AC360 411: Heroin’s grip on America
Editor’s Note: Join us for the latest developments in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death investigation on AC360° at 8 p.m. ET.
Four people believed to be connected to the heroin found in actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s apartment have been arrested in New York. The suspects range in age from 22 to 57. According to a law enforcement official, one of the suspects had Hoffman’s phone number stored on his cell phone. When Hoffman’s body was found on Sunday inside his fourth-floor Manhattan apartment, the 46-year-old actor was lying on a bathroom floor with a syringe in his arm, law enforcement sources said. Investigators found about 50 envelopes of what they believed was heroin, the sources added.
The number of heroin users is on the rise and abusers can pay a deadly price. Here’s the AC360 411 on heroin in America:
Heroin addicts in 2012: 467,000. A 56% increase in 10 years, according to a federal government study on drug use.
About 4.6 million people reported using heroin at some point in their lives that same 2012 survey.
The age of the average first-time heroin user: 23
Approximately 23% of people who use heroin become dependent on it.
Heroin is made from morphine, which naturally occurs in opium poppy plants.
Heroin can be injected, inhaled by snorting or sniffing, or smoked.
Medications for treating heroin addiction include buprenorphine and methadone.
Naloxone is sometimes used as an emergency treatment to counteract the effects of heroin overdose.
Street names for heroin include: Big H, Dead on arrival, Hell dust, Smack
Heroin is a “downer” or depressant that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain.
Heroin is a white to dark brown powder or tar-like substance.
1895: Heinrich Dreser, working for the Bayer Company in Germany, synthesized heroin.
1898: Bayer began to marketing the drug, calling it a “wonder drug.”
One in 10 heroin overdoses ends in death.
Most people die from heroin overdoses when their bodies forget to breathe.
Heroin overdose can also cause your blood pressure to dip significantly and cause your heart to fail.
The price of one heroin capsule: $6, according to police in Delray Beach, Florida.
The price of a multiple-dose supply: $45 to $60, officials tell the Washington Times.
AC360 411: Typhoon death toll rises
The official death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Haiyan has topped 3,000. But that number could rise. There’s been conflicting reports on the number of people killed in the storm. Anderson will be reporting live from Manila tonight with the latest developments. We’ll get an update from the shattered city, Tacloban. We’ll also show you how the aid effort is proceeding, eight days after the typhoon hit the island nation. Plus, we’ll have one family’s emotional reunion and much more. Here’s the AC360 411 on the disaster:
3,631
The official death toll, according to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
12,487
The number of people wounded.
At least 1,179
The number of people missing after the typhoon.
9 million
The number of people affected by the storm.
44
The number of provinces impacted by the typhoon.
55
How many cities in the Philippines are affected by the tragedy.
536
The number of municipalities in the Philippines facing destruction.
Nearly 2 million
The number of people displaced after the typhoon and in need of food.
400,000
How many people are now at evacuation centers.
4 million
The number of children affected by the typhoon, according to the U.N.
40
The number of corpses each five-person team will be required to handle starting Saturday in the Philippines, as part of an effort to identify and bury the dead, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.
801
The official death toll in hard-hit Tacloban, but thousands are feared dead in the city.
3,000
The number of Tacloban survivors who were evacuated and arrived in Cebu Friday aboard a Philippine naval ship.
220,000
The population of Tacloban before the storm.
5,500
The size of the U.S. military crew aboard the USS George Washington, which has arrived in Philippine waters. Eight other smaller ships traveled with the aircraft carrier, and together they have 80 aircraft, including 21 helicopters that can deliver supplies to survivors.
300
The number of U.S. Marines already on the ground in the Philippines helping relief efforts.
900
How many additional U.S. Marines are expected to arrive next week aboard the USS Germantown and USS Ashland.
$26+ million
How much money Americans have donated to the relief effort, so far.
15 feet
The height of the storm surge in some places.
195 mph – 235 mph
The sustained winds and how powerful the wind gusts were when Super Typhoon Haiyan hit.
3.5 times
The typhoon winds were more than three times as strong as Hurricane Katrina here in the U.S.
AC360° 411: End in sight, waiting for votes on Capitol Hill
Editor’s Note: Anderson Cooper will be reporting live from Capitol Hill tonight as the Senate and House get ready to vote on the new deal to end the partial government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. Do both chambers have enough votes to get it passed? Join us at 8 and 10 p.m. ET for our breaking news coverage.
