(CNN)"A long, long, time ago..." Those five words, when uttered or sung, makes baby boomers immediately think of Don McLean's pop masterpiece "American Pie."  It's hard to believe that his phenomenal 8½ minute allegory, which millions of Americans know by heart, is 44 years old.  All sorts of historical cross-currents play off each other in this timeless song, brilliantly gilded with the unforgettable chorus, which starts as "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie." There is no real way to categorize McLean's "American Pie" for its hybrid of modern poetry and folk ballad, beer-hall chant and high-art rock. On Tuesday, Christie's sold the 16-page handwritten manuscript of the song's lyrics for $1.2 million to an unnamed buyer. McLean was a paperboy when, on February 3, 1959, he saw that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson had been tragically killed in an airplane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa. "The next day I went to school in shock and guess what?" McLean recalled.  "Nobody cared.  Rock 'n' roll in those days was sort of like hula hoops and Buddy hadn't had a big hit on the charts since '57."  By cathartically writing "American Pie," McLean has guaranteed that the memory of those great musicians lives forever. Having recorded his first album, "Tapestry," in 1969, in Berkeley, California, during the student riots, McLean, a native New Yorker, became a kind of weather vane for what he called the "generation lost in space."   When his cultural anthem "American Pie" was released in November 1971, it replaced Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin" as the Peoples Almanac of the new decade.  It's important to think of "American Pie" as one would of Henry Longfellow's "Evangeline" or Johnny Mercer's "Moon River" -- an essential Americana poem emanating wistful recollection, blues valentine, and youthful protest rolled into one.  There is magic brewing in the music and words of "American Pie," for McLean's lyrics and melody frame a cosmic dream, like those Jack Kerouac tried to conjure in his poetry-infused novel "On the Road." Don McLean: Buddy Holly, rest in peace . Influenced by Pete Seeger and the Weavers, McLean proudly wore the mantle of troubadour in the early 1970s, when "American Pie" topped the Billboard charts, and has never shed the cape.   Wandering far and wide, singing "American Pie" at windblown dance halls in Wyoming and cloistered colleges in New England, at huge amphitheaters in California and little coffee houses in the Hudson River Valley, McLean has performed his global anthem thousands of times.  Yet the encore number never loses its transfixing allure. When McLean prods audiences by rhapsodizing "and they were singing" everybody spontaneously joins in with the "Bye, Bye" chorus.  Watching McLean deliver his most notable song in concert is to take part in a collective Happening. What makes "American Pie" so unusual is that it isn't a relic from the counterculture but a talisman, which, like a sacred river, keeps bringing joy to listeners everywhere.  When "American Pie" suddenly is played on a jukebox or radio it's almost impossible not to sing along.   Like "Danny Boy" or "Streets of Laredo" or "Shenandoah," it's eternal.  With illusions to football fields and rock 'n' roll, river levees and nursery rhymes, the song cascades along like a boat going down Niagara Falls or a roller coaster that jumps tracks but floats instead of crashes. After all these years, "American Pie" still makes me feel empowered and yet filled with a sense of loss.  The song is alive and joyful, yet fretful about a world gone wrong.  It is a song that will never die.  A reverie for the ages.   There is a jump to the chorus, which forces the mind to relive the '50s, '60s and '70s, to troll through the back pages of our lives while, like a traditional Irish folksong, it reminds us of fate. While McLean, the muse, has rightfully not tried to interpret "American Pie," it's fair to surmise that "the king" is Elvis Presley, "Helter Skelter" refers to the Charles Manson murders, the "jester on the sidelines in a cast" is Bob Dylan, and "Jack Flash" the Rolling Stones.  But who knows?  The lyric remains a puzzle open to thousands of spirited interpretations.  As a literary artifact of the early 1970s, there isn't anything to compare to "American Pie." Normally, I don't like rankings of literature or songs or even presidents, for that matter.  But the fact that the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment of the Arts chose "American Pie" as the fifth greatest song of the 20th century speaks to the composition's importance as an enduring piece of pop art.  The other four were "Over the Rainbow" (by Harold Arlen and E.Y "Yip" Harburg), "White Christmas "(by Irving Berlin), "This Land is Your Land" (by Woody Guthrie) and "Respect" (by Otis Redding).  That is fine company. Quite simply, "American Pie" is one of the greatest songs ever written.  And Tuesday the original lyrics found a new home.

Manuscript of "American Pie" lyrics is sold to unnamed buyer for $1.2 million . Douglas Brinkley: The song, a talisman for its age, brings joy to people 44 years later .


(CNN)Their relationship led to jail time for her, but Mary Kay Letourneau Fualaau wants the world to know that she and her husband, Vili Fualaau, are still happily together. She was a married 34-year-old teacher and mother of four in Seattle in 1996 when she began an affair with Fualaau, her 13-year-old student. Letourneau gave birth to her young lover's child and went on to serve more than seven years in prison on charges related to their sexual relationship. On Friday, ABC's "20/20" will air an exclusive interview with the couple, who will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on May 20. The pair wed soon after she was released from prison in 2005 and are now the parents of two teen girls. According to ABC, during the interview with Barbara Walters, "Mary Kay tells Walters what makes their marriage work in spite of their huge difference in their age." "She also discusses her surprising plans to teach again, as well as her intentions to have her status as a registered sex offender lifted," a posting on the network's site says. "Vili Fualaau, meanwhile, discusses his bouts with alcoholism, depression and why he believes the system failed him while he was still a minor." Letourneau Fualaau is now 53, and her husband is 31.

Letourneau Fualaau had a sexual relationship with her student . He was 13 when they began the relationship in 1996 . In May, they will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary .


(CNN)That's some rich "American Pie." The lyrics to the famed Don McLean song sold for $1.2 million Tuesday morning at an auction held by Christie's. "Don McLean's manuscript of 'American Pie' achieved the 3rd highest auction price for an American literary manuscript, a fitting tribute to one the foremost singer-songwriters of his generation," Christie's Tom Lecky said in a statement. McLean told Rolling Stone that it was time to part with the manuscript. "I'm going to be 70 this year," the singer and songwriter said in February. "I have two children and a wife, and none of them seem to have the mercantile instinct. I want to get the best deal that I can for them. It's time." Over the years, "American Pie" has become one of the most dissected and argued-about songs in the pop music canon. McLean has said that the opening lines were inspired by the death of Buddy Holly, but after that, it's all been conjecture -- which hasn't stopped a marching band's worth of analysts from trying to parse the symbols in the 8-minute, 33-second opus. Is the jester Bob Dylan? The football game Vietnam? The "girl who sang the blues" Janis Joplin? (One thing's certain: Buddy Holly's plane was NOT named "American Pie.") "Over the years I've dealt with all these stupid questions of 'Who's that?' and 'Who's that?' " McLean said. "These are things I never had in my head for a second when I wrote the song. I was trying to capture something very ephemeral and I did, but it took a long time." The song catapulted the former folk singer to headliner status. The song hit No. 1 in early 1972, despite its length. (The 45-rpm single split the song in half on its A and B sides.) The draft that was auctioned is 16 pages: 237 lines of manuscript and 26 lines of typed text, according to Christie's. It includes lines that didn't make the final version as well as extensive notes -- all of which should be revealing, McLean said. The record for a popular music manuscript is held by Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," which sold for $2 million in June. Opinion: What's so great about 'American Pie'?

Don McLean's "American Pie" lyrics auctioned for $1.2 million . The song is dense with symbolism; McLean says lyrics, notes will reveal meaning . "Pie" is McLean's biggest hit, was No. 1 in 1972 .


(CNN)Buzz has surrounded HBO's new documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," but Scientologist John Travolta is not a fan. Travolta told the Tampa Bay Times that he has not seen the documentary, "and I don't really care to." "I've been so happy with my (Scientology) experience in the last 40 years that I really don't have anything to say that would shed light on (a documentary) so decidedly negative," Travolta said. The actor, one of the Church of Scientology's most high-profile members along with stars like Tom Cruise and Kirstie Alley, is premiering his new film, "The Forger," in Clearwater, Florida. The HBO documentary is based on the book "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright and is critical of the organization, which has close ties to the showbiz industry. Travolta said he believed the doc was a result of "people who were disgruntled with their experiences" with the Church of Scientology, which he touted as a positive experience for him. "I haven't experienced anything that the hearsay has (claimed), so why would I communicate something that wasn't true for me?" Travolta asked. "It wouldn't make sense, nor would it for Tom (Cruise), I imagine." He called Scientology "brilliant" and credited the church with helping him to survive the death of his teen son, Jett, after a seizure while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas in 2009. "Oh, my God, I wouldn't have made it," said Travolta, whose wife, Kelly Preston, is also a member. "Honestly."

The actor says he's not planning on seeing the buzzed-about documentary . He called Scientology "brilliant" Travolta credits the church with helping him deal with his son's death .


