World News: Women all over Alaska are in danger

Tuesday, June 25

Alaska -Buckland, Alaska - A small plane makes the 90-mile commute from Kotzebue to Buckland, Alaska. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]

Trump threatens to use "overwhelming force" on Iran, and Alaskan women fight back: Tuesday's news

Men are killing Alaskan women in shocking numbers. Eleven Oregon senators are missing. It's Tuesday. Here's the news you need to know.

But first, something's fishy: A fisherman reeled in a fish with a wedding ring attached to its tail in Lake Michigan. It was on a zip tie (?!). The mystery has finally been solved.

America's deadliest state for women

Alaska routinely has some of the nation's highest rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and murder of women. Rape is reported in Alaska at 2.5 times the national average, and Alaska consistently ranks in the top two states where women are killed by men. That violence happens alongside rampant drug and alcohol abuse, particularly in remote areas of Alaska, where native villages often lack law enforcement. After decades of politicians making promises with no follow-through, the #MeToo wave has finally arrived. USA TODAY spent nine days traveling across Alaska, where domestic violence victims fight to make the state safer.

Ronalda Angasan says she suffered years of abuse by her ex-husband. She turned her experience into action by founding Alaska Natives Against Domestic Violence.

Sandy Hooper

The border chief is stepping down amid furor over migrant kids

As immigration tensions escalate, the head of the Customs and Border Protection agency is stepping down in the wake of reports of migrant children at the border being held in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. John Sanders' resignation comes amid increasing public furor over the treatment of detained migrant kids after lawyers reported some older children were caring for toddlers at a facility in Clint, Texas, and they didn't have adequate food, water and sanitation. Sanders is likely to be replaced by Mark Morgan, a former Marine and FBI agent who has led ICE for less than two months.

•	Trump blames Obama for family separations, but the policy debuted last year.

Trump's threatens 'obliteration' for Iran

President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric on Iran Tuesday, threatening to use "overwhelming force" if Iran attacks U.S. assets or personnel. "Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration," Trump wrote on Twitter. His remarks marked a sharp pivot from the softer tone the president used in recent days, when he urged negotiations over military action and boasted that he was seen as a "dove" after canceling a strike on Iran last week.

What people are talking about

•	A cat is in "critical condition" after getting washed for 40-plus minutes in a washing machine.
•	Olivia Munn spoke out on #MeToo and what she sees as unfair backlash to the movement.
•	These common medications may increase your dementia risk.
•	Is that seat taken? Southwest Airlines seat-savers drive some passengers crazy.
•	Abortion by mail lets some women take reproductive matters into their own hands.
•	A congressman's extramarital affairs with three lobbyists, a congressional aide and one of his staffers were paid for using campaign funds, prosecutors say.

The 'too ugly to rape' argument won't go away

Days after writer E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room in the 1990s, the president said she was "totally lying" and "not my type." It's not the first time Trump has criticized a woman's appearance to try to discredit her. The "too ugly to rape" defense is one many perpetrators use to undermine victims, and sexual assault experts say it feeds into the public's misunderstanding of how sexual violence works. Sexual assault is never about a woman's beauty, experts say, but is a unique form of control used to shame, demean and defile victims. And it can happen to anyone, regardless of their appearance, age or what they wear.

•	The National Sexual Assault Hotline is seeing the highest spike in calls since the Brett Kavanaugh hearing.
•	If you are interested in connecting with people online who have overcome problems mentioned in this newsletter, join USA TODAY's 'I Survived It' Facebook support group.

Doctors are 'terrified' of opioid addiction. Are patients suffering because of it?

Chronic pain patients are becoming more vocal about what they say is a medical community that shuts them out. Patients who have become dependent on opioids say they feel scapegoated as more doctors crack down on the use of pain medications. In 2016, the CDC issued guidelines to limit pain pill prescriptions after years of liberal opioid dispensing contributed to addiction and overdose deaths. Last month, the CDC clarified its position, saying the response to the opioid crisis went too far. Many patients question whether the revised policy will bring them relief.

Real quick

•	Melania Trump's communication director Stephanie Grisham will be the new White House press secretary.
•	Eleven Oregon Republican senators have vanished, possibly having fled the state. One hundred pieces of legislation are at risk of dying.
•	A pickup driver pleaded not guilty to charges after a gruesome crash killed 7 motorcyclists in New Hampshire.
•	"Dog the Bounty Hunter" star Beth Chapman remains in a coma, and her husband, Duane, offered fans a small update.
•	Pamela Anderson publicly dumped boyfriend Adil Rami, accusing the French soccer player of cheating, and she says she fears for her safety.
•	Illinois became the 11th state to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana for adults.

The most gorgeous rocket launch ever?

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket vaulted off a pad at Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday morning, the light of its main engines illuminating the dark sky. It was the program's most challenging mission to date. Bill Nye the Science Guy was there to watch the launch, naturally.

The plume of exhaust from the Falcon Heavy center core and boosters lights up the sky after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center Tuesday morning, June 25, 2019. The rocket is carrying multiple payloads for the DoD and NASA.

Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY

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