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Model Katie May's Death Caused By Chiropractic Procedure

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Former "Playboy" model Katie May's death in February was caused by a chiropractic procedure to her neck, the Los Angeles County coroner's office told NBC News.

May died on Feb. 4 due to a "manipulation of the neck," the coroner's office said. Her death was ruled an accident.

On Friday, the American Chiropractic Association offered condolences to May's family, but defended chiropractic neck procedures.

"Our sympathy goes out to the family of Katie May," they wrote in a statement. "With respect to the safety of neck manipulation, it’s important to understand there are risks and benefits to all treatments; however, the best available evidence indicates there is no causal relationship between neck manipulation and stroke."

"Millions of neck manipulations are performed safely in the U.S. every year, providing patients relief from common forms of neck pain and headache, and helping them to get back to their normal activities," the statement continued.



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Poll: 45 Percent of GOP Might Not Accept Election Results

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Among Republican and Republican-leaning likely voters, 45 percent said they might not accept the election as legitimate if their candidate doesn't win, including 18 percent who said they would definitely not accept the outcome, according to the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Third Debate Reaction Poll conducted on Thursday, Oct. 20. A majority of Republicans—53 percent—said they would accept the results of the election if their candidate loses, NBC News reported.

Voters polled also said Hillary Clinton won the third and final debate of the 2016 Presidential Election cycle by a 9-point margin over Donald Trump. A 46 percent plurality said Clinton won the debate, while 37 percent said Trump won. Another 17 percent said that neither candidate won the debate. Clinton's final victory over the Republican nominee marks a decisive sweep of all three debates.

The debate was most notable for Trump's refusal to say he would accept the outcome of the election—with some GOP leaders joining a backlash.



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Montana Judge Criticized for 60-Day Sentence for Incest

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Thousands are calling for the impeachment of a Montana judge for what they argue was a too lenient sentence given to a father who admitted to committing incest with his 12-year-old daughter, NBC News reported.

The judge, John McKeon, sentenced the man to 60 days in prison when the sentence could’ve been as long as 25 years. NBC News is not identifying the father in order to protect the identity of his daughter.

A Change.org petition has accumulated more than 62,000 signatures of people demanding the judge’s impeachment.

McKeon defended his decision, stating that the psychosexual evaluation during the trial revealed the man could be safely treated and supervised.



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Democratic Strategist Refutes Trump's Claims of Paid Protests

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A longtime Democratic activist said that contrary to Donald Trump’s allegations at Wednesday's debate, he had no role in any secret plan to instigate violence at Trump rallies.

Robert Creamer told NBC5 Investigates, “Aside from the fact that we didn’t want to--why would we provoke the crowd? Donald Trump did it from his own podium.”

At issue: rowdy confrontations between pro-and-anti-Trump forces outside his campaign events, including a notable rally at the UIC Pavilion last March which became so raucous that the candidate canceled his appearance. Conservative activist James O’Keefe claims in a new video to have secretly recorded Creamer and his associates discussing the plants they supposedly placed in the crowds to goad Trump supporters into violence.

“We have mentally ill people that we pay … make no mistake,” activist Scott Foval is heard boasting on the tape. “If you’re there and you’re protesting and you do these actions, you will be attacked at Trump rallies. That’s what we want.”

“I was wondering what happened with my rally in Chicago and other rallies where we had such violence,” Trump declared during Wednesday evening’s debate as he pointed across the stage at his Democratic opponent. “She’s the one, and Obama, that caused the violence.”

On the tape, Foval appears to brag of his association with Creamer, a longtime Democratic strategist who is married to Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

“Bob Creamer is diabolical and I love him for it,” he says. “There’s a script of engagement. Sometimes the crazies bite, and sometimes the crazies don’t bite.”

But Creamer, chief of the firm Democracy Partners, adamantly disavows Foval’s claims.

“He was not a contractor at the time he made the statements in April,” he told NBC5. “The things he described were contrary to the policies of Democracy Partners---never happened.”

He would not speculate about why Foval made the claims he did, in conversations which he was not aware were being recorded.  Creamer accused the Trump forces of committing dirty tricks of their own.

