10.26.2017

Trump to Declare Opioid Crisis a National Emergency.
President Trump is expected to declare the nation's opioid epidemic a "national emergency" today, following the recommendation of a special White House commission made over the summer. Deaths related to opioids - which range from prescription painkillers like OxyContin to street drugs like heroin, to new synthetic drugs like fentanyl - have risen almost 400% since 2000. Officially declaring a national emergency will unlock new resources - both money and tools like staff training for medication-assisted treatment - though the exact amount remains unclear. The dramatic uptick in opioid use has driven a surge in drug overdoses - more than 52,000 Americans die each year from overdose, more than the HIV epidemic at its peak.

Classified JFK Assassination Docs To Go Public.
The final batch of sealed federal documents relating to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy will be released by the National Archives today. The nearly 113,000 pages of documents are expected to reveal details on what the CIA knew about Lee Harvey Oswald before the shooting, including reported trips by Oswald to Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Federal Law requires the documents to be released by October 26th, 25 years to the day that George H.W. Bush signed the JFK Assassination Records Act - President Trump said last week he would not hold up the release. While historians don't expect any major bombshells, the document dump is sure to fuel another generation of conspiracy theorists.

New TSA Restrictions Go Into Effect Today.
New passenger screening rules for all US-bound flights kick in today, requiring airlines to increase security around electronics. The new rules - meant to avoid an outright ban on in-cabin laptop use during flights - were announced in June and gave airlines 120 days to implement measures after concerns were raised about the ability of groups like ISIS to fit bombs inside iPads and personal computers. The new procedures will involve at-the-gate screenings and passenger interviews, affecting 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights across about 180 airlines arriving daily in the United States
 

> Legendary Rock and Roll artist Fats Domino dead at 89 (More)
> Astros win wild Game 2 against Dodgers 7-6 in 11 innings; tie World Series at 1-1 (More)
> Colin Kaepernick signs $1 million book deal (More)
 

> Makeup of gut microbiome linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (More)
> Allen Institute for Brain Science launches open data set allowing 3D reconstruction of brain tissues (More)
> Scientists modify CRISPR to change single base pairs in RNA (More) | CRISPR 101 (More)
 

> Sept. sales of US durable goods (products meant to last 3 years or more) increases 2.2% over August, beats estimates of 0.8% (More)
> Google & Cisco announce partnership, to offer hybrid cloud services competing with Amazon Web Services (AWS) & Microsoft's Azure (More)
> Hiring of new college grads expected to grow by 19% in 2018 according to annual Michigan State University recruiting report; hiring in information services leads with 60% growth (More)
 

> Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock's brother arrested on child pornography charges (More)
> UN Ambassador Nikki Haley evacuated from chaotic South Sudan refugee camp (More)
> Top House tax writer Kevin Brady, head of Ways and Means Committee, contradicts Trump, says changes to 401(k) tax status still on table (More)

Reuters | Brian Grow, John Shiffman. For grieving families struggling with funeral costs, a number of companies known as 'body brokers' offer free cremation in exchange for permission to use their loved ones for "advanced medical studies". But the market itself - while booming - is largely unregulated, leading to a range of gruesome practices, with body parts being traded like raw materials. 
 

Wired | Rachel Botsman. It may seem like an unreleased George Orwell novel, but China has actually announced plans to create a Social Credit System in 2020. The aim of the system is to assess 'trustworthiness'. Eight different companies, including an Alibaba affiliate, have been chosen carefully by the government to develop the scoring algorithm. Good scores can come from a strong credit score or clean criminal history, but they can also come from praising the government and making responsible purchases - no video games for 30 year-old men. But what’s most unsettling is the fact that your rank will be public.

New UNESCO report shows 264 million kids don’t have access to education worldwide.

Support for legalizing marijuana in the US hits record high of 64%.

See the ranking of highest paid college football coaches for 2017.

France is experiencing the worst butter shortage since WWII, putting the croissant in danger.

This year's Global Passport Power Rank from Arton Capital released.

Einstein gave a handwritten note on happiness to a bellboy as a tip in 1922 - it just sold for $1.3 million.

Check out the world's most expensive house, priced at $410M.

Clickbait: This high-tech mirror for cancer patients only works if you smile at it (inventor said he hoped it would "uplift their spirits"). 

Historybook: Erie Canal opened (1825); Shootout at the O.K. Corral (1881); RIP Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1902); HBD Hillary Clinton (1947); President Bush signs Patriot Act (2001).

"TRUTH IS THE ONLY SAFE GROUND TO STAND ON."
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton
 

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