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BBC, Voice of America Reporters Detained in Southeast Turkey

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Turkish authorities detained two reporters working for foreign news organizations in southeast Turkey, the latest journalists taken into custody as part of the government's sweeping crackdown following a failed coup in July, NBC News reported.

BBC Turkish correspondent Hatice Kamer was detained Saturday in the town of Sirvan while covering a recent copper mine collapse that killed at least 11 workers, the broadcaster said. Voice of America said its freelance reporter, Khajijan Farqin, was detained the same day in Diyarbakir.

Kamer was released on Sunday, BBC Turkish said. She told German broadcaster WDR by phone after being freed that she was told she would face charges of having supported the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, through her reporting. Kamer said there was no evidence for that.

Voice of America later reported Sunday that Farqin had also been released. The details of her arrest are still unclear, the outlet said.



Photo Credit: AP

In Memoriam: Fidel Castro

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Take a look back at the people we've lost in 2016, including politicians, artists and other public figures.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

1 Dead in Stolen Backhoe Crash

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Dallas police are looking for a man who stole a backhoe, drove the wrong way down Stemmons Freeway and then crashed into an SUV, killing a passenger and injuring the driver.

The suspect stole the equipment from the city of Dallas Water Department at Walnut Hill Lane and Shady Trail around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, police said.

Less than an hour later, at 5:46 a.m., the suspect drove the stolen backhoe southbound in the northbound lanes of I-35E Stemmons Freeway, according to police.

The backhoe drove head-on into a GMC Envoy driven by 22-year-old Diana Mejicanos in the 9900 block of N. Stemmons Freeway, officers said.

Twenty-year-old Elizabeth Suarez, a passenger in Mejicanos' vehicle, was killed on impact, according to police. Dallas Fire Rescue transported Mejicanos to Parkland Hospital.

Police said the male suspect fled the scene on foot. He was said to be bleeding on the left side of his face and from a leg injury.

Witnesses told Dallas police that the backhoe was driving the wrong way without any lights on. Two construction workers pulled over and moved the backhoe off the highway to prevent any other vehicles from running into it.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Eric Knight at 214-671-0020.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News, File

1st Commerical US-Havana Flights

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For the first time in over half a century, United States airlines are making commercial flights into Havana, Cuba — just days after the death of that country's former leader, Fidel Castro.

American Airlines, which scheduled flights to several cities in the country, had a plane take off for Cuba for the first time from Miami International Airport shortly after 7:30 a.m. Monday. It is the first commercial flight from any U.S. carrier to the capital city since Castro cut off relations with the country shortly after taking power.

The first return flight from the capital city, now in mourning for the man who led the country's communist revolution, was scheduled to return around 10:30 a.m.

"We were the last country with the embargo. I think it's time to normalize things," said Daniel Lewis, one of the passengers on the first flight.

Just before the historic flight took off, a water cannon salute bid farewell to the passengers - and then it was up and away to the skies for a historic journey.

Also, Monday, a Havana-bound JetBlue flight departed from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Delta plans its first flights to Havana on December 1.

Flights have resumed between the countries — part of President Barack Obama's plans to renew relations between the counties just 90 miles apart – with the first ones taking off in August from both MIA and Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport.

A JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Santa Clara was the first U.S. commercial flight to any Cuban city.

Despite the thaw in relations that allowed new flights, people may only fly to Cuba for 12 reasons, including family visits, official U.S. business and humanitarian projects, but not tourism.

President-elect Donald Trump and his team haven't indicated if his administration will keep Obama's policy, though Trump tweeted Monday morning, "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal." He didn't offer specifics.

It was announced Monday that neither President Obama or Vice President Biden would be attending Castro's funeral.

American Airlines plans on having four daily flights between Havana and Miami under the new plans. 

Stein Defends Recount Efforts

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Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is defending her decision to ask for recounts in three states that helped give President-elect Donald Trump his victory, arguing there could have been issues with how the votes were counted.

"Tampering is not done in a way that declares itself. You have to actually go in and count the paper ballots," she said Sunday evening in an interview with necn.

Stein's push for the recount gained new momentum Saturday when Hillary Clinton's campaign broke its silence to say it would join the recount in Wisconsin and possible recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Trump's margin of victory in each state was slim, while Clinton won the popular vote by over 2 million votes, according to one tracker.

The Clinton campaign's support for the recount drew harsh criticism from Trump, who took to Twitter to call the effort a scam and suggested, without evidence, that he would have won the popular vote after deducting "millions of people who voted illegally." 

