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Monday, June 9, 2014

Audit: More than 57,000 await first VA appointment

Audit: More than 57,000 await first VA appointment


Audit: More than 57,000 await first VA appointment

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:20 PM PDT

This Monday, June 9, 2014 photo shows the VA Health Care Center in Harlingen, Texas. The medical center ranks high on the list of the facilities with the longest average waits as of May 15, 2014 for new patients seeking primary care, specialist care and mental health care, according to audit results released Monday. (AP Photo/Valley Morning Star, David Pike)WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 57,000 U.S. military veterans have been waiting 90 days or more for their first VA medical appointments, and an additional 64,000 appear to have fallen through the cracks, never getting appointments after enrolling and requesting them, the Veterans Affairs Department said Monday.


S&P 500 ekes out another record high

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:18 PM PDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market has crept to another record high after U.S. companies announced another handful of deals.

Microsoft teases new 'Crackdown,' 'Halo' at E3

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:14 PM PDT

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division and Microsoft Studios, presents a fresh installment of the open-world romp "Crackdown," for the Xbox One, during a presentation ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo at the University of Southern California's Galen Center on Monday, June 9, 2014 in Los Angeles. With the launch of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Wii U in the video game industry's rearview mirror, the spotlight at E3 is expected to shift back to games. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's all about the games for Microsoft at E3.


Business heads urge action on immigration

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:24 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the nation's leading businesses are prodding lawmakers to act on immigration legislation as the issue enters a critical phase on Capitol Hill.

Lawyer: Detained American was touring North Korea

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:13 PM PDT

Tanya Fowle, right, wife of Jeffrey Fowle, listens as attorney Tim Tepe reads a statement from the family, Monday, June 9, 2014, in Lebanon, Ohio. Tepe said that Jeffrey Fowle was on vacation as part of a tour when he was detained in North Korea last week. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio man being detained in North Korea was on vacation as part of a tour and "loves the adventure of experiencing different cultures and seeing new places," a family spokesman said Monday.


The play 'Of Mice and Men' recoups on Broadway

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:11 PM PDT

This image released by Polk & Co. shows Chris O'Dowd, left, and Leighton Meester during a performance of "Of Mice and Men." O'Dowd is nominated for a Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play. The Tony Awards will be held on Sunday, June 8, in New York. (AP Photo/Polk & Co., Richard Phibbs)NEW YORK (AP) — The play "Of Mice and Men" may not have taken home any Tony Awards but it still has good news to share — it's in the black.


US condemns deadly attack on Pakistan airport

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:09 PM PDT

Smoke rises above the Jinnah International Airport where security forces battled militants Monday, June 9, 2014, in Karachi, Pakistan. Gunmen disguised as police guards attacked a terminal with machine guns and a rocket launcher during a five-hour siege that killed at least 18 people as explosions echoed into the night, while security forces retaliated and killed all the attackers, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. maintained its support Monday for continued Pakistani counterterror strikes, despite a new Pakistani Taliban threat to launch more attacks like its deadly weekend airport assault if Islamabad does not agree to a permanent cease-fire.


Brazil grapples with joy, frustration of World Cup

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:06 PM PDT

Boys watch as another boy practices his soccer bicycle kicks at a Rio de Janeiro slum, Brazi, Monday, June 9, 2014. The 2014 Word Cup soccer tournament is set to begin in just a few days, with Brazil and Croatia playing in the opening match on June 12. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — It's a tale of the two World Cups — one on a field and one playing out on this country's streets.


NBC to argue for dismissal of Zimmerman lawsuit

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:06 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The judge in George Zimmerman's defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal is set to hear arguments on a request by the media company to dismiss the case.

Portland polarized by vote on sale of tiny park

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:05 PM PDT

People sit on benches in Congress Square Plaza Monday, June 9, 2014, in Portland, Maine. A squabble over the city's desire to sell the half-acre park to an Ohio-based hotel owner evolved into a larger debate and into Tuesday's ballot referendum on the future of the city's many public parks. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — City residents, less than a year after legalizing marijuana, are going to the polls again to settle a squabble over a half-acre park that evolved into a much larger debate over the future of the city's public parks.


