FBI: Teen Girl ISIS Wannabe Praised Chattanooga Shooting

Before a 19-year-old girl from a small city in Mississippi was charged with attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS, the young woman allegedly praised the Chattanooga shooting, which claimed the lives of five American servicemen.

“What makes me feel bette[r] after just watching the news is that an akhi [brother] carried out an attack against US marines in TN! Alhamdulillah [Thanks be to God], the numbers of supporters are growing,” Starkville resident Jaelyn Delshaun Young told an undercover FBI agent in a conversation online on July 17, a day after the deadly shooting, according to the FBI. Four Marines and a Navy sailor were killed in the attack.

Overnight authorities unsealed a criminal complaint against Young and 22-year-old Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla, another Mississippi resident. The FBI says the couple planned for months to travel to Turkey in order to slip into Syria and join ISIS.

“The only thing keeping me away is $$$ but working all of this overtime will be worth [it] when I am finally there,” Young reportedly said online.

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The Vicksburg Post described Young as a high school honors student and a member of the homecoming court just two years ago. She attended Mississippi State and originally planned to become a doctor, the paper said. The FBI said she expressed interest in “giving medical aid to the injury [sic]” once she got to Syria.

According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, Young and Dakhlalla said they had an Islamic marriage for the purposes of traveling together to Syria. Initially, Dakhlalla allegedly said he wanted to use his computer science and media skills to help ISIS counter anti-ISIS messaging in the West, and then he would fight on ISIS’s behalf.

“I wish to be a mujahid akhi [holy warrior]. I am willing to fight. I want to be taught what it really means to have that heart in battle!” Dakhlalla allegedly told an undercover agent.

The couple appeared uninformed about many aspects of living under ISIS rule – they said they did not know much about Sharia [Islamic] law, and feared a test that was said to show if they were Sunni or not. ISIS follows an extreme version of Sunni Islam. Young also doubted Western media reports that ISIS uses sex slaves.

The FBI said authorities waited until the couple had their passports and plane tickets to Turkey before picking them up in a small Mississippi airport, where they allegedly confessed their plans. The couple has been formally charged with attempting to support a terrorist organization and were scheduled to appear today at a detention hearing.

Young’s parents did not immediately return requests for comment for this report. Public defenders assigned to each suspect were not made available for comment.

Dennis Harmon, a local attorney representing Dakhlallah’s family and who has known them since Muhammad Dakhlallah was a child, told ABC News Dakhlallah’s parents are “pretty shook up” over their son’s arrest.

“You know if you’ve been hit right between the eyes, you’re still shaking your head, trying to clear things up? That’s where they are right now,” Harmon said. The last the family knew, Dakhlallah was supposed to begin graduate school in psychology at Mississippi State on Monday, Harman said.

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Airlines Boost on-Time Rating, but Spirit Often Runs Late

If you get on a Spirit Airlines flight, there's a 50-50 chance that your flight will be late.

Spirit, a low-fare carrier with a clientele of mostly leisure travelers, had by far the worst on-time performance in June among 14 airlines tracked in a government report. Only 49.9 percent of its flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, which is the government's definition of being on time.

United Airlines had the second-worst rating, at 66.3 percent on time.

Overall, airlines covered by the U.S. Department of Transportation report operated 74.8 percent of their flights on time in June, up from 71.8 percent in June 2014. Hawaiian Airlines, which benefits from many short flights in mostly good weather, finished on top, with 90.5 percent of its flights landing on time.

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Influx of Migrants Increases Demand for Modular Buildings

As Europe struggles to cope with an influx of migrants, a plant in a Czech village has benefited from the crisis.

The plant, part of the modular division of Paris-based Touax Group, produces modular houses and currently can't keep up with demand from German cities and state governments that use them to house thousands of migrants.

Located in the heart of the Jeseniky mountains in a remote northeastern corner of the country, the village of Supikovice may have not seen a single of one some 200,000 migrants who have arrived in the continent this year to flee war and poverty.

But Jan Petr, the plant's marketing and export director, said on Tuesday about 30 percent of this year's production of some 75,000 square meters of space will be delivered to Germany, a popular destination for the migrants.

That share is expected to rise to up to 60 percent next year, Petr said. The plant employs 250 workers, including 30 recently hired, in a region with a high unemployment.

"I have to say that we have refused orders because we would not be capable of meeting them," Petr said. "We think this will go on for a year, year and a half but meanwhile we are also registering demand from other countries."

Sweden, another country popular with migrants, has expressed interest in their products, he said.

