North Korea: Shocking Warning To America WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pentagon is scrambling to protect America’s power grid amid fears of attack by North Korea. Former CIA Director James Woolsey:

"According to the Congressional EMP Commission, a single warhead delivered by North Korean satellite could blackout the national electric grid and other life-sustaining critical infrastructures for over a year – killing nine of 10 Americans by starvation and societal collapse.”

President Trump is facing this threat head-on and he is not backing down. He told Reuters, "There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely."

North Korea realizes they can’t beat us with brute military force on the conventional battlefield. We are way too strong for that.

However we do have a weakness that North Korea or other foreign terrorists can use against us…

Our crumbling electric grid.

Former CIA official Dr. Peter Pry warns, “There is an imminent threat… to the national electric grid and not just to a single U.S. city.”

When our electric grid fails, it will be like watching America have a heart attack right before your eyes. Because when the heart stops pumping… everything shuts down and the patient flat lines.

Our enemies could cripple our great country in a matter of minutes, without having to fire a single bullet. They could just sit back and watch as we self-destruct through looting, rioting and the targeting of police officers.

It’s a frightening idea, but worst of all…

It may already be happening.

On April 21, three major U.S. cities – New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco – experienced virtually simultaneous power outages. Businesses emptied. Schools closed. Subway commuters were stuck underground in the dark.

Rumors immediately started flying that a cyber-attack had caused all three blackouts.

The "official" word in San Francisco was that the outage was caused by a fire in a substation. In Los Angeles, high winds were blamed. In New York, an equipment failure was the announced culprit.

Perhaps those were the real causes. Or maybe these simultaneous blackouts were dry runs for future attacks.

We may never know the truth.

But former CIA Director Dr. Peter Pry says that attacks on just 9 of the nation’s 55,000 electrical substations could result in nationwide blackouts for up to 18 months.

Our government is woefully unprepared.

It seems like the government has been fixated on taking more and more away from people who worked hard to earn it, while doing virtually nothing to secure our nation’s infrastructure.

They’ve ignored dire warnings from experts about the grid’s vulnerability to physical, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and cyber-attack by North Korea, Russia, China and even ISIS and other terrorist groups.

“Our death toll would be staggering” reports FOXNews. We’re all fine when the power goes out for a few hours and even days. But an extended blackout would be devastating.

Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy predicts, “… should the power go out and stay out for over a year, 9 out of 10 Americans would likely perish.”

Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Your life would be frozen in time right at the moment the power fails. Lights all over the country would go out, throwing people into total darkness.

Without access to a generator, your fridge, electric range and microwave would be dead. All the food in your fridge and freezer would spoil.

Your well couldn’t pump any fresh water into your house. And even if you don’t have a well, a total grid failure means no fresh water to drink, cook, or clean with.

You wouldn’t be able to operate your radio or TV, or charge your cell phone, so you’d feel isolated and cut off from your friends and family.

Sadly, this is NOT science fiction or some crazy doomsday theory…

And retired CENTCOM General Lloyd Austin says, “It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”

Will you be prepared for this devastating crisis… one that could take months or even years to recover from?

How will you stay safe… warm… and protected?

That’s why many Americans are taking matters into their own hands and are securing their own solar powered generator.

Solar generators are a smart choice because they produce an endless supply of life-saving electricity when you need it most – and without gas, fumes or noise.

That’s enough to power lights for safety and comfort, your computer, TV, or cell phone. Even small appliances like a small freezer or critical medical device that will sustain your family during a power outage.

Imagine how much peace of mind you’ll have right away when you get your own. Because if a crisis hits and your family asks, “When will the power come back on?” you’ll calmly reassure them that they’re safe and they will have plenty of electricity to power the critical items.

You’ll be able to power lights… preserve food… recharge cell phones and computers… or keep critical medical devices going.

Your home will be a little island of light and warmth in a storm – be it natural or man-made.

Listen, nobody can predict the future. None of us know exactly when or how an attack on our electrical grid will hit.

But from everything we see, it could be soon and it could be devastating.

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Missouri Police Still Searching for Man Who Killed Officer

Police are searching for Ian McCarthy, of Clinton, Mo., who is wanted for first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the fatal shooting of Clinton police officer Gary Michael during a traffic stop Sunday. (AP Photo/Missouri State Highway Patrol)

The Missouri Highway Patrol is still searching for a man wanted in the murder of a Missouri police officer, The Kansas City Star reportedTuesday.


"We're following up any leads," Sgt. Bill Lowe told reporters in Chilhowee earlier Tuesday where officers had surrounded a home. "Any lead we get is a good lead until we deem that it didn't work out."


