Happening Today: Charles Manson, Opioid Epidemic, Russell Simmons, Earle Hyman

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Killer and Cult Leader Charles Manson Dead at 83

Charles Manson, the California drifter-turned-cult leader responsible for a string of murders that cast a dark pall over the summer of 1969, died in Kern County Hospital. He was 83. Debra Tate, the sister of actress Sharon Tate, one of Manson's most famous victims, received a call from Corcoran State Prison telling her Manson died at 8:13 p... While Manson died of natural causes, Tate knew he had been sick for a long time and was "expecting" this. Manson was recently taken to Bakersfield Hospital where he was being treated for intestinal bleeding since January. Surgery was recommended but it was later deemed too risky. He had been locked up since his arrest in December 1969 following his conviction for orchestrating the murders of Tate and six others. Some of his followers remain behind bars for their part in the killings.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Passes Deadline to Resign; Now Impeachment

Longtime President Robert Mugabe ignored a midday deadline set by the ruling party to step down or face impeachment proceedings, while Zimbabweans stunned by his lack of resignation during a national address vowed more protests to make him leave. Opposition activists and the influential liberation war veterans association announced more demonstrations to pressure the 93-year-old Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, to step down after 37 years in power. He also suggested that the military, even though it put Mugabe under house arrest days ago, was still beholden to him and compelled to protect him because he is officially their "commander in chief." Zimbabweans were astonished that Mugabe, flanked by the military in his national address remained defiant.

Border Patrol Agent Killed, Another Injured in “Attack”

Authorities are searching Texas' Big Bend area for potential suspects and witnesses after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was fatally injured responding to activity there. Border Patrol officials said the agents were on patrol in Culberson County in the Big Bend Sector of the Texas border. Agent Rogelio Martinez died as a result of injuries he and his partner sustained after responding to "activity" while on patrol on Interstate 10 near Van Horn, according to a statement from Border Patrol. It wasn't immediately clear when the incident occurred. Agent Martinez's partner radioed that he and his partner were injured and needed help. Agents reportedly responded and provided medical care and took the two agents to the hospital. Border Patrol spokesmen said they could not provide any details on what caused the agent's injuries or what led to them.

Keystone XL Pipeline Faces Last Major Regulatory Hurdle

A Nebraska regulator is set to decide whether to approve the proposed route of the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline through the state. The decision Monday could have a big impact on whether TransCanada Corp. decides to proceed with construction of the project, which was first proposed in 2008 but repeatedly delayed. The five-member Nebraska Public Service Commission vote is the last major regulatory hurdle for Keystone XL, which was approved earlier this year by President Trump in a reversal of the Obama administration's rejection in 2015. Landowners along the route and environmentalists have opposed the project. Some businesses and unions have supported it as a job creator. The commission will not be allowed to take into account an oil spill on the existing Keystone pipeline last week.

True Cost of Opioid Epidemic Tops $500 Billion, White House Says

The White House says the true cost of the opioid drug epidemic in 2015 was $504 billion, or roughly half a trillion dollars. In an analysis, the Council of Economic Advisers says the figure is more than six times larger than the most recent estimate. The council said a 2016 private study estimated that prescription opioid overdoes, abuse and dependence in the U.S. in 2013 cost $78.5 billion. Most of that was attributed to health care and criminal justice spending, along with lost productivity. The council said its estimate is significantly larger because the epidemic has worsened, with overdose deaths doubling in the past decade, and that some previous studies didn't reflect the number of fatalities blamed on opioids, a powerful but addictive category of painkillers. The council also said previous studies focused exclusively on prescription opioids, while its study also factors in illicit opioids, including heroin.

Model Accuses Russell Simmons of Sexual Misconduct While She Was a Minor

Model Keri Claussen Khalighi has come forward to accuse Def Jam Records mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct in 1991 when she was 17 years old. In a report in the Los Angeles Times, Khalighi says that Simmons coerced her to perform a sex act and later penetrated her without her consent in his New York apartment. She said the film producer and director Brett Ratner, who has also been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment, was present. Khalighi said she asked Ratner, then a music video director and Simmons protege, for help. Simmons, now 60, has denied the allegations in a statement, which he also posted to his Twitter account. He says everything that occurred between himself and Khalighi was completely consensual and with her "full participation."

Earle Hyman, Widely Known as Russell Huxtable in “The Cosby Show,” Dies

Earle Hyman, a veteran actor of stage and screen who was widely known for playing Russell Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," has died. Jordan Strohl, a representative for The Actors Fund, says Hyman died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 91. A North Carolina native, Hyman made his Broadway debut as a teenager in 1943. He would go on to become a charter member of the American Shakespeare Theater. In 1980 Hyman received a Tony nomination for "The Lady From Dubuque." Hyman is best known, however, for "The Cosby Show" where he played the father to Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable, even though he was only 11 years his senior. He earned a guest performer Emmy nomination for the role in 1986.