The Short List: Secret Service shake-up; kids exposed to Ebola; Apple may go gold
Julia Pierson is having a worse day than you
That's two in 18 months. Secret Service director Julia Pierson is out. She took over the agency from Mark Sullivan in 2013 to change the culture of the Secret Service after a prostitution scandal. She submitted her resignation today after several incidents surfaced of White House security breaches. There was the man in September with a knife who jumped the fence and made it inside the White House. And the time in 2011 when the Secret Service didn't realize the president's digs had been hit with bullets. And the latest, when officials said that two weeks ago agents allowed an armed security guard to board an elevator with the president during an appearance in Atlanta, a protocol no-no. Former Secret Service official Joseph Clancy will act as interim director. An independent panel will get together to look at the Secret Service's overall performance and report its findings to the Homeland Security Department by Dec. 15. Meanwhile, the knife-wielding fence jumper pleaded not guilty in court today.
Texas Ebola patient came into contact with kids
People are a little freaked out about Ebola right now. A man who traveled to the U.S. from Liberia is being treated for Ebola in a Dallas hospital. It's the first case of Ebola in the United States. But people shouldn't worry too much — while there isn't a cure, the virus doesn't spread easily. People can only contract it through bodily fluids. The CDC is monitoring people the man came into contact with, including five children. What is concerning is the patient was sent home the first time he went to the hospital for treatment. A triage nurse did the recommended screening — asking about his symptoms and his travel history — but her info wasn't shared with the rest of his health care team, so they released him. He returned to the hospital two days later and was admitted. Eek.
Kidnapped Texas girl found in Mexico hasn't reunited with dad yet
She was kidnapped at four, and found at 17. Sabrina Allen, who was taken by her mom in 2002, has been found safe and alive in Mexico. The Mexican Federal Authority, FBI and U.S. Marshals in Estafeta Tlaxcala were all part of the operation. Sabrina's mom defied a court-approved custody agreement and fled the country with her daughter. They're both now back in the U.S., but Sabrina hasn't seen her dad yet. "Whether it's 12 years, 1 month or 2 years, we don't quit, and we won't stop," FBI Agent Dan Powers told reporters.
Apple's so fancy. Can't you taste this gold?
What iPhone 6? We want to know what's next for the iPad, and apparently what's next is going for gold. According to Bloomberg, Apple's new iPads may come out this month and they will come in a new gold color. The new iPads are also rumored to be adding other recent iPhone staples such as the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. #iFancy
China is so nervous on national holiday it gave 10,000 pigeons butt inspections
Today, the government in Beijing celebrated National Day — the 65th anniversary of Communist Party rule — by showing it remains very much in charge and isn't interested in democracy any more today than when it took over the country in 1949. Security was so tight that 10,000 pigeons used in a flag-raising ceremony first underwent anal security checks for suspicious objects, the state-run People's Daily reported. Ouch. The Chinese government is also doing its best to keep China in the dark about the pro-democracy protests happening in Hong Kong, the country's semi-autonomous territory.
Extra Bites
Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.
Have you seen it? Giant face on the National Mall is high-tech art.
It's not you. It's the car. The top 20 vehicles for getting tickets.
Fight that gag-reflex: Doctors remove a 9-pound hairball from teen's stomach.
Yes, you really are seeing more LGBT characters on TV.
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This is a compilation of stories from across Paste BN.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Susan Davis, David Jackson, Liz Szabo, Doug Stanglin, Paste BN; Eli Blumenthal, Special for Paste BN; Marjorie Owens, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth