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This company says it can make top-shelf whiskey in just a few days
Bespoken Spirits says it is using science to produce better whiskeys. Now, it has several million dollars to prove it can.
New Orleans Begins Removing Second Confederate Monument
By Madison Park, Keith Allen and Jason Hanna CNN (CNN) -- As police stood between opposing crowds, a crew lifted a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its pedestal before dawn Thursday in New Orleans -- the latest in a contentious plan to dismantle four Confederate monuments in the city. The statue, which stood for 106 years, is the second Confederate monument to come down after the New Orleans City Council voted to remove the four landmarks in 2015. After years of heated public debate and legal battles, recent court decisions paved the way for the city to relocate the four monuments. Dozens of people -- a crowd opposed to the monument's removal as well as those backing it -- gathered early Thursday at the Davis statue before the operation began, at times screaming insults and threats at each other. Police separated the sides with barriers. As the statue was lifted shortly after 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), those who wanted it removed cheered and sang the chorus from "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." One person held a sign that read, "Bout Time." The monument's supporters at that point watched mostly in silence, some holding up Confederate banners. Earlier, some monument supporters chanted, "President Davis," and one man saluted the statue. It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take workers to remove the pedestal. The city government kept quiet about the timing of the removal, citing what it said were threats that some had made toward contractors who would do the work. But word about the plans spread Wednesday when the principal of a nearby school told parents in a letter that she'd been told the removal would happen overnight, and that they should know a street would be blocked off in the morning, CNN affiliate WGNO-TV reported. Part of a larger controversy The New Orleans monuments are part of the larger controversy surrounding Confederate symbols, which some say represent slavery and racial injustice. Supporters say they represent history and heritage. The issue became especially prominent after the 2015 massacre of nine black parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church by a self-described white supremacist. "These monuments have stood not as historic or educational markers of our legacy of slavery and segregation, but in celebration of it," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement released Thursday morning. "To literally put the Confederacy on a pedestal in some of our most prominent public places is not only an inaccurate reflection of our past, it is an affront to our present, and a bad prescription for our future. We should not be afraid to confront and reconcile our past." Jefferson Davis statue dedicated in 1911 The Davis statue stood on top of a roughly 12-foot column and depicted the Confederate president with his right arm outstretched, towering over the street also named after him. Davis lived in New Orleans after the Civil War and died there in 1889. The statue was dedicated in 1911. In 2004, the words "slave owner" were painted on the base of the monument. How they extracted the statue Police had cordoned off the 6-foot tall bronze statue of Davis with a chain-link fence to keep protesters out. Workers wore helmets as well as what appeared to be tactical vests and face masks. Cardboard and tape covered contractors' names on equipment involved in the controversial operation -- the same methods used during the first Confederate landmark removal April 24. Around 4 a.m., two workers approached the Davis statue in a work lift and wrapped part of it in green plastic. They tied the statue's torso with yellow straps, securing it to a crane. One worker dislodged the statue's base from the column using a long flat tool. Two more statues scheduled for removal Last month, the city dismantled the first of its four monuments scheduled for removal -- an obelisk commemorating the Battle of Liberty Place. The monument marked a deadly fight between members of the Crescent City White League, a group opposed to the city's biracial police force, and state militia after the Civil War. The remaining two monuments -- those of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard -- are also scheduled for relocation. Landrieu's office has not revealed when the two remaining statues will come down. The mayor's office said the city has secured private funding to remove the moments. Landrieu said the statues will be put in storage while the city looks for a suitable place to display them, such as a museum. CNN's Nicole Chavez and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.
'Fire is still out of control' As Massive Blaze Forces Thousands to Evacuate
Pushed by powerful Santa Ana winds, a Southern California fire spread with explosive speed to 26,000 acres on Monday night, forcing thousands to evacuate in the dark.
For at least the third time this year, a 6-year-old has brought a gun to school. 2 adults are now facing charges
A woman in Pennsylvania and a man in North Carolina were charged this week after a six-year-old in each case brought a gun to school, officials said, marking at least three times an elementary school student has brought a weapon to campus this year, including when a six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher in Newport News, Virginia, last month.
Michelle Obama's Healthy School Lunch Program in Jeopardy?
One of Michelle Obama's signature accomplishments as first lady may be in jeopardy under the Trump administration.
Sia Beats Nude Picture Seller To The Punch
Sia may not want you to see her face, but she's apparently not as shy about her other parts. The "Chandelier" singer, who usually performs with a wig obscuring part of her face, on Monday shared an image she said was of her nude.
Democrats, it's too soon to cheer Trump's defeat
One need not listen hard these days to hear the sound of Democratic pollsters and pundits gleefully cheering that the end of President Donald Trump's term in power is finally in sight -- Joe Biden's Inauguration Day on January 20th, 2021.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is not running for re-election
In a message on his Facebook page, Chaffetz thanked supporters and announced he will "not be a candidate for any office in 2018."
The Academy invitees include "Girls Trip," "Black Panther" stars
Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall and Jada Pinkett Smith are among those taking a girls trip to the ranks of the Academy. The "Girls Trip" stars are among the 928 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year as the organization continues the push to diversify its membership.
Nine out of 10 people are biased against women, UN report finds
Almost nine out of 10 people hold “fundamental biases” against women, a new UN report has found, decrying a “decade of stagnation” that has led to a dismantling of women’s rights in many parts of the world.
Harvard To Host Commencement Ceremony Honoring Black Students
Optional ceremony aims to honor the achievements of black students and share their experiences with the community
Transcript: Hillary Clinton's DNC speech
Read former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's speech from the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as prepared for delivery:
Trump: Ask Kelly Whether Obama Called After His Son Was Killed In Action
President Donald Trump, in defense of his claim that President Barack Obama didn't call the loved ones of fallen soldiers, floated the idea Tuesday that reporters ask his chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, whether Obama called him after his son died in Afghanistan.
9/11: 'A gray cloud of debris rolled violently toward us...'
Three-hundred and forty-one New York City firefighters. Twenty-three New York City police officers. Thirty-seven Port Authority police officers. Three court officers. Two EMS workers. Thousands of innocent civilians. Numbers alone, of course, cannot do them justice.
Wall Street Journal Adds 300,000 Subscribers In Last Year
It has not stressed the necessity of its journalism, à la the New York Times and its "Truth is Hard" ad campaign or The Washington Post with its new slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness," nor has it made a big deal about subscriber growth in the wake of Trump's election.
'She was going to be someone.' Families and friends remember the victims of the Uvalde school massacre as the first funerals are held
Ten-year-old Maite Rodriguez wanted to be a marine biologist before she could say the words.
Woman billed $90 for a short Uber ride
A short ride caused a long list of unexplained charges for a disabled Omaha woman that depends on Uber for trips to the doctor and pharmacy.
O.J. Simpson Described 'Blood and Stuff' in 2006 Hypothetical Murder TV Confession
It took 12 years for the tapes to surface, but television audiences were able to finally hear what Fox billed as O.J. Simpson's "shocking hypothetical account" of the 1994 murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman.
World's Second Biggest Diamond Sells for $53 Million
The world's second-biggest diamond has finally found a buyer. After failing to sell at a Sotheby's auction last year, the 1,109-carat uncut stone has now fetched $53 million in a private sale to luxury jeweler Graff Diamonds.
Trump Judicial Nominee Invoked Nazi Germany In Describing Treatment of Christians In US
President Donald Trump's nominee for a federal judgeship in Texas invoked religious crackdowns by the Nazis in Germany and other totalitarian regimes to describe the treatment of Christians in the US during three interviews in 2013 and 2014.
