Firefighters battled a small canyon fire between business parks in Vista Monday.
Smoke rose up from the canyon near the 1300-block of Specialty Drive south of State Route 78.
Firefighters appeared to be getting a handle on the fire at 11:30 a.m.
No structures were threatened.
The 19-year-old son of a firefighter was arrested on suspicion of starting three brush fires, authorities said Monday.
Gabriel Michael Castillo, 19, of Anaheim Hills, Calif. was booked into Orange County Jail. He allegedly started three fires in Yorba Linda last week, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
No one was injured, and no structures were damaged in the fires, officials said.
Castillo is the son of an 18-year veteran Orange County Fire Authority firefighter stationed in Santa Ana, according to the statement.
The Orange County Fire Authority began investigating the case but handed over the investigation to the Sheriff's Department upon learning of Castillo's connection to a firefighter.
Anyone with information about the case can call sheriff's investigators at 714-647-7000.
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Morton Bender is known for his generosity and willingness to help others. He's now asking for the public's help to find the man who saved his life.
The 80-year-old Washington, D.C., businessman and philanthropist suffered a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in the lung – and collapsed after leaving the Uptown Theater in northwest D.C. Aug. 19.
His wife, Grace, caught him as he collapsed, ensuring his head didn't hit the sidewalk. She thought her husband of 34 years had taken his last breath.
"In seconds, ice cold, soaking wet, not breathing," Grace said.
But a mystery man was able to revive Morton before medics showed up by performing CPR. As he recovers at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Morton and his wife want to find and thank that man.
"I'd like to thank the guy who made my chest so sore," Bender said. "He saved me ... more people out there should be like him."
Doctors told the couple the Good Samaritan gave Morton a second chance at life.
And that's exactly what they want to do.
"That man saved my husband," Grace said. "He needs to be commended and recognized as a Good Samaritan."
Parishioners of Saint Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church say the four-alarm fire that destroyed millions of dollars in furniture and artifacts and left a gaping hole in the center of the historic building also revealed a miracle.
"The fire was blazing, so when we saw the fire, we thought everything burned," church treasurer and parishioner Pasha Prasko said. "But now that we can see inside, we looked at it and said it’s amazing so many icons are still there."
Although a large portion of the church’s roof collapsed, and although more than 100 firefighters doused the building in efforts to tame the blaze, several icons remained untouched by the flames at the historic church in the East Oak Lane section of the city on Sunday.
"It's a holy place, you know, and it's just not damaged the way we thought it would be," Prasko said. "We even talked about it yesterday and said it would be a miracle if her icon would be saved; and here it is, saved. I think it’s a miracle."
According to local historian Marita Krivda Poxon, in the Ukrainian Orthodox community, Saint Mary the Protectress is recognized as the protector of all Ukrainian people. A large painting of the Protectress and several other icons could be seen from the front door of the burned building in what appeared to be good condition.
"The church has a large icon, and in the center of it is the Saint Mary the Protectress herself. Apparently she was the saint in the Ukraine that protected the people of the country of the Ukraine," Poxon said.
"I think it’s a miracle that a few of the icons survived because they are mostly made of wood. I could only say that for believers they'll believe that it miraculously survived the fire; I mean the church burned, but her icon survived, and the congregation will survive. That's what it means to me."
Philadelphia firefighter Arthur Davis said he's never seen anything like it before.
"Not one of those pictures caught on fire; not the ones on the wall, not the ones on the stage, not one of them was damaged," Davis said.
"What happened was it started on the roof, the fire. But it's still amazing that with the collapse and all, this stuff is not burned. They could take it right off the wall; a lot of the pictures are still on the wall, the glass isn't broken or nothing. When it comes to fires, I've seen it all, but I've never seen nothing like this before."
At one point, 125 firefighters and 33 engines were on the scene trying to get the fire under control. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified, but officials believe it was electrical.
Father Taras Naumenko, pastor of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on 5th and Independence Street, says his parish will be supporting St. Mary's members while its leaders work to determine a plan forward.
