One person was taken into custody early Friday in connection with an investigation into a suspicious vehicle near the Pentagon. (June 17)
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A fight broke out early Friday morning at the Orange County courthouse among people waiting in line for tickets to view the Casey Anthony trial. (June 17)
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Click here to view this media Fox News host Martha MacCallum said Thursday that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) didn’t deserve five uninterrupted minutes to announce his resignation. As Weiner was announcing his intentions to step down at a press conference Thursday afternoon, he was mercilessly heckled. One man shouted “pervert” and several other lewd comments. “Boy, a lot of anger in that room,” MacCallum announced as Weiner left the podium. “Did you hear the heckling? Sometimes it was almost difficult for Anthony Weiner to get his sentences out. There was a very strong reaction in that room which is emblematic of the way things happen everywhere this man goes. He evokes a lot of response in everything that he does.” “The heckling was really extraordinary,” National Review editor Rich Lowery told MacCallum. “Given the abuse and the humiliation that’s been heaped on this guy, you could at least give him five uninterrupted minutes to sing a swan song.” “But you know what, Rich?” MacCallum asked. “The problem is that he never gave anyone else five uninterrupted minutes. You know, you think about the way he talked to those reporters in the room when he came out of his office that day and he was berating them.” “Let’s pile on, shall we?” radio host Allen Colmes said sarcastically. “All I’m saying is that the energy in the room came right back at him,” MacCallum insisted.
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I will never forget the day I was asked to meet with Laura Ziskin. My writing partner Taryn Southern and I strode across the Sony lot both nervous and tickled pink by the opportunity, clutching our scripts for Stand Up To Cancer. We had written Public Service Announcements under the guise of comedic short films with the intention of hitting a younger demographic — we made them edgy, cool and funny as hell. Laura loved them and there we were, set to meet one of the most profound and insightful women of our times. Laura Ziskin was a legendary film producer, studio executive, the first ever solo female executive producer of the Academy Awards and I think, most importantly, a fierce advocate and co-founder of Stand Up to Cancer. Laura battled breast cancer for over seven years and when I met her, she was still in the fight. At our meeting she encouraged us to continue to write, to bring awareness to this powerful disease in any way possible and educate our peers through laughter, humor and truth. I was honored and humbled when she asked me to be an official ambassador for the Stand Up to Cancer organization. Stand Up to Cancer is an innovative grass-roots organization that was created to break down the barriers and limitations of cancer research. Laura and the Stand Up To Cancer organization’s mission is to “put the most talented researchers at the leading institutes together, creating our “dream teams.” This groundbreaking nonprofit encourages leading scientists and doctors to collaborate rather then compete, which is sadly often the case. Innovative ideas are granted rapid funding without traditional bureaucratic delays with the intention of getting new therapies to people that need them as quickly as possible. Currently, 355 scientists from 55 institutions collaborate and share information through Stand Up To Cancer. In 2007, CBS, NBC and NBC donated to Laura and her cofounders an hour for the first ever “roadblock” televised fund-raising event. Again in 2010, CBS, NBC, ABC along with Fox and 13 cable providers aired another hour-long fund raising event that was seen in over 175 countries! Major Hollywood stars, musicians, news anchors, and other celebrities gathered to actively raise money to find the therapies and ultimately the cure for cancer. Through the combined fund-raising events, over 180 million dollars has been pledged to support the ground-breaking research to find the treatments that benefit those with cancer in expedient time. I was blessed to participate in this event in 2010 and it was one of the most important things I have ever been a part of in my life. What a thrill it was to see Laura in full throttle! Laura said “this is an incredibly hopeful time in cancer research, with monumental discoveries occurring at a breathtaking pace… For example, in 200 only one cancer genome has been sequenced. Today, more then 100 have been, yielding an exponential increase in the number of targets for which scientists can develop tailored treatments. All of which will lead to more survivors; more lives to