In a CNN exclusive, Martin Savidge speaks with Pedro and Onil Castro, brothers of Ohiokidnapping suspect Ariel Castro. Watch the full interview on CNN starting Monday May 13th at 5:00 a.m. For more CNN videos, visit our site at CNN
Exclusive: Castro brothers talk to CNN
CNN secured an exclusive interview with Pedro and Onil Castro, the brothers of Ariel, the Cleveland resident accused of kidnapping three women and holding them captive against their will for more than a decade.
The brothers sat down with CNN’s Martin Savidge and said that they had no knowledge of their brother’s alleged activities. Pedro Castro told Savidge, “…it’s going to haunt me down because people going to think, yeah, Pedro got something to do with this and Pedro don’t have nothing to do with this. If I knew, I would have reported it. Brother or no brother.”
The interview will air on CNN’s morning show on Monday, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
Amanda Berry Captured on Cell Phone Video Being Rescued Coming Out
Published on May 11, 2013
An eyewitness video shows police storming into Cleveland suspect Ariel Castro’s home last Monday evening, just moments after one of the female captives had already escaped and the other two were still inside the house and about to be rescued. CBS News have obtained video, which is at the top of this post, from Jasmina Baldrich, 23, who was outside of the house in a car.
A Cleveland Police officer stopped Ariel Castro on his motorcycle during a 2008 traffic stop captured on a police dash camera. Interview with Angel Cordero, the unsung hero who also helped rescue kidnapping victim Amanda Berry.
Ariel Castro’s daughter Angie Gregg speaks to CNN
Published on May 9, 2013
Ariel Castro’s daughter Angie Gregg says she never wants to see him again.
Former in-laws: Castro is a monster
Published on May 9, 2013
The sister and niece of Ariel Castro’s former common-law wife say that he abused her and caused injuries that killed her.
Neighbors say they raised flags about Castro
Published on May 10, 2013
Tension between the Cleveland neighborhood where the women were found and the police department. Tom Foreman reports.
Sen. Toomey And Manchin See Glimmer Of Hope For Expanded Background Check Bill On Face The Nation
Published on Apr 14, 2013
West VirginiaSenator Joe Manchin and PennsylvaniaSenator Pat Toomey continued their tour of the Sunday shows this morning with an appearance on On Face The Nation. They told host Bob Schieffer that, again, law abiding gun owners will like the bill and criminals will hate it but they’re still working on more support from Senators.
Manchin and Toomey are pushing for stronger backing of their gun background check amendment that will cover purchases at gun shows, stores, and on the internet while exempting exchanges between friends and family. The bill is seen as a compromise in the ongoing debate over new gun regulations. Manchin said that one of the biggest obstacles to the bill is just getting his colleagues to read it.
He debunked one of the major myths about the bill, saying that the bill makes it illegal to create a national gun registry. If they would only look at the bill, he said, they’d find that it makes it illegal to register guns. “If any agency tries to to do registration, have a national registry it’s a felony, fifteen years imprisonment.
They are close to securing support for their gun control amendment that will expand background checks but they are still not where they want to be. We’re close, we’re working it,” Toomey said.
“We’ve got bipartisan support but we’ve got bipartisan opposition too,” he said.
Neither of them were confident in announcing supporters of their bill until they come out publicly for it.
DNA tests confirm Ariel Castro fathered girl born in captivity
Reuters – The Ohio attorney general said on Friday that DNA tests showed Cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect Ariel Castro is the father of the six-year-old born while he allegedly held the girl’s mother and two other women captive for nearly a decade.
Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement that “forensic scientists worked throughout the night to confirm that Castro is the father of the six-year-old girl born in captivity to one of the kidnapping victims.”
He added that the tests also found Castro’s DNA did not match any other Ohio cases, although the FBI is still checking the sample against national cases.
Ariel Castro arraigned in court
Ariel Castro’s bail set at $8 million
Published on May 9, 2013
CNN’sFionnuala Sweeney and Chris Welch report on kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro’s court appearance.
