Home Second | The Christian Mail

American ISIS Supporter John T. Booker Jr. Charged With Plotting Suicide Bomb; He’s Mentally Ill, Says Muslim Cleric

World News

A 20-year-old Kansas man was arrested Friday for allegedly plotting to detonate a car bomb at the Fort Riley military base on behalf of the Islamic State, or ISIS, terror group. A Muslim cleric, who was counseling him at the FBI’s request, says he is mentally ill.

John T. Booker Jr., who is also known as Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, used inert bomb material provided by undercover FBI operatives, federal prosecutors said Friday, according to NBC News.

“I want to assure the public there was never any breach of Fort Riley Military Base, nor was the safety or the security of the base or its personnel ever at risk,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson was quoted as saying in a statement.

The man was charged with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property and one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to the Justice Department.

“As alleged in the complaint, John Booker attempted to attack U.S. military personnel on U.S. soil purportedly in the name of (ISIS),” Fox News quoted Assistant Attorney General John Carlin as saying. “Thanks to the efforts of the law enforcement community, we were able to safely disrupt this threat to the brave men and women who serve our country. Protecting American lives by identifying and bringing to justice those who wish to harm U.S. citizens remains the National Security Division’s number one priority.”

The accused was trying to arm what he believed was a 1,000 pound bomb outside the military base.

Booker told an FBI informant he wanted to kill Americans and engage in violent jihad on behalf of ISIS, which is also known as ISIL, prosecutors said, according to The Associated Press. They added he acted based on his interpretation of the verse in the Quran, which “says to kill your enemies wherever they are.”

Imam Omar Hazim of the Islamic Center of Topeka told AP that FBI agents brought Booker to him for counseling last year. The cleric told the agents that Booker suffered from bipolar disorder, and that he had concerns about allowing Booker to move freely in the community.

A grand jury is likely to consider the case next week.

Booker joined the military last February. A month later, he posted a message on Facebook, which read, “Getting ready to be killed in jihad is a HUGE adrenaline rush! I am so nervous. NOT because I’m scared to die but I am eager to meet my lord.” His military enlistment was terminated days later.

Friday night, another man, Alexander Blair of Topeka, was charged with one count of failing to report a felony in connection with the alleged plot.

ISIS is an offshoot of al-Qaeda and wants to establish a caliphate in the Levant region and beyond. It has gained control over large swathes of territories in Syria and Iraq. It is believed to have hundreds of foreign fighters, including those from the United States and Europe.

Source : Christian Post

Obama to Have Historic Meeting with Cuban President Castro

World News

(Photo: Reuters/Peru Presidency/Handout)
Cuba’s President Raul Castro (L) stands with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama before the inauguration of the VII Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama, April 10, 2015.

Christian Post Report – U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro are expected to have a face-to-face discussion on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama Saturday, in an effort to restore diplomatic ties and set aside the two countries’ Cold War enmity.

“As we move towards the process of normalization, we’ll have our differences government to government with Cuba on many issues. Just as we differ at times with other nations within the Americas, just as we differ with our closest allies,” Obama said Friday, according to Reuters.

“The days in which our agenda in this hemisphere so often presumed that the United States could meddle with impunity, those days are past,” Obama added.

“We certainly anticipate that they will have a discussion tomorrow on the context of the summit,” deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Friday.

The communist nation of Cuba, which had been blocked by the United States from participating in the past, has been included in the summit for the first time.

Obama and Castro talked by telephone about the two nations’ relations earlier this week.

(Photo: Presidency/Handout/Reuters/Panama)
Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela (2nd L), Cuba’s President Raul Castro (C) and U.S. President Barack Obama wave before the inauguration of the VII Summit of the Americas in Panama City, April 10, 2015.

“I think they understood that this is obviously a very unique occurrence in the Americas—the first Summit of the Americas that Cuba’s participated in,” Rhodes said, according to NBC News.

“As the United States begins a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba, we hope it will create an environment that improves the lives of the Cuban people,” Obama said Friday at a gathering of civil society groups, including Cuban dissidents, according to The Associated Press. “Not because it is imposed by us, the United States, but through the talent and ingenuity and aspirations, and the conversations among Cubans from all walks of life so they can decide what the best course is for their prosperity.”

