The Daily Consume

The Daily Consume brings you the biggest breaking news stories from around the globe in a condensed, concise manner. Contact the author: [email protected]

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Why I’ve Chosen Broadcast Journalism as a Career

My essay for my CBS News Apprentice application. Enjoy!

Some people have known what they wanted to do since they were a child; a 5-year old saying he wanted to become a doctor and actually becoming one. This was not the case with me. Throughout my childhood, high school career, and even some of my college years, my idea of my dream job varied from one end of the spectrum to the other. At one point I wanted to be a veterinarian; at another point I wanted to go into music. This all changed, though, after one week in April of 2013—one week that would completely solidify what I truly wanted to do.

The day started out like any normal day: I, a 19-year-old living in the suburbs of Boston, woke up and went to work. The day thus far had seemed like any boring, normal day. I arrived back home around 2:00pm, turned on WBZ, muted it, and jumped on Skype with a friend.

I remember everything from this point on clearly and vividly. While videochatting, I took a quick glance over at the TV to see a headline that said something along the lines of “TWO EXPLOSIONS AT THE BOSTON MARATHON.” I remember saying to my friend on Skype, “Woah, there was two explosions at the Marathon. That’s weird.” I figured it was nothing, though, perhaps a gas line had burst, and we went back to our normal conversation.

I looked over again a little while later to see that this breaking news was still being covered. I was seeing videos of people panicking, blood on the sidewalks, horrible images that I can still recall to this day. At that point I realized this was not normal—something big was happening.

I told my friend I had to go, got off Skype, and sat in front of the television with my father, both of us in shock. At this point, at least one person had been pronounced dead and the number of people injured was steadily rising. I went to a friend’s house later in the day, and his family was in the same sort of state: sitting in front of the TV, awestruck at this horror we were watching that was taking place 15 minutes from our houses.

I spent the rest of that week glued to the television as the FBI released the names and photos of the suspects, as towns right down the street from me were placed into lockdown, as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found and arrested. It was amazing to me that all of these places that were being broadcasted all over the world (Boylston Street, Watertown, UMass Dartmouth) I had been to a million times before. This wasn’t just a Boston thing—this was a worldly thing.

That’s when it hit me. That second when I realized how dependent I was on the news for information regarding the suspects and the manhunt, I knew I wanted to go into broadcast journalism. For me, the Boston Marathon Bombing hit close to home because it happened 15 minutes away from where I lived, I had friends that knew Tsarnaev, and I knew others that were stuck in the lockdown. But for millions and millions of people, people from California to England, this wasn’t a personal thing. Had it not been for the amazing stations that carried out impeccable coverage of this horrible event, these people would never have known the horrors of such a despicable crime and terrifying week. These stations connect us to the world, show us the important things that we would never have experienced otherwise.

It’s one thing to watch a news segment about a terrorist event; it’s another thing when it happens in your backyard. As someone who actually felt it, both the fear and resilience experienced by the city of Boston was conveyed exceptionally through the hundreds, more likely thousands, of segments I saw.

And that’s what I want to do. I want to make these events real for everyone, not just the people that were close enough to experience it. I want to bring these feelings right into their living rooms as well as it was done during that fateful week in April 2013.

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February NBC News Debate Suspended on Request of GOP

Following Wednesday’s CNBC debate that was “designed to embarrass [the] candidates,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has declared that the GOP is severing its partnership with NBCUniversal, effectively suspending February’s planned debate.

CNBC’s GOP debate has been talked about constantly since it ended Wednesday night, but not because we learned anything particularly important about the candidates. According to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, “CNBC's moderators engaged in a series of 'gotcha' questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates.”

Unhappy with the way CNBC personalities moderated the debate, Priebus today sent a letter to NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack suspending the partnership between the GOP and NBCUniversal. Although Priebus does not want to cancel February’s GOP debate entirely, he plans to take it to another station.

Lack, however, does not oversee CNBC. NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast, operates many different arms including NBC News, MSNBC, and CNBC. Although they do collaborate, NBC News does not have any control over CNBC’s content or approach.

NBC News, however, is not letting go. As said in a statement today: “along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party."

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Investigation Concludes MH17 Brought Down By Russian Warhead

Nearly 15 months after the crash that killed 298, investigators have concluded that a Russian missile warhead brought down the plane.

The Dutch Safety Board announced Tuesday that their investigation has found that the Boeing 777 that crashed in the Ukraine in July 2014 was brought down by a Russian missile warhead that exploded in close proximity to the cockpit. 

The aircraft was flying over Ukraine territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists when shot down. Russian and the Ukraine have been locked in conflict since April 2014 after the Ukraine rejected an EU deal in favor of one with Russia. According to the Dutch Safety Board, the armed conflict had been enough reason to close the airspace but Ukrainian authorities failed to do so.

