Mylan CEO faces the (congressional) heat

Does your EpiPen cost a fortune? Blame Mylan for that. Anger and bipartisan disgust toward Mylan, the drugmaker that sells the EpiPen, increased after the company hiked up prices to $608 for a two-pack, up from about $100 in 2009. The company is also under fire for other shady practices involving the CEO’s mother. But Mylan's chief executive says not so fast."I think many people incorrectly assume we make $600 off each EpiPen. This is simply not true," CEO Heather Bresch told a House committee in Washington. Missing from Bresch’s testimony: an apology. She instead defended her $18 million compensation package. The public isn’t buying it.

Another day, another shooting

If this past summer wasn’t enough, America is now dealing with two more police shootings that killed black men: one in Charlotte, the other in Tulsa. The response remains the same: Police say they felt threatened and were forced to take lethal action; the families disagree. In Charlotte, Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed Tuesday by Officer Brentley Vinson. Police thought Scott was holding a handgun, but witnesses say he was holding a book. Yet Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference that a gun was recovered by detectives. In Tulsa, police said they were responding to an abandoned car in the middle of the road Friday, when officers shot Terence Crutcher as he held his hands in the air and walked away. Crutcher's twin sister, Tiffany Crutcher, wants charges pressed against police officer Betty Shelby, who shot her brother. Police Chief Chuck Jordan said he called in the Justice Department to ask for an investigation. Cue more "Hands up, don't shoot,"Black Lives Matter protests.

The Fed rate is unchanged. But it was a close call.

Good news for financial markets and investors. They dodged the rate-hike bullet for now. The reason? There was simply too much dissension among Fed policymakers Wednesday amid an uncertain economic outlook. Instead, a divided Federal Reserve opted to leave interest rates unchanged. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said at a news conference, "The economy has a bit more running room than might have been previously thought." But she added, "We don't want the economy to overheat.” Most officials expect the Fed to increase interest rates later this year, likely in mid-December. What does that mean for the average American? Winter is coming, and so are rate hikes.

Forecast in 'Future', new Nikes make tying laces a thing of the past

Forget handheld computers. Hoverboards? Yawn. The REALLY important prediction from Back to the Future Part II — self-lacing sneakers — is almost a reality. "Power laces! All right!," Marty McFly exclaimed in the 1985 film, and now Nike says its battery-powered HyperAdapt 1.0 will arrive Nov. 28, the Monday after Thanksgiving "at select Nike locations." In addition to being a cool gimmick that may fetch big bucks, Nike says being able to tighten and loosen laces on the fly is a real performance upgrade. Wearers will adjust the laces by pressing a "+" button by the tongue of the shoe to tighten, and a "-" button to loosen. In the future — the real future — the laces will tighten automatically, according to Nike.

Say hello to Allo.

Move over Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Snapchat and iMessage, Allo has arrived. Google’s new messaging app, Allo (pronounced aloe, not all-o), was announced in May during Google’s I/O conference. But it debuted Wednesday in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Allo is Google’s answer to the new wave of messaging apps dominated by Facebook. It’s also a coming out party for the A.I.-driven Google Assistant. Allo gives you smart reply buttons and more than two-dozen stickers to express yourself. It has a Snapchat feature that lets you send private end-to-end, encrypted messages that can be made to disappear after they've been read. Google has designs on taking down Amazon with its Google Home, Daydream and Android Instant apps.

Extra Bites

Fall starts Thursday. College football is ready.

#Brangelina is over. We hope their kids get through this.

Please stop using the N-word. Please.

Want the Short List delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up!

This is a compilation of stories across USA TODAY.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2dkBfxH