National News at a Glance

Evidence Against Manafort Is ‘Overwhelming,’ Prosecutors Say

The evidence against Paul Manafort is “overwhelming,” a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments in his fraud trial Wednesday, saying that he hid more than $16 million in income and fraudulently obtained $20 million in bank loans even though, as a trained lawyer, “Mr. Manafort knew the law.” The lead prosecutor, Greg D. Andres, said Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, was well versed in tax law and financial matters and fluent in terms like “write-offs” and “distribution” income. In a summation that lasted nearly two hours, Andres insisted that Manafort’s crimes could not be dismissed as mere oversights.

Bleak New Estimates in Drug Epidemic: A Record 72,000 Overdose Deaths in 2017

Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans last year, a record number that reflects a rise of around 10 percent, according to new preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from HIV, car crashes or gun deaths. Analysts pointed to two major reasons for the increase: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly, especially with the introduction of fentanyl. A survey suggests that around 2.1 million Americans had opioid-use disorders in 2016, but some experts believe the figure could be as high as 4 million.

Starting in Los Angeles, Body Scanners Come to Subways and Buses

Los Angeles’ transit agency will become the first in the nation to deploy a network of body scanners to screen passengers, an effort to thwart terrorist attacks in rail and subway stations as the federal government seeks to expand security screenings beyond airports. For more than a year, the Transportation Security Administration has partnered with large transit systems to help test and vet scanners that can detect hidden explosives and weapons on people. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it would be the first to fully commit to them across its system starting this year.

Is Trump a Regular Guy? Yes, an Ex-Aide Says, Sometimes He Drives His Rolls-Royce

Being a billionaire president sometimes means confronting doubts that you understand the lives of regular people. That’s especially true for President Donald Trump, who has built a political reputation for caring about working-class people despite decades of gold-plated living arrangements. On Wednesday, the question was put to Corey Lewandowski, the president’s onetime campaign manager: Does Trump comprehend the daily routines of most Americans? Of course, Lewandowski said. He cited as examples the fact the president occasionally drives his Rolls-Royce and that, while on the campaign trail, Trump picked up the tab for staffers at an Iowa steakhouse, using his platinum American Express card.

Bannon’s New Group Issues a Midterm Plea: Save Trump

Stephen Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, is forming a group to try to sell voters on a midterm message that they should support Republicans to defend the Trump agenda and save the president from impeachment. The group, Citizens of the American Republic, is Bannon’s new vehicle after he was pushed out of the White House last summer. Bannon declined to describe his donors or how much money the group has raised. Bannon is planning a messaging push on cable television, the op-ed pages of newspapers and local conservative radio shows. His premise is that more of Trump will be a good thing.

Four Michigan Girls Fight Off Would-Be Kidnapper

The girls protected themselves the only way they knew how — kicking and scratching their attempted kidnapper and throwing a cup of iced coffee in his face. On Aug. 10, in Millington, Michigan, a man, identified as Bruce Hipkins, 22, tried to abduct Allison Eickhoff, 11, police said. At about 10 p.m., Allison, her sister Lauren, 13, and two of their friends were outside a convenience store when Hipkins grabbed Allison and told her she was coming with him. The three other girls kicked and scratched Hipkins. Hipkins was located later and was charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and criminal sexual assault.

School Administrator ‘Stunned’ After Being Suspended Because She’s Married to a Woman

For 15 years, Shelly Fitzgerald has worked as a guidance counselor and administrator at Roncalli High School, a Catholic school in Indianapolis. Last week, school leaders told her that her job was at risk. The reason, she said, was because she is married to a woman. Fitzgerald said she met with school officials, who gave her four options: resign, dissolve her marriage, “keep quiet” and work until her contract ended next July, or be fired. She was placed on paid administrative leave and barred from campus. Officials at the school and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis declined repeated requests for comment.