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Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Pence goes further than Trump on Syria military action
(CNN)Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence called Tuesday night for the US to be willing to use the military to hit the Syrian regime and to establish safe zones to protect civilians.
The answer seemingly put him at odds with running mate Donald Trump, who has largely advocated a pullback from foreign conflicts and requiring US allies to take on more of their own defense. It also lines him up more closely with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and his debate opponent, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, both of whom have advocated a Syrian no-fly zone.
"The United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo," Pence said in reference to the besieged Syrian city.
"I truly do believe that what America ought to do right now is to immediately establish safe zones," Pence said at the first and only vice presidential debate, at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, "so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas (and) work with our Arab partners in real time to make that happen."
A safe zone would be an area inside Syria that would be defended from Syrian or Russian attack by US and allied planes. It raises thorny legal problems, because doing so without the host country"s permission means violating international law. And the possibilities for military escalation are very high if a US, Russian or Syrian plane was shot down. And many military experts say it"s not possible now, if it ever was.
Trump has said that he would be willing to support a safe zone, but only financially. When asked whether the US should be involved in establishing safe zones, Trump told CBS" "Face the Nation" in October 2015 that he would "help them economically, even though we owe $19 trillion."
In that same interview, Trump said he would "love a safe zone for people."
"What they should do is, the countries should all get together, including the Gulf states, who have nothing but money, they should all get together and they should take a big swath of land in Syria and they do a safe zone for people, where they could to live, and then ultimately go back to their country, go back to where they came from," Trump said.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/politics/foreign-policy-vp-debate/index.html
Veep debate in 140 characters (and more)
(CNN)CNN Opinion commentators share their thoughts in real time on the one and only debate between vice presidential candidates, Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democrat, and Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican:
Commentary from Tim Naftali
Governor Pence won the debate by pretending that his running mate was Ronald Reagan. He will suffer from the fact checking tomorrow, but most Americans may not notice or care. A frustrating night for Tim Kaine, who thought there might be a chance for real engagement. The good news for Clinton/Kaine is that this night"s contest matters more for 2020 than 2016.
Tim Naftali is a CNN presidential historian. He teaches history and public service at New York University and was the former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
Commentary from Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Pence was brought on the ticket as the link to mainstream GOP politics. And in fact he perfectly expresses the core folly and failing of the GOP"s leadership: their denial of what they have unleashed in America by nominating Trump. Pence denies the insults, the racism, the admiration for dictators, acting as though Kaine is saying "ridiculous" things by even raising them. He is there to soothe the conscience of Speaker Paul Ryan, Senator John McCain and all other GOP leaders who refuse to retract their endorsement of this rogue individual, no matter what he says or does.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University.
Commentary from Timothy Stanley
In another year, Mike Pence would"ve been considered a risky choice for a Republican ticket -- being a very conservative governor. This year he brings maturity to the debate. So marked is the contrast with Trump that Pence"s assured performance might reassure voters that Trump is outrageous but he knows how to hire well.
Kaine is punchy and making some good points, but many viewers will simply be distracted by Pence"s relative smoothness. That said, Kaine"s gag that Trump has a "personal Mount Rushmore" of Putin, Saddam, Gaddafi and Kim Jung-il was brilliant. And would make a great feature on a Trump miniature golf course.
Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for Britain"s Daily Telegraph. He is the author of "Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration Between L.A. and D.C. Revolutionized American Politics."
Commentary from Lanhee Chen
Thirty minutes into this debate, Mike Pence is demonstrating why he was a smart pick as Donald Trump"s VP. He appeals to those conservatives who have been dissatisfied with Trump, by demonstrating both good temperament and familiarity with policy. His answers sound surprisingly normal compared to those given by his running mate at the first debate last week. Tim Kaine, on the other hand, seems to be content to take the Donald Trump approach to debating -- interrupting, hectoring, and insulting. Pence"s performance tonight will make some wonder why he"s not the one at the top of the ticket.
