New York Times Rips Donald Trump For Mocking Reporter With A Disability

“We think it’s outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters.”

youtube.com

The New York Times criticized businessman and Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump after he apparently mocked a reporter at the paper who has a disability.

"We think it's outrageous that he would ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters," spokesperson Jordan Cohen told BuzzFeed News on Thursday.

Trump, speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Tuesday, was defending his assertions that muslims were dancing and celebrating the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, a claim that has been debunked.

At the rally, Trump cited an article written by the then-Washington Post reporter Serge Kovaleski, which read:

In Jersey City, within hours of two jetliners' plowing into the World Trade Center, law enforcement authorities detained and questioned a number of people who were allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops while they watched the devastation on the other side of the river.

Trump, discussing the article at the rally, then apparently mocked Kovaleski, who, Politico reports, has arthrogryposis, which restricts muscle movement. Kovaleski now works for the Times.

"Now the poor guy — you ought to see the guy," Trump said as he made the impression.

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1R8Bckx

Protesters March For Second Night In Chicago Over Police Shooting Video

The protests erupted Tuesday following the release of dashcam video that showed the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. BuzzFeed News reporter Mary Ann Georgantopoulos is reporting from Chicago.

A protester is silhouetted against Chicago's Wrigley Building as he directs others to shutdown traffic on both sides of the Michigan Ave. bridge Wednesday.

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP

The demonstrations began Tuesday after police released dashcam video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is white, shooting McDonald, who is black, in October 2014.

On Wednesday, multiple groups of protesters marched through the city streets, chanting "16 shots" — a reference to the number of bullets the officer fired at McDonald — and at one point blocking a bridge.

Aerial video shot around 7:30 p.m. showed what appeared to be a somewhat smaller group than the one that gathered Tuesday night.

Official estimates of the size of the protest, and any possible arrests, were not immediately released Wednesday night.

---

View Entire List ›

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1HonHLs

Teen Dies After Twerking On The Hood Of Friend's SUV

A 16-year-old died late Sunday after twerking on the hood of his friend’s Jeep, only to fall off and get pinned underneath the SUV, his parents said.

A teenager in Georgia died late Sunday after climbing onto the hood of a Jeep and falling off while twerking, becoming pinned underneath the SUV, his family said.

Georgia State Patrol said Alex Desalis may have been "car surfing" — riding unrestrained atop a moving vehicle — at the time, but his parents gave local media a different account of what happened.

His mother, Michelle Guthrie, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the 16-year-old jumped onto the hood of a friend's 2009 Jeep Wrangler around 2:40 p.m. Saturday.

Alex had asked the friend for a ride down the road, but instead jumped on the hood to make her laugh, his parents said.

"It wasn't a car surfing adventure," Kenneth Guthrie, Alex's father, told NBC-affiliate WXIA. "It was him climbing up on his friend's [vehicle] — the hood of her car — on all fours more than likely being funny, trying to get a laugh by twerking."

The parents also suggested the driver's foot may have slipped, hurling the boy to the ground.

Alex was airlifted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta in critical condition, but was pronounced dead Sunday evening after his parents decided to take him off life support.

---

View Entire List ›

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1QIAdbr

Eagles Of Death Metal Describe Harrowing Escape During Paris Terror Attack

The band members spoke about coming face to face with the gunmen, holing up in a room in the Paris theater, and their escape from the horrific terror attack.

youtube.com

The band spoke with Vice in a video that was released Wednesday. All the members of the band survived, though Nick Alexander, the band's merchandise manager, was killed in the assault.

The attack at the Bataclan was one of several attacks in and around Paris that day that ultimately left 130 people dead.

---

View Entire List ›

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1LAAbKW

Sheriff Posts Sign Declaring His County "Politically Incorrect"

“We say Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We trust We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you…Leave !”

A sheriff in Georgia this week posted a sign in front of his office declaring his entire county "politically incorrect."

View Video ›

facebook.com

Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley told the Ledger Enquirer he paid $553 out of his own pocket to have the sign installed in front of his offices to "stir people's belief and patriotism."

The sign reads: "Harris County is politically incorrect. We say Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We trust We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you...Leave !"