“James O’Keefe, the discredited individual behind this well-orchestrated spying scheme directed at our firm, uses methods that would make Richard Nixon and the Watergate burglars proud,” he said in a statement. “O’Keefe executed a plot that involved the use of trained operatives using false identification, disguises, and elaborate false covers to infiltrate our firm and other consulting firms, in order to steal campaign plans, and goad unsuspecting individuals into making careless statements on hidden cameras."

The Associated Press reported that O'Keefe and Project Veritas often target Democratic groups with hidden cameras and false identities. O'Keefe filmed hidden camera footage at an office of community organizing group ACORN, portraying workers there as engaging in criminal activity, which led to the end of the group.

His 2010 scheme to film illegally at the office of Mary Landrieu, then a Democratic U.S. senator for Louisiana, resulted in O'Keefe being convicted, according to the AP.

In excerpts on the edited video that Project Veritas recently released, Foval seems to boast of the ease with which campaign events can be disrupted.

“It’s a matter of showing up, to want to get into the rally with a Planned Parenthood t-shirt,” he said. “Or Trump is a Nazi, you know? You can message to draw them out, and draw them to punch you.”

Two police officers were injured and five protesters arrested at the Chicago event, with the taxpayers shelling out over $100,000 in police overtime. As a result of the fallout from the video, Creamer severed his relationship with Foval, and announced he was “stepping back” from his responsibilities working with the Clinton campaign.

“Because I did not want to be a distraction from this campaign in the last two and a half weeks,” he told NBC5. “I did not want to be a lightning rod.”

Creamer made news of his own 10 years ago, when he was convicted of fundraising irregularities surrounding his former consumer group, Illinois Public Action. He was sentenced to five months in prison for bank fraud and an associated tax charge. He is a longtime Democratic consultant, working on the campaigns of, among others, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and now congressman Mike Quigley.

The news website DNA Info reported Thursday that Twitter was bursting with anti-Trump posters who facetiously wondered where their paychecks might be.

“Trump, Chicago didn’t need to be paid to express our dislike for you,” Christopher Mikell said in a tweet posted Wednesday night. “We just ain’t got none.”

Activist Jedidiah Brown put it even more succinctly.

“I need Donald Trump to please tell me where I can get my $1,500 for standing against him at the Chicago rally.”



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Connecticut School Cancels Halloween Parade, Bans Costumes

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A Connecticut elementary school is canceling its Halloween parade and banning students from wearing costumes in school this year. 

The principal of Lillie B. Haynes in Niantic sent a letter to families on Wednesday with the decision and said school leaders made the decision with input from staff members. 

“This decision was based on many factors including safety and exclusion of students," Principal Melissa DeLoreto said in a statement. "With increasing societal safety concerns, the number of adults who attend this event, some in costumes, poses a potential safety threat.” 

School officials said students in past years have been excluded from participating because of religion and cultural beliefs. 

“We believe school day activities must be inclusive for all students and we must be sensitive in regards to holidays and celebrations of religious, cultural or secular nature,” DeLoreto wrote. “Please know classroom celebrations will continue to take place however, they will be Fall themed, not Halloween.” 

DeLoreto said classroom teachers will send home information about the celebration.

"I think it's a little overreaction -- knee jerk," said parent Shawn Prevost, whose two nieces and a nephew attend the school with his daughter. "But it's one thing that happens. As parents you have to explain to them the reasons behind it." 

But another parent noted that there are other ways to celebrate Halloween in town, including at East Lyme's "Trick or Trunk" event. 

NBC Connecticut also reached out to the superintendent, but has not heard back.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Pentagon IDs US Sailor Killed by Roadside Bomb in Iraq

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A sailor with the U.S. Navy based in Coronado, California, was the American service member killed in Iraq Thursday, Defense Department officials confirmed Friday.

Chief Petty Officer Jason C. Finan, 34, died Thursday from injuries suffered by an "improvised explosive device," or roadside bomb, officials said.

Finan was from Anaheim, California, and was serving in Iraq with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 in an advisory capacity, according to the Pentagon. 

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost," said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command/NECC Pacific, in a news release.

Finan was the first U.S. service member to die in combat since the launch of a massive operation to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul earlier this week.

