United Airlines has reached a settlement with Kentucky physician, Dr. David Dao, who was dragged off a plane at O’Hare International Airport in early April. The incident aboard Flight 3411 was captured on video by passengers on the plane and widely shared online around the world. It quickly became an international embarrassment for both the carrier and the city’s aviation department.
Dao’s attorney Thomas Demetrio, announced that a settlement had been reached, but terms were not disclosed. The airline released a written statement in response to the announcement: “We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411. We look forward to implementing the improvements we have announced, which will put our customers at the center of everything we do.”
The airline unveiled new policies earlier in the same day the settlement was reached. Part of the new policies include a promise to not use law enforcement to remove overbooked customers from planes, additional training for front-line employees and setting up an automated system that will ask passengers at check-in if they would be willing to give up their seat. United CEO Oscar Munoz also pledged to reduce the amount of overbooking and offer up to $10,000 for customers willing to volunteer to take a later flight.
Dao’s attorney praised Munoz for agreeing to the settlement. “Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing and he has. In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.”
Demetrio added “Dr. Dao has become the unintended champion for the adoption of changes which will certainly help improve the lives of literally millions of travelers. I sincerely hope that all other airlines make similar changes and follow United’s lead in helping to improve the passenger flying experience with an emphasis on empathy, patience, respect and dignity.”
Dr. Dao, 69, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was one of four passengers picked to be bumped from an April 9th flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Louisville, Ky., to make room for four airline employees who were added to the flight shortly before it departed. When he refused to leave, multiple Chicago Department of Aviation security officers were called to remove him.
According to a report released by the Chicago Department of Aviation, Officer James Long boarded the plane to respond to a disturbance involving two passengers who were refusing to leave the aircraft. When he approached Dao’s seat and asked him to leave, Long said Dao “folded his arms tightly” and refused to leave the aircraft. The officer said he was able to “hold” the physician in order to remove him from his window seat.
A struggle ensued between Dao and the officer in the isle of the aircraft. Dao, who was hospitalized in Chicago, suffered a concussion, a broken nose and lost two teeth in the ordeal. The viral video shows Dao being dragged by his arms down the aisle of the plane as other passengers watch in horror.
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The state of Arkansas received heavy criticism and sparked new debates over the death penalty after they rushed to carry out an unprecedented series of 8 executions in 11 days during the month of April as its supply of the sedative midazolam was set to expire at the end of the month. All eight men were convicted of murders that occurred between 1989 and 1999 with some of the crimes described as particularly heinous. The eight men scheduled for execution were Kenneth Williams, Bruce Ward, Stacey Johnson, Don Williamson Davis, Ledell Lee, Jack Harold Jones, Jason McGehee and Marcel Williams.
Governor Hutchinson signed proclamations setting four execution dates for the eight inmates between April 17 and 27. Two men would be put to death on each of the four dates. In a statement he said that it was necessary to schedule the executions close together because of doubts about the future availability of one of three drugs the state uses in its lethal-injection procedure.
Arkansas uses a cocktail of three drugs in its lethal injection formula: Midazolam is used to sedate the prisoner, vecuronium bromide paralyzes prisoners and stops their breathing, and potassium chloride stops the heart. Midazolam is the most controversial of the three since it has repeatedly failed to make prisoners unconscious in other executions, leading to painful deaths. It is not approved by the FDA to be used as an anesthetic on its own, but doctors do use it combined with other drugs before surgical procedures. That is not the case in prisons.
The hurried schedule hit roadblocks from the moment it was announced as attorneys for the eight men attempted to block the executions- including using the argument that midazolam does not effectively prevent a painful death. Separate rulings stayed the executions of two of the prisoners, Don Davis and Bruce Ward. Arkansas appealed the decision in Davis’ case, but the US Supreme Court upheld it. Then Federal Judge Kristine Baker put a stop to all eight executions on April 15, a decision that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed two days later. By the end of April, four of the men received stays for various reasons.
Despite the drug shortage and the controversy over its use- lethal injection remains the country’s primary method of execution. The drug shortage has spurred some states to begin adapting new and untested combinations of drugs while other states look at other methods of executions. Utah, Tennessee and Oklahoma added or broadened their abilities to use a firing squad, electric chair or nitrogen gas.