(CNN)Anthony Ray Hinton is thankful to be free after nearly 30 years on Alabama's death row for murders he says he didn't commit. And incredulous that it took so long. Hinton, 58, looked up, took in the sunshine and thanked God and his lawyers Friday morning outside the county jail in Birmingham, minutes after taking his first steps as a free man since 1985. He spoke of unjustly losing three decades of his life, under fear of execution, for something he didn't do. "All they had to do was to test the gun, but when you think you're high and mighty and you're above the law, you don't have to answer to nobody," Hinton told reporters. "But I've got news for you -- everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to God." Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Petro had ordered Hinton released after granting the state's motion to dismiss charges against him. Hinton was convicted of murder in the 1985 deaths of two Birmingham-area, fast-food restaurant managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason. But a new trial was ordered in 2014 after firearms experts testified 12 years earlier that the revolver Hinton was said to have used in the crimes could not be matched to evidence in either case, and the two killings couldn't be linked to each other. "Death Row Stories": Hard questions about the U.S. capital punishment system . The state then declined to re-prosecute the case. Hinton was 29 at the time of the killings and had always maintained his innocence, said the Equal Justice Initiative, a group that helped win his release. "Race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to innocence conspired to create a textbook example of injustice," Bryan Stevenson, the group's executive director and Hinton's lead attorney, said of his African-American client. "I can't think of a case that more urgently dramatizes the need for reform than what has happened to Anthony Ray Hinton." Stevenson said the "refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling." Amnesty report: Executions down but death sentences on the rise . Dressed in a dark suit and blue shirt, Hinton praised God for his release, saying he was sent "not just a lawyer, but the best lawyers." He said he will continue to pray for the families of the murder victims. Both he and those families have suffered a miscarriage of justice, he said. "For all of us that say that we believe in justice, this is the case to start showing, because I shouldn't have (sat) on death row for 30 years," he said. Woman who spent 22 years on death row has case tossed . Hinton was accompanied Friday by two of his sisters, one of whom still lives in the Birmingham area. Other siblings will fly to the area to see him soon, Stevenson said. His mother, with whom he lived at the time of his arrest, is no longer living, according to the lawyer. Hinton planned to spend at least this weekend at the home of a close friend. He will meet with his attorneys Monday to start planning for his immediate needs, such as obtaining identification and getting a health checkup, Stevenson said. The plan now is to spend a few weeks to get oriented with freedom and "sort out what he wants to do," Stevenson said.

Anthony Ray Hinton goes free Friday, decades after conviction for two murders . Court ordered new trial in 2014, years after gun experts testified on his behalf . Prosecution moved to dismiss charges this year .


(CNN)Blues legend B.B. King was hospitalized for dehydration, though the ailment didn't keep him out for long. King's dehydration was caused by his Type II diabetes, but he "is much better," his daughter, Claudette King, told the Los Angeles Times. The legendary guitarist and vocalist released a statement thanking those who have expressed their concerns. "I'm feeling much better and am leaving the hospital today," King said in a message Tuesday. Angela Moore, a publicist for Claudette King, said later in the day that he was back home resting and enjoying time with his grandchildren. "He was struggling before, and he is a trouper," Moore said. "He wasn't going to let his fans down." No more information on King's condition or where he was hospitalized was immediately available. B.B. is short for Blues Boy, part of the name he used as a Memphis disc jockey, the Beale Street Blues Boy. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and has 30 Grammy nominations. King, 89, has used various models of Gibson guitars over the years, and named each one of them Lucille. In the 1980s, Gibson officially dropped the model number on the guitar he used last and most. It became a custom-made signature model named Lucille, manufactured exclusively for the "King of the Blues." Some of his hits include "The Thrill Is Gone," which won him his first Grammy in 1970, "There Must be a Better World Somewhere" and "When Love Comes to Town," a collaboration with U2. Last year, the bluesman suffered from dehydration and exhaustion after a show in Chicago, forcing him to cancel the remainder of his tour. CNN's Greg Botelho and Sonya Hamasaki contributed to this report.

B.B King is now out of the hospital and back at home . Bluesman suffered from dehydration and exhaustion after a 2014 show in Chicago . B.B. is short for Blues Boy, part of the name he used as a Memphis disc jockey .


(CNN)Anyone who has given birth -- or been an observer of the event -- knows how arduous it can be. But to do it live on the Internet? With two hooves sticking out for several minutes in the midst of labor? Luckily, Katie -- a giraffe at the Dallas Zoo -- is a champ. In an hour-long labor captured by 10 cameras and streamed live by Animal Planet, Katie gave birth to a not-so-little baby (about 6 feet tall) early Friday evening. There was no immediate word on the newborn's gender or condition. But there were good signs, as seen on the live stream and Dallas Zoo's Twitter feed -- like its ears moving, its efforts to stand, and its nursing (or at least trying to nurse) from mom. "We're so proud," the zoo tweeted. The newcomer's debut was a long time coming, especially when you count for Katie's 15-month gestation period -- average for a giraffe, according to Animal Planet. The baby joins a sister, 4-year-old calf Jamie. It wasn't immediately known how many people online saw Katie go into labor and give birth. But the giraffe definitely did have watchers in the form of fellow giraffes who saw the scene unfold from an abutting barn, one of them being Katie's BFF Jade. The fact that the spunky Katie held up so well under the spotlight isn't a total shocker.  The zoo describes her as the "diva" among a herd of 12 giraffes at the zoo who loves to "toss her head around" when she doesn't like something. As Animal Planet noted, "She's one of the only giraffes at the Dallas Zoo who can stick her long tongue out on cue." CNN's Justin Lear contributed to this report.

Animal Planet captures Katie the giraffe's labor and delivery . The new baby wiggles its ears, rises, tries to nurse from its mom .


(CNN)Do you remember the talk about plans for Iraqi-led force to try to take back Mosul this spring? Well, you might want to forget it. Nearly three months after a U.S. official said up to 25,000 Iraqis troops were expected to return to the key northern Iraqi city in April or May, a senior official in President Barack Obama's administration said Thursday that Washington is "not putting a timeframe on" a possible invasion. It "might be some time from now. Might be soon," another senior administration official said. Mosul has long been the big prize in the Iraqi government's fight -- aided by a U.S.-led military coalition, which has carried out airstrikes for months -- to defeat ISIS. It has also long been a source of embarrassment, considering how it fell after Iraqi troops dropped their weapons, abandoned their posts and ran for their lives when militants arrived last June. The senior administration officials who talked to reporters Thursday stressed the Iraqis and their allies are making progress in their fight against the group that calls itself the Islamic State. In fact, officials insist that ISIS has been degraded substantially thanks to a combination of air power and ground combat. The biggest and most recent example of this came with the recapture a few weeks ago of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein that is located some 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Iraqi forces aided by Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen took that northern city, the same place where ISIS allegedly massacred Iraqi troops last year. Still, Mosul isn't Tikrit. For one thing, it has a lot more people -- about a million, one Obama administration official noted. And it's more important not only to Iraq, but ISIS, meaning the terrorist group has all the more reason to go all-out to defend it. In some ways, the campaign for Mosul has begun, according to officials. There are no plans for U.S. combat troops involvement in an eventual operation, they say, but airstrikes have already targeted ISIS positions in the area. Just because the area has been softened up some from the air, though, doesn't mean a full ground assault is imminent. Calling for "patience," an administration official said that winning Mosul is a complex endeavor. It will "take a lot of capacity," the official said, "and some time to build."

U.S. official said in February that Iraqi troops could go into Mosul in April or May . Officials say now that there's no timetable, an invasion could come sooner or later . They note that recapturing Mosul from ISIS could be a complicated endeavor .


(CNN)Where do you go from here? The fourth season of "Game of Thrones" saw massive battles, major deaths (Tywin!) and White Walkers, but what can fans expect Sunday as we head into a fifth season of one of the most popular shows in HBO history? It's the most high-profile premiere yet, airing simultaneously in 170 countries for the first time. (HBO is a Time Warner company, like CNN.) We sought out "Thrones" aficionado Doug Gross, a writer for Nerdwallet and a former CNN employee, who had a few thoughts on the matter (beware, TV fans, he has read the books). "We're going to start seeing some of the show's major story arcs coming together," Gross said (as confirmed by the executive producers). "Already, Stannis has shown up at the Wall to save Jon Snow and the rest of the Night's Watch from the wildlings," he said. "Now we'll see how his quest for the Iron Throne collides with the Watch's supposedly non-political role protecting the realm." Tyrion's path should cross with Daenerys' this season, according to the trailers. "Season five also will be unique in that some of the major story arcs will clearly be moving ahead of where George Martin is in the 'Song of Ice and Fire' books," Gross pointed out. Executive producer David Benioff told Rolling Stone, "We are starting to build to a crescendo, which means the battles have to get bigger and things have to get more dramatic." Indeed, this fifth season means we're past the halfway point, with the show currently set to end after seven years. The Stark daughters, Arya and Sansa, will be the characters to watch this season, as will Cersei. The world of Westeros is constantly plagued by war, but is there a time when people have just had enough? "Wars are waged by the nobles, but it's the common folk who suffer," Gross noted. "And, this season, we'll get a glimpse of what happens when those common people have had enough."

The smash hit series "Game of Thrones" returns for a fifth season Sunday . Major story arcs should start to converge this year .