More than 100 U.S. special operations forces are embedded with Iraqi units, and hundreds more are playing a supporting role in staging bases.

As of early this month, there were 4,565 U.S. troops in Iraq, according to the Pentagon. That doesn't include another 1,500 troops considered there "on temporary duty," whose number changes daily, according to the U.S. officials.

Three other service members have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes against IS in August 2014.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Make Her Opera Debut

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Fans of the Supreme Court and the opera are in for a double treat next month, when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes her debut in Washington, D.C., NBC News reports. 

She'll be on stage at the Washington National Opera as the Duchess of Krakenthorp in "The Daughter of the Regiment," though for one night only — opening night, on Nov. 12.

The 83-year-old justice is a well-known opera fan, and has actually been on stage with the group before, as an extra in three productions, but this is her official debut. Ginsburg won't actually be singing in the 1840 rom-com by Gaetano Donizetti, though. Her part is strictly a speaking role. 



Photo Credit: AP

With Women as Key Planners, Events at Trump Venues Are Down

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There is growing evidence that Donald Trump's mud-slinging is tarnishing his gold-plated name, and industry observers say the Republican presidential nominee risks doing permanent damage to his brand.

"There are certainly groups and event planners shying away [from Trump-related venues] just because they don't want to offend anybody," said David Loeb, managing director and senior real estate research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co.

Already, the Susan G. Komen Foundation is considering relocating an annual fundraiser held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, NBC News reported. In addition, the PGA announced this summer that it was moving the WGC-Cadillac Championship from the Trump National Doral in Florida to Mexico City next year.

"The majority of the meeting planning community is female, and when you have a candidate who's been very polarizing… it just kind of makes sense that might impact their decision-making," said Kevin Iwamoto, a senior consultant at GoldSpring Consulting. "Planners and buyers are going to vote with their dollars." 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks

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There is something magical about seeing "shooting stars" and you'll have your chance from midnight to dawn Friday and again Saturday night.

Don't get your hopes up that the Orionids will be a spectacular showing though. The end of the full moon, or the waning gibbous moon, will wash out the faintest meteors. If you can find a spot away from the city, you may see a maximum of 10 to 15 meteors per hour.

Halley's comet is really far away but we are intersecting the comet's orbit. What's really cool about the Orionids is the debris comes from the most famous of all comets. Halley's comet's last visit was in 1986, and it will return again in 2061. The comet is no where nearby but this time every year the Earth intersects with its orbit.

The meteor shower is called the Orionids because it appears to fan out from the constellation Orion, the Hunter. These particles, or meteors, are about the size, shape and color of Grape-Nuts cereal.

These tiny pieces of debris slam the top of the Earth's atmosphere 80 miles up. Each meteor hits the atmosphere at 37 miles per second, creating a hot streak of superheated air that you see on the ground as a streak of light. They burn up, never reaching the surface of the Earth. It is inaccurate to call them "shooting stars" because they are bits of rubble.

You don't need any special equipment to watch, simply go outside with an open view and away from as many city lights as possible. Lay down on a blanket or a lawn chair and keep an eye on the sky.



Photo Credit: XPP102
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Time Warner Jumps on Report It Could Sell to AT&T

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AT&T is in advanced talks to acquire Time Warner in a deal that could be announced shortly, CNBC reported Friday, citing sources. 

An announcement could come as soon as Monday before the opening bell, as the boards are expected to meet over the weekend, CNBC has learned.

Time Warner could be seeking more than $100 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. That's about in line with $110 a share, according to Bloomberg.

Sources also told CNBC that AT&T could pay well north of $90 a share for Time Warner, and speculated it could be up to $110 a share. Alan Gould, an analyst at Brean Capital, wrote in a research note that such a deal could hit the $110 to $125 a share range.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Women Will Surf Mavericks Contest

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It's been called one of the most dangerous surf competitions in the world, and for the first time it will be a co-ed contest.

After mounting pressure to include women as well as a lingering meeting by the California Coastal Commission to consider an appeal by the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, Titans of Mavericks competition organizers announced Thursday it will include six women in an inaugural women's division for the first time. [[84308282, C]]

This is a notable moment in the history of the Titans of Mavericks competition, which has never named a female winner.

