U.S. Edition
A surfer's close encounter with a humpback whale is now a viral hit on YouTube.
By Tracy Sabo, Ashley Hayes and Moni Basu, CNN
Dallas (CNN) - A district attorney in Texas said Thursday that the statute of limitations prohibits the filing of charges against a judge shown in a 2004 video repeatedly beating his then-teenage daughter.
The daughter, meanwhile, told CNN's Anderson Cooper she uploaded the graphic video as a way to reconcile with Judge William Adams.
"I wanted to show my father, 'Hey, I think you were in some denial about the way you are treating me and my mother.' And maybe showing him this would make him see something he didn't before," Hillary Adams, now 23, told CNN.
William Adams, a court-at-law judge in Aransas County, Texas, faces a judicial conduct probe over the incident.
Aransas County District Attorney Patrick Flanigan sent a letter to Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe Thursday evening, informing him of his decision on prosecution.
"It is clear that no criminal misdemeanor information nor any criminal felony indictment may be presented for any criminal charge that may be depicted on the subject video," Flanigan wrote. "Limitations prevent prosecution of any applicable criminal charge shown on said video."
Rockport police said they would contact federal authorities to determine whether any criminal charges may be filed in federal court.
Read more...
The star of this RidicuList is a man who is suing to have his wedding photos redone...eight years later. And he's divorced.
Reporter's Note: Every day President Obama gets a letter from me. Sometimes I wonder what he thinks of that.
Dear Mr. President,
Well, I'm still in Canada, just in case you are wondering. Right now I am in a lovely spot called Kelowna. The sun is shining. It is cool but not cold. Nice mountains clustered around a beautiful lake. Makes me wish I were not working at the moment, but then I might think that on any given day. And you too, I'll bet. Ha!
This business with Greece is certainly a mess, isn't it? I have to admit that I really don't entirely understand how such a calamity can visit chaos on the entire globe, but that seems to be the case.
This is one of those ugly offshoots of a truly globalized economy. Sure, maybe once we could have ignored events on the other side of the planet (although Vietnam suggests we weren't always so good at that) but not anymore.
These days, it seems, an earthquake in Japan, or unemployment in Egypt, or a drought in Russia all strike much closer to our homes than we might like.
I suppose that's a good thing; you know, making us feel more connected with other cultures and all. But sometimes I wonder.
I'm no isolationist, and I like Greece despite an unfortunate discussion with a cab driver once in Athens. But I wish their problems could stay in their yard a tad more, and we could keep ours in our own, too.
Back tomorrow. Call if you can.
Regards, Tom
Hillary Adams tells Anderson Cooper why she decided to release a tape she made of her father beating her in 2004.
Watch Part I of the interview.
Hillary Adams talks to Anderson Cooper about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, and why she recorded a beating seven years ago.
Watch Part II of the interview.
Editor's note: Ari Fleischer joins the AC360° political panel tonight. Tune in at 8 p.m. ET.
CNN)– If Herman Cain committed sexual harassment and is now lying about it, his goose is cooked and it should be. But if he is telling the truth, there is something terribly disconcerting about the way the Washington "scandal industrial complex" - full of reporters, former campaign workers and pundits - has reacted to this sad story.
After the story broke in Politico, Cain the next day denied that he sexually harassed anyone, which after all, is the core issue. Since then, other anonymous sources claim they too were harassed, without anyone really knowing what the alleged harassment entailed. He has been consistent, unwavering and on the record in his denial.
But that's not good enough for the way things work in Washington, where the manner in which he reacted to the news is said to be a sign of whether he would make a good president. He is being assailed because he remembered more information and therefore "his story changed," an unforgivable development for those who cover scandal news.
Editor's note: Tune in to AC360° tonight at 8 p.m. ET for Anderson's interview with Hillary and Hallie Adams.
Dallas (CNN) - A woman who launched a firestorm by posting a 2004 video of her father, a Texas judge, beating her on the Internet said Thursday that violence was a regular occurrence in her family home.
"It did happen regularly, for a period of time, and I could tell, because of the pattern, that things were escalating again," Hillary Adams, now 23, said on NBC's "Today." She said she left her video camera on her dresser recording and covered its light with a scarf in order to capture the video.
Her father, Aransas County, Texas, Court-At-Law Judge William Adams, faces a police investigation and a judicial probe after the graphic video surfaced of him striking his then-16-year-old daughter repeatedly while cursing at her and berating her.
The world population hit 7 billion this week! More people means more news, but don't worry – I've got you covered. Today we're launching this new addition to our blog to help keep you up-to-date. “The Weekly Buzz” will include political, international, and the downright outrageous stories creating buzz in our newsroom.
What everyone’s talking about:
…And the Herman Cain saga continues. On Sunday, Politico published an article claiming that Herman Cain was accused by two women of sexual harassment in the 1990s, when he was head of the National Restaurant Association. Since then, Cain has denied the allegations. However, on Tuesday Cain told HLN that he knew of one "separation agreement," and we had an EXCLUSIVE interview with Joel Bennett, the lawyer for one of Cain's accusers. Bennett said his client is very angry and she says Cain is not telling the truth. Bennett also told 360° his client made a “good faith claim of harassment.” The client decided she would not reveal her identity, but did want set the record straight. The situation was further complicated when an Oklahoma Republican political consultant told CNN that he witnessed Herman Cain exhibit inappropriate conduct toward a female employee while he led the National Restaurant Association. The Cain campaign responded to reports of a third former employee claiming sexual harassment, by calling them baseless. Now, the question remains: who leaked the story in the first place? Cain blamed a Rick Perry adviser who used to work for him; the Perry campaign suggested Mitt Romney's campaign was responsible. All deny involvement.
The Syrian government has repeatedly denied the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters, but filmmaker Sean McAllister’s detainment in a Syrian prison proves otherwise: “You would hear the most howling, horrific cries of people being whipped and tortured.” You have to hear it for yourself.
FULL POST
Ohio Amish claim a breakaway sect are attacking others by cutting beards – an act that may trigger hate crime charges.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°