Ariel Castro Arraigned in Court – Bail Set at $2 Million Per Charge
Published on May 9, 2013
Ariel Castro Arraigned in Court – Bail Set at $2 Million Per Charge
Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Travel to the UK and Germany
President Obama and the First Lady look forward to traveling to the United Kingdom and Germany from June 17-19. In both countries, the President will reinforce the importance we place on transatlantic ties, consult on shared security challenges, and discuss the global economy.
The President’s trip will begin in Belfast, where he will engage with the people of Northern Ireland and highlight the hard work, dialogue, and institutional development they have undertaken together. The President will then attend the G-8 Summit at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, hosted by Prime Minister Cameron, from June 17-18. The Summit and related meetings will provide the President and his fellow world leaders an opportunity to address pressing economic, political, and security challenges around the globe and to promote the advancement of trade and greater transparency among G-8 members and the developing world.
Following the G-8, at the invitation of Chancellor Merkel, the President will travel to Berlin, Germany for an official visit to reaffirm the strong ties between the United States and Germany, our vital ally and economic partner. The President looks forward to meeting with the Chancellor and President Gauck to discuss a wide range of bilateral and global issues including opportunities to further deepen transatlantic relations.
Additional details of the First Lady’s travel will be forthcoming.
Obama to visit Germany June 18-19: White House
US President Barack Obama will make an official visit to Germany next month for wide-ranging talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House confirmed Friday.
The visit, from June 18-19, follows the president’s trip to Northern Ireland for the the G-8 Summit.
A White House statement said the Berlin trip aims to “reaffirm the strong ties between the United States and Germany, our vital ally and economic partner.” The president will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Obama’s meetings with Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck will cover “a wide range of bilateral and global issues including opportunities to further deepen transatlantic relations,” the statement said.
Obama will attend the G-8 Summit at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland from June 17-18.
The White House said Obama’s trip will begin in Belfast, where he will “engage with the people of Northern Ireland and highlight the hard work, dialogue, and institutional development they have undertaken together,” the White House said.
The US president’s Germany visit will come one week before 50th anniversary commemorations of US President John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech pledging US solidarity during the Cold War with the embattled city on June 26, 1963.
Bangladesh union representative speaks to Al Jazeera
Published on May 9, 2013
The death toll in Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster has soared past 1,000 after more bodies were found in the rubble of a collapsed building outside the capital, Dhaka.
The “death toll now stands at 1,006″ as the recovery operation entered its 17th day since the building caved in at Savar town, army spokesman Captain Shahnewaz Zakaria told the AFP news agency on Friday.
Some of the bodies, which are badly decomposed, could be identified by mobile phones in their pockets or factory identity cards around their neck, he said.
“Of the total dead, most are female garment workers.”
Of the bodies recovered so far, “at least 150 bodies were buried in unmarked graves in a state graveyard after they could not be identified,” Zakaria added.
The authorities are taking DNA samples from all the victims for future compensation claims.
As the number of dead from the collapse of a garment factory building in Bangladesh soars past 1,000, there’s a remarkable story of survival. A woman was found alive today in the wreckage of the building.
Survivor found in Bangladesh building collapse rubble
Published on May 10, 2013
Bangladeshi rescuers have found a woman survivor in the rubble of a garment factory complex which collapsed and killed more than 1,000 people on April 24, the country’s fire service chief told AFP news agency.
One of the rescuers said that the woman had cried out for help as recovery teams sifted through the wreckage more than 16 days after the nine-storey Rana Plaza complex collapsed on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
For the second time in a week….a miracle has occurred.
Charles Ramsey: Should His Past Domestic Abuse Conviction Tarnish His Rescue Of Berry, Knight & Davis?
The Smoking Gun revealed Ramsey had been arrested three times for domestic violence against his then-wife and served six months in jail. There’s no way around it. That’s horrible. However, it doesn’t take anything away from Ramsey’s heroic deed.
His heroic actions as a rescuer (and his poignant observations on race relations) took second place to his “colorfulness.”
