According To Reports, 8 Of The 10 Charged Were Released

In a shocking turn of events, most of the men who were allegedly given 25-year sentences for their brutal attack on Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai have been released from prison. According to reports, 8 of the 10 men were released "quietly" to avoid media attention following a secret trial at a military facility due to a lack of evidence. Malala, now 17, was shot in the head on her school bus by members of the Pakistani Taliban in October 2012 for advocating for the education of women and girls.

Did Chinese Hackers Attack Our Government?

Why are we just finding out about this now? The Department of Homeland Security revealed on Thursday that hackers -- believed to be based in China -- hacked into the Office of Personnel Management and Interior Department beginning in May, possibly compromising the personal information of up to 4 million government workers in one of the biggest data breaches the U.S. government has ever faced. The OPM is basically the HR department for the federal government, but one U.S. official said the breach could potentially affect every federal agency, with hackers gaining access to people’s names, social security numbers, dates and places of birth and current and former addresses, possibly starting in late 2014. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry vehemently denied the attack, suggesting the U.S. should be "less suspicious and stop making any unverified allegations."

EPA Says Fracking Doesn’t Mess With Water Safety

After years of warning from environmentalists that the unknown mixture of chemicals forced into the ground during hydraulic fracturing -- fracking -- might be polluting drinking water, the EPA said on Thursday that it has found no evidence to support that claim. "In fact, the number of documented impacts to drinking water resources is relatively low when compared to the number of fractured wells," an EPA official said. The nearly 1,000-page report, based on a four-year, study did say that the massive amounts of water used in the process could “potentially impact the quantity and quality of drinking water at more local scales."

Sarah Palin Weighs In On Duggar Molestation Coverage, Lena Dunham

Remember former Alaska governor/Republican vice presidential candidate and reality star Sarah Palin? Well, she’s back! Palin put up a Facebook rant weighing in on both the molestation controversy surrounding fellow reality stars the Duggars and, strangely, Lena Dunham. She said the focus should now shift from Josh Duggar’s molestation of two of his sisters and several other children to "the shocking, unethical leak of a private, legally protected counseling document by a politically motivated law enforcement official" and "the media’s hell-bent mission to go after the entire Duggar family for one member’s wrongdoing." Oh, and this: "while giving a total pass to perverted actions of someone like Lena Dunham -- or any other leftwinger celeb caught doing awful things."

The Air Force Just Eased Up Their Rules For Trans Members

The Air Force announced new policies on Thursday that will make it harder to discharge transgender troops, just months after the Army made a similar move. Typically, troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender have been discharged from the service on medical grounds based on decisions made by doctors and unit commanders. Now, that call will be reviewed by higher–level officials at Air Force headquarters, which an Air Force official said should ensure that those decisions are made in a more consistent fashion. Air Force Secretary Deborah Jones said "anyone who is capable of accomplishing the job should be able to serve." Also, Barnard College announced on Thursday that it will join a growing list of women’s colleges that accept transgender women.

Quick Take: Teams fine football players for all kinds of infractions, like showing up late or not telling them about injuries. But the Denver Broncos have apparently started docking defensive star Von Miller for excessive farting during team meetings. For real.