 | Buy or sell tickets for concerts, sports, or theater. You'll find a huge and affordable selection at Ticket Liquidator! From our sponsors |
| CNN.com - Top Stories |
| CNN.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. |
Duchess Catherine expects 2nd child
9/8/2014 10:29:22 AM
- The baby will become fourth in line to the British throne
- "The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news," the palace says
- As in her first pregnancy, Catherine is suffering from acute morning sickness
- British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is "delighted by the happy news"
(CNN) -- Another royal baby is on the way.
Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to become parents for a second time, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.
"The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news," the palace said. It didn't say when the due date will be.
As during her first pregnancy, Catherine is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, the palace said. The condition involves nausea and vomiting more severe than the typical morning sickness many women suffer during early pregnancy.
She is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace and didn't accompany Prince William on a planned visit Monday to Oxford.
The decision to announce the pregnancy was made when it became apparent Catherine was not well enough to go on the Oxford trip and that a number of other forthcoming engagements could be affected, a royal source told CNN.
Why does the 'spare heir' matter?
"The couple only found out very recently. The Duchess has not even reached the crucial 12-week stage," the source said.
William told reporters in Oxford that the couple were thrilled and Catherine was "feeling OK."
"It's been a tricky few days," he said. "We're hoping things settle down soon and she feels better."
The couple's first child, Prince George, was born in July 2013.
The second child will become fourth in line to the British throne.
Prince Charles is first in line, followed by William, Prince George and then eventually the new baby. The new child will knock future uncle Prince Harry down to fifth.
British Prime Minister David Cameron was among those quick to welcome the royal announcement.
"Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," he tweeted. "I'm delighted by the happy news that they're expecting another baby."
Read: Prince George turns 1: Five things to know
Read: Royal baby name: The history behind George Alexander Louis
CNN's Carol Jordan and Max Foster contributed to this report.
Meteorite crashes, makes crater
9/8/2014 7:58:13 PM
- NEW: NASA blogger: The lack of fireball reports suggests a meteorite was not the cause
- The Nicaraguan government says a meteorite crashed in woods near the capital
- The crater is 39 feet (12 meters) across
- The hunt is on for the remains of a meteorite
(CNN) -- A meteorite crashed down in Managua, Nicaragua, late Saturday night, causing a loud explosion and leaving a crater 39 feet (12 meters) across, government officials said, according to The Associated Press. No damage or injuries were reported.
AP quoted government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo as saying they've determined it was a "relatively small" meteorite that "appears to have come off an asteroid that was passing close to Earth."
NASA hasn't confirmed a link between the meteorite and the asteroid. The newly discovered asteroid, called 2014 RC, was expected to pass safely above the Earth on Sunday, NASA said, at a distance of about 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) -- just one-tenth the distance from the center of Earth to the moon. It was estimated to be 60 feet (18 meters) long.
Local media reported that scientists are trying to find remains of the meteorite, and Nicaragua is asking the United States to help investigate the event.
"All the evidence that we've confirmed on-site corresponds exactly with a meteorite," Jose Millan with the Nicaraguan Institute of Earth Studies was quoted as saying on the Today Nicaragua website.
But NASA's Bill Cooke is skeptical.
"It has been suggested that a meteorite may have caused this crater; however, the lack of fireball reports from the surrounding populated area seems to suggest some other cause," Cooke wrote in a NASA blog post.
"The skies were partially clear, and an object capable of producing a crater this large would have also generated a very bright fireball (brighter than the Full Moon) that should have been seen over a wide area."
The Today Nicaragua site reported the crater was found after a loud blast about 11:05 p.m. on Saturday. The Nicaragua Dispatch said the hole is in the woods near Managua's Sandino International Airport and about 1,000 feet (300 meters) from the Camino Real Hotel.
NASA's Near Earth Object Program estimates there are thousands of asteroids that could threaten Earth, but experts say none of the ones being tracked is expected to hit the planet anytime soon.
Sometimes, though, space rocks sneak by the scientists and amateur astronomers who track them. On February 15, 2013, a nearly 60-foot-wide meteor plunged into Earth's atmosphere and exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk with the force of about 30 nuclear bombs. The blast injured about 1,500 people.
The Chelyabinsk meteor was undetected before it was spotted by local residents as it streaked across the sky. It exploded on the same day that Asteroid 2012 DA14, one that was being carefully tracked by NASA, safely passed by Earth.
NASA is trying to speed up the way it tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and to learn how to deflect rocks that threaten Earth. Its Asteroid Initiative includes a plan to capture an asteroid and tug it into orbit around the moon in the 2020s. If it works, astronauts will land on the asteroid, take samples and bring them back to Earth.
CNN's Jeff Greene contributed to this report.
Tennis: Cilic wins his first grand slam
9/9/2014 5:55:10 AM
- Marin Cilic defeats Kei Nishikori in New York to claim his first major
- Cilic and Nishikori were each playing in their first grand slam final
- A year ago Cilic didn't play at the U.S. Open as he served a drug ban
- Nishikori was trying to become the first Asian man to win a major
Follow us at @WorldSportCNN and like us on Facebook
(CNN) -- Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic have often been talked about this year as being part of the next generation of players who can break up the dominance of tennis' Big Four.
But judging by his display at the U.S. Open, Marin Cilic could be the most likely candidate.
Cilic became only the third men's player outside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to win a grand slam title since early 2005 when he crushed Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-3 in under two hours in New York on Monday.
Few, however, would have seen it coming -- last year the 25-year-old Croatian didn't play at the season's final major because he was serving a drug suspension.
Cilic felt aggrieved when he received his nine-month ban after testing positive for a banned stimulant he said got into his system accidentally.
It was later reduced to four months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled that the initial punishment handed out by the International Tennis Federation was too severe.
He returned late last year with extra gusto -- and a serve made even better by his charismatic coach, countryman and idol, Goran Ivanisevic.
Ivanisevic himself was one of the biggest servers in the history of the men's game.
"In this last year my team has brought something special to me, especially Goran," Cilic, who pocketed $3 million, told the crowd. "We're working really hard, but most important of all the things he brought to me was enjoying tennis and always having fun.
"I think I enjoyed my best tennis over here and I played the best ever in my life.
"One of the biggest pieces of advice Goran gave me this tournament was to not think too much," he later told Britain's Sky Sports. "Toss the ball, hit it, play your game, be aggressive. Try to be relaxed."
The 6-foot-6 Cilic overpowered Federer in the semifinals in straight sets and did the same against the diminutive Nishikori, firing 17 aces and winning 80% of his first-serve points.
