But didn’t we all have issues in 2016?
"We didn't have a sound check for this New Year's, baby," she said after missing about half the lyrics of her hit, "Emotion."
It’s been a weird year.
"MOTHER..."
CNN
Marcus Ingram / Getty Images
Two people have been killed, and two others injured, after a shooting outside of a concert for rapper Meek Mill in Connecticut on Friday night, according to local reports. No arrests have been made.
A spokesperson for the Wallingford Police Department told the Record Journal newspaper that officers received a call around 11:12 p.m. local time after gunshots were heard at the Oakdale Theatre, where Meek Mill had been performing.
The spokesperson said that the concert appeared to have been winding down when the shots were fired.
This video appears to show Meek Mill — whose real name is Robert Williams — leaving the theater when the shooting started.
Wallingford Police Leiutenant Cheryl Bradley said that in addition to the two fatalities, two unidentified males received non life-threatening injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals, according to ABC News.
Authorities quickly closed down roads leading to the venue, and police officers from Cheshire, Meriden, North Haven, and the state department were called to assist with the case, according to the Record Journal.
Bradley described the scene to the Journal as “chaotic, as you can imagine.”
The Wallingford Police Department and Meek Mill’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pavel Golovkin / AP
Russian hackers have breached a US electricity grid, though no actions to actively harm its function have been found, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The Burlington Electric Department, a part of the Vermont city, found malware on a laptop, which played no role in operating the grid and has since been isolated, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Citing an unnamed US official, the Washington Post first reported that code from the Russian hacking operation, Grizzly Steppe, was found within the computer system of a utility company in Vermont. US intelligence has attributed Grizzly Steppe to Russian military and civilian hackers, who officials say targeted the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta ahead of the US election.
The team of hackers was also responsible for cyberattacks on utility grids that caused unprecedented blackouts in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The White House this week levied new sanctions on Russian intelligence services in response to the pre-election hacks. Additionally, 35 Russian intelligence operatives and their families are being expelled.
Since identifying the hacking operation, US officials have shared its code with utility companies around the country. So far, the code has only been found within the system of a Vermont utility — a potentially serious vulnerability that could allow attacks on critical infrastructure, the Post reported.
The breach did not put the local electric grid in any danger, Vermont Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia told the Free Press.
"The grid is not in danger," Recchia said. "The utility flagged it, saw it, notified appropriate parties and isolated that one laptop with that malware on it."
However, what the hackers intended to do by breaching the utility is unknown. Officials told the Post it may have been a test, or hackers may have intended to try to disrupt the electricity grid at a later time.
LINK: Meet Fancy Bear, The Russian Group Hacking The US Election
Space: where no mannequin has gone before.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s 13-year-old corgi died Friday after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.
Though Sutter was able to return home after the surgery, no further treatment was possible, the governor's office said. After showing some signs of recovery, his health deteriorated rapidly this week, according to the governor's office.
"Sutter passed away peacefully this afternoon with the Governor and First Lady at his side and was laid to rest at the family ranch in Colusa County, where he loved to roam, sniff and play," a spokesperson for the governor's office said.
Can she live.
After escaping from an aviary in Fullerton in May, her owner, Courtney Chapman, was told the odds of finding her again were slim to none. But on Tuesday, Fern was spotted near an auto repair shop in Yorba Linda, and an expert from Omar's Exotic Birds was eventually able to capture her, ending weeks of sightings and social media posts from locals who came across the exotic bird, making her somewhat of a celebrity.
A Facebook page was set up, to which local posted and were kept up to date on the search.
"She was quite striking," Allison Howell, who came came across the six-month-old bird on Dec. 20 in downtown Fullerton, told the Orange County Register. "I’m not particularly an animal person, but it was definitely a sight to see."
Via Aspen Police
Conor Kennedy, the grandson of Robert Kennedy Jr. and ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift, was arrested early Thursday for allegedly getting into a bar fight in Aspen with someone he reportedly said called his friend an anti-gay slur.