AC 360 411: Bikers vs. SUV clash, off-duty cop charged
Editor's Note: We'll have the latest developments in this case on Anderson Cooper 360 at 8 p.m. ET and on AC 360 Later at 10 p.m. ET
A New York undercover detective is charged with two felonies, first-degree gang assault and first-degree assault, in connection with the beating of an SUV driver on September 29. Wojciech Braszczok also faces third-degree criminal mischief. Braszczok was riding with his motorcycle club at the time of incident. Prosecutors say the 32-year-old detective was part of the biker mob that beat Alexian Lien, after he was dragged from his Range Rover. However, Braszczok never hit him, his attorney claimed today. Here's the AC 360 411 on the incident:
7
The number of bikers charged so far in the case, including the off-duty detective.
0
The number of charges SUV driver Alexian Lien faces.
2
The number of passengers in the SUV: Alexian Lien's wife and young daughter. Both were not hurt.
2
The age of Lien's daughter.
2
The number of black eyes the SUV driver got, as well as cuts to his face and side, needing stiches, according to police.
3
The number of bikers Lien ran over, including Edwin Mieses who is critically injured.
1%
The percentage chance Mieses will walk again. That's what Mieses’ wife says doctors told her.
500
The total number of bikers who took part in last month's ride, according to New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat.
1:55 p.m.
When the SUV driver called police reporting a gang of motorcyclists driving erratically.
3
The number of additional 911 calls placed from the SUV by the driver's wife
20 to 30
The number of bikers on who surrounded the SUV on New York City's West Side Highway and Henry Hudson Parkway.
50
The number of blocks the bikers chased the SUV.
178th
The street in Manhattan where the altercation ended, with the SUV driver assaulted, according to police.
1
The number of water bottles allegedly thrown by the SUV driver from his sunroof toward the bikers, according to an attorney for the biker who shot the edited video of the incident on his helmet camera.
7+ million
The number of YouTube views of that viral video of the incident.
AC360 411: Kenya mall attack
Kenyan authorities have tweeted they are in control of the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, after a three-day standoff with terrorists who’ve killed dozens of people. However, two senior officials told CNN there are still several gunman inside the besieged complex. The Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed. Here’s the AC360 411 on the attack and the killers:
At least 62
The number of people confirmed dead in the attack at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
175+
That’s how many people have been wounded. At least five were Americans, according to the U.S. State Department.
65
The number of people still missing and unaccounted, according to the Red Cross
200+
The number of people rescued from the mall, the military said.
10 to 15
The estimated number of militants carrying out the attack at the mall.
3
The number of terrorists confirmed killed, according to Kenya’s Interior Ministry.
11
Kenyan soldiers have been wounded, according to the Kenya Defence Forces.
10
Kenyan authorities say that’s how many people have been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the attack, including at least four found at an airport.
80+
The number of stores and restaurants at the Westgate Shopping Mall.
5,000
The approximate total number of al-Shabaab fighters, who remain “arguably intact in terms of operational readiness, chain of command, discipline and communication capabilities,“ according to a July U.N. Security Council report.
2006
When Al-Shabaab took over the southern half of Somalia. It still controls most of the area and is seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
February 2008
When al-Shabaab was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government
July 11, 2010
Al-Shabaab carries out its first attack outside Somali. 74 people were killed, including one American, when bombers attacked three locations in Uganda’s capital, as people watched the World Cup Final. The terrorist group said the strike in retaliation for Uganda's leading role in the African Union force supporting Somalia's weak government in Mogadishu.
February 2012
Al-Shabaab’s founder, Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed, and al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video announcing the alliance of the two organizations.
$7 milllion
The reward money offered by the U.S. State Department for information on the location of Ahmed Abdi Aw-Mohamed, the 36-year-old leader of al-Shabaab.
AC360 411: Washington Navy Yard Shooting Spree
One suspected gunman is dead, another may be at large, after the deadly shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard. According to the FBI, the dead suspect has been identified by fingerprints and photo ID as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, a military contractor. His last known address was in Fort Worth, Texas.
We’re digging into Alexis’s background and we’ll have more details on him tonight on 360°. Meanwhile, police have cleared a third man who was originally thought to also be a suspect. Pres. Obama called the shooting a “cowardly act” that targeted civilians and military members serving on the home front. “We don’t know what the motive was at this stage,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray said at a news conference late this afternoon. Here’s the AC360 411 on the shooting spree:
13
The number of people killed in the shooting spree at Washington’s Navy Yard, including the dead suspect.
At least 3
The number of people hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
8:20 a.m. ET
The Navy confirms on its Twitter page that shots were fired at the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, Building 197.
3,000
The number of people who work at the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command at Washington’s Navy Yard.
60,000
The worldwide workforce for the command, including civilian, military and contract support personnel. They engineer, buy and maintain the Navy’s fleet and their combat systems, according to the U.S. military.
$30 billion
The annual budget for the command, making up 25% of the Navy’s entire budget.
