was overturned due to lack of evidence, the Star reports. The man at the top of the most-wanted list is also 93 years old. Gerhard Sommer is still alive in a Hamburg-area nursing home, but German prosecutors say they've dropped their investigation because he suffers from dementia and isn't fit to stand trial, the AP reports. In 2005, he was one of 10 former SS officers an Italian court found guilty of taking part in a massacre of 560 civilians in 1944, but German law didn't permit his extradition." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai has been awarded an equity award worth nearly $200 million, making him one of the world’s highest-paid executives. The award was granted by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, and vests in quarterly increments over the next four years as long as Pichai is employed by Alphabet. The grant lifts the value of Pichai’s equity stake in Alphabet to more than $600 million.\n\nPichai’s award is one of the largest by a U.S. company. In 2011, Apple Inc. awarded Tim Cook a grant valued at about $376 million when he was named chief executive, succeeding co-founder Steve Jobs.\n\nPichai’s award is worth more than the £130m ($187m) Google has grudgingly agreed to pay the UK government in back taxes since 2005. Critics of the controversial tax deal have calculated that Google generated sales of £24bn ($34.6bn) in the UK between 2005 and 2014 on which it has reported profit margins of between 25% and 30%, which works out an estimated profit of about £7.2bn ($10.4bn). As it already agreed to pay about £70m ($101m) in addition to the £130m ($187m) settlement, Google’s effective tax rate is between 2% and 3%, compared to the UK’s 20% headline corporation tax rate.\n\nPichai celebrated his award, which will vest in quarterly increments until 2019, by watching the Super Bowl and meeting NFL legend Ronnie Lott. Pichai, 43, was not the only Google executive given a big payday. Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s chief financial officer, was handed shares worth about $38m. That is on top of the $30m signing bonus she was given to lure her away from Morgan Stanley last year. Diane Greene, who has been head of Google’s cloud computing business since November, was awarded shares worth $42.8m. This was on top of $148m worth she was granted", + "answer": [ + "Google's parent company appears to be satisfied with how Sundar Pichai has performed during his four months as Google CEO, judging by the gargantuan $199 million equity award revealed in a securities filing. Alphabet stated that Pichai was awarded 273,328 Class C Google stock units on Feb. 3, bringing his holdings to around $650 million, reports the Wall Street Journal. The award makes Pichai the highest-paid CEO in America, according to the Guardian, which notes that Pichai's fortune is dwarfed by those of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are worth around $34 billion each, and by that of previous CEO Eric Schmidt, who's sitting on around $3 billion. (A former Google employee was awarded exactly $6,006.13.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 7-year-old boy named Josh Hardy is fighting for his life at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer at 9 months old and has undergone multiple treatments and surgeries over the years. In February 2014, he underwent a bone marrow transplant, but soon developed an adenovirus that spread throughout his body. His condition has become critical, and he is in heart and kidney failure. His family has been pleading with the drug company, Chimerix, to provide him with the drug brincidofovir, which they believe could save his life.\n\nChimerix initially denied the family's request for the drug, citing the need to prioritize efforts to get the drug on the market. However, after days of pleading and public pressure, Chimerix announced on Tuesday that they would provide the drug to Josh as part of a clinical trial. The trial is set to begin on Wednesday, and Josh will be the first patient to receive the drug.\n\nThe FDA has approved 974 compassionate use arrangements in fiscal year 2013, but pharmaceutical companies often say no to such requests. Chimerix had received more than 80 requests for compassionate use of brincidofovir from patients like Josh over the past two years. The company worked with the FDA to expedite additional trials, and the FDA has committed to work expeditiously with Chimerix on the design of a pivotal Phase 3 study that would be a continuation of this pilot study.\n\nJosh's story has attracted national attention, and his family has appeared on national television to plead their case to Chimerix. The company has also received death threats due to the public campaign to get the drug for Josh. Local organizations have also joined to support the Hardy family, including Foode, Old Towne Butcher, and The Fairy Godmother Project.", + "answer": [ + "After a social media campaign—and an avalanche of bad publicity—a drug company has done a U-turn and agreed to give a dying 7-year-old boy an experimental drug that could save his life. The FDA allows \"compassionate use\"of unapproved drugs in such cases, but the Chimerix pharmaceutical company had insisted that giving the drug to Josh Hardy, who developed a bone marrow disorder after cancer treatment, would delay efforts to get it to market, CNN reports. Chimerix president Kenneth Moch says Josh will be the first patient in a pilot trial for the drug. \"Being unable to fulfill requests for compassionate use is excruciating, and not a decision any one of us ever wants to have to make,\" says Moch, who tells the Fredericksburg Lance-Star that he and his employees have received death threats amid a flood of pleas to help the Virginia boy. Josh is expected to receive the drug within 48 hours, though his mother fears he is running out of time. \"Even though he is frail, he has a very strong will about him,\" she tells Fox News. \"But things just keep stacking against him, and we just want to do everything we can to give him the opportunity to make a full recovery.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nActor Tom Sizemore, known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, has been accused of sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl on the set of a movie in 2003. The incident occurred during a photo shoot for the film Born Killers, where Sizemore was allegedly told to leave the set after the girl's parents reported the incident to the production team. Despite the allegations, Sizemore was later allowed to return for reshoots in Malibu. The young actress, now 26, has recently hired a lawyer to explore legal action against Sizemore as well as her parents. The incident has previously gone unreported but has come to light in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal. Sizemore's agent has declined to comment on the matter.", + "answer": [ + "The latest disturbing Hollywood sexual misconduct allegation involves Tom Sizemore, an actor who has already faced drug and domestic violence charges. Multiple cast and crew members tell the Hollywood Reporter that Sizemore, best known for roles in war films including Black Hawk Down, was kicked off a Utah movie set in 2003 for allegedly touching an 11-year-old girl's genitals. They say the day after a Born Killers scene in which the girl sat on Sizemore's lap, she told her parents that he had touched her inappropriately, possibly putting his finger inside her. \"At one point her eyes got just huge, like she could've vomited. I was watching her,\" co-star Robyn Adamson says. \"Later, when I was told about what happened, I knew exactly what it was.\" \"There was never any doubt. He was this guy who was already known for making inappropriate comments, being drunk, being high,\" says production assistant Roi Maufas. \"Then this happens. Guys reached for hammers,\" he says. Producers say Sizemore, who was ordered to leave the set, denied the allegations. Crew members say the girl's parents spoke to police, but ended up not pressing charges, possibly out of fear of ruining her film career. She is now 26 and says she is considering legal action against both Sizemore and her parents. Sizemore, 55, was dropped by his management firm soon after the incident. Former manager Charles Lago tells USA Today that he is \"not surprised\" by the allegations. \"He's the most abhorrent person I've ever met in my life,\" Lago says." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn 1981, Linda Hooper, a veteran elementary teacher, was assigned to teach Cruz Riojas, a student with a reputation for frequent and violent outbursts. Despite her initial dislike for him, Hooper decided to help him and eventually became his mother. The story of their relationship has been told for the first time in almost 35 years.\n\nCruz's home life was difficult, and he lived in constant fear of his stepfather's abuse. He would run to Hooper's home whenever he had a fight with his stepfather. Eventually, his mother packed everything he owned in a cardboard box and took him to hide at a nearby truck stop. Hooper's husband, Gale, allowed Cruz to stay with them, and the two formed a bond of mutual respect.\n\nHooper helped Cruz with odd jobs and eventually hired him to do more significant work around their properties. She also helped him with his schoolwork, and he began to perform better in school. Eventually, he moved out of the special education program and graduated with his peers.\n\nIn 1996, Alexa Internet started donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive, and the data is added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. The story of Hooper and Cruz has been told in various news articles, including one from 2014 that highlights the teacher's determination to help her student.", + "answer": [ + "Cruz Riojas came from a troubled home: He was reportedly beaten by his stepfather, lived in a decrepit one-room lean-to with six other family members, and wore the same clothes to school every day, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He also caused trouble in school and was known as a “holy terror,” says Linda Hooper, a teacher who first encountered Cruz in the early ‘80s, when he was 12 years old. But then an amazing thing happened: He started spending more time with Hooper, who would give him tasks to do around the classroom. He eventually began coming for visits at her home, where she lived with her husband and four daughters, often running the nearly eight miles between their two houses to get away from his stepfather. After an incident with his stepfather in 1983, Cruz’s mother asked if he could stay with the Hoopers for a few days till everything blew over. \"He never left\" after that, Hooper says. \"I had him from then on.\" He became a part of the Hooper family, taking on a paper route to make money and doing better in school, placing out of special education classes by the time he graduated. More than a decade later, he was still part of the Hooper family—but he wanted to make it official by asking the Hoopers to adopt him right before his 30th birthday. “He said he wanted to honor us, and it was a big honor,\" Hooper tells Today. \"I’ve always known he loved me, but this really showed he loved us.” The adoption went through in 1998, but Cruz \"was my son from the day I kept him,” Hooper says. The family is just now telling their story for the first time. (Click for the full article, or read the story of a police officer who found a baby alive at a murder scene—and adopted her 30 years later.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nDonald Trump has launched a new tirade against the media, calling it “disgusting” and blaming it for his drop in polls. In a series of tweets Sunday, he targeted The New York Times, which published an article Saturday about the GOP nominee’s allegedly failing campaign, but quickly expanded as an indictment of the media in general. He accused the media of protecting Hillary Clinton and of putting false meaning into his words. Trump also tweeted that if the media covered him honestly, he would be beating Clinton by 20%.\n\nTrump’s relationship with the news media has been shaky, at times denying reporters credentials to cover his rallies. He has also suggested he would take away their credentials if they don’t cover him properly.\n\nMeanwhile, Trump is also facing scrutiny over his campaign manager Paul Manafort’s ties to a large network that Ukrainian government investigators say was used to loot assets and influence elections. The New York Times investigation into Manafort’s time consulting for Ukraine’s pro-Russia political party has revealed that he has ties to this network.\n\nIn other news, Trump is expected to lay out his foreign policy vision in a speech Monday, where he will argue that the country needs to work with anyone that shares the mission of destroying the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations, regardless of other disagreements. He is also expected to propose a new immigration policy under which the U.S. would stop issuing visas in cases where adequate screenings can’t be performed, and create a new, ideological test for admission to the country that would assess a candidate's stances on issues like religious freedom.\n\nFinally, Vice President Joe Biden will declare Trump the most uninformed presidential nominee in history when he campaigns with Hillary Clinton on Monday. Biden will argue that Trump is less prepared on national security than any previous nominee and that his erratic rhetoric and “bluster” will make Pennsylvanians and all Americans less safe.", + "answer": [ + "Donald Trump's campaign chief may have closer—and more illegal—ties to pro-Russia interests in Ukraine than he has let on, according to a New York Times report on secret ledgers that anti-corruption investigators have uncovered in Kiev. Investigators say the ledgers list $12.7 million in payments to Paul Manafort from the pro-Russia Party of Regions between 2007 and 2012, when he worked as a consultant for the party. It isn't clear whether Manafort actually received the cash, which investigators say is linked to a network that also bribed election officials. Manafort's lawyer says his client never received the payments and any suspicions are \"probably heavily politically tinged.\" In other coverage: The Hill reports that there doesn't appear to be any love lost between Manafort and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski: Lewandowski, who was fired after clashing with Manafort, tweeted a link to the NYT Ukraine story minutes after it first appeared. The AP reports that Trump plans to deliver a major foreign policy speech in Ohio Monday that will focus on \"realism,\" with policies including destroying ISIS without engaging in \"nation-building\"—and on new ideological tests for people seeking to enter the US. Politico reports that Trump targeted the media in a series of tweets Sunday, claiming that he would be beating Hillary Clinton by 20% if the \"disgusting\" media covered him honestly. \"I am not only fighting Crooked Hillary, I am fighting the dishonest and corrupt media and her government protection process,\" he tweeted. \"It is not 'freedom of the press' when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!\" he added. The Wall Street Journal editorial board warned Sunday that Trump's \"window for a turnaround\" is closing and his GOP supporters now face a \"moment of truth\" before he is written off as a lost cause. \"The tragedy is that this is happening in a year when Republicans should win,\" they write." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA nine-year-old boy, Kieran, was born without ears and had a pair created from his own ribs at Great Ormond Street hospital. The surgery took six hours and was performed by consultant plastic surgeon Neil Bulstrode. Kieran was born with bilateral microtia, a congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped, affecting one in 100,000 babies. The surgery was primarily cosmetic, but it brought huge psychological benefits to Kieran. He can already hear, thanks to previous surgery to implant a hearing aid. Kieran's parents helped him take a photograph of his newly crafted ear, or a \"side selfie\". Kieran struggled at his first school because he looked different to the other children. He has since moved to a school with a deafness unit in every year group. The hospital spokeswoman said that researchers were working with the University College London Institute for Child Health to try to perform ear reconstructions for children like Kieran by growing new ear frameworks and other skeletal structures from a child's own stem cells. They hope to be able to use stem cells from a child's own fat to create a new ear. The approach would be far less invasive than the current treatment.", + "answer": [ + "An operation in London has given 9-year-old Kieran Sorkin a pair of ears—made from his ribs, no less. Born deaf with no ears, Kieran was able to hear because of an implanted hearing aid, but he still wanted ears. \"I want people to stop asking me questions,\" he told the BBC. \"I'd like just to look like my friends. I'd also like to be able to wear sunglasses and earphones.\" So surgeons traced an outline of Kieran's mom's ears, removed cartilage from the boy's ribs, and sliced, contoured, and sewed the cartilage. Then they put it in two skin pockets and vacuumed them into the shape of ears. They don't perform any function, but Kieran's plastic surgeon says they can deliver a huge confidence boost: \"If you can change the confidence of a patient at this young age, you can change their whole trajectory in life,\" he said. The ears should last, too, because they're made of cartilage rather than prosthetics, the Guardian reports. Every year about 100 British newborns lack one or both ears (it's called microtia), and the hospital Kieran went to performs the operation about 40 times a year. Scientists hope to one day make ears from the fat tissue of patients, instead of ribs. Kieran might have liked that, since he got so excited on seeing his new ears that he cried \"Wow!\" and giggled—which made his ribs hurt from the operation. (Click to read about a man who needed surgery to remove a tooth growing in his nose.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPresident-elect Donald Trump has accused President Barack Obama of putting \"roadblocks\" in his way during the transition of power, despite Obama's repeated efforts to ensure a smooth transition. Trump took to Twitter to express his frustration, writing, \"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!\" Trump also criticized Obama's administration's refusal to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.\n\nTrump's tweets came after Obama claimed in an interview that he would have won the 2016 election if he had run against Trump's message of hope. In response, Trump said, \"Nobody's ever going to know because we're never going to be going against each other in that way.\"\n\nThe transition of power has been generally smooth, with Obama and his administration being generous with their time during the transition process and helpful with \"mechanical\" issues. However, there have been some roadblocks, such as the Energy Department's refusal to comply with a request from the Trump transition team to provide names of employees who worked on the Obama administration's climate policy efforts.\n\nOverall, the news indicates that the transition of power is not without its challenges, but that both Obama and Trump have expressed a desire for a peaceful and smooth transition.", + "answer": [ + "It looks like the honeymoon is over between Trump and Obama. \"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition—NOT!\" Trump tweeted Wednesday. The Los Angeles Times notes Trump's use of \"1990s-style sarcasm.\" Trump had previously commended Obama on his commitment to a smooth transition of power, but a number of things have changed since then, the Washington Post reports. Many saw comments made by Obama during Tuesday's Pearl Harbor anniversary as directed at Trump. The president urged the US not to \"turn inward\" and to \"resist the urge to demonize those who are different.\" Trump is also upset with the Obama administration for allowing the UN to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, as well as with Obama personally for saying in an interview he could have beaten Trump and won a third term. In addition, the White House is defending the Department of Energy for not complying with a request from Trump's transition team for the names of employees involved in climate policy, ABC News reports. Transition team spokesperson Sean Spicer at first said Trump's tweets \"speak for themselves, very clearly,\" but later complimented members of the Obama administration for being \"helpful and generous with their time.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA Chinese man named Guan Quanzhi has won more than $80,000 in compensation after being attacked by a wild panda in his village in Gansu province. The incident occurred when local officials were trying to capture the panda, which wandered into the village. The panda bit Guan's leg, and he required seven hours of surgery to treat the injuries. Guan's son sued local forestry officials and the nearby Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, which is home to more than 100 wild pandas. Following negotiations, officials agreed to pay compensation of 520,000 yuan ($83,000), which will cover Guan's medical bills. The giant panda's natural habitat mostly lies in mountainous southwestern China, and they have a notoriously low reproductive rate. The number of wild giant pandas rose nearly 17 percent over the decade to 2013 to reach 1,864, state media cited an official survey data as saying this month, with a government agency crediting conservation measures for the increase. Pandas are a major generator of tourist revenue in several parts of China and for Beijing, which capitalises on the global fascination with the animals by renting them to foreign zoos. However, they have been known to attack humans, including in 2008 when a panda mauled a 20-year-old man who climbed into its enclosure at a zoo in southern China. The nature conservation organisation WWF says on its website that although pandas may look cuddly, they can protect themselves as well as most other bears, using their heavy weight, strong jaw muscles, and large molar teeth.", + "answer": [ + "Pandas may prefer their meals in the form of bamboo, but that doesn't mean their bite is toothless. A man in China recently received a harsh reminder of that after a wild panda bit his leg after authorities pursued the critter onto his lawn, reports AFP via Yahoo. The creature had made its way into a northwestern village, which is near a sanctuary that's home to about 100 wild pandas. \"I saw a panda jump out in front of me, its body completely covered in mud,\" the man told local news. A struggle ensued, in which the bear wouldn't release the man's leg until a rescuer wrapped a coat around the animal's head. Finally, it fled—but not before causing injuries which, China Daily reports, led to eight surgeries over the past year and may lead to amputation. The man sued three government departments and won an $83,000 payout that will cover his medical costs, his lawyer says. (China Daily has a pretty gruesome photo of the injury.) \"As cuddly as they may look, a panda can protect itself as well as most other bears,\" the World Wildlife Fund notes, per AFP. Indeed, panda attacks have led to some nasty consequences in the past." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 9-year-old girl, Carlie Trent, was abducted by her uncle, Gary Simpson, on May 4th, 2016. Simpson took Carlie from her school in Rogersville, TN, under false pretenses. An Amber Alert was issued in Tennessee, and a $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the return of Carlie and the capture of Simpson. Two Knoxville banking executives, Matt Daniels and Tim Williams, have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Carlie's return. The U.S. Marshals Service is also offering a $5,000 reward. An East and Middle Tennessee Amber Alert remains in effect. Authorities believe that Simpson took Carlie to a remote area or campground and that he has premeditated the abduction. Simpson was last seen driving a white 2002 Dodge Conversion Van with Tennessee registration number 173GPS. The mother of Carlie, Shannon Trent, has expressed her concern for her daughter's safety and has urged Simpson to come forward. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is sifting through over 1,200 leads and law enforcement in 19 states are also working on possible sightings.", + "answer": [ + "Authorities are combing through more than 1,200 leads in a desperate search for a 9-year-old girl they say was abducted by her uncle May 4, WATE reports. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, 57-year-old Gary Simpson picked Carlie Trent up from her Tennessee school, telling staff her father had been in an accident. Shortly before, he purchased a child's nightgown, bikini, girls' underwear, lipstick, and nail polish at an area Walmart. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has pictures of those items. Carlie's mother Shannon Trent tells People she felt \"sick to my stomach\" when she heard about those purchases. \"I don't know what he's done to her,\" she says. \"I don't think he would hurt her, but if he's capable of kidnapping a child he's capable of anything.\" Authorities believe Carlie is in \"imminent danger.\" Simpson also purchased camping supplies and nonperishable groceries, and authorities think he may be hiding with Carlie in an isolated area. The TBI says there have been rumors online that Simpson is trying to protect Carlie, but it says that couldn't be further from the truth. \"This was not an innocent camping trip, this was a crime,\" a spokesperson tells WATE. Simpson, Carlie's uncle by marriage, and his wife once had custody of Carlie, but her father James Trent had custody at the time of her abduction. Shannon Trent, who hasn't had custody of Carlie in two years, says she \"always had a bad feeling\" about Simpson. \"I should have stuck with my gut,\" she tells People. (This boy's summer with his dad turned into his kidnapping.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nCBS News has made a significant change to its morning show, \"The Early Show,\" by completely overhauling the co-host team. Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez, who had been with the show since its inception in 1999, have been replaced by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, who currently anchor the Saturday edition of the show. The new team will start on January 3rd, and the network is also adding Jeff Glor as the regular news reader and Marysol Castro as the weather forecaster. Dave Price, the current weather forecaster, will be leaving the show.\n\nThe decision to make these changes was made by the show's executive producer, David Friedman, who believes that the new team has the right energy and chemistry to lift the show out of third place in the network morning news ratings. Although there had been little inkling that alterations were afoot, the show had changed its executive producer within the past year.\n\nCBS News President Sean McManus said that he won't be expecting any immediate ratings changes, but he believes that the new team will help the show grow. He also stated that the new team will work very well together and that the chemistry will be very good. Smith, who had the longest tenure on \"The Early Show,\" will stay at the network as a news reporter and primary substitute at the \"CBS Evening News,\" \"Face the Nation\" and \"Sunday Morning.\"\n\nThe suddenness of the changes has surprised many, and some have speculated that it may be a result of desperation. However, others have praised the decision, stating that it is a necessary move to shake things up and improve the show's ratings.\n\nIn conclusion, CBS News has made a significant change to its morning show, \"The Early Show,\" by completely overhauling the co-host team. The new team, led by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, will start on January 3rd, and the network is hopeful that the changes will help the show grow and improve its ratings.", + "answer": [ + "CBS is scrapping its Early Show team, replacing co-hosts Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez with the anchors of the show's Saturday edition, Chris Wragge and Erica Hill. Other more minor players also are leaving in the switch, which takes place early next year, the LA Times reports. The show has been consistently stuck in third place, well behind Today and Good Morning America. Smith, who survived the last major overhaul of the show in 2002, will stick with the network as Katie Couric's main backup on the CBS Evening News, notes AP. Click here for more." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nGeorge Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States, passed away on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94. He was the last American president to have served in World War II and led the U.S. to a swift and decisive victory in the first Persian Gulf War. Bush also presided over the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union and unification of Germany. However, his presidency was marked by a painful recession that cost him a second term in office.\n\nBush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, and grew up in a political family. He joined the Navy at the age of 18 and flew 58 missions in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he married his girlfriend Barbara Pierce and finished his education at Yale. He then moved to Midland, Texas, where he became a businessman in the oil-field supply, exploration, and production businesses.\n\nBush's political career began in 1966 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He later served as the chairman of the Harris County Republican Party and was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations by President Richard Nixon. Bush also served as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, the envoy to China, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.\n\nIn 1980, Bush ran for the Republican nomination for president but lost to Ronald Reagan. However, he was selected as Reagan's running mate and served as Vice President from 1981 to 1989. During this time, Bush played an important role in the aftermath of the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan and helped to ease the crisis atmosphere.\n\nIn 1988, Bush ran for president and won the Republican nomination. He defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis in the general election and became the 41st President of the United States. Bush's presidency was marked by a number of significant events, including the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.\n\nHowever, Bush's presidency was also marred by a number of controvers", + "answer": [ + "With George HW Bush dead at 94, coverage of the life of the 41st president is plentiful. Here are some early highlights: The broad strokes: For a thorough obituary and assessment, start with the Washington Post. Its story notes that while Bush served just one term as president, it was a consequential one. \"The Berlin Wall fell; the Soviet Union ceased to exist; the communist bloc in Eastern Europe broke up; the Cold War ended.\" And Bush's \"firm, restrained diplomatic sense helped assure the harmony and peace with which these world-shaking events played out, one after the other.\" Great detail: In its obituary, the Wall Street Journal notes that Bush flew 58 missions in the Pacific as a Navy pilot in WWII, all with the name of his girlfriend—Barbara—on the side of the plane. He once got shot down, with this video capturing the rescue. Bush is also the only American besides John Adams to be both president and the father of a president. Read his lips: The Guardian recounts some of his Bush's famous quotes, including his \"read my lips\" pledge to not raise taxes. He also dissed broccoli." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nO.J. Simpson is set to appear before a Nevada judge on Thursday to make his case for parole. If granted, he could be released from prison as soon as October 1st. This is the second parole hearing for Simpson, who has been incarcerated since December 2008.\n\nSimpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995, but found guilty in a civil trial in 1997 and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the Brown and Goldman families. He is now serving a nine to 33-year sentence for the 2007 armed robbery of sports memorabilia collector Bruce Fromong.\n\nSimpson's net worth was estimated at $10.8 million when he and Nicole Brown Simpson divorced in 1992, but he has little money left from his days as a high-earning football star. He has been a model inmate during his five years at Lovelock Correctional Center, where he has been serving his sentence.\n\nSimpson's football career is legendary, earning him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also had a successful acting career, appearing in nearly three dozen films and television shows from 1968 to 2008.\n\nThe hearing is expected to be highly publicized, with media interest in the case far greater than his first parole hearing in 2013. The Parole Board will deliberate in private after the 10 a.m. testimony and then take a public vote. If the vote is unanimous in favor of parole, Simpson will be released this fall.\n\nThe hearing will consider confidential information, including a pre-sentence investigation, a parole hearing report, a risk assessment and letters of support or opposition. Simpson is expected to address the board and give a statement.\n\nThe case has generated significant interest and controversy, with many people having strong opinions about Simpson's guilt or innocence. The hearing will be an opportunity for Simpson to potentially gain his freedom after more than eight years in prison.", + "answer": [ + "OJ Simpson's parole hearing in Nevada will be broadcast live at 1pm EDT Thursday and there's a strong chance that his path to freedom will be clear by the end of the afternoon. Nobody has registered to testify against the 70-year-old Simpson, who has been in prison for nine years on 12 convictions related to a Las Vegas robbery and will appear before the Nevada Parole Board via videolink, NPR reports. Thursday's hearing will cover four concurrent sentences for use of a deadly weapon and two consecutive sentences for assault with a deadly weapon, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Four board members will vote after the hearing and Simpson could be free by Oct. 1 if they are all in favor of parole. If Simpson is indeed released this fall—which appears almost certainly to be the decision—it will \"renew the rabid curiosity\" in the case and \"produce a spectacle unlike anything we’ve seen since he went behind bars,\" Nancy Armour at USA Today predicts. There has even been talk that Simpson might end up with a reality TV show, but Armour wants Simpson to avoid the spotlight unless he wants to return to the \"toxic mentality that landed him in prison in the first place.\" If the former NFL star does end up with a TV show, the money is likely to go to the families of murder victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, CBS News reports. He will still receive an NFL pension estimated at $25,000 per month." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nJamaican lawmakers have passed an act to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and establish a licensing agency to regulate a lawful medical cannabis industry on the island. The new law makes possession of up to 2oz (56.6g) of marijuana a petty offense that would not result in a criminal record. Cultivation of five or fewer plants on any premises would be permitted in Jamaica, where the drug has long been culturally entrenched but illegal. The law paves the way for a licensing authority to be set up to deal with regulations on cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical, scientific and therapeutic purposes. Rastafarians can also legally use marijuana for religious purposes for the first time on the island where the spiritual movement was founded in the 1930s. Tourists prescribed medical marijuana abroad will be able to apply for permits at a cost authorizing them to legally buy small amounts of “ganja”, as it is known locally. The Jamaican government does not plan to soften its stance on transnational drug trafficking or cultivation of illegal plots. The new legislation adds to an international trend of easing restrictions on marijuana for medical or personal use. More than 20 US states allow some form of medical marijuana and last year Colorado and Washington legalized personal use. In the Americas, Uruguay last year became the first nation to create a legal marijuana market. In Argentina, personal possession was decriminalized under a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that jail time for small amounts of drugs violates the country's constitution. A law in Chile permits use of medical marijuana.", + "answer": [ + "Alaska yesterday became the third state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and now a country where you would have thought that was the case already is moving closer to that goal itself. Jamaica's parliament last night approved a law decriminalizing small amounts of pot, the AP reports. People found with 2 ounces or less of marijuana will now simply receive a ticket—not a crime on their record—and cultivation of five plants or fewer is now allowed. A licensing agency was also established to oversee pot cultivation and distribution for medical and scientific efforts. Rastafarians are rejoicing, because the bill also grants them the legal right to use cannabis for sacramental purposes, while tourists who have medical marijuana prescriptions elsewhere can pay for permits to buy a bit of ganja on the island. Jamaica has shied away from decriminalization because it didn't want to risk violating international treaties and provoking US sanctions, the Guardian reports. The process for the new law was described by National Security Minister Peter Bunting as an \"elephantine,\" nearly 40-year effort, ABC Australia reports. \"[The law] eliminates an unnecessary source of friction between police and citizens, and ensures that our young people are not gratuitously shackled with criminal records,\" he said in a statement. Jamaica also hopes to boost its health tourism and medical marijuana industries and make it a major player in the pot product market, the Guardian notes. International exporting, however, remains a no-no. A US counternarcotics official told the AP in an email that \"Jamaican law is of course Jamaica's own business,\" but warned that drug trafficking into the US is still illegal." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAirAsia Flight 8501, an Airbus A320-200, crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014, with 162 people on board. The plane was flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore, but it did not have permission to fly on the day it crashed. The Indonesian authorities have suspended Indonesia AirAsia's Surabaya to Singapore flights and are investigating the carrier's other schedules. The search for the wreckage of the plane has been ongoing, and on Saturday, January 3, 2015, the head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency announced that four large parts of the plane had been found on the sea bed. The largest of these parts was around 18 meters long. The discovery of the wreckage, especially if it is largely intact, would greatly benefit the investigation. The cause of the crash remains unexplained, but bad weather appears to have been a factor. The plane's black boxes, the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, have yet to be located.", + "answer": [ + "Search teams in Indonesia may have found the main fuselage of the AirAsia plane where most of the remaining victims and the plane's black boxes are expected to be. Authorities found \"four big parts of the plane we're looking for,\" says the official in charge of the search in the Java Sea, reports Reuters. The biggest of the pieces is about 59 feet long and 18 feet wide, reports AP. The pieces have only been detected, not recovered, and divers hope conditions will permit them to reach the objects tomorrow. So far, only 30 of 162 bodies have been recovered, and most of the victims are believed to be still strapped in their seats. Authorities also said today that AirAsia was in violation of its license by flying to Singapore on a Sunday, the day of the crash, reports the Telegraph. As a result, the airline might have its license revoked in Indonesia. There's still no conclusions yet in what caused the crash, but theories continue to center on stormy conditions. \"Flight 8501 appears to have been trapped in bad weather that would have been difficult to avoid,\" says a report by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Internet Archive is working to fix broken links on the web by archiving pages as they are created and preserving links to the versions that were live when the page was written. The goal is to replace broken links with links to the archived pages, so that people can see what was originally intended by a page's authors. The effort involves crawling supported \"No More 404\" sites and archiving pages as they are created. 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.", + "answer": [ + "The Telegraph reported yesterday on a crazy court case in the UK: After a pregnant Italian woman, in town for business, had a panic attack, social service workers in Essex got a court order allowing the woman to be forcibly sedated and undergo a C-section so they could take her baby. Fifteen months later, the little girl is still with social service workers, who won't return her to her mother. The case is now \"an international legal row,\" the Telegraph says, and the anonymous woman's lawyers call it \"unprecedented.\" The woman was in Britain in July 2012 for an airline training course, and called police when she suffered the panic attack. They arrived while she was on the phone with her mother, who told police the woman suffered from bipolar disorder and was off her medication, according to a Telegraph columnist. Police took her to a psychiatric facility, and restrained her under the Mental Health Act when she said she wanted to go back to her hotel. She underwent the C-section after having been there five weeks. The case is ongoing; the mother says she has made a full recovery, but a judge nonetheless ruled that her daughter should be put up for adoption. More on the case here and here." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Great Writ of habeas corpus is a legal procedure that has been a pillar of Western law since the signing of the Magna Carta in England in 1215. It prevents the government from holding individuals indefinitely without cause. The Founding Fathers of the United States believed that habeas corpus was essential to preserving liberty, justice, and democracy, and enshrined it in the first article of the United States Constitution. However, in its waning days, the last Congress passed the Military Commissions Act (MCA) of 2006, which revoked the right to habeas corpus for anyone detained at Guantánamo Bay or labeled an “enemy combatant” by the government. This provision applies to legal residents of the U.S. as well, meaning someone who has lived in the U.S. for years could potentially be labeled an “enemy combatant” and then thrown into prison with no legal recourse to challenge their detention.\n\nThe case of Hercules and Leo, two research chimpanzees at Stony Brook University in New York, has been granted the right to have their day in court. This is the first time in U.S. history that an animal has been covered by a writ of habeas corpus. The ruling could force the university, which is believed to be holding the chimps, to release the primates, and could sway additional judges to do the same with other research animals. The case began as a salvo of lawsuits filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) in December 2013, claiming that four New York chimpanzees—Hercules and Leo at Stony Brook, and two others on private property—were too cognitively and emotionally complex to be held in captivity and should be relocated to an established chimpanzee sanctuary. NhRP petitioned three lower court judges with a writ of habeas corpus, which is traditionally used to prevent people from being unlawfully imprisoned. By granting the writ, the judges would have implicitly acknowledged that chimpanzees were legal people, too—a first step in freeing them.", + "answer": [ + "The writ of habeas corpus lets prisoners appear in court to make their captors justify why they're being held. Until now in the US, those who've used this legal tactic have been human. But a New York judge yesterday ruled that the writ may be used by two lab chimpanzees at Stony Brook University, Science magazine reports. NY Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe ordered a university rep to address a suit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project by appearing in court May 6 to argue why the college is holding Hercules and Leo. The group, which says the animals are being detained for biomedical experiments, says its ultimate goal is to have the animals released to the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Fla., per the NhRP's website. \"This is a big step forward to getting what we are ultimately seeking: the right to bodily liberty for chimpanzees and other cognitively complex animals,\" Natalie Prosin, the project's executive director, tells Science. The case kicked off in December 2013 with lawsuits that also included two chimps held on private property; each case was struck down, sending the NhRP down the appeals path. Not everyone's convinced the upcoming hearing will mean liberation for the chimps. A Pepperdine University law professor tells Science that the judge likely just wants to hear both sides of the story: \"It would be quite surprising if the judge intended to make a momentous substantive finding that chimpanzees are legal persons\" without doing so, he notes. Prosin, meanwhile, says her group isn't stopping with the chimps and will also target the release of other animals. (Click to read about what chimps talk to each other about.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA shooting on the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday morning left three people dead and at least six injured. The incident began with a dispute at a nearby hotel, which spilled onto the streets when two vehicles, a silver-gray Maserati and a black Range Rover SUV, with tinted windows, black tire rims, and paper dealer plates from out of state, began driving erratically. The Maserati sped off, and the Range Rover SUV followed, firing shots at the Maserati. The Maserati then crashed into a taxi cab, which exploded in a fireball on impact. The driver and passenger of the Maserati were killed at the scene, and the Maserati driver was pronounced dead at a hospital. A passenger in the Maserati was among the injured. The Range Rover SUV fled the scene, and police have contacted authorities in three neighboring states to be on the lookout for the vehicle. The incident marked the latest violence on the Strip since the beginning of the year.", + "answer": [ + "Police in three states are still hunting for a Range Rover whose occupants opened fire on another car on the Vegas Strip this morning and set off a deadly chain reaction. Cops don't know most of the details, but they say it started with a dispute of some kind in one of the nearby hotels, then spilled into the street, reports the Las Vegas Sun. When the Range Rover caught up to a Maserati at a stop light, shots were fired from the SUV that sent the Maserati crashing into a taxi, which exploded upon impact. Three people—the Maserati driver, the taxi driver, and a taxi passenger—were killed, and three others were injured, reports the LA Times. Police are hoping to piece together more details by interviewing a passenger in the Maserati, who was injured in the melee. Earlier reports that gunfire came from both vehicles as part of a moving shootout were incorrect. The AP collects this quote from a tourist visiting from Manchester, England: \"This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale. We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like Die Hard or something.