"Their congregation will be holding their services at my parish until they figure out their future," Naumenko said.
When asked what he thinks the future could hold for St. Mary's, he said, "I think it’s too soon to even think about what their future will be."
John Prasko is chair of the parish board. He says the church is considering starting a fund to raise money, but says he's still unsure of any exact plans for rebuilding.
"Tomorrow we will have a meeting with the board to see what we will do," he said. "At that time we will have to make several decisions about moving and rebuilding, but I don't know exactly what they'll be yet."
Poxon says any attempt to rebuild would be difficult because of the historic elements of the church.
"The interior could never be rebuilt the way it was," Poxon said. "My hope is that they don't tear it down, that they don't bulldoze it and somehow portions of it can be salvaged and rebuilt because it’s a beautiful building. There are just so few stone masons that could even do the work to rebuild here."
Firefighters were still on the scene this afternoon removing large debris from the premises. Davis says church leaders should be allowed to enter the building to retrieve artifacts and mementos sometime this evening.
San Diego’s lame-duck mayor will be in office until Friday.
But already, seven prospective candidates-- only one a household name-- have filed paperwork for the race to ascend to the office still held by the disgraced Bob Filner.
Whatever the ultimate size of the field, in a short time-window for a primary election...name recognition, current political experience and major money go a long way toward the winner's circle-- or at least a runoff.
That profile seems to fit the two City Council members who helped broker Filner's resignation.
Council President Todd Gloria and 2nd District Representative Kevin Faulconer are both now considering a run for the time left in Filner’s first -- and only – term.
"It’s a very big difficult decision. It’s not one that can be made in a vacuum,” Gloria said on Sunday’s edition of NBC 7’s “Politically Speaking” program. “You know, my first priority, of course, is the city. You'll see me throw myself into the duties of the acting mayor to make sure we get the city back on track."
Said Faulconer, in that same segment of the show: "That's been our sole focus. I'll make my decision in the coming days as well. But as I go through that, I can tell you we're not going to lose focus on getting back to the business of San Diego."
Faulconer, a Republican, chairs the Council's Audit Committee, which is looking into Filner's financial dealings.
Gloria, as acting mayor, could enjoy quite an audition to serve out Filner's term. Will he need restraint, campaigning in the special election?
"It doesn't have to be electioneering,” Andrew Keatts said, who specializes in covering civic issues for Voice of San Diego. “Just doing a competent job is, in fact, making a case for yourself as the mayor."
Former Councilmember Carl DeMaio, a Republican defeated by Filner last year’s mayoral runoff, could make a case for himself -- moonlighting while he runs for Congress.
With Faulconer on the verge of vying, and given interest from Republican County Supervisor Ron Roberts -- a former Councilmember and mayoral candidate -- GOP leaders hope to focus their endorsement and money-raising efforts.
They declined to confirm accounts from NBC 7 sources that whoever gets the most votes in a privately commissioned poll involving Faulconer, DeMaio and Roberts will win the party's backing.
GOP officials said only that they're "analyzing the situation with the goal of uniting behind one candidate".
Meantime, former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher-- an ex-Republican and ex-Independent who's just turned Democrat, and was first to file papers for the race– doubts that his political peregrinations will marginalize him.
"Political parties change, people change," Fletcher said in a Monday interview with NBC 7.
"I am very comfortable now as a Democrat,” he continued. “But what hasn't changed and what will never change is my willingness to work with people regardless of any party, to move our city forward. And that's what I believe we need now."
Fletcher cited his background in the Marine Corps and State Legislature, and current pursuits as a top Qualcomm executive and adjunct professor of political science at UC San Diego: “I think I have a well-rounded base of skills."
Democratic political strategist Jon Elliott-- who once advised Filner, but authored the Democratic National Committee's resolution calling for Filner's ouster-- offers this bet on who makes the runoff:
"I think it will come down to Kevin and Todd,” Elliott said. “And I'm fine with either one of them as mayor because they have together steered City Council over the last nine months of a very bumpy ride…negotiating a very good deal for the city.”
