Michael Spooneybarger / Reuters
Rhonda Hill and Scott Vanlin with his cat look at an old ship uncovered as the beach eroded during Hurricane Isaac in Fort Morgan, Alabama on Friday, August 31, 2012. The mystery vessel, which has been uncovered several times after hurricanes, is thought to be either a civil war blockade runner or a schooner used to run liquor during prohibition, according local news reports.
Federal attorneys announce that they will be shutting down their probe into whether Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio abused the power of his office. KPNX's Kevin Kennedy reports.
The federal government has closed a criminal probe of alleged financial misconduct by Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, who styles himself as "America's toughest sheriff," and no charges will be filed, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Friday.
A separate federal investigation relating to allegations of civil rights abuses by Arpaio's office is continuing.
The announcement on Friday marked the end of an investigation that began in November 2010 at the behest of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to examine alleged financial improprieties by the county sheriff and his deputies.
A federal criminal inquiry into several of those matters was concluded last summer with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona declining to initiate criminal charges.
Maricopa County authorities were informed on Friday that federal prosecutors had likewise declined to bring charges in connection with allegations that the sheriff's office had misused county credit cards or misspent money from jail facilities excise taxes.
In addition, the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute two former officials of the county attorney's office who were accused of wrongfully prosecuting a local judge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel said in a statement that her office "is closing its investigation into allegations of criminal conduct by current and former members of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office."
Arpaio, who returned from the Republican National Convention on Friday night, said he was "very happy" with decision.
"I send my appreciation to the federal government for their hard work in clearing my office," he said in a news briefing.
Arpaio, 80, who is seeking re-election to a sixth term as sheriff in November, has been under a separate federal inquiry since 2008 over allegations that he and his deputies engaged in an extensive pattern of civil rights abuses.
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Arpaio denied any wrongdoing, and said he would cooperate with investigators.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel, acting on behalf of the United States due to the recusal of U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo, commended the joint investigative efforts of the prosecutors and the FBI special agents who conducted the investigation.
Scheel said her office advised Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery of the decision.
Arpaio, first voted into office in 1992, has been elected five times and is seeking a sixth term.
The federal government today sued Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the state's most populous county, accusing them of racial profiling directed at Latinos. Pete Williams reports.
In July, Arpaio said that volunteer investigators working for him concluded that President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is not legitimate.
"At the very least," he said at a news conference, "I can tell you this, based on all of the evidence presented and investigated, I cannot in good faith report to you that these documents are authentic."
Also in July, Arpaio denied in testimony in a class-action lawsuit that his deputies targeted people because of the color of their skin.
He was testifying whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling Hispanic citizens and legal residents.
"I am against anyone racial profiling ... today as in my 50 years in law enforcement," Arpaio told the court during cross-examination.
Arpaio is also known for outfitting county jail inmates in pink underwear, claiming the pink shorts are less likely to be smuggled out of jail and sold on the black market, and for housing inmates in a Tent City jail in Phoenix, even when Sonoran Desert summer temperatures soar to 115 degrees.
NBC's Jim Gold and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Dwayne Gross
Muslims gather for outdoor "Jumah" prayers at Marshall Park in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, the first of several events planned by the Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs in the run up to the Democratic National Convention in the city.
BIMA
A flier for Muslim events timed for the run-up to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
In the run-up to the Democratic National Convention, several hundred Muslims attended "Jumah," or Friday prayer, in a park in Charlotte, N.C., as part of an effort to mobilize Muslims and get them engaged in political discourse. But the event sparked some of the same negative reaction that the organizers were hoping to combat.
Organizers said they hoped to use the prayers, a town hall meeting planned for Saturday and cultural festival to open events to non-Muslims and bring attention to problems that they believe disproportionately affect Muslims but are ignored by both political parties.
They cite what they consider invasive practices under the Patriot Act, discrimination against mosque construction through the use of zoning laws, "anti-shariah" bills being passed by state and local governments and more generally a climate of Islamophobia.
"One of the reasons for pulling folks together is to stay focused," said Jibril Hough, one of the organizers from the nonprofit Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs, or BIMA. "A lot of our issues that we are going to be bringing up will not be discussed by RNC or DNC. Both parties have supported deals that are eroding our civil liberties."
While about 300 Muslims prayed in Marshall Park in downtown Charlotte, the Christian group Operation Save America showed up to protest. Islam is one of the three main targets of its protests, along with abortion clinics and gay rights events. A news release from the organization on Thursday explained its reasoning.
"Hatred toward the God of the Bible (Jesus) is the great unifier of abortion, homosexuality, and Islam," said the release. "Hatred toward God and the nation He made great – America, is the platform of the DNC."
That protest had a permit and was anticipated, said Hough, and the police were poised to protect Operation Save America's right to protest without allowing them to disrupt the Muslim prayer.
"I told (the leader of the protest) I support his First Amendment right," said Hough. "But just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean you should do it."
The BIMA events were posted alongside hundreds of others on the official web site of the DNC host committee, none of which is sanctioned or supported by the committee, to let people attending the convention know what else is going on in town.
But the BIMA events were removed from the calender after negative publicity.
Some critics of Islam described both Hough and the headline speaker, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, as Islamic radicals.
In an interview on Fox television on Thursday, Zudhi Jasser, a controversial figure within the Muslim community who calls out "extremists" within his own faith, compared the views of BIMA to the KKK or the Nazi party, urging the DNC to distance itself from the event.
"They clearly are part of the global Islamist movement and really are an insurgency within this country," said Jasser, an Arizona physician who says many American Muslim leaders hope to replace American democracy with rule by Islamic law.
Meanwhile, in articles like this one in Frontpage.com, the right-wing blogosphere dissected Wahhaj's sermons and history, intimating that his conservative views were dangerous and embraced by the Democratic Party.
A senior DNC host committee official confirmed that the BIMA events had been removed from the website's "upcoming events" page.
"This event, like many others on the page, was user generated," a senior Host Committee official told NBC News on Friday. "Upon further review, and because speakers for the event and statements and positions from event organizers were not appropriate and relevant to the Host Committee, Charlotte in 2012 has decided to remove the event from our events calendar."
"This is about caving in to fear and ignorance," said Hough. On the other hand, he said, the prayer event "was very open, open to all, in the public square. Thousands will read about it and further understanding of Muslims and what is important to us."
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Officials in Iowa are investigating the cause of death of a police dog that was left in a patrol car on a hot Wednesday afternoon.
The Labrador retriever, named Harley, was a 7-year veteran of the Des Moines Police Department, NBC station WHO reported.
Officials were unsure whether the car's air conditioning was on, if any windows were rolled down or how long the yellow lab was in the car, The Des Moines Register reported.
The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon, according to CBS station KCCI. Des Moines' recorded high temperature Wednesday was 95 degrees, according to The Weather Channel.
Police say Harley was paired with Officer Brian Mathis on the department's vice and narcotics unit.
"What we know is that when he came back to the car, his partner of seven years had died," Des Moines Police Sgt. Chris Scott told the Register.
Officials said Mathis had no history of handling the dog poorly, according to the Register, and Des Moines police have eight other K-9s.
"[Harley's] investigations have taken a lot of drugs off the streets," Scott told CBS station KCCI. "Harley was not a stranger to anybody down here. We lost a fellow officer who just happened to be a dog."
Scott said officials were determining whether criminal charges would be filed, WHO reported.
“There is nobody that could be more upset and traumatized by this than Officer Mathis,” Scott told WHO.
