“Without the actions of Dr. Cheng, it is no doubt that there would be numerous additional victims in this crime,” Sheriff Barnes said.

Johnna Gherardini, the medical center’s executive director, said that Dr. Cheng, who was not a church member, had picked up his mother from her home at Laguna Woods Village and taken her to church on Sunday. She said that Dr. Cheng, who grew up in Texas, was not religious and did not have strong political views about China, but was there in solidarity with his mother, who was mourning the recent death of his father.

The physician, who is survived by his wife and two teenage children, was also an accomplished master martial arts instructor.

“He was there for a reason,” Ms. Gherardini said.

The shooter had secured the church doors with chains and had attempted to disable the locks with glue, the sheriff said, adding that he also tried to nail one of the building’s doors shut. Bags filled with magazines of ammunition, as well as several incendiary devices, were found inside the church, Sheriff Barnes said.

“The majority of the people in attendance were elderly, and they acted spontaneously and heroically,” Sheriff Barnes said. “And if not for their quick action, the way that this individual set up that environment to kill many more people, there would have been many, many more lives lost.”

The authorities said the suspect fired inside the church while the members ate lunch after a morning service. The churchgoers hogtied the gunman with an extension cord and confiscated two weapons before deputies arrived and took him into custody, Sheriff Barnes said.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/us/california-church-shooting-hate-incident.html

The massacre by a white supremacist gunman of Black shoppers at a Buffalo grocery store has drawn renewed scrutiny of Republican figures in the US who have embraced the racist “great replacement theory” he is alleged to have used as justification for the murders.

Born from far-right nationalism, the extremist ideology expounding the view that immigration will ultimately destroy white values and western civilization has found favor not only with media figures, such as the conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson, but a host of elected politicians and others seeking office.

Those who have convinced themselves Democrats are operating an open-door immigration policy to “replace” Republican voters with people of color and keep themselves in power permanently include Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, chair of her party’s House conference, and JD Vance, the Donald Trump-approved Republican nominee to represent Ohio in the US Senate.

After the Buffalo shooting, the pair are among those receiving blowback for embracing the conspiracy theory that the killer referred to repeatedly in an online manifesto authorities believe he posted to justify the attack.

Citing “despicable” Facebook advertisements promoting great replacement theory Stefanik utilized in 2021, in which she said “radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a permanent election insurrection”, the Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger blasted his House colleague.

“Did you know: @EliseStefanik pushes white replacement theory? The #3 in the house GOP @Liz_Cheney got removed for demanding truth. @GOPLeader should be asked about this,” he said in a tweet, referring to Wyoming Republican Cheney’s ousting by the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, over her place on the 6 January panel.

Kinzinger, of Illinois, is the only other Republican on the House committee looking into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden. He also attacked Stefanik this week for a tweet in which she accused Democrats of being “pedo grifters” – meaning pedophiles – for providing baby formula for immigrant babies at the southern border during a national shortage.

The Republican Senate candidate JD Vance is another vocal exponent of the discredited theory. Photograph: Joe Maiorana/AP

Meanwhile Vance, who credits the former president’s endorsement for helping him to victory in last week’s Ohio primary, is another vocal exponent of the discredited theory.

“You’re talking about a shift in the democratic makeup of this country that would mean we never win, meaning Republicans would never win a national election in this country ever again,” he claimed at a campaign event in Portsmouth last month.

Josh Mandel, who was defeated by Vance, went even further in an interview on Breitbart in October.

“This is about changing the face of America, figuratively and literally. They are trying to change our culture, change our demographics and change our electorate. This is all about power,” he said, without acknowledging that only US citizens can vote, and the path to citizenship can take legal immigrants many years.

In a study of the history of great replacement theory in Republican circles, Vice notes that it “isn’t new to American politicians”. In 2017, the Iowa congressman Steve King, a fierce Trump loyalist, said in a tweet: “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.”

Arguably the biggest rightwing apologist for great replacement theory, however, is Carlson, the Fox News host.

On his show last year, he stated: “Demographic change is the key to the Democratic party’s political ambitions. In order to win and maintain power, Democrats plan to change the population of the country.”

His “nefarious” stance, the Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent wrote: “exposes the ideological underbelly of the broader right-wing populist nationalist movement that he and his defenders champion”.

Buffalo was not the first time a mass shooter with white supremacist motivations had cited great replacement theory. It also featured in the manifesto of a gunman who slaughtered 51 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019.

After the Christchurch murders, the UK-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a counter-extremist organization, issued a report that found the once-obscure ideology was promoted so effectively by the far right that it became ingrained in political discourse, and that social media references doubled in four years to more than 1.5m Twitter mentions alone.

“It’s shocking to see the extent to which extreme-right concepts such as the great replacement theory and calls for ‘remigration’ have entered mainstream political discourse and are now referenced by politicians who head states and sit in parliaments,” Julia Ebner, the report’s co-author, said at the time.

The effect of the backlash against US politicians promoting the theory following the Buffalo attack remains to be seen. The pugilistic Stefanik, for example, was not backing down on Sunday, making no mention of the massacre in her home state as she retweeted criticism of Democrats over the baby formula shortage.