Pakistani Taliban vows more violence after attack

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:04 PM PDT

Fire illuminates the sky above the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi where security forces are fighting with attackers Sunday night, June 8, 2014, in Pakistan. Gunmen disguised as police guards attacked a terminal with machine guns and a rocket launcher during a five-hour siege that killed a number of people as explosions echoed into the night, while security forces retaliated and killed all the attackers, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani Taliban threatened more violence Monday after a five-hour assault on the nation's busiest airport killed 29 people — including all 10 attackers — raising a new challenge for a U.S. ally trying to end years of fighting that has claimed thousands of lives.


Libya's top court rejects appointment of new PM

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:01 PM PDT

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya's top court on Monday rejected the Islamist-led parliament's appointment of a new prime minister in a contested vote, ending one power struggle as a renegade general's offensive against Islamist militias in the east rages on.

Vegas cop killers 'saw police as oppressors'

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer stands in a parking lot at a Wal-Mart on June 8, 2014A couple who shot dead two Las Vegas cops in cold blood apparently saw police as oppressors, a spokesman said Monday, revealing chilling details of the execution-style attack. The couple, identified as Jerad and Amanda Miller, placed a swastika symbol at the scene of the cop killings before going on to kill a civilian at a nearby Walmart and then killing themselves. They apparently had views "along the lines" of white supremacists, although police do not believe they were themselves white supremacists, said assistant sheriff Kevin McMahill. The couple entered the restaurant Sunday, walked past the booth where the officers were eating, and then Jerad Miller "pulled a handgun out and shot officer (Igor) Soldo one time in the back of his head," said McMahill.


Ukraine sees 'understanding' with Russia on peace moves

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:57 PM PDT

An old woman sits in a car with bullet holes and shattered windows as she flees fighting in the eastern Ukrainian town of SlavianskBy Timothy Heritage KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday it had reached a "mutual understanding" with Moscow on parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in the east of the country. Kiev gave no details and Russia did not comment directly but two days of talks, following a brief encounter in France last week that broke the ice between Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have given momentum to peace moves. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement released in Berlin that there was "some faint light at the end of the tunnel" in the Ukraine conflict for the first time in months. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement in Kiev that Russian and Ukrainian representatives had met three times in the past two days to discuss Poroshenko's plan to end an insurrection by pro-Russian separatists in the east.


Judge lets gay marriages continue in Wisconsin

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:55 PM PDT

Todd Kinsman, 28, left, and Ravi Manghnani, 37, hug after getting married by their friend, Michele Ritt, a Universal Life Minister, outside the City-County Building the day after the ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in Wisconsin, in Madison, Wis., Saturday, June 7, 2014. Kinsman and Manghnani, who have been together for seven years, had a ceremony a couple weeks ago and were just on their honeymoon in New York when they found out the ban was lifted and flew back home Saturday morning to get married in Madison. (AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, Amber Arnold)MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gay couples in Wisconsin convinced some county clerks to give them licenses Monday so they could wed before an expected hold on a judge's decision declaring the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional.


More than decade prison for Utah's 'Mountain Man'

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:54 PM PDT

FILE - This April 2, 2013 file photo, provided by the Emery County Sheriff's Office shows detectives placing fugitive Troy James Knapp, center, into custody in the mountains outside of Ferron in central Utah. On Monday, June 9, 2014, in a courtroom in St. George, Utah, Troy James Knapp, known by many as the "Mountain Man," is set to finally face justice by agreeing to a package of plea deals that will bring an end his court case, and start the clock on a prison sentence expected to be at least 10 years. (AP Photo/Emery County Sheriff's Office, File)ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — For years, he lived a solitary life amid the expansive wilderness of Utah as he ransacked cabins and trekked hundreds of miles alone on his snowshoes with a rifle slung over his shoulder.


