ABC News Headlines (1-7)

Homeless Teen Is High School Valedictorian

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:04:04 PDT

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga.) -- Becoming the valedictorian of your high school is a difficult and impressive feat in itself, but it's even more impressive for a Georgia teen who did so while her family was homeless.

Chelesa Fearce has a GPA of 4.466 and scored 1900 on her SATs, even though she and her family were without a home for most of her high school years. Sometimes they lived in shelters or inside her mother’s car. Fearce says it was tough at times.

“You'd be worried about your home life and then worried at school,” she said. “Worried about being a little bit hungry sometimes, go hungry sometimes.”

Still, she persevered. “I just had to open my book in the dark and just use a cell phone light. Just do what I had to do,” she said.

Fearce is graduating with top honors at her school in Clayton County, Ga. She will be attending Spelman College in the fall, but already has enough credits that she’ll be a college junior.

Her message?

“Don't give up,” she said. “Do what you have to do right now so that you'll have the future that you want.”

London Attack: Man Hacked to Death Was a British Soldier

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:10 PDT

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LONDON) -- British authorities are debating whether to raise the country's threat level one day after a British soldier was hacked to death by suspects shouting jihadist slogans in southeast London.

Britain's top leaders held an emergency meeting Thursday in the equivalent of the White House Situation Room, deciding whether they believe the assault could lead to more attacks.

Counterterrorism police searched a home in northeast England, according to police in Lincolnshire, and officers were seen meticulously searching a parking garage and a lawn in Woolwich, where the attack took place. They also continue to interview the two suspects, who are in the hospital under arrest after they were both shot by armed police. It's unclear whether they are cooperating with authorities.

One of the alleged attackers was a British Christian who converted to Islam, according to Anjem Choudary, the former leader of the group Al Muhajiroun, a banned Islamist Organization.

Choudary told ABC News that the killer's name is Michael Adebolajo, who converted to Islam in 2003 and changed his name to Mujahid, meaning one who wages jihad.

Choudary said Adebolajo was never a member of Al Muhajiroun, but knew him because he attended the group's rallies from about 2005 to 2011.

After 2011, Choudary said, Adebolajo stopped attending rallies. Choudary said he has no idea what Adebolajo has been doing since, and he said that Adebolajo never suggested any antipathy to British soldiers or any willingness to commit violence.

"He was a very peaceful man," Choudary told ABC News. "Never saw any kind of violence streak in him. Very quiet, timid man, in fact."

After the attack, instead of fleeing the scene, Abedolajo and his alleged accomplice invited eyewitnesses to interview them on their camera phones. Abedolajo spoke to one eyewitness while holding two bloody knives. His hands were stained deep red and he used rhetoric similar to that used in martyrdom videos.

"We swear by almighty Allah, we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone, your people will never be safe," Abedolajo said calmly, according to ITV News, which first obtained the video. "Tell them to bring our troops back so we -- so you -- can all live in peace."

The attack occurred a few hundred feet from an army barracks in Woolwich, home to the Princess of Wales' regiment and the King's Troop, a ceremonial unit. Authorities have increased security at the 10 army barracks across London, according to British officials.

British Prime Minister David Cameron praised the police response Thursday morning.

"This was not just an attack on Britain and the British way of life. It was also a betrayal of Islam," Cameron told reporters after chairing the meeting of senior government officials. "There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly barbaric act."

Police and community leaders feared violent backlashes following the attack, especially in Woolwich, which has had a past history of racial tensions.

A few hundred members of the anti-immigrant and right-wing party the English Defense League poured into the area last night, wearing masks and throwing rocks at police. And police reported two separate attacks on Muslim centers in southern and eastern England.

Police in Essex, east of London, arrested a 43-year-old who was holding a knife outside of a Muslim prayer center Wednesday night. They charged him with attempted arson as well as suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, Essex police told ABC News.

And in Gillingham, Kent, which is south of London, another man was arrested Wednesday night outside a mosque on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage, Kent police told ABC News.

