A sketch by President Trump of the Manhattan skyline sold for more than $29,000 at auction on Thursday.
The simple drawing — which prominently features Trump Tower — was created for a 2005 campaign to support child literacy by mailing company Pitney Bowes. Trump, along with actors, athletes, and Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, sketched drawings on the back of envelopes that were then auctioned off.
On Thursday, Trump's drawing was once again auctioned, this time by Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles. The framed drawing received 11 bids and ultimately sold for $29,184. Bids had started at $9,000.
The auction house noted the president had signed the drawing in gold ink.
"Originally drawn by Trump for a charity event, and very rare, with only a handful of such drawings known," its description read.
As people across the country flock to their favorite annual fairs and amusement parks, officials are shuttering a popular attraction after a ride in Ohio broke apart, killing a teenager and injuring seven others.
The “Fireball," which spins and swings riders 40-feet above ground, suddenly malfunctioned and snapped apart Wednesday at the Ohio State Fair's opening night, killing 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell of Columbus. Jarrell had just graduated from high school and enlisted in the Marines.
Horrific video posted on social media showed riders being thrown from the pendulum-style attraction, which appeared to break apart while swinging in midair.
In response, officials in several states, like Illinois, Oregon, and California, ordered ride operators to shut down all similar Fireball amusement rides.
The ride's manufacturer also ordered the use of the ride be suspended around the world until further notice. The Dutch company, KMG, said it seemed the “passenger-carrying gondola detached from the supporting sweep arm" and is investigating.
There are 43 of these rides internationally, including 11 in the United States.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to all who were involved or affected by this tragic accident,” the company said in a statement.
Amusements of America, which operates the Fireball-style attraction, reported that it had been vetted multiple times by its staff and independent inspectors.
Before the 40-foot structure broke apart mid-swing and threw its riders into the air, the Fireball had passed multiple inspections.
"It's been looked at about three or four times over the course of two days," said Michael Vartorella, chief ride inspector for Ohio's Division of Amusement Ride Safety. "It was inspected at a couple of different stages and it was signed off."
Records released Thursday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol show multiple sign-offs from consultants, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Amusements of America, with supervisors checking off its safety, maintenance, and operations. Several parts, including its swing drive, were replaced in May, according to the documents.
Provided
Although the investigation has just begun, officials warned that they may never figure out why the ride malfunctioned and it could just be a freak accident.
"It's important to remember that amusement rides are mechanized pieces of equipment," said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David Daniels. "They can fail from time to time."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich called the situation "a nightmare," but emphasized that "accidents do happen" no matter how many times you can "inspect, and you can reinspect."
"If you're looking for guarantees in life, they don't exist. You just make sure that the risk you take on is something that you balance against the activity you want to engage in," he said.
He shut down all the rides at his state fair, which is one of the largest in the country, and ordered them to be inspected again until they are deemed safe.
Other states took similar precautions.
The Illinois Department of Labor suspended 12 rides "until further notice" and a Portland amusement park shut down its "Scream'n Eagle" and other similar rides.
In California, several fairs and parks sidelined some of their most popular attractions. The California State Fair closed its “aggressive thrill” ride Wednesday night and the Orange County Fair also immediately halted "The G Force" right after the Ohio accident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Posted in front, a sign now reads: "For your safety this ride is undergoing maintenance."
HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed a bill Thursday afternoon making it illegal for pedestrians to look at their phones while crossing the street, becoming the first major US city to ban use of the devices while walking.
People caught viewing a mobile electronic device while crossing a road or highway can be fined up to $35 for their first offense. That fine rises to up to $75 for a second offense in the same year and up to $99 for a third violation.
“We want to protect pedestrians both as they walk on our sidewalks but also on our crosswalks,” the mayor said Thursday at a press conference. “And we hold the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the country.”
“Sometimes I wish there were laws that we didn’t have to pass — that perhaps common sense would prevail," Caldwell said, "but sometimes we lack common sense."
Honolulu City Councilman Brandon Elefante told BuzzFeed News that he introduced the bill after high school safety clubs in his district said they were concerned about their "peers who were using electronic devices and not really paying attention while crossing the street in a major highway section."
"This issue has been a growing concern as technology has advanced and the main driving point is safety. You are really unable to put a price for someone's life," Elefante said. "Having a law like this will help people become more aware."
The bill takes effect on October 25 and applies to cell phones as well as other "mobile electronic equipment" that includes laptops, video games, digital cameras, and pagers. It exempts use of the devices to contact 911. Emergency responders and drivers using their devices for work would also not be penalized.