Lanhee J. Chen is a CNN Political Commentator and the David and Diane Steffy Research Fellow at Stanford University"s Hoover Institution. He was the policy director of the Romney-Ryan 2012 campaign and served as Governor Mitt Romney"s chief policy adviser.
Commentary from Roxanne Jones
In 2008, I was canvassing the country registering people to vote. Not for any specific party, just asking people if they were registered to vote and handing out forms. Indiana was my state. At one door, a teenage girl answered the door, saw my brown face and whispered: "Please get off my porch. If my daddy sees you he might shoot." She was trying to warn me and looked slightly ashamed. Luckily, I had an older white woman with me, we were partners. We both left immediately. So Pence, tone matters and I agree with Kaine, we should not be afraid to discuss racial bias if we want to solve the problem.
Roxanne Jones, a founding editor of ESPN Magazine and former vice president at ESPN, writes frequently for CNN Opinion.
Commentary from Julian Zelizer
Pence hasn"t spent much time, almost any, talking about Trump and what he brings to the table as president. Focusing instead on Clinton"s foreign policy recordgoing directly after her claims of experience and expertise.
Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and a New America fellow
Commentary from Julian Zelizer
Both candidates must remember that they are making a case about the party nominees, not themselves. The winner of this debate will help frame the discussion going into Sunday.
Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and a New America fellow.
Commentary from Frida Ghitis
Cold fact to remember as we watch the vice presidential debate: Donald Trump is 70 years old. Hillary Clinton is 68. One of the men running for Vice President could, in fact, become president.
Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review, and a former CNN producer and correspondent.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/opinions/veep-debate-in-140-characters-and-more-opinion/index.html
Whoops! Mike Pence thanks wrong university
(CNN)Well, that"s not the best way to start off your first Vice Presidential debate.
Republican Vice President nominee Mike Pence misspoke in his opening lines during the debate, thanking "Norwood University" for hosting the event. Whoops! The debate was actually held at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
"Norwood University" quickly topped the trends on social media as people posted memes and jokes over the use of the wrong university.
Even a parody account was started for the fake university stating that enrollment was open for the spring semester.
All jokes aside, Longwood University students and alumni took to Twitter to express their aggravation over this slip of the tongue.
Follow along with the CNN Reality Check team as they break down the rest of the debate.
Ben Stiller: Prostate cancer test "saved my life"
(CNN)Actor Ben Stiller revealed on Tuesday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. The tumor was surgically removed three months later, in September 2014, and Stiller has been cancer-free since.
Stiller shared the news on Howard Stern"s Sirius XM radio show, and in an essay posted online.
"The tests have bad operating systems," Brawley said. "They sometimes miss cancer that needs to be found, and they find cancer that doesn"t need to be found."
As a result of a misleading PSA tests, men may be diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated unnecessarily, leaving them vulnerable to health risks associated with biopsies and surgery.
When men"s PSA levels are tested before they are 50, there may be more chance of error in testing, Brawley said. The average age of men diagnosed with prostate cancer is 67, according to the American Cancer Society.
Along with the physical stress of undergoing screenings, tests and biopsies -- a test "as invasive as it gets: long needles in sensitive places," Stiller wrote -- there are psychological stresses involved with PSA testing. Being confronted with the numbers on a regular basis, especially if they are rising, may cause depression and even suicidal thoughts in men, Brawley says.
Instead of arguing for or against PSA screening, Brawley says he wants a better prostate cancer detection test.
He hopes that the public will read Ben Stiller"s report conscientiously, rather than pushing for testing without considering the consequences.
"The bottom line is, there"s more harm associated with prostate cancer screenings than good," Brawley said.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/health/ben-stiller-prostate-cancer/index.html
In Japan, a temple devoted to mothers ... and breasts
(CNN)On the surface, there"s little out of the ordinary at Japan"s Jison-In Temple complex.
Sitting at the foot of Mount Koya -- the country"s most spiritual peak -- in the small town of Kudoyama in Wakayama prefecture, it"s a textbook example of Japanese Buddhist architecture.
