Explosion In New York City Believed To Be 'intentional,' Mayor Says; 29 Injured

DEVELOPING: An explosion that injured at least 29 people in New York City late Saturday appeared to be "intentional, as sources told Fox News a second device -- a pressure cooker -- was found four blocks away.

#Explosion outside our apartment at 23rd and 6th in #newyork. Terrified. Hoping everyone is okay. pic.twitter.com/i3q4cG7aWT

— N∑H∆ (@nnehajainn) September 18, 2016

"Tonight, New York City experienced a very bad incident," de Blasio said at a news conference near the scene in Chelsea. "We have no credible and specific threat at this moment."

We are responding to an explosion at West 23 / 6 Ave. - updates to follow

— NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) September 18, 2016

De Blasio tried to calm any fears among nervous New Yorkers, saying the explosion had no terrorist connection and wasn't related to a pipe bomb explosion at a charity run in New Jersey earlier Saturday
The blast, which happened at around 8:30 p.m. on West 23rd Street in the city's Chelsea neighborhood, appeared to originate from a construction toolbox in front of a building, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. A garbage can was found mangled nearby.
Less than three hours after the explosion, investigators located a pressure cooker at West 27th Street that was attached to wiring and a cellphone, a law enforcment source told Fox News. It was not clear what was inside the device. Police advised residents of the block where the pressure cooker was found to stay away from windows facing 27th Street.

"Louder than any thunder I've ever heard in my life. Like the sky exploded. Shook the building" NYC explosion pic.twitter.com/WsY3Ax7PS7

— Liz Mandel (@elisabetherapy) September 18, 2016

Early Sunday, police said that the pressure cooker had been removed from the area and would be taken to the department's firing range in the Bronx for further analysis.
New York Police Department spokesman J. Peter Donald said several people were taken to hospitals with injuries. One of the injured suffered a puncture wound that was considered serious. Officials said the other injuries were minor, described as scrapes and bruises. All of the injured were expected to survive, the FDNY reported.
Witnesses said the explosion blew out the windows of businesses and scattered debris in the area. One witness told Fox News the explosion sent a "big cloud of black smoke" into the air as people ran from the scene. Another said a fireball shot into the air as a nearby building shook.
A National Guard member near the scene told Fox News the explosion was so loud that he put on his uniform and raced to the area.
Chris Gonzalez, visiting from Dallas, was having dinner with friends at a restaurant in the area.
"We felt it, we heard it, the restaurant went real quiet, the 26-year-old Gonzalez told the Associated Press. "It wasn't like jolting or anything, everyone just went quiet."
Rudy Alcide, a bouncer at Vanity Nightclub at 21st Street and 6th Avenue, said he, at first, thought something large had fallen.
"It was an extremely loud noise, everything was shaking, the windows were shaking, it was crazy," he said. "It was extremely loud, almost like thunder, but louder."
Fox News was told there had been no prior intelligence suggesting Saturday's events may have been imminent. Sources also said it did not appear to be a gas explosion.
The FBI and NYPD would not rule out terrorism as a possible factor but said it was too early to determine the exact cause, law enforcement sources told Fox News. Police did not say whether they had any potential suspects.
Police counterterrorism officers, a bomb squad and firefighters rushed to the scene.
"All hands are on deck," de Blasio said at a news conference Saturday night.
The blast happened in front of a residence for the blind, near a major thoroughfare with many restaurants and a Trader Joe's supermarket.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and urge New Yorkers to, as always, remain calm and vigilant," Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded.
The FBI and Homeland Security officials, along with the ATF arson and explosive task force are also at the scene.
The White House said President Barack Obama has been apprised of the explosion in New York City and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

The explosion came hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, N. J., shortly before thousands of runners participated in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors. No injuries were reported.

Green Party Jill Stein Cartoons

Johnson, Stein excluded from 1st presidential debate

Jill Stein: I will feel terrible if Clinton, Trump elected

DENVER –  The commission that oversees presidential debates has invited only Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to the first presidential debate. It excluded two third-party candidates who had hoped the event could help them talk directly to an electorate unhappy with the two front-runners.
The Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement Friday that Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein were polling too low to qualify for the Sept. 26 event. The commission since 2000 has invited only candidates polling at 15 percent or above in an average of five polls. Johnson was at 8.4 percent and Stein at 3.2 percent.
Johnson, a former New Mexico governor and ex-Republican who is running with former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, has been pushing aggressively to get into the debate. He and Stein could still qualify for the two remaining ones in October if their poll numbers hit 15 percent, but that will be challenging without the national exposure of the debate.
In a statement, Johnson slammed the commission as a tool of the Democratic and Republican parties and vowed to make the October contests. "The CPD may scoff at a ticket that enjoys 'only' 9 or 10% in their hand-selected polls, but even 9% represents 13 million voters, more than the total population of Ohio and most other states," Johnson said.

