July 24 top stories
It is July 24. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Woman found dead after grizzly bear encounter
On Saturday, wildlife officials in Montana said a woman was found deceased on a trail near the Yellowstone National Park and that it appears that there was a “bear encounter” due to the presence of grizzly bear tracks and tracks of at least one cub. The woman had wounds consistent with a bear attack. The woman was jogging.
AP News said the trail where the woman was found, Buttermilk Trail, is popular with hikers and it is currently closed. Workers are now searching for the grizzly bear and have not said whether they would kill it or rehome it.
AP said there is a rise in Montana’s grizzly bear population and an increase in sightings with visitors being warned to carry bear spray.
Elon Musk changes logo for Twitter to “X”
Elon Musk and Twitter’s CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that they are changing Twitter’s logo from a blue bird to a white “X” with a black background.
They announced it by projecting the new “X” logo on the exterior wall of Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco.
CBC explained that before Musk bought Twitter last year, he said he wanted to create an “everything app” called “X.” CBC said in 1999, Musk co-founded x.com as an online bank, which later transformed into PayPal.
Musk already owns SpaceX, so it is no surprise that he likes the letter “X.”
Yaccarino said she hopes X to become a “future state of unlimited interactivity — centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking — creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.”
National monument honoring Emmett Till
NPR reported that President Biden will designate a national monument at three sites in honor of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
In 1955, when Emmett was 14 years old, he was brutally murdered by two white men who were angry that he whistled at a white shopkeeper’s wife. His death and his mother’s activism to make the public aware of what happened — including holding an open-casket funeral — is considered one of the catalysts for the civil rights movement.
NPR said one of the sites will be a church in Chicago where Till’s funeral service took place, a site in Mississippi where Till’s body was recovered from a river, and a courthouse in Mississippi where Till’s killers were acquitted by an all-white jury. The two killers later confessed to killing Till in a magazine.
NPR said Biden is expected to sign a proclamation on Tuesday, which will be the 82nd anniversary of Till’s death.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—--------
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline: After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. Warning signs can include feeling isolated, anxious, having trouble sleeping and more. If you or someone you know is Deaf or hard of hearing, the Disaster Distress Helpline offers a direct videophone option.
This free service for ASL users is answered 24/7 by trained crisis workers fluent in ASL and can be accessed using any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990 or at https://bit.ly/3CEwnNT
—----
Moscow hit by drone attacks
Two buildings in Russia’s capital, Moscow, were damaged by attack drones. CNN reported that a Ukrainian military official said they were behind the attack and warned that there would be more strikes. One of the buildings damaged belonged to Russia’s defense ministry.
The Russian government said the drone attacks were “terrorist attacks,” but they have carried out hundreds of missile attacks across Ukraine since they started an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine said Russian missiles damaged a historic cathedral in Odesa and killed one person on Sunday. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said this attack against a cathedral was “evil.”
There were other Russian strikes against the city of Kharkiv.
Israel judicial overhaul bill
Axios reported that Israel’s parliament passed a controversial bill that will significantly limit the Supreme Court’s ability to review government decisions.
There have been massive protests against the bill and thousands of Israeli military reservists have warned they will not report to duty if the bill is passed, but the bill passed anyway.
The New York Times explained that the Israeli Supreme Court would be limited in its power to overturn decisions made by government ministers. The parliament would have the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions. Opponents say it will be very damaging to democracy.
Israel’s main workers’ union said they would start a process of going on a general strike in the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested the country hold off on the judicial overhaul plan until November to allow time for talks.
U.S. Customs seize cheese wheels filled with cocaine
U.S. Customs and Border officials at Presidio, Texas said they seized over 17 pounds of cocaine that was concealed within several wheels of cheese.
The CBP said on July 20, a pick-up truck arrived from Mexico. The driver declared he was bringing four wheels of cheese. The driver was referred to a secondary inspection. The wheels were x-rayed and officials saw that there was something off and cut open the cheese and found bundles filled with cocaine.
The driver is a 22-year-old U.S. citizen. He was placed in custody and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations to face smuggling charges.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/twitter-x-rebrand-1.6915706
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/23/world/odesa-attacks-saturday-russia-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66286102
https://apnews.com/article/grizzly-bear-attack-yellowstone-montana-d1ecb3cb3539751422196fc0ce61bb27
https://www.axios.com/2023/07/24/judicial-overhaul-netanyahu-bill-votes-knesset-protests
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/07/24/world/israel-protests-vote
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/23/1189664409/emmett-till-national-monuments-biden
https://www.wdam.com/2023/07/24/border-patrol-officers-find-cocaine-hidden-inside-wheels-cheese/