Upon closer inspection, however, one notices an abundance of something a bit, well, out of a place at a site of spiritual reverence.
The temple grounds are filled with thousands of depictions of female breasts.
Left hanging in various corners of the complex, these busty decorations are actually left by visitors as spiritual offerings.
And, perhaps adding to the authenticity, they come in all shapes in sizes.
Getting there
Jison-in is located in the town of Kudoyama, in Wakayama prefecture.
Trains depart regularly for Kudoyama from Osaka"s Namba Station. The ride takes about an hour.
For more about the pilgrimage and it"s various trails, check out our guide: World"s best unknown hike, Japan"s Kumano Kodo.
Prefer to skip the hike and drive straight to Koyasan? More here: Overnight on one of the world"s most sacred mountains.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/travel/jison-in-temple-wakayama-japan/index.html
Opinion: Prostate cancer screening"s false promise
(CNN)Should men be routinely screened for prostate cancer? This question has been asked ever since the prostate specific antigen test, or PSA, became widely available more than two decades ago.
Central to this question is another question: Does prostate cancer screening save lives?
Both questions are hard to answer. Screening clearly helps find cancer. But many of the cancers that are diagnosed and treated do not need to be. Left alone, they will not harm the patient. And some cancers go on to cause death despite treatment.
The right question really is: Does screening find some cancers that need to be cured and can be cured?
After an exhaustive process, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has announced its final recommendation on PSA-based prostate cancer screening. It finds that the known harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits for men who have no cancer symptoms. It notes that all screening studies have demonstrated considerable harms associated with screening, but only one major study found evidence that screening saves lives -- and that study has some internal inconsistencies. It showed screening saves lives in the Netherlands and Sweden, but not in five other European countries. Even the positive parts of that study did not show a considerable increase in lives saved.
The task force"s methods are notable for their scientific rigor. A group of experts in prostate cancer and in evidence appraisal systematically reviewed and reported on all the scientific evidence to date on prostate-cancer screening and treatment. The task force, a second group with expertise in preventive medicine and screening, then considered the review and made a preliminary recommendation. That recommendation was made available for public comment last fall. Those comments were then considered before a final recommendation was made.
Although the task force recommends against routine screening, it does recognize that some men will still want to be screened because of family history or other concerns. The task force vehemently stresses the necessity of informed consent in such cases: Men must be told of the known harms of screening. Hopefully its strong statement will cause physicians and screening advocates to be more cautious about encouraging screening.
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For years, professional organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the European Association of Urology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and even the American Urologic Association, have urged caution and informed decision-making regarding screening. These recommendations have largely been ignored.
Over the past 20 years, many well-meaning people have supported mass screening. Celebrities, athletes, politicians and cancer survivors have endorsed screening. Mass screening is commonly conducted in shopping malls, churches and community centers, at conventions and state fairs and in vans parked in supermarket parking lots.
Hospitals, medical practices, fraternities, politicians, radio and TV stations and even an adult diaper manufacturer have sponsored mass screenings. Men who attend them are rarely informed of the risks of screening and are often promised unproven benefits.
These two decades of mass screening are estimated to have caused more than 1 million American men to receive unnecessary treatment causing numerous common side effects, including radiation-induced bowel injury, urinary incontinence and impotence, and a significant proportion have serious, life-threatening complications.
Mass screening is a lucrative business. I am haunted by a conversation I had in the late 1990s with a marketing executive at a major American hospital who bragged about his "prostate cancer business plan." His hospital conducted free screening at a local mall every September for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
He explained that this was not just cheap and effective advertising for his hospital system. It was also a moneymaker. As he explained it, for every 1,000 men over age 50 who were screened at the mall, 145 would have an abnormal screen, and 135 would go to his hospital for evaluation. Fees collected from them would easily cover the cost of the free screening event. About 45 in that group would have cancer; the rest would be false positives.