In the sixth game of the second set, Cilic hit four straight aces to hold to love. And when it wasn't his thunderous serve, it was his heavy ground strokes that pinned back his Japanese opponent.
While Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 to send his nation into a frenzy, Nishikori was bidding to become the first Asian man to claim a grand slam singles title.
Back at home ahead of the finale, excitement soared to unprecedented levels after Nishikori upset Djokovic in the semifinals.
Replicas of his shirt were sold out, his racket was in high demand and television viewers bought subscriptions in vast numbers to watch the final against Cilic that began at 6 a.m. in Tokyo.
Alas, they were disappointed.
But the 24-year-old Nishikori still made history by becoming the first Asian man to play in a grand slam singles final.
Remarkably, he didn't know if he would be able to compete in New York this year because he had surgery to remove a cyst from his toe a month ago and missed warmup tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
"He was playing really well today and I couldn't play my tennis," Nishikori told the crowd. "It's a really tough loss but I'm happy to come into the final.
"It was a fun two weeks."
Monday marked the first occasion since the 2005 French Open that two players in their maiden grand slam final faced off, leading Ivanisevic to proclaim beforehand that Cilic and Nishikori would be nervous.
Both began the tournament outside the top 10, though they're now in it.
"They are both climbing to Mount Everest," Ivanisevic told Sky Sports. "I don't know who is going to stick the flag, (a) Japanese or Croatian."
Cilic, though, seemed relaxed from the outset.
He smiled as he walked in the tunnel that led to the biggest court in tennis, during the coin toss and when he took part in the pre-match photo.
It turns out he was bluffing.
"The night before I was completely relaxed," said Cilic. "I was feeling that it's just another match, another day. But a couple of hours before the match the nerves started to kick in and I was a bit nervous.
"I didn't know what to expect on the court."
Cilic -- who entered the encounter with a 2-5 record against Nishikori -- nonetheless set the tone by saving a break point in the first game with a fine running forehand cross court.
Whether it was nerves or the different conditions -- it was cooler and slower than when he downed Djokovic -- Nishikori often mistimed his shots in the first set.
Wow bravo bravo Marine!!! #Legenda
— ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) September 8, 2014 He showed his frustration at 2-4 after he struck a short ball that allowed Cilic to pounce with a forehand. Nishikori never did turn things around, finishing with 19 winners and 30 unforced errors.
Cilic was broken for the only time as he attempted to close out the second set but then broke straight back to take a two-set lead.
Nishikori engineered five-set magic against Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round and quarterfinals, respectively, but there would be no stretching Cilic to five sets.
Wawrinka beat Nadal to win the Australian Open in January, although the Spaniard was severely hampered by a bad back.
Another break handed Cilic the lead in the third set and when he fended off three break points in the seventh game, the match was essentially over.
After double faulting on a first match point -- he tried to finish matters in style with a second-serve ace -- there was no mistaking on the second match point.
Cilic ripped a backhand cross-court that gave Nishikori no chance and he collapsed to the court before making his way up to his player box to celebrate.
The celebrations will intensify when he returns to Croatia.
"Everybody from home was telling me it was a huge day for Croatia," Cilic said. "Everybody was stuck to the TVs."
A continuation of this form and Cilic can expect to be celebrating much more in the future.
Read: Serena Williams powers to women's title
Bomb explodes at Chile subway
9/8/2014 7:57:37 PM
- NEW: 14 injured, authorities say
- The explosion was set off at a subway station in an upper-class neighborhood
- Top government officials calls the bombing "an act of terrorism"
- CNN Chile reports the explosive device was inside a trash bin
(CNN) -- An explosion at a subway station in Santiago, Chile, injured 14 people Monday, authorities said Tuesday.
The explosion happened around 2 p.m. at the Escuela Militar station in the upper- class neighborhood of Las Condes, said Mario Rozas, spokesman for the Chilean National Police.
Most of the injured were in a restaurant at the metro station.
The victims suffered "sound trauma, three had cuts, one had an exposed fracture and another one had a traumatic amputation of fingers." The victims were from 30 to 65 years old.
CNN Chile reported the explosive device was inside a trash bin in an open area at the metro station.
Subway service has continued operating, but trains are not stopping at the station while police and emergency services work.
The station where the explosion occurred is used daily by about 150,000 commuters.
Alvaro Elizalde, a top government spokesman, called the bombing "an act of terrorism" and said the government will invoke the antiterrorism law.
"Innocent people have been affected by this reprehensible act that deserves a decisive response. All Chileans should be united in this. The government is coordinating efforts to determine who the perpetrators (are) so that they're brought to justice," Elizalde said.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Several explosions have been set off in the Chilean capital in the past few months. Some bombings happened at banks in the middle of the night, and authorities said the motive was robbery.
In July, an explosive device left inside a subway car detonated at the Los Dominicos station, but the explosion happened at the end of the day as the train was finishing its route. The car was empty, and no one was injured.
This is the first time an explosion has been set off in a public place during the day.
Why Ukraine still faces Russia alone
9/9/2014 11:17:53 AM
- A NATO summit in Wales last week took place amid crises in Iraq and Ukraine
- Ukraine's neighbors ensured its conflict was on the agenda, Marcin Zaborowski says
- Past rhetoric of partnership with Russia was replaced by talk of facing an adversary, he says
- But in the end, Zaborowski says, the summit gave Ukraine little to combat a belligerent Russia
Editor's note: Marcin Zaborowski is director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs and a member of the group of experts appointed by the NATO Secretary General to consider the alliance's strategy in the run-up to the Newport summit. Follow him on Twitter @MaZaborowski. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the author's.
(CNN) -- The recent NATO summit in Newport, Wales was initially meant to prepare the alliance for the post-Afghanistan era and pooling of resources at the time of defense cuts, known in NATO lingua as "smart defense."
However, as often happens, the summit agenda was hijacked by more current and dramatic developments: the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Russia's push into Ukraine. Both these developments have reminded NATO that its core business -- the defense of its member states -- needs to be returned to the center of the alliance's agenda.
Russia's annexation of Crimea and continued push into the south-east of Ukraine -- a NATO partner country -- has inevitably provoked fear amongst Ukraine's neighbors, all of whom have relatively fresh memories of Russian domination.
These countries -- Poland and the Baltic states in particular -- made sure that the Ukrainian crisis would be at the center of the Newport agenda.
This happened in two ways. The Central East European allies asked for measures that would reassure them by confirming NATO's engagement in the face of Russian aggression. In addition, the show of solidarity with Ukraine became a major focus of the summit, which was attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The outcome of the Newport summit has met these allies' expectations, at best, halfway.
