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¡¡¡¡ENCINITAS, California ¡ª A California woman says she was scammed at a gas station by a performance 'worthy of an Oscar.'"We pull in and my husbands about to pump in the gas," said Alice. An ordinary trip to fill up turned eventful last month at a Shell gas station in North County, California."I see a man pull up in a black SUV, brand new and shiny," said Alice. Alice says a man in his 30s got out of the GMC Yukon and approached them."He was in head-to-toe designer clothes," said Alice. In the backseat were a well-dressed woman and a little girl."He says, 'Excuse me, Sir. I'm here vacationing from Dubai with my family and my wallet was stolen,'" said Alice. The man asked for some money for gas and then took out a ring."Here, take my ring. It's worth 0. I have money and plenty of jewelry at home. I just need money for gas and food," said Alice.Alice told the man to keep the ring and then had her husband put in on a pump with their credit card."I believed their story ... I put myself in their shoes. I would be devastated, and I would want someone to help me," said Alice.Days later, she learned from her cousin in Los Angeles those strangers were scammers."I was the fourth person she knew of personally that this happened to. I was duped," Alice said.Then this past Wednesday, she was back at the gas station and filling up, when she saw something familiar. It was another new GMC Yukon.Inside was a different family. She saw them talking with a young man, before pulling out a ring."I ran over put my hand in front of the guy and said, 'You should be ashamed of yourself. This is a scam!" Alice said.She learned the family had a similar story about vacationing from Dubai. The SUV sped off."It makes me angry. It's the giving season and they take advantage of that. They're actors. They played their part perfectly. They're going to get an Oscars, and I handed them the award," said Alice.Alice believes both vehicles had out-of-state license plates. She says she contacted the sheriff's department but was told this incident would likely be defined as panhandling, which isn't a crime. 2115
¡¡¡¡Federal authorities are investigating after officials in Massachusetts confirm that a ballot drop box in Boston was set on fire early Sunday morning.According to WCVB-TV in Boston, a ballot drop box out front of the Boston Public Library's main branch in Copley Square was set ablaze around 4 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Crews eventually extinguished the fire with water.According to WCVB, an "incendiary device" was used to start the fire. WBTS-TV reports that the FBI is investigated in the incident."For the next several weeks, it is a top priority of our offices to help maintain the integrity of the election process in Massachusetts by aggressively enforcing federal election laws," the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said in a joint statement.Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin also both condemned the incident in a joint statement.¡°What happened in the early hours of this morning to the ballot drop box in Copley Square is a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime,¡± the statement read. ¡°Our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process and ensuring transparency and trust with our voters, and any effort to undermine or tamper with that process must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask voters not to be intimidated by this bad act, and remain committed to making their voices heard in this and every election.¡±Officials later determined that there were 122 ballots inside the drop box at the time of the wire. Of those ballots, 87 were legible and able to processed. Thirty-five ballots were damaged, and WBTS reported that "up to 10" cannot be counted.Officials say any Massachusetts voter who dropped off their ballot at the library between 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and 4 a.m. ET on Sunday should check the status of their ballot on the state's tracking website or contact the city's Elections Department.The incident comes just over a week after a ballot box in southern California was set on fire in an apparent act of arson. 2109
¡¡¡¡ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) ¡ª A 12-year-old who got a hold of a firearm accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday.Escondido Police say the boy was at his home in the unincorporated area of Escondido just before 6 p.m. when he found a revolver. He started handling the firearm and a single round fired, striking him in the leg.The boy was taken to a nearby hospital with a non-life threatening injury. RELATED: 10-year-old in custody after firing shotgun at SDPD officers, police sayDetectives recovered the revolver at the scene and say that they believe the boy accidentally fired the gun.Police are currently investigating how the child obtained the gun at the home. 675
