Here's the original article, which we're assuming was reported by a former KTVU employee.

Canadian actor Cory Monteith, best known for his role as Finn Hudson on Fox's Glee, was found dead this morning in his hotel room in Vancouver of an apparent drug overdose.

The Vancouver Police Department confirmed the sad news in a late night press conference.

According to the report, Monteith, 31, was scheduled to check out of his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel today, but failed to do so.

Staff members arrived at his room around noon to find him dead.

He was alone at the time, though police say others were with him earlier that night.

A Forensic Identification Unit dispatched to the scene determined that Monteith had been dead for "several hours."

An autopsy had been scheduled for Monday.

Monteith's recent struggles with substance abuse were revealed back in March, when he checked himself into rehab voluntarily. He had previously entered rehab at the age of 19.

UPDATE: Monteith's Glee cast mates have taken to their Twitter accounts to express their grief for his loss:

no

— Mark Salling (@MarkSalling) July 14, 2013

I HAVE NO WORDS! MY HEART IS BROKEN CORY WAS NOT ONLY A HELL OF A FRIEND HE WAS ONE AMAZING MEN THAT I WILL HOLD CLOSE TO MY HEART FOREVER

— Dot-Marie Jones (@dotmariejones) July 14, 2013

OMG!! My Cory...

— iqbal theba (@iqbaltheba) July 14, 2013

Oh my God. Cory. Man. I can't. Praying for you man. You were a good soul.

— Nolan Gerard Funk (@nolanfunk) July 14, 2013

RIP CoryMontieth. You will be loved. Always.

— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) July 14, 2013

[photo via Getty]

If the restrictive Texas abortion law passed on Friday survives legal challenges, health experts are worried that low-income women may turn to Mexico for "abortion pills".

According to the Times, women commonly request pills to "make their periods come back" from Mexican pharmacists, who sell the drug misprostol in generic or name brand form. The drug induces miscarriages, and according to the Times is openly available in Mexico for as little $35. The pill is also apparently covertly available in Texas flea markets. However, absent from these transaction is any proper medical advice.

When asked how women should use the pills, some of the pharmacists said they did not know and others recommended wildly different regimes that doctors say could be unsafe.

Apparently when used properly, misprostol induces miscarriages about 85 percent of the time. However, women who do not take it properly can suffer serious bleeding or a partial abortion.

The recently passed law is some of the strictest anti-abortion legislation in the country, and would almost certainly force many of Texas's clinics to close. The law bans abortions after 20 weeks and holds clinics to hospital surgical standards that opponents of the law say are designed to put financial pressure on abortion clinics.

The law also addresses the use of drugs like misoprostol, requiring the drug to be administered in surgery centers and at what doctors call "outdated dosages."

Protestors have set up a giant inflatable rat outside of Anthony Weiner's Park Avenue South apartment building to show their displeasure with his proposed plan to eliminate the parent-coordinator position in public schools. Weiner says he doesn't mind the protest, but thinks it's "diminishing the value of the rat."

JK Rowling was outed this morning as Robert Galbraith, the pseudonym credited as the author of The Cuckoo's Calling, a well-regarded mystery novel released in April.

The Sunday Times of London unmasked Rowling after receiving an anonymous tip on Twitter. A writer for the paper tweeted that she thought the book was fantastic, but did not think it seemed like an author's first outing. An anonymous user tweeted back that Rowling was actually the author, then quickly deleted the account.

The biography for Galbraith (which acknowledged the name was a pseudonym) claimed that the author was a married father of two with an army background and experience in civilian security.

As the Sunday Times began investigating, the paper noticed that Rowling and Galbraith shared many similarities — the same editor, the same agent, the same publisher, and comparable writing styles.

Although the revelation has led to a surge in sales — the novel had sold only 1,500 copies before today and has now shot to the top of Amazon's best-seller list (a 507,000 % increase) — Rowling said she enjoyed the anonymity.

“I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience,” she said in a statement. “It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.”

And it seems most in the industry were kept in the dark — Kate Mills, a fiction editor at Orion Books, tweeted this morning that she had turned down the novel.

[NYT, photo via AP]

More than 85 percent of British gang members have an antisocial personality disorder, according to a recent study from England's National Institute for Health Research/Guy Ritchie.

Making the rounds in the days leading up to the Zimmerman verdict was the story of Marissa Alexander, a Florida woman now serving up to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot in the area of her abusive husband, who was in her home against her wishes.

The parallels (at least in the strange world of the Florida justice system) between the murder of Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander's attempt to defend herself are pretty clear: Martin was killed by someone who was claiming defense, and Alexander fired a single (non-lethal) shot of her own, also in defense. But while George Zimmerman is today walking free, Alexander is still in jail, kept there under a mandatory sentence of at least 20 years.

