Chris Cimino’s weather forecast for Wednesday, Aug. 9.
What to Know
- French police are searching for a driver who slammed a BMW into a group of soldiers in a Paris suburb, injuring six of them, officials say
- A safe haven where drug users inject themselves has been quietly operating in the United States for the past three years, a report reveals
- Disney announced it intends to pull all its content from Netflix for its own streaming service in 2019, CNBC reports
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Vehicle Hits Soldiers in Paris Suburb, Injuring 6, Officials Say
French police are searching for a driver who slammed a BMW into a group of soldiers in a Paris suburb, injuring six of them in what appeared to be a carefully timed ambush before speeding away, officials said. The driver's motive is unclear, but officials said he deliberately aimed at the soldiers, and counterterrorism authorities opened an investigation. It is the latest of several attacks targeting security forces guarding France over the past year. While others have targeted prominent sites like the Eiffel Tower, Wednesday's attack hit a leafy, relatively affluent suburb that is home to France's main intelligence service, the DGSI. Three of the soldiers suffered light injuries while three were more seriously injured, but their lives are not in danger, according to the Defense Ministry. They were from the 35th infantry regiment and served in Operation Sentinelle, created to guard prominent French sites after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks in 2015.
Military Judge Agrees to Suppress Bowe Bergdahl Comments Made in Captivity
A military judge in North Carolina agreed to suppress statements made by former prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl while he was in captivity, NBC News reported. Army Judge Col. Jeffery R. Nance agreed to suppress Bergdahl's statements after his defense attorneys argued the comments are highly unreliable and were coerced, according to NBC affiliate WRAL. Bergdahl appeared in court for a motion hearing. He is facing a court martial after he wandered away from his base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured by the Taliban. Bergdahl was returned to the U.S. in 2014 in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Some have criticized the swap, including President Donald Trump, who called Bergdahl a "traitor."
Fired Google Engineer Files Complaint, Weighs Legal Options
Local
A 28-year-old former Google engineer who was fired over a memo he wrote about gender differences said he's exploring all his legal options and has already filed a labor complaint over his treatment. James Damore, whose memo over the weekend caused an uproar online, said in an email that he was terminated late Monday for "perpetuating gender stereotypes." He said that prior to being fired he had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board and that "it's illegal to retaliate against a NLRB charge." A filing by Damore with the board Monday alleged he was subjected to "coercive statements" while at Google. A Google spokesperson said Tuesday that the company could not have retaliated because it was unaware of his labor complaint until reading about it in the media after his dismissal. As of Tuesday afternoon, the company said it had not been sent notice of the complaint by the board.
Disparity Between Infant Mortality Rates in Appalachia, Rest of U.S. Growing, Study Finds
Placing much of the blame on smoking, a study chronicling the ongoing health crisis in Appalachia has concluded that the 13-state region suffers from a growing disparity in infant mortality and life expectancy, two key indicators of "a nation's health and well-being." The study, published in an issue of Health Affairs, compared infant mortality and life expectancy rates in Appalachia with the rest of the United States between 1990 and 2013. It found while the rates were similar in the 1990s, by 2013 infant mortality across Appalachia was 16 percent higher than the rest of the country while life expectancy for adults was 2.4 years shorter. While the region has been the focus of the opioid epidemic in recent years, the study found one of the biggest culprits was likely the prevalence of smoking and the region's tendency to be "more accepting of tobacco use as a social norm." Gopal K. Singh, a co-author of the study and a senior health equity adviser with the Health Resources and Services Administration, noted nearly 20 percent of Appalachian women report they smoked during pregnancy. In the rest of the country, it's 8 percent.
Researchers Detail Heroin, Drug Use at Underground U.S. Haven
A safe haven where drug users inject themselves with heroin and other drugs has been quietly operating in the United States for the past three years, a report reveals. None were known to exist in the U.S. until the disclosure in a medical journal, although several states and cities are pushing to establish these so-called supervised injection sites where users can shoot up under the care of trained staff who can treat an overdose if necessary. In the report, two researchers said they've been evaluating an underground safe place that opened in 2014. As a condition of their research, they didn't disclose the location of the facility — which is unsanctioned and potentially illegal — or the social service agency running it. The researchers offered little data, and their main finding was that no one died while injecting at the safe place. There were two overdoses on site, which were reversed by staff members using the overdose medication naloxone. Advocates and some politicians in recent years have called for government-sanctioned injection sites as the U.S. grapples with the opioid epidemic. More than 52,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2015 — the most ever — fueled by soaring abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers. Government statistics for the first nine months of last year show overdose death rates continuing to spiral.
Glen Campbell: A Rhinestone Cowboy Who Shines On
Glen Campbell, during a half-century-plus career, defied easy categorization as his impeccably smooth voice plied the varied waters of country, rock, folk and even the thump of New Orleans-infused pop. But Campbell's final performances and recordings as Alzheimer's disease slowly ravaged his mind made as clear as the sweet notes he sounded that his identity was firmly rooted in producing great music, no matter what the type. By the time he got to the end of his life at the age of 81, Glen Campbell had wrought a legacy as an inspirational musical force whose work spanned genres and generations. His bittersweet final years belied his launch as grinning country boy charmer who seemed to effortlessly entertain crossover audiences during the turbulent late 1960s. Far from an overnight success, the Arkansas native laid the seeds for his blossoming as a versatile superstar during stints on guitar for top acts ranging from Nat King Cole to the Beach Boys, with whom he toured at the peak of their popularity. Campbell reached remarkable heights of fame on his own, beginning with "Gentle on My Mind," the proto-Eagles tune initially issued in June 1967, the same month the Beatles released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band."
Disney to Remove All Content on Netflix for Its Own New Service, Company Says
Disney wants to own a piece of the streaming pie. The company announced during its latest earnings report it intends to pull all its content from Netflix for its own streaming service in 2019, CNBC reported. CEO Bob Iger told CNBC's Julia Boorstin Disney had a "good relationship" with Netflix, but decided to exercise an option to move its content off the platform. Movies to be removed include Marvel as well as Disney titles. It will also be making a "significant investment" in exclusive movies and television series for the new platform.