The 22-year-old was with another man "rolling around on the ground" outside Bootsy Bellows nightclub and then fought with an officer before he was arrested, police told BuzzFeed News in a statement.
Kennedy was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail. He has a summons to appear in court on Feb. 22, police said. He was released without bond.
The arrest occurred after police were called to the bar to deal with a person who wouldn't leave, but when they arrived around 1:40 a.m., a fight broke out.
Police said Kennedy was seen punching the other man about four or five times in the head. Officer Andrew Atkinson attempted to break up the fight, but instead fell into a snowbank with Kennedy, who continued to struggle.
The officer was finally able to restrain him with the help of a bystander.
Kennedy apologized to the police officer when he was arrested and said the fight started because the other person had called Kennedy's friend "the f-word," the Aspen Times reported. It was not entirely clear what "f-word" he meant, but it was believed to be an anti-gay slur.
Conor Kennedy arrested on Feb. 13, 2013.
Ann Heisenfelt / AP
Kennedy was also arrested in 2013 during a protest outside the White House against the Keystone XL pipeline.
He is known for a summer relationship in 2012 with Taylor Swift when he was 18.
Kennedy is the oldest son of Robert Kennedy Jr., who is the second son of Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, like his brother, former President John F. Kennedy, in 1963. His mother, Mary Richardson, killed herself in May 2012.
People are applauding Cheryl’s “extra” parenting methods.
But one day recently, as he walked past the bottle, he noticed the message had been changed.
And the message seemed to be addressing him, specifically.
She announced it on Reddit, of course.
I came home
A little late
Someone had a bag packed for me
And a carriage awaited
Destination: Rome
To escort me to my very own "charming"
Back to where our stars first collided
And now it was full circle
At the same table we first met by chance
This time he made it not by chance
But by choice
Down on one knee
He said 4 words
And
r/isaidyes
"And you made me the happiest man on the planet," Ohanian replied to the post.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The White House on Thursday announced a series of retaliation sanctions against Russia for meddling with the US election process.
The Obama administration said it will eject 35 Russian operatives from the US and also levy sanctions against two Russian intelligence agencies.
The administration's announcement comes after months of controversy related to the Russian government intervening in the November election to, according to the US intelligence community, help elect Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed Russian involvement in the election. On Wednesday the president-elect dismissed possible sanctions, saying we should "get on with our lives."
"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on," Trump said from his resort in Florida.
US intelligence officials have said they are "confident" Vladimir Putin's government was behind a series of hacks of the Democratic National Committee and key operatives, which intended to interfere with the election process.
“We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,” the joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security reads.
The Russian foreign ministry denied the allegations, instead accusing the White House of trying to fan “unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria.”
Trump's communication director Sean Spicer on Thursday accused the left of trying to undermine the legitimacy of Trump's win but added that "if the US has clear proof of anybody interfering in our elections we should make that known."
The controversy dates back to June, when the Democratic National Committee and a cybersecurity firm said that Russian government hackers had breached the computer networks of the DNC and targeted Hillary Clinton.
In the months leading up to November's election, Clinton continued to accuse Russia of interfering with the election to help elect Trump. In September, she called out Trump for "urging the Russians to hack more."
"So I am grateful that this is being taken seriously and I want everyone—Democrat, Republican, independent—to understand the real threat that this represents," she said at the time.
Earlier this month, the CIA concluded that Russia intervened in the election through a series of hacks to bolster Trump’s chances of winning, the Washington Post reported.
Trump’s transition team dismissed the CIA report and questioned the veracity of the agency. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” a statement released by Trump’s advisors said. “The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and ‘Make America Great Again.’” (In fact, Trump’s margin of victory in the electoral college was not particularly large when compared to previous elections.)
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
LINK: Clinton Campaign Manager: Russia Is Secretly Helping Trump
LINK: Russia Says There’s “No Proof” It’s Been Messing With The Election Through Hacking
LINK: Trump: We Should "Get On With Our Lives" Regarding Alleged Russian Hacking
LINK: Meet Fancy Bear The Russian Group Accused Of Hacking The US Election
A shirt, within a shirt, within a shirt…
Jeremy Pledger
"What is the dumbest thing I could put on a shirt?"
