Friday, July 8, 2016

The Latest: Slain Dallas transit officer was a newlywed


Eyewitness video of downtown Dallas shooting

DALLAS (AP) - The Latest on the shooting of police officers in Dallas (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation into a shooting in downtown Dallas that left five police officers dead.

The agency said Friday that it won"t immediately release information about the type of weapons used in the attack during a demonstration Thursday to protest the killing of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota by white police officers.

Officers at the scene of the shooting say some kind of rifle was used.

Weapons such as the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle are easy to fire and generally accurate. Little or no training is required to fire such weapons and they are widely available.

Seven officers and two civilians were also wounded in the attack.

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11:30 a.m.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch is calling for peace and calm in the wake of the attack on police officers in Dallas, saying that violence is never the answer.

Lynch said Friday at the Justice Department in Washington that it has been a week of heartbreak and loss for the nation.

Five police officers were killed by gunfire in Dallas Thursday night at a peaceful protest march prompted by the shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Lynch says the spate of violence can"t be allowed to "precipitate a new normal." Calling the Dallas attack "an unfathomable tragedy," she says those concerned about suspect killings by police should not be discouraged "by those who use your lawful actions as a cover for their heinous violence."

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11:15 a.m.

Investigators can be seen walking in and out of a suburban Dallas house believed to be that of a man suspected in the overnight attack that killed five Dallas police officers and wounded seven others.

About a half-dozen police vehicles are parked outside the two-story brick home in Mesquite thought to be that of Micah Johnson.

Authorities haven"t publicly disclosed the name of a suspect whom police killed with a robot-delivered bomb after negotiations failed. But a law enforcement official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn"t authorized to release the information told The Associated Press that he was 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

Mesquite authorities say they were at the home to assist Dallas investigators.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

___

10:50 a.m.

The president of the NAACP is calling for policies, not handwringing, in the wake of the deadly attack on police in Dallas.

Cornell William Brooks made the comment in an interview Friday on "CBS This Morning." He says that includes establishing a national standard for excessive use of force and federal laws that address police accountability and community trust.

The attack began Thursday night at a protest over recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded and police killed a suspect.

Brooks says citizens are afraid and capturing more fatal shootings by police on video due to a minority of officers "who defile the profession by their conduct."

___

10:20 a.m.

A robotics expert says Dallas police appear to be the first law enforcement agency to use a robot to kill.

Peter W. Singer, of the New America Foundation, says the killing of a suspect in Thursday night"s fatal shooting of five police officers is the first instance of which he"s aware of a robot being used lethally by police.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters that after hours of failed negotiations and in order to not put any officers in harm"s way, his department used a robot to deliver a bomb that killed the suspect. Brown said they saw no other option.

Singer said in an email Friday that when he was researching his 2009 book "Wired for War" a U.S. soldier told him troops in Iraq sometimes used MARCbot surveillance robots against insurgents.

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10:10 a.m.

A Texas law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that a slain suspect in the attack on Dallas police was 25-year-old Micah Johnson.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he was not authorized to release the information. There were no immediate details on the suspect"s middle name or hometown.

The attack began Thursday night during a protest about the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded.

Police Chief David Brown said Friday that his department used a robot-delivered bomb to kill a suspect after hours of negotiations failed. He says the suspect expressed anger over recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

___

9:40 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says anger over the police shootings in Dallas must not be allowed to harden the nation"s divisions.

Speaking Friday on the House Floor, Ryan said that "justice will be done."

He says it"s been a "long month for America" and that the nation has seen terrible and senseless things.

But he says that in debating how to respond, "let"s not lose sight of the values that unite us, our common humanity."

Ryan says: "A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us; they do not control us."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took the floor after Ryan, joining in his expression of grief and thanking Dallas police officers for their service.

Pelosi says: "Justice will be done, justice must be done. Also mercy must be done."

___

9:10 a.m.

Dallas" police chief says a suspect in the deadly overnight attack on police officers told negotiators that he acted alone and was unaffiliated with any group.

Chief David Brown said at a news conference Friday that the suspect also said he was upset about recent police shootings and wanted to kill white people, particularly white officers.

He says officers killed the suspect with a robot-delivered bomb after hours of negotiations failed.

Although Brown says the suspect said he acted alone, it remains unclear if that was the case. He said earlier Friday that three other suspects were in custody, but he later declined to discuss those detentions and said police still didn"t know if investigators had accounted for all participants in the attack.

The attack began Thursday night during a protest about the recent killings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Five officers were killed and seven others were wounded. Two civilians were also wounded.

___

8:45 a.m.

The Dallas transit police chief says an officer who was fatally shot during a downtown protest was a newlywed whose bride also works for the police force.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit police Chief James Spiller described Officer Brent Thompson on Friday as a "courageous" and "great guy."

Thompson was among five police officers killed during a Thursday night demonstration to protest police shooting deaths of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Spiller says Thompson got married two weeks ago. His wife, Emily, was not on duty at the protest.

The police chief last spoke to Thompson on Tuesday as they passed each other in a hallway. Spiller says he asked how the newlyweds were doing and how things were going with Thompson"s job.

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8:15 a.m.

Mayor Mike Rawlings says a bullet went straight through the leg of one police officer as snipers fatally shot three members of his squad during a protest in downtown Dallas.

Rawlings, who says he spoke to the wounded officer, said Friday that the officer expressed sorrow at his loss and that he felt "people don"t understand the danger of dealing with a protest."