Her only social media comment to date, a single tweet on Saturday, failed to acknowledge the race of most of the victims, or the circumstances or motivation for the shooting.

Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/16/buffalo-massacre-great-replacement-theory-republicans

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Turkey´s president on Monday complicated Sweden and Finland´s historic bid to join NATO, saying he cannot allow them to become members of the alliance because of their perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubled down on comments last week indicating that the two Nordic countries´ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members.

Erdogan spoke to reporters just hours after Sweden joined Finland in announcing it would seek NATO membership in the wake of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, ending more than 200 years of military nonalignment. He accused the two countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country.

“Neither country has an open, clear stance against terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said, in an apparent reference to Kurdish militant groups such as the banned Kurdistan Workers´ Party, or PKK.

Swedish officials said they would dispatch a team of diplomats to Ankara to discuss the matter, but Erdogan suggested they were wasting their time.

“Are they coming to try and convince us? Sorry don´t wear yourselves out,” Erdogan said. “During this process, we cannot say ‘yes’ to those who impose sanctions on Turkey, on joining NATO, which is a security organization.”

Sweden has welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East in recent decades, including ethnic Kurds from Syria, Iraq and Turkey.

Turkey´s objections took many Western officials by surprise and some had the impression Ankara would not let the issue spoil the NATO expansion. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg over the weekend said “Turkey has made it clear that their intention is not to block membership.”

In Washington, Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter was among those who said they were taken aback by Turkey´s objections.

“We have a very strong anti-terrorist agenda and a lot of, almost, accusations that are coming out … are simply not true,” she said.

Sweden decided Monday to seek NATO membership a day after the country’s governing Social Democratic party endorsed a plan for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance and Finland’s government announced that it would seek to join NATO.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson warned that the Nordic country would be in a “vulnerable position” during the application period and urged her fellow citizens to brace themselves for the Russian response.

“Russia has said that that it will take countermeasures if we join NATO,” she said. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”

Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden of repercussions should they pursue NATO membership. But Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday seemed to downplay the significance of their move.

Speaking to a Russian-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states, Putin said Moscow “does not have a problem” with Sweden or Finland applying for NATO membership, but that “the expansion of military infrastructure onto this territory will, of course, give rise to our reaction in response.”

Andersson, who leads the center-left Social Democrats, said Sweden would hand in its NATO application jointly with Finland. Flanked by opposition leader Ulf Kristersson, Andersson said her government also was preparing a bill that would allow Sweden to receive military assistance from other nations in case of an attack.

“The Russian leadership thought they could bully Ukraine and deny them and other countries self-determination,” Kristersson said. “They thought they could scare Sweden and Finland and drive a wedge between us and our neighbors and allies. They were wrong.”

Once a regional military power, Sweden has avoided military alliances since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Like Finland it remained neutral throughout the Cold War, but formed closer relations with NATO after the 1991 Soviet collapse. They no longer see themselves as neutral after joining the European Union in 1995, but have remained nonaligned militarily until now.

After being firmly against NATO membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with record levels of support for joining the alliance. The Swedish and Finnish governments swiftly initiated discussions across political parties about NATO membership and reached out to the U.S., Britain, Germany and other NATO countries for their support.

On Sunday, Andersson’s party reversed their long-standing position that Sweden must remain nonaligned, giving NATO membership overwhelming support in Parliament. Only the small Left and Green parties objected when the issue was discussed by lawmakers on Monday.

Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar, whose calls for a referendum on the matter were dismissed by the government, said joining NATO would raise tensions in the Baltic Sea region.

“It does not help Ukraine,” she said.

Andersson said Sweden would make clear that it doesn’t want nuclear weapons or permanent NATO bases on its soil — similar conditions as neighboring Norway and Denmark insisted on when the alliance was formed after World War II.

During a visit to Helsinki on Monday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said there is “very significant” support in Congress for welcoming Finland and Sweden to the alliance and that he expects ratification before the August recess.

In a joint statement, Nordic NATO members Norway, Denmark and Iceland said they were ready to assist Finland and Sweden “with all necessary means” during the application process.

___ Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-stockholm-sweden-finland-f7328801f699fbb2f28826c0f14d4ef6

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. — Authorities have confirmed the human remains that were found during a search through the woods near the South Carolina coast last week were the remains of Brittanee Drexel, 17, who went missing from Myrtle Beach in 2009, according to WCIV.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, the Georgetown County sheriff also confirmed an arrest has been made in the case.

Investigators said Raymond Moody, who is in custody, is accused of burying Drexel. His charges include rape, murder and kidnapping, according to officials.

Last week, authorities said remains were found in Georgetown County during a search on Wednesday and Thursday.

Days before the discovery, Moody, who was previously identified as a person of interest in Drexel’s disappearance, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice in Georgetown County.

Crews were searching 2.5 miles from a motel where Moody was living at the time Drexel disappeared. Authorities had searched that building extensively when they named Moody a person of interest in Drexel’s 2009 disappearance, WPDE reported.

When Moody lived there, the property was in a largely undeveloped area. The nearby subdivision was in its early stages.

