(CNN)A New Jersey auction house has removed items from its April 17 event after an uproar from the public. The items are crafts and artifacts made by Japanese-Americans confined to World War II internment camps. A grass-roots campaign of a change.org petition, a Facebook page, and mediation by "Star Trek" actor George Takei has resulted in Rago Arts and Auction Center agreeing to pull the items from the sale. "There is an essential discussion to be had about the sale of historical items that are a legacy of man's inhumanity to man. It extends beyond what is legal. It is something auction houses, galleries and dealers are faced with regularly," the auction house said. "We hope this controversy will be the beginning of a discourse on this issue." Takei, who with his family spent time in one of the camps, thanked people for working to stop the sale. According to a comment on the Facebook page "Japanese American History: NOT for Sale," he was working on the issue while on a trip to Australia. "It took a few calls today here in the wee hours, and I'll be issuing a formal statement later, but we can all celebrate a bit today at this news," he wrote. The auction house said 24 lots of an original collection of works of art and crafts were removed. During World War II, about 117,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to live in 10 internment camps. The government called them relocation centers. Many of the people who lived there and their descendants had another phrase for the facilities. They call them concentration camps. Two-thirds of the people who were ordered there were native born U.S. citizens, according to the National Archives. CNN affiliate KGO reported the items were given to historian Allen Eaton, who opposed internment camps. The items were inherited from the historian's estate. Miriam Tucker, a partner with the auction house, said it had hoped the items would go to someone who cared about their historical meaning. "For us, there could be no better resolution than for a suitable museum, foundation or members of the Japanese-American community with the means to preserve this collection to come forward and secure it for education, display and research," she said. KGO reported the people it talked to would like items returned to family members if possible and any other artifacts put in an exhibition. "This was a gift and let the gift come full circle," said Judy Hamaguchi with the San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. She was referring to a letter the organization sent to the auction house. "It should be returned as a gift." The lots have been packed away for now, said auction house partner David Rago in an email. "Once the dust settles from this auction weekend (1,200 lots in three days) we will work with a small group of people from the Japanese-American community who have identified themselves through this process as generous, informed, voices of reason," he wrote. He said a suitable institution is the best possible home and the auction house will work with the current owner to find the right place. The seller -- known in the auction business as the consignor -- has never been in a position where the items could be donated, Rago said. "But the consignor, who has been a sensitive and dedicated custodian of this collection for over 35 years, has agreed this evening to work with Rago Auctions to secure appropriate placement of Eaton's life work," he added.

The items were originally given to a historian who opposed the camps, CNN affiliate reports . Auctioneer hoped they would be bought by museum or someone who would donate them for historical appreciation . Japanese-Americans were furious about items from family members, others being sold .


Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan (CNN)In the canvas expanse of the Shariya refugee camp, thousands of Yazidis live within hearing distance of one of Iraqi Kurdistan's frontlines with ISIS. The vast majority of the camp's occupants are from the town of Sinjar and fled the ISIS assault there back in August. But not everyone escaped. ISIS took thousands of Yazidis captive. Men faced a choice -- convert to Islam or be shot. But the Islamist militants separated the young women and girls to be sold as sex slaves. In its fourth edition of "Dabiq," the ISIS online magazine, an article titled "The revival of slavery before the hour," outlines the group's twisted justification and guidelines for the enslavement of the Yazidis. "One should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar (infidels) and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of Shariah," the article reads. We're told that women who have just given birth or are breastfeeding are considered impure and cannot be taken as sexual slaves -- but Hanan, 19, was neither of those things. "They separated all of us," she says. "They dragged us away by our hair. They took married women, young ones. The youngest with us was just 10.  We were all crying. "They said we are going to marry you off, you will forget your family." ISIS: Enslaving, having sex with 'unbelieving' women, girls is OK . For the first week, Hanan was held with 50 others, regularly beaten and threatened with torture, and fed just a bowl of rice. The group was then taken to a three story building in Mosul she described as a sex slave warehouse, where hundreds of girls and women were held. "They would line about 50 of us up at a time, in rows of 10.  They would say don't move, don't cry or we will beat you. The men would come in and describe the kind of girl they wanted and then they would pick and choose as they pleased," she recalls. She was eventually chosen, part of a group of 25.  From that group Hanan was separated into a smaller group of seven and taken into a house in a village. 'Treated like cattle': Yazidi women sold, raped, enslaved by ISIS . Two ISIS fighters guarded the door and ordered the girls to clean and bathe themselves. "They brought in a Yazidi girl who had been with them for two months. She was wearing the black niqab. They said to us we are going to do to you what we did to her," Hanan says. "The girl spoke to us in Kurdish and said they beat me, they cuffed me and raped me." Hanan and the others decided they had to try to escape. That night they crawled out the bedroom window. "The fourth girl jumped out, I was the fifth. I crawled to the wall and was about to jump over it and then I saw their flashlight," she tells me. "They caught the last two girls." They ran, and somehow evaded capture.  Four hours later they were out of ISIS territory. "If I just see someone with a beard I start shaking," Hanan says. Now physically free but mentally still captive, Hanan remains tormented -- like so many others, by what she has been through and what those still with ISIS are being forced to endure -- a fate worse than death. Fleeing ISIS -- A Yazidi family's tale .

Hanan, 19, was captured by ISIS when militants took the town of Sinjar . She was among the women and girls separated to be sold as sex slaves .


(CNN)Donald Sterling's racist remarks cost him an NBA team last year. But now it's his former female companion who has lost big. A Los Angeles judge has ordered V. Stiviano to pay back more than $2.6 million in gifts after Sterling's wife sued her. In the lawsuit, Rochelle "Shelly" Sterling accused Stiviano of targeting extremely wealthy older men. She claimed Donald Sterling used the couple's money to buy Stiviano a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover, and that he helped her get a $1.8 million duplex. Who is V. Stiviano? Stiviano countered that there was nothing wrong with Donald Sterling giving her gifts and that she never took advantage of the former Los Angeles Clippers owner, who made much of his fortune in real estate. Shelly Sterling was thrilled with the court decision Tuesday, her lawyer told CNN affiliate KABC. "This is a victory for the Sterling family in recovering the $2,630,000 that Donald lavished on a conniving mistress," attorney Pierce O'Donnell said in a statement. "It also sets a precedent that the injured spouse can recover damages from the recipient of these ill-begotten gifts." Stiviano's gifts from Donald Sterling didn't just include uber-expensive items like luxury cars. According to the Los Angeles Times, the list also includes a $391 Easter bunny costume, a $299 two-speed blender and a $12 lace thong. Donald Sterling's downfall came after an audio recording surfaced of the octogenarian arguing with Stiviano. In the tape, Sterling chastises Stiviano for posting pictures on social media of her posing with African-Americans, including basketball legend Magic Johnson. "In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people," Sterling said in the audio first posted by TMZ. He also tells Stiviano not to bring Johnson to Clippers games and not to post photos with the Hall of Famer so Sterling's friends can see. "Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don't put (Magic) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me," Sterling said. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league, fined him $2.5 million and pushed through a charge to terminate all of his ownership rights in the franchise. Fact check: Donald Sterling's claims vs. reality . CNN's Dottie Evans contributed to this report.

V. Stiviano must pay back $2.6 million in gifts from Donald Sterling . Sterling's wife claimed the ex-Clippers used the couple's money for the gifts . The items included a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover .


(CNN)Jason Rezaian has sat in jail in Iran for nearly nine months. The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran was arrested in July on unspecified allegations. It took more than four months for a judge to hear charges against him. They remained publicly undisclosed until last week. The Iranian-American will be tried soon on espionage, Tehran's chief justice said. He is accused of economic spying, the Post reported, citing Iranian state media. The Washington Post did not mince words on the allegation. "Any charges of that sort would be absurd, the product of fertile and twisted imaginations," the paper said in a statement. The State Department also reacted with term "absurd" after hearing of reports in Iran's press about the charges. "If the reports are true, these charges are absurd, should be immediately dismissed and Jason should be immediately freed so that he can return to his family," the State Department official said. Since officers picked up Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, on July 22 at their home, the Post, the State Department and Rezaian's family have protested and called for his release. Salehi was released on bail in October. Rezaian was denied bail. And for months, he was denied access to proper legal representation, his family has said. Boxing great Muhammad Ali, also an American Muslim, appealed to Tehran last month to give Rezaian full access to legal representation and free him on bail. "To my knowledge, Jason is a man of peace and great faith, a man whose dedication and respect for the Iranian people is evident in his work," Ali said in a religiously worded statement. The journalist has also not been allowed to see visitors aside from his wife and has endured long interrogations, family members have said. In December, after a 10-hour hearing, Rezaian signed a paper to acknowledge that he understood the charges against him, the Post reported. Iran's human rights chief, Mohammad Javad Larijani, told news outlet France 24 last year that he hoped Rezaian's case would come to a positive conclusion. He said, "Let us hope that this fiasco will end on good terms." More on detained Americans . CNN's Sara Mazloumsaki and Azadeh Ansari contributed to this report.

