President Obama is seeking to heal in Orlando. The U.S. president will offer solace to Central Florida, even as the political world turns last weekend’s shooting into a fresh excuse to fight about terrorism and gun control. The President will be meeting with the families of the victims today. Obama plans no major speech or call to action during his trip to a community after the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, as he has after other tragedies.
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — In the final hours of his life, Orlando gunman Omar Mateen apparently made a series of Facebook posts in which he raged against the “filthy ways of the west.” That’s according to a Senate committee. As the grief-stricken city of Orlando prepares to bury the first of the 49 who perished at the Pulse dance club, a Senate Committee has asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg for help uncovering the trail of hate Mateen left behind in cyberspace.
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The CIA Chief in envisioning extremists’ future tactics. John Brennan says Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style warfare.
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Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge responded to the mass shooting at a Florida nightclub by doing one thing she felt she could do, which was write a song. Etheridge told the Rolling Stone that she titled the song “Pulse” after the club where 49 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Orlando on Sunday. The song was written almost immediately after she heard the news and recorded on Monday with producer Jerry Wonda. The song will soon be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting an LGBT charity.
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff says charges are unlikely against parents whose 2-year-old son was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings tells The Associated Press there was no indication that the parents of Lane Graves, Will and Melissa Graves of suburban Omaha, Nebraska, committed any crime that contributed to the reptile grabbing the boy.
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How is Disney dealing with the aftermath of the gator attack? The entertainment giant is reviewing whether to add additional warning signs after an alligator killed a 2-year-old boy from Nebraska by snatching him out of shallow water at a resort beach. Trappers captured, removed and euthanized five alligators. Officials are trying to determine if one of them is the one who grabbed the boy.
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The president of the Walt Disney World Resort has issued a statement following the killing of a 2-year-old boy by an alligator at the resort’s Seven Seas Lagoon. George A. Kalogridis says “there are no words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the family and their unimaginable loss.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — No, that wasn’t a rerun of the “Tonight Show” last night. If you tuned in a couple of minutes late, you missed Jimmy Fallon turning the monologue over to longtime host Jay Leno. It was like old times, with Leno taking swipes at the presidential candidates. He asked the audience if they enjoyed Donald Trump’s new reality show, “The Amazing Racist.” Leno quips that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is in trouble because husband Bill was campaigning for her. Leno says Bill Clinton stopped to kiss a baby, which is usually OK, but the baby was breast-feeding at the time. Leno was on the “Tonight Show” to promote the new season of his CNBC show, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
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MIAMI (AP) _ DISH and Sling TV are launching a new channel that will bring Cuban movies and television shows to the U.S.The companies say CUBAMAX TV will be the first channel in the United States to provide a variety of programs such as telenovelas, movies, children’s shows and music videos by Cuban artists. The new channel’s goal is to reconnect Cuban-Americans with the heritage of their country of origin. One of the featured shows on the network will be “Vivir del Cuento,” one of the most popular shows in Cuba. The show stars an 80-year-old retired man named Panfilo, played by actor and comedian Luis Silva, who jokes about his life struggles. Panfilo appeared in two sketches with President Barack Obama tied to his visit earlier this year.
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NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — North Port police went above and beyond by surprising a boy at his eighth birthday party after no one responded to his invites. Media outlets report Daniel Nicastro’s parents say this wasn’t the first time no one has called to say they were coming to their son’s party. The Nicastros say making friends is difficult for Daniel, who has autism. So his parents decided to invite the police officers, who Daniel considers “superheroes,” to the party. They were hoping a few officers would show up, but instead, an assembly of officers arrived, even bringing gifts with them. Police Sgt. Paul Neugebauer says they wanted to attend and let Daniel know that he is appreciated.
