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A gunman opened fire at a Thousand Oaks, California, bar, killing at least 12; Venezuelan consumer prices continue to inflate.
A mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California
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- A suspect shot and killed at least 12 people, including bargoers and a sheriff’s deputy, at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday night. [Vox / Jennifer Williams and Jen Kirby]
- The gunman, a former US Marine who may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, tossed a smoke bomb into the crowd and opened fire, also leaving 18 injured, authorities said. Many of the bar’s patrons that night were college students as young as 18. [LA Times]
- The man, who was found dead inside the bar, was identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long. According to US officials, he was “not a stellar Marine” and was known to local law enforcement for minor offenses. His motive or any possible connection to terrorism remain unknown. [NPR / Laurel Wamsley]
- President Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday morning saying that he had been “fully briefed” on the situation and offering his condolences. [Twitter / Donald J. Trump]
- Since the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, there have been 1,897 mass killings in the US. In 2018 alone, 311 mass shootings have left 314 killed and 1,270 wounded. [Vox / German Lopez and Kavya Sukumar]
- The Thousand Oaks shooting comes less than two weeks after a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11. According to Vox’s German Lopez, easy gun access has enabled these killings: not only does America have uniquely weak gun laws, but it also has more firearms than any other country in the world — 120.5 guns per 100 residents. [Vox / German Lopez]
- Democrats have long advocated for stricter gun regulation. In the 2018 midterm elections, though, only one state — Washington — had a gun-related ballot measure up for a vote. The initiative, which passed, will implement restrictions on the purchase and ownership of firearms, including raising the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21. [Ballotpedia]
Venezuela’s economy drives mass exodus
- Venezuela experienced mass inflation in the past 12 months: Consumer prices rose 833,997 percent through October and are expected to rise above the 1 million percent mark before 2018 ends. [Reuters / Corina Pons]
- Critics blame the economic collapse on years of government intervention in the economy through strict foreign exchange restrictions and price controls, which have led to chronic shortages of food, medicine, and other basic goods. [Business Insider / Will Martin]
- President Trump signed an executive order last week barring Americans from dealing with firms and people who are involved with “corrupt or deceptive” gold sales from Venezuela. These sanctions are sure to hurt the Latin American nation’s economy further. [UPI / Danielle Haynes]
- In the meantime, Venezuela is experiencing a mass exodus due to the political and economic uncertainty. A new UN estimate finds that 3 million people have fled since 2015. [Washington Post / Adam Taylor]
Miscellaneous
- After more than 20,000 Google employees around the world participated in a walkout to protest the company’s settlement of sexual harassment cases, Google announced an overhaul of its misconduct policy. [NYT / Kate Conger and Daisuke Wakabayashi]
- An Azerbaijani woman became the first target of new British legislation on “unexplained wealth” after she spent 16 million pounds at London’s Harrods department store. She was freed on bail but faces embezzlement charges. [Yahoo News via AFP]
- The small town of Yoncalla, Oregon, elected an 18-year-old mayor named Ben Wyatt ... uh, Ben Simons. Anybody having Parks and Rec flashbacks? [Twitter Moments]
- Bryan Cranston confirmed that the Breaking Bad series is getting a film sequel, which will likely pick up where the season five finale left off. [ABC News / Paul Donoughue]
Verbatim
“You can change your name. You can change your gender. Why not your age?” [A 69-year-old Dutch man who says he “identifies as” a 45-year-old is trying to take legal action to change his age to improve job prospects and have better luck with women on Tinder / Twitter Moments]
Watch this: The facial prosthetics of World War I
Why World War I’s wounded needed a sculptor. [YouTube / Phil Edwards]
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