The Police Department's public information office did not immediately respond to a voice mail Friday afternoon.
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An assistant track and field coach for Idaho State University who tried to save the family dog from an irrigation ditch and two men who went into the canal in an attempt to rescue her were electrocuted, officials said Friday.
Bingham County officials found the bodies Thursday evening about three miles northwest of Blackfoot in southeastern Idaho, according to NBC station KPVI of Pocatello.
Jacquelyn R. Paulson, 31, of Blackfoot, was reported missing about 9:30 p.m. after she failed to return from a search for the family dog, Bingham County Sheriff's Capt. Mark Crowley said. Paulson had been missing for about three hours, according to KPVI.
A group of neighbors and family members went looking for Paulson, and police sent out a reverse 911 call to surrounding residents alerting them about the missing person's report, KPVI reported. The search party expanded to include six deputies and 15 members from a search and rescue team, according to a sheriff's press release.
The search was called off around 10:50 p.m. when the bodies of three victims along with the dog were discovered in an irrigation ditch about 50 yards from the residence, KPVI reported.
Two Blackfoot residents, Michael Lance Hicks, 41, and Preston Keith Tarpley, 49, also died after apparently going into the water in an attempt to rescue Paulson, according to KPVI.
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An irrigation pump in the area had shorted out and was sending an electrical current through the water, deputies said. Idaho Power, a unit of IdaCorp Inc., shut off the power in the area so rescuers could recover the bodies, according to KPVI.
Paulson was going into her ninth season an assistant track and field coach at Idaho State. She was a two-time NCAA All-American in the heptathlon as a student at ISU and competed in the event in the Olympic Trials in 2004 and 2008, finishing eighth in 2008, according to the Idaho State Journal in Pocatello. She also competed internationally, according to news reports.
"She was the pride of our program," ISU head track and field coach Dave Nielsen said in a statement. "She was like a daughter to me. This is so untimely and tragic that I just don't know what else to say."
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Less than a year after losing his eyes in a battlefield explosion, Navy Lt. Brad Snyder on Friday felt the wall, heard the cheers and tasted gold, beating the world’s best blind swimmers in the 100-meter freestyle final at the London Paralympics.
In a race only the Aquatics Centre spectators (and none of the eight competitors) could see, Snyder, a former Naval Academy swimmer and an ex-Navy bomb defuser, posted a winning time of 57.43 seconds. He finished more than one second faster than China’s Bozun Yang, who took silver.
“It was my first final, it was my first medal," Snyder said after the race. "It’s an immense amount of relief. There was a lot of uncertainty this morning as to whether I’d be fast or not, a lot of uncertainty whether I’d be able to come in front of this crowd and keep my wits about me and keep a good race plan. We succeeded on both counts today, came out of the gates with a gold medal and now I’m looking forward to maintaining that as much as possible throughout the week."
Earlier in the day, during his qualifying heat for the 100-meter free, Snyder set a new Paralympic record of 57.18 seconds — more than a half second faster than his previous personal best (which already was the No. 1-ranked time in the world.)
“I have six more events, some better than others, but I’m prepared by good nutrition and good rest.," he said. "As soon as we’re done here we’ll head back, grab some dinner, go to sleep and kinda just get into this rhythm of competition — swimming each morning, swimming each evening — and see if we can keep that performance at a high level.”
Before today’s races, Snyder said his busy London swim schedule shapes up perfectly for potential success.
“I’m actually really excited to have one of the preferred events up first, so I have something I’m targeting and feeling good about and looking forward to,” said Snyder, who lives in Baltimore. “Hopefully, I'll get the butterflies out in prelims and then be ready to rock at night.”
Lt. Brad Snyder lost his sight in an IED explosion in Afghanistan last year. The Navy officer will once again represent the U.S., this time at the London 2012 Paralympics in September.
During a patrol last Sept. 7 in Afghanistan, Snyder was rushing forward to help two Afghan soldiers wounded in an initial IED blast. While sprinting, Snyder tripped a second hidden bomb in a farm-field irrigation ditch. His eyes were irreparably damaged by the detonation and later were removed by a surgeon.
Entering the London Paralympics, Snyder trained for months with his coach, Brian Loeffler, to shave split seconds off the world No. 1 times he already had set this year in three freestyle events — the 50 meters, 100 meters and 400 meters.
But trying to cut through the water more quickly caused Snyder to crash hard into the lane lines during some of those practice sessions.
Lt. Brad Snyder, blinded by an IED explosion in Afghanistan, trained hard for the London 2012 Paralympics.
“I started wearing compression sleeves in practice because I started beating my arms up pretty bad,” Snyder said before Friday’s race.
Related: From darkness to gold: Blinded swimmer ready to race
Related: Iraq vet: 'Now it's time to win at Paralympics'
Related: Ex-Marine's journey from homelessness to Paralympics
Related: 'Superhuman' Paralympians burst onto world stage
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on quality. I’ve put a lot of work into just being as symmetrical as possible and really working on a quality stroke and trying to find ways to maintain good technique ... That way we can avoid crashing and losing speed due to fatigue.
“I’ve been doing a lot of kick and strength work to hopefully be able to control the speed of the sprint with my legs as opposed to trying to do it with my arms which I think lends to me crashing.”
Centra "Ce-Ce" Mazyck, who was paralyzed during a parachute jump with the 82 Airborne in November 2003, will compete in the javelin at the London Paralympics. "This is my second chance," she tells NBC News' Jamieson Lesko.
Like all blind Paralympic swimmers, Snyder competes while wearing blacked-out goggles — a Paralympic rule to ensure no athlete in the field can see even a glimmer of light. He also relies on Loeffler, the swimming coach at Loyola University, to stand at the end of his lanes and tap him on the shoulders with a walking cane to alert him that a flip turn or finishing kick is needed.
The 100-meter free was the first of seven events Snyder will swim in London. Depending how well Snyder performs in his preliminary heats, he could race 14 times in nine days.
“It’s spread across so many days. And there’s one event per day. And my coach and I have strategy on that: it behooves me to use the opportunities to race just to get accustomed to the pool, the setup, the sound of the start, and walking around," Snyder said. “If I can make finals in an off event then it gives me the opportunity to go through the ready-room system.
“It actually works out great to just kind of make the extraordinary ordinary. Just get accustomed to being in front of the people, hearing the noise, hopping in the pool and racing.”
Some of the hottest tickets at the London Paralympics are for wheelchair rugby. The sport is so violent and fierce, that it has been dubbed "Murderball". ITN's Lewis Vaughan Jones met Team Great Britain's inspirational captain.
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A cocaine shipment spotted by customs officers in Newark, N.J., helped lead to the arrest of three people in Barcelona, Spain, U.S. officials said Friday.
Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with the Spanish Guardia Civil, said they arrested Oleksii Stepanets, a Ukrainian national; Eduard Medvedev, a Russian national; and Edgar Palma Bofill, a Spanish national.
Customs and Border Patrol officers at Newark Liberty International Airport intercepted a shipment of pulleys containing approximately 2.23 kilograms of cocaine on Aug. 21, ICE officials said. The shipment originated in Costa Rica and arrived in Newark on a commercial aircraft, they said. The shipment’s manifest said it was auto parts destined for an auto shop in Barcelona.
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HSI Newark agents coordinated with agents in Madrid to assist the Spanish Guardia Civil in the arrests, officials said.
Besides the arrests, police seized a total of 2.99 kilograms of cocaine and “precursor chemicals” used to process the drug, officials said.