The mayor says it"s important to uphold the right of people to protest, but that more care needs to be taken to ensure the safety of police officers at such events.

Snipers shot and killed five police officers and wounded seven more at the demonstration Thursday evening to protest the police killing of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Two civilians were also injured.

___

8:10 a.m.

Police Chief David Brown says authorities are still not certain that they have identified everyone involved in an attack on a downtown protest march that killed five police officers.

Brown said Friday that investigators have not ruled out that others may have been involved in the attacks that left a total of 12 officers and two civilians shot.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says an overnight standoff with one suspect in a parking garage ended when police detonated an explosive about four hours after the attack began. Authorities say the explosive was attached to a robot to protect officers.

Brown would not reveal any details about other potential suspects that have been detained by police and interviewed.

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7:55

Police Chief David Brown says a suspect in the overnight attack that killed five police officers, wounded seven others and wounded two civilians said he was upset over the recent police shootings of black men and wanted to kill white people.

Brown said at a news conference Friday that the suspect made the comments before he was killed by an explosive used by police.

He says his department and their families are grieving and that the divisiveness between police and the public must stop.

Authorities say snipers opened fire on police officers during a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas Thursday night over the recent fatal shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Authorities say three other suspects were arrested.

___

7:25 a.m.

A man wrongly identified by Dallas police as a suspect in a sniper attack on police says he turned himself in and was quickly released.

The Dallas Police Department put out a photo on its Twitter account late Thursday of a man wearing a camouflage shirt and holding a rifle with the message: "This is one of our suspects. Please help us find him!" The tweet remained on the account early Friday morning.

The man in the photo, Mark Hughes, tells Dallas TV station KTVT that he "flagged down a police officer" immediately after finding out he was a suspect. He says police lied during a 30-minute interrogation, telling him they had video of him shooting.

Videos posted online show Hughes walking around peacefully during the shooting and later turning over his gun to a police officer.

___

7:15 a.m.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials say three DART police officers wounded by snipers during a protest are expected to recover.

Thursday night"s shootings left four Dallas police officers and one DART officer dead, plus seven other officers wounded. The demonstration was to protest two fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier this week.

A DART statement Friday identified the agency"s three wounded personnel as 44-year-old Officer Omar Cannon, 32-year-old Officer Misty McBride and 39-year-old Officer Jesus Retana. DART spokesman Morgan Lyons did not release details of the injuries, but said all three should recover.

Officer Brent Thompson was the first DART officer killed in the line of duty since the transit agency formed a police department in 1989. Thompson was 43 and had worked as a DART officer since 2009.

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Online:

http://www.dart.org/

___

7:05 a.m.

Mayor Mike Rawlings says a total of 12 police officers and two civilians were shot during a protest march in downtown Dallas.

Rawlings said Friday that he does not believe that any of the wounded victims have life-threatening injuries.

He says five officers were killed and seven more were injured when snipers opened fire during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

___

6:40 a.m.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the suspect involved in an overnight standoff with police died after officers used explosives to "blast him out."

Rawlings said Friday that he was not sure how the suspect died or what weapons were found on him.

He says police have swept the area where the standoff took place and found no explosives.

Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas Thursday evening, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

___

6 a.m.

People gathered in small groups on Dallas" tense, police-filled streets before dawn early Friday struggled to fathom the still-unsettled situation.

Resident Jalisa Jackson says: "I think the biggest thing that we"ve had something like this is when JFK died," evoking the November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the city"s streets. She calls it "surreal."

Police said at least four suspects were involved in the killings of five police officers just hours before. The suspects were not immediately identified.

Downtown, officers crouched beside vehicles, SWAT team armored vehicles arrived and a helicopter hovered overhead.

Eleven Dallas officers were shot Thursday night during a peaceful protest over this week"s fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota in what the city"s police chief characterized as a sniper attack.

___

5:45 a.m.

Dallas police say no explosives have been found in extensive sweeps of downtown areas following the fatal shooting of five police officers and the wounding of six others by snipers.

Security was tight Friday morning with numerous streets closed to vehicle traffic in the main downtown Dallas business district hours after Thursday night"s attacks.

The gunfire happened during protests over this week"s fatal police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota of two black men. Police have detained at least three people in the investigation of the Dallas shootings.

Police said a fourth suspect was engaged in a standoff with authorities and had made threats about bombs.

Maj. Max Geron (GAYR"-uhn) tweeted before dawn Friday that primary and secondary sweeps for explosives were complete and no explosives were found.

The gunfire claimed the lives of four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer. DART serves Dallas and a dozen other North Texas cities. The transit agency operates buses and the state"s largest municipal rail system.

___

5:20 a.m.

A memorial group says the slaying of five police officers in Dallas in an attack blamed on snipers was the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer were fatally shot Thursday night. The gunfire happened during protests over this week"s fatal police shootings of two black men, in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Six other officers were wounded in the Dallas attacks.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which monitors the deaths of officers, reports 72 officers were killed as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The group labels that attack as the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history.

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Online:

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/deadliest.html

___

4:30 a.m.

President Barack Obama says America is "horrified" over the shootings of police officers in Dallas and there"s no possible justification for the attacks.

Obama is speaking from Warsaw, Poland, where he"s meeting with leaders of the European Union and attending a NATO summit.

Obama says justice will be done and he"s asking all Americans to pray for the fallen officers and their families. He also says the nation should express its gratitude to those serving in law enforcement.