British Muslim organizations were quick to condemn the attack.

"We must come together, isolate those who believe that extremism and violence are acceptable, and work to ensure that they meet the full force of the law," Fiyaz Mughal, the director of Faith Matters, said in a statement. "We as the Muslim community will work against anyone who promotes such hatred."

Still, at a moment when much of the country was upset by a crime clearly designed to shock, there were signs of impressive bravery.

After the attack, a mother of two Ingrid Loyau-Kennett approached one of the attackers and engaged him in conversation. Loyau-Kennet can be seen in a photograph calmly talking to the man. He was holding a bloody knife and she appeared unafraid.

"I just talked to him. He looked like a normal guy. He wasn't high, he wasn't on drugs. A normal guy pissed off with the fact [as he said], 'Muslim women and children are dying in their countries by the hand of white men,'" she told ITV's Daybreak. "He was very, very close to me. He was almost touching me ...I asked him, what's the point. [He said] 'war in London.'"

Support for Legal Status Holds; So Do Sizable Partisan Divisions

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:57:28 PDT

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Nearly six in 10 Americans back a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, with narrow preference for prompt action on the issue. Partisan divisions are sharp, a factor likely to be reflected in the full Senate debate ahead.

Overall, 58 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll support providing a way for undocumented immigrants to remain in the country legally “if they pay a fine and meet other requirements,” vs. 38 percent opposed. That’s similar to a 62-34 percent split last month.

A bare majority, 51 percent, also says Congress should pass a legal status law now, either alone or along with stricter border control. Forty-five percent instead say border control should come first -- as preferred by some Republicans in Congress -- or oppose action on either step.

Legal status and tighter border control both are included in a package approved Tuesday night by the Senate Judiciary Committee, with support from three of its eight Republican members and all 10 Democrats. Reflecting that outcome, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that 70 percent of Democrats support a path to legal status, as do 57 percent of independents -- dropping to 42 percent of Republicans.

Further, 52 percent of Republicans say Congress should pass border control first, or not act on either element of immigration reform. Forty-seven percent of independents share that view; it declines to 35 percent among Democrats.

All else equal, potential effects of the issue in 2014 congressional races look like a wash. People who oppose a path to legal status are more likely than its supporters to call the issue a red line in their vote preference -- but there are fewer of them, equalizing the overall effect. (Of course, all else in fact is not equal, given factors including the demographic and political makeup of congressional districts; turnout, including in primaries; the quality of opposing candidates; and the potential pull of other issues.)

Among groups, apart from partisanship, support for a path to legal status peaks among college post-graduates (72 percent), liberals (70 percent), Westerners (69 percent), nonwhites (68 percent) and 18- to 39-year olds (65 percent).

On gun control, another contentious issue, this poll finds extensive unhappiness with the Senate’s recent rejection of expanded background checks for gun purchasers; 67 percent say it was the wrong thing to do, with 58 percent feeling that way “strongly.” That’s not unexpected, since 86 percent favored expanded background checks in an ABC/Post poll in March.

Notably, even among people in gun-owning households, 62 percent say it was wrong for the Senate to reject extending background checks to cover online and gun-show purchases.

Forty-one Republican senators and five Democrats voted against the measure. Criticism in this survey is focused on the GOP: Among Americans who favored the measure, 64 percent chiefly blame its rejection on opposition led by congressional Republicans, vs. 17 percent who mainly blame President Obama for failing to secure the needed votes.

But backlash against the National Rifle Association, a prime opponent of the law, is muted. Forty-four percent of Americans say the NRA has too much influence over gun laws; that’s up by 6 points from January, but to a level it’s seen before.

Compared with immigration reform, the background-check issue appears to pose clearer electoral risk. Among the many critics of the Senate action, 55 percent say they could not support a candidate who voted against expanded background checks. It’s a red line for fewer on the other side of the issue, 46 percent, and, as noted, there are many fewer of them.

