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Happening Today: MLK, YouTube Shooting, Marine Helicopter Crash, Kratom, Colin Farrell

What to Know

  • The woman who opened fire at YouTube headquarters, triggering a massive police response, has been identified as Nasim Aghdam of San Diego
  • The FDA ordered the mandatory recall of kratom products distributed by one company that may be contaminated with salmonella
  • Colin Farrell continues to prioritize his sobriety and has checked himself into a treatment facility

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Witnesses Forever Changed by MLK's Final Days

Clara Ester's eyes were fixed on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as he stood on the concrete balcony of the Lorraine Motel. King was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers' strike, and Ester, a college student, had been marching alongside the strikers as they sought better pay and working conditions. She and some friends had gone to the motel for a catfish dinner when she saw King chatting happily, not far from where she stood. Then Ester heard the shot. It was 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968. King's death changed the world and altered the lives of those who lived through it. Some would spend the rest of their lives fighting for racial equality and economic justice. Others, including Ester, would struggle to come to terms with what they saw. King had won victories on desegregation and voting rights and had been planning his Poor People's Campaign when he turned his attention to Memphis, the gritty city by the Mississippi River. 50 years ago today, King died.

YouTube Shooter Told Family Members She “Hated” the Company

A woman who believed she was being suppressed by YouTube and told her family members she "hated" the company opened fire at YouTube's headquarters in California, wounding three people before taking her own life, police said. Investigators do not believe Nasim Aghdam specifically targeted the three victims when she pulled out a handgun and fired off several rounds in a courtyard at the company's headquarters south of San Francisco, police said. But a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that Aghdam had a longstanding dispute with the company. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, said Aghdam used the name "Nasime Sabz" online. A website in that name decried YouTube's policies and said the company was trying to "suppress" content creators. In another online rant, she complained that YouTube censored her content by imposing an age restriction on one of her workout videos because they were too racy.

4 Presumed Dead in Marine Helicopter Crash in California

Four crew members who were aboard a Marine helicopter when it crashed near El Centro are presumed dead, U.S. Marine Corps officials confirmed. The Marine Corps said a CH-53E Super Stallion from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS Miramar crashed "in the vicinity" of El Centro. Officials did not confirm the cause of the crash but did say it happened during a routine training mission. The USMC is withholding the names of those killed pending family notification. Officials also did not confirm the military branch affiliation of the four crew members or if they were all Marines.

FDA Forces Recall of Some Kratom Products Over Salmonella Risks

The Food and Drug Administration ordered the mandatory recall of kratom products distributed by one company that may be contaminated with salmonella. The FDA said it’s the first time it has used its mandatory recall power for a food product after first trying to get the company to voluntarily take the products back. The agency has been criticized for years by consumer advocates and some members of Congress who say it moves too slowly to recall potentially contaminated foods, NBC News reported. The mandatory recall affects Triangle Pharmanaturals, which bills itself as a consultant and packager of supplement products. Kratom is a plant supplement sold to treat pain, to help people stop using opioids or as a stimulant. The FDA has been warning against its use in general and later issued a large voluntary recall notice after some samples were found to be contaminated with salmonella and sickened 87 people.

Colin Farrell Checks Into Rehab as “Preemptive” Measure

Colin Farrell continues to prioritize his sobriety. The Irish actor has checked himself into a treatment facility, E! News confirmed. "It was preemptive," a source said. "He did it to reset his life. He's not using right now at all." According to The Daily Mail, who broke the story, Farrell is seeking professional help from The Meadows, an elite rehab center in Arizona. In May 2017, Farrell celebrated a decade of sobriety during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." The 41-year-old has previously detailed his years-long battle with alcohol and drug abuse, and he first checked into rehab after filming 2006's "Miami Vice." Equipped with the tools to properly tackle addiction, Farrell said in a recent interview with The Independent that spending time in nature helps him cope.

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