It was a sizable hurdle to jump for female big-wave surfers, as the all-male panel had not previously invited a woman to be an official competitor in its 17-year history.

There have been women chosen as alternates in past years, starting with big-wave surfer Savannah Shaughnessy in the prior season.

The decision comes after amendments to Titans of Mavericks' beach permit that the event be more inclusive of women in the future.

Harbor Commissioner Sabrina Brennan has made women's inclusion in the  competition one of the major issues in her re-election and says she has been an advocate for change throughout her term.

In an interview with NBC Bay Area, the organizers said the decision for a women's heat is good timing and that there are now enough women in the sport to make a separate division possible. 

"It's a permit that we've never been required to get before — all of a sudden we have a permitting agency so it's something we've been working on for years," Titan of Mavericks founder Jeff Clark said. "Finally there's enough women to put together a women's heat."

Prior to the announcement, competition organizers made a multi-year beach permit stating that it would work to identify female athletes who have surfed Mavericks and evaluate them under the same qualifications all potential Titans must meet before competing.

In its inaugural year, the six women will compete within the division for a prize purse of $30,000.

The winner of the surfing contest in the previous year took home $120,000.

The opening ceremony will be held Friday at 12 p.m. with events happening between November 1 and March 31, 2016. [[397792211, C]]

[[397939611, C]]



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area/Rebecca Greenway
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After Major Outages, 3rd Cyberattack 'Has Been Resolved'

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A third wave of denial-of-service attacks on a key piece of internet plumbing was resolved by late Friday, said the company that was targeted.

Internet infrastructure company Dyn Inc. told CNBC earlier in the day that the third wave was underway, causing more disruptions after dozens of the world's most popular websites were taken largely offline Friday morning. 

The White House said it was aware of the situation and that the Department of Homeland Security was looking into it; a senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the FBI has been investigating as well. U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News Friday afternoon that they did not know who was responsible for the attacks, though one source said involvement by North Korea had been ruled out.

Dyn, which runs domain name servers, said on its website that it was subject to a distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack. Domain name servers translate website names to the numeric Internet Protocol addresses behind them. Dyn, headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, is one of the larger companies in that business. 

Major internet services including Spotify, Twitter, Paypal, Reddit, the PlayStation Network, Netflix, SoundCloud and a number of media websites were difficult or impossible to reach early Friday.

[[397906511, C]]

DownDetector.com, a popular website for checking internet outages, showed a sharp and simultaneous spike in users reporting sites being inaccessible just after 7 a.m. ET and again around noon. 

Service providers including Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable and AT&T were also affected. 

Dyn told CNBC that it was being hit by "tens of millions of IP addresses" Friday afternoon, around 4:15 p.m. ET. They said one of the sources of the attack is devices like DVRs, printers, and other appliances that are connected to the internet, collectively known as the "Internet of Things."

Dyn said normal service was restored just over two hours later. But on its website it reported a new attack as of 11:52 a.m. ET that was still underway a half hour later.

"(We) have begun monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Our Engineers are continuing to work on mitigating this issue," the company said on its status update page. 

Later Friday, Dyn released a statement saying the third attack "has been resolved."

[[397927471, C]]

The extent of the effect was not clear as the attacks unfolded — Twitter experienced partial outages throughout the day. 

"The earlier issues have resurfaced & some people may still be having trouble accessing Twitter," the company wrote on its support account at 12:55 p.m. ET. "We’re working on it!"

After four and a half hours of problems, Twitter reported that Dyn had mitigated the attacks and that Twitter was once again available to all its users. 

Dyn said it was "still investigating and mitigating the attacks on our infrastructure," though a monitoring issue was resolved, it tweeted shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

On social media, people reported renewed difficulty accessing Spotify in Europe, as well as problems with photos and video on Twitter. DownDetector showed fresh spikes in outage reports for sites including PayPal, Netflix and Pinterest. 

The attacks immediately renewed fears about the security of the Internet's core infrastructure, particularly with the presidential election - already the subject of hacking concerns - less than three weeks away.

