Olympics End, Ancient Solar Calendar, & Emigration.

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Big Stories

2024 Olympics End on High and Low Notes

The U.S. finished with a flurry of gold medals in team events to tie with China in the Olympic gold race.

• Both the U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams fought off strong competition from the French squads to win gold. The French men kept the game close until Steph Curry hit four 3-pointers in two minutes to seal the 98-87 victory. The women rebounded from 10 behind to win 67-66. The win gave them their 8th-straight Olympic gold and moved the U.S. into a tie with China for 40 gold medals at the 2024 games.

• The U.S. women’s soccer team beat Brazil 1-0 on Saturday. While the U.S. women's & men’s 4×400 relay teams also took home gold. America ended the games with 126 total medals — 40 gold, 44 silver, & 42 bronze. China came in 2nd with 91, followed by Great Britain with 65.

• Meanwhile, U.S. Olympic officials plan to appeal a court decision that forced American gymnast Jordan Chiles to give back the bronze medal she won in the floor exercise. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Chiles' coach took too long to file an appeal about her score, missing the 1-minute deadline by 4 seconds. Because of this, the bronze medal will now go to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.

Zelenskyy Confirms Ukraine is Fighting in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces have launched an offensive in Russia's western Kursk region.

• Up to 1,000 Ukrainian troops entered the area, leading to intense battles that have continued for days. This is Ukraine's largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began.

• In response to the offensive, Russia declared a state of emergency in the Kursk region, evacuating over 76,000 people and imposing strict security measures in border areas. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incursion a "major provocation." Videos circulating online show Ukrainian soldiers removing Russian flags and raising Ukrainian ones in villages near the border.

• While Ukraine advances into Russia, it continues to face deadly attacks on its own soil — a recent air attack on Kyiv killed a 4-year-old boy and his father. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of using North Korean missiles in the attack and stressed the need to destroy Russia's military infrastructure to end the aggression.

FDA Denies MDMA as PTSD Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied the use of MDMA, a psychedelic drug also known as ecstasy, for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• The FDA reviewed a request from Lykos Therapeutics to use MDMA in combination with talk therapy but rejected it due to concerns about limited clinical data and uncertainty about the need for psychotherapy in the treatment.

• The FDA said that the lack of data prevented them from determining whether MDMA is safe and effective for treating PTSD. Lykos said they will continue to work for approval but noted that further research could take years and that PTSD patients have had few new treatment options for decades.

• MDMA has shown some promise in treating PTSD — one Lykos trial found that 71% of participants no longer met PTSD criteria compared to 48% taking a placebo. However, the FDA's decision followed a 10-1 vote by an expert panel that doubted the drug's benefits. Concerns included the design of the studies, the long-term effectiveness of the treatment, and potential risks like heart problems and abuse.

Little Stories

• In Florida, many old condo buildings are struggling with rising costs and major repairs due to new safety rules put in place after the Champlain Towers collapse in 2021, which killed 98 people. The new rules aim to prevent future disasters, but the high costs are squeezing some condo owners financially and threatening the last relatively affordable housing along Florida's coast. (More)

• A 12,000-year-old monument in Turkey might be the world's oldest solar calendar. Carvings on the monument suggest it could track days, seasons, and years. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh found the relic at a temple-like archaeological complex called Göbekli Tepe. (More)

• A 28-year-old CrossFit champion named Lazar Đukić drowned during a swimming event at a CrossFit competition in Texas on Thursday morning. The incident happened at Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth. Athletes from around the world, including Đukić, were in the city for the 2024 CrossFit Games, where they competed in various physical challenges to earn the title of "Fittest on Earth." (More)

• Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Belgrade, demanding that the Rio Tinto lithium project in Western Serbia be stopped. Government officials claimed the protests were politically motivated to harm President Aleksandar Vucic. However, many protesters insist their concerns are about protecting agricultural land, not politics. (More)

• Donald Trump's presidential campaign said that some of its internal communications were hacked, and they believe the Iranian government is responsible. They made the claim after news surfaced that a report about Trump's running mate, JD Vance, was leaked. (More)

Extra Credit

Groundhog found inside a claw machine game.

Mapped: The countries losing the most people to emigration.

Why “run” is the most complicated English word. 

A whale photobombs Olympic surfing competition.