Officers arrested Jason Rezaian and his wife in July on unspecified allegations . It took months to charge him; charges were made public last week . The Washington Post and the State Department find the charges "absurd"


(CNN)NBA player Thabo Sefolosha says police caused his season-ending leg injury when he was arrested last week after leaving a nightclub in New York. In a statement Tuesday, the guard/forward for the Atlanta Hawks described his injury as "significant," and said it "was caused by the police." Sefolosha suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage when he and teammate Pero Antic were arrested near the scene of the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and two other women early April 8. Police said Sefolosha and Antic were not involved in the stabbing incident, but they were charged with misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. TMZ Sports released video last week that shows a group of police officers arresting the 6-foot-7 Sefolosha and taking him to the ground. It also shows an officer within that group getting out a baton and extending it near him, but what may have caused the injury is not clear in the video. Sefolosha appears to be limping as he is led away by officers. New York Police Department Sgt. Daniel Doody said Wednesday that the matter is being reviewed by the Internal Affairs Bureau and would not comment further. Internal Affairs had no comment. Sefolosha did not specify his injury in his statement Tuesday, but the Hawks said last week that he has a fractured fibula and ligament damage, will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season, including the playoffs, which begin this weekend. The Hawks enter as the top seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Sefolosha, who turns 31 in May, is in his ninth NBA season and his first with the Hawks. He averaged 5.3 points per game this season. "I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologize to them for any distraction this incident has caused," Sefolosha said in his statement. "I will be cheering for them every step of the way and will be diligent in my rehabilitation. "On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my attorney in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police." Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement last week, "This is a very difficult situation for Thabo and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery. We know that his approach and dedication will serve him well in his rehabilitation. Our team remains focused and will be prepared as we head into the postseason." Antic, a 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 center/forward, missed the April 8 game against the Brooklyn Nets, but has played since then. In a joint statement last week, Sefolosha and Antic said they will contest the charges. According to the Pacers, Copeland underwent surgery on his abdomen and left elbow for stab wounds. He was released from the hospital two days after the incident, according to Bleacher Report. The Pacers, with one regular-season game left, are trying to secure the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they do, their first-round opponent would be Atlanta. CNN's Camille Cava contributed to this report.

Thabo Sefolosha says he "experienced a significant injury and ... the injury was caused by the police" He and teammate Pero Antic were arrested near the scene of a stabbing early April 8 . They were not involved in the stabbing police said, but they were arrested for obstruction, other charges .


(CNN)Sometimes the best ideas come from the bathroom. But Gaioz Nigalidze's ideas from the loo were a little too good. The Georgian chess grandmaster has been banned from the Dubai Open Chess Tournament after officials discovered he was darting to the toilet to consult his smartphone, which was logged onto a chess analysis app, the Dubai Chess and Culture Club said. Nigalidze's opponent, Tigran Petrosian of Armenia, grew suspicious when Nigalidze kept bolting to the restroom. "The Armenian noticed the Georgian was oddly frequenting the toilet after each move during a crucial part of the game," the Dubai Chess and Culture Club said. When officials first checked Nigalidze, they didn't find any device on him, the club said. But after looking into the bathroom stall he visited, they found the smartphone hidden in toilet paper. At first, Nigalidze claimed the smartphone wasn't his, the Dubai chess organization said. But the phone was logged on to a social media network under his account. "They also found his game being analyzed in one of the chess applications," the chess club said. The infraction has been reported to the International Chess Federation. The Dubai tournament's chief arbiter, Mahdi Abdul Rahim, said players found guilty of cheating will be suspended for three years from all sanctioned tournaments and up to 15 years for a repeated offense, the chess and culture club said. But this wouldn't be an isolated case of cheating in high-stakes chess matches. In 2008, an Iranian player was banned from the Dubai Open after getting help from someone who was watching the game's live broadcast and was sending suggestions via text messages, the Dubai chess club said. Nigalidze's resume includes victories in the 2013 and 2014 Georgian Chess Championships. It's not clear how many times he went to the bathroom during those matches.

Gaioz Nigalidze is banned from the Dubai Open Chess Tournament . Officials say he frequented the bathroom, where his phone was hidden in toilet paper . That phone had a chess analysis application open, officials say .


(CNN)While the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq holds the world's gaze, a simultaneous transformation is getting less attention: the deterioration of al Qaeda. In an audio message released Sunday, al Qaeda confirmed that two of its leaders, known as Ustad Ahmad Farooq and Qari Abdullah Mansur, were killed in CIA drone strikes in January in North Waziristan, near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Farooq's real name was Raja Mohammad Suleman, al Qaeda said. He was a Pakistani who acted as the group's liaison to the Pakistan Taliban and was the deputy commander of al Qaeda's South Asia branch. (Mansur's real name was Qari Ubaidullah, a Pakistani who oversaw suicide missions against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan). Al Qaeda's South Asia branch is relatively new, announced with some fanfare back in September by al Qaeda's top leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The creation of the terror group's South Asia branch was seen by some terrorism analysts as an attempt to steal some of the limelight from ISIS, which is embroiled in a public dispute with al Qaeda for leadership of the global jihad movement. The deaths of the two men continue the decimation of al Qaeda's bench of leaders. On Monday, in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, local al Qaeda commander Nurul Hassan was killed in a raid, said Arif Hanif, district inspector general of police. Florida-raised Adnan Shukrijumah, 39, who was in charge of al Qaeda's operations to attack the West, was killed in December in a Pakistani military operation. Texas-born Mohanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, who also played a planning role for al Qaeda's operations, was arrested in Pakistan last year. The deaths of Ubaidullah and Suleman underline the fact that there are almost no top leaders of al Qaeda left except al-Zawahiri. Both Ubaidullah and Suleman were Pakistani. This is an indicator of how al Qaeda has become a largely Pakistan-focused group, increasingly able to do nothing of any significance outside of Pakistan or Afghanistan. Indeed, al Qaeda has virtually no capacity to carry out attacks in the West. The last successful al Qaeda attack in the West was the London transportation system bombings a decade ago. Al Qaeda is now reduced only to holding American hostages such as 73-year-old aid worker Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped from his home in the Pakistani city of Lahore on August 13, 2011. To be sure, al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, continues to pose a threat to American aviation. The group has built hard-to-detect bombs, which it has placed on U.S.-bound flights. Luckily, those bombs were faulty or were detected. The group also trained one of the gunmen who attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January, killing 12, but it's not clear if AQAP had any direct role in planning this attack. Meanwhile, ISIS continues to attract Western recruits and also inspire "homegrown" terrorists in the West, but the core al Qaeda organization that killed almost 3,000 men, women and children on 9/11 is on life support. Al Qaeda's confirmation of the deaths of Ubaidullah and Suleman is just one of the latest pieces of evidence for this assessment.

Al Qaeda confirms that two of its leaders were killed in January drone strikes . Other leaders have been killed or captured recently . The terrorist group's capacity to carry out attacks in the West has been greatly diminished .


(CNN)Eleven channels associated with the French-language global television network TV5Monde went black late Wednesday due to an "extremely powerful cyberattack," the network's director said. In addition to its 11 channels, TV5Monde also temporarily lost control of its social media outlets and its websites, director Yves Bigot said in a video message posted later on Facebook. On a mobile site, which was still active, the network said it was "hacked by an Islamist group." ISIS logos and markings could be seen on some TV5Monde social media accounts. But there was no immediate claim of responsibility by ISIS or any other group. The outage began around 10 p.m. Paris time (4 p.m. ET), and network teams were still working to restore service more than five hours later. According to France's Ministry of Culture and Communications, TV5Monde offers round-the-clock entertainment, news and culturing programming in French that reaches 260 million homes worldwide. It functions under a partnership that consists of the governments of France, Canada and Switzerland, as well as the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Other networks that provide content to TV5Monde include CNN affiliates France 2 and France 3, France 24 and Radio France International.

TV5Monde went black late Wednesday and was still out hours later . The network blames an "Islamist group"; there's no claim of responsibility .


(CNN)Hillary Clinton's campaign-in-waiting met on Saturday in its Brooklyn headquarters, a day before the former secretary of state officially announces her campaign for president, according to a Democrat who attended the meeting. Robby Mook, Clinton's soon-to-be campaign manager, distributed a "values statement" at the meeting that outlined what the campaign will stand for, what their goals are and how they plan to win -- something Clinton failed to do in 2008. The campaign's purpose, the document states, is "to give every family, every small business, and every American a path to lasting prosperity by electing Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States." The document makes clear that the campaign will try to avoid mistakes that plagued Clinton's failed 2008 run. Many of the "guiding principles" in the memo mention issues that sunk Clinton's first campaign. The document, according to the source, includes the ideas from Mook, along with a wide array of Clinton's soon-to-be staffers and advisers. The memo maintains that the campaign must remain humble, disciplined and united, something voters in Iowa and others states have said Clinton did not do in 2008. "This campaign is not about Hillary Clinton and not about us," reads the document that was obtained by CNN. In the section about the campaign's guiding principles, the document reads, "We are humble: We take nothing for granted, we are never afraid to lose, we always outcompete and fight for every vote we can win. We know this campaign will be won on the ground, in states." It also calls on campaign staffers to remain "disciplined" and "open to a diverse range of views." "When we disagree, it's never personal. Once a decision is made, we execute it -- together," reads the memo. "We know there will be tough days, but we will bounce back and get back to work." The document also appears to telegraph the name to Clinton's campaign: "Hillary for America." Clinton is planning to launch her presidential candidacy on Sunday through a video message on social media, according to Democratic sources. Shortly after her announcement, Clinton will travel Iowa and New Hampshire, critical early caucus primary and caucus states.

Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be campaign manager, distributes a "values statement" The memo maintains that the campaign must remain humble, disciplined and united .


