President Trump Touts “Toughness” in Approach to Combating Opioids

Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

— On Wednesday, the man believed to be responsible for a rash of fatal parcel bombs in Austin, Texas, detonated a device inside a car he was using to flee police in close pursuit, resulting in his death as a SWAT team approached the vehicle. The suspect, now identified by multiple media outlets as 24-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt, evaded federal and local authorities for weeks as he allegedly planted packages rigged with explosives throughout various locations in Austin, killing two and injuring multiple others.

— On Monday, President Trump addressed the public about the opioid epidemic from a podium in New Hampshire, one of the states hardest hit, citing “toughness” as a focal point in his approach to combating the crisis. Toughness, according to the president’s remarks, means cracking down hard on drug dealers, and a tough-on-crime approach above all else. But his plan also includes provisions for reducing the prescription of opioids and widening access to treatment.

— In 2016, federal prosecutors charged three Kansas men with plotting to bomb a small mosque in a Garden City housing complex frequented by area’s growing Somali community. This week the three men alleged to have planned that attack stand trial. FBI agents interrupted the deadly plot and charged the men with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. Agents say the men were part of a radical militia group. If convicted, they could face a sentence of life in prison.

— The most famous rhino in the world died on Monday. His name was Sudan, he was 45 years old, and he was the last male northern white rhino in the world. There are two females left, 27-year-old Najin and 17-year-old Fatu, but neither of them are capable of breeding as a result of health problems, which means that barring some great technological feat, the northern white rhino is to become extinct.