¡¡¡¡Europe is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws?and cotton buds in a bid to clean up the oceans.The European Commission wants to ban 10 items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and on beaches. The list also includes plastic plates and drink stirrers.The draft rules were unveiled Monday but need the approval of all EU member states and the European Parliament. It could take three or four years for the rules to come into force.The legislation is not just about banning plastic products. It also wants to make plastic producers bear the cost of waste management and cleanup efforts, and it proposes that EU states must collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 through new recycling programs.The European Commission estimates that these rules, once fully implemented in 2030, could cost businesses over €3 billion (.5 billion) per year. But they could also save consumers about €6.5 billion (.6 billion) per year, create 30,000 jobs, and avoid €22 billion (.6 billion) in environmental damage and cleanup costs.The Rethink Plastic Alliance -- an association of environmental organizations -- called the proposals "a leap forward in tackling plastic pollution" but criticized some perceived shortcomings.The proposals do not set targets for EU countries to reduce the use of plastic cups and food containers, it said."This could result in countries claiming they are taking the necessary steps as long as any reduction is achieved, regardless of how small," the alliance said in a statement.The proposal also faced criticism from the plastics industry.Plastics Europe, which represents manufacturers, said it supported the "overarching objective" of the proposal but said there must be more resources dedicated to "waste management" to ensure better collection of used plastic."Plastic product bans are not the solution," it said in a statement, and noted that "alternative products may not be more sustainable."On a global basis, only 14% of plastic is collected for recycling. The reuse rate is terrible compared to other materials -- 58% of paper and up to 90% of iron and steel gets recycled.Research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050, which has spurred policy makers, individuals and companies into action.Last month a group of more than 40 companies including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever and Procter & Gamble pledged to slash the?amount of plasticthey use and throw away in the United Kingdom.Starbucks also announced in March it was launching a million grant challenge to solicit designs for a cup that's easier to recycle. 2689
¡¡¡¡Federal health officials Wednesday issued insurance coverage rules designed to deliver on the promise that every American will have access to free COVID-19 vaccines when they are approved.The regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, will also increase what Medicare pays hospitals for COVID-19 treatments. The changes arrive at a time when coronavirus infections are rising in much of the country, signaling a third wave that could eclipse the number of cases seen earlier this year.Congress and President Donald Trump have already enacted legislation that calls for vaccines to be free, but the new rules were needed to align that policy with the many arcane payment requirements for public and private insurance.¡°CMS is acting now to remove bureaucratic barriers while ensuring that states, providers and health plans have the information and direction they need to ensure broad vaccine access and coverage for all Americans,¡± agency head Seema Verma said in a statement.The rules aim to resolve potential legal issues over whether Medicare could cover a vaccine that receives ¡°emergency use authorization¡± from the Food and Drug Administration. That¡¯s a step short of full approval, and questions arose about whether Medicare could pay under its standard coverage policies.Under Wednesday¡¯s announcement:¡ª Seniors with traditional Medicare will pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines, and any copays and deductibles are waived.¡ª The government will pay private Medicare Advantage plans to administer the vaccine to seniors. Enrollees will not be charged.¡ª Workplace and individual health insurance plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine as a preventive service, with no cost sharing. The requirement applies to the vast majority of private plans, which are mandated to cover approved preventive care under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act ¡ª even as the Trump administration is trying to overturn that law at the Supreme Court.¡ª State Medicaid and Children¡¯s Health Insurance plans will have to provide vaccines for free for the duration of the coronavirus public health emergency.¡ª Doctors, clinics and hospitals vaccinating uninsured people will be able to get paid through a federal fund set up to assist health care providers under financial stress.The regulations take effect immediately.A White House-backed initiative called ¡°Operation Warp Speed¡± seeks to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. The government is spending billions of dollars to manufacture vaccines even before they receive FDA approval, thereby cutting the timeline for delivery. Officials at the FDA have pledged that the program will not interfere with their own science-based decisions. Vaccines that do not meet the test for approval would be discarded. 2791