Olympic star Van Dyken severs spine in accident

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:51 PM PDT

FILE - In this July 26, 1996 file photo, Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken holds her medal after winning the women's 50 meter freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Van Dyken has a severed spine after an accident on her all-terrain vehicle in Arizona. A hospital spokeswoman didn't provide details Monday on the injuries. The swimmer was hurt Friday night, June 6, 2014, and told emergency workers at the scene she could not move her toes or feel anything touching her legs. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Amy Van Dyken severed her spine in an all-terrain vehicle accident over the weekend, and told emergency workers she could not move her toes or feel anything touching her legs.


A look at the history of militancy in Pakistan

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT

Pakistani security forces examine ammunition confiscated from attackers who stormed late Sunday the Jinnah International Airport, during their investigation in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, June 9, 2014. The Pakistani Taliban on Monday claimed responsibility for a brazen five-hour assault on the country's busiest airport that saw gunmen disguised as police guards storm the international terminal in Karachi, set off explosions and killing over a dozen of people. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)ISLAMABAD (AP) — The attack on Karachi's airport — Pakistan's busiest — killed 19 security personnel and civilians, along with the 10 assailants. The group that claimed responsibility Monday vowed even more violence. Here are the issues related to the history of militancy in Pakistan:


Police probe ties between Vegas shooters, Bundy

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:45 PM PDT

Las Vegas shootingInvestigators are looking into whether the husband and wife who shot and killed two Las Vegas police officers over the weekend had been at Cliven Bundy's Nevada ranch during a standoff earlier this year, police said Monday


Obama moves to ease student loan burdens, urges Congress to act

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:42 PM PDT

Obama speaks before he signs a presidential memorandum on reducing burden of student loan debt in White House in WashingtonPresident Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order making it easier for up to 5 million people to pay off college tuition debt, and scolded congressional Republicans for opposing legislation that would lower student-loan borrowing costs. Obama signed an executive order allowing more people to limit repayments of federal student loans to 10 percent of their monthly incomes. The administration will also try to lower student costs by renegotiating government contracts with companies like Sallie Mae that service student loans, he said.


Cuba: 8 arrested in school exam cheating scandal

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:39 PM PDT

Students come to school for an exam of mathematics at the Pre-University Jose Marti in Old Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 9, 2014. Eight people are under arrest in connection with a scandal involving the illicit sale of university entrance exams, Cuban authorities said Monday, days after thousands of high school students were forced to retake the test. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)HAVANA (AP) — Eight people are under arrest in connection with a scandal involving the illicit sale of university entrance exams, Cuban authorities said Monday after thousands of high school students were forced to retake the test.


Judge: Casey Kasem should be fed, hydrated

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:38 PM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2003, file photo, Casey Kasem poses for photographers after receiving the Radio Icon award during The 2003 Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas. A Los Angeles judge on Monday, June 9, 2014, ruled that Kasem should receive food, hydration and medication while a court-appointed attorney travels to Washington state to evaluate the ailing radio personality and make a recommendation about his ongoing care. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge ruled Monday that Casey Kasem should be fed, hydrated and medicated while a court-appointed attorney evaluates the health of the ailing radio personality after his daughter moved to implement end of life measures.


Killers of Las Vegas cops harbored anti-government ideology: police

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:35 PM PDT

Metro Police officers stand outside a CiCi's Pizza shop after a shooting in Las VegasBy Cynthia Johnston LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The couple who shot two Las Vegas police officers to death in a weekend ambush before killing a bystander and themselves in a nearby Wal-Mart harbored anti-government, white supremacist ideologies, but are believed to have acted alone, authorities said on Monday. The suspects, identified as Jerad Miller, 31, and his wife, Amanda, 22, expressed support in social media for renegade Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, and the husband claimed to have been present at the standoff between federal agents and militia members at Bundy's ranch in April, police in Las Vegas said. Assistant Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Jerad Miller wrote in a Facebook posting he had been "kicked out" of the Bundy ranch because of his criminal history and background. McMahill added that investigators were still looking into the couple's ties to right-wing extremist groups.


