10 things you need to know today: August 19, 2015

1. F.D.A. approves women's libido pill

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved flibanserin, the first prescription drug to treat low sex drive in premenopausal women. The approval came with restrictions, including labels warning of potential side effects, such as low blood pressure and fainting. In trials, women with low sex drive reported a slight increase in "satisfying sexual experiences" while taking the pink pill — to be sold under the brand name Addyi by Sprout Pharmaceuticals. Skeptics said the limited impact was not worth the side effects.

The New York Times CNN

2. Navy to open elite SEAL teams to women

The Navy is planning to open its elite SEAL teams to women candidates who can pass a famously tough six-month training course, Adm. Jon Greenert, chief of naval operations, said Tuesday. "Why shouldn't anybody who can meet these (standards) be accepted? And the answer is, there is no reason," Greenert said in an exclusive interview with Navy Times' sister publication Defense News. Two female soldiers on Friday will become the first women to graduate from the Army's elite Ranger School.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Navy Times USA Today

3. Police release sketch of Bangkok bombing suspect

Thai police on Wednesday released a sketch of a man suspected of placing the bomb that killed 20 people at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Monday. The sketch was developed from security-camera footage showing a man in a yellow T-shirt leaving a backpack at the Hindu shrine — a popular tourist site — shortly before the blast. Thai police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said the bomber appeared to be part of a network. "He didn't do it alone for sure," he said.

Bangkok Post BBC News

4. Scott Walker proposes alternative to ObamaCare

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday unveiled the first big policy proposal of his Republican presidential campaign — a plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Walker said President Obama's signature law had pushed health-care costs higher and actually decreased access for many. He proposed replacing it with a new program offering subsidies for those without employer-based coverage, and the ability to shop for coverage in other states. He also proposed continuing ObamaCare's guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Fox News

5. Chelsea Manning convicted of breaking prison rules

Convicted national security leaker Chelsea Manning was found guilty of violating prison rules on Tuesday, but spared time in solitary confinement. Instead, she will lose recreation privileges for three weeks. The transgender Army private's infractions included having a copy of Vanity Fair with Caitlyn Jenner on the cover and a tube of expired toothpaste. The former intelligence analyst is serving 35 years in military prison for a massive leak of classified material to whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

The Associated Press

6. Housing starts to rise, adding evidence the recovery is gaining strength

Construction of new houses increased in July, almost reaching an eight-year high, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Coming after data showing strong employment, retail sales, and industrial output early in the third quarter, the housing data offered further evidence that the economy is gaining momentum. The string of positive economic reports has raised expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September, after keeping them low for years to boost the economy.

Reuters

7. New Mexico police officers to go on trial for murder in killing of homeless man

A New Mexico judge ruled Tuesday that two police officers — Dominique Perez and former Detective Keith Sandy — will face a murder trial for the fatal shooting of 38-year-old James Boyd, a homeless man. Boyd, who reportedly suffered from schizophrenia, was shot and later died after a standoff that lasted for hours when on-duty officers accused him of camping illegally in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Video appeared to show Boyd surrendering. The case sparked protests in Albuquerque.

The Associated Press

8. White House hires first openly transgender staff member

The White House announced Tuesday that it had hired its first openly transgender staff member, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan. Previously a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality, Freedman-Gurspan will work as an outreach and recruitment director for presidential personnel. "Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans, particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty, reflects the values of this administration," White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett said.

NBC News

9. Hackers post Ashley Madison customer data online

Hackers who stole data from Ashley Madison, a website for married people seeking to have affairs, followed through Tuesday on a threat to post private customer information online. The hackers, calling themselves the Impact Team, posted 9.7 gigabytes of data to the dark web — accessible only through a specialized browser — after the site's owner, Avid Life Media, failed to take down Ashley Madison and a similar site, Established Men.

Wired Reuters

10. Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl, dies at 78

Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl on the 1960s Batman TV show, died this week after a two-year fight with breast cancer, her family announced late Tuesday. She was 78. Although best known for her iconic role fighting villains with Adam West's Batman, Craig had parts in numerous other '60s and '70s shows, including Star Trek, Dobie Gillis, and My Three Sons. She said she enjoyed hearing women tell her she was a role model who taught them that "girls could kick butt just like guys."

CNN USA Today