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA teenage girl, Autumn Veatch, survived a small-plane crash in the North Cascades of Washington state. She was one of three passengers on the plane, and her step-grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, were not found after the crash. Autumn was rescued after hiking for a couple of days and was taken to a hospital in Brewster for treatment of minor injuries. She was dehydrated and exhausted from her ordeal.\n\nAutumn's father, David Veatch, and friends were overjoyed to hear that she had survived. They had feared the worst after the plane went missing. Autumn's survival was attributed to her quick thinking and resourcefulness, as well as the help of search and rescue teams.\n\nThe search for the wreckage of the plane was ongoing, with authorities using cellphone data and Autumn's description of the crash site to narrow down the search area. The plane was believed to have crashed in rugged terrain, making the search difficult.\n\nThe news of Autumn's survival brought relief and joy to her family and friends, who had been holding out hope for her safe return. The search for the missing plane and its occupants continued, with authorities using all available resources to locate the wreckage and provide closure for the family.", + "answer": [ + "A 16-year-old girl in Washington state is bruised and dehydrated but very much alive after surviving a plane crash and a long trek through what authorities describe as some of the state's most rugged terrain. Autumn Veatch was on a small plane with her step-grandparents that crashed after departing Kalispell, Mont., on Saturday afternoon, the Bellingham Herald reports. There was no sign of the plane or its occupants until a motorist found Veatch on State Route 20 yesterday afternoon and took her to a general store, where employees called authorities, the AP reports. She was hospitalized with minor injuries. Her father tells the Herald that after the plane crashed into a mountain, it caught fire and she was unable to get her step-grandparents out. She spent about a day near the plane waiting for rescue before following a stream and then a trail out of the woods, her father says. Friends say both father and daughter are completely overwhelmed. \"She did joke that it was a good thing she'd watched all those Survivor shows that she didn't like, but her dad made her watch anyway,\" a family friend tells the Seattle Times. Authorities are still searching for the missing Beech A-35. (In Colombia last month, a mother and baby survived four days in the jungle after a plane crash.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nGibson Guitar was raided by the Justice Department for allegedly trafficking in illegally obtained wood. The raids were carried out at three facilities in Tennessee and one in Memphis. The company has been implicated in wrongdoing, but has not been charged with anything. The U.S. Justice Department is preparing to charge the company with trafficking in illegally obtained wood. The Lacey Act, a century-old endangered species law, was amended in 2008 to include plants as well as animals. The law requires end users of endangered wood to certify the legality of their supply chain all the way to the trees. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has concluded that Gibson knowingly imported tainted wood. The EIA's independent investigations have concluded that Gibson knowingly imported tainted wood. The company has denied the allegations, maintaining that all of its purchases from Madagascar have complied with U.S. and Malagasy law. A company attorney says Gibson has presented documents to support that claim and that the recent raid seized legally obtained wood from India. The raids recalled a similar raid in Nashville in November 2009, when agents seized a shipment of ebony from Madagascar. The Lacey Act requires end users of endangered wood to certify the legality of their supply chain all the way to the trees. The EIA's independent investigations have concluded that Gibson knowingly imported tainted wood. The company has denied the allegations, maintaining that all of its purchases from Madagascar have complied with U.S. and Malagasy law. A company attorney says Gibson has presented documents to support that claim and that the recent raid seized legally obtained wood from India. The raids recalled a similar raid in Nashville in November 2009, when agents seized a shipment of ebony from Madagascar. The Lacey Act requires end users of endangered wood to certify the legality of their supply chain all the way to the trees. The EIA's independent investigations have concluded that Gibson knowingly imported tainted wood. The company has denied the allegations, maintaining that all of its purchases from Madagascar have complied", + "answer": [ + "Allegations of illegal wood imports prompted the Justice Department to raid Gibson Guitar facilities in Tennessee last week. NPR aired the complicated story involving the 100-year old Lacey Act, which prohibits imports of endangered species, including plants, into the US. No formal charges have been pressed, but it appears the issue lies with Gibson possibly importing banned Madagascar ebony. Gibson insists the wood confiscated by marshals was legally acquired rosewood from India. Adding some gusto to the story, right-leaning sites assert that Gibson rival CF Martin uses the same wood in some of its guitars, but the company was never investigated. The Landmark Report thinks that's fishy, given that Martin's CEO is a Democratic donor and Gibson's CEO is a GOP backer. Raising the octave even higher, it is possible Michelle Obama ran afoul of the Lacey Act when she presented France's Carla Bruni with a Gibson guitar that may have contained banned wood. However the story plays out, many are frustrated with the retroactive aspect of the law. \"It's a nightmare,\" says a dealer. \"I can't help it if they used Brazilian rosewood on almost every guitar made prior to 1970.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIsrael has authorized the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists in preparation for a possible invasion of Gaza after Palestinian militants fired a rocket towards Jerusalem for the first time in decades. The rocket attack on Tel Aviv also marked the first time the city had been targeted since the 1991 Gulf War. The Israeli military has been conducting an air offensive against Hamas, which is responsible for the rocket attacks, with the aim of deterring them from launching cross-border attacks that have plagued southern Israel for years. Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil visited Gaza on Friday and said that Cairo was prepared to mediate a truce. However, the truce never took hold and Israel declared a three-hour ceasefire that never materialized. The Israeli military has been targeting underground rocket launch sites and militant command centers in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll has risen to 29, including 13 militants and 16 civilians, among them eight children and a pregnant woman. Israel has reported three civilian deaths from rocket attacks. The Israeli military has been using the Iron Dome missile defense system to intercept rockets fired from Gaza. The Israeli cabinet is considering a ground invasion of Gaza, and political sources say they have decided to more than double the current reserve troop quota set for the Gaza offensive to 75,000. The United States has asked countries that have contact with Hamas to urge the group to stop its rocket attacks. The conflict has stoked tensions in the Middle East and has raised concerns about a wider conflict.", + "answer": [ + "A brief, planned ceasefire failed to materialize in Gaza today, as death continued to rain down on the strip. Israel had offered to hold its offensive to accommodate a visit from Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, provided Hamas held its fire as well. But Hamas said it would keep firing, and one Israeli defense minister complained that 50 rockets had flown in from Gaza during Kandil's visit, CNN reports. A Hamas-run TV station reported that Israel had kept firing as well, but Israel says it took a break for at least two hours. In Palestine the death toll has risen to 21, including 13 civilians, Reuters reports. Among those civilians were seven children and a pregnant teenager. Israel's death toll held steady at 3, despite the hundreds of rockets fired into Israel. But Hamas did up the ante by firing rockets near Tel Aviv for the first time. Air-raid sirens sounded (the last time they did so was during the Gulf War) and civilians ran for cover, though the missiles exploded harmlessly, with one going into the sea. \"There will be a price for that escalation,\" Ehud Barak vowed, according to the New York Times. Israel has now hit 250 Gaza targets, while taking further steps toward a ground invasion, calling up 16,000 reservists, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's also steadily sending troops and armored vehicles to the border, notes CNN—between 1,500 and 2,000 are already there, one official said. Israel claims the attacks have weakened Hamas' military capabilities and caused its attacks to lighten, but Hamas denied that, saying it had hit multiple Israeli targets today. Kandil emerged from his meeting with Hamas expressing solidarity, saying the new Egyptian regime would be more active in helping the Palestinians. \"The time has changed,\" he said. \"No longer the Israeli occupation will be able to carry out their attacks against the Palestinians without being held responsible. That time is far bygone.\" For its part, the Obama administration says it's seeking help from Arab countries in calling on Hamas to relent. \"The onus rests squarely on Hamas ... to stop its rocket attacks,\" says a State Department spokesman. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is planning diplomatic visits to Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Cairo within days." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA woman in Hope, Maine, was attacked by a rabid raccoon while running in the woods near her home. The raccoon lunged at her and sank its teeth into her thumb, and the woman was unable to shake it off her hand. She then dragged the raccoon into a puddle and held its head underwater until it stopped moving. The woman received six shots, including the rabies vaccine, and immunoglobulin and tetanus injections. She is expected to receive her last injection this weekend. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the raccoon tested positive for rabies. The woman's advice for others who find themselves facing a rabid animal is to avoid it and call for help. There have been 20 animals, including raccoons, red foxes, and skunks, that have tested positive for rabies in Maine in 2017.", + "answer": [ + "Rachel Borch was out for a jog in the woods near her home in Hope, Maine, when a \"ferocious-looking\" attacker with beady eyes and tiny teeth made a beeline for her, reports the Camden Herald. Borch, 21, knew immediately that something was wrong with the raccoon that was charging toward her. \"Imagine the Tasmanian devil,\" she tells the Bangor Daily News of the \"terrifying\" June 3 incident. Yanking out her headphones, she began \"dancing\" around the animal on the narrow path, but she tells the Herald she knew that, one way or another, the animal was going to bite her. She figured her hands would be the best spot, so she offered them up. The raccoon chomped down on her thumb and stayed there, scratching at her legs and arms as she screamed. Now on her knees, she spotted her phone lying submerged in a mud puddle, and had an idea: drown it. \"With my thumb in its mouth, I just pushed its head down into the muck,\" she tells the News. When the raccoon finally stopped moving, she yanked out her finger and raced the three-quarters of a mile home. Two days later, the state confirmed the animal was infected with rabies. Borch got rabies shots, and an animal control officer adds an unpleasant footnote: The infected raccoon may not be alone. \"Not to scare people,\" Heidi Blood tells the News, but \"when there’s one, there’s typically another.\" (Normally nocturnal like raccoons, a crazed beaver attacked a woman paddle-boarder.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new study has found that Mars had a massive ocean that covered nearly half of the northern hemisphere of the planet, making it a more promising place for alien life to have gained a foothold. The ocean was a mile deep in places and held 20 million cubic kilometers of water, which is more than is found in the Arctic Ocean. The researchers used infrared maps to study the Martian atmosphere over six years and looked specifically at how different forms of water molecules in the Martian air varied from place to place over the changing seasons. The study provides an answer to how much water there was on Mars when it was young and how it was lost over time. The study also found that the water on Mars is enriched with deuterium, which means that Mars must have lost a vast amount of water in the past, equivalent to more than six times that now locked up in the planet’s frozen ice caps. The study suggests that the amount of water was enough to create a global ocean that covered the entire surface of Mars to a depth of 137m. The study also found that the water on Mars is enriched with deuterium, which means that Mars must have lost a vast amount of water in the past, equivalent to more than six times that now locked up in the planet’s frozen ice caps. The study suggests that the amount of water was enough to create a global ocean that covered the entire surface of Mars to a depth of 137m. The study also found that the water on Mars is enriched with deuterium, which means that Mars must have lost a vast amount of water in the past, equivalent to more than six times that now locked up in the planet’s frozen ice caps. The study suggests that the amount of water was enough to create a global ocean that covered the entire surface of Mars to a depth of 137m. The study also found that the water on Mars is enriched with deuterium, which means that Mars must have lost a vast amount of water in the past, equivalent to more than six times that now locked up in the planet’s frozen ice caps. The study suggests that the amount of water was enough to create a global ocean that covered the entire surface of Mars to a depth of 137m. The study also found that the water on Mars is enriched with deuterium, which means that", + "answer": [ + "Imagine all the water in the Arctic Ocean. Now, imagine all that and more on Mars. If you visited the Red Planet roughly 4.3 billion years ago, that's what you likely would have found, say NASA scientists. Their new study arrived at that \"solid estimate ... by determining how much water was lost to space,\" says lead author Geronimo Villanueva. The Guardian reports the scientists used three powerful infrared telescopes to analyze two forms of water in Mars' atmosphere: H2O and HDO, in which deuterium (aka \"heavy\" hydrogen) has taken the place of one hydrogen atom. As National Geographic explains, Mars' gravity is weaker than our own; that allowed hydrogen to escape from the atmosphere and into space over time, boosting the amount of deuterium in its water. Scientists compared the ratio of HDO to H2O in Martian water today with that in water from a 4.5 billion-year-old Mars meteorite to arrive at their conclusions, a press release states. They ultimately calculated that Mars was once home to 20 million cubic kilometers of ocean. It could have covered every inch of the planet in water 450 feet deep, but the scientists think a different scenario is more likely: that the ocean covered roughly a fifth of the planet, was located in the northern hemisphere, and was as much as a mile deep. While National Geographic observes the findings back up \"reams of earlier evidence that water once existed on the surface\" of Mars, another study author points out the assessment of the degree of water lost indicates something new. \"The planet was very likely wet for a longer period of time than was previously thought, suggesting it might have been habitable for longer,\" a scientist says. (Mysterious plumes on Mars are stumping scientists.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn August 2014, Swedish chemistry professor Charlotta Turner received a text message from her graduate student Firas Jumaah, who was in Iraq with his family. Jumaah was in a dire situation, as ISIS had taken over the next-door village and killed all the men, taking the women into slavery. Jumaah's wife was panicking, and he took the first plane back to be with her. Turner was not willing to leave her student to die without trying to do something. She contacted the university's security chief, who found a company that could go in with armed men and rescue Jumaah and his family. Over a few days of intense activity, the security company arranged the rescue operation. Two Landcruisers carrying four heavily-armed mercenaries roared into the area where Jumaah was hiding, and sped him away to Erbil Airport together with his wife and two small children. Jumaah completed his PhD in Sweden and now works for a pharmaceuticals company in Malmö. The family has almost finished paying the university back for the rescue operation. The incident was unique, and as far as Turner knows, no other university has ever been involved in anything like it.", + "answer": [ + "Four years ago, a chemistry professor got a text from her grad student: If I'm not back in a week, cut me from the doctoral program. Charlotta Turner called him right away: \"He was very sad and crying,” the 48-year-old prof at Lund University in Sweden tells NBC News. \"I could hear that the situation was hopeless and they had to flee.\" The student, Firas Jumaah, was visiting his native Iraq to help family members during a brutal 2014 ISIS attack targeting Yazidis—a religious minority that includes his family. The terror group had just enslaved and massacred Yazidis by the thousand in nearby Sinjar. Now Jumaah and family were planning to flee to the mountains. \"I had no hope at all,\" says Jumaah, per the Local. \"I was desperate.\" But Turner took action. She spoke to Lund University's then-security chief, who contacted a company that sent mercenaries into northern Iraq. Only days later, four armed mercs on two Landcruisers blazed into the place where Jumaah was hiding, and rushed him to Erbil Airport with his wife and two young kids. \"I have never felt so privileged, so VIP,\" he says. \"But at the same time I felt like a coward as I left my mother and sisters behind me.\" Seeing his colleagues back in Sweden, he was speechless: \"I just cried,\" he says. Yet Jumaah finished his PhD and found work at a Malmo pharmaceuticals company, and his family survived. The bill: roughly 60,000 kroner ($6,613), which his family has nearly finished paying. “If they told me to pay 200,000 kronor, I would,” says Jumaah. (The UN is finding fresh ISIS horrors.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nPippa Middleton, the sister-in-law of England's presumptive future king, has become a worldwide sensation due to her recent Paris trip. She was photographed laughing as a male companion in a car pointed a gun at a photographer following them. However, it appears that the excitement may have been overblown as the photographer reportedly knew the gun was a fake and had been telling people he never felt scared. The incident occurred during Pippa's visit to Paris to attend a costume birthday party at the Chez Raspoutine as a guest of fashion label owner Arthur de Soultrait. The gun incident has caused controversy and the driver of the car, who has yet to be identified, could face arrest and imprisonment for up to two years. The French police are investigating the incident.", + "answer": [ + "A \"gun joke\" involving palace sis-in-law Pippa Middleton is causing a royal stir. The driver of a car that Pippa, 28, was riding in smilingly pointed what looked like a gun at pestering paparazzi in Paris over the weekend. Now he says he was just goofing around, and the gun wasn't real. \"It was not a real gun. It was just a stupid joke,\" said a representative. The French aren't laughing, though, especially in the wake of the shocking shootings in Toulouse last month. Paris authorities warned that everyone in the car (including grinning Pippa) could face arrest and even two years in prison. \"Anybody involved in the illegal use of a handgun in public is liable to arrest and interrogation,\" a source told the Sun. But so far, no one has filed a complaint, and the \"targeted\" photographer didn't feel threatened, reports ABC. The driver hasn't yet been identified. Her Royal Hotness was in the front passenger's seat, and sitting in the back were two men, including aristocrat fashion designer Viscount Arthur de Soultrait, whose wild birthday party Pippa attended (for photos, check here). Buckingham Palace reps are keeping mum, saying Pippa is a \"private individual\" and not their concern." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA woman suspect is believed to have robbed six jewelry stores across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina since April. The most recent heist was on Monday at a Jared Vault in Mebane, North Carolina, where she forced two workers into a back room at gunpoint, zip-tied their hands, and then piled jewelry from the cases into a shopping bag. A male suspect, caught on surveillance cameras in three of the robberies, is also considered armed and dangerous. The FBI is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects.\n\nThe suspect is described as a white woman in her 20s or 30s, 5-foot-8 and 130 pounds. She may be working with an accomplice, as authorities have released photographs of a man believed to be working with her. The woman has stolen more than $450,000 worth of jewelry in the six total robberies. In previous robberies of jewelry stores, she has shown a gun and tied up workers at the stores with zip-ties.\n\nThe woman may be involved in similar robberies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Before Monday, the last jewelry store she robbed was in mid-October in Tennessee. The methods used in the robberies are similar, and all the stores that were robbed were chain stores at large retail shopping/entertainment plazas.\n\nAnyone with information about the suspects is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). The public is also asked to call Mebane police at 919-563-9031 or Alamance County Crime Stoppers at 336-229-7100 if they can identify the woman, know her whereabouts, or have any other information that can help investigators.", + "answer": [ + "A woman believed to be in her 20s or 30s held employees of a Jared Vault jewelry store in Mebane, NC, at gunpoint on Monday before making off with jewelry piled into a shopping bag. But this wasn't her first rodeo: The FBI says the same brunette has robbed five other jewelry stores across the South since April, including in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, netting more than $450,000 worth of bling, per WNCN. A black man in his 30s or 40s, weighing about 250 pounds, was spotted by cameras during three of the robberies, reports NBC News. The FBI says both suspects \"are considered armed and dangerous.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAriel Winter, the 19-year-old star of Modern Family, has been making headlines lately for her bold fashion choices and her unapologetic attitude towards her social media presence. In an interview with Elite Daily, Winter spoke about her decision to post scantily clad photos on Instagram and Snapchat, saying that she doesn't care what anyone thinks and that she wants to work on a relationship with herself.