(CNN)A popular Chinese television host known for impromptu satire is now the subject of controversy after being caught on camera cursing the late Chairman Mao Zedong. Bi Fujian, who works for state-run China Central Television, was filmed at a dinner party singing a revolutionary song that eulogizes the Communist Party's early years when he started going off script. "The Communist Party, Chairman Mao. Don't mention that old son of a b***h. He made us suffer so bad," went Bi's improvised lyrics. The other dinner guests burst into laughter. Bi later apologized. "My personal speech has led to grave social consequences, and I feel remorseful for that. I hereby sincerely apologize to the public. As a public figure, I shall learn the lesson from this incident, adhering to strict self-discipline," he posted on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform. Making disrespectful references to China's leaders in public is considered a taboo in China, even today. And Bi's comment was directed at the man regarded by many as the country's founding father -- despite his controversial reputation. The 75-second video clip, seemingly filmed on the cellphone of another dinner guest, was uploaded on Monday. Since then, it has been removed from video-sharing sites inside China, although it was still accessible on Weibo. It's unclear when the incident occurred, or what the relationsip was between the camera person and Bi. CCTV said it would investigate. "As a CCTV presenter, Bi Fujian's speech in the online video has led to grave social consequences," the network said in a statement posted on its Weibo account. CCTV did not respond to a CNN request for comment. Fondly known as "Grandpa Bi," the 56-year-old TV personality was born and grew up in the Mao era. The song Bi riffed on was part of a "red" Peking opera that was first performed in the late 1950s. It was popularized during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s -- which was launched by Mao -- when China was torn apart by violence and social unrest. The video quickly divided China's online community. Critics said Bi, as an influential public figure, deserved a harsh punishment. But others rushed to his defense, arguing that Bi was simply enjoying himself in a private setting and was set up by whoever uploaded the clip. The video also emerged just a day before the new head of CCTV started his job, leading some to wonder if it were a case of "a new broom sweeps clean." Mao still divides opinion in China. His giant portrait hangs on Beijing's Tiananmen Gate, and thousands flock to see his embalmed body at his mausoleum in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital. But despite this reverence, Mao's is a deeply flawed legacy. Many remember him as a brutal dictator who inspired fear, paranoia and famine, and whose actions resulted in tens of millions of deaths. CNN's Shen Lu contributed to this report.

Bi apologizes on social media: "My personal speech has led to grave social consequences" Chinese TV star filmed cursing the late Chairman Mao Zedong . Making disrespectful references to China's leaders in public is still taboo .


(CNN)The outlines of a nuclear deal with Iran are in place. Unfortunately, it seems like too many in President Barack Obama's administration have forgotten that the only reason this terrorist-supporting state came to the negotiating table in the first place was because of tough sanctions imposed by the U.S. Congress. Indeed, the reality is that President Obama is giving up enormous leverage in his nuclear deal with Iran -- and I worry we will lose it for good. Bleeding money, and faced with falling oil prices, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei gave his government rare permission to bargain with the "Great Satan" -- the United States. But just as U.S. and European sanctions were forcing Iran to the nuclear crossroads, President Obama has given Tehran an easy exit. For Khamenei, the "framework" announced last week looks like a win-win: He gets to keep his nuclear infrastructure, and in return gets billions of dollars in sanctions relief. Congress offered a better strategy when the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, and I introduced a bill to hit Tehran with its toughest sanctions yet. Unfortunately, this bill -- which passed the House in a 400-20 vote -- was blocked in the Senate last year, despite the fact that it would have sharpened the Ayatollah's choice: Dismantle your nuclear weapons program or see your economy collapse. President Obama once had a tougher line, when in 2012 he said: "The deal we'll accept is they end their nuclear program. It's very straightforward." But the framework announced last week does nothing of the sort. Negotiated between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, the framework concedes that Iran can maintain "a mutually defined enrichment program," operate thousands of centrifuges, and continue its research and development of nuclear technologies. The deal currently on the table would hand Tehran billions of previously sanctioned funds, filling the coffers of the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism, with strongholds in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the strictest restrictions on Iran's enrichment will expire in only 10 years, despite the President receiving a letter from 367 Members of Congress -- both Democrats and Republicans -- in which we insisted that "verifiable constraints on Iran's nuclear program must last for decades." The President admitted as much when he conceded that "in year 13, 14, 15, they have advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly, and at that point the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero." But as bad as these concessions are, the most concerning aspect of the April 2 deal is that it lacks tough safeguards to stop Iran from cheating. The key question is this: Will the inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency be allowed to inspect these military sites without warning? Because if the IAEA cannot conduct "anytime, anywhere" inspections, Iran will be able to "sneak out" to a bomb. It has been done before. Remember, in 1994, when President Bill Clinton told us he had struck a deal with North Korea that would "make the United States, the Korean Peninsula, and the world safer"? President Clinton sounded a little too much like the current Secretary of State John Kerry, when he promised that the North Korea agreement "does not rely on trust" and that "compliance will be certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency." Twelve years after these assurances, North Korea detonated its first nuclear bomb. Iran could easily do the same. The best predictor of its future behavior is its past behavior -- between 2004 and 2009, the Iranian government built a huge centrifuge facility named Fordo under a mountain deep in the Iranian desert. Luckily for the world, Western intelligence agencies discovered Tehran's deception. But we cannot rely on such luck in the future, particularly when Iran still hasn't come clean about its history of secret weapons development and is still dodging basic questions from the IAEA. Let's not forget the other things Iran has been doing while its diplomats have been bargaining with the U.S. and its partners. While Iran was showing its friendly new face to the world, it has simultaneously been helping Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad kill his own people, training and funding the terrorist group Hezbollah, which aims to annihilate Israel, and supporting the Houthis, who started a civil war and overthrew the government in Yemen -- one of America's more reliable counterterrorism partners in the region. If President Obama is going to hand over billions of dollars to a regime that behaves like this, run by a man who publicly declares: "Death to America," it has to be a better deal. The framework we have before us keeps Iran's nuclear door well and truly open.

Ed Royce: Best predictor of Iran's future behavior is its past behavior . New framework keeps Iran's nuclear door well and truly open, he says .


(CNN)The VII Summit of the Americas was supposed to be all about the symbolic handshake between the United States and Cuba.  But insert Venezuela into the mix and Panama City, Panama, quickly turns into a "triangle of tension." Heads of state from 35 countries in the Western Hemisphere have met every three years to discuss economic, social or political issues since the creation of the summit in 1994.  Cuba has historically been the wrench in the diplomatic machinery, with some Latin American leaders threatening not to attend the Summit of the Americas if the United States and Canada didn't agree to invite President Raul Castro. The tide changed December 17, 2014, when President Barack Obama and Castro announced that more than five decades of Cold War rivalry was ending. Diplomats from both countries immediately began negotiations to establish embassies in Havana and Washington, and the attention immediately focused on the Summit of the Americas, where for the first time since the about-face, Obama and Castro would come face-to-face. The much anticipated handshake between Obama and Castro would steal all the headlines if it wasn't for Cuba's strongest ally, Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently accused the United States of trying to topple his government and banned former President George Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio from entering Venezuela. "They can't enter Venezuela because they're terrorists,"  Maduro said, blaming the American politicians for what he called terrorist actions in Iraq, Syria and Vietnam. The U.S. State Department said the allegations of U.S. involvement in a coup plot against Maduro were "baseless and false." Later,  Obama issued an executive order sanctioning seven Venezuelan officials for human rights violations and saying the country was a "threat to national security." White House officials said every executive order includes that language, but it has sparked a fiery response from Maduro, who has been collecting millions of signatures demanding the repeal of the order.  He also asked for repeal in full-page ads in The New York Times and in a Panama City newspaper. Maduro didn't stop there; he has been rallying other Latin American leaders, including Bolivian President Evo Morales, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega. But perhaps most damning for the United States -- and creating the "triangle of tension" at the summit --  Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has sided publicly with Maduro. "We reiterate our strong condemnation of the unacceptable and unjustifiable unilateral sanctions imposed against the sister nation of Venezuela and the continued foreign interference with the purpose of creating a climate of instability in that sister nation.  We ratify our firmest support to the Bolivarian Revolution and the legitimate government headed by President Nicolás Maduro," Rodriguez said. While the world watches for the photo-op of Obama and Castro, it's unclear if more Latin American diplomats will side with Maduro, and for America, the VII Summit of the Americas could go from "mi casa es su casa" to a walk into the lion's den.

U.S., Venezuelan relations threaten to overshadow Obama, Castro meeting . Venezuelan President says United States moved to oust him; he has the support of the Cuban foreign minister .


(CNN)#UporDown? That's the trending question on social media, thanks to a photo of a cat coming down some stairs. Or is it going up some stairs? (And you thought you were done with this kind of optical illusion free-for-all after #TheDress.) The picture was apparently uploaded on Imgur a few days ago and has caught fire thanks to a post on the website 9gag.com. Some people are noting the apparent motion of the cat. Others are commenting about the construction of the stairs. (Nobody has mentioned that some cats we could name would be more likely to stop in the middle of the steps and play with a mousie.) Of course, where there's public debate, there are advertisers waiting to take advantage of the situation. Taxes? Now, those are REALLY confusing.

The Internet is raging about a cat going #UporDown . The debate is fueled by an optical illusion photo . The story brings to mind the furor over #TheDress .


