Thursday, August 22, 2024
It is Thursday, August 22, 2024. Here are today's top stories.
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Tim Walz accepts VP nomination
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz formally accepted the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night at the DNC in Chicago.
He shared many personal stories from his past when he was a high school teacher and football coach, his decision to run for political office, and that he and his wife had children with the help of IVF infertility treatments. He said he loved his two kids. There was an emotional moment when Walz's son, Gus, cried and said, "That's my dad!" while clapping.
Walz said Republicans want to take away your freedom to make your own healthcare decisions and that if they win the White House again, they will start jacking up the cost on the middle class, repeal the Affordable Care Act, gut Social Security and Medicare, and ban abortion access across the country.
Walz said Kamala Harris is tough and experienced from her time as a prosecutor, attorney general, a senator, and as a vice president. He said we have a chance to make her the next president.
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/22/tim-walz-dnc-speech-full-transcript
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Update on luxury yacht hit by waterspout
Here is an update on the 184-foot luxury yacht that sank near the Italian coast on Monday after a waterspout hit it. The bodies of five out of six people who were missing have been recovered. One of them is Mike Lynch, a British tech businessman. His 18-year-old daughter is the sixth person who hasn't yet been found. Divers said it is very difficult to find bodies in the boat's wreckage 164 feet underwater. There were fifteen survivors who escaped in a lifeboat. AP News said the Lynch family were celebrating Mike's acquittal on fraud charges with the people who defended him at trial in the U.S.
https://apnews.com/article/italy-missing-boaters-yacht-lynch-5101f70b432146c4879e9e62ed4ee9b0
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Canada rail disrupted after labor talks fail
Reuters said Canada's top two railroads locked out more than 9,000 unionized workers after labor talks failed. One of the major issues is work hours and the amount of time workers can rest in between jobs. There were multiple rounds of talks but none resulted in an agreement, so now many railroads are shut down. It has disrupted commuters in major Canadian cities and could cost their economy over $340 million per day. Businesses in the U.S. who depend on trade via rail will be disrupted as well. The Canadian government said they are not going to intervene and asked both sides to work together and reach an agreement.
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Cop charged with killing suspect; letting K9 maul someone else
A former deputy in South Carolina, Treyvon Sellers, was charged with manslaughter and assault after he shot and killed an unarmed suspect and let his K9 police dog maul an innocent person. On May 26 in Florence County, Sellers was in a vehicle pursuit of a person suspected of reckless driving. The suspect crashed and ran into a house. The cop entered the house unannounced with his K9 dog and commanded the dog to attack. The dog ended up mauling the innocent homeowner for over a minute. The cop found the suspect lying on a couch and shot him five times, killing him. The homeowner suffered permanent injuries to his left arm and shoulder. Sellers was placed on leave after the May incident and was fired in July after he was arrested in an unrelated domestic violence case. The Florence County Sheriff said he personally met with the families of the suspect and the homeowner and expressed his deep regret and sorrow over this incident.
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Pakistani gold medalist gets $1M and a buffalo
NPR shared a neat story about the Pakistani Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem and the prizes he received after winning the men's javelin throw in Paris. He set a new Olympic record with a throw of 305 feet. Nadeem got around half a million dollars from the country's prime minister, $350,000 from the leader of his home province of Punjab, a $50,000 award from the Olympic Association, two free cars, a lifetime supply of free fuel, and an apartment. He even received a female buffalo from his father-in-law. NPR explained that this animal is, in rural communities, considered one of the most honorable and valuable gifts. It has a great ability to produce milk.
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.