The arrests were linked to a previous seizure of 10 kilograms of cocaine at the Newark airport, officials said.
The total wholesale value of the cocaine is over $500,000, they said.
"This cooperation with foreign governments represents HSI's broad footprint that extends beyond our border," said Andrew McLees, special agent in charge of HSI Newark.
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The investigation was the latest in a series of drug-smuggling interceptions reported by ICE. Among others, which yielded larger drug seizures:
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California Lottery
Footage from a convenience store surveillance video shows a man lottery officials believe bought a winning ticket worth $52 million in late July.
California Lottery officials are on the lookout for a man they believe is the state’s latest millionaire.
The organization released a surveillance video and a photo of a man they believe bought a winning ticket at a Fremont, Calif., Kwik Stop worth $52 million.
Lottery officials say they believe the man knows he’s the winner because he’s physically checked his ticket multiple times at grocery stores, officials said.
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But more than a month after the drawing July 27, he has yet to come forward and claim his prize, which is why the organization put out the photo and a plea asking the mystery man to bring his winning ticket to a lottery office.
“We see this as an integrity and transparency issue,” said Russ Lopez, California Lottery Deputy Director of Corporate Communications, in a statement. “The California Lottery truly believes that when a person buys a lottery ticket with the hope and prayer of changing their lives, we should do all we can to connect them with their winnings. We believe this effort will make a lot of Californians very happy.”
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In the surveillance video from the Kwik Stop, lottery officials say the man is clearly recognizable and the cashier of the convenience store, A.J. Kumar, told NBCBayArea.com that he’s waited on the mystery winner many times, including on July 25, when he sold the winning ticket.
The winner has up to one year to come forward.
More than $20.5 million in prizes went unclaimed in California over the last two years, lottery officials said. In an effort to connect ticket holders to their winnings, the California Lottery has begun sending out photos of apparent winners of unclaimed prizes.
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A 25-year-old man is in critical condition in Los Angeles, Calif., after he allegedly stole a police cruiser and smashed it into a Starbucks coffee shop. NBCNews.com's Al Stirrett reports.
A man who stole a police car in South Los Angeles and crashed it into a Starbucks coffee shop Friday has lost his legs, according to local media reports.
The 25-year-old suspect, who was the only person injured in the crash, was hospitalized in critical condition, according to NBCLosAngeles.com. He also lost both of his legs in the accident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The crash occurred at about 4 a.m. near 1298 South La Brea Ave., police said. Aerial video provided by NBCLosAngeles.com showed vehicle wreckage and damage to the front of the Starbucks. A light pole and another vehicle also were wrecked, the Times reported.
View NBCLosAngeles.com's story on driver's Starbucks crash
"That was the most damage I've ever seen to a black-and-white police car in 24 years," Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Smith told NBCLosAngeles.com. "That was an unbelievable scene of carnage. The engine was out, the transmission was in the road, and the hood was down street. The car was a complete and total wreck."
Officials shut down La Brea Avenue near San Vicente Boulevard during the investigation.
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The car was stolen as two officers were conducting an investigation at Adams Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. The officers left the keys in the police vehicle, according to police.
The suspect, who might have grand-theft auto charges, drove away at "high speed" in the cruiser, heading north on La Brea Avenue. Officers did not pursue him, police told NBCLosAngeles.com.
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"We're unsure why he took the car," Smith told NBCLosAngeles.com. "Whether it was a joy ride or what. Apparently he saw the police car there, the keys were in it, and he made a bad choice."
"Many officers leave their keys in the car so they can jump back in and get out of a situation quickly," Smith told NBCLosAngeles.com.
NBC News' Sevil Omer contributed to this report.
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Mike Groll / AP
Correctional officer Juleigh Walker watches as inmates sit for lunch at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
Mike Groll / AP
Correctional officer Juleigh Walker inspects inmates during morning formation at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
Mike Groll / AP
Inmates line up for lunch at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
Mike Groll / AP
An inmate shouts during morning stretching at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
New York corrections officials say they have graduated more than 40,000 inmates from military-style boot camps over the past 25 years and most never come back. Established as an alternative to regular prison in the 1980s in efforts across the country, which got mixed reviews and dropped by several states, New York officials have kept three shock camps going with a model they consider effective, with lower recidivism and saving money.
Only prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes who volunteer and sign contracts go to the camps. Many drop out or are kicked out before completing the six months of mandatory physical training, manual labor, education and drug counseling, scrutinized by drill instructors. The prize for completing the course is a shortened sentence.
-- Associated Press
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Mike Groll / AP
Superintendent Bruce McCormick inspects inmates fingernails at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility Wednesday, on 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
Mike Groll / AP
Inmates wait to eat lunch at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
Mike Groll / AP
Inmates stand during morning flag formation at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility, on Aug. 22, in Mineville, N.Y.
A South Florida woman who is accused of injecting people with Fix-a-Flat and other substances in a black market buttock-enhancing business was released on bond Friday.
Oneal Morris, 31, posted $25,000 bond and walked out of the Broward County Main Jail.
Morris’ bond was reduced from its original $150,000 as part of an agreement with prosecutors, said Morris’ attorney, Michael Mirer.
See more on this story on NBCMiami.com
“We decided in negotiations, in exchange for a bond reduction, to waive our right to a speedy trial,” which typically is supposed to take place within 175 days, Mirer told NBC 6 South Florida.
Morris will also be placed on house arrest with a monitor and has to surrender her passport, Mirer said.
Morris, who police said was born a man and identifies as awoman, was arrested in late July on charges of practicing medicine without a license and manslaughter in the death of Shatarka Nuby, 32. She died in March in Tallahassee from what an assistant medical examiner called "massive systemic silicone migration" as a result of the cosmetic silicone injections, according to authorities.
Morris has been arrested multiple times for performing cosmetic procedures without a license in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, but Nuby is the only person who has died from her treatments, authorities said.
“Morris maintains she had nothing to do with the death of (Nuby), and we intend on proving her innocence in reference to that particular case in court,” Mirer said.
A Florida woman is facing charges of practicing medicine without a license after cops say she injected a woman's buttocks with cement, "Fix-a-Flat" and other substances during an illegal cosmetic procedure. WTVJ-TV's Donna Rapado reports.
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SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police are investigating whether three Metropolitan Transit System bus drivers were under the influence of marijuana-laced brownies during their routes, officials say.
Metropolitan Transit System spokesmanRob Schupp said three drivers became sickened and reported feeling “dizzy” Sunday while on their routes, possibly after eating pot-laced brownies handed out by another employee.
Previous reports incorrectly said four drivers were sickened.
Transit officials say the three bus drivers acted appropriately by pulling off the road once they realized they had become ill. Replacement drivers were called in, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
It was not known if passengers were on board, or for how long the bus operators were driving while feeling ill, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
View NBCSanDiego.com's story on the bus investigation
According to transit system officials, drug tests were administered to the employees who reported feeling sick. The allegation of the drivers eating the drug-laced brownies, however, has not been confirmed by San Diego police, according to NBCSanDiego.com.
All three, plus an additional employee who allegedly distributed the suspected baked goods, were placed on paid leave while authorities conduct an internal investigation.
Metro Transportation System chief Paul Jablonski says the drivers followed procedures to the letter and supervisors acted quickly to protect the public, according to The Associated Press.
Metro officials say they have a comprehensive drug and alcohol policy that tests all new employees and conducts random tests throughout the year. The program exceeds guidelines set forth by the Department of Transportation, according to NBCLosAngeles.