(CNN)Tornado sirens blared Wednesday night in Kansas as several storms brought reports of twisters. Spotters reported a tornado about 6 miles northwest of Goddard, which is less than 15 miles west of Wichita.  That storm moved to the northeast, missing the city, but posing potential risks to other communities. "There will be storms ... that pop up all night long," said CNN severe weather expert Chad Myers. "Nighttime tornadoes are the most deadly, are the most dangerous." Other reports of tornadoes came in from southwestern Kansas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Three of the sightings were near Aetna, 125 miles southwest of Wichita. Kansas wasn't the only state affected by the storms. The National Weather Service indicated a tornado may have touched down in the small town of Potosi, Missouri, about 70 miles from St. Louis. CNN affiliate KMOV reported that it had received reports of wind damage and flooding in the town. One Instagram user there posted a photo of a fallen tree. Aerial footage also showed damage to roofs and one street overtaken by water. Not far away from Potosi, Shyler and Christin Strube in Leadington posted an Instagram picture of some unusual dark clouds. And a Twitter user in Farmington got bad news when he went out to his car. "They weren't kidding when they said baseball size (hail)," Kevin Knox wrote. On Thursday, more storms are expected in the Midwest, Mississippi River Valley, Tennessee River Valley and near the southern Great Lakes, the weather service said. CNN's Sean Morris and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report.

Kansas spotters report at least four tornadoes . Potosi, Missouri, sees wind damage to roofs and some flooding . Thursday's forecast calls for more storms but to the east .


(CNN)I remember the day I stopped praying. It was the day after my little brother, Jimmy, died of cancer. He was 25. I was so angry at God. I was 27 at the time, and, like most young people I had stopped going to church. But, on that day -- that terrible day -- I desperately needed to understand why God took my brother. I called the nearest Catholic church, looking for a priest. A lady picked up the phone. "Can I talk with Father?" I asked. I wish I could say her answer was "yes." Instead, she asked me if I was a member of that particular parish. "Does it matter?" I asked. (At the time I lived far from my home parish.) I don't remember how she responded, but the answer about my being able to see Father was clearly no. I don't know if all Catholic churches would have shut me out, but I figured, at the time, it was part of the long list of rules the Vatican required Catholic leaders to follow. I cried for a bit, then decided I would never ask God for anything. Clearly, his conduits on Earth did not have time for me -- a lifelong Catholic -- and sinner -- so why would he? Ever since, I've considered myself a lapsed Catholic. Until Pope Francis. There is something about Francis that's reawakened my faith. And it's not because he opened the floodgates to allow sin in the eyes of the church. He still argues against things I passionately support, but I find myself -- like many other lapsed Catholics -- enthralled. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting one of the Pope's newly appointed cardinals. His name is Cardinal Gerald Lacroix. The 57-year-old presides at the Basilica Cathedral of Notre Dame in Quebec City. One of my first questions: What is it about Pope Francis? "Every person is a mystery you know. ... But what's evident is this man is living with such freedom, such inner freedom. He's himself. He's in tune with the Lord," Lacroix  told me. "Those close to him say he's up close to 4 in the morning to prepare his daily Mass, which is at 7 in the morning on the weekdays. So that's almost three hours of prayer, preparation and silence before the Lord and the word of God. Wow, that really fine-tunes you to start off a day." Perhaps that's how the Pope stays humble. Why he defies tradition and washes the feet of the disabled, women and those of other faiths. Why he ordered showers to be built for the poor in St. Peter's Square. All of this is appealing, but it's more than that. In my mind, it's his tone. When Pope Francis said, "If a person is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" The comment took me aback. Homosexuality has long been a taboo subject for the Vatican, yet Pope Francis uttered those welcoming words. Lacroix likened the Pope's approach to Jesus. "Jesus didn't judge. Jesus did not come as a judge. He came as someone who preached and talked about the love of God." Those kinds of answers are so different in my experience, but I understand why more conservative Catholics worry. If the Pope does not judge, then who will tell us who is a sinner and who is not? "I hear that sometimes, too," Lacroix told me. "I think Pope Francis is conservative in the right way. You have to be conservative enough to come back to what is the foundation: that's the Gospel. You cannot reproach Pope Francis of not living the Gospel, or not preaching the truth of the Gospel." But isn't homosexuality a sin in the eyes of the church? "There is room for everyone. The door is open," Cardinal Lacroix insisted. "Of course you know that the Catholic Church will never promote same sex marriage, but do we respect homosexual persons? Do we welcome them? Do we accompany them? Of course. But to respect the Church and its teaching, which is based on a long tradition and also the word of God, we will not go so far as to bless. But that doesn't mean we reject." That last sentiment -- "that doesn't mean we reject." -- did it for me. I finally understood why Pope Francis reawakened my faith. I always felt my church would reject me for committing the smallest of sins. Like calling a priest at a church that was not my home parish. Like not covering my head with a traditional veil at Easter. Like accidentally eating meat on Holy Friday. Like supporting the use of contraception. But as Lacroix told me, Jesus walked with sinners until the very end. He did not banish them to fires of hell, for He refused to give up on anyone. The Cardinal's last words to me: "I'm trying to do my best on (the) local level -- to have an open ear to what the church and world are experiencing. To see how we can today respond to those needs. I want people to see me, and the church, as an open heart to grow together. Not a church that's imposing -- we have nothing to impose -- we have someone to propose: the Lord Jesus and his Gospel." I can't wait to go church next Sunday. And, yes, I will bow my head and pray for forgiveness, and if I'm worthy, Christ's love.

There is something about Pope Francis that's reawakened her faith, say CNN's Carol Costello . Meeting Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec showed how the Pope is putting people in place to carry out his new vision, Costello writes .


New York (CNN)When Liana Barrientos was 23 years old, she got married in Westchester County, New York. A year later, she got married again in Westchester County, but to a different man and without divorcing her first husband.  Only 18 days after that marriage, she got hitched yet again. Then, Barrientos declared "I do" five more times, sometimes only within two weeks of each other. In 2010, she married once more, this time in the Bronx. In an application for a marriage license, she stated it was her "first and only" marriage. Barrientos, now 39, is facing two criminal counts of "offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree," referring to her false statements on the 2010 marriage license application, according to court documents. Prosecutors said the marriages were part of an immigration scam. On Friday, she pleaded not guilty at State Supreme Court in the Bronx, according to her attorney, Christopher Wright, who declined to comment further. After leaving court, Barrientos was arrested and charged with theft of service and criminal trespass for allegedly sneaking into the New York subway through an emergency exit, said Detective Annette Markowski, a police spokeswoman. In total, Barrientos has been married 10 times, with nine of her marriages occurring between 1999 and 2002.  All occurred either in Westchester County, Long Island, New Jersey or the Bronx. She is believed to still be married to four men, and at one time, she was married to eight men at once, prosecutors say. Prosecutors said the immigration scam involved some of her husbands, who filed for permanent residence status shortly after the marriages.  Any divorces happened only after such filings were approved. It was unclear whether any of the men will be prosecuted. The case was referred to the Bronx District Attorney's Office by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security's Investigation Division. Seven of the men are from so-called "red-flagged" countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan and Mali. Her eighth husband, Rashid Rajput, was deported in 2006 to his native Pakistan after an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. If convicted, Barrientos faces up to four years in prison.  Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 18.

Liana Barrientos, 39, re-arrested after court appearance for alleged fare beating . She has married 10 times as part of an immigration scam, prosecutors say . Barrientos pleaded not guilty Friday to misdemeanor charges .


Washington (CNN)Washington was rocked late Thursday by shootings -- one at the gates of the U.S. Census Bureau's headquarters and another in a popular area packed with restaurant patrons. The shootings were connected, authorities said. They began with what authorities believe was a domestic kidnapping incident, according to D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The suspect's vehicle was spotted outside the Census Bureau, which is in Suitland, Maryland. A guard apparently approached the vehicle and saw two people arguing. That guard was then shot at least once in the upper body, said Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady. The guard was in extremely critical condition, according to Brady. The police chief said the suspect then fled the scene. Officers picked up the chase, and the suspect fired gunshots at multiple locations, Lanier said. The chase ended in a crash on Washington's busy H Street. A shootout ensues, Lanier said. An officer and the suspect were wounded, according to the police chief. Both were conscious and talking when they left the scene. "Right now, we have every reason to believe that the car that we have in this last incident here is the same car involved and the same person involved in the kidnapping," she said. Lanier told reporters the kidnapping victim was located and is in good condition. She did not identify the suspect, nor the guard, nor the officer who were injured. Steve Brusk reported from Washington. Dana Ford wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Greg Botelho also contributed to this report.

Authorities believe the two shootings are connected . A suspect leads police on a wild chase, firing at multiple locations . A Census Bureau guard is in critical condition, a fire official says .


(CNN)The University of Michigan has decided to proceed with a screening of the film "American Sniper" despite objections from some students. More than 200 students signed a petition asking the school not to show the movie as part of UMix, a series of social events the university stages for students. Bradley Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Kyle was fatally shot at a Texas shooting range in 2013. Some students believed the movie's depiction of the Iraq War reflected negatively on the Middle East and people from that region. Michigan's Detroit metropolitan area is home to the nation's largest Arab-American population. But there was a backlash to the decision to yank the movie, and a counter-petition asked school officials to reconsider. On Wednesday, E. Royster Harper, University of Michigan's vice president for student life, said in a statement that "It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie 'American Sniper' on campus as part of a social event for students" and that the show will go on. "The initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters," the statement said. UMix will offer a screening of the family-friendly "Paddington" for those who would rather not attend "American Sniper." The announcement drew praise from Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Some complained about the film's depiction of the Iraq War . A petition asked the university not to show the Bradley Cooper film .


