In brief: State penalizes accused doctor
PHILADELPHIA – Delaware state officials Thursday suspended the license of an internationally known pediatrician accused of “waterboarding” his 11-year-old daughter.
Dr. Melvin Morse, 58, poses a “clear and immediate danger to the public health,” declared a filing published on the website of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.
Morse, who has written several best-sellers about near-death experiences and appeared on numerous TV talk shows, was arrested Tuesday at his Georgetown, Del., home after his daughter told investigators Morse waterboarded her as a punishment.
Waterboarding is the practice of causing a person to feel as if they are drowning. Used as a form of torture, waterboarding was banned in the U.S. in 2009.
According to a July police report, Morse dragged his daughter by her ankle across a gravel driveway as the girl’s little sister watched, then spanked her inside the family house.
The girl claimed her father had “waterboarded” her four times.
CNN’s Zakaria issues apology
NEW YORK – Time editor-at-large and CNN host Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by both the magazine and the network for lifting several paragraphs by another writer for his use in a recent Time column on gun control.
Zakaria apologized Friday, declaring in a statement he made “a terrible mistake,” adding, “It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault.”
In a separate statement, Time spokesman Ali Zelenko said the magazine accepts Zakaria’s apology, but would suspend his column for one month, “pending further review.”
Shortly afterward, CNN said it had removed from the network’s website a blog post that “included similar unattributed excerpts,” and has taken Zakaria off the air indefinitely.
Claims pour in after refinery fire
RICHMOND, Calif. – Hundreds of Richmond residents descended on a makeshift Chevron Corp. claim center Friday with legal claims caused by a refinery fire that fouled the region’s air for hours, sending more than 4,000 people to seek medical care for breathing problems and irritated eyes.
Thousands more submitted similar claims throughout the week by calling a special hotline Chevron established after Monday’s explosion and fire at its Richmond refinery. The company said a total of about 3,800 people had submitted claims through Friday afternoon.
Most of the claims appear to be asking for modest amounts.