(Comcast is the owner of NBC parent NBCUniversal.)

[[238427591, C]]



Photo Credit: DownDetector.com
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US Election Will Be 'Brexit Times Five,' Predicts Trump

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Donald Trump held three rallies in North Carolina and Pennsylvania on Friday in which he compared the inaccurate early predictions of Britain's "Brexit" to his own presidential campaign.

The Republican nominee, down in the polls, told crowds the U.S. presidential election would be "beyond Brexit," "Brexit plus" and even “Brexit times five." In June, voters in the U.K. elected to leave the European Union in a result that defied predictions.

Trump over the summer and in early fall has been fond of telling crowds he correctly predicted the outcome of that referendum, NBC News reports.

Trump also took aim at the media again Friday, calling them out for perpetuating a "rigged system" designed to keep him from the White House. "They're the most dishonest people," Trump said of the media. The crowds’ boos turned to chants of "CNN sucks."



Photo Credit: Brian Blanco, Getty Images
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Tyson Gay Says Daughter's Death Should Not Be 'Senseless'

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In the wake of the fatal shooting of his 15-year-old daughter Trinity, Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay pledged Friday to help mentor youth in Lexington, Kentucky. Trinity Gay was caught in crossfire last Sunday between two vehicles in a restaurant parking lot in Lexington. The high school student and sprinter was shot in the neck and killed.

“The death of my daughter as an innocent bystander is devastating,” Tyson Gay said in a statement, “but I am determined that it not be senseless.”

The Olympian asked for support from the community in his efforts to give young people “the tools they need to resolve their conflicts and lead successful lives — the kind that Trinity was well on her way to living.”

“In the coming weeks we will be exploring ways to help mentor and support the youth of Lexington over the long term,” he said, “so that the spirit of Trinity will sprint on long after we say goodbye to her this weekend.”

Four men have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Trinity Gay was a sprinter at Lafayette High School in Lexington, where her father still holds the state record in the 100-meter event. The funeral for Trinity Gay is scheduled for Saturday.



Photo Credit: Timothy D. Easley, AP

Michelle's Style Shines Through 8 Years of State Dinners

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First Lady Michelle Obama has been a fashionista for the eight years she’s been in the spotlight. Here are some of her iconic looks during various state dinners that the Obamas have hosted.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Caught on Camera: Rogue Deer Runs Wild in NJ High School

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An unlikely enrollee was caught on camera trying to make its way into a New Jersey school. 

Students captured cellphone video, obtained by NBC 4 New York, of the deer trapped inside a lobby at Ramapo Indian Hills High School Friday morning.

The footage shows the frightened animal running a lap around the empty lobby before losing its balance and falling on the floor. The animal then sits for a few seconds as its head darts back and forth.

Other videos show the deer stammering and falling in the lobby as workers try to get the animal to come outside. 

The school's surveillance video shows the deer ramming into a parked school bus, then stummbling into the school after the impact. The animal couldn't keep its balance because the floor had been recently waxed. 

One of the responding officers told NBC 4 New York the animal was bleeding a bit from the mouth, likely from running into walls and a glass doors. It didn't appear badly hurt as it ran into the woods, the officer said.

The deer was only in the school for about five minutes, but students found themselves talking about the animal all day. 

"They told us to go to class and carry on, but you couldn't carry on like normal after that," said student Victoria Carione. "I was wondering what was happening all day."

It's not the first time a deer has made its way into a school in the Garden State this year.

In February, a 1-year-old buck crashed through a window at North Arlington Middle School, leaped over furniture and dashed into the student dean's office.



Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York
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Mexican Model Disappears in NYC: Police, Family

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A model from Mexico last seen leaving her Brooklyn apartment has been missing since Sunday, sparking a desperate search by family and friends in New York City. 

Geraldine Mendez, 20, arrived in New York City in August to do some fashion shows, according to her father, who flew in from Mexico to help find her. She was last seen leaving her Bushwick apartment Sunday morning. 

"I don't think there could be greater pain than knowing your daughter is in a city alone, in a fragile situation," Hugo Mendez told NBC 4 New York in Spanish. 

Geraldine's social media show pictures and videos of her traveling the world and discovering New York. There has been no update since she disappeared. 