The teen, from Rochester, New York, went missing in April 2009 while visiting family members on a trip to Myrtle Beach.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: Man finds human remains while playing baseball at Gastonia park)

Source Article from https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/sc-authorities-find-remains-brittanee-drexel-who-disappeared-2009-arrest-made-case/L4WAALOADZGUDNZRDJ6XYZLSPE/

Christchurch, El Paso, Pittsburgh and now Buffalo – all places where racially-motivated assailants, radicalised online, have taken their ideology to deadly extremes.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61459023

LOS ANGELES, May 15 (Reuters) – A gunman opened fire in a Southern California church during a lunch banquet on Sunday, killing one person and wounding five, before churchgoers detained the suspect and hog-tied his legs with an electrical cord, authorities said.

Police responded to the incident that unfolded at about 1:30 p.m. local time (2039 GMT) at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods and arrested an unidentified suspect in his 60s, Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told a news conference.

“That group of churchgoers displayed … exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect. They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities,” he said.

One person died at the scene while four other victims were critically wounded. Another person suffered minor injuries, he said. All of the injured were taken to hospitals.

About 30 to 40 people were in the church when the shooting occurred, Hallock said.

“At this time, we do not know what the suspect’s motive may be or whether he had an intended target, or whether this is even a hate-related incident,” Hallock said, adding that authorities believe the suspect does not live in the area.

Two handguns were found at the scene.

“No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event,” Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said on Twitter.

It was at least the second mass shooting of the weekend in the United States, which has been plagued with gun violence in recent years. In Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, a white 18-year-old man opened fire at a supermarket in a mostly Black neighborhood, killing 10 and wounding three in what authorities described as a purely racist attack. read more

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/world/us/multiple-people-shot-california-church-authorities-say-2022-05-15/

LIVE UPDATES

This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

Ukrainian forces say they have pushed back the Russian military in the region around Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, and near the border with Russia, continuing a counteroffensive that has prompted Russian troops to withdraw from around Ukraine’s second-largest city.

NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that “Ukraine can win this war” following an informal meeting of the group. His comments came after Finland announced it would apply to join the military alliance in what marks a historic move for the traditionally neutral Nordic country.

Joining the military alliance will “maximize” Finland’s security after Russia’s unprecedented invasion of Ukraine in February, President Sauli Niinisto said.

Sweden is expected to follow suit with both applications likely to enflame tensions between NATO and Russia further. Moscow warned last week of “retaliatory steps” if Finland joined the alliance.

Finland and Sweden will bring ‘real military capability’ to NATO, says ex-Army commander

Finland and Sweden will both bring “real military capability” if they become members of NATO, according to Ben Hodges, a former commander in the U.S. Army in Europe.

The two nations have strong, liberal, democratic governments and resilient societies, he told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.”

“They will be security providers, not consumers,” he added, saying the move changes the security environment for the North Atlantic Alliance.

“This is so good for the alliance, but it’s also good for both countries and for all of Europe,” he said.

Hodges said Russia’s attack on Ukraine made Finland and Sweden feel the need to join the 30-nation strong military alliance. “This is going to go down on a list of huge blunders by President Putin and the Kremlin,” he said.

Ultimately, besides threats and complaints, there’s nothing the Russian president can do because his military is tied up at the moment, Hodges added.

— Abigail Ng

Ukraine says it’s counterattacking in the east, pushing Russian forces back

Ukrainian forces say they have pushed back the Russian military in the region around Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, and near the border with Russia.

“The 227th Battalion of the 127th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of Kharkiv city pushed back the Russians and reached a section of the state border,” the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted on Facebook on Monday morning.

Ukrainian forces have been carrying out a successful counter-offensive north of Kharkiv toward the border with Russia over the last week, while heavy fighting also continues in the eastern Donbas region.

Ukrainian air defense forces and anti-aircraft missile forces said on Facebook Sunday they had downed 11 enemy targets over the past 24 hours, including two helicopters, seven drones and two cruise missiles.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s military said it is preparing for more Russian attacks around Izyum, a city to the south of Kharkiv that’s become a focus of fighting in recent days.

Moscow’s forces have been trying to fight their way south from Izium as part of a pincer movement aimed at outflanking Ukrainian forces dug in to defend the eastern frontline, Reuters reported.

Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine can win this war, NATO chief says

Ukraine can win the war against Russia, NATO’s secretary general said on Sunday, adding that Russia’s invasion is “not going as Moscow had planned.”

Speaking virtually after an informal NATO meeting in Berlin, Jens Stoltenberg said “Ukraine can win this war.”

“Russia’s war in Ukraine is not going as Moscow had planned,” he said at a press conference. “They failed to take Kyiv. They are pulling back from around Kharkiv. Their major offensive in Donbas has stalled” and “Russia is not achieving its strategic objectives,” he added.

Holly Ellyatt

McConnell expects Wednesday Senate vote for $40 billion Ukraine aid

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he expected the Senate to vote on $40 billion in proposed aid to Ukraine on Wednesday after holding a related procedural vote on Monday.

“We expect to invoke cloture – hopefully by a significant margin – on the motion to proceed on Monday, which would set us up to approve the supplemental on Wednesday,” McConnell told reporters on a conference call from Stockholm after visiting the Ukrainian capital on Saturday. He was referring to a procedural “cloture” vote that caps further debate on a matter to 30 hours.