New Delhi  (CNN)An Indian software pioneer and nine others have been sentenced to seven years in jail for their role in what has been dubbed India's biggest corporate scandal in memory, police said. Ramalinga Raju, the former chairman of software services exporter Satyam Computers Services, was also fined $804,000, R.K. Gaur, a spokesman for India's Central Bureau of Investigation, told CNN. In 2009, Satyam Computers Services was at the center of a massive $1.6 billion fraud case after its then-chairman Raju admitted inflating profits with fictitious assets and nonexistent cash. Investigators say losses to investors resulting from the company's book manipulation were much higher. A special court convicted Raju and nine other people of cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of public trust and other charges, said the Central Bureau of Investigation, which looked into the case. In the media, the case has been compared to the 2001 Enron Corp. scandal, in which a Houston energy company's earnings had been overstated by several hundred million dollars. When the scam made headlines, Satyam, which means "truth" in Sanskrit, was India's fourth-largest software services provider. It was serving almost 700 companies, including 185 Fortune 500 companies, and generated more than half of its revenue from the United States. The company had about 53,000 employees and operated in 65 countries. After Raju's shock disclosures six years ago, the Indian government fired Satyam's board. In a subsequent state-backed auction, the company was bought by Tech Mahindra, part of the country's Mahindra Group. A heavyweight of the nation's software industry, Raju, 60, has been in jail for the past 32 months. He had founded Satyam in 1987. His company made giant strides as the outsourcing business grew in India in the 1990s.

Satyam Computers Services was at the center of a massive $1.6 billion fraud case in 2009 . The software services exporter's chairman, Ramalinga Raju, admitted inflating profits . Satyam had been India's fourth-largest software services provider .


(CNN)A 32-year-old Massachusetts man is facing murder charges, authorities said Wednesday, four days after another man's remains were found in a duffel bag. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office said that Carlos Colina, 32, will be arraigned the morning of April 14 for murder in connection with the remains discovered Saturday in Cambridge. Earlier this week, Colina was arraigned on charges of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of a body. A Middlesex County judge then revoked bail for Colina in another case he's involved in, for alleged assault and battery. The victim in that case is different from the one whose remains were found in recent days. Police were notified Saturday morning about a suspicious item along a walkway in Cambridge. Officers arrived at the scene, opened a duffel bag and found human remains. After that discovery, police say, a surveillance video led them to an apartment building, where more body parts were discovered in a common area. That location is near the Cambridge Police Department headquarters. The remains at both locations belonged to the same victim, identified Monday as Jonathan Camilien, 26. Camilien and Colina knew each other, according to authorities. "This was a gruesome discovery," District Attorney Marian Ryan said. CNN's Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.

Prosecutor: Carlos Colina, 32, will be arraigned on the murder charge next week . He's already been arraigned for alleged assault and battery, improper disposal of a body . Body parts were found in a duffel bag and a common area of an apartment building .


(CNN)"Star Wars" fans will get more than they bargained for when the saga comes to digital HD on Friday. The collection of the first six "Star Wars" movies will also include many special features, some of which give fans a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the saga. One focus of the features will be the sound effects of the movies, including that of the insect-like Geonosians, as seen in "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones." 'Star Wars' universe gets its first gay character . In the exclusive first-look video, sound designer Ben Burtt explains which animals were used to capture the alien sounds made by the Geonosians. Take a look at the video above to find out. 'Star Wars' films available for digital download for first time .

The "Star Wars" digital collection is set for release this week . Special features include behind-the-scenes stories on the unique alien sounds from the movie .


Washington (CNN)An Iranian military observation aircraft flew within 50 yards of an armed U.S. Navy helicopter over the Persian Gulf this month, sparking concern that top Iranian commanders might not be in full control of local forces, CNN has learned. The incident, which has not been publicly disclosed, troubled U.S. military officials because the unsafe maneuver could have triggered a serious incident. It also surprised U.S. commanders because in recent months Iranian forces have conducted exercises and operations in the region in a professional manner, one U.S. military official told CNN. "We think this might have been locally ordered," the official said. The incident took place as the U.S. and other world powers meet with Iran in Switzerland to negotiate a deal limiting Tehran's nuclear program. At the same time, Iran has been active in supporting proxies in several hotspots in the Persian Gulf and neighboring regions. The Navy MH-60R armed helicopter was flying from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson on a routine patrol in international airspace, the official said. An unarmed Iranian observation Y-12 aircraft approached. The Iranian aircraft made two passes at the helicopter, coming within 50 yards, before the helicopter moved off, according to the official. The official said the helicopter deliberately broke off and flew away in a 'predictable' manner so the Iranians could not misinterpret any U.S. intentions. The Navy helicopter was in radio contact with the ship during the encounter, but there was no contact between the two aircraft and no shots were fired. The Navy crew took photos of the incident but the military is not releasing them. The U.S. administration is considering a potential demarche protest against Iran, the official said. CNN has reached out to Iranian officials but has not received a response. This type of Iranian observation aircraft generally operates over the Gulf several times a month. But after the recent incident, U.S. naval intelligence did not see it again for two weeks, leading to the conclusion that the incident may have been ordered by a local commander who was then reprimanded by higher-ups. The Pentagon has noted for the last several years that most encounters with the Iranian military at sea or in air are conducted professionally, but that some missions run by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces have been too aggressive against U.S. forces in the area. The U.S. military's concern has been that one of these incidents could escalate into a military encounter. This incident "might have been buffoonery" the official said, but there is always a risk from such actions. The incident comes as the Navy patrols the Gulf of Aden to watch for Iranian ships the U.S. believes are trying to bring weapons to resupply the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Navy would share such intelligence with Saudi Arabia, a second U.S. official told CNN.

Iranian plane came within 50 yards of U.S. Navy Sea Hawk copter . Navy copter was on patrol in international airspace . U.S. official think Iranian plane may have been under orders of local commander .


(CNN)When photographer Johan Bavman became a father for the first time, he took more than a passing wonder about how his native Sweden is said to be the most generous nation on Earth for parental leave. He immersed himself in fatherhood -- twice over, you might say. He used his photography to document the real-life experience of other fathers taking full advantage of Sweden's extraordinary program, which allows mothers and fathers to take long, long leaves from their careers so they can care for their newborns. Get this: Sweden grants a total of 480 calendar days of parental leave, with 390 of them paid at 80% of income, with a maximum of 3,160 euros a month or $3,474. The remaining 90 days are paid at a flat-rate benefit of 20 euros a day, or $22. But there's a catch. Fathers have to share that leave with mothers. So to promote both parents to raise their children, Sweden has mandated that 60 of the 480 days be "daddy months" or "partner months." If the 60 daddy days aren't used, they are lost, reducing the maximum leave to 420 days. The country also created a "gender equality bonus": the more days that parents share the leave equally, they get a bonus that could total up to 1,500 euros, or $1,649. The idea is for both parents to share the joys and struggles of raising infants. In reality, only 12% of Swedish couples equally share the 480 days of leave, Bavman said, with women continuing to lead the way as the stay-at-home parent and men as the careerist. Still, Bavman mused last summer about how the policy impacts those men who use the full measure of their parental leave. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. At first, Bavman had difficulty finding such men. But the fathers he did find and photograph, he captured their devotion in realistic imagery. "I realized while I was talking to these dads, these dads are struck by how important the bonding is between you and the children," said Bavman, who now has a 3-year-old son, Viggo, with partner Linda Stark, a freelance journalist. "I didn't want to bring out fathers as superdads," Bavman said. "I wanted to bring out these role models which people can connect to. "I want to have those dads who can also show their tiredness ... which comes with being home with your children. It's a hard full-time job. This is something that we have been taking for granted for hundreds of years. This is something that mothers have never been recognized for." He also found moments of humor, with one child nearly ripping apart the shirt of his busy father. The fathers have become more understanding of their wives and even their own mothers, Bavman said. Some are now considering a career change to accommodate their parenthood. "Being home nine months, they get time to think about their life," the photographer said. Bavman is looking for a total of 60 fathers to photograph, to culminate in an exhibition and a book. So far he's found 35 worthy of his lens. Johan Bavman is a freelance photographer based in Malmo, Sweden. From 2008-2011, he worked as a staff photographer at Sydsvenskan, one of Sweden's largest newspapers.

Johan Bavman photographed fathers in Sweden, which has generous parental leave . Sweden's policies encourage fathers to take just as much leave as mothers .


(CNN)Craig Hicks, who is charged in the deaths of three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, earlier this year, can face the death penalty, a judge ruled Monday, according to CNN affiliates. Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson Jr. ruled that Hicks' case is "death penalty qualified," WRAL and WTVD reported. The 46-year-old was arrested February 10 in the deaths of Yusor Mohammad, 21, her 23-year-old husband, Deah Shaddy Barakat, and 19-year-old sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha. All three were shot in the head. Hicks, who was the victims' neighbor, turned himself in to police the night of the killings. The next week, he was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and a count of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. He had no prior criminal record, police said. Police said "an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking" might have been a factor in the shootings but also said they weren't dismissing the possibility of a hate crime. On what is believed to be Hicks' Facebook page, numerous posts rail against religion. The victims' family members have called on authorities to investigate the slayings as a hate crime. The U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement in February saying the department's Civil Rights Division, along with the the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina and the FBI, have opened "a parallel preliminary inquiry" to determine whether any federal laws, including hate crime laws, were violated. "It has always been our position that Mr. Hicks should be held responsible for his actions to the full extent of the law. His killing of three college students was despicable, and now he must face the consequences of his actions," said Rob Maitland, an attorney for Hicks' wife. Karen and Craig Hicks are in the process of divorce.