Obama and Castro had their last encounter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, and they shook hands.

It is unclear if Cuba will be removed from the list of state sponsors of terror. If the Obama administration makes that move, Congress will have the power to issue a resolution of disapproval within 45 days. However, the margin of passage would have to be veto proof.

U.S. allies in the Americas are praising Obama for improving relations in the region.

“President Obama is going to leave a legacy the way he is supporting Hispanics in the United States, and also his new policy for Cuba for us is very important,” Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela was quoted as saying.

“We know we have challenges but that the United States is interested in making sure challenges are faced together,” Guatemala President Otto Pérez Molina was quoted as saying.

The communist regime of Cuba showed some signs of economic and political reforms after Raul Castro’s official election as President in 2008.

Cuba has been governed by a one-party state since Fidel Castro, the brother of Raul Castro, overthrew the U.S.-supported dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. And the persecution of Christians and dissidents remains.

According to Open Doors USA, about 57 percent of Cubans are Christian and they face constant government surveillance and infiltration. However, the church is growing in the island country.

Last month, a shipment of 83,723 Spanish-language Bibles were sent to Cuba for a number of Southern Baptist churches in both Western and Eastern parts of the nation, according to SBC’s International Mission Board.

Southern Baptists have sent nearly 500,000 Bibles to Cuba since 1999.

Last year, Cuba’s government announced the approval of a permit for the building of a Catholic church building in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second largest city, for the first time in the nation since the 1959 Revolution.

Source : Christian Post

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings Live Stream Free, Start Time: Watch Online NHL Hockey 2015

Entertainment

Photo: Cary Edmondson, USA TODAY Sports
Christian Post Report – Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks visit the Staples Center in their last game of the year to face the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL on Saturday afternoon. The game will start at 3 p.m. ET and can be watched online through live stream (details below).

Both teams are not going to be playing in the post-season but will want to end their campaigns with a victory so expect an intense clash.

Los Angeles, the defending champions, had a chance to clinch a playoff spot, or at least a Wild Card place, but have dropped their last three games to leave them out of the post season race.

They have also only won two of their last seven games to only earn five points down the stretch when they needed the points.

Against the Calgary Flames, they were given a chance to make it to the playoffs with a win against their rivals for the final Pacific Division spot but Los Angeles barely challenged the Flames

Two goals in the first period set the pace for Calgary as they would go on to win 3-1 and secure their spot in the post-season.

Now the Kings have one task remaining, the Sharks, before going on to summer and regroup to mount a comeback..

Meanwhile, San Jose have had a season to forget. They are currently fifth in the Pacific Division and are also out of the playoff race.

San Jose recently broke their two-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. They were down 1-0 at the end of the second period, but three goals in the final 10 minutes of the match helped them complete the comeback and get the win.

Now they are looking to end the season on a positive note with a win over the champions.

These two teams have met four times this season, alternating wins to set up this intriguing series decider. Both teams have won at home and away to show just how evenly matched they are

For live updates and highlights, go to NHL.com. For live streaming, click here.

Source : Christian Post

How Parents and Churches Can Close the Opportunity Gap

Entertainment

Churches and other religious groups can play an important role in reducing the opportunity gap between rich and poor kids in the United States, professor Robert Putnam said in an interview with The Christian Post about his new book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.

Christian Post Report – While churches already play an important role by promoting the importance of marriage, they can do more by getting involved in the lives of the poor children in crisis, explained Putnam, Peter and Isabel Malkin professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and the author of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (2010) with Notre Dame professor David Campbell, and the bestselling Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000).

In part one of his CP interview, Putnam spoke about the isolation from family, churches and community experienced by poor children, or the bottom one-third of all children in the United States, and he responded to comparisons made with Charles Murray’s Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 (2012).