(CNN)No identification, no Social Security card and only a box to live on. John Helinski was homeless and nameless for three years. Suddenly, he's set to buy his own place and collect a nice pension. Helinski hit it big thanks to the Social Security Administration, and a big-hearted cop and a case worker determined to untangle major bureaucracy. Charles Inman could not bear to see his 62-year-old ward land back on the street, he told CNN affiliate WFTS. The shelter where the case worker works set Helinski up with a bunk and a locker. But getting him into the system was hard, because Helinski's ID and Social Security cards had been stolen. "He needed to have an identification, but we couldn't get an identification without a birth certificate," Inman said. A hassle all by itself, except that Helinski was foreign born -- in Poland, as an American citizen. "We first had to figure out that we needed a consular record of foreign birth or something like that," said Tampa police Officer Dan McDonald, who pitched in to help Helinski. With those papers squared away, he and Inman got Helinski a driver's license and a Social Security card. Then, Helinski remembered that he used to have an account with a certain Landmark Bank. "Then it became Bank of America," he said. The account was still there, and the Social Security Administration hadn't forgotten about him. It had kept paying Helinski benefits for years, and they had stacked up high. Now Helinski is thinking of buying his own four walls. And he'll have monthly benefits to live on. "I guess I'm exhilarated, excited, you know," he said. McDonald said he and Inman were stunned. "We weren't quite sure what to say."

John Helinski's ID and Social Security cards had been stolen . His case worker and a cop had to get foreign ID papers to get him a driver's license . Then Helinski remembered a bank account he used to have .


(CNN)A natural gas line explosion at a law enforcement shooting range in Fresno, California, injured 11 people, including some inmates who were on a work detail there. Others being treated include a county road worker and two sheriff's deputies, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said. The exact cause of Friday's blast is under investigation, Mims said, but it happened at the spot where a county worker was operating a front loader. The explosion sparked a fire that roared like a jet engine, Mims said. The operator of the front loader was injured but able to walk to an ambulance, the sheriff said. The most serious injuries were suffered by a group of inmates who were assigned to maintenance and cleaning work at the sheriff's firing range. There were 10 inmates near the blast site who were also injured, officials said. Three other inmates at the site were not hurt. Earlier, the sheriff's office included them in the injury count. After the blast, Mims said, two sheriff's deputies who were at the firing range ran toward the fire to move the injured. CNN affiliate KFSN posted a video of the scene that shows a tall ball of fire rising from near a highway. One inmate was airlifted to the hospital, the sheriff said. That inmate and the county worker were undergoing emergency surgery, she said. The others suffered mostly burns. The pair of deputies who provided aid also went for treatment for ringing ears and sunburn-like conditions, she said. Firefighters put out the blaze, revealing a crater at the blast site and a blackened front loader, Mims said.

The cause of a gas line explosion in Fresno, California, is unknown . Two of the injured were undergoing emergency surgery .


(CNN)It would be easy to laugh off Vin Diesel's prediction that his film "Furious 7" will win an Oscar next year, but not for the reason you might think. After all, the actor was serious when he recently told Variety "It will probably win best picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don't want to be relevant ever." But rather than ignore it because it's a glossy, blockbuster action film, some might argue that the movie goes against type for Academy Award nominated films because the cast is so diverse. "Furious 7" hits theaters Friday, months after controversy was stirred about the lack of diversity at the Oscars. There were no actors of color nominated and no women in the directing category, which was dominated by white males. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu went on to win best director for "Birdman." The lack of diversity was so glaring (even with the mostly black cast of the movie "Selma," which received a nomination for best picture) that it spurred the Twitter hashtag "#OscarsSoWhite." In contrast, "Furious 7" couldn't be more racially and ethnically inclusive. The cast includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- a Samoan/black man -- black actors Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson, Hispanic performer Michelle Rodriguez, Thai martial artist Tony Jaa, Beninese expatriate Djimon Hounsou and the late Paul Walker, a blue-eyed, blond-haired California native. The filmmakers even went so far as to make sure casting directors in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where key scenes were filmed, found diverse extras. "We were mainly looking for the diverse look of the (United Arab Emirates)," Miranda Davidson, owner of the casting company, told The National. "They really wanted to make sure we reflected the international feel of the country." Almost since the beginning, the "Fast and Furious" films have had a diverse focus and appeal.  The band of street racers, which encompassed white, black, Asian, Hispanic, male and female and bond as a family, has done well at the box office with each iteration. In 2011, then Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris wrote, "Go on and laugh your Benetton, Kumbaya, Kashi, quinoa laugh, but it's true: The most progressive force in Hollywood today is the 'Fast and Furious' movies." "They're loud, ludicrous, and visually incoherent," he said. "They're also the last bunch of movies you'd expect to see in the same sentence as 'incredibly important.' But they are -- if only because they feature race as a fact of life as opposed to a social problem or an occasion for self-congratulation. (And this doesn't even account for the gay tension between the male leads, and the occasional crypto-lesbian make-out.)" According to the Motion Picture Association of America's 2014 Theatrical Market Statistics Report, while Hispanics make up 17% of the U.S. population they account for 25% of frequent moviegoers. Likewise, women make up 52% of moviegoers. Entertainment Weekly points out that the film franchise is doing a much better job of reflecting its audience than others in Hollywood. "Despite the films' cumulative worldwide gross of almost $2.4 billion, their racial inclusiveness remains an outlier; American movies are still overwhelmingly white," EW's Chris Lee writes. "According to UCLA's 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report, a mere 16.7% of 2013 films starred minorities in lead roles." At least one moviegoer tweeted that he appreciated the effort. Diesel told EW the franchise has come a long way from the original 2001 film, which featured segregated gangs of racers pitted against each other. "It doesn't matter what nationality you are," the star said. "As a member of the audience, you realize you can be a member of that 'family.' That's the beautiful thing about how the franchise has evolved."

The film's cast is diverse . EW points out that Hollywood still needs to catch up . One of the stars says the franchise has evolved .


(CNN)A measles outbreak that affected more than 130 Californians since December is over, the California Department of Public Health declared Friday. It has been 42 days since the last known case of B3 strain of measles, the equivalent of two successive incubation periods, said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the health department. The department said in its latest update that 131 people came down with the B3 strain, and five who had a different genotype than the outbreak strain. Of the 131 cases, the state was able to obtain the vaccination status for 81 patients. Of the 81, 70% were unvaccinated. "Prompt investigation of cases, interviewing hundreds of contacts of infected people, vaccinating hundreds of at risk people, and increasing awareness among health care providers about measles, helped to control this outbreak," Smith said. The outbreak began with dozens of visitors to two Disney theme parks in the state. The health department said 42 of the cases occurred from December 17-20. Two patients with rashes have been identified in April, but they have a different measles genotype. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that 19 different strains have been discovered since 1990. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It causes fever, red and sore eyes, runny nose, cough and a rash. It can cause deadly health complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis. It  is spread by contact with an infected person through coughing or sneezing. It can remain in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. CNN's Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.

Officials say 131 Californians were affected by one strain, five by other strains . About 70% of the people who could show health records were unvaccinated . Outbreak began in December among visitors to two Disney theme parks .


(CNN)As thousands of South Africans took to the streets of the city of Durban to rally against violence and xenophobia, an online community has joined the protests. The marches follow recent violent attacks on foreigners in the country that have claimed five lives. During the protest march Thursday, Twitter followers voiced their support through hashtag campaigns. #PeaceMarch and #SayNoToXenophobia were some of the most popular. South African Police Services said more than 10,000 people attended the march, including civil rights groups and nongovernmental organizations. Hashtags are now pouring out of South Africa. But many are asking, some via Twitter, is it enough to fight #xenophobia? Attacks this week in Durban alone have killed two immigrants and three South Africans, including a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. For South African Tim Flack, tweeting wasn't going to make a bit of difference. Flack, who lives in Cape Town, has brought allegations of hate speech and human rights violations against Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who he said referred to foreigners as "lice" and has said "they should pack their bags and go." "People listen to him," Flack said. "He is a monarch. The Zulu people in South Africa take him very seriously, they don't question what he says." Flack said he was motivated to make the allegations after seeing multiple complaints about xenophobic violence on social media and thinking they weren't enough. So he filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, and then tweeted about it. "The activists sit around feeling accomplished because they retweeted five times," Flack said. "I want to reach people who see that they can lay a charge and it won't cost them anything, but I will have done something to change the country and push it into a better state of being." Now, the Human Rights Commission must decide whether to investigate Flack's allegations against the King, who denies fueling any violence. Flack hopes others will also make complaints. Flack added that Zulus aren't the only people in South Africa who share in the xenophobic sentiment. "People are frustrated and unemployed, and people in South Africa pay foreign nationals a lot less," he said of the tension between nationals and immigrants. "A domestic worker would ask for 250 rand a day to clean a house, whereas a foreign national would ask for 150 rand, so it causes resentment." Imtiaz Sooliman, founder and chairman of the Gift of Givers Foundation in Durban, doesn't think most South Africans are against foreigners. "South Africans are against xenophobia," said Sooliman, who insists the majority of the country is providing an overwhelming amount of support for foreign nationals. Gift of Givers has been administering assistance at five refugee camps set up by the South African government that now hold roughly 8,000 foreign national refugees, he said, passing out things like clothing and hygiene packs. The organization posts its work at the camps online and tags it on social media with #xenophobia. Why? "In South Africa, everyone knows xenophobia," Sooliman said, "and the way a disaster agency works is we post what people understand. So if you say #tsunami or #war, people follow it. So here, people say #xenophobia, and they all know what it is -- it is a disaster, so you are going to post what people understand." He said South Africans also have been going to the camps, which are on sports fields with makeshift tents, bringing cooked food and other necessities. "This is different from what happened in 2008," Sooliman said. That year, scores were killed in attacks in the poorest areas of Johannesburg. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances. Sooliman said that along with the government strongly condemning the violence, community engagement is happening now as it never happened before. It is a kind of national unity that can be best summed up with another hashtag that has emerged from this story: #WeAreAfrica. Only time, or, tweets will tell if it works.