With the month over and the expiration date passing-the freshly stirred dust on the death penalty debate has not settled. Capital punishment has long been a divisive issue in the United States with support of it declining to a 40 year low. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, Americans remain split, with 49 percent in favor and 42 percent against it (9% were undecided).
Nationwide, the number of executions has faced a decline as well. Since 2007, seven states have abolished the death penalty and the governors of four others have issued moratoria on the practice. Arkansas is currently one of 31 states with courts that still issue death sentences.
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In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, May 7th, 2017 was:
DEBORAH FARRIS
Dallas, TX
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
5/01/17
Brittany Marie Thompson
Brandy Marie Williams
Nai Merri
Isis Sample
Jennifer Kinner
Anna Nichols
Dale Fish
Crystal Young
Kendra George
Judy Custer
Jennifer Sparks
Jenifer Garza
Michelle Cervantes
Heather Lynn Rood
Misty Shallcross
Deborah Farris
Paula Rousseau
Tonya Velazquez
Stephanie Beckwith
Jamie Nash Lewter
Nelle Bailey
Amy Cantrall-McDaniels
5/2/17
Jennifer Kinner
Crystal Young
Glenna Zanglio
Cheryl Hall
Lisa Puckett
Jodi Stevens
Tee Anderson
Karen Bondehagen
Jennifer Ramlet
Amber Cheras
Kelli Bryson
Stephanie Caldwell
Tonya Velazquez
Jakara Jackson
Kassi Krick-King
Michelle Hughes
Angela N Dustin Turner
Crystal Dougherty Merrill
Brandy Marie Williams
Alicia Dansby
5/3/17
Deborah Farris
Christy Hawkes
Jade Good
Jennifer Mason
Shona Johnson
Alexandria Fields
Derek Jennings
Paula Rousseau
Jennifer Saavedra
Jennifer Downing
Joanie Waterman
Mary Vantil
Jodi Stevens
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Melissa Barnes Walker
Crystal Hazelwood
Megan Rhyne
Tracy Shafer
Wendi Black
Trisha Musgrave
5/4/17
Deborah Farris
Sandra Sue Blanton
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Jennifer Mason
Kimberly Foster
Steve Hardy
Sandy Nevels
Jonnalyn Gates
Sheila Carvell
Kendra George
Adaria Johnson
Beth Mason
Alicia Dansby
Angelique Drummond
Sheila Vives
Brooke Scott
Debbie Jensen
Melinda Lee
Pamela Gonzalez
Kalyani Nam
5/5/17
Christine McKinnon
Andrea Timms
Kimberly Snyder
Cheryl Hall
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Megan Landor
Mary Achio
Megan Rhyne
Kevin James Anderson
Jakara Jackson
Shawna Poole
Christina Domingue
Tera Wardrip
Dean Bruss
Beata Tybor
Sheila Carvell
Valerie Kuehn
Jennifer Alice Duran
Nai Merri
JoBeth Butcher
5/6/17
Jonnalyn Gates
Joanie Waterman
Andrea Timms
Stephanie Beckwith
Valerie Kuehn
Kayte CookWatts
Brooke Scott
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Heather Lynn Rood
Nelle Bailey
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Derek Jennings
Angela N Dustin Turner
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Allyson Becker
Kimberly Snyder
Lauren Bradley
Christina Domingue
Tera Wardrip
Maria Bouchard
5/7/17
Karen Jaras
Cheryl Hall
Stephanie Caldwell
Traci Anderson
Jennifer Ramlet
Rebecca Fauteux
Deborah Farris
Dale Fish
Johanna Landsaw-Davis
Laura Moreland
Angela Hendricks
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Nitasha Shank
Kathleen Hickman
Beth Cleveland
Jennifer Lang
Roberta Thomas
Wendi Black
Sheila Carvell
Beata Tybor
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!! 
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
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At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
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At least 140 Afghan soldiers were killed after Taliban militants disguised as soldiers, drove onto a military base and opened fire on soldiers leaving Friday prayers. Around 130 of the victims were young recruits who had just graduated from military school. A national day of mourning followed as the calculated Taliban attack was the deadliest on an Afghan military base in the last 16 years.