\n\nRecently, Winter appeared on Conan and was met with criticism for her \"cringeworthy\" baby voice. However, Winter has been unapologetic about her voice, saying that she doesn't care what people think and that she's worked hard to develop her own unique sound.\n\nIn addition to her fashion choices and voice, Winter has also been vocal about her disdain for online harassment. In response to critics who questioned her dress choice for a recent Modern Family screening, Winter took to Instagram to defend her outfit, saying that she wore what made her feel good and that she wouldn't let anyone stifle her self-expression.\n\nWinter's co-star, Julie Bowen, also spoke out in defense of Winter's outfit, saying that she thought Winter looked beautiful and that everyone should be able to express themselves however they want.\n\nOverall, Ariel Winter has been making waves with her bold fashion choices and unapologetic attitude towards her social media presence and online harassment. While some may criticize her for her choices, Winter has been clear that she's working on a relationship with herself and that she won't let anyone stifle her self-expression.", + "answer": [ + "Modern Family star Ariel Winter has words for those who criticized the gold minidress she wore to an event for the show Wednesday night, People reports. Photos from the screening of the season eight finale showed that Winter's outfit stood out among the clothes worn by the other cast members who attended (Julie Bowen, for example, wore black slacks with a simple top, while Ty Burrell showed up in jeans). USA Today describes Winter's outfit like so: \"Mesh panels showed off her cleavage as well as the tops of her thighs.\" But some of the commentary on Winter's outfit went beyond simply calling the teen overdressed, with some going so far as to say she looked \"slutty.\" On Thursday night, Winter responded on Instagram. \"Why TF does anyone care that I didn't dress casual like everyone else for the panel? Why do I have to be like everyone else? Why can’t people just let other people feel good about themselves and do what they want?\" the 19-year-old wrote. \"WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT PEOPLE! As long as you feel good about yourself that’s what matters. I know I did. Don’t ever let anyone stifle who you are and how you express yourself. Rant over.\" (Winter says her \"baby voice\" makes her boyfriend uncomfortable.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nWill Smith stars in the new movie \"Focus,\" a caper film about a veteran con man and the young woman he takes as his accomplice. The movie is directed by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, and also stars Margot Robbie. The film was originally set to star Ryan Gosling, then Brad Pitt, and finally Will Smith. The movie is a tribute to the golden age of Hollywood, when top stars radiated their golden appeal in romantic comedies about duplicitous souls. The movie's con is that it’s showing us a secret underworld, something real that we’ve never seen or imagined, that it’s revealing how the big boys operate. But it’s not doing any of those things. The movie is ridiculous in every detail. It’s a movie with no truth that teaches nothing and shows nothing, that has only its audacity to recommend it. The movie is not a good representation of Will Smith's acting abilities, as he is not a strong leading man. The movie is a musical chairs or Russian roulette of casting, with many actresses being considered for the female lead role. The movie is a light-hearted and entertaining film that is not meant to be taken seriously.", + "answer": [ + "Will Smith stars as Nicky, an established con man who takes on a new apprentice, Australian newcomer Margot Robbie's Jess, in Focus. They both love the con game, but who's playing who? Here's what critics are saying: Richard Corliss at Time is a fan. \"The mix of longtime star and minx on the rise is one tasty element in the success of a movie that approaches the modest goals and effortless allure of a 60-year-old Hitchcock,\" he writes. Smith \"takes a welcome break from glowering sci-fi roles\" and writer-directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa \"deserve some credit in letting Will be Will in the star's first charm barrage since 2005's Hitch.\" Steven Rea at the Philadelphia Inquirer admits Smith \"shows some of the movie-star wattage that's been missing from his recent pics. He charms.\" There's also \"combustible chemistry\" between Smith and Robbie, but the movie just \"disappoints,\" Rea writes. \"Even if you're willing to forgive its sinkhole plotholes and farthest-fetched conceits, the film ... ultimately makes no sense.\" Betsy Sharkey, on the other hand, says this \"rom-com-con\" is \"an irresistible reminder of all the reasons we first fell for the Fresh Prince so many years ago.\" Writing at the Los Angeles Times, she notes the romantic role of Nicky fits Smith perfectly, while Robbie is \"more than holding her own\" as his match. \"The scams are Rubik's Cube complicated, but what keeps you guessing is whether the romantic connection between Jess and Nicky is real or just another con.\" But Mick LaSalle at the San Francisco Chronicle isn't convinced. In a review titled \"Will Smith just stole $12 from your pocket,\" he argues Focus is \"ridiculous in every detail. It's a movie with no truth that teaches nothing and shows nothing, that has only its audacity to recommend it.\" Nicky and Jess lack \"impact,\" partly because \"Smith is not a strong leading man,\" he says. Viewers are left \"waiting for the trick, which is not the same as being fooled.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA lucky few people across the country will wake up on Wednesday a whole lot richer after hitting the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday night. The winning numbers were 8, 20, 14, 17, and 39, with a Megaball of 7. It's important to sign the ticket and take a selfie with it, as well as contact people who have dealt with large sums of money before. The biggest decision right now is whether to take the cash prize or an annuity. It's also important to figure out if you can stay anonymous and plan a trip to avoid the media attention. If you do win, you might want to buy a house for your mom and set up a trust fund. Lastly, don't give up just because you didn't win the top prize; there were $800 million in unclaimed lottery prizes last year. The jackpot is near the U.S. record, which was a $656 million Mega Millions prize, shared by three winning tickets in March 2012. If there's one winner, and the winner chooses the lump-sum cash option, the payout would be $341.2 million. If no one wins Tuesday's jackpot, it will rise to at least $950 million for Friday's drawing.", + "answer": [ + "Tonight's Mega Millions prize could end up being the biggest US jackpot ever. It's already hit $636 million; by tonight, it could rise past the $656 million record, Reuters notes. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you win it (you won't). When you can breathe again, you'll want to take quick action to ensure that you deal with your newfound millions safely and effectively. At CNN, Steve Almasy offers a checklist: First, sign the ticket. You don't want to risk losing it, or having a \"friend\" claim it. While you're at it, you might want to take a selfie with the ticket, then drop it in a safe deposit box. Then, seek out financial experts, but not too many—you want to keep the news quiet as long as possible. \"Start with one experienced attorney and look for a seasoned certified financial planner,\" Almasy writes. Big question: Is there any way you can legally remain anonymous? If you live in South Carolina or a handful of other states, the answer is yes, but generally you'll have a tough time hiding. You might want to hire a PR person. In fact, you might want to slip out of the country until the hubbub over the prize has died down. Didn't win? Don't forget to check if you've qualified for runner-up cash. Last year saw $800 million in unclaimed lottery winnings. Click for Almasy's full piece." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA group of volunteer firefighters from the Fairmont and Orrum Fire Department have been arrested and charged with intentionally setting fires to abandoned homes and woods throughout Robeson County over a two-year period. The investigation, which lasted a year, resulted in the arrest of ten firefighters, including a former Maxton police officer and an employee of the NC Department of Corrections. The charges against the firefighters include arson, conspiracy, and setting fire to grass, brush, and woods. The investigation was a result of a tip and involved the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the NC Forestry Service. The locations of the fires affected were Oakton Church Rd., Atkinson Road, Raynham Road, Reva Road, NC Highway 130, Main Street, Mitchell Rd., Davis Road, Happy Hill Road, Marion Stage Road, Pleasant Hope Road, and several other locations. The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are possible.", + "answer": [ + "They volunteered to fight fires, but authorities say they were also purposely setting fires over a period of almost two years. After a tip led to a yearlong investigation, 10 volunteer firefighters in North Carolina's Robeson County were arrested Tuesday and charged with arson and related crimes, ABC 11 reports. So far there are 90 charges involved in the case, which involves firefighters from the Fairmont Rural Fire Department and the Orrum Fire Department, and officials say more charges are expected and more arrests could be made. \"I don't understand that. I mean, the job might be boring at times, but you don't go creating fires just to have something to put out,\" a local, who lives near the Fairmont firehouse, tells WRAL. The firefighters are accused of setting fires in woods and at abandoned structures; WRAL and ABC 11 both have the names of those accused—among them are a police officer and a Department of Corrections officer—and specific charges. Authorities say the alleged crimes cost taxpayers thousands of dollars." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nNestlé has lost its appeal to trademark the shape of four-finger bars, which are used in the popular chocolate snack Kit Kat. The European Court of Justice has ruled that Nestlé did not provide enough evidence to prove that the shape of Kit Kat is distinctive in every EU country. The ruling means that the EU Intellectual Property Office must review a 2012 decision to uphold Nestlé's trademark on the shape of the four-finger chocolate-covered wafer biscuit. The outcome of the case leaves open the possibility that the trademark agency could take account of other evidence to preserve protection for Kit Kat's shape. The case has been closely followed by trademark lawyers, who see implications for brands operating across the EU single market, where there are varying histories in national markets. The case has also been mirrored by a dispute between Nestlé and Cadbury in the British courts, where Nestlé objected to a trademark for the purple color used by Cadbury to wrap its Dairy Milk chocolate bars.", + "answer": [ + "\"Four trapezoidal bars aligned on a rectangular base\" may not be instantly recognizable. Put that setup in chocolate form, however, and many people would be able to distinguish it as a KitKat. Even if that's the case, the European Union's highest court just ruled that the shape of the sweet treat isn't unique enough to merit trademark protection, meaning other confectioners can potentially produce KitKat knockoffs, the Guardian reports. Nestle, which makes KitKats, has been fighting Cadbury (and then Mondelez, which ultimately bought Cadbury) in the courts for more than a decade on this issue. The BBC notes that Nestle first applied for trademark protection for the candy's shape in 2002, and it was granted that protection four years later. Cadbury's pushback began in 2007, and Wednesday's decision by the European Court of Justice essentially tells the EU trademark office it now has to \"reconsider\" its original decision. What that means, however, is that if the EU Intellectual Property Office finds, based on more recent evidence, that the KitKat bar's shape is recognizable in enough countries, it can retain the trademark protection, per Reuters. The brand name itself of \"KitKat\" is not being contested. (Atari accused Nestle of ripping off one of its popular video games in an ad for KitKat.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA new study published in the journal Evolution suggests that the iconic roar of the Tyrannosaurus rex, as portrayed in movies and popular culture, is not based on scientific fact. The research, which analyzed the vocalizations of birds and crocodiles, found that dinosaurs likely made sounds more similar to the cooing of a pigeon or the mumble of an ostrich. The study also found that closed-mouth vocalizations, which are low, throaty whooshes of air, were likely used by dinosaurs for mating displays. The researchers suggest that the capacity for closed-mouth vocalization was present in at least some extinct nonavian dinosaurs. The study offers clues about how dinosaurs may have sounded and provides a different perspective on the sounds of the Jurassic world.", + "answer": [ + "Dinosaurs may have been much more like modern birds than we knew—and not just because some had feathers. A new study suggests that mighty dinosaurs of yore didn't roar, contrary to every dinosaur movie you've ever seen. Instead, they made a decidedly less scary sound called a \"closed-mouth vocalization.\" Think of a dove cooing or perhaps an ostrich doing this grunting thing. As the scientists explain in the journal Evolution, per UT News, the sound actually comes out of the neck area after air is pushed through an esophageal pouch. In fact, the animal's mouth is shut the whole time. Lots of birds do this today, and because birds descended from dinosaurs, scientists suspect they may have communicated in a similar way. The fossil record can't prove it, though the Washington Post notes that previous research meshes with the idea, including the belief that dinosaurs had air sacs instead of vocal chords. “A cool thing about this work is the demonstration that closed-mouth behavior evolved many times,” says the lead author. “That suggests it can emerge fairly easily and be incorporated into mating displays\" among different types of animals. A co-author says the study gives the impression of \"a very different Jurassic world. Not only were dinosaurs feathered, but they may have had bulging necks and made booming, closed-mouth sounds.\" But if so, the makers of Jurassic Park didn't get it all wrong: The hiss of the film's velociraptors came from a goose, per Vulture. (Scientists have grown chickens with dinosaur legs.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA man is in custody after two of his neighbors were found fatally shot early Sunday morning, say police in North Texas. The incident occurred on the 900 block of Buffalo Springs Drive in Fort Worth, and the suspect, Cary Joseph Heath, was arrested on a capital murder charge at Permenter Middle School in Cedar Hill, where he is employed as a teacher. Heath was booked on a $1 million bond and is currently being held at the Fort Worth jail. The victims have not been identified, and police are still investigating the double murder. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing a man with an assault rifle. The suspect's neighbors were longtime residents, and the incident has left the community shocked and concerned. The school district has placed Heath on administrative leave, and parents are demanding answers about how a man accused of murder could be around children every day.", + "answer": [ + "Cary Heath was arrested Monday at the Texas middle school where he teaches eighth-grade science a day after police say he murdered two of his neighbors, NBC DFW reports. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, shots were fired shortly before 4am Sunday at a home down the street from where Heath lives. Police arrived to find two men dead in the home's driveway. \"From my understanding, the guy had an assault rife,\" a neighbor who woke up to gunshots tells NBC. \"From the looks of it, due to the shell casings, he unloaded the whole clip.\" Police aren't discussing a motive for the killings, though the first 911 call from the scene was regarding a robbery. The 35-year-old Heath is being held on $1 million bond and has been placed on administrative leave. The school notified parents of the situation via automated phone messages, WFAA reports. One mother says \"it's very scary\" that someone suspected of murder was teaching children. \"They should be safe over there to get their education and come home,\" she says. Heath served in the Air Force for 13 years before recently becoming a teacher." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nVanderbilt University has announced that it will pay $1.2 million to remove the name \"Confederate Memorial Hall\" from one of its campus dorms. The private university has been referring to the building as \"Memorial Hall\" since 2002, but was blocked in court from changing the name chiseled on the building because it was constructed with the help of a $50,000 gift from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1933. Under the agreement, Vanderbilt will pay $1.2 million, the equivalent of the gift made 83 years ago, to the organization's Tennessee chapter. In exchange, the chapter will relinquish its naming rights to the building.\n\nThe decision to remove the name has been met with both support and criticism. Doug Jones, the Nashville attorney who represented the Daughters of the Confederacy against Vanderbilt, called the move \"a real slam on the history of our country.\" He argued that the name was not connected with slavery and that it was simply a \"simple monument for the boys in Tennessee that died\" in the Civil War. However, Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos argued that the name is a \"symbol and a reminder of racism, slavery and a very, very bloody Civil War.\" He believes that it is not acceptable to walk past or live in a space that is associated with such a divisive and painful history.\n\nThe decision to rename the building comes at a time when universities across the country are re-evaluating the implications of their buildings' names. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro is also facing a similar decision as it considers removing the name of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from one of its buildings. The public higher education system overseeing the school endorsed the change last month, but the proposal faces a tougher hurdle when it reaches the Tennessee Historical Commission.\n\nThe move to rename the building has been praised by students and faculty at Vanderbilt, who believe that it sets a great precedent for advocating on behalf of those who may feel marginalized on campus. Vanderbilt University has a long and complicated history, and the university leadership has stated that they are not saying that this is not part of Vanderbilt'", + "answer": [ + "In an attempt to bury a relic of its past, Vanderbilt University announced Monday that it will pay more than $1 million to remove the word \"Confederate\" from one of its dorms, the Tennessean reports. Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos called the inscription on Confederate Memorial Hall \"a reminder of racism, slavery and a very, very bloody Civil War.\" The Nashville university's efforts to change the name in 2002 were halted when the United Daughters of the Confederacy sued. The group’s $50,000 donation in 1933 helped build the dorm. A state appeals court ruled the building could be renamed Memorial Hall only after Vanderbilt gave the United Daughters back their money—$1.2 million in today’s dollars. The university has the cash, thanks to a raft of anonymous contributors who wanted the tie to America’s painful past broken for good. \"It's a symbol that is, for many people, deeply offensive and painful,\" Zeppos told the Tennessean. \"And to walk past it or to have to live in that space is really something that I just don't think is acceptable.” Yet tampering with Confederate imagery remains controversial, and a new state law makes it harder to do so, the AP reports. Efforts by Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro to remove the name of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from a building could face a tougher climb under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, which now requires a vote of two-thirds of the state’s Historical Commission rather than a simple majority." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Florida police officer has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help an elderly woman whose engagement ring was stolen from her while she was in hospital. The officer, Laurie Graber, purchased a replacement ring from J.C. Penney and delivered it to the hospital, where it was given to the woman's husband, Arthur Wagner. The original ring, which had been on the woman's finger for 67 years, was taken by someone who left her with bruises on her finger. The police are investigating the theft, and the hospital's surveillance video is being checked to see if it can help catch the thief. The replacement ring has helped ease the pain for Wagner, who said that the woman still looked at him like he was her knight in shining armor. The story has touched many people, and the police officer has been praised for her kindness and compassion.", + "answer": [ + "A classy move by a Florida cop is making headlines: Laurie Graber, an officer in Plantation, got the call for a particularly low-level crime—someone had ripped the engagement ring off the finger of an 87-year-old woman bedridden with Alzheimer's in a hospital, reports Fox News. By the bruises on Betty Wagner's finger, it wasn't an easy job, and no wonder—the ring had been there for 67 years. \"I just couldn't imagine what kind of depravity you would have to have to take something off of someone so vulnerable,\" Graber tells WSVN. Upon leaving the hospital, Graber went to JCPenney and shelled out for a replacement ring with her own money. She brought it back to the nurses' station with a note, reports AOL.com: \"It's not much, it's not the same. But 67 years of a promise kept should be recognized.\" Husband Arthur, who placed the original on his soon-to-be wife's hand in 1946, says the gesture has helped him deal with the theft. (Another Florida officer bought groceries for a mom caught shoplifting.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is appealing his conviction and death sentence, claiming that he did not receive a fair trial due to the widespread publicity surrounding the bombing. His lawyers argue that the recent Supreme Court ruling on the vagueness of the definition of a \"crime of violence\" throws many convictions into question, and that the publicity surrounding the bombing made it impossible for him to get a fair trial in Boston. They are also arguing that capital punishment is unconstitutional. The appeal claims that \"continuous and unrelenting publicity\" about the bombings, the defendant and his family, and wrenching survivor stories prevented him from getting an impartial hearing. It notes that Boston announced a new holiday marking the bombings while jurors were deliberating Tsarnaev's guilt. The defense repeatedly asked for a change of venue before the trial began, but the requests were rejected by the judge.\n\nTsarnaev was sentenced to death in June for helping his older brother carry out the April 15, 2013, blasts that killed three people and injured and maimed more than 200 others. The appeal claims that \"prejudicial media coverage, events, and environment saturated greater Boston, including the social networks of actual trial jurors, and made it an improper venue for the trial of this case.