Tennessee shooter fought depression, substance abuse
Hundreds of people — many carrying American flags and some with Confederate battle flags — gathered outside the military recruiting office where the rampage began. The windows, several of which were pocked with bullet holes after the shooting, have since been covered with plywood.
The Kuwait-born man who killed five service members was first treated by a child psychiatrist for depression when he was 12 or 13 years old, fought drug and alcohol abuse in later years and went to Jordan last year to clean up, a person close to the family said.
Relatives of Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, believe those personal struggles are at the heart of last week’s killings at a pair of military sites in Chattanooga, the person said Sunday on the condition of anonymity to avoid unwanted publicity.
Eco-friendly pope to encourage likeminded mayors at Vatican
Dozens of environmentally friendly mayors from around the world are meeting at the Vatican July 21, 2015 to bask in the star power of eco-Pope Francis and commit to reducing global warming and helping the urban poor deal with its effects.
The mayors are expected to sign a declaration addressing both issues and hear a pep talk from the pope himself.
One city has already banned Styrofoam. Another has the highest percentage of “clean” cars in Europe. Still another has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent since 1990 — while its GDP grew 19 percent.
Sketchy claims for high-tech health fraud buster
A more realistic estimate for Medicare’s computerized fraud prevention sistem is an actual return to taxpayers at about $3 per dollar spent instead of the $10 return for every dollar spent. That return-on-investment calculation is based on the cost of operating Medicare’s high-tech Fraud Prevention System, now in its fourth year.
The higher estimate of $454 million includes actual and projected savings that “may not be recovered,” said the inspector general’s report. The lower estimate of $133 million represents savings that “reasonably can be expected,” based on historical patterns.
Such caveats haven’t dampened the administration’s exuberance.
Trump owes apology to veterans, not to McCain
Sen. John McCain said Monday that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump doesn’t need to apologize to him for remarks about his captivity in Vietnam but should tell veterans he’s sorry.
The real estate executive also lashed out at fellow GOP presidential aspirants who have criticized his remarks, calling them “failed politicians.” Trump said he did not need “to be lectured by any of them.”
The op-ed comes as Trump is on the defensive for dismissing McCain’s reputation as a war hero because McCain was captured in Vietnam, and, “I like people who weren’t captured.”
3-time world champ fights off shark
Knocked off his board by an attacking shark, three-time world champion Mick Fanning punched the creature before escaping unharmed during the televised finals of a world surfing competition in South Africa on Sunday.
The Australian surfer was struck by the shark from behind and knocked into the water as he sat on his board waiting his turn during the JBay Open in Jeffrey’s Bay in the Eastern Cape Province.
As he scanned the water, two fins appeared and with a splash he disappeared under the surface. He was next seen furiously trying to swim to safety before a rescuer pulled him out of the water.
Commentator Ross Williams said there are occasionally shark sightings in and around events but an actual attack was very unusual.