— Reuters

Sweden’s ruling party backs joining NATO

STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats said on Sunday they backed the country joining NATO, abandoning decades of opposition in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and creating a large parliament majority in favor of membership.

With neighboring Finland already set to hand in its application, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is now all but certain to launch a formal application within days.

— Reuters

Ukraine not ‘overoptimistic’ despite Russian troops pulling back near Kharkiv, official says

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olga Stefanishyna, said she sees a “cautious amount of great news” in the country’s defense against Russia. In particular, she pointed to Russian troops pulling back from around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in recent days.

“But we are not overoptimistic in that regard,” she said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “We see that Putin has readjusted his strategy, and the only possible winning scenario for him is a long-lasting war, which is not the case for us and the democratic world. … The unconditional victory still remains the way forward.”

Russia’s navy remains in “full preparedness to continue shelling,” Stefanishyna said, adding that “the bombarding of the eastern part of Ukraine, which are the major supply chains for the humanitarian and defense assistance, have been attacked over these nights.”

Kevin Stankiewicz

Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here:

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/16/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html

People gather outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Matt Rourke/AP


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People gather outside the scene of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Matt Rourke/AP

Authorities are calling Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., a racially motivated attack. The suspect allegedly wrote a 180-page document filled with hateful rants about race and ties to the “Great Replacement.” Here’s what you need to know about this particular conspiracy theory.

What is the “Great Replacement”?

In short, the “Great Replacement” is a conspiracy theory that states that non-white individuals are being brought into the United States and other Western countries to “replace” white voters to achieve a political agenda. It is often touted by anti-immigration groups, white supremacists and others, according to the National Immigration Forum.

White supremacists argue that the influx of immigrants, people of color more specifically, will lead to the extinction of the white race.

Similar to mass extremists, Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old white male accused of killing 10 people and wounding another three in Buffalo, allegedly said in his screed that the decrease in white birth rates equates to a genocide.

The alleged supermarket shooter and other extremists claim the U.S. has to close its borders to immigrants.

The “Great Replacement” theory is sometimes seen in other ways such as claims of voter replacement and immigrants invading America, the National Immigration Forum said. The first claim assumes that immigrants and non-white people will vote a certain way, ultimately drowning out the votes of white Americans.

Adolphus Belk Jr., professor of political science and African American studies at Winthrop University, said white nationalist movements arise when people of color are seen as a threat in the political and economic realms.

Belk said white nationalists are worried that, “whites will no longer be a majority of the general population, but a plurality, and see that as a threat to their own well-being and the well-being of the nation.”

Where does this theory come from?

The “Great Replacement” theory has roots in French nationalism books dating back to the early 1900s, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). However, the theory’s more contemporary use is attributed to Renaud Camus, a French writer who wrote “Le Grand Remplacement” (which translates toThe Great Replacement”) in 2011.

French writer and critic Renaud Camus.

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French writer and critic Renaud Camus.

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Camus’ writing was influenced by another French Author, Jean Raspail, who’s 1973 novel, The Camp of the Saints, told a fictional tale of migrants banding together to take over France, the ADL said.

According to the ADL, white supremacists blame Jewish people for non-white immigration to the U.S., and the replacement theory is now associated with antisemitism.

A core belief to the white supremacist movement is the 14-word slogan, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children”, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which was coined by David Lane, a member of the white supremacist group The Order.

Protestors in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12, 2017. White supremacists at the protests chanted, “The Jews will not replace us!”, a reference to the “Great Replacement” theory.

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Protestors in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12, 2017. White supremacists at the protests chanted, “The Jews will not replace us!”, a reference to the “Great Replacement” theory.

Steve Helber/AP

Fast forward to August 2017, when white nationalists rallied at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Rally participants chanted, “The Jews will not replace us!”

The “Great Replacement” and its role in hate crimes

The Buffalo shooting suspect is only one of many violent examples attributed to this the “Great Replacement.”

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security held a hearing about the rise of hate crimes and white nationalism in April 2019. New York representative and Judiciary Committee chairperson Jerrold Nadler then described the issue as, “an urgent crisis in our country.”

“Unfortunately, various statistics confirm what most of us have observed, that hate incidents are increasing in the United States,” Nadler said. “This increase has occurred during a disturbing rise of white nationalism in our country and across the globe.”

A person pauses in front of Stars of David with the names of those killed in a deadly shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, in Pittsburgh, October, 29, 2018.

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A person pauses in front of Stars of David with the names of those killed in a deadly shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, in Pittsburgh, October, 29, 2018.

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He listed off several racially motivated attacks: nine people killed at a South Carolina church in 2015; 11 at a synagogue in Pennsylvania in 2018; 50 people shot and killed at a mosque in New Zealand in 2019.

Belk said what makes individual extremists and white nationalist groups so dangerous are the lengths they are willing to go to in order protect their position in society.

“They are willing to use any means that are available to preserve and defend their position in society … it’s almost like a sort of holy war, a conflict, where they see themselves as taking the action directly to the offending culture and people by eliminating them,” Belk said.