His answer: my own face.
Using the above pic, he ordered the most ~extra~ shirt imaginable.
Jeremy Pledger
He ordered a shirt of that picture of his older brother wearing the extra shirt.
And Percy has ZERO remorse for it.
Lindner told BuzzFeed News their cat has been mischievous since the day they got him. Especially when it comes to getting human food by any means possible.
"Even though he knows the rules, he will still try to sneak around them," she said.
She then went on to list all of the things her family's caught Percy with that he knows he's not allowed to have: "Chocolate cupcakes, PayDay bars, popcorn, ham, chicken, beef jerky, pasta, cheezits."
"He knows how to steal out of tupperware containers, cupboards, and backpacks," Linder explained.
Sophia Lindner
"He knows that the word 'NO' in a low tone means 'don’t do whatever you’re about to do'," she said.
Lindner explained that she had to repeat "NO" and "GET DOWN" several times.
Sophia Lindner
John Ramsey hugs his son, Burke, facing camera, at the graves of his wife, Patsy, and daughter JonBenet, in 2006.
Ric Feld / AP
JonBenét Ramsey’s brother, Burke, has filed a $750 million defamation lawsuit against CBS for airing a two-part documentary titled The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey that included the theory that he killed his younger sister.
Burke filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Michigan where he lives. He is also suing the documentary production company Critical Content, as well as various individuals involved with the documentary’s production, including investigator Jim Clemente and A. James Kolar, who self-published the book Foreign Faction, on which he alleges the documentary was based.
JonBenét, a 6-year-old beauty queen, was killed on the night of Dec. 25, 1996, while Burke, then 9, was sleeping in his family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. Burke Ramsey, now 29, said despite what was aired in the documentary, there has never been any evidence that he killed his sister. Boulder police and the district attorney publicly exonerated him, he added.
The exterior of the home where JonBenet Ramsey was killed in 1996.
Paul Sakuma / AP
Ramsey claims his sister was killed by an unknown intruder who also brutally tortured and sexually assaulted her, according to his lawsuit.
“Twenty years after JonBenét’s death, the perpetrator of her brutal murder has never been identified,” the complaint states. “No evidence suggesting Burke’s involvement in JonBenét’s death has ever been discovered, and because he is innocent, it does not exist.”
The documentary included a demonstration of a young boy bludgeoning a pig skin wearing a blonde wig to create the image of Burke killing his sister, according to his lawsuit. However, Ramsey claims in his lawsuit that he never left his bedroom, nor did he awake during the night of his sister’s death.
JonBenét was discovered in the morning in the wine cellar of the family’s basement with “duct tape covering her mouth, her wrist tied above her head and she had a garrote embedded in her neck,” according to the lawsuit. He said the evidence of a broken window in the basement and other evidence found inside the house point to an intruder.
John ® and Patsy Ramsey, parents of JonBenet, in 2000.
Mario Tama / AFP / Getty Images
Ramsey alleges that the show’s “real-time re-investigation” was a fraud and that they conspired from the start to make the documentary about Kolar’s book.
He added that he only broke his silence regarding his sister's death in September to give an interview to Dr. Phil McGraw after he learned that CBS was going forward with the documentary.
According to the lawsuit, Ramsey says he didn’t initially sue the author of the book, Kolar, because the work was self published and "had no audience."
A spokesperson for CBS declined to comment on the lawsuit.
LINK: Why America Will Never Stop Trying To Solve JonBenét Ramsey’s Murder
LINK: JonBenet Ramsey Case Should Have Been Handled Differently, Ex-Police Chief Says
Evan Vucci / AP
Donald Trump dismissed the possibility of sanctions against Russia over allegations of hacking to sway the presidential election, telling reporters at his resort in Florida Wednesday that "the whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on."