The marketer had figured out how many men would be treated with surgery, radiation, and hormones. He had estimates of all the money the center would make from treating all 45 cancer cases. He knew how many men would be treated for urinary incontinence, and what his net profit for treating that would be. Amazingly, he even knew how many of the men would want penile prostheses surgically implanted to treat their impotence.
I asked him one question: "How many lives will you save if you screen a thousand men?" He looked at me as if I were a fool, and said, "Don"t you know? No one knows if this stuff saves lives. I can"t give you a number on that."
He was right. It would not be until 13 years later, in 2010, that a clinical trial would finally be published suggesting that screening saves lives -- and that trial has internal inconsistencies making that suggestion suspect. Indeed, for two decades, mass PSA-based prostate cancer screening was done in this country without direct clinical evidence showing that it was beneficial to patients.
It was, of course, very beneficial to those who offered it.
While I hope that this new recommendation will put an end to mass screening, I am not optimistic. As Upton Sinclair once said, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/opinion/brawley-prostate-screening/index.html
Shooting victim, 6, gets superhero tribute he would have wanted
(CNN)Superheroes of various affiliations filled the pews of Oakdale Baptist Church in Townville, South Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon.
Boys and girls dressed as Batman, Superman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sat among adults and teenagers wearing capes and logo T-shirts.
Amid the festive atmosphere, a coffin resting in front of the altar, surrounded by pictures of a smiling boy, was a somber reminder of the reason for the gathering.
Mourners had come to remember 6-year-old Jacob Hall, who died after being shot last week at school.
Jacob was shot on September 28 when a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the playground at Townville Elementary School, southwest of Greenville. After three days on life support, he passed away on Saturday. His death led prosecutors to upgrade an attempted murder charge to murder against the accused shooter, who is not being identified because of his age.
Tuesday"s visitation was a prelude to Jacob"s superhero-themed funeral on Wednesday.
Jacob"s mother, Renae Hall, said the boy loved superheroes and always wanted to save people from danger.
Jacob will be dressed in a Batman costume and pallbearers at the funeral will wear superhero outfits, Hall told CNN affiliate WHNS. She said she encouraged mourners to do the same.
"I don"t want suits and ties and all that," Hall told WHNS. "There will be a lot of children there and I don"t want it to be scary for them."
The visitation offered a hopeful sign of what"s to come Wednesday.
Chatter and children"s laughter floated through the room, creating a scene more reminiscent of a children"s birthday party than a visitation. Floral arrangements festooned with stuffed Ninja Turtles and colorful balloons decorated the altar as a slide show of photos of Jacob and his family played on the wall.
At the front of Jacob"s casket, relatives wearing superhero costumes and Team Jacob shirts greeted well-wishers carrying stuffed animals for his coffin.
An online fundraiser has brought in more than $126,500 for the Hall family and their expenses.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/us/jacob-hall-superhero-funeral/index.html
Is Bill Clinton right about Obamacare?
(CNN)Bill Clinton raised some eyebrows on the campaign trail Monday when he declared that Obamacare "is the craziest thing in the world." He assailed the law for escalating health care costs and decreasing health plan choices amongst middle-income Americans. The critique of Obamacare, which was entirely accurate, was surprising particularly because it puts his wife -- an ardent defender of the law -- in an awkward political position going into Sunday"s second presidential debate.
Perhaps even more surprising has been the fact that Donald Trump hasn"t more directly and forcefully used this same line of attack against Obamacare and, by extension, Hillary Clinton. In fact, Trump failed to mention Obamacare"s failings even once during the last week"s presidential debate. Anyone involved in Trump"s debate preparations for this weekend"s matchup should ensure that he does not allow the entirety of another debate to pass without some mention of Obamacare"s shortcomings.
Bill Clinton"s defenders have argued that his comments about Obamacare were taken out of context; that what he was actually advocating for was the need for changes to be made to the law so that it functions more effectively.
The problem isn"t that the health care law needs to be tweaked, or that the rising premiums and declining choices that consumers face are surprises that require a course-correction. Indeed, the law was so poorly designed and conceived that these problems were entirely predictable.