Snipers opened fire on police officers in the heart of Dallas Thursday evening, killing five officers and injuring six others during protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Obama said earlier there was no contradiction between supporting law enforcement and making certain biases in the justice system are rooted out.

___

2:30 a.m.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit has identified its officer who was fatally shot when snipers opened fire during a downtown Dallas protest.

DART said early Friday morning that 43-year-old officer Brent Thompson was killed in the Thursday night shootings. He"d joined the DART Police Department in 2009.

DART says he"s the first officer killed in the line of duty since the agency formed a police department in 1989. The statement says "our hearts are broken."

DART says the other three DART police officers shot during the protest are expected to recover from their injuries.

Also killed during the shootings were four Dallas police officers.

___

2:10 a.m.

Police say a fifth officer has died after snipers opened fire on police at a rally in Dallas. Six other officers were injured.

The gunfire broke out Thursday night while hundreds of people were gathered to protest fatal police shootings this week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said Three people are in custody and a fourth suspect was exchanging gunfire with authorities in a parking garage downtown early Friday.

___

2 a.m.

A family member says a protester who was shot when snipers opened fire on police at a rally in Dallas was shielding her sons when she was injured.

A sister of 37-year-old Shetamia Taylor says Taylor was at the protests Thursday night with her four sons, ages 12 to 17. Theresa Williams says that when the shooting began, Taylor threw herself over her sons. She was undergoing surgery early Friday after being shot in the right calf.

Police say four police officers were killed and seven injured in the shootings. The shootings happened at a protest over recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Williams says two of Taylor"s sons became separated from their mother in the chaotic aftermath. She says they"re now stuck behind a police barricade at a hotel near a parking garage where police exchanged gunfire with a suspect.

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1:40 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he"s cutting short an out-of-state trip to go to Dallas after four police officers were killed and seven others injured when snipers opened fire during protests.

Abbott said in a release early Friday morning that he would be heading directly to Dallas. The shootings happened Thursday night in downtown Dallas.

Abbott also says he"s spoken with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to express his condolences and offer any assistance the city needs.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said in a statement that "our thoughts and prayers go out to these officers and their families, and to those who have been injured." He said his office is in close contact with local authorities and will be offering to provide whatever support they can to help victims and bring the "perpetrators to justice."

___

1:15 a.m.

Dallas police say a person of interest whose picture had been circulated has turned himself in.

Police earlier had circulated a picture of a man in a camouflage T-shirt who carrying a long gun.

Police had no update on whether that person was indeed a suspect. However, Police Chief David Brown said authorities had three people in custody. One is a woman and two are people who were in a car stopped on a road.

A man who identified himself as the brother of the man whose photo was circulated says his brother was not one of the shooters. He told television station KTVT that once the shootings had started, his brother had turned the gun over to a police officer.

___

12:50 a.m.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown says three people are in custody after snipers opened fire on police officers during protests and says a fourth person is exchanging gunfire with officers.

Brown said at an early Friday morning news conference that authorities are negotiating with a suspect in a downtown parking garage who has been exchanging gunfire with officials.

The chief says the suspect is not cooperating and has told negotiators he intends to hurt more law enforcement officials.

The shooting attack killed four officers and injured seven others. It came amid protests over two recent fatal police shootings of black men.

Brown says authorities are not certain all suspects have been located.

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12:30 a.m.

Dallas police say they are questioning two occupants of a vehicle after an officer saw a person throw a bag into the back of the vehicle and speed off.

Police said late Thursday night that an officer spotted someone carrying a camouflage bag and quickly walking down the street. The person then threw the bag into the back of a black Mercedes and sped off at a high rate of speed.

Police say officers followed the vehicle southbound on Interstate 35 to a point south of Dallas where they performed a traffic stop. Police then began questioning both occupants of the vehicle.

Television footage showed many police cars surrounding a vehicle stopped on Interstate 35.

___

11:35 p.m.

Dallas police say a suspect in shooting of officers at Dallas protests is in custody and a person of interest has surrendered.

Dallas police say four officers have died after at least two snipers opened fire during protests downtown Thursday night. Seven other officers were wounded.

Police Chief David O. Brown said snipers shot from "elevated positions" during a protest over two recent fatal police shootings.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Live TV video showed protesters marching along a street in downtown when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.

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10:45 p.m.

The Dallas police chief says it appears two snipers shot 10 police officers during protests, and three of the officers are dead.

Police Chief David O. Brown said in a statement that three of the officers who were injured are in critical condition Thursday night. He says the snipers shot from "elevated positions" during a protest over two recent fatal police shootings.

The gunfire broke out around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. Live TV video showed protesters marching along a street in downtown when the shots erupted and the crowd scattered, seeking cover.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/32398970/the-latest-slain-dallas-transit-officer-was-a-newlywed

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Fox News Women: Roger Ailes Asked to See My Underwear, If I Was Single, and More


Finally Fox News exposes real evidences about MARTIAL LAW and FEMA! (2016) pls share

In the wake of Gretchen Carlsons sexual harassment suit against boss Roger Ailes, several women who once worked at Fox News tell The Daily Beast that Ailes also harassed them.

For Fox News Chairman Roger Aileswho was slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit Wednesday by fired Fox anchor Gretchen Carlsona very bad day seems likely to metamorphose into a much worse year.