Marcin Zaborowski
The biggest change came in the rhetoric and positioning of the alliance's key members. Until very recently, NATO has prioritized its partnership with Russia, taking great care not to offend it.
When in 1997 the Alliance started the process of taking in new members from Central and Eastern Europe, it mollified Moscow by setting up a separate Russia Council and signing a partnership agreement that excluded the presence of a major Western force in new member states.
Russia's actions in Ukraine have made the pretense of partnership ridiculous and as much was acknowledged by NATO states in Newport. On his way to the summit, U.S. President Barack Obama paid a visit to Estonia where he delivered a Reaganesque speech pledging full solidarity with the Baltic states.
Meantime German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and reasserted the viability of NATO's collective defense measures.
Overall, the rhetoric of partnership with Russia -- which has dominated past meetings -- disappeared in Newport where it was replaced by the rhetoric of facing-up to an adversarial Russia.
However, whilst NATO leaders were strong in words, the decisions they took in response to the Russian threat were at best modest.
At the height of crisis during the Cold War the U.S. presence in Western Europe reached more than 277,000 troops.
By comparison the U.S. said earlier this month that it had 57,000 active service members in Europe. Of these only a very small number are based in Poland and the Baltic States.
Decisions taken in Newport have not changing these facts in a meaningful way. Whilst NATO announced a creation of a spearhead force, consisting of a Rapid Reaction Force, frequent exercises and logistical centers, this initiative will not change the strategic balance in Central and Eastern Europe.
The units contributing to the rapid-reaction force will remain within the states that designate them, meaning their availability will be subject to political approval.
The exercises that would bring together U.S. and European troops are meant to be frequent or even "persistent" but their scope will remain small.
The logistical centers that are meant to be based in Poland and the Baltic states are perhaps the most concrete of the approved measures. If developed they would commence integrating Central and Eastern Europe into the NATO infrastructure.
Overall, the reassurance measures for Central and Eastern Europe are not game-changers, but they are going in the right direction and could suggest a beginning of rebalancing of the current vastly unequal situation in the region.
However, as far as Ukraine itself is concerned the summit offered Kiev close to nothing. The announcement that NATO would spend 15 million euros ($19M) on military aid to Ukraine did not impress the Ukrainians nor the Russians.
NATO's decision to allow individual members of the alliance to sell arms to Ukraine has not changed anything, not least because since then a number of states have rushed to deny they intended to sell anything to Ukraine whilst the unstable situation there continues.
In other words, after the summit Ukraine continues to be on its own vis-a-vis belligerent Russia.
NATO's failure to send a clear signal to Russia by supporting Ukraine represents in itself a grave threat to the alliance's Central East European members -- who may be next on the list of potential Russian targets.
Enterovirus: What you need to know
9/9/2014 12:01:32 PM
- Enterovirus D68 usually starts like the common cold
- Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, coughing
- Go to the doctor if your child develops a fever, rash or has trouble breathing
(CNN) -- Hundreds of children across the United States have been hospitalized with a serious respiratory illness. Scientists say they believe the bug to blame is Enterovirus D68, also known as EV-D68.
Enteroviruses are common, especially in September, but this particular type is not. There have been fewer than 100 cases recorded since it was identified in the 1960s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here's what you need to know as a parent:
What are the symptoms?
The virus usually starts like the common cold; symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose and a cough. This is all that happens for most people who catch an enterovirus.
But some patients will get a severe cough, have difficulty breathing and/or develop a rash. EV-D68 is sometimes also accompanied by a fever or wheezing.
So when should you begin worrying?
Unfortunately in the beginning it's difficult -- if not impossible -- to tell the difference between a regular cold and this type of virus. But there are symptoms you should be on the lookout for if your child becomes sick.
Go to the doctor if he or she develops a fever or a rash, or if your child has difficulty breathing. Children with asthma or a history of breathing problems are particularly susceptible for severe symptoms.
How is EV-D68 treated?
There is no specific treatment for enteroviruses, according to the CDC. Plenty of rest, fluids and over-the-counter medications will help ease symptoms in standard cases.
Patients who are hospitalized will likely receive assistance breathing and what's called "supportive therapy" to help their immune systems fight off the infection.
Where is the virus spreading?
As of Monday, 10 states had reached out to the CDC for help in identifying clusters of enterovirus illnesses: Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
But EV-D68 is often hard to distinguish from its relatives so the virus could be in other states as well.
Why are kids being hospitalized?
Anyone can get infected with enteroviruses, according to the CDC, but infants, children and teens are more likely to become sick because they have not yet built up immunity from previous exposures to the viruses.
How do I protect my children?
The respiratory illness spreads through close contact, just like the common cold. You can also be infected by touching objects or surfaces that have the virus on them, then touching your face.
There's not a great deal you can do, health officials say, beyond taking common-sense steps to reduce the risk.
Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds -- particularly after going to the bathroom and changing diapers.
Clean and disinfect surfaces that are regularly touched by different people, such as toys and doorknobs.
Avoid shaking hands, kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick. And stay home if you feel unwell.
CNN's Jethro Mullen and Elizabeth Cohen contributed to this report.
Iraqi leaders name new government
9/9/2014 2:32:39 PM
- NEW: U.N. Secretary-General's spokesman hails "positive step towards political stability"
- Nuri al-Maliki is now one of Iraq's three vice presidents
- Parliament approves a new government, but several key Cabinet posts are vacant
- Kerry: New Iraqi government is "unquestionably a major milestone"
Baghdad (CNN) -- Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government Monday and tapped former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as one of the country's three vice presidents.
Several key Cabinet posts remain vacant.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed to have nominations for the defense and interior minister posts ready to present to Parliament within a week.
Monday's Parliament vote, just a day before a constitutional deadline, comes as Iraq faces political turmoil and battles a surge of Islamist militants from ISIS.
Along with al-Maliki, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and former speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi will also serve as vice presidents. Allawi and Al-Maliki are longtime political foes.
The vice presidential post is largely ceremonial, but al-Maliki's appointment leaves him in a visible position of power.
Critics have accused al-Maliki of consolidating power and persecuting political rivals, blaming him for fueling Iraq's problems with sectarian policies that alienated Sunni Muslims.
Iraqi politicians have been under intense pressure from the United States to form an inclusive government representing Sunni, Shia and Kurds. U.S. President Barack Obama has said that would be a key condition for more U.S. support, and an important step in fighting militants from ISIS, the Sunni extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the government's formation is "unquestionably a major milestone," adding that it "has the potential to unite all of Iraq's diverse communities."