NBCSanDiego.com's Lauren Steussy and Monica Garske contributed to this story.
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President Obama issued an executive order Friday tasking the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand its suicide prevention and mental health services.
Under the order, VA is expected to increase its veteran crisis line by 50 percent by the end of the year; ensure that a veteran in distress is given access to a trained mental health worker in 24 hours or less; and launch a national 12-month suicide prevention campaign to educate veterans about available mental health services.
In April, VA announced that it would hire 1,600 mental health clinicians to meet surging demand, and the order instructs the agency to use loan repayment programs and scholarships, among other strategies, to recruit those professionals by June 2013.
The order also asks VA to create at least 15 pilot projects in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services to address unfilled mental health staff vacancies and long wait times. The pilots, to be created within 180 days, will test the effectiveness of partnerships with community and rural health clinics as well as substance abuse treatment centers.
Related: Military hopes antidepressant nasal spray will prevent suicides
Previous estimates have indicated that at least 6,000 veterans died by suicide annually in recent years; data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 18 veteran suicides occur daily.
VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki praised the order in a statement released Friday morning, saying that the agency would work to implement its requirements immediately.
"History shows that the costs of war will continue to grow for a decade or more after the wars have ended," Shinseki said. "The mental health and well-being of our brave men and women who have served the Nation is the highest priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs."
Related: Monthly Army suicides reach all-time high in July
The order targets not only immediate concerns about mental health care staffing and suicide prevention measures, but also long-term goals in understanding the science behind combat-related psychological wounds like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Along with the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, VA is directed to develop a research plan that includes efforts to better diagnose and treat PTSD and TBI.
The president delivered the order Friday as part of his visit to Fort Bliss in Texas, which marks the two-year anniversary of the end of combat operations in Iraq. He addressed troops at the Army post and held a roundtable discussion with service members and their families.
Rebecca Ruiz is a reporter at NBC News. Follow her on Twitter here.
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Ben Margot / AP
At least five hantavirus infections have been linked to the tent cabins in Yosemite's Curry Village.
About 10,000 people who stayed in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park over the summer may be at risk for hantavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday in a health advisory.
"People who stayed in the tents between June 10 and Aug. 24 may be at risk of developing (hantavirus) in the next six weeks," the CDC said in the release.
Earlier, two more Yosemite National Park visitors were found with a mouse-borne virus blamed for the deaths of two people, bringing the total number of infections to six, state health officials said.
The new discoveries were made during the agency's investigation into cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at the famed park, California Department of Public Health Anita Gore spokeswoman said.
The infections spurred park officials to close 91 tent cabins at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley, where five of the six infections occurred. Gore said one of the infected people may have been in another area of the park.
"Our investigation is trying to determine which area of the park that person visited," she said.
Over the past three weeks, two people have died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome after staying in cabins at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley.
Park officials said the double-walled design of the cabins that were closed Tuesday made it easy for mice to nest between the walls. The disease is carried in the feces, urine and saliva of deer mice and other rodents.
The illness begins as flu-like symptoms, including including headache, fever, muscle ache, shortness of breath and cough. Initial symptoms may appear up to six weeks after exposure and can lead to severe breathing difficulties and death.
Although there is no cure for hantavirus, treatment after early detection through blood tests can save lives. The virus, which has never been known to be transmitted between humans, kills 38 percent of those it infects.
"The earlier it's caught and supportive care is given, the better the survival rate," said Dr. Vicki Kramer, chief of vector-borne diseases at the state Public Health Department.
Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said he made a habit of airing out his tent-cabin before occupying it as a precaution against possible virus-carrying dust particles when he stayed in Curry Village a few years ago.
But even Chiu said he was surprised to learn that a hantavirus had killed two people and stricken others who slept in the same structures this summer.
"It wasn't something even I had thought of at the time," Chiu, who studies hantavirus, told Reuters.
Five of the people who fell ill are known to have stayed in the tent cabins in June or July, and warnings have gone out to visitors who stayed in Curry Village in June, July or August.
The hantavirus outbreak occurred despite efforts by park officials to step up protection efforts last April. A 2010 report from the state health department warned park officials that rodent inspection efforts should be increased after a visitor to the Tuolumne Meadows area of the park fell ill.
The new hantavirus policy, enacted April 25, was designed to provide a safe place, "free from recognized hazards that may cause serious physical harm or death."
It came after the state report revealed that 18 percent of mice trapped for testing at various locations around the park were positive for hantavirus.
"Inspections for rodent infestations and appropriate exclusion efforts, particularly for buildings where people sleep, should be enhanced," it said.
Melanie Norall of Palo Alto, California, is monitoring her 8-year-old daughter's every sniffle. They stayed in a cabin outside Yosemite's north entrance at the end of July and awoke to mice scurrying and eating nuts out of their luggage.
In 2009, the park installed the 91 new, higher-end cabins to replace some that had been closed or damaged after parts of Curry Village, which sits below the 3,000-foot Glacier Point promontory, were determined to be in a rock-fall hazard zone.
The new cabins have canvas exteriors and drywall or plywood inside, with insulation in between. Park officials found this week when they tried to shore up some of the cabins that mice had built nests in the walls.
The deer mice most prone to carrying the virus can squeeze through holes just one-quarter-inch in diameter. They are distinguished from solid-colored house mice by their white bellies and gray and brown bodies.
The park sent warning emails and letters Wednesday to another 1,000 people who stayed in tent cabins, after officials found that a computer glitch had stopped the notices from going out with the original 1,700 warnings Monday. The warning says anyone with flu-like symptoms or respiratory problems should seek immediate medical attention.
In 2011, half of the 24 U.S. hantavirus cases ended in death. But since 1993, when the virus first was identified, the average death rate is 36.39 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The vast majority of hantavirus victims are young and middle-age adults, Chiu said, probably because they are mostly likely to engage in activities that would readily expose them, such as chopping and carrying fire wood or sweeping the floors.
"The message should not be you should stop camping. The important thing is general awareness of this disease and to avoid wild rodents in general," Chiu said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
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Powerball winner Donald Lawson, 44, of Lapeer, Mich., is introduced on Friday morning.
The winner of the $337 million Powerball jackpot earlier this month has been revealed: Donald Lawson, 44, of Lapeer, Mich., was introduced Friday by Michigan lottery officials.
Lawson said at a press conference in Lansing, Mich., that he had been a railroad engineer before quitting a couple of weeks ago after he had discovered he had won. Lawson, who said he has two daughters, was joined at the announcement by his mother, sister and brother-in-law.
The winning ticket for the Aug. 15 jackpot -- the third largest ever for Powerball -- was purchased at a Sunoco gas station and convenience store in the town of Lapeer, about 50 miles north of Detroit. Lawson said he grew up in Fort Smith, Ark., and moved to Lapeer about 10 years ago.
Lawson described the moment he learned his life was about to change when he checked the ticket.
"I started reading backwards, and lost my breath," Lawson said. The winning numbers were 6, 27, 46, 51, 56 and Powerball 21.
Lawson said that after checking his ticket he "sat there and said a prayer, then called my sister and told her to come home right now ... then I told them."
He said he had put the ticket "in my Bible, and under my couch, then on top of my fridge."
Calif. lottery officials hunt for mystery winner
Lawson took the option to receive the money in lump sum -- which would be about $224 million before taxes. Powerball officials say most winners opt for the one-time payout.
