News Brief: prison, pope and Boehner

News headlines from Sept. 20-25:

• Copyright ruling lets ‘Happy Birthday’ fall into public domain (NPR)

A federal Judge in Los Angeles ruled Tuesday the “Happy Birthday to You” song should be in the public domain. The judge said the longstanding copyright held by Warner/Chappell on the song was invalid.

• Inmates view premiere of Vice documentary featuring Obama’s prison visit (U.S. News)

Federal inmates in El Reno, Oklahoma received an early viewing of the Vice on HBO special report about U.S. incarceration. Vice recorded Obama’s talk with inmates at the federal prison during his visit to Oklahoma in July. The Vice documentary “Fixing the System” will air on HBO on Sunday at 9 p.m.

• Kevin Durant fully cleared for Thunder play (NewsOK)

Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced Wednesday that Kevin Durant was ready to get back in the game. Durant has received full medical clearance from the broken bone in his right foot he suffered from last season. The Thunder officially open training camp next week.

• OKC and Tulsa outpace national rate in economic growth (NewsOK)

According to numbers released Wednesday by the Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, Oklahoma City’s gross domestic product grew 2.6 percent, while Tulsa’s GDP grew 3.7 percent last year. The national rate was 2.3 percent.

• Volkswagen caught cheating on emissions tests (USA Today)

About 11 million Volkswagen diesel vehicles worldwide were rigged to pass rigorous emissions tests, although the vehicles gushed-out more smog-forming emissions when they were actually driven. Volkswagen has admitted and apologized for the action.

• Pope Francis’ first visit to the US (New York Times)

After concluding a trip to Washington D.C., Pope Francis went on to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. While in New York, he visited key sites and held mass. The Pope will go on to Philadelphia on Saturday.

• House Speaker John Boehner to resign ( New York Times)

After a five-year reign as speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced Friday he would step down at the end of October. Boehner has faced increased pressure from conservatives.

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