More than 10,000 people marched in Durban against violence, officials say . Twitter followers voiced their support through hashtag campaigns . A Cape Town resident tweets his complaints against a Zulu King .


New York (CNN)A suburban New York cardiologist has been charged in connection with a failed scheme to have another physician hurt or killed, according to prosecutors. Dr. Anthony Moschetto, 54, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal solicitation, conspiracy, burglary, arson, criminal prescription sale and weapons charges in connection to what prosecutors called a plot to take out a rival doctor on Long Island. He was released after posting $2 million bond and surrendering his passport. Two other men -- identified as James Chmela, 43, and James Kalamaras, 41 -- were named as accomplices, according to prosecutors. They pleaded not guilty in Nassau County District Court, according to authorities. Both were released on bail. Requests for comment from attorneys representing Moschetto and Chmela were not returned.  It's unclear whether Kalamaras has retained an attorney. Moschetto's attorney, Randy Zelin, said Wednesday that his client "will be defending himself vigorously," the New York Post reported. "Doctors are supposed to ensure the health and wellbeing of people, but Dr. Moschetto is alleged to have replaced that responsibility with brazen, callous and criminal acts," Acting Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. Police officers allegedly discovered approximately 100 weapons at Moschetto's home, including hand grenades, high-capacity magazines and knives. Many of the weapons were found in a hidden room behind a switch-activated bookshelf, according to prosecutors. The investigation began back in December, when undercover officers began buying heroin and oxycodone pills from Moschetto in what was initially a routine investigation into the sale of prescription drugs, officials said. During the course of the undercover operation, however, Moschetto also sold the officers two semiautomatic assault weapons as well as ammunition, prosecutors said. Moschetto allegedly told officers during one buy that he needed dynamite to "blow up a building." He later said he no longer needed the dynamite because a friend was setting fire to the building instead. Kalamaras and Chmela are believed to have taken part in the arson, according to prosecutors. "The fire damaged but did not destroy the office of another cardiologist whose relationship with Dr. Moschetto had soured due to a professional dispute," according to the statement from the district attorney's office. Moschetto allegedly gave an informant and undercover detective blank prescriptions and cash for the assault and killing of the fellow cardiologist, according to prosecutors. He also requested that the rival's wife be assaulted if she happened to be present, authorities said. "He was willing to pay $5,000 to have him beaten and put in a hospital for a few months, and then he said he would pay $20,000 to have him killed," said Assistant District Attorney Anne Donnelly, reported CNN affiliate WCBS. The three men are to appear in Nassau County District Court on Friday.

Dr. Anthony Moschetto, 54, arrested for selling drugs and  weapons, prosecutors say . Authorities allege Moschetto hired accomplices to burn down the practice of former associate . Attorney says client will "vigorously" defend himself .


(CNN)The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on Houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa -- and supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The resolution "raises the cost" for the Houthis, according to Mark Lyall Grant, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations. In addition to the arms embargo, it also demands that the Shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism, according to Grant. Russia abstained from Tuesday's vote, saying it didn't like the inclusion of sanctions. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition that is conducting airstrikes on targets associated with Saleh's supporters and the Houthis, who have emerged as Yemen's most dominant force in recent months. Also Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabian Minister of Defense Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz agreed to form a joint military commission to discuss the implementation of a major strategic maneuver inside Saudi Arabia, Egypt's state-run Ahram news agency reported. Egypt announced that it would dispatch several naval ships to help halt the rebels' advance. In response to media reports, Egyptian officials said no troops have yet been sent to Yemen. The Houthis forced President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January, though Hadi still claims he is Yemen's legitimate leader and is working with the Saudis and other allies to return to Yemen. Those allied with Hadi have accused the Iranian government of supporting the Houthis in their uprising in Yemen. They include Yemen's current ambassador to the United Nations, Khaled Mahfoodh Abdulla Bahah, who said Tuesday, "We refuse (the) influence of Iran in Yemen affairs." CNN's Richard Roth and Dominique Dodley reported from New York, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote this report from Atlanta. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia to launch joint military maneuvers inside Saudi borders . The arms embargo applies to the Houthis and backers of ex-President Saleh . Russia abstains from the U.N. Security Council vote over the inclusion of sanctions .


(The Hollywood Reporter)A trailer for Zack Snyder's upcoming "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" leaked online on Thursday before quickly being taken down minutes later. A YouTube user uploaded the handheld or camera phone capture of the trailer, which had Spanish subtitles on the screen. The trailer begins with a commentator's voice asking, "Is it really surprising that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy?" As footage of Superman plays, numerous commentators' voices overlap one another with their opinions of the superheroes, including "We as a population on this planet have been looking for a savior" and "Maybe he's just a guy trying to do the right thing." Ryan Gosling in talks to star in "Blade Runner" sequel . A blurred image of Ben Affleck's face appears shortly before a masked Batman appears, followed by the two superheroes coming face to face. The highly anticipated footage was set to premiere in Imax theaters on Monday. On Wednesday morning, Snyder teased the trailer by releasing a short excerpt on Twitter. "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" will be released on March 25, 2016 and stars Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman. The film also stars Amy Adams. How much it costs to get Mark Hamill's autograph at "Star Wars" celebration . ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" trailer leaked Thursday before being yanked offline . Film will be released on March 25, 2016 and stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill .


(CNN)Remains of up to nearly 400 unaccounted for service members tied to the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor will be exhumed this year, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. The hope is that most of the battleship's sailors and Marines can be identified. "The secretary of defense and I will work tirelessly to ensure your loved one's remains will be recovered, identified, and returned to you as expeditiously as possible, and we will do so with dignity, respect and care," Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work said in a statement. "While not all families will receive an individual identification, we will strive to provide resolution to as many families as possible." The USS Oklahoma sank when it was hit by torpedoes on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A total of 429 sailors and Marines on the ship were killed. Thirty-five crew members were positively identified and buried in the years immediately after the attack, according to the Defense Department. By 1950, all unidentified remains were laid to rest as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In 2003, five more service members were identified, with the help of historical evidence from Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Emory, 93. Emory, a native of Peoria, Illinois, was serving as a seaman first class on the light cruiser USS Honolulu that fateful day. After the war, Emory worked in Washington state before moving to Hawaii about 30 years ago. The retiree made it his mission to ensure graves are properly identified. "It's something I looked forward to for a long time," he told CNN about Tuesday's announcement. Speaking by phone from Honolulu, Emory said that proper identification means a lot to the families of those who lost loved ones -- and to him. Next of kin were being notified starting Tuesday. Service members who are identified will be returned to their families for burial, with full military honors. WWII pilot, 99, reunited with historic C-47 plane . CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report.

USS Oklahoma was lost during Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 . Hundreds of crew members were buried without identification .


(CNN)Thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees trapped in the Yarmouk refugee camp have suffered what can only be described as untold indignities. But while the story is in itself tragic, it is the individual lives at the heart of the camp that make the imperative for humanitarian action so compelling. I encountered two such individuals on my mission to Damascus -- Jihad and Mohammad -- tiny, vulnerable infants who were taken from Yarmouk in recent days, a place that was described last week by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as "the deepest circle of hell." The fact that they are alive truly make them miracle children. Looking into those bright young faces, touching their pristine hands, the logic of our humanitarian mandate -- the mission to protect -- never felt stronger to me. Like the wider Syrian conflict, Yarmouk has a human face; the faces of young Mohammad and young Jihad. I want to introduce you to them in the hope that you, too, will understand why I am firmly convinced that turning away is not an option -- and why the international community must act in a concerted manner to respond to the many tragedies in Syria. Jihad Ya'qoub, the youngest Palestinian refugee to flee Yarmouk, was born on March 30. His mother, Said Fatima, never imagined bringing a child into this world could be so tough. "I was hoping to drink milk and eat eggs during my pregnancy, but our financial situation did allow us to buy these expensive food items," she said. Said Fatima was living in a community where the average person survived on just 400 calories a day. Mohammad was born in Yarmouk on January 25 of this year. When ISIS -- Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- entered the camp and tensions heightened, his mother, Nadia, fled in search of safety. Her only thoughts were to save the life of her newborn son. Yet she has not lost hope in the possibility of a dignified future. She hopes that if and when life returns to normal, she will be able to live once more with her husband and son in the family home in Yarmouk. These tales of courage and human dignity are a lesson for us all. When I next brief the Security Council, as I did a few days ago, I will tell them about Jihad and Mohammad.  I will continue to press the case for humanitarian access to other children like them inside Yarmouk, other civilians who need help where they are. To do this, hostilities will have to subside. Pressure must be exerted on armed actors in Yarmouk to this end. Beyond that, those civilians wishing to temporarily leave must be allowed to do so safely. These things are all possible. But it takes the necessary political will -- nothing more, nothing less. Yarmouk must be a place where the politics of the possible begin to take hold. I believe they can. Because to abandon such belief would be to abandon Jihad, Mohammad and thousands of other civilians like them. And that is simply not an option.

Yarmouk is a refugee camp near Damascus in war-ravaged Syria . Pierre Krähenbühl of the United Nations: Individual lives underscore need for humanitarian action .


