Month: September 2023

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.9 aftershock hit Morocco on Sunday as they dealt with the aftermath of that nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake, which killed more than 2,100 people – a number that is expected to rise.

Authorities continued the search to rescue survivors while racing to reach ruined mountain villages, while Moroccans complained on social networks that the government wasn’t allowing more outside help. Arnaud Fraisse, founder of Rescuers Without Borders, said that international aid crews were poised to deploy, but were waiting for the government to officially request assistance: “We know there is a great urgency to save people and dig under the remains of buildings. There are people dying under the rubble, and we cannot do anything to save them.”

In the streets of the ancient city of Marrakech and in hard-hit Atlas Mountain towns like Moulay Brahim, those left homeless slept outside under makeshift canopies. The worst destruction was in rural communities that are hard to reach because the roads up the mountains were covered by fallen rocks. It wasn’t immediately clear if the aftershock caused more damage or casualties, but it was likely strong enough to rattle nerves in areas where damage has left buildings unstable and residents feared aftershocks.

The Interior Ministry reported that a total of 2,122 people were confirmed dead as a result of Friday’s earthquake, with at least 2,421 others injured, with 1,404 in critical condition.  A majority of those who were killed (1,351) were in the Al Haouz district in the High Atlas Mountains, the ministry added.

King Mohammed VI ordered flags lowered across Morocco with three days of national mourning starting Sunday. King Mohammed ordered water, food rations and shelters to be sent to those who lost homes, and called for mosques to hold prayers Sunday for the victims. Aid offers poured in from around the world, but Morocco has not made an official international appeal for assistance. The U.N. said it had a team in Morocco coordinating international support, and Rescuers Without Borders said they had 100 teams made up of a total of 3,500 rescuers registered with a U.N. platform and ready to deploy in Morocco when officially requested.

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11 people were injured on Saturday after a platform leading to the historic Doubling Point Lighthouse in Maine collapsed, during the state’s annual ‘Maine Open Lighthouse Day‘ to encourage tourism to lighthouses. ‘Maine Open Lighthouse Day‘ is an annual celebration sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard during which tourists are encouraged to visit dozens of historic lighthouses throughout the state.

According to a statement from Bath Deputy Fire Chief Chris Cummings, visitors to the Doubling Point Lighthouse fell into the rocks and mudflats on the river’s shoreline after the last portion of the ramp that went to the lighthouse had collapsed. Five people were taken to local hospitals and another six were treated at the scene, but none of the injuries were life threatening. The lighthouse’s website states it’s closed to visitors until further notice.

According to the American Lighthouse Foundation, the Doubling Point Lighthouse is an active lighthouse used to help aid the Coast Guard. According to the lighthouse website, the government bought the plot of land on which the lighthouse sits in Arrowsic, in 1896 after an annual report urged a need for fog lights along the Kennebec River: “In 1899 the lighthouse was moved from its original foundation to its present location at the end of a long catwalk that extends through the marsh and into the Kennebec River.” 

The Associated Press reported that ‘The Friends of Doubling Point Light’ (which manages the lighthouse) said there is no timeframe to repair platform’s repair. That organization had raised $50,000 to rebuild the lighthouse’s foundation back in 2001, which included a rebuild of the walkway to the lighthouse and a new coat of paint.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/11-hurt-walkway-collapses-maine-open-lighthouse-event-103066056

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Forecasters predict that Hurricane Lee, currently swirling in the Atlantic as a Category 2 storm, will intensify into a major hurricane that could eventually become a Category 5 storm.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Lee is expected to rapidly intensify into an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” by Friday — meaning maximum winds would surge 35 mph in 24 hours or less. The NHC said that large ocean swells are expected to reach the Lesser Antilles by Friday and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Hispaniola by the weekend, adding that “these swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.” The latest forecasts show Lee will “remain a very strong major hurricane through the weekend,” according to the NHC, with environmental conditions looking favorable for Lee to strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 160 mph by Saturday morning.