"There is no evidence of illegal voters," Stein said in respose. "You're entitled to your own opinions but you can't have your own facts."

The Clinton campaign also found no "actionable evidence" of hacking or machine manipulation, but joined the ongoing effort to make sure the recount process is fair to all parties, a campaign lawyer wrote online Saturday. He added that the campaign is aware that the margin of victory in Michigan exceeds "well exceeds the largest margin ever overcome in a recount."

Stein took just 1 percent of the vote in the election, but says she does not believe her candidacy would have affected the election results, nor is recount being done "for one candidate or against another."

"Sixty-one percent of Green voters would not have cast a vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump," she said.

Stein has raised more than $6 million to pay for these recounts. Wisconsin's recount is scheduled to start this weekend, pending approval from the Elections commission, and the deadline to file for recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan are Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

Stein said the party plans to file for recounts in each of those states on their deadline days.

"We need peace of mind about our voting system in this election and going forward," Stein said.



Photo Credit: necn

Del. 9th Grader Gets on School Bus After Being Shot

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A teen got onto his school bus after being shot on his way to school in Wilmington, Delaware, Monday morning, authorities said.

The incident played out along N Van Buren Street near 27th Street around 6:50 a.m., according to Wilmington police.

The Red Clay School District confirmed the boy is a ninth grader at John Dickinson High School on Milltown Road in Wilmington.

The boy and a group of other teens boarded their normal yellow bus and then the other children alerted the driver that the boy was shot, said Jay Brock, spokesman for bus company First Student. The driver called dispatch which then called police.

Police then came on the bus and took the boy off the bus, Brock said.

Medics rushed the boy to A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital where doctors treated him for gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen, police said. The boy was listed in stable condition.

"He's very, very fortunate," said the teen's father, who did not want to be identified.

At least one bullet struck the windshield of a car parked nearby. It wasn't immediately clear how many shots were fired. James Harrison told NBC10 he heard the gunshots.

"We just heard gunfire, five rounds at least and then sort of people kind of hollering and running," Harrison said.

First Student said the bus driver followed all protocol and that no one else on the bus was injured.

"Couple of the other kids are kind of shaken up," said parent Royal Conquest. He said the shooting was difficult on parents as well.

No word yet on the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The teen's father said he didn't know of any conflicts his son had with anyone.

"Absolutely none," he said. "Just nothing to do. No direction, nothing to do."

The father also said he recently moved his son down to Wilmington from Philadelphia because he believed it would be safer.

"With just the flick of the switch anything can happen real, real fast," he said.

Police asked anyone with information to contact Det. A. Ford at 302-576-3606.

The school district planned on launching its "Corner-to-Corner" program where volunteers and paid staff keep an eye on bus stops. That program will be launched, with help from police, on Tuesday, said that district.



Photo Credit: NBC10 - Matt DeLucia

Texas Has Its First Local Zika Case

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The first case of locally transmitted Zika virus in Texas has been reported in the Rio Grande Valley, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. 

The patient is a Cameron County resident who is not pregnant and who was confirmed last week by lab test to have been infected. She reported no recent travel to Mexico or anywhere else with ongoing Zika virus transmission and no other risk factors.

Laboratory testing found genetic material from the Zika virus in the patient’s urine, but a blood test was negative, indicating that the virus can no longer be spread from her by a mosquito.

Through last week, Texas has had 257 confirmed cases of Zika virus disease. Until now, all cases in the state had been associated with travel, including two infants born to women who had traveled during their pregnancy and two people who had sexual contact with infected travelers.

There are no other cases of suspected local transmission at this time, but health officials continue to conduct disease surveillance activities as part of the state's ongoing Zika response.

Cameron County, DSHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working together to investigate and respond to the case. Further investigation will be necessary to attempt to pinpoint how and where the infection occurred, and health officials are also responding in a number of other ways.

DSHS has activated the State Medical Operations Center to support the response and is providing expertise, personnel and equipment for activities from disease investigation to mosquito surveillance to public education.

Cameron County and the City of Brownsville, with help from DSHS, have conducted an environmental assessment at the patient’s home and have been trapping and testing mosquitoes to learn more about activity in the area.

The samples collected will be tested at the DSHS laboratory in Austin.

Brownsville has recently sprayed for mosquitoes in the area and will continue to take action to reduce the mosquito population.

Health workers from Cameron County and DSHS will be going door to door in the area around where the case lived beginning this evening to educate the public about Zika, help people reduce potential mosquito breeding habitat on their property, and collect voluntary urine samples to determine whether other infections are present.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, though sexual transmission can occur.