Sexual assault on student sparks outrage in Egypt

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 01:22 PM PDT

In this Sunday, June 8, 2014 photo, Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi celebrate his inauguration in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian police on Monday arrested seven men for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student during celebrations marking the inauguration of the country's new president in Cairo's central Tahrir Square the day before, security officials said. Sexual harassment has been one of Egypt enduring social ills, prompting authorities last week to issue a decree declaring it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Video footage posted on social media shows the student completely naked, parts of her body bloodied as policemen struggle to escort her out of Tahrir Square. (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)CAIRO (AP) — A string of sexual assaults on women during celebrations of Egypt's presidential inauguration — including a mass attack on a 19-year-old student who was stripped in Cairo's Tahrir Square — prompted outrage Monday as a video emerged purportedly showing the teenager, bloodied and naked, surrounded by dozens of men.


Merck to pay $3.85B for hepatitis C drug developer

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:33 PM PDT

FILE - This Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 file photo shows a patch with the Merck logo on a scientist's lab coat in West Point, Pa. Merck on Monday, June 9, 2014 announced it will spend nearly $4 billion for Idenix Pharmaceuticals with a per-share bid that more than triples the hepatitis C drug developer's latest closing price. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Merck & Co. will spend about $3.85 billion for Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a small company developing hepatitis C medicines that, together with Merck's experimental drugs, could produce lucrative combo therapies that quickly cure most patients with the blood-borne virus afflicting tens of millions.


After failed peace talks, Israel divided

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:33 PM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2014 file photo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a statement during a press conference before their talk at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. The collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has laid bare deep divisions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition that John Kerry's determined but ill-fated diplomacy had allowed to be papered over. Key coalition allies are demanding a government initiative to extract Israel from the West Bank, while others say now is the moment for enhanced Jewish settlement and even annexation of some areas. (AP Photo/Brendan Smialowski, Pool, File)JERUSALEM (AP) — The collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has laid bare deep divisions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition that John Kerry's determined but ill-fated diplomacy had allowed to be papered over.


Tony Awards take a dip in the ratings for CBS

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:29 PM PDT

The cast of "Rocky" performs on stage at the 68th annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 8, 2014, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)NEW YORK (AP) — The Tony Awards with hopping host Hugh Jackman couldn't leapfrog last year's show in the ratings or the NBA Finals.


Netflix to stop posting notices that irked Verizon

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:24 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix will stop sending messages blaming Verizon and other Internet service providers for problems with its video subscription service.

Stock market creeps higher in afternoon trading

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:23 PM PDT

Trader Greg Mulligan, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, June 9, 2014. The stock market nudged higher Monday morning after a handful of U.S. companies announced acquisitions. Family Dollar's stock jumped following news that investor Carl Icahn has taken a stake in the company. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes hovered near record highs on Monday after a handful of U.S. companies announced deals. Family Dollar's stock jumped following news that investor Carl Icahn has taken a stake in the company.


Obama moves to extend student loan payment relief

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:21 PM PDT

President Barack Obama applauds during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 9, 2014, where he signed a Presidential Memorandum on reducing the burden of student loan debt. The president said the rising costs of college have left America's middle class feeling trapped. He says no hard-working youngster in America should be priced out of a higher education. Obama signed a presidential memorandum he says could help an additional 5 million borrowers. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to alleviate the burden of student loan debt, President Barack Obama expanded a program Monday that lets borrowers pay no more than 10 percent of their income every month, and threw his support behind more sweeping Senate legislation targeting the issue.


Healthy seniors tested in bid to block Alzheimer's

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:17 PM PDT

Peter Bristol of Wakefield, R.I. leaves Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I., after receiving an intravenous infusion, Monday, June 9, 2014. Bristol is part of a major study that got under way Monday to see if an experimental drug could protect outwardly healthy seniors whose brains harbor silent signs that they're at risk for Alzheimer's disease. In one of the most ambitious attempts yet to thwart Alzheimer's disease, a major study got under way Monday to see if an experimental drug can protect healthy seniors whose brains harbor silent signs that they're at risk. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)WASHINGTON (AP) — In one of the most ambitious attempts yet to thwart Alzheimer's disease, a major study got underway Monday to see if an experimental drug can protect healthy seniors whose brains harbor silent signs that they're at risk.


