ads by Clixsense

Monday, August 26, 2019

A Manhattan-sized rock mass. Heading for Australia.

Trump on "dreams and windmills" and a massive pumice "raft" en route for Australia. It's Monday's top news. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
usatoday.com

The Short List
 
Monday, August 26
An aerial view of the pumice raft making its way to Australia.
A Manhattan-sized rock mass. Heading for Australia.
Trump on "dreams and windmills" and a massive pumice "raft" en route for Australia. It's Monday's top news.

A company is forced to share responsibility for an opioid crisis. Trump shares his thoughts on "dreams and windmills." And I share a picture of my cute dog.

It's Ashley. Let's talk about today's news. 

But first, mugshots on a plane: A Southwest Airlines agent entertained delayed flyers with a "worst drivers license picture" contest

Australia's Great Barrier Reef could be saved by this giant volcanic 'raft'

There's a giant layer of volcanic rock heading straight for Australia.  It sounds kinda sketch, but it's a good thing: The floating pumice stone is carrying a ton of sea organisms (Algae! Barnacles! Corals! Crabs!) that could soon aid recovery of the Great Barrier Reef, which has been damaged by climate change. The range of organisms could help restore the world's largest coral reef. Where'd the rock come from? The pumice "raft" was spotted by the NASA Earth Observatory days after an underwater volcano 130 feet deep may have erupted near Tonga. 

Oklahoma's opioid crisis? Blame Johnson & Johnson, judge says

An Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries to pay $572 million to help abate the opioid crisis in Oklahoma,  a landmark decision likely to be appealed to the state's highest court. "The opioid crisis is an imminent danger and menace to all of us," Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman said. "The defendants ... misleading marketing and promotion of opioids ... compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans." Opioid overdoses killed 4,653 people in Oklahoma from 2007 to 2017, according to state Attorney General Mike Hunter. It will take $17.5 billion over 30 years to to abate the crisis, state officials said.

Wealth first. Catastrophic climate change second.

President Donald Trump's first priority is to maintain the nation's wealth, not climate initiatives he described as amounting to "dreams and windmills." Trump on Monday told reporters at the G-7 summit in France that "I'm not going to lose that wealth. I'm not going to lose it on dreams and windmills, which, frankly, aren't working too well." Trump's remarks came after he skipped a G-7 session focused on climate, biodiversity and the health of oceans. The president has been at odds with other G-7 members, especially host France, after announcing in 2017 that the U.S. would formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. But Trump pushed back on Monday, telling reporters he is an "environmentalist."

President Donald Trump puts his hand on the back of French President Emmanuel Macron as they pose ahead of a working dinner at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France.
President Donald Trump puts his hand on the back of French President Emmanuel Macron as they pose ahead of a working dinner at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France.
FRANCOIS MORI, AFP/Getty Images

What everyone's talking about

Jennifer Lopez was told to not do "American Idol""Your career will be over."
There are so many beautiful fish in the sea, but we prefer to watch the weird ones that glow in the dark.
"Hurricane conditions possible" as strengthening Tropical Storm Dorian heads for Caribbean islands.
Speaking of hurricanesYou can't nuke a hurricane to stop it, as Trump reportedly suggested.
In the face of death, this man received the party of a lifetime.

Why the start of college is so dangerous for women

The beginning of the school year for college students marks the start of the "red zone" – from the first day on campus until Thanksgiving break – when risk of sexual assault is said to be highest.  More than 50% of college sexual assaults take place between August and November, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which works to end sexual violence. And college women ages 18 to 24 are three times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Sexual assault is never the victim's fault and it is not a woman's responsibility to stay safe, says Kristen Houser, chief public affairs officer at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, but all students can take "common-sense" steps in the interest of personal safety. She provides a few safety tips here. 

12 nursing home patients died after Hurricane Irma. Who's responsible?

Arrest warrants were issued Monday for four employees at a South Florida nursing home where 12 residents died in searing heat after mighty Hurricane Irma knocked out power in 2017. The tragedy made national headlines, and lawmakers ultimately passed a bill requiring backup power sources in the state's nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Lawrence Hashish, a lawyer for one of the nurses, told the  South Florida Sun Sentinel that those facing charges are scapegoats. "They weren't the decision makers," Hashish said. "For the police, they were the low-hanging fruit."

Real quick 

Fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein plead not guilty to sex-crimes.
A 24-year-old let a financial planner see her spending habits. It was terrifying, at first.
Russian agency says radioactive isotopes were found after a mysterious explosion that killed at least 5.
Congress' second-youngest woman, Abby Finkenauer, is her own Democrat.
Americans on buying Greenland? That's a no.

Shout out to all the good boys 🐶

It's National Dog Day. This is very important because dogs are the best, but also because it's a good excuse for me to ask you to send me pictures of your dogs. Really. Email me (right away) at ashley@usatoday.com with a picture of your dog (or dogs!). You can Tweet me, too! Just be sure to use #TheShortList. They might even get a special spot in The Short List tomorrow. Here, I'll start: This is my lil' pup, Coconut: 

Coconut is Boxer. She is also a very good girl.
Coconut is Boxer. She is also a very good girl.
Ashley Shaffer

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this snappy news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here

click here
MORE ARTICLES
Tesla driver found sleeping at the wheel while 'dr
VIDEO
Tesla driver found sleeping at the wheel
This Sept. 13, 2017, file photo, police surround t
4 face charges in deaths of 12 at nursing home after Irma
This is what an epidemic looks like
Seven days of heroin
The Sex Talk: The conversation that isn't happenin
The Sex Talk: The conversation that isn't happening about campus...
 
FOLLOW US
FB TW IG

Problem viewing email? View in browser

Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Feedback Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights Ad Choices Terms of Service

No comments:

Post a Comment