1799
The year the Yard was created by an act of Congress, making it the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. It was initially intended as a shipbuilding facility and once serviced the Navy's most famous vessels, including the USS Constitution.
1-800-CALL-FBI
The phone number to call if you have any information on the shooting rampage and/or dead suspected gunman.
AC360 411: Strike Syria over chemical weapons use?
Editor’s Note: Anderson will have the latest developments on the Obama administration’s push for U.S. military action in Syria tonight on AC360 at 8 p.m. ET.
In a 10-7 vote, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution today authorizing limited U.S. military action in Syria, setting up a showdown in the full Senate next week. The resolution allows for 60 days of strikes against Syria, with the option of a 30 day extension.
Meanwhile, President Obama continues to press his case for striking Syria. “I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line,” Mister Obama said today in Stockholm on his way to St. Petersburg for the G20 Summit. He attributes that to the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty approved by the U.S. Congress and more than 100 other countries. Here’s the AC360 411 on chemical weapons:
1,429
The preliminary total number of people killed in Syria’s chemical attack on August 21, according to the U.S. government assessment.
426
The number of children killed in the August 21 attack in Syria, also according to the U.S. government assessment.
At least 350
How many people were killed in the August 21 chemical attack, according to British and French government reports.
13
Members of the U.N. team investigating last month’s chemical attack in Syria. They left Damascus on Saturday with biological samples. The findings are not expected for at least a week.
14
How many chemical attacks the Assad government is linked to since 2012, according to the latest British government assessment.
4
That’s how many months ago a U.N. official said there was strong suspicions Syrian opposition fighters used sarin gas in the country’s civil war. However, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army said they don’t have unconventional weapons, and don’t want any.
1997
The year the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) entered into force with 87 member states, including the United States. Members vow to destroy existing stocks of chemical weapons within ten years and bans their future use.
189
The number of CWC member states today.
7
The number of CWC non-member states, including Syria.
98
The percentage of the world’s population living within territories where the CWC is the law of the land.
81
The percentage of the world’s declared stockpile of 71,196 metric tons of chemical agent have been verifiably destroyed, according to the CWC.
1925
The year 40 nations banned the first use of chemical weapons when the Geneva Protocol was signed. Now more than 100 nations have signed it, but the U.S. didn’t do so until 1975.
AC360 411: MLK’s “dream” remembered 50 years later
Editor’s Note: Tonight on AC360° Anderson talks with poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Angelou served as King’s first Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom thousands of people once again gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. President Obama praised King for giving a “mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions” back in 1963. Five decades ago, few thought there would be an African-American president in the White House today.
“To secure the gains this country has made, requires constant vigilance, not complacency, “ said Pres. Obama.
Two former presidents also spoke at today’s event. King and his fellow civil rights crusaders “opened minds, they melted hearts and they moved millions including a 17-year-old boy watching alone in his home in Arkansas,” said former president Bill Clinton of the impact the 1963 march had on his life. While former president Jimmy Carter called on everyone to hold true to King’s message of non-violence. “The crucial question of our time is how to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the sole surviving speaker from 1963, said King’s dream is still alive. “The scars and stains of racism still remain deeply embedded in American society, whether it is 'stop-and-frisk' in New York, or injustice in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida.”
Here’s the AC360 411 on Rev. King and his “Dream” speech:
FULL POST
AC360 411: Syrian government accused of chemical attack
Chilling new videos posted online from Syria show victims of a chemical attack early this morning in the suburbs of Damascus, according to opposition activists. The Syrian government denies such an attack and calls the accusations "disillusioned and fabricated." This comes with U.N. inspectors in the country trying to determine whether either side has used chemical weapons in the past in the long-running civil war. Today a U.N. official said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "shocked" by the reports of the deadly attack. Here’s the AC360 411 on Syria:
1,300+
The number of people reportedly killed in today’s attack, according an umbrella group of opposition activists.
14
How many days the U.N. weapons team will be in Syria, with a possible extension. There work began Monday. It’s unclear if they’ll get access to where today’s alleged chemical attack took place.
22,457,336
The estimated population of Syria, according to the CIA World Factbook.
100,000+
The number of Syrians killed since the uprising began and turned into a civil war, according to the United Nations. (cnn wires)
5,000
How many people are dying each month in Syria, according to the United Nations.
6,500+
The number of children killed in Syria so far, according to UNICEF.
At least 1.9 million
How many Syrian refugees are now living in neighboring countries and North Africa, according to the U.N.
30,000 and counting
The number of Syrians who have fled to Iraq's Kurdistan region in recent days.
29
That’s how many months it’s been since Syria’s uprising began.
At least $385 million
How much the U.S. has spent on humanitarian assistance in Syria.
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