\"\n\nDespite the dramatic news from court, Tsarnaev's fate will take years to reach its conclusion. Most capital cases in the US are handled by individual death penalty states, mainly in the deep south, while the involvement of the federal government in America's most controversial judicial practice has become increasingly unusual in modern times. Although a total number of 340 prisoners have been executed by the US government since 1790, in the past 50 years only three have died: Timothy McVeigh in June 2001 for the Oklahoma City bombing; Juan Raul Garza, also in 2001, for a triple drug murder; and convicted rapist and murderer Louis Jones two years later.", + "answer": [ + "Not a huge surprise: Lawyers for Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev today appealed his death-penalty conviction, arguing that \"continuous and unrelenting publicity\" biased jurors and made a fair trial in Boston impossible, NBC News reports. \"Put simply, prejudicial media coverage, events, and environment saturated greater Boston, including the social networks of actual trial jurors, and made it an improper venue for the trial of this case,\" say the papers. The lawyers want another trial at a new location, the AP reports. Earlier this year, the Guardian reminded us that Tsarnaev's appeals will likely delay his punishment for \"at least a decade.\" The April 15, 2013, bomb strike in Boston left three dead and more than 200 maimed or injured." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAn $8 billion exchange merger is in the works that underscores how the global market for derivatives has eclipsed that for stocks. The owner of the venerable New York Stock Exchange is in talks to be acquired by an upstart commodities and derivatives trading platform, IntercontinentalExchange (ICE). ICE is expected to offer about $33 a share, with two-thirds of that in stock, representing a premium of 37 percent to NYSE Euronext's closing stock price on Wednesday. A deal could be announced as soon as Thursday morning, though these people cautioned that talks may still break down.\n\nWhile the New York Stock Exchange, with its opening bell and floor traders, has been the public image of a stock market for two centuries, it is NYSE Euronext's businesses in the over-the-counter trading of derivatives that appear to be the main attraction in the merger talks. ICE was founded in 2000 and is based in Atlanta. It competes fiercely with the CME Group, a derivatives trading powerhouse that owns the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.\n\nMore than a year ago, ICE teamed up with the New York exchange's chief rival, the Nasdaq OMX Group, to make a hostile bid for NYSE Euronext. The two had sought to break up their older competitor's plan to merge with Deutsche Börse of Europe, which would have created a powerful trans-Atlantic company with a big market share in the trading of stocks and derivatives. Under the terms of that deal, valued at about $11 billion, Nasdaq would have taken NYSE Euronext's equities business, while ICE would have assumed the derivatives operations.\n\nBut the Justice Department threatened to block that joint offer, on the ground that combining NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq would create an overwhelming monopoly in the world of stock trading. The planned merger of NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse itself fell apart early this year after European antitrust regulators opposed the combination, on the ground that it would corner too much of the market in exchange-traded derivatives.\n\nBut the newest merger might pose", + "answer": [ + "InterContinentalExchange Inc. has agreed to buy NYSE Euronext, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, for $8.2 billion, the two companies announced this morning. ICE, an Atlanta-based commodity exchange, says it intends to leave the NYSE's branding alone, and would explore an IPO for Euronext, spinning it off into a continental European entity, the Wall Street Journal reports. It will pay $33.12 a share for the elder exchange, or about a 37% premium on yesterday's close. You might remember ICE from its last attempt to buy the NYSE, which failed thanks to antitrust concerns from regulators. While the 12-year-old company may lack the name recognition of the iconic NYSE, it's much larger in terms of market capitalization, at $9.3 billion to NYSE Euronext's $5.8 billion—a sign, the New York Times observes, of how completely commodity trading has outpaced stock trading in relevance." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science, the organization responsible for awarding the Oscars, has recently faced criticism for its overwhelmingly older, male, and white membership. In response, the Academy has sent out an unprecedented 683 membership invitations to film industry professionals, almost half of them women, and 41% of them people of color. The list of invitees includes a large number of directors and actors who were inexplicably not Academy members, as well as international heavyweights and up-and-coming talent. The invitation list is the largest and most diverse class to date, and the Academy hopes that this move will help to address the ongoing diversity problem in the film industry. The buzzword of the moment in Hollywood has been “diversity,” thanks in large part to the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and its creator April Reign. The Academy has made a commitment to diversify its ranks by doubling the number of women and people of color by 2020, and the latest list of invitees is the first chance for the organization to work toward this goal.", + "answer": [ + "Apparently still smarting from some of Chris Rock's Oscars barbs, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 683 people—many of them women and minorities—to join in an unprecedented move Wednesday, Reuters reports. The voting group behind the Oscars is largely old, white, and male and was lambasted this year with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite after two years in a row of all-white acting nominees. In response, the academy is attempting to—as the AV Club puts it—\" add seemingly goddamn everyone it had, for one reason or another, forgotten to invite into its membership.” The actors, directors, and others invited Wednesday include Idris Elba, Eva Mendes, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Ice Cube, Greta Gerqig, Michael B. Jordan, Vivica A. Fox, the Wachowskis, James Wan, Luis Guzmán, Kate Beckinsale, Park Chan-wook, James Hong, Michelle Rodriguez, and not one, not two, but three Wayans brothers. Of the new invitees, 46% are women and 41% are people of color. If all 683 accept their invite, women would account for 27% of the more than 7,000 academy members (up from 25%) and minorities would total 11% (up from 8%). “I'm especially happy to be part of such a diverse group. I actually want to hang out and watch movies with most of the people on this list,\" Arab-German director Lexi Alexander tells the Los Angeles Times. “To be honest, I cried a few tears when I started to get congratulation tweets in Arabic.” Other invitees took to Twitter to share similar sentiments. “Excited to use my vote to nominate talent that reflects the real world we live in—DIVERSITY,\" tweets Brie Larson, who won best actress at this year's Oscars." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe news reports cover the ongoing dispute between the United States and Iran, with a focus on the arrest and trial of two American hikers, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd. The hikers were arrested in July 2009 near the Iraqi border while allegedly hiking in northern Iraq. The reports suggest that the hikers were not aware that they had crossed into Iran and were arrested due to a lack of coordination on their part. The trial of the hikers was scheduled to begin on Saturday, but it was postponed due to the absence of Sarah Shourd, who was released on bail in September 2010 and returned to the United States. The trial delay comes as the United States and other powers are trying to prod Iran to return to talks about its nuclear activities, which they fear are aimed at making an atomic bomb. The reports also mention a possible prisoner swap between the two countries, with Iran suggesting that the Americans might be released as part of a prisoner swap for Iranians it claims have been abducted or tricked into going to the United States and jailed without due legal process. One of those Iranians, a woman jailed for trafficking defense hardware to Iran, gave a telephone interview to Iran's state-run English language television channel on Monday in which she said she had been tortured. The reports also mention that the United States State Department has never suggested the version published by WikiLeaks, which claimed that the hikers were captured in Iran as part of a coordinated effort to agitate and create publicity regarding international policies on Iran.", + "answer": [ + "The three American hikers detained by Iran weren’t captured in Iraq, says Sarah Shourd: They were beckoned over the border by an armed soldier, she tells the New York Times in an effort to set the WikiLeaks version of the story straight. “We did not actually enter Iran until he gestured to us. We were confused and worried and wanted to go back.\" In Shourd's fullest account of her ordeal to date, she goes into detail about their fateful overnight camping trip, describing \"scores of campfires\" near the waterfall they were hiking to—which abutted Iran. “I think we were extremely unlucky,” says Shourd. “I guess I never believed there would be so many hundreds of people close to a border.” Her interview with the Times comes ahead of a court date for her fellow hikers, which was set for Saturday but has been delayed by Iran until Shourd “can return to Iran or,” if she refuses, her case can “be dealt with differently,” said an Iranian official. But her lawyer says the trial should go forward; neither he nor Shourd, he tells Reuters, were notified of the change." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSoldiers in Mali have stormed the presidential palace and announced the seizure of control of the country, ousting President Amadou Toumani Toure just one month before he was due to step down at the end of his legal term. The mutiny was sparked by the government's mishandling of an ethnic Tuareg insurgency in the country's north, which began in mid-January. The rebellion grew when fighters who had supported the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi returned home heavily armed. The unrest has forced tens of thousands to flee, and has prompted fierce criticism of Mali's government. The soldiers said they were suspending Mali's constitution and dissolving its institutions. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS strongly condemned the mutiny, calling it \"reprehensible\" and \"misguided.\" The coup is a major setback for one of the region's few established democracies. The ousted president came to power himself in a 1991 coup, but was hailed for handing power to civilians. A decade later, he won the 2002 democratic election. The soldiers imposed a nationwide curfew and took over the state radio and TV broadcaster in Bamako. The leader of the mutiny, Capt Amadou Sanogo, appeared on screen early on Thursday morning to announce the imposition of a national curfew, although he did not specify the time. The exact whereabouts of President Toure were not known, but a loyalist military source close to the president told the AFP news agency that he was well and in a safe location. It was not clear whether the mutinous soldiers had complete control of the presidential palace or had the support of all the Malian forces.", + "answer": [ + "A military coup is under way in Mali, as renegade soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako today, and soon afterward appeared on state TV to announce that they had booted the president and taken over the country, the BBC reports. The soldiers said they were suspending the constitution, dissolving its institutions and instituting a nationwide curfew. They said they were taking power because of President Amadou Toumani Toure's failure to defeat a rebellion by the Taureg tribes in the north, the AP reports. The military “has decided to assume its responsibilities and end the incompetent and disavowed regime of Amadou Toumani Toure,” the troops said, adding that it “does not in any way aim to confiscate power, and we solemnly swear to return power to a democratically elected president as soon as national unity and territorial integrity are established.” The mutiny comes just a month before Toure was set to leave office legally." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nIn the world of Game of Thrones, there are many twists and turns that keep fans on the edge of their seats. One of the latest revelations is that Dean-Charles Chapman, who currently plays King Tommen Baratheon, actually played another character in the show before his current role. Chapman played Martyn Lannister, a member of the Lannister family, in Season 3 of the show. This revelation has sparked a new theory that Tommen may actually be a faceless man, as he looks exactly like his pure-blooded Lannister cousin.\n\nIn other news, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive since 1996. This data is added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period. Additionally, a warning has been issued for those who have not yet seen Game of Thrones Season 6, as it contains spoilers. The warning is for a scene that shows a character getting beheaded, which is a major plot point in the show.\n\nFinally, a new family tree has been created to help fans understand the complex relationships between the characters in Game of Thrones. The tree shows the relationships between the Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen families, and helps to clarify the many twists and turns in the show.", + "answer": [ + "The internet loves obsessing over Game of Thrones, so Hello Giggles wants to know why more people aren't talking about the fact that \"Tommen is also his own cousin.\" Dean-Charles Chapman currently plays King Tommen Baratheon on the show, a role he took over from a younger actor in 2014. But he also played Tommen's cousin, Martyn Lannister, in a few episodes of the show back in the third season, Mashable explains. Hello Giggles thinks the recasting makes complete sense. “Given the Lannister family’s penchant for incest, having several people in that lineage look the same (like exactly the same) would not be a surprise.” Poor Martyn was killed off after being taken hostage by Robb Stark, and Bustle thinks Chapman better hope for a third role as Tommen is \"probably doomed just like his look-alike cousin.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe House Intelligence Committee has voted to release a classified memo that alleges misconduct by senior officials at the FBI involved in the Russia probe. The memo was written by Republicans on the committee and was opposed by the Department of Justice. The vote to release the memo comes after committee Republicans, led by Chairman Devin Nunes, pushed for its disclosure. The memo addresses a dossier of allegations against Trump compiled by a former British spy and questions over whether it was used to obtain surveillance warrants.\n\nThe White House has not decided whether to authorize the release of the memo, but President Trump favors \"full transparency.\" The memo has been a source of escalating partisan tension in Congress, with Republicans arguing it shows wrongdoing by FBI officials and Democrats saying it mischaracterizes intelligence.\n\nIn a separate development, two Republican senators have urged President Trump to keep a public silence on an independent investigation into his 2016 campaign's contacts with Russia. The senators, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins, also urged special counsel Robert Mueller to review whether Trump tried to fire him last June, an accusation the president has labeled \"fake news.\"\n\nFinally, Trey Gowdy had urged Devin Nunes to share a classified memo that alleges misconduct by senior officials at the FBI with both Chris Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The memo has been a source of escalating partisan tension in Congress, with Republicans arguing it shows wrongdoing by FBI officials involved in surveillance of a Trump campaign aide, while Democrats say it mischaracterizes intelligence and is an attempt to distract from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.", + "answer": [ + "It's all up to President Trump now. The House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines Monday to release a controversial memo that alleges wrongdoing on the part of the Justice Department and the FBI in regard to the Russia investigation, reports Politico. Democrats are fuming over the decision. Trump now has five days to decide whether to allow the memo to be released; his approval is necessary because it's a classified document. The memo alleges that the FBI and the Justice Department improperly used government surveillance during the investigation into Russian election interference and contacts with Trump's campaign, per the AP. The vote to release the memo comes after committee Republicans, led by chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, pushed for its disclosure. The memo addresses a dossier of allegations against Trump compiled by a former British spy, and questions over whether it was improperly used to obtain surveillance warrants. The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, announced the vote results Monday while criticizing the Republicans' decision. Democrats generally say the memo cherry-picks facts and presents a distorted view of things." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe trade war between the US and China continues to escalate as the Trump administration plans to raise tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25% from 10%, according to a source familiar with the discussions. The news was first reported by Bloomberg. The move comes as the two countries remain locked in a trade war, with talks between US and Chinese officials having done little to ease tensions. The US has already imposed 25% tariffs on Chinese goods worth $34 billion, and China has responded with its own tariffs on US goods worth the same amount. A second round of tariffs on products worth $16 billion could take effect as soon as this week.\n\nMeanwhile, the US and China are trying to restart talks aimed at averting a full-blown trade war between the world's two largest economies. Representatives of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are having private conversations as they look for ways to reengage in negotiations, according to people familiar with the effort. However, a specific timetable, the issues to be discussed, and the format for talks haven't been finalized, and there's no indication whether the two sides are preparing to resume negotiations.\n\nThe US is trying to secure certain concessions from China, and if China agrees, it is possible the US would back off additional tariffs. However, complicating Mnuchin's efforts is a harder line taken by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who has jurisdiction over the US's 301 investigation that sparked the tariffs. That case concluded China was stealing American technology and tariffs were needed to offset the damage.\n\nThe US and Chinese officials have given little recent indication in public that a restart to negotiations might be in the offing. Lighthizer said last week that trade tensions with China are a \"chronic problem,\" while China's representative at the World Trade Organization accused the US of \"extortion.\" The two sides held three rounds of formal talks, beginning with a delegation to Beijing led by Mnuchin in May. After Liu visited Washington later that month, the nations released a joint statement pledging to reduce the US trade deficit with China, among", + "answer": [ + "The US in early July hit $34 billion of Chinese goods with an extra 25% tariff; China responded in kind. CNN reports round two could see the US slap tariffs on another $16 billion in goods as soon as this week, but it's a much bigger figure that's attracting attention Wednesday. Bloomberg cites sources who say the White House is thinking about upping the ante and imposing not an additional 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods but an additional 25%. CNN echoes that news via its source. Bloomberg frames the move, which would be revealed in the next couple of weeks, as intended to \"force officials back to the negotiating table through threats of even higher tariffs\"; the last high-level negotiations took place nearly two months ago. A Chinese foreign ministry rep responded to the news thusly, per the AP: \"If the United States takes further measures that escalate the situation, China will definitely fight back. We are determined to safeguard our legitimate and lawful rights and interests.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSony has unveiled the PlayStation 4 (PS4), its next-generation gaming console. The PS4 is designed to shift focus from the living room to the gamer, and it is meant to make it possible for gamers to play wherever they want, whenever they want. The PS4 is an advanced, x86-based personal computer, which should make it easy for developers to build. The new DualShock 4 controller has a Vita-style touchpad and works with a 3D “stereo” camera accessory to track its movements. The PS4 will have a local HDD, and there will be no native PS3 backwards compatibility, but there will be PlayStation Cloud, which will permit streaming access to old titles without the need for discs. The graphics of the PS4 are fantastic, but not of an OH MY HELL, nothing-else-like-it-even-close leap. The PS4 will have a secondary processor that will handle downloading games in the background, giving you the ability to actually play games while they're being transferred from Sony's servers to your PS4. The PS4 will also have a dedicated video-processing chip that will let you stream video from your gaming session without leaving your session. The PS4 will have a social gaming interface that will allow users to quickly pause and upload gameplay videos as easily as they might have done with static screenshots in the past. The PS4 will also have spectator functionality for watching “celebrities” gaming, and networking will be based around real names and profile pictures, instead of strictly on gamer tags and avatars. The PS4 is expected to be released in Holiday 2013.", + "answer": [ + "Sony today unveiled its next-generation gaming system, PlayStation 4, saying the console will be part of a new ecosystem focused on hardware, software, and \"the fastest, most powerful gaming network.\" The new console is the Japanese electronics giant's first major game machine since the PlayStation 3 went on sale in 2006. Today's unveiling is Sony's attempt to steal the spotlight, at least until Microsoft unveils its next Xbox in June at the E3 video game expo in Los Angeles. Among the PS4's revisions is an updated controller that adds a touchpad, motion control, and a \"share\" button. The controller also features a light bar, which means a new PlayStation camera can more easily track the device. Sony has struggled lately to keep up with Microsoft and other rivals such as Apple and Samsung. The company is promising nifty mobile devices, sophisticated digital cameras, and other gadgetry as part of its comeback effort. More details at Gizmodo and TechCrunch." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nScientists from UC Berkeley have made a significant step towards mind-reading by reconstructing YouTube videos from viewers' brain activity. The researchers used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine to record the amount of blood flowing through the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes visual information, while subjects watched two sets of movie trailers. The recorded brain activity was then fed into a computer to program a \"movie reconstruction algorithm\" that matched neural activity to what was taking place in the video. The algorithm learned to associate certain neural patterns with dynamic information such as shapes, images, and sounds against 18 million seconds of random YouTube videos. The subjects then watched the same set of trailers as the algorithm pieced together a video based on brain activity recorded by the MRI. The result is a continuous, if abstract, reconstruction of the actual videos. The researchers believe that this technology could one day be used to broadcast imagery, offering a glimpse into our dreams, memories, and even fantasies.