Monday, August 19, 2024
It is Monday, August 19. Here are today’s top stories.
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Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago is set to begin tonight. Just like the Republican National Convention last month, there will be keynote speeches every night leading up to the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ speech on Thursday night, where she is expected to officially accept her nomination. President Biden is slated to speak tonight. Former President Barack Obama will give a speech on Tuesday night, then former president Bill Clinton will speak on Wednesday night. Kamala’s pick for VP, Minn. Gov. Tim Walz will speak on Wednesday night.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2024-democratic-national-convention-what-to-know/
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Gaza ceasefire negotiations
The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar have mediated ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas for about two weeks now. Reuters said there are still major gaps. One is that Hamas wants a guarantee to an end to the war in Gaza, while Israel wants to continue with the war until Hamas poses no threat. The second is that Hamas wants Israel to completely withdraw from Gaza and from its border with Egypt, while Israel wants to maintain a presence at the border area. The third is that Israel wants Palestinians in Gaza who fled the northern regions to the south to undergo screening before they return north, to make sure they are unarmed. Hamas is opposed and want to have free movement for Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes. The fourth — there are 115 hostages from Israel that are still held by Hamas and it is believed that at least a third is dead. A proposal is to release 33 hostages, alive or dead, in the first stage in exchange with Palestinian prisoners. Israel wants as many living hostages to be released as possible and to have veto power if they don’t want a certain Palestinian prisoner to be freed. So these are the major issues that Israel and Hamas will have to resolve if they can come to a ceasefire deal.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-ceasefire-talks-main-sticking-points-2024-08-19/
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Deadly waterspout strikes yacht
This early morning in Sicily, Italy, a waterspout, a type of tornado, hit a luxury yacht that was anchored about half a mile offshore. There were 22 people on the 180-foot yacht. One person died and six people are missing, including two Americans. Fifteen people were rescued and one child was airlifted to a hospital. A 35-year-old mother who survived told news that she was desperately holding on to her one-year-old daughter in the stormy sea and that many were screaming. The yacht sank about 160 feet below sea level and a body was found in its hull. CNN said there were several strong storms across Sicily late Sunday.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/19/europe/tornado-sinks-luxury-sailing-yacht-sicily-intl/index.html
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Phil Donahue dies at 88
Phil Donahue, who was a nationally-known talk show host, passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday of an illness. ABC News explained that he worked as a local TV reporter in Ohio and launched his television show, named “The Phil Donahue Show” in 1967. Three years later, it was syndicated nationwide and renamed as “Donahue.” It was one of the first shows to have a format where audience members could ask questions and fans could call in. The show’s last airing was in September 1996. Donahue earned 20 Emmy Awards. Oprah Winfrey said she was inspired to start her show from watching Donahue.
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/phil-donahue-influential-tv-talk-show-host-dead/story
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Mammoth tusk found in Mississippi
In Mississippi, a fossil hunter named Eddie Templeton discovered a Columbian mammoth tusk in a muddy creek with about three feet of water. The tusk is about 7 feet long. The Colombian mammoth is a distant relative of the wooly mammoth and the fossil could be anywhere from 11,700 to 75,000 years old. The Columbian mammoth weighed over 22,000 pounds and were as tall as 13 feet. The tusk was covered with plaster to protect it as it was extracted and transported to a museum. The tusk may be displayed at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science sometime early next year.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/17/science/mammoth-tusk-mississippi/index.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.