BOSTON – Beautiful Charlotte is a happy, smiley, 14-month-old baby. She lights up watching Cocomelon on TV. Mom Emily says she’s always like this; a dream come true. But protecting this precious
CNN
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Axl Rose is ending a 30-year Guns N’ Roses tradition.
The band’s frontman recently posted a note saying on social media that he would no longer be tossing his microphone into the crowd during their concerts after it came to his attention that a fan may have been hurt at their recent show in Adelaide, Australia.
“If true, obviously we don’t want anyone getting hurt or to somehow in any way hurt anyone at any of [our] shows anyway,” Rose wrote in a note he tweeted. “Having tossed the mic at the end of [our] show for over 30 years we always felt it was a known part of the very end of [our] performance that fans wanted and were aware of to have an opportunity to catch the mic.”
He thanked the band’s supporters for understanding.
“Unfortunately there [are] those that for their own reasons chose to frame their reporting regarding this subject in a more negative n’ irresponsible out of nowhere light which couldn’t [be] farther from reality,” Rose said. “We hope the public and of course [our] fans get that sometimes happens.”
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CNN
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Novak Djokovic cruised through to the US Open final after a dominant 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win against American youngster Ben Shelton.
Shelton, playing in his first ever grand slam semifinal, came out all guns blazing but was unable to lay much of a glove on the ever-impressive Djokovic.
The world No. 2 was at his imperious best during the clash and controlled proceedings against Shelton from start to finish.
“These are the kinds of matches and occasions that I still thrive on and get me going and inspire me every day to try and work as hard as the young guys,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview after the win.
“The grand slams are the ones that motivate me the most to play my best tennis, perform my best tennis.”
The Serbian’s first break came in the sixth game of the match and after going up 4-2 in the first set, Djokovic never looked back – going on to win the first set 6-3.
This momentum carried into the next set where Djokovic raced on to claim the second set 6-2 to grab a stranglehold on the encounter inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Being two sets down against Djokovic is a place where no tennis player wants to be and, despite being behind, Shelton will be proud of his efforts in the final set.
The world No. 47 toiled away, making it difficult for Djokovic to advance to the final, and he was even able to break the serve of the 23-time grand slam winner twice during the final frame – forcing a tiebreak.
Djokovic eventually took the third set in the tiebreak and celebrated by imitating his opponent’s celebration – which involves miming holding a phone to his ear and then hanging it up – something that has become a trademark of Shelton’s victories during his US Open run.
The win also means that the Serbian now has a 30-1 record against players playing in their home slam after knocking out the home crowd favorite Shelton.
“I knew prior to the quarterfinals that I would play an American player and that is never easy. To control the nerves and be composed in the moments that matter,” Djokovic added.
“Today things were going really smoothly for me and then he broke back and it was anyone’s game at the end of the third set. This is the kind of atmosphere we all like to play in, so I am really, really pleased with this win today.”
At 20 years old, there will likely be plenty of opportunities for the big serving youngster to go big in future tournaments and, based on this year’s US Open, he has more than enough skill to do so.
For Djokvoic, he has now made it to a record-equaling 10th US Open final and he will be looking to win his fourth title at Flushing Meadows in Sunday’s final.
He also has the chance to make history and level Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam singles titles.
The 36-year-old will play the final on Arthur Ashe Stadium against the winner of the semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev who play later on Friday.
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Chris Kirk speaks to CNN after first PGA Tour win in 8 years
American golfer Chris Kirk had won four times on the PGA Tour, but in 2019, he stepped away to deal with his crippling depression and alcohol abuse issues. Last Sunday, he won a playoff at the Honda Classic in Florida and told CNN about his extraordinary journey.
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Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin has been discharged from a Buffalo medical center, his club said Wednesday, after more than a week of hospitalization due to a cardiac arrest he suffered during a “Monday Night Football” game this month.
The 24-year-old Bills safety had been showing signs of accelerated improvement in the days leading up to his release from Buffalo General Medical Center in New York, hospital officials had said.
“We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills,” a physician leading Hamlin’s care in Buffalo, Dr. Jamie Nadler, said in a statement the Bills released Wednesday on Twitter.
Hamlin initially was hospitalized in Cincinnati when his heart suddenly stopped after a tackle during a game against the host Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, but was transferred to the Buffalo facility Monday after doctors determined his critical condition had improved enough for the move.