\n\nAnother study from the same university has found a way to see through another person's eyes. Researchers were able to reconstruct YouTube videos from viewers' brain activity, which might one day offer a glimpse into our dreams, memories, and even fantasies. The study's lead author, Jack Gallant, said that this is a major leap towards reconstructing internal imagery, and they are opening a window into the movies in our minds. The team used a computer model that matched features of the videos with patterns of brain activity. The researchers say the technology could one day be used to broadcast imagery, the scenes that play out inside our minds independent from vision. Gallant also mentioned that if you can decode movies people saw, you might be able to decode things in the brain that are movie-like but have no real-world analog, like dreams. The brain activity measured in this study is just a fraction of the activity that lets us see moving images. Other, more complex areas help us interpret the content of those images. The researchers hope to look at more visual modules and try to build models for every single part of the visual system.", + "answer": [ + "Scientists at UC Berkeley have made a major advancement in the field of mind reading, reconstructing YouTube videos based on brain scans from people who’d seen them. Researchers would put subjects into an MRI machine and track their brain activity as they viewed videos. Once they’d build a model of how a subject’s mind processed the video, “we could read brain activity for that subject and run it backward … to try to uncover what the viewer saw,” one study coauthor tells ABC News. Using the scans they were then able to reproduce the videos—though they’re blurry. “This is a major leap,” the co-author says. He thinks the technique could eventually be used to reconstruct dreams or memories, if it turns out the brain processes those things similarly to how it processes movies. “It’s our next line of research.” (More details on how the experiment worked, along with a video, at PC Magazine.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThis week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to rename the Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center. The bill, sponsored by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), was taken up at a time when House Republicans are pursuing a deliberate strategy of idleness. The naming proposal is not seen as lunar lunacy, but rather as an opportunity to honor the first man to walk on the moon.\n\nPresident Obama is barnstorming the country, calling for tax increases and alternative spending cuts to replace the automatic cuts known as the sequester. However, Republicans say they would consider a different blend of reductions, but would rather have the sequester than another deal like the one in December that raised taxes. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) instructed Obama to “sit down with Harry Reid tonight and work with Senate Democrats.”\n\nThe House has been in session for only 20 of the 56 days so far in 2013, and a large chunk of those sessions have been pro-forma sessions without votes or with ceremonial bills. Lawmakers are scheduled to be out of town Friday, when the sequester is set to take effect. They are also planning another recess at the end of March, when the federal government is due to shut down for lack of funding.\n\nThe sequester is designed to be so horrible that both Republicans and Democrats in Congress would recoil from it. However, the salaries of senators and representatives do not get cut under sequester. Congressional staffers face a 20 percent pay cut through furloughs, but members of Congress will continue to receive their six-figure salaries.\n\nPoliticians have lost their power to frighten people with the sequester. Hearing a politician say, “We are heading toward sequester” is no scarier than hearing the words, “I don’t like the looks of that mole” or “Welcome to Carnival Cruise Lines.” The sequester was designed to be so horrible that both Republicans and Democrats in Congress would recoil from it, but they have learned to stop worrying and love the sequester.", + "answer": [ + "We shouldn't be too worried about the sequester—after all, Congress doesn't exactly seem to be recoiling at the thought. And Roger Simon has a theory on why: Lawmakers' own salaries aren't getting cut, he explains at Politico. Sure, their staffers are facing furloughs that amount to a 20% pay decrease, but members of Congress will keep collecting six-figure salaries. Of course our lawmakers \"might have to figure out how to put those plastic coffee pods in the machines themselves, but these people are not fools,\" he writes. \"They will order out. If they can figure out how to work the telephones.\" In fact, House Republicans are positively excited about the sequester, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, noting their agenda yesterday consisted only of renaming a California NASA research center. They're \"pursuing a considered strategy of deliberate idleness,\" after finally realizing that doing nothing means they get \"a 2.5% cut in all federal spending without coughing up a single dollar in tax increases. They have learned to stop worrying and love the sequester.\" Click for Milbank's full piece; Simon's humorous take is here." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren grilled Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday, calling for his resignation and a criminal investigation into the bank's cross-selling scandal. Warren accused Stumpf of failing to hold himself or any other senior executives accountable for the company's actions and of not resigning, returning any of his earnings, or firing any senior executives. She also produced transcripts of Wells Fargo earnings calls Stumpf participated in from 2012 to 2014, in which he cited the company's success at cross-selling retail accounts as one of the main reasons to buy more stock in the company. Warren said that Stumpf's actions were not just about cross-selling but also about driving up the value of the stock and putting hundreds of millions of dollars in his own pocket.\n\nWarren's comments came amid testy questioning of Stumpf, who presided over what authorities have labeled as illegal cross-selling to millions of customers who often were enrolled into programs without their knowledge. She ripped into the culture that created the scandal, saying that if one of Wells Fargo's tellers had taken a handful of $20 bills out of the cash drawer, they would probably be looking at criminal charges for theft. \"But you squeezed your employees to the breaking point so they would cheat customers and you could drive up the value of your stock and put hundreds of millions of dollars in your pocket,\" she said.\n\nMeanwhile, Donald Trump is expected to announce on Wednesday that he plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a decision that has been met with criticism from the international community. Pope Francis called on the United States to respect the status quo in Jerusalem, while Palestinian representatives have warned that recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would be the \"kiss of death\" to the peace process. The decision comes amidst a broader shift in Middle East politics, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly presenting Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, with a peace plan that would be more tilted toward the Israelis than any ever embraced by the American government.", + "answer": [ + "Sen. Elizabeth Warren went after Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf during a Senate hearing Tuesday with the kind of heat she usually reserves for Donald Trump tweetstorms. \"You should resign ... and you should be criminally investigated,\" NPR quotes Warren as saying. Stumpf was in front of the Senate banking committee after Wells Fargo employees created millions of fake accounts for customers without their permission in order to charge them extra fees. Stumpf said he was \"deeply sorry\" for what happened, New Republic reports. But—according to CNBC—he maintained it wasn't a \"scam\"—Warren's word—but a \"way of deepening relationships\" with customers. Warren accused Stumpf of \"gutless leadership\" for passing responsibility for what happened away from himself and other senior executives while blaming \"thousands of $12-an-hour employees who were just trying to meet cross-sell quotas that made you rich.\" The employees' cross-selling scheme was at least partially responsible for Wells Fargo stock going up, making Stumpf's shares alone gain $200 million in value. While more than 5,000 Wells Fargo employees were fired, none of the senior executives are losing their jobs. Warren said the only way Wall Street will be reformed is if CEOs like Stumpf start seeing jail time. She's one of only a few members of the Senate banking committee that hasn't gotten money from Wells Fargo's PAC." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nAn anonymous hacker has leaked the first 10 episodes of the upcoming season of Netflix's hit series \"Orange Is the New Black\" after the company allegedly failed to respond to the hacker's demands. The hacker, who goes by the name \"thedarkoverlord,\" has also claimed to have stolen unreleased shows from ABC, Fox, National Geographic, and IFC. The content appears to have been stolen in an attack on post-production studio Larson Studios in late 2016. The hacker has demanded an unspecified sum of money from Netflix to prevent the release of all the new episodes. The company has not yet commented on the matter. The leak could potentially affect Netflix's subscriber growth and stock price. The hacker has also threatened to release the stolen content from other studios if their demands are not met.", + "answer": [ + "A hacker going by The Dark Overlord claims to have stolen and released 10 episodes of the new season of Orange Is the New Black more than a month before its official release on Netflix. Variety reports the hacker was demanding an unspecified ransom from Netflix, uploading the first episode of the upcoming fifth season to a file-sharing site Friday as proof. The next nine episodes were uploaded early Saturday morning after The Dark Overlord claims Netflix refused to pay them. The hacker says they're \"quite ashamed to breathe the same air\" as Netflix, as they were being entirely \"reasonable and merciful\" with their ransom offer. Neither Variety nor the AP have been able to—legally—confirm the authenticity of the episodes uploaded by The Dark Overlord. The new Orange Is the New Black episodes were apparently stolen months ago. Netflix says a production vendor \"had its security compromised\"; Variety identifies that vendor as Larson Studios, a post-production facility. The Dark Overlord says they weren't able to steal the final three episodes of the season because they weren't finished yet. The Dark Overlord told the AP in February they wouldn't release any of the stolen episodes; it's unclear why that changed. The hacker also claims to have stolen TV series from ABC, National Geographic, Fox, and IFC via the hack at Larson Studios. They're reportedly seeking a \"modest\" ransom for those as well. The leak of new Orange is the New Black episodes could hurt Neflix's subscriber numbers and stock price. The FBI is investigating." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nMalaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, and its whereabouts remain unknown. The search for the plane has been challenging due to the lack of information about its last known location and the cause of its disappearance. However, statistical tools, particularly Bayesian statistics, can help refine and focus the search. Bayesian statisticians use methods that allow hunters to update their estimates of the probability of finding their target in any latitude-longitude combination or even in three dimensions, accounting for depth in the water. The fourth dimension to the current search is the cause of the disappearance. New developments, such as information about how the plane’s communication systems were shut off, have lowered the probability that the plane disappeared because of an accident and increased the likelihood of deliberate diversion. The probability of finding the plane at any given location depends on which explanation is the current leader. A deliberate act has made spots farther from the takeoff point of Kuala Lumpur more likely.\n\nBayesian inference formalizes what will seem, to many unfamiliar with it, like common sense. Its founding principle is that most new situations can be assessed and assigned probabilities. Our first estimate of these probabilities may be no better than an educated guess. Then we start layering new information. The restaurant is full. Now we can feel more confident in our choice: All of our good meals in town have been in full restaurants, but just half of our bad meals have been. What is the chance of a good meal, given that a restaurant is full? It’s 75 percent, based on this new information, since 75 percent of meals in full restaurants have been good. Before ordering, we check our favorite food-review website and see that the place has four and a half stars out of five. Every meal we’ve eaten at restaurants rated that highly has been good, but just half of our meals at restaurants with lower ratings have been. So we update our probability again, accounting for any overlap between full restaurants and highly rated ones—until we eat, when probability is no longer a relevant concept because our mouths are full.\n\nApply the same ideas to Duke, and you might examine the Blue Devils’ current ranking, their recent games, the probability FiveThirtyEight’", + "answer": [ + "Forget satellite images and aerial searches—the best way to find Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may be with mathematical techniques dating back to the 18th century, the BBC reports. That's how Air France flight 447 was found in 2009, using \"Bayesian statistics\" to measure the probability of the plane being in one place or another. Named after Presbyterian minister and mathematician Thomas Bayes, the technique allowed experts to apply several factors to each point on a map: For example, what was the chance it crashed from mechanical failure? How far do planes tend to crash from their last known location? What was the chance that search teams missed debris in various locations? It's like picking a restaurant by balancing how full it is, what your favorite restaurant-review website says, and so on—except that experts hunting for Airbus A330 did that for each point where plane may have crashed in the Atlantic, Five Thirty-Eight notes. It was so hard that the US team of statisticians invited by France gave up, until they de-emphasized one statistic: that a plane's black box emits a signal after a crash 90% of the time. They changed their findings, and presto, the plane was found. Bayesian techniques have helped people find World War II U-boats, men overboard, and sunken treasure, but there's no evidence that Malaysia is employing them now. \"I suspect that they just guess, like professional baseball managers used to do before Moneyball,\" says a biostatistician." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nOn Wednesday, twin blasts targeted Syria's army command headquarters in Damascus, setting off hours of sporadic gun battles and a raging fire inside the heavily guarded compound. The explosions were the latest to hit the Syrian capital as the country's civil war intensified, and they appeared to show the deep reach of the rebels determined to topple President Bashar Assad's regime. The army command building was in flames, sending huge columns of thick black smoke that hung over Damascus for several hours following the blasts. Witnesses said the explosions were followed by heavy gunfire that stretched on for hours at the Omayyad Square and around the military compound. One witness who managed to get close to the area, which was cordoned off, saw panicked soldiers shooting in the air randomly as they ran. The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said it appears that rebels may have been holed up inside the army command building, from where the sound of gunfire could clearly be heard. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said heavy clashes were taking place inside the compound of the army command, adding that there were casualties on both sides. The explosions were caused by a car bomb and an explosive device that went off near the army command buildings. They were heard several miles away and shattered the windows of the Dama Rose hotel and other nearby buildings. The army statement said no military commanders or personnel were hurt in the explosions, but Iranian Press TV said one of its correspondents, Maya Naser, a Syrian national, died in an exchange of fire in the area following the blasts. The statement said a number of guards were wounded. The explosions were the latest to hit the Syrian capital as the country's civil war intensified and appeared to show the deep reach of the rebels determined to topple President Bashar Assad's regime. Syria's unrest began in March 2011 when protests calling for political change met a violent government crackdown. Many in the opposition have since taken up arms as the conflict morphed into a civil war that activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people. Over the past few", + "answer": [ + "Damascus has been rocked by bombings for the past two days, with at least two large blasts hitting Syria's military headquarters there this morning. The Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the attack, said to be the largest since July explosions killed President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and other key aides; the BBC reports that Assad would have been able to hear today's explosions from his palace. Gunfire broke out afterward, and Maya Nasser, a TV correspondent for the Iranian Press TV, was shot dead by sniper fire during a live broadcast, report the New York Times and Press TV. Other government facilities were hit by bombs yesterday, proving the opposition can still get past government security, but the regime is downplaying the scope of the attacks while the opposition says many of Assad's forces have been killed. In other news from Syria: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for international action at the General Assembly yesterday, calling the conflict \"a regional calamity with global ramifications,\" the AP reports. Click for more from the General Assembly on Syria. Clashes have also been reported near Syria's border with Israel, leading the Israel Defense Forces to issue a statement declaring that \"fire from Syria leaking into Israel will not be accepted.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA decomposing body was found inside the entrance column of a supermarket in Lancaster, California, on Saturday, August 11, 2018. The body is believed to be that of a man who led deputies on a chase on Monday and escaped on foot. The suspect was last seen running into the supermarket and onto the roof, but deputies were unable to locate him. The body was in a state of decomposition and the person's gender was unknown at the time. The coroner will determine the cause of death. The supermarket was expected to stay closed as the investigation continued. Anyone with information was encouraged to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.", + "answer": [ + "A strong smell outside a California supermarket turned out to be someone who had decomposed in one of the store's entrance columns, ABC 7 reports. Police were called Saturday to the WinCo Foods in Lancaster after a plumber, told it was likely a septic problem, helped knock brick from the column and saw a shoe and a leg inside. \"It's been over 100 degrees up here every day,\" says LA County Sheriff's Lt. John Corina. \"I can't imagine being inside that column and just baking. It's a strange development, and if he died that way, it's a horrible way to die.\" Police say the victim may be a man who was stopped for a fake license plate Monday night, NBC Los Angeles reports. He crashed the vehicle, ran away from deputies, and got into the supermarket. The man \"ran up the steps where the managers [are],\" an eyewitness tells CBS Los Angeles. \"And somehow he got on the roof. Last I heard, he got away.\" From up there, he could have reached the store fascia and descended into the column. Whether he died from the fall or baked inside is unclear; he was found on his feet with an arm stuck behind his head. \"I saw some gooey liquid and it smelled really foul ... it was oozing out of the pillar onto the pavement,\" says a witness. \"It smelled like death.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Sochi Winter Olympics, which are set to begin on February 7th, have raised concerns about security due to the threat of terrorism. The United States has plans to use two warships in the Black Sea and planes already on standby in Europe to evacuate Americans if necessary. However, any American rescue operation would depend heavily on Russian approval, which is unlikely if not impossible. The U.S. Olympic Committee has declined to discuss the details of security for the American athletes or what would happen in the event of an evacuation. Some American athletes have expressed concern about the safety of the games, and the U.S. ski and snowboard team has hired a private security firm to protect its athletes in case of emergency. Russia has introduced extensive safeguards for the games, but some countries' teams will be providing their athletes with even more security. The U.S. government has sent FBI agents to Sochi and Moscow for the duration of the games and has made air and naval assets available to help Russia prevent possible terror attacks. Several groups have threatened to attack the Sochi Olympics, including a group that claimed responsibility for the recent Volgograd bombings. The U.S. ski and snowboard team has hired private security firm Global Rescue to protect its athletes in case of emergency. The firm will have five aircraft on standby to assist the team in case of an emergency evacuation.", + "answer": [ + "The US has sent two warships to the Black Sea and put planes on standby in Europe as it prepares to evacuate its Olympians from Sochi in the event of an attack. But officials fear their preparations might not be enough, reports NBC News, which describes the effort as \"logistically mind-boggling and diplomatically delicate.\" The big issue: The US can't do much without Russian permission, and it doesn't expect to get that. \"Something that looks like the US cavalry riding to rescue Russia … well, it's just hard to imagine that happening,\" one Russian expert said. The US skiing and snowboarding teams have signed up their own private security company, Global Rescue, which claims it has six aircraft ready for an evacuation if necessary. But having planes isn't the only issue; it's having runways. Sochi's airport is fairly small, so deciding which of the 85 countries competing to use it would be a nightmare. Other teams are also taking special security precautions, the Moscow Times reports. Britain, for example, is sending extra security personnel with its delegation. A German spokesman, meanwhile, said the country trusted Russia, but would \"look closely\" at the situation. \"We will have no aircraft, that is all that I can say.\"" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nReal estate scion Robert Durst was sentenced to seven years in prison for a federal gun crime on Wednesday. The 73-year-old, who entered and left the courtroom in a wheelchair, had pleaded guilty to the gun charge in February. Durst is also facing a murder charge in California, where he is accused of killing his friend Susan Berman in 2000.