Besides Fletcher, the other prospective candidates who have filed for the race are:
A flight attendant pleaded guilty Monday to making false bomb threats against several United Airlines flights, causing flight delays and intensive searches of passengers, authorities said.
Patrick Cau, also known as Patrick Kaiser, a 40-year-old German citizen living in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of false information and hoaxes, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As part of a plea agreement, he faces up to five years in federal prison and he will be forced to pay $267,912 in restitution to United Airlines. He also faces deportation.
His sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 18.
Cau admitted to making the false bomb threats from October 2012 to January 2013. He used pay phones in several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas and Seattle, according to the statement.
"As a direct result of Cau's threats, United experienced substantial disruption to its business operations and services, including cancellations of and delays to flights, transfer of aircraft, and significant inconveniences to United passengers," the statement said.
Cau was also expected to be ordered to pay an undetermined amount of restitution to law enforcement agencies that responded to the bomb threats.
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The 250-square-mile Rim fire that spread into Yosemite National Park as it continued to scorch a wide area of Stanislaus National Forest is one of 11 major wildfires burning this week during what has been an active fire season in California.
Photos: Southern California Wildfires
Nearly 9,000 firefighters from several local, state and federal agencies have been deployed to attack the fires amid windy conditions, according to officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The Rim Fire -- by far the largest and most active -- is now the 13th-largest fire in the state's history and one of seven that has scorched more than 10,000 acres this summer.
Nearly 3,700 firefighters were battling the Rim Fire as of Monday night. It has charred 22,000 acres in Yosemite and caused road closures around the famed national park, according to the National Park Service.
Gov. Jerry Brown toured the Rim fire burn area Monday morning. He said he's making sure the "resources" in terms of "funding and talent" would be made available to continue fighting the Rim Fire.
"Firefighters have a real challenge on their hands," Brown said. "This is one of the worst."
Brown spoke Sunday to President Barack Obama, who reiterated his commitment to providing needed federal resources, according to the White House. Brown told NBC4 that he is confident he will need to request more federal money to help fight the state's wildfires before the end of the season.
Through Aug. 17 of this year, 4,715 fires have been reported in the Cal Fire state responsibility area and the local responsibility area under contract with Cal Fire. Those fires burned nearly 95,000 acres.
During the same period last year, 3,443 fires burned about 76,000 acres.
The state has averaged about 3,000 wildfires per year since 2008, according to Cal Fire statistics.
"This is something we have to live with, and it's going to get worse in years to come," Brown said Monday.
Monday Night Update: Wildfires Larger Than 10,000 Acres
Deer Fire, Tehama County
Acreage: 10,378 acres
Containment: 70 percent
Rim Fire, Tuolumne County
Acreage: 160,980 acres
Containment: 20 percent
American Fire, Placer County
Acreage: 24,684 acres
Containment: 81 percent
Spring Peak Fire, Mono County
Acreage: 14,230 acres
Containment: 98 percent
Note: The fire is primarily in Nevada, but burned into California
Orleans Complex, Siskiyou County
Acreage: 21,188 acres
Containment: 45 percent
Corral Complex, Humboldt County
Acreage: 11,732 acres
Containment: 5 percent
Salmon River Complex, Siskiyou County
Acreage: 14,771 acres
Containment: 95 percent
Aspen Fire, Fresno County
Acreage: 22,800 acres
Containment: 95 percent
On Sunday, crews contained the 4,500-acre Mission Fire at Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County.
The two largest Southern California fires are the Little and Gobblers fires, burning east and southeast of Los Angeles.
The Gobblers fire began Aug. 19 in steep terrain near Lytle Creek, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. The 400-acre fire was 90 percent contained Monday morning.
Fire investigators said a lightning strike started the fire.
The Little fire began Aug. 24 in chaparral and scattered timber south of Lake Hemet, about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The 100-acre fire was 50 percent contained Monday morning.