This morning, Texas Governor Rick Perry, who spent his weekend restricting the rights of women, told CNN that the U.S. Justice System is "color blind." Were that to be actually true, such variations in the treatment of people of color from their white (or white-looking) neighbors wouldn't be so blatantly apparent. The idea that these are simply the findings of an anonymous jury from our country's most whacked-out state, or that these are two cases that are kind of similar, but not indicative of our country's deeply ingrained racism, is wrong. Because this happens everywhere in the country.

The message sent by the justice system has been fairly clear: If a white person would like to defend themselves from an imagined threat, they should.

If a black person or woman (or for that matter, a black woman) would like to scare off an abuser, or even fight off a man with a gun who is following them? Death, or worse.

New York City councilman Jumaane D. Williams, who has battled against New York City's codified racism in the form of Stop and Frisk, wrote this morning that, “In 2013, it should not be this difficult, by every statistical metric, to be a black man in America... We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. What we are now charged with is the responsibility to sustain our unity and have our emotions fuel a relentless pursuit of reform.”

Protests against the verdict are being held across the country this evening. Instead of the riots that media commentators and race-baiters warned about, they will probably be peaceful, if not a little angry.

These protests won't change anything, but after the darkness of this weekend, they can be the fuel that keeps people going, even in the face of a justice system that was born (and has remained) so terribly broken.

In 1996, Anna Benson, then Anna Warren, was charged with murder after an 18-year-old man was found executed in the weird graffiti-covered Knoxville apartment she shared with her boyfriend. The murder charges against Benson were eventually dropped, as were later accessory charges, because of a lack of proof. The same year the charges were dropped, she met Kris Benson.

Michael Evans was murdered following an argument in the apartment after which Warren allegedly told her boyfriend Paul Dejongh to "get rid of him." Part of the reason Warren's charges never stuck is the ambiguity in that statement, but Dejongh apparently took "get rid of" to mean "kill."

In the mid-1990s, Warren was living inside a filthy Knoxville apartment, its walls covered with disturbing anti-cop graffiti and satanic messages.

“The only good pig is a dead pig,” read one message reported in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Someone scrawled “666” on one wall. Written on another, in felt-tip pen, was “187” — the California penal code for murder of a police officer.

By 8 a.m. on Jan. 22, 1996, those walls were spattered with blood. Detectives called to the apartment found a gruesome scene: Evans’ lifeless body splayed facedown near the front door – two bullet holes in his head.

Warren and Dejongh fled and a manhunt ensued. The two were apparently even featured on America's Most Wanted. Warren was captured two years later in June 1998 but never gave any statement. Dejongh was captured two months after Warren and was eventually convicted of first-degree murder. The conviction was later reversed on appeal and he pleaded to second-degree, earning a 21-year sentence. He died in prison.

The whole story is disturbing and crazy for many reasons, including that it's only now come to light.

Related: You can find the America's Most Wanted episode featuring Benson right here.

Photo credit: AP

Anna Benson, the hot 'Baseball Wives' star, once implicated in a murder [NY Daily News]

A high school teacher in Westchester County, NY was arrested Friday for alleged rape, the same day he was supposed to be getting married.

31-year-old John M. Azabache was having an affair with a student between March and July of this year. The student's family found out about the sexual relations and alerted authorities. Azabache turned himself in only hours before he was to be married.

Azabache was released on bail and instructed not to contact the student or his fiancee (who, justifiably, is upset). The fiancee is now on the prosecution's witness list.

The bride’s 92-year-old grandmother, Josephine DeLuccia, told the Journal News that “He always seemed like a nice guy. I don’t know what happened. You men are all alike. You stink. I hope they send him to jail forever.”

Asked about the wedding, Azabache's lawyer said, “I assumed it was called off. Frankly, that is nothing I discussed with him.”

[via Gothamist]

Early this afternoon crowds began to gather in front of the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building in Harlem. Demonstrators called for justice and stated that George Zimmerman's acquittal was a confirmation that the United States' legal system was broken. A few demonstrators suggested that if the government's judiciary system could not be relied upon as a fair institution, we should not be surprised if people try to take justice into their own hands.

Wal-Mart is threatening to walk away from at least three planned sites in the District of Columbia after DC lawmakers voted to require the megastore and other large nonunion retailers to provide workers with a mimimum "living wage" of $12.50 an hour.

Despite recent efforts to garner good press for the company, Wal-Mart warned legislators last week that if they imposed the living wage, they would walk away from the sites where construction has not yet begun. Alex Barron, a regional general manager for Wal-Mart U.S., also warned the legislation would jeopardize the construction of three stores that is already underway. The legislation passed on Wednesday.

All in all, the new Wal-Marts would bring about 1,800 jobs to DC.