While Fox Newss parent company, 21stCentury Fox, promptly announced an internal review of Carlsons sensational allegationswhich include her claim that Ailes suggested last September that having s*x with him would help her careerAiles vehemently denied them in a lengthy Fox News statement.

This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously, Ailes was quoted as saying, adding the claim that Carlson is retaliating against him because her contract wasnt renewed due to disappointingly low ratings [that] were dragging down the afternoon lineup.

Fox News officially declined to comment to The Daily Beast beyond the statement.

A source close to the situation, however, insisted that many of the allegations in Carlsons complaint dont square with reality, while her vindictive effort to viciously harm Ailes after her contract was not renewed, as this person put it, is suspiciously at odds with Carlsons previous effusive praise of Ailes in various public statements and her June 2015 memoir, Getting Real, in which she called the Fox News chairman the most accessible boss Ive ever worked for, brilliant, and razor sharp, adding, we seemed to have a real connection.

But the bombshell litigation from the 50-year-old former Miss Americawhose 11 years at the network abruptly ended on June 23, when she was terminated moments after finishing her regular afternoon broadcast of The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson, according to the lawsuitcould turn the 76-year-old Ailes, a legendary television executive both admired and criticized, into this years answer to Bill Cosby.

It might be, Carlsons attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, saidconcerning the Cosby comparison, which was suggested to The Daily Beast by a former Fox News employee and alleged sexual harassment victim who asked that her name not be used.

Smith, for her part, said Carlsons lawsuit has opened the floodgates of female ex-Fox News employees who say that Ailes harassed them as well.

Since about 11 a.m., we have been contacted by many women who say they were harassed by Roger Ailes and theyve reached out to us, Smith said, adding that she hadnt had an opportunity to talk to them yet. There are maybe around 10 women whove said, Ive been a victim, too.

Smith said she spent the weekend reading Gabriel Shermans critical Ailes biography The Loudest Voice in the Room, which included an anecdote from Ailess days in the early 1980s as executive producer of NBCs Tomorrow late-night show. According to Sherman, Ailes hired a twentysomething female segment producer named Randi Harrison who told Ailes that his $400-a-week salary offer was too low. If you agree to have s*x with me whenever I want I will add an extra hundred dollars a week, Ailes allegedly responded. I was in tears by the time I hit the street, she later recalled. At the time, a Fox News spokesperson called Harrisons allegation false.

Smith said that under the law of New Jersey, where Carlsons suit was filed in Superior Court and the married Ailes owns a home in the suburb of Creskill, a sexual harassment plaintiff is permitted to call other alleged victims as trial witnesses to buttress the case and attempt to demonstrate a pattern of behavior.

Ailes has 35 days to respond to Carlsons lawsuit, and the pre-trial discovery process can begin after that, Smith said, though it could take as long as two years for a trial to commence, when Ailes, who sometimes walks with a cane and is struggling with the symptoms of hemophilia, would be 78 years old.

While the lawsuit claims that Carlson was sent packing in retaliation for complaining about her allegedly sexist treatment by Fox News management, an alternate version of events has it that anemic ratingsshe barely beat CNN in the 2 p.m. time period in the second quarter and occasionally lost to the second-place network, including in Juneshould have alerted her that her days at Fox were numbered.

Carlsons contract permitted her to look for a new job at another outlet starting mid-May, and Fox News would have wished her godspeed, according to the source, but apparently that didnt happen. As CNN media reporter Brian Stelter wrote in his nightly newsletter, under the headline What Ailes and his allies are saying/thinking: The key data point: Carlsons 2 p.m. hour had been falling behind CNN in the 25-54 demo. You think Ailes was OK with that?

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Carlson was handed a severance agreement on June 23 and, saying shed get back to management after looking it over, left on a planned vacation, according to the source. But instead Ailes received a nasty surprise Wednesday morning when Carlson filed her scandalous lawsuit.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by Ailes and Fox News, several women who formerly worked at the network told The Daily Beast of similar encounters with the defendant.

One time he asked me if I was wearing underwear, and was he going to see anything good, said a former Fox News employee, who said she has spoken with other women at the network who said they were targets of Ailess sexually charged remarks. Its happened to me and lots of other women Hes a disgusting pig whos been getting away with this s**t for 20 years.

A second ex-employee, who also said Ailes verbally harassed her with inappropriate comments during one-on-one meetings, said the powerful and famously combative executive has so far escaped the consequences of his alleged behavior, because when it comes to this issue, theres already a conspiracy of silence. The problem is you dont want to come forward because you dont want to be personally and professionally destroyed. You dont want to bring down Roger Ailess wrath on your head.

She added that Ailes is hardly unique in an industry dominated by male executives who sometimes take sexual advantage of their power and position. Television is really a difficult, arbitrary, and competitive business, and you dont want to give TV executives a reason to say no, she said.

A third former Fox News employee told The Daily Beast: When I met Ailes he wouldnt stop staring at my legs, and at one point he asked if I was single. I was taken aback and said yes. And he was like, Oh, OK, so youre not gonna get pregnant any time soon. And then he asked my age.

And I think he could tell I was offended by the questions. And he said, I know Im not supposed to ask thisHR keeps telling me I cant ask that because you can sue me because its illegal, but I dont care. Im [over 70] years old, if you wanna sue me, sue me.