The fires were sparked after one of the driest California winters on record. A May snowpack survey found levels at only 17 percent of normal, raising concern about summer fire activity.
The map below displays Cal Fire wildland fire incidents.
View California Fire Map in a larger map
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A number of Kroger's Break 'N Bake chocolate chip cookie dough packages are being recalled after peanut butter cup cookie dough was accidentally packed into the product, according to a statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
ConAgra Foods recalled the 16-ounce packages due to a risk of possible reactions by those with peanut allergies. No illnesses have been reported.
The recalled items were sold in 26 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The recalled items were sold at stores such as Kroger, Dillons, Baker’s, Gerbes, Foods Co., Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Jay C, Owen’s, Pay Less, Scott’s, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s stores.
The affected package has the following UPC and use-by date:
Anyone who purchased this product should return it to the store where originally purchased for a full refund.
Kroger’s Southwest Division stores in Texas and Louisiana were not affected by the recall. The recall also didn't apply for Kroger’s Delta Division stores in western Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, western Kentucky and southern Missouri; and King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Consumers with questions should call 800-252-0634.
Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., will serve as base camp for USA Hockey over the next two days, as players, coaches and management prepare for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Except for participating in youth practices, however, none of the 48 players who could potentially represent the United States in international competition will take to the ice during the orientation camp due to the exorbitant insurance costs needed to cover their contracts (the combined total of 47 contracts -- Rangers restricted free agent center Derek Stepan is currently unsigned -- is about $1.06 billion).
Without the benefit of on-ice instruction, USA Hockey's brain trust will rely heavily on the first three months of the NHL season to evaluate which 25 players will ultimately make the roster, which will be announced around Jan. 1, according to general manager David Poile.
"There has to be a body of work that you look at when evaluating players," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "There's no trial, there's no on-the ice time here, there is a body of work from each player here. Having said that, the next three, four months is the key time to establish that. How you're playing for the three, four months will be important."
The group tasked with selecting Team USA for the Olympics in February includes Poile, associate general manager Ray Shero, director of player personnel Brian Burke and USA Hockey assistant executive director Jim Johannson. An advisory council of American NHL general managers, comprised of Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), Stan Bowman (Chicago), Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Dale Tallon (Florida) and Pittsburgh scout Don Waddell, will be responsible for scouting and grading players throughout the 2013 portion of the 2013-14 season.
Every game between October and December will serve as an audition. While most players said Monday that their primary focus will be on helping their respective NHL clubs, others admitted that impressing the USA Hockey management team will be on their minds as well.
"You've got a job to go do with your team, but it will always be there knowing that if you had a bad night, you're like, 'Oh boy, you've got to turn it around quickly because you're going to run out of opportunities to make it,' " Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien said. "You've got to make every chance count."
Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamVingan and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.
A Southern California school district is starting the new academic year paying close attention to what its students are saying online.
The social media "eavesdropping" program started last year as a pilot project in three schools in the Glendale Unified School District.
District Superintendent Dr. Richard Sheehan said it worked so well, it’s now expanding to all middle and high schools in the district.
“With modern technology, unfortunately we have to try and stay a step ahead of the kids,” Dr. Richard Sheehan said.
“We’re not trying to hide anything, because the whole point of this is student safety.”
The Glendale Unified School Board approved spending $40,000 to hire the Hermosa Beach company Geo Listening to monitor students’ public posts on websites like Twitter and Instagram.
They’re on the look-out for things like cyber bullying and suicidal tendencies.
The program was instituted after Drew Ferraro, a 15-year-old student at Crescenta Valley High School, jumped to his death from the roof of the school last year.
The superintendent says he believes the eavesdropping program has helped save other kids from trouble by intervening early when disturbing posts were made.
But some students are not happy about it.
“I think it’s a bad idea because everybody deserves their privacy,” said Crescenta Valley High School student Matilda Sinany.
The 14-year-old Sinany is among the students at Crescenta Valley High School who don’t want school officials eavesdropping on their Internet activities.
Some parents support the idea.