"Now is the time for Iraq's leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped bring this new government together in the first place," Kerry said. "In that effort they should know that the United States will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraqis as they implement their national plan."
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the new government is a "positive step towards political stability and peace" in Iraq.
It's too soon to say whether Monday's reshuffling will quell tensions and win over members Iraq's Sunni minority, who bitterly complained of being marginalized and cut out of the political process by al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government.
A more inclusive government, Obama said last month, would give confidence to Sunnis that ISIS "is not the only game in town."
Outlining his government program Monday, al-Abadi vowed to rebuild security forces, stamp out corruption and make sure weapons were only in the hands of the state -- not militia groups.
Iraq is "under a vicious attack," he said, and security forces will fight until "victory."
Whether the new government will be able to settle political differences and bring the country together remains to be seen.
READ: Who's Haider al-Abadi, the man who will lead Iraq?
READ: Amanpour blog: Man who 'discovered' Maliki explains what went wrong
READ: Exclusive: From Scottish girl to ISIS bride
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Chelsea J. Carter, Catherine E. Shoichet and Nana Karikari-apau contributed to this report.
Obama, don't drive Kurds toward Iran
9/9/2014 2:18:34 PM
- U.S. President Barack Obama is set to announce his strategy for dealing with ISIS
- Alex Vatanka and Sarkawt Shamsulddin say the Iraqi Kurds stand out as potential partners
- The Kurdish Regional Government is secular and Western orientated, they say
- But the threat of ISIS means the KRG will accept whatever help it can, the authors say
Editor's note: Alex Vatanka is a senior fellow the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. Sarkawt Shamsulddin is co-founder of Kurdish Policy Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on Iraqi Kurdish politics. He is a former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil. The views expressed in this commentary are solely the authors'.
(CNN) -- As U.S. President Barack Obama decides on the best strategy to deal with the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq, Syria and beyond, his final plan of action will undoubtedly include the participation of like-minded allied countries and regional partners.
One such partner are the Kurds of northern Iraq who regard ISIS as the biggest threat since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. The Kurds, however, are hoping for a more robust and lasting U.S. commitment as part of rekindled Kurdish-American cooperation.
Meanwhile, it might be timely for Washington to reassess its previous refusal to directly engage with Kurdish armed forces. As the last few weeks of military battles against ISIS show, when American assistance has not been forthcoming, the Iraqi Kurds have turned to Iran for help.
In terms of identity, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq stands apart from most of the rest of the Middle East due to its secular way of life and pro-Western orientation. And what the Kurds have put together here since securing autonomy from Baghdad in 2005 is antithetical to the primordial worldview of ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State.
Now, with its record of relative stability and nascent democracy in danger, officials in the KRG are once again turning to the United States. The Kurds have welcomed Washington's decision to confront ISIS. At the same time, however, officials in Irbil are urging the Obama administration to start a long overdue process of helping the Kurds help themselves by empowering them militarily.
The simplest of facts about the Kurdish armed forces -- the Peshmerga -- are hard to miss. Despite the heightened enthusiasm to repel ISIS, the Peshmerga continue to suffer from some elemental structural drawbacks.
After years of semi-autonomous rule, Iraqi Kurds still lack an institutionalized, non-politicized armed force. The majority of the Peshmerga are still made up from armed members from the two largest political parties in the KRG: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
In the past the absence of an organized and well-trained armed force was accepted by the various Iraqi Kurdish parties as an inevitable but tolerable condition. The rise of ISIS, however, has rapidly changed that unsustainable attitude.
The role of the U.S.
To achieve a better organized and a more capable Kurdish military force requires more than just political horse-trading in Irbil. It requires American mediation and military assistance to the Kurds. The fact that the United States has good relations with all Iraqi Kurdish parties gives Washington leverage among the Kurdish parties.
This leverage can be used to set out to help the Iraqi Kurds build up a more efficient military as they battle ISIS.
But, before any practical steps can be taken, Washington first has to decide whether it wants to go down this path. Since the fall of Saddam's regime, the U.S. has chosen not to train and equip the Kurdish Peshmerga directly.
Washington's policy on the provision of military assistance and training has been that all such efforts will have to go through the central government in Baghdad. The U.S. is still committed to Iraq's territorial integrity as a principal policy and dealing with the Kurds over the head of Baghdad is seen as putting that policy in danger.
And then there are the bureaucratic hurdles to overcome. Despite good relations with the leaderships of the KDP and the PUK, on paper both entities are still designated by the U.S. as Tier III terrorist organizations.
That is why the Kurdish Peshmerga, numbering 150,000 of which some 110,000 are members of KDP or the PUK, cannot receive U.S. military aid directly.
As American policy-makers wrestle with this question in Washington, Iraq's Kurds have had to look elsewhere for support. In June, following the barrage of military victories of ISIS, Iran was at first the only country that proved willing to come to the aid of the Kurds with military supplies and advisors.
In a press conference with the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, in Irbil on August 26, Masoud Barzani, President of Iraqi Kurdistan, said "Iraqi Kurds will never forget Iran's support that came at a crucial time beyond our expectation."
But Iran's appearance as the key backer of the Peshmerga is not cost-free. Under Tehran's stewardship, Iranian-backed Shia militias from elsewhere in Iraq have come north to join the fight against ISIS. As much as the Kurds have welcomed Iran's role in rolling back ISIS, there are fears about the longer-term impact of Tehran's larger footprint in Iraqi Kurdistan.
But given the imminent threat posed by ISIS, how Iranian military support has come about is for now a secondary concern for Iraq's Kurds. They are simply pleased that Tehran has been there to provide much--needed military aid when it was most wanted.
Tehran, meantime, will not be blind to the fact that internal Kurdish divisions and a decentralized Peshmerga force provides it with opportunities to intervene and increase its influence in northern Iraq.
As President Obama formulates a long-term strategy to neutralize the threat of ISIS, he cannot ignore the pivotal role Kurdish fighters likely will play in such a campaign. It might also be an opportune moment to revisit some of the more archaic American policies that shape ties with Iraqi Kurdistan.
As Washington looks for ways to better organize and militarily equip the Peshmerga against ISIS, the one undeniable fact is that the Iraqi Kurds are hoping for swift American action.
They prefer the United States over other foreign partners but are hardly in a position to be overly selective given the imminent threat from ISIS.
