5 things you need to know Monday
1. Taylor Swift drops new album '1989'
If you are not aware that Taylor Swift has a new album out today, it's certainly not her fault, or ours. The rollout for 1989 (***½ out of four stars), named for the superstar's birth year, has been as meticulous and as eagerly pored over as a presidential campaign, and its ascent on the pop charts is as certain as death and taxes — and likely anticipated with as much dread by some folks. Never mind the haters, though. Swift's genius — or part of it, anyway — has been to turn the same mix of unabashed neediness and cunning that can make her tough to defend as a celebrity into rock-solid musical assets.
2. Hazing trial for FAMU band members scheduled to start
The trial of four Florida A&M University band members is scheduled to start today on charges of felony hazing and manslaughter, almost three years after drum major Robert Champion died from being beaten during a hazing ritual. Members of one of the nation's most-celebrated marching bands were occasionally beaten with mallets, fists and drumsticks in a hazing initiation known as "crossing Bus C." Champion's death shone a spotlight on hazing at FAMU and other colleges, caused the band to be suspended for more than a year and contributed to the resignation of FAMU's president.
3. Gunman in Canada attack prepared video of himself
The gunman who shot and killed a soldier at Canada's national war memorial and then stormed Parliament before he was gunned down had prepared a video recording of himself that police say shows he was driven by ideological and political motives. A detailed analysis of the video was being conducted and police said they cannot release the video at this time.
4. Fitness band data show workouts peak on Mondays
After falling off diets and exercise regimes all weekend, people start the new week with a flourish of exercise, running, walking or hitting the gym. And then their habits gradually deteriorate as the week progresses, a new data analysis shows. Jawbone, the maker of computer-connected fitness bands, collected data from a sample of more than 100,000 of its U.S. users in a 12-month period ending in August. What it found in terms of exercising isn't exactly shocking, but it puts some numbers on what many might suspect from their own habits. Similar to the surge of gym memberships sold during the start of the year, overall workouts peak on Monday, are fairly steady Tuesday and Wednesday, and then fall apart.
5. Second victim in Washington school shooting dies
Gia Soriano, 14, died Sunday night, becoming the second victim of a shooting at a Seattle-area high school after a popular student opened fire on his classmates before taking his own life.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Multiple rounds of precipitation will move into the Pacific Northwest over the next few days as a strong storm system moves through.
Stocks: Wall Street stock futures eked out gains.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at 2 Broke Girls and Sleepy Hollow.
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