What to Know
- President Trump is considering ousting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replacing him with hard-nosed CIA Director Mike Pompeo
- U.S. health officials approved the first injectable form of the leading medication to treat patients recovering from opioid addiction
- Jim Nabors, who played Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show" has died at the age 87
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Jury Finds Mexican Man at Center of Immigration Debate Not Guilty of Murder
The killing of a 32-year-old woman that thrust San Francisco’s so called “sanctuary city” policy into the national spotlight more than two years ago once again reignited the debate on immigration when a jury found an undocumented man from Mexico not guilty in her murder. After 12 days of testimony, two days of closing arguments, and roughly 28 hours of deliberations, a jury of six men and six women acquitted defendant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate of first- and second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, as well as assault with a semi-automatic weapon, in the fatal shooting of Kate Steinle. Garcia Zarate was found guilty of illegal firearms possession, which carries a sentence of 16 months to three years. Zarate had been deported five times.
White House Considers Replacing Tillerson, Sources Say
After months of clashes on policy and personality, President Trump is considering ousting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replacing him with hard-nosed CIA Director Mike Pompeo following less than a year on the job, senior U.S. officials said as turmoil within Trump's national security team burst into the open. The White House plan, which Trump has not yet signed off on, would force a major realignment early in his term, also creating a vacancy atop the CIA that officials said could be filled by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. The overhaul could produce a significant shift in both the tone and direction of the president's foreign policy, removing it from the understated former oil man whose style has never fit well with Trump's. It is exceedingly rare for a secretary of state, America's face on the global stage, to be fired or to serve for a year or less.
U.S. Approves Monthly Injection to Treat Opioid Addiction
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U.S. health officials approved the first injectable form of the leading medication to treat patients recovering from addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids. The Food and Drug Administration approved once-a-month Sublocade for adults with opioid use disorder who are already stabilized on addiction medication. The monthly injection has the potential to reduce dangerous relapses that occur when patients stop taking the currently available daily medication. But that benefit has not yet been shown in studies and the new drug comes with a hefty price: $1,580 per monthly dose. The older version of the drug, Suboxone, costs $100 a month. The approval comes amid the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history and a longstanding gap in medication-based treatment for patients recovering from addiction to opioids, including painkillers like OxyContin and illegal narcotics like heroin and fentanyl. More than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, most involving opioids.
Senate GOP Hustles to Meet Tax Bill Holdouts' Demands
Senate Republicans are stepping quickly to meet competing demands of holdout GOP senators for a tax overhaul package expected to add $1 trillion to the nation's deficit over 10 years. The Republicans eye a crucial final vote on the $1.4 trillion Senate bill carrying the hopes of President Trump and the Republican Party to preserve their majorities in next year's elections. Amid a whirl of meetings and dramatic votes, the Senate GOP leaders rewrote the bill behind closed doors. They weighed scaling back the tax cuts in the legislation to secure crucial support. The leaders were making major changes up to the last minute, including one that would roll back some of the tax cuts after six years to appease deficit hawks — notably Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
Jim Nabors, Who Made Cheery Gomer Pyle a TV Icon, Dies at 87
Jim Nabors made good on his last name when he brought Gomer Pyle to "The Andy Griffith Show." His big-hearted, ever-cheery gas-pump jockey was a neighborly fit in the easygoing town of Mayberry. But when Gomer enlisted in the Marines for five TV seasons, he truly blossomed. So did the actor who portrayed him. Nabors, who just died at 87, made Pvt. Gomer Pyle a perfect foil for the immovable object of Marines boot camp: Grinning, gentle Gomer was the irresistible force. On "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," a spinoff from "The Andy Griffith Show" that premiered in 1964, Gomer arrived in the fictional Camp Henderson with a happy attitude and eager innocence that flew in the face of everything he found awaiting him there, especially irascible Sgt. Vince Carter, played by Frank Sutton.
HBO Distancing Itself From Russell Simmons as He Steps Down
HBO distanced itself from Russell Simmons and scrubbed his name from a stand-up comedy series he helped produce on the eve of its debut following a second sexual misconduct allegation. HBO said it will go ahead with Friday's airing of "All Def Comedy" but will edit out any link to Simmons in the wake of allegations by screenwriter Jenny Lumet who claims that he had sex with her more than two decades ago despite her repeated demands that he stop. HBO has previously proved willing to sever ties with starry names amid allegations of sexual misconduct. After Louis C.K. was accused of harassment, HBO removed the comedian from its "Night of Too Many Stars" special and took down his previous standup specials and series from its on-demand services.