The suspect in custody for Buffalo’s most recent mass shooting traveled from Broome County, N.Y., some 200 miles away, to carry out his attack, according to police. The overwhelming majority of the victims were Black.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099034094/what-is-the-great-replacement-theory

CHICAGO (WLS) — A teen has been charged in the Saturday night shooting death of a 16-year-old boy near “the Bean,” Chicago police said.

The boy killed was in the 200-block of East Randolph Street when he was shot in the chest at about 7:30 p.m., CPD said. He was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Seandell Holliday of Chicago.

At least two people of interest were taken in for questioning and at least two weapons were recovered, police said Saturday.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested in the 100 block of South Michigan Avenue moments after he allegedly shot Holliday, police said Sunday. He has been charged with second-degree murder, among other charges.

On Sunday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a curfew for unaccompanied minors.

Effective immediately, unaccompanied minors are not allowed in Millennium Park after 6:00 p.m. from Thursday through Sunday, Lightfoot said in a statement.

“We, as a City, can not allow any of our public spaces to become platforms for danger. Anyone coming into our public spaces should expect to enjoy them peacefully and must respect and exhibit basic community norms of decency. We simply will not accept anything less,” Lightfoot said, in part. “I am calling on all parents, guardians, and caring adults to step up at this moment and do whatever it takes to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again and to encourage appropriate behavior when our young people gather anywhere in this great City of ours.”

Chicago announces new Millennium Park curfew after deadly shooting

Two people were shot in the Loop Saturday night after Holliday’s shooting death, Chicago police said.

SEE ALSO | Chicago shooting: Teen shot and killed in West Englewood, police say

Just after 11:40 p.m., an 18- to 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were walking in the 300-block of South State Street when two boys shot into the group, police said.

The man whose age is unknown was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. The 18-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the left hand.
Two boys are being questioned, and Area Three detectives are investigating.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a statement in response to the first Loop shooting.

“This senseless loss of life is utterly unacceptable. Tonight, a mother is grief-stricken, mourning the loss of her child and searching for answers. My heart is breaking for the mother as she grieves this unspeakable loss,” Lightfoot said, in part. “Of course, young people are welcome everywhere in our city, but community norms require respect for each other, people’s property, and the sanctity of life. Anything less simply will not be tolerated.”

Police said hundreds of young people were at Millennium Park Saturday night and began flooding surrounding streets. Officers were called in to clear the park.

WATCH: Chicago police attempt to clear crowds downtown

Twenty-six children and four adults were arrested in connection with the incident, Chicago police said. There were five gun arrests and seven guns recovered.

Two officers were also injured.

Police, who in recent weeks said they would be cancelling officers days off, and sending additional resources downtown, were forced to shut down streets surrounding the park.

The promises to strictly enforce a ban on unaccompanied minors seemed to not be in effect yet on Sunday evening. Only park security was visibly present tonight, with no ID checks going on. West Side resident Donzell Taylor questioned the effectiveness of the new policy that may just send the crowds of young people elsewhere.

They’re just going to to go the next block. It’s going to stop nothing. What are you trying to protect? The Bean? You have to protect the whole city,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to give them a way out.”

Superintendent David Brown today said the police department’s priority right now is making Millennium Park safe, but admitted that there is a possibility of displacement to other downtown locations. These large groups of young people appear to be drawn downtown on weekends, not by chance, but as a result of coordinated efforts to get them there born on social media, he said.

WATCH: CPD Supt. David Brown provides update on weekend violence

“This is different,” Brown said. “Our intelligence tells us there are groups convening. These young people… we need to deal with the back end of how this gets started.”

ABC7 spoke with a teen who said these gatherings are called “trends.” That’s when large crowds of young people meet up at a location, he said, to “have fun.”

“I’m gonna meet a bunch of kids this morning who’ve come from all over the world at the hostel. I’m gonna have to tell them more than just ‘don’t take your cell phone out on the Red Line. Now I’m gonna have to tell them to pay attention all the time. It didn’t used to happen in the neighborhoods that we usually walk in. It seems now so random,” said Paul Nyenhuis, who was at Millennium Park on Saturday night. “Who do these kids go home to at night!? Who are their parents!?”

Nyenhuis said he left as officers tried to bring calm to the Loop, moments before gunfire was heard near the Bean.

“They were just standing, talking randomly… And all of a sudden, they started shooting and I saw people falling down from the panic and chaos created by the shooting,” said Zarnab Saleem, a witness. “It’s going out of control, I would say. Everyday I hear this, but this time I saw it and I felt it. It’s so scary!”

Regular visitors to the park have been on edge.

“It’s just a little iffy,” said Eric Pimentel. “50/50 chance where I could be safe or not safe.”

Police have not yet provided details on what the process will be to identify unaccompanied minors in Millennium Park.

The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement saying the curfew could lead to unnecessary stops and arrests.

“The Mayor’s announcement suggests that our City’s showcase park should not be available for all residents of Chicago. Curfews and bans create group culpability for all young people – whether they are there to enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown or something else. The vague description – relying on an undefined ‘responsible adult’ – allowing young people to be present in the park and the promise of strict enforcement will result in unnecessary stops and arrests and further strain relations between CPD and young people of color. We will continue to monitor this situation closely,” the ACLU said in a statement.