The modular structures the factory produces can be simply assembled for various use, be it offices, shops, kindergartens, and, in the case of the migrants, apartment houses and hotels. They provide a relatively cheap and quick solution.

The workers have been currently working on the latest order from the city of Hamburg: eight maroon apartment houses that contain 30 comfortable flats.

"They want from us quality, fully functional accommodation for the migrants," Petr said. "But no luxury."

Once they finish, the workers will immediately deal with orders from cities of Sulzbach and Munich.

Germany has been building seven centers for a total of 20,000 migrants.

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Schumer: If US Quits Deal, US Sanctions Still Will Hurt Iran

Chuck Schumer, the only Democratic senator who's come out so far against President Barack Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran, is detailing his opposition.

The New York lawmaker says even if the U.S. walks away from the deal and other countries end their sanctions, the penalties still imposed by the United States will exert "meaningful pressure" on Iran.

The deal reached last month would curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from the economic sanctions.

Schumer's view sharply contrasts with European leaders who have told U.S. lawmakers that if Congress rejects the deal, the international sanctions will unravel.

Schumer's decision was a blow to the Obama administration after White House lobbying had produced a steady stream of support from Democrats.

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Sandra Lee Will Undergo Surgery for a 'Monster' Infection

Sandra Lee is scheduled to undergo surgery today for an infection.

The lifestyle guru announced on her Facebook page that she made the decision with her partner, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"I did my very best to avoid this (when I tell you I did everything, I mean everything -- modern, Eastern and holistic) but infection is an incredible monster," she explained. "I am a long way from where I was and a long way from where I need to be, but at this point I understand that right now I just need to complete this unexpected phase of a tough journey."

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Lee, 49, was reportedly hospitalized last week after experiencing what her representative called "a setback" from her double mastectomy in May. Now, she's trying to stay positive, she wrote.

"Although this is not a game -- and not to diminish or disrespect this process -- I think about it like a tennis match, as tennis is my favorite sport. Right now the ball is in my court and it's time for a mean backhand -- and I am taking that shot," she wrote. "So my plan for tomorrow is game, set, match!"

Dear Facebook Family, I wanted to send you this note personally.Andrew and I have decided that tomorrow I will go...

Posted by Sandra Lee on Monday, August 10, 2015

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Turkish Warplanes Strike PKK Targets in Southeast

Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish rebel targets in a series of raids in southeast Turkey, the military said Tuesday, a day after heavy violence in the country left at least nine dead.

The Turkish military said jets hit 17 targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, around the Buzul mountain and the Ikiyaka region in Hakkari province, which borders Iran and Iraq, and later also targeted two anti-aircraft guns in the neighboring province of Sirnak, along the Iraqi border.

In further violence Tuesday, Kurdish rebels attacked an infantry brigade command post in Sirnak, seriously wounding a soldier who later died in a hospital.

On Monday, nine people, including five police officers, were killed in separate attacks in Istanbul and in the southeastern Sirnak province which were blamed on the PKK. The group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for bombing the police station and a subsequent attack on police officers inspecting the scene, according to the pro-Kurdish Firat news agency, which is close to the rebels. It said the attack was carried out in honor of a PKK fighter killed in a Turkish airstrike in northern Iraq.

Turkey has seen a sharp spike in clashes between security forces and Kurdish rebels in recent weeks. More than 50 people, mostly police and soldiers, have died during the renewed violence that has wrecked an already fragile peace process with the Kurds.

Turkish warplanes have raided PKK targets in Iraq and in southeast Turkey in tandem with airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria since late July. The main focus of the raids however, has been the PKK.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Turkey's battle against the PKK would continue until the group disarms.

"We shall continue our struggle until the terror organization ceases to be a threat, until the arms are laid and buried ... until not a single armed terrorist remains within our borders," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also said Turkey made no distinctions between terror groups, in an apparent response to claims that the government had concentrated efforts on battling the PKK, shifting away from combatting the Islamic State group.

The PKK has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeast Turkey. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since 1984.

On Tuesday, the U.S. consulate in Istanbul reopened for business, a day after two women opened fire at the heavily protected building.

No one was hurt in the attack which was claimed by an outlawed far-left group. Both assailants fled; one suspect was later shot and taken into custody.

Visa applicants were, as usual, searched at the entrance before being allowed into the complex. Police vehicles were stationed at a street leading to the building.

——

Berza Simsek in Istanbul contributed to this report.