DC Mayor Vincent Gray, who lives a half-mile from the Skyland shopping center in Southeast DC, where one of the new Wal-Marts was supposed to be constructed, must decide whether or not to veto the bill. Nine Council members would be required to override a mayoral veto; the bill passed the Council 8-5.

The bill requires retailers with corporate sales of $1 billion or more, operating in spaces 75,000 square feet or larger, to pay employees a minimum of $12.50 an hour; $4.25 more than DC's current minimum wage. While the bill would apply to other large retailers, like Home Depot and Costco, there are grandfather and union exceptions that make it clear the legislation is targeting Wal-Mart, according to the Washington Post.

[TWP, image via AP]

The Justice Department just announced that federal prosecutors are looking into the Trayvon Martin shooting to see if criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman are appropriate. Although the DOJ opened an investigation into Martin's death last year, the agency stepped aside to allow the state prosecution to proceed.

A Brazilian man was killed earlier this month when a cow crashed through the roof of his home, crushing him.

45-year-old Joao Maria de Souza was lying beside his wife in bed in the Brazilian town of Caratinga when a one-ton cow walked from an adjacent hill onto the roof of Mr. Souza's home. The roof, unfortunately, was not strong enough for the weight of the cow.

Mr. Souza was crushed, but his wife was unharmed. Mr. Souza survived the initial impact, but died the following day after suffering from internal bleeding.

Surprisingly, this was third recent incident of cows crashing through roofs in the area. One time, the house was uninhabited when the bovine decided to drop in. The other time, a small child and baby narrowly escaped being crushed by a cow.

[Shutterstock]

The trial of Fabrice "Fabulous Fab" Tourre — a former Goldman Sachs trader who is accused of intentionally selling bad investments and making up terrible nicknames for himself — begins tomorrow.

The SEC announced fraud charges against Goldman and Tourre in 2010, but later allowed Goldman to settle for $550 million. Tourre is accused of devising Abacus 2007-AC1, a mortgage-backed securities bundle, in conjunction with hedge fund manager John Paulson, who made a fortune off of shorting the housing market. All in all, investors lost around $1 billion on the Abacus deal. The SEC alleges that Tourre misled his investors, hiding Paulson's involvement and allowing the hedge funder to benefit from the deal.

Judge Katherine Forrest, who is presiding over the case, has indicated that she will likely allow Tourre's personal emails into evidence. The emails, many of which became public in 2010, are the basis of the SEC's case and indicate that he was aware of how worthless mortgage-backed securities he was selling were.

One email read, "The whole building is about to collapse anytime now … Only potential survivor, the fabulous Fab … standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstruosities [sic]!!!"

Another referred to collateralized-debt obligations (CDOs) as "a product of pure intellectual masturbation, the type of thing which you invent telling yourself: "Well, what if we created a 'thing', which has no purpose, which is absolutely conceptual and highly theoretical and which nobody knows how to price?") it sickens the heart to see it shot down in mid-flight ... it's a little like Frankenstein turning against his own inventor."

This will be the first fraud trial connected to the housing crash since the 2009 acquittal of Matthew Tannin and Ralph Cioffi of Bear Stearns. Apparently, Tourres' defense is being paid for by Goldman Sachs.

[NYT, image via AP]

A 35-year-old Israeli man was rushed to the hospital on Friday after a snake suddenly emerged from the toilet he was sitting on and bit the man's penis.

The injured man told emergency workers that he noticed a strong burning sensation as he was using the toilet in his parents' home in the norther Israeli town of Nofit. At that point, the man looked down and saw a snake in the toilet. He then "ran from the room in horror" to call paramedics.

"This is the first time I've seen a snake bite like this," a paramedic said, according to Your Jewish News. “Luckily, all tests seem fine and the man is feeling well.” The paramedic also said the man was in good enough spirits to joke about the incident.

The snake, which the man described as very small, wasn't venomous, but doctors at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa decided to keep the man hospitalized for further tests and observation.

"There will undoubtedly be bite marks on the area in question," the hospital said. “The snake was not poisonous. The man is currently under observation pending additional test results and as soon as we get the results, he will be able to go home."

[via Daily Mail/Image via Shutterstock]

To contact the author of this post, email taylor@gawker.com

Proving once again that moviegoers will ignore terrible reviews, Grown Ups 2 made $42.5 million at the box office this weekend. That wasn't enough, though, to top Despicable Me 2, which stayed at number one with $44.7 million. Pacific Rim was third, with $38.3 million.

While most Americans were out drinking, barbecuing, and setting off fireworks on July Fourth, more than a dozen employees at an Italian restaurant in Florida were finding out they'd all been fired, via a text message from their boss.