The president-elect made the comments while standing alongside boxing promoter Don King, who was waving a fist full of flags next to Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
"I think we ought to get on with our lives," Trump told reporters. "I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on."
However, US intelligence agencies have publicly stated they believe the Russian government was behind a series of hacks of the Democratic National Committee and key operatives. The Washington Post reported they believe Russia did so in hopes of pushing the election toward Trump, sparking harsh criticism against the intelligence agency by the president-elect's team.
"We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure we have the kind of security we need," Trump added.
Democrats in the Legislature have called for a commission to look into "foreign interference" in the presidential election and on Wednesday, Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for Congress to increase sanctions against Putin's government.
Trump said he had not spoken with the senators but "certainly will be over a period of time."
"I haven't spoken to Senator Graham," Trump said. "As you know, he ran against me."
LINK: House Democrats Want An Investigation Into Russian Hacking During The Election
LINK: Trump Slams CIA Over Reports Russia Used Hacks To Help Him Get Elected
Handout / Getty Images
Debbie Reynolds was reportedly rushed to the hospital Wednesday, one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, died.
Reynolds, 84, was at the home of her son Todd Fisher when a 911 call was placed for medical aid. While the exact nature of the medical emergency wasn't immediately known, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Los Angeles Times that Reynolds was complaining about breathing problems.
A representative for Reynolds did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart would only confirm to BuzzFeed News that an ambulance was dispatched to a home in the 1700 block of of Coldwater Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills at 1:02 p.m.
"We transported an adult female in fair to serious condition to Cedars Sinai medical center," she added.
Reynolds rose to fame after getting the lead in the 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain" and went on to become one of Hollywood's top performers through the 1960s. She continued to get acting roles well into the 90s.
Her only daughter, Fisher, found her own stardom through her role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Fisher died Tuesday at the age of 60 after reportedly going into cardiac arrest on a flight to Los Angeles from London on Dec. 23.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.
David J. Phillip / AP
The police chief in Whitefish, Montana told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that while he is preparing for an armed march promoted by white supremacists, he believes it won't happen and dismissed it as "just rhetoric on the internet."
Andrew Anglin, founder of The Daily Stormer — described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a neo-Nazi website — said in a post last week he'll be able to gather 200 people, including "busing in skinheads from the Bay Area" and members of the Whitefish community, to "participate in a march, which will be against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either."
Anglin organized the march following a controversy around the mother of Richard Spencer, a resident of the town and white nationalist leader who coined the term “alt-right." Sherry Spencer wrote in a post on Medium that she was forced to consider selling her building in Whitefish — which contains vacation-rental apartments and office spaces — after receiving “terrible threats” from a local realtor and human rights organizations.
In the Dec. 22 post Anglin also called on people to contact what he deemed are local "Jewish businesses" to continue "our barrage against the criminal Jews of Whitefish and their racketeering cartel" and threaten boycotts.
A business owner in Whitefish, who asked to remain anonymous, told BuzzFeed News that on December 23 and 24 he fielded about 15 emails and at least 10 phone calls a day. "Some of them were a little threatening," he said. "One of them ... it was just bad. It was hate speech." He refused to go into further detail about the call.
By Sunday, the messages stopped, he said, adding that most calls came in from blocked numbers.
Whitefish police chief Bill Dial told BuzzFeed News an application for a permit for the march has not been submitted. Anglin's post does not provide a specific date for the march, saying "we’re shooting for the second week of January."
Dial said all marches require permits from the city, adding that there is no strict rule for when permits applications need to be received. Dial said permits are usually approved within a few days.
"There are no plans that we're aware of," Dial said. "As a matter of fact ... I'm pretty confident there will be no march."
"We have no information that it's actually planned," he said. "It's just rhetoric on the internet."
Still, Dial said his officers will be ready, saying, "if there will be a march were planning for the worst hoping for the best." He told local KPAX that, "we're hoping that they choose not to do it, but once again it's well within their rights to do it."