Al Goldis / AP
Donald Lawson, right, a 44-year-old Lapeer, Mich. resident, laughs with his mother at a news conference in which he claimed the $337 million Powerball prize on Friday at the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Mich.
A Powerball ticket costs $2.
In March, three winning tickets shared the largest U.S. lottery jackpot, the $656 million Mega Millions drawing.
The last big Powerball jackpot was won in February by Louis White of Rhode Island. That prize was worth $336 million and at the time was the third largest Powerball jackpot in history. The prize won by Lawson edged that one for the No. 3 spot.
So what are his immediate plans?
"I'm going to escape for now, and go somewhere safe," he said.
And will all that money change him?
"I'm a millionaire now, but I like McDonalds," he said. "I don't like mignons or lobster ... I want a simple life and that's what I'll continue to do."
Residents in the tiny town of Lapeer, Mich., are consumed with speculation as to which of their neighbors holds the winning Powerball lottery ticket with a valued jackpot of $337 million.
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Actor Clint Eastwood speaks Thursday night at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
The actor and director, 82, has sparked jokes, imitators, and more after his "invisible guest" speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention. Here's a selection of the reactions online to Clint Eastwood.
A man accidentally fell to his death from an escalator at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Thursday night during a preseason game between the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings, officials said.
"There has been an accident involving a patron falling from an escalator at Reliant Stadium this evening. The patron was transported to an area hospital. An investigation is ongoing," read a statement released Thursday by stadium officials.
Witnesses told police the man fell from the fifth floor to the ground level, Houston Police Department spokesperson Jodi Silva told NBC News Friday. The man is believed to be about 25 years old, authorities said.
The man, who has not been identified, died in a Houston emergency room after being brought in around 8:30 p.m. local time, a spokesperson for the Harris County medical examiner's office told NBC News.
An autopsy and a toxicology report are scheduled for Friday.
Police are treating the incident as an accidental death, Silva said. Circumstances of what the man was doing at the time of the fall are not clear.
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Amid the ongoing exit of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, more service members are mulling a shift to the civilian work force and asking the key financial question: What will I miss if I walk away from my military pension?
The short answer: A lot.
Unlike private-sector jobs where employees become partially vested in their company’s pension no matter how long they’ve held their positions, service members pocket no pension payments if they exit the military before logging 20 years. (If they remain in the armed forces for 20 years or more, service members receive up to 50 percent of their base salary upon retirement).
“I think that question is being asked more often now because of unknowns on both sides – people wondering how the drawdown will affect them and, on the other side, those who are seeing a lot of instability in civilian job market,” said Kim Lankford, a writer for Kiplinger, the personal finance magazine, and author of "Kiplinger's Financial Field Manual," sent to military bases around the world. She also is married to a 17-year Army doctor.
According to U.S. military organizations that Lankford covers, 83 percent of service members “don’t make it to 20 years — which means that only 17 percent qualify for the pension,” she said. “There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether or not to stay.”
A corporation may be able to outbid the military when it comes to an ex-soldier’s new salary. But to truly calculate that wage rate, service members need to know what their sacrificing in taking that civilian paycheck, Lankford said.
For example, during their careers, thousands of military folks are temporarily stationed in locales without a state income tax, like Florida and Texas. Even when they later are transferred to bases where state taxes are levied, service members are allowed to retain their residency in the non-tax states. That perk ends with a military retirement.
When it comes to health care, military retirees (people who stay more than 20 years but not yet age 65) pay a small premium for Tricare Prime - currently $230 per year for individual coverage and $460 per year for families (and increasing to $269.28 per year for individuals and $538.56 per year for families after Oct. 1, 2012), according to Lankford. (Disabled service members get health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.)
Compare that to the average civilian family pays about $15,073 a year for health coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The average individual pays about $5,429 annually. While employers generally foot 60 to 80 percent of that bill, workers pay for the rest.
“All those deductions add up,” Lankford said. Veterans who bid farewell to the military “are often very surprised to learn that civilian jobs in higher dollar amounts than military jobs can actually leave them less take-home pay.”
One other major decision for troops considering short military careers surrounds the G.I. Bill, which now pays for a veteran’s college costs at up to $17,500 per year. That benefit can be transferred to a service member’s children if he or she spends six years in the armed forces — and is willing to commit to another four-year stint, Lankford says.
Then there are the housing-cost breaks military members enjoy. (For those who live on base, housing is free). Service members who rent or own their own homes receive a tax-free housing allowance than can exceed $2,000 per month depending on their pay grade, their number of dependents and the city in which they live.
“If a service member is thinking about leaving,” Lankford said, “they should be sure to include the loss of that tax-free allowance when calculating their new civilian salary.”
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The corn in Kansas farmer Mark Bergkamp's hands has risen in value thanks to the current drought.
There's no question there will be less corn for sale than expected in the U.S. this year, and that has driven grain prices to record levels.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said despite the current drought, it predicts net farm income will rise 3.7 percent this year to more than $122 billion, as high grain prices offset loss of production.
CNBC.com: Who’s benefiting from the drought?
"You know, some of these small ones can fool you," said Carol Miller, pointing to an ear of corn not nearly as large as she'd like. "You start counting the kernels and the length, and there might be more than you think."
Miller farms a thousand acres of corn with her husband Randy, north of Des Moines. They'll begin harvesting perhaps as soon as the end of this week. That's earlier than usual, but the corn has "dented" (the kernels pucker), showing it's starting to dry out and is ready to pick.
CNBC.com: Hurricane Isaac’s impact on drought
It's fast becoming judgment day across the corn belt, as farmers like Miller pick the crop and discover just how big the yield is — or isn't. Most grain and oil seed farmers have taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance which will cover, on average, 70–80 percent of their loss of "average production." It is also becoming apparent that most farmers will still have some corn they can sell at top prices, if they haven't precontracted too much of it back when corn was $5 a bushel instead of $8.
"In fact, some farmers will make more money this year having crop insurance than they would have if there was a normal yield because we planted so many corn acres," said Sterling Liddell of Rabobank. "Livestock producers, on the other hand — this is potentially explosive for them."
CNBC.com: Drought aid for farmers runs dry in Washington, D.C.
That's because livestock producers don't have the same kind of insurance.
Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that 225,000 people were expected to attend the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, this week, the largest outdoor farm equipment show in the country.
"We really don't see any impact on our business," said Jim Walker, senior vice president of Case IH, about equipment sales in the drought.
CNBC.com: Agriculture secretary: We promise to help drought-stricken
Rival AGCO is projecting a record year, though its North America general manager, Bob Crain, said, "There's a lot of wait-and-see right now."
Crain expects some sales of combines and tractors that might normally happen in the fall will be delayed until November or December, as farmers see how much they are reimbursed from crop insurance.
The biggest losers in this drought may be the insurers, a list which includes the federal government, as well as companies like Endurance Specialty Holdings, American Financial Group and Ace Limited. All three have underperformed the broader market year to date.
As for farmer Carol Miller's purchasing decisions, "We're going to hold back," she said. "We want to know what we have and what we can afford."
Amazingly, after all the heat and lack of rain, this year may not be so bad.
"We feared it wasn't going to be a good crop at all," she said. "It's improved. The hybrid vigor and the genetics, I think, made the crop what it is, because if we had the same genetics 20 years ago, you probably wouldn't have had a crop."
As residents add up the damage from Isaac's nonstop rain, a half a million are still living without power. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
Updated at 8:30 p.m. ET: Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana on Friday suffered in humid heat due to power outages caused by Isaac, while tornado alerts were issued for five other states as the system moved slowly into the central U.S.
