The FDA is weighing a possible rule change that would make birth control pills available without a prescription from a doctor for the very first time. This comes as manufacturer HRA Pharma seeks approval for its over the counter drug Opill. In a document released last Friday, however, FDA officials raised concerns about patients with a history of breast cancer who should not take the drug and those who reported taking it improperly. The agency is expected to make a decision by this summer.
BAD CYBER HABITS
A new report from cyber threat intelligence firm SpyCloud found unsafe internet habits from employees of Fortune 1000 companies. The report identified 2 billion "cookies" — the saved data in your browser that helps keep track of your online activity — on the dark web. It also found that 62 percent of employees who had been exposed used the same passwords after getting hacked. Finally, the report found that telecommunications companies such as AT&T and Verizon were uniquely vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, and leaked passwords.
Last week, at an ancient burial site in Germany, a 3,000 year-old sword from the middle Bronze Age was uncovered, and it still looks as good as new. Despite being buried for thousands of years, researchers said it was still "gleaming."
Mass shootings and violence across the U.S. killed at least six people this weekend, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and wounded dozens of people. Multiple people with guns fired shots at a holiday crowd in Missouri and bullets flew among teenagers partying in Illinois.
The unstable conditions triggered thunderstorms that knocked out power from Oklahoma to Mississippi. It's also producing gusty winds in the Southwest that raised wildfire threats in Arizona and New Mexico.
Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Phoenix and Rhode Island were among the hardest-hit metro areas. The Twin Cities saw a 106% increase in evictions filings in March.
The two-year investigation found numerous examples of excessive force, unlawful discrimination, First Amendment violations, needless escalation of mental health crises and sabotage of investigations into misconduct. Racism and racial profiling were rampant.