Doctors at the Buffalo hospital were trying to determine why Hamlin suffered the cardiac arrest, Kaleida Health, the group of hospitals that includes the Buffalo medical center, said before his discharge. That included whether pre-existing conditions played a role in the event, which shocked many around the country and prompted a huge outpouring of support for the second-year NFL player.
On Tuesday, Hamlin went through “a comprehensive medical evaluation as well as a series of cardiac, neurological and vascular testing,” the Bills said on Twitter.
No cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest has been publicly announced.
“Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival! Keep me in y’all prayers please!” Hamlin tweeted Tuesday.
It will be up to Hamlin to decide when he will be around the team again while recovering, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday.
“Grateful first and foremost that he is home with his parents and his brother, which is great,” McDermott told reporters Wednesday, as the Bills prepared to host the Miami Dolphins for a playoff game Sunday. No timetable for Hamlin’s return to professional football has been announced.
“We’ll leave (when he’ll be around the team) up to him. His health is first and foremost in our mind as far as his situation goes and when he feels ready, we will welcome him back,” McDermott said.
While in critical condition in Cincinnati, Hamlin was sedated and on a ventilator for days. On Friday morning the breathing tube was removed, and Hamlin began walking with some help by that afternoon, his doctors said Monday.
The health care team focused on stabilizing Hamlin and upgraded his condition Monday because his organ systems were stable and he no longer needed intensive nursing or respiratory therapy, doctors said.
“He’s certainly on what we consider a very normal to even accelerated trajectory from the life-threatening event that he underwent,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, chief of surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, said earlier this week. “He’s making great progress.”
Normal recovery from a cardiac arrest can be measured in weeks to months, Pritts said Monday. Hamlin had been beating that timeline at each stage and is neurologically intact.
When Hamlin collapsed seconds after an open-field tackle against a Bengals wide receiver, medical personnel rushed onto the field and administered CPR quickly – which helped save his life.
Hamlin’s heart had stopped, and medical responders revived it twice before putting him into an ambulance and taking him to the hospital. The immediate actions of medical personnel were vital to “not just saving his life, but his neurological function,” said Pritts.
The horrifying scene of Hamlin suddenly falling on his back after standing up following the tackle unsettled his teammates, the other players and millions of watching fans.
The game was initially postponed and later cancelled by the NFL – a decision several former football players said was a sign of a shift in prioritizing players’ mental and physical health.
Now, the Bills organization is encouraging people to learn the critical, life-saving skill of administering CPR.
The team has pledged support for resources including CPR certifications, automated external defibrillator units and guidance for developing cardiac emergency response plans within the Buffalo community, according to the statement. “We encourage all our fans to continue showing your support and take the next step by obtaining CPR certification,” the Bills said.
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Editor’s Note: US Rep. Barbara Lee is a Democrat representing California’s 12th congressional district. She was the only member of Congress to vote against the 2001 AUMF to go to war in Afghanistan, and helped lead the opposition against the 2002 AUMF to go to war with Iraq. She is the co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee and serves on the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Bridget Moix is the general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a national, nonpartisan Quaker organization that lobbies the federal government to advance peace, justice and environmental stewardship. The views expressed in this commentary are their own. View more opinion articles on CNN.
CNN
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Twenty years ago, the United States invaded Iraq.
There is a tendency to file away chapters of American history of this magnitude as a tragedy of the past, a somber anniversary to reflect upon before redirecting our attention back to the demands of the present moment. Today – after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s quick toppling led to eight years of brutal conflict that killed more than 126,000 Iraqi civilians and 4,500 US service members– the US and Iraqi governments consider themselves to be strategic partners.
But a dangerous remnant of the Iraq war is still with us: the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq. And from our vantage points, one of us in the halls of Congress, the other at the head of a Quaker peace group with thousands of grassroots advocates nationwide, the momentum has never been stronger to finally get this outdated legislation off the books.
The 2002 Iraq AUMF was passed by Congress in October of that year with overwhelming majorities in both chambers. We voiced our opposition at the time, but our calls were drowned out by the drums of war. Our stance was rooted in concerns that ended up coming to fruition — we felt that the United States was rushing into war without a full understanding of the situation and we feared that such recklessness could spiral into a protracted conflict with no clear timeline.