Reid in nasty battle with Trump over weight, injury

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is fond of sparring with Republican presidential candidates, but the ex-boxer started an all-out street fight with Donald Trump this week -- and it only escalated Friday after the GOP nominee responded by mocking the injury that left Reid blind in one eye.
"Trump can make fun of the injury that took sight in my eye -- I've dealt with tougher opponents. With my good eye, I see Trump is a con-artist," Reid tweeted on Friday morning.
The political brawl started on Tuesday when Reid poked fun at Trump's weight.
While accusing the press of magnifying Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis and downplaying Trump's health issues, Reid said during a press conference, “He complains about her health? What does he do? He’s 70 years old. He’s not slim and trim.”
Trump's health details released this week show he is somewhat overweight, and the candidate says he wants to lose 15 pounds. But he hit back hard at Reid for going there, making a mocking reference to Reid's 2015 home-gym accident -- which happened when an exercise band snapped, sending the 76-year-old to the ground. He broke several ribs and facial bones.
“Harry Reid? I think he should go back and start working out again with his rubber work-out pieces,” Trump told the Washington Post on Wednesday.

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Aside from the tweet, Reid also issued a written response to Trump saying with "my good eye, I can see that Trump is a man who inherited his money and spent his entire life pretending like he earned it."
This is not the first time Reid has engaged in a verbal battle with a Republican presidential nominee.
In July 2012, Reid took to the Senate floor to engage in speculation that Mitt Romney had not paid any taxes.
Speaking in the Senate on Thursday, Reid also unleashed a flurry of broadsides at Trump calling him a “human leech” and a “spoiled brat.”
Reid, who is retiring in January after 33 years in Congress, also suggested earlier this summer that intelligence officials “fake” the security briefings given to Trump.
“How would the CIA and the other intelligence agencies brief this guy? How could they do that? I would suggest to the intelligence agencies, if you’re forced to brief this guy, don’t tell him anything, just fake it, because this man is dangerous,” Reid said during an interview with The Huffington Post.
Reid’s attacks may or may not damage Trump, but one of Reid’s colleagues believes the real blow is to the Nevadan’s own legacy.
"Harry Reid, for some time now, has been going beyond the line, making statements on the floor where words should be taken down," Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Roll Call.
"And to hear in the last few months of his career, sadly, it's gotten worse. And it mainly looks bad for Senator Reid and his legacy."

Clinton campaign pushes Democratic party stars to shore up youth vote

With Hillary Clinton's lead in the polls over Donald Trump all but gone, her campaign is pushing prominent Democrats, including former primary rival Bernie Sanders, into the field in an effort to lock up the youth vote for the Democratic nominee.
The effort began in earnest Friday, when first lady Michelle Obama addressed a rally at George Mason University in northern Virginia. She warned young voters against being "tired or turned off," and urged them to rally around Clinton, "particularly given the alternative."
Despite the first lady's efforts, the Wall Street Journal reported some members of the crowd could be heard chanting "Four more years!"
Clinton led most national polls by double digits in the days following the Democratic convention, but most recent polls have the race in a statistical dead heat. Much of that can be attributed to a drop in her support among young people.
In a Fox News poll taken in early August, days after the convention, Clinton led Trump by 27 points among voters under 35. In the most recent Fox News poll, Clinton led Trump by just five points among likely voters under 35.
Many of the voters who once backed Clinton appear to have thrown their support to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. In the recent Fox News poll, Johnson only garnered the support of 8 percent of all likely voters. However, Johnson polled at 16 percent among under-35s.