Carlsons lawsuit alleges that Ailes ogl[ed] her in his office and ask[ed] her to turn around so he could view her posterior; comment[ed] repeatedly about Carlsons legs; stat[ed] Im sure you can do sweet nothings when you want to, among other off-color remarks. The lawsuit also quotes Ailes as telling her, during a Sept. 16, 2015, meeting requested by Carlson to resolve what she viewed as discriminatory and retaliatory treatment, that: I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then youd be good and better and Id be good and better.

Ailes added, according to the lawsuit, sometimes problems are easier to resolve that way.

Carlson rebuffed Ailes sexual demands at that meeting, the lawsuit alleges, and nine months later, Ailes ended her career at Fox News.

The lawsuit also claims that during the seven years that Carlson co-hosted Fox & Friends, the top-rated cable morning show, fellow anchor Steve Doocy had created a hostile work environment by regularly treating her in a sexist and condescending way, including by putting his hand on her and pulling down her arm to shush her during a live telecast mocking her during commercial breaks, shunning her off air, refusing to engage with her on air, belittling her contributions to the show, and other uncollegial behavior.

Doocy, who is not named as a defendant in Carlsons complaint, is a close friend of Ailes who has worked for Fox News since its launch; in 2009, Doocys son Peter was hired as a fulltime Fox News reporter at age 22. In the fall of 2002, when former Fox News anchor Paula Zahn got into a nasty public dispute with Ailes and left for CNN, and Ailes insulted Zahn to The New York Times by saying, I could have put a dead raccoon on the air this year and got a better rating, it was Doocy who happily ambushed Zahn at CNN, Fox News cameras in tow, and presented her with a stuffed raccoon toy.

21stCentury Fox, the cable channels parent company, issued this statement on Wednesday in response to Carlsons lawsuit: The Company has seen the allegations against Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy. We take these matters seriously. While we have full confidence in Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy, who have served the company brilliantly for over two decades, we have commenced an internal review of the matter.

Smith, Carlsons New Jersey-based attorney, who has spent 36 years specializing in workplace harassment litigation, said the fired anchors lawsuit is aimed at Ailes personally, and not Fox News or 21stCentury Fox, because we have no evidence, as of today, that Fox News authorized his behavior or condoned his behavior. They have policies against this kind of behavior As of today, our beef and Gretchens beef is with Roger Ailes.

Still, interviews on Wednesday with former Fox News employees suggested that Ailes has presided over a corporate culture that values and even demands female pulchritudeor at least Ailess blonde ideal of sameover other professional qualities. According to a former staffer, executive assistant-turned-Fox News vice president of programming Suzanne Scott enforces with the wardrobe and makeup departments an aesthetic that features skimpy dresses, high-heeled open-toed shoes, and big hair for the channels on-air women.

Showing skin is practically written into the company charter, a former staffer told The Daily Beast.

A lot of the stuff in her [Carlsons] suit rings very true to me, said this person, who worked for almost a decade at the network and, like other Fox insiders quoted in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity. The stuff about showing of the legsthat was not even a secretthat was open company policy.

Meanwhile, a fifth former Fox News employee told The Daily Beast that Carlsons allegations seem credible because Ailes runs Fox News like his personal fiefdom and has fostered a culture that is not only sexist but menacing, something akin to a sexual North Korea.

Its a malicious and sort of terrorized environment run by pitting people against each other to send information up the chain of command, she said. Its almost like a fascist state where everybody is terrorized and nobody trusts each other. People are friendly in the hallways, but youre always looking over your shoulder to see who might stab you in the back. You have to be skinny. All the hair and makeup people get strict guidance. You have to wear these kinds of clothes, this kind of makeup, this kind of hair, know how to behave, what to say, how to interact, and if you want to do well and move up, you have to toe the company line.

This person said of Carlson, I have a sense Gretchen was aggrieved for a very long time and probably kept very good notes. Nobody sues Roger Ailes without having their eyes wide open, unless theyre just idiotsand Gretchen is not an idiot.

Former female employees of Fox News described Carlsons lawsuit as potentially career-ending but also courageous.

As soon as I heard about it, I immediately emailed her saying, Youre my hero, said the fourth ex-Fox Newser who befriended the fired anchor.

Im proud of her, said another.

Carlson, in a statement, said she filed the suit because I have strived to empower women and girls throughout my entire career. She added: Although this was a difficult step to take, I had to stand up for myself and speak out for all women and the next generation of women in the workplace. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments at Fox News and for keeping our loyal viewers engaged and informed on events and news topics of the day.

with additional reporting by Daily Beast staffers M.L. Nestel, Kate Briquelet, and Asawin Suebsaeng.

Here is Ailess complete statement supplied by Fox News:

Gretchen Carlsons allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the networks decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup. When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit. Ironically, Fox News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.

Updated 10:00am, July 7, 2016 with statement from Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman, attorneys for Ms. Carlson in response to Mr. Ailes statement:

Ailes claim that Gretchen Carlson was terminated because of bad ratings is demonstrably false. The publicly available ratings confirm the allegation in the Complaint that at the time of her termination Gretchens total viewership was up 33% year to date and up 23% in the key demographic. After her firing from Fox and Friends for complaining about discrimination, Gretchen was moved to a challenging time slot and denied support and promotion. Despite this, she succeeded and was the number one cable news show in her time slot in total viewers.

Regarding Ailes claims that Gretchens allegations are false, we challenge him to deny, under oath, that he made the statements attributed to him in the Complaint.