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton tweeted about the situation, calling for an end to gun violence.

Lightfoot’s full statement on new curfew:

“Tragically, a young person – a teenager – lost his life last night in Millennium Park. I suspect an overwhelming majority of the youth who were in the Park were there to have a good time and enjoy a summer evening. But the scene devolved into one of chaos and unnecessary violence.

We, as a City, can not allow any of our public spaces to become platforms for danger. Anyone coming into our public spaces should expect to enjoy them peacefully and must respect and exhibit basic community norms of decency. We simply will not accept anything less.

So, effective immediately, from Thursday through Sunday, unaccompanied minors are not allowed in Millennium Park after 6:00 pm. This new policy will be strictly enforced and violations will be dealt with swiftly. All of our residents and visitors under the age of 18 are welcome at the Park during the evening hours as long as they are accompanied by at least one responsible adult.

We will partner with Chicago Public Schools and our other local school systems to fully explain this new policy to students, as well as to encourage guardians to ensure that their children are conducting themselves appropriately and safely at all times.

I am also calling upon the Chicago Police Department to work with our federal partners to accelerate gun traces for all firearms found in the hands of minors and to swiftly bring criminal charges against any adult who has provided a firearm to a person under the age of 18.

As a City, we must ensure that our young people have safe spaces to congregate and that in those spaces they are peaceful and actually safe. I am calling on all parents, guardians, and caring adults to step up at this moment and do whatever it takes to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again and to encourage appropriate behavior when our young people gather anywhere in this great City of ours. We all must model and enforce the respect and peace we expect from our young people at all times.”

Lightfoot’s full statement on deadly Millennium Park shooting:

“Earlier this evening, a 16-year-old was tragically killed near Millennium Park. This senseless loss of life is utterly unacceptable. Tonight, a mother is grief-stricken, mourning the loss of her child and searching for answers. My heart is breaking for the mother as she grieves this unspeakable loss.

“Of course, young people are welcome everywhere in our city, but community norms require respect for each other, people’s property, and the sanctity of life. Anything less simply will not be tolerated. We must also have zero tolerance for young people carrying firearms or settling petty disputes with acts of violence. We all must condemn this behavior in the strongest terms possible and continue to take action against anyone who violates these basic community norms. And I continue to call upon parents and guardians to step up, to ensure that your children understand basic values of respect, and that you take responsibility for knowing at all times where your children are and who they are with.

“We will be taking additional actions to stop this lawlessness and will share details as soon as possible on what additional measures we will be taking to help prevent events like this from happening in the future.”

Source Article from https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-loop-at-the-bean-il/11852058/

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – There is new video of the deadly plane crash that happened on a bridge in Miami on Saturday.

A small, single engine plane lost power in midair and attempted to land on the bridge, flying right in between traffic before hitting an SUV head-on.

New video taken from the Haulover Inlet Bridge shows the plane flying over vehicles, with one SUV swerving to avoid it, moments before it crashed down.

The pilot of the small plane sadly lost his life after the wreckage burst into flames.

Emergency calls went out seconds after the plane first appeared over the bridge as the Cessna 172 clipped two vehicles before making a crash landing.

Witnesses jumped into action to try and help the victims, as seen on multiple cell phone videos.

Bystanders were in shock, though video showed some risked their own lives to get to the victims.

Sadly, 36-year-old pilot Narciso Torres died in the crash.

He was a longtime Miami-based air traffic controller.

Two of Torres’ relatives were also aboard the plane. They survived, though one is still recovering in the hospital with extensive burns.

A pair of victims on the ground were also injured in the crash that happened in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon.

A mother and her two small children were in one of the vehicles hit by the plane.

The NTSB is currently sifting through the what’s left of the aircraft wreckage.

A spokesperson for NTSB released a statement to Local 10 News, which read, in part:

“Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, air traffic control communication, airplane maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. “

The investigation could take up to two years to complete.

Source Article from https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/05/15/new-video-shows-different-angle-of-deadly-plane-crash-on-miami-bridge/

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal trial begins Monday for a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016.

The case against Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity attorney who represented the Clinton campaign in 2016, is the first trial arising from the ongoing investigation by special counsel John Durham and will test the strength of evidence he and his team have gathered while scrutinizing the early days of the Trump-Russia probe for potential misconduct.

An acquittal is likely to hasten questions about the Durham probe’s purpose and cost to taxpayers while a guilty verdict will almost certainly energize Trump supporters who have long looked to Durham to expose what they see as biased mistreatment of the former president.

Sussmann is accused of misleading the FBI’s then-general counsel during a September 2016 meeting in which he presented research showing what he said might be a suspicious backchannel of communications between computer servers of the Trump Organization and Russia-based Alfa Bank.

Prosecutors allege Sussmann lied by saying that he wasn’t attending the meeting on behalf of any particular client when they say he was actually acting on behalf of two clients: the Clinton campaign and a technology executive who had helped assemble the computer data.

Durham’s team says that had the FBI been told the truth, it would have factored into the bureau’s assessment of the credibility of the Alfa Bank claims as it weighed whether to begin investigating. The FBI did look into the matter but ultimately found nothing suspicious.

