California Shooting

1. California Shooting

2. 12 people were shot and killed on Wednesday when a gunman stormed a Southern California bar and opened fire. Wearing dark clothing and a dark baseball cap, the gunman set off smoke bombs to create confusion. He shot a security guard at the entrance and then opened fire into the crowd. The authorities said the gunman, Ian Long, 28, was found dead at the scene after killing 12 people and injuring over 20. Long’s .45-caliber handgun had been purchased legally and had been outfitted with an extended magazine. Investigators said there was no clear motive. Long, a Marine Corps veteran who had served in Afghanistan, had apparently been wrestling with his own issues: officers responded to a disturbance at his home in April, and mental health specialists spoke to him about his military service after suspecting that he might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. But they decided he was not a danger to himself or others, and determined they could not force him to seek treatment. The attack is only the latest in a wave of mass shootings that have plagued the country this year. A man opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue late last month, killing 11 people in an attack that officials said was motivated by anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant rage.

3. In Other News • A federal judge halted construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline on Thursday, in a blow to the Trump administration and a win for environmental groups. US District Judge Brian Morris found that the US government's use of a 2014 environmental review to justify issuing a presidential permit for construction of the cross-border pipeline violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, according to the court order issued Thursday. In March 2017, President Donald Trump's administration issued a permit approving construction of the pipeline, reversing the Obama administration's decision to block the controversial project. The permit approval followed years of intense debate over the pipeline amid steadfast opposition from environmental groups. They opposed for several reasons such as that it would run across one of the world's largest underground deposits of fresh water. Native American groups argued the pipeline would cut across their sovereign lands. The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States. It runs from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Illinois and Texas. The controversy is over an extension of that pipeline. • Former Detroit Lions running back Wally Triplett, the first black player to appear in a game for an NFL team after getting drafted, died Thursday. He was 92. Triplett was selected by the Lions in the 19th round of the 1949 NFL draft after a career at Penn State. • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs after falling in her Supreme Court office Wednesday night, the Supreme Court said in a statement. According to the court, Ginsburg, 85, experienced discomfort after going home following the fall and was admitted to George Washington University Thursday morning for observation and treatment.

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