NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
_1 Gun control poll: The slaying of five dozen people in Las Vegas did little to change Americans’ opinions about gun laws, according to the poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey was conducted from Oct. 12 to 16, about two weeks after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired on a crowded musical festival taking place across the street from his hotel room, killing 58 and wounding more than 540 before killing himself. In this latest survey, 61 percent said the country’s gun laws should be tougher, while 27 percent would rather see them remain the same and 11 percent want them to be less strict. That’s similar to the results of an APGfK poll in July 2016. Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, but just a third of Republicans, want to see gun laws made stricter.
_2 Body camera study: After a series of high-profile law enforcement shootings, police departments across the nation turned to body cameras, hoping they would curb abuses. By 2015, 95 percent of large police departments reported they were using body cameras or had committed to doing so in the near future, according to a national survey. But a rigorous study released Friday shows that they have almost no effect on officer behavior. The 18-month study of more than 2,000 police officers in Washington, D.C., found that officers equipped with cameras used force and prompted civilian complaints at about the same rate as those who did not have them.
_3 Reservation murder: A man who pleaded guilty to the murder and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl on the largest American Indian reservation was sentenced Friday to life in prison in a case that drew national attention over abducted Native American children. Tom Begaye was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Johnson in Albuquerque for the May 2016 killing of Ashlynne Mike on the Navajo Nation. The death led to pending federal legislation that would expand the Amber Alert system to tribal communities and calls for Navajo Nation to end its opposition to the death penalty.
_4 Baby powder lawsuit: A judge on Friday tossed out a $417 million jury award to a woman who said she developed ovarian cancer by using Johnson & Johnson talc-based baby powder for feminine hygiene. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson granted the company’s request for a new trial, saying there were errors and jury misconduct in the previous trial that ended with the award two months ago. Nelson also ruled that there wasn’t convincing evidence that Johnson & Johnson acted with malice and the award for damages was excessive. The decision will be appealed even though Eva Echeverria has died, said her attorney, Mark Robinson Jr.
_5 NAACP leader: The nation’s oldest civil rights group turned to an insider Saturday to help bring the organization back to prominence. Derrick Johnson, 49, of Jackson, Miss., was hired as the NAACP’s 19th president and CEO after having served as interim leader since July.