By Friday evening, four tornadoes were reported in southwest Illinois and one in Missouri, all with minimal damage. Watches were also issued for parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee.
In Louisiana, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney toured the New Orleans area, saying he wanted to understand the extent of devastation and "obviously to draw some attention ... so that people around the country know that people down here need help."
The White House earlier announced that President Barack Obama will tour damaged Louisiana areas on Monday. Jindal said he invited the president and that the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had already visited.
A man, forced to abandon his sailboat during Tropical Storm Isaac, is now trying to find the vessel. WPMI's Darwin Singleton reports.
"We're not talking politics," Jindal, a Republican, said at an Isaac briefing Friday. "We're thrilled to have both these leaders here."
Related: Romney tours storm-damaged Jefferson Parish
Isaac crawled into the nation's midsection Friday, leaving a soggy mess along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.
It will be a few days before the soupy brown water recedes and people forced out of flooded neighborhoods can return home.
And the damage may not be done. Up to 50,000 people in Tangipahoa Parish were given an evacuation order Thursday when water from Isaac -- which by late afternoon had weakened to a tropical depression -- threatened to overwhelm a dam across the state line in Mississippi.
By late Thursday, the Percy Quin State Park dam, located about 100 miles north of New Orleans, was no longer an imminent threat, dam safety engineer Dusty Myers said.
Connie Uddo was devastated when her home was devoured by Katrina, but she faced the damage head-on by establishing a volunteer organization to help people rebuild. Now that same nonprofit is helping Isaac's victims. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
Crews worked into the night to repair the dam and earlier created a slow release of water to ease pressure on the earthen structure.
The storm caused anywhere from $700 million to $2 billion in insured onshore losses, disaster modeler AIR Worldwide said late Thursday. That would still leave Isaac well outside the 10 most costly U.S. hurricanes.
New Orleans' Audubon Park recorded 18.7 inches of rain in a 24-hour period -- exceeding all records dating back to 1871, said Jeff Masters of Weather Underground. Many other locations in Louisiana and Mississippi logged more than 10 inches of rain.
In Arkansas, power lines were downed and trees knocked over as Isaac moved north into the state.
Slidell, a town of about 27,000 people northeast of New Orleans, took the brunt of a storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain, which left some neighborhoods under about a foot of water.
NBC's Thanh Truong reports from Louisiana where Hurricane Isaac knocked out power to many portions of the state's Gulf Coast.
"You'd have never made me believe a Category 1 would dump this much water," said Sam Caruso, 71, a former mayor of Slidell who toured the town in his pickup truck on Thursday.
As the flood waters rose, some residents, including Caruso, wondered whether the new federal levee system had shored up New Orleans at the expense of low-lying neighboring parishes outside the system's protection - a debate that is likely to continue.
New Orleans, spared any major damage, lifted its night curfew and returned to its usual liveliness, although it was dampened by heavy humidity.
"I have a battery-operated fan. This is the only thing keeping me going," said Rhyn Pate, a food services worker who sat under the eaves of a porch with other renters on Thursday, making the best of the circumstances. "And a fly swatter to keep the bugs off me — and the most important thing, insect repellent."
Following scores of rescues, widespread flooding and forced evacuations, officials recovered at least two bodies in the wake of Hurricane Isaac. Meanwhile, large parts of Louisiana remain underwater. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
The heat was getting to Marguerite Boudreaux, 85, in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans.
"I have a daughter who is an invalid and then my husband is 90 years old, so he's slowing down a lot," she said, red in the face as she stood in the doorway of her house, damp and musky from the lack of air conditioning.
National Guardsmen rescued or escorted more than 3,000 residents, Gov. Jindal said Friday, and more than 1,000 people had to be rescued by boat or high-water vehicles. Some 5,000 people were still in Louisiana shelters Friday.
At least six deaths were attributed to Isaac. A man in Slidell, La., drowned after driving into a ditch where the water was 9 feet deep Thursday night. Two bodies were found inside a flooded home overnight in hard-hit Plaquemines Parish south of New Orleans, officials said overnight. And a Mississippi tow-truck driver was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle, a tree fell on a woman in Waveland, Miss., and a Louisiana man died after falling from a tree as he tried to help a friend.
Related: Isaac pushes gas prices still higher for holiday weekend
Related: Blessing and curse for drought areas due to Isaac
Related: Resident reports on how post-Katrina defenses saved town
Isaac hit on the seventh anniversary of Katrina, a hurricane that devastated New Orleans and left more than 1,800 dead.
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A downgraded Isaac floods coastal communities and forces new evacuations, but levees still hold.
The two storms had little in common. Katrina came ashore as a Category 3 storm, while Isaac was a Category 1 at its peak. Katrina barreled into the state and quickly moved through. Isaac lingered across the landscape at less than 10 mph and wobbled constantly. Because of its sluggishness, Isaac dumped copious amounts of rain. Many people said more water inundated their homes during this storm than during Katrina.
Both storms, however, caused the Mississippi River to flow backward. And both prompted criticism of government officials.
In the case of Isaac, officials' calls for evacuations so long after the storm made landfall caused some consternation.
Jefferson Parish Council President Chris Roberts said forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami need a new way of measuring the danger that goes beyond wind speed.
"The risk that a public official has is, people say, 'Aw, it's a Category 1 storm, and you guys are out there calling for mandatory evacuations,'" Roberts said.
Eric Blake, a specialist at the hurricane center, said that although Isaac's cone shifted west as it zigzagged toward the Gulf Coast, forecasters accurately predicted its path, intensity and rainfall. He did say the storm came ashore somewhat slower than anticipated.
Blake cautioned against using Katrina as a benchmark for flooding during other storms.
"Every hurricane is different," Blake said. "If you're trying to use the last hurricane to gauge your storm surge risk, it's very dangerous."
Some residents in Slidell, Louisiana are contending with several feet of water from Tropical Storm Isaac.
Also Thursday, in southeast Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, which is outside the federal levee system protecting New Orleans,crews intentionally breached a levee that was strained by Isaac's floodwaters.
In Louisiana alone, the storm cut power to 901,000 homes and businesses, or about 47 percent of the state. That was down to about 30 percent Friday.
Entergy Corp., Louisiana's largest power company, said Isaac knocked out power to nearly 770,000 of its customers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Only three storms have left more customers without power: Hurricanes Katrina (1.1 million), Gustav (964,000) and Rita (800,000), the company said in a news release.
More than 15,000 utility workers began restoring power to customers in Louisiana and Mississippi, but officials said it would be at least two days before power was fully restored.
In Mississippi, several coastal communities struggled with all the extra water, including Pascagoula, where a large portion of the city flooded and water blocked downtown intersections.
High water also prevented more than 800 people from returning to their homes in Bay St. Louis, a coastal Mississippi town that lost most of its business district to Katrina's storm surge.
Isaac killed at least 23 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic before taking aim at the United States.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Police report at least three people are dead after a gunman opened fire at a Pathmark grocery store in Old Bridge, New Jersey. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Updated at 5 p.m. ET: Three people are dead after an employee shot to death two coworkers before killing himself at a New Jersey supermarket Friday morning, authorities said.
Police said the shooting happened just before 4 a.m. inside a Pathmark grocery store on Route 9 in Old Bridge, N.J., about 25 miles from New York.
Rich Schultz / AP
Police investigate a shooting at a Pathmark grocery store on Route 9 in Old Bridge, N.J., on Friday.