The measure enabled the president to use the US armed forces as “necessary and appropriate” to “defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.” A driving force behind the AUMF was Saddam’s supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction — allegations that were later revealed to be untrue. A few months later, the first planes flew over the Iraqi border, kicking off a “shock and awe” war that would kill hundreds of thousands and cost more than $800 billion.
Even after the war ended in 2011, the 2002 Iraq AUMF lived on. As the Obama administration carried out its campaign against ISIS in 2014, officials cited the 2002 Iraq AUMF as one of the legal justifications for strikes in Iraq and, later, Syria. When President Donald Trump took power, his administration followed suit, leaning on the 2002 Iraq AUMF in 2018 to justify the continued use of force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, while reserving the right to also use it “elsewhere.”
That threat should be cause enough to repeal it. But by allowing the authorization to remain on the books, lawmakers in Congress are also abdicating a core constitutional responsibility. Our nation’s founders vested Congress with the sole power to decide when and where our country goes to war, and this power was granted for good reason: They knew that in a democratic system of checks and balances, no one person should have unilateral say over matters of war and peace.
Fortunately, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are becoming increasingly convinced of this truth. In the last session of Congress, a bipartisan bill to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF passed the House floor by a vote of 268-161. In the Senate, similar legislation from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana garnered 51 cosponsors.
This support has carried through to the 118th Congress — in our conversations with other lawmakers and grassroots advocates alike over the past few weeks, we’ve heard a loud growing chorus of voices calling for repeal of the 2002 Iraq AUMF. From libertarian activists to veterans to pacificist organizations, from constitutional conservatives to progressives, there’s a broad and united call for action that transcends party or faction.
The Senate is doing its part. On Thursday, the chamber cleared a key procedural hurdle to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF, setting the stage for a full floor vote next week. If and when the measure passes, the House should move swiftly to hold a vote on its companion bill, HR 932. President Joe Biden has indicated that he’ll sign the legislation if it reaches his desk, and we should take him up on that as soon as possible.
Americans are desperate for a sign that Congress can still work across the aisle to bolster our democracy and create a safer world. By repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF, lawmakers can demonstrate their commitment to the constitution and to reining in endless wars. Let this 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq be more than a moment of remembrance. Let it serve as an inflection point in reasserting congressional authority over war, and let it be a reminder that Republicans and Democrats can still join hands for the sake of our constitution and country.
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BOSTON – Beautiful Charlotte is a happy, smiley, 14-month-old baby. She lights up watching Cocomelon on TV. Mom Emily says she’s always like this; a dream come true. But protecting this precious baby from rampant RSV this season has been a nightmare for the mother.
“I’m literally traumatized. There’s not a time that goes by I don’t think about that. It’s so scary,” said Emily Sauro, emotionally.
Charlotte was only seven weeks old last October, when the respiratory virus brought them to the emergency department. Emily knew what to look for after her older son suffered RSV in the past. With Charlotte, the mother said they were about to be discharged, when her baby stopped breathing.
“I just remember looking down and seeing her like that and screaming. Then there were just a million people everywhere,” she recalled.
Charlotte spent two and a half weeks in the pediatric ICU at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
“They’re hooked up to a million machines. That breathing sounds like taking their last breath, it’s the only way I can describe it,” Emily said sadly.
In the year since, Charlotte still requires a nebulizer treatment or inhaler twice daily. She can’t go to daycare, and the family still takes a lot of precautions at their home in Grafton.
“When your newborn is not breathing in your arms, it feels like forever,” the mother added.
As cases surge heading into the holidays, she urges new parents to stay vigilant. Be the squeaky wheel if you suspect something isn’t right. No one knows your baby like you.
Emily said, “It can be all OK one second and furthest thing from it the next.”
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, Iranian state news agency ISNA reported on Friday.
On Tuesday evening, Mahsa Amini and her family, who had traveled from Iran’s Kurdistan region to visit relatives in the capital, Tehran, were stopped by a patrol of morality police — a dedicated unit that enforces strict dress codes for women, such as wearing the compulsory headscarf.
According to IranWire, human rights activists who have spoken to the family say the police grabbed Amini and forced her inside a police vehicle.
Her brother, Kiarash, attempted to intervene and was told his sister was being taken to the police station for one hour of “re-education,” IranWire reported.
