Allegations of human rights violations in Fallujah fight
CAMP TARIQ, Iraq — As Iraqi security forces tighten their grip on the outskirts of militant-held Fallujah allegations of human rights violations are surfacing on both sides of the operation.
On Monday, hundreds of civilians, many bearing marks of torture were released north of Fallujah after being detained by a group of government sanctioned mostly Shiite militias. Five of those detained died while in the group’s custody according to Yahya al-Muhamadi, an Anbar council member working with displaced civilians.
The militia forces, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are one of a number of different Iraqi security forces participating in the operation to retake Fallujah from the Islamic State group that has controlled it for more than two years.
The Popular Mobilization Forces deny that their fighters detain civilians.
“We are not authorized to detain anyone, we are just helping to move displaced people,” said Hayder Mayahii, an official with the PMF’s media office based outside Fallujah. Mayahii said his office was aware of the reports, but said they were completely false and the product of media bias.
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More in GOP scold Trump: Stop talking about judge
WASHINGTON — Republicans roundly scolded their own presidential candidate Monday, demanding Donald Trump apologize for — and just stop — talking about the ethnic background and impartiality of the American judge overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University.
Leading the roll call were two former rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich tweeted that Trump’s offensive against the impartiality of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel “is flat-out wrong.”
Trump, Kasich wrote, should “apologize to Judge Curiel &try to unite this country.”
Chimed in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, “It’s wrong and I hope he stops.”
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Jury returns death sentence for ‘Grim Sleeper’ serial killer
LOS ANGELES — A serial killer known as the “Grim Sleeper” should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in South Los Angeles, a jury decided Monday.
Lonnie Franklin Jr. stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as a court clerk read 10 death penalty verdicts.
Family members of the victims cried as the verdicts were read. One rocked back and forth, while another whispered to himself, “Thank you.”
“We got what we came to get, a just verdict,” said Porter Alexander, the father of 18-year-old victim Alicia Alexander. “I’m glad I lived to see it. It’s a long time coming.”
The 63-year-old Franklin, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police, was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder last month for crimes dating back more than 30 years.
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Advances on IS strongholds underlines US, Russia convergence
BEIRUT — A two-pronged advance to capture key urban strongholds of the Islamic State group and its self-styled capital of Raqqa has underlined a quiet convergence of strategy between the U.S. and Russia to defeat the extremists, with Syria’s Kurds emerging as the common link.
The dual advance toward Raqqa by the Syrian army from the southwest and the predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces from the north and west puts further pressure on the militants as they fend off simultaneous attacks on bastions such as Fallujah, and potentially Mosul, in neighboring Iraq.
The Kurdish involvement is proving vital to the interests of Washington and Moscow.
For the U.S., the predominantly Kurdish SDF has proven the most capable actor in northern Syria in defeating the extremist group, a point it made when its predecessor, the Kurdish YPG, held off the militants in Kobani, in 2015. That battle was seen by many as a turning point in the war on the IS group.
For Russia, the SDF advance has drawn IS fighters away from the front with the Syrian government and allowed the Kremlin’s allies in Damascus to advance, showing that Moscow is participating in the battle against the IS group.
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Eight years later, Clinton ready to break one glass ceiling
LOS ANGELES — Eight years to the day after conceding she was unable to “shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Hillary Clinton is poised to embrace her place in history as she finally crashes through as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Throughout her surprisingly rocky primary campaign, Clinton has been cautious about emphasizing her trailblazer status. But as she campaigned in California in recent days, the former secretary of state signaled she was ready to acknowledge her distinction Tuesday night, when she is expected to claim her place as the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major U.S. political party.
It’s a remarkable moment for a candidate who’s spent much of her life at the center of a heated national conversation about the role of women. From stridently defending her own career, famously saying in 1992 that she never “stayed home and baked cookies,” to a 2008 presidential bid that shied away from mentioning her gender, Clinton has addressed the issue of her historic role from nearly every angle.
Now she’s trying something new: owning it.
“Starting next Tuesday we’re on our way to breaking the highest and hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said last week in Culver City, echoing the speech she made in 2008 when she conceded the Democratic primary to Barack Obama.
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In sign of unity, Christians renovate Christ’s tomb together
JERUSALEM (AP) — A team of experts began a historic renovation on Monday at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was buried, overcoming longstanding religious rivalries to carry out the first repairs at the site in more than 200 years.
The project is focused on reinforcing and preserving the Edicule — the ancient chamber housing Jesus’ tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is the first such work at the tomb since 1810, when the shrine was restored and given its current shape following a fire.
An ornate structure with hanging oil lamps, columns and oversize candlesticks, the Edicule was erected above the spot where Christian tradition says Jesus’ body was anointed, wrapped in cloth and buried before his resurrection. It stands a few hundred yards (meters) from the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.
With its stone staircases, gilded ornamentation and many dark chambers, the church is one of Christianity’s holiest shrines. But that hasn’t stopped clerics from engaging in turf rivalries over the years.
The Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches are responsible for maintaining separate sections, and each denomination jealously guards its domain. While the clergymen who work and pray at the church generally get along, tensions can rise to the surface. In 2008, an argument between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks erupted into a brawl.
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On cusp, Clinton keeps focused: ‘Not over until it’s over’
COMPTON, Calif. — Hillary Clinton stood on the cusp Monday of having enough delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, having overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in a pair of weekend elections in the Caribbean.
Yet the former secretary of state barely noted her commanding wins Saturday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Sunday in Puerto Rico, instead remaining focused on Tuesday’s contests in California and five other states — and a general election matchup to come against presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
“I am so focused on all the states that are voting tomorrow,” Clinton said. “That is my singular focus. I know there is a lot of work still going on.”
“It’s not over until it’s over, and tomorrow is a really important day, particularly here in California,” she added.
After blowout weekend wins in the two U.S. territories, Clinton is now 23 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press count.
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Ali scripted funeral plans in exacting detail in ‘The Book’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Muhammad Ali and his innermost circle started a document years ago that grew so thick they began calling it “The Book.”
Its contents will soon be revealed.
In the pages, the boxing great planned in exacting detail how he wished to say goodbye to the world.
“The message that we’ll be sending out is not our message — this was really designed by The Champ himself,” said Timothy Gianotti, an Islamic studies scholar who for years helped to plan the services. “The love and the reverence and the inclusivity that we’re going to experience over the coming days is really a reflection of his message to the people of planet Earth.”
The 74-year-old three-time heavyweight champion wanted the memorial service in an arena. He wanted multiple religions to have a voice while honoring the traditions of his Muslim faith. And he wanted ordinary fans to attend, not just VIPs.
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Power outages, flooding in Fla due to Tropical Storm Colin
TAMPA, Fla. — Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Colin hit north Florida and southern Georgia on Monday, knocking out power in some areas and flooding roads on the Gulf coast.
Residents filled sandbags, schools closed early and graduation ceremonies were postponed as Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency.
The National Hurricane Center said Colin marked the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.
Colin’s maximum sustained winds Monday were near 50 mph (85 kph) with some slow strengthening possible during the next two days. While rains pelted the region, the storm was centered about 190 miles west-northwest of Tampa and was moving north-northeast at 23 mph (37 kph).
Early Monday, Ronald P. Milligan, 74, stopped by a park in St. Petersburg where authorities planned to distribute sandbags because the ditch in front of his home had filled during the previous evening’s rain.
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Arkansas judge is investigated for sex abuse, misconduct
WYNNE, Ark. — For many male defendants in Judge Joseph Boeckmann’s courtroom, the initial deal seemed simple enough: The judge would approach them after court, either himself or through a bailiff, and offer a way out of traffic or court fines.
His instructions were to gather some cans and bring them to his house or another location. Then he asked the defendants to take off their shirts, pretend to be picking up trash and let the judge take a few photos of them bending over to prove they had performed community service.
Sometimes, the men told investigators, the encounters went further. The judge might tell them to spread their legs a little. He might touch their buttocks a little. He might offer them a drink. Then the fines would disappear.
Now dozens of the defendants have accused Boeckmann of sexual abuse and misconduct, saying the small-town judge paid them to allow him to spank their naked buttocks with a paddle and to take photos of the red skin. Others said they posed nude in exchange for money to pay off court fines.
The head of the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission called it “if not the worst, among the worst cases of judicial misconduct” in state history.
No Charges for Mother of Boy Who Slipped Into Gorilla Enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo
An Ohio prosecutor said Monday that no charges would be brought against Michelle Gregg, the mother of a 3-year-old boy whose foray into an exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo led to the killing of a gorilla and set off a frenzy of condemnation online.
The Hamilton County prosecutor, Joseph T. Deters, made the announcement at a news conference in Cincinnati after an investigation that relied on the recollections of four witnesses.
“She was being attentive to her children by all witness accounts,” he said. “And the 3-year-old just scampered off.”
Gregg, 32, who was also accompanied on the trip by three of the boy’s sisters on May 28, had turned her back for a matter of “seconds” when the child made a beeline for the Gorilla World enclosure, Deters said.
“If anyone doesn’t believe a 3-year-old can scamper off very quickly,” he said, “they’ve never had kids because they can, and they do.”
In a statement, the Gregg family said it was pleased with the decision.
“This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life,” the statement said. “We extend thanks to all of those who have been praying for us and who have supported us through this trying ordeal and praise to God for His mercy and grace.”
Gregg had faced intense public scrutiny, as well as unrelenting invective on social media, over what some saw as her failure to block the boy from the pen. After breaching a 3-foot fence, the boy fell about 15 feet into a shallow moat and was then dragged around by Harambe, a western lowland gorilla weighing more than 420 pounds.
Zoo workers, fearing for the child’s safety, shot and killed the animal.