Jtb Photo / Getty Images
A Honolulu Police Department spokesperson told BuzzFeed News it supports the law "as part of the department’s effort to reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths."
"Pedestrian safety is dependent on both drivers and pedestrians looking out for each other," spokesperson Michelle Yu said in a statement. "When a pedestrian commits a hazardous act, it can endanger other pedestrians as well as motorists. Enforcement of the new law will be preceded by a public education and warning period."
Elefante said the Honolulu Police Department worked with the city council to craft the bill in language that would be enforceable.
Honolulu city council member Ernie Martin, who was one of two to oppose the bill, said it "borders on over-regulation" and "the law as written may be challenged" in the court system.
Martin said he would have preferred a public awareness educational campaign, especially "given that the target group for the legislation was teenagers."
The police department also said it supported the bill because "studies have shown that distractions, including cell phones and other electronic devices, are contributing factors in many traffic collisions."
Richard Levine / Via Getty Images
Statistics on pedestrian fatalities related to texting while walking do not exist because it's not always clear what caused the accident — pedestrians using devices, motorists doing the same, or someone missing a crossing signal. Still, the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit that works with state highway safety offices, says the number of pedestrian fatalities across the US has been rising sharply over the past few years.
The group projects an 11% increase in the number of pedestrians killed on US roadways last year compared to 2015. Among several reasons cited by GHSA for the spike in pedestrian fatalities was the rise of smartphones for messaging, "a frequent source of mental and visual distraction for both walkers and drivers."
In 2015, Hawaii ranked as the 17th state for pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, according to the GHSA. Delaware had the highest pedestrian fatality rate, while Idaho had the lowest.
Injuries suffered by people walking while using their phones have been widely reported. Last year, a man fell into a pond in New York while playing Pokémon Go on his phone. This summer a video went viral after a New Jersey woman who was staring at her phone fell into an open cellar door.
Honolulu is not the first American city to pass this type of legislation. In 2012, a New Jersey town banned texting while walking, giving violators an $85 jaywalking ticket. Last year, the state also considered banning texting while walking, but the legislation failed to pass.
Other cities have experimented with different ideas. In Paris, where there are a reported 4,500 pedestrian deaths per year, "the crash billboard" was set up at several intersections by a marketing agency to frighten people into being more aware.
Augsburg, a city in Germany, has experimented with placing lights in the ground that act as crosswalk signals, changing from red to green, so that smartphone users would be more aware.
A Utah man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife in their cruise ship cabin on Tuesday evening as the family vacationed off the coast of Alaska.
Kenneth Manzanares, of Santa Clara, Utah, was detained aboard the Emerald Princess ship by a security officer who observed blood on the 39-year-old's hands and clothing, according to an affidavit prepared by an FBI agent.
Princess Cruises told BuzzFeed News the victim was a 39-year-old woman from Utah. Officials have named the victim only as KM, but it's understood to be Manzanares' wife, Kristy Manzanares. Her Facebook profile has now been turned into an online memorial.
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"KM had a severe head wound and blood was spread throughout the room on multiple surfaces," the FBI agent wrote.
A witness who entered the cabin before security staff arrived told the FBI he asked Manzanares what happened to his wife, to which he allegedly replied, "She would not stop laughing at me."
He then allegedly grabbed his wife's body and dragged it to the balcony, but the witness grabbed her and pulled her back into the cabin.
Manzanares later allegedly said, "My life is over," as FBI agents conducted a physical search of him.
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Because the boat was in US territorial waters some seven miles off an Alaskan island when the alleged homicide occurred, federal investigators have assumed jurisdiction, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska said in a statement.
Manzanares was formally arrested on Wednesday, and was due to appear in an Anchorage court via video conference from Juneau on Thursday afternoon.
Manzanares, his wife, and their daughters left Seattle on Sunday for their seven-day cruise.
"Since the incident, our fleet security team has been coordinating with the FBI, US Coast Guard, and other local authorities," Princess Cruises said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event."
A woman who was videotaped verbally abusing three Somali women in a Walmart carpark in Fargo, North Dakota, on Tuesday has apologized after footage of the altercation went viral.
Amber Hensley was filmed confronting Rowda Royan, Sarah Hassan, and her sister, Leyla, around 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, accusing the women of parking too close to her.
Royan turned on her camera about halfway through the altercation, capturing Hensley saying, "We're gonna kill you.... We're gonna kill every one of you fucking Muslims."
"Go home, go home... Why are you in our country? I'm an American, you're not," said Hensley in the video.
When Royan warned Hensley she was going to report her to police, Hensley could be heard saying, "Do you think the police care?"
