Fact & Spin

August 12, 2023: Hunter special council, CIA China spy and record suicides

Facts & Spins for August 12, 2023 Top Stories: A special counsel is appointed in the Hunter Biden probe, China arrests an alleged CIA spy, Biden calls China a 'ticking time bomb,' at least 23 Rohingya are killed after their boat sinks off Myanmar, Trump and an aide plead not guilty to new classified documents charges, Biden asks Congress for an additional $24B in Ukraine aid, India looks to scrap colonial-era laws, US mortgage delinquency rates fall to an all-time low, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp sees profits plunge 75%, and data reveals the US recorded its highest number of suicides in 2022.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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August 10, 2023 Top Stories: 41 migrant deaths, Ohio special election and 4k daily steps

Facts & Spins for August 10, 2023 Top Stories: Dozens are feared dead after a migrant boat capsizes off Tunisia, China’s economy slips into deflation, Ohio voters reject changes to the state constitution, the US Supreme Court temporarily reinstates Biden’s ‘ghost gun’ regulation, the UK and Turkey announce a deal to tackle illegal migration, the White House plans to restrict some US investments in China, Russia continues to claim gains in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, ABC leaves Elon Musk’s X, a study finds Facebook's global spread hasn’t caused psychological harm and scientists say 4,000 daily steps are enough to boost health.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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August 9, 2023 Top Stories: AI password identification, Brazil Amazon summit and pollution-linked antibiotic resistance

Facts & Spins for August 9, 2023 Top Stories: Brazil hosts a landmark Amazon summit, Montana missile silos spark cancer concerns, at least seven are killed in Russian missile strikes on Donetsk, China drafts rules for using facial recognition technology, prosecutors seek to prevent Trump from sharing Jan. 6 case evidence, India bars military drone makers from using Chinese parts, Disney creates an AI task force, Norway says it will fine Meta $98,500 a day for breaching user privacy, air pollution is linked to a rise in antibiotic resistance, and a study finds AI is 90% effective at identifying passwords from keyboard sounds.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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August 08, 2023: Nuclear fusion breakthrough, postpartum depression pill and Imran Khan jailed

Facts & Spins for August 08, 2023 Top Stories: Niger closes its airspace after rejecting an ECOWAS ultimatum, Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan is sentenced to jail, The Philippines summons China’s envoy over a water cannon incident, US scientists achieve a net energy gain for a second time through nuclear fusion, Data reveals that half of crimes solved by UK police result in no charge, Four Syrian soldiers are killed in an Israeli missile attack, PayPal launches a dollar-backed stablecoin, A survey finds that a third of Britons can’t define ‘transgender woman,’ Musk's X says it will pay the legal bills of anyone 'unfairly treated' for posting on the platform, and the FDA approves the first pill for postpartum depression.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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August 5, 2023 Top Stories: Navy spies, record ocean temperatures and anti-malaria bacteria

Facts & Spins for August 5, 2023 Top Stories: Two US Navy sailors are charged with spying for China, Putin critic Alexei Navalny is sentenced to 19 more years in prison, two expelled Tennessee Democrats win back their seats, the world’s oceans break record temperatures, a defense review recommends New Zealand boost its military spending, new US migration offices are announced for Colombia, a Trump ally is charged in an alleged 2020 Michigan vote scheme, the UK’s NHS expands its use of the private sector, controversy mounts over the LK-99 superconductor and malaria-preventing bacteria is discovered by chance.
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August 4, 2023: Trump arraignment, Niger embassy evacuation and promising cancer pill

Facts & Spins for August 4, 2023 Top Stories: Trump appears in court for his Jan. 6 arraignment, the US orders the evacuation of its Niger embassy, Ukraine changes its counteroffensive tactics, deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon falls 66%, two migrants are found drowned in Rio Grande, Moderna projects up to $8B in 2023 COVID vaccine sales, a UK report predicts a 25% chance of a ‘catastrophic’ pandemic in five years, France's AFP sues Musk's X social media, China proposes limiting kid's daily phone use, and a groundbreaking cancer pill is found to kill tumors.
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August 03, 2023: US credit downgrade, Iran heatwave shutdown, and landmark bioethics settlement

Facts & Spins for August 03, 2023 Top Stories: America’s credit rating gets downgraded, Details emerge regarding Trump’s Jan. 6 indictment, Russia strikes key grain silos in Odessa, India’s top court hears a petition to remove Kashmir’s special status, A report says thousands will die from UK foreign aid cuts, The Pittsburgh synagogue attacker is sentenced to death, Severe floods are triggered by China’s heaviest rain in 140 years, Iran shuts down for two days because of severe heat and CDC research suggests Leprosy may be endemic to Florida.
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August 02, 2023: Trump presidential lead, FBI spy limits and endangered Venice

Facts & Spins for August 02, 2023 Top Stories: A poll shows Trump is leading his GOP rivals, Xi replaces the leaders of China's elite nuclear force, The US and the Taliban wrap up their first formal talks in 2 years, Another drone attack strikes Moscow, A former Australian childcare worker is charged with abusing 91 children, The UK acknowledges that IS attacks on Yazidis constitute genocide, The White House recommends curbing the FBI’s surveillance powers, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi is pardoned on some charges, A new Illinois law allows foreigners to become cops, and UNESCO recommends adding Venice to its endangered list.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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August 01, 2023: Niger junta ultimatum, Pakistan political bombing and ‘virgin birth’ flies

Facts & Spins for August 01, 2023 Top Stories: African leaders warn Niger's junta to cede power, A political rally bombing in Pakistan kills at least 45, Saudi Arabia will host a Ukraine peace summit without Russia, The DOJ is accused of intimidating a key witness in the Hunter Biden probe, A Georgia judge rejects Trump’s bid to block a grand jury report, An Australia army helicopter crash leaves ‘no hope’ for survivors,  Rival Palestinian governments form a ‘reconciliation committee,’ A judge blocks an Arkansas law allowing librarians to be charged for ‘harmful’ materials, X threatens legal action against a hate speech non-profit, and scientists induce a 'virgin birth' in fruit flies.
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July 29, 2023: US-Saudi talks, new Trump charges and faltering China image

Facts & Spins for July 29, 2023 Top Stories: The US and Saudi Arabia hold talks, Researchers find that Meta’s algorithm has little effect on polarization, Trump faces new charges in the classified documents case, Ukraine liberates a village in western Donetsk, A survey finds that China is facing a faltering global image, A Hong Kong judge rules against Beijing’s bid to ban a protest song, Biden signs an order on military sexual assault cases, The US Justice Dept. opens a probe into Memphis police, Biden announces measures to tackle extreme heat, and Netflix seeks an AI expert.
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