Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 30, 2023
Month: August 2023
Why the college essay may never be the same
Why the college essay may never be the same | View caption Hide caption Changes have been swift. Harvard University, central to one of the two Students for Fair Admissions cases, axed optional essay prompts and added five 200-word mandatory questions. The first reads that Harvard recognizes the importance of enrolling a diverse student body.…
Hungary PM Orban’s claim Trump re-election only way to end Ukraine war
Donald Trump has received huge praise after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban claimed the only way to end the Ukraine war is for the US to re-elect the former president. Orban – known as Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union – made the starling claims during a sprawling interview with former Fox News…
Judge rejects former Trump aide Peter Navarro’s executive privilege claim, paving way for trial in contempt case
A federal judge on Wednesday denied ex-White House adviser Peter Navarro’s bid to escape contempt charges by claiming former President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege over his potential testimony to a congressional panel investigating the events leading up to and including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The ruling paves the way…
Delta flight hits severe turbulence near Atlanta, 11 people taken to hospital
At least 11 people were taken to the hospital after a Delta Air Lines flight hit severe turbulence as it approached Atlanta, the airline said. Both passengers and crew members were injured after Delta Flight 175 from Milan, Italy “experienced severe turbulence” before landing safely in Atlanta on Tuesday, the airline said in a statement.…
Is the bride 25 or younger? Couples get cash reward to promote earlier marriage in China
HONG KONG — Local Chinese officials trying to encourage earlier marriages are offering an incentive that all newlywed couples can appreciate: cash. Couples who marry while the bride is 25 years old or younger will get a reward of 1,000 yuan ($137), officials in Changshan county, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, said last week…
Disney’s surprising foray into sports betting
In the early evening on Aug. 8, businessman Dave Portnoy made a shock announcement: He had bought back 100% of his company Barstool Sports, which he had previously sold to casino operator Penn Entertainment for $551 million, effective immediately. “The regulated industry” is “probably not the best place for Barstool Sports and the type of…
Is the era of robotaxis over before it ever really started?
For as much as dyspeptic futurists grumble that “they promised us jet-packs” whenever it comes time to measure the utopian predictions of the past century with the decidedly more mundane present, the reality, as author William Gibson famously said, is that “the future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.” Consider the self-driving…
10 things you need to know today: August 12, 2023
1 At least 80 dead in Maui wildfire as search for survivors continues The death toll from the devastating wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, reached 80 on Friday, officials said, as rescue workers continued to search for survivors in the decimated town of Lahaina. Police were restricting access throughout the island, and access to Lahaina remained heavily…
A summer of shark attacks
A spate of shark attacks off the Northeast coast has swimmers and surfers on edge. What’s behind the biting spree? Here’s everything you need to know: Are shark attacks increasing? The number of people bitten by sharks worldwide has held steady at about 70 or 80 a year over the past decade. But the U.S.…