Finally, Ailes does not allow his employees to speak to the press or publish anything without prior approval. Gretchen was chastised for answering a question from a hometown newspaper about her favorite Minnesota State Fair food. In her book Gretchen told her story while trying to keep her job knowing that Ailes had to approve what she said.

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/06/could-fox-news-chairman-roger-ailes-become-the-next-bill-cosby.html

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Minnesota Officers in Fatal Shooting of Philando Castile Identified


Tom Perez: Donald Trump Is A "Fraud" | Meet The Press | NBC News

The St. Anthony, Minn., police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile was identified Thursday night as Jeronimo Yanez, a four-year veteran of the department.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Yanez and Officer Joseph Kauser, also a four-year veteran of the St. Anthony force, were placed on administrative leave.

Yanez and Kauser stopped Castile"s car about 9:05 p.m. (10:05 p.m. ET) Wednesday for a traffic-related violation in Falcon Heights, the state agency said. According to investigators, Yanez approached the car from the driver"s side, while Kauser approached it from the passenger side.

"At one point during the interaction, Officer Yanez discharged his weapon, striking Castile multiple times. No one else was injured. A gun was recovered at the scene," the BCA said.

Authorities confirmed that there were two passengers in the vehicle, Diamond Reynolds and her juvenile daughter. Reynolds, who was Castile"s fiance, posted video of the immediate aftermath of the shooting online.

Yanez radioed for an ambulance, which took Castile to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, the BCA said.

The Hennepin County medical examiner"s office said in an autopsy report late Thursday night that Castile, 32, died of multiple gunshot wounds. It classified his death as a homicide.

No other details of the fatal confrontation were made available. Authorities said that evidence was still being collected, including squad car video of the incident. St. Anthony officers don"t wear body cameras.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton made it clear that he believed Castile"s race was a factor, saying Thursday: "Would this have happened if those passengers, the driver were white? I don"t think it would have."

The shooting came a day after a second black man, Alton Sterling, was killed by police in Baton Rouge, La., sparked nationwide protests.

Most of the protests were large but peaceful. But at least four officers were killed Thursday night when snipers opened fire during a protest in Dallas, Police Chief David Brown said.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minnesota-officers-fatal-shooting-philando-castile-identified-n605701

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Dylan Noble, Country Boy Shot by Fresno Cops, Loved Everybody


Vigil for Dylan Noble, Killed by Fresno Police

The vigil for 19-year-old Dylan Noble, killed by cops during a traffic stop, made headlines for a Confederate flag and shouts of White lives matter! But friends say he was no bigot.

The big Confederate flag was what caught the attention of the news cameras at the protest following Saturdays killing of an unarmed white teenager by police in Fresno, California.

White lives matter! protesters were heard to shout.

The coverage of what started as a vigil on Sunday for slain 19-year-old Dylan Noble might have made you think of the neo-Nazis who had battled with the anti-fascists at the state Capitol in Sacramento the same day.

But it is a big American flag that flies off the back of Nobles jacked up pickup truck in photos he posted on Facebook in the months before his fatal encounter with cops. A half dozen smaller American flags ring the impromptu memorial of candles and flowers that appeared at the Chevron gas station where he was shot.

I never saw Dylan Noble with a Confederate flag, says his onetime high school English teacher, Lou Standifer. He loved everybody.

And neither Nobles race nor the race of others who had been shot by cops at other times was mentioned in the many online postings by those who loved Noble, friends who seem to include every race and ethnicity and sexual orientation.

What these messages were saying was how much Dylan Nobles life mattered. One friend wrote: We lost a very unique and beautiful soul. He was a man who never believed in a day without laughter He made everyone feel like family Hes made his mark on this earth by always making people filled with laughter and joy.

On Saturday afternoon, Fresno police responded to a report of a man walking down the street with a rifle. The man was not in evidence, but two officers did come upon a jacked up pickup truck doing donuts in a dirt field one block into Fresno from the adjoining country boy town of Clovis.

The driver was Dylan Noble. The truck was likely the very one that flew the American flag off the back at other times. Police say the officers sought to pull him over, but he drove a half mile before pulling into the Chevron station. His friends believe he was either initially unaware that the police were behind him or was looking for a good place for a stop that would be complicated by the elevation of his perch.

With the cab of the truck as high up as it was, Noble could not have just waited in the drivers seat for the police to come up to his window and ask for his license and registration. The concrete apron of the gas station gave him more room than the side of the road as he hopped out.

Officers like drivers to remain in their cars, and they may have already been riled and wary if they thought he had been evading him. They had their guns out.

The subject was told to show his hands, Deputy Chief Pat Farmer later told the press. The solo occupant of the pickup truck would show the officers one hand at a time and kept one hand hidden during the contact.

Farmer added, The subject made a statement that he hated his life and made affirmative movement to the small of his back at which time he was shot several times by officers at the scene.

Nobles friends surmise that he was reaching for his wallet. They cannot conceive of this happy go lucky young man saying he hated his life.

None of us who knew Dylan believe that for a second, Standifer says. This kid loved everything about life.

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Standifer and others suggest that at most Noble might have said something rueful along the lines of the widely muttered f**k my life, which translates to nothing more despairing than just my luck.

Both officers were wearing body cameras. The footage should clarify what exactly transpired before they fired, hitting Noble multiple times.

That was said to be the departments seventh police-involved shooting of the year, putting Fresno on pace to exceed last years total of nine. The 2015 number when adjusted for relative population is nearly two times the rate in Los Angeles, more than twice that in Chicago.