Three members of the crew were killed by shrapnel, while the other 295 people aboard the airplane were killed on impact.

The Netherlands, with 196, had the most citizens aboard the plane. Citizens of Malaysia, Australia, the UK, Indonesia, Belgium, Germany, the Phillipines, and Canada were also killed.

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Gunman Kills 10-15 on College Campus, Shot by Police

Earlier today, a 20-year-old male opened fire on the Umpqua Community College campus in Roseburg, Oregon, only later to be shot by police.

At approximately 10:38 AM local time, authorities responded to a shooting in Snyder Hall on the campus of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. 

According to local law enforcement officials, 10-15 people were killed.

The 20-year-old male, whose name has not been released, decided who to kill based on religion. According to social media, witnesses of the crime allege the shooter asked students if they were Christian; a “yes” prompted a shot in the head, while a “no” or hesitation prompted a shot in the leg.

The shooter was killed following a shootout when confronted by law enforcement.

20 people are reported to be injured.

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Lone Female GA Death Row Inmate Executed

Kelly Gissendaner, the lone female on Georgia’s death row, was executed early Wednesday morning amidst denied appeals to spare her life.

After a five hour delay, Kelly Gissendaner was put to death Wednesday morning for plotting the murder of her late husband.

Gissendaner was convicted in February 1997 for the murder of Douglass Gissendaner. According to court documents, Kelly Gissendaner persuaded her lover, Gregory Owen, to kill her husband so that the two could be together. She was concerned that Douglas would “not leave her alone if she simply divorced him.”

Gissendaner’s execution, originally slated for February, was postponed due to inclement weather. The execution was later postponed indefinitely after controversy arose around “cloudy” lethal injection drugs.

After three denied appeals and requests for mercy from both Gissendaner’s children and Pope Francis, the state decided to move forward with the execution.

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Gissendaner sang “Amazing Grace” in her final moments.

Kelly Gissendaner is the first woman to be executed in Georgia since 1945.

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WDBJ7 Reporter, Photographer Shot and Killed During Live Broadcast

24-year-old Alison Parker, a reporter for WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia, and 27-year-old crew member Adam Ward were shot and killed by a former employee during a live interview Wednesday morning.

At approximately 6:45 Wednesday morning, WDBJ7 employees Alison Parker and Adam Ward were shot and killed while on air. The interviewee, Vicki Gardner, was shot and is currently in surgery.  Viewers at home saw the shooting, the program then quickly cutting back to anchor Kimberly McBoom in studio.

Authorities have identified the shooter as former WDBJ reporter Vester Lee Flanagan, more commonly known as Bryce Williams. According to LinkedIn, Williams worked at WBDJ from March 2012 to February 2013.

In a video seemingly taken and posted by Williams to Twitter and Facebook, the attack can be seen from his point of view. It shows the attacker approaching the victims, and then goes dark as shots are heard. After approximately ten minutes, the social networking sites removed the content.

According to ABC News, they have received a 23-page manifesto via fax from Bryce Williams. It is currently being reviewed by investigators.

When confronted by authorities on Interstate 66, Williams turned the gun on himself. Although previously reported to have died, Williams is currently in critical condition.

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James Holmes Found Guilty on All Charges

Early Thursday evening, a jury of nine women and three men found James Holmes guilty of the first-degree murder of twelve people in the massacre at an Aurora. Colorado movie theater in July 2012.

In July 2012, James Holmes opened fire in a movie theatre packed with patrons for the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Twelve were killed while seventy others were injured. Today, victims, friends, and family feel that justice was served as Holmes was found guilty on all charges against him.

Holmes was charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder (two for each victim killed), 140 counts of attempted murder (for each victim injured), and one count of possession or control of an explosive or incendiary device (for boobytrapping his house).

The verdict came just over 12.5 hours of deliberations. The sentencing phase is set to begin Wednesday as prosecutors seek the death penalty.

Holmes’ defense team claims he was psychotic at the time of the massacre and therefore should be found not guilty be reason of insanity.

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Drug Lord El Chapo Escapes From Mexican Prison

Guards discovered Joaquin Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, missing from the maximum-security Altiplano Federal Prison on Saturday.

A manhunt is underway for Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman, more commonly know as “El Chapo.”

During a routine check on Saturday, guards noticed that Guzman was not in his cell. Upon further examination, it was determined that Guzman had escaped through a hole that lead to a mile-long lighted and ventilated tunnel.

According to the US Justice Department, Guzman is “considered the world's most powerful drug lord.” Moving drugs by land, air, and sea, the Sinaloa Cartel is known for smuggling various drugs into the US through San Diego. In a prior investigation, authorities from multiple countries seized more than 1400 pounds of meth, 3000 pounds of cocaine, 12 tons of marijuana, and 5500 oxycodone pills trafficked by the Sinaloa Cartel.