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Cameroon Forces Kill 10 Boko Haram Fighters, Arrest Several

A Cameroon troop commander says forces killed 10 suspected Boko Haram fighters who had launched an attack on a town bordering Nigeria.

Col. Jacob Kodji said Tuesday that hundreds of fighters entered the border town of Ashigashia in Cameroon early Tuesday, shooting into the air. He said the insurgents retreated when reinforcements arrived to back the Cameroonian soldiers.

Col. Kodji said two soldiers were seriously wounded and 10 attackers were killed. He said some arrests were made. He said no civilian casualties were reported.

Boko Haram has extended its attacks into Cameroon.

In August 2014, insurgents occupied Ashigashia for three weeks before Cameroonian forces recaptured the territory. More than 10,000 Cameroonians and Nigerians living in the border town fled to a neighboring town in Cameroon's Far North region.

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The Goldilocks Syndrome Persists for Choosing Movie Seats

Too close! Too far back! Middle? No way, aisle.

When it comes to where you plant yourself in a movie theater, you're either a seat-specific Goldilocks or you're with one.

And if, by some miracle, you and your date, spouse, friend or gang from work DO agree on where to sit, chances are you've been privy to an angsty pre-show spat or two among the seat-selecting stressed.

Are movie-seat beefs legit, in the scheme of not-hugely-important problems, or have we lost our minds to the point where not even assigned seating can save us?

"My best friend has very strict rules on movie theater seating and it drives me insane," said Gina Mazzone in Bloomfield, New Jersey. "Originally, she would make us change our seats multiple times until she was happy."

But wait. Said best friend, Caitlin Quagliato, has her reasons.

"I'm just super picky. I try to avoid distractions. I don't like to sit too close because my neck strains. I don't like to sit too far away because I can't see," she said. "It drives my sister crazy, too. I get headaches and nobody wants to deal with me during migraines. That could be what started it."

The two 24-year-olds who met in college about four years ago remain regular movie companions, but they now stick mostly to a theater that allows for assigned seating, though — Mazzone said — "she still complains."

Anthony Pomes, 43, in the Suffolk County hamlet of East Northport, New York, doesn't complain so much as feel very, very passionately about the subject. And he doesn't routinely have the benefit of assigned seating.

It's all about "maximum movie-ness," he said, noting in particular the importance of center screen viewing and sound balance for digital systems used in theaters today.

So where is his sweet spot?

"For at least the past 15 to 20 years, I have very persistently insisted that those with whom I see movies in a theater join me smack dab in the middle of the aisle somewhere between 10, but no more than 13, rows away from the movie screen," Pomes said.

Irene Myers, 34, in Philadelphia isn't having it. She goes to a movie most weeks, about 60 percent of the time by herself to avoid the "where-are-we-sitting conversation."

It's all about control when grouped with a huge theater full of strangers, she surmised.

Movie seating, to a film buff like Pomes, is "as near to a religion as Scorsese's 'Last Temptation,'" he said, regularly dragging his wife and 18-year-old twins to theaters at least an hour ahead of show time.

"When we don't get the good seats we want, the whole feng shui is just blown," he said. "To me it's art. I would never go to a museum gallery and not look at everything."

Does this, er, fever have an origin?

"It's some kind of weird hybrid of, like, elitism and sort of trying to get home again, because I do regard film as primal," Pomes said. "My older brother took me to see 'Star Wars' in 1977. I was 5 or 6. It has that shot of that ship that just keeps going over your head. We were between rows 10 and 13. I remember that specifically."

There are other things that make Pomes a "bit batty" about movie seating.

"I don't like there to be lights coming in from another room that you see on the screen. It's ritualistic and it should be. I mean Scorsese once talked about it being like how he felt when he was a kid in church. But my wife does think sometimes that I go a little beyond," he said.

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European Tour Pulls out of WGC for 2016

The European Tour has chosen France over Firestone.

A crowded 2016 schedule because of golf's return to the Olympics means the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone has moved up from early August to late June. Next year it will be the same week as the French Open on the European Tour.

New European Tour chief Keith Pelley says Europe will not co-sanction the World Golf Championship event next year. That means a European Tour player will not get Ryder Cup points or official money from the Bridgestone Invitational next year.

That is sure to water down the field at Firestone next year. Graeme McDowell is a two-time winner in France and indicated he will not be at Firestone if eligible. It also will affect players who compete on both tours.