The four most common symptoms are fever, itchy rash, joint pain and eye redness.

While symptoms are usually minor, Zika can also cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly, and other poor birth outcomes in some women infected during pregnancy.



Photo Credit: Kevin Frayer, Getty Images

Video Captures Women's Tirade Against Michaels Employee

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Supporters have rallied around a Michaels store manager after video of an incident at a Chicago location the day before Thanksgiving went viral.

The footage, which has been viewed more than 590,000 times as of Monday afternoon, showed an angry customer yelling at an employee claiming she was discriminated against while checking out Wednesday. In the video, the white customer is seen calling a black employee at the Lakeview store “an animal” and telling one employee to “shut your face.” 

She claims an employee discriminated against her and mumbled that she must have voted for Donald Trump, but the employee is heard in the video denying that claim.

“And I voted for Trump, so there,” she said. “What? You want to kick me out because of that? And look who won. Look who won.”

The woman vows to report the employees to their corporate headquarters and yells at bystanders filming the incident before calling the police. An employee can be heard in the background telling the woman she was not discriminated against, but that the employee asked if she would like to buy a reusable bag.

"When I asked for my things to be bagged, and I don't care about the size of the bag, this other woman makes a big deal about it, coming around," she says in the video. "She's screaming at me from across the store, screaming at me."

Jessie Grady, who witnessed and filmed part of the 30-minute ordeal, posted the footage to social media and started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the employee targeted in the so-called rant.

Grady said the employees “did nothing to provoke this verbal attack and in fact treated all customers with professionalism and courtesy.”

“I was so shocked by this unprovoked attack that I captured 17 minutes of it on video on my phone,” Grady wrote on the GoFundMe page. “I am starting this gofundme [sic] because I’d like to do something to try to make it up to the employee who was the main target of this racist attack. I’d like to show her that many people are horrified by how this woman treated her, and that we stand with her and appreciate her hard work. She inspired me because despite the hateful words that were being hurled in her direction, she stood in that entranceway calm and unmoving to protect her staff and customers.”

As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $9,000, well above Grady’s goal of $400.

Both the woman in the video and bystanders called police to report the incident. Police confirmed officers were called to the store Wednesday, but when they arrived, the woman was gone and no police report could be filed. 

Michaels said in a statement it does not “tolerate discrimination or racism of any kind against our team members or customers.”

“We regret that our customers and team members were affected by this unfortunate incident and are grateful for the leadership of our store team in working to resolve it without further escalation,” the statement read.

The company also tweeted Monday, “We appreciate the outpouring of support for our Chicago-based team member.”



Photo Credit: Jessie Grady

Cubans Mourn, Pay Final Respects to Fidel Castro

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Photo Credit: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

NYPD Investigating New Pics of WTC-Climbing Daredevil

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The daredevil who pleaded guilty to scaling to the top of One World Trade Center as a teen in 2014 appears to be back at his high-wire act.

Dozens of photos and videos posted in recent weeks to what appears to be Justin Casquejo's Instagram account shows the man, now 18, hanging off of buildings, cranes and rooftops across New York City.

Some images show him apparently hanging from scaffolding for a high-rise being constructed near Central Park, while others show him standing atop a roof on the West Side, or gripping the metal beams of Coney Island's iconic Parachute Jump ride.

"What do you mean when you say you can't do something?" reads one caption, which accompanies a photo of what appears to be Casquejo hanging off the side of the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle.

It's not clear whether the photos, which were first reported by the New York Post, are authentic. But the NYPD said detectives in Manhattan are looking into the photos.

Casquejo's father declined to comment on the photos to NBC 4 New York. A neighbor said he was aware of the 18-year-old's stunts and had told him to stop, but that he didn't listen.

Casquejo made headlines in 2014 when the Weehawken native sneaked by security at the World Trade Center site and made his way to the top of the building to post a similar death-defying image. 

Shortly after being sentenced to community service in that incident, he was again arrested for trying to scale a building in New Jersey. His sentence for scaling the World Trade Center was subsequently increased to 3 years probation, but courts officials said the term was terminated early due to his compliance.



Photo Credit: WNBC
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Here's Where You Can Donate on #GivingTuesday

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There’s a day for giving thanks, three days for cashing in on deals — and now there’s a day to give back.

Giving Tuesday is observed internationally on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. It’s meant as way to promote philanthropy and generosity.

The movement aims to bring people, businesses and charities together and facilitate change in their communities by giving them a give back during the holiday season.