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Sanders, who mounted a surprisingly strong primary challenge to Clinton with the help of overwhelming youth support, was scheduled to speak on Clinton's behalf at two Ohio colleges Saturday. A recent CNN/ORC poll showed Trump with a five-point lead over Clinton in the Buckeye State.
"I can criticize Hillary Clinton for this, that, and the other thing," Sanders told CNN Friday. "Trump literally changes his views every other day."
The self-described democratic socialist went on to call the real estate mogul "a fraud and a phony" who was running a "campaign of bigotry."
Clinton pollster and adviser Joel Benenson admitted to the Journal Friday that the campaign "closed the deal" with young voters. Another Clinton campaign official said they planned to stress a message that a vote for a third-party candidate like Johnson or Jill Stein of the Green Party was in effect a vote for Trump.
But other Clinton supporters believe the best advocate may be Michelle Obama, whom they want in battleground states as much as possible between now and Election Day.
Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director and a former Obama adviser, called the first lady "an advocate without peer."
"There is no other surrogate with the reach, credibility and respect she has," Palmieri said.

Trump says Clinton bodyguards should lose their guns 'and let's see what happens to her'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump revived another campaign controversy Friday night, sarcastically calling for Hillary Clinton's Secret Service agents to be stripped of their firearms before adding, "let's see what happens to her."
"I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons. They should disarm, right?" Trump asked the crowd at a Miami rally. "Take their guns away, she doesn't want guns. Take their — and let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK, it would be very dangerous."

There was no immediate comment or clarification from the Trump campaign about the remarks. However, the Clinton campaign had a quick reaction. Spokesman Robby Mook released a statement Friday night saying Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.
"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate," Mook wrote.
A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.
The riff recalled a remark Trump made last month that many Democrats condemned as a call for Clinton's assassination. Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, the Republican nominee said his opponent wants to "abolish, essentially, the Second Amendment."

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He continued: "By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know."
Mook said then, "A person seeking to be the president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way."
Trump later disputed that criticism, saying everyone in his audience knew he was referring to the power of voters and "there can be no other interpretation."
Trump, who has the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, eventually took to Twitter to say the Secret Service had not contacted him about the remarks.
While campaigning in South Florida, which has a large Cuban-American population, Trump also said that if he's elected president, he will reverse Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba — unless the country abides by certain "demands." Among those, he said, would be religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of all political prisoners.
Trump says he'll "stand with the Cuban people in their fight against communist oppression."
The comment marks yet another reversal for the GOP candidate, who previously said he supported the idea of normalized relations, but wished the U.S. had negotiated a better deal.
Trump also said the U.S. has a broader obligation to stand with oppressed people — a comment that seems at odds with his "America first" mantra. "The next president of the United States must stand in solidarity with all people oppressed in our hemisphere, and we will stand with oppressed people, and there are many," he said.
He added that the people of Venezuela "are yearning to be free, they are yearning for help. The system is bad. But the people are great."
Trump has often cited the country as a model of a failed state, warning that if Clinton is elected, she'll turn the U.S. into Venezuela.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed Cartoons

Dumb Ass

Missouri state senator sits during Pledge of Allegiance

Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, chose to remain seated as the Pledge of Allegiance was recited Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, in the Missouri Senate chambers.  (Julie Smith/News Tribune via AP)

Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem protest has started a ripple effect across the sports spectrum, reaching other NFL players, soccer stars and even high school student athletes. On Wednesday, his protest trickled into the Missouri Legislature.
State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, refused to stand while her colleagues recited the Pledge of Allegiance in the state Capitol. She said her silent protest on the Senate floor was intended to show solidarity with the San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Kaepernick has kneeled for the National Anthem in protest of police brutality and what he has described as social injustice against minorities in the U.S. Nasheed, who is black, said she wants to call attention to those issues and isn’t “anti-America.” Nasheed’s protest was met with silence in the chamber.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a former GOP candidate for governor who presided over the Senate Wednesday, released a statement calling Nasheed's protest an "occasion for great sorrow." He said he worried about "the example she is setting, particularly for our young people."
U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who already drew controversy for kneeling during the National Anthem before a club match, knelt again before the U.S. match against Thailand Thursday.
After the game, which the United States won 9-0, U.S. Soccer issued a statement to ESPN that said representing the country is a "privilege and honor" for any play or coach associated with the national teams.
"Therefore, our national anthem has particular significance for U.S. Soccer. In front of national and often global audiences, the playing of our national anthem is an opportunity for our Men's and Women's National Team players and coaches to reflect upon the liberties and freedom we all appreciate in this country.
"As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our flag while the National Anthem is played."
It was unclear whether Rapinoe would face any sanctions from the federation.