Last September, two Fresno officers with body cameras responded to a call of somebody with a gun posing as a federal agent and instead came upon a shirtless mentally ill man named Freddie Centeno. They climbed out with guns drawn and ordered him to get down. Centeno reached into the back pocket of his shorts for an object and the officers fired, killing him. The object proved to be a black garden hose nozzle.

That shooting was ruled justified on the grounds that the officers had reason to be in fear for their lives. The body-camera footage reached public view only in March, after a lawyer for the dead mans family got hold of it and released it.

There seems to have been not even a garden hose nozzle on Saturday. Decency requires that the body-camera footage be released as soon as possible.

Word that Noble had been shot four times and was in emergency surgery first reached his former teacher Standifer via text. A subsequent text reported that the doctors had been unable to save him.

On Sunday, Sandifer attended the vigil at the scene of the shooting that turned into a protest. He viewed the Confederate flags as something less out of Dixie than of the Dukes of Hazard, a symbol from a backroad lifestyle of driving motorbikes and jacked-up trucks through the dirt and mud. He suggests that you would have to be from Clovis to understand, and even then you might not.

Its not race, he says. Its a country boy thing.

Standifer explains the shouts of white lives matter! as a way some of Nobles friends sought to get attention for a killing that they themselves could not believe happened. Noble was not a street kid; he was a member of his high school poetry club. He was the one who spun records between poets at the poetry slams.

No one expected this, Standifer says.

The killing had sparked little response from officials and the world beyond Clovis. Standifer suggests that the protesters feared that Nobles death would be ignored. He had a great passion for dirt bikes, and at the protest those who shared that love with him filled a lot across from the Chevron station, revving their engines as if to rouse the world.

It wasnt just a rumble of hundreds of bikes but the rumble of a thousand hearts, determined souls that want justice for our sweet Dylan Noble, a friend posted. Its time to make a change, what I saw in those faces last night was a community of people who are not just onlookers, we will fight for whats right and we are coming for the truth and will not stop until we find it.

Even so, the long history of killings where unquestionably race was a factor guaranteed that the Confederate flags and shouts of white lives matter! were viewed as racist by many outside Clovis who live in constant trepidation of such a fatal encounter. The truth is Noble was a truck-jackin, dirt bike-ridin country boy who was in no way a bigot.

He had friends of every background, Standifer says. That kid loved reggae, hip-hop, and country music and rock.

Noble was always of the opinion that all lives matter, that life itself matters.

He was a beautiful soul, Standifer says. He really was.

Source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/27/dylan-noble-country-boy-shot-by-fresno-cops-loved-everybody.html

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NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics Eyeing DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook After Losing Kevin Durant


DeMarcus Cousins EPIC Highlights vs Hornets (2016.01.25) - 56 Pts, 12 Reb, FRANCHISE RECORD!

NBA Trade Rumors DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder are the subject of recent NBA Trade Rumors, as both players reportedly being targeted by the Boston Celtics.

The Kevin Durant issue

The Celtics is one of the six teams that superstar forward Kevin Durant has been in talks with when he officially became a free agent early this month. However, KD ended all NBA Trade Rumors surrounding him when he decided to suit up for the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season.

Read more:Dwyane Wade Signing with Cavs?

In a report by Kit Isaiah Bernal for Yibada, Boston is eyeing to have both men in its roster, alongside the new acquisition of big man Al Horford for the Atlanta Hawks. At the same time, both Cousins and Westbrook are two top players who have been in the midst of NBA Trade Rumors and could very well be good additions into the team.

The long list of options

While the Boston Celtics may very well serve as the new home ball club for both Cousins and Westbrook, both players have their own list of other options. For his part, Cousins is also being eyed on by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In a report by Morning News USA, Cousins, alongside shooting guard Ben McLemore, may be acquired through a trade involving big man Kevin Love and guard Iman Shumpert.

And like his former teammate Durant, Westbrook also reportedly has six teams to choose from, according to the Washington Post. These teams are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his current home team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Read more:Cavs Rethinking DeMarcus Cousins Trade After Kevin Durant Signs with GSW?

During the recently concluded regular season, Cousins played a total of 65 games and was averaging 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shot 45.1 percent from the field, through 34.6 minutes of playing time per game.

Westbrook, on the other hand, played a total of 80 games and was averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.4 assists, shot 45.4 percent from the field, through 34.4 minutes of playing time per game.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Source: http://www.chattsportsnet.com/sport-today/nba/nba-trade-rumors-celtics-eyeing-demarcus-cousins-russell-westbrook-losing-kevin-durant/3858/

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Thursday, July 7, 2016

Dwyane Wade Finally Figured Out What Loyalty Buys In Miami


Dwyane Wade Has Legitimate Leverage! NBA 2K16 Park PS4

I never really thought Dwyane Wade would leave Miami. The problem ultimately turned out to be that Micky Arison and Pat Riley thought that too.

Wade is joining the Chicago Bulls, and hes doing it for more money: a reported $47.5 million two-year deal, compared with the Heats $41.5 million two-year offer, the most they could offer with their cap situation. But this was not about money (Floridas lack of state income tax basically equalizes the two offers, and besides, the Nuggets were willing to pay $52 million). Or, at least, the money this is about is already long gone.

Its business, they say of contract negotiations, nothing personal. But anyone who tells you business isnt personal is lying.