(CNN)Authorities detained a 15-year-old girl from Cape Town, South Africa, at the city's airport after receiving information she was leaving the country to join ISIS, State Security Minister David Mahlobo said. "We are still conducting further investigation. The girl over the past period has been using technology on social media platforms interacting with strange people and reading material that suggested she expressed an interest in joining a terrorist group called ISIS," he told broadcaster eNCA. Police and airport security located the girl on a Johannesburg-bound flight, and "we got our agencies to secure all the important exit points in the country. We got her at Cape Town International Airport," Mahlobo said. Virginia teen accused of being ISIS recruiter . It's not clear how the girl was recruited or how the airfare was arranged, he said. Officials debriefed the girl's family and released her into the family's care, Mahlobo said. "The recruitment and radicalization of particularly young people to take part in acts of terror is a growing global concern and local law enforcement agencies will continue to work hard in clamping these from materializing," the minister said in a statement Monday. Australia teens suspected of trying to join ISIS stopped at airport .

Official: Girl, 15, "expressed an interest in joining a terrorist group called ISIS" Authorities detain girl at Cape Town airport, release her into family's care, he says .


(CNN)Deputies rushed Kenneth Morgan Stancil III from court Thursday after the 20-year-old murder suspect swore at a judge and tried to flip over a table. Stancil is accused of killing an employee Monday at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Relatives have said victim Ron Lane was gay, CNN affiliate WNCN reported, and investigators are looking into whether the shooting was a hate crime. Authorities arrested Stancil after he was found sleeping on a Florida beach on Tuesday. Just a few minutes into Thursday's hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces, Stancil snapped back at the judge after he was offered a court-appointed lawyer. "No, I don't need one," said Stancil, who stood before the judge with his legs shackled and his arms handcuffed in front of him. "You know what I'm saying? I knew I would get life anyway." Superior Court Judge Arnold O. Jones interjected, pointing out that the maximum sentence Stancil faces is the death penalty. "Yes, I know that," Stancil fired back. "But when I knew what I had to do and I knew when I got caught, you know, I knew in my mind that I could get life, I could get the death penalty. You know what I'm saying? Do you follow my topic? I would have killed you, you know what I'm saying, if you're a f---ing child molester." The judge told him not to swear. "I don't give a f--- what you want," Stancil said, lunging forward and lifting up the table in front of him. Deputies quickly corralled him and hustled him from the courtroom. The hearing resumed about 25 minutes later, when Stancil was brought back into the courtroom, this time with his arms handcuffed behind him. When asked again by Jones whether he wanted a lawyer, his response was quick -- and calm. "Yes, sir," he said. In an interview with CNN affiliate WRAL, Stancil described himself as a neo-Nazi and said he hates gay people "with a passion." Stancil had worked for Lane, the school's print shop operator, as part of a work-study program, but was let go from the program in early March because of poor attendance, college officials said. During the interview, and during a court appearance in Florida on Tuesday, Stancil said Lane deserved to die, accusing him of being a child molester who'd made advances in online messages to Stancil's 16-year-old brother. Lane's family has described those accusations as untrue and slanderous. His cousin, Steve Smith, told WRAL that Lane never made sexual advances toward children or anyone with whom he worked. He described him as a loving man who was dedicated to family and friends. "Yes, Ron was gay. But people need to get over it," Smith said. "That's between him and the Lord, him and his savior."

Kenneth Morgan Stancil, charged with first-degree murder, swears at the judge . Deputies escort him from court after he tries to flip over a table . Stancil is accused of killing an employee at Wayne Community College .


Garissa, Kenya (CNN)The desks of the small Madrassa are empty. Its 573 students, all male, are staying home after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced three days of national mourning following last week's deadly attack at a nearby university. Only a few kilometers away, 147 people -- mostly students -- were brutally massacred when Al-Shabaab militants invaded the campus in Garissa, a town in northeastern Kenya. We've come to this particular Islamic religious school because the man suspected by Kenyan authorities of being the "mastermind" behind the atrocity -- Mohamed Mohamud -- once taught here. "He was someone who was very quiet, he didn't like too much talk," recalls Sheikh Khalif Abdi Hussein, the principal at the Madrassa. He says he also taught with Mohamud for two years. "When he left the Madrassa, he joined Al-Shabaab. But before, he was normal, just like me and other people." What worries authorities here is exactly that -- Mohamud was Kenyan. But now, say officials, Mohamud is in command of an Al-Shabaab militia based near Kenya's long, porous border with Somalia -- about 118 miles (190km) from Garissa -- who are believed to be responsible for numerous cross-border attacks into Kenya. The Islamist militant group, who are allied with al Qaeda, have been waging a bloody campaign for control of Somalia. With Kenyan troops part of an African Union force deployed in support of Somalia's United Nations-supported government, Kenya has now become a target. Last year, an attack by Al-Shabaab on a shopping center in the country's capital, Nairobi, claimed the lives of 68 people. Now Mohamud stands accused of being behind Thursday's attack -- the deadliest attack in the nation since al Qaeda killed more than 200 people at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998. But Mohamud is not Kenya's only homegrown terrorist. The Kenyan Interior Ministry has said at least one of the four gunmen who carried out the attack on the university was also Kenyan. Abdirahim Abdullahi was in his 20s and the son of a government chief. His father says he lost contact with his son in 2013, shortly after he left university. The Kenyan government is concerned that Al-Shabaab is recruiting disaffected youth from inside the country. "Our task of countering terrorism has been made all the more difficult by the fact that the planners and financiers of this brutality are deeply embedded in our communities," President Kenyatta said during an address to the nation in the aftermath of the massacre. Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalif insists his Madrassa has nothing to do with Mohamud's extreme, violent ideas. "This man is a dangerous man, a killer, a criminal," he says. But he was also once a neighbor. And so Kenyans must now look within to tackle this very real threat to the country's -- and the region's -- stability.

The attack at a Garissa university last week killed 147 people, mostly students . Mohamed Mohamud taught at a Madrassa in the Kenyan town . Authorities fear the rise of homegrown terrorists in the African country .


(CNN)Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will be reinstated as an active player by the NFL on Friday, the league said. The NFL suspended the 30-year-old football star in November over allegations that last May he disciplined his son, who was 4 at the time, too harshly with a "switch," or thin stick. In a letter, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Peterson that his continued participation in the league was contingent on a number of requirements, including that he maintain "an ongoing program of counseling and treatment as recommended by medical advisers," the NFL said Thursday. Also required of Peterson: Avoiding "any further conduct that violates the (NFL's) personal conduct policy or other NFL policies." "Any further violation of the personal conduct policy by Peterson would result in additional discipline, which could include suspension without pay or banishment from the NFL," the league said in a statement. Peterson played in one game last season, a 35-6 win against St. Louis in September, before the league put him on an exempt list September 17 -- keeping him off the field with pay -- in light of his indictment that month in the case. Initially charged with felony child abuse, Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault in November in Texas. The NFL then suspended him without pay and he lost his appeal of that sanction the next month. In February, a Minnesota district court judge vacated the decision that upheld his suspension, making Peterson eligible for reinstatement. Bleacher Report: Latest details, comments, reaction . The Vikings issued a brief statement in which they said they "look forward to Adrian rejoining the Vikings." ESPN reported that the team will hold voluntary offseason workouts beginning Monday. The next Vikings' organized team activities begin in late May. It is unclear whether Peterson will attend. He has been unhappy with how the Vikings have handled the matter. Though Peterson dodged jail time with his no-contest plea, he received probation, community service and a $4,000 fine. He also will take parenting classes. "I truly regret this incident," Peterson said after accepting the deal. "I stand here and I take full responsibility for my actions. I love my son more than any one of you can even imagine." Peterson is considered one of the best running backs in the NFL. In 2011 he signed a seven-year contract worth more than $100 million with the Vikings, who were 7-9 last season and failed to make the playoffs. In eight seasons, including last year's abbreviated year, he has rushed for 10,190 yards and averaged a strong 5.0 yards per carry. CNN's Jill Martin and Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.

Adrian Peterson had been suspended after pleading guilty to misdemeanor reckless assault . NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell requires him to keep going to counseling, other treatment . Minnesota Vikings, 7-9 last season, say they look forward to him rejoining the team .


(CNN)A Tulsa County reserve deputy is on administrative leave after "inadvertently" shooting a suspect with his gun. Police say Robert (Bob) Bates, 73,  thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest, but instead shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital. The shooting happened after an apparent drug and gun selling operation by the Tulsa Violent Crimes task force  Thursday. Bates, a member of the task force, was part of a group of deputies trying to arrest Eric Courtney Harris, 44, in the parking lot of a Dollar General store. Police say Harris, a convicted felon, sold undercover officers a pistol. When confronted by an arrest team, he fled the scene on foot and police say they "observed him reaching for his waistband area ...causing concern for the deputies safety." After a brief pursuit, police say Harris was forced to the ground, where he continued to resist arrest and "refused to pull his left arm from underneath his body where his hand was near his waistband." It was during this portion of the arrest that police say "the reserve deputy was attempting to use less lethal force, believing he was utilizing a Taser, when he inadvertently discharged his service weapon, firing one round which struck Harris." Harris died at a local hospital and his cause of death is under investigation. Police say Harris admitted to medics at the scene that he may have been under the influence of Phencyclidine, a street drug commonly known as PCP. When asked if another gun was found on Harris, Shannon Clark of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office says "The suspect was placed in the ambulance and transported so quickly. I have not been told there was a second weapon found on him yet." Deputy Robert Bates, who's been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, received his reserve status from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in 2008 and was assigned to the violent crime task force. He had also served as a Tulsa Police officer. When asked by CNN affiliate KTUL whether age may have played a factor in the "inadvertent" shooting, Clark says "did an accident happen? Sure. But is it accredited to his age? Or was it accredited to the rapidly evolving situation? I guess that will be determined in the investigation." CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton, Joe Sutton contributed to this report .