"Geraldine is what I call a happy hippie," said friend Kris Kemp. "She's creative like most of the people here, so she was just kind of hanging out with different people here." 

Friends and family were knocking on doors through the neighborhood, seeking any leads.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police. 



Photo Credit: Courtesy Mendez Family

Robber in Halloween Mask Shoots, Kills Calif. Jack in the Box Employee

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A Jack in the Box employee died after he was shot Friday night by a masked man who attempted to rob the fast-food restaurant in El Monte.

The attempted robbery and shooting occurred at about 7:30 p.m. in the 9200 block of Flair Drive, said Lt. Mike Rosson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

A man wearing a Halloween mask -- it was unclear what kind -- entered the restaurant, jumped the counter and shot a male employee before he ran off empty handed and fled in a car.

It was unknown how many times the robber fired his gun. Employees and patrons ran away when he started shooting.

The employee was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity was withheld pending family notification.

Detailed descriptions of the shooter and his vehicle were not immediately available.

Authorities plan to look through surveillance video, Rosson said.



Photo Credit: RMG News

Abortion Becomes Debate Flashpoint With 'Late-Term' Question

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Abortion became a topic in the debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for the first time Wednesday night when moderator Chris Wallace focused on access to what he called "late-term, partial-birth" procedures.

"Well, I think it’s terrible," Trump said. "If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.

"And, honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that, as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth," he said. "Nobody has that."

Abortion is one of the most polarizing social issues in America. A May 2016 Gallup poll showed that 29 percent of respondents believed it should be legal under any circumstances, 50 percent only under certain circumstances, and 19 percent illegal in all circumstances. Only 2 percent of those surveyed had no opinion.

"Late-term abortion" is a non-medical term that varies in definition. Most laws agree that it encompasses abortions near the end of the second trimester, when viability -- the fetus' ability to exist independently of the mother -- comes into question. There are three methods used in "late-term" abortion: dilation and evacuation, where the contents of the uterus are surgically removed after dilating the cervix; early labor induction; and intact dilation and extraction, in which the fetus is taken out as it appeared in the womb and which is widely prohibited.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of reproductive rights, only 1.2 percent of abortions in the United States occur after 21 weeks gestation. Despite their infrequency, Columbia University professor Rachel Adams said that "late-term" abortions have been a hot topic in the political sphere and have served as a means for conservatives to promote an anti-abortion agenda.

"It allows you to make a more viable argument that you're talking about a baby and not a fetus, which I think is a more dividing ethical line," said Adams, who specializes in gender and sexuality studies.

Americans' attitudes toward late-term abortion seem to be changing as a result of microcephaly, the birth defect that can be caused by the Zika virus. A July poll from Harvard University and STAT, the Boston Globe's publication about health and medicine, found that 61 percent did not think a woman should be able get an abortion after 24 weeks, while 23 percent did. But if the respondents were told that there was a serious possibility that the fetus had microcephaly caused by Zika, the numbers flipped: 59 percent favored allowing a woman to get an abortion and 28 percent disapproved.

Adams criticized Trump's incendiary language of "rip(ping) the baby out of the womb" for its violence toward women and the use of the charged word "baby" for an unborn fetus.

Others took exception to Wallace referring to "partial-birth abortion" in his question.

"Partial-birth abortion is a political term, it's not a medical term," said Laura Ciolkowski, the associate director at Columbia’s Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality. "The language that we use to talk about abortion really matters."

Terminology aside, Trump's comments revealed a lack of knowledge of gynecological medical practice, according to experts.

"First of all, there’s no such thing as ninth-month abortions," Ciolkowski said. "We call that Cesarean sections."

Lisa Perriera, a staff physician at Philadelphia Women's Center and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University, called Trump's comments at the debate "completely medically inaccurate."

"Abortion procedures are usually performed until viability, which is nowhere near complete nine-months of pregnancy," she said.

Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, has also told Politifact that if there was a risk to a mother's life on her due date "the treatment for that is delivery, and the baby survives.”

