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1. Qualifications
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney’s short-term political fate was decided Tuesday after Wyoming voters kicked her out of her House seat. “These primaries are over, but now the real work begins,” Cheney said, making scathing remarks about former President Donald Trump after losing to Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman. In her concession speech, Cheney vowed to continue fighting the former president’s lies and rid the Democratic Party of his influence. Since the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, Cheney has become the most vocal critic of Trump’s Republican Party and helped lead the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot. She is the eighth of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump to leave the House. Separately, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is counting in the first of two possible rounds against Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka. Former Gov. Sarah Palin, meanwhile, is attempting a political comeback in a special election for the state’s lone House seat.
2. Covid-19
The White House says a new type of Covid-19 vaccine specifically designed to protect against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants will be available next month. If the vaccines meet FDA standards, they will likely be available in early to mid-September, the White House’s co-ordinator for the Covid-19 response, Dr Ashish Jha, said on Tuesday. The Biden administration is currently trying to “exit the acute emergency phase,” where the US government buys vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests. “I hope that in 2023, you will see the commercialization of almost all these products,” Jha said. “Some of that will actually start this fall, in the coming days and weeks,” he added. Separately, first lady Dr. Jill Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is showing mild symptoms, her spokesman said on Tuesday.
3. Hearing aids
Hearing aids are about to get cheaper and potentially even better thanks to a long-awaited rule change announced Tuesday by the FDA. Instead of getting a prescription, visiting a healthcare professional and having a custom fit, people with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to buy hearing aids directly from a store or online. This move will make hearing aids much more widely available across the country, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. Data shows that about 1 in 8 people in the US, age 12 and older, has hearing loss in both ears, and the rate increases significantly with age. About a quarter of people aged 65 to 74 have hearing loss, and this rises to about 50% by age 75. But only about 16% of the tens of millions of people with hearing loss use a hearing aid. The FDA estimates that people could see over-the-counter hearing aids on the market as early as October.
4. Water breaks
The federal government is implementing new mandatory water outages in the US Southwest because of an emergency drought that is drying up the Colorado River and draining the nation’s largest reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The federal government announced Tuesday that the Colorado River will operate in a Tier 2 shortage status for the first time since January. That means Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will have to further reduce their use of the Colorado River starting in January, or the federal government may step in and take control of the states’ water management plans. As a result, states, water managers and tribes are now back at the negotiating table to figure out how to solve the West’s water crisis.
5. Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine rages, Russian forces are now using up to 60,000 rounds of ammunition each day, a Ukrainian official said. That estimate is in line with many made by Western analysts about the volume of munitions used by Russian forces after a relative lull in early July. Russia’s main efforts are focused on “pushing Ukrainian troops out of the Donetsk region,” the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces said. Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow “doesn’t need” to use nuclear weapons to achieve its goals in Ukraine. This comes after Ukraine called for tougher sanctions against Russia for “nuclear blackmail” following several explosions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
THIS ONLY IN
North Korea fires two cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast North Korea fired two cruise missiles into waters off its west coast today, a South Korean defense ministry official said. Military officials from South Korea and the US said they were analyzing the launch for more details. Tensions between the two Koreas have risen this year, with US military and intelligence agencies warning that North Korea appears to be preparing for a nuclear test — its first in nearly five years.
BREAKFAST DESCRIPTION
Canadian politician swallows a bee in the middle of a live briefing To honey or not to honey, that is the question. This video of Ontario Premier Doug Ford has caused quite a stir online. Click here to watch. The most exciting rock hotels in the world If you love a good view, check out this photo gallery of stunning hotels perched atop mountains and cliffs. Tennis legend Serena Williams loses Cincinnati opener With the US Open just around the corner, Williams suffered another loss on Tuesday after recently saying she would “grow away from tennis”. This image of a lone woman in a room full of men was radical Many doors will open to those who are bold enough to knock! Take a look at this striking portrait from 1975 showing a lonely woman in a male-dominated workplace. Scientists plan to resurrect this animal from extinction with ancient DNA Never underestimate the power of science. This animal, which has been extinct since 1936, can live again.
TODAY’S NUMBER
43 That’s how many books a Texas school district is removing from school shelves — including the Bible and an adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary — after they were challenged through the district’s formal complaint process last school year. The Keller Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, said the books will be temporarily removed for up to 30 days while the material in question is reviewed. Several of the books under review explore LGBTQ experiences, according to the region. This announcement comes as debates over school library books and curriculum have become key issues across the country.
TODAY QUOTE
“Progress in this country, as large and complex as ours, clearly is not easy. It never has been easy. But with unwavering belief, commitment and patience, progress comes.” — President Joe Biden after signing a sweeping $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill at the White House on Tuesday — marking a major victory for his administration and the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections. Biden said during a signing ceremony that the legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, is “one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history.”
THE WEATHER TODAY
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AND FINALLY
The young girl’s performance on the street brings people to tears Start your day off on the right note with this soulful violin cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. (Click here to view)
