Beauty and the Beast

Authorities in Massachusetts are investigating the death of a 15-month-old girl who died at Lawrence hospital over the weekend. >> Read more news stories The girl, who was in foster care at a home on Howard Street, was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital on Sunday morning after her foster father called 911 to report she was unresponsive, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said. She was pronounced dead a short time after arriving at the hospital. The girl showed 'no obvious signs of trauma,' according to the DA's office.  Multiple sources, including the child's biological family, however, told Boston's WFXT that the girl may have been exposed to fentanyl. Family members gave WFXT a photo of the young girl Wednesday afternoon.  Jeremy Barrientos first learned of the news of his biological daughter's sudden death when DCF came knocking at his door.  'I don't understand how that could happen. How does that happen, I don't understand,' Barrientos said.  The 18-year-old admits he's had no involvement in his baby girl's life since she was born 15 months ago. Her 2-year-old brother also was living at the same foster home. 'I wish it went different. I wish she was OK. It hurts; it does hurt,' he said.  Sources also told the news station that the girl showed signs of a fever while at day care four days before her sudden death. An investigation has been launched and the state's chief medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.  DCF told WFXT that it 'received a report and is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement.' WFXT asked DCF when the agency licensed the Lawrence foster home, but a spokesperson could not comment because of the ongoing investigation. 

Six people were injured in a drive-by shooting Thursday morning in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of Atlanta, Channel 2 Action News reported. There is a large police presence at the scene near the intersection of Parkway Drive and North Avenue, just two blocks away from Ponce City Market. More than a dozen police cars have responded, the news station reported. Atlanta police told the news station five men and a woman were injured in the shooting, but no one has died. Two of the victims are in critical condition. We have an Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer on scene working to learn more.  — Please return to AJC.com for updates. In other news: 

Ten Democratic candidates faced off Wednesday night in Miami during Part 1 of the first presidential debate of the 2020 election season, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey; Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas; former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Housing Secretary Julián Castro; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state; and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio. >> Read the latest from our Washington Insider, Jamie Dupree Here are five memorable moments from the event, which continues with a second crop of candidates Thursday night: >> Read more trending news 1. Candidates speak Spanish, inspire memes. While responding to – but not really answering – a question about whether he'd back a 70% marginal tax rate on people earning more than $10 million annually, O'Rourke addressed viewers in Spanish, apparently surprising fellow candidate Booker. 'This economy has got to work for everyone, and right now, we know that it isn't,' O'Rourke began in English. 'And it's going to take all of us coming together to make sure that it does.' He then added in Spanish: 'We need to include everyone if we want our economy to be strong. But if we strive to do so, democracy needs to be for everyone. Every voter deserves representation. Every voice needs to be heard.' As O'Rourke spoke, the camera panned to Booker, whose expression quickly went viral and inspired memes. >> Watch the moment here Booker and Castro later used Spanish, as well. 'This is unacceptable,' Booker said in the language while discussing immigration reform. 'Our president has attacked and has demonized immigrants. It's unacceptable, and I'll fix this.' >> See the clip here 'My name is Julián Castro, and I'm running for president of the United States,' Castro, who is Latino, told the crowd in Spanish, adding that it's time to say 'adiós' to Trump. >> Watch the video here 2. Klobuchar claps back after Inslee lauds his efforts for abortion rights. 'It should not be an option in the United States of America for any insurance company to deny a woman coverage for their exercise of their right of choice,' said Inslee, who has been the governor of Washington state since 2013. 'And I am the only candidate here who has passed a law protecting a woman's right of reproductive health in health insurance, and I'm the only candidate who has passed a public option. And I respect everybody's goals and plans here, but we do have one candidate that's actually advanced the ball. And we've got to have access for everyone. I've done it as a public option.' Afterward, a bemused Klobuchar quickly chimed in. 'I just want to say, there's three women up here that have fought pretty hard for a woman's right to choose,' she said, laughing. 'I'll start with that.' >> Watch the exchange here 3. De Blasio speaks over O'Rourke, other candidates. The New York mayor didn't hold back Wednesday night, frequently interrupting other candidates to make his points and get coveted screen time. One awkward moment arose when De Blasio cut off O'Rourke, who said he wouldn't replace private insurance. 'No, I think the choice is fundamental for our ability to get everybody cared for,' O'Rourke began before De Blasio fired back: 'Wait, wait, wait. Congressman O'Rourke, Congressman O'Rourke, private insurance is not working for tens of millions of Americans.' The pair briefly sparred, speaking over each another until Delaney chimed in with his own response. >> Watch the clip here 4. Gabbard corrects Ryan's comment about the Taliban. While arguing that the U.S. should 'stay engaged' in Afghanistan, Ryan said a lack of involvement could lead the Taliban to grow and commit 'bigger, bolder terrorist acts.' Gabbard, a veteran, disagreed, saying American troops should come home. 'The Taliban was there long before we came in,' she said. 'They're going to be there long after we leave.' 'When we weren't in there, they started flying planes into our buildings,' Ryan fired back. Gabbard quickly corrected Ryan. 'The Taliban didn't attack us on 9/11 – al-Qaida did,' she said. 'Al-Qaida attacked us on 9/11. That's why I and so many other people joined the military, to go after al-Qaida – not the Taliban.' >> Watch the exchange here 5. Trump was not impressed. The president took to Twitter on Wednesday night to share his one-word reaction to the debate.  'BORING!' he wrote. >> See the tweet here He later blasted NBC for having technical issues during the debate. >> Read the tweet here