“I think it can nip it in the bud if someone is being attacked or something negative is being said about a student,” Felicia Collins said.
Some students started a Facebook page called Remove Your School – instructing students to remove the name of their school so their posts can’t be tracked.
“If you think it’s a problem, just put your posts private so no one else can see them besides your friends,” student Michael Aguiar said.
NBC4 reached out to the monitoring company Geo Listening. The CEO did not want to appear on camera, but said there is no invasion of privacy because they only monitor public posts
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning people about a new email scam that appears to be targeting people at work.
According to the FBI, the email is made to look like it’s coming from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The subject line is “Search for Missing Children,” and an infected zip file is attached.
FBI officials said this appears to be “spear phishing,” targeted attacks looking for information rather than money. Unlike email phishing, spear phishing attacks aren't random. Scammers try to trick employees to download something that gives the bad guys access to a business's computer network.
The FBI urges people not to click on suspicious links or download unknown attachments they receive through email at work.
Anyone can report spear phishing to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. Click here to read tips from the Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team on how to prevent attacks.
A 27-year-old man was killed in a forklift accident at the Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido Saturday, officials confirmed.
The fatal industrial incident – which occurred while the man was on the job -- happened just before 5 p.m. at the brewing facility located at 1999 Citracado Parkway.
The victim was later identified as 27-year-old Matthew Courtright (pictured below). Stone Brewing Co. has him listed as a brewer at the company.
According to a report released Sunday by the county medical examiner’s office, Courtright was operating a forklift when, for unknown reasons, the machine rolled.
Officials say Courtright sustained fatal injuries to the chest. He was transported to Palomar Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The incident remains under investigation, and police say officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will handle the case. Officials said the investigation could take up to six months.
A Osha representative also said in the last five years there haven't been any workplace safety complaints at the company.
Stone Brewing Co. operations and tours of the Escondido facility temporarily shut down Sunday due to the investigation, but reopened Monday morning.
NBC 7 reached out to the Stone Brewing Co. for comment and the company’s public relations specialist, Sabrina LoPiccolo, released the following statement:
“It is with a very heavy heart that we communicate a tragedy involving one of our valued friends and Team Stone colleagues. We are deeply saddened that one of our own passed away from complications resulting from a forklift accident at our Escondido brewery on Saturday, August 24. Our deepest condolences go out to the team member’s family. Out of respect for the team member’s loved ones, we are not releasing the individual’s name at this time.
We have launched an investigation and are working with authorities to determine the cause of the accident. In the interim, we have closed down brewing operations as well as tours of the brewery today (Sunday, August 25) and anticipate resuming all operations tomorrow (Monday, August 26).
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido will remain open as will Stone Company Store – Escondido. People expecting to take a tour of the brewery today will be offered a guided beer tasting at the bar located inside Stone Company Store.
We will refrain from commenting further until additional details and information is acquired and the investigation into this incident is complete. Thank you for the outpouring of support we have already received. Our sympathy is with the family and everyone affected by this tragedy."
The brewery will also observe 24 hours of silence on social media beginning today in honor of Courtright, according to LoPiccolo.
A man who opened fire on Interstate 805 in 2011 has been found guilty.
Enrique Ayon, 26, was convicted of seven charges, including premeditated attempted murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle.
Ayon injured one person and hit two others cars during a string of shootings in October 2011. Ayon managed to escape initially, but was later found by police in Los Angeles. A few months after his arrest, he underwent a mental competency examination.
Investigators believe Ayon acted alone during the shootings.
He faces life in prison when he is sentenced in October.
View Locations of Highway Shootings on Oct. 3, 2011 in a larger map
The man who ran over his own brother, killing him, will spend the next 12 years in prison.
On Monday, a judge sentenced Camilo Perez-Ruiz. Perez-Ruiz originally pleaded not guilty to murder charges, but later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Perez-Ruiz admitted he intentionally ran over his brother, 44-year-old Joaquin Perez-Ruiz, after an argument last September. The incident happened on Villa Cardiff Drive in Encinitas.