Police say Robert Bates, 73,  thought he pulled out his Taser during an arrest . Instead, he shot the suspect, who later died at a local hospital .


(CNN)Chinese police have arrested more than 133,000 people and seized 43.3 tons of illegal narcotics during a six-month anti-drug campaign, the country's Ministry of Public Security has announced. Authorities also handled 115,000 drug-related crimes -- such as robbery -- and 606,000 cases of drug use during the nationwide campaign to "ban drugs in hundreds of cities," Liu Yuejin, Assistant Minister of Public Security, said Wednesday. The figures were nearly double the same period a year earlier, while the amount of narcotics seized was up by 44.9%, according to the ministry. Liu said drug trafficking groups have "suffered a heavy blow" and drug users have been "forcefully regulated." However, the police also paid a price, Liu said, in quotes carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Nine police officers died and another 657 were wounded in the mission, with 76 severely wounded. The ministry rewarded 60 units and 100 people. Liu said China's drug-related problems were still severe, with online drug trafficking an increasing problem. He said the ministry had launched a three-month online campaign starting in April targeting people engaged in drug-related Internet crimes. Over the past nine months, a string of movie and television stars, film directors and pop singers have been arrested and charged over drug related incidents, including Jaycee Chan, son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, who was convicted on a drug charge and sentenced to six months in prison by a Beijing court. In August last year, dozens of management agencies representing actors and singers signed an agreement with Beijing authorities banning drug use from the entertainment industry and pledging to sack any artists who broke the law.

Police arrest 133,000 people and seize 43.3 tons of narcotics in a six-month period . China launches a new online campaign to crack down on online drug crimes . Celebrities have been embroiled in the nation's intensifying anti-drug campaign .


(Billboard)Fresh off his scorching performance at Coachella Saturday night (and days before his next one on the festival's second weekend), rocker Jack White announced he'll take a hiatus from touring. White will wrap his touring efforts in support of "Lazeretto" with a brief, first-ever acoustic tour that will hit "the only five states left in the U.S. that he has yet to play," according to White's website. Rounding out the acoustic quartet on tour will be Fats Kaplin, Lillie Mae Rische and Dominic Davis. The shows will be unannounced until day-of-show, with tickets priced at $3 and limited to one ticket per person, to be purchased only at the venue on a first-come, first-served basis. Billboard: Jack White on Not Being a 'Sound-Bite Artist,' Living in the Wrong Era and Why Vinyl Records Are 'Hypnotic' The purposely vague announcement surely has fans (and journalists) scouring the Internet for White's touring history. Unclear is whether White includes his work with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and Dead Weather in his touring history, or just his solo road work. Presumably, he's including all of his touring, with all bands, as Billboard could find only 29 states in which he has performed as Jack White. Tour dates with White Stripes add another 12 states. That leaves nine states for which we could not find a show for White: Hawaii (where a show is scheduled for tomorrow, April 15), Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Vermont, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. Billboard: Jack White Plays The Hits, Declares 'Music Is Sacred' at Coachella . Through the process of elimination (surely he has played Boise, Little Rock, and Salt Lake?), our guess as to which five "states" White will play on the brief acoustic run: South and North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont and ... Puerto Rico? If that's the case, this tour is in for some long jumps, with Puerto Rico to Vermont being a potential beast. (Though shipping acoustic instruments and ribbon mics will be a lot less taxing than a full electrified stage setup.) ©2015 Billboard. All Rights Reserved.

Jack White taking a hiatus from touring after brief acoustic jaunt . He'll play five states he has yet to get to, charge just $3 . Places and times of shows are currently a mystery .


Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)As the transport plane comes in to land at Sanaa Airport, the deep scars of the brutal conflict tearing Yemen apart are only too clear: wrecked aircraft line the runway, and nearby buildings lie in ruins. To most of the outside world, this war-torn country is off limits, the weeks-long battle between Houthi rebels and Saudi-led coalition forces making it too dangerous to visit, and a no-fly zone rendering its international airport all but obsolete -- but on Tuesday, CNN was granted rare access on a desperate aid mission by Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund. The airport has previously been bombed. Hostilities are likely to resume before the day is out: a brief, peaceful window has been delicately negotiated following a special request from the U.N. -- but it won't last long. Unicef hopes there will be just enough time to deliver vital food and supplies, helping to ease the country's worsening humanitarian crisis. More than 100,000 Yemeni civilians have fled their homes since fighting began, and OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, estimates that 15.9 million people here are in need of assistance. The main terminal at El Rahaba Airport is under the control of the Houthi rebels. We can't get near it for fear of provoking trouble. But there is plenty to be done out on the tarmac. Within minutes of touching down, a small army of aid workers is busy unloading huge mounds of much-needed provisions. Gusts of wind blow dust across the runway, as crates and pallets of emergency nutrition and medical equipment pile up rapidly beside the plane. Unicef's team has overcome more than one hurdle just getting it this far -- now they'll have to work out how to distribute it to those most in need in a country paralyzed by a lack of resources. Even before Saudi airstrikes, most of the 25 million people in Yemen required humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs, according to the United Nations. As they work, an Air India plane is taxiing away from the terminal. Thousands have fled the country on evacuation flights in recent weeks as the situation in Yemen has deteriorated. But for those who have nowhere else to go and no chance of a flight out, mercy missions by Unicef and other NGOs like it are the only hope. READ MORE: 'A window into hell' - desperate Yemenis flee by boatREAD MORE: Civilian catastrophe looming in YemenREAD MORE: Yemen crisis - how you can help . Bryony Jones contributed to this report .

Almost 16 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid, according to U.N. Planeload of aid supplies including food and medicine was flown in to Sanaa on Tuesday . A rare ceasefire was negotiated to allow the plane to land briefly .


(CNN)Their eyes reflect childhoods marked by tragedy. Their faces show wrinkles made deeper by pain and the passage of time. Tomasz Lazar spent hours photographing and interviewing adults who were ripped from their homes as children in the 1940s and forced to live thousands of miles away in Siberia. "For me those faces are like maps," Lazar said. "The more you look at them, the more you are discovering." Soviet authorities invaded Poland during World War II and deported hundreds of thousands of Poles. Some were sent to prison camps in the frozen wilderness of central Russia. Many were children. In effect, Moscow stole much of an entire generation of young Poles, a handful of whom Lazar has located seven decades later. During Lazar's interviews, many of the survivors broke down in tears. "It was very traumatic for them," he said. "Some lost mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters -- killed by the Soviets." Lazar remembers hearing 84-year-old Boguslaw Dokurno recall his grandfather's dying wish. Dokurno's grandfather asked his grandson to return home to Poland after his death to retrieve Polish soil and bring it back to his Siberian gravesite. Another exile, Sofia Bocian, told Lazar how her brother escaped their prison camp, leaving her with the horrifying experience of being interrogated by Soviet secret police. Lazar began his professional photography career in 2006 after fully realizing the medium's storytelling power. "For me when you're doing photography -- whether it's conventional journalism or other types -- you want to share something with people," he said. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. Lazar said the interviews surprised him. Despite his subjects' traumatic experiences, "they welcomed me with open arms," he recalled. "They really wanted to share their stories." Fearing for their safety, they couldn't tell their stories publicly until the fall of the Soviet Union. Now that they're in their 80s, time is running out for them to document their struggles. Look at Lazar's images. The faces fill each frame. Each portrait is unique. Before taking each photo, he waited "for the moment when they really started going inside themselves," he said. "Those people are really strong in their souls." Their stories should be documented for history, he said, to remind future generations "not to make the same mistakes." Tomasz Lazar is a Polish photographer. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Soviets invaded Poland in World War II and deported hundreds of thousands of people . Tomasz Lazar photographed some of these Poles and listened to their stories .


(CNN)A naturalized U.S. citizen pleaded not guilty in Ohio Friday to federal charges of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI. Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, allegedly traveled to Syria for training and wanted to return home to kill Americans -- particularly U.S. soldiers, execution style, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. Mohamud was remanded into custody on Friday. "I am confident in the system working fairly and (in) our client getting a vigorous and aggressive defense," said his lawyer, Sam Shamansky. Mohamud told someone that he wanted to target U.S. armed forces, police officers or other people in uniform, the indictment alleges, adding that "Mohamud's plan was to attack a military facility, and his backup plan was to attack a prison." "Mohamud talked about doing something big in the United States. He wanted to go to a military base in Texas and kill three or four American soldiers execution style," it says. Mohamud allegedly said he was happy that his brother, Aden, died fighting for al-Nusra Front, al Qaeda's largest affiliate in Syria. Mohamud told someone he planned to join Aden in death soon, the indictment says. He became a U.S. citizen in February 2014 and submitted a U.S. passport application days later, according to the indictment. Mohamud traveled to Syria in April 2014 "for the purpose of training and fighting with terrorists," prosecutors said in a news release. To get there, Mohamud bought a one-way ticket to Greece with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey, the Department of Justice said. He skipped the connecting flight "and instead completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria." Once there, he trained in shooting weapons, breaking into homes, using explosives and hand-to-hand combat, prosecutors said. Mohamud "also stated that, after completing this training, he was instructed by a cleric in the organization to return to the United States and commit an act of terrorism." CNN's John Newsome contributed to this story.

Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud pleads not guilty to charges of providing material support to terrorists and lying to the FBI . The Columbus, Ohio, resident became a U.S. citizen in February 2014 . In April 2014, he went to Syria for terrorism training, prosecutors say in a news release .


(CNN)Han and Chewie are back. An ESPN reporter went on a regrettable rant. And we all taxed our brains trying to deduce the date of Cheryl's damn birthday. Here are pop culture's most talked-about stories of the week. Producers of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" unveiled a nearly two-minute trailer for the upcoming movie, arriving in December. When Harrison Ford shows up with Chewbacca at the end, you can almost hear the Internet's collective squeals. A logic problem from a Singapore math test somehow spread across the Web, leaving millions trying to figure out the hypothetical birthday of someone named Cheryl. We're guessing that most of us cheated and peeked at the answer. Who retires at age 34? Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who walked what she says was her last fashion-show runway this week in her native Brazil. She'll still keep modeling, though -- and hanging out with her husband, who is apparently a football player of some kind. Oh, Britt McHenry. We all hate having our car towed. But for someone who's on air at ESPN, you don't seem to understand how to behave on camera. Speaking of McHenry, a new book by Jon Ronson explores how social media may go too far in encouraging haters to shame people who make public missteps. Ronson told CNN, "It's so corrosive to create that kind of society." The first set of female quintuplets in the world since 1969 was born in Houston, Texas. Just imagine how fun it'll be for their parents 16 years from now when they all start dating. Fire department, I need you now . Singer Hillary Scott of country band Lady Antebellum had to vacate her tour bus when it caught fire outside of Dallas. Most of her stuff was burned, but her Bible survived. To infinity and beyond . Famed physicist Stephen Hawking, known for his sense of humor, partnered with the silly lads of Monty Python to recreate the "Galaxy Song" from their 1983 film "The Meaning of Life." Duckie dances! Remember Duckie from "Pretty in Pink?" Of course you do. Actor Jon Cryer charmed fans on CBS's "Late Late Show" by reprising his character's record-store dance to Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," right down to the wall-dancing and counter-bashing.

Here's a roundup of the week's trending pop-culture stories . They include a new "Star Wars" trailer and an ill-advised, on-camera rant .


(CNN)Wanted: film director, must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets. CNN confirms that Michelle MacLaren is leaving the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie (The Hollywood Reporter first broke the story). MacLaren was announced as director of the movie in November. CNN obtained a statement from Warner Bros. Pictures that says, "Given creative differences, Warner Bros. and Michelle MacLaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct 'Wonder Woman' together." (CNN and Warner Bros. Pictures are both owned by Time Warner.) The movie, starring Gal Gadot in the title role of the Amazon princess, is still set for release on June 23, 2017. It's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero. Gadot will appear beforehand in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," due out March 25, 2016. In the meantime, Warner will need to find someone new for the director's chair.

Michelle MacLaren is no longer set to direct the first "Wonder Woman" theatrical movie . MacLaren left the project over "creative differences" Movie is currently set for 2017 .


(CNN)When Etan Patz went missing in New York City at age 6, hardly anyone in America could help but see his face at their breakfast table. His photo's appearance on milk cartons after his May 1979 disappearance marked an era of heightened awareness of crimes against children. On Friday, more than 35 years after frenzied media coverage of his case horrified parents everywhere, a New York jury will again deliberate over a possible verdict against the man charged in his killing, Pedro Hernandez. He confessed to police three years ago. Etan Patz's parents have waited that long for justice, but some have questioned whether that is at all possible in Hernandez's case. His lawyer has said that he is mentally challenged, severely mentally ill and unable to discern whether he committed the crime or not. Hernandez told police in a taped statement that he lured Patz into a basement as the boy was on his way to a bus stop in Lower Manhattan. He said he killed the boy and threw his body away in a plastic bag. Neither the child nor his remains have ever been recovered. But Hernandez has been repeatedly diagnosed with schizophrenia and has an "IQ in the borderline-to-mild mental retardation range," his attorney Harvey Fishbein has said. Police interrogated Hernandez for 7½ hours before he confessed. "I think anyone who sees these confessions will understand that when the police were finished, Mr. Hernandez believed he had killed Etan Patz. But that doesn't mean he actually did, and that's the whole point of this case," Fishbein has said. But in November, a New York judge ruled that Hernandez's confession and his waiving of his Miranda rights were legal, making the confession admissible in court. Another man's name has also hung over the Patz case for years -- Jose Antonio Ramos, a convicted child molester acquainted with Etan's babysitter. Etan's parents, Stan and Julia Patz, sued Ramos in 2001. The boy was officially declared dead as part of that lawsuit. A judge found Ramos responsible for the boy's death and ordered him to pay the family $2 million -- money the Patz family has never received. Though Ramos was at the center of investigations for years, he has never been charged. He served a 20-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania for molesting another boy and was set to be released in 2012. He was reportedly immediately rearrested upon exiting jail in 2012 on failure to register as a sex offender. Since their young son's disappearance, the Patzes have worked to keep the case alive and to create awareness of missing children in the United States. In the early 1980s, Etan's photo appeared on milk cartons across the country, and news media focused in on the search for him and other missing children. "It awakened America," said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "It was the beginning of a missing children's movement." The actual number of children who were kidnapped and killed did not change -- it's always been a relatively small number -- but awareness of the cases skyrocketed, experts said. But the news industry was expanding to cable television, and sweet images of children appeared along with destroyed parents begging for their safe return. The fear rising across the nation sparked awareness and prompted change from politicians and police. In 1984, Congress passed the Missing Children's Assistance Act, which led to the creation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Former President Ronald Reagan opened the center in a White House ceremony in 1984. It soon began operating a 24-hour toll-free hot line on which callers could report information about missing boys and girls. Joe Sterling and CNN's Lorenzo Ferrigno contributed to this report.

The young boy's face appeared on milk cartons all across the United States . Patz's case marked a time of heightened awareness of crimes against children . Pedro Hernandez confessed three years ago to the 1979 killing in .


(The Hollywood Reporter)It may be time to light the lights. ABC is filming a proof of concept for a revival of "The Muppets," The Hollywood Reporter has learned. "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at May's upfront presentation to Madison Avenue advertisers. Sources tell THR that the project, if all goes well, could go straight to series. Bob Kushell ("Anger Management," "3rd Rock From the Sun") will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner, with Wilfred's Randall Einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation. ABC's "Muppets" revival is being produced by ABC Studios and The Muppet Studios, which Disney owns. The presentation is set to film next weekend on the Disney lot in Burbank with some of the original Muppet performers returning. Sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by Jim Henson — Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal, among others — gathering at ABC Studios for a meeting about the new "Muppet Show." However, the show won't move forward unless Miss Piggy signs on, and her current relationship with frequent love Kermit is on the rocks, preventing the show from getting off the ground. Early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including Miss Piggy's current co-star — as well as new roles including Fozzie's girlfriend and her parents. For Prady, the revived "Muppets" — which landed at ABC after initial interest from Netflix — marks a return to his roots. The producer, who currently does not have an overall deal, started his career working for Henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for "The Jim Henson Hour," remaining on the series until a year after Henson's death in 1990. This marks the second time Prady has attempted to revive "The Muppets." The writer-producer shot some test footage before CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" that Disney ultimately passed on. For his part, Prady earned an Emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson" in 1990 and has contributed writing to Disney's Muppet-themed attractions. Should ABC order "Muppets" to series, Prady would juggle both that project and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which he exec produces. Created in 1955 by Henson, the original Muppet characters appeared on "Sam and Friends" from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of "Sesame Street" in 1969. "The Muppet Show" launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81, with Kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the U.K. The franchise has spawned multiple movies (1979's "The Muppet Movie," 1981's "The Great Muppet Caper," 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan") as well as NBC's 1989 series "The Jim Henson Hour." Following Henson's death, the franchise continued with "Muppets Tonight" airing on ABC in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling Disney Channel from 1997-2000. That was the last television series to feature the Muppets characters. On the feature side, the franchise featured 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol," 1996's "Muppet Treasure Island" and 1999's "Muppets From Space," the latter two of which were co-produced by Disney, who acquired rights to the Muppets in 2004 and formed The Muppets Studio. The company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with Jason Segel's "The Muppets," with an eighth feature in the franchise, "Muppets Most Wanted" bowing in 2014. For ABC, the Muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks. NBC has made the format a priority, unspooling Marlon Wayans-hosted celebrity variety series "I Can Do That!" in the summer and has Neil Patrick Harris entry "Saturday Night Takeaway" in the works. The decision to revive "The Muppets" also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen, as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space. On the comedy side, "The Muppets" arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours. Prady is repped by Rothman Brecher and Lichter Grossman; Kushell is with ICM Partners; Einhorn is with WME, Odenkirk Provissiero and Bloom Hergott. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

"The Muppets" might return to television on ABC . "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Bill Prady is co-writing a pilot script . The old Muppet gang would return for the variety show .