With heavy hearts, thousands of motorcycle riders from around New England gathered at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 697 in Whitman to honor the seven lives lost in a crash in Randolph, New Hampshire, last week.  >> More: Truck driver arrested, charged after 7 killed in New Hampshire motorcycle crash Complete strangers who didn't even know the victims came to pay their respects.  'What more tribute could you have for these poor people and their families?' said Linda Hurd, of Halifax.  The victims were members and supporters of the Marine JarHeads, a regional motorcycle club that is made up of Marine veterans and their spouses.  'I'm sorry. Those are my brothers. Whether you're in the Marine Corps, Air Force, you're in the Coast Guard, we're all brothers. We all stick together,' said organizer Bob Ricceeoli.  Ricceeoli was friends with Marine veteran Edward Corr, one of the victims. He was a longtime member and remembered as a quiet man who always helped raise money for motorcycle runs.  'He would give you the shirt off of his back,' said Ricceeoli.  Knowing that a lawyer for 23-year-old Volodymyr Zhukovskyy pleaded not guilty on his behalf has many outraged. 'It's such a senseless tragedy, to have this kind of turnout, it speaks volumes,' said Hurd.  Seven candles were placed in front of a flagpole in honor of the innocent victims.  'I just don't know what more to say,' said Ricceeoli.  Organizers say there were at least 3,000 people in attendance. All of the money raised will go to the victims’ families. 

An  elementary school teacher in Burke County, North Carolina, is facing scrutiny –- though no criminal charges, as of now –- after allegedly pulling a gun outside of a McDonald's in Morganton in what police are investigating as a possible case of road rage. >> Read more trending news Police say the teacher called 911 and pulled out her gun after another driver got out of her car and began walking toward her. They say it happened after the teacher was cut off in the drive-thru. The teacher told the 911 operator she took her gun out and placed it on the dashboard of her vehicle. Zahra Jolicouer said she was still in disbelief about what happened. “I look over to this woman and she’s waving this gun like so in the direction of my vehicle where I have three toddler children,” she said. Jolicouer admits both she and the other driver got into a heated argument after the teacher believed she had been cut off. The school district sent a statement about the incident, saying “We take concerns involving our employees very seriously.” The district said its HR department is investigating the incident. Jolicouer said the gun was already out before she got out of the car and said she was trying to protect the children in her car. Police have not charged the teacher or Jolicouer in the incident.

There are a few household products we use every day, but they could increase your osteoporosis risk, according to a new report. >> Read more trending news Researchers from health institutions in China recently conducted a study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, to explore the risk of triclosan, a commonly used chemical found in antibacterial products, such as soaps, hand sanitizer, toothpaste and mouthwash. To do so, they used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine 1,848 women and then assessed the link between triclosan and bone health. After analyzing the results, they found women exposed to the chemical were more likely to develop osteoporosis. “Laboratory studies have demonstrated that triclosan may have potential to adversely affect the bone mineral density in cell lines or in animals. However, little is known about the relationship between triclosan and human bone health,” co-author Yingjun Li said in a statement. “As far as we know, this is the first epidemiological study to investigate the association between triclosan exposure with bone mineral density and osteoporosis in a nationally representative sample from U.S. adult women.” Others scientists have previously evaluated the downsides of triclosan. Earlier this year, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found antibiotics were less effective in killing bacteria exposed to triclosan. And in 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the ingredient from being used in consumer soaps marketed as antimicrobial. The agency cited both safety concerns and lack of efficacy.