So far, there’s no direct threat of landfall and officials have not issued any storm or hurricane watches or warnings for places that could be in Lee’s path, but the hurricane center said “interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Lee.” The forecast track indicates that .the Leeward Islands, where the Caribbean and Atlantic meet, should stay alert. The Leewards include the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Martin and Saint Kitts.

Hurricane Lee is not currently forecast to impact the United States, but its long-term track remains unclear. Meteorologists will continue monitoring the storm for signs it could move off its path over the open ocean and turn toward the mainland U.S. coast.

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Former “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday after he was convicted of raping two women. Masterson will serve two 15-year sentences consecutively, one for each charge. He must also register as a sex offender.

A Los Angeles jury of seven women and five men found Masterson, 47, guilty of two counts of forcible rape on May 31 after seven days of deliberations. That verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology − where all three women were also members at the time − to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks. The women blamed the church and said that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.

Both attacks took place in Masterson’s California home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.” The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

LA Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentenced the actor after hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since. Judge Olmedo said: “Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here.”

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A federal judge in New York ruled Wednesday that former President Donald Trump is liable for making false statements about writer E. Jean Carroll in 2019 after she alleged that he sexually assaulted her.

In a 25-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan said Trump acted with actual malice in making statements about Carroll when she accused Trump of assaulting her years ago. Kaplan said in his ruling: “[T]he jury found that Mr. Trump knew that his statement that Ms. Carroll lied about him sexually assaulting her for improper and ulterior purposes was false or that he acted with reckless disregard to whether it was false.”

Kaplan presided over the May civil trial in which a jury found Trump had sexually abused Carroll during an encounter in the dressing room of a New York department store in the 1990s, and then defamed her after he left office by calling her claims a made-up “con job.” The jury awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages — a verdict Trump is appealing to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The second case focuses on similar comments Trump made about Carroll when she first went public with her claims in 2019 while he was president. Kaplan wrote: “The truth or falsity of Mr. Trump’s 2019 statements therefore depends — like the truth or falsity of his 2022 statement — on whether Ms. Carroll lied about Mr. Trump sexually assaulting her. The jury’s finding that she did not therefore is binding in this case and precludes Mr. Trump from contesting the falsity of his 2019 statements.” A trial set for Jan. 15 will only determine how much Trump will have to pay her in light of the summary judgment; Kaplan wrote: the trial “shall be limited to the issue of damages only.” Additionally, Kaplan denied a bid from Trump’s attorneys to reduce any damages Carroll might get in the case because of the earlier $5 million verdict.

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A lawsuit filed Wednesday by a Washington-based advocacy group (six Republicans and unaffiliated Colorado voters) seeks to to block former President Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding public office. A post-Civil War provision of the 14th Amendment says any American official who takes an oath to uphold the US Constitution is disqualified from holding any future office if they “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” or if they have “given aid or comfort” to insurrectionists.

The lawsuit, from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (“CREW”), is the first high-profile legal case attempting to use the 14th Amendment to derail Trump’s presidential campaign. Krista Kafer, a columnist for the Denver Post and a Republican activist who is among those who filed the suit, said in a statement: “As a longtime Republican who voted for him, I believe Donald Trump disqualified himself from running in 2024 by spreading lies, vilifying election workers and fomenting an attack on the Capitol. Those who by force and by falsehood subvert democracy are unfit to participate in it. That’s why I am part of this lawsuit to prevent an insurrectionist from appearing on Colorado’s ballot.” CREW said in a statement Wednesday: “Based on its laws, the calendar, and our courageous set of plaintiffs and witnesses, Colorado is a good venue to bring this first case, but it will not be the last.”  The group also includes former US Rep. Claudine Schneider and former Colorado Senate Majority Leader Norma Anderson.

The GOP primary in Colorado is on March 5, Super Tuesday, and Trump has a commanding lead in the GOP primary race, according to recent polling. In a statement after the lawsuit was filed, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said those promoting the 14th Amendment are “are stretching the law beyond recognition, much like the political prosecutors in New York, Georgia, and DC” (referring to Trump’s ongoing criminal indictments.)

Trump’s federal criminal trial on charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election is scheduled to begin March 4. He has pleaded not guilty.

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