Camp Shaheen, in northern Afghanistan, was considered one of the nation’s most secure bases in the now relatively peaceful city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Though the April 21st death toll was high, it could have been much higher. It began when two pickup trucks with at least eight Taliban fighters disguised as ANA soldiers passed through multiple checkpoints undetected with fake military identification cards used to obtain access.
An intelligence officer who survived the attack said the attackers were clean-shaven and had what they claimed to be a bloody and bandaged, wounded soldier in the backseat. The “soldier” acted like he was in pain and the disguised attackers claimed it was a medical emergency, insisting that they needed to be let into the base immediately to save the soldier.
As the trucks made it to the final checkpoint which was manned by three guards and no barricade-the guards radioed headquarters to find out if the army hospital was expecting the urgent case. The guards were instructed to let them through but to inform them that they must leave their cache of weapons at the gate. The insurgents refused to leave their weapons and a fierce fire fight with the guards ensued. The Taliban attackers shot all three guards, killing two while the third remains in a critical condition.
After the altercation at the last checkpoint, the attackers made their way into the mosque just as prayers had ended and people were making their way outside. Armed with a machine gun installed on the roof of one of their trucks, the attackers sprayed bullets into the crowd.
As explosions went off, terrified recruits began running for safety. Nearby, an attacker in disguise was calmly directing terrified recruits “to safety” by ushering them inside the dining hall. Trusting the familiar uniform, many young recruits poured in, minutes later, he blew himself up — killing more than 20.
Many recruits ran back into the mosque for safety but the attackers followed them in, mercilessly killing them. A survivor inside the mosque said that as he “played dead” among bodies of fallen recruits he heard a voice call out that “it was over” and “survivors stand up.” Slowly, several survivors rose only to be shot dead.
As deadly as this calculated was, if it wasn’t for the altercation at the final checkpoint, it is likely the casualties would have been far higher. It is believed that the intention of the attackers was to breach the mosque and open fire during final prayers — where 1,500 unarmed personnel would have been easy prey in one enclosed space.
Following the ongoing investigation and amid speculation of inside assistance in the attack, 8 ANA personnel have been arrested while more remain under investigation. Afghanistan’s defense minister and Army chief have also resigned.
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Relations between North Korea and the US and South Korea have rapidly deteriorated in recent months, as the rhetoric and military posturing on both sides has increased. North Korea has threatened to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier that is conducting military drills, along with Japanese ships, in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E Meyer have practiced for war with North Korea with a series of military drills. US allies South Korea and Japan surrounded North Korea with joint exercises on both sides of the Korean peninsula. The navy fleet is now within “striking range” of North Korea, in the Philippine Sea- just east of the Japanese island of Okinawa.
North Korea conducted its own military drills which involved 300 large-caliber self-propelled guns lined up along the coast where they opened fire with live rounds. A statement from the South Korean military said the live-fire exercises were in the Wonsan region in the east of the country. North Korea fired four ballistic missiles toward Japan as part of its exercise targeting US bases there.
Soon after those drills were conducted, the US began to deploy its advanced THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea, despite opposition from Russia and China. The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system came THAAD is a missile defense system designed to intercept short and medium-range ballistic missiles as they begin their descent to their targets. Developed by Lockheed Martin, THAAD missiles use infrared seeker technology to locate their targets and detonate on impact.
Both Russia and China have spoken out against the THAAD deployment. China’s Foreign Ministry stated that it was “resolutely opposed” to the move and say the missile system actually aims to counter China’s military power in the region, not to contain North Korea. The deployment also drew protests from hundreds of villagers in Seongju, South Korea, who clashed with police as troops began deploying THAAD hardware on a local golf course.
The Trump administration called the entire US Senate to a meeting at the White House, for a briefing on North Korea with the US secretaries of Defense and State. President Trump recently stated “North Korea is a big world problem, and it’s a problem we have to finally solve. People put blindfolds on for decades and now it’s time to solve the problem.” Many fear that Trump is backing himself into a corner with his firm stance on North Korea, leading both countries to a point where “bad things are going to happen.”