While Clinton was right about the challenges created by the law, he was wrong about the way forward.
One of Obamacare"s core failings is its overt reliance on young or healthy consumers to sign up for health insurance under the law and thereby subsidize the costs of the old and sick. That generally hasn"t happened, so everyone"s premiums have risen to compensate for this mismatch of risk. Hillary (and Bill) Clinton"s solution to the problem is to offer everyone the opportunity to buy into a "public option" for health insurance -- essentially, a health plan underwritten and operated by the government that would be more affordable than private plan options currently available on the law"s marketplaces.
But such a proposal only shifts risk away from the private sector and into the hands (and wallets) of taxpayers. If the old and sick continue to sign up for health insurance at a more rapid pace than the young or healthy, it"s not insurance companies who will be left to pay the bill -- because government is the insurer in a "public option" health plan. That means taxpayers are the ones ultimately on the hook if the plan fails or doesn"t operate as expected.
There is a better way than what Clinton proposes. Part of the answer is to lower premiums by providing consumers with a wider choice of health plan designs, so that people can pick the plans that better suit their needs -- rather than the one-size-fits-all plan structure currently mandated by Obamacare.
More broadly, policymakers should turn the page on Obamacare by pursuing fundamental health reforms that empower citizens to make health care decisions, migrate government subsidies for health care toward defined contribution payments, and incentivize innovation and payment for performance in the provision of heath care. Speaker Paul Ryan"s "Better Way" agenda includes a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that would do just this.
Bill Clinton started an important discussion about the failings of Obamacare and the need for reforms of the law. The question is whether Republican candidates like Trump will seize the opportunity to press Democrats on their continued support for Obamacare and, more importantly, to present a better alternative of their own.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/opinions/bill-clinton-obamacare-craziest-thing-opinion-chen/index.html
Ayotte says Trump "absolutely" a role model for kids in NH debate, later says she misspoke
Washington (CNN)New Hampshire GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte said during a debate on Monday that she would "absolutely" point to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as a role model for a child. She issued a statement after the debate saying she "misspoke."
The first-term senator was asked by a moderator during the NECN debate: "Would you tell them to be like Donald Trump? Would you point to him as a role model?"
"I think that certainly there are many role models that we have, and I believe he can serve as president and so, absolutely. I would do that," she said at the New England College hosted debate in Henniker, New Hampshire.
In a statement afterward, Ayotte said: "I misspoke tonight. While I would hope all of our children would aspire to be president, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn"t hold either of them as role models for my kids."
Ayotte is currently locked in a hotly contested Senate reelection race against Democratic rival, Gov. Maggie Hassan. Ayotte has said she is voting for Trump, but not endorsed him for president.
Ayotte has said that she will she will "stand up" to Trump if he becomes president -- but she will vote for him in November.
"I will take on my own party," Ayotte told CNN in Nashua in August. "I really believe that this is a big issue in this race -- that I am the one candidate that will stand up to whomever is in the White House to do good things when we can work together -- also when it"s wrong to stand up to them."
During Monday"s debate, someone off-screen asked Ayotte: "If you think he can serve as president, why won"t you endorse him?"
"Because I"ve had some disagreements with him," she said. "And I"ve been quite clear about those disagreements. And this is an area where Gov. Hassan has been lockstep with Secretary Clinton. I haven"t heard major disagreements that she"s had with Secretary Clinton so who"s going to step up for the people of New Hampshire?"
Since Trump launched his campaign last summer, he called some Mexicans "rapists" during his announcement speech, said Sen. John McCain isn"t a "war hero" because he was captured, proposed a temporary Muslim ban, mocked a disabled reporter during a campaign rally, repeatedly made harsh comments about women, and attacked the Khans, a Gold Star family, for their comments at the Democratic National Convention.
And at a rally in Pennsylvania this weekend, Trump hit Clinton on her "stamina," said that Clinton is not "loyal" to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and called her an "incompetent" and "sarcastic woman."
In the past, Ayotte has been heavily critical on Trump"s controversies, including his attacks against the Khan family.