Hicks is charged in the deaths of three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina . Victims' family members have called on authorities to investigate the slayings as a hate crime .


(CNN)HBO just whetted our appetite for a new season of "True Detective." The network released a teaser video for  season 2 of the critically acclaimed show, and it looks intense. Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch star in the new season, which premieres June 21. Here's the plot synopsis, according to Den of Geek: . "A bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California. Colin Farrell is Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective in the all-industrial City of Vinci, LA County. Vince Vaughn plays Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his life's work, while his wife and closest ally (Kelly Reilly), struggles with his choices and her own. Rachel McAdams is Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff's detective often at odds with the system she serves, while Taylor Kitsch plays Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the California Highway Patrol who discovers a crime scene which triggers an investigation involving three law enforcement groups, multiple criminal collusions, and billions of dollars." Yes, please. The first season starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of Louisiana State Police detectives investigating the death of a young woman. The crime drama proved to be a runaway hit, and the season 1 finale crashed the HBO Go site in March 2014.

HBO released a teaser video for the new season, starting June 21 . The series stars Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn .


(CNN)Lauren Hill, who took her inspirational fight against brain cancer onto the basketball court and into the hearts of many, has died at age 19. The Indiana woman's story became known around the world last year when she was able to realize her dream of playing college basketball. Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati successfully petitioned the NCAA to move up the opening game of its schedule to accommodate her desire to play. Hill died early Friday. At a ceremony honoring her life on the school's campus Friday afternoon, head coach Dan Benjamin said the toughest thing a coach has to deal with is a loss. The community had lost more than a player, he said. It lost a friend and a daughter. And it lost "an unselfish angel." "It's not often you get to celebrate a loss," he told the crowd as he struggled to hold in his tears. "But today we celebrate a victory on how to live a life, through Lauren Hill. (No.) 22 you will be missed and remembered by so many." An assistant coach read a quote from Hill: . "I encourage everyone to cherish every moment with no worry about the past or anxiety about the future. Because the next moment is never promised. Never leave anything unsaid. I have learned to see the blessings in every moment and through every struggle, no matter how tough it might be. Nothing holds me back from living my life and chasing my dreams. I always finish what I start and see it through to the end. Never give up on your dreams. Find something to fight for; I fight for others." Hill would go on to help raise $1.4 million for pediatric cancer research with the nonprofit group The Cure Starts Now. The organization called her a "worldwide inspiration." "Lauren captured the hearts of people worldwide with her tenacity and determination to play in her first collegiate basketball game with her Mount St. Joseph University team," the group said on Facebook. People we've lost in 2015 . Mount St. Joseph University President Tony Artez said Hill's "love and laughter will remain in our hearts." "We are forever grateful to have had Lauren grace our campus with her smile and determined spirit," Artez said in a statement. "She has left a powerful legacy. She taught us that every day is a blessing, every moment a gift." Her principal at Lawrenceburg High School, Bill Snyder, announced her death to students Friday morning. "Lauren's message was constantly positive," he told CNN. "We all need to work together to beat obstacles. Not just cancer. In any situation we can be positive." As news of her death spread, social media lit up with messages honoring her life. NBA great LeBron James called her the "true definition of strength, courage, power, leadership." "The greatest accomplishment we can achieve as humans is to inspire many," Twitter user Just_AP wrote. "Lauren Hill did that." NCAA President Mark Emmert said Hill's "enthusiasm and strength were an inspiration not only to those who knew her best, but also to the millions of people she touched around the world by sharing her story." "Lauren achieved a lasting and meaningful legacy, and her beautiful spirit will continue to live on," he said in a statement. Hill was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in 2013 when she was a senior in high school. The rare brain tumor was inoperable, but Hill persisted in playing on her high school team despite chemotherapy treatments. "I never gave up for a second, even when I got a terminal diagnosis, never thought about sitting back and not living life anymore," she told CNN affiliate WKRC-TV at the time. She had already committed to play for Mount St. Joseph when she was diagnosed. In October, the school received permission from the NCAA to move up its first scheduled game so Hill could play. In front of a sellout crowd, many wearing T-shirts bearing her name and slogan, "Never Give Up," watched the ballplayer score the first two points and the final layup of the game. "Today has been the best day I've ever had," Hill told the crowd after the game. "I don't know what to say but thank you." CNN's Jill Martin, Emanuella Grinberg and Faith Karimi contributed to this report.

Lauren Hill's coach says she was "an unselfish angel" After playing for her college, Lauren Hill helped raise money for cancer research . NCAA president says she "achieved a lasting and meaningful legacy"


Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)Martin O'Malley told reporters in Iowa on Friday that inevitability -- a term bandied about regarding Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton -- is not unbreakable. "I've seen it before," the former Governor of Maryland and possible presidential contender said. "History is full of examples where the inevitable frontrunner was inevitable right up until she was no longer or he was no longer inevitable." Clinton was considered inevitable to win the nomination in 2008 but ended up losing to Barack Obama. O'Malley had previously dropped the inevitability comment in a television interview last month. The former governor, who capped off his two-day trip to the first-in-the-nation caucus state with a speech to the Polk County Democrats in Des Moines, said that although Clinton is an "eminently qualified candidate," the Democratic Party is full of "good leaders." "History is full of examples where people who are not very well known nationally can be very well known once they are willing to make their case to the people of Iowa," O'Malley said. In some polls, he has scored in the low single digits in the state. In a March CNN/ORC poll of national Democrats, only 1% picked O'Malley. In a January poll by Bloomberg Politics and the Des Moines Register, O'Malley was also at 1% among Iowa Democrats. Clinton, who leads most polls by upwards of 40 points, is planning to launch her presidential candidacy on Sunday through a video message on social media, a person close to her campaign-in-waiting told CNN on Friday. While he wouldn't say much about Clinton, when asked about her candidacy, O'Malley said, "if leaders believe that they have the experience and the framework to move our country forward, they should run. And they should engage with voters and our country would be the better for it." O'Malley, like other Democrats, appears to refrain from directly attacking Clinton. Although last month on ABC, he said that the presidency is "not some crown to be passed between two families," he has not focused on her. He has, however, openly teased a presidential run. "I know that, as Democrats, we expect -- and I have heard this all over the country -- the Democrats expect a robust conversation about the issues we face as a nation and the challenges we face," he said. "They believe that that conversation needs to take place in something as important as a presidential primary." He concluded: "It would be an extreme poverty indeed if there was only one person willing to compete for our party's nomination for President."

He made the statement before in March . O'Malley is low in the polls with Democrats, but he has been flirting with a presidential run .


(CNN)Hip-hop star Nelly has been arrested on drug charges in Tennessee after a state trooper pulled over the private bus in which he was traveling, authorities said. The 40-year-old rapper from St. Louis, who shot to fame 15 years ago with the track "Country Grammar," has been charged with felony possession of drugs, simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said. The state trooper stopped the bus carrying Nelly and five other people on Interstate 40 in Putnam County on Saturday because it wasn't displaying U.S. Department of Transportation and International Fuel Tax Association stickers, according to Tennessee authorities. The trooper was about to conduct an inspection of the bus, a Prevost motor coach, when he "noticed an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle," authorities said in a statement. Two troopers then searched the bus, finding "five colored crystal-type rocks that tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as a small amount of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia," the statement said. The search also turned up several handguns and 100 small Ziploc bags, which the statement said are commonly used for selling drugs. The guns included a gold-plated .50-caliber Desert Eagle pistol, a .45-caliber Taurus pistol and a .500 Smith & Wesson magnum. Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes, was taken to the Putnam County Jail along with another passenger. He later posted bond and left the jail, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said. CNN couldn't immediately reach Nelly's representatives for comment Saturday. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

State troopers say they found methamphetamine and marijuana on a bus carrying Nelly and five others . Nelly has been charged with felony possession of drugs .