\n\nDurst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said that Durst did not kill Berman and does not know who did. He also said that the deal \"cleared the decks\" and that Durst is not facing any other prosecution except for what is in California.\n\nDurst is expected to be arraigned on the murder charge in Los Angeles on August 18. He could move to California within four to six weeks, his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said before Wednesday's hearing.\n\nThe plea agreement calls for an 85-month prison stint, followed by three years of supervised release. The judge said the deal also resolved several pending charges against Durst in New York, Texas, and Louisiana state court.\n\nDurst has previous convictions in Texas related to jumping bail and carrying a weapon across state lines in 2004 as he tried to flee the murder prosecution there. Durst served about three years in connection with those charges.\n\nDurst's wealthy family runs 1 World Trade Center. He was tracked to New Orleans in March 2015 by FBI agents worried that he was about to flee to Cuba.\n\nThe HBO series \"The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst\" chronicled several police investigations of the multimillionaire. In the series' final episode, Durst's voice was captured on a microphone after an interview as he muttered that he had \"killed them all.\"", + "answer": [ + "A New Orleans judge officially approved Robert Durst's February plea deal on a gun charge and sentenced him to seven years in prison on Wednesday, Reuters reports. For more than a year, the real estate heir has languished in a New Orleans prison after being nabbed with a handgun in his hotel room. He was busted for that felony just one day before the series finale of HBO's The Jinx, in which he famously appeared to confess to three murders by saying, \"What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.\" US District Judge Kurt Engelhardt also agreed that Durst can be transferred to a low-security prison with medical facilities in San Pedro, Calif., where the 73-year-old's attorneys say his \"advanced age and poor health\" can be better addressed, per the Advocate. In California, Durst will face a murder charge in the 2000 death of friend Susan Berman, the AP reports. (A Texas judge believes Durst once dumped a cat's head on her doorstep.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe US State Department officials were worried about the impact of Marine uniforms on diplomacy during the Benghazi attack in 2012. They discussed whether Marines should wear civilian clothing instead of their uniforms. However, a commander said that they had to keep changing in and out of their uniforms four times as they were readying themselves to deploy. The military never deployed to Benghazi.\n\nThe final majority report of the Benghazi Select Committee is set to be released later Tuesday morning. Representatives Jim Jordan and Mike Pompeo have signed onto the official majority document and authored a supplemental, 51-page \"additional views\" report of their own. Among the most interesting aspects of their \"additional views\" is a timeline that contrasts the story top Obama administration officials were telling in public with the very different story some of those same officials were sharing with one another in private emails, conversations, and documents. The timeline reinforces in a compelling way what will be one of the most significant takeaways from the committee investigation: The Obama administration knowingly provided the American people a false story about the Benghazi attack, its causes, and its consequences.\n\nThe report also found that a State official brought up a question about whether Marines should wear civilian clothing instead of their uniforms. Under secretary of State for management Patrick Kennedy told investigators he wanted to ensure that security was enhanced, not hurt by flags on the uniforms of any U.S. military presence. However, one commander told the committee that as they were readying themselves to deploy they kept having to change in and out of their uniforms four times. The military never deployed to Benghazi.\n\nThe Benghazi Select Committee's report has been released, and it concludes that Clinton and other officials did not adequately heed concerns about growing extremism in Libya. The summary also accuses Clinton of falsely blaming the violence on an anti-Muslim video behind unrest elsewhere. The report has been met with criticism from Democrats, who claim that it is partisan and does not alter the public's understanding of the 2012 attack in Benghazi.", + "answer": [ + "The Republican-led House Benghazi committee released its final report Tuesday after two years of investigations. The 800-page report lays out the committee's findings on the 2012 attacks in Libya that left four Americans dead. Here's what you need to know: Benghazi is \"unlikely to be a potent tool for weakening Clinton\" in the general election, as the committee and report have little credibility and aren't seen as serious by many, the Los Angeles Times reports. Easily distilling the massive report, the Washington Post lays out its five \"most serious accusations,\" including that the CIA \"missed warning signs\" and \"misread how dangerous Libya ... was at the time.\" New evidence of “culpability or wrongdoing” on Clinton's part is lacking in the report, despite it being “one of the longest, costliest, and most bitterly partisan congressional investigations in history,\" according to the New York Times. Given a lack of new evidence against Clinton, the Weekly Standard uses the report as a tool for blaming Obama. “The Obama administration knowingly provided the American people a false story about the Benghazi attack, its causes, and its consequences,\" the Standard states. How various government agencies responded to the Benghazi crisis is one of the more interesting aspects of the report. According to Politico, a conference call in the midst of the attack included a conversation about whether Marines should wear their uniforms if deployed. Marines changed in and out of their uniforms multiple times while waiting for an answer and were never deployed. According to the Hill, a Democratic lawmaker on the House Benghazi committee calls it \"one of the saddest exercises I've ever engaged in\" during 20 years in Congress. He accuses Republicans of hiding the final report from Democrats to avoid having it fact-checked. Zeroing in on what it calls the \"most revealing paragraph\" in the report, Vox concludes there's a pattern of spinning \"non-damning facts as damning\" for the Obama administration. The paragraph in question admits there were no US forces close enough to prevent the attack but insists that, in itself, was a failure on the part of the White House. \"I think it's time to move on,\" the AP quotes Clinton as saying after the release of the report, which she says includes nothing not previously discovered by an accountability board." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Hannah Graham case, which involves the disappearance and murder of a University of Virginia student, has been the subject of a pretrial hearing in Charlottesville, Virginia. The defendant, Jesse Matthew Jr., is charged with capital murder and faces the death penalty. The hearing has provided new details about the investigation, including the use of a police bloodhound to track Graham's scent and the discovery of her remains on an abandoned property. The defense has challenged the search warrant for Matthew's apartment and vehicle, arguing that the search dog's findings were inconsistent with witness accounts and video surveillance evidence. However, the judge has ruled that there were no instances of deliberate misstatements and reckless disregard of the truth in the affidavit supporting the search warrant. The hearing has also revealed that Matthew faces first-degree murder charges in the 2009 death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.", + "answer": [ + "A former police bloodhound handler told a court on Monday that during the search for UVa student Hannah Graham, the animal detected her scent outside the car and apartment of suspect Jesse Matthew—and the scent of \"fear and adrenaline\" where she was allegedly attacked. The handler was testifying during a pretrial hearing where lawyers for Matthew, who is already serving three life terms in prison for a 2005 sexual assault, unsuccessfully challenged the search warrants police obtained for Matthew's home and vehicle, the AP reports. He said the 7-year-old dog, Shaker, traced Graham's scent from downtown Charlottesville to a mulch pile at an industrial site, where the smell of fear was strongest. Matthew, 33, faces a capital murder charge in the 2014 death of Graham, whose body was found on an abandoned property around six weeks after she disappeared. He has also been charged with the 2009 murder of a Virginia Tech student. At Monday's hearing, another police witness testified that, contrary to what the defense claimed, the scent trail was consistent with surveillance videos that showed Graham wandering around, reports WSET. The officer shared text message records indicating that she was lost the night she disappeared.The Washington Post notes that Matthew is seen walking alongside Graham in some of the surveillance videos." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA convicted white-collar criminal was sentenced on Wednesday for persuading his son to shoot him in the leg as part of a staged insurance scam a day before he was to start serving a decade-long federal prison term from a high-profile mortgage fraud case. U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown called the insurance scheme and concocted shooting \"an unthinkable kind of situation,\" and tacked on three years and 10 months to his 10-year sentence for mortgage fraud. The additional time resulted from the defendant's guilty plea in May to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the elaborate insurance scam, and for interstate failure to pay child support.\n\nThe defendant, Shannon Egeland, stood on a prosthetic leg before the judge in U.S. District Court in Portland, and said he has spent time reflecting on the past 3 ½ years he has been in custody, and has realized he is in need of mental health counseling and treatment. He is now taking three mental health-related medications. Egeland directed his son, Rylan Egeland, then 17, to shoot him in the leg with a shotgun along a roadside in Caldwell, Idaho, hoping to delay his prison sentence and benefit from a bogus disability insurance policy that he had applied for seven days earlier. The son shot Egeland in his lower legs and then left the scene.\n\nEgeland came up with the trumped-up shooting plan to delay his prison sentence in the mortgage fraud case and benefit from fraudulently obtained disability insurance, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford. Egeland was a co-owner of Desert Sun, which raised millions from local banks through a series of phony business plans and falsified loan applications. He previously had pleaded guilty to fraud charges for his role in the Desert Sun housing scandal that rocked Central Oregon in 2009.\n\nOn Wednesday, prosecutors sought a five-year sentence for the insurance scam while Egeland's lawyer urged a two-year sentence to be served consecutive to the 10-year sentence he's already serving. Egeland'", + "answer": [ + "A white-collar crook is facing extra prison time for having his son shoot him in the legs with a 20-gauge shotgun, the BBC reports. Shannon Egeland, 43, was already facing 10 years for taking part in a vast mortgage-fraud scheme when he had his 17-year-old son shoot him by a road in Caldwell, Idaho, in an attempt to avoid prison. \"The psychological and emotional destruction defendant caused this minor child is unimaginable,\" US attorney Scott Bradford wrote in a sentencing memo. Back in 2009, Egeland was co-owner of an Oregon development company that defrauded banks out of $20 million in loans that he and a partner used to fund a lavish lifestyle. Facing prison, Egeland took out disability insurance and had his son aim for his legs. Egeland told police he'd been attacked after stopping to assist a pregnant driver, but investigators got suspicious when his pricey BMW, his wallet, and his cellphone weren't taken, the Idaho Statesman reports. Then they learned about his recent insurance, and the whole thing unravelled. Now Egeland is facing an extra 3 years and 10 months for his roadside scheme and had his leg amputated from the shotgun blast. Bradford called him a \"self-absorbed, opportunistic narcissist,\" the Oregonian reports, but Egeland—who is now on three medications for mental health—has cast his own judgment. \"What bothers me the most is my son—the pain is on him,'' he says. \"If I could take it all back, I would, but I can't. That will haunt me the rest of my life.''" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA Tesla Model X crashed and caught fire in Mountain View, California, killing the driver, Walter Huang, an engineer at Apple. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident, which occurred on March 23, 2018, while the vehicle was on autopilot. According to Tesla, the driver had received several visual and one audible hands-on warning earlier in the drive and the driver’s hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision. The reason the crash was so severe was due to the crash attenuator, a highway safety barrier, which was crushed in a prior accident without being replaced. Tesla stated that they had never seen this level of damage to a Model X in any other crash. Huang's brother, Will, told KGO that Walter had complained \"seven to 10 times the car would swivel toward that same exact barrier during auto-pilot.\" The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is responsible for maintaining the barriers and released a statement saying that replacement work was scheduled. The previous accident that damaged the barrier took place 11 days before Huang's fatal crash. Autopilot and autonomous vehicles have come under increased scrutiny recently after a woman was killed by one of Uber's autonomous vehicles in Tempe, Arizona. Tesla stated that their autopilot \"unequivocally makes the world safer for the vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists.\"", + "answer": [ + "The Tesla Model X that slammed into a highway barrier in California last week and killed the 38-year-old Apple engineer at the wheel had been on autopilot at the time of the crash, Tesla confirms in a blog post. But the company says driver Walter Huang \"received several visual and one audible hands-on warning earlier in the drive,\" adding that \"the driver’s hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision.\" Tesla also laid some blame on state highway officials, asserting that \"the reason this crash was so severe is because the crash attenuator, a highway safety barrier which is designed to reduce the impact into a concrete lane divider, had been crushed in a prior accident without being replaced.\" The fact that the vehicle was on autopilot is likely to be controversial because, as ABC News notes, driver Huang had reportedly been concerned about it. His brother told KGO that Huang had brought his Model X back to the dealership complaining that when he used the feature, the car kept swerving toward the very same barrier that it eventually struck in the fatal collision. The NTSB is investigating the crash, including the fire that broke out after the collision. The accident follows another in Arizona in which a self-driving Uber struck and killed a pedestrian." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nRobin Williams, the beloved actor and comedian, passed away at the age of 63. He was known for his roles in films such as \"Good Will Hunting,\" \"Mrs. Doubtfire,\" and \"Aladdin,\" among others. Williams was also a stand-up comedian and won an Oscar for his performance in \"Good Will Hunting.\" He was widely admired in Hollywood and had a particular impact on the generation now in their mid-to-late 20s and early 30s.\n\nWilliams' career shifted in the 1990s when he began to focus on entertainment for kids. He generously and humbly took on voice acting roles in animated films, even though it was an anonymous profession at the time. His performance as the Genie in \"Aladdin\" was a triumph, and the film became a VHS classic through the 1990s. Williams' voice was so vivid and lifelike that it was more imaginative than the vast majority of TV characters.\n\nIn his desire to please, Williams went to extremes in his performances. In \"Mrs. Doubtfire,\" he played a voice actor who was too childlike to sustain his marriage. In \"Jumanji,\" he played a man who had been trapped inside a board game since childhood and had never lived in the real world. In \"Jack,\" he played a boy trapped in the body of a man, and in \"Flubber,\" he was a professor unable to deal with the pressures of running a lab and bedeviled by magical, fun green goo.\n\nAs the century turned, Williams got interested in serious projects again, but the mid-budget adult drama was beginning to disappear. His last leading-man role in an adult movie was in \"Bicentennial Man,\" and something was off his fastball. The conceits of the film were two degrees removed from the sunny, high-concept optimism of kids' movies.\n\nWilliams' legacy can be measured in the imprints his movies left in rec-room carpets, as kids parked in front of the TV rewound his movies again and again. Giving joy is as important as evoking tears or provoking thought, and Williams' legacy is a testament to that.", + "answer": [ + "After Robin Williams' sudden death, the tributes are rolling in, with many recalling a comic genius grappling with private challenges. A sampling: When it comes to comedy, \"there wasn't a faster brain on the planet,\" writes Tony Hicks in the Contra Costa Times. We'll be hearing \"a litany of tributes about one of the great comedians who ever lived. Much of it will be some of the same adjectives used when any great performer dies—especially before their time. But in Williams' case, most of it will be true.\" Early in his career, \"it was clear that Mr. Williams was one of the most explosively, exhaustingly, prodigiously verbal comedians who ever lived,\" AO Scott writes in the New York Times. And beyond that, \"his essential persona as an entertainer combined neediness and generosity, intelligence and kindness, in ways that were charming and often unexpectedly moving.\" Williams may have gotten his start long before Aladdin, but he gave a \"generous and humble\" gift to the millennial generation, writes Daniel D'Addario at Salon. \"Williams will be remembered for his edgy comedy and for dramatic turns, but for people my age, Williams was our childhood,\" from Mrs. Doubtfire to Jumanji to Flubber. In the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan recalls a moment when, facing an onslaught of photographers, Williams asked him—in the voice of a fly from a 1950s sci-fi flick—to \"help me, Ken. Help me.\" The experience stuck with him and seems particularly resonant today, he writes." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA murder suspect is on the run following a weekend shooting in Montpelier, Vermont. The victim, Markus Austin, was a former member of the Vermont Frost Heaves basketball team. The suspect, Jayveon Caballero, is wanted for second-degree murder. Nearly 48 hours after the shooting, police still don't know where Caballero is. Caballero may have gotten on a bus heading south from White River Junction.\n\nThe shooting is believed to have been the result of a night out at the bar gone wrong. Austin was invited out with friends to join Caballero, who he called \"my boy Jay.\" However, a fight broke out at the end of the night. Caballero's girlfriend, Desiree Cary, told police that she got mad and hit Austin as they left the bar. Austin allegedly hit her back, injuring her jaw bone. Court documents show Caballero appeared upset and then went to find Austin at a Barre Street apartment.\n\nCaballero fatally shot Austin outside his apartment at 191 Barre Street in Montpelier around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The shooting is the first murder in Montpelier in almost a century. Caballero and Austin knew each other and were involved in an altercation outside the Gustos bar in Barre prior to the shooting. The altercation involved several others, some of whom have been interviewed by police.\n\nCaballero's girlfriend, Desiree Cary, was arrested Sunday evening in Barre on charges unrelated to the shooting. She appeared in court Monday, pleaded not guilty to drug charges, and was released. Police are unsure if Caballero is traveling by vehicle. Anyone with information about his location or the shooting is asked to contact the Vermont State Police.", + "answer": [ + "Police in the country's smallest state capital are investigating something that hasn't happened there in living memory: a murder. Police in Vermont say they have issued an arrest warrant for 29-year-old Jayveon Caballero, who is accused of fatally shooting Markus Austin in Montpelier early Sunday after an altercation, the Times Argus reports. Witnesses told investigators that Austin, 33, assaulted Caballero’s girlfriend, Desiree Cary, during the altercation outside a bar in the nearby city of Barre early Sunday. Police say Caballero later confronted Austin outside his apartment and shot him dead. The body was found in the parking lot of Austin's apartment complex. A Vermont State Police spokesman says Caballero, who knew Austin before the shooting, fled the town and probably the state after the shooting, WCAX reports. The police spokesman says Caballero is believed to have boarded a Greyhound bus bound for New York City on Sunday morning, which made numerous stops in other states along the way. Later Sunday, Cary, 22, was arrested on apparently unrelated charges of selling heroin and crack cocaine. With around 7,500 residents, Montpelier has the smallest population of any state capital, the AP notes. Police Chief Anthony Facos says this is the city's first murder since a woman shot her husband in the 1920s." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe Moon will offer a unique total eclipse on January 31, 2018, which will be visible from Australia and western USA. This event will be a Super Blue Moon Total Eclipse, where the Full Moon will be a Supermoon and a Blue Moon too. The Virtual Telescope Project will partner with several astro-imagers in Australia to bring the stunning beauty of this event to the public. The online, free lunar total eclipse session is scheduled for 31 Jan. 2018, starting at 11:30 UT.\n\nThe same day, the Supermoon will rise above Rome, which will be an amazing sight. The SuperBlueMoon rising above the legendary monuments of Rome will be shown starting at 16:00 UT. The event is free and open to the public.\n\nThe first eclipse of 2018 will be a lunar one that comes at the very end of the month, on Jan. 31. It will be a total eclipse that involves the second full moon of the month, popularly referred to as a Blue Moon. Such a skywatching event hasn't happened for more than 150 years. The eclipse will take place during the middle of the night, and the Pacific Ocean will be turned toward the moon at the time. Central and eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and most of Australia will get a fine view of this moon show in the evening sky. Heading farther west into western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the eclipse will already be underway as the moon rises. Alaska, Hawaii and northwestern Canada will see the eclipse from start to finish. Moonset will intervene for the rest of North and Central America, however.