The purpose of jail is supposed to be equal parts punishment and rehabilitation, and apparently in the ten years since his last arrest, Ramsey’s become a better man. When he heard a woman’s screams coming from his neighbor’s house — something that may have happened in his own residence long ago — he believed there was a woman was being beaten.
He didn’t keep chewing away on his Big Mac without care. He got up, went next door, and broke into his neighbor’s home to rescue the woman inside.
“Those [domestic violence] incidents helped me become the man I am today,” Ramsey told TMZ. “[They] are the reason why I try to help the community as much as I can … Including those women.”
Below, a list of the Twitter handles of all of the senators who voted no on the measure, excluding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who voted against the amendment on procedural grounds. Find their information and let them know how you feel. For a full roll call,click here.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) suggested that President Obama could be impeached over what he alleged was a White House cover-up after last year’s attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in an interview Thursday with “The Rusty Humphries Show” that impeachment would become an issue soon over the “greatest cover-up in American history.”
“People may be starting to use the I-word before too long,” Inhofe said.
“The I-word meaning impeachment?” Humphries asked.
“Yeah,” Inhofe responded.
“Of all the great cover-ups in history — the Pentagon papers, Iran-Contra, Watergate, all the rest of them — this … is going to go down as most egregious cover-up in American history,” Inhofe said.
When Humphries suggested that the Democratic-controlled Senate would not impeach the president, Inhofe said that was true. He said that Benghazi would “endure” and impeachment could come after the 2014 midterm elections, when Republicans hope to retake control of the upper chamber.
Republicans have accused the Obama administration of changing the “talking points” about last year’s attack in Benghazi for political gain in the heat of the 2012 presidential election.
Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in the attack on the U.S. Consulate there.
Republicans say the talking points used by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice intentionally downplayed the al Qaeda connections and falsely blamed the attack on a spontaneous protest.
The House Oversight Committee held an emotional hearing this week where the No. 2 diplomat in Libya said his “jaw dropped” when he heard Rice’s comments.
The White House has said the revisions to the talking points were made by the intelligence community, but ABC News reported Friday that the State Department played a key role in editing out the al Qaeda references.
Republicans have homed in on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the attack. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote an op-ed in The Washington Times Friday that said Clinton should “never hold high office again.”
Both are considered possible 2016 presidential candidates.
Inhofe is not the first Republican to suggest Obama could be impeached over Benghazi. Former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said this week that Obama “will not fill out his full term” over Benghazi.
(CNN) – The white stretch Lincoln was headed across San Francisco Bay, carrying the bride-to-be and eight of her friends for a bachelorette party.
Five of them, including the bride, never made it across.
Somewhere on the seven-mile San Mateo-Hayward bridge, the limousine caught fire. The driver and four members of the bachelorette party got out, but the bride — identified by a relative as 31-year-old Neriza Fojas — and four others died in the burning limo Saturday night, the California Highway Patrol said.
“The flames were gigantic,” said Roxanne Guzman, who was crossing the bridge with her husband and brother about 10 p.m. Saturday (1 a.m. Sunday ET). “The flames were so big and radiating so much heat that I could feel the heat off of my face, and I was in my car the entire time.”
Guzman said the survivors appeared to be in a state of shock on the shoulder of the roadway, with three of them crying. Other passersby had stopped, but police and firefighters hadn’t arrived yet, she said.
The driver was uninjured, but the four surviving women were treated for smoke inhalation, California Highway Patrol spokesman Ron Simmons said Sunday. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
“Looking at the photos, it appears it started in the trunk,” Simmons said. “But at this time, we don’t know officially if the fire started inside the vehicle or on the exterior.”
Lovela Nicolas, the sister-in-law of Fojas’ sister, said Fojas was a registered nurse. The Fresno woman was slated to be married in June, and she and her friends had hired the Lincoln for her bachelorette party, Nicolas said.
“Neriza was getting married, going to Philippines to get married there and have ceremony there and the reception,” Nicolas told CNN from her home in Honolulu.