(CNN)A year after its Cannes debut and finally seeing a theatrical release, "Lost River" is still causing quite a stir. Booed at its premiere and mocked by reviewers, Ryan Gosling's first feature as director has been divisive, to put it mildly. But there has been one shining light cutting through the fog of critical hyperbole: its setting, a besmirched and decaying Detroit. Wavering on the brink of annihilation, yet providing kindling for its own rebirth, the city is captured in all its waning splendor, the perfect backdrop for Gosling's post-industrial gothic. Speaking about the film in London, Gosling made clear that the city was at the heart of the project -- in fact, without Detroit's crumbling edifices there would be no film at all. Gosling said that "Lost River" began as a collection of speculative shots of the Brewster-Douglass Projects, the first black social housing development in America and a place Motown legends The Supremes and boxer Joe Louis once called home. "I heard [the authorities] were going to tear them down," Gosling said. "I had to shoot them before they did." Taking time out between acting jobs, he ventured into the projects. "I started shooting more and more," he explained, "and then I realized that I was making a film. Then I started writing [the script] during the process of filming." Gosling's affection for the Motor City is longstanding, the actor growing up "not too far away" in Cornwall, Ontario. "It seemed like everything cool came from Detroit... the whole American Dream," he reminisces. "The Model-T, Motown, the refrigerator..." Now though he references "40 miles of dead neighborhoods," the city declaring bankruptcy. "Houses are burning and things are being torn down," he says, "and within that there are families trying to hold on to their homes. For them it has become a nightmare and I wanted to make a film about that." The title itself alludes to a once thriving community now displaced, its homes at the bottom of a reservoir built with little concern for the residents -- man-made interference with untold social repercussions. Speaking in broader terms, Gosling argues "there are Lost Rivers everywhere and we wanted to share the experience these people were having." On screen he paints a nihilistic image of wanton destruction; torched properties and bulldozers jostling for our attention amid acts of extreme human violence -- sometimes self-inflicted. The director plainly states that as a location it "was pretty dangerous." He describes "an energy there that was threatening... We had a very charmed experience [filming]. It worked its way into the fabric of the movie --- a tone of impending threat that was just there." However there are signs of humanity and regeneration amongst the chaos, on camera and off. For the film's young protagonist, every raid on an unoccupied house offers copper piping waiting to be recast and ultimately reclaimed. Similarly, Gosling references the Heidelberg Project during the discussion, a community organization in the city's McDougall-Hunt neighborhood, reimagining derelict buildings as giant canvases for budding artists. He recalls seeing "one house covered with teddy bears, another covered in clocks... people taking spaces and personalizing them." The city's scope for urban renewal was clearly a draw. "Something really interesting is happening in Detroit at the moment -- a rebirth. People redefining what they are," according to Gosling. "There's a resilience there and an energy, and it's exciting." As much as the visual content of "Lost River" revolves around a maudlin preoccupation with dereliction -- and perhaps plays on the outside world's perception of Detroit -- aspects of the narrative suggest hope and the possibility of reincarnation for the city. Gosling claims this paradox should exist when discussing Detroit, and is precisely what the film is trying to convey. "We want people to know that dereliction is happening there, but that it's not only what is happening there," he argues. "It doesn't define Detroit, it's just part of what it's dealing with right now." "Lost River" receives a limited theatrical release in the U.S. and UK on April 10.

Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River", is set in the city of Detroit .


(CNN)Bring your own beaker, goblet or vase and slurp it up. 7-Eleven is hosting the first Bring-Your-Own-Cup Slurpee Day at United States stores from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday to kick off peak Slurpee season. This shot at brain freeze isn't free, but customers at participating stores can fill their "cup" of choice for $1.49, the average cost of a medium Slurpee. Note: A garbage can is not a cup. In-store displays with a 10-inch-diameter hole will rule out anything too ridiculously large for Slurpee consumption, and cups must be sanitary. But within those parameters, pretty much anything goes: . "From sand buckets to trophies, customers can unleash their creativity by bringing in their choice of a unique, fun Slurpee cup," said Laura Gordon, 7‑Eleven's vice president of marketing and brand innovation, in a statement. The promotion isn't to be confused with Free Slurpee Day, traditionally celebrated each July 11.

Bring your own large "cup" for a $1.49 7-Eleven Slurpee . Any sanitary container less than 10 inches in diameter is fair game .


(CNN)All Elizabeth Sedway wanted was to leave paradise and head home. But she couldn't. Why? Because, according to her, she has cancer. That's what she said in a video posted to Facebook that shows her group packing up from their Alaska Airlines plane as it sat at the gate in Hawaii. "You're taking me off the airplane because I don't have a doctor's note saying I can fly," a woman is heard saying. "All these people are waiting, and I'm being removed as if  I'm a criminal or contagious, because I have cancer and no note to fly." Sedway did eventually get on a flight back to San Jose, California, although she didn't get home until late Tuesday night. And she got an apology. "We regret the inconvenience Ms. Sedway experienced ... and are very sorry for how the situation was handled," Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said. "... While our employee had the customer's well-being in mind, the situation could have been handled differently." Her cancer fight notwithstanding, Sedway was in Hawaii in time to celebrate her 14th wedding anniversary. Still, on Monday, she was on a plane to head east. Then, according to her Facebook post, an airline employee who saw Sedway seated in the handicapped section asked her how she was doing. The second time she inquired, Sedway wrote that she responded by saying she sometimes felt weak. That was followed by a call to a doctor, then her removal from the plane. Egan, the Alaska Airlines spokeswoman, acknowledged that the carrier's policy when someone has a medical issue is to call MedLink, a group of ER nurses and doctors. The idea, she explained, is that "it is better to address medical issues or concerns on the ground rather than in the air, especially on flights to or from Hawaii" -- which in that case would last five-plus hours over open ocean. The decision to pull Sedway from the flight was done with "the customer's well-being" in mind, according to Egan. Still, that doesn't mean it was the right decision. Alaska Airlines since apologized to Sedway "for the disruption this has caused," in addition to refunding her family's tickets and paying for their overnight accommodations." Even though she was stuck in Hawaii, Sedway made clear on Facebook that this was a real "disruption." "Because of this, I will miss my chemotherapy, my children will miss school and my husband will miss important meetings," she said.

Elizabeth Sedway posted to video to Facebook showing her removal from a plane . She was forced off a flight in Hawaii and told she couldn't head home to California . Alaska Airlines later apologized, saying it could have handled the situation differently .


(CNN)What was supposed to be a fantasy sports car ride at Walt Disney World Speedway turned deadly when a Lamborghini crashed into a guardrail. The crash took place Sunday at the Exotic Driving Experience, which bills itself as a chance to drive your dream car on a racetrack. The Lamborghini's passenger, 36-year-old Gary Terry of Davenport, Florida, died at the scene, Florida Highway Patrol said. The driver of the Lamborghini, 24-year-old Tavon Watson of Kissimmee, Florida, lost control of the vehicle, the Highway Patrol said. He was hospitalized with minor injuries. Petty Holdings, which operates the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway, released a statement Sunday night about the crash. "On behalf of everyone in the organization, it is with a very heavy heart that we extend our deepest sympathies to those involved in today's tragic accident in Orlando," the company said. Petty Holdings also operates the Richard Petty Driving Experience -- a chance to drive or ride in NASCAR race cars named for the winningest driver in the sport's history. CNN's Vivan Kuo and Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

The crash occurred at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway . Officials say the driver, 24-year-old Tavon Watson, lost control of a Lamborghini . Passenger Gary Terry, 36, died at the scene .


Atlanta (CNN)A passenger on an Atlanta-bound Air Canada flight told a CNN reporter on the plane Friday that a stranger sitting behind him tried to choke him. Oliver Minatel, 22, said he was sleeping on Air Canada Flight 8623 from Toronto when he felt something around his neck. "With a rope, something that he has, he just jumped on me. That's what happened," Minatel told CNN's Paula Newton moments after the incident. She was seated four rows behind Minatel, a professional soccer player traveling with his team. The incident occurred about a half-hour before the flight landed, after the pilots had begun their descent. "I forced it (the cord) down and then other people came to help, and then I got out and he started saying that we were here to kill him," Minatel said. The man was not restrained for the rest of the trip, but the flight crew told him to stay seated with his seat belt on. The man kept trying to get out of his seat but other passengers yelled at him whenever he tried to stand up. The two-hour flight landed at Atlanta's Hartsfield airport at about 4:30 p.m.  where it was met by U.S. authorities.  The suspect was escorted off the plane. An FBI spokesman confirmed the agency responded to the incident. "The passenger, however, was transported for medical/mental evaluation under the direction and coordination of the Atlanta Police Department," Special Agent Stephen Emmett said. "While there are currently no federal charges pending, the facts of the matter are being relayed to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta." Minatel, a forward from Brazil, was traveling with his teammates from the Ottawa Fury Football Club of the second-division North American Soccer League.  They are scheduled to play the Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday. "We're very thankful to everyone who came to the aid of Oliver and relieved that he's O.K. and ready to play in our game," Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos said in a statement posted on the team's website. Several witnesses said they saw the suspect try to choke Minatel with the cord of his headphones. Kevin Kerr says he was seated next to the suspect. "He was talking about how this soccer team was trying to kill him. I thought he was maybe a deranged fan," said Kerr. Kerr said he fell asleep and he awakened to see the suspect trying to choke Minatel. "I assisted to make sure that didn't happen," Kerr said. The Canadian businessman said he and members of the soccer team kept a close eye on the suspect as the plane landed to make sure he did not threaten other passengers.

Oliver Minatel, a 22-year-old player from Brazil, was attacked from behind, he says . Witnesses say suspect tried to choke him with the cord from his headphones . Team says forward is OK, will play Saturday night; suspect was taken for evaluation .


(CNN)A federal grand jury has charged millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst, a convicted felon, with unlawful possession of a firearm. In this week's indictment,  Durst, 71, is accused of possessing a .38 caliber revolver, which authorities allegedly found in his hotel room last month. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if found guilty of that charge, according to the indictment. The charge is the latest in a litany of accusations. A Louisiana judge ruled last month that Durst, who is charged with first-degree murder, will be held without bail at a facility near New Orleans. Durst was featured this spring in "The Jinx," a HBO documentary about him. He's accused of killing his friend  Susan Berman at her home in California in 2000. He also faces state weapons and drugs charges in New Orleans. Last month, court documents claimed that Durst had a loaded .38-caliber revolver, marijuana, his passport and birth certificate, a latex mask with salt-and-pepper hair attached and more than $40,000 cash. He also had a UPS tracking number. The package was intercepted by the FBI, prosecutors said, and it contained clothing and more than $100,000 in cash. But the bigger courtroom fight will probably unfold in Los Angeles, where the district attorney filed a first-degree murder charge against Durst last month. He awaits extradition to Los Angeles to face that charge. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Prosecutors accuse Durst of "lying in wait" and killing Berman, a crime writer and his longtime confidante, because she "was a witness to a crime." Berman was shot in the head in her Beverly Hills home in December 2000, shortly before investigators were set to speak with her about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst. Durst has long maintained that he had nothing to do with Berman's death or his wife's disappearance. It's not the first time he has been accused of murder. He admitted killing and dismembering his neighbor at a 2003 trial, but he was acquitted after arguing that he acted in self-defense. FBI agents have also asked local authorities to examine cold cases in locations near where Durst lived over the past five decades, a U.S. law enforcement official said. Unsolved cases in Vermont, upstate New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California are among those getting a new look, the official said. Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said it's a sign that authorities are desperate. DeGuerin has said Durst has serious medical conditions. He is suffering from hydrocephalus, which required brain surgery a couple of years ago, DeGuerin said. Doctors implanted a stent on the right side of his head, the attorney said. "At the same time he was in the hospital, he had an operation on his esophagus to remove cancer. So he's got some serious health issues. ... He's lost a lot of weight. He's not in good health," DeGuerin said. DeGuerin also said that Durst is "mildly autistic" and has received treatment in the past from one of the country's leading experts in Asperger's syndrome and autism.