Ian James McCarthy, 39, allegedly shot officer Gary Michael, 37, late Sunday during a traffic stop and fled in his SUV before crashing it a few blocks away. He then abandoned the vehicle and escaped on foot.

"We've searched a school, we've searched buses, we've searched wooded areas, we've searched another home in Clinton," Lowe said. "This is no different. We're doing everything we can to find him."
Michael, who had been with the Clinton Police Department for less than a year, was shot in the chest with what was described as a "long gun." Police afterward found a .223 rifle casing on the seat of McCarthy's SUV.

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Future Tense Amid opioid crisis, some patients turn to tech alternatives

David Nipple was riding his motorcycle on a highway in Tennessee when he was hit by a drunk driver. His left leg was severed above his knee.

Medical workers didn't expect him to survive. He was bleeding quickly and had to be airlifted to nearby Nashville for treatment.

That was in 2014. Since the accident, Nipple has gone to rehabilitation and had multiple surgeries on his arm and leg.

He was prescribed narcotics, but he didn't want to take them.

"I don't care to take that stuff. I've seen what [opioid addiction] has done to too many people ... and other amputees, too" Nipple told CNN Tech.

The U.S. is in the midst of an opioid epidemic -- more than 90 people die from opioid overdoses each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These deaths include those from prescription drugs, such as oxycodone, as well as illegal drugs like heroin.

Opioids are drugs that change the way your brain perceives pain. They can be addictive and people taking them often develop a tolerance, so they need higher doses for the same effect as time goes on.

As an opioid alternative, Nipple found a clinical trial through Facebook to test a wearable device called the Sprint PNS System from startup SPR Therapeutics.

The device uses small electrical pulses to stimulate nerves, providing patients targeted pain relief without drugs, surgery, anesthesia or a permanent implant. Nipple was among a small group of people who wore the device for about 8 weeks in 2015.

The SPRINT PNS system.

The wearable stimulator, which is about the size of an Apple Watch, is attached to the skin via a patch. It connects to a thread-like wire, which delivers the electrical pulses. It's inserted by a physician near the nerves causing pain.

The wire is removed at the end of the 30-day treatment period. The company is in the process of commercializing the device, which received FDA clearance last year.

Nipple, who said his pain was on average an eight or a nine (on a scale of one to 10), noticed relief soon after after using the device. His pain levels dropped to about a one or a two.

More than two years after the trial, he's more mobile and sleeping better. He's even ridden his 3-wheel Spyder bike from North Carolina to Wisconsin.

David Nipple with his Spyder bike.

Study participants experienced similar results: The company found 72% of patients treated with the Sprint system had a 50% or more reduction in pain intensity or pain interference. About 78% of users still had "clinically significant" pain relief 12 months after receiving the treatment.

However, because the device is new, there aren't other studies on its effectiveness besides the company's own data.

Nipple's interest in an opioid alternative is a part of a growing trend. A new study, conducted in part by SPR, released on Thursday found 92% of respondents would look for surgeons who offered effective pain management options that did not include opioids.

Patients are "absolutely" more cautious about taking opioids now, according to Stephen Leffler, chief medical officer at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

"I frequently see [patients] who say 'I don't want opiates for this,'" Leffler said. "People are definitely acutely aware of the risk of opiates and opiate addiction."

Although devices that use electrical stimulation to alleviate pain aren't new, there are more options on the market now.

Beyond Sprint, there are simple devices like a Tens unit, which can be purchased at a pharmacy for around $50. Other small devices require a permanent implant to stimulate the spinal cord.

The devices work by stimulating nerves electrically at a high enough frequency for a certain period of time, creating what feels like a vibration.

"You trigger the pain centers in the brain to produce your own pain modulators called endogenous opioids," said Shai Gozani, the founder and CEO of NeuroMetrix, which makes a tech wearable for chronic pain called Quell. "They're opioids but natural opioids."

This essentially tricks the body into overproducing these natural opioids, interfering with pain signals reaching the brain.

NeuroMetrix's Quell wearable also works on this general principal. The device -- which was cleared by the FDA for chronic pain three years ago -- looks like a knee brace and has Bluetooth capabilities. It works with an accompanying app that can track sleep and various other health metrics.

NeuroMetrix's Quell tech wearable.

"I should point out that it does not work for everybody," Gozani said. "You don't know who's going to benefit."

About 81% of patients in Quell's clinical study saw a general improvement in their chronic pain.But similar to SPR's trial, there's little information about the device's effectiveness beyond the company's own data.

That is a concern among experts.

"There is a need for independent research on any medical treatment. This helps everyone in the field understand the true efficacy," said Andrew Huhn, a postdoctoral fellow in the behavioral pharmacology research unit of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

There also haven't been studies about which type of pain these devices are most useful for.