Jolley — who has served as sheriff of Harris County, a community of about 33,000, for six consecutive terms — told the paper he believes the sign is consistent with the sentiments held by a "silent majority" of residents.

The sign and wording may be somewhat familiar.

And a similar sign outside an Ohio bakery also caught the eye of local and national news outlets. The sign for Schuler's Bakery in Springfield, Ohio, encouraged people to leave if they felt uncomfortable with "politically incorrect" statements.

Posts with similar phrasing have also been disseminated over social media as the holidays near.

The original picture of Sheriff Jolley standing next to the sign, posted by the company he hired to make it, has garnered more than 1,400 likes and more than 360 comments on Facebook, many of which are in support.

---

View Entire List ›

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1Nu6qmH

Four Men Await Charges In Minneapolis Black Lives Matter Shooting

Demonstrators outside the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct during Tuesday's protest for the death of Jamar Clark.

(AP Photo/Craig Lassig)

Authorities on Wednesday released the identities of four men suspected of being involved in the shooting of five protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration outside a police precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Joseph Backman, 27, Nathan Gustavsson, 21, Daniel Macey, 26, and Allen “Lance” Scarsella, 23, remain in custody as they await charges, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Minneapolis police and federal investigators are continuing to gather evidence against the group.

The men, who are white, are accused of opening fire Monday night on protesters who were demonstrating against the Nov. 15 police shooting of Jamar Clark, an unarmed black man.

The five people who were shot outside the 4th Precinct suffered non-life-threatening injuries, although one of them required surgery for a stomach wound, an activist said at a news conference Tuesday.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman is expected to announce the charges related to the 4th Precinct shooting on Monday.

• 
  

Meanwhile, the motivation for the shooting remains unclear. But a review of Scarsella's social media presence revealed a fascination for guns.

Nathan Scarsella.

Via facebook.com

His Facebook cover photo shows a waving Bonnie Blue flag, the confederacy’s unofficial flag at the beginning of the Civil War. The caption reads, “This isn’t the somalian flag, (by the way).”

Via facebook.com

Many of the 23-year-old’s photos show him posing with guns.

Via facebook.com

A few pictures show Scarsella at the gun range, including one where he has a small cut on his nose with a caption, “You can never have enough eye relief with a .338.”

Via facebook.com

Among his “likes” are several pro-gun groups including the OAF Nation military veterans militia group.

His interest in guns also led to a brief interaction with police in January. St. Paul police responded to his apartment after they received reports that shots had been fired, according to police records.

Officers found rounds had gone through the ceiling of his bedroom. Scarsella told police he accidentally pulled the trigger on his handgun while cleaning it. No one was injured and Scarsella was not arrested.

Social media profiles for Gustavsson, Backman, and Macey could not immediately be verified.

Backman and Macey do not have a criminal record in Minnesota, according to a review of court records by BuzzFeed News.

Gustavsson has been previously charged with two separate misdemeanor offenses for underage drinking and speeding, according to court records.

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1jkw3Il

Man Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife And Posting Photo Of Her Body On Facebook

C.M. Guerrero / AP

A 33-year-old Florida man was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder for fatally shooting his wife in 2013, then posting a confession and photo of her body on Facebook.

Attorneys for Derek Medina had argued the killing of 27-year-old Jennifer Alfonso was self-defense. One attorney on Wednesday told the Sun-Sentinel that Medina would appeal the verdict.

Medina faces 25 years to life in Florida state prison.

Medina was found guilty of child neglect — Alfonso's 10-year-old daughter was home at the time of the shooting.

The couple had been arguing before Medina shot Alfonso multiple times, he told police after his arrest. He posted about the encounter on Facebook, as well as a photo of Alfonso's body.

But a prosecutor told the jury that Alfonso, a 5-foot 6-inch-tall woman, was likely cowering on her knees at the time of her death, CBS News reported. Her husband, who is 6 feet tall and heavier, had claimed he was the one being attacked.

"He planned to execute Jen, and he executed his plan," prosecutor Leah Klein said in her closing argument, the Miami New Times reported. "He was angry, and he wanted her dead."

LINK: Miami Man Who Confessed To Killing His Wife On Facebook Claims Self-Defense

LINK: Miami Man Who Confessed To Killing His Wife On Facebook Pleads Not Guilty

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1R78IHW