The victims were 18-year-old Christine Lo Brutto and 24-year-old Bryan Breen, both from Old Bridge. The gunman, Terence S. Tyler, was 23 years old, police said.
All three were working the night shift at the Pathmark with 12 other employees. The store was closed at the time, scheduled to open at 6 a.m.
Get the latest on the supermarket shooting from BreakingNews.com
Police believe Tyler may have gotten into an argument with a coworker at the Pathmark before he allegedly left the store around 3:30 a.m. Police say he then went to his car, drove away and returned to the store about 20 minutes later, dressed in camouflage clothing and with a weapon similar to an AK-47 assault rifle.
Police say Tyler opened fired on an employee standing outside the store, then went inside and fired at least 16 shots from the rifle at five employees, killing two people. He then killed himself with a handgun.
Some employees ran out of the back of the store to escape, while police safely removed other employees after making entry into the store. No shots were fired by police.
Authorities said the victims were not necessarily targeted, but the motive is under investigation. Officials recovered the rifle, several ammunition magazines and a 45 caliber handgun from the scene.
See more coverage from NBCNewYork.com
Tyler was a former Marine, who earned several medals for his service between March 2008 and February 2010. At the time of his discharge, he achieved the rank of Lance Corporal. He was an Old Bridge resident and had been working at the Pathmark since Aug. 20. Police said Tyler may have had a history of depression and mental illness.
The family of victim Lo Brutto, a recent high school grad, has asked for privacy. However, neighbor Carolyn Anders said Lo Brutto had a "heart of gold, always smile on her face."
"Why does an 18-year-old have to lose her life? She just [began] it," Anders said.
A vigil for Lo Brutto and Breen was planned for Friday night.
NBC News
An aerial view of the Pathmark supermarket in Old Bridge, N.J., where a shooting that occurred at about 4 a.m. Friday left three people, including the gunman, dead.
Employees who were in the store at the time of the shooting congregated later in the morning outside a TGI Friday's restaurant in the shopping center where the supermarket is located.
New Jersey Transit closed its nearby park-and-ride lot, The Associated Press reported.
Aerial news video showed heavily armed police on the ground outside the supermarket and several windows broken.
The store was closed Friday. Pathmark officials had no immediate comment on the shooting.
NBC News' Jonathan Dienst, Brynn Gingras, Brian Thompson and Katherine Creag contributed to this report.
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Spencer Platt / Getty Images, file
Pedestrians pass an adult store in Times Square in New York City. The state's supreme court on Thursday deemed that a set of amendments in 2001 meant to tighten the city's regulation of strip clubs, topless bars and adult video and book stores violated the constitutional protections of free speech and were unnecessary.
NEW YORK -- A New York City zoning law designed to keep adult entertainment businesses away from schools, churches and residential neighborhoods was deemed unconstitutional by a New York state judge on Thursday.
Justice Louis York of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan said a set of amendments in 2001 meant to tighten the city's regulation of strip clubs, topless bars and adult video and book stores violated the constitutional protections of free speech and were unnecessary.
York said adult establishments today differ from their predecessors by having less garish signage and by segregating their erotica from more mainstream parts of their business, making them less conspicuous to the public.
"These entities no longer operate in an atmosphere placing more dominance of sexual matters over non-sexual ones," York said, ruling on two lawsuits lodged by a group of adult businesses against the city.
Thursday's ruling will have the biggest effect on the dozens of bars, restaurants, book and video stores that offer adult entertainment alongside non-X-rated services.
According to The New York Times, the original 1995 city law defined an "adult establishment" as any business where more than 40 percent of its material was sexually oriented in nature.
The 1995 law helped break up clusters of sexually themed businesses and scatter them to New York City's industrial areas, the Times said. As a result, many city neighborhoods were remade and gentrified, according to the paper.
But by the end of the decade, city authorities believed that many of these outlets, often referred to as "60-40 establishments," merely kept a few shelves of non-X-rated material on their premises in order to mask the true nature of their business, according to the Times.
The 2001 amendments defined many such establishments as "adult enterprises" and barred them from operating closer than 500 feet from other sexually oriented venues, or from schools, places of worship and homes.
Current city guidelines allow venues where less than 40 percent of space or inventory is devoted to sexually explicit activities to operate anywhere in the city.
Full US news coverage on NBCNews.com
Studies don't link crime rates and strip clubs, judge says
York noted that studies presented to the court concluded that the presence of adult establishments did not increase crime rates or lower property value, as previously believed.
"Accordingly there is no need for the 2001 amendments ... they are a violation of free-speech provisions of the U.S. and state constitutions," he said.
Martin P. Mehler, a lawyer for several topless clubs in the case, told the Times that the city's defense of the 2001 amendments failed because the original rule had worked.
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"We have adhered to what the law was," Mehler told the Times.
"It has accomplished its goal of doing away with that tawdry atmosphere that used to exist in Times Square, and there was no need to take away a basic First Amendment right," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
The ruling was a loss for city officials who have sought to crack down on what they call "sham compliance" by venues that employ methods such as piling stacks of children's videos on the floor in order to ostensibly devote 60 percent of their inventory to non-adult material.
Tampa strip-club king: RNC not great for business
Robin Binder, deputy chief of the administrative law division of the City Law Department, said her agency would appeal the decision.
"The city's ability to regulate adult establishments is critical to preserving neighborhood quality of life," Binder said in a statement.
'That's just un-American'
Others called the ruling a triumph for freedom.
"It's wrong for a city or a state to say, 'We're banning this type of literature, and we're not going to allow you to read or see it,' " Herald Price Fahringer, an attorney for video stores represented in the lawsuits, told the Times.
"That's just un-American," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Sitthixay Ditthavong / AP
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union hold an informational picket outside Willa Cather Elementary School on Monday in an effort to call attention to ongoing contract talks with the city's Board of Education.
The Chicago Teacher's Union voted unanimously Thursday to strike on Sept. 10, with members agreeing to head to the picket lines unless a deal can be reached with the city’s schools -- a move that could affect 400,000 students.
The result of the ballot, cast at a Chinatown union hall, was met by cheers from the more than 700 delegates who voted.
The decision comes a day after CTU president Karen Lewis issued a 10-day strike notice. Sept. 10 is the earliest that teachers can strike, and the date falls a week after many students head back to class.
"We're tired of being bullied, belittled and betrayed," Lewis said at a news conference following the meeting. "We have done everything asked of us, yet we continue to be vilified and treated with disrespect."
Read the full story at NBCChicago.com
Lewis said negotiations will continue until a contract is hammered out that resolves concerns over wages, job security and a new evaluation system.
In a statement, Chicago Public Schools chief executive Jean-Claude Brizard said: “If our priority is our kids, then strike should never be an option.”
"Should CTU leaders decide to strike on September 10, more than 350,000 students will be taken out of their classroom, just as they're making progress with a Full School Day. Varsity sports for 11,000 student athletes will be suspended. More than 400,000 daily breakfasts and meals will no longer be served.
6 July: Students who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction are finding help at special schools where the kids work toward common goals: education, graduation and recovery. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
“College transcripts and recommendations for 20,000 seniors will be put on hold. If our priority is our kids, then strike should never be an option. That's why we need to take advantage of each of the next 11 days and work until we reach a fair resolution for our teachers that will allow our kids to stay in school where they belong."
CPS officials have been making preparations in the event of a strike.