If you’re feeling generous, you can open up your wallet and give to the charity of your choice. Or you can volunteer your time for a local organization by doing yard work, painting or decorating for the holidays.

The campaign was launched in 2012 by 92nd Street Y, a New York City-based cultural and community center, and the United Nations Foundation. The website says it "has engaged over 30,000 organizations worldwide," including Microsoft, PayPal and MSNBC.

Organizers urge those taking part to go on social media with the hashtag #GivingTuesday and show how they’re giving back.

Head to GivingTuesday.org to see what organizations you can donate to in your area. 



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
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911 Call Released From Ohio State Campus Stabbing

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Students at Ohio State University are returning to class, still shaken by a Monday attack that left eleven people wounded and a suspect dead. Callers to 911 describe the frightening moments after Abdul Razaq Ali Artan drove through a crowd, then began slashing at victims with a butcher knife.

Trump to Kick Off 'Thank You Tour' Thursday: Source

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President-elect Donald Trump is set to embark on a tour to thank supporters who carried him to the White House. 

A source in the Trump camp confirmed to NBC News Tuesday that Trump's "Thank You Tour" is set to begin on Thursday with a rally in Cincinnati.

During the campaign, Trump's rallies often drew thousands of people and were often broadcast live. Trump won Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida, states won by President Obama in 2008 and 2012.  

George Gigicos, Trump’s director of advance, told reporters on Nov. 17 that Trump's may visit "swing states we flipped over" after the election, Bloomberg reported. 

Gigicos corrected reporters who called it a "victory tour," according to Bloomberg. “‘Thank you tour,’ Gigicos said. "It’s not a ‘victory tour.'"



Photo Credit: AP

Friends Make Swastika Cupcakes for Jewish Teen's Birthday

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Sweet treats at an Arizona teen's birthday party turned into an offensive message after young party goers decided to decorate their cupcakes with swastika symbols.

Pictures of the swastika topping at the Jewish teen's party began spreading on social media after the teen's mom posted about what happened on Facebook, writing that she hoped it could be used as a teaching moment for parents.

According to the post the girls are all friends and told the Jewish teen's mom they did it to "be funny."

Carlos Galindo-Elvira, the director of the Anti-Defamation League in Arizona says parents need to teach their children about the meaning symbols tied to acts of hate like the swastika.

"When you joke with symbols like the swastika you begin to normalize them and make it very casual within our society," Galindo Elvira says.



Photo Credit: Dan Stamm

Activist Dorothy Height Among 12 Additions to Forever Stamps

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Civil rights activist Dorothy Height, who dedicated her life to fighting for racial and gender equality, is among 12 new additions to the U.S. Postal Service's 2017 forever stamps. 

Height will be featured on the 40th stamp in the Black Heritage series, according to a release from the Postal Service. A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, she was a leading member of the civil rights movement. Height also founded the National Women's Political Caucus with Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm and Betty Friedan in 1971.

She worked with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis on civil rights initiatives, too. 

"Although she rarely gained the recognition granted her male contemporaries, she became one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century," the organization said of Height. 

Also featured on one of the new stamps will be Robert Panara, "an influential teacher and a pioneer in the field of deaf studies."

Panara will be featured on the 16th stamp in the Distinguished Americans series with a photo of him signing the word "respect."

"During his 40-year teaching career, Panara inspired generations of students with his powerful use of American Sign Language," the Postal Service said.

The statehood anniversaries of Nebraska and Mississippi will be celebrated as part of the Statehood stamp series.

"2017 will be an exciting year for the Postal Service’s stamp program," said Mary-Anne Penner, the director for stamp services in a statement. "This amazing collection of stamps features beautiful art, distinguished Americans and historic events."

Other forever stamps feature images of flowers, such as the "celebration boutonniere" and the "celebration corsage." Stamps paying tribute to nature and pollinators, like bees and butterflies, will also debut.

Henry David Thoreau, an acclaimed American thinker and writer, will also be featured on a 2017 forever stamp.

"With his personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism and the questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity's role in the natural world, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) continues to inspire readers," the Postal Service said.

Ezra Jack Keats' book "The Snowy Day" will appear in a stamp booklet as well, along with a Christmas Carols booklet. Artist Andrew Wyeth's paintings will also be featured on a stamp.



Photo Credit: US Postal Service

Caught on Video: Woman Spends 7 Hours Vandalizing Car

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A Los Angeles woman said her Thanksgiving nightmare started when a stranger broke a windshield wiper off her car and etched hundreds of words all over the vehicle over seven hours.