When Trump was asked about Ayotte in an August Washington Post interview, he criticized her lack of support and implied she was weak.
"You have a Kelly Ayotte, who doesn"t want to talk about Trump, but I"m beating her in the polls by a lot. You tell me. Are these people that should be representing us?" he said. "We need loyal people in this country. We need fighters in this country. We don"t need weak people. We have enough of them."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/politics/kelly-ayotte-new-hampshire-donald-trump-debate/index.html
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Celebrity sale: K-pop star T.O.P adds millennial appeal to record Sotheby"s auction
Hong Kong (CNN)A Sotheby"s auction guest-curated by Korean pop star T.O.P. pulled in $17.4 million (HKD$136 million) on October 3, exceeding pre-sale high estimates and setting multiple auction records.
"Infantry", a 1983 painting by the late American artist Jean Basquiat, was the evening"s top lot out of the collection of 28 Asian and Western contemporary artworks, realizing $5.98 million.
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A commissioned work by Japanese artist Kohei Nawa also sold for $72,115 ($562,500 HKD), seven times the high-estimate projected by Sotheby"s.
Seven of the top 10 works sold to private Asian buyers whose names were not disclosed.
The success of the evening was largely thanks to its unlikely star, K-pop icon T.O.P of South Korean boy band Big Bang. An avid art collector, T.O.P curated the auction and helped Sotheby"s reach a younger demographic with hype-generating posts to his 5.8 million Instagram followers.
Curated by T.O.P #TTTOP @Sothebys in Seoul
The auction highlighted the spending power of millennials in Asia, as well as the power of celebrity-endorsed social media, especially when it comes to art.
In China alone, the consumption rate of people between the ages of 18 and 30 is growing at 14% a year, according to the Boston Consulting Group, double that of those age 35 and older.
The importance of drawing in young collectors in Asia is not lost on Yuki Terase, a contemporary Asian art specialist at Sotheby"s Hong Kong.
"As much of 40 percent of new clients that transact with us for the first time in Asia are young collectors (those being under 40 years old)," Terase says. "So it"s a very significant phenomenon that we witness in Asia that is truly notable and influences the entire art world."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/arts/t-o-p-sothebys/index.html
Democrats gain narrow registration edge in Colorado
(CNN)For the first time in 30 years, Democrats have the voter registration advantage in the battleground state of Colorado, edging ahead of Republicans in a key metric of party strength with one month to go before Election Day.
According to new numbers released Monday by the Colorado Secretary of State, there are about 6,000 more Democrats on the rolls than Republicans. There are 998,845 registered Democrats and 992,944 registered Republicans. That being said, there are still more independent voters in the state -- 1,080,438 Coloradans are currently registered as "unaffiliated."
The GOP lead has been shrinking in recent months -- it was roughly 12,000 in August and 2,700 in September.
Republicans have enjoyed an edge in voter registration in Colorado since 1986, according to an analysis of decades of publicly available voter registration records. The numbers fluctuate on a monthly basis, but the GOP advantage was about 177,000 in November 2004, when George W. Bush carried the state. Republicans continued to lead Democrats on the voter rolls even as Barack Obama won Colorado in 2008 and again in 2012.
Clinton leads by 11 points over Trump in a four-way race, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday.
Shifts in registration don"t necessarily indicate which party is attracting new voters -- that"s because people switch parties, move to new states, and are scrubbed from the rolls when they die. But these statistics are an important part of the political landscape and can indicate which party is more organized on the ground.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/politics/colorado-democrats-registration/index.html
Ferrari reveals fastest convertible of all time -- and has already sold out
Paris (CNN)Ferrari has revealed its fastest convertible ever -- and it has already sold out.
Named the LaFerrari Aperta, the brand new ride is a convertible version of an existing model, the LaFerrari hybrid supercar.
The car was revealed to the public for the first time on September 29 at the Paris Motor Show, but it actually sold out in July -- despite its hefty $2.2-million price tag.