Read more: Time to turn ISIS crisis into opportunity
Elephant caretaker crushed to death
9/9/2014 7:47:22 PM
- Jim Laurita cared for two elephants on his property in Maine
- Authorities found the veterinarian dead Tuesday morning in his barn
- Death caused "asphyxia and multiple fractures due to compression of the chest"
- The two Indian elephants are not suspected of "aggressive behavior"
(CNN) -- A veterinarian with a passion for elephants died Tuesday, apparently crushed to death in "a tragic accident" by one of the giant mammals he spent his life caring for, authorities said.
Dr. Jim Laurita was the full-time caregiver for two elephants on his property in Hope, Maine. His rehabilitation facility and elephant "educational destination" was dubbed "Hope Elephants."
Knox County Sheriff's deputies were called to the facility Tuesday morning after "Dr. Laurita had fallen in the corral and struck his head on the cement floor" as he tended to the elephants, according to Sheriff Donna Dennison.
The 56-year-old was dead before they arrived.
Mark Belserene with the state's Medical Examiner's Office said the cause of death was "asphyxia and multiple fractures due to compression of the chest." He said he does not suspect "any aggressive behavior by the elephant."
"This is clearly a tragic accident," said Belserene.
The two Asian elephants Laurita cared for weighed nearly 8,000 pounds apiece, according to the facility's website.
According to his bio, Laurita sold his veterinary practice in 2011 to establish his nonprofit and to focus on caring for Rosie and Opal, two retired circus performers that suffered from "deteriorating or damaged joints and muscles." The pachyderms take part in "daily therapeutic ultrasound treatment, hydrotherapy and low-impact exercise."
Hope Elephants released a statement saying they are "deeply saddened by the loss" of their founder and said Laurita's "passion for all animals, but especially elephants, was boundless."
Rare pale-headed crocodile kills man in Australia
Family settles lawsuit in mauling death of boy at Pittsburgh Zoo
CNN's Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.
Cher tour delayed by singer's virus
9/9/2014 12:00:55 PM
- Doctors ordered Cher to bed rest for an acute viral infection
- Cher's next shows in Albany, New York, and Manchester, New Hampshire, are delayed
- She is expected to return to the stage in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Monday
(CNN) -- A virus is forcing Cher to postpone the opening of the second leg of her "Dressed to Kill" tour this week.
"Cher was diagnosed over the weekend with what doctors termed an 'acute viral infection' and has been required to be on full bed rest for several days," according to an announcement on the ticket sales website.
Cher's show Thursday in Albany, New York, and Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire, have been rescheduled for October 6 and 7, respectively, the site said.
She is expected to return to the stage in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Monday night.
Cher, 68, launched her current tour in March, selling out all 49 shows in the first leg ending in July, according to Billboard magazine. Those shows grossed nearly $55 million from 610,000 fans.
Another 30 shows across the United States are on the calendar over the next two months.
The singer's representatives did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment on Cher's illness.
The next leg of her shows should really live up to the "Dressed to Kill" billing as she adds new costumes designed by Bob Mackie.
Cher doesn't really think Sonny is burning in hell
Flash floods hit Arizona, Nevada
9/10/2014 4:23:07 AM
- A second woman in Arizona died due to the flooding, authorities said Tuesday
- One woman was killed when her car was swept away by floodwaters
- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer declares a statewide emergency, warns drivers
- The National Weather Service says rains in the Phoenix area set a record
(CNN) -- Flash floods that slammed parts of the southwestern United States are now blamed for two deaths.
A woman in Arizona was swept away by water when she and her husband tried to drive through a flooded area on Monday, and the vehicle was picked up by the water, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said. Both exited the vehicle, and the man, 69, made it to safety, but his wife, 76, was unable to.
Another Arizona woman was killed after her car was submerged in floodwaters, the Tucson Fire Department said. Rescuers were unable to reach the vehicle in time.
"Within a minute of us getting there, the car washed away," Capt. Barrett Baker told CNN. The waters were up to 12-feet deep, he said, and pushed the car for several blocks.
Record-setting rains left up to 200 children trapped briefly in an elementary school in Moapa, Nevada, on Monday.
We've counted more than 2 dozen cars underwater like this on I-10 near 43rd Ave in West Phoenix #Monsoon2014 pic.twitter.com/qwtiSnoldf
— Jill Galus (@JillGalus) September 8, 2014 The students at Perkins Elementary school, about 60 miles from Las Vegas, were with teachers and were not in danger, said Highway Patrol Spokesman Loy Hixson.
Flash flooding also washed away a portion of Interstate 15 near the community of Glendale, taking several vehicles with it. No one has been injured, but the flooding damaged so much of the highway that it may not be fixed until Wednesday, Hixson said.
In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer declared an emergency Monday as flooding from the historic rains closed roads and schools in her state.
I am declaring a statewide emergency for areas impacted by today's severe rainfall and flooding. #TurnAroundDontDrown #azwx
— Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) September 8, 2014 What caused the record-setting rains and flash floods in the Southwest? Blame Norbert, which hit Mexico's coast as a hurricane on Saturday. Now the storm system is moving through the United States, and it's still packing a punch.
Average Phoenix #Monsoon Season total rainfall = 2.71 inches. We've got almost 3 inches in just the past 7 hours!! #flood #azwx
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 8, 2014 "This could go on for a few more days," CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said.
Flooding death toll jumps as India offers help to Pakistan
CNN's Tony Marco, John Fricke and Sean Morris contributed to this report.
Wife beating is not a private matter
9/9/2014 5:24:38 PM
- Jeffrey Toobin: Ray Rice case mirrors Alabama judge's case; both got plea deals
- He says audio of Judge Mark Fuller documents beating; cops say wife had injuries
- Fuller said issue should be resolved within family. Toobin: He's mistaken
- Toobin: It's not up to couples to decide charges, it's a crime for legal system
Editor's note: Jeffrey Toobin is CNN senior legal analyst and author of "The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- The prominent man had an altercation with his wife at a hotel. He beat her up. There's even a recording of it. And what happened? A plea deal so generous that the abuser's arrest record will be expunged -- totally clean, as if the whole thing had never happened -- if he receives some counseling in the next few months.
Ray Rice? Yes. But Rice's case is strikingly similar to that of Mark Fuller, a sitting federal judge in Alabama.
On August 9, Fuller's wife called 911 from a hotel room in Atlanta, according to news reports. The woman identified as Kelli Fuller said her drunk husband was assaulting her. "He's beating on me. Please help me," she said. About a minute into the call, as dispatchers summon help, Kelli Fuller is heard saying "I hate you, I hate you." A male voice responds: "I hate you too," followed by dull noises in the background.
According to police, Kelli Fuller had cuts to her mouth and forehead and she told them her husband had thrown her to the ground, pulled her hair and kicked her after she confronted him over an alleged affair with a law clerk.