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Alphabet Shakeup Spells Change for Google

Google has always been a search engine and advertising business at its core but over the years it's grown into a company with diverse interests ranging from self-driving cars to home automation systems. The decision to slim down Google and make it a subsidiary of the newly created Alphabet is intended to allow each company to focus on what it does best.

Larry Page will serve as CEO of Alphabet, with fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin as president. In a blog post announcing the change, Page said that Google is "operating well today, but we think we can make it cleaner and more accountable."

Google Now Under Umbrella Company Called Alphabet

Here's a look at the biggest changes of the reorganization.

What's Part of a Slimmed-Down Google

Google will be solely focused on the company's core Internet businesses, including search, advertising, maps, YouTube and the Android operating system. Sundar Pichai, who has effectively been leading Google's day-to-day operations, will step into the CEO role.

What It Means for Investors

Google's move under the Alphabet umbrella won't affect traders. Google shares will convert into Alphabet shares, though they will continue to trade on NASDAQ as GOOGL and GOOG.

After the new operating structure is finalized in the coming months, investors can expect two segments for financial reporting beginning in Q4, with the slimmed down Google broken out separately from the other Alphabet businesses, which will be reported as a whole, according to an SEC filing explaining the reorganization.

What Else Is Under the Alphabet Umbrella

Larry Page, who is now the CEO of Alphabet, said "companies that are pretty far afield of our main internet products" will be separated from Google and become a part of Alphabet.

Google X, the semi-secret incubator that has spawned projects such as self-driving cars and Wing, a drone delivery service, will move to Alphabet. Other companies under Alphabet's control will be Nest, the connected home products company; Fiber, Google's high-speed Internet service; Google Ventures and Google Capital.

Alphabet's Role as a Parent Company

Each business unit under the Alphabet umbrella will be run by a CEO, with Page and Brin determining their compensation.

"We will rigorously handle capital allocation and work to make sure each business is executing well," Page wrote in a blog post. "The whole point is that Alphabet companies should have independence and develop their own brands."

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Meet Google's New CEO Sundar Pichai

Google's reorganization under a new parent company called Alphabet came as a surprise but the appointment of Sundar Pichai as CEO of the search giant is something many people believed would one day happen.

Well-liked, sharp and with a knack for solving problems, Pinchai, 43, has had a meteoric rise at Google where he started in 2004, first managing Chrome and Drive. One decade later, as senior vice president of product, Pichai has largely taken charge of daily operations at Google as founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped back to focus on the big-picture ideas.

Alphabet Shakeup Spells Change for Google: What You Need to Know

Born in Chennai, India, Pichai lived with his family of four in a two-room apartment, where he and his brother slept in the living room, according to a Bloomberg Magazine profile published in June.

The Pichai family didn't own a television or car for much of Sundar's childhood and didn't get their first telephone, which was a rotary, until he was 12, according to the report.

The star student earned a spot at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. He then came to the United States on a scholarship to Stanford University, where he earned a master's degree studying materials science and semiconductor physics. He followed it up with an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Under the newly slimmed down Google, Pichai will be able to help focus the company on what he knows best: product and engineering.

"Sergey and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google," Larry Page, who is now the CEO of the newly formed parent company Alphabet, said in a blog post. "I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google."

Pichai's appointment also caught the attention of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who tweeted their support.

Congratulations @sundarpichai. My best wishes for the new role at @google.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 11, 2015

Congrats @sundarpichai well deserved!

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) August 10, 2015

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The Latest: Colorado Governor Goes to See Mine Spill Impact

The latest in the Colorado mine spill (all times local):

9:53 a.m.

Colorado's governor is visiting a stretch of river contaminated by yellow wastewater that spilled from an abandoned mine.

Gov. John Hickenlooper began his visit Tuesday with a tour of a fish hatchery in the southwestern city of Durango. Cages have been placed in the Animas River there to catch fish and measure any effects on them from the spill. So far, officials say they see no problems.

Hickenlooper issued a disaster declaration for the area Monday, releasing $500,000 to assist businesses and towns affected after a federal mine cleanup operation released millions of gallons of sludge containing heavy metals, including lead and arsenic.

Stretches of the Animas River and the San Juan River it flows into have also been declared disaster areas in New Mexico.

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Discount Tire Recalls 79,513 Truck and SUV Replacement Tires

The Discount Tire and America's Tire chains are recalling nearly 80,000 light truck and SUV replacement tires because the tread can separate.

The recall affects certain Pathfinder tires made between August 2013 and May 2015. Affected tires weren't sold after May 19.

