The Short List: Ebola hits U.S.; Phelps charged with DUI; Secret Service grilled
First-ever Ebola case hits the U.S.
It sounds scary, but you don't have to quit your job and hole up in your house with Lysol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first-ever case of Ebola diagnosed in America. But don't panic — the virus isn't easily transmitted. The patient — who has been isolated since his symptoms were recognized — is a man at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He left Liberia Sept. 19 and arrived in the U.S. the next day, but didn't have any symptoms when leaving Africa or arriving here. We don't know if he's exposed others. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said there's no cause for concern. "There will not be an Ebola epidemic in the United States," he said. That actually did make me feel better.
Michael Phelps apologizes after getting second DUI
He should have swam home. Michael Phelps was arrested and accused of driving while under the influence this morning. An officer pulled over his Land Rover, and Phelps failed his sobriety tests. This isn't the Olympic swimmer's first DUI. In 2004, when he was 19, Phelps was arrested on a drunken-driving charge and sentenced to 18 months' probation. "Earlier this morning, I was arrested and charged with DUI, excessive speeding and crossing double lane lines," Phelps said in a statement. "I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility. I know these words may not mean much right now, but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down."
Suspect in killing of real estate agent says he abducted her because she was rich and alone
They found Beverly Lyn Carter. The Arkansas real estate agent, who went missing last week, was found overnight in a shallow grave at a cement company in a suburb of Little Rock, about 20 miles from where she was scheduled to show a house to a prospective buyer last Thursday. The suspect, Arron Lewis, was arrested yesterday. He says he kidnapped Carter but didn't kill her. When he was asked why he targeted her, Lewis said she was "a woman who worked alone, a rich broker." He told her family he was sorry.
Lawmaker holds up ADT security system sign for Secret Service director during hearing
Stunning. Disgraceful. Outrageous. Lawmakers had words for the head of the Secret Service today during a House committee hearing on the agency's head-shaking White House security breaches. Among the breaches Secret Service Director Julia Pierson addressed: 1) An Army vet with a knife who allegedly burst into the White House this September and made it all the way to the mansion's East Room; and 2) An incident in 2011 where the agency failed to recognize the White House had been hit by several rounds of gunfire. During the hearing, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., scored some muffled laughs when he held up the sign of private home security company ADT to ask why an alarm didn't sound when a bullet pierced the window of the White House. Pierson was not laughing.
Microsoft skips Windows 9 and moves on to Windows 10
Yes, they skipped Windows 9. No, Microsoft doesn't have a counting problem. At an event in San Francisco, Microsoft previewed early elements of the next generation of its iconic computer operating system. The company said it's skipping the "Windows 9 moniker" because "when you see the product in its fullness, I think you will agree with us that it is a more appropriate name," Microsoft executive Terry Myerson said. The company wants the new system to focus on personalization and expects to launch Windows 10 in 2015.
China wants to keep everyone in the dark, but Hong Kong keeps tweeting
The protesters aren't backing down, China isn't giving in, and the world isn't looking away. Pro-democracy demonstrations kept going in Hong Kong for a fifth day. Protesters are angry China won't let them pick their candidates for Hong Kong's leader in the city's first democratic election, scheduled for 2017, without weighing in. Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous city that is officially ruled by China. The Chinese government is doing everything it can to keep China in the dark, but the protesters in Hong Kong, which has freedom of the press, are dominating social media. Here are key social moments of the Hong Kong protests.
Extra Bites
Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.
File this under "really not good." NASA images show the world's fourth-largest lake is drying up.
Search party: Amanda Bynes is missing.
ICYMI: Amal Alamuddin's wedding dress. Don't act like you don't want to see it.
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This is a compilation of stories from across Paste BN.
Contributing: Nancy Blair, Kevin Johnson, Brett Molina, Kevin Trager and Doug Stanglin, Paste BN; Paste BN Sports