Wade, the only connecting thread between the Heats three championships, the player who made Miami the free agent destination and thus the superpower in the East, has never been the highest paid player on his own team. Time after time, he has left money and job security on the table in order to let the front office bring in the best players.

http://deadspin.com/why-things-hav...

  • In 2010, Wade took $15 million less than the max so the team could afford to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
  • In 2014, he literally took a pay cut: opting out of his deal and signing for $11 million less so Miami could re-sign Bosh.
  • In 2015, seeking a three-year deal, Wade settled for one year to give Miami the flexibility to rebuild.

Time and again, Wade sacrificed for his employers, and he surely must have wondered when he was going to get his. 2016 proved to be the Heats last chance. At age 34, nowhere near the superstar he was but still a good, useful player, Wade wanted his payback. He wanted money, yes, but he wanted security: a three-year deal, more than a player of his age, injury history, and abilities would warrant in a vacuum. But this is not a vacuum. This is Dwyane Wade, the face of the franchise, seeking a relative pittance in compensation for everything hes given up with the expectation that the Heat would someday take care of him like hes taken care of them.

Miami would not budge from their two-year offer. Its just business, the Heat might have said, or at least thought. You dont give a player like this three years.

And that was the end of Wades hope that the Heat would ever do anything other than take him, and his self-sacrificing loyalty, for granted.

In his open letter to Miami, Wade said very little about his decision to leave beyond I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family. That was a long time coming. Owner Micky Arison responded to the news of Wades departure with a single tweet:

(The second-best response to Arisons tweet-farewell: Thats it? The first-best response: Why didnt you pay the man!)

And then theres Pat Riley, the hard-assed negotiator, the smooth talker who has sold so many players on taking less by making who-knows-what promises, and manages to forever avoid those IOUs coming due.

Riley was too raw to talk about it Wednesday night, but I asked him if he wanted to say anything about how he was feeling, and this is what he wrote by text:

SADDDDDDD!!!! SO saddddddd! I will never forget the sixth game in Dallas in 2006. DW rebounded the ball, and threw it to the heavens and the Heat universe was perfect for that moment. Our first world championship. Our universe is not perfect today. It will be fraught with anger, judgment, blame instead of THANK YOU!!! Ten years ago. Ten years older. Ten years wiser. Ten years changed. All of us. Dwyane had a choice, and he made it. He went home. Bad, bad summer for us. But there will be another 10 years, and it will be someone or something else in 2026. Move on with no blood or tears. Just thanks. I truly loved Dwyane, but families grow, change and get on with another life. He will always be a part of us. ALWAYS! And no more bruises and enough fighting. Lets just fly above it if we can and never forget. I feel his pain and pride for what pushed him over the ledge. Been there. Forever, for always, your coach I will be. FOREVER!

Well, yes, its very saddddddd. But it was entirely preventable, every summer for the last six years.

Source: http://deadspin.com/dwyane-wade-finally-figured-out-what-loyalty-buys-in-mi-1783264462

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Fox News reviewing Gretchen Carlson"s claims against Roger Ailes


Gretchen Carlson Sues Roger Aisles For Sexual Harassment

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes is going on the offensive.

The media big fired back Wednesday night at former employee Gretchen Carlson"s accusations that he made repeated sexual advances towards her.

"Gretchen Carlson"s allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the network"s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup," Ailes said in a statement hours the lawsuit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court Wednesday.

Parent company 21st Century Fox, however, announced Wednesday night that it would conduct an internal probe into Carlson"s claims against the CEO and "Fox & Friends" co-host Steve Doocy.

s*x harass suit against Fox News boss rips other female hosts

Though Doocy was not named as a defendant, the suit accuses the conservative cad of having "created a hostile work environment by regularly treating (Carlson) in a sexist and condescending way" during their stint together on the controversial morning show.

"The Company has seen the allegations against Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy," a rep for Fox said in a statement.

"We take these matters seriously. While we have full confidence in Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy, who have served the company brilliantly for over two decades, we have commenced an internal review of the matter."

Carlson is accusing Ailes of terminating her after 11 years at the network because she refused to sleep with him. The "Real Story with Gretchen Carlson" host"s contract was allowed to expire on June 23.

Gretchen Carlson files sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes

Carlson claims that a pattern of sexual harassment in the newsroom over several years culminated in a September meeting in which Ailes propositioned her.

"I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you"d be good and better and I"d be good and better," the complaint accuses Ailes, 76, of telling the former Miss America last September.

"Sometimes problems are easier to solve (that way)."

Carlsons lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, told CNN Money that at least ten other women have contacted her firm to give their own accounts about mistreatment under Ailes leadership.

But Ailes disputes those claims.

"When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit," Ailes said in his statement. "Ironically, Fox News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously."

Carlson"s legal team, though, points to a rise of 33% in her viewership this before her firing, making it the No. 1 rated cable news show in its time slot.

"We challenge him to deny, under oath, that he made the statements attributed to him in the Complaint," Smith and co-attorney Martin Hyman said in a joint statement. They also threw the book at Ailes, saying the overbearing boss reviewed everything his employees said to the press or published.

"Gretchen was once chastised for answering a question from a hometown newspaper about her favorite Minnesota State Fair food," the lawyers said. "In her book Gretchen told her story while trying to keep her job - knowing that Ailes had to approve what she said."

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Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/fox-news-reviewing-gretchen-carlson-claims-roger-ailes-article-1.2702347

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