This is Guzman’s second escape from prison. In 2001, he escaped from a high-security prison in a laundry cart and was re-apprehended in 2014.

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Bill Cosby Admits to Obtaining Drugs With Intention to Give to Women

In new documents released Monday, 77-year-old actor and father-figure Bill Cosby admitted to obtaining Quaaludes with the intention of drugging women for sex.

Circulations about Cosby’s history of sexual assault have been stirring for years, and until recently, they had been mostly swept under the rug. In a 2005 deposition just released on Monday, however, Cosby admits to acquiring seven Quaalude prescriptions with the intention of drugging women before sex.

In the deposition, Cosby replied “yes” when asked, “When you got the Quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these Quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?” When asked if he gave them to any women without their knowledge, Cosby’s lawyer objected and the question remained unanswered.

Although Cosby only admitted to having given the drugs to one woman, he also stated that he gave them to “other people” who currently remain unknown. Another objection by Cosby’s attorney prevented the actor from answering when asked if he gave them to any women without their knowledge.

Cosby came under fire in late 2014 when multiple women began to come forward with stories of being drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby. The total currently stands at 48; the statute of limitations, however, has passed in most cases.

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Superintendent & Deputy Superintendent of Upstate NY Prison Put on Leave

UPDATE 6/30/15 12:52PM: Nine more security guards and one other member of the executive team have been placed on administrative leave following the review of Matt and Sweat’s escape.

Two officials at Dannemora’s Clinton Correctional Facility were placed on administrative leave following the capture of escaped prisoner David Sweat.

Prison tailor supervisor and alleged lover of the escapees, Joyce Mitchell, is not the only one in hot water after the cinema-worthy escape of convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat; now, Superintendent Steve Racette and Deputy Superintendent Stephen Brown have been placed on administrative leave as officials investigate possible corruption at the prison.

According to CNN, Clinton Correctional Facility is currently under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking. Employees of the prison have told investigators about drug use, specifically heroin, among the inmates and prison employees’ alleged assistance in the trade.

Racette and Brown are the third and fourth employees of the prison to be suspended following the scape and capture of the convicts. Joyce Mitchell, the supervisor at the prison tailor shop where Matt and Sweat worked, has been arrested for supplying hidden contraband to the inmates via frozen meat. Gene Palmer, a guard on the honor block where Matt and Sweat were housed, has been arrested and charged for physically bringing the contraband in.

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Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Apologizes at Sentencing Hearing

Moments before convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death, the 21-year-old used his opportunity to speak to apologize to the victims and survivors.

On April 15, 2013, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated two bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds. Three days later, the duo murdered a police officer.

More than two years after the carnage, following a lengthy trial, 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was officially sentenced to death by execution. Following victim impact statements, Tsarnaev took advantage of his opportunity to speak.

Tsarnaev began by asking for forgiveness and gratitude from Allah and thanking his attorneys and the jury for their services. Saying, “I am guilty, along with my brother,” Tsarnaev apologized to the victims and survivors of the attack. Stating that he remembers the faces, ages, and names of all of those who spoke on the witness stand, he also said he “[wishes] more people had had the chance to get up there.” Concluding by stating that he is “sorry for the lives I have taken,” he asked for mercy from Allah on him and his brother.

He spoke for just under 5 minutes.

Tsarnaev will be sent to Terre Haute, Indiana for execution.

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Rachel Dolezal Makes First Comments Since Stepping Down From NAACP Presidency

After resigning from her presidency Monday, the former president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP made her first comments in an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer,

Rachel Dolezal does not deny that she was born white; she does, however, say that she has identified as black for almost her entire life.

Controversy arose last week when Dolezal’s parents, who are both white, outed her as not being a black woman. As head of the NAACP’s Spoke, Washington, chapter, many claim Dolezal may have taken opportunities away from African Americans by claiming the leadership role.

In an interview Tuesday morning with NBC’s Matt Lauer, Dolezal claims to “identify as black” even though she was born white. In her self-portraits as a child, Dolezal says, she would draw herself using a brown crayon instead of peach and give herself black, curly hair instead of straight, blonde hair.

Dolezal also said, given another chance, she would still portray herself the same way, and that she does not consider her portrayal of her race to be the equivalent of blackface.

Dolezal has not had contact with her parents for years. When asked by CNN why she would do something like this, Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal suggested Rachel may have some kind of mentalillness

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Two Teens Lose Arm Following NC Shark Attacks

Two teenagers each lost an arm following two separate shark attacks near the Ocean Crest Pier in Oak Island, North Carolina on Sunday.

Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace told CNN that shark attacks are so rare in the town that she could not remember the last time one occurred; two, however, occurred in the same vicinity on Sunday.

At 4:15pm, a 13-year-old girl was attacked and then airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. She sustained serious tissue damage to the leg and had one arm amputated at the elbow.

Less than an hour and a half later, a 16-year-old boy was bitten by what officials believe to be the same shark. Also airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, one arm was amputated below the shoulder.

Neither of the victims’ names have been released.

The shark was said to be seven to eight feet long. Beaches will remain open today as the sheriff’s office monitors the coastline via helicopter.

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Police on Possible Trail of Escaped NY Convicts

Early Thursday morning, police stated that they believe they may be closing in on escaped inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat.

Since discovered missing early Friday morning, a multi-state manhunt has been underway for the two convicted killers. As of this morning, law enforcement believes itself to be close to catching the duo.

Although having investigated every potential lead that has come in, officials did not find anything substantial until this morning when a police dog picked up what is believed to be the scent of the two fugitives three miles from the prison in Dannemora, New York. 

In the same general area investigators found a shoe print and food wrapper, leading them to believe that Matt and Sweat had at one point been there. It is unknown how long ago they may left.

Joyce Mitchell, an industrial training supervisor in the prison’s tailoring shop, is believed to have helped the men escape. Sources have stated that she had planned to be their getaway driver but got cold feet and checked herself into the hospital for nerves and chest pain instead of picking up the duo.

Parts of New York State Highway 374 have been shutdown until further notice while police search for clues.

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Female Prison Employee Possible Accomplice in NY Prison Escape

According to law enforcement officials, a female employee at the Clinton Correctional Facility is being questioned in connection with the escape of two convicted murderers.

The Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York is a 170-year-old maximum security prison. Its underground maze of pipes is complex, and the prisoners’ attainment of power tools is astounding. Officials are almost certain that Richard Matt and David Sweat had help in escaping, and they are now turning their attention to a female clothing tailor at the prison.

The woman’s name has not been released nor have any additional details as to why police have focused in on this woman. They have said, however, that the power tools used to escape may have been swiped from contractors doing maintenance on the building.

Richard Matt had been sentenced to 25 years to life on three counts of murder, three counts of kidnapping, and two counts of robbery. David Sweat was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of a sheriff’s deputy.

Late last week, the two prisoners were discovered to be missing from their bunks. Officials have stated that they used power tools to cut through their cell walls and make their way into a complex maze of pipes, emerging from a manhole outside the prison.

A national manhunt is underway. Government officials have urged caution at both the Canadian and Mexican borders to prevent the convicts from escaping the country.

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Patriot Act Provisions Expired, NSA to Stop Collecting Telephone Metadata

As of midnight, three provisions of the Patriot Act, including the NSA’s right to collect telephone data, have expired.

In 2013, Edward Snowden made public knowledge the NSA’s collection, surveillance, and storage of telephone metadata. As of 12:00am Monday, that provision, along with two others, is gone.

In a rare Sunday assembly, the Senate was unable to reach a deal in extending the lives of three provisions of the Patriot Act. As per the expiration, the NSA can no longer survey and store telephone metadata, use a roving wiretap on possible terror suspect that often change communication devices, or use national security tools against lone wolf terrorists without a connection to a bigger terrorist group.

Headed by GOP Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul, many are hailing the expiration of the telephone provision as a success in personal privacy. Others, however, believe the expiration of the provision that was implemented post-9/11 could leave the country more open to terror attacks.

It is likely that another form of the metadata collection provision will be issued again in the near future. The House recently passed the USA Freedom Act, a bill that requires a warrant for officials to seize telephone metadata.

The fate of the other two provisions is unknown.

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Possible New Lead in Natalee Holloway Disappearance

Dutch citizen Jurrien de Jong claims to have seen a young man dispose of Holloway’s body on May 30, 2005, but investigators are not so sure.

Jurrien de Jong was near Marriott’s new Aruba Surf Club the night of May 30, 2005 when he claims to have seen Natalee Holloway in her final moments.

De Jong says he saw a young man chasing after a young woman, who he believes to have been Holloway. Believing them to be being playful at first, de Jong claims to have later seen the man carrying a limp body and disposing of it in a crawlspace in a construction area of the hotel, which has since been built upon.

Marriott claims that this cannot possibly be true as the hotel was not undergoing construction at the time, a sentiment for which the prosecution has issued support. A June 2005 satellite image of the area, however, faintly shows what could be construed as a construction site. Holloway’s father, Dave, also claims to have seen the construction in June and says it began in at least February.

Jurrien de Jong did not come forward with his information earlier due to involvement in illegal activities and the fear of being indicted for his crimes.