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In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, April 30th, 2017 was:
JENNIFER LANG
No. Miami Beach, FL
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
4/24/17
Valerie Kuehn
Jodi Stevens
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Brandy Marie Williams
Kassi Krick-King
Samantha Mer
Jennifer Lang
Jennifer Zarafino-Griffiths
Myranda Medlin
Cheryl Hall
Amanda Saltsman
Melissa D’Ornellas Curtis
Holly Cajigas
Mary Vantil
Abigail Edwards
Megan Akins
Karen Goodwin Delaney
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Dawn Raasch
Karen Bondehagen
Susan Clarke Jette
4/25/17
Judy Custer
Joann Tompkins-Winborn
Jennifer Sparks
Valerie Kuehn
Jennifer Mason
Chrissy Kim
Carol Yemola
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Jakara Jackson
Lotorya Patrick
Crystal Hazelwood
Tina Marie
Alexandria Fields
Misty Shallcross
Nai Merri
Jonnalyn Gates
Anna Nichols
Holly Cajigas
Julie Garrett
Bea Patrick
4/26/17
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Michelle Cervantes
Joanie Waterman
Carol Scheive
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Dawn Raasch
Alexis Maureen
Jennifer Ramlet
Nitasha Shank
Karen Bondehagen
Christy Hawkes
Brandy Marie Williams
Kimberly Snyder
Kayla Clemons
Jennifer Lang
Geri Rus
Julie Garrett
Hollie Jahnke
Cheryl Hall
Megan Rhyne
Jennifer Downing
Angela Nicole
Jean Simmons Homfeld
4/27/17
Karen Bondehagen
Crystal Dougherty Merrill
Geraldlee Lee
Cheryl Hall
Hollie Jahnke
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Mary Achio
Paula Rivers
Stephanie Caldwell
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Marie Beauregard
Melissa Barnes Walker
Anne Hanson
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Amanda Kyrie’ Ayala
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Phyllis Hines
Jakara Jackson
Shelley Ann Peoples
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Misty Dawn Moores
Dale Fish
Anggie Marie
4/28/17
Cheryl Hall
Brittany Marie Thompson
Lotorya Patrick
Mary Perez Ramz
Nai Merri
Mary Ann Cody
Lauren Bradley
Sherri Kidwell
Bea Patrick
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Melissa Barnes Walker
Michelle Hughes
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Tina Marie
Alexandria Fields
Allison Frederick
Karen Rimiller Presley
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Marcy Coull
Kathleen Hickman
Tonya Velazquez
4/29/17
Christine McKinnon
Karen Bondehagen
Beata Tybor
Kathleen Hickman
Amanda Saltsman
Tonya Velazquez
Brittany Marie Thompson
Juanita Williams-Jones
Karen Goodwin Delaney
Holly Cajigas
Brittany Deaver
Nelle Bailey
Christina Montes
Misty Dawn Moores
Jacqlyn Gummert
Nikki Bankert
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Hollie Jahnke
Trish Marks
Bobbie J Rittenhouse
Phyllis Hines
4/30/17
Tina Marie
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Deborah Farris
Jennifer Kinner
Valerie Kuehn
Jennifer Ramlet
Michelle R. Carlino
Althea Thomas
Jennifer Alice Duran
Mary Vantil
Kayla Clemons
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Hollie Jahnke
Sherri Kidwell
Christy Hawkes
Jade Good
Jennifer Downing
Phyllis Hines
Wendi Black
Crystal Hazelwood
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events! 
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Steve Stephens, the Cleveland killer who uploaded a video of himself shooting an elderly man on Easter Sunday-has killed himself after a police chase in Pennsylvania. Stephens was on the run for two days after uploading a video of the senseless murder, as well as two other videos explaining why he committed the crime. In a video made prior to the shooting, Stephens explains that he just snapped and that his ex-girlfriend Joy Lane was to blame for what he was about to do. He mentions that he had lost everything he had to gambling debts and that he has tried to talk about his problems with friends and family but that they act like his problems aren’t that serious.
In the video of the killing, Stephens approaches Robert Godwin, a 74 year old grandfather of 14, as he is walking down the street. Stephens asks Godwin if he knows Joy Lane and then makes the man repeat the name saying “Joy Lane is the reason this is about to happen to you”. Godwin replies “Joy Lane, I don’t know any Joy Lane” as he raises his arms to protect himself-before being shot dead. Godwin, 74, was shot while walking home from an Easter meal with his children in Cleveland.