The mother of one of the surviving women told CNN affiliate KTVU that her daughter, Mary Guardiano, was upset but physically OK.
“She’s very sad. She is crying,” said Rosita Guardiano.
In a written statement, the limousine company said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths.
“LimoStop Inc. will do everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining the cause of this fire in order to help bring forth answers and provide closure to the victims and their families,” it said.
Medical examiners may need up to two days to identify the remains, San Mateo County Deputy Coroner Roger Fielding said.
CNN’s Jackie Castillo, Nick Valencia, Jake Carpenter and Justin Lear contributed to this report.
A limousine traveling on a major bridge in the San Francisco area burst into flames, killing five female passengers who were trapped inside and injuring four others who escaped, authorities said.
Five occupants became trapped, while the four others suffered injuries but managed to get out after the vehicle came to a stop on the bridge, the patrol said. The driver escaped uninjured.
Montiel said that the victims were all in their 30s. Authorities said the names of the dead would be released once families have been notified.
The blaze occurred around 10 p.m. PDT on westbound lanes of the bridge, which connects San Mateo and Alemada counties, about 20 miles southeast of San Francisco.
The patrol said that smoke started coming out of the rear of the limo, and the driver pulled over as the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames. Officers were trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which wasn’t the result of an accident.
“We have no idea right now where they were going or where they were coming from,” CHP officer Amelia Jack told KGO-TV.
Two of the four women who escaped were taken to Stanford Hospital and two others were taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose. All four are being treated for smoke inhalation and burns. The driver was not injured.
The westbound lanes of the bridge were closed as officers investigated the cause of the deadly fire, but the patrol said one lane of traffic reopened early Sunday.
Concerned Family Hotline Number Is: 1-800-394-4947
Information Hotline Is: 1-254-202-1100
Several Injured in Massive Fertilizer Plant Explosion
ASSOCIATED PRESS APRIL 17, 2013, 10:24 PM
WACO, Texas(AP) — An explosion Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant near Waco sent flames shooting high into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin, causing major damage at nearby buildings and injuring numerous people.
The blast at the plant in West, a community north of Waco, happened shortly before 8 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north.
Several fires continued to burn in West two hours after the blast. In aerial footage from Dallas’ NBC affiliate, WDFW, dozens of emergency vehicles could be seen amassed at the scene. Entry into West was slow-going, as the roads were jammed with emergency vehicles rushing in to help out.
Authorities set up a staging area on the local high school’s football field, which was lit up with floodlights. Ambulances and several dozen injured people could be seen being taken away or seated in wheelchairs as they are treated and await transport.
Department of Public Safety troopers were using their squad cars to transport those injured by the blast and fire at the plant in West, a community north of Waco, Gayle Scarbrough, a spokeswoman for the department’s Waco office, told television station KWTX. She said six helicopters were also en route to help out.
The explosion at West Fertilizer was reported shortly before 8 p.m. in a frantic call from the scene, KWTX reported.
A West Fire Department dispatcher told The Associated Press that any casualties would be transported to hospitals in Waco, which is about 90 miles north of Austin.
The explosion knocked out power to many area customers and could be heard and felt for miles around.
Brad Smith, who lives 45 miles north of West in Waxahachie, told the station that he and his wife heard what sounded like a thunderclap.
Lydia Zimmerman, told KWTX that she, her husband and daughter were in their garden in Bynum, 13 miles from West, when they heard multiple blasts.
“It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,” she said.
Huge Explosion Waco Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion HD
WATCH: LIVE from Scene of Massive Explosion at Fertilizer Plant near Waco, Texas
Published on Apr 17, 2013
A major explosion has occurred at a Texas Fertilizer Plant, and CBS News provides the live coverage of the event that is currently unfolding. Some are considering this as a possible terrorism event.
At present 60 people have already been killed, and more than 100 people are injured.
The entire town of West is now under a mandatory evacuation.
(CNN) — An explosion ripped through a fertilizer plant Wednesday night in the town of West, Texas, sending a massive fireball into the sky and causing dozens of injuries, officials said.