Durst, a convicted felon, charged with unlawful possession of a firearm . He is accused of having a .38 caliber revolver and faces up to 10 years in prison .


(CNN)The graffiti, written in a French chalk quarry and dating back almost 100 years, is plain and stark. "HJ Leach. Merely a private. 13/7/16. SA Australia," reads one inscription. "HA Deanate, 148th Aero Squadron, USA. 150 Vermilyea Ave, New York City," another says. "9th Batt Australians, G. Fitzhenry, Paddington, Sydney, N.S.W., 1916 July; Alistair Ross, Lismore, July," reads a third. They were World War I soldiers, four of almost 2,000, whose writings have recently been found underneath battlefields near Naours, France, about 120 miles north of Paris. Photographer Jeff Gusky, who has been chronicling details of the site, describes the inscriptions -- and the underground city in which they were found -- as "breathtaking." "This is a treasure trove," he said Monday night from his home in East Texas, where he works as an ER doctor. "Even locally, no one realized what was there." Gusky, a National Geographic photographer, has chronicled the area in a portfolio he calls "The Hidden World of WWI." The revelations of the underground city, which extends for miles in some directions, have come to light recently only because of a series of events, Gusky said. The underground city actually dates back centuries but was sealed up in the 18th century. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century. During World War I, soldiers would take refuge in the carved-out rooms and pathways. The front was sometimes mere miles away; the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest in world history, was fought nearby in 1916. The land was privately owned for many years and generally off-limits to outsiders, said Gusky, but it changed hands in 2013. The rights to operate it were purchased by a consortium of villages that wanted to promote awareness of the area's history, he said. Researching the city is a painstaking task. For one thing, it's dark, so observers generally haven't realized what's in there until they've gone exploring. Moreover, the maze-like extensiveness of the site has made discovery a slow process. "They go on and on and on. They're so elaborate in some places, there are maps carved into stone so the soldiers wouldn't get lost," he said. The graffiti looks like it was written yesterday, he added. Gusky has noted 1,821 names. About 40% are Australian, with most of the others identified as British. Fifty-five are Americans, and 662 have yet to be traced. For Gusky, the graffiti provides a human connection with men who lived a century ago. In many cases, they just wanted to be remembered, he said. "Someone could be in this place one day and the next fighting at the front," he said. Leach, "merely a private," was killed a month later in battle, Gusky observed. "It could very well have been the last time he recorded his name as a living, breathing human being," he said. 7 things you didn't know about the man who started WWI .

World War I graffiti is discovered in an underground quarry . The writings are generally plain, with listings of names and places . Photographer: Graffiti a human connection to the past .


(CNN)Saturday at the Masters, like any PGA tournament, has been dubbed 'Moving Day'. It's the day after the fat has been cut and the big dogs make their move up -- or occasionally down -- the leader board. Players rose and players fell away on Moving Day at the 2015 Masters. Rory McIlroy went out in 32 and briefly raised the crowd's hopes that he had a sniff of completing an improbable Grand Slam on Sunday night. But he dropped two shots late on in the round to finish six under par. Woods comeback? A rejuvenated Tiger Woods showed touches of his old class mixed with the ragged unpredictability that has marked his new game to finish six under too. A huge improvement, but still a long way from him wearing the green jacket again. "It could have been a super low today," a disappointed Woods said after his round. "All in all. It should have been two shots better." Phil Mickelson powered around the course, threatening to challenge too, finishing on eleven under. As did a late Justin Rose surge, where he fired four birdies in a row to finish twelve under and in second place. In the end, there was lots of moving, but no one could move quick enough or far enough to trouble Jordan Spieth. Infallible . The 21 year old has been nothing short of a sensation at Augusta. His infallible first two rounds gave the 21 year old from Dallas, Texas a five shot lead going in to the third round. That has happened only three times at Augusta before, and on all three occasions the leader has gone on to win. Spieth's 15 birdies are just 10 away from Phil Mickelson's Masters mark set in 2001. He could also break Tiger Woods 270 set in 1997. As it happened, Spieth played a steady, almost conservative round. When he made the occasional mistake, like the bogey at 15, he hit back straight away with a birdie next hole. As his third round came to a close the birdies flowed, his putting impeccable. The only nerves on show came during the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17. Echos of 1996? When reminded of some of the great Augusta comebacks, including Nick Faldo's 11 shot swing in 1996, Tiger Woods still believes anything is possible. "It really is," he said. "We saw what happened in 1996. You never know. It depends on the conditions." He is, of course, right. As Greg Norman knows only too well, anything can happen on the final day. But that kind of crescendo also depends on Spieth experiencing a Greg Norman-style meltdown. Spieth's double bogey on the 17th and wobble on the 18th will give the chasing pack some hope. Yet, for all the movement of Mickelson, Woods, Rose and McIlroy, they made just a one shot dent into Spieth's second round lead. He will begin Sunday four shots ahead.

Jordan Spieth holds lead in 2015 Masters . Strong starts from McIlroy and Woods . Both fall away as 21 year old Spieth takes control .


(CNN)A Delaware father is in stable condition and improving as his two boys remain in critical condition after they became sick -- perhaps from pesticide exposure, federal officials say -- during a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Steve Esmond, his teenage sons and the teens' mother fell ill more than two weeks ago in St. John, where they were renting a villa at the Sirenusa resort. The family has confidence in their medical professionals and is hopeful for a full recovery, according to a statement released Monday from the family's attorney, James Maron. The teens' mother, Theresa Devine, was treated at a hospital and released, and is in occupational therapy, Maron said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the presence of a pesticide at the rented villa in St. John may have caused the illnesses, which were reported to the EPA on March 20. Paramedics were called to the villa, which the family was renting. Esmond was found unconscious; the boys and their mother were having seizures, Maron said. The lawyer did not say who called the paramedics. Elias Rodriguez, an EPA spokesman, said the agency's preliminary test results "do show that there was a presence of methyl bromide in the unit where the family was staying." Exposure to methyl bromide can result in serious health effects, including central nervous system and respiratory system damage, according to the EPA. The use of the pesticide is restricted in the United States because of its acute toxicity. It's not allowed to be used indoors. Only certified professionals are permitted to use it in certain agricultural settings. For example, the pesticide is injected into the soil of some U.S. strawberry fields, said Judith Enck, an EPA regional administrator. "We trust that the strawberry producers are making sure that there's not excess pesticide residue on strawberries," Enck said. "You definitely want to wash them really good. "This is a pesticide that's been around for a long time, and ironically because of its impact and damage to the ozone layer, it's being phased out because of the air impacts of this fumigant," Enck added. Field workers at a Connecticut nursery were poisoned by the chemical in 1990, according to the Journal of Industrial Medicine. In 2011, warehouse workers in California fell ill after exposed to grapes imported from Chile fumigated with methyl bromide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, said many parts of the world banned the chemical, a neurotoxin. The agent is to be used only outdoors. The chemical is also odorless and colorless, Gupta said. "It's not something that you would have any warning of," Gupta said. The chemical is often mixed with tear gas so people can be aware of its presence, he added. The EPA said it is working with local government agencies to investigate whether the family was made ill after a fumigation at the resort on March 18 and whether any environmental regulations or laws were violated. Enck, the EPA regional administrator, said paramedics were called early on March 20. Sea Glass Vacations, which acts as a rental agent for several units at Sirenusa, said the unit directly below the one where the family stayed was recently treated for pests, but that the family's unit was not treated. The company said it licensed an outside company, Terminix, for the pest control services. On Monday, it ended its contract with Terminix. In an email to CNN before the termination, a spokesman for Terminix wrote that the company is "committed to performing all work ... in a manner that is safe for our customers, employees, the public and the environment" and is "looking into this matter internally, and cooperating with authorities." The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a criminal investigation. "Many questions remain why an odorless pesticide of this level of toxicity could be manufactured, distributed and applied in a residential area resulting in this family's injuries," Maron said. The attorney added: "The family is confident that the responsible parties will be brought to justice and held accountable." CNN's Rob Frehse, Jean Casarez, Sara Ganim, Jason Hanna, Laura Ly and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

Chemical damages ozone and is being phased out, though it's used in strawberry fields, EPA says . A Delaware family becomes ill at a resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands . Preliminary EPA results find methyl bromide was present in the unit where they stayed .