Montana elected officials released a statement yesterday condemning anti-Semitic harassment. The statement was signed by Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Steve Daines, Rep. Ryan Zinke, Gov. Steve Bullock, and Attorney General Tim Fox.
“Rest assured, any demonstration or threat of intimidation against any Montanan’s religious liberty will not be tolerated. It takes all Montanans working together to eradicate religious intolerance,” the statement reads.
Nate Washington // YouTube / Via youtube.com
A newly-released police dashcam video appears to show a Fort Worth, Texas, police officer shooting a black man in the back as he walks away.
The video, released Tuesday, shows the off-duty officer approach and then shoot David Collie, 33, on July 27 near the parking lot of an apartment complex. Collie released the video through his attorney, Nate Washington.
Police did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment, but said after the shooting that Collie refused orders to put his hands up and raised a box cutter toward officers, KXAS reported. Police had been searching the area at the time for two shirtless black men who had allegedly robbed a nearby gas station, the Associated Press reported.
However, at a news conference this week, Washington said Collie was attempting to comply with police when he was shot.
The shooting left Collie paralyzed below the abdomen, and he spent 61 days in the hospital, the Dallas Morning News reported. He was charged with aggravated assault after the shooting, but a grand jury dismissed the case.
The officer and a Tarrant County sheriff's deputy who also responded to the scene were both off-duty at the time and working a security detail, according to the AP.
Collie's attorney did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.
According to KXAS, Collie decided to release video of the shooting after seeing another video that showed a Fort Worth officer wrestling a black woman to the ground after she called to report an assault of her 7-year-old son.
Washington told KXAS that he wants justice for Collie.
"We want change," he added, "but we also want peace and calm from the community after they see this video."
LINK: An Officer Threw A Black Mother On The Ground And Arrested Her After She Called Police For Help
Native American ruins are visible at Comb Ridge, a part of the new Bears Ears National Monument.
Jim Dalrymple II / BuzzFeed News
President Obama on Wednesday created controversial national monuments in the West, pleasing conservationists but likely setting off brutal legislative battles that could fundamentally change how wild lands are preserved across the US.
The Gold Butte National Monument will include about 300,000 acres in southwestern Nevada — the same region where the Bundy family got into a standoff with federal agents in 2004 over land use rights.
The Bears Ears National Monument will cover roughly 1.35 million acres in Utah's San Juan County, an area dotted by ancient Native American ruins, pinyon pines, and junipers.
Bears Ears, in Utah's San Juan County.
Jim Dalrymple II / BuzzFeed News
To create the monuments — which are part of the president's spate of legacy-building land protections — Obama used the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that gives presidents broad discretion to change the status of existing federal land. The White House said the monuments will "protect some of our country’s most important cultural treasures, including abundant rock art, archeological sites, and lands considered sacred by Native American tribes.
"Today’s actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes," Obama said in a statement.
The Bears Ears Coalition — a collection of Native American tribes that pushed for the Utah monument — praised Obama's designation Wednesday as "visionary."
"The protection of the Bears Ears cultural landscape is powerful medicine for healing — of the land, of plants and animals, and for all people," the coalition said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "The Bears Ears National Monument will also ensure continued access to tribal ceremonies, firewood and herb collection, hunting, grazing and outdoor recreation."
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said in a statement that he was "overjoyed" by the designation of Gold Butte.
"By designating Gold Butte a national monument, President Obama has shown once again why he is one of greatest environmental presidents in American history," Reid added.
The designations were also celebrated Wednesday by outdoor retailer Patagonia, and conservation groups Friends of Gold Butte and Friends of Cedar Mesa.
But the saga is far from over.
Both designations announced Wednesday are controversial, but more so in Utah, where many lawmakers recently gathered at their state capital to condemn a potential monument. Among them was Sen. Orrin Hatch, who referred to a potential Bears Ears designation as a "travesty."
In a statement to BuzzFeed News Wednesday, Sen. Mike Lee called the designation an "arrogant act by a lame duck president" that "will not stand."