According to investigators, Camilo hit Joaquin with his truck and fled. He later returned and called 911 before leaving again. Police arrested him the next day.
The victim left behind a wife and seven children in Mexico, according to family members.
A district manager for the City of San Diego has filed a new sexual harassment claim alleging the mayor held her in a choke hold and pressed his elbow into her breast.
Special Section: Mayor Under Fire
Stacy McKenzie, the Mission Bay Park District Manager, decided to introduce herself to Mayor Bob Filner at a family event on April 21 at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay.
McKenzie said Filner asked her to lunch then grabbed both of her hands and explained that it would not be a business lunch but would be a date.
She removed herself from the conversation and walked across the parking lot and found two of her employees, park security guards.
Soon after, she claims that Filner put his hands on her from behind and grabbed her in what she describes as a chokehold that ended with Filner's elbow resting on her breast.
"It was an intimate hold that was getting more and more sexual," McKenzie told NBC 7.
McKenzie explained to the mayor that he was embarrassing her. She said he laughed and walked away.
Later on, she said she was disappointed in the mayor.
"He was going to hold me in place until he was done with me," she recalls. "He got his little chuckle out of me turning red."
It wasn’t until McKenzie heard the mayor’s address to the city council on Friday that she decided to file a legal claim.
NBC 7 has obtained the claim against the city of San Diego and Filner filed by attorney Dan Gilleon on Aug. 26.
She has decided to file a claim for $500,000 alleging sexual harassment involving a supervisor, negligence of the city to prevent it and gender violence – that the mayor battered her for sexual gratification.
“It was a slap in the face to all women who have filed or who have not filed or just women in general,” McKenzie told NBC 7 on Monday.
McKenzie reported the incident to people within the city and on July 16 filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity office according to her attorney.
She also contacted state and federal authorities as well as with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's victim hotline.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith was not surprised to learn of the claim Monday morning. “We had investigators all over City Hall,” Goldsmith told NBC 7 News. “We were aware of this.”
Goldsmith said the case is among the category of claims that should the city be on the hook, his office will be able to seek reimbursement from Filner should they choose to do so.
More than a dozen women have spoken out publicly alleging sexual harassment or other unwanted sexual advances by Filner during his time as mayor and as U.S. Congressman.
Mayor Filner, who has resigned effective Friday, faces one sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson.
On Friday, after the council agreed to terms leading to his resignation, Filner likened the allegations to unsubstantiated rumors.
“Not one allegation, members of the council, has been independently verified or proven in court. I’ve never sexually harassed anyone," the mayor said.
If she could say something to Mayor Filner right now, McKenzie said she would tell him to own his actions.
“What you did was sexual harassment,” she said. “It’s time to stop pointing fingers at everybody and start looking at yourself.”
Julian Assange might be going stir crazy at the Ecuadorian embassy where he has been holed up for a year.
The WikiLeaks founder appeared in a rap video released on Monday wearing a mullet wig as he sang and lip synced to a parody of John Farnham's 1986 hit "You're the Voice." The lyrics were rewritten to include lines like "We've got to make things leak, so we can get much bolder."
The video, produced by Australian duo Juice Rap News, mocks the upcoming federal elections, comparing it to HBO's hit show "Game of Thrones." Assange is running for a seat in the Australian Senate, even though he is stuck at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He is wanted in Sweden on a sexual assault charge.
The show's producers, who worked with Assange in a previous episode, wanted to make their season finale a "really special event," according to a statement.
"We realized that doing another rap cameo with Julian would be something that our audience had seen before, so we searched for some ways to make it bigger, better and more mind-blowing," show producers Giordano Nanni and Hugo Farrant said in the statement.
To pitch the idea, Nanni visited Assange at the embassy with a backpack full of mullet wigs in tow.
"Julian tried on the power mullet and gave it some good hard thought of the course of the afternoon. In the end he was happy for us to write the episode and come back a week later to film it," they said.