Fargo police did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but posted on Facebook that their officers responded to the incident on Tuesday. A report was taken and investigators were looking into the case, police said.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Sarah Hassan said police have been "very supportive" of her, her sister, and Royan.
Hassan said the reason the three could not move their car was that Hensley's body was physically too close to it and they did not want to run her over.
"We don't want her arrested," said Hassan. "We just want everyone to know the truth."
Video of the exchange was shared widely on social media and has picked up millions of combined views.
Such was the spread of the clip that multiple people tracked down and contacted Hensley's workplace, public accountants Horab & Wentz. The company announced on Wednesday that she was "no longer employed" as a secretary with them, effective immediately.
"Horab & Wentz does not agree with or support the statements expressed by Amber Hensley in the recently posted video," the company told BuzzFeed News. "She does not reflect the views of Horab & Wentz."
Hensley told local station KVRR that she was sorry for her words.
"It was not a Christian-like thing to do AT ALL and wish I could take it back, but I lost my cool and I can’t. I am terribly sorry. I just wish that the whole video could be shown," she said.
Hensley claimed that the footage only showed half the story and that the three Somali women had parked "way too close" to her car and had refused to move, before swearing at her and calling her a "fat bitch."
"She said 'FUCK JESUS' and I lost it!" said Hensley.
"But there are absolutely no excuses," she said. "I am in tears with regret and will take any form of punishment deemed fit."
White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told a reporter he wants to kill government leakers, called White House chief strategist Steve Bannon a cocksucker, and suggested he'd fire all of the assistants to the president.
Seriously.
The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza on Thursday published a full account of the angry tirade he heard from Scaramucci over the phone on Wednesday night, headlined "Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon." Moments after the conversation, Scaramucci posted a bizarre tweet that called for the FBI to investigate the "leak" of his financial disclosures — which were already public.
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White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was tagged in the tweet, prompting speculation that Scaramucci held him responsible for the leak. Scaramucci later deleted his original claims there had been a "felony," and he denied that he had accused Priebus of anything.
But on Wednesday, Scaramucci was heated in his criticism of anyone who leaked information from the White House.
“What I want to do is I want to fucking kill all the leakers and I want to get the president’s agenda on track so we can succeed for the American people,” Scaramucci told the New Yorker.
He told Lizza that he believed Priebus had been a confidential source to the New Yorker. Scaramucci threatened to fire all of the assistants to the president to smoke out leakers, and he said that Priebus would be resigning soon.
“Reince is a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” Scaramucci said.
Scaramucci added that he was not seeking publicity for himself personally.
“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock,” he told the New Yorker. “I’m not trying to build my own brand off the fucking strength of the president. I’m here to serve the country.”
At the end of the call, he told Lizza that he was going to get on Twitter.
"Yeah, let me go, though, because I’ve gotta start tweeting some shit to make this guy crazy," Scaramucci said.
By Thursday, sources told BuzzFeed News they believed that Priebus would be resigning soon.
"The stuff Anthony is pulling is unreal," a source close to the administration said. "If I was Reince, I would be like, 'fuck you guys, I'm out.'"
The top immigration officer in the US on Thursday slammed so-called "sanctuary cities" as sending the wrong message to smugglers and immigrants seeking to cross the border illegally.
"Sanctuary cities, that's an alien smuggler's best friend — 'We'll get you to sanctuary city,'" Thomas Homan, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said during a White House press briefing. “Sanctuary cities not only endanger public safety, they endanger our officers.”
His comments come amid a pushback from mayors in cities like Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles after the Trump administration threatened to withhold millions in federal grant money if they didn’t fully cooperate with federal immigration agents and deportation efforts.
Alex Brandon / AP
The United States, Homan added, needs to stop sending the message to people in Mexico and Central America that if they are able to enter illegally, they'll be left alone so long as they stay low.
“It’s not OK to be here,” Homan said. “If you’re in a sanctuary city, that’s where we send additional resources.”
One of Trump’s executive orders put all of the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants at high risk for deportation.
The threat posed by the MS-13 gang also played a prominent role during Homan’s comments, a common specter the administration has used to push their crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
“The proliferation of MS-13 remains an ongoing challenge to law enforcement,” Homan said. “Sanctuary city policies only make it more difficult, if not impossible, for ICE to remove them.”
Despite the Trump administration's emphasis on MS-13 and other gangs, federal data show that less than 1% of unaccompanied children detained at the border since 2012 have been identified as gang members.
Still, it’s often state and local law enforcement that first comes into contact with transnational gangs, Homan noted, and working with those agencies is crucial.
“Together, our gang is bigger than theirs,” he said.
