They were paid to shoot David Ortiz
Seniors face foreclosure. Cuba Gooding Jr. faces police. Trump’s “secrets” face the general public. It’s Ashley. Let’s catch up on the news.
But first, more severed heads: A 30,000-year-old severed head of a wolf, with teeth and fur, was found in Siberia. Want to see it? Proceed with caution.
Six suspects arrested in Ortiz attack
The attackers who shot MLB slugger David "Big Papi" Ortiz were hired to do so, Dominican Republic police said Wednesday. According to police, a group of criminals charged about $7,800 dollars to shoot the former Red Sox star. The authorities did not disclose a motive behind the attack – or who paid for it. Six suspects were detained – including the alleged gunman – in connection to the attack on Ortiz at a bar in Santo Domingo on Sunday night.
House panel holds Barr and Ross in contempt
A House panel voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for defying subpoenas by refusing to provide documents about a citizenship question on the 2020 census. The move further escalates tensions between Congress and the administration. The Judiciary Committee found Barr in contempt for defying a subpoena for the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller. Earlier Wednesday, Trump asserted executive privilege to keep documents about the citizenship question secret.
Joe Biden: 'We're gonna cure cancer'
Former Vice President Joe Biden wants to cure cancer. If he’s elected president, he says, he'll do it. Biden lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015. In Iowa Tuesday, Biden said, "I promise you if I'm elected president, you're going to see the single most important thing that changes America, we're gonna cure cancer." Biden has led on cancer issues before, including in President Barack Obama's "Cancer Moonshot" initiative in the last year of Obama's presidency.
Reverse mortgages. You've seen the commercials, now read the USA TODAY investigation
USA TODAY analyzed 1.3 million federal loan records from 1989-2019 and found a swath of nearly 100,000 loans intended to allow seniors to “age in place” have failed. Those foreclosures blindside elderly borrowers and their families and drag down property values in their neighborhoods. In many cases, the worst toll has fallen on those ill-equipped to shoulder it: urban African Americans, many of whom worked for most of their lives, then found themselves struggling in retirement. Things you should know about: This exclusive map of reverse mortgage foreclosures. This downloadable guide that explains reverse mortgages and what to watch for. And seriously, this investigation is huge and worth spending some time with. Get the full story here.
What I'm reading
A "billion to one" tragedy: Two giraffes at a safari park were killed by lightning.
5,000 diaper changing stations are coming to men's restrooms by 2021.
Golden State Warriors' worst fears were confirmed: Kevin Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals.
The moon’s largest crater is hiding something huge, but astronomers aren’t quite sure what.
This is cute: French President Emmanuel Macron is giving Trump a new friendship tree. Less cute: The first one died.
Not funny: A midwife was slapped with a $4,836 bill for using laughing gas during her labor.
Does the White House have a budget for card stock?
President Donald Trump nailed down a “secret” deal with Mexico regarding migrants at the border, he says. The thing is, it’s not so “secret” when a photographer captures a photo of it. Trump went in front of reporters Tuesday, took a piece of paper out of his front pocket and said it was his "secret" deal with Mexico to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S.-Mexican border. "That’s the agreement that everybody says I don’t have," Trump said. He waved around the "secret" paper, and a Washington Post photographer snapped a picture at just the right angle, making the text faintly visible. The photograph captures what indeed appear to be details of a plan with Mexico. Here's what it said.
Cuba Gooding Jr. is turning himself into police
Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was accused of drunkenly groping a woman's breast in a New York bar Sunday, but he says he's innocent and will turn himself in to sex crimes detectives Thursday to be arraigned. "I trust the system. Let the process speak for itself," Gooding, 51, said. New York police detectives have sought to talk to Gooding since Monday while investigating an accusation of "forcible touching" made by the woman.
Real quick
A Kansas baby died after being left inside a hot car, the 11th child to die in a sweltering vehicle this year.
U.S. Olympic hopeful Gabriele Grunewald died at 32 after battling cancer.
Ford recalled 1.2 million Explorer SUVs and 123,000 F-150 pickups that could be at risk of losing steering control.
Ted Cruz agrees with Ocasio-Cortez: Birth control should be available without a prescription.
Sasha Obama graduated from high school as her presidential parents looked on.
No prison time for former Stanford coach
Stanford's ex-sailing coach will avoid prison after taking part in the massive college admissions scandal. John Vandemoer was sentenced Wednesday to probation – not prison – for accepting $610,000 in bribes to falsely label applicants as sailing recruits to get them in the school. The kicker? He was sentenced to just one day of prison, which was deemed already served. The judge said she didn't think prison was warranted because the payments went to Stanford's sailing program. Vandemoer is the first of 22 defendants who pleaded guilty in the scandal to be sentenced.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: They were paid to shoot David Ortiz
