Women's rights in India, free national park entry, and medical debt wiped from credit reports.

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US News, Politics, & Government

Murdaugh pleads guilty to federal financial crimes

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted in March of murdering his wife and son, pleaded guilty to federal fraud and money laundering crimes on Thursday. The plea is related to a scheme in which Murdaugh and a bank employee stole $9 million from his personal injury clients. The deal requires Murdaugh to pay restitution to each victim. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole for killing his wife and son. (More)

US will expand Temporary Protected Status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans

The Biden administration said it will grant work permits and temporary deportation relief to 500,000 Venezuelans already in the country. Those who were in the US as of July 31 can sign up for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Officials decided to extend the benefits based on increased political instability and lack of safety in Venezuela. TPS is not a pathway to permanent residency and critics say the program has allowed hundreds of thousands of people to stay in the US indefinitely while their status is extended. (More)

All US national parks to offer free entrance Saturday

All US national parks will open their gates for free on Saturday, making 84 million acres of nature more accessible to the masses. National Public Lands Day is one of five days each year when the National Park Service offers free entrance. Fees will still be applied for overnight camping, cabin rentals, transportation, group day use, and use of special areas. Get out and explore your nearest national park! (More)

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World

India's Women's Reservation Bill Is a Major Step Forward

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a bill that will reserve one-third of seats in the more powerful lower house and state legislative assemblies for women. Currently, women occupy 15% of seats in the lower house and only 12% in the upper house. A similar bill was first introduced in 1997 but every successive Indian government failed to pass it into law. After 27 years in the making, the bill passed in the lower house on Wednesday. Now it moves to the upper house, and then through a final vote that requires approval from at least half of India’s 28 states. (More)

Poland will no longer send weapons to Ukraine as grain dispute escalates

Poland has announced it will stop sending arms to Ukraine a day after President Zelenskiy accused them of playing into Russia’s hands by banning Ukrainian grain imports. The two countries are fierce allies and Poland is one of Ukraine’s main weapons suppliers, but now they are at odds over the grain issue. Poland also has a general election approaching and has toned down its support for Ukraine as its people have complained that the war has become more important to the government than its own citizens. (More)

Indonesian woman sentenced to prison for blasphemy after saying Muslim prayer then eating pork on TikTok

A court in Indonesia has sentenced a woman to two years in prison for breaking its blasphemy law after she posted a video on TikTok of her reciting an Islamic prayer before eating pork. Eating pork is forbidden in Islam and is considered a sin for most Indonesians — 93% of its adult population identify as Muslim. Additionally, the court fined her $16,245, which is a costly punishment in a country where the annual per capita wage is $4,300. (More)

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Business & Economy

Daily stock market update

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -1.64%, Nasdaq -1.82%, Dow -1.08%) Yesterday was the third straight day of losses for the three indexes and the worst since March for the S&P. The declines were fed by multiyear highs for Treasury bond yields. When bond yields are high investors will often pull money out of stocks to chase more secure gains from the bonds. (More)

Cisco buys AI firm Splunk in $28 billion cash deal

Cisco is acquiring cybersecurity software company Splunk for $157 per share in a deal worth about $28 billion. The acquisition is its biggest ever. Cisco is the world’s largest maker of computer networking equipment and the purchase will bolster its cybersecurity business to meet customer demands. Splunk shares soared 21% after the announcement, while Cisco shares fell 4%.

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox and News Corp.

Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of both Fox Corp. and News Corp. His son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become sole chairman of News Corp. and continue as Fox Corp.’s executive chair and CEO. Murdoch began his career in the newspaper industry 70 years ago in Australia. In the 1980s he entered the television business and launched the Fox News Channel in 1996. The Murdoch family is valued at over $17 billion as of 2023. (More)

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Sports & Entertainment

United States women down South Africa in Julie Ertz farewell

The US Women’s National Team beat South Africa 3-0 in veteran midfielder Julie Ertz’ last game. The team gave Ertz a commemorative jersey with the number 123, representing the number of appearances she has made for the national team over her career. She won two World Cups with the team and scored 20 international goals. (More)

WWE’s ‘SmackDown’ to return to NBCUniversal’s USA Network

World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Friday Night Smackdown” will return to USA Network in October 2024 in a five-year $1.4 billion deal. The program has been on Fox since October 2019 but the 40% increase in compensation lured the show to USA. (More)

Cowboys star CB Trevon Diggs suffers torn ACL

Dallas Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Thursday’s practice. It is a huge loss for the Cowboys defense that is ranked No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed and points per game through the first two weeks. (More)

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Science, Health, & Tech

Elephants on the march across African borders in search of water

Extreme droughts in southern Africa are forcing elephants to cross borders in search of water. The migrations are causing problems for humans and conservationists alike. The animals know no borders and often cross into villages when looking for water. In Zimbabwe, elephants have killed 60 people so far this year. Meanwhile, conservationists are struggling with elephant overpopulation in some water-abundant areas, which can create biodiversity issues. (More)

Oldest Suspected Wooden Structure Predates Modern Humans

Archaeologists have uncovered the oldest known wooden structure in Zambia. The interlocking logs, which have a notch crafted into the upper piece to allow them to fit together, are estimated to be 476,000 years old. The discovery predates the oldest human fossils by 176,000 years. Researchers believe the construction may have formed a structure’s foundation, a walkway, or a raised platform in a region that was periodically covered in water. (More)

Medical debt could soon be barred from ruining your credit score

The Biden administration outlined plans to develop federal rules that prevent unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. If enacted, the measure would improve the credit scores of about 100 million people who are struggling with medical debt. Researchers have found that medical debt — unlike other forms of debt — doesn’t accurately predict a consumer’s creditworthiness, which calls into question how useful it is on a credit report. Officials will begin developing the new rules next year. (More)

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Bonus Material

The world’s 50 best hotels in 2023. (None of them are cheap…)

Watch: Dolphins play a game of chicken with each other and lose.

The priciest pads in each state.

Netflix will pay one winner $2,500 to watch its most popular shows.