A hospital in nearby Waco, Texas, has been told to anticipate 100 injured people coming in from the fertilizer plant area, an official at the medical facility said.
Glenn Robinson, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital, said a field triage station was being set up on a football field near the plant some 18 miles north of Waco after the Wednesday night explosion.
“We have had a steady flow of patients coming in by ambulance as well as by private vehicles,” Robinson told CNN’sAnderson Cooper. He said more than a dozen injured people had been brought in by ambulances and “more than 20 — that number is continuing to climb — by private vehicle.”
Hazardous material teams were being rushed to the scene, an emergency management official said.
At least six helicopters are going to fly out those who are injured, Robinson said. Others are being transported by ambulance, and some are getting to the hospital by car, he added.
Two other hospitals in the region were also assisting.
Photos of the explosion — which reportedly happened around 7:50 p.m. (8:50 p.m. ET) — showed a huge blaze and flames leaping over the roof of a structure and a plume of smoke rising high into the air.
The West Fertilizer Plant is just north of Waco. A school and a nursing home are among the buildings near the plant, CNN affiliate KWTX reported.
Sen. Brian Birdwell said he was aware of the explosion and trying to get more information, a spokesman said.
“I stand ready to assist with any and all state resources that might aid the affected area,” Birdwell said in a written statement.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is also aware of the explosion, a spokesman said, and was working to get resources into the area.
Tommy Alford, who works in a convenience store about three miles from the plant, told CNN that several volunteer firefighters were at the store when they spotted smoke. Alford said the firefighters headed toward the scene and then between five and 10 minutes later, he heard a massive explosion.
“It was massive; it was intense,” Alford said.
Family Concerned Hotline Number Is: 1-800-394-4947
The explosions happened in quick succession four hours after the beginning of the men’s race. At that point, the majority of runners had crossed the finish line. Thousands, however, were still out on the course.
Video of the scene showed a big explosion near the finish line. The explosion was so strong, it threw one runner off his feet.
WGBH‘s Anne Mostue tells our Newscast unit she heard two very loud explosions within seconds of each other. Mostue said immediately after, she saw “people screaming and running toward the river.”
“Police [were] pushing everyone away from Copley square,” WBUR‘s Bruce Gellerman said. “People crying, people sitting collecting their thoughts. Some of the runners still shaking.”
A video feed of the marathon finish line showed empty stands and emergency workers on the scene. Images posted on twitter and taken by wire photographers showed bloodied runners lining the streets, the windows of nearby buildings blown out by the explosion.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined. But the AP reports that security has been beefed up in New York and Washington.
Update at 4:12 p.m. ET. One Explosion Followed By Another:
NPR’s Peter Sagal tells All Things Considered that he had just finished the marathon, when he heard an explosion. He said he turned his head and that’s when the second explosion hit.
He said he was about 100 yards from the explosion and emergency personelle immediately descended on the scene.
“Police pushing everyone away from Copley square. People crying, people sitting collecting their thoughts. Some of the runners still shaking,” Bruce Gellerman reported.
A video of the explosion shows the official marathon clock hitting 4:09 as the explosion happens. The explosion is so severe, one runner is thrown off his feet.
At four hours, most runners would have already crossed the finish line.
Aaron Michael, a witness tells WGBH that he looked outside when after the first explosion. That’s when he heard the second one. :
“Boom, there was black smoke,” he said. “Mass chaos. I saw one woman really, really badly hurt. She was being carried out by people, she was bleeding pretty badly. It wasn’t a good scene. It was awful.”
Update at 3:20 p.m. ET. Oldest Marathon:
As Mark reported earlier, The Boston Marathon is the oldest, most prestigious marathon in the world. Tens of thousands of runners participate in the race.
This is a breaking news story. We’ll update as soon as we get more.
