Focusing on Syria

October 29, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

There is reason to hope that a new effort by outside powers to negotiate an end to the Syrian civil war might bear fruit.

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An unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its moorings in Maryland and floated over Pennsylvania for hours Wednesday with two US fighter jets on its tail, triggering blackouts across the countryside as it dragged its cable across power lines. The bulbous, 240-foot helium-filled blimp finally came down near Muncy, a small town about 80 miles north of Harrisburg.

Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of money structuring and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an attempt to hush allegations of sexual misconduct. This is a change from Mr. Hastert’s original not guilty plea in June in relation to the May 28 indictment and likely secures the downfall of a man many looked up to. Hastert, who served for eight years as Speaker, left Congress in 2007. Prior to public office, Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in his hometown of Yorkville, Ill. While the charges implicate up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Hastert will face up to six months behind bars when he is formally charged February 29, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara easily won re-election in the first vote since a disputed poll five years ago sparked violence that killed thousands in the West African economic powerhouse, the electoral commission announced early Wednesday. Ouattara received nearly 84 percent of Sunday's vote, trouncing the opposition, according to results read out by Youssouf Bakayoko, the head of the commission. Ouattara needed to get more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.

The Nation's Report Card is in, and American schoolchildren are not faring too well in math and reading. Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, released Wednesday, found fourth and eighth-grade mathematics scores declined two and three points, respectively, between 2013 and 2015. The average eighth-grade reading score dropped three points. Fourth-grade reading scores remained unchanged.

A group of Detroit high school students is stepping up to make sure homeless military veterans receive honor and dignity in death. Junior and senior students at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School are acting as pallbearers for homeless men and women who might otherwise have no friends, family, or old Army buddies at their graveside or funeral. About 50 teenagers signed up to be trained as pallbearers. "We kind of represent the family that is not here to be with them. And that is, I think, a privilege," senior Lenny Froehlich told the Associated Press. "I think for the young men here at U of D, it teaches them the value and dignity of life at all levels," Todd Wilson, a faculty member, who leads the school's service team told AP.

An innocent man who spent years on death row is allowed to continue his lawsuit against the state for wrongful imprisonment, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. More than 30 years ago, Dale Johnston was convicted of killing his stepdaughter and her boyfriend. In 1984, a three-judge panel “convicted Johnston of two aggravated murders and sentenced him to death, based in part on testimony from a hypnotized witness. Prosecutors said Johnston had been having an affair with his stepdaughter and killed both in a jealous rage, something Johnston always denied,” reported the Associated Press.

Walgreens will use its $9.41 billion takeover of rival Rite Aid to spread its philosophy on making drugstores destinations for customers looking to stay healthy or buy beauty products. The nation's largest drugstore chain also is expected to flex its beefed-up negotiating muscle to twist better deals from drugmakers and other suppliers. But experts say those discounts won't automatically trickle down to consumers. Customers, for the most part, may not see a huge impact, beyond some store closures and fewer brand choices after Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. adds the nation's third-largest drugstore chain.

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