Discount Tire says it noticed premature separations on Pathfinder tires in February and started testing them. It found that the rubber coating between the two steel belts in the tire wasn't thick enough. If the steel belts crack, the tread could separate, increasing the risk of a crash.

Discount Tire says there are no reports of deaths or injuries due to the defect.

Stores will notify owners and will either replace the tires for free or offer refunds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted the recall Tuesday.

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Paraglider Prompts Sky Chase After Jail Flyover

A midair traffic stop? Almost, as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's helicopter pursued a powered paraglider that had just flown past a jail, raising concern.

A member of the sheriff's flight crew captured the brief chase that took place when the man in the paraglider flew near Los Angeles County's Pitchess Detention Center on Monday.

Jail deputies saw the fly-by and the helicopter began following him. He at first didn't obey orders to stop, but landed a few minutes later near a paintball playing field.

"At first I thought they were just looky-loos, just trying to investigate the sport, but I figured when they cut in front of me twice, I'd better turn around and land," Ron Nagin, the paraglider pilot, told KABC-TV (http://bit.ly/1huxJPl).

A sheriff's statement said Nagin was very apologetic and said he hadn't heard them because of the loud motor at his back. He said the winds took him near the jail.

Authorities said they were still investigating, but the man had no contraband, was not spotted dropping anything and was not arrested or cited.

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Republic of Congo President Reshuffles Government

The president of the Republic of Congo has reshuffled his government and replaced two ministers who opposed a constitutional reform that would allow him to run for another term in office.

The government announced the reshuffle late Monday, including the replacement of Trade Minister Claudine Munari and Public Service Minister Brice Parfait Kolelas.

President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, 71, has led the country in two separate periods totaling more than 30 years. In July he held a dialogue suggesting that the country raise the 70-year-old age limit and drop the two-term limit for presidential candidates.

Sassou-Nguesso first ruled the country of some 4 million people from 1979 until a 1992 election defeat, and seized power again in 1997 with help from Angolan troops. The country is often overshadowed by neighboring Congo.

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London's National Gallery Staff Launch Indefinite Strike

Workers at London's National Gallery on Tuesday launched an indefinite strike in a long-running dispute over privatization, closing off large parts of one of the city's top visitor attractions.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union at the famed art museum have staged a series of walkouts in recent months to protest the privatization of visitor services, including security.

Picket lines were mounted Tuesday outside the gallery in Trafalgar Square. The National Gallery said many of its main exhibition rooms were closed Tuesday, along with the main entrance and access to areas such as cloakrooms.

Museum press officer Esther Saunders-Deutsch said about 30 percent of the museum was open Tuesday, and that the impact of the strike will be different from day to day.

The gallery says no jobs will be lost and that privatization would allow it to operate more flexibly and deliver better services to visitors.

The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions says the gallery attracted 6.4 million visitors last year, ranking it second behind the British Museum.

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Prisoner Awarded $1,251; Guard Said He Couldn't Hug Wife

A jury has awarded $1,251 to a convicted killer who filed a lawsuit after he was barred from touching his wife during a Michigan prison visit.

Kevin King claimed a guard was retaliating against him for past complaints when she prohibited him from embracing his wife during a 2012 visit at the Cotton prison in Jackson. They had to sit a few feet apart.

Jurors in Detroit federal court last week awarded $1 for a violation of King's First Amendment rights and $1,250 as punitive damages.

In court filings, the Corrections Department argued it was "de minimis" — no big deal — and didn't violate the couple's constitutional rights.

"It trivializes the First Amendment to allow such a minor occurrence to constitute an adverse action," Assistant Attorney General John Thurber said.

But U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman had refused to dismiss the case before trial, saying the Kings had been deprived of their "sole form of intimacy." Some contact typically is allowed under prison policies.

The state "substantially understates the value of human contact in general and its special value to the Kings. ... It was certainly meaningful for Williams to deprive them of physical contact," the judge said, referring to prison officer Tiffaney Williams.

King, 52, is serving a life sentence for murder committed during an armed robbery in Oakland County in 1982. He has repeatedly sued the Corrections Department over his treatment in prison.

He was awarded about $1,500 after being transferred to an Upper Peninsula prison with a higher security classification — and still could collect more. King claimed the transfer was in retaliation for challenging policies on personal property behind bars.

An appeals court in June sent the case back to a federal judge in Grand Rapids to determine if the state should be hit with additional punitive damages.

In another case, a judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit over a radio. King claimed his radio was taken away for 23 days in retaliation for helping another prisoner file a grievance. The case is pending.