celebrate.” Times had changed indeed thanks to Laura’s perseverance and vision. Every one of us, through family member or friend, has been personally impacted by this disease. Both my writing partner and I had dealt with loved ones being riddled with cancer, yet for me, it never felt as piercingly painful and horrific as it does today bearing the news of Laura’s passing. Laura described herself as an “impatient patient.” “I’m mad as hell” she exclaimed as she urged that, “as a nation we need to focus on this problem and demand that something be done.” Laura was a woman that authentically led from her heart. In the face of her own adversity, she rose, flourishing ideas and solutions brilliantly provocative, ingenious and powerful. She could have so easily backed down and succumbed to the fear that weighs so heavily on those afflicted with cancer. She had the courage to stand up in the face of her disease and to millions of people and say that there will be a cure for cancer… it is only a matter of time. Laura’s conviction and passion to fight this disease was a seed that has been planted within us and now grows stronger. Through our deep sadness in loosing her we will grow tall and thrive, shining in the bright light that was and is her vision. Now, more then ever, we must dare to bring the unfathomable into a reality, and carry in our palms the answers, the cure for cancer and release it to all those in need, letting the healing waters of innovation and trust lift away the disease from every cell of every body. Laura Ziskin is an important role model for all women. Not only did she reach the pinnacle of her industry with excellence, but she did so while becoming a transformative force in charitable work. Her legacy should remind us all that there is work to be done beyond ourselves, for our peers and our communities. Laura is a woman who’s example I will look to for guidance in the face of my own challenges. The brief time that I spent with her has seeped deeply into my soul. Her knowing without proof, her faith and courage in the midst of her fiercest battle, her compassion and empathy that reached beyond the millions of hearts she touched and sailed into the stars that twinkle above us. Laura claimed those stars for all of those in the fight with cancer. You can donate and launch a star in honor of someone you love. Today a star was named in Laura Ziskin’s honor and I promise, the ones you love will be kept in the highest of company. Here are some stunning facts about cancer. Cancer kills 1,500 people a day, 1 person every minute. 1 out of 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer. Only 1 in every 10 promising research proposals is funded by the federal government. Please donate in honor of Laura or someone you love and learn more about Stand Up To Cancer and the incredible people involved at www.standup2cancer.org.
Continue reading …Casey Anthony Trial: Lawyers Raise Incest Issues, Question FBI Witness About Paternity Tests
June 17, 2011 No Comment
Casey Anthony’s defense team came out swinging this afternoon, when lawyers asked a DNA expert if law enforcement had ordered a paternity test to determine if Anthony’s older brother was the father of her child. Anthony, 25, is accused of multiple charges, including capital murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and misleading law enforcement in the case of the death of her daughter, Caylee. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty. “Were you asked to conduct a paternity test for Lee Anthony as to being the potential father of Caylee Anthony,” Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, asked serology expert Heather Seubert. Seubert, who worked in the forensic DNA analysis unit at the FBI in 2008, said she was assigned to the Anthony case and examined several key pieces of evidence. Prosecutor Jeff Ashton immediately objected to Baez’s question and Judge Belvin Perry quickly sent jurors to lunch and called a sidebar with the attorneys. Ashton argued the line of questioning was irrelevant and not in good faith. He said it implied that law enforcement had requested the test. Baez and Ashton got into a heated exchange about the subject, at which time Perry told the two men to lower their voices. “I don’t have a hearing problem and the amplification of questions, objections, I don’t need them,” Perry said. Outside the presence of the jury, Seubert told Perry that Nick Savage, another FBI agent who was working on the case, asked her to conduct DNA tests in October 2008, to see if Anthony’s brother, Lee Anthony, was Caylee’s father. Perry ultimately instructed Baez to revise his question and warned him not to ask questions that would lead to an inference. Perry added, “I’m not even going to venture a guess … as to your motivation.” When the jury returned from lunch, the line of questioning continued. “I wanted to ask you if you conducted, what