Medicare drug price cuts, blue supermoon, Hurricane Idalia from space.

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US News, Politics, & Government

Here are the first 10 drugs that Medicare will target for price cuts

The Biden administration announced a list of 10 drugs that will be subject to price negotiations between manufacturers and Medicare. The process aims to lower drug costs for older adults in the US. The top three medications include two blood thinners and a blood sugar regulator for people with Type 2 diabetes The reduced prices won’t take effect until Jan. 2026. (More)

US in danger of running out of groundwater from overuse

Groundwater levels in the US are reaching critical levels, with 40% of 85,000 wells hitting all-time lows over the past decade, and rainwater failing to replace the losses. Arkansas, which produces nearly half domestically-grown rice, has aquifers that are less than one-tenth full in some regions. Meanwhile California, one of the largest sources of produce in the country, is pumping out water faster that it can be replenished. Record rainfall this winter didn’t help the crisis, as most of the water went into the ocean through the state’s rivers. (More)

Steve Scalise diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La) said that he has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. This form of blood cancer is treatable and he intends to keep working during treatment. Scalise is the second-highest ranking Republican in the House, after Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (More)

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World

Greece wildfire declared largest ever recorded in EU

Greece is battling the largest wildfire ever recorded in the EU. The blaze has burned more than 310 sq miles - an area bigger than New York City. Greece has sent 11 planes, a helicopter, and 407 firefighters to manage the fire, which is still raging out of control in some areas. Since it started on Aug. 19, the blaze has killed 20 people. (More)

Two Ugandan men may face death penalty after ‘aggravated homosexuality’ charge

In Uganda, a 20-year-old man and a man with a disability were taken into custody after having unlawful sexual intercourse. The two men are facing charges of “aggravated homosexuality” which is punishable by death under the country’s new laws. Uganda hasn’t executed anyone in decades, but this could change, depending on the trial’s outcome. (More)

Uruguay to offer free antidepressants to combat soaring suicide rate

Uruguay is addressing its ultra-high suicide rates by providing free antidepressants and establishing youth social and mental health centers to promote wellbeing. The country’s average suicide rate last year was over twice the rate in all of Latin America. In 2022, there were 23 suicides per 100,000 people. By comparison, the US had 14.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the same year. There’s no consensus on what’s driving the high suicide rates in the country. (More)

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Business & Economy

Daily stock market update

US stock markets closed higher on Tuesday (S&P +1.45%, Nasdaq +1.74%, Dow +0.85%) ~ Markets rallied behind rising tech stocks yesterday, however all three major indexes are on pace to finish the month of August with overall losses. (More)

First bitcoin ETF could be coming soon as court rules in favor of Grayscale over SEC

A US court sided with Grayscale in a lawsuit against the SEC, which had denied the company’s application to convert Grayscale Bitcoin Trust into an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The ETF will allow investors to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency without having to own the coins themselves. The decision could lead to more mainstream adoption by firms like Fidelity and BlackRock, who have said they want to create their own bitcoin ETFs. (More)

Nvidia’s stock closes at record after Google AI partnership

Nvidia’s shares rose 4.2% on Tuesday to close at a record high of $487.84 per share after the chipmaker announced a partnership with Google that could expand the reach of its AI technology. Its stock has surged by 234% in 2023, making Nvidia the top performer in the S&P 500. (More)

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Sports & Entertainment

Late-night hosts hook up for Spotify podcast with proceeds to benefit unemployed staffers during writers strike

Five late-night TV hosts — Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver — are teaming up with Spotify for “Strike Force Five,” a limited-series podcast discussing the WGA writers strike. Proceeds from the podcast will go to staffers on each of their shows. It will launch on Aug. 30 and run for at least 12 episodes. (More)

U.S. Ryder Cup captain's picks: Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, others join the squad

Captain Zach Johnson has revealed his six picks to fill out the American Ryder Cup roster which include Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, and Justin Thomas. The team will travel to Rome next month to defend its title against the European team. (More)

MLBPA calls for player safety after Ronald Acuna Jr. incident

The Major League Baseball Players Association is calling for increased attention to player and fan safety following two security incidents in the past four days. Two women were wounded by a gunshot that most likely went off inside the White Sox stadium. Four days later, two fans hopped the outfield fence and reached Braves’ outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., eventually knocking him to the ground. Both the women and Acuna are okay. (More)

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Science, Health, & Tech

Aggressive cancer cells transformed into healthy cells in breakthrough

Scientists have successfully caused rhabdomyosarcoma cancer cells to change into healthy muscle cells. They used a genetic screening technique to identify the specific genes that drive cancer growth and knocked out the one responsible for the growth. Once the gene was eliminated, the tumors within the muscles lose all cancer attributes. This method could eventually be used to treat other types of cancer too. (More)

Meta says Chinese, Russian influence operations are among the biggest it's taken down

Facebook parent Meta took down an operation run by Chinese law enforcement that spread pro-China messages and attacked critics of Beijing’s policies. The tech company helped deactivate 8,600 accounts with 561,000 collective followers across 50 platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Separately, Meta is continuing to take down fake accounts linked to a Russian influence operation aimed at undermining support for Ukraine. (More)

Rare blue supermoon brightens the night sky this week in the closest full moon of the year

The blue supermoon is set to appear after 9:30pm ET tonight and will appear full until around Friday. However, it won’t actually be blue; the term “blue” refers to a supermoon occurring twice in one month. This will be the closest full moon of the year. Saturn will also be visible 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon at sunset. (More)

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Bonus Material

A Chicago news crew was robbed while reporting about a string of robberies.

Watch: International Space Station passes over Hurricane Idalia.

How Starbucks created its own language for coffee sizes.

How many homes are owned vs rented in the US.