Gregory Kennedy, the owner of Barducci's Italian Bistro in Orlando, decided, for reasons that still aren't clear, to close down his restaurant earlier this month. But instead of holding an all-staff meeting, he sent the following text message to his employees on their day off: "I unfortunately need to inform you that I have been forced to close Barducci's effective immediately."

The texts, as you might expect, didn't go over well with employees, who still haven't received their final paychecks. “I think it's despicable. I think it's cowardice,” Jodi Jackson, a cook who worked at the restaurant for over two years, told WFTV. “I think we all deserve our compensation for money he's already made from us.”

Kennedy refused to answer or return calls from WFTV, though he did eventually reply to the station...via text of course.

"Unfortunately businesses are forced to close across Orlando every day especially in the restaurant sector," Kennedy said via text. "I am working to resolve issues including final paychecks as quickly as possible."

[via New York Daily News]

From the streets of New York to the freeways of Los Angeles, thousands of protestors across the country marched peacefully yesterday, protesting George Zimmerman's acquittal for the murder of Trayvon Martin and demanding justice.

Hours after protesters gathered in Harlem, thousands of people marched through New York City, beginning in Union Square before making its way to Times Square, where protesters eventually organized into a sit-in. Dozens of NYPD officers responded, but by most accounts police were respectful, though there are now reports of some arrests as the crowd has continued to march uptown.

[via BuzzFeed]

[Union Square, via Macey J. Foronda]

[Times Square via Kara Brown]

Hundreds sit in to block W 46th for #justice4trayvon , Assistant Chief Purtell scratching his chin a few feet away pic.twitter.com/mFqIPsTEOU

— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) July 15, 2013

times square #TrayvonMartin pic.twitter.com/LdBRjOgFkD

— Macey J. Foronda (@maceyjforonda) July 15, 2013

At least 5 arrested, some violently, at 79th and 2nd Ave #justice4trayvon pic.twitter.com/CkerxLmEpF

— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) July 15, 2013

Hard not to have your heart broken by an image like this: pic.twitter.com/2JbYgkTMnl

— Danny Gold (@DGisSERIOUS) July 15, 2013

Meanwhile, in LA, protesters closed down part of Interstate 10.

shutting down the 10 in the name of #justicefortrayvon! #la pic.twitter.com/hlukE0kyVx

— amin el gamal (@aminelgamal) July 15, 2013

Awwww shit. Gettin real now. 10 freeway being shut down. Holy. Both sides down right now. pic.twitter.com/sdwWi3gXf9

— Gary Kavanagh (@GaryRidesBikes) July 15, 2013

[Images via Getty/AFP]

There have also been protests in Oakland, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, and Sanford, Florida.

Moment of silence for #TrayvonMartin in front of #Bronx criminal court. #breaking @nydailynews pic.twitter.com/5YeyPNEcNS

— Irving (@IrvingDeJohn) July 15, 2013

We have a "TRAYVON LIVES ON" #lightbrigade message in Milwaukee tonight. #HoodiesUp #TrayvonMartin pic.twitter.com/ni2RC1D2S0

— OverpassLightBrigade (@OLBLightBrigade) July 15, 2013

To contact the author of this post, email taylor@gawker.com

In an interview with the Associated Press on Sunday, Glenn Greenwald said NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has “blueprints” that explain how the NSA operates. Greenwald described the documents as "basically the instruction manual for how the NSA is built,” and said they are detailed enough to allow readers to evade or possibly duplicate NSA surveillance techniques.

Greenwald, the first journalist to publish any of Snowden's NSA documents, said he didn't believe the information would harm American citizens or put their security at risk. "I think it would be harmful to the U.S. government, as they perceive their own interests, if the details of those programs were revealed," he said.

The documents, which Snowden has insisted not be made public, were provided by Snowden as a sort of guarantee to prove the accuracy of other classified information, much of which has already been released.

"In order to take documents with him that proved that what he was saying was true he had to take ones that included very sensitive, detailed blueprints of how the NSA does what they do," Greenwald said, adding that the documents "would allow somebody who read them to know exactly how the NSA does what it does, which would in turn allow them to evade that surveillance or replicate it."

Greenwald said he spoke with Snowden just hours before the AP interview, nothing that the 30-year-old whistleblower, who is still living in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, is doing well, all things considered.

"I haven't sensed an iota of remorse or regret or anxiety over the situation that he's in," said Greenwald, speaking at a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, where he's lived for the past eight years. "He's of course tense and focused on his security and his short-term well-being to the best extent that he can, but he's very resigned to the fact that things might go terribly wrong and he's at peace with that."

[Image via AP]

"If a raging hurricane were to strike New York City, it could suck up sharks and other sea creatures — triggering a Sharkicane, a horrifying real-life twist on the campy hit flick 'Sharknado.'"