The video cuts to Ecuador's embassy in London at about the 3:45 mark, where Assange appears in a normal suit. He's then given a makeover and shows up on camera wearing a mullet wig, a neck tie around his head and a muscle T-shirt with the word "Australia" on the front.
Then the lip syncing begins. The famous whistleblower - now appearing in black and white - fist-pumps and dances his way through the 80s pop song while b-roll of fighter planes and spaceships loom in the background.
Check out the music video below:
Could the Washington area play host to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games?
Local nonprofit DC 2024 announced its intention Tuesday to submit a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.
The group says the district, Maryland and Virginia are more than equipped to handle the event.
"With more state-of-the-art sports infrastructure in a 40-mile radius than any other U.S. city, thousands of hotels and lodging options, and a vast and expanding transportation system, the Greater Washington region is one of the best and most qualified in the world to host an event of this magnitude...," DC 2024's President Bob Sweeney said in a statement released at 10 a.m.
The group says hosting the Olympics would cost the region $4 billion to $6 billion. But they claim with proper planning, the economic impact could be greater than the cost.
News of a possible bid got quick support from Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who released this statement:
"We look forward to assisting the Washington Olympic Committee in presenting the nation's capital and fabulous surrounding region to the Olympic sporting world. We are fortunate to have most of the venues needed in an internationally recognized city that is accustomed to staging high-profile events."
DC 2024 suggests using existing stadiums in the region, and building out the region's existing transportation and housing options.
The announcement comes six months after the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sent letters to the mayors of 35 U.S. cities to gauge their interest in hosting the games.
Over the next few months, D.C. 2024 group will work on its bid to the USOC, which is expected to make a decision on a U.S. city partner in September 2015.
This isn't the first time Washington's thrown its hat into an Olympic ring. A joint effort by D.C. and Baltimore to host the 2012 Olympics failed in 2002. New York ultimately won the chance to be the United States' candidate, but London's bid was selected.
The 2012 D.C. Olympics committee said their Olympic plan was built around a "relatively compact corridor" through Baltimore, Prince George's County, Washington and Northern Virginia.
The Olympics last came to the United States in 2002, when Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games. Atlanta was most recent U.S. city to host the Summer Games, in 1996.
A so-called "mega-yacht" may be coming to a Southern California harbor this weekend. But some residents are opposed to plans to have this and possibly another yacht moor right in their backyards.
It is described by some as a personal cruise ship. Harbor officials say there has never been a boat the size of the Invictus on Newport's waterways. It stands five stories tall and 216 feet long, or the size of a 20-story building.
The yacht belongs to billionaire Rick Caruso, who plans to christen the vessel as early as this weekend, and there is only one place deep enough to moor the 580-ton yacht: the Newport Harbor at the Lido Marina Village.
"I think it would be weird to have a boat sitting directly in the middle of the harbor, but if they're paying for it they might as well get what they're paying for," said Nathan Bryant, owner of Suplove, a paddle board business.
Bryant said he hopes that the boat brings him big bucks from people who are curious enough to see the ship and then maybe try out paddle boarding.
But Cassandra Vasquez, of Windward Sailing Co., said she would rather see the water than a big boat.
"Why would they let a 216-foot long boat moor in here?" said Vazquez. "It's a small harbor, I think."
Other residents are concerned the yacht will be noisy and emit fumes.
City officials are poised to give Caruso a two-month permit, with the promise that the boat will only be in the harbor for four weekends. There are no docks big enough to hold it, so The Invictus must bring its own moorings.
"Our focus is really to attract a different size vessel and to be more visitor friendly," Harbor Resource Director Chris Miller said. "Certainly there is a [mooring] fee involved."
Based on what the city charges at $38 per foot per year, the fee comes out to $1,368 for two months. But harbor officials said they are not doing it for the money.
"Our goal is to test it and see if it works," Miller said.
Caruso's office declined to comment on the situation.
The owner of a second boat that is about 130 feet long is also asking for a permit to moor at the harbor and have a wedding onboard. The "mega-yachts" would not be parked at the same time.
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