Sussmann’s lawyers deny he lied but say the alleged misstatement isn’t relevant in any event since there’s no evidence that what the FBI knew or didn’t know about his political affiliations had any bearing on its decision-making.

Jurors will be selected in Washington’s federal court on Monday. In a nod to the politically loaded nature of the case, prospective jurors are being asked questions such as whether they voted in 2016 and whether they or anyone they are close with was involved in investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Durham was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to look for any misconduct as the U.S. government was examining potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign to tip the outcome of the election. An investigation by an earlier special counsel, Robert Mueller, did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign though it did find that Russia sought to aid Trump’s election bid.

Durham’s work has resulted in three criminal cases, but only the one against Sussmann has reached trial.

In 2020, a former FBI lawyer named Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty to altering an email related to secret FBI surveillance of an ex-Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page. In applying for warrants to eavesdrop on Page, the FBI relied on a dossier of anti-Trump research known colloquially as the “Steele dossier” that contained rumors and uncorroborated claims.

Last year, Durham charged a Russia analyst who was a source for that dossier with lying to the FBI about his own sources of information — among them, a longtime Hillary Clinton supporter. Igor Danchenko has pleaded not guilty. The case is pending and set for trial in October.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-presidential-campaigns-1e5fdca26bbb6d5aab9e5027f67c76b0

BUFFALO, N.Y., May 15 (Reuters) – A white teenager who killed 10 people in a racist attack at a western New York grocery store in a Black neighborhood had been taken into custody last year and given a mental health evaluation after making a threat at his high school, authorities said.

New details, including the previous threat, emerged on Sunday that provided a fuller portrait of the suspect, Payton Gendron, 18, and his assault on a Buffalo supermarket that authorities described as an act of “racially motivated violent extremism.”

“The evidence that we have uncovered so far makes no mistake this is an absolute racist hate crime that will be prosecuted as a hate crime,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told reporters on Sunday.

Gendron surrendered to police after Saturday’s shooting of 13 people, 11 of whom were Black. He has been charged with first-degree murder – which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole in New York – and has pleaded not guilty.

Authorities said on Sunday that Gendron had driven to Buffalo from his home several hours away a day before the attack to do “reconnaissance” on the area. On Saturday afternoon he drove to the Tops Friendly Market, where he commenced an assault that he broadcast in real time on the social media platform Twitch, a live video service owned by Amazon.com (AMZN.O).

Dressed in tactical gear, Gendron opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle that he had purchased legally, but then modified illegally. Authorities found two other guns – a rifle and a shotgun – in his car.

Gramaglia told reporters that Gendron had appeared on the radar of local law enforcement last June, when police detained him after he made a “generalized” threat at his high school. Gendron was given a mental health evaluation at the time, but was released after a day and a half.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told ABC News on Sunday that an investigation would focus on what could have been done to stop the teenager, who appeared to have advertised a slew of violent, racist views online.

“I want to know what people knew and when they knew it,” she said.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Buffalo on Tuesday, the White House said in a statement.

“Our hearts are heavy once again but our resolve must not waver; we must work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of this nation,” Biden said in a Twitter post.

A 180-page manifesto that circulated online, believed to have been authored by Gendron, outlined “The Great Replacement Theory” – a racist conspiracy theory that white people are being replaced by minorities in the United States and other countries.

Another document online that appeared to have been written by Gendron sketched out a to-do list for the attack, including cleaning the gun and testing the livestream.

A spokesperson for the Erie County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the documents.

‘I’M TERRIFIED’

On Sunday, several dozen community members held an emotional vigil for the victims outside the store, where Sharon Doyle, a 55-year-old security guard with Erie County Public Library, led a chant of “Black Lives Matter, my life matters.” read more

“We all go in this Tops. I was scared to even go to Walmart last night,” Doyle said. “I have to go to work tomorrow and I’m terrified.”

Nearby, at the True Bethel Baptist Church, a reverend led a mournful service for a crowd of worshipers, including some family of the victims and some who had been at the store at the time of the shooting. read more

One was Charles Everhart Sr., 65, whose grandson Zaire Goodman, 20, worked at the store. Goodman was shot in the neck but survived.

“He was pushing the carts back to the store and he was one of the first to get hit,” Everhart said.

The Buffalo shooting follows other racially motivated mass murders in recent years, including a Pittsburgh synagogue attack that left 11 dead in October 2018, and the Atlanta spa shootings in March 2021 in which a white man killed eight people, targeting Asians. read more

Stephen Belongia, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Buffalo field office, said the attack would be investigated both as a hate crime and as an act of “racially motivated violent extremism” under federal law.

Hochul, meanwhile, said she was dismayed that the suspect managed to live-stream his attack on social media, which she blamed for hosting a “feeding frenzy” of violent extremist ideology.

“These outlets must be more vigilant in monitoring social media content,” she said.

Social media and streaming platforms like Twitch, which said it removed the stream after less than two minutes, have grappled with controlling violent and extremist content for years.

“The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content,” a Twitch spokesperson said.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/world/us/gunman-who-killed-10-ny-supermarket-attack-was-authorities-radar-2022-05-15/

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — On Saturday afternoon, a white gunman in military gear attacked shoppers and workers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and wounding three others. Most of the victims were Black. Officials said they are investigating the shooting as a racially motivated hate crime.