"I will work tirelessly with Congress and the incoming Trump administration to honor the will of the people of Utah and undo this designation," Lee added.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Wednesday called the Utah designation a "slap in the face to the people of Utah."
"We will work to repeal this top-down decision and replace it with one that garners local support and creates a balanced, win-win solution," Chaffetz said.
Utah's Attorney General Sean Reyes has also indicated he will file a lawsuit to fight the designation, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Opposition to the monuments is largely economic. Lawmakers and local officials have argued that national monuments ultimately restrict activities, such as grazing and mining, thus hurting already-beleaguered rural communities.
Native American ruins in what is now the Bears Ears National Monument.
Jim Dalrymple II / BuzzFeed News
Though it's unclear how exactly Antiquities Act designations can be overturned — legal experts previously told BuzzFeed News it would likely take an act of Congress — Utah's all-Republican congressional delegation is intent on fighting what was likely meant to be a final, crowning achievement in Obama's conservation legacy.
The consequences of that fight may also fundamentally change the way public lands are preserved. Earlier this week, Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah went even further than Hatch and threatened to dismantle the Antiquities Act itself.
"Mr. President, if you care about the Antiquities Act, don't do this," Stewart said, according to the Tribune. "If you abuse the Antiquities Act, Congress is going to take that power away from future presidents."
The comment is in line with those made by other officials in the West who have indicated they want to dismantle the Act. In other words, if Republicans are successful, Obama's conservation legacy could inadvertently be sparking the battle that ties the hands of future presidents.
Demar Dahl — a commissioner in Nevada's Elko County and a long time advocate of state control of public land — told BuzzFeed News that he doesn't see the Trump administration ultimately undoing Obama's monument designation. However, Dahl, who met with Trump in October, does believe the president-elect "will support an effort that will change the Antiquities Act, such as require the consent of the legislature in the state or Congress before one can be created."
The White House did not did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' questions about the Republican threats. However, the creation of the monuments are exactly what environmental groups and a coalition of Native American tribes have long wanted, and they are unlikely to back down.
Davis Filfred — a spokesman for the Navajo Nation and member of the coalition that pushed for a monument designation in Utah — told BuzzFeed News that the monuments are crucial for protecting landscapes that are sacred to his people.
"We still have our ancestors and their bones are being dug out," he said, referring to reports of vandalism and looting in the Bears Ears area.
Filfred expects conservative lawmakers to fight the designations, but said Native Americans will protest attempts to repeal the monuments, citing successful efforts to halt progress on the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"That thing at Standing Rock," he said, "maybe on a larger scale, we’re just like them."
LINK: A Trump Presidency May Be Just What The West’s Sagebrush Rebels Want
LINK: This Proposed National Monument Could Spark A War Over Presidential Power
“I figured a bible would be a cute, really pure gift.”
Lee told BuzzFeed News that early on in their relationship she was going through "tough times."
So Chisum gave her his personal bible and highlighted one of the pair's favorite verses.
Reagan Lee
"I figured a bible would be a cute, really pure gift," she said. "And knowing my boyfriend, I knew he would love it even more if I customized it."
Reagan Lee
Reagan Lee
“May the Force be with you always,” it reads.
Fisher, who died at the age of 60 on Tuesday, never received a star on the Walk of Fame.
"Our princess didn't have a star, so I gave her one," fan Jason Thomas wrote on Instagram.
Using metallic lettering, Thomas spelled out the message, "May the Force be with you always," and added the word "Hope."
“Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White!”
"Help 2016 catch these hands if it goes anywhere near Betty White! If she's okay with it I will fly to wherever Betty White is and keep her safe till Jan 1, 2017," wrote Demetrios Hrysikos of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who started the GoFundMe page.
GoFundMe
GoFundMe
Hrysikos told BuzzFeed News he "just wanted to do something good" after Fisher died.
"Spartanburg is brimming with talent and nurturing that talent might help produce a new star to carry the mantel of so many we've lost this year," he said.
Many donors are applauding the campaign as a clever way to raise money for the arts.