Last week, the whole matter was swept discreetly under the rug. Mark Fuller accepted "pretrial diversion" offered by Atlanta prosecutors. Under the deal, the judge has to have a drug and alcohol evaluation -- which, according to his lawyer, he doesn't need. "He doesn't have a drug or alcohol problem and never has," Barry Ragsdale, Fuller's attorney, told al.com. Then, Fuller will have to undergo a once-a-week family and domestic violence program for 24 weeks. The judge can undergo that counseling at a location close to home in Alabama.
What happens after Fuller completes counseling? He plans to return to the bench, to pass judgment on others. As Fuller put it, "I also look forward to ... returning to full, active status in the Middle District of Alabama." (His cases have been temporarily reassigned. Taxpayers are paying him his full salary in the meantime.)
The parallels between the Rice and Fuller cases extend further. In both cases, the couples stayed together. After Ray beat his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer, unconscious in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the couple married. Janay Rice attended the July meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that led to his appallingly lenient two-game suspension from the Baltimore Ravens.
NFL toughens domestic violence policy with six-game bans
After TMZ released the video of the elevator assault, Janay Rice released a statement of support for her husband, on Instagram. "To take something away from the man I love that he has worked for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific," she wrote, "If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take our happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what love is."
Fuller is also attempting, apparently successfully, to repair the breach with his wife. "This incident has been very embarrassing to me, my family, friends and the court," he said in his statement, "I deeply regret this incident and look forward to working to resolve these difficulties with my family, where they should be resolved."
Consider that last line: "my family, where they should be resolved." This is precisely wrong, and it contributes to a fundamental misunderstanding about domestic violence. When husbands beat up their wives, that is not a matter that should be resolved within the family. It is a crime to be resolved by the legal system. In cases of domestic violence, the question is often raised whether the victim will "press charges." But it's not victims who press charges in this country, it's the state.
Ray Rice video prompts stories of #WhyIStayed, #WhyILeft
It's not up to victims to decide whether their husbands should be prosecuted. Abusers damage the community, not just the women they assault. Whether the Rices and Fullers stay married is their business; but whether Ray Rice and Judge Mark Fuller committed crimes should be a question for prosecutors, and ultimately, juries to decide.
Unfortunately, it looks like the prosecutors failed in Atlantic City and Atlanta. The sweet deals for these two prominent defendants cannot be undone; the double jeopardy clause of the Constitution forbids it. All the rest of us can do is hope that the next prominent man who beats up his wife doesn't get off as easy.
Read CNNOpinion's new Flipboard magazine.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
When machines outsmart humans
9/9/2014 8:55:14 AM
- Nick Bostrom: What would happen if machines surpassed human intellect?
- Bostrom: By 2050 we may have a 50/50 chance of achieving human-level A.I.
- He says We want an A.I. that is safe and ethical, but it could get beyond our control
- Bostrom: Superintelligent machines could present major existential risks to humans
Editor's note: Nick Bostrom is professor and director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University. He is the author of "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies" (OUP). The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- Machines have surpassed humans in physical strength, speed and stamina. What would happen if machines surpassed human intellect as well? The question is not just hypothetical; we need to start taking this possibility seriously.
Most people might scoff at the prospect of machines outsmarting humanity. After all, even though today's artificial intelligence can beat humans within narrow domains (such as chess or trivia games), machine brains are still extremely rudimentary in general intelligence.
Machines currently lack the flexible learning and reasoning ability that enables an average human to master any of thousands of different occupations, as well as all the tasks of daily life. In particular, while computers are useful accessories to scientists, they are very, very far from doing the interesting parts of the research themselves.
But this could change. We know that evolutionary processes can produce human-level general intelligence, because they have already done so at least once in Earth's history. How quickly engineers achieve a similar feat is still an open question.
By 2050 we may, according to a recent survey of leading artificial intelligence researchers, have a 50/50 chance of achieving human-level machine intelligence (defined here as "one that can carry out most human professions at least as well as a typical human").
Even a cursory glance at technological development reveals multiple paths that could lead to human-level machine intelligence in this century. One likely path would be to continue studying the general properties of the human brain to decipher the computational structures it uses to generate intelligent behavior. Another path would be the more mathematical "top-down" approach. And if somehow all the other approaches don't work, scientists might simply brute-force the evolutionary process on computers.
Regardless of when and how we get there, the consequences of reaching human-level machine intelligence are profound, because human-level machine intelligence is not the final destination. Machine intelligence would reach a recursive tipping point after which the design and improvement of such intelligence would no longer be in human hands.
The next stop from human level intelligence, just a short distance farther along the tracks, is machine superintelligence. The train might not even decelerate at Humanville Station: It is likely instead to swoosh right past.
This brings us to what I think may well be the most important task of our time. If there will eventually be an "intelligence explosion," how exactly can we set up the initial conditions so as to achieve an outcome that is survivable and beneficial to existing persons?
In "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies," I focus on the dynamics of an intelligence explosion; what will happen if and when we gain the ability to create machine superintelligence? This topic is largely ignored and poorly funded. But we must keep at it: How could we engineer a controlled detonation that would protect human values from being overwritten by the arbitrary values of a misbegotten artificial superintelligence?
The picture that emerges from this work is fascinating and disconcerting. It looks like there are major existential risks associated with the creation of entities of greater-than-human intelligence. A superintelligence wouldn't even need to start with a physical embodiment to be catastrophically dangerous. Major engineering projects and financial transactions on Earth are mediated by digital communication networks that would be at the mercy of an artificial superintelligence.
Placing an online order for an innocent-looking set of advanced blueprints or fooling its creators into thinking it is benign could be an initial step, followed by the possibility of permanently altering the global biosphere to pursue its preferences.
The control problem—how to engineer a superintelligence to be safe and human-friendly—appears to be very difficult. It should be solvable in principle, but in practice it may not be solved in time for when the solution is needed. The difficulty is compounded by the need to get it right on the first try. An unfriendly superintelligence would not permit a mulligan. Remember HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey"? Let's try to avoid that.
If we could solve the technical problem of constructing a motivation system that we can load with some terminal goal of our choosing, a further question remains: Which goal would we give the superintelligent A.I.? Much would hinge on that choice. In some scenarios, the first superintelligence becomes extremely powerful and shapes the entire future according to its preferences.
