Free Republic

Lilia Luciano, a Miami-based NBC News correspondent, is no longer working for the network, TVNewser has learned. Luciano last reported for NBC News March 31. Until that point, she had been reporting mainly on the Trayvon Martin story. Sources tell TVNewser Luciano’s dismissal came after an investigation which also led to the firing of a seasoned NBC News producer over a similar, misleading edit. In a story for the “Today” show on March 20, Luciano used part of the George Zimmerman 911 call in which an entire phrase (italicized below) was taken from a later part of the conversation: Zimmerman:...

ROME, Italy, September 7 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has issued a statement mourning the death of Luciano Pavarotti, a staunch supporter of the refugee cause and of UNHCR's work around the world. In a statement, UNHCR said it was "deeply saddened" by the death early Thursday of the celebrated Italian tenor, who was 71. Tributes have been pouring in from around the world. "Nature equipped him with one of the most individual, unmistakable and beautiful voices there has been," noted Britain's The Guardian newspaper. Pavarotti also used his immense talent to help others. "A United Nations Messenger of...

- He formed alliances with crime bosses in major markets, among them Boston, New York, Chicago, and New Orleans. These would come in handy years later when his son was running for national office. Among his mob associates was Frank Costello, former boss of the Luciano crime family, who bragged, "I helped Joe Kennedy get rich." Sam Giancana, who would later figure prominently in Jack's presidency, called Joe "one of the biggest crooks who ever lived."