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/harvard-professor-robert-putnam-on-rich-poor-opportunity-gap-kids-need-two-parents-churches-can-do-more-than-government-cp-interview-2-2-137089/

Source : Christian Post

Real Madrid vs Eibar Live Stream Free, Start Time: Watch Spanish La Liga Soccer Online

Entertainment

Miguel Vidal/Reuters
Christian Post Report – Cristiano Ronaldo, who received criticisms after Real Madrid’s loss to Atletico Madrid, still gets the trust of Coach Carlo Ancelotti as he looks to repeat his hat trick-highlighted performance against Deportivo in the first round.

Real Madrid look to extend their winning streak to three games as they host Eibar at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday. The game will kick off at 10 a.m. ET and can be watched online through live stream (details below).

Madrid are currently second in the La Liga, four points behind leaders Barcelona with only a handful of games remaining in their season.

Following their 2-1 loss to the Catalan team, Madrid responded with a big 9-1 thrashing of Granada.

In that home win, Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals to dominate the game and show that he is still arguably the best player in the world.

After four days, they traveled to meet Rayo Vallecano and Ronaldo scored in the 68th minute to give Madrid the lead.

James Rodriguez then went on to double the advantage in the 73rd minute to secure the victory and take home three points.

Rodriguez increased his goal tally to nine this season, while Ronaldo has 37 goals in only 27 appearances in the league.

Meanwhile, Eibar are sitting in 14th place in the league and are trying to avoid dropping to the relegation zone.

They recently broke their 11 game winless run with a 1-0 over Malaga.

Prior to the victory, Eibar only managed to get two points from that stretch of 11 games with draws against Cordoba and Granada.

Even worse is that they have had difficulty scoring goals as they have only five goals in that time frame.

With only a few games left in their schedule, they will need to rack up points as they are only six points away from being dropped to the second division next year.

In their first meeting earlier in the season, Madrid dominated the game and got goals from Rodriguez, Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema.

Madrid dominated the possession as they held the ball 58% of the time, squeezing out 10 shots with three on target.

To watch highlights and get updates on the game, visit Yahoo! And for live streaming, click here.

Source : Christian Post

American Horror Story Hotel Season 5 Release Date, Cast News: Welcomes Back Kathy Bates for New Season

Entertainment

Christian Post Report – FX’s hit horror anthology TV series “American Horror Story” welcomes back one of its cast member in its upcoming fifth season subtitled “Hotel.”

A report from The New Zealand Herald said that the two-time AHS star Kathy Bates has been confirmed to return in a yet to be known role.

Announcing the news is none other than show creator Ryan Murphy who took to his social media this week.

Reuters/File
American film and television actress, Kathy Bates, during the 2015 Golden Globes Award

“Kathy Bates is running the Hotel. #AHSSeason5” Murphy’s Twitter post reads.

Although it hasn’t yet been disclosed as to what the 66-year-old award-winning star will be in AHS: Hotel, speculations drawn out from Murphy’s tweet indicated that Bates could be the hotel’s manager.

Bates has appeared back in “American Horror Story: Coven” as well as on “American Horror Story: Freak Show” where she played the character of a bearded lady named Ethel Darling.

Speaking to Us Weekly on their March 17 news edition, Bates expressed how open she is to the idea of returning to the FX series.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Bates said.

As with the news about the pop icon Lady Gaga joining the AHS family, Bates added that she would “love to work” with the singer.

“I’m a big fan of hers, my jaw dropped when I saw her on the Oscars,” she meanwhile told E! News. “I’ve just decided I have to put her picture up in front of the treadmill.”

Other than Bates, and Lady Gaga, the new series will also feature the acts of Wes Bentley, Matt Bomer, and Cheyenne Jackson in various major roles.

Filming for “American Horror Story: Hotel” is slated to commence this summer and will premiere on television October 2015.

Source : Christian Post

NASCAR 2015 News: All-Star Race Changes Announced – More Laps Added

Entertainment

Christian Post Report – NASCAR has announced changes to its All-Star race, which is an annual event held each May at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will be the 31st installment of the Sprint All Star race and its format has been altered significantly.

NASCAR
NASCAR has announced rules and format changes for its annual All Star Race

The race will now be a 110-lap affair. The first four segments will be 25 laps a piece and the final leg will be a 10 lap shootout. The race will feature a minimum of 20 drivers. 17 of those drivers are now set, with two spots being reserved for winner of the Sprint Showdown segment, a race that is held directly before the All-Star race, and a final fan vote will set the field.