We want an A.I. that is safe, beneficial and ethical, but we don't know exactly what that entails. Some may think we have already arrived upon full moral enlightenment, but is is far more likely that we still have blind spots. Our predecessors certainly had plenty -- in the practice of slavery and human sacrifice, or the condoning of manifold forms of brutality and oppression that would outrage the modern conscience. It would be a grave mistake to think we have reached our moral apogee, and thus lock our present-day ethics into such powerful machines.
In this sense, we have philosophy with a deadline. Our wisdom must precede our technology, and that which we value in life must be carefully articulated—or rather, it must be pointed to with the right mathematics—if it is to be the seed from which our intelligent creations grow.
Read CNNOpinion's new Flipboard magazine
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
Why I stayed: Tales of domestic abuse
9/9/2014 10:54:54 AM
- Survey: 32% of women are physically assaulted by a partner during their lifetime
- Women remain in abusive relationships for many reasons
- "I blamed myself for mouthing off," writer says
Editor's note: This story was originally written by CNN medical producer Val Willingham in 2009, after singer Rihanna was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown. The statistics have been updated to reflect new information.
(CNN) -- For four years, I dated a man who beat me.
The first time it happened it was around Christmas of my freshman year of college. I had known him a couple of months. He was the first guy I had ever had a physical relationship with, and I was madly in love.
But he had a dark side, a short fuse, and I was very vocal and told him what I thought. The problem was, instead of arguing with me, he just beat me up.
The episodes continued throughout our relationship. At one point, he actually put me in the hospital with a concussion, my face and body covered with cuts and bruises.
My friends begged me to leave him. His fraternity brothers did an intervention of sorts and told me he was a no-good, nasty SOB. But for some odd reason, which took hours of therapy to figure out years later, I just stayed with him.
It wasn't that I was unpopular or lonely. I had lots of friends, men and women. I was a good student, a leader on campus. I came from a loving home, with a father who never hit my mother, or me. But for years, I had a secret that only the closest of my friends knew about: I was an abused girlfriend.
According to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 32% of women are physically assaulted by a partner during their lifetime. I was one of them.
The question is, why did I stay?
The American Psychiatric Association says that women remain in abusive relationships for many reasons: lack of finances, poor self-esteem, children and even religious and cultural values. In my case, I felt I had done something wrong and deserved it.
It also might be because I was raised in a family where, and at a time when, sex was a little taboo. It was the '70s, and I was in school on a large rural campus. You just didn't do it unless you were married. So when I had sex at the age of 18 with this young man, I had pretty much made up my mind he was my future husband.
So I put up with it. There was a strange bond I had with him, because when he wasn't beating me up, he was very nice to me. He treated me well, sent me flowers, took me places. We laughed, had a great time together.
But periodically when we argued, he would just lash out with his fists. It was horrible. But what was even more horrible was that I blamed myself for mouthing off. I thought if only I could keep my opinions to myself, the beatings wouldn't happen anymore. How naive of me. How foolish.
The ironic part of this story is that he ended our relationship because I graduated from college and he didn't. He threw me out. I guess he was jealous.
He was definitely a jerk.
Six months after we broke up, I was coming home to my little apartment, carrying decorations for my first Christmas tree as a working woman, and I found him sitting on my doorstep. I have no idea how he found me.
He asked to take me to dinner so we could talk. I reluctantly went. While chatting over the meal, he said he wanted to come back and that he "didn't realize how good he had it." I quickly answered back, "I didn't know how bad I had it, but now I do!"
For once he didn't whack me. He got up and left me at the restaurant, never to see me again. I had to take a cab home.
As I sat in the back seat I felt a sense of relief, but also shame that I had let it go on so long. But I was no longer a victim: I was free. As I look back on it now, It was the best cab ride I ever took.
Ice bucket prank suspects identified
9/9/2014 8:54:55 AM
- Police are not yet releasing the names of those involved
- Someone dumped urine and feces from a rooftop onto an autistic teen's head
- Mother: He didn't know what the contents were until afterward
- Cleveland native Drew Carey first offered $10,000 to find those responsible
(CNN) -- Police have identified those involved in an incident in which the ice bucket challenge trend was used to trick an autistic teenager into being drenched with a bucket of urine, feces and spit.
Authorities are not yet releasing the names, and are not discussing potential charges as the investigation is not yet complete, said Bay Village, Ohio, Police Chief Mark Spaetzel.
"We are conducting a comprehensive investigation," Spaetzel told CNN Tuesday.
Three celebrities have offered a reward to find those responsible.
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg joined Drew Carey on Sunday in offering $10,000 each.
If the Bay Village PD wants to start a reward fund to find who did this, contact me. I'll donate $10k. http://t.co/ugqeLbu5ob
— Drew Carey (@DrewFromTV) September 6, 2014 >Bay Village is a suburb of Cleveland, Carey's hometown and the city where "The Drew Carey Show" was based.
A video of the prank shows the teen standing outside a garage door in his underwear when someone from the rooftop dumps a bucket of murky brown fluid over his head.
The 15-year-old boy's mother told CNN affiliate WJW-TV in Cleveland that the video was discovered on her son's cell phone.
"He was embarrassed because he did not know what the contents were until afterwards, and then he didn't want anybody to know," the mother told the station. "They used his phone to tape it, and they put it up on Instagram."
The stunt appears to be a spoof of the ALS ice bucket challenge in which participants get a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads. The campaign raises awareness and donations for research on Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. According to the ALS Association, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than $110 million.
The Bay Village police said it has been interviewing witnesses and trying to identify those involved.
"Preliminary information suggests this occurred prior to the start of the school year at a home in Bay Village," the department said.
"We understand the collective community anger. It is the hope of our community that this anger will be channeled into a positive action and supporting organizations such as Autism Speaks."
The Bay Village Schools superintendent said the school district is "heartsick over the cruel actions taken against one of our students."
"Many of our students and staff members have been participating in fundraising for ALS through the Ice Bucket Challenge," Superintendent Clint Keener wrote. "It hurts us deeply to see such a wonderful effort twisted to deliberately cause someone pain."
Air marshal 'attacked with needle'
9/8/2014 7:57:47 PM
- The air marshal was injected with a syringe containing an "unknown substance"
- He was transported to a hospital upon landing in the United States
(CNN) -- A U.S. air marshal was assaulted with a syringe containing an "unknown substance" at the Lagos, Nigeria, airport on Sunday, according to the FBI, which said it is investigating the incident.
The air marshal flew back to the United States after the attack and "felt fine" the entire 12-hour flight, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning," a statement from the FBI read.
"The victim did not exhibit any signs of illness during the flight and was transported to a hospital upon landing for further testing," the statement said, adding that "none of the testing conducted has indicated a danger to other passengers."