GoFundMe
“I love how he was asleep so he didn’t have all of the details but he’s like ‘whoop him now, ask questions later.’”
Ira Lindsay
Which is a fairly normal dynamic of their friendship — of any close friendship.
Ira Lindsay
We really, really, really, really don’t deserve dogs.
Zoey was a German shepherd–rottweiler mix living in Dallas, Georgia. Sadly, she died last May, when she was hit by a car at just one-and-a-half years old.
"She came with me to college and everything. My entire family loved her. She would come to the lake with us, and she slept with me every single night," Jessica Klein, Zoey's 19-year-old owner, told Buzzfeed News. "Zoey was always there. She went through so much stuff with me."
Jessica Klein
"Riley comes up to me in the backyard with something in her mouth, and I was like, what does she have in her mouth?" Klein said. "And it was Zoey’s collar."
Jessica Klein
All I want for Christmas is a cup handle-dildo.
Shelby Donovan
Donovan told BuzzFeed News that she was stunned when she opened her mom's Christmas gift. “I stared at it for a really long time trying to process," she said.
"I knew what I thought it looked like but I didn’t want to say in front of my entire family." Around thirty people were gathered in the home for Christmas Eve.
"I started laughing but also kind of crying," the teen added.
Shelby Donovan
“I was looking for a sturdy thick cup holder on Amazon. I was trying to find a handle that would fit her cup," she added.
Jason Miczek / Reuters
Dylann Roof reaffirmed his intention to represent himself during the sentencing phase of his federal trial where the jury will decide whether to sentence him to life in prison or death. However, speaking at the pre-trial hearing Wednesday, Roof told the judge that he doesn't intend to call any witnesses or offer any evidence while acting as his own attorney.
Judge Gergel, who has continuously expressed to the convicted Charleston church shooter throughout the trial that acting as his own attorney was a bad idea, advised Roof at Wednesday’s hearing that he should consult with his grandfather, an attorney, about his decision to self-represent. The judge told Roof that he can still change his mind and hire back his attorneys before the sentencing phase starts on Jan. 3, 2017.
During the hearing, Roof said he does plan on giving an opening statement.
Prosecutors for the government said that they may call as many as 30 witnesses who will testify about the victims in the Emanuel AME shooting. If Roof continues to act as his own attorney, he will have the opportunity to cross-examine the government’s witnesses during their testimony.
Roof was convicted on Dec. 15, 2016 of all 33 counts against him in the Charleston church massacre. The charges include 17 counts that carry the possibility of the death penalty. It took the jury about two hours of deliberation to return a verdict.
LINK: Dylann Roof Found Guilty In Charleston Church Massacre
“So long Princess…”
President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pause after tossing flower petals into the Wishing Well at the USS Arizona Memorial.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
HONOLULU — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday made a historic pilgrimage to the site where, 75 years earlier, his nation's Imperial Navy carried out a surprise attack that killed 2,400 Americans and plunged the US into World War II.
Abe did not offer an official apology for the attack on Pearl Harbor, but did say "we must never repeat the horrors of war again."
It was the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister had visited the memorial.
"I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place," Abe said in Japanese as Obama stood beside him on Kilo Pier near the USS Arizona Memorial, where 1,177 servicemen were killed and most of them remain entombed.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke / Via BuzzFeed News
Abe's offer of condolences was similar to what Obama had done in May when he became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, where one of two atomic bombs were dropped by the Americans.
Before speaking at the ceremony, Abe laid a wreath inside the USS Arizona Memorial that was built in 1962 above the sunken battleship, which leaks oil into the harbor to this day.
"It’s a place which brought utter silence to me," Abe said. "I cast flowers, on behalf of Japanese people, upon the waters where those sailors and Marines sleep."
Sterling Cale.
BuzzFeed News
The lack of official apology had been expected, but the visit was welcomed nonetheless.
"We didn't say sorry for Hiroshima — I don't expect him to say sorry," 95-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor Sterling Cale told BuzzFeed News.