would be considered a paternity test, to determine if Lee Anthony was the biological father of Caylee Anthony,” Baez asked. Seubert affirmed a DNA comparison had been made and replied, “Based on the STR typing results, the DNA obtained from … Caylee Anthony could not have originated from a biological offspring of … Lee Anthony.” Baez did not ask Seubert if the same test was conducted on Casey Anthony’s father, George Anthony. As a result, jurors are unaware her father was also tested and excluded. TRIAL PHOTOS: The powerful testimony about paternity is largely considered a win for the defense who, up until today, were unable to get testimony before the jury about alleged abuses they claim Casey Anthony suffered. During opening arguments, Baez claimed Caylee died on June 16, 2008, when she drowned in her family’s swimming pool. He said Anthony did not contact the authorities because she was unable to tell the truth after years of sordid sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of her own father. “It all began when Casey was eight years old and her father came into her room and began to touch her inappropriately and it escalated … She could be 14 years old, have [had] her father’s penis in her mouth, and go to school and play with the other kids as if nothing [had] happened,” Baez said. The defense attorney also took aim at Lee Anthony, alleging he tried to “follow in his father’s footsteps.” “On certain occasions when he was a teenager, [Lee] attempted to also touch his sister, although it didn’t go as far,” Baez said, adding, “These ugly secrets will come out at this trial. And you’ll see what makes Casey Anthony act the way she does.” Baez tried to make good on his promise during the third day of the trial when he attempted to question Anthony’s ex-boyfriend, Anthony “Tony” Lazzaro, about a conversation he allegedly had with Anthony in June or July of 2008. Lazzaro said she told him that Lee Anthony had attempted to “feel her up.” Lazzaro said he could not recall if Anthony had offered a time frame for when the alleged abuse had occurred, but said it was “definitely in the past … not anything in the present.” Lazzaro also said that Anthony told him that her father, George Anthony, had physically abused her. “Hitting — that’s all I can remember,” Lazzaro said. Perry ultimately ruled the jury would not be able to hear the testimony. Today’s testimony, however, may leave questions in the minds of jury as to why someone in law enforcement would have even been curious whether Anthony’s brother could have potentially been the father of her child. Earlier Thursday, Seubert reported she tested swabs taken from items in the trunk of Anthony’s car, including the spare tire cover and the trunk liner. All of those items were tested for the presence of blood and were negative, the expert testified. In addition to testifying about Anthony’s vehicle, Seubert said she also examined several items that were taken from Anthony’s closet, including clothing investigators believe she wore on June 16, the day Caylee was last seen alive. While several of the items had faint stains, all were negative for the presence of blood, she said. Since the beginning of the trial, prosecutors have dismissed the defense’s explanation of Caylee’s death and have claimed Anthony killed her child by placing duct tape over her mouth. Duct tape was found wrapped around Caylee’s skull when a county worker found her remains on December 11, 2008. Toward the end of her testimony today, Seubert testified that the duct tape — a vital piece of evidence in the case — had been contaminated. During testing, DNA found on the tape did not match any members of the Anthony family. Instead, it was found to be a match with another forensic examiner who had analyzed the duct tape. Today’s testimony marked the third anniversary of Caylee’s reported disappearance. EXPANDED COVERAGE: www.huffingtonpost.com/news/casey-anthony
Continue reading …The Blatant Liberalism of Norah O’Donnell, CBS’s New Chief WH Correspondent
June 17, 2011 No Comment
“If Time-magaziner-turned-White House-press-sec Jay Carney ever tires of defending President Obama,” wrote NB's Mark Finkelstein earlier this year, “Norah O'Donnell clearly seems ready to step in.” News broke Thursday that O'Donnell will, in fact, be moving to the White House briefing room, but she'll staying on the same side of the podium as CBS's Chief White House Correspondent . But that doesn't mean her relentless cheerleaeding for the Obama administration and its party will relent. O'Donnell is one of television news's more blatantly liberal non-prime time personalities. In light of the move, let's review just a few of her “greatest hits.” O'Donnell is of course quick to see racism in criticism of President Obama. When Newt Gingrich jibed Obama for wasting time playing basketball, she saw racism . The comment “suggests that the President is