A look at what we know so far:

WHAT HAPPENED?

A white 18-year-old wearing body armor and livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday outside Tops Friendly Market. It’s a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo.

The gunman livestreamed the shooting to a small audience on Twitch for several minutes before the platform cut off his feed.

According to police, the gunman began shooting in the parking lot then moved inside the store. Security guard Aaron Salter fired multiple shots but none penetrated the gunman’s armor. The gunman killed Salter, who was Black, and then stalked through the aisles, shooting shoppers.

At one point, he trained his weapon on a white person cowering behind a checkout counter, but says “Sorry!” and doesn’t shoot, as seen in portions of the livestream video circulating online.

When police confronted the gunman in the store’s vestibule, he put his rifle to his own neck, but surrendered and dropped the gun with coaxing from the officers.

WHO IS THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN?

Police have identified the gunman as Payton Gendron, of Conklin, New York. Conklin is a small town about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo, not far from the Pennsylvania state line.

Officials said the rifle Gendron used in the attack was purchased legally but the magazines he used for ammunition were not allowed to be sold in New York.

After the shooting, Gendron appeared before a judge in a paper medical gown and was arraigned on a murder charge.

A document circulated widely online seemingly outlines Gendron’s racist, anti-immigrant and antisemitic beliefs. Among them was a desire to drive all people not of European descent from the U.S. The document seemed to draw inspiration from the gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Sunday that Gendron had threatened to carry out a shooting last year at Susquehanna Valley High School around the time of graduation. He was 17 years old at the time and was sent for mental health treatment. The law enforcement official was not authorized to speak publicly on the investigation and did so on the condition of anonymity.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?

Police have not released the names of most of the victims. They have said that, including the wounded, 11 victims were Black and two were white.

The dead include Aaron Salter, a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the store. Salter fired multiple shots at the assailant, striking him at least once. Officials said he was a hero who saved lives by running toward danger. A local resident said he cared about the community and looked after the store.

Ruth Whitfield, 86, was picking up groceries after visiting her husband at a nursing home, as she did every day. She was the mother of retired Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, who told The Buffalo News she was “a mother to the motherless” and “a blessing to all of us.” Whitfield attributed his mother’s strength and commitment to family to her strong religious faith.

Katherine Massey was “a beautiful soul” who was killed while shopping, sister Barbara Massey said.

Among the injured was Zaire Goodman, the son of a staffer to State Sen. Tim Kennedy. The 20-year-old was shot in the neck but recovering, Kennedy said.

WHAT DO AUTHORITIES SAY ABOUT THE MOTIVE?

At a news briefing on Saturday, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia called the shooting a hate crime.

“This was pure evil. It was (a) straight-up racially motivated hate crime from somebody outside of our community, outside of the City of Good Neighbors … coming into our community and trying to inflict that evil upon us,” Garcia said.

The FBI is investigating the shooting as both a hate crime and racially motivated violent extremism.

Authorities declined to comment on the document purporting to show the attackers racist, anti-immigrant and antisemitic beliefs.

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/buffalo-shooting-what-to-know-bcb5e0bd2aedb925d20440c2005ffef8

Ms. Hsieh said the church is in a peaceful retirement community in a safe neighborhood.

“I could not even imagine something like this could happen here,” she said. “I’m just as shocked as anybody.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter that it was helping with the investigation.

The governor’s office in California said on Twitter that “no one should have to fear going to their place of worship.”

“Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event,” the office said.

Katie Porter, the Democratic member of Congress who represents Orange County, described the news as disturbing, especially given the shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday. “This should not be our new normal,” Ms. Porter said.

Vimal Patel and Livia Albeck-Ripka contributed reporting.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/us/california-church-shooting-laguna-woods.html

Ukrainian band, Kalush Orchestra, made an impassioned plea to free people still trapped in a besieged steel mill in a strategic Ukrainian port city on Saturday night after performing in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, where bookmakers tip them to win.

“I ask all of you, please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal, right now,” the band’s front man, Oleh Psiuk, said, to the live crowd of some 7,500, many of whom gave a standing ovation, and global television audience of millions.

The plea to free the remaining Ukrainian fighters trapped beneath the sprawling Azovstal plant by Russians served as a somber reminder that the hugely popular and at times flamboyant Eurovision song contest was being played out against the backdrop of a war on Europe’s eastern flank.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave signs that he was watching from Kyiv, and rooting for Ukrainian band.

“Indeed, this is not a war, but nevertheless, for us today, any victory is very important,” Zelenskyy said, according to a .presidential statement. “So, let’s cheer for ours. Glory be to Ukraine!”

Kalush Orchestra was among 25 bands performing in the Eurovision Song Contest final front of a live audience in the industrial northern city of Turin, while millions more watched on television or via streaming around the world.

The Ukrainian band was heavily tipped to win by bookmakers, who are giving the group that mixes traditional Ukrainian rhythms, costumes and dance moves with contemporary hip hop a 60% chance of winning.

Associated Press

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/15/russia-ukraine-live-updates.html