Russia launches lunar lander in race to find water on moon (www.reuters.com)
Henrietta Lacks' family files 2nd lawsuit over harvesting of her cells (www.axios.com)
Henrietta Lacks' descendants accused a biopharmaceutical company in a lawsuit Thursday of unjustly profiting from the Black woman's tissue, which was harvested without her knowledge or consent and later used for medical breakthroughs.
What caused the Hawaii wildfires? (www.bbc.com)
What sparked the fires is still a mystery, but a mix of wind and dry weather helped the flames spread.
WordPress drops Twitter social sharing due to API price hike (mashable.com)
Twitter continues to lose vital support from major companies.
US Supreme Court halts Pudue Pharma deal that shields Slackers (www.theguardian.com)
Genentech weighs slow-walking ovarian cancer therapy to make more money under drug pricing reform (www.statnews.com)
Plenty of pharma execs have decried Democrats’ new drug pricing law. But few are willing to say they might delay treatments for cancer patients if it means making more money....
What to know about Portland's "bare as you dare" World Naked Bike Ride (www.axios.com)
Dog abandoned at Pittsburgh airport after owner learns it needs crate to fly (www.foxnews.com)
Maui wildfires: Extra logistical challenges hinder government's initial response when disasters strike islands (theconversation.com)
An expert on Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria explains why it’s hard for the US to deliver disaster aid in places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Killing of O'Shae Sibley, who was fatally stabbed while dancing at a Brooklyn gas station, will be prosecuted as a hate crime, prosecutor says | CNN (www.cnn.com)
A 17-year-old has been indicted on a charge of second-degree murder as a hate crime over the killing of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer who was stabbed to death at a Brooklyn gas station after dancing to a Beyoncé song.
LATEST: 53 fatalities confirmed amid Lahaina fire (www.khon2.com)
Maui County officials said Thursday afternoon that an additional 17 fatalities were confirmed, that brings the total to 53 lives lost in the Lahaina wildfires.
Twitter Exec Defends Restoring Account That Shared Child Sex Abuse Material (www.forbes.com)
Executives at X testified at an Australian Parliament hearing late Wednesday, defending the restoration of an account after it shared child sexual abuse material.
NOAA doubles the chances for a nasty Atlantic hurricane season due to hot ocean, tardy El Nino (apnews.com)
Record hot ocean temperatures and a tardy El Nino are doubling the chances of a nasty Atlantic hurricane season this summer and fall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.
Ukraine adds Bacardi to its list of international war sponsors (thehill.com)
Ukraine’s national anti-corruption agency added Bacardi Limited to its list of international war sponsors, citing the company’s continued business and tax payments in Russia.
White supremacist accused of threatening jury and witnesses in trial of Pittsburgh synagogue gunman (apnews.com)
A self-proclaimed white supremacist was arrested Thursday on charges that he made online threats toward the jury and witnesses at the trial of a man who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the U.S. Justice Department said.
New school bus route is a 'disaster,' Kentucky superintendent admits. Last kids got home at 10 pm (www.fox2detroit.com)
Abortion rights have won in every election since Roe v. Wade was overturned (www.nbcnews.com)
Abortion has been on the ballot in seven states since June 2022. In each instance, anti-abortion groups have lost.
Hawaii cannot ban guns on beaches, US judge rules (www.reuters.com)
A federal judge has blocked the state of Hawaii from enforcing a recently enacted ban on firearms on its prized beaches and in other areas including banks, bars and parks, citing last year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights.
West African nations mobilize standby force as Niger crisis grinds on (www.washingtonpost.com)
West-African governments struggled to chart a clear path out of the crisis in Niger during an emergency summit on Thursday.
US Supreme Court to scrutinize Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement (www.reuters.com)
The court also paused bankruptcy proceedings concerning Purdue and its affiliates and said in a brief order that it would hold oral arguments in December in the administration’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling upholding the settlement. The court’s new term begins in October.
West Long Beach is first to get mental health workers who respond to certain 911 calls (lbpost.com)
The non-law enforcement team has been trained and is well-equipped with “a deep understanding of mental health issues, de-escalation techniques, and trauma-informed care, which better equips them to handle crisis situations with empathy and skill,” Colopy said....
US suicides hit an all-time high last year (apnews.com)
Seeing Robbie Robertson through the lens of his film scores (www.cbc.ca)
Robbie Robertson never intended to get into the film industry, but the music he made was always cinematic in its own way. In a 2019 interview with Vulture, the songwriting force behind the Band explained his music-making process in a way that blurs the line between musician and filmmaker: “When it connects in my imagination...
Norwegians prepare for more flooding and destruction after days of heavy rain (apnews.com)
Rescuers on Thursday evacuated inundated areas of southeastern Norway and residents braced for more landslides and flooding as rivers swollen by days of heavy rain carried large amounts of water through the mountainous landscape.