\n\nThe upcoming eclipse on Jan. 31 will be the first total eclipse of a Blue Moon in nearly 152 years! The next time that a Blue Moon passes through Earth's umbra will be on Dec. 31, 2028, and, after that, on Jan. 31, 2037. Both of these eclipses will be total. Before 2017, there was an 8 percent partial eclipse on Dec. 31, 2009, but, for a total eclipse of a Blue Moon,", + "answer": [ + "Look up at the sky on Jan. 31 and you may witness a sight unseen for 150 years. For the first time since 1866, a total lunar eclipse will occur with the blue moon, or second full moon of the month, which—like the one visible on New Year's Day—will also be a supermoon. Got all that? When the moon is at or near the closest point to Earth in its orbit (aka, a supermoon), it appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than full moons that occur at the farthest point in the moon's orbit, though the moon will lose brightness as it enters Earth's shadow, according to NASA. Because of the way Earth's atmosphere bends light, the eclipsed moon will take on a reddish hue, something often referred to as a blood moon, making this rare celestial event \"a super blue blood moon eclipse,\" according to the Miami Herald. The next blue moon eclipse won't occur until 2028. The eclipse will last for 3.5 hours, with the total eclipse stretching for 77 minutes, reports Sky & Telescope. Those along the Pacific Rim from Alaska and northwestern Canada to central and eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia will get the best view of totality during the middle of the night. However, partial phases of the eclipse should be visible under a clear sky in central North America, western Asia, India, the Middle East and eastern Europe, per Space.com. North American viewers should look up as the moon sets on the morning of Jan. 31, while those on the opposite side of the world should see a partial eclipse as the moon rises. Not in an ideal viewing area? The Virtual Telescope plans to livestream the total eclipse from Australia, which you can watch here, per Quartz. (Bogus glasses damaged a solar eclipse viewer's eyes.)" + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, visited the embattled town of Hama on Thursday as part of an effort to show U.S. support for Syrians fighting for democracy. The visit came after reports of the biggest crowd in Syria so far in the city at the heart of the opposition, with over 500,000 people flooding the streets in protest. The opposition reported 13 protesters killed, including five deaths in the central city of Homs, two in the capital's commercial neighborhood Midan, and six in the Dumair area, east of Damascus. Syrian state-run TV blamed the deaths on snipers from \"armed gangs.\" Ford met with over a dozen Hama residents and visited a hospital that has treated some of those wounded in the security forces crackdown. The state news agency SANA reported that a Foreign Ministry source accused Ford of going to Hama without obtaining prior permission from the government. However, Nuland said U.S. officials notified the Syrian government that an embassy team was traveling to Hama. The embassy informed Syrian officials that an embassy delegation, without specifying whom, would be heading to Hama. And they then proceeded to make their way there and were allowed to proceed. Ford's delegation did not include any official Syrian \"handlers,\" Nuland said, adding that Syrian authorities allowed him through checkpoints to reach the town. The visit was seen as a show of solidarity with the people of Hama, who have been protesting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The city has been wracked with violence and a general strike this week after a series of peaceful demonstrations, including a huge anti-government demonstration last Friday. A fierce crackdown ensued in the area, with activists and Human Rights Watch reporting many arrests and deaths. The visit also came after reports that embassy staff had filmed US protests against the crackdown in Syria, prompting Washington to summon the Syrian ambassador for talks. The Syrian foreign ministry accused the US of \"interfering\" in its affairs, but the US state department said the visit was to make \"absolutely clear with his physical presence that we stand with those Syrians", + "answer": [ + "America's ambassador to Syria visited one of the cities worst-hit by the crackdown against anti-government protesters yesterday, reports CNN. Robert Ford went to the city of Hama \"to make absolutely clear with his physical presence that we stand with those Syrians who are expressing their right to speak for change,\" an embassy spokeswoman says. An estimated 500,000 people joined an anti-government rally in the city last Friday. The Syrian government accused Ford of going to the city without authorization, saying the visit is \"clear evidence of the US involvement in the ongoing events in Syria and its bids to aggravate the situations which destabilize Syria.'' An embassy spokeswoman says the Syrian government was told a delegation would be visiting Hama, although no Syrian \"handlers\" were taken and officials weren't informed about the ambassador's presence. The city has been a symbol of opposition since 1982, when a crackdown ordered by the present Syrian leader's father killed around 20,000 people, al-Jazeera notes." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into an attempt to hack into the Democratic National Committee's voter database, according to a news report. The DNC contacted the FBI after it detected what it believes was the beginning of a sophisticated attempt to hack into its voter database, a Democratic source tells CNN. The DNC was alerted in the early hours of Tuesday morning by a cloud service provider and a security research firm that a fake login page had been created in an attempt to gather usernames and passwords that would allow access to the party's database. The DNC and the two companies involved in detecting the operation say they believe they thwarted a potential attack. The fraudulent page was designed to look like the access page Democratic Party officials and campaigns across the country use to log into a service called Votebuilder, which hosts the database. The DNC called the voter file \"the party's most sensitive information.\" The incident underscores that the cyber age has changed elections forever, and many systems are vulnerable to manipulation. The focus has gone from using the cyber realm to steal secrets to using it to impose national power. Ahead of the midterms, political groups and government organizations have been on high alert for new hacks and foreign meddling. Microsoft said this week that it had detected that hackers tied to Russian intelligence targeted the Senate and conservative think tanks in the United States, also by creating fake websites. Facebook also uncovered other disinformation efforts targeting people around the world.", + "answer": [ + "The FBI is reportedly investigating a sophisticated—but unsuccessful—attempt to hack into the Democratic National Committee's voter database. The DNC learned of the attempt on Tuesday, CNN reports. The attack, which was detected by a cloud service provider and a security research company, involved a fake login page intended to gather usernames and passwords for a service called Votebuilder, which hosts the DNC's voter database. It's a method called \"spearphishing,\" according to the New York Times. \"It was very convincing,\" Mike Murray of the cybersecurity firm Lookout tells CNN, adding that it would be tough to tell the real page from the fake one, even if they were side-by-side. The fake login page was ultimately removed by the cloud hosting company DigitalOcean. The company's chief security officer says the threat was identified before the attack was launched. \"We see no evidence that any sensitive data was stolen,\" he says. A DNC official tells the Times that it is not clear who the hackers were in this case. But, the paper recalls, a 2016 hack of the DNC was ultimately traced to Russia. This latest attempt, DNC Chief Security Officer Bob Lord tells the Times, \"is further proof that there are constant threats as we head into midterm elections and we must remain vigilant in order to prevent future attacks.\" Earlier this week, Microsoft reported that it had uncovered new Russian hacking attempts targeting conservative organizations in the US." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nA 8-year-old boy from Dorchester, Martin Richard, was killed in the Boston Marathon bombings. His mother and sister were also injured in the blasts. Hundreds attended a vigil Tuesday night for Martin at Garvey Park in Dorchester. His father Bill Richard released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that Martin had died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you. Martin was reportedly at the race to watch his father, a community leader in Dorchester, according to the paper.\n\nIn a hospital mix-up, a Medford family was told their daughter had survived her injuries from the Marathon bombings, only to later learn she was dead. The parents of Krystle Campbell, 29, were first told by doctors that she had survived, but that her friend, Karen Rand, was killed. When William and Patty Campbell were finally allowed in to see the patient, they realized it was not their daughter.\n\nCLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share FBI officials say there are no known additional threats following the Boston Marathon bombings. They told the press Tuesday morning that they will \"go to the ends of the Earth\" to find whoever is responsible. VPC\n\nA worker returns a bag containing a runner's personal effects near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 16. (Photo: Charles Krupa, AP)\n\nStudent was watching race with 2 friends near finish\n\nNEWLINE_CHAR NEWLINE_CHAR NEWLINE_CHAR NEWLINE_CHAR Name withheld pending family's permission\n\nSecond victim was Krystle Campbell, 29, a restaurant manager from Medford, Mass.\n\nBOSTON — This rattled city was grappling Tuesday with the painful process of identifying its dead, a strong police presence on its streets, and a firm resolve to heal and move forward.\n\nOne day after two bombs rocked the finish line of the", + "answer": [ + "Another fatality in the Boston bombings has been identified: The family of 29-year-old Krystle Campbell says she was killed as she and a friend were cheering on another friend who was racing, reports WCVB. \"This is just a waste,\" says her mother. “Everyone that knew her loved her. She was always smiling. You couldn’t ask for a better daughter. She was the best.” Campbell was a restaurant manager, reports the Boston Herald, which notes an especially wrenching detail: Her father was initially told she was alive, but when he got to the ICU, he realized it was his daughter's friend who had survived. Campbell is the second of the three people killed to be identified. The first was 8-year-old Martin Richard, and his father, Bill, released a statement today thanking supporters and asking for privacy, reports WBZ. \"My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you.\" The third victim was a grad student at Boston University, but the person's identity is being withheld until the family says it's OK to release, reports USA Today." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThe USA leads the world in obesity, with 87 million of the world's 671 million obese people, according to a new report published in the medical journal Lancet. The report, which is the most comprehensive look at obesity worldwide over the past several decades, paints a discouraging picture, with no country having seen a decline in obesity rates over the past 30 years. Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, with rates rising among men, women, and children in both rich and poor countries. The report lists several possibilities for the cause of obesity, including increased calorie intake, changes in diet composition, decreased physical activity, and even changes in the mix of bacteria that live in human guts. The study also notes that population-wide weight gains and income gains generally go hand in hand around the world, which seems to support the theory that a major cause of obesity is that food has become cheap relative to income. The World Health Organization launched a commission to study rising obesity among children worldwide and suggest solutions, with a report due in early 2015.", + "answer": [ + "There are more obese or overweight people in the world today than there were people of any weight in 1935, the most comprehensive look at worldwide obesity in decades warns. The 188-country study found that there are 2.1 billion overweight or obese people in the world, making up around 30% of the world's population, up from 20% in 1980, USA Today reports. Not a single country has recorded a decline in obesity over the last 30 years. \"We hoped there would be some examples of success that you could latch onto,\" a study co-author says. \"But there's a complete lack of success stories in bringing down obesity.\" The study published in British medical journal the Lancet found that the Middle East and north Africa had seen the biggest weight gains, though the US still has the largest number of obese people, with 87 million of the world's 671 million obese people, reports Reuters. Other countries, however, have even higher obesity rates, including Tonga, where more than 50% of all adults are obese. \"Two-thirds of the obese population actually resides in developing countries,\" says one of the researchers; they warn that obesity rates are rising among rich and poor countries, men and women, and adults and children alike." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nThis week's LOOK magazine is on sale now, featuring an emotional letter from Tom Cruise to Katie Holmes. The couple divorced in July last year, but Cruise has reportedly written a letter to Holmes in an attempt to rekindle their friendship, if not more. The letter is said to be \"emotional\" and \"something Tom's been thinking about a lot recently,\" according to an insider. The couple attempted a truce in March, but have barely spoken since. Cruise is said to have written the letter because he knew Holmes would be unreceptive over the phone. Holmes has reportedly been \"genuinely touched\" by the letter and is said to have read it as a \"very emotional read.\" Following their split, Holmes has settled in New York City with Suri, her daughter with Tom, and is slowly building a new life for herself.\n\nIn other news, a Royal Bodyguard has warned that Kate Middleton's baby is in danger. The warning comes after a recent incident where a man was arrested for making threats against the royal family. The bodyguard is said to have told friends that the threat level to the royal family is \"critical.\"\n\nLOOK magazine has also picked the key trends to start wearing now, including high street fashion buys. The magazine features an interview with Kristen Wiig, who discusses her past and her new movie. The article also features a section on cyber spies and whether or not they are watching you through your computer.\n\nFinally, the world's top make-up artist has revealed the secrets of A-listers. The article features tips on how to achieve the perfect red carpet look, including how to contour, highlight, and use fake lashes. The article also features a section on the latest make-up trends, including the use of bold lips and metallic eyeshadows.", + "answer": [ + "It's been a year since Katie Holmes filed for divorce from Tom Cruise, and apparently Cruise is feeling sentimental. A source tells UK magazine Look the actor sent Holmes an \"emotional letter\" looking to, at the very least, be friends again, Australia's News Network reports. \"It's like he's finally recognized that Katie will always be the love of his life,\" the source says. Even so, \"It won't have been an over the top letter—it has been a year and I'm sure Tom will have been aware that Katie wouldn't be interested in running straight back into his arms.\" Sources close to Holmes say she was \"touched\" by the letter, which doesn't sound promising for Cruise. \"Tom would no doubt take her back in a second, but I don't think that's what Katie wants,\" says one. (Just to keep things in perspective, we'll point out that Look is the sort of magazine that also runs headlines like, \"Royal Bodyguard Warns: 'Kate Middleton's Baby Is In Danger!'\") In other news, Huffington Post notes that it's Cruise's 51st birthday." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nBarry Sherman, the founder of generic pharmaceuticals giant Apotex Inc., and his wife Honey were found dead in their Toronto mansion on December 15, 2017. The couple's bodies were discovered by their real estate agent, who had been helping to sell their home. The cause of death for both was determined to be ligature neck compression, which is a type of strangulation. The investigation into their deaths is being led by the homicide squad, although the police are still classifying the deaths as \"suspicious\" rather than a homicide.\n\nInitially, there were reports that the couple had been murdered, but their family dismissed this theory, stating that they were \"shocked\" and \"think it's irresponsible that police sources have reportedly advised the media of a theory which neither their family, their friends nor their colleagues believe to be true.\" The family released a statement saying that their parents shared an enthusiasm for life and commitment to their family and community that was inconsistent with the circumstances surrounding their deaths.\n\nThe couple had four children and recently welcomed a new grandchild. They were planning a dinner party with a number of Toronto friends at their winter home in Palm Beach later that month. Sherman was a renowned workaholic and was often seen at fundraising events with his wife. He was also a member of the board of governors at York University and the Baycrest Foundation, and was the past chair of the Holocaust Education Centre.\n\nThe investigation into the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman is ongoing, and the police have not yet revealed any suspects or motives.", + "answer": [ + "The investigation into the mysterious deaths of a billionaire and his wife is now being led by homicide detectives, police say—suggesting the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman were either murder-suicide or a double murder. Police, who have described the deaths as \"suspicious,\" revealed Sunday that the cause of death for both Shermans was \"ligature neck compression,\" a form of strangulation, the CBC reports. Sources have told the media that the couple were found hanging near an indoor pool in the basement of their Toronto mansion. Police say they haven't found any sign of forced entry, or a note that could explain what happened to 75-year-old pharmaceutical tycoon Barry Sherman and his 70-year-old wife, both renowned philanthropists. The couple's four children have rejected what they say are \"rumors\" that the deaths are being investigated as a murder-suicide, and many of the influential couple's friends agree. \"There is absolutely zero debate in my mind, this was a double homicide,\" says Canadian Sen. Linda Frum, a longtime friend of the couple, per the New York Times. The Globe and Mail reports that just days before the bodies were found, Honey Sherman was enthusiastically making plans for their annual trip to Florida, emailing friends that she would be traveling to the state on Dec. 18 and Barry Sherman would join her a week later. The couple also sent out invitations last week to a dinner party at their winter home in Palm Beach." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\n\nEgypt held its final round of parliamentary elections on January 2, 2012, as prosecutors began their case against former President Hosni Mubarak. The trial of Mubarak and 10 other defendants, including his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, began on August 3, 2011, but has been bogged down in procedural matters. The prosecution is expected to take three days to present its case against Mubarak, who is charged with complicity in the killing of more than 800 protesters during the popular uprising that forced him from office in February 2011. Mubarak's rule is being criticized for being corrupt and tyrannical, with his lust for power tarnishing his legacy. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party is expected to consolidate its gains in the election, with Islamist groups likely to control the upcoming parliament. The new parliament will likely witness political struggles between the military council, the Brotherhood and Salafis, and the revolutionary forces. The trial of Mubarak is a reminder to future rulers that they will be held accountable for breaking the law. The economic growth of Egypt has slowed as the unrest deters tourists and investors, with foreign-currency reserves declining by 44 percent to $20.2 billion in the first 11 months of 2011. The benchmark EGX 30 stock index lost 49 percent last year, making it the third-worst performer among world markets tracked by Bloomberg. The election and Mubarak's trial take place amid growing opposition to the ruling generals, who say they won't cede power before presidential elections are held by the end of June. It's unclear what powers the elected assembly, due to hold its first session on January 23, will have and how a new government will be formed. Clashes in Cairo last month between security forces and demonstrators calling for an earlier end to military rule left at least 17 people dead. Protesters are preparing to take to the streets on January 25 to mark the anniversary of the mass rallies that drove Mubarak from power.", + "answer": [ + "The final round of voting began in Egypt today, and it looks like the Muslim Brotherhood could walk off with a controlling majority of seats in Parliament's lower house. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, the country's mainstream Islamist party, had already won a high percentage of the seats awarded in the first and second rounds of voting. Two of the nine provinces voting today are Brotherhood strongholds, where some of the party's most well-known candidates are running, the New York Times reports. A plurality, not a majority, was originally predicted for the Freedom and Justice Party. A majority would allow the party to govern alone, but the Brotherhood has repeatedly said it plans to form a coalition government, and has aligned itself with more liberal parties rather than the ultraconservative Salafis, who are in second place with up to 25% of the seats so far. Also today, prosecutors began presenting their case against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Bloomberg notes. His trial resumed last week after a two-month break; state TV today showed Mubarak being carried to and from the courtroom on a gurney. \"He deserves an end of humiliation and indignity,\" said the chief prosecutor, according to the AP." + ] + }, + { + "output": "\nA car was suspended from a telephone guy wire in Mendon, Vermont, after the driver reacted too quickly to a GPS unit's instructions to turn around. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening around 8 p.m. on Route 4 in Mendon. The driver, Nabila Altahan, was not injured, but her passenger was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. The police stated that the car left the lane of traffic while westbound on Route 4 in Mendon, when a GPS device gave sudden directions to turn around, because the car had passed its intended destination. The car ended up suspended on the guy wire. A witness at the miniature golf course said she saw the driver jump out of the car as it was suspended from the pole. State police responded, as did the Rutland City Fire Department.", + "answer": [ + "Police in Vermont say a car ended up almost vertical when the driver swerved quickly in response to her GPS ordering her to \"turn around.\" The car was suspended almost vertically on guide wires attached to a utility pole (see a photo here) in Mendon on Wednesday night, reports the AP. Police say 30-year-old Nabila Altahan of Dorchester, Mass., was headed west on US Route 4 when she passed her intended destination and reacted quickly to the instructions, leaving the road at a significant enough speed to propel the vehicle up the wires. She wasn't injured. (This driver followed her GPS into a lake.)" + ] + } +] \ No newline at end of file