an athlete and some people may suggest, you know, because all black people are good athletes.” Fellow guests on Morning Joe laughed at the claim. Though not as frequent as the racism charge, Islamophobia is a popular one among liberal media types. O'Donnell is no exception. In the midst of the debate over the “Ground Zero mosque,” for instance, O'Donnell claimed that the project's opponents were “act[ing] like the people who attacked America and killed 3,000 people.” Other conservative protests have also earned O'Donnell's scorn. She was of course part of the MSNBC chorus that attempted to link the Tea Party movement to so-called “birthed” movement. So as one might expect, the Tea Party's primary target earned O'Donnell's effusive praise – often in spite of the facts. Reporting on the so-called health care “summit” last year, O'Donnell embarked on a misguided attempt at “truth-squadding.” She heaped praise on President Obama for laying out the facts behind his reform proposal, such as the fact, by her telling, that insurance premiums would decline by 10 to 13 percent under Obamacare. In fact, the CBO score at the time showed premiums for individuals would rise by 10 to 13 percent. Giving O'Donnell the benefit of the doubt, she played defense for the president without bothering to check the facts. As for Republican efforts to block Obamacare's passage, well, let's just say O'Donnell was not a fan. “Are you the Grinch that stole Christmas?” she asked GOP Sen. Judd Gregg in December 2009. For all of O'Donnell's fondness for Obama, she really does not like Sarah Palin. Norah appeared at a Palin book signing – crib notes in hand – last year to grill a teen Palin fan, but threw softballs to a pro-Obamacare child weeks later. O'Donnell's lame defense of Obama's decision to wear a tacky faux-military leather jacket to an address to troops in Afghanistan was a childish “Sarah Palin wears a leather jacket too!” Norah also harped on the Palin “hand note” non-story perhaps longer than any other television personality. Filmmaker John Ziegler even called on NBC to fire O'Donnell for her vehement hatred of everything Palin. The firing never came, but now O'Donnell has left for another network where, no doubt, the Palin hatred and the rest of the liberal quips will continue.
Continue reading …The sun had barely risen over the aftermath of the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver before the first of thousands of volunteers arrived to help clean up their city. People who arrived with gloves, brooms, and garbage bags said they wanted to do their part to restore Vancouver’s good name….
Continue reading …Nokia Windows Phones will launch in six European nations first, Finland not among them
June 17, 2011 No Comment
Nokia VP Victor Saeijs has this week disclosed the six launch markets for the vanguard devices born out of the Microsoft-Nokia partnership. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK will all count themselves as hosts to Nokia’s Windows Phone debut , but the company’s mother nation of Finland has strangely been left out in the cold. Knowing Nokia, there’s no doubt that once the WP7 handsets are ready they’ll find themselves swiftly available worldwide, but if you care to be among the very first to own one, you’ll be wanting to visit Europe’s western shores — preferably some time before the year’s through, as Mr. Saeijs also reaffirmed that there will indeed be a Nokia Windows Phone coming out in 2011. Nokia Windows Phones will launch in six European nations first, Finland not among them originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia Windows Phones will launch in six European nations first, Finland not among them
June 17, 2011 No CommentNokia VP Victor Saeijs has this week disclosed the six launch markets for the vanguard devices born out of the Microsoft-Nokia partnership. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK will all count themselves as hosts to Nokia’s Windows Phone debut , but the company’s mother nation of Finland has strangely been left out in the cold. Knowing Nokia, there’s no doubt that once the WP7 handsets are ready they’ll find themselves swiftly available worldwide, but if you care to be among the very first to own one, you’ll be wanting to visit Europe’s western shores — preferably some time before the year’s through, as Mr. Saeijs also reaffirmed that there will indeed be a Nokia Windows Phone coming out in 2011. Nokia Windows Phones will launch in six European nations first, Finland not among them originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …This is a tough time to be out of a job, and it’s never a good time to be a national laughingstock, so what now for Anthony Weiner? The congressman, who resigned yesterday , has held elected office since 1991, but the chances of him getting another job in politics any…
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