The Aperta features a V12 engine with 750 horsepower, making it the most powerful engine ever used in a Ferrari road car, with a top speed of 217 miles per hour.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/autos/laferrari-aperta-paris-motor-show/index.html
From prison to paragon: These beautiful buildings were former jails
(CNN)Jails are not the first place people typically look to for design inspiration. For the most part they are brutalist, utilitarian blocks that are built to house row after row of prison cells and which offer altogether dismal living conditions.
But a few disused penitentiaries have had their potential unlocked by redevelopers -- and in these second leases on life, former jails have been transformed into everything from luxury hotels to schools, shopping complexes, or even a film lot.
Pentridge Prison in Australia guarded some of the nation"s most notorious criminals -- including the legendary outlawed "bushranger" Ned Kelly -- but it"s now being re-envisioned as a vibrant residential and commercial hub in Melbourne.
In the Turkish capital of Istanbul, the Sultanahmet "Capital City Murder" Jail -- which is now a luxurious Four Seasons Hotel -- had its fifth section reserved for famous personages such as poet Nazim Hikmet and satirist Aziz Nesin. Somewhat foreshadowing its destiny as hotel accommodation, the prison was ironically referred to as "The Hilton".
Take a look through the gallery above to see creative examples of former prison spaces now rehabilitated.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/design/former-jails-transformed/index.html
South Carolina boy shot at school to get "superhero funeral"
(CNN)A "superhero funeral" will be held on Wednesday for Jacob Hall, a 6-year-old boy who died after being shot last week at a South Carolina elementary school, CNN affiliate WHNS reported.
Jacob"s mother, Renae Hall, said the boy loved superheroes and always wanted to save people from danger.
That"s why the pallbearers at the funeral will be dressed in superhero outfits and people attending the Tuesday visitation and Wednesday funeral are encouraged to wear a superhero costume or T-shirt, she said.
Jacob will be dressed in a Batman costume, reported CNN affiliate WYFF.
"I don"t want suits and ties and all that," Hall told WHNS. "There will be a lot of children there and I don"t want it to be scary for them. Jacob will be dressed in his superhero costume."
Jacob died on Saturday in a hospital. He was shot on September 28 when a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the playground at Townville Elementary School, southwest of Greenville, authorities said. Another child and a teacher were wounded.
Before going to the school, the teen shot and killed his father at their Townville home, authorities said. No motive has been released.
Because of his age, the youth is not being named by authorities.
The local prosecutor said Monday that because Jacob died, an attempted murder charge against the teenager has been upgraded to murder.
The suspect also faces five counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and a third attempted murder charge for a recently identified child victim. The teenager was charged with murder in his father"s death.
A GoFundMe effort has raised more than $126,500 for the Hall family and their expenses.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/us/south-carolina-school-shooting/index.html
Supreme Court, like the country, struggles with race
(CNN)Race has divided the Roberts court like nearly no other issue.
The justices have wrangled over how openly to talk about their differences. And now, as a new session begins, the court is delving into a set of racially charged cases in the explosive context of the criminal justice system.
The disputes evoke some of the hostile rhetoric of the presidential campaign and real conflicts seen on urban streets: Slurs against Mexican-Americans. Testimony that black defendants are more dangerous than whites. A claim that police used racial epithets during an arrest then fabricated evidence.
The cases could especially test a Supreme Court that has been trying to smooth over differences since the February death of Antonin Scalia and no Senate action on US Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland, nominated by President Barack Obama to succeed him.
The cases also arise as individual justices have been speaking more pointedly about the state of race in America.
Denying the request for a hearing, the Colorado Supreme Court said H.C."s comments, no matter how "ideologically loathsome," did not merit an exception to jury deliberation secrecy.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court foreshadowed this dispute when it reinforced the principle protecting deliberations but said in the opinion by Sotomayor that, "There may be cases of juror bias so extreme that, almost by definition, the jury trial right has been abridged." The new case will be heard October 11.
