Donald Trump

Happening Today: Prince Philip, Jailbreak, Climate Change, Opioids, JK Rowling

What to Know

  • On Wednesday, Prince Philip will make his 22,219th — and final — solo public engagement
  • About one in three Americans used prescription opioid painkillers in 2015, according to a survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • J.K. Rowling has apologized for tweets alleging that President Trump refused to shake the hand of a disabled boy

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Prince Philip, 96, Making Final Public Engagement

For over 65 years, he has been the unwavering presence alongside Britain's longest-serving monarch, the consummate consort and royal representative. On Wednesday Prince Philip will make his 22,219th — and final — solo public engagement. He will be meeting Royal Marines who have completed a 1,664-mile trek to raise money for charity. After that, the Duke of Edinburgh will still appear at Queen Elizabeth II's side — from time to time — as the 91-year-old monarch soldiers on. In the meantime, the man known for his quips and gaffes has already been joking about his big retirement day. "I'm discovering what it's like to be on your last legs," the 96-year-old Philip told celebrity chef Prue Leith at a recent palace event. Philip is patron, president or a member of over 780 organizations, with which he will continue to be associated — but he won't play an active role by attending engagements. The queen supported the decision, which was greeted with an international press flurry when it was announced in May.

U.S. Launches Unarmed ICBM From California in Test

The U.S. Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from California, the fourth such test this year. The 30th Space Wing says the Minuteman 3 missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. An Air Force statement said the test would show the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system. Minuteman missiles are regularly tested with launches from Vandenberg that send unarmed re-entry vehicles 4,200 miles across the Pacific to a target area at Kwajalein Atoll. However, the latest U.S. launches come amid tensions with North Korea as that nation develops its own ICBMs. Flight data on North Korea's most recent test showed that a broad part of the mainland United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of Pyongyang's weapons, according to analysts.

Jailbreak: Last Escaped Inmate Captured, Police Say

The last of 12 inmates who escaped from an Alabama prison was captured near Jupiter, Florida, police said. Brady Kilpatrick, 24, was nabbed at a home around 7 p.m. by a team of law enforcement. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Tactical Unit and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force worked together to capture Kilpatrick. The inmate had been jailed on charges of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was the only escaped prisoner to make it out of the Walker County, Alabama, area. Kilpatrick and 11 other inmates went off in every direction after breaking out of the facility, officials said. Within eight hours, all of the inmates, except for Kilpatrick, were caught. The Walker County Sheriff said the inmates used peanut butter to switch the numbers above a cell door and an exit door. They tricked a new employee into opening the exit door for the inmates.

Pro-Trump Mayor of Sinking Island Challenges Al Gore on Climate Change

An enthusiastic supporter of the president who is mayor of a Virginia island that's sinking into Chesapeake Bay got a chance to challenge former Vice President Al Gore on climate change during a town hall. Tangier Island Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge told Gore that erosion is the real culprit for his shrinking island, not sea level rise. The former vice president said he was sorry for what the island's residents are going through and reiterated scientific findings that predict another 2 feet of sea level rise. Scientists say Tangier Island is eroding into the bay while sea levels are rising against its shores. Studies predict its dwindling population of 460 people may have to abandon Tangier in 25 to 50 years — if not sooner. But Eskridge, 58, a lifelong waterman who harvests crabs from the bay, was among the 87 percent of voters in this deeply spiritual community who supported Trump.

Trump Called White House a “Dump,” According to Report

President Trump has told members of his New Jersey golf club that he spends so much time away from Washington because the White House is a "real dump." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the account, which appeared in a lengthy article posted on the website golf.com. The story on Trump's complicated love for golf also appears in Sports Illustrated magazine. The story recounts a scene in which Trump was chatting with some club members. Trump told the members he makes such frequent appearances at the property in Bedminster, New Jersey, because: "That White House is a real dump." Trump has spent nearly every weekend of his presidency visiting various properties he owns and leases, including Bedminster.

1 in 3 Americans Took Prescription Opioids in 2015, Survey Says

About one in three Americans used prescription opioid painkillers like OxyContin or Vicodin in 2015, according to a survey released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NBC News reported. The NIDA study calculated 91.8 million Americans used prescription opioids, with nearly five percent of adults surveyed saying they took them without their doctor’s permission. A presidential opioid commission chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie released an interim report that said the U.S. "is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks." The report urged President Donald Trump to "declare a national emergency." The commission suggested expanding treatment facilities across the country, educating doctors about the proper way to prescribe pain medication, equipping all police officers with the anti-overdose remedy naloxone, developing new fentanyl detection sensors, and improving data-sharing among law enforcement agencies.

J.K. Rowling Apologizes for Claiming Trump Ignored Disabled Boy

J.K. Rowling has apologized for tweets alleging that U.S. President Trump refused to shake the hand of a disabled boy. The "Harry Potter" author called Trump "horrible" after seeing footage of the president appearing to ignore the child's outstretched hand during a White House event last week. But the boy's mother, Marjorie Kelly Weer, posted on Facebook: "Trump didn't snub my son & Monty wasn't even trying to shake his hand." Rowling, who has often criticized Trump, said she "apologized unreservedly." She tweeted Monday that "I very clearly projected my own sensitivities around the issue of disabled people being overlooked or ignored onto the images I saw."

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