July 13 top stories
It is July 13. Here are today’s top stories.
FDA approves over-the-counter birth control pill
The FDA approved a birth control pill that can be sold over-the-counter. It is the first time that there is a birth control pill available without a prescription in the U.S.
The medication is called Opill. The New York Times said it is “more effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms, spermicides and other nonprescription methods.”
The pill will be available in early 2024. It is not known how much it would cost.
Scientists mark human-dominated Anthropocene era
Scientists said the world has entered a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene, a phase where Earth is dominated and transformed by humans. This era began in the 1950s.
Scientists pointed to sediment at the bottom of a lake in Ontario, Canada to make the case that we are in the Anthropocene. The word is derived from the Greek terms for “human” and “new.”
The sediment has material from nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s, nitrogen and mercury released from burning fossil fuels, microplastic pollution, and nitrogen from fertilizers. There is also soot, logging debris, pollen, and other particles from human activity at the bottom of the lake.
A scientist said we are living in a geological period where the scale and power of human activities match or even exceed the scale and power of natural processes.
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Manson Family murderer Leslie Van Houten released on parole
Leslie Van Houten, who was one of the members of the “Manson Family” that brutally murdered a married couple at their Los Angeles home in 1969, was released on parole after serving almost 53 years in prison.
Van Houten is now in her 70s and was released on July 11. She will live in a transitional living facility.
She and other Manson followers were convicted of murdering Rosemary LaBianca and her husband Leno. She was sentenced to seven years to life in prison. The Manson Family committed other murders, but Van Houten was not involved.
She was blocked from being released on parole over 20 times. Her attorneys fought for her release in court by using a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that there were no grounds for her continued incarceration and that she should be released. A state appeals court agreed, and California Gov. Newsom decided not to fight that decision.
NPR explained that Van Houten and all other Manson family members convicted of murder were initially sentenced to death but California’s Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was unconstitutional.
The LaBianca family said they are heartbroken, saying they are once again reminded of all the years that we have not had (Rosemary and Leno) with them.
Secret Service ends cocaine investigation at White House
The Secret Service said it has ended its investigation on a bag of cocaine that was found at the White House earlier this month because there is no evidence that could point them to a potential suspect.
The bag of cocaine was found inside a place where guests or others entering the White House would place their electronic and personal devices.
The White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the area where the cocaine was found was in a heavily traveled area and that there were tours. President Biden was at Camp David at that time.
The Secret Service said the bag did not have clear fingerprints and it had insufficient DNA to identify anyone. There was no surveillance video that showed who was responsible.
So it is a mystery where the cocaine came from.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/health/otc-birth-control-pill.html
https://www.axios.com/2023/07/11/anthropocene-human-epoch-earth
https://www.axios.com/2023/07/05/white-house-cocaine-heavily-traveled-area
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/12/1187225790/leslie-van-houten-manson-murder-freed-prison-parole
https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/hollywood-actors-sag-aftra-strike-07-13-23/index.html