A long-running Texas appeal spotlights a psychologist"s testimony during sentencing that Duane Buck, an African-American convicted of the 1995 murder of his former girlfriend and a male friend, was statistically more likely to commit future violent acts than a white defendant.
Buck contends he was denied effective assistance of counsel; his lawyers had hired the psychologist to testify on his behalf. Lower courts ruled that Buck lacked the "extraordinary circumstances" needed to reopen his case.
Five years ago when the high court rejected a separate appeal from Buck, two justices (Sotomayor and Elena Kagan) said his case was "marred by racial overtones" and should be reviewed.
Three others justices (Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Scalia) deemed the psychologist"s testimony "bizarre and objectionable" but were among those rejecting Buck"s petition. His new appeal will be heard Wednesday.
When can citizens sue for "malicious prosecution?"
The third racially charged dispute also up Wednesday explores when a person may sue for "malicious prosecution" based on Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The dispute traces to March 18, 2011, when Joliet, Illinois, police officers stopped a car for failure to signal a turn and pulled Elijah Manuel from it. Manuel"s lawyers told the justices in a filing that an officer him pushed him to the ground and said, "You remember me, street punk? Now I got you... ." The officer used a racial slur on Manuel, who is African-American.
Police found a bottle of pills that Manuel said were vitamins but that officers contended were illegal Ecstasy pills. Manuel said tests at the scene and in a police lab showed the pills did not contain controlled substances. Police claimed the opposite, leading to his indictment for unlawful possession. When Manuel"s lawyer asked for a copy of lab results and it was clear the pills were not illegal, Manuel was released from jail on May 5, 2011.
Manuel sued for "malicious prosecution" on April 22, 2013, possibly beyond a two-year statute of limitations. The case involves several procedural issues, but an overriding question is whether Fourth Amendment protection extends beyond an arrest, through arraignment, and can serve as the basis of a "malicious prosecution" claim.
The Innocence Network, a decade-old consortium of 69 groups representing prisoners, emphasized in a "friend of the court" brief the possible consequences of Manuel"s case for minorities: "Those incarcerated as a result of police misconduct ... suffer extensive harm. Racial minorities, the poor, and the uneducated disproportionately suffer these effects."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/politics/supreme-court-race-cases/index.html
Syria: Suicide bomber kills 22 at Kurdish wedding party
(CNN)ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing on Monday at a Kurdish wedding party in northeast Syria, the latest violent act to destabilize the embattled country.
At least 22 people were killed and dozens more wounded in the explosion near the city of Hasaka, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The groom was among those killed, SOHR founder Rami Abdulrahman said.
The group cited sources as saying a suicide bomber set off the explosion inside a wedding hall in the village of Tal Tawil, which is under the control of Syrian Kurdish forces. Kurdish forces are playing a key role in fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that was posted on Twitter and retweeted by several ISIS supporters. The statement said an ISIS suicide bomber ambushed a Kurdish Workers" Party gathering on the outskirts of Hasaka with a machine gun, and after he ran out of ammunition, the attacker blew up his explosive vest among the "PKK apostates."
The news comes on the same day the United States announced it is suspending bilateral talks with Russia amid continued bloodshed in Syria.
Citing a recent spate of attacks by Russia and its Syrian regime allies on hospitals and other civilian areas in Aleppo, the United States accused Russia of failing to uphold a ceasefire and trying "to bomb civilian populations into submission," in the process preventing humanitarian aid from reaching people in need.
Government forces now control the strategic area around al-Kindi Hospital in northern Aleppo, pro-regime media and activists said, strengthening their push toward the rebel-held eastern part of the city.
The past week"s assault on rebel-held areas of the key city involved some of the worst violence since the start of the war in 2011. Sunday, the Syrian military called on rebels to leave the besieged eastern areas of Aleppo, saying the Syrian and Russian armies "guarantee their safety," according to a statement from the Syrian Armed Forces.
Terrorist groups including ISIS have taken advantage of country"s instability to mount their own attacks.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/03/middleeast/isis-attack-kurdish-wedding-party-syria/index.html
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