After the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, Cale helped remove the dead from the USS Arizona, which required scuba diving. Only about 100 men were removed and identified from the ship, while the others remained trapped underwater.
Cale said that Obama and Abe putting a flower wreath on the USS Arizona Memorial was what made him happy.
"It's better than saying it, because you can see it," Cale said of the wreath.
Cale was one of three Pearl Harbor survivors at the event, all of them in their 90s.
Everett Hyland.
BuzzFeed News
"There's nothing to apologize for, he wasn't even born," Everett Hyland, a 93-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, told BuzzFeed News.
Hyland, who was just 18 when Pearl Harbor was attacked, said a bomb hit the USS Pennsylvania where he was stationed, creating a fireball that burned his face, arms, and leg, as well as impaling him with shrapnel.
"I was a medical challenge, but I'm here," he said.
Hyland added that if people learned anything from the event, he hoped it would be "what a waste of time war is."
The Japanese prime minister's decision to visit the historic site in Hawaii points to his continued interest in expanding Japan's role in Asia-Pacific defense as the island nation faces increased threats from China, North Korea, and elsewhere.
After World War II, Japan's new constitution, imposed by the US, included a pacifist clause that greatly limited any military action, but Abe has been pushing to allow Japan's self defense forces to act more like a conventional army.
It's not clear how a Donald Trump presidency will affect relations with Japan, as he has criticized the nation several times on the campaign trail for not paying for self defense measures. He has also posted on Twitter, asking why Obama hasn't been more critical of Japan regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor.
LINK: Related: Here’s What People In Hawaii Want To Tell The Prime Minister Of Japan
The 5-year-old southern white rhino was likely shot by a poacher in South Africa, but the bullet became lodged and a piece of it spent all this time working its way to the surface.
Ken Bohn
Wallis, a 5-year-old southern white rhino, had previously lived on a reserve in South Africa, and was likely the target of a poacher, the zoo said.
Upon arriving in November 2015, zoo officials began treating the skin wound, but after several surgical procedures, it continued to fester. Suspecting a bullet, zoo staff brought in a powerful metal detector to scan for any foreign object and got a hit.
The decision was made to perform surgery to find and remove the metallic object, but during a final inspection earlier this month, staffed noticed a "tiny, hard, black object." That's when Safari Park veterinarian Jim Oosterhuis whipped out his pliers, "grasped the object, made a quick jerking motion, and out popped the bullet fragment with jagged edges," he said in a statement.
San Diego Zoo
"It feels great to know that we finally have found what we believe to be the source of her infection," he said. "By having the fragment work itself out, it eliminated the need for surgery."
The bullet fragment appeared to be lodged under Wallis' rib, and every time she moved, the jagged edges were irritating her tissue, Oosterhuis added.
Since removing the fragment, the wound is healing rapidly, and the 3,000-pound rhino is expected to be completely healed in a week, the zoo said.
“You should be proud of being able to say, ‘This is what I’m getting through right now.’”
Julie Markes / ASSOCIATED PRESS / Via Quote: abcnews.go.com
Stephen J. Boitano / ASSOCIATED PRESS / Via Quote: "Wishful Drinking."
John D Mchugh / ASSOCIATED PRESS / Via Quote: health.heraldtribune.com
Evan Agostini / AP / Via Quote: staugustine.com
This is what true love looks like.
When it came time to pick out a Christmas gift for Dudley this year, Fastenau, who's from St. Louis, said he got pretty stuck.
"Nicole is pretty tough to get presents for, so I wanted to do something different that she wouldn’t have expected," he told BuzzFeed News.
Conner Fastenau
"We make a lot of jokes about Bee Movie," he said. "And I’m pretty decent at drawing so I figured I could draw the Kermit meme."
"Me: Write Nicole a sweet, heartfelt letter.
Inner me: Write her the entire Bee Movie script," the card said.
Fastenau said he "slaved away at the Bee Movie script for like, three or four hours."
"I worked pretty much non-stop for hours, with some hand cramps," he said.
Conner Fastenau
