What to Know
- A coroner said her office could not determine what led to the fatal brain damage of a young man detained in North Korea for more than a year
- Turns out Republicans have the votes to push health care legislation through the Senate, but it's not true
- Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner has died at age 91, Playboy Enterprises announced
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Cause of Man's Death in North Korea May Never Be Known
A coroner said her office could not determine what led to the fatal brain damage of a young Ohio man detained in North Korea for more than a year. While the parents of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier and President Trump have accused the North Korean government of torturing him, Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said evidence has led to no "scientific facts" to solve Warmbier's mysterious death. "We don't know what happened to him, and this is the bottom line," she said. The cause of the death may never be known, she added. A coroner's report dated Sept. 11 shows the cause of death for the University of Virginia student as complications from brain-damaging oxygen deprivation through "an unknown insult more than a year prior to death." The medical term for his condition was called "chronic anoxic/ischemic encephalopathy." The manner of death was listed as "undetermined." While Warmbier's family declined an autopsy, Sammarco said her office used extensive medical scanning and imaging for a "virtual autopsy" and that nothing more would have been gained by doing an autopsy so long after his brain damage occurred.
1 Dead, 1 Injured After Rock Slide on El Capitan
A rock slide along a popular Yosemite National Park climbing route left one person dead and another injured, according to a park ranger. The slide occurred on the popular Waterfall Route on the East Buttress of El Capitan, Yosemite spokesman Ranger Scott Gediman said. Park rangers were using helicopters to search the area for more potential victims. Gediman didn't know the exact number of climbers on or near the route, but he said at least 30 climbers were on the wall at the time of the slide. He said it is the heart of climbing season at Yosemite, and there are typically many climbers on El Capitan and other climbing routes throughout the park during this time of year. Officials didn't say how large the rock fall was, but climbers posted pictures on social media from hundreds of feet up the wall showing a large billow of white dust moments after the crash. The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
Rick Pitino on Unpaid Leave After College Basketball Arrests
Local
Rick Pitino couldn't survive another scandal, as an angry interim Louisville president placed the head men's college basketball coach and his boss on administrative leave amid a nationwide federal bribery investigation that has rocked the sport. President Greg Postel's decision comes after the school acknowledged that the men's program is part of a federal investigation into alleged bribery of recruits. The 65-year-old coach was not named in the indictment that resulted in the arrest of 10 people including four assistant coaches at other schools and an Adidas executive. Postel didn't stop with Pitino, he also sidelined athletic director Tom Jurich, putting him on paid administrative leave. And though Pitino isn't officially out of a job — he was placed on unpaid leave — the coach's attorney, Steve Pence, told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has "effectively fired" Pitino.
Trump Says GOP Has Needed Health Care Votes ... But It Doesn't
Guess what? Turns out Republicans have the votes to push health care legislation through the Senate, but they've been flummoxed because one supportive senator is in the hospital. That was President Trump's view of where things stand on Capitol Hill. And it's not true. Trump made the remarks a day after Senate GOP leaders discarded their drive to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. They lacked the votes to succeed, a not-so-minor snag that hadn't changed. The three GOP senators whose opposition sunk the Republican measure all remained against it, aides confirmed. That was Arizona's John McCain, Kentucky's Rand Paul and Maine's Susan Collins. No top Republicans were talking about returning to the matter until they get the 50 votes they'd need to succeed, a tie Vice President Mike Pence would break.
Playboy Publisher Hugh Hefner Dead at 91
Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner has died at age 91, Playboy Enterprises announced. The company said Hefner peacefully passed away from natural causes at his home, the Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones. Cooper Hefner, one of Hugh Hefner's four children, said his dad "will be greatly missed by many." "My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom," Cooper said in a statement. "He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history." Born on April 9, 1926, in Chicago Hefner was widely recognized with helping usher in the sexual revolution with the creation of Playboy magazine. According to Biography.com, Hefner raised $8,000 from 45 investors—including $2,000 from his mother and brother combined—to launch Playboy magazine. It turned out to be a smart gamble. Hefner transformed the adult entertainment industry beginning with the very first issue, which featured Marilyn Monroe.
Plan in Motion for O.J. Simpson's Release From Prison
O.J. Simpson could be released on parole as soon as Monday in Las Vegas under a plan being finalized by Nevada officials, a prison spokeswoman said. The process culminating in freedom for the former football player, actor and TV pitchman is in motion, but must be approved and documents must be signed, state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Brooke Keast said. Meanwhile, the 70-year-old Simpson remains at Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada awaiting transfer to High Desert State Prison outside Las Vegas, where he would be freed, Keast said. Simpson's release is expected after nine years behind bars for his 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping convictions following a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room. He was sentenced to up to 33 years, but won parole in July due to good behavior and other credits earned in custody. Once released, he will be supervised by the state Division of Parole and Probation until 2022.
