What to Know
- First lady Melania Trump wore a jacket that read 'I really don't care, do u?' as she boarded a flight to a facility housing migrant children
- Viruses that sneak into the brain just might play a role in Alzheimer's, scientists reported in a provocative study
- ABC, which canceled its 'Roseanne' revival over its star's racist tweet, said it will air a Conner family show minus Roseanne Barr this fall
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Hundreds of Children Reunited With Families Since May, Official Says
About 500 of the more than 2,300 children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border have been reunited since May, a senior Trump administration official said, as confusion mounted over the "zero tolerance" policy that called for the prosecution of anyone caught entering the United States illegally. It was unclear how many of the roughly 500 children were still being detained with their families. Federal agencies were working to set up a centralized reunification process for the remaining separated children and their families at the Port Isabel Detention Cente just north of border in Texas, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The U.S. government was wrestling with the ramifications of President Trump's move to stop separating families at the border and Congress again failing to take action on immigration amid outcry from all corners of the world, with the images and sounds of crying children dominating the news. The Trump administration previously had not said whether any hundreds of children who were separated from their families had been reunited. The official said many of reunited families were back together after a few days of separation. But other parents have said they don't know where their children are and were struggling to get answers. Some mothers were deported without their kids.
Melania Trump Wears “I Really Don't Care, Do U?” Jacket Before Border Visit
First lady Melania Trump wore a jacket that read "I really don't care, do u?" as she boarded a flight to a facility housing migrant children. The green, hooded military jacket had the words written graffiti-style on the back. When asked what message the first lady's jacket intends to send, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. " Grisham underscored that message in a tweet with the hashtags #SheCares and #ItsJustAJacket. Her husband, President Donald Trump, weighed in and contradicted Grisham's claim, saying the first lady's jacket was a message to members of the media. "I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!," the president tweeted.
No Apparent Justification for Deadly Shooting of Teen, Family's Lawyer Says
Local
A 17-year-old boy shot and killed by a police officer in Pennsylvania seconds after he fled a traffic stop did not pose a threat to anyone, a lawyer for the family of the teen said. Civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt said he doesn't see any apparent justification for the use of deadly force by an East Pittsburgh police officer that left Antwon Rose Jr. dead. Allegheny County police are conducting an independent investigation of the shooting in East Pittsburgh, a borough about 10 miles east of Pittsburgh. Part of the encounter was captured on video and posted to Facebook by a bystander. Officer Michael Rosfeld confirmed to a WTAE-TV reporter who went to his house that he was the officer who fired the shots but said he had not watched the news and was unaware the video even existed. Rosfeld said he could not talk about the shooting because of the open investigation. Investigators and city officials have declined to name the officer. They said he was placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
Brain-Invading Viruses May Play Role in Alzheimer's, New Evidence Suggests
Viruses that sneak into the brain just might play a role in Alzheimer's, scientists reported in a provocative study that promises to re-ignite some long-debated theories about what triggers the mind-robbing disease. The findings don't prove viruses cause Alzheimer's, nor do they suggest it's contagious. But a team led by researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Health System found that certain viruses — including two extremely common herpes viruses — affect the behavior of genes involved in Alzheimer's. The idea that infections earlier in life might somehow set the stage for Alzheimer's decades later has simmered at the edge of mainstream medicine for years. It's been overshadowed by the prevailing theory that Alzheimer's stems from sticky plaques that clog the brain. The study has even some specialists who never embraced the infection connection saying it's time for a closer look, especially as attempts to block those so-called beta-amyloid plaques have failed. The study also fits with mounting evidence that how aggressively the brain's immune system defends itself against viruses or other germs may be riskier than an actual infection.
“Gaming Disorder” Revives Medical Debate on Addiction
Now that the world's leading public health group says too much Minecraft can be an addiction, could overindulging in chocolate, exercise, even sex, be next? The short answer is probably not. The new "gaming disorder" classification from the World Health Organization revives a debate in the medical community about whether behaviors can cause the same kind of addictive illness as drugs. The strictest definition of addiction refers to a disease resulting from changes in brain chemistry caused by compulsive use of drugs or alcohol. The definition includes excessive use that damages health, relationships, jobs and other parts of normal life. Brain research supports that definition, and some imaging studies have suggested that excessive gaming might affect the brain in similar ways. In its widely used manual for diagnosing mental illness, the American Psychiatric Association calls excessive video gaming a "condition" but not a formal diagnosis or disease, and says more research is needed to determine if it qualifies as an addiction.
ABC Orders “Roseanne” Spinoff for Fall Minus Roseanne Barr
ABC, which canceled its "Roseanne" revival over its star's racist tweet, said it will air a Conner family sitcom minus Roseanne Barr this fall. The network ordered 10 episodes of the spinoff after Barr relinquished any creative or financial participation in it, which the network had said was a condition of such a series. In a statement issued by the show's producer, Barr said she agreed to the settlement to save the jobs of 200 cast and crew members who were idled when "Roseanne" was canceled last month. The revival of the hit 1988-97 sitcom "Roseanne" was swiftly axed by ABC last month after Barr posted a tweet likening former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and "Planet of the Apes." The new series, with "The Conners" as its working title, will star John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman.
Columnist Charles Krauthammer, Who Wrote of Cancer Diagnosis, Dies
Charles Krauthammer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and pundit who helped shape and occasionally dissented from the conservative movement as he evolved from "Great Society" Democrat to Iraq War cheerleader to denouncer of Donald Trump, died. He was 68. His death was announced by two organizations that were longtime employers, Fox News Channel and The Washington Post. Krauthammer had said publicly a year ago he was being treated for a cancerous tumor in his abdomen and earlier this month revealed that he likely had just weeks to live. "I leave this life with no regrets," Krauthammer wrote in The Washington Post, where his column had run since 1984. "It was a wonderful life. Sometimes scornful, sometimes reflective, he was awarded a Pulitzer in 1987 for "his witty and insightful" commentary and was an influential voice among Republicans.