Surveillance cameras over the street in East Hollywood on Thursday night captured the act. In the footage, the vandal is also seen lying on and jumping on the car, denting the hood.

"I just broke down and started crying," owner Stacy Omelianoff said when she saw her car.

The vandal started late Thanksgiving night and continued inflicting the damage, which will likely cost thousands of dollars, all the way past sunrise.

"I couldn't believe it," Omelianoff said. "They were on this car working for hours."

People walked and drove by -- some even took photos -- but didn't try to stop the vandal.

"It's terrible," Omelianoff said. "This is what it comes to here. All people care about is themselves."

The woman was arrested after a mechanic eventually called the police. Witnesses said officers struggled with the woman, who had a bag over her head because she couldn't stop spitting at officers.

Omelianoff said she was told the woman was homeless and would likely be released after a 72-hour mental evaluation.

She said her insurance may not cover the damage and her friends have set up a Gofundme page to raise money for repairs.



Photo Credit: Adrian Arambulo

Analysis: Why Trump's Reliance on Debunked Theories Raises Concern

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During his run for the White House, Donald Trump stirred up controversy with frequent, unsubstantiated attacks directed toward various groups and individuals, from his political rivals to foreign governments to news outlets.

Now, as NBC News reports, some are raising concerns about Trump's information sources and whether the president-elect will act on false or flawed reports. 

For instance, Trump's recent claim that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote with "millions" of illegal voters was a baseless theory popularized primarily by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars. 

Many argue that being able to discern credibility in news reports is a crucial skill for a president, and they argue that a seeming inability, or disinclination, to separate fact from fiction could pose serious threats to national security.



Photo Credit: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Woman Runs Triathlon, Breaks Fingers, Delivers Baby in 1 Day

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A Tacoma, Washington woman has quite a story to tell after her unexpectedly hectic Thanksgiving. It started with a triathlon, took her to a hospital, and ended at the dinner table with baby pictures.

Rhonda DiCostanzo was up before sunrise on Thanksgiving morning. She kneaded some dough for the dinner rolls and headed out to participate in a YMCA triathlon.

As she was crossing the finish line, she tripped, fell, and broke two of her fingers. DiCostanzo works as a midwife at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. She hurried over to the ER, where she knows some nurses, to get her hand fixed up.

"And I heard this lady come in, and she was obviously in very active labor and was obviously going to deliver very quickly. You could just hear it," DiCostanzo said.

Jessica Morales could not wait a minute longer. The hospital delivery staff were still on their way. So DiCostanzo rushed over, with her hand still injured, and single-handedly delivered Morales's baby boy.

When all was said and done, DiCostanzo served Thanksgiving dinner to 16 people.

WATCH: New Drone Video Shows Apple 'Spaceship' Almost Done

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A new drone video released over the Thanksgiving weekend shows that Apple's new "Spaceship" building in Cupertino is nearly completed.

David Sexton, who runs Sexton Videography, made a trip from his hometown Chicago to California's Silicon Valley over the holidays. He sent his DJI Phantom 3 Advanced drone into the air over Apple's new campus.

"I'm an Apple fan boy," Sexton told NBC Bay Area by phone on Monday. "I was on vacation and no one was around, so I decided to do a flyover."

Sexton did the same thing last December, and noted how remarkable the construction changes were in a year's time. "It was just a shell," he said. "It's really blossomed."

His video, taken on Thanksgiving and posted on Nov. 25, shows aerials of Apple's 176-acre Campus 2, aka the Spaceship, being built between Homestead Road and Interstate Highway 280. The solar-paneled, space-age, circular building is slated to open in a few months, in early 2017.

The drone video also shows an underground auditorium, a huge research and development building, a tunnel with underground parking and a fitness center for employees.

A representative from Apple's Campus 2 media list did not respond for comment.

For more information on the project, click here.



Photo Credit: David Sexton/ Sexton Videography

Group Calls for Trump to Speak Out More Against 'Outbreak of Hate'

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The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented 900 incidents of bias and violence in the 10 days since the elections and is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to more aggressively condemn what it calls "a national outbreak of hate."

According to the report, schools have been the most common sites of the spike in harassment and bullying.

The SPLC drew its numbers from submissions to its #ReportHate website and reports in the press. It did not count online harassment. NBC News has not independently verified the incidents.

Anti-immigrant sentiments made up the largest share of incidents reported by motivation, followed by anti-black, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim.

Brenda Abdelall of Muslim Advocates said that Trump's call on "60 Minutes" for supporters accused of harassment to "stop it" is "a step in the right direction - but there must be more."



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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