———

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap

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Bill to Governor Addresses North Carolina Shipwrecks

A bill making clear footage and photographs of shipwrecks held by North Carolina state agencies are public records is heading to Gov. Pat McCrory's desk.

The bill's passage comes after the shipwreck-hunting company that found Blackbeard's sunken ship off the North Carolina coast sued the state last month for $8 million. Intersal Inc. says officials violated a contract involving photos and videos of the wreck by displaying them on websites and social media without the company's watermark.

The state says it has not violated its contract.

The new bill approved Monday night does not apply to current contracts, including the one with Intersal.

The company discovered Blackbeard's sunken flagship in 1996.

McCrory's office didn't immediately respond Tuesday on the bill, which has been defended by one of his Cabinet agencies.

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Romania's a Republic, but Royal Upset Makes Headline News

Romania's former King Michael has stripped his only grandson of his royal title, a move that has stunned Romanians.

Michael said in a statement that he had withdrawn the royal titles and privileges from the popular Prince Nicholas, known for his dedication to ecology, cycling and literacy.

The king's statement Monday said the royal family should be led by someone who is "modest, well-balanced and with moral principles," sparking speculation, bewilderment and disappointment.

The popular Nicholas, 30, who was third in line to the throne after his aunt and his mother, has lived in Romania for five years and is unmarried.

In April, he cycled from the northern region of Transylvania to the Black Sea port of Constanta in a 1,000-kilometer (625-mile) journey to raise money for children's issues.

Faced with the cryptic statement, Romanians speculated that a jealous relative had sought to edge Nicholas out of the succession. His popularity has grown since the surprise announcement and his Facebook page has 23,000 likes. Reports say he has left Romania.

In real terms, the title means little, as Romania is a republic. But Romanians associate their royal family with elegance and dignity that they say their politicians lack. The head of the royal house looks after the family's properties and bestows honors.

In a statement Tuesday, Nicholas thanked people for their support.

"The royal life means leading my life in a way I find hard to accept," he said. "For this reason, I accept with a lot of pain in my heart the decision of His Majesty King Michael for me."

The third-in-line to the throne is now Nicholas' sister, Karina de Roumanie-Medforth Mills, spokesman for the royal house Ioan-Luca Vlad confirmed.

Michael, 93, abdicated in 1947 when the communists came to power, and settled in Switzerland. He was banned from Romania during communism, but authorities finally allowed him to visit in 1992.

The statement, released Monday, was signed on Aug. 1. Europe's royal families have been informed.

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Man Pleads Not Guilty to Backpack Bomb Plot on Florida Beach

A Florida Keys man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges of plotting to set off a backpack bomb on a beach to show solidarity with the Islamic State militant group.

Attorney Richard Della Fera entered the plea Tuesday in federal court in Miami for 23-year-old Harlem Suarez of Key West, who did not speak during the brief hearing. Suarez faces life in prison if convicted of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty of seeking to provide material support to terrorists.

Della Fera says Suarez, who emigrated from Cuba with his family in 2004, is no terrorist and has portrayed him as "troubled and confused." The case, which involved FBI use of undercover operatives, evolved from a series of pro-Islamic State postings on Suarez's Facebook pages earlier this year.

Suarez sometimes used a Facebook account with the name "Almlak Benitez" in which he appeared to be trying to recruit fighters for the terror group, the FBI says.

"We are the islamic state. We are isis Muslims," one posting says.

According to the FBI, Suarez told an informant he wanted to detonate a homemade bomb using a backpack filled with nails on a Key West beach after previously discussing plans to set off a bomb in Miami Beach or another Keys town. He was arrested in July after officials say he took possession of an inert explosive device from an undercover FBI employee posing as an Islamic State member.

The material support charge stems from an Islamic State recruitment video Suarez is accused of making — using a script he wrote — with the assistance of the FBI informant, Della Fera said.

"Destroy our enemies against us. Let live only who are our brothers and sisters," Suarez says on the video, according to an FBI complaint. "American soil is the past, we will destroy America and divide it in two, we will raise our black flag on top of your White House and any president on duty (cut head)."

Suarez is being held without bail in an isolation section of Miami's downtown detention center reserved for terrorist suspects, alleged senior-level drug traffickers and similar high-profile defendants. Della Fera said he will decide whether to seek Suarez's release on bail after reviewing the government's evidence.

"Without any evidence, you're just fishing around in the dark," he said. "I haven't received anything of substance in this case yet."

A trial date has not yet been set.

—————

Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com

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