Trump's VP, Moon Caves, and Hamster Pants

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Big Stories

Trump Gets Replican Nom & Running Mate

Donald Trump has chosen U.S. Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate for the 2024 election.

• The VP selection came as the Republican Party officially nominated Trump as its presidential candidate at the national convention in Milwaukee. Trump praised Vance for his dedication to the Constitution and the military, saying he will help in the effort to "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

• Vance, 39, rose to prominence after the publication of his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy,” which depicts the social and socioeconomic problems of his hometown in Ohio. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and strongly supports Trump's ideas on trade, foreign policy, and immigration. He practiced law and venture capitalism before becoming a Senator.

• The four-day convention began on Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, a day after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and won a legal victory when a federal judge dismissed his classified documents case.

• Trump will formally accept the party's nomination in a primetime address on Thursday. He will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the election on November 5th.

Moon Caves

Scientists have found a cave on the moon near where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago.

• An Italian team discovered the cave near the Sea of Tranquility, just 250 miles from the Apollo 11 landing site. It was formed by a collapsed lava tube and identified using radar data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

• Researchers think there could be hundreds of pits and thousands of lava tubes on the moon. These caves could offer shelter from the harsh surface environment and support long-term human exploration. Building habitats from scratch on the moon's surface would be challenging, so using these caves might be a better option.

• British astronaut Helen Sharman suggests that humans could live in these lunar pits within 20 to 30 years, but would need "jet packs or a lift" to get out due to their depth. The unaltered materials inside these caves can help scientists understand the moon's volcanic activity and evolution.

Kenya Serial Killer Arrested

Kenyan police have arrested a man named Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, who has confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife, and dumping their bodies in a Nairobi garbage dump.

• Police arrested Khalusha near a bar where he was watching the Euro 2024 final. Nine bodies have been found at the dump site in the Mukuru slum area since Friday. The head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, called Khalusha a "psychopathic serial killer."

• The murders are believed to have occurred between 2022 and last Thursday. Khalusha was tracked down through the phone of one of his victims. When arrested, he was allegedly in the process of luring another victim. Another suspect was also arrested with a victim's phone. Autopsies are being conducted, and eight victims have been confirmed as female.

• The discoveries have put a spotlight on Kenyan police and increased pressure on President William Ruto amidst ongoing anti-government protests. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is investigating if there was any police connection to the bodies found and if there was a failure to prevent the killings.

• Kenyan police have faced accusations of using excessive force and unlawful killings, but few officers have faced justice.

Little Stories

• Lawmakers in Gambia voted against a bill to overturn a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). The Speaker of Parliament said most MPs rejected the bill even before its final reading. Human rights groups and the UN had asked MPs to stop the bill, which was introduced after pressure from some Muslim clerics. Gambia has one of the highest rates of FGM, with 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure. (More)

• A big heat wave is hitting the U.S., bringing some of the hottest summer temperatures to over 130 million people, especially on the East Coast. About 258 million people will see temps over 90°F in the next week. There have been 25 heat-related deaths this summer. (More)

• The Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State star Travis Bazzana, with the first pick in the MLB draft making him the first second baseman ever to be picked No. 1 overall. Bazzana, 21, hit 28 home runs in 60 games this season, the most by a Pac-12 player in 25 years. (More)

• President Joe Biden plans to propose a 5% cap on annual rent increases for tenants of major landlords to help with high housing costs. However, the plan would need strong support from Congress to become law, and many experts believe that building more houses and changing land use rules are better ways to lower housing costs. (More)

• Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., is in talks to buy a cybersecurity startup called Wiz Inc. The deal might be worth up to $23 billion, which would be Alphabet's biggest acquisition ever. (More)

Extra Credit

Why do brides carry bouquets? 

Whales surround man rowing solo across the Atlantic. 

Dogs identify people suffering from PTSD with 90% accuracy.

Police find multiple hamsters in a man’s pants.