After uploading the video on Facebook, Stephens posted a Facebook live video of himself driving in his car while talking on the phone and dubbing his crime spree “The Joy Lane Easter Massacre” while claiming to have already killed a dozen other people. He claimed he would keep killing at random until Joy Lane or his mother called him.
Joy Lane, Stephens on again-off again girlfriend of a few years, told several news agencies that she tried to reach him shortly after the video surfaced but he did not pick up his phone. She said she was overwhelmed by the tragedy and apologized for what had happened-wishing for prayers for the victim’s family.
After the video surfaced, Cleveland residents were left reeling in fear that an active shooter was still in the area killing innocent people at random. For two days, authorities across the country scrambled to find Stephens, believing he may have headed east to family in New York. On Sunday, Stephens’ cell phone pinged a cell tower 100 miles east of Cleveland, in Erie, Pennslyvania.
The manhunt came to an end shortly after an employee spotted Stephens’ white Ford Fusion in the drive-thru of a McDonald’s near Erie and called authorities. The franchise owner said Stephens ordered chicken nuggets and fries at the McDonald’s drive-thru window in Harborcreek Township when employees recognized him. Stephens was two cars behind in the drive-thru lane to pick up food as police were on their way.
The McDonalds employee’s tried to give police more time to arrive by telling Stephens the fries were not ready but he took the nuggets and left. Authorities spotted him as he fled the area and gave chase. Police said that an officer performed a “PIT” maneuver, a strategic way of ramming a car to disable it. As the vehicle was spinning out of control from the PIT maneuver, Stephens pulled a pistol and shot himself in the head.
Authorities were uncertain how long Stephens was in the area and don’t believe he had any accomplices. No other victims have been confirmed.
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A major escalation of the tensions between the U.S. and North Korea has led to the US sending the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and several warships toward the Korean Peninsula. The Carl Vinson and three guided-missile destroyers and cruisers to the peninsula were sent only days after North Korea launched its latest ballistic missile test. This missile reportedly flew only 37 miles.
North Korea has condemned the U.S. for bringing the aircraft carrier group and other nuclear-armed assets into the region, and threatened an assault on South Korea, Japan and U.S. bases. A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that “We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions. North Korea is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.”
U.S. intelligence officials believe North Korea is preparing its sixth nuclear weapons test, possibly as early as Saturday, April 15 which coincides with the 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung.
North Korean senior officials have accused the Trump administration of wanting to “annihilate” their country and blamed the escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula squarely on the U.S. and South Korea. Han Song Ryol, North Korea’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs stated in an interview that if North Korea felt they were going to be attacked they would use nuclear weapons.
Experts say the sixth nuclear test could come at any time and is part of the Kim Jong Un regime’s quest to build a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Most analysts believe North Korea is still at least several years away from that capacity, but Pyongyang already has weapons that pose a serious threat to U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, and U.S. troops based in those countries.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program has been a primary focus and a tense topic for years. Just last month North Korea successfully launched four ballistic missiles into the waters off northwest Japan. State media in Pyongyang said it was just a dry run of a nuclear attack against US military bases in Japan and experts say this exercise was defensive, not offensive.
A North Korea official stated Pyongyang intends to “relentlessly strengthen” the country’s nuclear weapons. Experts say North Korea’s goal in advancing their nuclear program and developing nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US is a deterrent for a US invasion.
Experts have debated whether North Korea possesses a nuclear warhead it can mount to a short or medium-range missile. North Korea claims that it has miniaturized a nuclear warhead and is capable of mounting it to a short, medium, or long-range missile – has never been independently verified. Kim said in his New Year’s address that the country had reached “the final stages” of that weapon’s development.
While analysts say it is unlikely that North Korea possesses an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching West Coast cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle, they are well on their way to developing such a weapon.
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U.S. District Court Judge David Hale in Louisville, Kentucky, has ruled that a lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of inciting violence against protesters at a presidential campaign rally last year can move forward, denying a free speech argument against the suit.
The ruling opens the way for the lawsuit brought by three protesters to proceed through the legal system. The suit is against Trump, his campaign and three of his supporters. Trump’s lawyers had argued a free speech defense against the lawsuit, arguing that Trump did not intend for his supporters to use force.