Race winners from the 2014-15 Sprint Cup series are eligible for the race as long as all past NASCAR Sprint Cup Champions and previous winners of the All Star race itself. This is a slight change in the rules as previous races had been run with drivers accomplishing those things in the past 10 years.

As it stands right now AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, and Tony Stewart are eligible for the race.

This is a non-points event with the winner to earn a prize of $1 million dollars. Over the years it has featured some of the best racing on the Sprint Cup circuit as drivers put their cars in situations that would not normally do while racing for points.

In a statement, NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell talked about the changes.

“These updates were made to ensure that our fans have every opportunity to see the best drivers in one of our crown jewel events and give them even more on-track action,” he said. “Expanding this field and adding laps delivers that to our fans, raising the competition level and ensuring that this race continues to be the biggest all-star event in all of sports.”

Source : Christian Post

Teresa Giudice Prison News: Star Returning to Real Housewives of New Jersey After Prison

Entertainment

Christian Post Report – Teresa Giudice still has a few months left on her prison sentence, but her fans can look forward to her return on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” after she’s released—if the reality star is interested in Bravo’s offer.

“Bravo wants Teresa back” for season 7 of the franchise, says a source from Us Weekly. The source also claims that Giudice’s sister in law, Melissa Gorga will most likely return to the show along with other newcomers.

Youtube/file
Teresa and Joe Giudice

Sources tell the magazine that Bravo producers are scouting for fresh talent, including Tracy Lynn Johnson, “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s wife Lisa Valastro, and Erica Levy, who’s married to talk show host Geraldo Rivera.

Giudice entered prison on January 5 after she and her husband, Joe, were charged with a 39-count indictment of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud and bankruptcy fraud in October 2014.

Upon completion of Giudice’s 15-month sentence, Joe is expected to serve 41 months in prison.

In the meantime, the network may spotlight other members of the Giudice family. Joe is reportedly in talks with Bravo to star in a reality series about his new life as he cares for daughters Gia, 14, Gabriella, 10, Milania, 9, and Audriana, 5, while his wife is in prison.

Joe himself confirmed this during a four-hour interview with Us Weekly at his home in New Jersey.

“We met,” said Joe to the magazine. “Now it’s something for our attorneys to figure out.” A source from the magazine says that production on Joe’s show could begin as early as May.

It was also reported last year that Gia might be featured in a new reality show which focuses on her girl group, 3KT, as they try to find success in the music industry.

Source : Christian Post

Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie Release Date: Premiere Not Yet Revealed, But Film On the Way

Entertainment

Christian Post Report – Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” the popular game series created by Scott Cawthon. Fans will be delighted at the news, although no release date has been confirmed as yet.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the feature adaptation will be produced by Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment as well as Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions.

Youtube Screenshot/ file
A screen grab from the Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 teaser trailer

The game takes place in Freddy’s Fazbear’s Pizza, where an animatronic animal band performs for kids by day and goes on murderous rampages by night. Players take on the role of a security guard, who is assigned the much-dreaded night shift. The goal of the game is to stay alive — the player has to stay in the guard’s room and monitor the robotic attackers on the security camera.

The sequels to “Five Nights at Freddy’s” go even further, as the second game is actually a prequel which takes place around the same time as “The Bite of 87”. The third game, which was released less than a month ago, takes place into the future, after Freddy’s is retooled into a horror attraction based on the horrifying events of the previous two games.

Movies based on video games tend to be a hit or miss, but if Warner Bros. does a great job on the first “Five Nights at Freddy’s” film, there’s a possibility that this could turn into a trilogy.

“We’re looking forward to working with Scott to make an insane, terrifying, and weirdly adorable movie,” said Grahame-Smith to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The story really lends itself to being a movie, and it taps into a large unexplored niche of horror that a lot of people will be able to relate to,” said Cawthon.

Source : Christian Post

Real Madrid vs Eibar Live Stream Free, Start Time: Watch Spanish La Liga Soccer Online

Entertainment