Some users have complained that these wearables can cause skin irritations from the band, but otherwise, no adverse side effects have been reported thus far.

Anna Lembke, a Stanford associate professor and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, said the technology is a promising alternative for patients to consider because the method is less risky than drugs.

"Anything we can promote that's shown to be effective -- that doesn't involve ingesting an opioid -- is a good thing," Lembke said.

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'They have nothing to lose. We do': Australia struggles with extremist threat

For most young Australians, the violence and extremism of Syria feels a world away. But for a tiny minority, ISIS exerts a powerful allure, leading a small but significant number to head to the Middle East to take up arms.

And while the de facto capital of the self-described ISIS caliphate is more than 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from Sydney, the murderous group's reach is keenly felt here -- as Australia reels from what police say was a narrowly averted, ISIS-assisted plot to bring down a plane.

For some, the ISIS connection is real and immediate.

"I know two friends, two personal friends of mine who traveled to fight for ISIS," says a 20-year-old university student who asks to remain anonymous, out of safety concerns.

"One was my best friend from primary school, the other guy I saw at the gym -- he was very close to my brother-in-law.He was a groomsman at my sister's wedding."

For a small number of Muslim Australians living here, theirs is a life of alienation, he says. The university student, who is from Melbourne, tells CNN that despite what they have in common, many young Muslims are made to feel like strangers in their own land.

"I do believe it's because of a lack of belonging here in Australia," he says from his university campus. "When anyone travels overseas often there we're known as Australian. Here in Australia we're known as foreigners."Around 220 Australians have traveled to Syria and Iraq, where around half are believed to be currently fighting or engaged with terrorist groups, according to an Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) spokesperson.

Counter-terrorism experts like Greg Barton, chair of Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University, believe the figures could be even higher. He estimates as many as 260 Australians could have traveled to the region, most of whom have taken up arms with ISIS.

While the Muslim population in Australia is relatively small, a study last year from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggested the country ranks highly in comparison to other English-speaking nations when it comes to the number of ISIS foreign fighters per Muslim population.

Hass Dellal, executive director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, says communities need to provide a much stronger counter-narrative around the allure of groups like ISIS.His foundation has received funding from the Australian government to run workshops that teach families, police and community workers to look for the warning signs of radicalization.

"The messaging that's coming out is nothing but propaganda, and it's about luring them into a false sense of security," Dellal says, listing some of the messages of inclusion he says ISIS tells disaffected Australians.

"'We'll make you feel better. We'll make you feel important. We'll give you a family. We'll give you a sense of belonging. We'll give you some worth. Come and fight for a cause.'"

CNN interactive: Behind the mask - From altar boy to ISIS fighter

Armed police are seen outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia.

Ticking time bombs

While the prospect of radicalized Australians traveling overseas is worrisome, there is a more local, pressing problem.

There have been five terror attacks in Australia since September 2014, when the national terrorism threat level was raised, and 13 "major (counterterrorism) disruptions" -- foiled plots -- according to an Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) spokesperson.

The most high-profile attack to date was the December 2014 siege on a Sydney cafe where a self-styled Muslim cleric took 17 people hostage. Two hostages and the gunman died.

The latest threat was exposed last week, when two men living in Sydney were charged with terror-related offenses. They have not entered a plea.

Federal police allege they were involved in a shocking plot, the "most sophisticated" ever conceived on Australian soil, which centered around an attempt to bomb a passenger plane, though the plan was aborted.

They were also allegedly planning to launch a poison gas attack in a crowded public place.

If the perpetrators hadn't been thwarted, the attacks would have been "catastrophic," Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said.

The men had been in direct contact with a senior ISIS commander who sent bomb components to them in the Sydney suburbs, police allege.

With ISIS suffering defeats in Iraq and Syria, there's concern it will pull out all stops to demonstrate it remains a potent force.

Those at home -- with connections abroad -- are the ones experts say need to be watched, says Barton.

"In some cases we've got ticking time bombs. People who are broken, confused and if approached and groomed by those who want to use them, could once again become dangerous."

Australian PM: ISIS is 'terrorism with global ambitions'

A Police officer watches over an ongoing operation in Surry Hills on July 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.

Under siege

There are around 600,000 Muslims in Australia, the vast majority of whom disavow ISIS' brutality.

One high-profile Muslim community leader told CNN that news that the plot was disrupted was met with relief.

"Relief because they were caught before the act, and relief for those innocent people," said Jamal Rifi, a Australian Lebanese Muslim GP, who has run his own surgery in Sydney for 27 years.

Relief too, he noted, "because just imagine the sort of backlash that would happen to the Muslim community if something like this takes place."

Many Muslim groups, particularly conservative Salafi communities in Sydney and Melbourne, say they feel under siege by the rise of conservative politics in Australia, says Clarke Jones, a criminologist at Australian National University who works in de-radicalization and counter-terrorism.