Brizard said the district plans to keep 145 schools open for half-days even if the Chicago Teachers Union calls a strike and teachers walk off the job. The union on Wednesday filed a 10-day strike notice that would allow them to strike as early as Sept. 10, just a week into the school year for a majority of public-school students.
If that happens Brizard said CPS will partner with City Sister Agencies, local faith organizations and other non-profits to keep kids engaged.
"We need to be prepared to provide our students with services they need should CTU leaders decide to strike, and our Children First plan will do that," Brizard said.
As part of the precautionary strategy announced Thursday, CPS would keep the group of schools open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to provide activities to children and keep them engaged in independent reading, arts, sports and computer-based programming.
27 June: The City of Stockton, California, is likely to become the largest municipality to declare bankruptcy in an effort to deal with a $26 million deficit and $700 million in debt. Cnbc's Jane Wells reports other cities may soon follow suit.
Per the plan, the schools would be staffed with Central Office personnel, non-CTU employees and organizations that submit a request for proposals to provide programming. Brizard said the staff-to-student ratio would be capped at 1 to 25.
CPS also said it will provide breakfast and lunch to all students at the locations and will extend between 70 and 80 Chicago Park District summer camps.
Brizard said he's committed to avoid a strike but says CPS will be ready if the teachers strike.
“These plans are simply a precaution," Brizard said, "but we have an obligation and responsibility to our children and their parents to make sure they are not left behind in the event of a strike.”
CPS said it is seeking a waiver from the Illinois High School Association to continue sports if teachers strike.
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NBC's Anne Thompson reports on a new controversy from Pope Benedict's personal preacher who compares the recent child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church, to the collective violence and anti-Semitism of the Jewish people.
NEW YORK -- A New York priest says he "deeply regrets" if he hurt anyone by his comments that priests accused of child sex abuse are often seduced by their accusers and that a first-time offender should not go to jail.
The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal apologized Thursday for the comments he made in an interview with the National Catholic Register, published this week. The conservative, independent Register removed the story from its website and posted an apology for publishing the comments. Groeschel and the friars did as well.
"I did not intend to blame the victim. A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible," Groeschel said in his post on the website. "My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be. I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone."
Judge dismisses child sex-abuse case that accused Vatican
The friars expressed regret for the remarks and highlighted Groeschel's medical history. They said he had been in a car accident several years ago, and that "in recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing." They described the comments as "out of character."
Asked in the Register interview about working with priests involved in abuse, Groeschel had said, "Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown, and a youngster comes after him. A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer."
In expanding on his answer, Groeschel also referenced Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State coach convicted of sexually abusing boys, referring to Sandusky as "this poor guy" and wondering why no one said anything for years.
He also added later that anyone involved "on their first offense, they should not go to jail because their intention was not committing a crime."
'Rubbing salt into the wounds'
Editor in Chief Jeanette De Melo posted a note apologizing for "publishing without clarification or challenge Father Benedict Groeschel's comments that seem to suggest that the child is somehow responsible for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our publication of that comment was an editorial mistake, for which we sincerely apologize."
Monsignor William Lynn, the most senior U.S. Catholic clergyman convicted in the church's sex abuse scandal, became the first U.S. church official convicted of a felony. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
The Archdiocese of New York also repudiated the comments in a statement posted on its website, calling them "simply wrong."
Philadelphia monsignor gets 3-6 years for cover-up in Catholic priest sex abuse
"Although he is not a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, what Father Groeschel said cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. The sexual abuse of a minor is a crime, and whoever commits that crime deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," spokesman Joseph Zwilling said.
David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said there needs to be consequences for figures like Groeschel, "who say incredibly hurtful and mean-spirited things."
"He's rubbing salt into the wounds of already-suffering victims," Clohessy said.
Comments like Groeschel's "discourage victims, witnesses and whistleblowers from reporting horrific crimes both known and suspected," he said.
Colleagues of Groeschel suggested on Thursday that he was recovering from a fall and was mentally frail.
The Rev. Glenn Sudano, a spokesman for the Franciscan Friars, likened him to an elderly relative.
Roman Catholic Church official convicted of endangerment in priest-abuse trial
"He said something like grandpa would say and it's like 'Grandpa, why would you say that?'" Sudano told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"Obviously we don't agree with what he said. Obviously it's terribly disappointing that people are hurt or upset," Sudano said. "We feel very bad about it."
Sudano said he did not know if Groeschel would face any consequences for his remarks.
The Penn State child abuse scandal is dredging up memories of the massive sex abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church, including the diocese where the university is located. NBC News' Michael Isikoff reports.
The Catholic Church has been rocked in recent decades by accusations that it tried to cover up the sexual abuse of children by priests and has paid out billions in settlements to abuse victims, bankrupting several U.S. dioceses.
Similar scandals have shaken the lucrative world of college sports, most notably the conviction of Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, for sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, most of them in the campus football showers.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A retired Navy SEAL could face legal action for his upcoming book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The Pentagon is threatening to file criminal charges against the man who wrote the book, "No Easy Day," under a pseudonym. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
Updated at 2 p.m. ET -- The lawyer for "Mark Owen" -- the pen name of the former Navy SEAL who wrote "No Easy Day," a book describing the Osama bin Laden raid -- on Friday said that Owen did, indeed, seek legal advice before publishing the book and he disputed other claims made by Pentagon.
"Mr. Owen sought legal advice about his responsibilities before agreeing to publish his book and scrupulously reviewed the work to ensure that it did not disclose any material that would breach his agreements or put his former comrades at risk," Robert Luskin wrote in a letter addressed to Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson. "He remains confident that he has faithfully fulfilled his duty."
Furthermore, Luskin said a non-disclosure agreement Owen signed -- which the Pentagon claimed he was "in material breach" of -- doesn't require Owen to submit his book for review. "As you are well aware, the Classified Information Non-Disclosure Agreement, which you attached in your letter, invites, but by no means requires Mr. Owen to submit materials for pre-publication review," the letter said.
A Pentagon spokesperson on Friday said it is unclear if the book actually contains damaging classified information. "I'm not going to say whether the book has classified information in it," spokesperson George Little told reporters.
On Thursday, Johnson said in a letter that Owen is in violation of the non-disclosure agreement.
Related: Ex-Navy SEAL: Book about 9/11, not politics
The letter, sent via the attorney at Penguin Putnam publishing, explained that Owen signed two separate non-disclosure agreements on Jan. 24, 2007, and that he has an obligation to "never divulge" classified information.
"This commitment remains in force even after you left the active duty Navy," Johnson wrote.
Pentagon's top lawyers reminded the ex-Navy SEAL who authored the tell-all on the bin Laden raid that they are considering legal action against him for publishing "classified" information. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
He also signed a "Sensitive Compartmented Information Debriefing Memorandum" when he left the Navy around April 20, 2012, according to the letter.
"The Department of Defense has obtained and reviewed an advanced copy of the book ... In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed," the letter said. "Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements.
"The Department is considering pursuing against you, and all those acting in concert with you, all remedies legally available to us in light of this situation."
A senior Defense official on Thursday said, "There has to be consequences" for someone who violates the non-disclosure agreements prohibiting the release of classified information.
The official also suggested that by revealing "tactics, techniques and procedures" employed by the Navy SEALs during the raid, "it could put other operators at risk and future operations in jeopardy."
"No Easy Day," written by a former Navy SEAL who helped take down Osama bin Laden, claims the al-Qaida leader did not defend himself during the raid. The book will become available on Sept. 4, earlier than the anticipated Sept. 11 release date. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
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