Inside daily news briefs

Inside Daily Brief Newsletter

Two trains collided today in Alexandria, Egypt, killing at least 37 people and injuring more than 120 others. The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. local time near Khorshid station. According to the Egyptian Railway Authority, the locomotive of one train was derailed, while two cars of the other were forced off the tracks. Experts believe that a switch error likely caused the accident, but an investigation to determine a cause is still underway. – REUTERS

According to a study, one-in-five patients are discharged from hospice care facilities before they die. The report also suggests that the hospices with the highest rate of “live discharges” are the most profitable. Now-deceased patient James B. Nelson told NPR that he “flunked the hospice program” after not dying “fast enough,” and was ultimately discharged. "It's important to continue to study this area to get a better sense as to whether profits are driving the decision to discharge patients from hospice, rather than patient preferences and needs," said lead researcher Rachel Dolin. – NPR

President Trump said he will declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency and direct more funds to fight the crisis. "We're going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis," Trump said at his golf club in New Jersey. He described the epidemic as a "serious problem the likes of which we have never had." From 2000 to 2015, about 500,000 Americans died of drug overdoses and opioids account for most of those deaths. – CNN

Taylor Swift told a jury on Thursday that she is completely confident that former Colorado DJ David Mueller groped her during a meet and greet in 2013. "It was a definite grab. A very long grab," she said while giving testimony at a trial against Mueller. The trial stems from a lawsuit in which Swift alleges that Mueller grabbed her butt while she was posing for a picture with him and his girlfriend before a concert in Denver. – E!

Using gene-editing technology, scientists have created cloned piglets that are free of retroviruses. The development is part of plans to breed swines that could one day grow organs that would be transplanted into humans. The researchers working for eGenesis, a life sciences company in Massachusetts, have used the CRISPR system to inactivate viruses in the pig genome that could transmit diseases to transplant patients. They then cloned pigs embryos that were later implanted in sows that gave birth to apparently healthy piglets. "Our animal is probably the most [genetically] modified animal on the Earth," said eGenesis co-founder Luhan Yang. Pig organs are similar in size to human organs and scientists believe that cloned piglets could potentially grow organs including hearts, kidneys and livers that could one day be transplanted into humans. – SA

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of pushing a woman into a moving bus in London. The arrest follows the release of CCTV video earlier this week that shows how the bus swerved to avoid running over the woman after she was pushed by a middle-aged man running across a bridge. Police have accused the 50-year-old suspect of "grievous bodily harm." He has been released, but he’s still under investigation. – NPR

Dutch police have arrested two men over their alleged involvement in the use of a banned pesticide that has contaminated eggs, causing a health scare in Europe. Eggs laced with the pesticide Friponil have been found in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Eggs from farms that used the illegal pesticide, or products from those farms, ended up in several countries, including Britain. The chemical may have entered the food chain after being used to treat poultry for parasites. There are no reports of people getting sick but prosecutors said the pesticide poses a health risk. – AP

President Trump lashed out at North Korea again on Thursday, saying that if the country attacks the U.S. or its allies, the U.S. would strike back "like they never thought possible." Trump said that his threat of using "fire and fury" against Pyongyang issued earlier this week was not strong enough and that he was going to "[stick up] for the people of this country and for the people of other countries." He said the U.S. is re-examining its entire military strategy for Asia and that he will increase the army’s antimissile budget. – WAPO

Amazon is negotiating with venue owners to start selling tickets for events online, sources have told Reuters. An Amazon ticket sale venture would come in direct competition with Ticketmaster, a company that has a stronghold on the market thanks to its good relations with leading venues throughout the U.S. – REUTERS

President Trump said Vladimir Putin’s decision to expel American diplomats is going to save the U.S. a lot of money. The Putin administration in late July ordered hundreds of U.S. diplomats to leave the country after Washington approved sanctions against Moscow. "I want to thank him because we’re trying to c...