Investigators are looking at whether the air marshal, who did not exchange words with the attacker before the incident, was targeted because he's American. However, there is no concern at this point in the investigation that the attack is part of a bigger threat, according to the source.
U.S. woman freed from dog cage
9/9/2014 12:26:59 PM
- 30-year-old Indiana woman returns home safely after being missing for two months
- Couple charged with holding her against her will inside their mobile home
- Victim says she was repeatedly raped and beaten, forced to wear a dog collar
- A stranger risked his life to rescue her after seeing her in a dog cage, police say
(CNN) -- A young Indiana mother was gagged with chloroform and held captive for two months, forced to wear a dog collar tethered to an "intricate restraint system" and kept in a wooden cage built by one of her "sadist" captors, police said. The woman was repeatedly beaten and raped until a stranger risked his own life to rescue her, officials said.
CNN does not name victims of sexual assaults, but the woman's accused captors are now behind bars, charged Monday with a litany of offenses.
Police said the victim's ordeal began July 9, when the 30-year-old left the Evansville, Indiana, apartment she shared with her boyfriend after the two had a booze-fueled argument. She meandered the city's streets that night, bouncing between groups of friends before being spotted by Ricky House Jr., a man who was familiar to her, according to Chief Deputy Tom Latham of the Posey County Sheriff's Office. House offered her a ride. She accepted.
Three days later, police said the woman's mother reported her missing after she failed to show up to a planned family outing. Over nearly two months, Latham said Evansville Police followed up on plenty of leads, "they just never got the right lead," he said.
The ride with House on July 9 became a 40-mile drive to the mobile home he shared with girlfriend Kendra Tooley in the small town of Stewartsville and the victim decided she wanted to leave, according to a police affidavit. "(The victim) got up to leave," Evansville detective Tony Mayhew recounted in court documents, but "Ricky placed chloroform over her mouth and nose (which caused) her to lose consciousness. (The victim) awoke to find her clothing cut off and she was bound to a bed within the trailer."
Throughout July and August, police said, House and Tooley kept their victim bound to the bed with zip ties or with "an intricate restraint system." Her captors treated her like a dog, forcing her to wear "a red dog collar with a rope or leash attached to it," and forced her to stay inside a "locked wooden cage" that House built, according to court documents.
Throughout her captivity, she was raped and beaten, she told police. Tooley told police that House, whom she described as "a sadist," was "attempting to impregnate (the victim) because (Tooley) was old and unable to have children of her own."
The victim was under constant restraint and supervision, according to police, and had seen nobody other than her captors until September 4, when Tooley invited her ex-husband to the trailer to show off the captive.
"(Tooley) slid over on the couch beside me and said 'I've got a girl back here in a cage.' Ronald Higgs told CNN affiliate WEHT. "I said 'you got a girl back here in a cage? What are you talking about?"
The prisoner pleaded with Higgs to help free her.
"I didn't really know what I could do because I'm nowhere near the man I used to be," the 61-year-old father of girls told WEHT, "but (I wasn't) leaving (that) house without her."
After his attempts to buy her freedom were rejected, police said the encounter turned violent and House retrieved his sawed-off shotgun.
"He stuck that shotgun right here under my chin with his finger on the trigger," Higgs told WEHT. "I said if you're going to effing kill me you better do it now or I'm going to take this away from you and beat you to death with it."
Higgs said he was able to head butt House, who retreated into another room. It was then he was able to safely escape with the victim.
House, 37 is facing 14 counts of rape, kidnapping, criminal confinement and battery, according to charging documents filed Monday by the Posey County prosecutor's office. Tooley, 44, was charged with 10 counts of rape, kidnapping and criminal confinement. A judge set House's bond at $500,000 and Tooley's at $150,000, according to the sheriff's office. WEHT reported the pair were assigned public defenders and the court entered a preliminary not guilty plea.
The couple are due back in court October 1, but Higgs said he already knows what he'd like their sentence to be.
"I told the police ... I hope you all have some real small cells," he told WEHT. "That's where they need to spend the rest of their lives, in a real small cell."
Police: Mother chained son to radiator for two weeks
Caged and doomed, boy leaves sad account of his life
Flash floods hit Arizona, Nevada
9/9/2014 10:55:47 AM
- A second woman in Arizona died due to the flooding, authorities said Tuesday
- One woman was killed when her car was swept away by floodwaters
- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer declares a statewide emergency, warns drivers
- The National Weather Service says rains in the Phoenix area set a record
(CNN) -- Flash floods that slammed parts of the southwestern United States are now blamed for two deaths.
A woman in Arizona was swept away by water when she and her husband tried to drive through a flooded area on Monday, and the vehicle was picked up by the water, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said. Both exited the vehicle, and the man, 69, made it to safety, but his wife, 76, was unable to.
Another Arizona woman was killed after her car was submerged in floodwaters, the Tucson Fire Department said. Rescuers were unable to reach the vehicle in time.
"Within a minute of us getting there, the car washed away," Capt. Barrett Baker told CNN. The waters were up to 12-feet deep, he said, and pushed the car for several blocks.
Record-setting rains left up to 200 children trapped briefly in an elementary school in Moapa, Nevada, on Monday.
We've counted more than 2 dozen cars underwater like this on I-10 near 43rd Ave in West Phoenix #Monsoon2014 pic.twitter.com/qwtiSnoldf
— Jill Galus (@JillGalus) September 8, 2014 The students at Perkins Elementary school, about 60 miles from Las Vegas, were with teachers and were not in danger, said Highway Patrol Spokesman Loy Hixson.
Flash flooding also washed away a portion of Interstate 15 near the community of Glendale, taking several vehicles with it. No one has been injured, but the flooding damaged so much of the highway that it may not be fixed until Wednesday, Hixson said.
In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer declared an emergency Monday as flooding from the historic rains closed roads and schools in her state.
I am declaring a statewide emergency for areas impacted by today's severe rainfall and flooding. #TurnAroundDontDrown #azwx
— Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) September 8, 2014 What caused the record-setting rains and flash floods in the Southwest? Blame Norbert, which hit Mexico's coast as a hurricane on Saturday. Now the storm system is moving through the United States, and it's still packing a punch.
Average Phoenix #Monsoon Season total rainfall = 2.71 inches. We've got almost 3 inches in just the past 7 hours!! #flood #azwx
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 8, 2014 "This could go on for a few more days," CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said.
Flooding death toll jumps as India offers help to Pakistan
CNN's Tony Marco, John Fricke and Sean Morris contributed to this report.
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at feedmyinbox.com
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions
No comments:
Post a Comment