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[h=4]The Short List: Rainy relief for parched Calif.; a bad mix for Lamar Odom; our neverending Afghanistan problem[/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: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Californians, get ready to let some tears of El Niño<span style="color: Red;">*</span>happiness rain down your parched cheeks
Hey, Californians! Help is on the way, and it's not water being shipped from Alaska. El Niño is coming to the rescue, bringing rain and snow this winter that the drought-stricken state so desperately needs. And<span style="color: Red;">*</span>though this is one of the strongest El Niños on record, and the rain and snow will be a huge improvement, weather forecasters say it won't end four years of drought. Even so, this is still good news because the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is the lowest it's been in 500 years, and the economic losses for 2015<span style="color: Red;">*</span>are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>forecast to be nearly $3 billion. Oh, and if you're not from California and wondering how bad the drought really is:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>As of Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 97% of the state is in a drought.
That herbal Viagra<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Lamar Odom is said to have taken? Bad news bears
Lamar Odom, former NBA player and husband of Khloé Kardashian,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>used cocaine. He used up to 10 Viagra-type herbal supplements — and, reports USA TODAY's Alison Young,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>they may have been SPIKED. More news from Thursday:The 911 call<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is gut-wrenching. Detectives say they haven't ruled out a possible suicide attempt.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Rob Kardashian and Kris Jenner posted some heartbreaking messages.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>And those pills? The FDA has<span style="color: Red;">*</span>warned against them for years.
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A Nevada sheriff says a person who called 911 Tuesday to report that Lamar Odom was found unconscious at a brothel said the former NBA star had been doing cocaine and had taken sexual performance enhancers. (Oct. 14) AP
America's longest war — Afghanistan —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>not getting any shorter
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. We've been there ever since.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The cold realities: Afghanistan's military needs help, Taliban insurgents<span style="color: Red;">*</span>remain a threat<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and the Islamic State is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a scary new danger. Hence, President Obama's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>decision Thursday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to keep<span style="color: Red;">*</span>about 5,500 (non-combat) troops there through 2017, backtracking<span style="color: Red;">*</span>an earlier plan to remove nearly all troops by the end of next year.
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President Obama announced Thursday that he will keep a force of 9,800 in the country for most of next year and a contingent of 5,500 for 2017.
Social Security checks are staying exactly the same. Here's why it matters
Social Security is the nation's biggest retirement program and an important safety net for millions of people.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>We bring you an imaginary conversation between the Social Security Administration and America's seniors upon learning there will be<span style="color: Red;">*</span>no increase next year.
Government: Hey seniors, your Social Security checks are going to be exactly the same next year. No cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), sorry!
Seniors: Ack! No fair! And hey, what does this mean for my Medicare premium?<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Government: Well, actually, for 30% of you, that's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>going to go up. A lot. Sorry!<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Seniors: Noooo! Why?!!<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Government: It's complicated, and you should talk to Congress about that. <span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Seniors: And wait, why was there no COLA?
Government: Also complicated, but in short, low inflation.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
Want more? Here's a deep dive into what the Social Security Administration announced.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Here's more about the Medicare premiums.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>AARP tells us what's wrong with COLAs, And here's why<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Social Security is so important to your retirement.
Ida May Fuller was the first Social Security beneficiary to receive a recurring monthly payment (beginning Jan. 31, 1940).<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Handout)
You won the lottery! Congrats! ... Here's an IOU
Oh, you unlucky lottery winners, you.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The cash-strapped state of Illinois says it'll hand out IOUs for the time being for any lottery winnings more than $600. The state promises it has the money, but says it has no authority to write checks.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The lottery says the payments will be made once the legislature passes a state budget. #funtimes More Illinois news Thursday:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Former House speaker<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Dennis Hastert will plead guilty in that eyebrow-raising<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hush money case.
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Anyone who wins, or has won, $25,000 or more cannot claim the prize until the state passes a budget for the year. Wochit
Hey, check out 'The Short List' on audio!
<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
If you only read one thing tonight:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, President Obama would be forced to do one of three things<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>each one of them illegal and perhaps even unconstitutional.
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Extra bites
The world is an amazing and beautiful place. Swipe through more photographic evidence from the Day in Pictures.
Nepalese children fly a kite in Kathmandu, Nepal. Nepalese start flying kites to mark the Dashain festival after the rain has stopped and bid farewell to the summer season, in accordance with Hindu mythology.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Hemanta Shrestha, European Pressphoto Agency)
Has Kepler spotted an "alien megastructure"? Maybe. Astronomers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and citizen scientists are exploring the "various scenarios" that could cause the mysterious light emitting from a distant star.
Have you seen it?<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Halloween is coming. Get your cat ready for your cat to hate you.
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Even if your cat will only tolerate wearing a Halloween costume for a few brief moments, Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has a rundown of some of the most hilarious Halloween costumes for cats. Buzz60
Here are 10 actually useful tips for finding cheap plane tickets.
If you're freaking out because your phone's battery is at 10% and you just charged it, your Facebook app may be to blame.
The pair began life on the same day. They ended it 83 years later.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Again, on the same day.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sniff.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Identical twins Helen Mae Cook and Clara Mae Mitchel passed away within 12 hours of one another.
We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add<span style="color: Red;">*</span>DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.
Want the Short List newsletter in your inbox every night?<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sign up here.
This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Doyle Rice,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jim Michaels, David Jackson, Erin Jensen, Aamer Madhani, Lisa Kiplinger, Liz Szabo,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>USA TODAY; Martin Rogers, USA TODAY Sports; Robert Powell, Special to USA TODAY;<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic
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