March 29 top stories
It is March 29. Here are today’s top stories.
Dolphin harassment cases in Hawaii
Law enforcement in Hawaii said they have opened harassment cases against 33 individuals who allegedly pursued, corralled or harassed a pod of dolphins in a bay.
A video shows multiple swimmers in snorkel masks swimming after a pod of dolphins. Most of the dolphins looked small and young.
An image shows several officers talking with a group of swimmers on the ground. A news report explained that it is against federal law to swim within 50 yards of spinner dolphins in Hawaii’s nearshore waters. The law took effect in 2021 because there were concerns that tourists’ behaviors were not allowing dolphins to get the rest they need during the day. Spinner dolphins usually feed at night and rest during the daytime in shallow bays.
FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan
Today the FDA approved Narcan to be sold over-the-counter without the need for a prescription. The nasal spray drug is able to reverse the effects of an overdose of an opioid. I did an interview with Dr. IV Mirus about Narcan last month.
AP News said making Narcan available more widely is part of a strategy to control the nationwide overdose crisis, which causes about 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.
Narcan said the drug will be available over-the-counter by late summer. The cost is currently about $50 for two doses, but the price could change.
Rand Paul staff member brutally stabbed
A man who worked as a staffer for Sen. Rand Paul was stabbed on Saturday afternoon in northeast D.C. His name is Phillip Todd. The incident was on the 1300 block of H street, which is near the Mozzeria restaurant.
His parents said a man with a knife randomly and brutally attacked him and attempted to kill him. The parents said Todd’s friend helped to prevent his wounds from becoming fatal. He was hospitalized and underwent surgery for wounds to his body. He also had a skull fracture. His family said he had a “deep knife wound to the head.”
D.C. police said they arrested a 42-year-old suspect named Glynn Neal. The day before the attack, Neal was released from prison for crimes related to forcing women to engage in prostitution.
Sen. Paul visited Todd in the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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Barge accident on Ohio River
At the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky, there was an accident involving several barges. A vessel tugging 11 barges happened to hit a structure near a dam. As a result, several barges broke free. One of the barges is carrying 1,400 metric tons of methanol, a chemical that is very toxic and flammable. That particular barge is lodged at the dam and is partially submerged. The other barges carried products such as soy and corn.
CBS News said no injuries were reported. Emergency officials from Kentucky said they are currently responding to the incident and monitoring water quality. They said there is currently zero evidence of a tank breach or any leaks.
NYC Trump grand jury to take month-long break
Politico reported that the Manhattan grand jury who is investigating the Donald Trump hush money payment case plans to take a month-long break. This means if Trump is going to face an indictment, it’ll happen in late April.
The grand jury did hear testimony on Monday and will meet again tomorrow to examine evidence. Politico said according to its sources, the grand jury’s break is due to the Passover holiday and a two-week hiatus that was already planned in advance.
Trump said two weeks ago that he expected to be arrested. The grand jury has no deadline.
Tech leaders say AI development should be paused
Axios said dozens of scientists, experts and tech leaders, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, signed a letter to call on labs that are generating artificial intelligence (AI) to pause their work to consider the dangers of the technology.
The letter is aimed at labs that produced ChatGPT and GPT-4, which are powerful AI tools that can pass most AP exams and ace the bar exam for attorneys. The letter said the pause should be for at least six months so the labs can look into how AI can spread misinformation, on the risk of AI replacing humans in the workplace, and generally to make sure that AI systems have a positive effect.
The letter said if the labs can’t pause, then governments should step in to institute a moratorium.
Musk tweeted that he predicts that labs wouldn’t heed this warning, but at least they’ve said something.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/dolphin-harassment-cases-opened-33-swimmers-hawaii/story
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/29/hawaii-swimmers-harass-dolphins/11560728002/
https://apnews.com/article/narcan-naloxone-overdose-opioids-9ad693795ce31e3a867a4dd4b65dbde8
IV Interview on Narcan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN76_V_uO6A
https://vinnews.com/2023/03/28/man-accused-of-stabbing-rand-paul-staffer-after-prison-release/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-river-barge-methanol-kentucky-partially-submerged/
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/29/elon-musk-gpt-4-chat-open-ai