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[h=4]The Short List: Icon leaves 'The Simpsons;' Amtrak crash; fans think Brady's a cheater[/h]Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.
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Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.(Photo: FOX)
Major 'Simpsons' actor leaves the show
You'll need an ice cold Duff to wash this news down: The Simpsons is losing an icon. Voice-over vet Harry Shearer is bowing out after 26 years as some of the show's best supporting characters. He made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday night. Don't worry, we won't be losing any of the dozens of characters he voiced — they'll be recast — and the core fam won't be affected. Here's a few who may sound a bit different: Mr. Burns? Not excellent, but true. Ned Flanders? Abso-diddily. Principal Skinner? Yup, him too. Even though Shearer is out, the rest of the cast is returning, and the show was recently renewed through 2017. Still feeling bummed? Drown your sorrows in a box of doughnuts.
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Harry Shearer, who has voiced dozens of characters on 'The Simpsons,' announced on that he's leaving the show. Take a look at his most beloved characters. VPC
Amtrak crash: Another victim, an engineer 'can't remember' and a funding feud
We're still trying to make sense of the deadliest U.S. train accident in nearly seven years. Today's developments: The victims: Recovery teams searching the wreckage site in Philadelphia found an eighth body today. The victims include an Associated Press video software architect, a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman and a Wells Fargo senior vice president. The engineer: The lawyer for the engineer in charge of the Amtrak train — which was traveling more than 100 mph through a curve with a 50 mph speed limit before derailing — says his client suffered a concussion in the accident and can't remember what happened when the train jumped the tracks.The funding issue: The crash has highlighted the long-running feud over federal funding for the passenger railroad. While the National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the cause of the derailment, lawmakers called for additional funding for aging rails and bridges. Automatic braking: The crash has also revived calls for a braking system that automatically stops a train exceeding speed limits. But the multibillion-dollar price tag is slowing installation.
Most football fans think Tom Brady is a cheater
Almost 70% of avid fans think New England Patriots QB Tom Brady cheated in the Deflategate scandal. That's almost three out of every four fans. It's pretty hard to get three out of four people to agree on anything. The ABC News/ESPN poll was taken before today's Wells Retort — a website from the Pats that pokes holes in the Wells Report. (For the Win's Chris Chase says the site's absurdity may end up swaying some of the remaining 27% of non-believers.) The Wells Report was released earlier this week and found Brady had a "more probable than not" involvement with the Deflategate scandal. The site released today by the Pats makes some interesting claims, including this one: The equipment manager's "deflator" nickname had nothing to do with football. He was called "deflator" because he wanted to lose weight. Meanwhile, Brady officially appealed his four-game suspension today.
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USA TODAY Sports's Nate Davis discusses the on-field implications of Tom Brady's four-game suspension.
It just got very hard for George Stephanopoulos to cover Hillary Clinton
File this under "Big No-No." ABC News chief political correspondent George Stephanopoulos apologized today for failing to disclose $75,000 in donations he made to the Clinton Foundation. Politico's On Media blog writes: "Stephanopoulos never disclosed this information to viewers, even when interviewing author Peter Schweizer last month about his book Clinton Cash, which alleges that donations to the Foundation may have influenced some of Hillary Clinton's actions as Secretary of State." Stephanopoulos said he should have told ABC News and viewers, but he thought his donations were a matter of public record. Before he was a news anchor, Stephanopoulos was a senior political operative for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and then an adviser to Clinton in the White House for four years. He said he wouldn't moderate a presidential debate but would still cover the election season. ABC News called the matter "an honest mistake." Not sure viewers will be so forgiving.
George Stephanopoulos<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Heidi Gutman, ABC)
#MustRead: The Army's substance abuse program is broken
USA TODAY reported in March that the Army's substance abuse program is in disarray: Thousands of soldiers were turned away from needed treatment, there were dozens of suicides linked to poor care, and there were too few qualified counselors. The Army responded by ordering an investigation of all 54 substance abuse outpatient clinics. Now, an Army psychiatrist has come forward to speak with USA TODAY about a case where the Army's poor decision-making cost two lives. Army psychiatrist Patrick Lillard anguishes over a night four years ago, when drunken soldier Spc. Christopher Hodges shot to death a sheriff's deputy along a shoulder of an expressway outside a base in Fort Gordon, Ga., and then turned the assault rifle on himself. Lillard said twice before the shootings he urged that Hodges, 26, an Iraq war veteran, receive at least a month of intensive treatment. Twice his recommendations were ignored by an Army substance abuse program that allows officers without a medical background to overrule a doctor. Read more about the failures of the Army addiction program here.
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The Army Substance Abuse Program fell short for Army Specialist Christopher Hodges who later ended up on an expressway shooting at cars. During the shooting he killed a police officer, then himself. USA TODAY
Short on time? Get all the top stories in the audio version of #TheShortList in the player below:
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A maltese dog plays with a gnome in Germany's Garden Gnome Park (Zwergen-Park) in Trusetal on May 14, 2015. Every year up to 100,000 tourists visit the Garden Gnome Theme Park.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jens Meyer, AP)
Charlize Theron is fronting Mad Max 36 years after the first movie blew up and turned Mel Gibson into an explosive superstar. This time, it's Theron's Furiosa, who erupts as the film's force, shaved head and all.
Australia isn't happy with Johnny Depp. Quarantine authorities say he smuggled his Yorkies into the country. Now he's got two days to get rid of Pistol and Boo.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Paul Singer, Gregg Zoroya, Ann Oldenburg, Bill Keveney, Doug Stanglin, Bart Jansen, Melanie Eversley, Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY; Nina Mandell, Chris Chase, Nate Scott, For the Win
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