Good Morning! Today’s edition is 858 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Strange fish uses its legs to taste food

• VP Harris visits the border

• Best college football tradition

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Big Story

NYC Mayor Adams Charged With Bribery & Fraud

U.S. prosecutors have charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams with accepting illegal campaign donations and luxury gifts from Turkish nationals.

• The scheme reportedly dates back to 2014 and helped fund his 2021 mayoral run. In exchange, despite safety concerns, Adams allegedly pushed city officials to allow Turkey's new consulate to open. He faces five criminal charges, which could lead to decades in prison. Adams denies any wrongdoing and said he will not resign as mayor.

• The indictment claims Adams received free luxury travel, including flights with a Turkish airline and stays at expensive hotels while serving as Brooklyn borough president. For his mayoral campaign, he reportedly hid campaign donations from Turkish sources by funneling them through U.S. citizens, which helped him qualify for extra public funding.

• The investigation has caused major disruptions in New York City's government. Several top officials, including the police commissioner and chief legal adviser, have resigned, and more resignations are expected. Many believe the case will hurt Adams' chances for re-election in 2025.

Big Story

Sea Robins Use Their Legs to Taste Food

Crazy-looking little fish called Sea robins use their legs to taste their prey.

• Sea robins have six leg-like structures formed from fins. These "legs" help them walk along the sea floor and flip shells to find prey. Researchers now know these legs also help the fish "taste" the sea floor to detect buried prey, like mussels. Scientists in the U.S. conducted experiments that showed sea robins use their limbs to sense chemicals from food in the sand.

• The researchers discovered that the legs of sea robins are covered with small bumps, similar to taste buds, which help them find hidden food. When the fish's legs touched food-related chemicals, the nerves in their limbs fired, signaling the presence of prey.

• Scientists believe sea robins' legs were originally used for movement, but later evolved to help them find food. This study could help researchers understand how new body parts develop over time and how animals’ brains adapt to these changes.

Big Story

Oklahoma Executes Inmate Despite Parole Board Recommending his Life be Spared

Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, was executed by lethal injection on Thursday for his part in the 1992 murder of convenience store owner Kenneth Meers.

• Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt rejected the state parole board's recommendation to spare his life, saying that he could not override the jury's decision. Littlejohn’s legal challenges to the constitutionality of lethal injection were also denied.

• In 1992, Littlejohn and co-defendant Glenn Bethany robbed a store in Oklahoma City, where the owner, Kenneth Meers, was shot and killed. Littlejohn apologized to the victim's family but denied being the shooter. Prosecutors argued that two witnesses identified Littlejohn as the gunman. Bethany, who was tried separately, received life without parole.

• Littlejohn's lawyers argued that his case would not have been a death penalty case if tried today, but he was prosecuted by a district attorney known for pursuing the death penalty. Despite the parole board's 3-2 vote recommending clemency, Governor Stitt chose not to commute the sentence.

Little Stories

• Scottie Scheffler and the U.S. team won all five of the first matches at the Presidents Cup on Thursday, giving them a 5-0 lead. It is only the third time a team has swept the opening round in Presidents Cup history, with the U.S. doing it twice before, in 1994 and 2000. The U.S. has also led in 38 of the last 42 sessions in the tournament. (More)

• Japan acquitted a man who had been on death row for 45 years. Iwao Hakamada is believed to have spent the longest time on death row ever. He had been wrongfully convicted of four murders that happened nearly 60 years ago. (More)

• President Joe Biden announced over $8 billion in military help for Ukraine on Thursday during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit. The aid includes a new precision-guided missile that can hit targets from up to 81 miles away which will help Ukraine fight Russian forces from a safer distance. (More)

• Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was disbarred in Washington on Thursday, following a similar loss of his law license in New York. This happened because he pushed false claims about the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump. His spokesperson called the decision unfair, and Giuliani still insists he believed the claims he made were true. (More)

• Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona today as part of her campaign to show she can handle immigration issues. At the stop in Douglas, Arizona, Harris will talk about plans to boost border security by sending more agents and using new technology to stop fentanyl smuggling. (More)

Extra Credit

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