The Short List: Ohio cop charged in shooting; monster tornado in Canada; Taliban leader died 2 years ago
Body cam shows motorist was calm before officer fired fatal shot
Samuel DuBose’s last words were “I didn’t even do nothing.” Footage from a police officer’s body camera shows a routine traffic stop turning suddenly violent when DuBose, 43, leans toward the passenger seat and turns his ignition key, starting the car. The officer then reaches into the car with one hand and, with the other, fires a single shot into DuBose’s head, killing him. That was July 19. On Wednesday, an Ohio grand jury indicted former University of Cincinnati officer Ray Tensing, 25, on a murder charge. If convicted, Tensing could face up to life in prison. "This is without question murder," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said at a news conference Wednesday. What the defense says. Although DuBose, who was black, did not appear to be belligerent or aggressive before the shot was fired, Tensing's lawyer, Stuart Mathews, said Tensing, who is white, feared he would be run over. What's next. Tensing will be arraigned Thursday.
'Phenomenal' doesn't begin to describe this tornado
It was on the ground for nearly three hours — and missed every town in its path. The massive tornado that roared across the Canadian province of Manitoba late Monday took out trees, power poles, farms and roads, but no injuries or deaths were reported. "(T)o miss everything is basically a miracle," Environment Canada meteorologist Mike Macdonald told the CBC. Tornadoes rarely stay on the ground longer than a few minutes in Canada, but this one was part of a wild weather system that also brought snow and cold to parts of the U.S. Rocky Mountains and ferocious winds and accumulating hail to the northern Plains. “This pattern should not happen in July," tweeted the weather service forecast office in Billings, Mont. So where does this twister fit in the record books? Behind the Tri-State tornado of March 1925. That monster twister lasted for about 3.5 hours, ravaging the Midwest and killing hundreds of people.
Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead — at least, as far as we know
Ding, dong, the one-eyed terrorist is dead. Supreme Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, the United States' most sought-after Taliban figure for 14 years, apparently has been dead for more than two years. Abdul Hassib Seddiqi, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, said Mullah Omar did, in fact, die in a Pakistani hospital in 2013. The Taliban hasn't commented. And it's not clear why his death was being announced Wednesday. So who is he? He led the Taliban as it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when U.S. forces invaded. After the invasion, he led a decade-long insurgency against U.S. troops. When was he last seen? Fleeing into Pakistan after the invasion. And like we said, his death has been speculated on for at least two years. But in April, the Afghan Taliban published a 5,000-word biography of him online to mark his 19th year as their supreme leader. So there's that. How did he lose an eye? Mullah Omar fought Russian forces from 1983 to 1991, losing his right eye. How badly does the U.S. want him, dead or alive? There's a $10 million bounty on his head.
Windows 10: Buggy but so much better
If you hate Windows 8 with the burning fire of a thousand laptop screens, you're in luck: Windows 10 is here, and it's free. If you haven't had the option to upgrade yet, though, don't despair: It's launching in waves. Many of you will probably wait weeks or months to upgrade, anyway, letting the geeks — er, "early adopters" — work out the kinks. Our very own geek Ed Baig did find some bugs — for instance, getting a "something went wrong" message when trying to open his Twitter app. Overall, he likes Windows 10, praising the return of the Start menu and the boost of Cortana. Windows 10 also puts a nail in the coffin of Internet Explorer, replacing it with the Edge browser. Between people upgrading and Windows 10 coming pre-loaded on roughly 300 million PCs sold per year, Microsoft expects to have a billion Windows 10 users by 2018. No matter when you get it, here's a guide to its best features:
Today's cars are in it for the long haul
It's a paradox that could drive us crazy: The average age of vehicles on the road in the U.S. is rising — a record-high 11.5 years, according to an IHS Automotive survey. But consumers are also buying more new ones — at an annual rate of more than 17 million vehicles, a high not seen since before the Great Recession. In fact, U.S. car owners bought 42% more cars than they scrapped in 2014. So what's with all the older cars? The answer is simple: We're either keeping the old ones along with the new ones — because, you know, two is always better than one — or the vehicle made its way into the used-car market, where someone else bought it. This is actually good news because it means automakers are making cars more reliable, and even though buyers still can find a "lemon" on the lot, it's becoming more difficult. "Vehicles are simply lasting longer than ever before," says Mark Seng, global aftermarket practice leader at IHS Automotive.
If you only read one thing tonight, read this: The military begins dismantling the ban on transgender troops on Monday.
Multi-tasking today, try the audio version of The Short List.
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Have you seen it? A heart-wrenching call to 911 ended in tragedy when an Albuquerque teen died after a dispatcher hung up on the woman trying to save him. He had been shot when the caller dialed 911.
The Obama Eight, as they call themselves, don't fit into easy categories, except for this: They were all convicted of drug crimes, and they were among the first to have their sentences commuted by President Obama.
We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Ed Baig, Jefferson Graham, Jayne Onyanga-Omara, Nathan Bomey, Gregory Korte, USA TODAY; Sharon Coolidge, Kevin Grasha, Dan Horn and Chris Graves, The Cincinnati Enquirer; Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network; Kim Komando, Special for USA TODAY; Associated Press