This ABC News/Washington Post poll was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York, N.Y.

Global Stocks Plunge After Japan Selloff

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:14:19 PDT

Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Wall Street may be in for a wild ride Thursday after a sharp retreat for stocks in Japan. U.S. stock futures dropped after the Nikkei index in Tokyo plunged 7.3 percent overnight, its worst one-day loss in more than two years.

Global stock markets are in retreat, hammered by a one-two punch.

The first blow was struck when U.S. markets turned from gains to losses after the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve. The minutes showed that a number of officials were ready to taper off the aggressive policy of quantitative easing, with the monthly purchase of $85 billion in government bonds. The Fed’s recent moves had helped push up stock prices.

The second shoe to drop came from China. The HSBC Purchasing Managers Index fell this month, adding to signs of a fragile economic recovery for the world’s second-largest economy is losing steam.

HSBC economist Hongbin Qu in a statement said, “The cooling manufacturing activities in May reflected slower domestic demand and ongoing external headwinds.”

China’s economic growth slowed unexpectedly in the first quarter and forecasters have cut their growth outlook for the year.

Jets' Geno Smith Hires Jay-Z's Roc Nation Agency

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:40:00 PDT

Joe Robbins/Getty Images(FLORHAM PARK, N.J.) -- New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith announced on Wednesday that he has hired Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports to represent him.

Smith, who was drafted by the Jets in the second round of April's draft and fired his original agents after falling out of the first round, is happy to have Jay-Z represent him.

"When you talk about being in New York from a standpoint of what they can do in the city, the connections that they have, I think it's a good move," said Smith, who became Roc Nation's first NFL client.

Roc Nation Sports hired its first NFLPA-certified agent, Kim Miale, and she will represent Smith.

"I'm sure he's done a lot of work and preparation on who he thinks is the best person to represent him," Jets head coach Rex Ryan said. "I don't think there will be a loss of focus or anything else. I can tell you this right now, he knows he has to focus on the job at hand. I'm confident that will happen. I don't even think about who represents him."

Smith currently finds himself in a quarterback battle with Mark Sanchez.

Jose Canseco Denies Sex Assault Accusation

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:40:25 PDT

Kirby Lee/Getty Images(LAS VEGAS) -- Outspoken former Major League Baseball star Jose Canseco is being investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman.

The LVMPD said in a statement Wednesday, "Jose Conseco has been named as the suspect in this investigation. At this time no charges have been filed and our investigation remains ongoing."

Authorities said Canseco, 48, has agreed to be interviewed about the accusations.

Canseco maintained his innocence in a series of tweets that have since been deleted. In one tweet, Canseco named his accuser, asking her, "Will u take a polygraph cause I will."

Canseco, a prolific home run hitter who played much of his 17-year career with the Oakland A's, has freely admitted taking steroids to enhance his performance while alleging that many other stars during his playing days did the same.

Inexpensive Sunscreens Top "Consumer Reports" List

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:10:29 PDT

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Before your trip to a tropical paradise, you may want to stop at Walmart or Target for the best sunscreen protection.

According to Consumer Reports, the top two sunscreens in their tests were Walmart's Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50 lotion and Target's Up & Up Sport SPF 50 spray, both inexpensive brands.

Consumer Reports says sunscreens should block both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays, and should keep working after you've been in the water.

Consumer Reports warns that you can’t always rely on just the SPF number, which is just a measure of UVB ray protection. UVB rays cause sunburn and cancer, while UVA rays tan and age skin, and they contribute to skin cancer as well. The top rated sunscreens protected against both.

Consumer Reports’ sunscreen buying guide notes that top rated sunscreens actually change from year to year. The highest rated one in 2012 came in dead last this year.

“It's hard to explain the changes but our tests did find that there are better choices,” the buying guide reads. “New labeling and test requirements from the Food and Drug Administration could have led sunscreen makers to tweak ingredients, but several manufacturers told us they hadn't changed formulations since our last tests.”