In Pennsylvania, "viability" is legally defined as 23 weeks and six days, but almost all of Perriera's patients have abortions within the first trimester. Among those who don't, it's usually due to a problem with access to healthcare. Because many are on government-issued Medicaid, their procedures aren't covered by insurance and they have to save to be able to afford an abortion, which takes time.

In the rare event of an abortion after 23 weeks and six days, it's often a situation when "the baby is incredibly sick," and the mother finds out late in the pregnancy, Perriera said.

In the debate, Trump said that if his nominees were appointed to the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade would be reversed "automatically" and issues of abortion would be legislated by the states.

Overturning Roe v. Wade would just make abortion unsafe, according to Perriera.

"It will have really dramatic health outcomes for women," she said. "You will see more women try to self-induce abortion and possibly have an increase in deaths from unsafe abortion."

Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, said Donald Trump would block access to Planned Parenthood, attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade, and believed women should be punished for having an abortion.

The comment was a reference a March 30 town hall event when Trump told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that women who had abortions should receive "some form of punishment." He walked back those remarks the same day to say that women should not be punished.

"Make no mistake, Donald Trump would ban abortion in this country," Richards told NBC. "And that's why women will be the reason he's not elected this November."

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the moment the candidate mentioned reversing the 1973 Supreme Court case "was literally when Donald Trump support bottomed out with independents... His willingness to say that puts him on the wrong side of the vast majority of Americans."

After pushing hard for moderators to ask candidates about abortion access since the primary debates, NARAL activists were thrilled to see Wallace highlight the issue.

"The voters were able to hear a pretty stark contrast in the two candidates," Hogue said.

Some conservatives were annoyed Trump did not directly answer the question of whether he wanted Roe v. Wade overturned.

Evan McMullin, the independent presidential candidate, tweeted: "Why can't @RealDonaldTrump actually say the words 'I want Roe v Wade overturned?' I'm the only pro-life candidate in the race."

Others denounced Clinton’s position.

"Hillary is an extremist on abortion and admitted last night that she is part of a very small, extreme minority of Americans who believe there should be zero restrictions on abortion throughout all nine (months) of pregnancy for any reason," Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, wrote to NBC, emphasizing that she was commenting in a personal, and not official, capacity as a Christian and mother of four.

"While demanding that crimes against children in war torn countries must stop and touting her pro-toddler agenda, she clearly stated that she thinks everyone is worthy of life except children still in their mothers' womb," Hawkins wrote. "You can't claim you are for all rights of women while simultaneously demanding the right to kill pre-born children, half of which are female."

Matt Batzel, national executive director at American Majority Action, tweeted, "Trump: Ripping the baby out the womb, may be okay with Hillary, but is NOT OKAY WITH ME #debatenight #prolife #neverhillary."

However, few pro-life organizations have directly addressed Trump's comments during the debate.

Clinton has taken a position that abortions should be "safe, legal, and rare." In the debate, she emphasized that abortion policy has to take into account the life and health of the woman, especially during "late-term" procedures.

"You should meet with some of the women that I have met with, women I have known over the course of my life," Clinton said on Wednesday night. "This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make. And I do not believe the government should be making it."

Many abortion-rights supporters were cheered by Clinton's performance.

"Hillary did a wonderful job of bringing it back to the real crisis of access in this country," said Hogue with NARAL Pro-Choice America. "We have now a presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton --partly because she's a woman, partly because she's an excellent leader -- (who) has chosen to listen to real stories of women."



Photo Credit: Mark Ralston/AP
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Who Shut Down Much of the US Internet Friday?

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It is too early to determine who was responsible for the digital attacks that darkened much of the internet in the United States Friday, cyber experts and intelligence officials told NBC News.

Some said evidence points to Russia, others proposed it was "internet vandalism." One clue could be a similar attack mounted against the Republic of Georgia eight years ago by Russian cybercriminals enlisted by a Russian intelligence agency.

Twitter, Amazon, PayPal, Spotify and Reddit are some of the sites that were knocked out in the three "denial of service," or DDoS, attacks at about 7 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

The attacks came largely via "smart" household appliances linked to the web, hit websites with more than 150,000 requests for information per second and were largely aimed at one company's internet infrastructure rather than specific websites.



Photo Credit: AP
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