Kentucky federal Judge David Hale said he found ample facts supporting the allegations that the protesters’ injuries were a ”direct and proximate result” of Trump’s actions. He wrote that “it is plausible that Trump’s direction to ‘get ‘em out of here’ advocated the use of force. … It was an order, an instruction, a command.” The protesters- two women and a teenage boy, were at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
Plaintiffs Henry Brousseau, Kashiya Nwanguma and Molly Shah say they were assaulted by Trump supporters at the March 2016 rally in Louisville as Trump repeatedly said “Get ‘em out.” The trio are suing Trump and his campaign for incitement to riot, negligence, as well as gross negligence and recklessness. They are seeking unspecified damages.
The attackers named in the lawsuit include Matthew Heimbach, a member of a white supremacist group, and Alvin Bamberger, a member of the Korean War Veterans Association in Ohio. A third defendant has not been identified. In a video of the incident that went viral shortly after it happened, Heimbach and Bamberger are seen pushing Nwanguma down an aisle as Trump repeatedly says “Get ‘em out, Get ‘em out of here!”
Hale said the removal of Nwanguma, an African American woman, was “particularly reckless.” The judge did not remove allegations that Nwanguma was the victim of racial, ethnic and sexist slurs from the rally crowd. He wrote, “While the words themselves are repulsive, they are relevant to show the atmosphere in which the alleged events occurred.”
The judge dismissed part of the suit claiming that Trump and his campaign were “vicariously liable” for assault and battery. Hale said that the men accused of attacking the protesters were not employed by the Trump campaign, nor were they under Trump’s direct control.
Alvin Bamberger, said in a letter cited by the judge: “Trump kept saying, ‘get them out, get them out,’ and people in the crowd began pushing and shoving the protesters. I physically pushed a young woman.”
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At least 86 people have died, including 20 children, and hundreds wounded – in a suspected chemical weapons attack in the northern province of the rebel controlled city of Idlib. The attack has been described as the largest chemical attack in Syria since 2013. The United States, France and Britain have accused the Syrian government of carrying out the attack and have proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning it.
U.N. war crimes investigators have said that if the suspected chemical attack is confirmed, that it constitutes a “serious violation of international law.” Russia had initially claimed that the chemical attack was actually gases that were released after an airstrike hit a depot where rebels were making chemical weapons. Later, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin called the gassing of civilians a “dangerous and monstrous crime” but did not name anyone as the perpetrator.
Syrian journalist Hadi Abdullah, who was a victim of the attack that occurred at dawn on Tuesday, described it in an interview. “We were attacked with four strikes” “When people went to help, they were choked with the poisoned gas.” Abdullah described his symptoms of a massive headache with blaring pain in his eyes, trouble breathing and a persistent runny nose as minor in comparison to others.
He described the horrifying scene in the aftermath of the strike as chaos with crying, people being stripped and washed in the streets and children suffocating and dying in the streets as white liquid frothed from their open mouths. He said many were wandering the streets in search of loved ones-not knowing if they had been taken for medical treatment or were already dead. In one case, he said, an entire family – parents and three children, were found dead in their beds from the initial alleged chemical attack.
According to Syrian Dr. Khaled Al Milaji- the initial medical summaries following the attack indicated that the substance used was “more than just chlorine,” and that they strongly suspect “sarin or worse” was also utilized. Sarin is next to impossible to detect, due to its clear, tasteless and non-odorous nature. Atropine – a medication used intravenously to treat certain types of nerve agent exposure – was distributed as widely as possible, but the best chance one had of survival was being relocated to safer area in the northern part of the region.
Just days before the chemical attack, the Trump administration said it would no longer seek the ouster of Bashar al-Assad but afterwards, President Trump said that it had altered his position on Syria and its leader Bashar al-Assad. A mere 63 hours after the chemical attack, understandably shaken by photos of infants and children dying- President Trump gave the order to unleash 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Al Shayrat airfield- where attack was launched from.
The intent of the US strike was to “send a message” to the Assad regime. Russia’s Foreign Ministry quickly condemned the U.S. assault, saying it threatened international security. Russia-the Syrian regime’s main ally, has pledged to help strengthen Syria’s air defenses and suspend its “deconfliction agreement,” which prevents Russian and U.S. planes from coming into conflict over Syria.
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