"You have people who feel racism, particularly young people who don't have those critical thinking skills. It's a complex issue, so the solutions are very complex too."

Schoolgirl, man arrested in Australia in connection with ISIS fundraising

Muslim community leader Dr Jamal Rifi and family members lay a wreath at the makeshift memorial at Martin Place after the 2014 shootings at the Lindt coffee shop in Sydney's Martin Place. Sydney Australia.

Outreach

The university student who saw two of his friends travel to ISIS-held territory says the government isn't doing enough to deter them.

"It will be a lot more worse than it is now because we are not doing enough to stop it and if (ISIS) have any means to contact people they will do it. They have nothing to lose. We do."

The government has poured tens of millions of dollars into de-radicalization programs across the country that work with communities and families to identify early warning signs.

And while prevention is hard to measure, organizers are confident they're seeing results, particularly from efforts to work with Muslim communities and their leaders to nip radicalization in the bud.

"There aren't many mothers who are going to dial a hotline and dob in a son even if they feel something is wrong," says Dellal.

"But they may do something at the grassroots level, if they're connected to people they can trust and confide in."

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Why 'A Nasty Boy' magazine is causing a stir in Nigeria

Bold, disruptive and totally unapologetic, a new Nigerian online magazine 'A Nasty Boy,' is set to ruffle a few feathers.

"Sometimes our visual content will not be safe for the workplace... we won't make it any easier for you with our provocative editorials and swear words; take it in good spirits," read's the magazine's disclaimer.

The magazine is filled with provocative images, featuring nude models, articles contain swear words and avant-garde ideas.

In Nigeria, a conservative country, where public expressions of nudity are uncommon, 'A Nasty Boy' is unsurprisingly causing controversy.

But for editor Richard Akuson, the publication is sending out a clear message: he's not interested in fitting the status quo.

'There has to be room for people that don't fit in'

Growing up, Akuson says he was bullied for being different.

"I was always called a boy-girl," Akuson told CNN.

"In university, I was called a yansh man which means a guy with a big butt...my classmates thought I was too polite, in their words too polished and that was not the way guys were meant to be."

It was this idea, that a man or woman is meant to behave in a particular way, that Akuson sought to challenge through 'A Nasty Boy.'

Photos: Boys: An editorial by Richard Akuson

"There cannot be one singular kind of Nigerian man or woman, there has to be room for other definitions that don't necessarily fit that opinion," he adds.

Akuson had previously launched three other publications but says none of them felt right, he was pushed to publish 'A Nasty Boy,' after a run in with internet trolls.

Celebrating 'otherness'

"I once did a story on EJ Johnson... and how I felt his wardrobe could inspire, but the conversation in the comment section completely moved from the subject matter to me. 'Why are you always interested in stories like this?; and some responses were 'Oh you know Richard is gay'"

"That was the awakening for me," he said. "And from that morning I knew I would start 'A Nasty Boy.'"

Lust, desire, and fruit: Defying sexual politics in Johannesburg

Akuson says after his experience he knew the time had come for a platform that allowed for self-expression and shape-shifting ideas and explored "otherness in fashion, people and culture."

"There are people who do not fit the status quo but are however very Nigerian," he explains. "We should hear their stories and also celebrate them."

'Fear of association'

While the public is slowly warming up to his publication, there is still fear and hesitation to be publicly associated with the magazine Akuson claims.

A large chunk of the magazine's readership resides in Nigeria, Akuson notes that the number isn't reflected in their social engagement. He feels it's because people are still weary to be publicly associated with subject matter that could be considered taboo.

In an photo editorial called 'Boys', Akuson tried to challenged the perceived notion of strangeness surrounding men being naked around one another. After it was published, he observed something unusual.

Black Dandyism: When dressing got political

"I could see from my analytics that the photo had been seen many times but the engagement was not as much. Then I got messages and calls from people who thought it was impressive work and I asked, 'why didn't you leave a comment?'"

Funding also poses a huge problem for his ambitious publication with potential investors questioning its importance.

"We have met people who just say outright that this is not a necessary publication, it could be something else, and it doesn't have to be this. They don't understand why it's necessary."

Bold and unapologetic

But Akuson does, and is driven by the effect the magazine has on people who connect to the message and need to celebrate difference.

Akuson shares the story of a photographer who collaborated with him on an editorial, whose father broke his camera because he found photos of naked men on it. The incident prompted the photographer to give up on photography, but seeing his work in 'A Nasty Boy' feature on a British website lit his fire again.

Financial setbacks and going against the grain of Nigeria's conservative principle aside, Akuson's focus is in one direction and he is doing it boldly, and unapologetically.

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