Christina Grimmie: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and more react

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CHRISTINA CRIMMIE
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(PEACE NEWS)The violent death of Christina Grimmie has left her supporters in mourning.Celebrities immediately took to social media after learning that the 22-year-old Season 6 finalist on "The Voice" was shot and killed Friday during a fan meet-and-greet.

"Behati and I are absolutely devastated and heartbroken by Christina Grimmie's death. Our hearts go out to her family," wrote Adam Levine in a photo caption with Grimmie on his Facebook and Twitter accounts. Levine was Grimmie's coach on the NBC singing competition series in 2014.Grimmie performed at the Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, Florida, and was headed to meet fans alongside the punk band Before You Exit, when a man shot her. Grimmie's brother tackled the gunman seconds before he turned the gun on himself.

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50 killed in Florida nightclub, shooter pledged ISIS allegiance

FLORIDA ATTACK
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(PEACE NEWS)A gay nightclub here was the scene early Sunday of the worst terror attack in U.S. history since 9/11.

"It appears he was organized and well-prepared," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said early Sunday. The shooter had an assault-type weapon, a handgun and "some type of (other) device on him."

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack on jihadi forums, but ISIS sympathizers have reacted by praising the attack on pro-Islamic State forums.

Officials, aided by the FBI, warned that a lengthy investigation was ahead given the number of victims and the scope of the violence.

"We know enough to say this was an act of terror and act of hate," President Obama said in an address to the nation from the White House.

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Euro 2016: Russia, England threatened with disqualification over violence

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EURO 2016
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(PEACE NEWS)Russia and England could be kicked out of the Euro 2016 championship if their supporters are involved in further acts of violence at the tournament, UEFA has warned.

UEFA's executive committee told the football associations of both countries Sunday that their teams could face further sanctions -- including potential disqualification from the tournament -- if their fans were involved in a repeat of the scenes that marred their fixture in Marseille Saturday.

UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, has already opened disciplinary proceedings against the Russian Football Union over its supporters' behavior in Marseille.

It faces charges of crowd disturbances, racist behavior and setting off fireworks Saturday in the southern French city's Stade Velodrome.

France braces for intense security around Euro 2016 championship

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Muhammad Ali: Boxing legend, activist and 'The Greatest' to a world of fans

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MUHAMMAD ALI (LATE)
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(PEACE NEWS)His hands and his mouth were furiously fast. His skill as a boxer made him "The Greatest" in his mind and in the minds of many others.

He antagonized opponents with his taunts, amused reporters with his boasts and angered government officials with his anti-war speeches. At the same time, he goaded a stubborn, hard-nosed society with his stinging jabs against pervasive racism.

Since the mid-1960s, he was one of the most famous faces on Earth, and even though his appearances in recent years were few, the name Muhammad Ali still sparked smiles all around the globe.

His death Friday at age 74 came after a lengthy battle against Parkinson's disease. Ali was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, three years after he retired from a boxing career that began when a skinny 12-year-old Louisville, Kentucky, amateur put on the gloves.He is survived by his nine children, including daughter Laila, who, like her father, became a world champion boxer; and his fourth wife, Lonnie.

Ali was known in the ring for his lightning hand speed -- unusual for a heavyweight -- for his showmanship and for his brashness and braggadocio when a microphone was put before him. He taunted opponents before matches, trash-talked them during and proclaimed his greatness to reporters afterward.

He stayed on his toes, literally, during a bout, sometimes quickly moving his feet forward and backward while his upper body stayed in place. The mesmerizing move became known as the "Ali Shuffle."

Fans on every continent adored him, and at one point he was the probably the most-recognizable man on the planet.

But he also was a controversial figure at home, announcing his conversion to Islam and name-change after an upset title win over Sonny Liston, then refusing to enter the draft for the Vietnam War and publicly speaking about racism in the United States.

Gareth Bale stars as Wales defeats Slovakia to make history

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GARETH BALE
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(PEACE NEWS)It has been 58 years since Wales last played in a major tournament -- but it was worth the wait in the end.

Hal Robson Kanu's 80th minute strike ensured Wales prevailed 2-1 over Slovakia in its opening game of the 2016 European Championship finals in France.

Wales, which had taken an early lead through Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, was forced to battle hard with Slovakia drawing level courtesy of Ondrej Duda's solo goal.

But with 10 minutes remaining, Robson-Kanu, on as substitute, reacted quickest to fire the ball home from inside the penalty area and spark wild scenes of celebration in Bordeaux.