(CNN)Canadian actor Jonathan Crombie, who co-starred in the "Anne of Green Gables" TV movies, died this week at age 48. Crombie died Wednesday from complications of a brain hemorrhage, "Anne of Green Gables" producer Kevin Sullivan said. "It's a real tragedy to see someone at age 48 go like that," he said. "I will remember him as someone who worked extremely hard to make the roles he played onscreen come to life." Based on Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's children's books, "Anne of Green Gables" debuted in Canada on CBC TV in 1984 and became a cultural touchstone. The plot focused on the adventures of fiery orphan Anne Shirley, played by Megan Follows, who is sent to live on a farm in Prince Edward Island. Crombie played Gilbert Blythe, who evolves over time from Anne's pigtail-tugging tormentor to friend to husband. Follows and Crombie reprised the roles in the sequels "Anne of Avonlea" (1987) and "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story" (2000). The movies were carried in the United States by the Disney Channel and PBS, drawing a cult following beyond Canada and extending to Japan, which made its own animated series based on the books. Crombie, son of former Toronto Mayor David Crombie, was cast in the role at 17, beating out other aspiring Canadian actors of the era, including Jason Priestly, Sullivan said. Despite his lack of acting experience, Crombie's boy-next-door looks and cool demeanor made him the perfect actor to star opposite Follows, Sullivan said. "It was an amazing chemistry between him and Megan Follows," Sullivan said. "There was a lot of affection, but they kind of grounded each other." The movies spawned various spinoffs, including "Road to Avonlea," starring child actor Sarah Polley, and turned Anne's fictional home on Prince Edward Island into a popular tourist destination. The role made Crombie a heartthrob of his time, a sentiment expressed by many fans in the wake of his death. As one person said on Twitter, "I don't know any female Canadian from my generation that *didn't* have at least a little bit of a crush on Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert." Crombie went on to play roles in other American and Canadian TV shows, including "21 Jump Street" and "The Good Wife," but even his Facebook page acknowledges he is best known for his portrayal of Gilbert Blythe. Crombie's sister told CBC News that her brother happily answered to the name Gil when greeted by fans in public. "I think he was really proud of being Gilbert Blythe," she said. "He really enjoyed that series and was happy, very proud of it -- we all were." People we've lost in 2015 .

Jonathan Crombie is best known for playing Gilbert Blythe in "Anne of Green Gables" Book, movies about girl sent to live on Canadian farm .


(CNN)This week's attack on Garissa University College is Al-Shabaab's fifth major assault in Kenya in the past year and a half. The Thursday massacre was the most deadly assault so far, with 147 dead, easily eclipsing the terrorist group's most notorious attack, a four-day siege in late September 2013 at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in which 67 people were killed. After the Westgate attack, Al-Shabaab unleashed a string of attacks in Kenya that have killed more than 100 people -- assaulting the coastal town of Mpeketoni on June 16, 2014; shooting bus passengers who could not recite the Quran on November 22, 2014; and then, days later, executing Christian quarry laborers. Why is Al-Shabaab, a Somali nationalist, Islamist group affiliated with al Qaeda, targeting Kenya? Al-Shabaab says its attacks are to protest the more than 3,500 Kenyan soldiers participating in the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. But if that is the case, why doesn't Al-Shabaab target Kenyan military bases rather than attacking undefended so-called soft targets such as Kenyan malls and universities? In fact, Thursday's attack on the university is one more sign of the weakness of Al-Shabaab, which has steadily been losing ground for years in Somalia as a result of the African Union forces fighting them there, as well as a covert U.S. drone and Special Operations Forces campaign that has also degraded the group's capabilities. In 2006, Al-Shabaab controlled the Somali capital of Mogadishu and, in the following years, much of central and southern Somalia. Six years later, African Union forces had recaptured Mogadishu, parts of southern Somalia and critical cities such as Kismayo. The loss of Kismayo, Al-Shabaab's last city stronghold and an important port, took a financial toll on the group. Ground battles with African Union forces have decimated Al-Shabaab's rank-and-file, while U.S. drone strikes and Special Operations raids have killed some of the group's leaders. In the past four years, according to a count by New America, the U.S. has launched a dozen drone strikes and six Special Operations raids against Al-Shabaab. These strikes and raids -- almost all occurring in southern Somalia -- have targeted the terrorist group's training camps and leaders. American drones or special operators have killed 10 leaders: Aden Hashi Ayro, the top commander; Ahmed Abdi Godane, Ayro's successor; a top commander, Sheikh Muhidin Mohamud Omar; Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a senior official who operated training camps; commander Jabreel Malik Muhammed; Bilal al-Berjawi, the deputy of military leader Fazul Abdullah Mohammed; chief bomb-maker Ibrahim Ali Abdi; intelligence chief Tahlil Abdishakur; Yusef Dheeq, the chief of external operations and planning for intelligence and security; and Adan Garar, who was involved in planning the Westgate Mall attack. Al-Shabaab has been unraveling for years. Thursday's attack should remind the world that the group is a pale shadow of the organization that once dominated much of Somalia but now is reduced to high profile attacks against undefended civilian targets. .

Al-Shabaab's attack on Garissa University College is the group's deadliest so far in Kenya . Authors: The group is under pressure from African Union forces and a covert U.S. war .


Los Angeles (CNN)Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was ordered Thursday to stand trial for murder and other charges stemming from a deadly hit-and-run confrontation on the movie set of the biopic "Straight Outta Compton" earlier this year. In addition to that ruling, Judge Ronald Coen also lowered Knight's bail to $10 million from $25 million, a figure that defense lawyers called excessive. The judge also dismissed one of the two counts of hit-and-run against Knight. In all, Knight will stand trial on one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of hit-and-run, the judge ruled after holding a two-day preliminary hearing this week that ended Thursday. Knight, 49, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Knight suffers diabetes and blot clots, and the case has clearly strained him: He collapsed in court last month after learning of the $25 million bail and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. Knight was in court Thursday. At the end of hearing, he turned around and looked at his family in the gallery, and he smiled to his fiancee as deputies led him handcuffed out of the courtroom. In a press conference after the hearing, fiancee Toi Kelly said regarding Knight's health that he is "doing much better." The judge dismissed the other hit-and-run count because California law says no more than one charge of hit-and-run should be brought against a defendant when the same weapon, in this case the vehicle Knight was driving, is used against several people. Knight is accused of running over two men, killing one of them, during an argument. Killed was Terry Carter, 55. The survivor is Cle Sloan, 51, who in testimony this week declined to identify Knight as his attacker because Sloan doesn't want to be a "snitch" who sends Knight to prison, according to CNN affiliates KABC and KTLA. Prosecutors offered Sloan immunity, but he still refused to testify against Knight on Monday, the affiliates reported. The deadly incident happened on January 29, after a flare-up on the set of the biopic "Straight Outta Compton," a film about the highly influential and controversial rap group N.W.A. The alleged argument spilled over to the parking lot of Tam's Burgers in Compton. At the time, Knight was out on bail in a separate robbery case. The hit-and-run was captured on videotape and allegedly shows Knight inside a red truck. In the video, the truck pulls into the entrance of the Compton restaurant, and he is then approached by Sloan, who was working security on the site. The two men appear to talk for a few moments, with Knight still in his vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle backs up, knocking Sloan to the ground. While still in reverse, the truck moves out of range of the security camera. The vehicle is then seen zooming forward, back into camera range, running over Sloan a second time, and then running over a second man, Carter, a former rap music label owner. Carter later died. In closing arguments prior to the judge's ruling, Knight's attorney Matthew Fletcher argued that Knight was the victim. Knight was only defending himself against Sloan, whom the defense attorney accused of possessing a gun at the time. "Mr. Sloan is the initial and consistent aggressor," Knight's attorney argued. "There's no intent to kill, there's an intent to survive." "Even without a gun, we know Mr. Sloan was brave enough to attack in broad daylight," the defense attorney said. Fletcher added that Knight's defense was to stand his ground. Sloan "needed immunity because he was the actual aggressor," Fletcher said. "He is the person who got Terry (Carter) killed." Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes argued, however, told the judge that Knight was engaged in "mutual combat situation" where he used his car as deadly weapon. If Knight "ever had the right of self-defense, the moment he backed-up and Mr. Sloan was ran-over, he lost the right of self-defense," Barnes said. "There was pre-mediation and intent when he (Knight) ran over him a second time." Knight is scheduled to be arraigned on April 30. The incident is the latest run-in with the law for Knight, who founded the wildly successful Death Row Records in 1991 and signed artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg (now known as Snoop Lion) and Tupac Shakur. Knight was driving the car in which Shakur was a passenger when the rapper was shot to death in Las Vegas in 1996. Shortly afterward, Knight spent several years in prison for violating parole on assault and weapons convictions. That prison time -- along with Shakur's death, feuds between Knight and a number of rappers, and desertions by Dr. Dre, Snoop and others -- contributed to the label's bankruptcy in 2006. In August, Knight and two other people were shot while inside a celebrity-filled Sunset Strip party hosted by singer Chris Brown on the eve of the MTV Video Music Awards.

Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight will be tried for murder in a videotaped hit-and-run . His bail is reduced to $10 million from $25 million . A judge dismisses one of four charges against Knight .


(CNN)From the giant sequoias of Yosemite to the geysers of Yellowstone, the United States' national parks were made for you and me. And for Saturday and Sunday, they're also free. Though most of the National Park Service's 407 sites are free year-round, the 128 parks that charge a fee -- like Yellowstone and Yosemite -- will be free those two days. It's all part of National Park Week, happening April 18 through April 26, and it's hosted by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Check out night-time astronomy parties, daytime Revolutionary War programs, Earth Day parties and family-friendly Junior Ranger activities at national park sites across the country. Not sure how to start? Go to FindYourPark.com to learn more about park sites near you. Go to www.nationalparkweek.org for more ideas on how to explore. Then the park service wants people to share their stories using the hashtag #FindYourPark and at FindYourPark.com.

It's National Park Week, and that means the parks are free April 18-19 . Stargazing, Revolutionary War programs and other fun happens this week .