5 things to know for Aug. 8: Tropical Storm Debby, Space mission, Presidential race, Stock markets, UK riots

By CNN

Published August 7, 2024 12:46 pm

CNN

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — Government officials often send text messages as an effective means of warning the public about emergencies. But in New York City, some residents are receiving weather warnings from a voice in the sky as drones equipped with loudspeakers are being deployed to specific neighborhoods prone to flooding.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby made its second US landfall early today near Bulls Bay, South Carolina — some 20 miles northeast of Charleston. After looming over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasts show the storm is now crawling inward with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50 mph. It is set to unleash more torrential rains, potential tornadoes and destructive flooding as it marches northward through the rest of the week, inundating several already-soaked states. Since crashing into Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Debby has dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, and has killed at least five people.

2. Space mission

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — two veteran NASA astronauts piloting the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft — have been in space for more than 60 days, roughly seven weeks longer than initially expected. There is still no clear return date in sight due to several issues plaguing the Starliner and NASA is now making clear that the astronauts may not come home on the spacecraft at all. SpaceX, Boeing’s rival under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, may be tapped to bring Williams and Wilmore home instead. The move could potentially extend the astronauts’ stay on the International Space Station by another six months, pushing their return into 2025, agency officials said in a news conference Wednesday.

3. Presidential race

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, went head-to-head Wednesday, campaigning in separate events in Wisconsin. Harris, who was joined by her newly-announced running mate Tim Walz, also appeared at a second rally in Michigan. The candidates slammed each other’s records as they pitched themselves to Midwest voters as the best option. Trump, who was off the campaign trail, said that he expects to debate Harris “in the near future,” while leaving open the possibility for the event to take place on another network besides Fox News. The comments come after Trump on Saturday said he would only debate Harris on Fox News or “I won’t see her at all.”

4. Stock markets

US stocks closed lower Wednesday as Wall Street struggles to stage a comeback from the week’s bruising losses. The Dow fell 234 points, or 0.6%, after gaining more than 400 points earlier in the day. The S&P 500 declined 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.1%. While there are no immediate signs of a recession, the highly volatile market has many investors on edge about a potential US economic slowdown. Meanwhile, Asian markets made solid gains on Wednesday then quickly lost steam. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 ended down 0.7% today, snapping a two-day winning streak.

5. UK riots

Thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets across the United Kingdom to counter a spate of far-right rallies planned to target immigration centers. After days of violence spurred by disinformation around a deadly stabbing attack, police had braced for another night of unrest on Wednesday. But by the early evening, thousands of counter-protesters had gathered at more than a dozen cities to guard the immigration centers and prevent them from being targeted by the far right. “There are many, many more of us than you,” crowds chanted, with virtually no far-right supporters in sight. The fizzling out of the planned protests came as a major relief to the new Labour government, and for communities that had prepared for the worst.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Costco is cracking down on membership moochers
Costco asked its customers to stop breaking the rules at check-outs, but it didn’t register. The retailer will now try to catch membership moochers before they even get in the door.

Tug of war, pistol dueling and other strange Olympic Games
Breaking, or breakdancing, is far from the first unconventional sport to be allowed into the Olympic Games. Here’s a look at some of the strangest Olympic sports in modern history.

The race to become the world’s first document-free airport
Abu Dhabi International plans to expand its biometric technology and become the world’s first airport to go passport-free. Read why airports want to rely less on paper and more on facial recognition tools.

Steve Martin says he declined to play Tim Walz on ‘SNL’
Actor Steve Martin has finally weighed in on all the online speculation about whether he will play newly minted vice presidential candidate Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”

Family files wrongful death lawsuit following Titan submersible tragedy
A $50 million lawsuit reveals chilling details about the Titan submersible that suffered an implosion en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year.

TODAY’S NUMBER

3
That’s how many Taylor Swift concerts in Austria have been canceled due to an alleged planned terrorist attack. Police arrested two suspects on Wednesday that they said had undertaken “concrete preparatory measures” for an attack. Around 65,000 audience members were expected at each of Swift’s Vienna shows, with another 15,000 – 20,000 fans outside the stadium.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“It’s very important that we have a better understanding of this virus. It’s a virus that can be contained.”

— A World Health Organization official, raising concerns about a deadlier strain of mpox that has been confirmed in four African countries. Mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. WHO officials said Wednesday that they will soon determine whether the outbreak in Africa is a public health emergency of international concern.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

What’s it like watching your son win gold
Raising an Olympian is no easy feat! See how these parents reacted when their son clinched a gold medal at the Paris Games.

Article Topic Follows: CNN – Offbeat

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