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Why Muhammad Ali was 'the greatest' American Muslim

Why Muhammad Ali was 'the greates

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MUHAMMAD ALI WAS
A GREAT LEGEND...
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(PEACE NEWS)It was a fitting end to this country's most famous Muslim life: Family and friends gathered around the bed of Muhammad Ali, the boxer whose conversion to Islam decades ago sent countless seekers and sportswriters scrambling in search of a Quran.

Whispering good-byes into his ears, the family recited a series of prayers and passages in Arabic from the Muslim holy book, including the well-known invocation in Al-Fatiha, the Quran's first chapter.

"It was a very smooth and somber transition from this world," said Imam Zaid Shakir, a prominent Muslim scholar who ministered to Ali and his family for the past six years, including the boxer's final hours. "It was a moment that united his family and his children."

Before he died at age 74 last Friday, Ali composed a message to be conveyed this week in Louisville, Kentucky, said Shakir, who will lead Islamic funeral prayers there on Thursday. A memorial service will follow on Friday.

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Cannes Film Festival: Red carpet

RED CARPET

RED CARPET
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CANNES FILM FESTIVAL THE ANNUAL RED CARPET 

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Obama tells military grads U.S. needs 'steady' leader

OBAMA
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(PEACE NEWS)President Barack Obama Thursday used his final commencement address at a U.S. military academy to talk about the security challenges facing America, to make the case for a steady commander-in-chief, and to urge that America not look away from the world in isolationism.

While Obama did not mention presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in his remarks to graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he rebutted some of the foreign policy arguments Trump has put forward -- proposals that lean toward reducing America's role in global affairs.

"As we navigate this complex world, America cannot shirk the mantle of leadership," Obama said. "We can't be isolationist. It's not possible in this globalized, interconnected world. In these uncertain times, it's tempting sometimes to pull back and try to wash our hands of conflicts that seem intractable, let other countries fend for themselves. But history teaches us, from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, that oceans alone cannot protect us. We cannot turn inward."

The President said being commander-in-chief was the "highest honor of my life."

Obama added that while the country faces big challenges, American values like freedom and equal opportunity inspire the world, including immigrants striving to reach U.S. shores.

The speech to the Air Force Academy's class of 2016, which was more a tribute to the school's 812 graduates and to the U.S. military, highlighted the threats facing national and global security, from terrorism to Russian aggression to the conflict in the South China Sea.

Obama's remarks came just hours before former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was to deliver a foreign policy address in California in which aides said she would slam Trump's foreign policy approach and lay out why she believes he is "unqualified" and "unfit" to serve as president.

Obama also argued that treaties -- some of which Trump has questioned -- help keep America safe, citing as an example the treaty that established NATO.

Obama opened his remarks hailing the airmen he has come to know as president and joking that some days he spends more time with those in the Air Force than with his own family.

"I'm really gonna miss Air Force One," the President said, after noting the crew's punctuality, the fact that he does not have to take off his shoes before he flies, and that his luggage never gets lost.

"We can never know what the future holds but in the not so distant future when I'm no longer president, I will sleep knowing men and women like you serve to keep us free."

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Democrats weigh how to nudge Sanders out...

Democrats weigh how to nudge Sanders out

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(PEACE NEWS)Democrats in Washington have begun discussing how to encourage Sen. Bernie Sanders to end his campaign without alienating his legions of supporters, as party leaders grow eager to unite the party behind Hillary Clinton and provide a more robust defense for her candidacy.

In private conversations on Capitol Hill, senior Democrats are weighing how to persuade Sanders to step aside without appearing as if they are trying to strong-arm him out of the race. In a phone call last month, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid made the case to Sanders why it would make sense for him to leave the race after New Jersey and California vote on June 7, according to sources familiar with the conversation.

The widespread view, according to interviews with senators, House members and senior party officials, is that Sanders needs to see the writing on the wall himself: That he has no mathematical possibility to win the race and would be better-served to see his agenda enacted if he urged his backers to support Clinton.

"We will walk out of our convention with a nominee," Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat and active Clinton surrogate, told CNN. "We should be able to walk into the convention in a consolidating mode."

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Prince died of opioid overdose, newspaper reports

PRINCE
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(PEACE NEWS)Music legend Prince died of an opioid overdose, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the investigation into the singer's death.

Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died April 21 at the age of 57, after being found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Paramedics performed CPR but were unable to revive him, authorities said. An autopsy was conducted the day after his death but official results have not been released.

BY PEACE NEWS REPORTER