Obama makes a coffee shop run, avoiding most press

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:17 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama slipped out of the White House for a run to a nearby Starbucks, ahead of the knot of White House reporters who normally accompany him when he leaves the White House grounds.

Bombs against Kurds, other attacks in Iraq kill 40

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:16 PM PDT

Iraqi civilians inspect the aftermath of a car bombing in the southeastern district of New Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, June 8, 2014. A series of car bombs exploded across Iraq's capital Saturday night, killing and wounding people, in a day of violence that saw militants storm a university in the country's restive Anbar province and take dozens hostage, authorities said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD (AP) — A double bombing tore through Kurdish political party offices in northern Iraq in the deadliest of a series of attacks nationwide that killed at least 40 people, officials said. It was the second such assault in as many days.


Court: Children over 21 go to back of visa line

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:16 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that most immigrant children who have become adults during their parents' years-long wait to become legal permanent residents of the United States should go to the back of the line in their own wait for visas.

Russia, Ukraine hold gas crisis talks as deadline looms

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:16 PM PDT

By Barbara Lewis and Martin Santa BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Officials from Ukraine and Russia met late on Monday in last-minute talks brokered by the European Union to resolve a dispute that could halt the flow of gas from Russia. After popular protests toppled a pro-Moscow Ukrainian president in February, Russia raised the price it charges Ukraine for gas and has threatened to cut off supplies on Tuesday if Kiev does not pay its overdue bills. Moscow has also annexed Crimea from Ukraine, while armed pro-Russian separatists have tried to split off some eastern parts of the country. Monday's talks follow a tentative rapprochement last week when newly installed Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russia's Vladimir Putin met in France at commemorations of the World War Two D-Day landings.

Querrey, Hewitt advance at Wimbledon warm-up

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:14 PM PDT

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt serves to Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain during their first round Queen's Club grass court tennis tournament match in London, Monday June 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)LONDON (AP) — Former champions Sam Querrey and Lleyton Hewitt claimed contrasting victories on Monday to advance to the second round of the Queen's Club grass-court tournament, a traditional warm-up event for Wimbledon.


Armed man confronted shooters at Vegas Wal-Mart

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:11 PM PDT

Pictures of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officers Alyn Beck, left, and Igor Soldo are shown at a news conference Sunday, June 8, 2014, in Las Vegas. The two officers were fatally shot in a point-blank ambush by a man and woman, who then fled to a nearby Wal-Mart where they killed a third person and then themselves in an apparent suicide pact, authorities said. (AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS (AP) — Police say a shopper armed with a concealed weapon inside a Las Vegas Wal-Mart confronted an armed man who entered the store with his wife moments after the couple killed two officers in a nearby restaurant.


NCAA reaches $20M settlement of video game claims

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:03 PM PDT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA announced a $20 million settlement Monday with dozens of former college athletes over college-themed basketball and football video games produced by Electronic Arts.

Phelps to continue comeback at Santa Clara

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT

Michael Phelps competes in the men's 100m butterfly preliminaries during the Arena Grand Prix at Charlotte on May 16, 2014Santa Clara (United States) (AFP) - Michael Phelps, the 18-time Olympic champion and 22-time medal winner who came out of retirement in April, continues he comeback next week at the Santa Clara Grand Prix. USA Swimming announced Phelps was entered for the four-day meet that begins June 19 but did not detail which events he might swim. That is the American qualifying meet for next year's world championships in Russia, which is the last major global swim showdown ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.


Love locks cause fencing to tumble on Paris bridge

Posted: 09 Jun 2014 11:55 AM PDT

French police officers check out a wooden repaired section of the Pont des Arts bridge after a chunk of fencing with thousands of locks fell off under their weight in Paris, Monday, June 9, 2014. The thousands of locks that cling like barnacles to the Pont des Arts in Paris have become a symbol of danger, rather than love, after a chunk of fencing fell off under their weight. The fencing tumbled late Sunday on the pedestrian bridge, which crosses the Seine. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)PARIS (AP) — The thousands of locks that cling like barnacles to the Pont des Arts in Paris have become a symbol of danger, rather than love, after a chunk of fencing fell off under their weight.


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