Report: Two Explosions at Boston Marathon
VIDEO: Boston Marathon Explosion, People Injured, Pictures
Published on Apr 15, 2013
Explosion at Boston Marathon – Pictures of Injuries & Finish Line
Aftermath to explosion at Boston Marathon
Published on Apr 15, 2013
(Boston Globe) The aftermath of the two explosions at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Video by David Abel / Globe Staff
Multiple Explosions At Boston Marathon
Three Explosions Kill Two, Injure Dozens at Boston Marathon
Three explosions erupted at the famed Boston Marathon today, killing two people, injuring dozens more and turning the race into what looked like a war zone.
The casualties were caused by two bombs that exploded almost simultaneously near the race finish line on Boylston Street before 3 p.m. The area was crowded with runners and spectators, and thousands of runners were still completing the race at the time of the first explosion.
Police said that two people were killed and 23 injured.
A third explosion occurred later at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, but no one was injured, police said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of all three explosions.
According to law enforcement sources, the first bomb exploded at the Marathon Sports running store, and blew out windows in four nearby buildings, injuring 15 to 20 individuals. The second blast occurred about 50 to 100 years away, severely injuring more bystanders, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis.
Authorities believe they were caused by small portable devices, sources told ABC News.
Police are asking for all video footage of the finish line at the time of the explosion.
At least 23 people have been confirmed injured and six are in critical condition, police said.
An emergency room doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital told ABC News that they have performed several amputations already, particularly on victims whose legs were injured. Many of the victims are runners still wearing numbers on their shirts, the doctor said.
He described the injuries as “shrapnel-type wounds” as possibly caused by “pipe bombs,” though police have not confirmed that description.
Earlier, trauma nurse from Massachusetts General Hospital told ABC News that medical workers had set up a temporary morgue at a medical tent at the road race and were treating patients with severed limbs and children with severe burns.
Boston EMS personnel could be seen shuttling the injured out of the blast area on wheelchairs. Several of the victims were bleeding from the face.
Bombs Explode At Boston Marathon
Published on Apr 15, 2013
At least two explosions rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, injuring at least a half-dozen people, a CNN producer at the scene said.
A doctor who was in the medical tent, about 150 yards away from the explosion, at the time said it looked like a “warzone,” with “lots of blood,” and said that all physicians were told to go to the scene and help the injured.
Boston police set off a third explosion before 4 p.m. and were sweeping the area, checking dozens of bags left behind by runners who evacuated the area after the explosions. Officials are also testing for chemicals to help determine what kind of device was used, according to police.
Attorney General Eric Holder was in touch with the FBI in Boston and President Obama was notified of the blasts. All of Boston’s police force was ordered to report to duty.
Security precautions were taken elsewhere beyond Boston. In Washington DC, Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House has been closed to pedestrians and there is heightened security.
In Boston, police have told people in area to avoid trash cans, according to witnesses.
The explosions erupted on what is usually a festive day in Boston. It is designated Patriots Day and most offices are closed for the celebration and the marathon.
Debris from the explosions could be seen scattered throughout the spectators stands and finish line area of the marathon as emergency personnel cleared the area.
Video of the explosions showed plumes of white smoke pouring into the air above the street where runners were.
Explosions At Boston Marathon Finish Line
Published on Apr 15, 2013
Bloody spectators were being carried Monday to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. Police wove through competitors as they ran back toward the course.
More than 26,00 runners were registered to compete in this year’s marathon. The marathon clock was at shortly after four hours at the time of the explosions, which is the average time it takes runners to complete the Boston race, potentially putting the greatest number of competitors at risk.
RT @coltsfanFL: @MrMilitantNegro They have visible and 'invisible' ones.-.the invisible one are the ones you Don't want to see on your door…Still A MilitantNegro 50 minutes ago
RT @AuntLulie: @MrMilitantNegro Hate takes energy from the fight. Ignorant racist fools hope that we are too afraid to fight! This is a br…Still A MilitantNegro 50 minutes ago
RT @AuntLulie: @MrMilitantNegro This fool is imitating his idol Rush! I believe Ms. Clinton still has Secret Service protection. HATE NEVE…Still A MilitantNegro 57 minutes ago
Jueseppi B.