Kiarash said he never saw his sister awake again.
While he was waiting outside the police station for her to be released, an ambulance pulled up and discreetly took his sister to the hospital.
In an interview with IranWire, Kiarash said he was told she had suffered a heart attack or a stroke while in the police station and that she was in a coma.
On Thursday, Tehran police said that Amini had suffered a “heart attack” following her arrest on Tuesday.
“The woman was sent to a Greater Tehran police precinct for guidance and education when suddenly, in the presence of other people, she had a heart attack,” the police said.
Amini’s family have questioned the version of events given by police, saying she was a normal, healthy 22-year-old with no pre-existing heart conditions.
“There were only two hours between her arrest and being taken to hospital,” Kiarash told IranWire.
A video released by Iranian state TV purported to show Amini walking into a “education” center where she would have been receiving “guidance” on proper Islamic attire, state media said.
The edited video shows CCTV footage of a woman taking a seat, then standing up to speak to an “expert” who touches her clothing, before she collapses onto the ground.
The following clip shows five men carrying her on a stretcher, apparently unconscious. An ambulance is then shown in another frame.
There’s an edit in the video at 19 seconds, after which the woman is seen standing up and speaking. Before the cut, it appears to be daylight outside. After the cut, it appears dark.
“Ms. Amini looks unwell and falls to the floor,” the state media reporter says.
It remains unknown what happened to Amini after her arrest and before she appeared at the re-education center. CNN is not able to verify that the woman in the video is Amini.
Iranian officials said Saturday they had conducted an autopsy on Amini’s body. Speaking on state TV the director of Iran’s Forensic Medical Organization, Mehdi Forozesh, said the results would be publicized after further examination by medical experts.
Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to US President Joe Biden, said in a tweet Friday the White House is deeply concerned about Amini’s death.
Amini, “was reportedly beaten in custody by Iran’s morality police. Her death is unforgivable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for such human right abuses,” Sullivan tweeted.
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Raleigh, N.C. — After 23 years, a beloved grocery store employee worked his final shift at the Glenwood Village Harris Teeter Tuesday.
When the community found out Tim McCloud was leaving, they decided to hold a fundraiser to show him how much he’s meant to them over the years – and ended up giving him a life-changing sendoff.
Just about every day for more than two decades McCloud made the commute from Wilson County to the Harris Teeter on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh.
Officially, he’s bagging groceries but to his customers, he’s doing much more.
Julie Caviness called McCloud her part-time therapist.
“He’s just incredible. He’s legendary here, I don’t think he even knows it, that’s what makes it so beautiful,” said Caviness. “He does not have a clue what a great impact he’s had within our community.”
In years worth of moments in the checkout line, she’s been able to talk to him about anything – they’ve even cried together,
And he’s watched her children grow up.
Caviness said many of her friends have the same kind of relationship with him.
But two weeks ago, McCloud told her something she wasn’t prepared for.
“He started talking about an opportunity opening up in Wilson, nine minutes from his house,” said Caviness. “I started crying. I was like ‘you can’t leave me.'”
After 23 years, McCloud was transferring to a Harris Teeter closer to home.
“When he told me that, I said ‘how do I help him?'” said Caviness.
Caviness decided on a fundraiser.
She launched a page on GoFundMe, without telling him, with the goal of raising $1000.
The site hit that goal in under an hour.
“I knew he had a fan club, we all talk about Tim and how kind he is. I don’t think I had any clue how big his fan club is,” said Cavines. “So then we hit five. Then my mom’s texting me like every hour, ‘what’s it up to now?’ Then we hit ten. And I’m like, ‘oh wow.'”
By the night of McCloud’s last shift, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $23,000. On Wednesday, over $26,000 had been raised.
McCloud had no idea.
On Tuesday night, Caviness went shopping during McCloud’s final day of work – and asked him to walk her out one last time.
Hundreds of people cheering him on with signs and balloons were waiting for him.
He was overcome with emotion.
And then, the big reveal. They presented McCloud with the results of the GoFundMe.
As the crowd said their goodbyes, McCloud told WRAL News what this final gift will mean to him.
“It’ll help me a whole lot,” said McCloud. “I’m blessed with it, you know.”
McCloud said more than anything he’s going to miss the community he had here in Raleigh.
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